Confutation of the Popes Bull, Part 5
¶What is ment in the Gospell by loosing and binding: and how Christes Apostles did loose and binde.
NOw although our Lorde sayd, I will geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, and that by ye way he made no mention in the processe following, of opening and shutting, which are the properties of keyes: yet did he set down other termes in their stead, that is to wit, to loose and to binde, by which doutlesse he ment to shew the power of the keyes, and after what maner the Apostles doe either open or shut heauen with the keyes. They open when they vnbinde or let loose (for both those thinges come to one point) and they shut whē they binde. To let loose therefore is to open: and to shut is to binde. Otherwise to binde is a word of knowen signification. For the officer bindeth, which at the cōmaundement of his lord casteth a man in prison, or by some other way hampereth him in bondes. And he looseth, which dischargeth a man from bondes or bringeth him out of prison. This thing is conueyed ouer from the body to the minde. For bondes in the Scripture betoken as well spirituall as bodily imprisonment. To loose therefore is to open the prison of sinnes by preaching forgeuenesse of sinnes, through Christ, who onelyonly releaseth sinnes and bringeth out of prison. Which thing shall be the rightlyer vnderstood, if we vewe and consider more néerly this saying of the Prophet which the Lord Iesus him selfe expoundeth in the Synagog of Nazareth in S. Luke,Luke. 4. saying: The spirite of the Lord is vponupon me (meaning vponupon Christ) because he hath annointed me, and hath sent me to bring glad tidynges to the poore, to heale them that be hart broken, to preach release to the prisoners, and recouery of sight to the blynd, and to set the broosed at lybertie. Héerunto adde also that which the same Lord said in Iohn:Ioan. 20. Like as the father hath sent me, so send I you: Whose sinnes soeuer you release, they are released vntounto them, and whose sinnes soeuer you retayne, they be retayned. The sonne of God then sent out his disciples after the same maner that he him self was sent out by the father. But the sonne of God (according as the Prophet hath auouched) was sent to bring glad tidinges to the poore, & to preach deliueraunce to prisoners: Ergo, the Apostles also were sent forth to shew glad tidinges, and to preach deliueraunce to prisoners. Which thing when they do, then open they heauen by the keyes, and let loose them that were tyde in the bondes of sinne, releasing them their sinnes, that is to say, witnessing by the Gospell, that their sinnes are released by fayth through Christ. For the Apostles release not sinne otherwise then by the warrant of the Gospell, which auoucheth vntounto them that onelyonly Christ by his owne merite forgeueth sinnes. For like as the Apostles are not sent to offer them selues in sacrifice for the clensing of the whole world as Christ was, the sacrifice of whom alone clenseth away the sinnes of the whole world: euē so doutlesse the Apostles were not sent to forgeue sinnes by their owne authoritie as Christ did, but to witnesse vntounto men that they be forgeuē by faith through Christ. For we must in these cases aduisedly and with a conscience obserue the matching of ye superior with the inferior, so as we may yéeld to ech partie that which is his owne, and not wickedly attribute that glory vntounto seruauntes, which is due to the onelyonly sonne of God. Certesse Austine behauing him selfe reuerently in these matters, sayth peremptorily, that Christ worketh these thinges by power, and that the disciples do the thinges which they do, by seruice or seruauntly. Wherof more shall follow anon. Also Marke and Luke handling the same story which Iohn hath touched in his xx. chapt. do witnesse that in the talke which Christ hath in the day of his resurrection, there is nothing els betaken to the Disciples, but the office of preaching the Gospell. For in Marke the Lord sayth:Marke. 16. Goe into the whole world and preach the Gospell. Luke. 24.And in Luke he sayth: So behoued it Christ to suffer, & to rise againe from the dead the third day, and repentaunce and forgeuenesse of sinnes to be preached to all nations in his name. And therefore by laying all these places of Scripture together, it is made most manifest and vndouted, that the keyes which were geuen to Peter and the other Apostles, is nothing els but the ministration of preaching the Gospel, wherby the way is opened for the world into heauen, & wherby (to be short) is declared most assured release and forgeuenesse of sinnes through fayth in Christ, to such as beleue. Wherunto also séemeth to perteine this most elegant and fit sentence of the Lord speaking with Paule: I will make thee a witnesse and messenger (marke how he sayth, a witnesse and messenger) and will send thee vntounto nations and realmes, to open their eyes, that they may be turned from darknesse to light, and from the power of Sathan vntounto God, so as they may receaue forgeuenesse of sinnes, and lot among those that be sanctified by the fayth which is to meward. You hauehave in these wordes a most exacte description of the keyes of the kingdome of heauen. Wherunto to adde any more, I thinke it but superfluous.
Now if vntounto all these thinges, ye will adde the practise of the Apostles (as they terme it) and diligently search out how they hauehave vsed the keyes that were deliuered to them, and after what sort they hauehave opened or shut the kingdome of heauen vntounto men, and also in what wise they hauehave either bound them or loosed them: ye shal no where in all the new Testament finde them to hauehave exercised the Popishe practise, that is to wit, that the Apostles hauehave set thē selues downe in the places where they came to preach the kingdome of God and saluation, and commaunded mē to come vntounto them, and there to crouch or to knéele after the maner of worshippers, and to shriue them selues, that is to say, to poure out all their thoughtes, wordes, and déedes, with all the circumstances of them into the eare or lap of the confessor as he sits, and to craue of him the absolution of their sinnes, with enioynance of satisfaction: and that he on the other side laying his handes vponupon the head of the shriftman, whispered an absolution of sinnes ouer him in an ordinary forme of wordes, and enioyned him a certaine satisfaction by the workes of penance. Much lesse shall ye finde that the Apostles installed them selues in thrones, and thrust downe sinners into hell by sentence of excommunication. &c. What then? Looke vponupon the Actes of the Apostles, or rather goe through that booke, wherein Luke hath most diligently written the notable sayinges and doinges of the Apostles (and specially of Paule) without ouerslipping of any thing which tended to soule health, or was necessary to be knowen, and therwithall hath in xxviii. chapters set forth as many yeares, that is to wit, the things that the Apostles did by the space of xxviii. yeares together in the matter of saluation: and thou shalt not finde in all that great worke, that all and eueryevery of the Apostles did any thing els then agreably and constantly in all places and in eueryevery place preach the Gospell, and promise remission of sinnes and euerlasting life to such as beleued in Christ: and on the contrary part, threaten endlesse and most assured damnation to them that beleued not. Thus (I say) did the Apostles vse the keyes which they receaued of the Lord. Thus did they binde and loose. If they would hauehave had any other thing, or any thing more to hauehave bene done in the Church by their successors, they would not hauehave dissembled it by the space of xxviii. yeares preaching, in all their doinges which Luke hath most faythfully written. And among other places of the Actes of the Apostles, let the godly read the second, x.xiii.xvi. and xviii. chapters, and they will beare witnesse that the thinges which I hauehave spoken héere are most true, yea and also thinke them selues satisfied in this case. I speake of such as are not contentious, for such no man can well satisfie. And at this present I say to them also as Paule sayd:1. Cor. 11. If any man seeme to be full of contention, we hauehave no such custome, neyther the Churches of God.
And whereas the aduersaries vrge this singular spéech: I wyll geue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen vntounto thee, I say, vntounto thee Peter, vntounto thee, singularly, and not vntounto you, plurally: and in their vrging do cry out that I hauehave openly corrupted this place of the Gospell, by communicating vntounto the rest of the Apostles and to all their successors being ministers of the word, the keyes that were geuen to Peter onelyonly: they bewray their owne grosse foolishnesse, together with their inuincible malice, considering how they can not deny but that such synecdoches or figures of putting one for a number, and specially in such cases, are very vsuall in the Scriptures. Againe, seing it is sufficiently knowen what the keyes be, and that the rest of the Apostles receaued them as well as Peter: I pray you what will they proue by their singular number? But let them aske their owne fathers, why the Lord wheras he gaue equall or one maner of power to them all: did neuerthelesse say seuerally vntounto Peter, I will geue thee: and they shall perceaue that therby is betokened and expressed the vnitie of the Church. Surely Austine in his 118. treatise vponupon Iohn, sayth thus: Whereas they were all asked the question, Peter alone answered, Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God: and it is sayd vntounto him: VntoUnto thee will I geue the keyes, as though he alone had receaued the power to binde and loose: when [notwithstanding] he both spake it alone for them all, and receaued them with them all, as bearing the person of vnitie: and one [did] therfore [both speake and receaue] because there is vnitie in all. The same wordes repeateth he againe in his 124. treatise vponupon Iohn. And in his▪ 50. treatise, he sayth: when Peter receaued the keyes, he represented the holy Church. The same thinges auoucheth the blessed Martyr Cyprian in his little worke concerning the simplicitie of Clerkes. Furthermore if we shoulde graunt any thing to be geuen héere singularly vntounto Peter, what is that to the Pope of Rome? He hath not yet proued him selfe to be Peters heire and successor. In his owne Decrées, in the sentences of Hierom and Chrysostom, in the xl. distinction, he shall finde that which will put him to his trumpe, wring him by the eare, and cut his combe. Neither doth he which sayth that in Peter the keyes were geuen to the whole Church, approue the Romish toyes.