A Treatise of Episcopacy, Part 2 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Whether this Government belonging to the office of Preſbyters, be in foro Eccleſiae & exteriore, or only in foro Conſcientiae & interiore.
THe laſt ſhift that ſome Prelatiſts have, is to diſtinguiſh between the forum internum Conſcientiae, poenitentiale, and the forum externum Eccleſiaſticum, and to tell us that indeed Presbyters have the Power of the Keys in private or in the firſt ſenſe, but not in Publick or in the ſecond.
Anſw. 1. Note that the queſtion is not whether they have the ſole power, or the chief power, or with what limitations it is fit for them to exerciſe it, nor what appeals there ſhould be from them; But whether the power of the Keys be part of their office.
2. That the queſtion is not of the power of Governing the Church by the ſword, which belongeth to the King, and is Extrinſick to the Paſtoral office, and to the being of the Church (As protecting the Church, puniſhing Churchoffenders corporally, &c.) For this is proper to the Magiſtrate, and belongeth neither to Biſhops nor Presbyters as ſuch. We claim no part with the Prelates in any ſuch ſecular Government as their Courts uſe, except when they come to Excommunication and Abſolution: At leaſt no coercive power at all.
3. All the queſtion is of the power of the Keys of Admiſſion, Conduct and Excluſion; of judging who ſhall have Sacraments, and Church-Communion with our aſſemblies? that is, Who ſhall be pronounced fit or unfit for it, by our ſelves?
And that this belongeth to Presbyters in foro publico Eccleſiae, I prove,
1. Becauſe they are Publick officers, or Paſtors over that Church, and therefore their power of the Keys is a publick Church power, elſe they had none of the Keys as Paſtors of that Church at all: For the Keys are to Let in and put out; They are the Church Keys: and he that hath power only to ſpeak ſecretly to a ſingle perſon, doth not thereby take in to the Church or put any out, nor Guide them publickly. A man that is a Miniſter (at leaſt) may convince, ſatisfie, comfort any mans conſcience in ſecret, of what Church ſoever he be, even as he is a member of the Univerſal Church. But he that is a publick Officer and Governour of the Church may publickly Govern the Church. But a Presbyter is a publick officer and Governour: Ergo.
2. The reſt of his office may be publickly performed, Coram Eccleſia, and not in ſecret only: He may Preach to the Church, Pray with the Church, Praiſe God with them, Give them the Sacrament: Therefore by parity of Reaſon he may publickly exerciſe diſcipline, unleſs any by-accident pro tempore forbid it.
3. Elſe he muſt be made a meer Inſtrument of another and not a rational free Agent and Miniſter of Chriſt: Yea perhaps more like to an Aſſe who may carry Bread and Wine to the Church, or like a Parrot that may ſay what he is bid, than a man who hath a diſcerning judgment what he is to do. I muſt publickly baptize, and publickly preach and pray, and publickly give the Lords Body and Bloud: And if I muſt be no Judge my ſelf to whom I muſt do this, then, 1. Either I may and muſt do it to any one (without offending God) to whom the Biſhop bids me do it: And if ſo, I may Excommunicate the faithful and curſe Gods children, and abſolve the moſt notoriouſly wicked, if the Biſhop bid me. And how come they to have more power than King Balak had over Balaam? or than a Chriſtian Emperour had over Chryſoſtom? He that ſaith to the wicked, Thou art righteous, Nations ſhall curſe him, people ſhall abhor him, Prov. 24. 24. Wo to them that call evil good and good evil! But what if the Biſhop bid them? If I may not preach lies or hereſies if the Biſhop bid me, then I may not lyingly curſe the faithful nor bleſs the wicked if he bid me. If I may not forbear preaching the Goſpel meerly for the will of man, when God calleth me to it, much leſs may I ſpeak ſlanders, yea and lie in the name of God, when men bid me. The French Prieſt did wiſelier than ſo, that being bid from the Pope to Curſe and Excommunicate the Emperour, ſaid, I know not who it is that is in the right, and who is in the wrong, but I do Excommunicate him that is in the wrong whoever he be.
2. Or elſe, it will follow that I am bound to ſin and damn my ſoul thereby, whenever the Biſhop will command me: which is a contradiction.
3. Or elſe it will follow that I am a beaſt, that am not to judge or know what I do, and therefore my acts are neither ſin nor duty.
4. If he have not the Keys to uſe publickly in foro Eccleſiae he hath no power of Excommunication and Reſtitution at all: For to Excommunicater is publickly to notifie to the Church, that this perſon is none of them, nor to be communicated with, and to charge them to avoid his company.
5. The Biſhops themſelves put the Presbyters to proclaim or read the Excommunication: and if this be any Miniſterial or Paſtoral act, certainly it is in foro Eccleſiae.
6. Moſt of the Acts before named as their conceſſions, as to be in the Convocation, &c. are acts in foro publico.
7. The full proofs before brought from Antiquity, of Presbyters ſitting in Councils, Judging, Excommunicating, &c. are of publick, not private exerciſe of the Keys.
8. They are the ſame Keys or Office power which Chriſt hath committed to the Paſtors, even the Guidance of his Church, to feed his lambs: And ubi Lex non diſtinguit non eſt diſtinguendum. Where doth Chriſt or Scripture ſay, You ſhall uſe the Keys of Church-power privately, but not in the Church, or publickly?
9. All this ſtriving againſt Power in the Miniſters of Chriſt, is but ſtriving againſt their duty, work, and the ends and benefits of it: He that hath no Power for publick diſcipline, hath no obligation to uſe it; and ſo he is to neglect it: And this is it that the Devil would have, to keep a thouſand or many hundred Paſtors in a Dioceſe from doing the publick work of Diſcipline: And as if he could confine Preaching to Dioceſans only (And I verily believe they are better of the two at Preaching, than at Diſcipline) he knoweth that it is but few ſouls of many thouſands that would be taught: Even ſo when he can confine Church diſcipline to the Dioceſanes, he knoweth how little of it will be done. And who will uſe his wit, learning and zeal, to plead his cauſe, and his parts and office thus to ſerve his deſigns and gratifie him, who conſidereth what it is to be a Biſhop, a Chriſtian, or a man?