The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 7 · Chapter 2
CHAP. 2. What is that pardon of ſin which the Paſtors of the Church grant, and how far their power to forgive ſin extends. And of the power of the Keyes.
OUR Saviour Jeſus having given to his Diſciples the power to forgive ſins, who ſo teacheth that this grace is dead with the Apoſtles, thereby deprives the Church of the following ages (as far as in him lyeth) of a great comfort, and enervates altogether the Miniſtry of the Goſpel. God indeed gave to his Apoſtles the gift of Miracles, and an univerſal power not reſtrained to a particular Church, in which power they had no ſucceſſors. But as for the graces which ſerve to give peace unto the Conſcience, and to reconcile ſinners with God, and to maintain the Church in good order, they ought to be perpetual, and the Apoſtles did not receive them but to tranſmit them unto poſterity. For God intends no leſs in this time, then in the Apoſtles time, the ſalvation and converſion of his Elect: And God put not the Keyes of the Kingdom of heaven in the hands of the Paſtors of his Church, to take them out of their hands ſoon after. The miracles made by the Apoſtles in the birth of the Church, ſerve us yet to this day, and are ſo many confirmations of the doctrine of the Goſpel; Therefore it is not neceſſary that the Apoſtles ſhould have ſucceſſors in that vertue. But as for the power of forgiving ſins, if the Apoſtles alone had had that power, the Church of the following ages ſhould thereby receive no benefit, becauſe the pardon of ſins is a perſonal grace, which every private perſon hath need to apply unto himſelf, and which comes not by ſucceſſion: It being certain, that by the remiſſion of ſins which the Apoſtles granted to men of their time, the ſins of men of our time are not pardoned.
But as we ought to be careful keepers and good husbands of the graces of God, which he would have to be perpetual unto his Church, ſo ought we to take heed that they be not abuſed in our keeping, and that this power be not changed into tyrannie, or into an occaſion of pride and diſhoneſt gain. Leſt then we fall into that contrary extremity, it is neceſſary to know what the power of Paſtors is to forgive ſins, and what limits God hath ſet to it in his Word.
Chriſt ſaid unto Peter, and in his perſon to all the Apoſtles, Matth. 16.19. I will give unto thee the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven. Of which promiſe expreſt in the future-tenſe, the fulfilling is found in the fore-alleadged Text, John 20.23. where Chriſt gives to his Diſciples the power of remitting and retaining ſins. In which power the uſe of the Keyes, about which we now diſpute, conſiſteth. What thoſe Keyes are, and what their nature is, the Word of God teacheth us.
Scripture ſpeaks of two ſorts of Keyes, the one the Key of knowledge, the other the Key of Authority or Government. Of the Key of Knowledge, Chriſt ſpeeaketh, Luke 11.52. ſaying, Wo unto you Lawyers, for ye have taken away the Key of Knowledge; meaning that they had taken away that Key of Knowledge from the people, challenging to themſelves the office of opening the intelligence of Scriptures, and to bring others into it. Of the Key of Authority, God ſpeaks, Iſa. 22.22. where God promiſeth to Eliakim to lay the Key of the houſe of David upon his ſhoulder, that is, to charge him with the Government of the Kings houſe. Which is applyed to Chriſt, Rev. 3.17. where himſelf ſaith, that he hath the Key of David, and it is he that openeth and no man ſhutteth, and ſhutteth and no man openeth; becauſe he hath in his hand the Government of the Church of God.
According to theſe two ſignifications of the word Key, Chriſt hath given to his Apoſtles two ſorts of Keyes, the Key of Knowledge to open the entry of Scriptures, and bring the people into the true knowledge of God: And the Key of Authority to govern the Church, which in the New Teſtament is commonly called(a)Matth. 3.2. And 11.32. & 13.11.24.31.33.32. & 20.43. & 23.13. and in many other places. the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of heaven; for it were unreaſonable thereby to underſtand the heavenly Paradice, whoſe government belongs not to the Paſtors of the Church, although the laſt Council of Lateran in the X. Seſſion, ſay by the mouth of an Archbiſhop, that(b)Quapropter Bernardus ad Eugenium tanquam ad ſummum Hierarchicum in coelo Eccleſiae virum, in quo erat omnis poteſtas ſupra omnes poteſtas tam coeli quam terrae, recte ſcripſerat; Tibi data eſt omnis poteſtas, in qua qui totum dicit nihil excludit. the Pope hath all power over all the powers of heaven and earth; and that Bernard ſaid very well, ſpeaking to Pope Eugenius, All power is given thee in heaven and in earth: For (ſaith he) he that ſaith all, excludeth nothing.
It doth not belong to the Paſtors of the Church to bring ſouls into Paradice, or to exclude them from it. This belongs to God only, who before we were born, yea before the Creation of the world, defined in his counſel who are thoſe whom he will ſave by pardoning their ſins, and who are thoſe whom he will not pardon. They ſhall be judged in the laſt day, as they ſhall be found written in the Book of life, not according to the ſentences and judgements of Abſolution that have been pronounced by the Prieſt. He that will bring thoſe ſentences for his Apology in Gods judgement, ſaying, I have indeed committed ſuch and ſuch ſins, but my Parſon hath abſolved me, and although I be none of thine elect, I muſt be ſaved nevertheleſs, for my Parſon hath given me Abſolution; ſuch a man, I ſay, ſhall find himſelf ill grounded. And the Parſon himſelf who hath forgiven another, giving Abſolution in quality of a Judge, ſhall have enough to do to get Abſolution for himſelf in Gods judgement.
Theſe words then, whereby Chriſt promiſeth to his Apoſtles the Keyes of the Kingdom of heaven, are as much as if he ſaid to them, I will give you the Government of my Church. Which government Paſtors exerciſe two wayes; By the preaching of the Goſpel, the Scepter of that Spiritual Kingdom, which is the Church of God; and by Eccleſiaſtical diſcipline.
Theſe two wayes they remit and retain ſins. For, as for the preaching of the Word, they announce unto the penitent ſinners the remiſſion of their ſins, and to the unbelievers and impenitent, condemnation; not as a private perſon ſhould do, but as perſons purpoſely ſent by Chriſt to announce the good news of Gods reconciliation with authority, as Heraulds of Grace, and as(c)2 Cor. 5.20. Embaſſadors for Chriſt, to whoſe word Chriſt himſelf giveth efficacy, uſing them to touch the hearts with repentance, and powerfully to print in their ſoul the ſenſe of their reconciliation, and the certainty of the remiſſion of their ſins. In that ſenſe they do not pronounce ſentences in authority of Judges, but are Heraulds of peace, and Miniſters of reconciliation. Wherefore alſo their charge is called by the Apoſtle the miniſtry of reconciliation. 2 Cor. 5.18. All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himſelf in Chriſt, and hath given unto us the Miniſtry of reconciliation. In that reſpect then their charge is a Miniſtry, not a Judicature to judge the cauſes depending between God and men, in authority of Judges. Their Office is a Miniſtry of reconciliation, not a Judicature of abſolution. Wherefore the next verſe, their word is called, a word of reconciliation; and the bearers of that word are called, not Judges in Chriſts cauſe, but Embaſſadors for Chriſt, that exhort and beſeech men to receive the reconciliation with God by Jeſus Chriſt. We are (ſaith the Apoſtle) Embaſſadors for Chriſt, as if God did beſeech you by us, we beſeech you in Chriſts ſtead, be ye reconciled to God.
But that Embaſſie is addreſt as well to the Infidels and not baptized perſons, as to the faithful, ſeeing that unto all alike the Apoſtles propound the remiſſion of their ſins, that remiſſion cannot be a Sacrament of Penitence, which the Roman Church conferreth only upon baptized perſons, nor an act of Judicature, but is a Miniſtry of reconciliation. Yet as the Word of God ſaith, that faithful Miniſters ſave ſouls, (as we have proved) becauſe God makes uſe of their Miniſtry to ſave them, ſo they pardon ſins, in as much as God employeth them, and makes uſe of them to announce and conferr pardon upon ſinners. Make no doubt but that when a faithful Paſtor having heard the confeſſion of a repenting ſinner, or comforted a ſick perſon, ſaith to him, I announce thee the remiſsion of thy ſins by Jeſus Chriſt; or, I declare unto thee that thy ſins are forgiven thee; theſe words are very effectual towards a repenting ſinner, and are powerful to ſtrengthen his faith in the aſſurance of the remiſſion of his ſins, although theſe words be no ſentence of abſolution.
The like cannot be ſaid of the ſecond point, wherein the power of the Keyes conſiſteth, which is the government of the Church by Eccleſiaſtical diſcipline, whereby they puniſh ſins in quality of Judges, by cenſures, ſuſpenſions, and excommunications, and remit ſins by releaſing thoſe pains, and reconciling the ſinner unto the Church, and receiving him to the Communion. It is eaſie to comprehend how far that Judicature extends. For every Judge pronounceth judgements, impoſeth puniſhments, granteth graces, according to the nature of his charge. A Judge that ſits upon life and death, judgeth not cauſes that are meerly civil. A ſecular Judge judgeth not of ſpiritual cauſes, nor of the deciſions of faith. A Judge meerly ſpiritual, ought not to judge of pecuniary or criminal cauſes. In a word, every Judge, unleſs he be Soveraign, hath certain limits which his Judicature muſt not exceed. Now the Office of Paſtors is to govern the Church in this world. Whence it follows, that the judgements which they pronounce, and the puniſhments which they impoſe upon the ſinner in quality of Judges, are puniſhments which go not beyond the preſent life; and reach not ſo far as to give order that he be either in Paradice or in Hell after this life. They cannot give ſentence that mens ſins be pardoned in the day of Judgement. That would be giving Laws to God. It is true that God puniſheth, even after this life, ſuch as deſpiſe the judgement of the Paſtors of the Church, and ſhake off the yoak of Diſcipline: But that puniſhment after this life, is done, not by the judgement or ſentence of Paſtors, but by the Judgement of God avenging the contempt of the order which he conſtituted in his Church.
Beſides, a Judge cannot remit any pains, but ſuch as he can impoſe. For the ſaying of Ambroſe in the firſt book of Penitence is moſt true,(d)Amb. de poenit. l. 1. c. 2. Dominus par jus & ſolvendi eſſe voluit & ligandi, qui utrumque pari conditione permiſit, ergo qui ſolvendi jus non habet, & ligandi non habet. that the power of binding and the power of looſing are equal, and extend the one as far as the other. God would have the right of looſing and that of binding to be equal. He permitted both upon the like condition. That man then who hath not the right of looſing hath not the right of binding, &c. Since then Paſtors cannot impoſe the pain of damnation upon any man, but only pains of Eccleſiaſtical cenſures, it appears alſo, that the pardon of ſins which they may grant as Judges, exceeds not the releaſe or remiſſion of pains, and Eccleſiaſtical cenſures. It is ſo that Paſtors as far as in them lyeth, and as much as ſins and ſinners are in their juriſdiction, pardon ſins. For pardoning ſins, is nothing elſe then not to puniſh them, when he that pardoneth hath the power to puniſh. The Judge cannot exempt the guilty from any puniſhment, but that which he may inflict by vertue of his Office. It is in that ſenſe that Saint Paul adviſeth the Corinthians to forgive the inceſtuous man whom they had cut off from the Communion of the Church, and himſelf joyning with them, forgiveth him alſo, 2 Cor. 2.7. & 10. Which he doth not to abſolve him before Gods judicial ſeat, but preſuppoſing that God had accepted his repentance, and had pardoned him, he voteth that the Church alſo forgive him the Eccleſiaſtical puniſhment, receiving him to the Communion. Yea private perſons will forgive offences one to another, not meaning thereby to prejudicate the judgement of God, but only remitting the revenge, and declaring that they will not return any puniſhment for it. Such remiſſions of ſins done by the Paſtors, and the oppoſite retentions when they are juſt, are approved of God, and ratified in his Counſel; Which is Chriſts meaning when he ſaith, that, Whatſoever ſhall be bound in earth by the Paſtors of the Church, ſhall be bound in heaven; that is, the ſuſpenſions and excommunications wherewith Paſtors ſhall juſtly bind ſinners, ſhall be ratified in heaven, and ſuch men ſhall be held juſtly bound with Eccleſiaſtical bonds and cenſures. And though the Eccleſiaſtical cenſure were unjuſt, and not hurtful at all to the excommunicated perſon as for the conſcience, yet the Lord will have him to undergo that Eccleſiaſtical puniſhment, rather then to run into contumacy, and to thruſt himſelf by force or tumult to the holy Communion.
The ſummary of this diſcourſe is, that as for the announcing of grace by the Goſpel, either propounded in publike, or applyed to ſome particularly, Paſtors do not forgive ſins as Judges, and exerciſe no Judicature, but pardon, in as much as God announceth and conferreth remiſſion of ſins by their means, and printeth in their hearts the certainty of pardon through their word. But as for the Eccleſiaſtical cenſures, whereby they remit or retain ſins, they are truly Judges, and truly pardon ſins, with a pardon which extends but as far as the puniſhments do which they can impoſe. They pardon ſins as Judges, as for the Eccleſiaſtical pains: For God alone is the Judge of Conſciences, and no man can by judicial abſolution exempt a ſoul from anſwering at the Bar of Gods judgement, or by vertue of his judicial abſolution, blot out his ſins before God. Which will yet more clearly appear by the following proofs.