Institutes of the Christian Religion Abridged by Edmond Bunnie, Book · Book 4 · Chapter 12
Cap. 12. Of the diſcipline of the Church, wherof the chiefe vſe is in the Cenſures and excommunication.
THere are two parts of Eccleſiaſtical gouernmēt therin, ye one wherof reſpecteth the people, the other chiefly reſpecteth the Cleargie. of the firſt, from the firſt to the 21. of the laſt, from the 22. to the 28. There are two partes alſo of that which reſpecteth the people, & is called common, the firſt is which dependeth of the power of Keies, whereof from the 1. to the 13. The laſt is of ſommoning faſtinges and praiers whereof from the 14. to the 21.
1 The firſt of theſe is ſo neceſſary, that the ſame being taken away, there remaineth nothing but extréeme diſſipating and waſting.
2 There are foure degrees,Matth. 18.15 & what they are, whereby we ought to procéede in appliyng the ſame.
3 Of ſinnes, ſome are priuate,Matth. 18.15 ſome publike, and how wée muſt procéede in puniſhing them both.
4 Some alſo are defaults, other ſome are wicked doings,1. Cor. 5.4 and haynous offences: the laſt are ſeuerely to bee puniſhed.
5 There are thrée ends of diſcipline: the firſt, leaſt the wicked by their lewd and ſinnefull life,Ephe. 5.25 Col. 1.24. doe cauſe ſome reproche and ſlaunder to redounde to Chriſte, if they be named among Chriſtians, and admitted to the participatiō of the Lords ſupper. The ſecond, leaſt they corrupt others: The thirde, that they may repent.1. Cor. 5.6.11. Chryſoſtome inueieth gréeuouſlie againſt the Prieſt, which while they feare the power of great men, dare debarre no man.
1. Cor. 5.56 With what moderatiō, as wel publike ſinnes, as ſecret; light, as gréeuous are to bée corrected.
7 No man, no not the Prince truely is to bee exempted: then of what, and in what order of doeing it ought to be executed.
8 This ſeueritie ought to be enioined with the ſpirite of Gentleneſſe,1. Cor. 1 & mildneſſe, & this moderation doth very well appeare out of theſe 3. endes, although many of the fathers hauehave bin very cold héerin; but now after they hauehave receiued a cuſtome more then with their owne power.
9 Not onelyonly the whole Church, but alſo eueryevery member ought to yéeld it ſelf to this moderatiō, leaſt from diſcipline we preſently fall to murdering.
10 Neither may it otherwiſe bee drawne which Chriſt pronounceth of binding and looſing,Matth. 18.18 where by they may ſend thēſelues ſomewhat more harder.
11 Too much rigour alſo muſt be taken héede of, as well in priuate men,Matth. 13.23 as in paſtours, leaſt otherwiſe if all thinges happen not according to their minde, they raſhly departe from the communion of the Church.
12 The Donatiſtes and Anabaptiſts hauehave gréeuouſly offended héerein.1. Cor. 11.14
13 This moderatiō ought then chiefly of all to bee vſed,Ephe. 4.2 when not onelyonly the contagion of ſinne hath inuaded a fewe, but alſo a multitude.
14 The other parte of diſcipline ſtandeth in this, that according to the neceſſitie of times the Paſtours ſhould exhort the people, either to faſtinges or other ſolemne ſupplicatiōs, or to other exerciſes of humilitie, repentance, and faith: this part is profitable and procéedeth from the Apoſtles and Prophetes.
15 Therefore ſpeaking of faſting, he reciteth thrée endes therof, and expoundeth them.
16 The Paſtours were wont to publiſh publike faſting ioyned with faith,Acts. 14.3 ſo oft as they prayed to GOD for any great matter.
17 Alſo as often as any publike calamitie began to range abroade.Ioel. 2.2.25
18 But faſting conſiſteth in thrée thinges; in time, in qualitie of meate, & ſparing.
As touching faſting, truely I hauehave read none, neither of ye old, nor of ye new writers that can ſatſfiie mee, or that may ſéeme ſufficiently to conſider the nature therof. For as oft as they ſpeak of faſting, preſently they fall to the abſtaining from meate, and therein only they reſt very muche: but I thinke it ſhoulde bée otherwiſe: for as ſoone as wée can, let vsus come vntounto the fountaine it ſelfe, and after let vsus with diligence purſue the riuers: but this is the only fountaine of faſting, a ſincere and earneſt, & a ſinguler deſire either of Righteouſneſſe or newneſſe of life, in general, or ſome parte thereof: which doth either ſufficiently appeare by this one thing, that when the Diſciples coulde not caſt out a certaine Diuell, becauſe they as it were, to a ſporting bickering, deſcended raſhly and vnaduiſedly: and a little after they enquired howe it came to paſſe that they were deceaued of their opinion.Matth. 17.21 Marke. 9.29 Chriſte calleth them to faſting: ſignifiyng vndoubtedly thereby, that ſuche victory is ſo harde and difficill, that except they ſtriue with all their force, they could doe nothing at all. But there are two things that are wont alwaies to ſpring and flowe out of this fountaine: The firſt is, that wée wiſely and diligently auoide all occaſions. Moreouer that on the other ſide whatſoeuer occaſion of godlineſſe wee ſéeke, labour for, or violently ſnatche, we be alwaies enclined to yt, & ſtay therō, being wéeried therby. Héerevpon wée may very well deſcend to the vſe of meates, as to one of the riuers: and there may wée finde faſting, as touching nouriſhment, to be no other then ſo to vſe them, either in taking or refuſing, as ſhall ſéeme moſt méete to roote out vices, and to aduance vertue. And ſo faſting doth not onelyonly reſpect the vſe of meates, but alſo all other things that fall vnderunder that kind: which truely if wée vſe wiſely, either vice may bée diminiſhed, or vertue encreaſed.
19 But leaſt any ſuperſtition ſhould créepe in, there are thrée thinges which the Paſ…ours ought diligently, alwayes to inculcate, or rehearſe: firſt, that they teache the people, that they rent their heartes,Ioel. 2.11 and not their garments: that is, that ther be an inward affection of heart, a true miſtiking of ſinne, true humbling, and true ſorrow, through the feare of GOD. For God abhorreth when men in ſetting ſignes and outwarde ſhewes in ſteede of innocencie of heart,Eſay. 58.5 doe labour with falſe colour to deceaue them ſelues. The other is, that it bée not taken for a meritorious worke. The thirde is, that wée kéepe it not too preciſely, as it were one of the chief due.
20 The obſeruation and kéeping of Lent is very ſuperſtitious, as is ſhewed by thrée reaſons, but yet was it vſed amōgſt the old fathers, but after a diuers ſort. The faſting of Chriſt fourtie daies and fourtie nightes, did not preſcribe an example to other: but in ſo beginnyng the preaching of the Goſpell,Mat. 4.1. hée might proue that it was not a doctrine of mē, but deſcended from heauen: and ſith the miracle was ſhewed in Moſes, to eſtabliſh the authoritie of the lawe,Exo. 24.18. it ought to hauehave bene omitted in Chriſt, leſt the Goſpell ſhoulde ſéeme to giuegive place to the law. That which is ſaide of Elias, faſt fourtie dayes without meate and drinke, tended to no other end, but yt the people ſhoulde knowe that he was ſtirred vp to be a reſtorer of the lawe, from which almoſt all Iſraell had departed.
21 Afterwarde lawes were made,1. Kin. 19.6. which forbad the eating of meat and diuers abuſes crept in.
22 The ſeconde parte of Diſcipline was, that peculiarly belōged to yt Clergie, and it is ſhewed what and how ſeuerely in tymes paſt it was, and howe miſerably it is performed nowe at this day.
2. Tim. 3.2.23 In this one thing they are vntreatable at this day, yt they giuegive not prieſts leaue to marry, who notwithſtanding may vſe whoredome vnpuniſhed: by which occaſion he ſheweth out of the Scripture, howe wickedly matrimony is forbidden them.
24 He anſwereth to certaine of their obiections, that is to ſay, that the Prieſt ought to differ in ſome note from ye people, and that marriage is nothing but an vncleanneſſe and pollution of the fleſhe.
25 Moreouer that the Leuiticall Prieſtes ought for a tyme to lye from their wyues: but ſéeing that Paſtours of the Churche doe not beare this perſon at this day, therefore are they vainly compared with them. The Apoſtles did not only kéepe wiues,Hebr. 13.4. 1. Cor. 9.5. but alſo caried them about.
6 Thirdly that they thinke it a neceſſary thing, which is nothing but comely, and that is proued by the example of the olde Church. In olde time alſo there was motion made of commaunding vnmarried life, but no ſuch thing was decreed:Hiſtori Tripat. Lib. 2. Cap. 14. for Paphnutius ſentence was agreed to, who pronounced that a man lying with his owne wyfe, is chaſtitie.
27 At length there followed more rigorous and clubbiſhe tymes in which too muche ſuperſtitious obſeruation of ſingle lyfe grewe in force: but if the aduerſaries obiecte this antiquitie, they may be aunſweared thrée wayes.
28 The better to ſhewe the ſame, hée teacheth what is to bée excepted, as ofte as vnderunder the coulour of antiquitie, they defende their filthie vnmarryed lyfe. The Fathers alſo are not vtterly agaynſt vsus: for Chryſoſtome ſayeth,Hom. de Inuent Crucis. that the firſt degrée of chaſtitie is virginitie: the ſeconde, faythfull marriage.