The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Tract · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. What the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven be, and what their Power.
THe Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven are promiſed by the Lord Jeſus (the head and King of his Church) unto Peter, Mat. 16.19. To thee (ſaith Chriſt) will I give the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatſoever thou ſhalt binde on earth, ſhall be bound in Heaven; and whatſoever thou ſhalt looſe on earth, ſhall be looſed in Heaven. The words being Allegoricall, are therfore ſomewhat obſcure: and holding forth honor & power in the Church, are therefore controverſall;Prov. 15.1. For where there is no honour (nor pride to purſue it) there is no contention. It will not therefore be amiſſe, for opening of the Doctrine of the Power of the keyes; ſomewhat to open the words of this Text, whereon that power is built. Five words require a little clearing.
1. What is here meant by the Kingdome of Heaven?
2. What are the keys of this kingdom, and the giving of them?
3. What are the acts of theſe Keyes, which are ſaid to be binding and looſing?
4. What is the object of theſe acts to be bound or looſed, here put under a generall name, Whatſoever?
5. Who is the ſubject recipient of this power, or to whom is this power given? To thee will I give the Keyes, &c.
1. For the firſt: By the Kingdome of Heaven is here meant both the Kingdome of Grace, which is the Church; and the Kingdome of Glory, which is in the higheſt heavens: For Chriſt giving to Peter the keys of the kingdome of Heaven, conveyeth therewith not only this power to binde on earth (that is, in the Church on earth; for he gave him no power at all to binde in the world; The kingdome of Chriſt is not of this world:) but he gives him alſo this priviledge; That what he bound on earth, ſhould be bound in heaven. And heaven being diſtinguiſhed from the Church on earth, muſt needs be meant the kingdome of Glory.
2. For the ſecond: What the keys of the kingdom of heaven be?
The keys of the kingdom are the Ordinances which Chriſt hath inſtituted, to be adminiſtred in his Church; as the preaching of the Word, (which is the opening and applying of it) alſo the adminiſtring of the Seals and cenſures: For by the opening and applying of theſe, both the gates of the Church here, and of heaven hereafter, are opened or ſhut to the ſons of men.
And the giving of theſe keyes, implyeth, that Chriſt inveſteth thoſe to whom he giveth them, with a power to open, and ſhut the gates of both. And this power lyeth partly in their ſpirituall calling (whether it be their office, or their place and order in the Church:) and partly in the concurſe and co-operation of the Spirit of Chriſt, accompanying the right diſpenſation of theſe keyes; that is, of theſe Ordinances according to his will.
Moreover, theſe keys are neither Sword nor Scepter; No Sword, for they convey not civill power of bodily life and death; nor Scepter, for they convey not Soveraigne or Legiſlative power over the Church, but ſtewardly and miniſteriall. As the key of the Houſe of David was given to Hilkiah (Iſa. 22.22.) who ſucceeded Shebna in his office; and his office was foreign over the houſe, v. 15. and the ſame word over the houſe, is tranſlated ſteward in the houſe, Gen. 43.19.
3. Touching the third thing, what are the acts of theſe keys?
The acts of theſe keys, are ſaid here to be binding and looſing, which are not the proper acts of materiall keys; for their acts be opening and ſhutting, which argueth the keys here ſpoken of be not materiall keys, but metaphoricall; and y t being keys, they have a power alſo of opening and ſhutting: for Chriſt who hath the ſoveraigne power of theſe keys, hee is ſaid to have the key of David, to open, and no man to ſhut; to ſhut, and no man to open, Rev. 3.7. which implyeth, that theſe keys of Chriſts Kingdome, have ſuch a power of opening and ſhutting, as that they do thereby, binde and looſe, retain and remit; in opening, they looſe, and remit; in ſhutting they binde, and retain: which will more appeare in opening the fourth point.
4. The fourth point then is, What is the ſubject to be bound and looſed?
The Text in Mat. 16.9. ſaith, whatſoever, which reacheth not (ſo far as the Papiſts would ſtretch it) to whatſoever oathes, or covenants, or contracts, or counſels, or lawes; as if whatſoever oathes of allegiance, covenants of leaſe or marriage, &c. the Pope ratifieth or diſſolveth on earth, ſhould be ratified or diſſolved in heaven: No, this is not the key of the kingdome of heaven, but the key of the bottomeleſſe pit, Rev. 9.1. But this word whatſoever, is here put in the Neuter Gender, (not in the Maſculine, whomſoever) to imply both things and perſons; Things, as ſins; Perſons, as thoſe that commit them. For ſo when our Saviour ſpeaketh of the ſame acts of the ſame keys (Ioh. 20.21.) he explaineth himſelf thus: Whoſe ſins ſoever yee remit, they are remitted, and whoſe ſins ſoever yee retain, they are retained. Whatſoever you binde on earth, is as much therefore, as whoſe ſins ſoever you retain on earth; and whatſoever you looſe on earth, is as much as whoſe ſins ſoever you looſe on earth.
Now this binding and looſing of whatſoever ſins, in whoſever commit them, is partly in the conſcience of the ſinner, and partly in his outward eſtate in the Church, which is wont to be expreſſed in other terms, either in foro interiori, or in foro exteriori. As when in the diſpenſation of the Ordinances of God, a ſinner is convinced to lie under the guilt of ſin, then his ſin is retained, his conſcience is bound under the guilt of it, and himſelf bound under ſome Church-cenſure, according to the quality and deſert of his offence; and if his ſin be the more hainous, himſelf is ſhut out from the communion of the Church: But when a ſinner repenteth of his ſin, and confeſſeth it before the Lord, and (if it be known) before his people alſo, and then in the miniſtery of the Doctrine and Diſcipline of the Goſpel, his ſin is remitted, and his conſcience looſed from the guilt of it, and himſelf hath open and free entrance, both unto the promiſe of the Goſpel, and into the gates of the holy communion of the Church.
5. The fifth point to be explained, is, To whom is this power of the keyes given? The Text ſaith, To thee Simon Peter, the ſonne of Jona, whom Chriſt bleſſeth, and pronounceth bleſſed upon his holy confeſſion of Chriſt, the Sonne of the living God, and upon the ſame occaſion promiſeth both to uſe him and his confeſſion, as an Inſtrument to lay the foundation of his Church; and alſo to give him the keys of his Church, for the well ordering and governing of it. But it hath proved abuſie Queſtion, How Peter is to be conſidered in receiving this power of the keys, whether as an Apoſtle, or as an Elder, (for an Elder alſo he was, 1 Pet. 5.1.) or as a Believer profeſſing his faith before the Lord Jeſus, and his fellow Brethren. Now becauſe wee are as well ſtudious of peace, as of truth, wee will not leane to one of theſe interpretations, more than to another. Take any of them, it will not hinder our purpoſe in this enſuing Diſcourſe, though (to ſpeake ingenuouſly and without offence what we conceive) the ſenſe of the words will be moſt full, if all the ſeverall conſiderations be taken joyntly together. Take Peter conſidered not onelyonly as an Apoſtle, but an Elder alſo, yea, and a Beleever too, profeſſing his faith, all may well ſtand together. For there is a different power given to all theſe, to an Apoſtle, to an Elder, to a Beleever, and Peter was all theſe, and received all the power, which was given by Chriſt to any of theſe, or to all of theſe together. For as the Father ſent Chriſt, ſo Chriſt ſent Peter (as well as any Apoſtle) cum amplitudine, & plenitudine poteſtatis, (ſo far as either any Church-Officer, or the whole Church it ſelfe, was capable of it) John 20.21. So that Auſtin did not miſtake when he ſaid Peter received the keys in the name of the Church. Nevertheleſſe, wee from this place in Mat. 16.19. will challenge no further power, either to the Presbytery, or to the Fraternitie of the Church, then is more expreſly granted to them in other Scriptures. Now in other Scriptures it appeareth; Firſt, That Chriſt gave the power of retaining or remitting of ſins (that is, the power of binding and looſing, the whole power of the keys) to all the Apoſtles as well as to Peter, Joh. 20.21.23. Secondly, It appeareth alſo that the Apoſtles commended the rule and government of every particular Church to the Elders (the Preſbytery) of that Church, Heb. 13.17. 1 Tim. 5.17. And therefore Chriſt gave the power of the Keys to them alſo. Thirdly, It appeareth farther that Chriſt gave the power of the keys to the Body likewiſe of the Church, even to the Fraternitie with the Presbytery. For the Lord Jeſus communicateth the power of binding and looſing, to the Apoſtles, or Elders, together with the whole Church, when they are met in his Name, and agree together in the cenſure of an offender, Mat. 18.17, 18. If an offender (ſaith he) neglect to heare the Church, let him be to thee as an Heathen or a Publican, that is, let him be excommunicated. Which cenſure adminiſtred by them, with the whole Church, he ratifieth with this promiſe of the power of the keys, Verily, I ſay unto you, whatſoever you ſhall binde on earth, ſhall be bound in heaven, and whatſoever you ſhall looſe on earth, ſhall be looſed in heaven. In which place, howſoever there be ſome difference between Claſſicall and Congregationall Divines, what ſhould be meant by the Church (Tell the Church) whether the Presbytery or the Congregation: yet all agree in this (and it is agreement in the truth, which wee ſeek for) That no offender is to be excommunicated, but with ſome concurſe of the Congregation, at leaſt by way 1. Of conſent to the ſentence. 2. Of actuall execution of it by withdrawing themſelves from the offender ſo convicted and cenſured. Now this conſent and concurſe of the Congregation, which is requiſite to the power and validitie of the cenſure, we conceive is ſome part of the exerciſe of the power of the keys.
So that when Chriſt ſaid to Peter, To thee will I give the keys of the kingdome of heaven: If Peter then received the whole power of the keys, then he ſtood in the roome and name of all ſuch, as have received any part of the power of the keys, whether Apoſtles, or Elders, or Churches. Or if he ſtood in the roome of an Apoſtle onelyonly, yet that hindreth not, but that as he there received the power of an Apoſtle, ſo the reſt of the Apoſtles received the ſame power, either there or elſewhere: and the Presbytery of each Church received, if not there, yet elſewhere, the power belonging to their office: and in like ſort each Church or Congregation of profeſſed Believers, received that portion alſo of Church-power which belonged to them.