Co[m]mon places of Scripture ordrely and after a co[m]pendious forme of teachyng set forth with no litle labour, to the gret profit and help of all such studentes in Gods worde as haue not had longe exercyse in the same, by the ryghte excellent clerke Eras. Sarcerius ; translated in to Englysh by Rychard Tauerner.

Of the ecclesiastical power or po∣wer of the churche. CA. XLVII. (Book 47)

THe ecclesiasticall power or power of the churche,* 1.1 is whiche standeth in teachynge the gospell, admyni∣stratyng y^• sacramētes, & excōminicating such as ••e opē synners, & agayn in assoy¦••ing y^• same whē they demaūd absoluciō THE realme of Chryst is spyritual,* 1.2 not ruled by the swe••de, by the armours, & other thīges apperteynynge to a world¦ly polycye: wherfore this chyrchly po∣wer is ryghtly descrybed by y^e wordes a∣foresayd. Furthermore Chryste which is both the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & maker of this church¦ly power remoued all worldly gouer∣naunce bothe from him selfe, & from his discyples vnto the prynces of the world

frō hīself which wolde not be chosē to be kyng, but fled away frō his apostles & disciples where as he sai••h vnto thē,* 1.3 y^• rulers of the gētyles haue dominiō on thē but so shall it not be amonges you. Now S. Peter him self, whō y^• papistes make the need of theyr popysshe power or rather tyranny, vsed no worldly or tē¦poral power,* 1.4 yea on the cōtrary {per}te S. Peter wryteth that we ought to obey y^e temporall rulers ordeyned of god for the defence of such as be good, & punysh¦ment of the wycked.* 1.5 Also S. Peter ex∣horteth his felowe preestes to fede the flocke of Chryst & to play the {per}tes of bis¦shops* 1.6 (for so it is ī the greke) not cōstrey¦nedly but wyllynglye, not for fowle lu¦couts sake but of a prompte mynde, not as though they bare rule ouer theyr flo∣cke alotted to theyr spiritual charge but in such wyse as they may be exēplers vn¦to theyr flocke. Neyther doth his felow s. Paule dyssēt frō hī who also testify∣eth vnto the Corynth. of hī selfe sayng.* 1.7 Not that we are lordes ouer your fayth but we are helpers of your ioye Now to teache y^• gospell they be commaūded of Christ who saith,* 1.8 go ye īto y^• hole world & preach the gospell. Item as my father hath sent me, so send I you.

¶By sacramētes I vnderstād here bap∣tisme, the sou{per} of the lord,* 1.9 & absolucyō. Of baptysme speaketh Chryst thus. Go & teache all nacyones, baptisyng them ī the name of the father & the son & tholy ghost. Of the sou{per} of the lorde he sayth,* 1.10 Eate ye drynke ye, &c. Of absolucion he sayt••▪ Uerely I say vnto you, what so euer ye bynd vpō erth it shall be bounde in heuen, &c. The diffinicyō also appea∣reth certayne by the partes of the eccle∣siastical power which be these, y^• power of doctryne or order, & the power of ex∣cōmunicacyō & absolcuyō. Of excōmuny¦cacyō speaketh Chryst in the .xviii. chap. of Math. Exemples of excōmunicacyon appeare in the fyrste epistle to Timoth. cap. i. in the {per}sons of Hymeneus & of A∣lexander whom saynt Paule betoke to Sathā that is to say he excōmunitated* 1.11 that they shuld lerne not to blaspheme. Itē thapostle blameth y^• Corinth,* 1.12 that they accused not, that is y^t they put not out of theyr cōpany the mā y^t had cōmit¦ted adultery w^t his owne fathers wyfe. And agayne afterward he blameth thē after they had excōmunicate hī whā he toke greate sorow for his offence y^t they receyued him not in to their cōpany, Fi∣nally such as haue fallē & he repugnaūt

ought to be taken agayne accordyng to thexemple of Peter, & infynyte other.

¶Chryst is the prīcipal cause of this po¦wer.* 1.13 For he ordeyned it & cōmytted it to the cōgregaciō, as appeareth. Mat. xvj. & xviii & in the gospell of Iohn̄. cap. xx. After Chryste, the churche is a secōdarye cause of the ecclesiasticall power, which hath authorite do cōfer & to exerciyse it. No pryuate {per}son, no bysshop, no arche∣bysshop, or what so euer name he bea∣teth or taketh vpō hym hath no power, onles it be cōmitted to suche pryuate {per}∣sons by the hole cōgregacyō, not taken awaye agayne for the abusynge of the same.* 1.14 wherfore the bysshop of Rome is not a lytle to blame that he draweth y^e power of the churche to his owne {pro}pre {per}son & vsurpeth vpon the authoritie of the same moost tyrānously. For onely y^e churche hath the keyes, & therfore it al∣so hath the power to electe & nominate suche as ought to administre the keyes of the churche where the pure worde of god is bad & the ryght vse of the sacra∣mētes. The maner &* 1.15 forme of callyng & chosyng y^• ministers in olde tyme vsed ī the churche was this. The people dyd those &* 1.16 afterwarde came y^e next bysshop adioynynge to that diocese & approued

the election. Testimonyes of this electi∣on thou shalte fynde in common places of Melancthon. And saynt Paule com∣maundeth Titus to ordeyne preestes in the places nere aboute hym. Afterward by authorytie of the counsayle of Nyce, the confyrmynge of the bysshop elected* 1.17 was gyuē▪ to all the bysshops of y^• same prouynce, which constitution bycause it semed very harde, was chaunged to the confyrmacyō of thre, eyther beyng there present, or elles by wrytynges agreynge thervnto.

¶Hable persons to the ministration of* 1.18 gods worde be described of thapostle in his epistles to Timo. & to Titus, which descriptiō is approued. Dist. xxv. Hyther pert••ine also other decrees, as dist. xxiiij. where it is cōmaunded that suche be {pro}∣moted to the dignitie of a bisshop as be ap{pro}ued of longe tyme, as well by the word of fayth, as by thexemple of ryght cōuersacion. Item dist, xxiij. cap. Tales. Let suche be elected to be ministers of y^e churche as can worthyly handle the di∣uyne sacramētes. Also dist. xxiij. cap. Hi∣is igitur. Let them studye & endeuour them selues to kepe {per}petually the cha∣styte of an vndefyled bodye, or at leest∣waye let thē be coupled with the yoke

of one onely matrymonye.

¶It is ā olde diuisiō of the churchly or* 1.19 ecclesiasticall power, to deuyde it īto po¦wer of order or doctrine, whervnto {per}tey¦neth p̄chyng of y^• gospel, declaryng of re¦myssyō of syunes, & cōmunicatyng ther∣of, administrynge of the sacramentes.

And īto y^• power of iurisdictiō, to which belongeth excōmunication & absoluciō. ¶Theffectes of the ecclesiastical power* 1.20 be these. To teach y^• pure worde or gos∣pell, accordyng to the sayng of Chryst, I sēd you, as my father hath sent me, but Christ was not sēt to teach lyes, ergo ne¦ther y^• p̄chers be sēt to teche lyes. To te∣che repētaūce & remissiō of syn{is} ī y^e name of Chryst, for these be y^e {per}tes of the pure worde or gospel. To ministre remissiō of synnes to others, for this is y^• chefe effect of y^• gospel. To ministre sacramēt{is}, accor¦dyng to y^e word. To assoyle by y^• power of y^• keyes al true penitent{is} demaūdyng y^e same. To excōmunicate opē siners, a∣mōg{is} whom I reckē blasphemours, fals techers.* 1.21 &c. Sēblably Pau. excōmunica∣ted Hymeneus & Alexāder for their blas∣phemie. To receyue agayn such as couet to returne agayne vnto y^• churche, & so to assoyle thē, according to thexemple of the aduout••er mēcioned of thapostle in

the seconde epystle to the Corī.* 1.22 Nowe, these effectes & offycies they may not ex∣ercyse in a corner, but opēly & in y^• syght of the congregacyō. For the doctryne of the gospell is an open &* 1.23 manyfest prea∣chynge. Neither is it lefull for euery pry¦uate* 1.24 person to exercyse these offyces, but onely to suche as be appoynted & called thervnto by the churche, that all thyng{is} maye be done in the cōgregacyō semyng¦ly, & in due ordre. Neuertheles euery mā may, yea & is bounde preuely to teache & instructe his neyghbour, to declare vnto affrayed cōscyences remyssyō of synnes & that by the word & so to assoyle them. Also in case of necessitie it is lawfull for euery {per}son to minister the sacramentes. But to excomunicate is not lawfull for any pryuate {per}sō as it is neyther lawful to ossoyle the excomunicate {per}son. For these thynges bycause they be publyke iudgmēt{is} & spectacles ought to be done before the hole church. And therfore tha∣postle wryteth to y^• hole churche of Co∣rīth. & not onelye to the mynystres of y^• churche that they sholde receyue hym a¦gayne into theyr companye which had commytted thaduoutrye.

¶I thought good amōges y^• cōtraryes* 1.25 herof, cōpendyously to touch the ecclesi∣sticall

power which vnto this daye the byshop of Rome hath vsed or rather a∣bused with horible tyrany, which thing I wil the gladlyer do bycause I knowe that the true ecclesiasticall power shall the better be espied, when on the cōtra∣rye side the false & tyrannycal power of this monstre is set forth.

¶Of the popish power.

THE power of the church which hy¦thervnto* 1.26 the pope hath vsurped is a do¦mynion in thinges spiritual & temporal yea rather a power aswell vpon all the laytie as vpon the clergy with authory¦tye of making & statuting lawes to rule men withal, aswell in spirituall as tem¦porall thinges & where lawes haue no place there to exercise the swerd for the mayntenaūce & defēce of y^• goodes both spiritual & temporal of the church myly¦taunt.

THE first {per}te of the diffinitiō is appa¦raunt* 1.27 dist. xix. capt. Ita dominus. Also ī the decretalles de electione. ca. significa∣sit. Also ī the decretales de hereticis ca. A•• abolendam. Nowe of his dominion vpon the layty, there be exēples ynough ī which we se the tyrany of the bisshops of Rome vpō emperours & kinges, pope zacharye deposed Hilderich the frenche* 1.28

king & made of a king a monke. Innocēt the .iiii. dyd put downe Frederike the .ii. from the empyre & in his place set vp an other,* 1.29 pope Alexandre the thirde before hī did trede with his fete vpō Frederike the first emperour of y^t name surnamed Barbarossa father to the said Friderike the .ii. And of thauthorytye of making & inactinge lawes at their pleasure which they bynd mē vnto more straightly thē to y^• gospel certifieth vs Leo,* 1.30 Dist. 4. ca. de libellis, Now, Boniface* 1.31 the .8. raised great warres in Italy. Grego.* 1.32 moued al warres vpō the emperours of Rome for maynteyning the confyrmacion of y^• bis∣shop of Rome.* 1.33 Pope Iulius bicause he made many warres is honoured of som for a Saint & a blessed mā. The false & traytorous warres or rather cōspiracyes of Clement be not vnknowen.* 1.34

¶This popish ecclesiastical power* 1.35 they diuide īto ordre wherby they chose their mynistres that may proclayme & preach this power furnyshed with lyes & tiran¦nye, & in great abuse distrybute y^• sacra∣mentes. And into iurisdiction spirituall and temporal.

¶Of this power y^• causes be Tiranny* 1.36 & a mere lust to raign wherby Boniface the thyrd obteyned of y^• emperour Pho∣cas

the name of the vniuersall bisshop, which obteyned by litle & litle to his po¦wers, he encreased the same, and to thin¦tent it myght be the more sure & stable & also extende the farder, his successours bysshops of Rome studyed y^• same that Bonyface dyd, tyll at last they were be¦come in worldly power far myghtyer thē kinges & ēperours, whō other why∣les they vtterly deposed of thempyre, fy∣nally, I call the popish power a tyrran∣ny, forasmoch as it is a power gotten w^t¦out righte & vnrightlye possed of them, namely sithens they also glory & bost to be y^• vica••s of Christ, by which facte they declare them selues to be very ātichrist{is} that is to say agaynst Christ.

¶Their effectes &* 1.37 workes be these. To d••uise & make lawes, statutes, ceremony¦es, articles of y^• faith, & now these nowe those rites which the bisshops of Rome do lay vpon the fely congregacion as o∣racles of god or gospels with this con∣dicion annexed therunto y^• who so euer transgresseth the same shall be depryued of y^• name of a christen mā as openly te∣stifieth Leo. dist. iiii. ca de libellis. To cō¦fyrme the highest temporall ruler ī erth dist. xxii.C. Omnes, where it is red that S. Peter receyued of Christ the admyny¦nistraciō

both of the erthely & of the he¦uenly empire. To administre wordly po¦wers whch power y^• bysshops of Rome take vnto thē of Peter their p̄decessour accordyng to their lawe aforesayd. To make temporal lawes. To giue sentēce of deth accordinge to y^• same. To make warres for defēce of the church goodes. These tēporal office & be nothing mete & conuenient for bysshops especially sy∣thens (as I sayd) they wyll be vyca••s of Christ ī y^• kingdom of christ which was altogyther estraunge from this worlde. To ordeyne & electe blynde bousardes, cōtrary to theyr owne decrees, as well to preache impute doctrine defoyled w^t mans inuencions & for the most part re∣pungnaunt to the sincere worde of god as to distribute y^• sacramētes in an hory¦ble abuse. To curse & excōmunicate eue∣ry man at their owne pleasure, as testi∣fye exēples of themperours of whome there hath ben in maner none before our tymes which hath eskaped their thun∣derboltes.

¶Here folowe the rest whiche be con∣traryes to y^• true ecclesia∣sticall power.

Contraryes therfore to y^• true power* 1.38 of the churche be these. To holde that y^•

right of conferring the ecclesiastical po∣wer remayneth only with the pope and not with the churche whiche hathe the keyes giuē vnto them of Christ.* 1.39 To say no mā ought to be admitted to ministre the word onlesse he be elected ordinate & cōfyrmed of the pope or his deputies. To deny that euery {per}ticular congrega∣cion hath power to elect their ministres of the word by the authorite of the key∣es* 1.40 cōmytted vnto thē. To say that only to S. Peter & his successours bysshops of Rome were gyuē the keyes of the ec∣clesiasticall power & not to the churche. To denye that the principall effectes of the churchely power be, to teache gods worde, to preache remyssiō of synnes by Christ, to bestow the same vpon such as couer it to distrybute ryghtly & purely y^• sacramētes.* 1.41 To hold that the power of the church stādeth not but amōges the annoynted prest{is}.* 1.42 To hold that priuate persons may not priuatly exercyse thof¦tyces of the ecclesiasticall power as to ī¦struct theyr neyghbour ī gods worde, to speake & talke of the gospel, ī necessitye to distribute y^• sacramentes. &c. To hold y^• open confession is not necessary.* 1.43 To do away priuate absolucion & be contē••ed with an absolucion phātastical. To say

that publyque absolucion cā not stande with pryuate absolucion but y^t thone or thother is to be abolyshed. To defend y^• excommunycacion ap{per}teyneth to priuat persons that they maye excommunicate of theyr own authoryty whom they lust To holde that excomunycacion may du¦ly be done althoughe it be not openlye done before the congregacion. To say y^t only such as preach euyll doctrine are to be excomunicate & not such as giue euill exemples of lyuyng.* 1.44 To deny that such are to be receyued againe into y^e congre¦gacyon which haue repented. To seke a∣ny other thing by the ecciesiasticall po∣wer then the execucion of the fore saide effectes. To exercyse the officies of the ec¦lesiastical power opēly without lawfull callīg by the church to y^e same. To resiste rashely the mynisters of the church con∣trary to y^• cōmaūdement of Christ who sayth.* 1.45 All thinges y^t they cōmaunde you to do that do ye, y^• is to wyte, as longe as they sit in the chaire of Moses.* 1.46 Now to sit in y^• chayre of Moses is to expown the lawe of god purely & sincere••y. To holde that y^• vse of the ecclesiasticall po¦wer is leted or taken awaye through e∣uyl ministers, so y^t they sit in y^e chayre of Moses. Therfore Christ signifieth that

there sit in the chaire of Moses scribes & pharises both good & had. wherunto ac¦cordeth Paule writting to the phi.* 1.47 thus Some preach Christ of enuy and contē∣cion, some also of a good wyll. &c. But what forceth it, saith Paul, so y^• Christe be preched by any maner of wayes why¦ther it be by occasiō or of true meanīg I therin ioye, yea & wyl ioye. To abuse the offices of y^• eccliastical power for gaines & foule lurce. To hold that the ecclesi∣astical power is of no force.* 1.48 To holde y^• by the power of the keyes soules be de∣lyuered through pordons out of purga∣tory.* 1.49 To say in reseruacion of cases not only y^• canonical payne but also the of∣fence maye be reserued, yea and in suche as be truly repentaunt.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Diffinicion.
• * 1.2

  Probacyon••••er of.
• * 1.3

  Ioh. vi. d
• * 1.4

  i. Pet. ii. c.
• * 1.5

  i. Peter. v. a.
• * 1.6

  Some of our bysshps had nede be constrayned to this.
• * 1.7

  Corin. xxii. d
• * 1.8

  Mar••. xvi. d Iohn. xx. f.
• * 1.9

  Mat. xxviij. d
• * 1.10

  Math. xxvi. c. Mat. xviii. c
• * 1.11

  i. Timot. i. d.
• * 1.12

  i. Cor. v. a.
• * 1.13

  Causes of the power of the church.
• * 1.14

  The vsurpa∣cion of the bishop of Rome.
• * 1.15

  The aunciēt vsage of the churche:
• * 1.16

  ☞
• * 1.17

  Dist. lxiiii. ••••a. Episcopi
• * 1.18

  Parsones. mete to be the ministres of the con∣gregation.
• * 1.19

  Partes
• * 1.20

  Effecte••
• * 1.21

  i. Tiom. ••
• * 1.22

  ii. Cor. ii.
• * 1.23

  ii. Cor. xiiii.
• * 1.24

  ☞
• * 1.25

  Cōtraries
• * 1.26

  Diffinicion.
• * 1.27

  Probacyon.
• * 1.28

  zacharie.
• * 1.29

  Alexander the thyrde.
• * 1.30

  Leo.
• * 1.31

  Boniface.
• * 1.32

  Gregorie.
• * 1.33

  Iulius.
• * 1.34

  Clement.
• * 1.35

  Particion of the popishe power.
• * 1.36

  Causes.
• * 1.37

  Effectes.
• * 1.38

  Contraryes
• * 1.39

  Papistical
• * 1.40

  The detesta∣ble heresie of papistes.
• * 1.41

  ☞
• * 1.42

  ☞
• * 1.43

  The erruor of phantasti∣call persons
• * 1.44

  Errour of Anabaptists.
• * 1.45

  Math. xxiii. a
• * 1.46

  What is to sit in Moyses chayer.
• * 1.47

  Philip. i.
• * 1.48

  Heresie of purpatorye men.
• * 1.49

  Popishe errour.