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THe power which Christ hathe giuen to the Mini∣sters of the Churche, is rather an office than a power: for power be∣longeth to Christ alone. And that power or Office which the Ministers or Priests haue receyued, is to edifie, and not to destroy, as Paule manifestly teacheth. 2. Cor. 10. And the keyes of the kingdome of god are giuen in déede vnto ye Ministers of the church.
For our Lord promised them to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Math. 16. with these words: I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, and whatsoeuer thou shalt lose in earth shal be losed in heauen, and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde on earth shal be bound in heauen: the same he gaue to all the Disciples. John. 20. saying: Euen as my father sent me, so sende I you: who soe∣uers sinnes you shall remitte, they shall be forgiuen, and whose sinnes you shall retayne, they shall be retayned. There∣fore to lose, is to forgiue sinnes: and to binde, is not to forgiue or to retayne sinnes. But bycause no man can remit or forgiue sinnes but God onely, there∣fore the Ministers of God by his com∣maundement preaching the Gospel, doo declare that god forgiueth their sinnes, and remitteth all punishmente, if they beléeue in Chryst: and that on the other side their sinne remayneth, and that they shall bée punyshed for the same if they beléeue not in Chryst: and ther∣fore for this cause dothe the Scripture say, that the Minister doth bind or lose,
forgiue or retaine sinnes. And as the minister doth truly preach this, so doth it vndoutedly come to passe both on the faithfull and vnfaithfull. For God be∣ing in heauen, performeth that which his ministers héere doe promisse on the earthe. By this we may easily gather, that the keyes are nothing else but the preaching of the gospel, and not a pecu∣liare iurisdiction or power, as oure ad∣uersaries reache. For euen as a maister of some house, giueth his keyes vnto his seruaunt, to open and shut the house, to let men bothe in & out. So is the church the house of God, in the which who so euer abideth, is an inheritor of the king∣dome of heauen, & those which through infidelitie, are not in the churche, haue no portion in the kingdome of heauen, but are euen as it were in hell: and the ministers receiued the keyes of ye king∣dome of heauen from Christe, that is to say, the preaching of the Gospell, that therby they might open & shut. There∣fore they open, when they teache true faithe, promisse eternall life, and exhort all men to come vnto Christe, that they
may be saued. And they shutte vp the kingdome of heauen, when they threa∣ten eternall damnation against the vn∣beléeuers, wicked men, and suche as do not repente, testifying vnto them, that they are excluded from the kingdome of God. But the power or effecte to per∣fourme, appertaineth onely vnto the Lorde, like as Paule compareth the ministers of the Churche to husbande men, saying: Neither is he that plan∣teth any thing, neither he vvhich vva∣tereth: but God vvhich giueth the in∣crease. VVhat then is Paule, or vvho is Appollo, are they any other but Mini∣sters by vvhome you haue beleeued, euen as God hathe giuen the gifte vnto euery one? Therefore it is God onely that dothe forgiue, or not forgiue ours sinnes: and the ministers which haue receiued the keyes, are onely the publi∣shers of this deliueraunce or captiuitie. Wherefore, some of the Fathers haue vsed in this case a certaine distinction, saying: that Christe gouerneth in the Churche by his owne proper power, and the ministers as seruauntes onely.
And héereby it manifestly appeareth that these Romishe champions, which after so straunge a manner claime vn∣to them selfe the power of the keyes, and persuade the simple people that by the authoritie of them they haue obtai∣ned I knowe not what wonderfull po∣wer, are like those vnthriftie and vn∣trustie seruauntes, who hauing recey∣ued some certaine and limitted office, not being therewith content, doe vnder the pretence thereof, vsurpe the power and authoritie of their Lorde and mai∣ster. So these good fellowes conuerte the vse of the keyes which they haue receyued, to the accomplishing of all that them selues do like off. For of the keyes (which in déede is the office of preaching) these Popish prelates frame vp great and maruellous matters, for by them they doe aduaunce and lifte vp them selues and their authoritie, aboue Kings, Emperors, yea ouer the soules of men, their dignities, goodes and bo∣dyes.
Furthermore, vnder the pre∣tence of these their keyes, they heape
vp great treasures, searche out the con∣seiences of men, and mainetaine theyr purgatorie, of which muche mighte be spoken that we heere willingly ouer∣passe. But we knowe that the office gi∣uen to the priestes and ministers of the church was to preach the word of God, and to giue good examples of life to the congregation, administer the Sacra∣ments to féede and preserue the flocke of God: as S. Paule teacheth bothe to Timothe and Titus. And as touching any other greater power, which the Ro∣mishe prelates chalenge in the churche, there is not one woorde spoken in the Scripture, sauing that in an other res∣pect, there is somewhat written thereof in the Reuelation of S. John, the. 9. 11. 13. 17. and 18. chapters.
Power is an office.
The kayes of the kingdome of heauen.
Of binding and loosing.
1. Corin. 3.
The office of priestes and ministers.