THese words of binding and loosing is not to be taken as many* 1.1 ignorant people conceive, who taketh Peter to be the Por∣ter of heaven gates, and therefore said by them to beare the keyes thereof; in imitation of which rediculous conceit, the Pope includes himselfe as one of those Ignoramusses, making himself more rediculous then the rest, by carrying abroad with him two great keyes, with which he is as able to open Heaven as by the rest of his Popish power, which is even nothing at all, &c. for binding and loosing is quite out of his eliment; it being effected by the preaching of the Word, which he is not guilty of, but if he was, it would be to no purpose, seeing he would only breath out the spirit of Anti-christ, and therefore not likely to benefit the kingdome of Jesus Christ, which is his Antagonist.
The heavens are opened and shut at the preach••ng of the Gos∣pel, which is a thing granted by all the people of God (where∣of the Pope is none) and therefore when a Sinner is thereby con∣verted by the Ministry thereof, then heaven is said to be opened unto him; and contrariwise, when by the preaching of the Word a Sinner becomes more obstinate, then heaven is said to be shut unto him.
Also when a Sinner becommeth penitent, then sins are said to be remitted; but when they grow more obdurate, and stiffe∣necked by the preaching of the Gospel, then their sins are said to be retained; and to this purpose our Saviour telleth the Jewes,