by the Disciplinarians had a great temptation to write against their Excommunication though no ground of assurance that all which he should say against that subject would therefore prove true because that one doctrine of those which asserted it was so far from being such Mr Hooker hath given a very good judgement of his enterprise that Beza and he divided the truth betwixt them neither of them saying all truth nor all falshood each of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disguising and allaying and drowning a little of wholesome doctrine with a great deal of the contrary And let me say to conclude this point that both in the taking up his opinion and in maintaining it Erastus hath more to impute to Beza's and the Genevan's errors and innovations and excesses and extravagances which upon inquiry into the antient Church records he truly saith he could not find avowed or authorized then to his own grounds or arguments against Excommunication The last motive which he confesses perfected the work and Sect. 35 put him upon the Presse was the contempts and affronts of his friends i. e. in effect the opinions and good advises of all men that saw his Theses and could by no means like them but this hath been occasionally mentioned already and only gives the Reader occasion to admire and bewail the infelicity of passionate men who cannot receive any benefit by their friends are in the unluckiest condition of all men living beyond which no enemy can wish them a greater curse sure to be the worse for that which God meant us for the most inestimable blessing I mean th◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their telling us truth and out of desire of doing us good admonishing us of our miscarriages which he that cannot make any other use of then to interpret those hugest obligations for affronts those friendships for rudenesses and therefore resolves to publish his conceits because all his friends to whom he communicates them advise him by all means to suppresse them may well be allowed to write a volume against all kind of Excommunication being already it appears so far from being able to bear such strong Physick that the most private prudent first or second admonition of single persons or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the joynt act of a College of friends and Physitians do but make him more incurable I come now to my third undertaking i. e. to view his Theses Sect. 36 of Excommunication and follow him step by step till we have sprang the point of the difficulty between us and I think that part of the progresse will sufficiently discover the weaknesse of his fabrick at least how little appearance of advantage he hath against us that are not for the Geneva-Presbytery how well soever ad homines he may be thought to have disputed His first Thesis layes the ground of his discourse and of his Sect. 37 mistake The word Excommunication he will have taken from 1 Cor. 10. which is false and not endeavored to be proved and upon the back of that errour another falsity viz. that Communion is there call'd Corpus Christi The body of Christ all that is there said toward that matter is that the wine is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Communication not Communion of the bloud of Christ the bestowing his bloud upon us a means or a pledge of making us partakers of that rich mercy that bloud that was shed for us That that is the right rendring of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is undertaken in another discourse upon the Sacrament and needs no further to be repeated here the notion of the word Excommunication being most clear and uncontroverted that it is the sequestring of an offender from the Communion i. e. the visible Society of Christians without ever thinking to cut him off but on the contrary desiring to engraffe him the more firmly into the invisible and then also again into the Church the visible but mystical body of Christ And therefore Sect. 38 For the distinction of that Communion in the second Thesis into internall and externall visible and invisible we say that one onely member of the distinction belongs to the point in hand according to our stating of it And if the adversary of Geneva did presse the other we do not defend him in it viz. the externall and visible Society of Beleevers or Christian Professors from which onely we affirm any man to be cut off by the act of Excommunication and if he that is so cut off from that be also finally cut off from the other this is but accidentall and very extrinsecall to that act and distant from the design and end of it being the effect onely of his sin which before he was excommunicated for it is supposed to have concluded him under the wrath of God and of his Contumacy which will not permit this most fatherly punishment of the Church to work any good upon him to which though it be consequent indeed that this censure obtaining not the desired effect shall tend to his greater condemnation yet will this consequent no more be chargeable on that censure then on any other the methods of mercy or chastisement by God used on purpose for his Reformation In the third Thesis it is by us acknowledged true that internall Sect. 39 and externall society go not alwayes together and the consequents which Erastus builds on that are true and acknowledged in an unjust Excommunication but these belong nothing at all to a just nor consequently infer any thing against the institution which giving rules that it may and commands that it should be alwaies exercised justly may be permitted to suppose it is so or if by error or miscarriage it be not it doth not exclude him from that inward Communion that was not before excluded supposing that he behave himself meekly and Christianly under that unjust censure and if there be as indeed there is great difficulty to judge whether the person thus to be excommunicated be first excluded from the inward communion or no yet will not this conclude the censures unlawfull because if he be not quite out before this puts him not out nor is occasion of doing so any more then chastisement from God which may possibly work impatience and blasphemy in the person but is not of necessity or in any propriety of causation to do so but rather is a means of keeping him in of setting him upon his guard of awaking or rescuing him from the danger of falling out of it and then abundans cautela non nocet he that is awake already will be never the worse for calling and withall of exercising some Christian virtues in him which might possibly lye uselesse by him if they were not thus imploy'd and call'd out to practise To the fourth Thesis we say that No man thinks or according Sect. 40 to our principles hath any need to think that any but God can joyn any to that internal Communion of
denyed prayers and hearing that was admitted to the Sacrament nor is it rationall that one should for sure he that is thought worthy of the highest dignity and benefit in a Church must be wronged iâ— he be denied and thought uncapable of the lowest though the other part upon this reason be confest to be true that these punishments of exclusion from prayers hearing may sometimes excommunicatis non infligi be not inflicted upon them that are excommunicate as he that is thought unworthy the Priests office may yet be allowed to be one of the Nethinim or door-keepers as in the antient Church he that was suspended from the sacerdotal function was yet suffer'd to communicate ut Laicus as a Laick By which the answer is clear to the next Thesis as far as Sect. 44 concerns the interdictio templorum exclusion out of the Church and for the other two that of the private commerce actus cujusvis liciti of doing any lawful act we interpose not i. e. from all the parts of the publick service which that it was brought into the Church by the Pontificians or that it is contra apertam Scripturam against manifest Scripture is certainly so very far from truth that no man that hath read any part of antiquity can doubt of this practise and usage before the tyranny of Popery is affirm'd by any to have come into the world and for the second what that aperta Scriptura is I shall not divine but resolve that if it be that which is named in the end of the Thesis 1 Cor. 14. there is nothing at all concâ—uding from thence The verse that seems to be referred to for we are left to divine is v. 23. or 24. where the speaking in the Church praying or prophecying c. in an unknown tongue is by St Paul proved to be improper and not to tend to edification because prophesying i. e. explaining of Scripture praying singing of Psalmes c. being designed for the use of the beleevers and no others are in any reason to be in a known tongue that they may understand and joyn in them v. 16. the unknown tongues being designed either only as a sign v. 22. i. e. a miracle to convert unbeleevers to the faith when they sâ—e illiterate men all Jews speak all kinds of languages or as a means of preaching to men of every country in their own language from whence saith the Apostle 't is consequent that if unknown tongues were used in a congregation of beleevers unlearned men that understand not those tongues or unbelievers that have no reverence to the Congregation do not at all discern any miracle in their speaking with divers tongues but look only upon the ridiculousnesse of the action as of a gabbling of that which no man understands wil resolve that this is a direct madnesse thus to do Whereas on the other side that of Prophesying interpreting of the doctrine of Christ intelligibly and the other parts of the Church-Service in a known language will be apt to convince or instruct those unbeleevers or ignorants This and no more but this is the direct rationall importance of those verses wherein though there be mention of unbeleevers coming in yet that being only by way of supposition if they come in c. I might justly say that that is no plain affirmation of Scripture that heathens alii quilibet any others that will are not prohibited the hearing of Gods word c. For 1. 't is an old rule that suppositio non ponit the supposing if they do doth not suppose they do much lesse that lawfully they may and 2. that text names only ethnicks and ignorants and belongs not at all to the alii quivis any other that will as that contains the impenitent Christians which are the only persons to which our Excommunication belongs and of them the Apostle is far from affirming or supposing that they might not be so excluded and if they should by way of reduction be forced into that verse the Apostles reasons would be spoiled for they being supposeable to understand that unknown tongue as they may do for all their impenitence at least to know what belongs to the gift of tongues and to what use they were designed would not think them mad presently that used it which being said I may further add that those heathens coming into the Church or the not prohibiting them to enter is a very distinct thing from the admission of the impenitent Christians when they are by Church censures prohibited because the Apostle himself which prohibits Communion with the brother that is the Christian which is a fornicator doth yet not prohibit it with an heathen or fornicator of this world and the end of Excommunication being only on design of charity to make the Christian offender by that means ashamed and reformable would be utterly cast away upon an heathen who would rather be made obdurate by that means and indeed 't were ridiculous to turn out them who are not so forward to come in and are not by St Paul here supposed so unlesse tanquam exploratores to see how Christians behave themselves there and if they can finde any such madnesse amongst them as he there mentions would be likely to charge it home upon them though on the other side if they finde such a regular frame and beauty of all things there they may possibly be convinced and wrought on by that admirable order doctrine as St Austin was by St Ambroses Sermon though he came thither on a quite dâ—stant arrant And so sure all this while this is a feeble text to be relyed on as the only argument to conclude Apostolicall practise to be contrary to the excluding of any à Verbi Divini auditione c. from prayer or from hearing the Word in publick the place being quite extrinsecal to this matter and saying nothing at all to it That which hath been said sufficiently arms us against the Sect. 45 concludency of that which Th. 8. is inferr'd from the premises and therefore there is no need of saying more to it save onely this that in this Thesis there are some little mistakes committed which I shall only name 1. that which is to the matter in hand and on which his conclusion stands or falls and had been mentioned and is by us answered before in the 1. Th. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 10. signifies Communion whereas I say it signifies indeed from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 communico communicatio and so belongs there quite to another matter then that to which it is here applyed only to the affirming the wine c. in the Sacrament to be the communication or the making us partakers of the bloud of Christ not to our Communion one with another in sacris which is the thing from which excommunication cuts us off as is noted by that definition of it which Thes 1. is by the author produced that 't
committed sins absolution shall be given him for so that phrase will be most grammatically rendred not they shall be forgiven him for then it would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor that God shall forgive him for then it would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immediately precedent the Lord shall raise him but impersonally remittetur ei he shall have absolution Of which absolution 1. There is little question but that it is a very proper preparative to curing of his disease which is oft sent to awake some drowsie sinner and is not removed til it have done the work in some measure Ecclus. 38.9 10. therefore the ordinary preface to Christs cures is Son thy sins are forgiven thee as 2. Mac. 3. when Heliodorus had been so scourged for his sacrilegious enterprize and the high Priest offered sacrifice for his recovery verse 32. the Priest is said to have made an attonement and thereupon God granted him his life verse 33. and so Ecclus 2.11 before Gods delivering in time of tribulation there is first his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remitting of sins before releasing from the pressure and secondly that absolution as it is the Ministers act peculiarly and an act of benediction in him contrary to the execration in the cherem or anathema may well be thought in common reason to have benign influence on the Patient as the curses of Parents are generally believed to be fattal curses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Orpheus the curses of Parents are shrewd furies that haunt a man where ever he goes on the earth have an inauspitious influence on all his earthly prosperities devour and eat out his patrimony and so also by the rule of contraries the blessings of Parents Eccl. 3.9 may availe toward the removing of temporal calamities and so consequently the prayers and blessings and absolution of the Presbyter the spiritual father Thirdly there will be as little question who shal be the Minister of it when 't is considered that there is no supposition or presumption in that place of the presence of any but onely of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Presbyters of the Church and as little will there be of the fitnesse and exceeding expedience that the sins of which he is so peculiarly to receive absolution should be confessed and bewailed before him from whom the absolution is expected One thing only the context may perhaps farther import that this Presbyterial absolution may not be by force of that place so absolutely necessary to all sick persons but onely to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that hath formerly so as upon examination of himself he may reasonably impute his sicknesse to it committed sins either as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes greater sins or as sins contrary to our duty towards God whose Minister the Presbyter is or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to live indulgently in sin and so as it is not reconcilable with a regenerate estate as long as it continues For 't is worth observing what follows in that place James 5.16 Confesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your transgressions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to one another one brother i. e. Christian to another the sick to them in health as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be ye all subject to one another 1 Pet. 5.5 i. e. all that are inferiours to all superiours Where whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie a trespasse peculiarly against our brethren or whether as 't is resolved by Grammarians lapses or lighter sins it seems to be here set in a distance from if not opposite to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greater sins or those against God and then as the confession of them to the Presbyter Gods officer will in any reason be most proper to obtain comfort on safe grounds and the benefit of absolution upon sincere repentance so in those sins of an inferiour rank confession to the wronged brother or to whatever fellow-Christian may possibly be sufficient and assuredly not unuseful or unnecessary if it be but for the obtaining of the brothers united prayers to help to remove the sicknesse if that be inflicted as oft sicknesses are as a punishment for any such trespasses In which case as the promise is there given of recovery to the sick upon those other mens prayers and not otherwise so there is little hope that God will accept thy private prayers for removing that punishment till thou go and reconcile thy selfe unto thy brother and desire and obtain his prayers for thee as Job's for his friends when thy injuring of him had cryed to haven and fetch 't down that infliction on thee Nay thirdly there will be little matter of doubt or controversie Sect. 104 but that private frequent spiritual conference betwixt fellow-Christians but especially and in matters of high concernment and difficulty between the Presbyter and those of his charge even in the time of health and peculiarly that part of it which is spent in the discussion of every mans special sins infirmities inclinations may prove very useful and advantageous in order to spiritual directions reproof and comfort to the making the Man of God perfect And to tel truth if the pride and self-conceit of some the wretchlesnes of others the bashfulnes of a third sort the nauseating and instant satiety of any good in a fourth the follies of men and artifices of Satan had not put this practice quite out of fashion among us there is no doubt but more good might be done by Ministers this way then is now done by any other means separated from the use of this particularly then by that of publick preaching which yet need not be neglected the more when this is used which hath now the fate to be cryed up and almost solely depended on it being the likelier way as Quintilian saith comparing publick and private teaching of youth to fill narrow-mouth'd bottles and such are the most of us by taking them single in the hand and pouring in water into each then by setting them altogether and throwing never so many buckets of water on them Sect. 105 I conceive I have now distinctly set down the ful importance of this power of binding loosing and how it belongs peculiarly to the publick censures of the Church the binding by way of excommunication or depriving of the common benefits of Christians together with that branch of corporal discipline or inflictions on mens bodies peculiar to the Apostles times and power and the loosing in restoring the excommunicate person upon repentance to the Assembly of the Saints And by this perhaps may be received some satisfaction to that question agitated sometimes Whether Absolution in the Church be onely declarative or moreover ministerially authoritative which question wil not now have so much place the matter being thus stated For the Churches absolution being not the actual eternal pardon of sins in Heaven which is left to be Gods
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remit is before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retain And 3. because this is deliver'd to all the Apostles together whereas the two other were spoken one personally to Peter the other of the Church I in humility conceive that as before we shewed that this place in S. John belonged to the same persons to which the other two belonged to wit the Apostles and their succeeding rulers of the Church so it is perfectly parallel to them also in respect of the matter of the Commission and my reasons are these 1. Because the phrases though as the first reason pretends other in sound are yet directly synonyma's with the former in Scripture-stile I say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to remit is al one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to loose and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to retain with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bind And therefore Theophylact uses together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power of remitting and binding confounding the two places in S. John and S. Mat. together and rendring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to retain by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bind and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to loose by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to remit in Mat. 16.19 and so promiscuously in other Writers If there be the least difference it is onely this that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to bind and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bind and also to keep bound in which respect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is more proper here in S. John because the order is inverted and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retaining put after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remitting and so the word which signifies also to keep bound or to not-remit is more perfectly critically agreeable then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bind would have been and yet when binding is mentioned first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as exact as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in the other places But yet for all this light accidental difference I shall not retract saying the words are in use perfectly synonymous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remit and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loose especially as applyed to sin both signifie forgiving of it the first as sin is taken under the notion either of a debt or a thraldom for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the N. Test applyed to both to the one in the Lords Prayer to the other Luk. 4.18 and both directly opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second as of a band so in the Septuagints Translation of the Old Testament Gen. 4.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perhaps false copied for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My sin is greater then can be forgiven or more clearâ—y Exod. 32.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If thou wilt or O that thou wouldst forgive them that sin and in divers other places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remit taken for forgive and so in like manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to loose Job 42.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Translation of the words which are in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God accepted the person of Job praying for them he forgave them that sin by Job i. e. by his mediation There 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to loose is taken for to forgive So also for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bind and to hold or retain the Sect. 99 same Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jer. 33.1 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 10.8 11.6 and so Act. 2.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being holden is set opposite to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loosing of bands and so must signifie keeping bound and in almost all other places it signifies to hold fast or take hold of Mat. 18.28.21.46.26.4 c. and is sometimes joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as holding fast is precedaneous and preparative to binding Mat. 14.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laying hold on him bound him and Apoc. 20.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 held and bound and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though rendred to retain is taken for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bind also or if there be any difference t is this that it signifies lesse then binding rather then more and so will not conclude any thing which the former places were not able to conclude And so you may observe in the Fathers viz. S. Basil speaking of the freedome of Christians in their bands he saith they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bound but not capable of binding and many the like Secondly because the inverting of the order of words is too light and casual a thing to be argumentative and therefore the second reason is of little force being taken onely from that change for which yet some reasonable account also may be given from the variety of the words which caused this inversion and consequently no more argument will be deducible from this change of order then from the change of words would be just to deduce If the change of the words would argue ought then I confess the inverting of the order caused by that would per moduÌ„ accumulatiònis do so too but that being once cleared to import no new thing this which is onely attendant on that caÌ„not be thought to do so so there will be no need of farther answer to that when the former hath bin sufficiently answer'd Sect. 100 Thirdly because the third ground of scruple is as unconvincing also the other two being delivered to all the Apostles also as well as this the first to all in S. Peters person as 't is ordinary for Donations made to Communities to be delivered to one of that number for the use of all as is acknowledg'd by all but those whose pretended interest in S. Peter hath bribed them to inflame his and lessen the other Disciples prerogative asmuch as they can And the second in plain words with a preface of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verily I say to you i. e. to the Disciples with whom the discourse had continued by way of mutual colloquie from the beginning of the Chap. This I am sure is the affirmation of the Greek Fathers particularly Theophylact on Mat. 13. where he affirms that promise of the power of binding and loosing to be fulfilled in those words of Christ in S. John Whose sins you do remit c. the place was formerly set down at large and need not be repeated and if you examine the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 throughout the N.T. you will have no temptation to doubt it Sect. 101 Having now declared out of the Scripture the foundation progresse of this power these censures and occasionally interweaved the interpretation of some places which I conceive to depend on this matter it were now a fit season to proceed to the writings of the ancient Church and draw down the history of this practice through the first purer times But that hath been so faithfully performed by many others particularly by Spalatensis that it