not disposed of their maintenance Though perhaps the advantage of fingring money was it that made them take so much upon them in his time whereof he complaineth Nay it is plain this must rest in the power of Bishop and Presbyters by the portions and divisions thereof wherein each of them had interesse as his maintenance whereof we find remembrance in S. Cyprians Epistles In the last Canon of the Councel of Antiochia is provided that the Bishop shall not alienate the Church-goods which though immovable were given for the same purpose without consent of his Presbyters And in those which are called the Canons of the Apostles which the world knoweth are not theirs but yet do expresse very ancient customes of the Church Can. iii. iv having ordered what sorts of first-fruits should be sent to the Church what home to the Bishop and Presbyters it followeth Now it is manifest that they are to be divided by them among the Deacons and Clergy to the Deacons for the maintenance of the poore to the Clergy for their own Where you see the interesse of the Presbyters in disposing of such oblations CHAP. XI Of the discipline of Penance Those that have the Keyes remit sinnes by prescribing Penance The intercession of the Church Particular persons excommunicated among the Jews Our Lord prohibiteth their course among his Disciples Two degrees of Excommunication as well in the Church as in the Synagogue The Keyes are given to Bishop and Presbyters The interesse of the people and what is required at the hands of the Common-wealth THere remaineth now two particulars of the office common to Bishop and Presbyters wherein the people also claim their interesse the one is the discipline of Penance the other the making of Ministers The due course whereof assigned by our Lord and his Apostles will best be discovered laying together first what we find of them in Scripture and then comparing of it with the proceeding of the Primitive time which we shall perceive the right to go along with The Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven are given by our Lord to the first of his Disciples in those words Matth. xvi 19. And I will give thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever thou bindest on earth shall be bound in Heaven whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven If mens minds were not possessed with prejudice it would soon appear to be the same power that is given to all the Apostles John xx 24. Whosesoever sinnes ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosesoever sinnes ye retein they are reteined But Matt. xviii 17 18. to the same purpose though more at large And if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church But if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as a heathen man and as a publican Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven To this must be added the proceeding of the Apostle in delivering to Satan the incestuous person at Corinth 1. Cor. v. 3 4 5. which he also did to Hymeneus and Alexander 1. Tim. i. 20. Now in the practice of the Primitive Church those that exercised this power were in part Judges Censours you may call them if you please and in part Physicians Both parts comprised in S. Cyprians words Ep. 51. Vbi lapsis nec censura deest quae increpet nec medicina quae sanet Judges they are in shutting Gods house upon offenders and binding their sins upon their consciences And the effect of this censure such supposing the proceeding of it to be due that as the disease of sin is not to be cured without the medicine of repentance no more can this knot wherewith sinnes notorious of themselves or otherwise known are tyed to mens consciences be undone without known repentance For since the worst of the souls sicknesse consisteth in not acknowledging her disease it pleased God to give his Church power and charge to constrain offenders to take their Physick which the grief of bodily diseases is able to do alone Physicians they are then in prescribing the medicine of Repentance and in that respect alone are truly said to remit sinnes God himself saith not to the Soul I absolve thee from thine offenses but upon supposition of the means his own gift of repentance that worketh the cure so farre it is from the power of his creature to pronounce forgivenesse without knowledge of the effect which the medicine of repentance hath wrought But if we say true when a Physician is said to cure a mans disease though all the world know he doth no more but prescribe the medicine or at the most see it applyed with as good right is it to be said that mens sinnes are cured by them that prescribe the course by which they are cured Onely whereas he that is cured of a bodily disease is able to tell himself when he is well he that is once sensible of the maladies of his soul is not easily satisfied when the cure is done It hath therefore pleased the goodnesse of God to provide an office and charge in his Church to assure men of forgivenesse of sinnes upon due knowledge of repentance by taking away that knot wherewith they remained tied upon their consciences Firmilianus Bishop of Caesarea Cappadociae in his Epistle to S. Cyprian the lxxvth in number of his Epistles thus writeth Lapsis quoque fratribus per poenitentiam medela quaeratur Non quasi à nobis remissionem peccatorum consequantur sed ut per nos ad intelligentiam delictorum suorum convertantur Domino pleniùs satisfacere cogantur To this purpose was the time and order and fashion of Penance regulated in the ancient Church that the diseases of the soul might receive every one their competent cure and therefore it is plain that among them it was a favour to be admitted to Penance in opposition to Novatianus Qui nemini dandam poenitentiam putavit saith Saint Ambrose De Poenit. 2. 1. exhorting men to repentance indeed but leaving them for pardon to God who had power to give it as his Disciple Socrates writeth Eccles hist iv 13. That is not imploying the power of the keyes and the benefit of it to the cure of their offenses Whereupon S. Ambrose you see calleth it dare poenitentiam as on the offenders side it was then called petere poenitentiam demanding and granting of Penance For this cause it was that this medicine of repentance was wont to be joyned with the prayers of the Congregation but in the chief place of the Bishop and Presbyters which if repentance be Physick is correspondent to that which is given to make Physick work And this is called in Tertullian Presbyteris advolvi Caris Dei adgeniculari Omnibus fratribus legationes deprecationis suae injungere and in S. Augustine Gemitus columbae the Mourning of the
turtle procuring their release at Gods hands And to this purpose was the Imposition of hands so often repeated in Penance because as S. Augustine saith of it in confirmation wherein he followeth Tertullian the one in these words Quid enim est impositio manuum nisi oratio super hominem the other afore him in these Dehinc manus imponitur per benedictionem advocans invitans Spiritum Sanctum That it is but a Ceremony of benediction imploring the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost which it representeth So was it in Penance nothing else but a form of benediction interceding for their reconcilement This may very well be thought to be the intent of the words of our Lord in the Gospel alledged Matth. xviii 19. For having delivered to the Church the power of binding and loosing in the words recited it followeth straight Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them For as in the words next going afore he sheweth how mens sins are bound and loosed to wit by the power which he giveth his Church to that purpose so he may well seem in the next words to point at the course by which this power may become effectuall to the loosing of sinnes to wit the intercession of the Congregation of Gods people At least thus much hath been observed by men of excellent learning that lamenting is a work specified by the Apostle himself in the businesse of reducing offenders by Penance 1. Cor. v. 2. Ye have not lamented to put away such a transgression from you And again 2. Cor. xii 20. I fear that when I come unto you I shall not find you such as I desire and shall bewail many which have sinned already and have not repented of the uncleannesse and fornication and lasciviousnesse that they have committed meaning that he should put them to Penance by consequence This maketh the interesse of the Congregation in the work of Discipline to be considerable but intituleth it not to the keyes of Gods house For to conceive our Lords meaning aright let us take notice that there was among the Jews much use of excommunicating by particular persons as is to be seen in their writings Maimoni in Talmud Torah c. 7. Arba Turim or Shulchan Aruch in Tore Deah Hilcoth Niddui Vcherem and that many times upon causes of their particular interesse For example a Rabbi or Rabbies Mate was able to excommunicate for his credit when he found himself slighted True it is they count it commendable in a Rabbi to passe over all disrespect to himself in private but he that shall do it in publick they bind him to remember it and watch his party like a Serpent till he seek favour and reconcilement Maimoni n. ult And true it is that in some cases they void excommunication that is grounded upon particular interesse and not for the honour of God Jore Deah out of the Hierusalem Talmud and R. Joseph Karo upon it f. 364. And generally he that excommunicateth without cause is to be excommunicated himself it is the last of twenty foure causes for which they excommunicate but what disorders might come upon such practice is easie to imagine And therefore there is great cause to think that our Lords words whereof we speak are aimed on purpose to abrogate this course among his followers though covertly to avoyd offense For two things he prescribeth in opposition to it first to aim at a brothers reformation and nothing else in all the proceeding Matt. xviii 15. If thy brother shall trespasse against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone If he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother The second is that they shall proceed no further then contestation in private the rest he prescribeth to be referred in publick to the Church So it followeth But if he will not heare thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established And if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church Now this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church as also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is first used in the Greek of the old Testament to signifie the Congregation of the people of Israel The Jews that have lived since the Prophets have espoused and appropriated this later word the Synagogue to signifie sometimes the whole body of that Nation or rather of that Faith as among the Fathers the Synagogue standeth for the Jews in opposition to the Church of Christians sometimes particular Congregations of it and by consequence the place of their assemblies as in the Gospel He loveth our nation and hath built us a Synagogue And just so in all respects is the word ECCLESIA the Church used in relation to Christians our Lord in the Gospel having begun to appropriate it to the Congregation which he now began to institute Matt. xvi 18. Vpon this rock will I build my Church and in the text in hand Matt. xviii 17. Tell it to the Church So that it must not be denied it is not usuall for the Church which signifieth the whole Congregation of people to signifie the chief part of it But it is as certain on the other side that looking backward to the Synagogue upon which our Lord reflecteth as was said such censures as these are whereof our Lord speaketh proceeding from the public private ones being excluded as hath been said issued all from the Courts of Justice mentioned afore without respect to the Congregation of the people As thus There were among them two degrees of Excommunication and no more the lesse called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Separation the greater 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Anathema and the effect of them to cut a man off more or lesse from the Congregation of the people as is to be seen in the late most learned work De Jure Nat. Gent. sec disc Ebr. iiii 9. The ordinary sentence of Separation which is that we spake of afore was for thirtie dayes unlesse the Court thought fit to abbridge or inlarge the term for that time no man must come within foure cubits of him that stood excommunicate besides those of his house he must not be reckoned among three which is the number required at Blessing of meat he must not be reckoned among tenne which is the number required to make a Synagogue under that they go not to prayers in the Synagogue And how it is in the power of the Court to aggravate this is to be seen in Shulchan Aruch as afore Num. x. At thirty dayes end they iterated the sentence and stayed thirty dayes more If then he stood out it was in their power to excommunicate him with curses which is that
preaching in the assemblies of Christians at that time so farre as we understand by the Apostle went more by mens gifts then by their places in the Church Reade the fourteenth chapter of the first to the Corinthians throughout and consider what great use there was of the gifts of prophecying and speaking strange languages in their assemblies which the Apostle there regulateth sure you will never imagine for there is not a syllable to intimate it that these were all Presbyters ordinary Ministers in the Church The like must be said of the gifts reckoned vers 8. The word of Wisdome the word of Knowledge Discerning spirits and the like of the gifts of Teaching and Exhorting Rom. xii 7 8. of Pastours and Doctours mentioned by the Apostle Ephes iv 14. The Office of the Presbyters at Thessalonica the Apostle recommendeth to the brethren there in these terms 1. Thess 5. 12. We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake But we are not bound to think them all the same persons whose graces he recommendeth when he addeth vers 19. 20. Quench not the Spirit Despise not prophesying Acts xiii 1. There were in the Church of Antiochia Prophets and Teachers and of them they were that gave Paul and Barnabas imposition of hands And 1. Tim. iv 14. these are those that prophesied of him and Presbyters they were I suppose that gave him imposition of hands with the Apostle And so it was argued from hence afore that the Spirit of Prophesie rested upon those Presbyteries But that all such Prophets were Presbyters or all Presbyters such Prophets neither is it written in Gods book nor of it self credible in such varietie of graces specified which all being given for edification and used in the assemblies to that purpose must either rest in the rank of ordinary Ministers or be counted personall graces whether miraculous or otherwise used for the edification of the Church in supplement of their indeavours which have served the turn in after ages He that writ the Commentaries upon S. Pauls Epistles under S. Ambrose his name upon Ephes iv 10. having laboured to accommodate the gifts there specified to the Ministeries then in use in the Church is at length driven to this point Tamen postquam omnibus lociâ— Ecclesiae sunt constitutae officia ordinata aliter composita res est quà m coeperat Primùm enim omnes docebant omnes baptizabant quibuscunqâ—â—diebus vel temporibus fuisset occasuâ— And after a while Vt ergò crescere plebs multiplicaretur omnibus intâ— initia concessum est evangelizare baptizare Scripturas in Ecclesia explanare That which he saith of aâ—â— persons publishing the Gospel is justified by that which we reade Act viii 4. Therefore they that were scatered abroad went everywhere preaching the word And again Acts xi 19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as farre as Phoenice and Cyprus and Antiochia preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews onely That which he saith of expounding the Scriptures that is speaking in the Church will be justified no lesse if it be referred to that variety of gifts specified out of the Apostle most an end miraculous and concerning that time the use whereof was for edification in the assemblies And the reason that is to be given for this must needs appear very considerable Because that among men chosen out of those that were newly converted to the faith in their elder years for which they are called PRESEYTERS and that in respect of other kind of abilities tending to other parts of their office there should be found men fit to speak in publick assemblies upon humane parts and indeavours so as to preserve the decorum and reverence of so great a work is beyond the compasse of common discretion to imagine these qualities being not often found but in those that are habituated to them from their youth Do but look on those of our Lords kindred that confessed him before Domitian and therefore were made leaders of Churches as was related before from Hegesippus and think whether men whose hands were hardned with the plough already struck in years were fit to make Preachers when they were made Rulers of Churches So farre is it from us to think that in the cradle of the Church no Presbyter was made but for his abilities in preaching Let us now look back a little upon the platform pretended and ask what commission men have to turn temporary indowments into perpetuall places or according to personall gifts and graces to distinguish oecumenicall offices And yet it will not appear that ever Pastours were distinguished from Doctours by the Apostle For he never said that Christ hath given some Pastours some Doctours but his words are Ephes iv 11. that he gave some Pastours and Doctours having said afore that he gave some Apostles some Evangelists some Prophets distinguishing those but comprising these If Teaching and Preaching must make two offices as then they were two graces why shall not Exhorting come in for a share and demand that there may be an office instituted for the purpose of it as well as for Teaching which it standeth in equipage with Rom xii 7 8 why should not the word of Wisdome and the word of Knowledge do the like for these mentioned 1. Cor. xii 8. are of perpetuall use although Prophesies and strange languages were but for the time There is one good reason to be given and no more Because perpetuall Ministeries are one thing temporary Gifts are another thing Those we know by the institution of them in Scripture by the office of them specified in the Acts and in the Epistles by the practice of them in all ages of the Church those we know were in time of the Apostle but not instituted for Ministeries because not continued The Office of Presbyters we know was both for Government and Teaching Both are found in S. Peters exhortation to the Presbyters of his charge 1. Pet. v. 2. feeding the flock and overseeing it both in S. Pauls charge to the Presbyters of Ephesus Acts xx 28. and afterwards both in the qualities of Bishops that is as is acknowledged of Presbyters wherein Timothy is instructed by the Apostle 1. Tim. iii. 2 5. both conteined in that very passage that is alledged to bring in a difference of Presbyters 1. Tim. v. 17. For those Elders that rule well are such as labour in the word and doctrine Why might not the Apostle then difference Presbyters by the execution of their functions as well as by the functions themselves Why might not some Presbyters shew more diligence in the most eminent point of the office taking speciall pains in the Word and Doctrine which speciall pains the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth and yet others be counted worthy of double
which is called Anathema With these the proceedings of the Christian Church keep some correspondence according to Scripture For when our Lord saith If he heare not the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen man and as a Publicane he intimateth withall a course the Church had to take for his correction and amendment that should give car to it Which as it might perhaps end in a verball admonition of the Church and reall amendment of the party yet those that were under the discipline of Penance we know were in a sort excommunicate because they were not admitted to the Communion of the Eucharist besides that as those which were separated among the Jews they put upon them the state and fashion and habit of mourners And I shewed afore what we find in Scripture to argue this course directed by our Lord and practiced by the Apostle But here was a difference that in that state we find not that a man was cut off from the conversation of Christians those which were admitted to Penance being alwaies accounted in the way of salvation supposing the performance of their injoyned Penance That was the effect of that grievous censure whereof our Lord speaketh Let him be unto thee as a Heathen man and as a Publicane Not because he meaneth to forbid Christians to converse with Heathen men and Publicanes who being to be converted from among them must needs be compassed with them on every side And therefore that case the Apostle hath resolved 1. Cor. v. 9 10. where he informeth them that whereas he had written to them not to converse with fornicatours his meaning was not to forbid them to converse with the fornicatours of this world that is Gentiles or with the covetous or extortioners or with idolaters for then must ye go out of the world and as it followeth vers 12. For what have I to do to judge those that are without do not ye judge those that are within But our Lords meaning is that Christians should shew that respect to a brother that should be refractary to the Church as the Jews did then to Gentiles and Publicanes which the Apostle secondeth there vers 11. Now I write to you not to converse if any man that is called a brother be a fornicatour or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to eat which is to avoid them as the Jews did him that stood separate And the sentence whereupon this is to be practiced is intimated in the next verse For what have I to do to judge those that are without Do not ye judge those that are within And this censure it seemeth the Apostle presupposeth when he writeth to Titus iii. 11. A man that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject For his meaning is not to instruct Titus alone what he in his person should do but in the person of Titus to instruct all the Church to reject and avoid refractary Hereticks and therefore in the consequence of avoyding them it seemeth he intimateth the censure whereupon they are to be avoyded The same censure against the incestuous person at Corinth he intimateth by the same consequence when he saith 1. Cor. v. 13. Therefore put away from you that wicked person which he calleth giving over to Satan in the same case vers 5. afore and in the case of Hymeneus and Alexander 1. Tim. i. 20. and which he signifieth 1. Cor. xvi 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema Maranatha where anathema is the term that cometh from the Synagogue and so doth the other as some men think So that this censure cutteth men off from the conversation of Christians which forfeit the priviledges to which they pretend and so delivers them to Satan by consequence as those that lodged without the camp of Israel were in danger to be lickt up by the Amalekite Which course neverthelesse as it was preservative in regard of some members that they might not be tainted as the Apostle signifieth when he saith 1. Cor. v. 6. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump So was it medicinall in respect of the sick shame and grief being a good way to the cure which the Apostle seemeth to respect when he directeth 1. Cor. v. 6. to deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit might be safe in the day of the Lord Jesus and 1. Tim. i. 20. whom I have delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme This is the correspondence between the proceeding of the Church and Synagogue And therefore as looking backward to the Synagogue whereupon our Lord reflecteth when he saith Dic Ecclesiae we see to whom they had recourse so shall we see looking forwards upon the Church which our Lord pointeth towards in the same words to whom he directeth his followers to have recourse The Keyes of Gods house are given in the Gospel to S. Peter with the effect of binding and loosing and the same power to all the Apostles in equivalent terms of reteining and remitting sinnes For if there were advantage it were an inconvenience that in the third place the power of binding and loosing should be given to the Church which is pretended given to S. Peter for a priviledge beyond the Apostles Well then might S. Cyprian argue Epist 27. that because our Lord promised to S. Peter the keyes of his Church therefore the acts of government of it were to passe through the Bishops hands and without him Apostates could not be reconciled And it is the same which S. Augustine affirmeth so oft as he teacheth which many times he doth that S. Peter in receiving the Keyes represented the Church as Ep. 79. Si hoc in Ecclesiâ fit he speaketh of binding and loosing Petrus quando claves accepit Ecclesiam sanctam significavit For what was promised to S. Peter was given the rest of the Apostles but was to rest in the Church to which it is also given in the same terms as S. Cyprian is willing to acknowledge so oft as he calleth the Presbyters his Colleagues and professeth to do nothing without their advise So that it is not possible to give a more impartiall meaning to the words of our Lord in the Gospel then the practice of those times hath expressed when that power was exercised in common by the Bishop and his Presbyters This it is Tertullian hath shewed us Apolog. c. 39. alledged afore where having commended the gravitie and integritie of Ecclesiasticall censures to shew by whom they were done he addeth as afore Praesident probati quique seniores honorem non pretio sed testimonio adepti And S. Augustines words are plain which we had afore Veniat peccator ad Antistites per quos ipsi in Ecclesia claves ministrantur à praepositis sacrorum accipiat satisfactionis suae modum And in S. Cyprian there is so much mention