the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ u 1 Cor. 3. 12. in whom only consisteth the whole strength of the building though weake wood and timber be built thereupon so as looking into our selues and the examples of Gods best beloued Children yea Peter himselfe after this promise how foulely they haue falne we may euer finde cause of feare and distrust but lifting vp our eyes vnto God the stablenesse of his counsels and certaintie of his promises we may rest safely in confidence of his word which hath said w Ios 1. 5. I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee x Iohn 5. 24. hee that beleeueth in him shall not perish for euer He it is that doth nourish the holy fire in vs and keepes vs vnto the end y Iohn 13. 1. for whom hee loueth he loueth euerlastingly z 1 Ioh. 3. 9. and the seede of God abideth in the elect that being borne of God they sinne not vnto condemnation a Rom. 8. 1. for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus which walke not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Christ prayed for b Luke 22 31. Peter and he prayed also for vs c Ioh 17. 2. 12. 20 24. and for all that should beleeue in his name that none of his might be lost neither is any able to take them out of his Fathers hand which is stronger and greater then all and loueth vs in Christ as hee loued him before the foundations of the world were laid against these the gates of Hell cannot preuaile for they haue the Lords priuie Seale not seene nor knowne to men but d 2. Tim. 2. 19 the Lord knoweth his Vse 2 Secondly this Doctrine iustly impugneth that error of the Romanists holding opinion that the visible Church and the pretended successors of Peter cannot erre whereas the contrary is apparantly verified in the Scriptures that Peter himselfe did erre and therefore though it bee true that the inuisible Church that is the elect of GOD cannot erre finally yet the visible Church consisting both of good and bad may erre as appeareth through the whole History of the Bible and in the primatiue times particular Churches haue erred witnesse Corinth Galatia Philadelphia Pergamus c yea the Church of Rome it selfe whether wee regard the Head or the Body hath grieuously erred First as touching the Head Romish Bishops haue erred and diuers of them became Heretickes Scismaticks Antipopes Negromancers Sodomites and what not Marcellinus sacrificed to the Idols of the Gentiles Leberius was an Arrian Nicholas changed the decrees of Iohn the two and twentieth Gregory of Pelagius Innocentius of Gregory yea in those things which belong to faith Cardinall Ragusanus proueth that the Pope may erre and did in the great Schisme at Rome Cardinall Cusanus affirmeth the Pope may fall from the faith the Councell of Basill auoucheth that the priuiledge of not erring belongeth not to the Popes more then other Bishops Secondly and as for generall Councels which haue a more liuely representation of the whole Church and where the Bishops of Rome haue been present may yea they haue erred one repealed the Actes and Decrees of another and there can bee no correction without errour the Councell of Nice defended Images that of Constantinople was against them the third Councel of Carthage saith that he is Antichrist that calleth himselfe an vniuersall Bishop the Councell of Rome and Trent say and maintaine the contrary therefore except there be more Truths then one Councels may erre and the Pope may erre and consequently the whole visible Church may erre and the truth is e Isa 9 17. many hypocrites making a great shew of godlinesse haue fallen away from grace and the truth of the Gospell become Apostatates in faith and Satanists in conuersation and yet the Church standeth For f Rom 3. 4. Psal 116. 1â— Titus 1. 2. Hebr 6. 18. let God be true and all men lyers in his truth it standeth and Satan a lyer from the beginning cannot ouerthrow it g 2 Thess 2. 9. Antichrists deceiueable delusions and lying wonders cannot preuaile against it Verse 19. And I wil giue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heauen Vpon such a sure and grounded confession of Peter proceedeth a twofold promise of Christ 1. as is formerly laid down that hereupon he will lay an vnmoueable foundation of his Church that the gates of hâ—ll should not bee able to preuaile against it 2. that he would for the gouernment thereof commit to his Apostles and Ministers the Spirituall keyes of the kingdome of heauen with a power to bind and loose in such manner as he would ratifie in heauen their proceedings in earth according to the tenure of his Commission wherby hee had so authorized them to execute his power in his Church In these wordes obserue two things First Datum The donation wherein consider 1. who is the giuer 2. to whom 3. what was giuen Secondly Applicaum The Application in these wordes whatsoeuer thou shalt bind on earth c. Doct. Concerning the first in as much as hee saith I will giue it teacheth vs That Christ is the giuer of the keyes who onely had this power from heauen as the heire of God the Messiah and Mediatour betwixt man and God who h Heb. 2. 3. Psal 8 6. 1 Cor. 15. 27. Iohn 17. 2. Phil. 2. 9 10. put all thinges in subiection vnder him in heauen and earth and so the Apostle affirmeth that Christ first receiued this power from God his Father to bee made the head of his Church and onely had right to giue and communicate such power vnto his Church thus Christ expresseth it in the Gospel i Math. 11. 27. 28. 18 19. All power saith he is giuen me in heauen and in earth and thereupon he groundeth his commission to send his Apostles into all the world this point is not onely verified by apparant and plentifull texts of holy Scriptures but euen our aduersaries in words not greatly contradict it howsoeuer in their practice and in effect they haue paralelled sundry of the Saints with him as the Turkes and Infidels haue wholly dethroned him and placed their false prophet and abominable idole Mahomet before him and aboue him but because they deny the principles of faith and religion wee will not contend nor spend much time in disputing with them but willingly acknowledge and subscribe to the Soueraignty and absolute power of Christ as disposer of all things in heauen and earth Vse And let the true Church and Spouse of Christ heare and obey his voyce and deriue her subordinate power from him alone which hee then promised and afterward gaue vnto her to execute for him for wee must note that he then instantly gaue not Note 1 but speaking in the future
Church of Christ so that wee see how that the Keyes of Hell and Death are principally committed by God vnto his Son Christ as to a Iudge and to others as Satan and Antichrist as Executioners of his Iudgements and as the Iudge hath authoritie ouer the Gaoler so hath Christ supreame power ouer the Deuill and his hellish torments as the same Authour saith Suprema est potest as in Diabolum mancipiandi eum destinatis poenis he it is that treadeth on the necke of his enemies Å¿ Gen 3. 15. bruiseth the head of the Serpent and t Pet. 2. 4. Iude ver 6. hath reserued him vnder chaines of darknesse vnto the Iudgement of the great day Fourthly but in another sense wee read that sometimes Keyes are put for the absolute authoritie which Christ hath in his Church to open and shut to put in and put out whom hee pleaseth u Apoc. 3. 7. These things saith he which hath the Key of Dauid which openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth that is which hath plenary power to rule order and dispose all things in his Church both to teach by his Word and rule them with his rod of Discipline Fiftly Knowledge is indeed a Key whereby wee come vnto God and to take away the knowledge of Gods Lawe and Gospell is to debarre and shut the people out of the kingdome of God as our blessed Sauiour vpbrayded the Interpreters of the Law w Luke 11. 52 that they had taken away the Key of knowledge and would neither enter into Gods kingdome themselues nor suffer others that would which is as much as if he had charged them to keepe backe from the people the knowledge of the Scriptures wherby they should haue accesse vnto God and his Kingdome and to erect a kingdome of darknesse like hell for the Deuils dwelling in maintaining as the Pope both Ignorance to be the Mother of Deuotion and appoynting blinde Superstitions to exercise the people in In a word to leaue the pure Fountaine of Gods Word the water of Life and to dig themselues pitts of puddle water to poyson them In all these Senses this is generally to be held that Keyes signifie Rerum aliquam potestatem A certaine power of things though not alike in all 1. But either plenary absolute and independant as it is in God the Father who hath it of himselfe receiueth it of none which he communicateth equally to his Sonne Christ x Iohn 18. 2. Rom. 6 23. who receiueth it of his Father and yet is equall and absolute in him as in the Father and none else can forgiue sinnes and giue eternall life but God onely and Christ as the Sonne of God Math. 28. 18. Cap. 11. 27. Cap. 9. 2 6. 2. But from God and Christ there is a subordinate power dederiued as well Ciuill and Politicall as Ecclesiasticall and Spirituall and so y 2 Cron. 19. 6 all Kings and Rulers haue a power from God to rule and raigne and to exeâ—ute his Lawes and Iudgments Romanes 13. 1 John 19. 11. and â—herefore called Gods Psalm 82 1 6. Iohn 10. 34. 3. And likewise such as execute Ecclesiasticall power in Preaching and punishing offendors and refractaries z Exod. 7. 1. haue that power from God and Christ And this is the power of the Keyes committed to Peter and all the Apostles this power Paul executed a 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 5 in binding and casting out to Satan the incestuous Corinthian and receiued him into the Church againe vpon his repentance and thus in sundrie places of his Epistles to the Corinthians which not onely tolerated grosse sinnes but were enclined to many factions hee laâ—oureth to approoue b 2 Cor. 10. 8. the authoritie he had receiued from Christ to the edification of his Church as well in preaching of remission of sinnes through faith as denouncing Gods Iudgements and Excommunication against enormious liuers misbeleeuers and contentious persons and puts it to their choise c 1 Cor. 4. 21. whether hee should come vnto them with his rod of Discipline or in loue and in the spirit of meekenesse hee executed no Commission nor vsed other Keyes of power and authoritie then Christ committed to all other his Apostles to preach the Gospell to all and such as beleeued should bee saued and such as beleeued not should be damned And this was his loosing and binding of sinners with these Keyes chiefely he opened and shut the gates of Heauen though in the outward Discipline of the Church hee cherished the weake and sound and cut off the stubburne and peruerse members that they should not like Leauen putrifie the whole body of the Congregation That reuerend and learned Diuine Master Caluin obserued onely two places mentioned in the Scriptures touching these Keyes and power of binding and loosing one heere in this Text and the other Iohn 20. 23. which expound one another very clearely for what he spake heere singularly to Peter who made the confession in the name of the rest verse 16 so in the other he breathed vpon them all and speaketh plurally and generally that whosoeuers sinnes they remitted should bee remitted vnto them and whosoeuers sinnes they retained should bee retained that is ratified by God in Heauen whose word they preached in the world for what thing is sinne but a d Rom. 6. 14 16 Iohn 8. 34. bondage and chaines wherein we are fast tyed and made bond-slaues of the Deuill till wee be loosed made free and set at libertie by Christ whose words doth make vs free being receiued by faith into the hearts of the beleeuers Marke 16. 16. Iohn 3. 18. 1 Cor. 1. 21. 4. 1. John 5. 24 8. 31 32 34 36. Heereunto tended that ratification of the Apostolicall Commission that who so e Math 10 7 14 15. Marke 11. 6. Acts 13. 51. and 18. 6. heard them heard Christ and such as despised them despired him and that it should bee easier for Sâ—dom and Gomorrah in the day of Iudgement then for those which despised the Messengers and reiected the Message of Christ whose word it was and not theirs f 2 Cor â— 18 19. and was committed to their dispensation and was to some g 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. the sauour of life vnto life that was the loosing and to others it was the sauour of death vnto death and that was the binding which God ratifieth in Heauen And this is answerable to the preaching of Mercie and Iudgement the cursings vpon Mount Ebal and h Deut. 11. 29 27 12 13 28. 2 58 59. the blessings vpon Mount Gerizim i Deut 30. 15. life and death which Moses propounded vnto the people as they were obedient and disobedient vnto the voyce of God and though great mercie is offered vnto vs in the Gospel of grace yet there are woes and iudgements also denounced to the impenitent and vnbeleeuers which is the vse of these Keyes and
vnto Ieremie k Iâ—re 11. 21. 18. 1â— 44. 16 17. The word which thou hast spoken to vs in the name of the Lord we will not heare it of thee but wee will doe whatsoeuer thing goeth out of our owne mouth as to burne Incense to the Queene of heauen c. And yet these desperate Rebells against God in maintaining their Idolatries were neuer so impudent as the Papists to blot out the second Commaundement of the morall Law of God for that it left them without all excuse and could not be auoided by any glossographical Interpretations Rome had some soundnesse of Religion in the dayes of the Christian Emperours till the Imperiall Popes confounded all things Constantine the Great caused the Bible to be written out and sent it to all Kingdomes Prouinces and Cities within his Dominions as the great Apostata Iulian from whom the Papistes haue drawen this ther paradox obiected it as a great fault that their women were so expert in holy Scriptures Vse 3 Euery man or woman that hath a Legacy bequeathed vnto them in Gods Will and Testament will and ought to be carefull to reade in that Booke and to inquire out what portion it is that the Lord hath bequeathed vnto them and it is our chiefe happinesse that wee haue a written Will of God and that therefore wee goe not about to suppresse it and introduce a nuncupatiue will of vnwritten Traditions as the false Catholickes endeuour to doe who by their owne Traditions striue to make the Commaundement of God of none effect It was a great blessing which the Lord promised by the Prophet l Isai 55. 1 2. 3. That they should drinke of these pure waters freely and plentifully as also it was the threatening of a grieuous curse m Amos 8. 11 12. That hee would send a famine not of bread but of his Word and how heauie hath the wrath of God appeared in powring these forewarned Iudgments vpon the famous Churches of Asia and Greece n Apoc. 2. 5. in remoouing the Candlesticke of his Word and suffering a barbarous Mahometan Tyrant to trample them vnder his filthy feet and so the Church of o Ierem. 7. 4. Rom. 11. 21. the Iewes as well as of the Gentiles hath lost her light p 1 Cor. 10. 12. And let vs that thinke wee stand take heed lest we fall There are two remarkeable sinnes mentioned in sacred Writ which are noted to bee euer the forerunners of the forementioned iudgement namely First the barrennesse and emptinesse of good workes Secondly contempt of Gods Word and Ministers Concerning the first it is notably expressed of old as well in the parable of Isaiah as of Christ himselfe q Isai 5. 2 to 6. serem 2. 21. Mark 12. 2. to 10. Math. 21 33. to 42. Luke 20 9. to 17. of the Vineyard let out to Husbandmen which not rendring the due rent and fruits to the Lord and Owner were threatned as in short time after it came to passe both in the old Church and Temple in Jerusalem destroyed by the Assyrians and Chaldeans as lastly by the Romanes for the Lord of the vineyard the God of Israel had planted fenced and dressed it with all diligence and sent Messengers to require the fruites but it brought foorth either no fruite or naughtie fruite no wine but wilde grapes and therefore was worthily r Math. 21. 19 20. cursed for both barrennesse and badnesse Secondly the wickednesse of the Iewes was yet worse and more resembled our Romish Vineyard in killing Gods Messengers which were sent vnto them and will not haue Christ but Antichrist to raigne ouer them And this we may obserue by the way that as Christ would honour the Ministery of the Apostles by committing these Keyes of knowledge and authoritie vnto them so the Antichristian rabble contrarily cast all contempt as well on the Gospel it selfe debarring Gods people of that Key of knowledge as also persecuting the Preachers of the Gospell with all contempt And this is the occasion that Almighty God often taketh away the other Key vse of the Word for the contempt thereof and as Å¿ 1 Sam. 3. 1. Visions and diuine Reuelations were rare and the Word of God precious because it was rare in the dayes of Eli so t Numb 11. 6 men loathed Manna when it was plentifull as wee doe the Gospell complaining that wee haue too much of our Fathers blessing as if the honour of the Ministery consisted in putting downe the exercise of it for which cause the Lord threatned by the Prophet Amos u Amos 8. 11 to send a famine of his Word and this is to vs a good and necessary caueat now in the time of our plentifull haruest when the Lord hath sent such store of Labourers into his Vineyard that we bee not like the Papists who keepe no mediocritie in the due estimation of their Ministers as the Apostle w 1 Cor. 4. 1 2 requireth but either they aduaunce them too high and make them Lords ouer their faith or else cast all contempt vpon them if they preuaricate neuer so little their Traditions x Math. 15. 6. which they extoll and preferre before the precepts of the Gospell and Commaundements of God And so much may suffice to bee declared concerning the Donation of the Keyes the Application of them followeth in the last part of the verse And whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shall bee bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose in earth shall be loosed in heauen Doct. Obserue the admirable Sympathy and the Cooperation of God with the Ministers Office man preacheth and God blesseth and establisheth his Doctrine whether hee preach Iudgement or Mercie Now for the more euident demonstration of this truth wee affirme y Ezek. 33. 7 8 9 c. that if the Minister of God see and perceiue a peruerse and obstinate sinner to walke and goe on in his wicked waies and thereupon denounceth against him Gods iust Iudgements out of his holy Word if hee yet persist impenitent the Minister may lawfully pronounce condemnation against him and he thereby so bindeth him that God in heauen ratifieth the curse which is contained and pronounced out of his Word but if such a sinner shalâ— feare and tremble and hearken vnto the Word of God and repenting himselfe confesse his sinnes to God and make it also so appeare vnto Gods Minister he may then from God pronounce vnto him remission and absolution of his sinnes which are most surely forgiuen of God in heauen and the Minister is said z Iam. 5. 19 20 to haue saued his soule which went astray though his saluation be of God alone Thus the Prophet a 2 Sam. 12. 5 11. Nathan brought Dauid to confesse himselfe the childe of death hauing continued aboue two yeares in his sinne vnrepented of but as soone as hee had drawne him to the knowledge and acknowledgement of his offence
tense I will promiseth to giue that power vnto his Apostles there were many things reserued till after his ascention and the Disciples were appointed k Luke 24. 49 Acts 1. 4. to wait and attend at Ierusalem for the accomplishment of Gods promise in sending downe the holy l Iohn 14. 26 15. 26. 16. 7. Ghost after the ascention of the Sonne of God to enable and furnish them with meet gifts for the execution of that charge which hee had imposed vpon them It is also further to bee obserued Note 2 that it was Christs free gift I will giue saith he not sell hire out oâ— lend but as it is with God in all things m Math. 10. 8. freely to giue that those which receiue his gifts should not sell or reâ—ayle them as n 2 King 5. 20 26. Gehazi and o Act. 8. 18. 19 Simon Magus for gaine as is too too apparant the Peters pretended successours make great and abominable trafique in merchandizing the church keyes in pardoning and retaining sinnes for money excommunicating absoluing for their best aduantage but leauing them to sell what Christ freely gaue let vs proceed to the consideration of the second particular circumstance namely to whom these keyes were giuen I will giue to thee Quest Here a question may bee mooued whether the keyes were giuen to Peter alone or to him with the rest of the Apostles Sol. This doubt I haue already in part resolued hauing largelie prooued that as Christ propounded the question to them all in generall and as Peter made confession in the name of all so Christ made this promise in the name of all as is most liuely exemplified Matth. 18 verse 18. where it is euident that what he doth here promise vnto Peter he doth there make good vnto all the Church saying whatsoeuer you bind on earth shall bee bound â— heauen c. Wherupon Aretius Bonum hoc commune non personale quod hereditario iure ad certos pertineat The donation of the keyes and exercise of that spirituall power is not personally tied to one man but is a gift common to the whole Church as also Origen Chrysostome Cyril and many others affirme especiallie Augustine Qui Petrum ecclesia typum facit quae in Petro claues acceperit Whose opinion is that the power of the keyes was not a personall gift neither promised to Peter alone much lesse that these keyes should be tyed by an hereditary succession vnto one particular Sea or Seat as the Papists dreame but to omit these friuolous disputes seeing the Apostles receiue the keyes from Christ we may thence obserue Doct. That the authority of the Ministers calling is deriued from Christ as from the head and the Lord of the Prophets vnto his Apostles and Ministers Matth. 23. 34. Luke 11. 49. Ephes 4. 11. 1. Pet. 1. 11. Reuel 22. 6. Isaiah 6. 8. 9. Matth. 28. 19. Gal. 1. 10 11 12. Vse Vnto the Ministers of God it sufficeth for an exceeding consolation p 2 Cor. 5. 18 19 20. that they haue God the author of their calling whose Ambassadours they are and though the world neither regard them nor reward them yet they being found faithfull dispensers of Gods diuine mysteries shall expect their reward from him that put them in office and sent them who will one day say to euery faithfull Steward q Math. 25. 21 23. Come thou good and faithfull seruant enter thou into thy Masters ioy I doubt not but the Ambassadours of Princes which are messengers of peace finde such acceptance of those to whom they are sent of such a gratefull message that they are not sent away empty and vnrewarded of the common enemy for their message sake which is r Rom. 10. 1 5. Isai 52. 7. so ioyfull to heare of peace after a long and wearysome warfare but because their places require them oftentimes to denounce warre it is no maruâ—ile if their message bee vngratefully accepted and rewarded Yet is their reward with God their king that sent them whose subiects they are and must execute his designes whether they be good or euill vnto men and what indignity soeuer is done or offered vnto them their mightie King will shew himselfe a mightie reuenger thereof who in one sense and sentence hath said Å¿ Psal 105. 15 Touch not mine annoynted and doe my Prophets no harme for the iniury done vnto Dauids Embassadours when they came peaceably to the King of Ammon was reuenged as done vnto the king himselfe this is a principle which the Law of Nature all Nations allow and ought to maintaine If t 1 Kin. 13 4 6 Ieroboam dare stretch out his hand to strike Gods Prophet and Messenger God will smite him that hee shall not bee able to pull in his arme againe without the Prayer of the Prophet which was stretched out against the Prophet and persecuting Iezabel which u 1 Kings 19. 2 vowed to haue the Prophets head w 2 Kings 9. 33 37. was made dogs meat and cast out as a carion carkeise her selfe For such vengeance is Gods iudgement threatned and foretold aforehand by the Prophets and howsoeuer Iehu be Gods Executioner to performe it yet it is euer annexed that it came so to passe according to the word of the Lord which hee spake by the mouth of his Prophets And so much for the second branch wee come now to shew what was giuen which is here said to be The keyes of the kingdome of heauen The metaphor of Keyes which in part hath bin formerly handled is diuersly taken yea rested and drawen by constrained Interpretations to the aduantage of that cause which diuers haue diuersly fancyed to make for them and for the building of their Hierarchy euen an earthly Tabernacle which x Math. 17. 4 Peter sometimes would haue made rather then an heauenly kingdome which God himselfe hath appoynted to be y Mat. 6. 33. aboue all things sought for and established First they that by Keyes vnderstand Principalitie to be giuen to Peter aboue the rest and ouer the whole Church and would crowne him and his Successors with an Emperiall Diadem to exercise as well spirituall iurisdiction as to haue ciuill and temporall authoritie ouer Kings and Princes haue much mistaken the word Keyes which are not vsuall for Kings but Porters to carry and vsurpingly inlarged Christs commission z Luke 12. 13 14. who himselfe would neither be made a King nor intermeddle so much in secular affaires as to diuide Inheritances betwixt two brethren much lesse giue away kingdomes from the right heires and owners to strangers and bastards So the vsurper Satan from whom the Pope-kings or King-popes may more rightly claime that power doth falsely affirme that a Mat. 4. 9. Luke 4. 6 7. all the kingdomes of the world are his and giuen vnto him and he giueth them to whom he will which yet he will not giue nor promise to giue vnto