may also receiue in the face of man But let them assure them selues that so be affected that God him selfe who can not be deluded nor by sinister affection caried from iust iudgement will not here confirme the sentence of his seruaunt who was in this matter either him selfe to blame without cause to bestowe so precious a perle of Gods mercy or ells the party vnfitte that required to be partaker of that grace wherof afore God he is proued vnwoorthie Thoughe the preheminence be neuer so greate yet as wel the Key of order may erre through the faulte of one party in remitting sinnes in the sacrament as the Key of iurisdiction may erre in pardoning the enioyned penaunce oute of the sacrameÌ„t Therefore it is not good for any man to leaue his prescribed penaÌ„ce vndone or to omitt suche necessarie workes of christianity as whereby he shall rather be worthy to be partaker of a pardon Christ oure lorde pardoned Mary Magdelen of many sinnes by al likelihod forgaue her all the pain due for her greuous offeÌ„ces both eternal teÌ„poral Mary she was woÌ„derfully wel framed and apte to receiue suche a singular benefite Lucae 7. for she loued exceding muche and therefore much was forgiueÌ„ her She washed Christes feete with her teares and with the heare of her heade she wiped them again She honoured Christes bodie with ointement of price towardes his buriall with other suche expresse tokens of passing loue of oure Lorde which did winne her a pardon of so many sinnes For of loue it is writen Charitas operit multitudinem peccatoruÌ„ Charitie couereth a nuÌ„ber of faultes 1. Petri. 4 And yet after all this large remission if we beleue histories of the Church she ceased not al her life to doe passing penaunce Pardons dyscharg not men froÌ„ doing good vvorks In deede if we speake exactly a Pardon doth not so muche remitte to the penitent any good worke either freely doen or chardged vnto vs by others apointenent as it doeth release the bonde or debt of penaunce that where afore I was of necessitie bonde to satisfaction for penaunce of my sinnes I may now after the debt be remitted pay my penaunce freely that I may not appere vnworthie of other mens reliefe Note vvell whiles I refuse not to worke also my selfe as a poore member in the whole mysticall body of Christe in the knot wherof his mercy commeth vnto me And if it then so fall oute that I by reason of sicknes or shorte life can not fulfill my penaunce I shall theÌ„ departing hence be free by the grace of Christe graunted me in the Indulgence and so be wholy free of such debt as I els should haue supplied by sufferaunce in Purgatorie in my soule Let no man therefore doe lesse penaunce for any pardons sake if his habilitie serue thervnto which is neuer giuen to hinder the fructes of good workes and repentaunce But where there is before God and oure consciences iust cause why we caÌ„ not fulfil such necessarie and requisite satisfaction as is enioyned or deserued there we may be in assured hope that God will confirme the sentence of his seruantes Otherwise as S. Cyprian saith if any maÌ„ not thus qualified seeke deceitfully for a peace or pardon he deceiueth him selfe and Gods priest to Lib. 1. Epist 2. lib. 4. Epist 2. who seeth the faces outwardlie of the penitents but the hartes of theÌ„ God onely beholdeth according to the behauioure of their mindes and meaninges shall iudge them in the next world and amende in their punishment the sentence of his priestes Goddes Churche thoughe she be muche enclined to mercy yet she crieth not with the flatterers and false preachers of the world peace where there is no peace Enchir. Cap. 70. And of oure mother the Church it may well be verified that S. Augustine spake of God him selfe in the like case Nemini dedit laxameÌ„tum peccandi saith he quamuis miserando deleat iam facta peccata si non satisfactio congrua negligatur She hath giuen no man a freedoÌ„ to sinne thoughe by mercie she remitteth sinnes alreadie past if competent satisfaction be not neglected So that a Pardon can not well be beneficiall to any maÌ„ that neglecteth penance or without al cause omitteth his duetie in fulfilling the same though it be exceding coÌ„modious and profitable to him that lacketh time and space to satisfie wher of good will and deuout intent he is readie thervnto Therefore I woulde aduertise all suche vvhat is to be doeÌ„ of them that haue receiued a pardoÌ„ as haue a Pardon or Indulgence vpon iust and true suggestioÌ„ obteined for release of their enioyned penaunce or other deserued paine and thervpon omitte to doe their saied satisfaction that they helpe the lacke thereof otherwise where their habilitie is the better As if they can not through feeblenes or other notorious perceiuing of harme therby fast for satisfaction of their sinnes theÌ„ let theÌ„ supply that by more liberall almose charitable reliefe of suche as be in necessitie For that kinde of charitie Christ gaue in charge to the pharisies Lucae 11. Almose purgeth not mortall synnes but veniall for the purging of their sinnes which signifieth the recompense of the residewe of their paine and necessarie clensing of the remnantes of their faultes and filth after the remission of the same For almose will not purge deadlie sinne and the verie iniquitie therof as S. Augustin wel noted in the place last out of him alleadged Of the pain temporall then Christ said giue almose and al is clere with you But if you can not that waye for lack and insufficiencie then be earnest in prayers August 1. Enchir and continually cry out in the Pater noster forgiue vs oure debtes dimitte nobis debita nâ—stra and by that Orison not onely venial sinnes but also the teÌ„poral debt that remaineth for deadlie crimes after they be remitted and repented for Spiritual exercises be forgiuen In this case also it is verie good to helpe both by counsaill and trauaile to turne the wicked sinners from their euill wayes and to call Heretikes and Schismatikes home to Gods Churche and Christes faith For of that worke it is writen that it couereth a multitude of sinnes Againe to be dayly and deuoure at the blessed sacrifice of the Masse there with zele loue to embrase with Marie Magdelene the holy bodie of our Sauiour Lucae 19. and often to receiue the same with zacheus into oure house and temple of oure body in the holy sacrament This most excellent acte of religion doth woÌ„derfully diminish the deserued pain for sinne and maketh vs fit to receiue fructfully the Pardon 's giuen by the Magistrates spirituall in the person of Christ Or if this in these dismal dayes may not be had yet learne at the leaste as well to lament the lacke of it as to be sorowfull and contrite for thy sinnes for
more excellent office standeth vpon vnfaythfulnes mistrust of Gods promisse loue of sinne liking of libertie lothsommes of truth and vnmyndfulnes of saluation In which case though neyther the heauens yeld fier for ther present punishment nor the earth open for theyr spedie passage to eternal payne yet the perpetuall fight whiche they kepe agaynst Gods ordinance there disordered life and disobedience there darknesse of vnderstanding in such light of approued trueth and the continuall course of the Church whiche in marueylouse myserie they doo willingly susteyn doth me thinke fully resemble the lamentable state of the damned and forsakeÌ„ sorte and therefore beinge yet a lyue in good lykinge and lybertie I feare they wyttingly willullie perishe And yet I am not so voyd of al hope of their recouery that I would refuse to conferre wyth them touching that authoritie of remissioÌ„ of sinnes or other preheminence which the Priestes of Christes Church doo clayme and they so earnestlie controll Though the rather I would doo it for the helpe of the more huÌ„ble sorte which in these dayes of disobedience be rather dryuen out of the way by force of the common teÌ„pest then by malice or misbehauiour towardes the ministerie whom in Christes name I must aduertise to coÌ„sider carefully in what doubt and daunger they and all ther dearest doo stande in this pitifull vacation and long lacke of the practise of priesthoode for the remission of their sinnes other nedeful succour of ther soules For if Christ CoÌ„tempt of mans ministeri for remission of synnes bringeth daÌ„natioÌ„ by whose bloud we obteyne pardon of our offences haue by his ordinance made man the minister of our recoÌ„ciliation to God the bestower of his mercy in remission of sinnes then doubtlesse who so euer neglecteth to walke the knowen waye of saluation and refuseth the ordinarie meanes of mercye whiche Christe meaneth to be applied to oure vse none otherwise but by the office of mortall men he lyueth in sinne perpetually he dieth in sinne wythout hope of recouerie for sinne wythout doubt shall perish euerlastingly Therefore the matter of so great importance standing on so doubtfull termes it were no wisdome to sleepe so soundly in suche present peril nor to continue wythout care and singular respect of most dredful state In which if we passe our dayes wthout hope or possibilitie of Goddes mercie by cause we refuse mans ministery then all our life and studies all our paynes or pleasures all our woorkes and wayes do nothinge ells but driue vs in disobedience to extreme death and desperation I make the more matter hereof for that not onely such as be ledde into folye and falshode by the perswasioÌ„ of some to whose teachinge and lykinge they haue vnaduisedly addicted them selues but also diuerse euen of the faythfull that be not fallen thankes be geauen to God so farre as to contemne the Churche and Christes appoynted ordinance are not yet so touched as in such case of extreme miserie Christen men should be Heresy â—nfecteth daungerously eueÌ„ vvher she Killeth not For heresie is such a creeping and contagiouse canker that albeit she vtterlie through mercy and Goddes grace kill not all yet she dulleth the conscience dryeth vppe the zeale and enfecteth the mindes of most The lyke lacke of Christian comforte hath bene often ells amongest the people in suche stormes of the Churche but so lytle care and consideration thereof I doo not lightly remember In the persecution of the Vandalles and Arian Gothes in Affrike the people of God were seuered from they re pastours and thereby wanted succoure of their soules as we nowe doo but therof they conceiued such greif heauines that it is surely lamentable to remember Li. 2. de persecut Vandal The story is recorded by Victor the woordes of the sorowfull people vttered in the waies as their holy Bishopes did passe towardes theire banishment be reported thus A meruailous preasse of faithful people that the highe wayes coulde not receiue came downe the hills with tapers in their handes and laid their deare children at the Martyrs feet so they termed the witnesses of Goddes truth then and pitifully complayned thus The sorovve of the Christian people for their Bishopes bannishment Alas too whom doo you leaue vs so desolate whiles your selfes goe to the croune of martyrdome who shal nowe baptise these poore babes in the fountes of liuely water who shall loose vs tied in the bandes of our offencâ—es by pardon and reconciliation who shal prescribe to vs the due of penaunce for our sins past For to you it was surely said what so euer you loose in earth it shal likewise be loosed in heauen Such you see was the carefulnes of the people thaÌ„ in that litle lack of so necessary a thing where now in so long desolatioÌ„ of most holy thinges and our greatest comfort fewe there be that take any greif of so much miserie at al and that hartely lament the case almost none If we assuredly beleeued as it is surely true that al whiâ—h passe this present life in the boÌ„ds of mortal sin should euerlastingly perishe without al hope of mercy and theÌ„ to be vndoubtedly bound in theire offences whom the priestes of the holy Church had not loosed in this life excepting only the case of extrem necessity where by no means possible mans ministery can be obteined then truly besides the feare of our owne dangerous state our hartes would bleed for pity compassion of so many that depart this present world in the det of eternal damnation not only of our ChristiaÌ„ brethreÌ„ commonly but of our deerest and best beloued peculiarly It is not my timerous conscience nor scrupulous cogitation that rayseth this feare but it is the graue sentence of Goddes ordinance it is S. Augustines owne iudgemeÌ„t that moueth me of pitie to moue of duetie to admonish my brethreÌ„ friendes of a thing that perteineth to them all so neare S. Augustin coÌ„ceiuing the manifold miseries of the ChristiaÌ„ people in thabsence of their true Pastours in times of persecutioÌ„ doth liuely set furth the godly endeuors of faithful folks in these words Doe we not coÌ„sider wheÌ„ the matter is brought to such aÌ„ extreme ishue wher it can not be by flight auoyded what a woÌ„derful cuÌ„curse of christiaÌ„ meÌ„ of euery kind state age is vnto the Church wher som cry out for baptim some for recoÌ„ciliatioÌ„ or absolutioÌ„ for so I interprete ipsius poenitentiae actioneÌ„ which also may meane a request to haue penaÌ„ce apointed of the priest and al generally cal for coÌ„fort coÌ„fession and bestowing of the holy sacrameÌ„ts In which extremitie if ther lack such as should minister these thinges vnto theÌ„ QuantuÌ„ exitiuÌ„ sequetur eos ê™ de isto seculo vel noÌ„ regenerati exeuÌ„t vel ligati quaÌ„tus estetiaÌ„ luctus fideliuÌ„ suoruÌ„ ê™ eos secuÌ„ in vitae aeternae requie noÌ„ habebuÌ„t What vtter destructioÌ„ shall
earnestly As no maÌ„ ordinarily caÌ„ be saued without baptism so can no man that euer after Baptisme coÌ„mitteth deadly sinne be saued without sacrameÌ„tal coÌ„fession or the earnest desire seeking for the same This may seme sharp to some but this wil proue true to al coÌ„temners of Gods ordinaÌ„ce For wheÌ„ so euer God worketh his giftes grace amoÌ„g meÌ„ by ani ordinary means apointed for that purpose it is great sinne to seeke for the same either without it or to presume to haue it at Gods haÌ„ds otherwise theÌ„ he hath prescribed But the sacrameÌ„t of penaÌ„ce coÌ„fession made to the priest is the appointed meanes that God vseth in his Church for remissioÌ„ of mortal sins therfore who so euer thinketh to haue remissioÌ„ immediatly at Gods hand he shal first be voide of his purpose then further be charged of high presuÌ„ption conteÌ„pt of his wil ordinaÌ„ce The remission of original sins as proprely perteineth to God as of mortal sinnes yet because Christ hath instituted a Sacrament as an instrument and meanes to conuey that singular benefit to man he that woulde nowe claime the same immediatly at Goddes owne hand and therfore neglecteth the Sacrament of Baptisme or would minister it to himselfe without the Priests office he should neuer obteine remission of his original sinne but add to that high presumption and disobedience of Gods commaundemente whiche of it selfe without original sinne were damnable And yet me thinke I heare alreadie the sound of the deceitful voices of our Preachers It is Christes bloud that remitteth sinnes Matth. 11. Come to me all ye that be heauy loadeÌ„ and I shal refresh you Esai 43. I am he saith the Lord that putteth away thy sinnes with a thousand suche like as though Christes bloud did not stand with Christes ordininances and Sacramentes as though they came not to Christ that kepe the way of his wil and sacramentes to come vnto him as though God did not remitte those simes which in his name and in his sacramentes and by his appointed minister be remitted Protestant say plainly wilt thou refuse baptisme because Christes bloude washeth awaye originall sinnes If thou darest not openlie so preach althoughe couertly thou may chaunce so inteÌ„de If remission of sinnes in baptism may staÌ„d vvith Gods honour to maye ye in the sacr of penaunce Math. ix how darest thou deceiue the people and drawe theÌ„ from penaunce and confession because Christes bloud doth remitte sinnes For if the one sacrameÌ„t maye staÌ„d with the honoure of God and with all those places that thou bringest so deceitfullie out of scripture why maye not the other seeing both are proued alike to be instituded of Christ For the same selfe sauioure which sayd Come to me ye that be loaden and I shall refreshe you he and no other said excepte you be borne of water and the holy ghost Ioan. â— ye can not enter into the kingdom of heaueÌ„ The same God that sayde Esai 43. I am he thaâ— putteth awaye thy sinnes saieth nowe to the Apostles and priestes whose sinnes you doe forgiue forgiuen be they Ioâ—n 20. Psal 105. The same Spirite of God that saied in the prophet CoÌ„fesse your selues to the Lord Iaco. 5. for he is good sayd now againe in the Apostle confesse youre sinnes one to aÌ„other Origin himil 2. super per leui Beda soper hunc locum that you may be saued By which he meaneth not as Origen venerable Bede and other doo declare so much brotherlie acknowledging for counsell or other causes the greife of minde eche man to his felowe as he doth the order of sacramental confessioÌ„ to be made vnto Goddes priestes as it may wel appeare by the circumstaÌ„ce of the letter For there he had willed them to sende for the priestes of the church to annoile them and streight after addeth this alleadged texte of confession and prayng ouer the sicke The heretikes practise in misvsing Godes vvoord The which place the Heretikes saw to sound so many waies as wel towardes the sacrament of extreme Vnction as the sacrameÌ„t of confessioÌ„ both which they haue vnworthelie abandoned that they thought it not amisse either to denie the Apostles authoritie the whole epistle as no peace of holy scripture as Luther other did or ells which was after thought more handsom conueiance to corrupt the texte write in steade of send for the priestes of the Church thus cal the elders of the congregation For they thought it might sounde euel to haue in one sentence priestes Church consession remission of sinnes realease of paines sor sinne aÌ„noiling prayng ouer the sik and so furth But that thou maist see The necessitie of Confession standeth not on positiue lavves but by Christes institution good Christian Reader the necessitie of confession the better that it is not groweÌ„ to suche a generall practise and opinion of necessitie vpon any charge geuen by man or positiue lawes marke well with me that it dependeth directly vpon Christes owne woordes whose sinnes you doo forgiue they be forgiuen and whose sinnes you doo reteine they be reteyned And therefore sacramentall confession to be of Christes institution For if Christ gaue power to priestes to forgiue or to reteine mens sinnes then there must needes be some subiect to their power and iudgemeÌ„t ells in vain were so large a coÌ„missioÌ„ of binding and loosing mens sinnes if the right of the power did not necessarily charg al men that haue suche sinnes to be subiect to their binding and loosing Therefore this is a cleare cause that in the verie same woordes that the power was deliuered to them the bonde of obedience was also prescribed to vs. So that after that daye no sinnes mortall could ordinarilie be loosed but by them and that sacrament which in their ministerie he then did institute And that is yet more euident by the second parte of Christes senteÌ„ce where he sayeth whose sinnes you doe reteine they be reteined The which woorde retinere Hilar. super hunc locum by S. Hilarie signifieth noÌ„ soluere or noÌ„ remittere to reteine is as much as not loose or not to forgiue Whervpon by Christes expresse woordes it ensueth that whose sinnes the priest doth not forgiue they be not forgiuen and therefore that euerie maÌ„ being giltie of deadly sinne in his coÌ„scieÌ„ce is subiect to the priestes iudgmeÌ„t by the plaine termes of Christes owne woordes Mary we must wel note that the priest hath in other sacramentes namely in Baptisme a right in remitting sinnes both original and actual but there in the graund pardon of al that is past he is not made a iudge or a correcter Marke the difference betvvixte the priestes office in remitting sinnes by baptisme and penaunce because the Church can not practise iudgment or exercise discipline vpon the penitentes for any thinges doone before they came into the houshould and therefore can appoint the partie no
first and the easiest is that penance whiche is in secret confession enioyned by our Confessour which is lyghly as these times be much lesse then the nature of the offēce for which it was prescribed requireth Yet because it is takē obediētly by our iudges prescription in a sacramēt Small vvorkes by force of the Sacraments are verye effectual in which God alwaies worketh much more grace thē he doth by the self same things without the sacramēt because the penitēt is ready to take more if more had ben prescribed in all these respects it stādeth oftē if it be any thīg correspondēt to the crimes for which it was enioyned for a ful satisfaction before God when it is accomplished The second way of punnishment is appointed by the Canons generally for suche faultes as be committed after Baptisme that is to say by the lawes of the Churche or Decrees of Bishops and chief Magistrates thereof and is called Canonical Satisfactiō Canonicall satisfaction Which is much more sharp grieuous then the other that in priuate penance is cōmonly giuē a great deale more answerable to Gods iustice the grieuousnes of the crimes cōmitted And so the Canons were not only prescribed as som iudge not right of them for open offences to satisfy the Church the offēce of the people but also euē for secret sinnes as we may perceiue by S. Augustin Tertullian other that haue writē of penāce And this way of prescribed satisfaction by the aunciēt decrees of Coūcels which lightly appointed seuē yeres of penāce for euery deadly sinne was almoste a rule for such as heard secret cōfessions to moderat their penāce by which they lightly gaue to the penitentes euen after the limitatiō of the said decrees aunciēt Canons Now to geue so many yeres or daies of penāce signifieth the iniūctiō or prescriptiō of fastes by certain daies wekely throughout the said prefixed times or cōtinual fasting frō most meats euery day in al those yeres of penance other thē would suffice for susteinyng of nature as bread water such like thinne diet which mans bodie in this fal of our strength and maners coulde now scarse beare and with this continual mourning in outward behauiour of countenance speache and apparell and which was the greatest of all necessary abstinence from the holy Sacraments till the said penance was accōplished Penance appoīted not only for cautel but for satisfactiō And this great penance was in the Primitiue Church prescribed by the Canons not onely for cantele and prouision for the like sinnes afterward to be committed then when the Church had her punnishment for sinnes seuerall from the paines appointed by the ciuile lawes for the same but also for the satisfieng of Gods iustice for the penitentes sinnes the burden whereof then was counted as in deed it is so intollerable that neither the Churche spared to enioyne great satisfactiō nor the offenders refused to receiue and accomplishe the same with all humilitie This therefore is the second way of punnishment or prescription of penāce for mortal sinnes remitted or in waye to be remitted by the penance of the party In which kind you may accompte also the seuere punishmentes which concern the soule most although somtimes they are ioyned vnto some corporall afflictions as excommunication suspension degradation and such like for al these were vsual in the beginning of Christian daies for correction of sinne The third way of punnishmente of temporall sinne is by Gods own hād as when he striketh some by sicknesse or by temporal death or by the paines of Purgatorie whiche is a place of temporal satisfaction and correction of the soule onely in the next life 1. Cor. 11. Thus was diuerse of the Corinthians cast into infirmities many striken dead and further also punnished in the next worlde in the place of iudgement there not eternall but transitorie because they woulde not iustlye iudge and correcte them selues And whiche is muche to be noted for our purpose the Apostles also had authoritie geuen them to punnish the offenders often by bodily vexation and death sometimes that they might therby make true shew and proufe to all the worlde The Apostles had authoriti to afflicte the bodies of men for sinne◠that they and their successours had iurisdictiō ouer the soules of men whiles they made it euident by manifest signes wrought in the face of all the world euen vppon the bodies them selues which are not so properly subiect to the gouernours of the Church as the soules of the faithfull be though their bodies to for the soules sake be subiect to the said power And not withstanding the same miraculous force in correcting sinners did ceasse afterwardes yet the like power ordinariely to be exercised by geuing penaunce and seperating from the sacraments remaineth in the Churches right still And heere we may not thincke that the killing of diuerse as well by Gods owne hande amongest the people of Israell in Moyses tyme Exod. 32. Num. 11 14.16 as of other that dyed of diseases for punishment of theyr vnworthy receuing the Sacrament in S. Paules dayes 1. Cor. 11. Act. 5. or the sleaing of Ananias his wife by S. Peters hand many moe perhaps wherof there is no talke in the text we may not denie I say Hier. in Cōment Ezechielis cap. 10 that these were all killed eyther of God or of Christes Apostles to eternal damnation but rather for their temporall correction and the auoyding of Goddes iudgementes to come especiallie where anye of them did repent them of their faulte before their deserued death came vpon them Now by these three diuerse waies of correctiō for sinnes remitted no dout the Pardons of Gods ministers must be limited and vnderstanded so that who so euer geueth a pardō laufully he must either discharge the Penitent of the punishmēt which his Ghostly Father enioyned him or that the old laws of most holy Councels charged the like offenders withal VVhat pain pardons doe properlie remitte or that God himself enioyneth somtimes in this world but especially in the next life where God more exactly and proprely punnisheth both for sinnes remitted not remitted If the Pardon be large it taketh awaye the whole paine if it be otherwise it determineth the number of daies and releaseth not al but part of the penance onelie that is to say so many dayes or yeares as in the Indulgence is mētioned Whereof no man can now be ignorant if he doe but marke that the penance which the Pope taketh vpon him to remitte was also limitted by yeares of fasting praying abstinence from the Sacramentes and suche like as if your Confessour had geuen you in penance to fast euery fridaie breade and drinke onely for some notoriouse sinnes confessed vnto him then the Pardon for twenty daies would discharge you of so many daies from your saied bond as be named and if it be a free and
penaunce and punishment what neede we to doubt but ther now be many meanes made in this happy society of Saintes so to remitte the bonde of satisfaction to some that Gods iustice may be answered againe by other of this happy houshold in the abundance of their holy workes which the Church holdeth moste holily for to be a perfecte and euerlasting treasure to satisfy Gods righteousnes procure mercy to the needy which by loue zele and deuotion doe deserue the same If God remitted of old temporall paine vnto his people at the calle of Moyses and Aaron and for his Child Dauides sake that was dead what will not he mercifully forgiue by our highe priestes procurement whose pardons and punishments Christ hath solemly promised he would ratify and allowe in heauen aboue What wil he not doe in respect of the paines and abundant passioÌ„s of his owne childe Iesus that hath yet in the Catholik Church his death so duely represented for the remission of our dayly debtes What can be denied to the intercession of so many Sainctes to the chast combate of so many Virgins to the bloudy fight of so many Martyrs to the stout standing of so many Confessours What mercy may not the Churche craue and doubtles obteine for any of her children either in penaunce in this worlde or in paine in the nexte that hath in her treasure such abundance of satisfaction first in oure heade Christ Iesus throughe whose gracious workes al other mens paynes are become beneficiall either to them selues or their brethren and then in the store of all holy Sanctes trauailes not yet wasted in procuring mercy for others besides moe wayes of grace and remission that oure Mother the Church hath in redinesse to relieue her children that doe continue in her happy lappe and in the society of her communion with humble submission of them selues to the powers ordeined of Christ for the gouernment of their soules with request for this pardon at their handes to whome be giuen the bestowing and disposing of the inestimable treasure of so blessed a ministery Would God euerie man could feele Psal 132. how happy a thing it is to dwell as brethren together in the house of God vnder the appointed Pastours of that familie in which onely Goddes favoure is euerlastinglie founde that they might therewith be partakers of all their workes that feare God and might haue some sense and taste of that holy oyntment of Goddes Spirite and gifte of his grace that first was vpon the heade of this householde our Maister Christ Iesus and then dropped downe abundantly to his bearde euen to the very bearde of Aaron whereby as S. Augustin saieth the holy Apostles be signified In Psal 132. and by them it ishued downe to the hemmes of Christes coate and imbrued all the borders of his garmentes that euery one of the felowship might receiue benefite and feele the verdure thereof Quoniam illic mandauit Dominus benedictionem vitam vsque in seculum For in this happy felowship only oure Lorde bestoweth his manifoold blessings and life for euer more Amen Tractatus iste de defensione legitimae potestatis authoritatis sacerdotij in remittendis peccatis de necessitate coÌ„fessionis sacerdoti facieÌ„dae et de indulgentijs lectus excussus approbatus est per viros Anglici idiomatis sacrae Theologie peritissimos vt tutuÌ„ vtile existimem eum praelo committi cuulgari Ita Iudico Cunerus Petri Pastor Sancti Petri Louanij 20. Aprilis Anno. 1567. THE CHIEF CONTENTS OF BOTH THE parts of this Treatise with the Preface ioyntly ALmose purgeth not mortal syns but venial 367. Apostles had power geuen to remitte and punish sinnes 20. 50. The same power ceassed not in the Church by their death 79. 85. Reasons to proue the continuance thereof 81. 95. BAptisme denied by Protestants to remit sinne 146. Bishops are in the Roomes of the Apostles 91. By what scripture they chalenge Iurisdiction 23. 295. Their high state 692. They may graunt pardons 260. 269. They may absolue none but their owne subiects 273. Bishops blessings 275. The lameÌ„tacioÌ„ of the auncieÌ„t ChristiaÌ„s for their banished Bishops Preface Bynding Loosing 196. 286. 288. Caluin and others blasphemous heresies against Christs priesthod 10. Caluinists agree with the Nouatians against the Sacr. of penance 116. Cathari the Heretikes 88. 115. Christ a priest in his humanitie cap. 1. He executeth his priesthod in his Church by maÌ„s minist 82. See Min. ConfessioÌ„ of mortall sinnes to a priest proued necessary 173. 187. 190. 262. It hath beÌ„ vsed in al lawes 168. 213. why it is accoÌ„pted burdenouse 188 The comfort of coÌ„science receiued thereby 249. 160. The euils like to ensue for want thereof 162. Distinct coÌ„fess of secret sins 226. 199 what grouÌ„d it hath in Scripture 195. General coÌ„fessioÌ„ sufficeth not 204. what a general coÌ„fessioÌ„ auail 206. CoÌ„fessioÌ„ could neuer haue beÌ„ established by the power of maÌ„ only 246. It is not grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ posit law 155. It was vsed before LateraÌ„ Coun. 236 Considerations to remoue the impediments of CoÌ„fession 188. 216. 245. S. Ambrose satte on CoÌ„fessioÌ„s 239. S. Bede sheweth examples of Confession vsed in England 233. PeniteÌ„tiaries appointed See pena Confession necessary before the receiuing of the B. Sacrament 209. DIffereÌ„ce of the Ciuil Magistrat and the minister of a Sacram. 74. 202. Difference of purgingth eleprouâ—e in the old lawe and remitting sinnes in the newe lawe 179. DiffereÌ„ce of Baptisme aÌ„d penauÌ„ce 197 Dissease of our time 238. Effect of sacram is wrought by God 108. See ministery Euchar. 56. 209 ExcoÌ„municatioÌ„ vsed by the Apost 301. The form therof vsed by S. Paul 357. External Sacraments 157. 165. FIguratiue speaches neuer vsed in institution of Sacraments 53. GOD punisheth more for sin because we punish not our selues 324. Grace in two significations 99. Grace ioyned to external elemeÌ„ts 39. HEresie infecteth daungerously eueÌ„ wher she killeth not Preface Hurt that ryseth therby to yowth lb. VVho be in most dauÌ„ger of heresy 113. Heretikes vsurpe vnlaufully Catholiks roomes 96. Heretikes neuer list brag of their auncestours 114. Their practises in corrupting scripture 53. 194. Heretiks deniyng the Sacr. of penaÌ„ce 221. IVrisdiction 167. 291. Exercised by the Apostles 301. Indulgence See Pardon KEies of heauen 65. 70. 266. LIklyhod of the lamentable state to come 163. Loosing See binding MAns ministery ys no derogatioÌ„ to Gods honour 112. 130. 193. The ministery of euil men 98. The work of God and maÌ„ go ioyntly together in sacraments 175. The practise of God for confirmation of mans ministery 182. Master of the sentence his errour 177. Matrimony a Sacrament 57. Ministerie of man euer vsed in remitting of sinnes 5. 165. Contempt therof Pref. 18. 29. 181. Monkes in S. Dionise tyme. 241. NEctarius his fact concerning confession discussed 213. Nouatus described 117. NouatiaÌ„s aÌ„d protestaÌ„s coÌ„pared 150. 289 ORder a Sacrament 57. Grace geuen in the same what yt is 99. Othe required by Nouatus of his adherents 120. PAin due for sinne may remayn after sinne ys remitted 283. Three kindes of punishment for sinne 309. Pardon grace Indulgence 261. Pardon what yt is 281. The true meaning of pardons 277. VVho may graunt them 377. How Luther fumbled at first to deface them 258. How farre the ProtestaÌ„ts haue proceded since 259. Pardons were neuer graunted to remit deadly sinne without the sacrament of Confession 265. Pardons for nombre of daies and yeares howe they arise 306. 336. VVhat pain they remit 315. Howe pardons were termed in the primitiue Church 317. An argument for pardons 306. 318. They be not alwaies beneficial 361. They discharge not men from doing good works 364. VVhat he must doe that hath receiued pardon 367. The ende of pardons 371. Two things in a pardon 391. Moyses and Aaron procured pardoÌ„ Christe gaue pardon 350. S. Paule gaue pardon 359. whether pardons exteÌ„d to purgatory paines 3â—3 Penaunce is a sacramen 150. 184. An argument to proue it 153. Diuerse waies of sacramentall penaunce 156. The necessitie therof Praeface 190. Penaunce appointed not only for cautele but for satisfaction 312. How it standeth with Gods iustice to pardon a man of his deserued penance 395. The comfort of that sacrament 160. Penitentiaries appointed to heare CoÌ„fessions 226. Pope slauÌ„dered for geuing pardoÌ„s 264 He neuer remitteth deadly sinne by pardon only 265. what he forgeueth 294. Power to remit or punish sinne what ground it hath 22. 30. 63. Power geuen to priests that was neuer geuen to Angels 73. Practise of priesthod in remitting sins taken for a ground of faith 45. 1â—2 Priest being but man may remit sinne committed against God 40. The ignorantes reason against priesthod maintened by Caluin 77. Priesthod of the old lawe and newe compared 178. 346. Protestants professe otherwise then they teach secretly 147. Their congregation is barren of all Gods giftes 134. Their selues refuse the right of all holy actions 135. Their practise in corrupting scripture 52. 144. 194. 297. The fruict of their doctrin 186. 207. See Nouantians Purgatorie pain why it is suffred 326. REmission of sinnes ioyned to external Ceremonies in al ages 165 Ordinary remission of deadly sinne after Baptisme is only by the sacrament of confess Prefac 190. Remission of sinne by sacraments is more certen then the woorking of miracles 126. It standeth wel with Gods honour 112. 12â— SAcraments ordeyned for good causes 157. Moe sacraments theÌ„ one instituted for remission of sinnes 152. 27â— Sacramens euer vsed 1â— Ministers of sacram in Schism Prâ— Satisfaction an vsual woord in the doctours 304. Canonical satisfaction 302. Satisfaction of Saints 399. Scripture peruerted in the woords of Sacraments 52. Shame ioyned to sinne by Gods ordinance 248. Remedies for sin after Baptism 222. Mortall sinne howe it is remitted See Remission Venial sin how remitted 206. 274. Spiritual exercises 3â—8 Succession of ministery in the Catholike Church 77. 89. No maÌ„ succedeth God in any fun 1â—6 Christ resigneth his roome but not his right 137. TItles geuen to priesthod 42. Treasure of the Church 407. VNction a sacrament 57. 143. The Protestants glosse against extream vnction dissolued 144. FINIS
for thaduantage of their vngodly assertion that Christ in his owne person as he is God and man should not be present in the sacrament Vide Ciril in Ioan lib. 4. Cap. 14. doe couertly blaspheme the blessed and highly sanctified flesh of our sauiour auouching it to be vnprofitable whereby they vnaduisedlie dishonour the dreedful incarnation of Christ and al the workes wrought by the meane of his flesh and bloud and ministerie of his manhode for the remissioÌ„ of our sinnes and purchasing saluation to his Churche Let vs therefore Christianly confesse with the Scripture with the Church of Christ that our Sauiour not onelie by power equall to his Father concerning his diuine nature but also by the sending and graunt of his Father and vnction of the holie Spirit being farre vnder them both in his humaine nature doth remitte sinnes Wherevppon it orderlie followeth that whoso euer denieth man to haue authority or that he maie haue power graunted him by God to forgeue sinnes he is highlie iniuriouse to our Sauiours owne person and the dispensation of his flesh and mysterie of his holie incarnation For though there be great diuersitie betwixt his state and others because in one person both God and man be perfectlie vnited in him and therfore much more prerogatiue might be and doubtlesse was geuen to his humanitie as to him that was both God and man in respecte of his baser nature then to anie other of his brethren being but mere men yet this is assuredlie to be beleeued that he whiche coulde without derogation to his Godhead communicate with the sonne of man and graunt him in consideration of his assumpted nature the rule and redemption of his people the gouernement of our soules the assoyling of our sinnes and to woorke all wonders in the power finger and force of the holie Ghoste the same God without all doubt through his Sonne and our Sauiour may at his pleasure without all vnseemelines or derogation to his eternal honour and so it shal be proued that he doth geue power to the gouernours of his Churche and houshoulde to pardonne and geue penance to iudge and rule the people in the right of our said Sauiour to the edifieng of his body and making perfect his Saincts Neither must we here make anie great accompt of such as shal obiect to the Priests of Gods Churche as the Scribes did vnto Christ himself when they saw him in expresse words absolue many of their sinnes conceiuing in their harts as it is recorded by S. Mathew in the history of the healing of the maÌ„ that had the paulsie Cap. 9. that Christ did iniurie to God and committed blasphemie in taking vpon him to remit mans offences whose malitiouse mindes and cogitations Christ did so reprehend that they might well perceiue by his sight of their inwarde secrets that he was very God who onelie by nature looketh into mans hart and therefore did thereby wel insinuate that they could not iustly reprehend his doing seing he was God in deed might as God pardon mans offences Yet that notwithstanding he stood not with them then vpon the right of his Godhead for the doing of this excellent functioÌ„ whiche in deed by nature and propretie is onely perteining to him but he gaue this reasoÌ„ of his doing that the Sonne of man had power to remitte sinnes in earth wherby me semeth wherein yet I submit my iudgemeÌ„t to the more learned that he plainly professed that by power receiued he might in respect of his manhod calling forgeue sinnes and that in earth as meaning thereby to institute an order and way how to remitte sinnes here in the worlde eyther by himselfe or by his ministers at whose sentence past in earth the penitent should be free by iudgemeÌ„t of God in heauen For so our Sauiour two or three times talking of maÌ„s ministery in the remission of sinnes termeth it loosing in earth and the contrary binding in earth Matt. 16. 18. as also he calleth Gods high senteÌ„ce in the same causes loosing and binding in heauen Neither doth the interpretation of S. Hilarie anie whit hinder my meaning In explaÌ„ Mat. Can. 18. who vpoÌ„ that place affirmeth Christ to haue remitted this mans sinnes by the might of his Godhead for it standeth wel that one worke should be wrought by the principal cause and yet by the office and ministery of some secondary cause appointed by the ordinaunce of God for the same vse as we see in Baptisme to the remission of the childes sinne both the might of God and the ministery of maÌ„ to concurre at once whereof we shall haue I trust better occasion to speake anon But to returne back to our cause when Christ had declared that the Son of man had in earth power to remitte sinnes he then by this farder proofe argument ouerturneth the whole cause of their disdaine inward murmur against him for the same whether is it more easy to saie thy sinnes be forgeuen thee or to saie to the incurable person take vp thy bed and walke I doe the one in al your sightes and he is cured at my woorde why then mistrust you the other It was no lesse the proprety of God alone Note to heal him sodainly of his corporal infirmitie that had ben desperatly sick so long then to forgeaue sinnes but the one power though by nature it was propre to him self yet be gaue it in the sight of you al to the Sonne of man in earth why theÌ„ mistruste yow but he might wel geue the other This reason proceding from the wisdome of Gods owne sonne shal helpe our fayth much towchinge this article and shal not a litte further the dignitie of the Apostles who also after their maisters example may prooue the force of their authoritie vpon mennes soules which can not be open to our bodily eyes by the apparaÌ„t power that their woordes shall be seen openly to woorke on mennes bodies especially if it be wel weighed that Christ wrought miracles aso not onely by the excellent dominion and force of his Godhead but also as S. Augustine proueth by the Spirite of God in respect of his manâ—ode De Trin. lib. 1. c. 11. In quo spiritu sancto saith he operatus â—st virtutes dicens Si ego in spiritu Dei eijcio â—aemonia certè superuemet in vos regnum Dei â—n the power of which holie ghost Christe wrought miracles according â—o his owne sayinge in these wordes â—f I expel out deuilles by the spirite â—f God then surely the kingdome of God will come on you The Iewes â—herefore seeing them selues thus ouercome in their vayn cogitations waxed affrayed and glorified God who gaue suche power to men For though no man euer had equall authoritie or like power to Christ who was both God maÌ„ yet of this plentiful spirite vnctioÌ„ many of his brethren haue through his ordinance receyued parte as shortly nowe it shal be proued
God the Father to his only Sonne from him again to such as he hath sent and made the messengers of his blessed mind and disposers of mysteries he hath no feelinge at all of the wayes that he wrought for mans redemption he can not atteyne to the intelligence of Christes vnction wherby he is made our head and prieste he in the middest of the glorious light of the Churche can not heholde the practise of so heauenlie ministeries In Epist sua Canoâ—â—ca therefore such thinges as he knoweth not he blasphemeth sayth S. Iude. But to wooâ—k all in light order I wil build vpon the forsaid the intended conclusion that the Aduersaries maie see and beholde the force of our faith and the singular weaknes of their assertions I thus ioyne with them in argumentes barely and playnly without couert That power and Commission which was giuen to Christe by his heauenlie Father concerninge remission or reteining of sinnes was geuen to the Apostles at his departure hence but Christe him selfe did truelie effectuallie and in proper fourme of speach by his Fathers sending and commission remitte sinnes Ergo the ministers of Christ may and doo truly perfectly remitte sinnes Or thus more brieflie As Christ was sent of his Father so are the Apostles sent by Christ but Christ was sent to forgeue sinnes Ergo the Apostles be sent to forgeue sinnes also The second part of the reasons which is that Christ had power of his Father to remit sinnes was sent for the same purpose is sufficientlie proued in the chapter before The first part of the argumeÌ„t standeth vpoÌ„ the sure grouÌ„d of Christes owne woordes which be these Like as my Father sent me so I doo send you Which woordes were so plaine and so deeply noted for this intent of S. Chrysostome that with admiration of the dignitie and excellent calling of priesthod he thus trimly difcourseth vpon them I will report his saying in Latin De sacerdot lib. 3. as Germanus Brixius hath translated it all that he speaketh for that purpose hereafter shall be reciâ—ed but nowe no more but this Quid hoc aliud esse dicas nisi omnium rerum coelestiuÌ„ potestatem illis à Deo esse concessam Ait enim quoruÌ„cunque peccata retinueritis retentae sunt Quaenam obsecro potestas hac vna maior esse queat Pater omnifariam filio potestatem dedit caterum video ipsam candem omnifariam potestateÌ„ à Deo filio illis traditam Nam quasi iam in coeluÌ„ translati ac supra humanam naturam positi atque nostris ab affectibus exeÌ„pti sic illi ad principatum istum perducti sunt And in English thus it is What els canst thou make of this or what lesse then that the power iurisdiction of al heauenly things is by God graunted vnto them For it is said Whose sinnes so euer you do hold or reteine they be reteined For Gods loue what power can be geueÌ„ in the world so great the Father bestowed al maner of power vpon his Son I find the very self same power of al things to be deliuered to the Apostles by God the Son For now as though they were already translated out of this life to heauen and there promoted aboue mans nature and discharged of al our feeble affections they are aduanced to the princely soueraigntie wherof we now haue said Thus farre Chrysostome So doth this woorthie Father helpe our cause and so doth he thinke of the excellent authoritie geuen by the Father to his Sonne and deriued froÌ„ him to the ministers of his holie will testament in earth Whose iurisdiction so highly holden so truely obteined so nerelie ioyned vnto Christes honour and so daily practised no otherwise but in his right and name whosoeuer shal comtrolle or contemne they not onely irreuerentlie touche Gods annointed but they sacrilegiouslie laie handes on ipsum Christum Domini euen on him that is annointed aboue all his fellowes Lib. 1. de PoeniteÌ„t Cap. 7. Wel I conclude vp this matter with these few woordes of S. Ambrose Vult Dominus plurimum posse discipulos suos vult à seruis suis ea fieri in nomine suo quae faciebat ipse positus in terris Our Lordes pleasure is that his disciples should haue great prerogatiue he will haue the same things wrought by his seruantes in his name that him selfe did in his own person when he was in earth The power of priesthod touching remission of sinnes is proued by the solemne action of Christ in breathing vpon his Apostles and geuing them therby the holie Ghost The third Chap. THE commission power that our maister Christ receiued of his euerlastinge Father beinge in most ample maner communicated with the Apostles made great proofe and euidence for the right that they claime in remission of sinnes but the present power of Gods Spirite breathed by Christ vpon them and geuen vnto them for the ministerie and execution of that function helpeth our matter so much that who so euer nowe denieth this authoritie of the Apostles concerning the pardoning of our offenses doth not so much sinne against the Sonne of man which of it selfe is greuous inoughe as he doth controll the worke of the spirite of Christ which is the holie Ghost in whome both he and his Church doth remitte sinnes The more plaine and more exact our master Christe was in the bestowing of that power to remitte and reteine sinnes the more is our contempt in the disobedience deniall thereof He sendeth them forth with his owne authoritie in this case he geueth them the very spirit of God by whose diuine power they maie execute the function to which he called them he geueth them the expresse warrant of his own woord that sinnes they might pardon and punish and yet we make doubt of their vsurpation But howe they mighte forgeue sinnes by Christes sending we haue alreadie said Nowe for the holie Ghostes power prerogatiue in the same action which was breathed on the Apostles we must further conferre with suche as call in question matters so plaine And firste I am in good hope that no man will denie but Christ gaue them the holie Ghost for no other purpose so much as to remitte sinnes secondly I doubt not of their faith and beliefe in this point but they wil confesse the holy Ghost to be of power by nature and propriety to forgeue sinnes Thirdlie I claime of their sinceritie thus muche more that Christ being as wel God as man was well able for the furniture of their calling to geue them the holy Ghost all which being confessed of al men and denied of no Christian aliue how the coÌ„clusion so besette with al proofe on euery side standeth not vpright let the Aduersaries tel me In the Apostles there can be no lacke touching that office for the execution whereof they receiued both Christes commission first and the holy Spirit of God afterward In Christ there
of their aduersaries to impugne their Aduersaries withall there is no doubte but that it hath in it selfe exceding muche light and force of truth as a thing hauing so litle need of proofe that it may be made and taken for a probation of other matters that be doubtefull and vncertaine Practise of priesthod in remitting sin vsed for a grouÌ„d of faith in argumeÌ„t The matter which we haue now in hand is of that sort For the authoritie and power practised of Priests in the vertue of the holy Ghoste hath euer ben in it self both so plaine and so firme that the holy Fathers haue vsed it as a ground to proue against heretikes of Eunomius and Macedonius secte the Godhead of the holy Ghost the third person in Trinitie S. Bernard is to yong good man to name amongest these old fathers of our new Church els perdie with the vertuous his words souÌ„d ful sweetly Thus saith he to proue the equalitie of the holy Ghoste with the Father and Sonne Sicut in nobis interpellat pro nobis Serm. 1. Pentec it a in patre delicta donat cum ipso patre vt omnino scias quòd remissionem peccatoruÌ„ spiritus sanctus operatur Audi quod aliquando audierunt Apostoli Accipite spiritum sanctum quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eis In English thus Like as in vs he maketh sure for vs so in the Father he pardoneth sinnes with the Father and that thou maist vnderstande that the holy Ghost worketh remissioÌ„ of sinnes heare that which the Apostles once heard receiue you the holy Ghost whose sinnes you doe forgeue thei are forgeuen Thus he And S. Ambrose his auncient to proue the holy Ghost to be God allegeth that he remitteth sinnes by the Priests ministerie which he could not in anie wise doe if he were not in al points equal and omnipoteÌ„t God with the Father and Sonne Let vs see saith he whether the holy Ghost doth pardon sinnes and he answereth himself thus Sed hinc dubitari non potest Lib. 3. de Spirit S. Cap. 19. cum ipse Dominus dixerit accipite spiritum sanctum quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur ecce quia per spiritum sanctum peccata donantur homines autem in remissionem peccatoris ministerium suum exhibent non ius alicuius potestatis exercent It is thus much to say There can be no doubt hereof seing our Lord said receiue you the holy Ghost whose sinnes you doe forgeue they shal be forgeuen loke ye that by the holy Ghost sinnes be forgeuen men doe but exercise their seruice and ministerie and claime not the right of power and principalitie therein And S. Basill vppon this assured ground frameth in ful fourme against Eunomius this argument Lib. 5. Dominus sanctis Apostolis insufflans inquit accipite spiritum sanctum quorumcunque dimittetis peccata dimittentur eis si ergo nullius est peccata dimittere nisi solius Dei dimittit autem spiritus sanctus per Apostolos Deus ergo spiritus sanctus Our Lord breathing on the Apostles said take ye the holy Ghost for whose sinnes so euer you shal pardon they be pardoned therefore if it be the oÌ„ly property of God to forgeue sinnes and the holy Ghost so doth by the Apostles Ergo the holy Ghost is truelie God Thus you perceiue that the ground of this our faith and assertion was of olde accompted so sure that it was a singular aide and fortresse of faithe against the vnfaythfull attemptes of moste wicked persons in diuerse ages The onelie practise that Priestes did vse by the Sacramente of penance to pardonne sinnes was a full proofe that the holy Ghost was God by whose authoritie and propre power they did alwaies since Christes word was spoken remitte the same The which being true as it can not be false that is so agreeable both to scriptures and to all our Fathers faith the Heresie of our time must needs directly impugne the vertue and power of Gods own spirit For as the proofe of mans ministery in this foresaid function induceth the true and euerlasting Godhead of the holie Ghost by whom they practise that power so the denial thereof and robery of Priesthoode of this their moste iust claime doth directly spoile God of his honour and of the euerlasting right that he hath in remission of sinnes oÌ„temp of mans ministeri is conteÌ„pt of Gods authoritie So whiles these good men seeke to abase man vniustlie they blaspheame God highly and together with mans ministerie they bring vnto vtter contempte Gods owne authoritie But for the Readers case and more light of our cause I ioyne thus in argument with them againe vppon the second parte of Christes own woordes and action had in the authorising of his Apostles what soeuer the holie Ghost maye doe in this case by the proper power of his Godhead that maye the Apostles and priestes doo by seruice ministerie throughe the power of the holie Ghost but the holie Ghost properly rightly doth remitt sinnes therfore the Apostles doe rightly and truely remitt sinnes by their ministerie in the said holie Ghost All partes of this conclusion stande vppright and feare no falshod they be guarded on euery side by Christes action by woordes of scripture by the doctours plaine warrant and by al reason with all which whosoeuer is not contented but wil needes extinguere spiritum extinguish Goddes spirite 1. Thes 5. and violently take from the Church the greatest comfort of all mans life that in this infirmitie of our flesh standeth in moste hope by his gifte in remission of sinnes for which especiall cause the said spirite was mercifullie breathed vpon the Apostles peculiarly before the more common sending of the same from heauen aboue if al this reason and iust demonstration of trueth wil not serue them I wil chardge them with this graue coÌ„clusioÌ„ of S. Augustine vttered partly agaynst the Nouatians especially against the desperate that would not seeke for Gods mercie by the Churches ministerie in the sacrameÌ„t of penaunce To be brief I wil speake it in English Cap. â—3 Enchir. who so euer he be that beleueth not mans sinnes to be remitted in Goddes Church and therfore despiseth the bouÌ„tifullnes of God in so mightie a work if he in that obstinat mind coÌ„tinue til his liues end he is giltie of sinne against the holie Ghoste in which holy Ghost Châ—ist remitteth sinnes The power to remitte sinnes is further proued to be giuen to the Apostles by these woordes of Christ Whose sinnes you doo forgiue cet by the doctours exposition of the same and by conference of other woordes of scripture of the like sense The Fourh Chap. HOwe the priestes of Christes Churche haue defended their right and calling for remission of sinnes as wel by the commission that Christe firste receyued of his Father afterward bestowed vpon them as by the assured receiuing of the spirite of God from Christes blessed breath
men make of the Apostles spirite woorde and writing that they haue cōdemned the whole vse therof as superstitious Holy Orders not helping thē selfes by figures but by opē force Grace is giuen to Timothy as in a sacrament when he tooke orders of Paule 1. Tim. 4 the Apostle sayeth so much in expresse termes yet this grace and the whole sacrament of Orders these holy men reiecte Matrimonie Matrimonie to S. Paule is a great sacrament of oure ministers not misliked so farre as concerneth their fleshly coniunctiō which they onely lust after Ephes 5. but grace they list not receiue thereby least it should be a sacrament wherby the vnitie of Christ and his spouse the Church which in no sauce they can abide might be fullie represented and signified These felowes therfore that dare be so bold to disturbe al the orders and sacramentes of Goddes Church and to mainteine their phantasies dare brast the sacred bandes of expresse scriptures in such poyntes as doo directly touche the whole policie of oure Christian common wealth and ordered wayes of oure saluation euen in those which Christ moste carefully left to be practised for the vse of his louinge flocke by the warrant of woordes moste playne what shal wee saye to such bolde and impudent faces that thus dare doo and yet which I more merueyl at in this their vncurtesie and moste vnhonest dealing will not sticke to crie and call vpon Goddes woorde as thoughe they did that by scripture the contrarie whereof they expressly find in scripture And truely where they be not holpen by the verie woordes vaine it shall be for them to stand with vs and with all oure Fathers and with the practise of al nations and with the verie expresse iudgment of the Church of God it shal not boote them I say in their dark ignorance and infinitie pride to stand with vs hauing so many helpes for the true meaning and the expresse text of the woorde for oure selues and side Sometymes where it maie appeare that the woordes and outwarde face of scripture serue not oure assertions so playnly as the holy traditions of Christes Church doo there they cal vpō vs with infinite clamoures to abide the iudgment of the woorde which they would be thought to esteme aboue al mans meaning But whither wil they now runne thincke you where al oure sacramētes stand vpō euident woordes more thē woordes vpon the verie expresse notorious actiō of Christ him selfe all instituted sincerly to be practised of the Churce after his departure hēce al cōmended in knowen termes of greatest most efficacie that could be not by way of preaching in which he vsed sometyme figures not at suche tyme as he vsed other then common knowen speach but after his resurrection when he now vttered no more parables as he did before Matt. 13. Marc. 4. that suche as sawe should not see and such as were of vnderstanding might not vnderstand but did open vnto his dearest their senses that they might vnderstand scriptures and more carefully expressed his meaning for the instruction of his holy Disciples to the better bearing of that charge which he ment to leaue them in after his departure whither wil these men I say where they see al thinges so enuironed with trueth whither wil they flye The scriptures be playnly ours the doctours thei dare not claime reason is against them ther is then no waye to beare it oute but with boldnesse and exercised audacitie Yet here we wil assaye by the notorious euidence of this one cause that we now haue in hande to breake their stonie hartes to the obedience of Christes Church and woorde for whose faith if they haue seen great light and force of argument allready and shall yet see much more I truste they will not still withstande the knowen trueth Al woordes then of institution of sacramentes being literaly to be taken thinges of so great charge not otherwise to be vnderstanded then are both by act and woord of Christe sincerely vttered we neede not doubt but the fourme of Christes sentence in which he giueth the Apostles power to remitt sinnes is plainely to be taken in that common sense as the same by woordes importeth and therefore that by force thereof they maye remitte sinnes And yet to make more proofe to satisfie all men I wil ioyne to these woordes of oure Sauioure that most properly concerne the sacramente of penaunce other his woordes touching oure principall conclusion not vnlike wherby in cōferēce of the like sainges together which our Aduersaries doe alwayes as they would seeme wel to allow trueth may trie it selfe Therefore as our Maister here saieth vnto them whose sinnes you shal forgiue they be forgiuē And whose sinnes you reteine they be also reteined euen so said he twice before vnto the Apostles expressing in other woordes almoste the same meaning and sense once to them altogether in the xviij of S. Matthew an other tyme before that in the xvi of the same Gospel to S. Pecer alone To them in general thus saith Christ If thy brother haue committed any offence towards thee go to him and admonish him priuately betwixt him and thy selfe If he take it wel thou hast then wonne thy brother if he regarde thee not take one or twoo with thee that in the mouthes of two or three wittnesses euerie vvoord may stande if he regarde not them neither then make complainte of him to the Churche that is to saye as S. Chrysostome expoundeth it Super hūc locū to the Gouernours of the Churche and if he will not obeye the Church thē take him for no better thē a Heathē and a Publicā And streight vpon these woordes De fide operib cap. 3. least any mā should sette light by the Churche or rulers thereof Christ added sayth S. Augustine a wonderfull terrour of her seuere authoritie saing Amen dico vobis quaecunque alligaueritis super terram erunt ligata in coelo quaecunque solueritis super terram erunt soluta in coelo surely I saye vnto you what thinges soeuer you binde in earth it shal be bounde in heauen And what soeuer you loose in earth it shal be loosed in heauen This text is cleare for the Churches claime in remission of sinnes thoughe it properlie perteine rather to the outwarde power iudiciarie and courte of external iudgment for open crimes and notorious contemptes then for the sinnes of the people that be secrette and onely subiect to power practised in the sacrament of penaunce which nowe lightly is closse and onely vttered in secret to him that hath charge of his soule Neuer the lesse if the priestes of God haue receiued power to loose and bynde which is to pardon and punishe open notorious crimes and contemptes whiche towchinge the giltinesse of the faulte doth no lesse perteine to the proper power of God then the absoluinge of secrette sinnes doth then without question they
may pardon or reteine mans sinnes of all sortes as wel in the sacramente of penance al that be confessed as in publike iudgment what soeuer is by witnesse proued And as in this they maye at their pleasure where iustice requireth correcte the open offender by moste graue censures of Goddes Church so may the priestes giue due penaunce in the sacrament for the chastisment of suche sinnes as be to them confessed and for the satisfying of Goddes iustice by sinne violated The other text of holy scripture coÌ„teining Christes woordes to S. Peter seuerally A more peculiar prerogatiue geueÌ„ to S. Peter than to other Apostles by certayne notable circumstances of the letter and by woordes of great graunt spokâ—n singularly to him giueth the chief of all his Apostles in more ample termes and beneficial clauses this power and prerogatiue also To him it was onely said thou aâ—t Peteâ— which is as much to say as a rocke for oure Maister gaue him that name newe at his firste calling Ioan. 1. in significatioÌ„ of further intent and purpose which he here vttered and vpon this rocke will I sette my Church and hel gates shall not preuaile agaynste it That so sayd he thus spake in playne termes Et tibi dabo claues regni coelorum Et quodcunque ligaueris super terram erit ligatum in coelis quodcunque solueris super terram erit solutum et in coelis And to the wil I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and what soeuer thou shalt binde in earth it shall be bounde in the heauens And what thow loosest in earthe it shal be loosed in the heauens Ibid. 21. This promise made vnto Peter and performed no doubt after his resurrection when he committed to him the feeding and gouernement of all his deare flocke both yong and olde doth excedingly importe a wonderfull incomparable soueraygntie and iurisdiction ouer mens soules For a mortall man to receiue the keyes of Christes kingdom by them to binde loose to locke out and lett in Keies of heauen vvhat they be before our maister Christe who had the full iurisdiction therin it was neuer heard of And when the holy Propheces doe meane to sette out the greate and passing power giueÌ„ by God the Father to his onely SoÌ„ne in earth they vse to expresse the same ofteÌ„ by the termes of keyes as when the prophet Esaie saith I wil lay the keyes of the house of Dauid vpon his shoulder he shall shutte and ther can none be hable to open and he shall open so that none can shutte agayne And Christ him selfe speaking to his beloued Iohn in the Apocalipse saith Cap. 22. I am the first and the last I am aliue and was dead before Apocal. 1. 3. and I haue the keyes of death and hell The keyes therfore euer signifyng power and gouernemeÌ„t of the houshold was giueÌ„ to Christ as to whom being the principall most excellent rectour of his own Church that he bought so dearly they most duely belong But he coÌ„municated vnto Peter as to his speciall steward that vse of the same for the gouernment of our soules with exceding much preheminence both in binding loosing Yet I do not remeÌ„ber that any of the olde writers doe put any greate differeÌ„ce betwixt the authorities of Peter the rest of the Apostles coÌ„cerning the remitting of sinnes which is a thing perteining indifferently to the whole order of priestod therfore no more proper to the Pope or Peter then to priestes Apostles thoughe Origen noted well that the iurisdictioÌ„ of Peter semed by those woords to be enlarged aboue the residue by that that our Sauiour sayde to him that what soeuer he bounde or loosed in earth it should be loosed or bound in the heauens wher to the rest he spake of heauen only in the singular number I speake only of this latter clause of binding loosing with the keyes therunto belonging For there is no doubt but great preheminence of rule iurisdictioÌ„ is promised before in the same text now recited elles where actually giuen vnto him more then to the rest of his brethern Neuerthelesse eueÌ„ this power of bindig loosing coÌ„mon to all the holy order was in him first seuerally planted for the coÌ„meÌ„datioÌ„ of vnitie order De simplicitatâ— prelatorum as S. Cyprian saith so the same authoritie geuen to other might yet after a sort be deriued from his fullnes of power and prerogatiue as from a founteyne But we wil not stand hereon nowe nor yet to put difference betwixt these woords and termes loosing or remitting binding or reteining nor to dispute whether these two textes more proprely signifie the authoritie and iurisdction geuen to the spirituall Magistrates for punishing by temporal pain enioyned and releasing by mercie as they see occasion the same appointed penance againe or els it proprely concerneth the very release of sinne it self or reteining the sinne which they vppon iust causes wil not forgeue These things would grow to ouer tediouse a tale and ouer curiouse for the simple whoÌ„ I would most helpe in these matters and I shal briefly touch so muche hereof as is necessarie hereafter when I shal dispute of pardons For in deede these two textes of binding and losing as wel spoken to Peter as to the residue afterwarde shall be the ground of our whole discourse there and therefore til then we must touch these textes no farther but as in common perteineth to remitting or reteining sinnes For they are brought indifferentlie of the holy Fathers with that foresaid words of S. Iohn in which as I haue declared the very institution of penance and Priestes iudgement of our soules and sinnes be most proprely grounded Therefore that by al these woordes so often vttered by our Sauiour you may wel perceiue the very litteral and vndoubted meaning to be that Priests haue authoritie by Christes warraunt effectually to remit and reteine sinnes I wil recite one or two notable places of most auÌ„cient Fathers that they ioyning with such plaine woordes of sundrie places of scripture may make all most sure to such as can by any reasoÌ„ be satisfied First I alledge the saing of S. Maximê° an old author a blessed saint Homil. In natali Petri Pauli He doth by conference couple together these textes wheroÌ„ we now stand thus he speaketh very pithely therefore you shal heare his own woords Ne qua vos fratres de creditis Petro clauibê° regni more no straruÌ„ clauiuÌ„ cogitatio terrena ê‘moueat clauis caeli lingua est Petri quam singulorum merita censendo Apostolus vnicuique regnum caelorum aut claudit aut aperit Non est ergo clauis ista mortalis artificis aptata manu sed data à Christo potestas est iudicandi Denique ait eis qnorum remiseritis peccata remissa erunt quorum detinueritis detenta erunt Thus he saith in our tung Least
Churche hath an other kind of remission whiche Epiphanius calleth poenitentiam post poenitentiam But of these two more shal be said anon After this sorte Lib. 4. de Sap. ca. 30 doth Lactantius ascribe to the true Churche confession penance and profitable healing of our wounds and suche sores as be founde in our soules By al which euery man may conceiue casely that this honour and commission of priesthod for the remissioÌ„ of our sinnes did not decay with the Apostles appointed by Christe nor shal cease till Christes coÌ„ming to iudge the worlde But he that listeth to see in what office and by whom she holdeth this singular honour of remission of sinnes he shal find not onelie the Apostles who were called by Christ but al other Bishoppes also that succeede them in the Churche to be her ministers herein Gregorius wherof let him read the xxvj Homelie of S. Gregorie perteininge almoste wholy to that purpose I will repeat a few wordes onely out of it committing the rest to the diligence of the Reader Libet intueri saith he illi Discipuli ad tanta ouer a humilitatis vocati ad quantuÌ„ culmen gloriae sint perducti Ecce non solùm de semetipsis securi fiunt sed etiam alienae obligationis relaxationis potestatem accipiunt principatumque superni iudicij sortiuntur vt vice Dei quibusdam peccata retineant quibusdam relaxent Ecce qui districtum iudicium Dei metuunt animarum iudices siunt et alios damnant vel liberant qui semet ipsos damnari metuebant Horum profecto nunc in Ecclesia Dei Episcopi locum tenent ligandi atque soluendi authoritatem sumunt Grandis honor sed graue pondus est istud honoris It is my meaning nowe to beholde to what marueilouse honour the Disciples of Christe be exalted whiche before were called in their base state to great burden and troubles For nowe they be not onelie in assurance of their owne state but they haue obteined power of binding and releasing other and the verie soueraigntie of heauenlie iudgemente that in Goddes owne steede they may some mans sinnes release and other offences reteine Loe those that once feared the straict sentence of Goddes owne iudgemente are made the iudges of other mens soules to coÌ„demne or deliuer where they list Bishops are in the roomes of the Apostles that before doubted of them selues And nowe truâ—lie in these mens roomes are the Bishoppes of Goddes Church and receiue the authoritie of binding and loosing and their owne state of regimente High surely is their Chair but greater is their charge S. Gregorie said so farre But Sainct Augustine shall make vppe this matter with woordes of suche weight that I trust euerie man shall see the trueth and almost feele the grossenesse of falsehoode thereby He writeth thus vppon this verse of the Psalme Eructauit Psal 44. The Catholike Churche hath continual successioÌ„ in lauful ministerie whiche is the xliiij in number with him Pro patribus â—uis nati sunt tibi filij constitues eos Principes super omnem terram In place of thy Parentes thou hast children born thee them thou mayest make the Princes of the vvhole earth The Apostles did begette thee they were sente them selues they preached in their owne persons and finallie they were thy Fathers But could they alwayes corporally abide here And though one of them saied Phil. 1. I would gladly be dissolued and be with Christ yet for your sake I couÌ„ted it more necessarie to tarie in flesh Thus he said But how long coulde his life last He might not remaine til this daie muche lesse for the time to come What then is the Church desolate after the departure of her parents God forbid In steed of thy parentes thou hast sonnes saith the text What is that to say Marie the Apostles sent by Christ are as Fathers and for them God hath raised vp childern or sonnes which be the holy Bishops of the world For at this day the Bishoppes that be throughout al Christendome how rose thei to that roome The Church calleth them Fathers and yet shee did begette them and shee placed them in the roome of their Fathers Non ergo te putes desertam quia non vides Petrum quòd non vides Paulum quòd non vides illos per quos nata es de prole tua tibi creuit paeternitas pro patribus tuis nati sunt tibi filij constitues eos principes super omnem terram Doe not therfore thinke thy selfe desolate because thou seest not Peter because thou hast not Paul ☜ because thou hast them not nowe present by whome thou wast borne of thy owne issue Fatherhode is growen to thee and for thy Fathers thou hast brought foorth sonnes them shalt thou make the rulers ouer al the earth Thus muche out of S. Augustine By whom you may perceiue the great prouidence of God that euerlastingly vpholdeth the ordinance of his Sonne Christ Iesus as wel now by the children borne from time to time in the Churches lappe as bâ—fore in the spring of our faith by the Apostles sent and appointed in person by Christ him selfe And here you must note Note that not only Bishops who succeede the Apostles in al kind of power and regiment but also all other inferiour Priestes to be compted with them as successours in ministring diuerse sacramentes as baptisme penance the reuerend SacrameÌ„t of the Aultar and suche like but looke what power either Apostle or Bishop hath in remission of sinnes in consecrating Christes body in baptising the same hath the whole order of holy priesthod by the right of their order may practise the same vpoÌ„ such as be subiect vnto them in al cases not exempted for reasonable causes by such as haue further iurisdictioÌ„ ouer the people Whereof I will not now talk particularly the lerned of the order know the limits of their charge coÌ„mission better then I caÌ„ instruct theÌ„ the simpler sort must seek for knowledge of their duty by the holy Canons of CouÌ„cels decrees of Bishops made for that purpose I can not now staÌ„d theron meaning at this present only to defend the holy Order chaleÌ„ge for it such right as the scripture and Christes own word geueth which in this coÌ„tempt of vertue and religioÌ„ is most necessary for al men to consider Therfore vpon our large discours for this last point I now deducte the particulars to this summe which may staÌ„d for a certaine mark as wel for the good to discern the truth as for the Aduersaries to shoote at whiles they liue Al power euery iurisdiction or right of Christes church remaineth as amply in as ful force streÌ„gth at this day shal til the worlds end so continue as they were by Christ grauÌ„ted first in the persoÌ„s of the Apostles or other instituted But the power of remissioÌ„ of sinnes was geueÌ„ proprely in expresse termes to the
sayd whose sinnes you doo forgiue they be forgiuen If our Aduersaries be ignorant of these thinges which be so common in schooles of diuinitie yet me think they shoulde remember that S. Paule did not dissalowe the authority nor power of preaching in such as were euil men Philip 1. and taught for emulatioÌ„ and not of sincere zeale of the Gospel and that Christ him selfe stopped not suche as caste oute diuelles in his name and therfore were not without the gifte of woorkinge miracles Matt. 7. thoughe he professed that many of them at the day of iudgment chalenging some right of heauen vpon that acte shoulde not be receiued to glorie and howe the gifte of prophecie was common in the olde testameÌ„t not onely to the wicked but to suche as willingly woulde deceiue the people Ioan. 11. And Caiphas he prophecied by the Spirite of God as by force of his office being yet in purpose to woorke wickednesse against Christ him selfe for whose trueth he then by force of the spirite prophecied But of the Sacramentes of Goddes Church euery one that they may be ministred beneficially to the receiuing in much wickednes of the giuer God vvorketh the good effect of sacrameÌ„tes euen by euill meÌ„ there is no man can be ignorant For it is a rule and a principle moste certen that God woorketh his will in them by the ministerie of men bee they neuer so euell For elles they were mannes sacramentes and not Gods And we coulde not be certen neither of oure Baptisme neither of right receauing of Christes bodie in the holy Sacrament of his aultar nor of any other spiritual benefite that we now by mannes ministery receiue in the Churche Muche comfort it were for all Christian people to haue suche gouernours ouer their soules and suche disposâ—rs of Goddes mysteries as woulde and coulde in all sinceritie and faithfulnes woorcke Goddes woorcke and that woulde alwayes vse the highe power giuen vnto them to edifie and neuer to destroye and that they so woulde doe 1. Petri 4. both S. Peter and S. Paule doe often exhorte them But neither the miserie of mans sinfull nature can suffer that nor oure wickednesse can deserue so muche Galat. 2. S. Peter him selfe was reprehensible in his gouernement therefore lette vs not marueile that other which be not of so full spirite as he was either may committe thinges worthy of reprehension amongest the good or subiecte to the malicious slaunder of the euill And surely for our matter being of suche importaunce Priestes had nede to be careful in their office priestes had neede most carefullie to studie how to practise so high a function which is so proper to Goddes owne iudgment and heauenly courte For thoughe by Christe they haue vndoubtedly recieued commission power in the vertue of the holy Ghost when they tooke holy orders to forgiue and remit sinnes yet cursed be they by Goddes owne mouth if they doe it eyther negligently because it is the worke of oure Lorde or with affectation of pride Pharisaical dominioÌ„ as though they were Lordes of the Sacramentes and Christian religion Ierom. in â—6 Matt. and not ministers or seruitours of Christe in his Churche Wherof it semed that S. Ierome in his dayes had some cause to coÌ„playne nothing reprouing their authoritie but correcting the abuse of their authoritie PenauÌ„ce in those dayes was giuen greater then the fault required or remissioÌ„ of sinnes was so hardly obteyned that it semed to S. Iereme that their austeritie grew to some spice of Pharisaical regiment Matt. 23. that woulde lay importable burdens on other mens neckes and not touche any at al them selues Whervpon he taketh occasion to aduertise them that euery power of remission and the office of absolutioÌ„ was properly Gods and theirs but by ministery And therfore that their mercy iudgement ought to be tryed and measured by his sentence and not his by theirs These thinges were to be admonished and reprehended then but now the disease lyeth on the other side and they offend rather in ouer muche lenitie For as both be contemned of the wicked so ther is almost amongst the good none left but loosing now a dayes when meÌ„ had rather be bouÌ„de in sinne theÌ„ bound in penance for sinne Therfore the office of binding and loosing requireth truely good knowledge much discretion zeale and stowtnesse in Goddes quarell For as it is most highe so surely it is moste harde and burdenous It pitieth my harte to see it so litle estemed but muche more that it should be lesse estemed throughe their ignorance or euil life to whome the keyes of remission be committed The keye of remission and reteining sinnes they had of God in their Orders but discretion knowledge vertue with other qualities mere for the exercise of that office they must by prayer and industrie obteyne lest whilest they profite other men to saluation they become reprobate them selues 1. Cor. 9. as S. Paule sayd of him selfe in case of preaching But in deede it is not so commendable for vs as the case standeth now nor so nedefull to prie into the priestes bosoms or to vewe their lackes in ministering of this sacrament of penaunce which if any be doo lightly redounde to their owne harmes and not so much to myne or to any other which vse their office to our owne saluatioÌ„ For though for councel and comfort and suche other respectes a discrete and learned man were rather to be wished for then a woorse yet being assured that the partie is called by Godes Church to the function and hath iurisdiction ordinary or graunted extraordinarilie by the appointment of lawfull superiours if by schisme and excommunication or otherwise he be not suspended from the practise of the sayd functions I neede nothing to doubt for his other lackes but muche more for myne own insufficiencie by default of iust examination of my conscience or lacke of contrition or some other like want in my selfe why the fruâ—te of the priestes absolution can not be surely deriued vnto me as elles if it were not my owne default it should by force of the sacrament vndoubtedly be For this I dare be bold to saye â—ack of the fruict of any sacrament ys for most in the râ—ceauer not in the minister that the lacke of the appointed fructe of any Sacramente aryseth a thousande tymes oftner by the vnworthynesse of the subiect and him that receiueth the Sacrament then vppon any lacke of the giuer and minister thereof and namely in this SacrameÌ„t of the Churches discipline it chanceth more often For as S. Basile saith Questione â—5 regul contract Potestas remittendi peccata non est absolutè data sed in recipientis obedientia in consensu cum eo qui animae ipsius curam gerit sitaest The power of remitting sinnes is not absolutely without condicion giuen but it standeth in the obedieÌ„ce of the penitent and in his agreement with him
that hath the charge of his soule Therfore for Christs loue let vs cast peril oftner of oure owne case then vpoÌ„ other mens states for we are not so assured of the holy Spirite or his grace to qualifie vs for the worthy receiuing as they are oute of doubt for the right power of ministerie And to conclude against Caluin and al other that thinke the power of priestes either to be lesse for lacke of good life or want of much lerning I alleage S. Cyprian thus Remissio peccatorum siue per baptismum siue per alia sacrameÌ„ta donetur propriè spiritus sancti est et ipsi soli huius efficientiae priuilegium manet Thus in Englishe Effect of sacrameÌ„ts ys the vvâ—rck of the holie Ghost Remission of sinnes whether it be by Baptyme or by other sacraments giuen it properly perteineth to the holy Ghost the prehemineÌ„ce of the forceable effecte is onely his the solennitie of woordes the inuocatioÌ„ of Goddes name and the externall signes prescribed to the priestes ministeries by the Apostles to make vppe the visible sacrament but the thing it selfe and effecte of the sacrament the holy Ghost worketh and the author of al goodnesse putteth his hand inuisible to the external and visible coÌ„secration of the priestes So saith S. Cyprian Serm. de Baptis Christi and maketh a farre longer discourse how the diuersity of the ministers desertes doo nothing alter the sacrameÌ„ts or theffecte thereof but being alike to al receiuers of fit capacite and condition Vide August li. 5. coÌ„tra Donatistas Cap. 20. Act. 1. by whom so euer they be serued and dispensed with iuste authoritie and calling thervnto The Baptisme of Iudas Iscarioth was no woorse theÌ„ Simon Peters For S. Peter saith coÌ„unmeratus erat in nobis sortitus est sortem ministerij huius He was counted as one of our number and had the lotte of this ministerie Nor the ministerie of Nicolas of lesse acceptation in it selfe then the function of Stephen being meÌ„ of one office but of vnlike deseruinges The prophecie of Esay no more true theÌ„ the prophecie of Caiphas nor the prophecie of Balam lesse true then the prophecie of Baruc. If we were either absolued or baptised in the names of Peter or Paule or Iudas or Apollo then we might bragge who were best baptised or suerliest loosed from sinne and euery one might so either crake or be ashamed of his minister whereof S. Paule earnestly checked the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. But now euery one being both baptised and loosed and houseled and annoynted and honoured in all other spirituall actes in no other name but in the name of Iesus his Father euerlasting and the holy Ghost proceding from them both all must needes receiue the like benefite that be like qualified therevnto of whom so euer the office is exercised if he be lawfully called that is to saye haue by the handes of priesthode receiued the gifte and grace of the holy Ghost for his lawfull authorishing in that case the which gifte of the holy Ghost being the selfe same that the Apostles receiued of Christ for the like functions continueth with them still thoughe their life and desertes be neuer so euell and their ignorance neuer so muche yea thoughe they be by iuste occasion as for Heresie Schisme or notorious life throughe the censures of the Church imbarred from the vse and exercise of that office of remitting sinnes and such other the like spirituall functions But to make an ende of this matter I turne Caluins reason againste him selfe He and his flocke be of that fonde and blinde iudgmente that the whole text of the twentith of S. Iohn wherin Christ giueth authoritie to the Apostles to remitte sinnes is meaÌ„t only of preaching the Gospel for which function Christ gaue them the holy Ghost Now Sir vpoÌ„ this I vrge him with his own reasoÌ„ I aske him firste whether the ministers that by him are seÌ„t to preach the woord haue the holy Ghost as for example Beza Beza that he sent into Fraunce first or Richerus Richerus whome he sent to Coligninia or Herman Herman that came by the holy Ghostes sending vnto FlaÌ„ders and BrabaÌ„t had these the holy Ghost or no If they say yea as I thinck they will they be so bolde in an othermans house then demaunde of them further whether the saide Spirite of God may erre If they say no as possibly they wil theÌ„ coÌ„clude against them thus The holy Ghost can not erre but you my maisters may erre ergo you haue not the holy Ghost and consequently you haue then no better right in preachinge then poore priestes haue in remitting or absoluing Therfore I leaue Caluin wrestling with his owne shadowe and wil folowe on my purpose and course of matter which I haue in hande That it standeth wel with Gods honour that mortal men should remitte sinnes and that Nouatus the heretike was of olde condemned for denieng the same and that he was the father of this heresie which denieth the pâ—iests authority The Seuenth Chap. NOW by all oure former discourse the right of remission of sinnes sufficiently proued to perteine to priesthood some will perhappes compte it vayne labour to make more declaration of that which is so playne or further to establishe that by reasoÌ„ which standeth so fast on scriptures But if any so thinke they see not the wide wayes of Heresie nor the manifolde shiftes that she attempteth euen there vvho be in the daunger of heresy most where she may seme to be fullie beaten The simple and the sinful stand moste in her danger that can not in their lacke of intelligence compare reason to reason nor gather one trueth of an other and therfore to their mouthes we must chewe all meates verie small elles ther could be no greate neede of their further informatioÌ„ how this claime of remission of sinnes or the vsuall practise thereof coulde staÌ„d with Gods glorie For being aunswerable to his ordinaunce it caÌ„ not but be agreable with his honoure But because in desperat cases our Aduersaries haue taught their felowes ther to wrangle vncurtesly where they can not maynteine reason pithely I wil not onely serue my cause but somtymes poursue their foly thoughe I doubt not but the wisdome of God shall more and more appeare touching his meaning in oure matter not alonely by our defeÌ„ce but a great deale the rather by their discontentation Now therefore intending to declare that this prehemineÌ„ce of priesthod doth nothing abase or derogate to Goddes dignitie I thinck it not amisse to match our newe doctours of whome I heare often this complaynt with other their forefathers that at once both trueth maye fullie be serued and a yoke of Aduersaries ioyntly drawing against the Church our saluatioÌ„ maye be almost with one breath refuted Oure yong maisters maye be gladde to growe so highe in Gods Churche as to be reproued with theÌ„ who were coÌ„demned
in diuerse Prouinciall Synodes and by the holy councell of Nice it selfe repressed also yet it spred verie sore Delapsis De Poenitentia De reparatione lapsi and continued long and was not onely by S. Cyprian but also by Dionysius Alexandrinus S. Ambrose and S Câ—rysostome refuted in sundrie workes writen against the Nouatians By whome other though the course of that false assertion was often broken in Goddes Churche yet in some partes they did knit againe In haeresi Tessares vvhat heretikâ—s de â—ed the sacr of penance vvith Nouatus sometymes by certeyne heretikes of Nouatus dayes called Tessarescedecatitae qui à auersabantur poenitentiam _____ saieth Theodoritus who did abhorre penaunce and sometimes by a sort called Iacobitae other whiles bi wiclif and his elles by the waldenses now than by the Anabaptistes and lately by the Lutherans moste of the ProtestaÌ„tes and by the Caluinists eueryone All which blacke bande though they agree not at euery pinch of Nouatus heresie for it is not possible that such should euer fullie consent yet all these knit tayles together in this that there is no Sacrament of penaunce after Baptisme in which the priest maye forgiue sinnes and that it standeth not with Goddes honour so to remitte the peoples offences Of other the like heresies whiche he lente oure men as of forbidding holie Chrisme and annointing of suche as were by him baptised in so muche that the holy Fathers were gladde to make vppe the lacke thereof in all such as came from their heresie to the vnitie of Christes Church I will not heere speake purposing onely because that onely coÌ„cerneth oure matter to refute that olde heresie raysed so long since against the prerogatiue of Goddes priestes and onely helpe of our sinnes that at once bothe the authour and the ofspring maye be fullie ouerthrowen And firste because generally all the foresaid ioyne together against the trueth in this argument that it is dishonour to God and great presumption in a mortall man to clayme the power so proper to God let the studious Reader well consyder that no function power ne dignitie be it neuer so peculiar to God him selfe by naturall excellency That vvhich ys onely proper to God maye be executed by the mynisterye of man vvithout Gods dishonour but the same maye be occupied of man secondarily as by the waye of seruice ministerie or participation so that man challenge nor vsurpe yt not as of him selfe or when it is not lawfullie receiued nor orderly geuen All the workes that extraordinarily miraculousâ—y were wrought either by Christ in his humanitie or by the Prophetes or Apostles woordes or by their garmentes or by what other instrument so euer they were done be the worckes of God no lesse then to remitte sinnes yet all these thinges and other the like broughte to passe by man through the power of of God that woorketh by mans ministerie the same nothinge derogateth to Goddes glorie but infinitely augmenteth his honour euen so the power of pardoning mans sinnes being employed by God the Father vpon Christe his Sonne and by Christe vppon his Church and ministers and practised by them not of their owne might and heades but in the vertue of the holy Ghost which by the Sonne of God was breathed vpon them this authoritie I saye is no derogation but an euident signe of his mightie power of saluation left for the faithfulls sake in the Church When the person that was lame froÌ„ his birth begged of Peter Iohn somwhat for his relief at the temple doore as his maner was Act. 3. Peter aunswered him that golde and siluer he had none to giue but that which he had he would willingly bestow which was power to heale him of his incurable maladie for proufe whereof he bad him rise and walke and so he did at his woorde in the sight of al that there were gathered which being done and the people woÌ„dering therat the Apostle thus instructed them Brethern saith he why woÌ„der you at vs as thoughe we had brought this strange worck to passe by our owne streingth and power it is the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob that hath glorified his sonne Iesus whome you refused and betrayed to Pontius Pilatus to be crucified in hys name and faith this poore man is recouered Marke well that the same thing which Peter said him selfe had to geue quod habeo tibi do the same yet he professeth that he houldeth not as of his owne right or might but as of Christe Iesus in whose name he willed the lame to walk eueÌ„ so the power of pardoning sinnes is truelie and properlie in the priestes as the power of woorking miracles is properlie in Peters handes neither the one yet nor the other holden as of theire owne mighte and power but bothe practised for the glorie of God in the name of Iesus of Nazareth RemissioÌ„ of synnes ys more certen and more to Gods honour then voorking of miracles by their appointed ministerie And as trulie as Peter might say to the feble in bodie that which I haue I giue thee rise and walke in the name of Iesus of Nazareth so surely may the priest say to the sicke in soule that which I haue I giue thee in the name of Iesus thy sinnes my sonne be forgeuen thee No lesse is the one the peculiar worcke of God then the other no more doth one dishonor god theÌ„ the other And this work of remitting sinnes is much more certeÌ„ then the miraculous healing of the bodie being ioyned by Gods promise to a sacrameÌ„t that shal neuer cease in the church wher miracles for most part ceased loÌ„g since yea the name maiesty of God is a thousaÌ„d parts more honoured not the only God in his owne persoÌ„ but in the fraylty of his ministers he is able to acoÌ„plish such mighty miracles both in the cure of body soule But the fondnes of this heresie is so great that it maketh those thinges to tende to Gods disgracing which he hath apointed properly onely in a maner for that purpose to set furth the name of his SoÌ„ne Iesus For if both sinnes of maÌ„s soule sores of his body could not visibli by external meanes be healed in the glorious inuocatioÌ„ of Gods name it wold surely be forgotteÌ„ in the church of Christ that such power is giueÌ„ by God the father to his oÌ„ly soÌ„ne maÌ„s mind wold not reach to that inwardly wherof he had no proufe nor assuraÌ„ce outwardly I besech you Sir were the working of straÌ„ge miracles geueÌ„ to som as wel of the Prophetes as of the Apostles of Christ wer they any whit preiudicial to Gods honor or they were giueÌ„ to maÌ„ aboue his natural power for the setting forth of Gods honour that the Prophetes should see so long before things that afterward did fall which is the proprietie of God alone theirs only by gift grauÌ„t of him to whoÌ„ oÌ„ly it doth
beloÌ„g do they dishonor God or els was it not alwaies grauÌ„ted to some meÌ„ for the glorie of God That Eliseus could see the hart inward thoughts of Giezi his seruauÌ„t which is Gods onely propertie 4. Reg. Cap. 5. did it dishonour God or rather wonderfully augmeÌ„t his glorie The passing preemineÌ„ce that Peter the rest receiued when they were hable by laying on of haÌ„des to giue the holy ghost caÌ„ it not be practised without the dishonoure of God Act. 8. or elles was it not principally geuen to them to set furth the glory of God This was so great power that it was muche more astonied at of the beholders theÌ„ either working of miracles or remitting sinnes in so much that SimoÌ„ the sorcerer who was so gloriouse before that he called him selfe the power of God would haue geuen the Apostles money largely that vpon whom so euer he had practised the like laying on of handes he might receiue the holie Ghost also Then if the power of geuing the holie Ghoste or power of geuing grace which both Peter Paule practised in a visible Sacrament 2. Tim. 4 by a solemne Ceremonie in the sight of al the world by laying on of their haÌ„des if thâ—s passing worke moste proper to God I dare saye of al other actes that be exercised in Christes name in the Church doth not onely no whit abase Gods excelleÌ„cie but was purposely instituted to honour the maiestie of God in the face of all people to set oute the glorie of his house how dare any man for feare of Godes highe indignation controlle the worke of Christ in remitting mans sinnes by such a visible sacrameÌ„t as to the honour of God is most coÌ„uenient to our saluatioÌ„ most necessary If they wil not let priests remit sinnes for feare of offeÌ„ding god dishonoring his name theÌ„ let them not baptise not preach not teache not doe miracles not geue the holy Ghost not correcte faultes not geue orders nor doe any other functions For these euery one be no lesse proper to God then remission of sinnes O heresie most shamefull that then goeth about to dishonour God most when she moste pretendeth Gods honour whereof she is so tender and so carefull that she hath barred his own spouse of his blessed bodye Heresie vnder pretense of Gods honour hath robbed his spouse of her treasurs of remission of sinnes of the Spirite of God of all sacraments of all holy Ceremonies of memories of miracles of holy functions and to be shorte of al giftes and graces and all this for Goddes honour so honorable it is for Christ to be the King of so beggarlie a common wealth as they make of the Church such glorie it is for Christe to haue his onely spouse robbed of the treasures of his giftes and graces so comelie it is for Christ to haue such sacrameÌ„tes as neither conteine him selfe nor his grace so woorthy a thing it is for Christe to haue ministers that vpon his owne warraÌ„t can neither pardoÌ„ nor punishe mans misdeedes Psal 8â— Gloriosa dicta sunt de te Ciuitas Dei Glorious things haue ben reported of thee thou Citie of God and how art thou now so barraine so contemptible that thy honour must needs redound to the dishonour of him by whom al thy honour onely standeth But I ceasse to pursue the Churches ennemies nowe in mine owne woordes I will rather ioyne with the holy Fathers for their ouerthrowe whose not onelie reason and sufficient answere to this their vain Replie fouÌ„ded on the pretence of Gods honour but also their onely name and authoritie shall sufficientlie beate doune these mens boldnesse Ambros de poen lib. 1. ca. 2. S. Ambrose in this case is most plaine and standeth with the Nouatians as I doe now with the Zuinglians euen in the very same Argument in these woordes Sed aiunâ— se Domino deferre reuerentiam cui soli remitteÌ„dorum criminum potestatem reseruent imo nulli maiorem iniuriam faciunt quà m qui eius volunt mandata rescindere I reade rather refindere then refundere or coÌ„fundere for he reproueth Nouatus that he did diuide the gift of â—hrist vvhiles he graunted povver to bind and not to loose commissum munus refindere nam cùm ipse in Euangelio suo dixerit Dominus Iesus accipite Spiritum sanctum quoruÌ„ remiseritis peccata c quis est ergo qui magis honorat VtruÌ„ qui mandatis atteÌ„perat an qui resistit Ecclesia in vtroque seruat obedieÌ„tiam vt peccatuÌ„ alliget laxet that is to saie These Nouatians say that they denie penance or power to remitte sinnes in earth in respect of the maintenance of suche honour as is due to god to whome onelie they will reserue the pardoning of mans sinnes But in deed none doe so much iniury to Gods glorie as those which breake his commaundementes and make a diuision of that charge and commission whiche he geueth For seing our Lord Iesus his own mouth spake these words Receiue ye the holy Ghost whose sinnes you doe forgeue they be forgeueÌ„ and whose sinnes you holde they be holden Who in this case more honoureth God He that obeyeth his commaundement or he that resisteth the same The Church obeyeth in both as wel in binding as in loosing Thus there And a litle after Looke to whom this charge was geuen that person may laufully with Gods good leaue vse the same And therefore the Church may laufully both bind and loose ☞ heresie and her attendants can rightly doe neither This right is only committed to Priests and therefore the Churche rightly chalengeth that authoritie because shee hath lauful Priests and so heresie can not doe because shee hath not the Priestes of God in her cursed congregation Thus said S. Ambrose for the answere of the Nouatians in his daies and so say I now in the Churches behalf against the like affected ennemies of Christes honour which whiles they in face of scripture and Gods word would seeme to defende they are become sworne aduersaries of his honour and open contemners of his coÌ„maundementes and holy ordinance Marke vvel S. Ambrose his reasoÌ„s agaiÌ„st the NouatiaÌ„s to serue for our time S. Ambrose here taketh it for a ground that it is Gods ordinance that Priests should remit sinnes he is bold to cal the contrary doctrine heresie he maketh a principle of this that it neuer dishonoureth God that man should doe that which God geueth him either commaundement or commission to doe in his behalfe he taketh it for a knowen truth that as the Churche of God hath true and laufull Priestes so shee may by them vpon Christes warrant both loose and bind and contrariwise that heresie may wel enough geue ouer that right of remissioÌ„ of sinnes because shee hath lightly no lauful Priests by whom shee may practise the same And surely it is a merueilouse force of truth or rather the might
of Gods prouidence that driueth Heretikes to disdaine destroy and dissanul the graces and manifolde giftes of Christes Churche that impugning them where the very right of such holy actes do lie they may plainly confesse and to their shame acknowledge that they haue none such them selues nor caÌ„ by Gods warrant chalenge any such giftes whiche with al their might they would wholy if they could together with Gods spirite and Churche extinguish Alas into what misery hath this forsakeÌ„ flock wilfully cast them selues and their adherentes whiche can forsake Gods house vbi mandauit Dominus benedictionem vpon vvhiche God hath bestovved his blessing The nevve congregatioÌ„ is barrain of al Gods giftes and abide there where by their owne confession there is no Priesthode no Penance no host no sacrifice no remission where they can let of sinnes no grace in Sacramentes nor no gift of the holy Ghost Al other heresies lightly by force of the Fathers doctrine and iudgement lost either their Priesthod because thei had no way out of the Churche to make Priests Aduersus Luciferianos as S. Hierome writeth of Hilarie the Deacon or els the vse function of Priesthode by reason the works of God can not be orderlie nor benificially vsed out of the house of God and yet they euer claimed to them selues not onely the order but for moste part all other functions that by Christe and his Churche were annexed to that order but ours wherein they passe all their forefathers in a maner willingly giue ouer the whole profession freely without compulsioÌ„ deny them selues with Nouatus to be Priestes denie to sacrifice denie to enioyne penance denie to geue the holy Ghoste either by imposition of handes or by Chrisme Protestants do of them selâ—es renounce the right of al holy actions of Christian religion or by any other solemne right of Goddes Church To be short take nothing froÌ„ these fellowes that belongeth to Christianitie for they wil geue al ouer them selues But briefly to conclude vppe the answere to their reason founded vppon Nouatus his principle touching Gods honour thus I say That neuer derogateth to Gods honour which is agreable to Gods ordinance but that Priests should remitte sinnes is the ordinance of god as is declared therefore the vse thereof doth not derogate any whit to gods honour Againe as great works and as propre to god as remission of sinnes was practised by the Apostles yet is vsed by the Bishoppes of holie Church without al dishonour of God geuing the holy ghost and gods grace by laying on of handes Ergo Remission of sinnes may be also practised of Priests without al iniurie to god his onely right therein For further prouf of the foresaid matter it is declared that neither Christe nor his euerlasting Father nor the holie Ghost doe giue ouer vnto man or resigne the power of remission or anie other holie function of the Churche but doe themselues coÌ„tinually worke al those graces by mans ministerie and seruice The eighth Chap. FVrthermore wee muste here consider that what woorke so euer God appointeth man to exercise in his Churche either in remission of sinnes or giuing grace of Gods Spirit or what other holy actioÌ„ so euer may in his name be don for the benefite of the people by the ministery and seruice of man either by the meanes and meditation of anye other instrumental cause No man doth succeed God in anie diuine function we must learne that in these workes so wrought either by maÌ„ or through other creatures God doth not resigne his right to the waies and and woorkers thereof and giue ouer the whole title that is due to himself in the said diuine actes For then in deed mans practise should derogat to Gods power and he should as it were succeed God in the right of his propre power and euerlasting inheritance which only to surmise as Heretikes doe were mere foly Christ is by euerlasting right made the head of the Church Christ resigned his room but not his right and he resigneth not this office to any mortal man For if he did then the partie that should by his grauÌ„t occupie for a season the same dignitie were his successour should hold in like right the same office as he did before But that notwithstanding he hath made his substitute vicegerent by whom in his corporal absence he ruleth now the Church as he did before in his owne person not geuing ouer his preheminence and supream power therein but nowe practising that by an other whiche afore he exercised him selfe in his own person It had ben a great derogation to Christ that Peter should haue bene Christes heir and successour for then Christ had lost the perpetuitie an other man gouerning after him in like right and preheminence as he had before But for Peter to rule the Church vnder him in his steed as by his euerlasting right with coÌ„mission from him that holdeth that soueraigntie for euer by whome so euer the Church shal be ruled til the worlds end in earth this I saie is no derogation to God nor his Sonne Christ Iesus at al but it muche proueth that Christe accordinge to his manhoode is the heade of the Churche for euer because by man in earth he ruleth the same til his comming againe the which man though he be his Vicar and Vicegerent yet he is not his Successour Psal 44. S. Augustin did trimly allude to the vse of the old Law coÌ„paring the ministers of Gods Church to the yonger brethern who were charged to marie the elder brothers wife wheÌ„ he died without isshue in whose name they did practise the worke of mariage therfore could not cal their childreÌ„ by their own names but by the name of their elder brethreÌ„ For as thei raised seed to their brother for their brothers honour so the Priests that haue taken vppon them as it were in mariage to gouern Christ his Church to bring foorth childreÌ„ not in their own names but in the name of their elder brother her departed husband As when they bring foorth children in Baptisme as through the wombe of the Church they bring them not foorth as for them selues in their own names but in the name of Iesus Christ being thâ—ir elder brother euen so it is in remission of sinnes also in whiche case Christ resigneth not his authoritie Yet the Protestantes briÌ„g forth in their seuerall congregations children not for Christ but for Caluin caluinists and for Lâ—ther LutheraÌ„s as though he lacked that power him selfe but practiseth that mightie woorke by the ministerie of man whiche before he excercised in his own person And as the baptising not in the name of Peter nor Paule nor Apollo but in the name of Christ the first husbande of the Church after whome the Children be called Christians not Petrians or Paulians doth muche sette foorth the honour of the eldest spouse so it proueth
and augmenteth Christes euerlasting honour and moste iuste title in remission of sinnes that til this daie no lesse now in absence by the seruice of his Priests then before when he was present by his owne woord and will sinnes be in his name and faith fullie remitted yea euen the very function of preaching the Gospel which they saie is meante by remitting of sinnes although they say most foolishly therein and against the common sense of al the Fathers yet euen that functiō is Christes still though it be vsed of man in earth And they that are most tender in outward woordes of Gods honour will yet seme to occupie that his proper function without al derogatiō to his right therein But in deed their preaching which is their remissiō of sinne is not the power of God to saluation but it is his permission for our great punishment The lauful doctrin of Christes church is truely no lesse the propre woorke of Christ then is forgeuenesse of sinnes yet it is without controling of Nouatians and Heretikes exercised by mans ministerie in earth S. Augustine saith hereof thus Christus est qui docet De discipli Christiana ca. vlt. Cathedram in coelo habet schola ipsius in terra est schola ipsius Corpus ipsius est It is Christ which teacheth and he hath his pulpit in heauen and his schole in earth and his schole is his body the church Christ doth not then resigne vppe his office of preaching no more thē he doth his authoritie of pardoning no man succeeding him in either of the roomes but occupieth both vnder him in his Churche It is proued that it dishonoureth God no more that man shoulde remitte sinnes in penance then it doth to forgeue sinnes in Baptisme and extrem vnction which is his inheritance for euer the whiche Churche holdeth by him as a schole to teache truth in as a courte and iudgement seate to pardon or punnish sinnes in Thus he But to beare doune the Aduersaries of truth fully we wil ioyne with them touching the sacrament of extreme vnction the sacrament of Baptisme and such other in which they can not nor doe not denie concerning one of them but mā without al derogatiō to Gods honour remitteth sinnes And how can it here seeme strange that in the sacrament of penance God shoulde by mans office remit mortal crimes seing it can not be denied but God vseth not onelie mans ministerie but also the external seruice of bare and base water which is much inferiour by nature and dignity to a Priest or any other man to take away sinnes both original and actual in the sacrament of Baptisme in which sacrament seing as wel the Priest is the minister as the water an instrumēt wherby God remitteth al sinnes be they neuer so many and grieuouse whether they be cōmitted by our owne acte or by our Fathers ofspring why doth it dishonour God any more that the Prieste shoulde be the minister of remission in the Sacramente of Penaunce then it doth by as greate an office almost in remitting of sinnes in the Sacramente of Baptisme Againe Cap. vlt. read the Epistle of S. Iames and you shall finde the Priest made a Minister the oyle an instrument in the extremitie of sicknesse to forgeue sinnes howe muche more then is the Priest without anie imparing of Gods power the woorker vnder him of our reconciliation and pardoning in the Sacrament of Penance in which especiallie the grace of God is geuen aboue all other Sacramentes to that onely end and purpose I may be more bold to vse this comparing of sundrie Sacramentes together because not onelie Sainct Ambrose refuteth the Father of this fonde heresie by the same reason but also because most of the Doctours of the Church do cōfesse that she euer had these waies to remitte mans sinnes by without all derogation to Christes soueraigntie herein of whome onelie shee holdeth her right as well in the Sacramēt of Penaunce as in Baptisme or extreme Vnction S. Chrysostom saith Neque enim solùm cùm nos regenerant De Sace◠lib. 3. sed postea etiam condonandorum nobis peccatorū potestatem obtinēt infirmatur inquit inter vos aliquis Accersat presbyteros ecclesiae Neither haue Priests power in baptisme only but afterward also thei haue good autority to forgiue our sinnes Is any mā feble amongst you saith he Call for the Priests of the Churche lette them saie prayers ouer him and annoynte him with oyle and the praier of faith shal saue the sick ād if he be in sinnes they shal be forgeuen him But this sacrament instituted by gods word and Christes authority vsed of old and wel knowen to al the Fathers is nowe become nothing in our building Sinne is now a daies so fauored that no sacrament may be abidē for the release therof The very expresse words of scripture can take no place where flattering of wickednes and phantasie ruleth to the contrarie There be some that affirme this annoylinge to haue bene a miraculouse practise to take away the diseases of the sick and therfore that it did decay with the working of other the like miracles which after the spring of our religion were not vsual Ita Caluinus The Protestantes glose against extrem vnction dissolued But that is a fōd glose For I aske of them whether the people then christianed were instructed or rather commaunded to call for the Apostles or others to heale them miraculouslie of their diseases Or whether all Priestes had the gifte of woorking miracles in the Primitiue Churche If they say yea touching the first poynt then as wel were they charged to sende for them to reuiue them after theye were deade because the Apostles so could doo when they sawe occasion and so did by some But that is playne absurde and false that euer Apostle gaue in charge to any man muche lesse to make a general precepte as S. Iames here doth to seke after miracles for that were to tempte God And for the setconde they are not so vnreasonable to aunswer me that all priestes could woorke miracles which is a seueral gifte of the Holy ghost from the power of their ministerie and therfore S. Iames would not haue charged the sicke persons to haue called indifferently for priestes to heale them miraculously the gifte of miracles being not common to them all nor perpetually promised to any one of them al. Againe I would knowe of them whether ther was any miraculous healing that had the remission of sinnes ioyned vnto it or to the external creature by which they healed any person If they saye yea then it foloweth that the priestes might by the office of that creature heale a man of his sinnes which they affirme to be blasphemie and dishonoure to God But to what absurditie so euer you bring them they will not confesse mortall men in externall sacramentes to remitte sinnes In the sacrament of Baptisme they will not stand with me openlie for
second person in Trinite toke vpon him oure nature by whome the worthines of mankind is much increased more fit then euer before to serue ech other as in the workes that be diuine properly by nature belonging to God him selfe Note wel this An other respecte why we should by externall sacrameÌ„tes mans ministery receiue grace remission of sinnes is the singular respect had by God of oure infirmitie as wel of minde as bodie For the minde requireth in her assured deseruing of damnation some external token by which she may haue good cause to hope of mercie and grace For whâ—â— I know and assure my selfe that original sinne is remitted by Baptisme when I haue once receiued the same then I am in no further doubt of my selfe nor any damnation for that sinne which by the promise of God I haue learned shall be washed awaye therby as by an external instrument in which he conueieth that henefite to my soule if my selfe by indispotion and vnaptnes doo not hinder the assured fruct therof So where after Baptisme mannes life is often defiled by greuous sinnes The coÌ„fort receiued by the sacrament of penaunce and God highly displeased therfore what an infinite treasure is it and how greate a coÌ„forte to haue an assured help therof wrought so by maÌ„s ministery in a visible action that I may knowe sauing for mine owne lacke of conuenieÌ„t disposition my sinnes to be forgiuen and Goddes mercy and fauoure to be obteined againe We may conceiue easly what a passing comforte it was to the parties that hearde sensibly by the outwarde woordes of Christes owne mouthe thy sinnes be forgiuen thee For thoughe the sayd persoÌ„s beleuing in Christ and lameÌ„ting for their sinnes past might haue had some hope of remission by Christ thoughe he had sayed no suche thing vnto them yet he that perceiueth not what comforte of conscience what inwarde ioy of minde what reioising of the spirite they must needes haue that had Christes testimonie and blessing in playne terme for the same purpose he seeth nothing at al. As for my selfe good Christian Reader I am not so free from sinne wo is me therfore nor so voyde of mannes affection but as often I heare in the sacrament of penaunce the priest who to me then is Christ in ful power of pardoning saing the woordes of absolution ouer me me thinke truely I heare the swete voice of Christ saing with authority thy sinnes be forgiueÌ„ thee Wherof no mortall man shal euer forbid me to take hope and singular trust of remission of sinnes with the passing comforte that theron ensueth All these that are without Christes folde seeke not to heare this voice for all their loade of sinne from the heauenly and inteare ioy whereof they be as farre as from the conceiuing of the felicitie to come in heauen it selfe But let them assure them selfes that Christ writeth with his holy finger al their sinnes though to Christ they wil not now confesse them The euels vvich vvyll grovve in vvaâ—t of sacramental penance whiles they refuse the power of remissioÌ„ that he both had hath in earth to the worldes ende without which outwarde solemne acte of penaunce man should either dispaire of Gods mercy and liue in feare intolerable of euerlasting perishing which ofteÌ„ fal to timerous consciences or elles which is now of dayes more common men would lyue in such passing presumptioÌ„ and vayne securitie of heauen that they would neuer till the very last breath of their euel tyme either be sory for sinne or seeke to doo any good worke at al. This time shal testify with me herin and the very diuersitie that is betwen these oure corrupte conditions and the holy studies and endeuours of oure forefathers shall testifie but the dayes that yet are to come muste needes most feele the smarte of it when these that now haue the direction of other mennes steppes shal be gone A greate liklyhod of the lamentable state to come by whom for old discipline wherein they were brought vp some signes remnantes of vertue be continued in the worlde For when they be spent and oure yonkers that neuer heard of the Churches discipline but haue had their ful swinge in sinne with the instruction of a moste wanton doctrine shal be the principall of the people if this diuision so long coÌ„tinue which God forbidde into what termes shal trueth and vertue be then brought Me thinke I see before hand the lamentable state of thinges and in a maner beholde the fructe of our onely faith of this bolde presumption of Goddes mercy of remouing the discipline of penaunce of refusing the onelie ordinaunce of God for remission of oure mortall sinnes Euel are we now but a thousande partes woorse shal they be then which in long nouseling in this naughty learning of liberty shall be in perpetuall woe and haue no feele nor sense thereof And all this muste needes followe vppon the lacke of these outewarde actes and externall wayes of pardoning and punishing offences appointed either for mannes present comforte and solace or elles to kepe in awe the wantons of the worlde by the rodde of outeward discipline which in the Church hath euer especially bene obserued in the sacrameÌ„t of penaunce It were to tedious further to declare how these external means of woorking inwarde grace and remission of sinnes be necessary for the outewarde maÌ„ External sacrameÌ„ts meet for the outevvard man which is sometimes refreshed other whiles bridled by thinges answerable as well outewardly to the body as inwardly to the minde It is needlesse also to treat at large how it is necessary for the one and visible common welth of Christes Church to agree together in all partes therof and be notoriously knoweÌ„ from all other sectes and sortes of peoples that doo not professe Christes name by the outewarde practise of all holy functions by which God hath promised to giue grace remission and sanctification to all his faithfull subiectes All these coÌ„siderations with many the like may serue and satisfy the quiet peaceable children of Christes Church that haue learned to rest in Christes ordinaunce thoughe the causes thereof be not to them opened As for other that are euer doubting and neuer setteled in their faith that alwayes be learning and yet neuer attein to knowledge 2. Tim. 3. that had rather vnderstand much then beleue a litle such felowes I must not so much instruct as by the scriptures and examples of allages controlle and confound if I may Let them therfore be charged SacrameÌ„tes alvvaies vsed for remissioÌ„ of sinnes that God hath not onely vsed froÌ„ the creatioÌ„ of maÌ„ to bring vp al people that serued him in some especial wayes of outward woorshipping but hath also these many worlds deliuered maÌ„ froÌ„ original actual sins by external sacrameÌ„ts sacrifices Aug li. 6. coÌ„tra Iul. cap. 3. SacrameÌ„tes in the lavve of nature not without the priestes especiall
procurement ministery therin What did circumcisioÌ„ instituted by God in the lawe of nature commaÌ„ded to AbrahaÌ„ his seede coÌ„tinued so many ages euen til Christes lawe tooke place Did it not after a sorte remitte sinnes Was it any other thing but an external worke in the face of the worlde Was it not ministered by man Did it derogate any thinge to the honoure of God which by him selfe for his owne glorie and name sake was ordeined And afterwarde in the lawe of Moyses which did drawe nerer vnto Christian vsages by many actions of sacrifices and solemne rites instituted purposely to represent and foreshew the state of our present Church Sacramentes in the lavve of Moyses there we haue playne profe of certayne outward orders instituted for procuring remissioÌ„ pardoÌ„ of sinnes not without especial mentioÌ„ of the priestes ministery in euery of the sayd actions Wherof S. Paule speaketh to the Hebrewes in these woordes Cap. 9. Omnia penè in sanguine mundari ac sine sanguinis effusione non esse remissionem That all thinges were in a maner cleÌ„sed by bloude and that no remission could be had without bloude Leuit. 17. For so in the xvij of Leuiticus they were charged to absteine from drinking of bloud because sanguis animalium pro piaculo est the bloud of beastes stode for an expiation and cleansing of sinnes And therfore Cap. 4. amoÌ„gst the diuers orders of sacrifice mencioned in the sayde booke of their ceremonies ther be diuers expresse wayes by sacrifice to purge mennes sinnes some for the priestes sinnes other for the Princes the third for the coÌ„mon peoples offences And one way for their sinnes committed of ignoraÌ„ce an other for crimes wittingly done Finally som for thoughtes and other some for euell deedes with many moe diuersities as you may see in the saied booke In all which it is euer expressed that the priest is not onely the minister in the saide sacrifice as needes he must be but also with offering of the sayed oblations for sinne that he must make prayer especiallie for the offenders and euery of them seuerally that God may pardon them of that sinne for which they offer their sacrifice For allwayes after the forme and maner of offering be prescribed according to the diuersity of the peoples offences it is added Rogabitque pro eo sacerdos pro peccato eius dimittetur ei And the prieste shal praye for him and for his sinne and it shal be forgiuen him And againe Agat poenitentiam pro pecâ—ato offerat de gregibus agnam siue capram orabit que pro ea sacerdos pro peccatis eius Let the soule doo penaunce and offer a kidde of the flocke or an ewe lambe and so the priest shall praye for that soule and the sinnes therof All which doth not onely conuince that Goddes wil was that remission of sinnes shoulde be had by external sacrifices penaunce and oblatioÌ„ and that not otherwise but by the priestes mediation CoÌ„fession vsed to the priest euen in the olde lavve but also that there was an order euen then often in the olde law that maÌ„ should vtter his sinnes with the greuousnesse therof and circumstances that according to the difference of the faultes the diuersitie of sacrifices and expiation might be vsed and that the priest seuerallie might praye for the remission thereof In all which dooing I will not now dispute whether a carnall Iewe that then had no further respecte but to the present obseruation of those commanded Ceremonies and sacrifices did obteine therby remission of sinnes by which the soule is recoÌ„ciled to God or elles only a fredoÌ„ from some temporall punishment due to the same by lawe amongst the people or otherwise by Goddes appointmeÌ„t but most sure it is that the spirituall sorte which from those sacrifices did not seperate but include Christes bloud August suê‘ Nu. 25. et Leo serm 3. de nati Domini in respect wherof all their sacrifices had their force thoughe not so ful as oures nowe haue nor with so ample promisse of Goddes grace yet sure it is that they by faith in Christ and yet not without those obseruatioÌ„s which it was necessarie that they shoulde then kepe were sanctified and purged verilie froÌ„ their sinnes External elements be not taken a vvay by the nevv lavve but more grace ys put to them nor without the ministerie of the priest whose prayer and sacrifice was requisite for the same purpose Neither were all externall wayes of Goddes worship and remission of sinnes abrogated by the Gospell as some doe falsly fayne but to the external elementes that now eueÌ„ in the newe law be instituted for grace and remission of sinnes Gods fauoure is giueÌ„ graunted a great deale more fully sanctification more plentifully For ells let vs with penauÌ„ce reiect baptisme al other wayes of Gods seruice that be not oÌ„ly internall separated wholy froÌ„ outward elementes of water bread wine impositioÌ„ of haÌ„ds oyle such like which if they dare not do how caÌ„ they auouch that God remitted not sinnes by externall sacrameÌ„tes or not by the haÌ„des of priesthod seing without the order none these holy actes caÌ„ be duely ministred Seing then that almighty god of his passing wisdoÌ„ careful prouideÌ„ce towards maÌ„ hath remitted sinnes in al ages as by the ministerie of maÌ„ in outewarde soleÌ„ne ceremonies as by circuÌ„cisioÌ„ in the lawe of nature by the same in Moyses gouernmeÌ„t besides many other sacrifices vsed coÌ„manded for diuers sinnes actual both greater lesse how caÌ„ it be otherwise but there should be sacrameÌ„tes ordeined in the newe law first for remitting of original sinnes other of al sortes at our first entraunce into Christes house theÌ„ an other for more greuous actual offeÌ„ces coÌ„mited by relapse after Baptisme For ells the lawe should not fully in figure foreshew the trueth great grace of oure sacrameÌ„tes to come wherof lightlie by Gods appointment it did beare a plain expresse reseÌ„blaÌ„ce But besides these forsayd sacrifices Iudiciarie povver for remissioÌ„ of sinnes prefigured in the old lavve in which sinnes were after their maner remitted there was an other vsuall acte practised by the priestes which did more properlie prefigurate represeÌ„t our sacrameÌ„t of penaunce the priestes authoritie in the newe law coÌ„cerning the iudgemeÌ„t of oure soules the exact discussing of oure misdeades For neither circuÌ„cisioÌ„ nor sacrifice of olde had any face of power iudiciarie therefore could not exactly represent oure priestes power giueÌ„ theÌ„ by Christ for the iudgmeÌ„t of our sinnes But the autority giueÌ„ theÌ„ in the law to discern shut vp separate the leprous vnclean persons froÌ„ other the clean of the people did plainly represent our sacrameÌ„t of penaÌ„ce whervnto by the doctours it is ofteÌ„ reseÌ„bled wherin order is takeÌ„ the xiij xiiij of Leuiticus Leuit. 13. 14. the
penaunce nor punishment nor binde him according to the diuersitie and noÌ„ber of his faultes nor can make serch exactlie of al his secrete sinnes by him committed that the senteÌ„ce may procede according to the parties desertes but only vpon his seking that sacrament to minister it vnto him according to Christes institution Concil trident Cap. 2. sess 14. whervpon without any sentence of remission giuen by the priest as I absolue thee or such like a pardon general of all his sinnes committed if he come thither qualified most assuredly ensueth Damas de ortha fide li. 4. Ca. 9 But now in the other sacrament of penaunce not onely pardon of sinnes but punishment for sinnes is put in the Apostles and priestes haÌ„des which can not be don without iudiciarie power and exact examination of the penitent because Christ woulde that if any did greuously sinne after Baptsim he should as it were be conueÌ„ted befor his iugement seat in earth in which as in his roome he hath placed the Apostles and Priestes as is alreadie proued And therefor mens sinnes must in this case be knowen with diuersitie of their kindes and encrease by diuersitie of place time person nuÌ„ber intent For without this particular intelligence can neither the appointed iudges of oure soules doe iustice nor the penitent receiue iustice for his offences Therefore it is euident that seing this holy order is authorished not onely to remit sinnes generally as in Baptisme but also placed with al power ouer vs as the iudges of oure sinnes we must needes by force of Christes institution be driueÌ„ to acknowledge coÌ„fesse al our sinnes to the priest so sitting in iudgmeÌ„t vpoÌ„ the examinatioÌ„ of our coÌ„scieÌ„ces For no maÌ„ euer took vpoÌ„ him not in ciuile causes to determing and giue sentence in the matter whereof he hath not by some meanes or other perfit particular instruction and in causes criminall much lesse because the importaÌ„ce of the matter is much more Then in Gods causes and cases of oure conscience and in thinges belonging directlie to mans euerlasting wealth or woe which is the life or death perpetuall of our soules there if either negligence in the iudge in searching our sinnes or coÌ„tempt in vs in declaration opening confessing or cleare vtteraÌ„ce of theÌ„ doe hinder the righteousnes of Gods iudgmeÌ„tes executed by the Priestes office or driuing theÌ„ to giue wrong senteÌ„ce of deliuery remissioÌ„ there the perill is exceding great the daÌ„nger well nere daÌ„natioÌ„ perpetual Neither may we thinke that this authoritie and approued power of Priestes concerneth onely the opeÌ„ offeÌ„ces which by witnesse and proufe may be conuinced and deferred to the publike Magistrates of the Church as some Protestantes confounding al places of like woordes and termes in Scripture doe Wherein they coÌ„sider not that the perfectnesse of the Gospell teacheth man willingly to accuse 1. Cor. 11. condemne and iudge him selfe that he be not iudged of oure Lorde Neither doe they weigh that this iudgment of oure sinnes thoughe it be ministred by man is yet the feat and courte of Christe to whom it no lesse perteineth to binde or loose oure secret sinnes then oure open offences And he without exception committed remission of all maner of sinnes vnto the Apostles and priestes saing Like as my Father sent me so doo I sende you But Christ was sent to heale the contrite and sorowfull of all sinnes priuate and publike therfore al maner of offeÌ„ces be they neuer so secrete belong to the priestes not onely pardon but also correction and punishment wherof because they be men they can not iustelie discerne or determine to remitte or reteine giue pardon or geue penaunce Marc. 10. except they be coÌ„fessed by the parties penitent Christ him selfe Note vvel perfectlie seeing all diseases both of body and soule and the inward sorowe sute of euerie mans harte yet sayed to the sicke man blind Quid vis faciam tibi what wouldest thou haue at my handes And shal the priest being a mortal man take vpoÌ„ him to giue sentence of the diseases of oure soules before he know them or pardon him that will not shewe vnto him wherin for what sinne he asketh a pardon Furthermore the sinnes of manns cogitation that caÌ„ not be discerned by the priest without the confession of the party be often no lesse greuous and daÌ„nable before God then the opeÌ„ offences therfore ther may be no doubt but Christ hath ordeined mercy as wel for them as other that be actually committed and subiect to the light of the world but yet no otherwise but by the sacrament of penaunce in which without exception the priestes haue power to remitte or reteine sinnes as wel priuate as publike Therefore the same secrette sinnes being subiecte to the Churches iudgmeÌ„t no lesse theÌ„ the opeÌ„ they must needes be vttered coÌ„fessed or els they caÌ„ not be released much lesse haue any enioyned penaunce for them But it is mere wraÌ„gling of oure Aduersaries in so plain a case and folie in al other to doubt whether secret offences euen committed in thought onely against the two last commandementes forbidding vnlawfull coueting and desires of the minde be properly subiect to the priestes iudgement seing they caÌ„ be no otherwise released but in the sacrament of penaunce and sincere confession of them For here is practised a iudgement Note wel the difference betvvene the ciuiâ—e iudgemeÌ„t and the sacrameÌ„tal not of ciuile Magistrates which onely punishe by lawes of all nations actually committed faultes against the weale Publike but of soule and coÌ„science which properly perteine to the cure of priestes as they properly occupie Christes owne roome to whose pardon or punnishement not onely open sinnes but also priuate offences either in dede or thought committed doo in like perteine For externall Penaunce or publike is rather vsed to satisfy the Church of her right in which sinnes can not openly be committed but to the greate offence of her children and therefore muste in her by publike Penaunce be corrected for the example of discipline and prouiso of the like sinnes to come Moreouer the sacrifices of the olde Lawe were in many cases doone by the priestes as well for priuate sinnes as open whiche coulde not be without the confession of the penitent ergo much more the secrettes of oure soules be subiect to oure priestes to whom Christ hath giuen al iudgement Yet al this notwithstanding there be some that kepe them selues by vaine excuse of sinne froÌ„ the very principal point and pith of this sacrament which is the particular examination of a mannes sinnes coÌ„mitted by thought woorde or worke wil yet draw backe hold that a general coÌ„fession is enough with termes vniuersal acknowledging a mans selfe to haue sinnes by minde woorde deede though he expresse not the seueral pointes therof But this opinion is coÌ„futed both by al the foresaid reasons and other as a most
absurde and wilful maintenaunce of sinne For by this rule he that killed and murdered thousandes shoulde confesse no more after his wicked actes then before Confession by a general clause is not sufficient to saluation not aunsvverable to Christes meaning nor no more then the innocentest man that liueth Dauids weeping and confession shoulde haue bene one after his dooble deadly sinne committed as before in his innocencie Peter should not haue more bitterly wept after his forsaking of his master then before Neither should our confessioÌ„ then pertein more to ourselues then to other who by like general clauses may truely make the like the same confession as it is nowe in the Church of England But the holy King Dauid confessed not sinnes common to himself and other men but my sinne my wickednes my impietie saith he and this in confessing to God that knew already his sinnes Howe muche more nowe where Gods iudgement is exercised by man that cannot discerne oure faultes him selfe must we confesse oure sinnes that he may rightly iudge thereof Penaunce must be doone for euery of oure sinnes So Peter prescribed Simon the sorcerer when he attempted to haue bought the gifte of Goddes Spirite that he shoulde doo penaunce for that especial greuous crime Poenitentiam age saith he ab hac nequitia tua Doo penaunce for this thy wicked attempt if perchance God wil forgiue thee this abhominable intent Act. â— The maÌ„ was baptised not long before and then no suche Penaunce was prescribed for his most greuous and blasphemous practises of Nicromancie witche crafte loÌ„g exercised before But now after he was of the howsholde euery sinne that is greuous must seuerally be cured Wherin this noughty packe SimoÌ„ Magus is a thousaÌ„d partes more religious theÌ„ our newe maisters For he desired the Apostles to pray to God for him that this sinne might be forgiueÌ„ him wher these care no more for the priest or Apostle concerning their sinnes then they doo for dogges Againe S. Paule did not onely confesse his sinnes by a general clause but acknowledged his owne sinnes 1. Tim. â— wherin he in his owne person had offended he confessed he was of all sinners greatest that he had persecuted the Church of Christ that he had obteined commission to attache them that beleued in Christes name and so furth Suche as were faithful also at Ephesus Act. 1â— as we reade in the xix of the Actes came to the Apostles Et confitebanâ—ur actus suos and confessed their owne proper actes and misdeades In so much that certeine which had folowed vnlawfull artes as Magike Nicromancie and such like curiosity coÌ„fessed their faultes and burned their bookes before all the people If the priestes had nothing elles to doo with oure sinnes but as they had in the olde lawe to doo with the leprous persons that is to say should onely discerne which were by God remitted or not remitted they coulde not that doo expcepte they sawe the variety of the sayde sinnes by mans confession But now seing they haue further interest in oure matters and must properly both pardon and giue iust penaunce for sinne The benefite of a generall ConfessioÌ„ how is it possible they should doo this without exacte knowlege of euery of oure greuous offences In deed a general confession suche as is often made in diuine seruice to God or his priestes such as be Catholik doth some times take away the common infirmities of oure sinfull life that oure light trespaces be not imputed to vs or suche as we haue so forgotten that we can not by any conuenient search cal againe to oure remembraunce But other greatter crimes and deadly sinnes for which the sacrament of discipline was instituted and the priestes iudgement seat erected in the Church are not discharged before God without seuerall contrition and distincte confession with ready intent of the penitent to accomplish such fructes of penaunce as by the priest shal be appointed for the satisfiyng for his sinnes And what a merueilouse disordeâ— is brought into Christes Churche by playne flatterie of oure selues herein whiles we holde that this generall confession is sufficient we see by experience of these oure euell dayes The fructe of this nevv doctrine where there is nowe putte no difference betwixte small offendours and moste greuouse sinners no diuersitie of penaunce no more sorowe in one then in other no confession of the most wicked no more then of the smallest sinner or most honest liuer A common murtherer a filty hooremunger a daylie drunkerd a false robber a gredy extorcioner confesse as litle doo as litle penauÌ„ce lameÌ„t as litle yea a great deale lesse theÌ„ the honest sorte of people doe for much more smal fewer faultes All meÌ„ repose them selfes now of dayes so much in Christes passioÌ„ and their onely no faith that they will neither confesse to God nor man neither sigh nor sorow nor doo satisfactioÌ„ for their sinnes Well There must be in penaunce som representation of Goddes iudgmeÌ„t to come let al men be assured that God in the next world will not goe by generall chapters but will haue an accompte of all our proper woorkes and misdedes till it come to our idle woords vaine thoughtes The which iudgement because Gods Churches Ministers sentence to whom Christ gaue all iudgmeÌ„t of our sinnes in earth doth most clearly resemble we may be out of doubt that the like particular discussing and examination of oure owne selues here before his ministers must needes be had that we be not iudged of owre Lotde in the life to come And this particular discussing S. Paule ment by 1. Cor. 12. when he commended vnto the Corinthians and by them coÌ„manded all Christian meÌ„ to proue trie and iudge them selues especially afore the receipte of the blessed Sacrament of Christes body and bloude which requireth moste puritie of life in the receiuer that can be For to attempt to receiue the holy body of Christ before we haue in contrite maner confessed oure selfes CoÌ„fessioÌ„ is necessarie before the receiueÌ„g of the sacrameÌ„t for suche as be in deadly sinne and purged oure consciences by the iudgemeÌ„t of Christs Church of the gilt of deadlie sinne is exceeding damnable to vs and much dishonoure to Christes owne person Which prouing and iudging of mannes selfe to be meant by the diligent discussing of oure consciences sinnes and misdedes by contrition and confession of them to oure ghostlie father the practise of the Church doth most plainly proue which neuer suffered any greuous sinner to communicate before he had called him selfe to a reckning of his sinnes before the minister of God and so iudged him selfe that he receiue not to his damnation that which to euery worthy person is his life and saluation De Ecclesiast dog cap. 53. Whereof S. Augustine or the authour of the booke de Ecclesiasticis dogmatibus set furth withe his name geueth vs good notice for his time
Quem mortalia crimina post Baptismum commissa premunt hortor prius publica poenitentia satisfacere ita sacerâ—otis iudicio reconciliatum communioni sociari si vult non ad iudicium condemnationem sui Eucharistiam percipere sed secreta satisfactione solui mortalia crimina non negamus I exhorte euery man saieth this holy doctour that is burdened after his baptisme with mortall sinne to satisfie for the same by publike penaunce and to be reconciled by the priestes iudgement and to be restored to the communion of Sainctes if he meane to receiue the holy Sacrament not to his iudgement and condemnation And I deny not in this case but deadly sinnes may be remitted by secrette satisfaction Thus he By whose woordes you see in what a damnable state moste men now of dayes stand seeing that who so euer receiueth the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud besore he be reconciled by a priestes sentence and assoiled of his sinnes he doth receiue it to his euerlasting damnatioÌ„ Vnto whose iudgemeÌ„t I ioyne S. CypriaÌ„ in this same matter complaining very earnestly vpon certayne Conuersies in his dayes that would aduenture vpon Christes body and bloude Serm. de lapsis aute exomologesim factam criminis ante purgatam conscientiam sacrificio manu sacerdotis Besore their sinnes be confessed and their coÌ„sciences purged by sacrifice and the Priestes hande Al these thinges might be at large declared and confirmed further by the iudgemeÌ„t of most auncient Fathers but because I haue bene very long and enough already may seme to be sayde for suche as by reason wil be satisfied and a great deale more then any Protestant wil aunswer vnto and also the scriptures theÌ„ selues giuing the priest so plainl power of binding and reteining as weâ— as of remitting and loosing will doo more with these that haue charged them selues with the belief of nothing that is not in expresse writing of Gods woord then the vniforme consent of al ages and the moste notable persons in the same In respect of their humour therfore I wil not say much more for this pointe then I haue sayed onely my meaning now is for the Catholiques comforte to repete a fewe suche euident sentences out of most authentique authors by whom we may take a taste not onely of their meaninges which is much for the matter but especially of the Churches practise in al ages most couÌ„tries christened since the Apostles time which I accoÌ„pt the most surest way to touche and trye trueth by that by the example of al our forefathers euery man may willingly learne to submit him selfe to the senteÌ„ce of suche as God hath made the iudges of his soule and sinnes That confession hath euer bene vsed of al mortal sinnes in al couÌ„tries and ages since â—hristes time it is proued by the witnesse of moste learned fathers with an aunswer to suche thinges as oute of the fathers be sometimes obiected to the contrarie The eleuenth Chap. I am the longer in this approued trueth because I remember what S. Chrisostom saieth Dâ— sacerli 2. And I see by these dayes that it is very true which he writeth Multa arte opus esse vt qui laborant Christiani vltrò sibiipsis persuadeant sacerdotum curationibus sese submittere That it is a pointe of highe wisdom and conning to bring to passe that Christian men which are sicke in soule would persuade them selues to submitte in all causes them selues to the priestes curing For in deede in Nectarius his predecessours dayes ther was suche an offence arose to the simple sorte and such a Trageady in Constantinople Church by the noughty facte of a Deacon there An aunsvver to a certaine storie alleaged by the aduersaries against CoÌ„fession that their Bishoppe was gladde to make the state of penaunce whiche then was often publiste euen for priuate sinnes to be a great deale more free then before Whervppon the people tooke occasion of suche liberty and licentious life that when their common Penitenciarie by the commandement of Nectarius was remoued they were exceding loath to confesse or doo iuste Penaunce for their sinnes att all Thughe that good man condescending to the peoples weakenes ment neuer to take away that whole order wherein he had no authority because it is no politike prouision but Christes institution but onely that the penaunce should not be publike except the party listed of those sinnes which were to the saied Penitenciarie confessed in secrette Which facte of his thoughe perchaunce it was necessary for that tyme yet it was not allowed of the Writers of the same History Lib. 9. ca. 35 tripar histor as a thing sayeth Sozomenus that broughte muche dissolute life and alteration of the peoples manners in to the Churche Yet oure aduersaries are in such distresse for the maintenaunce of their contrary assertion against holie Confession that they be not ashamed to alleadge this mans doubtfull example Whiche if it were good and to be folowed yet made yt nothing against priuate shrifte which they call nowe auricular confession or if it did make againste the whole Sacrament euery way ministered yet it coulde not of reason be folowed being but one Bishoppes compelled acte and that disalowed euen of the reporters them selues and proued to be euel by the practise of all Churches christened to the contrary And sure it is that S. Chrysostome who succeded Nectarius had much a doo to bring the people made more licencious by the foresayd graunt to the distincte numbering of all their sinnes to the priest Sermon de paenit coÌ„fess againe which he knewe to be necessary by Christes institution and therefore in exhorting them to confession he speaketh much of bashfullnes which the people had in vttering their sinnes and of feare of vpbraiding of suche thinges as they had confessed to the priestes and of comming furth as it were to a publike stage to open their offences as the vse was in his predecessours dayes Of al which thinges and other impedimeÌ„tes of confession this doctor doth discharge the penitents by awarranting them that priuate confession which is made without witnesse and to him that shall no laye any thing confessed to theire chardge or open it to the worlde is enough thoughe the open order vsed before he counteth the more perfect and better wherin he saieth that Iob was not a shamed to confesse his faultes before the worlde muche lesse Christen men shoulde be abashed to open them selues to God not meaning so by confession made to God as thougâ—e he discharged them of opening their sinnes in the close consistorie of the priestes iudgment which he in deede did not but he meaneth Magister quaâ—to seÌ„tentiaruÌ„ as the Maister firste aunswered and other schole men of greate and exacte iudgement after him that in steede of publike confession made in the face of the Church secrette opening to the priest who occupieth there the seate of God and therefore would
neuer shame him a fore men woulde serue Mary the trueth is that the late libertie that his people was sette in through the disordered demeanoure of the foresaid Deacon made this conning shepherd and expert preacher so to vse his woordes as they might winne moste of the woorste and be least offence to the weake And therefore he speaketh so warelye and indifferentlie that sometimes he biddeth them confesse to God and yet with seuerall numberinge of euery of their sinnes otherwhiles in the verie same sermon he saieth atque oportebat maximè apud homines ea dicere aÌ„d yet they should be opened to men that so they might vnderstande his meaning and yet not be hable to reprehend his woordes Who were so weake as I sayd and so vsed to libertie by the looâ—ing of the lawe in Nectarius dayes that S. Chrysostom had muche a doe to make them submitte them selues and their sinnes to the pastours of their soules Wherin not onely his great obtestations in the beginning of his sermon but also his continual bearing on this string that they should not be confounded nor abashed to vtter their sinnes proueth plainly that his onely purpose was to bring theÌ„ to coÌ„fession and penaunce sacramentall doen by the priestes ministerie For there he chargeth them that they did not weepe nor lament nor confesse their sinnes which he coulde not doo rightly if those thinges were onely inwardly in cogitation and harte to be doen. For how coulde he know that they did not make confession to man as we now know that no heretike maketh confession neither lamenteth neither doth penaunce for his sinnes because they haue remoued the way of Goddes Church whereby suche thinges had wont to be doone And by which Christ hath appointed it to be doone Otherwise they will say they confesse them selfes dayly to God and so did S. Chrysostomes flocke I warrantyon but he compted that no sacramentall confessing excepte they did it to God by the priestes ministery which is the way of confession which God hath appoynted But who so euer list see the most assured and vndoubted meaning of this holy Father touching confession to a priest wheron I stand the longer because oure aduersaries would picke quarells with Goddes Church vpon certeine particles of his sentence let him reade the second and thirde booke of the dignitie of prieshod where he doth not onely attribute more dignitie to that order theÌ„ to any other creature vnder God but also maketh the priestes to be as well the iudges as surgeons of our soules as to whom the serching Lib. 2. de sacerdotio the cutting the burning the harde griping the opening or the closing of euerie of oure woundes and sores of conscience doth aperteine In all which cases he saith Qui igitur phramacum ei morbo adhibere quis possit cuius genus nequaquaÌ„ intelligat how should a man salue that sore the nature and kinde wherof he knoweth not and to know it without confession of the partie is not possible Epist 188 For the thinges within a maÌ„ none knoweth but the spirite whiche is in man And truely sayd the Countie Bonifacius to S. Augustine Ipse sibi denegat curam qui suam medico non publicat causam He hindereth his owne health that will not vtter his disease and the cause thereof to his Physition And further if you will be assured of the said ChrysostoÌ„s mind touching confession read his exposition vpoÌ„ the woordes of the institutioÌ„ of this sacrament super 20. Ioannis and of Christes breathing the holy Ghost vpon his Disciples for their power to remit sinnes Where he declareth that these holy thinges committed to the priestes charge doe properly apperteine to God by whose special graâ— we obteine remission euen then when the priest doth absolue vs where he also expresseth the verie maner of the Church in geuing absolution till this daye saing that the priest doth but as you would saye lende his voice and his hande Signifieng that the maner was then at it is yet to speake the woordes of absolution and laye the hande vpon the penitents head in the sacrament of penaunce So in sense saith S. Chrysostom But to leaue him and fall to other of great antiquitie and lerning whose iudgmentes also will proue not onely for the trueth of this doctrine but also which is much more for the vniformitie of this open Ceremonie which the Church of olde vsed and therefore in the like trueth of things yet kepeth DiuinoruÌ„ decret epist cap de poeni ten Theodoritus therefore a Greke author also doth playnly insinuate not onely the whole sacrameÌ„t but eueÌ„ this Ceremonie of layng on handes in the acte of absolution Sunt medicabilia saiht he etiam quae post baptismum fiunt vulnera medicabilia autem non vt olim per solam fidem data remissione sed per multas lachrymas fletus et ieiunium orationem laborem facti peccati quantitate moderatum Qui enim non siâ— affecti sunt eos nec admittere quidem didicimus nec diuina sunt manu impertienda Nolite inquit dare sanctum canibus nec margaritas porcis The woundes whith are made eueÌ„ after Baptisme be to be healed mary they caÌ„ not be remedied as before in Baptisme by remission obteined by onely faith Remedies for sinnes ofter baptism but they must now be cured by teares and weeping by fasting and praing and by penauÌ„ce measured after the quantitie and nature of the faulte For who so euer be not so qualified we haue not learned to receiue theÌ„ to grace neither be the holy giftes to be bestowed wpoÌ„ theÌ„ by oure haÌ„d Giue not saieth he holy things to dogges nor precious stones to swine Thus doth Theodoritus allude also to oure maner yet vsed in the sacrameÌ„t where remission is geueÌ„ by the priestes woord hand For which cause S Augustine calleth this sacrament of recoÌ„ciliatioÌ„ somtimes De baptis contra dona tistas li. 8. Cap. 20. Imposition of hande as he doth other sacramentes moe also where the priestes by this externall Ceremonie of laying on of handes vse to giue grace But to go forward in oure matter Quaest 288. regul contra S. Basill a Greke writer also doth euideÌ„ly shew both his meaning his Churches practise touching confession both ofteÌ„ els namely where he saith vpon the occasioÌ„ of a questioÌ„ moued touching the matter thus necessariuÌ„ est vt ijs fiat coÌ„fessio peccatoruÌ„ quibus dispeÌ„saâ—io mysterioruÌ„ Dei credita est Nam hoc pacto qui olim inter sanctos poeniteÌ„tiam egeruÌ„t fecisse reperiuÌ„tur It is necessarie saieth he that oure coÌ„fessioÌ„ shoulde be made to them to whome god hath credited the disposing aÌ„d bestowing of his holie mysteries For so the Saintes of old did penaunce as we reade And he allegeth more the penauÌ„ce was vsed special sorowfulnes for sinnes with som kind of coÌ„fessioÌ„ of sins in baptim how
much more theÌ„ must we now vse the same where it is more required where Christ hath instituted a Sacrament to that ende to remit sinnes committed by relapse after Baptisme Mat. 3. Mar 1. And in dede the custom of Iohn the Baptist proueth that there was a kind of confession necessarie or at the leaste conuenient before the institutioÌ„ of this SacrameÌ„t For the EuaÌ„gelistes doo say Baptizabantur ab eo in Iordane confiâ—entes peccata sua men were baptised of him in Iordan and made coÌ„fession of their sinnes So that Iohn may seme to haue prepared the way to Christes doctrine and Sacramentes not onely by his baptisme but also by the vsing of the people to confesse their faultes and yet it is not necessarie that his vsage of penaunce should be of like force or should conteyne an exact confession of euerie sinne as the institution of Christ afterward did include no more theÌ„ this batism may be thought to be fully answerable either in maner of vsage or force efficacy to the holy sacrameÌ„t of Baptisme by Christ instituted for the office of the new lawe And in an other place the sayd S. Basil treateth how yong Nons and holie sacred Virgens shoulde confesse Questione 100. them selues And in an other place he admonisheth all men to be circuÌ„spect in choice of their ghostlie father by whose sentence sinnes ought with singular discretion to be iudged or examined Whereby it is most manifeste that coÌ„fession to the priestes was vsed and compted necessarie in his dayes Nicephorus later then he Niceph cartophilax ad Theodos but a learned Greke writer declareth also vnto Theodosius a moncke that the power of binding and loosing sinnes was committed to Bishopes by oure merciful Lorde Christe Iesus in so much saith he that once all men came and confessed their secrete sinnes to them by whome they either receiued pardon or were put backe But nowe throughe the encrease of Christian people and great tediousnes of the worke they haue coÌ„mitted this busines much what to religious persons such as he of tried coÌ„ditions for to be most profitable to others Thus saith he in sense These therfore many other do testify for their Church in what soleÌ„ne vse sacramental Confession hath euer ben wherin we haue the lesse need to stand loÌ„g seing the same History that our Aduersaries doe somtime alleadge plainely reporteth that not only in the Church of Constantinople but also in the west Churches Penitentiaries appointed to heare Confessions and namely at Rome alwaies since Nouatus the Heretiks false opinion touching penance rose a vertuous Priest sadde secreat and wise was appointed to heare the sinnes of al men and was called the Penitentiarie then as he and the like of that office be called yet We call them Confessours of olde in Grece they were named Spirituall maisters or Fathers as we now terme them in our Mother tongue Ghostlie Fathers also Qui secundùm vnius cuiusque culpam indicebant mulctam Who saieth Sozomenus according to euery mans faulte prescribed due penance Which penaÌ„ce though it were often openlie done by the confessours appointment yet the sinnes were not knowen for whiche the penance was prescribed For the confession was secreat or auricular as we call it now as is plaine by the Historie elles the Prieste of that office should not haue bene charged with secrecie and silence though the confession sometimes was also open where the penitents deuotion or desire so required as it may be yet For it is no mater for the substance of the Sacramente whether it be publike or priuate And it is the condiscending to the peoples weaknes that that should be so secreat generally which often in old time hath ben opeÌ„ And yet I think no man was euer coÌ„pelled by any precept of the Church to coÌ„fesse in the publik face of the Church his sinnes that were coÌ„mitted secretly Epist ad Episc Piceni Campaniae See this place at large by and by folovving hereafter Though in Leo the great his daies there was a custome not allowable that men were forced to geue vppe a libell openly of all their sinnes Which rigorous custom the saied holy Father afterward abrogated Neuer the lesse the penance was of olde often publike the fourme wherof appeareth in S. Ambrose in Tertullian who both haue written seueral bookes De Poenitentia PoeniteÌ„tes in S. Augustine in sundrie places and in this present Historie of Sozomenus And loÌ„g after their daies there were some that were called Poenitentes PeniteÌ„ts which were barred from the holy CoÌ„munion the secrets sone raigne holy of the blessed mysteries of the Masse so long as their prescribed penaÌ„ce indured besides fasting almose other like penalties enioyned And especially in LeÌ„t time there wer of these deuout publik Penitents as appereth by diuerse orders of the seruice in the Church appointed agreeing to theÌ„ who lightly were seperated till the celebrating of Christes supper passioÌ„ in the holy daies next before Easter Wherof yet in most Churches ther remaineth a smal signe by disciplin geueÌ„ to the people with rods on the same daies But now these many yeres the peoples feablenes considered there is no publike Penance geuen nor receiued in the Sacrament muche lesse open Confession made of any secret crimes the Churche being well assured that this Auricular Confession fullie aunswereth Christes institution and agreeth also with the often practise of the Primitiue Church herein though the Heretikes and some of their faultours as Beatus Rhenanus B. Rhenanus or who els so euer wrote the Preface that commonlie is annexed to Tertullian deny the same And truely seing their wanton pleasure is not to beare secreat Confession I dare sai thei caÌ„ much lesse away with publike Penance or Confession which is a thousand times more burdenous But now if you would coÌ„ferre with the Fathers of al ages and of euery notable Church touching this Confession to Gods Priests you may beginne if you list euen at this day and driue vppe both the truth of the doctrine the perpetual practise thereof euen to the Apostles time Sess 14. Cap. 5. de Confess Ca. 3. â— In the late holie Councell holden at Trent bothe the doctrine is confirmed declared with al grauitie and also the Aduersaries of that Sacrament and the misconstruers of Christes woordes of remission to pertaine to preaching of the Gospel and not to the very act of absolution De Sacrament Poeniten be by the consent of al Catholike states of the Christian world accursed excommunicated It was at Florence also decreed in a most notable generall assemblie of both the Latin and Greke Churche that as well the whole Sacrament of Penance as that especiall part which is called Confession was of Christes institution In the great Councel holden at Lateran Can. 21. Omnis vtriusque sexus there is so plain charge geuen to euery
Christian to coÌ„fesse his sinnes either to his own ordinary Parochian or to some other Priest that hath by him or otherwise authority and iurisdiction ouer the Penitent that Protestants affirme albeit very falslie that Confession was first instituted in the said Councel and this was more then three hundreth yeares since And foure hundred yeares before that in a Prouincial Councel kept at Vormacia Can. 7. there is a Canon made coÌ„cerning the qualities of the Priests that are constituted to be CoÌ„fessours Penitentiaries where it is commaunded that they be such Qui possunt singulorum causas originem quoque modum culparum sigillatim considerare examinare that can particularly trie out and examine the causes of euery offeÌ„der the manner and grouÌ„d of their faultes Which decree is borowed woord for woorde almost Can. 102. out of the last Canon of Constantinople Councel called the sixth general whiche was long before all the foresaid Synodes Their discourse is long vpon the Priests dutie which should siâ—te on confessions whoÌ„ they instruct by these woordes Oportet qui facultateÌ„ absoluendi et ligandi à Deo receperunt peccati qualitatem speculentur et peccatoris promptitudinem ad reuersionem vt sic medicamentum admoueant aegritudini aptum ne si de peccato sine discrimine staâ—uant aberrent à salute aegrotantis Those that haue receiued of our Lord power to loose and binde must trie out the qualitie of euery fault and the readinesse of the offender to returne to vertue that they may prouide a medicine meet for the malady least if they should without distincte knowledge of their sinne geue iudgemeÌ„t they should erre in prouiding health for the sick person By which Councell keâ—t in Constantinople you may easelie gather that neither Confession was euer omitted by lawe nor the common Penitenciarie long abrogated out of CoÌ„stantinople Churche And when I name these decrees of so many general Councels in diuerse ages I doe not only cal them generally to witnes for my cause which were enough seeing euery determination there passeth as by the sentence of the holy Ghoste and Christes owne iudgemente of whose presence such holy assemblance is assured but I appeale to euery holy Bisshop Vvhat it is to allege a general Councel Priest and Prince of the world that agreed to the same and were there assembled euery of which was of more experience learning and vertue or at the least of more humility then all our Aduersaries aliue But now if you go to trye other the learned writers of all times for the practise of this point then our labour shal be infinit but our cause more strong our Aduersaries soner confounded I need not for that practise name the learned Schoolmen of excellent capacitie in deepe mysteries because they were so late and because Heretikes can not denie but they are al vndoubtedly against them and euerye one for vs Thomas Aquinas is oures Dionysius is oures I meane the Carthusian If any man doubt of S. Bernard lette him reade the life of Malachie whom he praiseth for bringing into vre the most profitable vse of Confession In vitam Malach. in the rude partes of Ireland S. Bede is proued before Super 5. ca. Iacob not only to haue allowed confession to the Priest but to haue expounded S. Iames woordes of Confession for the sacramente of Penance and vttering our sinnes to Gods Ministers And he recordeth that in oure Countrie of England before his daies S. Bede sheweth examples of CoÌ„fession to a Prieste vsed in England Cap. 25. Confession was vsed to a Priest Whereof as also of Penance and satisfaction there is an exaÌ„ple or two in the fourth booke of his Ecclesiasticall Historie of oure Churche Before him S. Gregorie so well liketh and knoweth this practise of sacramental Confession In Prasprali Gregorij that in his Pastorall he prescribeth the Priestes of Gods Church many wayes howe to seeke out the diseases of their peoples soules and according to the variety of the same to admitte or put backe to pardon or to punnish De â—oen dist 6. Cap. de Sacer. S. yea so plaine he is in this matter that he chargeth the Priest to be exceding grieuously punnished that in any case shall vtter the Penitentes confession or anye parte thereof Againe farre aboue these holy Leo and Great amending the hard custom that in some places of Italie and Campania Epist 80. was vsed touching publik confession of priuate sinnes he saieth Reatus conscientiarum sufficiat solis sacerdotibus indicari confessione secreta Quamuis enim plenitudo fidei videtur esse laudabilis Vide euÌ„dem ad Theodor. Iuli. â—orens qua propter Dei timorem apud homines erubescere non veretur tamen quia non omnium huiusmodi sunt peccata vt velint in poenitentiam ea publicari remoueatur tam improbabilis consuetudo ne multi à poenitentiae remedijs arceantur dum aut erubescunt aut metuunt mimicis suis facta sua reserare quibus possint legum constitutione percelli Sufficit enim illa confessio quae primùm Deo offertur tunc etiam sacerdoti qui pro debitis confitentium precator accedit Tunc enim demum plures ad poenitentiam potuerunt prouocari si populi auribus non publicetur conscientia confitentis Yt is enough Mark the reasons of this holy Father for auricular confession that the gilt and offences of mans conscience be opened to the Priestes alone in secreat Confession For though the feruoure of faith be verie laudable which is contente for Gods sake to be ashamed before man yet because the sinnes of euerye man be not such that the penitent woulde gladlie vtter openly let so reprobable custome be abolished least many be holdeÌ„ from the remedies of penance whiles either they are ashamed or feare to opeÌ„ their deedes to their ennemies by whome they might by order of lawe be punnished For that confession is sufficient which is made first to God and then to the Priest also who wil be an intercessour for the sinnes of them that confesse For then might moe be prouoked to penance if the secreat conscience of the confessed be not published to the eares of the people Thus saieth S. Leo a man of that time and credite as our Aduersaries would wish Let them say now that priuate confession began in Lateran Councel ConfessioÌ„ vsed before Laterane Councel as vvel as the receiuing of the B. Sacrament because that thing which euer was counted and vsed as necessarie was there decreed for the ameÌ„ding of the peoples slouth to be done euery yeare once at the least before they receiued the blessed Sacrament As truely may they say that the Euchariste and receiuing thereof was begon in the same Councel and by the very same Canon For as ther is charge that euery maÌ„ should be confessed so there is commaundement geueÌ„ that euery man shal receiue once a yeare the
blessed Sacrament So litle care they haue what they say so that thei say enough to begile them that can skil of nothing But to holde on vpwarde holie Prosper geueth good euidence for his time De vita conteÌ„pt touching the practise of Confession and needful recourse to Priestes for the release of their sinnes Sundrie remedies he sheweth for euerie sore of mans soule much he moueth al christiaÌ„s to coÌ„fesse their sinnes aduertising theÌ„ of the danger therof if thei keep them close thus he saith Illi quoruÌ„ peccata humanam notitiam lateÌ„t nec ab ipsis coÌ„fessa nec ab alijs publicata si ea confiteri aut emendare noluerit DeuÌ„ queÌ„ habeÌ„t testeÌ„ ipsum habituri sunt et vltoreÌ„ Et quid eis ê“dest humanuÌ„ vitare iudiciuÌ„ cùm si in malo suo permanserint ituri sunt in aeternuÌ„ Deo retribueÌ„te suppliciuÌ„ lib. 2. c. 7. Note vvel these vvords of Prosper That is to say Those men whose sins be secret be not coÌ„fessed of theÌ„ selues nor published by other men if they wil not confesse them or correct them they shal haue God their iust reueÌ„ger whoÌ„ they haue now a record of their wickednes And what are thei the better to escape mans verdict when if they coÌ„tinue in wickednes by the iust iugemeÌ„t of God they shal goe into euerlasting punishment And afterward in the same Chapiter which is exceding much to be considered he geueth al Priests careful admonition that if any of them hauing committed deadly sin do notwithstanding without coÌ„fession vttering of the same hold on his ministery of the B. SacrameÌ„t because he would not in the sight of men be noted vnworthie that in this case he damneth him selfe before God whose heauy indignation he can not auoide whiles he is ashamed to vtter his sinnes vnto men All this meaning hath S. Prosper De visit infirmorum lib. 2 cap. 4. and his equal in age S. Augustine toucheth the disease of our daies very sharply saying thus There be some whiche thinke that it is enough for their saluation if they confesse their faultes to Godde alone to whom nothing is hid and from whom no mans conscience is close For they wil not or they be ashamed or at the least they disdaine to submitte themselues to the Priests whom God hath geuen power vnto to discearne the cleane from the vnclean But I would thou shouldest not beguile thy self by false perswasion or some respecte of shame that thou hast to confesse vnto the Priest who is Gods Vicare For I tel thee thou must vnder his iudgement whom God doth not disdaine to constitute his Vicegerent But this Doctour made a whole woorke of penance and the wayes of recouerie of Christian mens fall after Baptisme by the Priestes iudgement and sacrament of Confession Of whiche bookes if any man list doubt yet lette him be assured that they be bothe auncient catholike learned and agreable to the doctrine of S. Augustines daies who so euer made them And our cause is so much more holpen because not onely S. Augustine who is plaine in these maters vpon S. Matthewes Gospel and elles where as is declared alredy but also other of great antiquitie confirme the same plainly confound the pride of our daies in which men are not so muche ashamed of their sinnes as they be disdainefull to confesse their sinnes vnto a poore Prieste though he iustlie occupie the very iudgement seat of God And S. Ambrose Ambrosius ex Paulino these mens auncient somwhat did knowe this practise so well and allow it that he did sit in his owne person on confession as Paulinus doth recorde whose behauiour in that diuine office S. Ambrose sat on Confessions him selfe that all Priestes may perceiue and all the people note I will reporte Quotiescunque illi aliquis ob percipiendam poenitentiam lapsus suos confessus esset ita flebat vt illum flere coÌ„pellerat Causas autem criminum quas illi confitebantur nulli nisi Domino soli apud queÌ„ intercedebat loquebatur bonum relinquens exemplum posteris sacerdotibus vt intercessores apud Deum sint magis quam accusatores apud homines That is to say So often as any man came vnto him to confesse his faultes and receiue penance he so wepte that he made the Penitente to weepe also But the faults themselues which they confessed he vttered to no man but to God alone to whome for their sinnes he made sute leaninge a blessed example to al Priests of the posteritie to accoÌ„pt themselues rather as intercessours to God for sins then accusers of meÌ„ before the world for their sinnes This saith Paulinus of S. Ambrose whereby at once we see the iudgement of theÌ„ both for our matter But go forward S. Cyprians meaning is so plain for confessioÌ„ of sinnes that he prescribeth the very thoughtes of man that be sinful and damnable to be vttered vnto the Priestes praising them that vpon only intent and purpose of committing idolatrie hoc ipsum apud â—acerdotes Dei dolenter simpliciter coÌ„fitebantur did simply and sorowfully make confession therof to the priestes of God Sermon de lapsis And nowe that we are for the practise proufe hereof at S. CypriaÌ„ which is high in Goddes Church we neede not staye here though we be far enoughe paste oure Aduersaries accompt in suche cases that laye it downe at Lateran Councell a whole thousand yeares shorte of those dayes Tertul. de poenit I wil not I much speake of Tertullian whome S. Cyprian calleth Maister his whole booke writen of penaunce doth make altogether for this sacrament and for confession to be made to Goddes priestes which he calleth exomologesin prosternendi atque humiliandi hominis disciplinam and emongst other things perteining to that acte of confessioÌ„ penauÌ„ce which then was much more publike seuere then it is now he rekeneth this to be one Presbiteris aduolui to be humyly layd at the priestes fote where he also resembleth a man that is lothe to confesse his inwarde faultes to him that hauing a filthie botche in the secret partes of his bodie had rather let it rotte vp the member then for foolish shame fastnes vtter the griefe to his surgeant Li. 3. periarchoÌ„ But of all other Origen is moste playn In one place he saieth thus Qui non prius animae suae vitia et peccatorum suorum cognouerit mala et proprij oris confessione prodiderit purgari atque absolui non poterit He that knoweth not perfetly the sinnes of his owne soule and the noughtines of his offeÌ„ces that he may vtter them by the confession of his owne mouth he caÌ„ not be clensed nor absolued of his sinne super Leuit hoâ—â—ill 2. And in an other place thus there is after Baptisme one painefull way of remission of sinnes Cum lauat peccator in lachrymis stratuÌ„ suum non erubescit sacerdoti
what should we talke of other impedimentes where this comfortable motion is so great What comforte can be more theÌ„ to haue suche a frend who for that I ioyne with him yea euen my owne soule to his after the dearest maner and moste secret sorte must needes be to me as a ful staye in al doubtes of conscience a witnesse of my sorowfull harte an intercessour for my sinnes a suerty before God for my amending a minister in my reconciliation and one that vnder Christ as S. Clement also saieth shal both beare my sinnes vpon him selfe Clemens li. 2. coÌ„sti cap. 23. and take charge of me to saluation In which case me thinke surely man is after a sorte set in merueilous quietnesse and almost discharged euen of him selfe his owne custody whiles he giueth ouer his owne aduise iudgement and wholly hangeth in earth vpon him whome God hath appoynted to be his pastour and gouernoure of his soule Therfore good Reader cal vpon Christ for encrease of saith and beleue onely this ordinaunce of God was of infinite wisdome and high prouidence prouided for thy sake and it caÌ„ not be burdenous vnto thee Christ shal giue thee courage and hart to withstand the contrary temptations and so serue him though thou forsake thy selfe To vs therfore confusion of face for oure sinful life and to him honoure and glory euerlasting AMEN THE SECOND PARTE OF THE TREATISE concerning the Popes Pardons The authour by iuste causes was moued to beleue the trueth of this doctrine of PardoÌ„s before he knewe the meaning of them and afterwarde founde them to be of greater importaunce then he tooke them before to be The first Chapter OF the highe power of remission and pardoning of sinnes giuen by Christ to his onely spouse the Church in the persons of her holy Bishopes and priestes as a thing annexed to the whole order to be exercised in the sacrameÌ„t of penauÌ„ce vpon al men that be of their seuerall iurisdictions and humbly shall submitte themselues by confession of their faultes to their iudgementes I haue already spoken so muche as may suffice for the satisfiyng of the sober and iust reproufe of the contentious And now because as wel the course of my former matter as the speciall neede of these dayes driueth me therevnto I wil make further searche and trial of the right of that chalenge The argument of the treatise folovving which as wel the highe Prieste as other principall Pastours and Bishoppes make by the force of their prelacie and keye of iurisdiction ouer and aboue the power of orders touching Pardons IndulgeÌ„cies Wherof whiles I doo intreate the more attention hede I require of thee gentle Reader because here al the lamentable Tragedy and toile of this time first did begin and here haue al those that perished in the late contradiction of Core principally fallen And in no article of Christian faith euer more offence hath bene receiued of all sortes almost euen of the wise then in this one of the Popes pardons And to be plain in the matter Tvvo causes moued the Authour to thinkâ— pardons good where sincerity is most required two causes moued me to beleue like and allowe the sayde power of Pardons and indulgencies long before I either knew the coÌ„modity of them or had sought out the ground and meaning of them First was the Churches authority which I credited in al other articles long before I knewe any of them or coulde by reason or scripture mainteine them Whose iudgemente to folowe by my Christian professioÌ„ in al other pointes and to forsake in this one of the Popes PardoÌ„s had bene mere folly and a signe of phaÌ„tasticall choice of thinges indifferent which is the proper passion of heresy Neither did I theÌ„ know that the Church of Châ—iâ—â— had allowed such thinges because I had red the determination of any generall Councels or the Decrees of some chife gouernours of the sayde Church touching suche Pardons or because I had by histories and note of diuers ages seeÌ„ the practise of the faithfull people herein by whiche wayes her meaning of doubtfull thinges is most assuredly knowen but onely I deemed that the Church allowed them and misliked the contrary because such as bare the name of christiaÌ„ folke and catholike men did approue them and sometimes lamented the lacke of them A good rule for the vnlearned And surely for an vnlearned man I count it the briefest rule in the worlde to kepe him selfe both in faith and conuersatioÌ„ euer with that company which by the general and common callinge of the people be named Catholikes For that name kept S. Augustin him selfe in the trueth and trew Church Contra epistolam Manichaei quam vocant fundamenti cap. 4. muche more it may doe the simple sorte who is not hable to stande with an Heretique that will chaleÌ„ge the Church to him selfe by Sophistical reasons froÌ„ the ChristiaÌ„s that for lacke of learninge can not aunswer him Well this coÌ„pany of Catholikes brought me to knowe the Church my Creed caused me to beleue the Churche no lesse coÌ„cerning the Popes Pardons then any other arcicle of oure Christian professioÌ„ which though it were not of like weight yet it was to me of like trueth and al in like vnknowen at the time The second cause that moued me to reuerence the power of pardoning in the highe Bishope The secoÌ„d cause that moued the vvriter herof to beleue that pardoÌ„s vveâ— good and to like his Indulgencies was the very persons of them which first reproued the same In whoÌ„ because I saw the world to note wonder at other many most blasphemouse inexcusale heresies I verily deemed thoughe I was then for my age almost ignorant of al thinges that this opinion and impugnation of Pardons coulde neither be of God nor of good motion that first beganne in them and begatte suche a number of most wicked and contentious opinions as streight vpoÌ„ the costrolling of the Churches power herein did ensue not onely against Christes officers in earth but against his Saintes in heauen and against him selfe in the blessed Sacrament This extreme intollerable issue methought verely could haue no holy entrance therefore with the other named cause stayed me in the Churches faith euen theÌ„ wheÌ„ I had no feeling nor sense in the meaning of these matters But afterwarde reading the history of the pitiful fal of oure time and there considering the finister intent and occasion of the first improufe of Pardons al the straÌ„ge endeuours of Luther whose name is cursed to all good men who first in all mans memory sauing one wicleffe who was condemned in Constance Councel for the same was so bold onely vpon contentioÌ„ and couetousnes to condemne that which him self in coÌ„science knewe to be true and lawful I could not but muche be confirmed in my faith therby And yet al this while thoughe the matter of Pardons seemed to
me to be more and more sounde in it selfe and as true as the Spirite of God is true who was the authour thereof in the Church yet I did not then consider of it as a thing of any great importance but I conceiued it to be a smal matter subiect to a certayne iugling in reason such as wicked meÌ„ lightly make their closse crafty entrance by to more mischief and further attemptes against the commoÌ„ faith of the Church I could not then conceiue which I afterwarde so plainly and nowe more and more by the better suruiewe of the cause doe perceiue that in this one falshod there was couertlie conteined the very pith of falshod and improufe of the greatest matters which life and faith doe stand vpon Thou wouldest not thinke I dare say into what a summe abridgment The matter of pardons is of greater importaÌ„ce then it semeth heresy hath by the Deuils deuise and Luthers seruice drawen her selfe into For by this one false conclusion and for maintenance thereof this man and his posteritie haue taken away al penance satisfaction for sinne haue spoiled the Church of her iust and most necessary discipline haue controlled Gods own holy vsage in correction of his children haue entred into his secretes of the next world and there abandoned the place of his iustice and iudgement for sinnes that be remitted but not enough to his wisedome and will corrected haue robbed the holie Saintes of al their merites that is to saye Christe of his giftes and grace whereby onely they be so soueraigne and satisfactorie haue imbarred the body mysticall of Christ of the benefite which the whole euerie meÌ„ber thereof should receiue by the satisfactioÌ„ holy works of the coÌ„mon hed which is Christ haue brokeÌ„ the coÌ„munioÌ„ of Saints the swete felowship of all the holy meÌ„bers of Gods Church the benefite which riseth from eche to other by mutuall participation of their good woorkes desertes to be short haue by this one falshod preached against pardons done iniury to Christ to his Church to his Saintes to his Sacramentes haue myghtelie shaken the whole frame of Christian Religion and doctrine I do not here riot in woords to ouerrunne my aduersaryes in talke or to make more of the matter then it is but assuredly without the distruction of all these so necessary articles of our fayth there can no man defend Luthers doctrine agaynst Indulgences How Luter fumbled at the first about disgracing of pardoÌ„s I know he fumbled at the beginning otherwise then his felowes and folowers to disgrace the same sometimes by holding the pardons to be lawfull but not profitable other whiles to be deceites but yet inuented for holy purposes nowe by auouching they could not staÌ„de with Gods iustice if they should remit any parte of the apointed paine for sinnes and ells when that there was no paine for remitted sinnes at all wherevpon the indulgencies should not be needefull but vaine and friuolous with such other incoÌ„stant staÌ„mering as lightly is coÌ„mon to theÌ„ that seke to vphold falshod against their owne skill consciences But his folowers Hovv far other protestantes proceded synce as wel of the Protestants as ZuingliaÌ„s and Caluinistes to make the way of wickednes more easy playn haue boldly denied all penance teÌ„poral payn for sinne remitted whether it be by Christs or the Churches enioyning haue taken away Purgatorie haue bereued Priesthod of all power the Church of all her treasure of Christes copious abundaÌ„t redeÌ„ptioÌ„ WhervpoÌ„ I caÌ„ not otherwise iudge but the doctrin which ells caÌ„ not be refelled but by the waste of so many vndoubted articles should staÌ„d exceding fast be grouÌ„ded most surely vpoÌ„ all these foresaid truethes without the destructioÌ„ wherof it caÌ„ not be of any force ouerturned Therfore least any man by making smaller accompt of so litle a branche of the Churches faith then he should do fal further vnto the mistrusting of other many of knoweÌ„ importaÌ„ce I thought it good to debate the question of Iudulgencies which be now commonly called the Popes Pardons though not onely hee but also other Prelates of Christendome haue their seueral right eche one according to the measure of the Churches graunt and his iurisdiction therein In which matter because most men of smaller trauail haue erred rather by misconstruing the case and mistaking the state of the cause theÌ„ for any lacke of sufficient proufe of the matter after it were wel vnderstanded I wil studie first clearly to open the meaning of that whereon we stande and then to go through the whole question with as much light and breuitie as I can tempering my self as much as I may from al such subteltie as the depth of so grounded a conclusion and the learned disputatioÌ„s of Schoolmen might driue me vnto Wherein I am content rather to followe the desire contentation of the Reader then to satisfie my owne appetite which I feele in my selfe to be somwhat more greedie of matter sometimes then the common people whome I study moste to helpe can well beare and yet if they thinke it any vantage to know truth and the necessary doctrin of their faith they must learne to abide the orderlie methode and cumpasse of the cause and further I shal not charge them For the true meaning of Pardons and to remoue some vntrue surmises touching the same it is declared that the Pope neuer tooke vppon him by pardon to remitte deadlye sinne muche lesse to giue any man licence to sinne The second Chapter FOR the vnderstanding therefore of the tearme Pardon grace or indulgeÌ„ce vvhat they signifie Pardon or grace or Indulgence let it be considered the proprely they import not the remission of any deadly crime considered in them selues and as separated froÌ„ the sacrameÌ„t of penaunce nor yet signify any release of eternall damnation or euerlasting punishment which onely alwayes is remitted when the deadly sinne for which it was due is forgiuen For there can no power in earth be so greate nor any mans iurisdiction so ample that he may forgiue mortal offences since the institution of the Sacrament of penaunce except he vse the confession of the party with his contrition and sure intent neuer to coÌ„mitte the like againe yea and with purpose to satisfy the iustice of God by Christes grace as he may according to the enioyning of his iudge therein For God him selfe because he is righteous and true can not forgiue any man his sinnes either by this sacrament of penaunce or otherwise being of yeares time of discretion except he be penitent for the same that is to say except he be both contrite and at the least willing to coÌ„fesse his offences if it be after relapse and to suffer due correction therefore Deadly sinne afâ—er Baptisme can not ordinarily be pardoned bâ—t bâ— the Sâ—cra of penance And seing God caÌ„ not pardon any man of his deadly
IurisdictioÌ„ sometimes ioyneth with the sacrameÌ„t of penaÌ„ce the power of Orders as when any Indulgence is geueÌ„ furth by the Pope in which is expressed that who so euer shal be partaker therof must coÌ„fesse him selfe be coÌ„trite for his sinnes past therwith receiue the holy sacrameÌ„t of the Altar such like Sometymes a pardon ioyneth vvith the SacrameÌ„t of CoÌ„fession by this pardon so ioyning with the sacrameÌ„t of remissioÌ„ or in a maner includiÌ„g the same a ful forgiuenes is had of al sins payn therfore which in that case may be called as it is a plenary remissioÌ„ or a pardon à poena culpa froÌ„ both the fault the payn due therefore Ther be also certain greuous crimes which euery curat or priest ParochiaÌ„ caÌ„ not remit Of causes reserued because they be reserued to the audieÌ„ce of the higher pastours For in the sacrameÌ„t of PenaÌ„ce ther is a power iudiciary therefore can not be practised laufully but vpoÌ„ subiect persoÌ„s causes not exeÌ„pted froÌ„ their iugemeÌ„t excepted froÌ„ their audieÌ„ce In which cases the persons of higher iurisdiction to whom by right and law the cognition of those reserued sinnes belong doe sometimes vpon occasion giuen communicate their power to the said simple Priests and doe license them to exercise their iurisdiction vpon persons causes not proprely perteining vnto them as when the Popes IndulgeÌ„ce geaueth the sinner leaue to choose his Ghostly Father and by him that he may be assoiled euen from such sinnes as be reserued to the supreame power of the Church In this matter also the Indulgence ioyneth with the ordinary sacrament of penance and the Minister receiueth iurisdiction by the Indulgence to heare and assoile the Penitent of such sinnes as before were not subiect to his peculiar regiment therefore this is also called a pardon from sinne and the paine for sinne and a ful remission That thou be not deceiued herein vnderstand good Reader that euery Priest in his taking Orders and by Christes graunt hath ful power to remitte al sinnes and al men of their sinnes that be penitent yet that this power can not be practised by the lawe of nature indifferently vpon all because this sacrament and none other is iudicial therefore profitably can be extended no further but to them that be of their subiection and regiment Where so euer the priest consecrateth it is effectual whome so euer be baptiseth he is lawfully Christianed whome so euer the Bishoppe ordereth he standeth truely ordered so furth though they should not herein medle in other mens cures without special licence No Bishoppe nor prist can absolue theÌ„ which be not their subiects sufferance or necessity But no man can assoile any persoÌ„ at al that is not subiect vnto him either ordinarily or otherwise because it is an acte of Iurisdiction therefore though his power of orders be in it self sufficient yet by that onely he can not absolue any man but in necessity excepte he haue withall authority ouer the person and in that case wherein the penitent requireth his sentence which Iurisdiction he may haue either ordinarily as vppon all those that be of his charge or els extraordinarily by some special graunt of the superiour as Bishope or Pope as we may see in the formes and course of Indulgencies diuers times And thus coÌ„sidering of the matter you see that the Popes Pardons as they be onely proper to the acte of Iurisdiction separated from the power of priesthod and sacramental confession can not remitte the sinnes them selues neither damnatioÌ„ due for their reward thoughe because licence commeth and procedeth by theÌ„ to the inferioure priestes to remitte sinnes in al cases they may be called as I sayde plenary and most liberal graces and grauntes to assoile man both from sinne and the punishement that is due therefore Venial sins may be remitted by pardons and many other vvaies vvithout coÌ„fession The Popes Pardons also may well reache so farre as to take away veniall and daylie infirmities which be of their nature punishable but by some temporal payne and correction because they be remissible many wayes out of the sacrameÌ„t both here in this life and in the next For the merites of Christ may be applied sufficiently to the offenders in suche light maner of trespaces without the especial grace of a sacrament as by saing oure Lordes praier saith S. Augustine and by almose and by the holy Sacrament of the Aultar either receiued or deuoutelie adored by sacrifice now of the holy Masse much more then in olde time in the sacrifices of the law and by the holy peace or blessinges of Christ and his Apostles and Bishopes after them and by their Pardons Therfore to him that is free from greuous sinnes or pardoned of the same al these thinges shal be commodious towards the remissioÌ„ of his lesser infirmities but if he be in state of damnation and out of Goddes fauour which grace must be procured onely by the Sacraments of Baptisme or Penaunce he can not obteine any Pardon at the Popâ—s handes neither aliue nor dead nor none was euer meant vnto him That the Popes pardoÌ„s properly perteine to the remission of temporal paine due for mortall sinnes remitted before in the Sacrament of penaunce whervpon the ful meaning of pardons is opened The Third Chapter THE Popes Holines then being disburdened by most iust meaÌ„s froÌ„ all causes of enuy rising vpon the surmise or open sclander that he would forgiue meÌ„s sinnes euen before they were coÌ„mitted as thoughe he should graunt furth a licence for men to conmit notorious crimes yea being proued to be so farre from that facte that he taketh not vpon him by his Pardons so much as to release any mortal sinne at al therefore that he neuer arrogated so muche vnto him selfe in these matters in respecte of his iurisdicion onely as is must iustely graunted to the simplest priest aliue that is lawfully ordered the case standing then before God and al the worlde so cleare with him lette vs see what he claimeth by his iurisdictioÌ„ and in what sense his Pardons doo remitte or release any thinge to man seing in matters of mortal sinne otherwise then by ioyning with the Sacrament of Penaunce he doeth not intermeddle with remission at al. Truely to be plain and briefe The true meaning of the Popes Pardons they that be the gouernours of Gods Church doe chalenge nothing els nor meane nothing ells by their Pardons but the release and pardoning of such punishement as is often due after the sinnes be remitted in the sacrament of ConfessioÌ„ that is to saye they pardon the Penaunce enioyned by the ghostly Father or that should haue bene enioyned by the rigour of their Canons and by the lawe according to the quantitie of the sinne confessed And what lesse can they being the appointed pastours of oure soules and gouernours of the Church what lesse can
him of the sentence of death and damnation hath yet enioyned penaunce as when he saide to Adam In the sweare of thy browes thou shalte pâ—ouide for thy liuing Gen. 3. And to Ewe Thou shalt in paine bring furth thy children And to them both that they should die the temporall death though they might escape by his mercie euerlasting miserie seing this we need not to doubt but temporall punishment often remaineth after the sinnes be remitted and that the Church of God doth unitate most conueniently the sayed mercie ioyned with iustice in all her moste righteous practise of pardoning and punishing sinne in Christes behalfe by whose iurisdection she herein holdeth But for the further proufe of this matter I haue saide muche in the defâ—nse of Purgatorie and this question properlie perteineth to that place That Christ gaue by his expresse word authoritie to the pastours of Goddes Church to binde and loose not onely the sinnes them selues but also that teÌ„porall paine or penaunce remaining after the sinnes be â—orgiuen The Fourth Chapter BVT now for the great iurisdiction that Goddes Church hath in releasing the same punishmeÌ„t which remaineth after the â—aâ—â—e be forgiuen it standethe no doubte vppon that highe commission whiche Christ receiued of this Father and did coÌ„municate most amply to the Apostles and by them to all Bishopes for euer For the Father did not onely honour Christ his Sonne according to his humanitie with the power of priesthod or with other soueraigntie for the institution of Sacramentes or suche like but with all regiment of that bodie wherof he is the head as he is man By which key of iurisdiction he corrected sinners with great Maiestie pardoned theÌ„ at his pleasure not only of sinne euerlasting pain where the peniteÌ„ce of the partie did so require but also of suche correctioÌ„ as the law had prescribed for sinne or Gods iustice had enioyned for the same Math. 16. 18. And this iurisdiction and power of regiment he gaue to Peter principally when he bestowed on him the Keyes of heauen vpon the rest of the Apostles with him the power of binding loosing which is moste principally properly meant of enioyning penaunce or punnishing by sharpe discipline the sinners euel life either before they forgiue his sinnes or afterward For as the place of the xx of S. Iohn properlie coÌ„cerneth the power of pardoning reteining or giuing penaunce for satisfaction in the sacrament by the right of priesthod receiued in their orders thoughe it maye somwhat coÌ„cerne the Iurisdiction of the high Magistrates also so the place of S. Matthew rather perteyneth to the chastismeÌ„t of the wicked by opeÌ„ discipline as they haue the regimeÌ„t of al our affaires theÌ„ it doeth to the sacrameÌ„tal remissioÌ„ or satisfaction enioyned Cap. 18. binding vvaht vt meaneth For ligare there doth signifie some bonde of punishmeÌ„t wherwith the party is tied charged for his correctioÌ„ not only boÌ„de of sinne wherwith the Church bindeth no maÌ„ no more theÌ„ God him selfe doth but euerie man onely bindeth him selfe in his owne sinnes And the Church or her ministers do properly then binde wheÌ„ they punishe by their Iurisdiction the sinnes committed not for the damnation of them that did fall but for their correctioÌ„ ameÌ„dmeÌ„t And the playn meÌ„cioÌ„ of excommunicatioÌ„ which there is expressed to be giuen to the Apostles for the chastismeÌ„t of such as by more geÌ„tle admonition will not amende nor obeie the Church doth proue that to binde in that place namely importeth power of punishment to be executed on the offenders which way of chastisment is an open exercise of discipline giuen to the Apostles to be vsed at their discretioÌ„s for the edifung of Christes Church Therefore as to binde there is as well an acte of the proper power of iurisdiction Loosing vvhat yt signifieth as it is a function of priesthode to be exercised in the sacrameÌ„t of penauÌ„ce so to loose soluere in the place thoughe it maye signifie to remitte sinnes in waye of sacramental Confession yet it is more aptly correspondent to the woorde that went before of binding which was not sinne but the paine or punishmeÌ„t for sinne whereby it muste needes folow that as to binde doth signifie to charge the peniteÌ„t person with some teÌ„poral payn so to loose must also meane to dissolue the baÌ„de which before was layed on him for present correctioÌ„ For this is a rule moste certen that all the bandes which the Church layeth vpon any offender be medicinable if the partie list so take them and maye be loosed by the same power of the Church by which they were bounde before And therefore euer as mention is made in scripture of binding or which is all one punishing of sinnes ther is also mention of the like power of loosing for Christ woulde not giue power to the Church to binde or correcte sinnes but much more he would haue the Church resemble him selfe being her heade in mercie and therefore gaue her alwaies power to loose that kinde of punishment which she by her ministers had bounde or enioyned before For these two actes being aunswerable in coÌ„ference and coÌ„trarietie must necessarily folow eche other and properly perteyne to the like power and prerogatiue Then the one being giuen to the Apostles euen out of the sacrament of penaunce the other must needes also by the like right be receiued Lib. 1. de poenit Cap. 2. S. Ambrose rebuketh much NouatiaÌ„s because they would haue the Church enioyne penaunce but they liked not that she should mercifullie release the same against nor the penitents sinnes neither Dominus saith he parius soluendi esse voluit ligandi qui vâ—rumque pari conditione permisiâ— ergo qui soluendi ius non habet nec ligandi habet Oure Lorde woulde haue the right of loosing and binding to be like for equally he gaue the power of both Therefore who so euer hath not right to loose he hath no power to binde If any man then list folowe the Nouatians he maye holde at his pleasure that it perteineth to the Churches iurisdiction to binde that which the caÌ„ not loose again contrarie to Christes expresse graunt made vnto her first in the person of Peter and then in the right of all the Apostles to whome when he had promised as well the keyes of Order as iurisdiction he said vnto them what so euer you shall binde in earth it shal be bound in heauen and what so euer you loose in earth it shall be loosed in heaueÌ„ first giuing theÌ„ thereby authoritie to punish theÌ„ to pardoÌ„ And therefor as the SacrameÌ„t of Penance wherin sinnes be released or reteined was grounded vpoÌ„ the woordes of Christ spokeÌ„ to the Apostles after his resurrectioÌ„ wherof we talked so much in the former treatise so the power of giuing pardoÌ„ or punishing out of the sacrament by the vertue of their Iurisdiction as the Pope and other Bishopes now
sinnes in the sacrament of penaunce but also for the correcting or giuing pardon by supreame Iurisdiction oute of the sayde Sacrament Now then let Caluin or his auncieÌ„t Luter come furth and deny all spiritual Iurisdiction of holy Bishoppes couching temporal punishement or release of paines appointed for sinne let them writhe the plain place both of binding and loosing to the preaching of the Gospel as their fashion is rather then they woulde graunte this soueraignty to the Church of Christ lette them say Marci 1â— that Christ wheÌ„ he whipped out the vnlawful occupiers of merchandies in the teÌ„ple did nothing els but preach the Gospel let them hold that this was a sermoÌ„ not aÌ„ act of iurisdictioÌ„ Lucae 5. wheÌ„ he said to diuers thy sinnes be forgiueÌ„ thee or when he with power terror gaue to Iudas the sop Ioan. 13. by which it is thought that he excoÌ„municated him gaue him vp wholly to the deuel separated him froÌ„ the coÌ„pany of the Apostles froÌ„ his Church For theÌ„ the deuil eÌ„tred into him he weÌ„t out as the gospel saith But say maister Luther was this the power of preaching onely or an exercise of most highe Iurisdiction geuen him of his Father euerlasting as he wa the heade of the Church No no vaine felowes this is no preaching which you would haue onely to be the Churches property that you might being voyd of al other authority in Gods Church compare with his Apostles in youre prating because your glory amongst the people standeth on your glase tunges Cores had a tikling tung and Moyses tung was tied yet God gaue sentence on his seruaÌ„tes side reueÌ„ged the disobedience of the coÌ„trary No no I tel you if al the Bishopes priestes of the Christian worlde were as rude simple in their preaching as you think your selues eloqueÌ„t yet their onely IurisdictioÌ„ and Maiesty of their power assisted by Christ perpetually by whom it was giuen theÌ„ shal beare you downe your vaine name of preaching the woord And God be thaÌ„ked beside the right of the cause ther be in the Church many that are honourred with the gifte of true preaching to whoÌ„ God giueth the woord in deed with great vnspeakeable force eÌ„crease of the trueth daily decay of your vain shade of preaching His name be blessed for euer that hath giueÌ„ such a guard to his Church that Hel gâ—tes nor the eloqueÌ„ce neither of maÌ„ nor Angel shall preuaile against her The Appstles aÌ„d Bishopes haue euer besides the preching of the Gospel punished meÌ„s sins aÌ„d practised iudgmeÌ„t vpoÌ„ meÌ„s soules both in binding aÌ„d loosing The fyth Chapter CHrist theÌ„ hauing not oÌ„ly the preaching of that Gospel to punish pardoÌ„ by but iurisdictioÌ„ also to giue disciplin to release the same in that he was made the supreame gouernour of all Christian people did communicate both these functions at once and gaue the Magistrates of the Church not onely by preaching to threaten or exhorte meÌ„ to vertue or promise them release of their sinnes by onely faith as men haue now plained the way to heauen but also by force of their regiment to giue greate penaunce as we haue proued great pardon againe as to their wisdoms and for the Churches edifiyng may seeme moste conuenient Of this great power of Christ coÌ„municated to his Apostles we haue practise as well for punishing sinners as pardoning them For vpon this soueraigne iurisdiction it rose that the Apostles mightely ministered iustice vpon offenders as well by afflicting their bodies with enioyned long fastes and large almoses as by excommunication and other meanes Which thing who so euer wel weigeth in the manifolde examples of Goddes woord they shal not wonder that the holy Bishops of Christes Church may geue a pardoÌ„ of penaunce enioyned For by this authority did S. Peter who first receiued the keies of Iurisdiccion and power ouer the Church Act. 5. kill both Ananias and Saphira his wife which is as greate a bodily punishement for sinne as may be By this authority did he excommunicate Simon the Sorcerer By this power did S. Paule offer to reuenge disobedience 1. Cor. 4. By this did he threaten to come to the faithfull with a rodde of discipline 2. Tim. 1. By this he prescribed to Timothy whome he consecrated Bishope how he should heare accusatioÌ„s behaue him self in rebuking sin 1. Tim. 2. correctioÌ„ of diuers states By this power did he mightely deliuer vppe some to Sathan bodely vexatioÌ„ By this power did he strike blinde Elimas the witche Act. 13. released him at his pleasure againe By this power haue holy Bishopes excoÌ„municated mighty Emperours suspeÌ„ded many froÌ„ the sacramentes disgraded diuers spiritual meÌ„ froÌ„ their functioÌ„s interdicted whole realms to be short by this power hath the Church of God prescribed a due punishmeÌ„t for euery deadly sinne iustly respecting the greuousnes thereof coÌ„tinuaÌ„ce therein As we may see in the peniteÌ„tial book of Theodorus Bede the canoÌ„s wherof be traÌ„slated into the book of decrees Vide decret Iuo par 15. which is the 15. intitled De poeniteÌ„â— namely in the most auncieÌ„t CouÌ„cel of Ancyre which was holden well near xiij C. yeres sitheÌ„s in the most pure time of ChristiaÌ„ religioÌ„ wheÌ„ I trow our Aduersaies dare not say that the faith was corrupted Cap. 1. cap. 2. There the Priestes DeacoÌ„s the releÌ„ted in persecutioÌ„ wer suspeÌ„ded froÌ„ the executing of their seueral functioÌ„s such as supt in the teÌ„ples of Idols Cap. 4. sacrificed to false gods wer charged beside absteining froÌ„ the sacrameÌ„ts Cap. 15. with three yeres penaÌ„ce those that coÌ„mitted brutish sins vnnatural Cap. 20. should doo xxv yeres penaÌ„ce for adultry vij yeres penaÌ„ce for womeÌ„ that destroied their birth Cap. 21. x. yeres for murtherers vij if it be not voluÌ„tary if it he wilful Cap. 22. til that end of maÌ„s life for superstious southsaiers or dream reders or sorcerers Cap 23. witches v. yeares Finally for rape x. yeres were prescribed The like wer made for diuers crimes in the CouÌ„cel of Nice Cap. 24. But it is inough that we know though the eternall paines deserued by dedly sins be forgiueÌ„ with the sins theÌ„ selfs that yet ther remaineth for the satisfiyng of gods iustice som teÌ„poral scourge to preueÌ„t which the church enioineth payne for faults remitted that both Gods mercy be folowed in the remissioÌ„ of their syns hys iustice partly answered in punishmeÌ„t of the same the which der of deserued pain being not here fulfilled or released it must in an other world be answered And therfore s Austine saith of the Churches vsage in prescribing penaÌ„ce thus Cap. 65. Enchir. Sed neque de ipsis criminib ê™libet magnis remitteÌ„dis in S. Ecclia dei desperaÌ„da eÌ„ miÌ„a ageÌ„tib poeniteÌ„tiaÌ„ secunduÌ„ moduÌ„ sui
cuiusque peccari et ê™a pleruÌ„que dolor alterius cordis occultus eÌ„ alteri rectè coÌ„stituuÌ„tur ab ijs ê™ Eccliae pÌ„sunt teÌ„pora poeniteÌ„tiae vt fiat eÌ„t satis EccliÌ„ae in quae peccata remittuÌ„tur EueÌ„ for sins being neuer so greuous greate we may not despaire of gods mercy nor of remissioÌ„ to be had in the Church mary alwaies presupposed that the offeÌ„ders must do penaÌ„ce according to the quaÌ„tity greuousnes of their offeÌ„ces And because ofteÌ„ it chaÌ„ceth that the sorow of maÌ„s hart wherin much staÌ„deth is vnknoweÌ„ to other meÌ„ it is very resonable that the Church should limite their penauÌ„ce by her gouernours to be accoÌ„plished in certayne times appoynted seasons for the aunswer of the Churches right in which onely all sinnes be remitted as out of her lap none at all be forgiueÌ„ for any benefite to the partie So saith this doctour of publike penaunce And of secret satisfaction which now is more vsed after confession leste any maÌ„ should feare that that were not sufficient to satisfie for the remnaÌ„t of debt due for mortal sins forgeueÌ„ thus faith the authour of the booke de ecclesias dogm set furth wyth S. Augustines name De ecclesiasticis dogmatibus Cap. 53. Sed secreta satisfactione solui mortalia crimina non negamus Neyther we doe denie but mortall sinnes maye be loosed by secret satisfaction Fear not the worde satisfactioÌ„ as though it derogated any thing to the redeÌ„ptioÌ„ which is in Christ Iesus It is here in many places of S Augustines woorkes most common SatisfactioÌ„ an vsuall vvord in the doctours and no lesse vsed of al Catholik writers since Christs time who knew right well that the fructes of Christian penaunce done in the vertue force of Gods grace doe applie Christes satisfaction effectually to our benefite and not remoue the vse thereof from vs. But they haue a faith so solitary now a dayes that it will alone apprehende what ye list and reache so farre into Christes iustice that her fautors shall haue no need of christian woorkes or fruitful repentance Now to this ende haue we saied all this that the faithful may vnderstand perfectly what the Pope may by right remitte through his Pardon and Indulgence Note vvel For looke what the officers of Gods Church may bind that without all doubt may they vpon good coÌ„sideration release againe Therefore if they may enioyne penance for yeres and dayes both openly out of the Sacrament and also in priuate satisfaction after Confession then may they release certaine daies and yeares of the same penance whiche was prescribed before For loosing and binding pertaine by reason law and Christes own graunte as to one acte of iurisdiction that the one being laufull Hovv the pardons for daies and yeares do rise the other must needes so be also If the Church be of right power and authoritie to prescribe penaunce of seuen yeares she hath the like right to remitte vpon iust respect eyther all those yeares or some part of the same especially hauing meanes otherwise to supply the lacke of satisfactioÌ„ of Gods iustice in the party peniteÌ„t And therefore I ioyne in argument and open reason with our Aduersaries thus To geue pardon in most coÌ„mon and catholike sense of that woord is to release some parte or all the enioyned penaunce for sinnes remitted But the Pope because he is the principall gouernour of Gods Church may release any penaunce enioyned vpon iust consideratioÌ„s ergo the Pope may laufully geue Pardons The Minor wherein the Aduersaries may perchance geue back I proue thus That which was bound by the Churches or Popes authority may be laufully loosed by the same authority agayne because Christ hym selfe ioyned in hys graunte both these actes together they are proued to be propre to one iurisdction But the Church by the Decrees of Bishops CouÌ„cels hath apoynted such penauÌ„ce so many yeres of correction for sundry faults therefore the same Byshops or suche as be of the like authority when they see occasion may remit the penauÌ„ce of the sayd yeres or som part of it by limitation of dayes or seasoÌ„s as the state of the peniteÌ„t requireth or the time it self doth moue them And thys argument shall be vnmoueable except they reiect wyth the Popes Pardons all maner of discipline as well of excommunication as other lesser satisfactions whereof we haue allready spoken as in deede to maynteyn theyr falshod they must nedes doo as also they shall be enforced to reproue both the holy Councell of Nice all the holy Fathers the generall practise of the Church wyth them the expresse scriptures in whych the woorthy fructes of penaunce sharp disclpline Math. 7. 1. Cor. 11. Heb. 13. Mat. 16.18 1. Tim. 1. iudging our selues obedience to our Prelates bynding reteyning of synnes excoÌ„municatyng deliueryng vp to Sathan be so often coÌ„mended It must nedes be a miserable doctrine of these Protestants whiche can not be vpholden but by so shamefull shiftes and when we driue them into suche straites in a matter where they think most may be said for them selues and least for our defence where shal they stand in our plain causes in which almoste our Aduersaries confesse vs to haue the vantage of Antiquitie and the preheminence of al the Councels in the world But surely I think falshod hath so litle hold in al matters that it staÌ„deth only vpright whiles the contrary is not seen or not vnderstanded which shee seeketh euer by al meanes shee may to couer keepe close For the night shee loueth and in darkenes shee deliteth Doe but open the true sense of anie Article by them impugned and it is more then halfe proued and the ennemies without argument vpon the sight of truth in a maner discomfited So it fareth with them in our present cause which they haue long toyled and troubled in the mist of their phantasies and vpon false interpretation disgraced amongst the simple sort that thing which in this sense as Gods Churche that hath the ruling of the mater taketh it is so sure and so cleare in it selfe that I thinke they shal neuer be hable with honestie to speak against any one parcel therof That there be diuerse wayes of temporal punnishment remaining after sinnes be remitted euery of whiche wayes may be in some cases released in parte or in whole by the Pardons of Popes and Bisshops The sixth Chapter ANd yet to geue more light to the matter the greater ouerthrow to falshod let vs driue the cause forwarde and weigh with our selues the whole state of thinges in this order First that there be three wayes of punnishment of mans sinnes after they be released in the sacramente of Penance besides the fruites of repentance which maÌ„ chargeth himself withall Of three sortes of punnishments teÌ„poral besides the punnishment appointed for offences by the ciuill or temporall lawes whereof I nowe speake not the
daies or yeres be to be vnderstand in the form of Indulgences And this is the Churches meaning in giuing so many daies and yeares as be often times expressed in pardons in titles of prayers or vse of certaine saÌ„crified creatures made holy by Gods woorde and praier Of which because we see not the originall and because by vnlawfull practise of Printers or writers the grauntes of diuerse Bishopes for multiplication of the yeares may be ioyned togteher againste the meaning of the giuers there may be some forged not authentical yet we will not staÌ„de in that point because it is certen that such be in deed graunted diuers times by them that haue lawfull authoritie in the Church The vndoubted seÌ„se wherof though euery man may easely vnderstand by the premisses yet fully to opeÌ„ the case which is now so common in moste mens mouthes and not well coÌ„sidered of many ☜ Looke howe many dayes or yeares a man may deserue to be punished in this life if his sinnes were to the vttermost taxed the apointed penance of the Church fulfilled so many yeares maye the gouernours of the Church remit and forgiue by a PardoÌ„ But many a man may and God knoweth often tymes doth committe so many greuouse offences continue so long in sinne liue so wantonly and so carelesly in all maner of wickednes eueÌ„ to his lifes ende almost that being coÌ„uerted by Christes grace and so deparring hence in his fauoure as it often through muche mercy falleth he must needes be in exceding great debt for so long a life so euel spent And I thinke if you call him to account for all his coÌ„mon dayly offences This is ouer coÌ„mon a case in the vvorld for all his dayes vnthriftily wasted for euery of his idle woordes for euery of his vain thoughtes for so many occasioÌ„s of good works omitted which he ought haue doen for often felowship in other mens misdedes besides his owne all this wil rise to a great debt in a mans case that neuer required in all his time effectually to haue his debtes forgiueÌ„ him and therefore he must needes stand much bound euen for his veniall trespaces which though they deserue not of their nature damnation eternall yet being not remitted they binde man to transitorie punnishment according to the number time and weight of them But now if you sitte on the audit of the greater matters of this mans conscience where euery of his sinnes deserued by the Churches limitation for correction onely after they be remitted nere hand seuen yeares penaunce and some many moe where he hath doone nothing ells all his euell and long time but heaped sinne vpoÌ„ sinne where infinite sacrilege boldly hath bene committed where his fleshe was neuer satisfied of moste vnlawfull lustes where his minde was euer full of greedy gain wher his handes or harte were alwaies imbrued with innoceÌ„t bloud were no parte of his mind or body hath bene free from what iniquity you can name in all this corrupt case of many a maÌ„s life De comâ— punc rordis lib. 2. where no good workes that I may may vse S. Chrysostoms woordes are found by which ther may be any hope of release where there is abundance of all sinnes without any satisfaction in this lamentable state of a life so euell spent howe manye yeares penaunce if it were possible for the partye to liue so long were he by the Churches iudgemente Note vvel this case by the weight of his wickednesse or by Christes iustice to be chardged withall Surely if his life were not onely a thousand yeares for so long almost did some of the olde fathers line but if it were ten thousand yeares he coulde not satisfie for so muche temporall paine and debt of sinnes as reason law and Goddes iustice woulde and well might charge him withall though the great debt of euerlasting damnation by Christes grace were mercifully remitted in the priestes absolution at his confession before Therefore whether the party liue or die he is in debt for suche penaunce if rigour were shewed as so greate sinnes deserued And if he liued ten thousand yeares he were bounde in his life time and in his body to accomplishe as he might the due penaunce for his desertes if he die streight vpon his repentaunce he is no lesse bounde by suffering paine and punishment in the next world to fulfill the same For Gods iustice leeseth no right because maÌ„ leeseth his life Neither is it necessary for the due paiment of that greate debt of so many yeares that the paine of purgatorie shoulde endure so long or so many yeares as had bene necessarie for the accomplishing of his penance in this life For the might the force the hougenes the excesse and the nature of the paine in the next worlde is so fearfull and so great Super psal 37. as S. Augustine ofteÌ„ noteth that a great deale lesse time sufferance of the same is answerable to much more in the worlde this present life For what comparation is ther betwixt a dayes fasting here and a dayes punishmeÌ„t in purgatorie better it were surely to suffer a huÌ„dred yeares suche penaunce as the Church prescribeth in this mortall life that hath in it much wordly ease and comforte for the release of the enioyned paine then to abide one daye or weke in so greuous a torment as the holy Doctours and all the Churche holdeth Purgatorie to be Therefore to forgiue suche a greuous sinner in the latter ende of his life receiued to mercy as we haue now spoken of a thousand or two thousand yeares of penaunce is as muche in effecte and nature of the termes as to remitt and release him of so much punishment or the debt and bonde of so much punishment in Purgatorie as is proportionall and correspondent to so many dayes or yeares of penaunce as the peniteÌ„t in this life was bound vnto by the Canons of the Churche or the iust enioyning of his Ghostly Father OrigeÌ„ in Num li â— Hom. 11. For the Pardons measure the matter not by the limites of Purgaâ—orie the bondes borders or way of limitatioÌ„ wherof the Church knoweth not but by the yeares and times of penaunce prescribed to sinners by the holy Canons vpoÌ„ the bond wherof Gods iustice temporal in the next world doth as I haue proued muche depende To be shorte then and plain to giue a pardoÌ„ of a thousand or two thousand yeares or moe yf the graunte goeth so is as muche to saye as to forgiue so muche punishment as might be aunswerable for so greate penaunce not fulfilled in this life As if I wer behind with the Church indebted to God hard before my death of a huÌ„dreth dayes fasting in which case I caÌ„ not recoÌ„pence if my Bishope then or the chiefe heade of al the Ecclesiasticall Hierachie doo forgiue me twenty of the sayd dayes then my punishmeÌ„t shal be so muche lesse in Purgatorie not by
twenty dayes I saye of Purgatorie paines but by so muche as in force of satisfaction there is answerable to twenty dayes faste here So that the Church measuring her mercies by the yeares of penaunce deserued by the lawe in this life or ells where taketh effecte not only in this life where there caÌ„ not be so many dayes in oure shorte time but especially in preueÌ„ting Purgatorie paynes where there maye well be punishmeÌ„t answerable in a very shorte time to all the dayes prescribed by the measures of the lawe and discipline of oure present dayes in the worlde And yet I talke not nowe of taking or deliuering any maÌ„ out of Purgatorie so muche sooner as so manie dayes release doth importe when he is in it alreadye but I meane as I ofteÌ„ saye for the simples sake of him that is yet aliue and in the Churches iurisdiction and therefore may haue by the Keyes of the Churche a pardon of his debtes either all or parte to preuent the paynes of Purgatorie or to discharge the debt therof before that terrible daye come when it shall be actually required And in this sense vndoubtedly are the greate number of yeares and dayes to be taken which be exceding necessary to procure mercy in these euell times wherin we may beholde the pitiful waaste of christian workes euery where and litle penance to be done no not of the better sort of ChristiaÌ„ people As for the other disobedieÌ„t children that euery way laugh their Mother to scorn whether she vse seueritie of discipline or lenitie in remission they haue no parte neither of the Churches blessing nor of the holy workes of Sanites nor of Gods owne peace and pardon Oure Lorde giue them the grace of repentaunce that they may haue a taste either of the Churches discipline or of her mercie and leuitie It is proued as wel by sundrie examples of the olde Lawe as by Christs owne often facte and his Apostles that enioyned or deserued punishement may be released by the gouernours of the Church in their Pardons The Ninth Chapter SOme may here marueile perchaÌ„ce that such power should be giuen to mortal men as to remitte suche great portion of penaunce as by iustice ought to be enioyned or such a number of yeares as are oppointed for satisfaction and correction of former misdedes thereby to remoue from the party the heauy hande of God prepared for iudgement who would not wonder much hereat if they considered that the debt of hel paynes and eternity of punishement which incomparably excedeth many thousand yeares might by the priestes office and alwayes is in the due execution of the sacrament of penaunce fully remoued from the party peniteÌ„t And wher mercy putteth away deserued damnation there may muche lesse force of grace turne away the punishement of Purgatorie being but transitory and equiualent onely to the penaunce of a number of yeares prescribed Pristhod in the nevve lavve of more povver to purchase mercy them in the olde In which case if the Church of God should haue no preheminence now after the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ since which time the wayes of mercy towards mankinde must needes be muche enlarged oure state and gouernement should be much inferiour to the regiment and to the priesthod of the olde lawe which truely did in al thinges but as a shadowe and figure resemble the Maiesty of our Churches preheminence especially there where mercy and grace were to be shewed which came by Christ Iesus Behold theÌ„ some steppe of this more excellent power giuen to oure chiefe priestes Moyses and AaroÌ„ procured mercy aÌ„d pardoÌ„ for the people in the persons of Moyses and Aaron who are noted in the booke of Exodus and Numbers meruelously to haue procured Goddes mercy sometimes by force of sacrifice prayer singular zeale to haue released some great portion of the paines and punishment which God him selfe by his owne mouth determination had layed vpoÌ„ the people With what meruelous confideÌ„ce of his office pity of the afflicted sorte did one of theÌ„ crye out vnto God to hold his hande and pardon the people after they had deserued so greate punishment for worshipping the golden Idol of the Calfe in wildernes Lorde saith Moises this people hath coÌ„mitted an horrible sinne and they haue erected golden Goddes Forgiue them this sinne Lorde or ells if thou wilt not dashe me oute of thy booke toe which thou haste writen This gouernoure and this priest prayed not after a commoÌ„ sorte for pardon of the peoples punishement but he claimeth it with confidence in a maner requireth it as by his iurisdiction office Suche was the force of prayer priesthod before Christes spirituall soueraignty was honoured in the world otherwise then in a figure And yet God in a maner was at that point with them then that he would pardon and punishe at their pleasures For when the sinne was exceding greuous he maketh as it were means to Moises that he should not stay him nor his Anger from punishing of the offenders Let me alone Moyses saith oure Lorde and suffer me to be angrie Ibid. Num. 12. So when his sister Mary was punished by a leprosie for enuiyng at her brothers auhority he cried vnto oure Lorde and said Lorde God heale her againe of this disease and of his mercy so he did enioyning onely vnto her seuen dayes separation Aaron also procured pardon for the people by the like force of this prayer and priesthod when by sedition the people had highly offended God Num. 16. yea he did as it were limite moderat Goddes appointed punishement that his wrath should extend no farther but to the destruction of a certaine number For wheÌ„ God saide vnto Moyses and Aaron departe you heÌ„ce from amongest this people for euen now I wil consume them VpoÌ„ which woorde streight the destruction began and grew very sore a flame of fier pitifully consuming them But Aaron out of hande with his incense ranne to that parte where the plague of Gods ire wasted most and there censed vpp towardes heauen and earnestly requested for the people and so placing him eueâ— iust betwixt those that were slaine and the residewe that were aliue the wrath and indignation of God ceassed But it were to long to make rehersal of all suche punishementes as God hath afflicted his people withall for sinne and yet hath bene either wholy put of or much thereof abated by these priestes euen of the olde lawe when they had no warrant promise ne commission in sacrameÌ„t or other wise other to binde or loose as by iurisdiction or any otherwise but by their praiers where oures of the newe lawe and testament haue expresly receiued a full power and commission concerning the same Therefore now in the new law in the dayes of grace where mercy and iudgemeÌ„t be met together Psal â—4 trueth and peace haue ioyned we shall find expresse exaÌ„ples of iustice iudgemeÌ„t on the one
of benefites and mutuall helpes passeth not from the heade to the members nor from one member of the body to an other but by the ordinarie means of Christes appointment as by sacrameÌ„tes sacrifice and sundrie wayes of his seruice that not without the ministery of men in whome he hath put the woorde of this recoÌ„ciliation to whome he hath committed his keyes to kepe his sheep to feede his mysteries to dispose and to whome finally he hath giuen full power both to binde and loose Lette no man marueile that in such a face of Goddes iustice as we see by the enioyning of greate penaunce in the Church after sinnes be remitted by Gods owne often scourgies temporal both in this world in the next let no maÌ„ I say marueile that yet ther be ways of Goddes mercy and meanes through the ministerie of maÌ„ to turne away the wrath of our Lord by other helpes to satisfie his iustice again Onely let the party in all his insufficiencie be zelous deuout diligeÌ„t as he may God him selfe wil a thousand wayes seeke of his owne mercie to satisfie him selfe with his Sons paynes applied by the trauaile of other the faithful that haue bene and be in his Churche to the helpe and relief of that member that hath nothing left but loue and the felowship of holy Sainctes wherby he may craue mercy and pardon Lette them consider that doubt of this point how often God hath as it were determined to plague the people of Israell which he chose to be his peculiar and yet in the midst of his decree and iustice hath giuen mercy and grace at Moyses and Aarons requestes Yea how often he hath as it were procured the iust to stande betwixt him and the people whome he meant to punishe Mansuetum habemus Dominum Homil. 10. de poeniteÌ„t solùm occasionem accipere vult mox omnem prae se fert misericordiam saith S. Chrysostome We haue a meeke maister he onely taketh occasion streight he sheweth him self wholy to be giueÌ„ to mercy He appointeth to punishe that they may see what of iustice their sinne requireth yet he seeketh meanes him self that their high priestes guydes may turne away the enioyned plague that they may learne sayd the saide holy Doctour that they had their pardoÌ„ not of their owne merites or deseruinges but by Moyses Patronage prayers That you may see therby how one member relieueth through Goddes mercy his felow meÌ„ber that lacked Wherby there appeareth both exceding iustice much more mercy Al his wayes truly be mercy iudgemeÌ„t to such as loue his testimonies And it fareth with oure Lord God as it doth with a wyse and discrete maister towardes his seruauntes or with a father towards his louing children for they wil often shew theÌ„ selues to be rigorous bent to chastice the faultes of their seruauntes children yet theÌ„selues of their owne accord wil ofteÌ„ procure some other to hinder their intended punishmentes to take froÌ„ theÌ„ as it wer by force their childreÌ„ or other offeÌ„ders eueÌ„ so staÌ„deth it betwene God and the children of his chosen Church who though he often iustly shewe him selfe angry and bent to correctioÌ„ neuer the lesse he doth not only mercifully remit but procureth him selfe other either patrones or intercessours for whose sakes he may iustly and by good reason remitte Hiere 5. After many threatninges of the Citie people of HierusaleÌ„ he thus moueth him selfe to mercie Circuite vias Hierusalem aspicite considerate quaerite in plateis eius an inuenias virum facientem iudiciuÌ„ quaerentem fidem propitius ero ei Looke rounde about the Citie and view the streates therof aÌ„d haue good consideration whether any one maye be founde there that doth iustice and studieth after faithfullnes aÌ„d I vvil hau mercie on the Citie In the fifth of Hieremie Where you may perceiue that God will forgiue all for ones desertes and that the good workes of one maye by Gods iustice supplie the lacke of many other not yet to deliuer any man from euerlasting damnation that is impenitent and therfore in case state of eternall death For the worke of the faithful can not exteÌ„de to doo good to such as be for euer separated from their felowship therefore can be no meÌ„bers of the coÌ„mon bodie in the firme knotte whereof only there is mutual health helpe among such as partly lack partly doo abund for release of the rod of temporall correction that is often laied vpon the children and not of any eternall punishment that onely happeth to suche as be separated and cut of effectually from Christes bodie which is the Churche for euer The treaâ—uâ—â—â— of the church riseth aâ—â—o by the deâ—erts of the departed Neither doo the desertes onely of the liuing helpe the necessitie of theire felowe members being yet aliue but suche as be deade also doo communicate in their workes with theire brethren yet abiding in this worlde And God of his singulare mercie is often contented to be answered by them for their poore felowe seruauntes that be indebted so farre in the Churche that they be not hable in theire owne persons to discharge their owne debt nor coome oute of the same Sermon â—â—e poeniâ—â—â— confess whereof the said S. Chrysostom doth excelleÌ„tly wel consider in these wordes of his sermon de Poenitentia Mihi autem saith he aliud maius est diuinae misericordiae iudicium quod dicam Cum enim noÌ„ inuenit homines viuos et fiducia praeditos qui possint intercedeÌ„do veniaÌ„ obtinere confugit ad defunctos per illos inquit se remissurum peccata Ezechiae enim dicit protegam ciuitatem hanc propter me propter Dauid pueruÌ„meuÌ„ Olim enim mortuus erat Dauid That is to say I haue yet a playner and greater token of Gods mercy which I will shewe you For when he findeth none aliue that be of confidence which might by intercession procure pardon he turneth to the departed and saith he will remitte sinnes for their sakes 4. Reg. 10. Esa 37. For he spake to Ezechias thus I wil defend this Citie for my own sake for my child Dauids sake yet Dauid was dead long afore And surely if in the dayes of olde wher neither so much grace nor mercy was to be found nor Christ which is the fouÌ„taine of all pardoÌ„ was not yet offered vp to pay the debtes of his brethreÌ„s sinnes nor the communion of Sanctes was yet so fully established wherby the merites of one might redound to an other nor the Church so honoured with the gift of Gods spirite for remissoÌ„ of maÌ„s offences nor the priesthod of God so credited with the Keyes of the kingdoÌ„ if afore all these thinges were no otherwise wrought but in base figurs such wayes were found out and that by Gods own procurement of mercy and grace in the middest of enioyned