ye saye if I can proue by the sayinges and authorities of the most auncient fathers that no man can forgeue synne but God onely Prieste Let me heare what ye cā saye Prentyse Cyrillus writing vpon Ihon speaketh these woordes Truely it lyeth onely in the power of God to louse men from their synnes For who can deliuer the transgressors of the law from synne but onely the autour of the lawe And by and by it foloweth in the same place For when they meaninge the Apostles other ministers forgeue and retayne synnes it is not they that do it but the holy Ghost that dwelleth in them he it is that forgeueth retayneth by them Whereunto agreeth sainct Augustin writing contra epistolam Petiliani For hauing touched this place of S. Ihons gospell Receyue the holy Ghoste whose synnes soeuer ye forgeue thei shalbe forgeuen and whose synnes soeuer ye retayne thei shalbe retayned he doth ende the matter with these wordes It is sufficientlye shewed that they do it not but that the holy Ghost doeth it by them As it is sayed in an other place for it is not you y t speake but the holye Ghoste that is in you In lyke maner Ambrose vpon the .2 Corin. 12. wryteth on this manner It is only in the power of God too remitte synnes to geue the holye Ghoste And agayne He alone doeth forgeue synne that alone dyed for oure synnes Lykewise Chrisostome vpon Matthewe The seruitude and boundage of synne sayeth he is very greuous and heauye frome the whiche no manne can deliuer but God onely For no man besydes God hathe power to remitte or forgeue synne Cyprian in hys sermones De lapsis saieth plainly thus The Lord alone can shew mercy and geue pardon of those synnes that are committed againste hym he alone can graunt forgeuenesse of our synnes that did beare our synnes y t sorowed for vs whome God did deliuer vp to deathe for our synnes Is it not than a blasphemy intollerable and in nowise to be suffered in y e church of Christ that suche vyle persons that haue neither godlinesse nor learninge shoulde take vpon thē that thing that apperteineth only to god If it were onely for this your confession is to be abhorred of all true Christian men Prieste Doeth not Christe saye these wordes when ye stande to praye forgeue if ye haue aughte againste any man Agayne ▪ if ye will not forgeue men their offences my father that is in heauen shall not forgeue you It appereth by these textes that men haue power to forgeue synnes Prentyse Here doeth oure sauioure Iesu Christ speake of that mutual forgeuenesse of synnes and offences that ought to be emōg Christiās without the whiche we oughte to loke for no forgeuenesse at all of our own synnes at the handes of God For as the wyse mā sayeth He that seketh vengeaunce shall fynde vengeaunce of the Lorde whiche shall surely kepe hym hys synnes Hereto maye be applyed all that whole parable y t Christe doeth set fourth at large in the .18 chapiter of Mathew But it foloweth not because wee maye forgeue oure Christian brethren the offences and trespasses that they haue done against vs that we can therfore forgeue those offences synnes that are cōmitted against God Prieste Is not this to geue power vnto the laye peopell too binde and to louse Who can abyde this doctrine Prentyse Sainct Augustyn De verbis Domini geueth power vntoo the laye peopel to bynde and to louse and also Theophilactus whose woordes be these Verely I saye vntoo you Whatsoeuer ye shall bynde vpon the earthe If thou sayeth he being offended doest counte him that hath wronged thee as a Publican and Heathen he shalbe suche a one in heauen But if thou lousest him that is to saye if thou forgeuest hym it shall also be forgeuen hym in heauen For not onely those thinges that y e priests do louse are loused but whatsoeuer also wee beinge wronged do eyther louse or bynde is boūd or loused What saye ye to thys maister personne Prieste Well I will bringe an other texte of the scripture whiche I truste will stoppe your mouth When Christe did rayse Lazarus frome deathe did not he commaunde his disciples to louse and vnbynde hym So when Christe hathe raised any synner frome the deathe of synne who shal louse and vnbynd hym but the priestes Prentyse Fyrste I aunswere that allegories are nothing worth for the confirmatiō and establishment of any doctrine Secondely where ye saye that Christe commaunded his Apostles too louse and vnbynde Lazarus ye cā not proue it by the scriptures For it is rather to be thoughte that he willed the Iewes that stode by to doe it lest they shoulde thinke that there was anye feininge in the myracle and that his power myghte the better bee knowen in this that he did without touchinge with his worde and voice onely rayse the dead It is rather too be expounded after this manner Christe to take awaye all euell suspition from the Iewes commaunded that they should fyrst take awaie the stone that they should smel the stynche haue sure tokens of hys death see hym beinge raysed agayne by the onelye power and vertue of hys worde and touche or handle hym first after he was reliued But what if we should graūt that this was spoken vntoo the Apostles What shoulde ye get by it Prieste That the Lorde hath geuen power to his Apostles too louse Prentyse No no mayster person not so for if ye wil groūd your selfs vpon allegoryes as yt can do none other here this doctrine is rather to be gathered vpō thys historie that Christ by thys facte wolde admonish vs that we shoulde louse theym whome he had raysed that is to say that we should not beare in remembraūce those synnes that he hym self had forgotten or that we shoulde not condēne them as synners whom he had quyted assoyled agayn that wee shoulde not vpbraye the synnes which he him selfe hadde forgeuen or where he is merciful hym self and reddy too forgeue we shoulde not be cruell and bent to vengeaunce Go now maister Personne make boaste of your allegoryes Priest It was neuer mery with vs sythens such ionge boyes presumed to reade the scriptures What say ye to this seing ye are suche a doctour Did not thei that came to the baptisme of Ihon cōfesse their synnes Why should not thei likewise y t come to receyue their housel be shryuen Prentyse Ye muste marke mayster Personne that Ihon preached the baptisme of repentaūce and did baptise with water vnto repentaunce And therfore it is no merueylle that they whiche came to be baptised acknowledged or confessed themselfs too be synners For baptisme is a Sacramēt or mysticall signe of forgeuenesse of synnes whome then shoulde they receyue too it but them that acknowledge them selfs to be sinners They therefore confessed theyr synnes that they mighte be baptised But how or after
of our sauioure Iesu Chryste but ye shall neuer be able to proue y t they are bonde to tell oute theyr synnes vnto them or to receaue suche beggerly absolutyō at their handes as is nowe vsed in Antychristes churche Priest What can ye say to this place of S. Mathewe I wil geue the sayth Chryst to Peter y e keyes of the kyngdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou bindest in earth shall be bounde in heauen what soeuer thou loosest on earth shal be loosed in heauen And in the. 18 chap. of the same gospel these be our sauiours wordes to all his Apostles Verely I saye vnto you whatsoeuer ye bide on earth shal be boūde in heauē And whatsoeuer ye loose on earth shalbe loosed in heauen And also in the .19 chap of Iohns gospel he sayeth receaue y e holy gost Whose soeuer synnes ye doe forgeue they are forgeuen vnto thē And whose soeuers synnes ye retayne they are retayned The places doe sufficiently declare that Pryestes haue receued of Chryst the autorite and power to forgeue synnes Prentise I wil cirst master person vnder youre correction and leaue shewe what the scripture vnderstandeth by y e keyes and than shal any man easely perceaue and see how shamfully these places haue hertofore beē wrasted and wrighed The keyes sayeth that worthy Chrysostome are the worde of God and y e knowledge of the scriptures whereby y e gate of trueth is opened vnto mē And the kepers of them are the Priestes to whom the offyce of preachyng the worde and expoūdyng the scriptures is commytted Thys is to be called the keye wryteth saynte Augustyne wher wyth the harde hartes are resolued to receaue fayth the secretes of the myndes opened and what soeuer lurketh wythin is by a reasonable way broughte to lyghte That I say is the true keye that openeth the conscyence to true cōfessyon of synne and includeth or shutteth in grace to the eternite of an wholsome mysterie To this a greeth that holy father Ambrose saying verbum dei The woorde of God remytteth synnes the Priest is the iudge in deede the Priest doth his duety and office but he exerciseth no maner power nor iurisdiction And in an other place these be hys wordes Peccata per verbū dimittuntur Sinnes are forgeuen by the worde y e interpreter wherof is the Leuite Now is it playne and euydent enoughe what we oughte to vnderstāde by the keyes euen the true worde of God and the righte vnderstandynge of the scryptures wherby the conscyences of true repentaunte synners are loosed and set at liberte from synne and euerlastyng damnacion and y e cōsciences of them that be hardened in their wicked maliciousnes and wyll in no wyse repente boūd w t the dolefull chaynes of sinne and of helly destructyon And y t thys is the true meanynge and vnderstandyng of the keies Chryst him selfe doeth sufficientlye declare when he sendeth his apostles abrode into the worlde to preach y e gospell o penyng the misterye of byndynge and loosynge on thys wyse goe ye throughoute all the whole worlde and preache y e gospel to all lyuyng creatures here bee the keyes delyuered vnto thē he that beleueth and is baptysed shalbe saued but he that beleueth not shalbe condemned And in the 24 chap. of Luke Christ sayth on thys maner thus it is wrytten thus it behoued Chryst to suffer and to ryse agayne from death y e thirde daye and that repentaūce and remission of synnes shoulde be preached in hys name amonge all nacions The woorde of God then and the preachyng of the gospell are the keyes y t Chryste doeth speake of And when the faythfull ministers of Gods worde doe by due mynistryng and preachyng of y e gospel certifie the repentaunt sinners of the remission and forgeuenesse of their synnes in y e bloud of our sauiour Iesu Christ they louse them so that they are also loused in heauen but when on y e contrarie they do a certayne them because of their vnrepentaunte hartes of the wrath and indignation of God and of euerlastinge damnation excepte they forsake their wicked wayes and turne vnfeynedly vnto the Lorde theyr God they binde them so y t doubt lesse they ar also bound in heauē And by thys byndyng and loosing Christ our sauiour vnderstādeth none other thyng but remitting and retaining of synnes And it is saied that the minister doth forgeue sinnes because that he as a man myght saye sitting in commission vnder hys mayster Chryst doth out of hys mouthe certifie y e cōsciences of true repentaūt sinners of the free remissiō forgeuenes of their sinnes in th blood of y e sōe of god apprehēded takē hold vpō by faith For to sai y t mē cā forgeue sines it is a mere blasphemy agaīst god which thīg the very Pharises Scribs their sels do testifie saying whi doth he speake these blasphemies who cā forgeue synnes but god onely These Pharises Scribes shall rise at y e day of iudgement condēne our Pharisaical hipocrites y t so arragaūtly take vpō thē to forgeue mē their sinnes Priest And haue we not power to forgeue other mē their sinnes but by y e way of cōmissiō Prētyse No forsoth And yet this cōmissiō must be duly executed accordyng to y e wyll pleasure of him y t hath geuē it els it wil be worth 〈…〉 thogh it hath neuer so gloriouse a face in y e site of y e world pri I wil beleue touchynge thys matter as the holy fathers haue beleued taught afore vs. But they haue both beeleued and taught that y e Pryestes haue power and authorite to forgeue synnes Therfore ye maye prate what ye lyst as a sorte of newe fangled heades that ye bee I wyll stycke to the olde catholyke churche as long as I haue any breath in my bodye Prentyse I wyll not haue you to take the matter so hotte master person but let vs rather wyth all lenite and gentylnes reason the matter together that there maye come some edifying of it I doubt not but that ye remember the saying of Ciprian full well where he sayeth and that Chryst oughte only to be heard the father also dyd testifie from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whō I am pleased heare him Wherefore if Christ oughte to be hearde onely we must not regarde what any man hath afore vs thoughte good to be done but what Christ who is afore all dyd fyrst For we ought in nowise to folow mās custome but the trueth of God And doeth not the Lord our god crye out in the prophete Ezechiell saying Walke not in the statutes of your forfathers kepe not their ordenaunces and defyle not your selfes with their Idols for I am the Lord your God But walke in my statutes kepe my lawes do them Verely maister Person the religion of oure forefathers shall not excuse vs. But what will
vnto anger The surest weapons then that we can haue to fyghte withall ▪ agaynst wicked and vngodly rulers is true repentaunce and amendement of lyfe faythful and vnfeined prayer proceadyng from a troubled and contrite heart And they that vse any other armure or weapons are not of God but are the children of Belial by suche vnlawfull meanes as they doe vse pourchassyng vnto themselues euerlastyng damnatyon Now master person I trust ye haue sufficiently heard my mynde touchynge the obedience that we owe vnto magistrates and how farre forth we ar bound to obeie their lawes Priest But what meaneth Sainct Paul when he saieth wherfore ye must nedes obeye not for feare of vengeaunce only but also because of conscience Here are men bounde in conscience to obeye What wyll ye haue more Prentyse The meanyng of Sayncte Paule is thys that we must obeye our temporall rulers not onely for feare of the punishment and vengeaunce that ensueth and foloweth of disobediēce but also because oure conscience doeth beare vs recorde that it is gods will and pleasure that wee shoulde obeye them That is too saye Althoughe it were possible y t we might escape all worldely punishment and shame that cometh of disobedience and rebellion yet because in oure conscience we are by Gods worde perswaded that all the hygh powers are of God we can not onelesse we wolde cōdemne our own selfs but be obedient vnto them as longe as thei kepe them selfes within the boūdes and limites of gods boke for if they commaūde any thing that God hath forbidden or forbidde any thinge that God hath cōmaūded we ought to say with y e Apostelles Better it is to obeye God than men Prieste And hath not God cōmaunded confession Prentyse No suche kinde of confession doeth God cōmaunde as is vsed now at this present And truely I doe merueyll that ye bee not ashamed emōg you to affirme that auricular confessiō is of god or that it is grounded in goddes worde For though it hath ben vsed in times passed yet was it then free for all men whether thei wolde come to it or not The histories do playnlye declare yea and many auncient writers besydes that ther was no law at all made concerninge this auriculare confession which ye do with to the nayle defend now afore Innocētius the thyrde and that it was a polityke order instituted by the bishoppes but not a lawe ordeyned either of Christe or of hys Apostles Therfore Gratianus after a long disputation concludeth at lengthe the whole matter with these wordes I haue briefli set fourth and declared what autours or what reasons and arguments bothe sentences are grounded vpō but we leaue to the iudgement of the reader which of thē he will folowe and stycke to And he that hath writtē the glose of the fyrst boke doeth playnelye affirme that we are onely bounde by mans lawe to this confession and that therefore the Greckes were neuer bounde to it because thys lawe was neuer receyued of them Whiche thing any man wolde haue iudged Diuelyshe and abominable if thys confession hadde ben commaunded by Christe Sozomenus writeth that this institution and ordeynaunce was diligently obserued and kepte in the weaste churches and speciallye at Rome wherbi he signifieth that it was not a generall law of all churches and that one priest amōg al other was appointed to this office wherin also he dooeth confute the lying opiniō of thē which affirme that the keyes are deliuered vniuersally to al priestes for this purpose for it was not the office of all priestes too confesse but one onely was appointed to it by the Bishop Priest And was this cōfession vsed onelye in the Occidentalle or Weaste churches This is a straunge thinge that ye do tell Prentyse The same Sozomenus doeth also testifie that it was vsed at Constantinople vntill abominable whoredome and adultry was shamfully cōmitted betwene a Deacon a noble woeman vnder the pretence of it For this enorme and detestable cryme dyd Nectarius being a holy and godly man abolishe auricular cōfession whiche Nectarius was then bishop of Constantinople Now marke this thinge mayster Personne if this had ben y e lawe of God Nectarius durste not haue put it doune Will ye accuse this holy man who of all men is so 〈◊〉 commended of heresye Or will ye condemne the churche of Constantinople whiche neuer after that tyme woulde admitte receaue auricular confessiō ▪ Yea not onely the church of Constantinople but also all the East churches haue ben always at defiaūce with this Antichristian traditiō Wold they haue ben against it if it had ben y e institutiō of Christe Chrisostome who was also bisshop of that churche I meane of the church of Constātinople doth so plainly testifye the same in all his writings y t I merueyl they be not ashamed once too opene theyr mouths to defende it Tell furthe thy syns sayeth he y t thou maiest put them awaye If thou be ashamed to tell to any man what thou hast done amysse tell thy synnes euery daye in thy mynde I bidde not the to telle them to thy felow seruaunt who may bewraye the but telle them to God which healeth them Telle furth thine offences vpon thy bedde that there thy conscience may acknowledge and recognyse hir owne wickednesse And in an other place Now is it nothinge necessarie sayeth thys holy father to confesse oure selfs before witnesses lette a diligent inquisition of thy sinnes be made in thy thought this triall be done without witnesse let God alone see thee wherein thou doest confesse thy self And in hys 5. homelye de incomprehensibli Dei natura contra Anameos these be hys wordes I do not bringe thee in to the scafold of thy felow seruaūtes I do not compelle the to confesse detecte or open thy synnes vnto men repete thy conscience before God opē thy mynde shew thy wondes vnto the Lorde that most excellent Phisition and call for helpe at his handes shewe thē to hym that vpbraydeth nothing but wil heale them most gentilly Besydes all these he sayeth in an other place Beware thou tell not thy faute vnto man lest he do vpbrayede the for we are not bound to cōfesse our selfs to our fellowe seuraunt y t may vpbrayede vtter abrode our cōfession But shewe thy woūdes to God who is carefull ouer thee who is gentill a sure Phisicion Afterwardes he doth induce or bring in God speaking on this māner I do not compelle thee to come furth in to y e cōmune scaffold to call for manye witnesses Tell thy sinnes to me alone priuely y t I may heale y e sores Wil ye sai y t Chrisostome was so far out of y e wai y t he wold haue set me ▪ is cōsciences at libertie frō comming to such kynd of cōfessiō if they hadde ben bounde to it by Goddes lawes No no mayster person but he durst
what fasshiō they cōfessed theyr synnes where shall we learne better then in the thyrde Chapiter of the Gospell of Luke ▪ For after Ihon had made his dreadefull sermon the people being striken with a feare of Gods righteouse iudgemente asked hym saying What shall we do than Likewise the Publicans and the Souldiours that came to be baptised Let anye indifferente manne reade the whole place throughoute And as for your shryuinge afore the receyuinge of the Sacramente wolde god that godly order which was set fourthe in kynge Edwardes dayes whome we maye rightwel call the flour of all Christendom myghte hadde ben kepte and obserued For in many churches that were godlye refourmed the Communicantes should the night before bee called together before the ministre there to receiue most godly instructions And if any contentiō stryfe or hatred hadde ben betwene any personnes there shoulde hadde ben honeste agreemente made or euer they had come to the Lordes borde all notorious and open synners beinge excluded from it And what godly confession were they wont to make together in the face of the whole churche afore y e holy communion was ministred vnto them No suche thinges are now vsed but rather all is done contrarye to the order of the holy Ghoste withoute any edifyinge And this one onely thing oughte to fraye all godly men women to be present at it For who being godly mynded wolde seme w t his presence to consente agree too y e breaking of that order which the holy Ghoste hath appointed and ordeyned to bee in the churche of God But of this we will commone more at large when ye shal be at better leasure Prieste Well I perceyue that I muste talke with you concerninge this receyuinge of the Sacrament But I haue businesse nowe therfore differring that cōmunication tyll an other tyme I will make an ende of this present matter that we haue in hande Are not these sainct Iames woordes knowledge your fautes one to an other Can ye denye that the holye Ghost doeth here bidde ordeyne and commaunde confession What are all the heretykes in all the whole worlde able too saye agaynste this manifest and playne saying of this most holy Apostel Prentyse Ye shoulde haue rehersed the whole texte For he did not onely saye Confesse or knowledge youre fautes one too an other but also praye one for an other Whereby it must nedes folow seinge he commaundeth as well mutuall prayer as mutuall confession if we must confesse and knowledge our fautes onelye too the priestes that we muste alsoo praye for them onely What an absurditie shoulde this be Moreouer it shoulde folowe of Iames wordes that priestes only ought to confesse and knowledge theyr fautes one to an other For when Iames willeth vs too confesse or knowledge our fautes one too an other he speaketh of such as must heare one an others confession For so soūdeth this Greke worde allelois whiche is as muche too saye as mutually or reciprocally But none after the bishope of Romes lawe canne or maye heare one an others confession onelesse they bee priestes after hys holye order and thys can bee vnderstanded but of suche as oughte too knowledge their fautes one to an other or heare the confession one of an other Therefore this place serueth nothinge for youre purpose Let vs rather seeke the true meaninge of it maister personne that wee maye haue profit thereby The true meaninge therefore of this texte of saincte Iames is that we oughte to knowledge our infirmities weakenesses and fautes one too an other too the ende we maye geue good wholsome and comfortable counsaill one too an other and knowynge in what case or state we stande all praye one for an other moste earnestlye vnto God for the helpe and assistaunce of hys holye spyryte but mooste specially for the forgeuenesse of oure synnes Prieste I perceyue well enough what marke ye shout at Ye will haue no confessiō at all that so y maye lyue styll after a carnall lybertie Prentyse As though that kynde of confession that ye vse coulde refrayne or kepe men from carnall libertie Priest Men neuer lyued soo dissolutely nor so wantonelye as they haue done sence this holy confession haue bē put doune There is nowe no shamefastenesse in the worlde honestye is clene gone youth standeth in no awe And why is thys Because forsouth they are free from the yoke of holy shryfte All the yeare longe when they remembred that they muste come vnder BENEDICITE they were affrayed to do any thyng amisse but when it was gone once so y t they wer deliuered frō al fear of cōfessiō they did set al at sixe seuen not passyng how they dyd lyue For they knewe that they shold be called to no reckenyngs Wherfore any man may easely se whi ye be so great an enemy to the wholsome ordeynaunce cōstitution of the church Prētise Wher as ye laye to my charge y t I will haue no cōfessiō ye shamfully slāder me For I haue alwayes alowed y t kynde of confessyon that god hath commaunded vs in hys holy scripture but y t beggerly cōfession that ye haue inuented of your own braynes without gods holy worde to bryng all mens cōsciences vnder your gyrdels I do vtterly detest abhorre And it is so farre of y t mē should by it lerne to feare god that rather by it the feare of God is dryuen and clene chassed away out of their hearts For when the rude simple are once perswaded that if thei be ōce in the yere shriuen of the Prieste thei shal haue cleane remission of their synnes and receaue if at lest they wilbe stil y e children of your whoryshe mother Antichrystes church ful absolution both a pena et culpa what care they howe they lyue al the yeare long It is enough thinke they if a litell beefore Easter they cōe to sir Iohn lacke latin and tel him a tale in the eare of an houre long and y t they may escape the better chepe loke whō they know to be most foolish most vnlearned emōg the rabblement of priestes him will thei chose for their gostly father For why they haue been made to beleue y t al the sinnes y t thei confesse themselues of vnto y t prieste are quite clene forgeuē put out of remembraunce before god euē as soone as they haue tolde them to their gostly father As for repentaunce the due fruetes thereof it is not vnknowen how wel and how substātially ye hādel y e matter emonge you For whereas ye should sende them to Christ who is y e only phisicion of y e soules exhort thē to such works as God hath prepared for vs to walke in ye most vngodly send thē to dead creatures prescribing vnto them not y e workes cōmaūded of God but superstitious works of youre own inuētion making thē an hondreth fold more y e children of hel thā they