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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	bind_v	heaven_n	loose_v	3,336	5	10.8622	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07192	Of the consecration of the bishops in the Church of England with their succession, iurisdiction, and other things incident to their calling: as also of the ordination of priests and deacons. Fiue bookes: wherein they are cleared from the slanders and odious imputations of Bellarmine, Sanders, Bristow, Harding, Allen, Stapleton, Parsons, Kellison, Eudemon, Becanus, and other romanists: and iustified to containe nothing contrary to the Scriptures, councels, Fathers, or approued examples of primitiue antiquitie. By Francis Mason, Batchelour of Diuinitie, and sometimes fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxeford.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1613 (1613)	STC 17597; ESTC S114294	344,300	282

both the outward court by excommunications absolutions dispensations calling generall councels c. and the court of conscience by forgiuing and retaining sinnes In a word in these keyes all Ecclesiasticall power was comprehended and giuen vnto Peter ORTHOD. The keyes were giuen to the rest of the Apostles as well as to Peter for the occasion of these words was a question of Christ proposed to al his Apostles whom say you that I am this question was answered by Peter Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Wherupon Saint Austin obserueth that Peter alone made answer for all the Apostles and his obseruation is according to the Scriptures which testifie that Peter before this time had answered in the name of them all VVe beleeue and know that thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Now as Peter answered one for all so Christ said to Peter and in him to them all I will giue you the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen Thus the Fathers in terpret the place Austin Peter receiued the keyes together with them al Ierome they did all receiue the keyes Origen Christs promise of building his Church of giuing the keyes of binding and loosing made as to Peter only was common to all Hilarie They obtained the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Ambrose VVhat is said to Peter is said to the Apostles This consent of Fathers should ouer ballance your opinion by the Councell of Trent And here I might iustly returne Campians flourish vpon you Patres admiseris captus es excluseris nullus es If you admit the Fathers you are catched If you exclude them you are no body Indeed my Masters you make the world beleeue that you will be iudged by the Fathers but when it comes to the tryall you commonly forsake them the Fathers must be pretended for a fashion but the holy Father of Rome is the very needle and compasse whereby you saile PHIL. WE confesse that all receiued the keyes but Christ gaue them to Peter immediatly to the rest by Peter so all power both of order and iurisdiction proceedeth from Peter ORTHO Let Bellarmine himselfe iudge the cause betweene vs who proueth by foure arguments That the Apostles receiued their iurisdiction immediately from Christ. First by these words of Christ himselfe As my Father sent me so send I you which exposition he strengtheneth by the authorities of Chrysostom Theophylact Cyrill and Cyprian by the euidence whereof he affirmeth that the same thing was giuen to the Apostles by these words I send you which was promised to Peter by these words I will giue thee the keyes and afterward deliuered by these words Feed my sheepe and addeth Constat autem per illa tibi dabo claues per illud pasce oues intelligi iurisdictionē plenissimā etiam exteriorē i It is cleare that by these words I will giue thee the keyes and by this saying feede my sheep there is vnderstood a most full iurisdiction euen in the outward Court Secondly hee proueth it because Mathias was neither elected by the Apostles nor receiued any authority by them but beeing elected by God was presently accounted amongst the Apostles And verilie saith hee if all the Apostles had their iurisdiction from Peter that should haue beene manifested most of all in Matthias Thirdly he proueth it by Saint Paul who professeth that he had his iurisdiction from Christ and thence confirmeth his Apostleship for he saith Paul an Apostle not of men or by man but by Iesus Christ And that he might declare that he receiued no authoritie from Peter or any other Apostle he saith VVhen it pleased God which had separated me from my mothers womb called me by his grace to reueale his sonne in mee that I should preach him among the Gentiles immediatly I cōmunicated not with flesh and bloud Neither came I againe to Ierusalem to thē which were Apostles before mee but I went into Arabia and turned againe into Damascus Then after three yeeres I came againe to Ierusalem to visite Peter And againe To mee those that seemed to bee something conferred nothing Fourthly because the Apostles were made onely by Christ and yet had Iurisdiction as appeareth First by Paul excommunicating the Corinthian Secondly by the same Paul making Ecclesiasticall lawes Thirdly because the Apostolick dignitie is the highest dignitie in the Church Wherefore it is euident that the rest of the Apostles receiued not their Iurisdiction from Peter but from Christ. PHIL. CHrist promised the keyes to Peter onely therefore in this respect he must haue a preheminence aboue the rest ORTH. Whatsoeuer Christ promised that hee performed but he performed not the keyes to Peter with any preheminence aboue his fellows but alike to all therefore hee did not promise them to Peter by way of preheminence but to him with the rest PHIL. Did he not say I will giue thee the keyes and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shall bee bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose c. So they were promised to Peter in the singular number ORTHO Though these wordes bee of the singular number yet they were not spoken to Peter as he was Peter or a singular person but to Peter representing the person of the Church as the Fathers say according to the Scripture For when he said I will giue thee the keyes he added immediately by way of explication and whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth it shall bee bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon earth it shall bee loosed in heauen Vpon which wordes Bellarmine saith thus The plaine sence of these wordes I will giue thee the keyes and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose is this that first there is promised an authoritie or a power signified by the keyes and then the actions or office is explained by these wordes to bind and to loose So that to loose and to open to shut and to bind is altogether the same But the Lord expressed the actions of the keyes by loosing and binding not by shutting and opening that we might vnderstand that all these speeches are metaphoricall and that heauen is then opened vnto men when they are loosed from their sinnes which hindered their entrance into heauen But the power of binding and loosing was giuen to all the Apostles by Christ in these wordes whatsoeuer you shall bind on earth shall bee bound in heauen and whatsoeuer you shall loose on earth shall bee loosed in heauen PHIL. Cardinall Caietan thinketh that to open and to shut is of a larger extent then to bind and to loose ORTHOD. Bellarmine thinketh this more subtill then sound because there are no keyes in the Church sauing onely of Order and Iurisdiction both which are signified by the actions of binding and loosing as Caietan confesseth and Bellarmine proued before both by Fathers and Scripture PHIL. The power of binding and loosing is

not onely required to remission of sinnes the Preaching of the Gospell but also baptisme and penance As it is written Doe penance and be euery one of you baptized in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes ORTHOD. When wee say that the Minister forgiueth sinnes by preaching wee doe not exclude the Sacraments but include them As when wee referre a pardon to the Kings letters patents wee doe not exclude the seale but meane the letters patents with the seale annexed For as the Apostle saith to vs is committed the ministerie of reconciliation Which is not a ministerie of the word onely but without all controuersie of the Sacraments also Therefore Christ in giuing vs authoritie to forgiue sinnes hath withall giuen vs authoritie to vse the meanes thereof that is the ministery of the word and Sacraments and because wee apply these meanes whereby God forgiueth sinnes therefore we are said to forgiue sinnes This is well expressed by Ferus one of your own Fryers saying Quamuis Dei propriū opus sit remittere peccata dicuntur tamen etiam Apostoli remittere non simpliciter sed quia adhibent media per quae Deus remittit peccata haec autem media sunt verbum Dei Sacramenta i. although it be the proper worke of God to forgiue sinnes yet notwithstanding the Apostles are saide to forgiue sinnes not simply but because they vse the meanes by the which God doth forgiue sinnes and these meanes are the word of God and the Sacraments Moreouer it is a cleare case that to this remission there is required faith and repentance after which followeth ministeriall absolution by preaching and applying publickly and priuately the sweete promises of grace to the penitent beleeuer and sealing them by the Sacraments to the soule and conscience This absolution in the court of conscience is agreeable to the Scripture and is not onely practised in the Church of England by Sermons and Sacraments but also solemnly proclaimed in our liturgy and applied both publickly in open penance and priuately in the visitation of the sicke as also to particular penitents whose wounded consciences require the same PHIL. The Councell of Trent pronounceth a curse vpon such as wrest the words of Christ to the authoritie of preaching the Gospell ORTHOD. To apply them to preaching in such sence as hath beene declared is no wresting but the true meaning of the Scripture as you heard out of Saint Paul and therefore in cursing vs they curse Saint Paul wherefore I will say with the Prophet they doe curse but thou o Lord doest blesse But for your better satisfaction in this point you shal heare the iudgement of sundry principall men in your owne Church expounding this absolution in court of conscience as wee doe The maister of the sentences hauing long sifted this point to and fro at last groweth to this resolution In hac tanta varietate quid ●●nendum hoc san● c. In this great varietie what should we hold truely 〈◊〉 may say and thinke this That God onely forgiueth and retaineth sinnes and yet he hath giuen the power of binding and loosing vnto the Church but he bindeth and loo●●th one way the Church another For he forgiueth sin by himselfe alone who both cleanseth the soule from inward blot and looseth it from th● debt of eternall death but he hath not granted this vnto the Priest to whom notwithstanding he hath giuen potestatem soluendi ligandi i. Ostendendi homines ligatos vel solutos i. the power of binding and loosing that is of declaring men to be bound or loosed Wherupon the Lord did first by himselfe restore health vnto the leper and then he sent him to the Priestes quorum iudicio ostenderetur mundatus i. by whose iudgement he might be declared to be cleansed so likewise when he had restored Lazarus to life againe he offered him to his Disciples that they might vnbind him And this he prooueth by a place of Ierome which he onely pointeth at but we will set it downe more largely In Leuitico c In the booke of Leuiticus we read of the lepers where they are commanded to shew themselues to the Priests and if they shall haue the leprosie that then they shall bee made vncleane by the Priestes not that the Priestes should make them lepers and vncleane but that they should haue the knowledge of the leprous and not leprous and that they may discerne who is cleane or vncleane Therefore as there the Priests doe make the lepers cleane or vncleane so here the Bishop or Priest doth bind and loose c. Hitherto Saint Ierome Now the master hauing said that in remitting or retaining sins the Euangelicall Priests haue that authoritie and office which in olde times the legall Priests had vnder the law in curing of lepers addeth these words Hi ergo peccata dimittunt vel retinent dum dimissa a Deo vel retenta indicant ostendunt i. therfore these doe forgiue sinnes or retaine them whiles they shew and declare that they are forgiuen or retained of God Hunc modum ligandi soluendi Hieron supra notauit i. this way of binding and loosing Ierom hath obserued aboue Thus farre the master who is followed verbatim by Petrus Parisius as is to be seene in Sixtus Senensis And Occam saith I answere according to the master that Priests bind and loose because they declare men to be bound or loosed Alexander Hales Nunquam sacerdos absolueret quenquam de quo non presumeret quod esset absolutus à deo i the Priest would neuer absolue any man of whom he did not presume that he were already absolued of God If the Priest absolue none but whom God hath first absolued thē what can his absolution be else but a certificate that the party is already absolued of God And againe Item Augustinus Hugo de sancto victore c. Moreouer Austin and Hugo de sancto victore say that in the raising of Lazarus was signified the raising againe of a sinner But Lazarus was raised of the Lord before he was deliuered to the Disciples to bee loosed ergo absolutio sacerdotis nihil valet antequam homo sit iustificatus per gratiam suscitatus a morte culpae 1. Therefore the absolution of the Priest is of no value before a man be iustified by grace raised from the death of sinne And this he proueth by strong reasons as followeth 1. It is a matter of equall power to baptize inwardly and to absolue from deadly sinne but it was not requisite that God should communicate to any man the power of baptizing inwardly least our hope should be reposed in man therfore by the same reason it was not fit that God should communicate to any man the power of absoluing from actuall sinne And againe Nulla fit remissio culpae nisi per gratiam sed gratiam dare est potentiae infinitae i. There

Christs breathing For as in the second of the Acts hee gaue the Spirit in the forme of tongues Because then hee gaue them the gift of preaching so here he gaue it by breathing because hee gaue them the gift of forgiuing of sinnes not by preaching as you dreame but plainely by quenching and dissoluing them For as the winde doth quench the fire and scater the clouds so the absolution of the Priest doth scatter sinnes and maketh them to vanish according to which Metaphor we read in Esay I haue blotted out thy sinnes as a cloud ORTHOD. Christ did breath to signifie that this heauenly gift proceeded from himselfe and therefore our Bishops when they vtter these words doe not breath because they are not Authors of this spiritual power but only Gods delegates and assignes to giue men possession of his graces Moreouer Christ by breathing did signifie that none was fit for this heauenly function but such as he enabled with his spirit and also that this holy spirit should assist his ministers in the dispelling of sins Neither is the place of Esay for your purpose when the sky is darkned with clouds and mists the Lord sendeth a wind out of his treasure house whereby they are scattered the skie cleared and the golden beames of the sunne restored euen so when the poore soule and conscience is ouercast with clouds of sin and mists of sorrow God by his holy spirit concurring with his blessed word bringeth men to faith and repentance and so forgiueth their sins that he will neuer remember them any more But what is this to your Popish absolution PHIL. THe sixth argument is drawne from the authority of the Fathers and first of Chrysostome out of whose third booke of Priesthood our learned Cardinall produceth sixe places the first where it is said that God hath giuen such power to those that are in earth as it was not his will to giue either to Angels or Archangels for it was not said vnto them what soeuer you bind in earth shal bee bound in heauen but surely the Angels may declare vnto men that if they beleeue their sins are forgiuen therfore in the iudgement of Chrysostome power is giuen vnto the Priest truely to bind and loose and not by way of declaration ORTHOD. Though the Angels being ministring spirits may when it pleaseth the Lord declare vnto men that if they beleeue their sins are forgiuen aswel as the Angel said to Cornelius b Thy prayers thy almes are come vp into remembrance before God yet this is rare and extraordinary but the Priest doth it by his ordinary office in which regard Chrysostome hath reason to say that such power is giuen to Priests as is neither giuen to Angels nor Archangels PHIL. Chrysostome proceedeth and telleth how earthly Princes haue power To bind the body only but the Priests bond toucheth the soule and reacheth vnto heauen Now earthly Princes doe not declare who is bound or loosed but bind or loose their bodies indeed and therefore the Priests in binding and loosing of soules doe not declare who are bound or loosed but by authority in the roome of Christ doe bind or loose them indeed if the comparison of Chrysostome be of any value ORTHO He compareth them in respect of the obiects not in respect of the manner the obiect of the Princes bond is the body the obiect of the Priest is the soule but doth follow because the Prince doth bind or loose the body properly that therfore binding or loosing of the soule is attributed in the like propriety of speech vnto the Priest PHIL. Chrysostome vpon these words whose sins you retaine they are retained saith What power I pray you can be greater then this but it is no great matter to declare that sins are forgiuen to the beleeuers and retained to the vnbeleeuers For any man may perfourme it which can read the Gospell neither Priests onely but the layity also neither Catholikes onely but Heretikes also yea and the diuells themselues ORTHOD. It is no great matter to pronounce the words but the excellency of the Ministery consisteth in this that they doe it ex officio and that according to Gods owne ordinance therefore in the reuerend performance therof they may expect a comfortable blessing PHIL. Chrysostome saith The Father hath giuen al maner of power to his sonne and I see the same power in all variety giuen to them by the sonne but the Father did not giue to the sonne a bare ability to declare the Gospell but by authority to forgiue sinnes therefore the like is giuen to the Priests ORTHOD. The power which the Father gaue to Christ conteineth all power in heauen and in earth but I hope you will not say that Christ gaue all power in heauen and earth to his disciples therefore the words of Chrysostome need a gentle interpretation and must not bee taken litterally as they sound but for a rhetoricall amplification Againe the power to forgiue sins is giuen to Christ and to his Disciples but not in the same manner for God the Father forgiueth sinnes by not imputing them Christ God and Man meritoriously the Ministers onely Ministerially as you heard before PHIL. Chrysostome compareth a Priest not with the kings Herald which only declareth what is done but with one who hath power to east into prison and deliuer out of prison how could he more openly declare that the Priests power is truly iudiciall ORTH. The Herald only proclaimeth the kings pardon and is no instrument to effect it but the minister so proclaimeth saluation by Iesus Christ that he is Gods instrument to worke it so the ministeriall declaration is not a bare but an effectuall declaration that mens sinnes are forgiuen For first the Law must bee effectually preached to humble the soule then the Gospell must bee effectually applied to kindle true faith And as the Minister is Gods effectuall instrument in working so he is his Ambassadour effectually to minister comfort to the penitent soule Yet for all this he doth not forgiue sinnes properlie but onely ministerially The like is to bee said of his deliuering the soules of men out of prison For that it cannot bee meant properly may appeare by the other branch because the Minister doth not properly cast any man into the spirituall prison but the wicked being already imprisoned and ●ettered with the chaine of their owne sins and refusing the light of the Gospel when it shines vnto them the sweet mercies of God in Iesus Christ are said to bee bound by a Priest because hee retaineth that is pronounceth that they are tied and bound with the chaines of darkenesse and denounceth the iudgements of God against them so long as they remaine impenitent PHIL. Chrysostome makes an other comparison betweene the legall Priests and the Euangelicall for the Legall did purge the leprosie of the body or rather not purge it but examine those that were purged But