A godly and learned exposition or commentary upon the three first chapters of the…A godly and learned exposition or commentarie vpon the three first chapters of the…

Hence arise sundry instructions: first, that power and authority to forgive ⟨p. 68⟩sins properly, belongeth only unto Christ. No mere creature hath this power; for he that can forgive sins, must be able to take away the punishments of sin, namely, hell and death, which none can do but Christ alone, who only hath the keys thereof. And to say that a man can properly forgive sins, is to say, that a man hath power in himself over hell and death. And therefore the priesthood of the church of Rome is full of blasphemy, who take upon them properly to pronounce unto men the pardon of their sins of themselves: and they deride the custom of reformed churches, who from God pronounce the pardon of sins unto them that repent.

Hence arise sundry instructions: first, that power and authoritie to forgiue ⟨p. 68⟩sinnes properly, belongeth onely vnto Christ. No meere creature hath this power; for hee that can forgiue sinnes, must bee able to take away the punishments of sinne, namely, hell and death, which none can doe but Christ alone, who onely hath the keyes thereof. And to say that a man can properly forgiue sinnes, is to say, that a man hath power in himselfe ouer hell and death. And therefore the priesthood of the church of Rome is full of blasphemie, who take vpon them properly to pronounce vnto men the pardon of their sinnes of themselues: and they deride the custome of reformed churches, who from God pronounce the pardon of sinnes vnto them that repent.

Secondly, hereby we are taught to reverence Christ, and to perform unto him all due honour and loyal obedience. If we never have done this heretofore, we must now begin; and if we have done it, we must endeavour to do it more. For Christ hath the keys of hell and death, he can open the gates thereof at his pleasure, and cast thither whom he will. Many deceive themselves through their false conceit of Christ, they think not of him as of a Judge, but as a Saviour only: they make him all of mercy and pity, and thereby they take occasion to go on in sin. But we must consider, that Christ is likewise a righteous judge, who hath the power of hell and death in his hands, and therefore we must not flatter our selves in our evil ways, but strive to please him continually with fear and trembling, least by our sins we stir up his wrath against us, and cause him to cast us into hell, whence is no redemption.