The power which Christ1 hath given to the Ministers of the Church, is rather an office than a power: for power belongeth to Christ alone. And that power or Office which the Ministers or Priests have received, is to edify, and not to destroy, as Paul manifestly teacheth. 2. Cor. 10. And the keys of the kingdom of god are given in deed unto the Ministers of the church. ⟨image 127⟩For our Lord promised them to Peter2 and to the rest of the Apostles, Math. 16. with these words: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt lose in earth shall be loosed in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: the same he gave to all the Disciples. John. 20. saying: Even as my father sent me, so send I you: who soevers sins you shall remit, they shall be forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain, they shall be retained. Therefore3 to lose, is to forgive sins: and to bind, is not to forgive or to retain sins. But because no man can remit or forgive sins but God only, therefore the Ministers of God by his commandment preaching the Gospel, do declare that god forgiveth their sins, and remitteth all punishment, if they believe in Christ: and that on the other side their sin remaineth, and that they shall be punished for the same if they believe not in Christ: and therefore for this cause doth the Scripture say, that the Minister doth bind or lose, ⟨p. 117⟩forgive or retain sins. And as the minister doth truly preach this, so doth it undoubtedly come to pass both on the faithful and unfaithful. For God being in heaven, performeth that which his ministers here do promise on the earth. By this we may easily gather, that the keys are nothing else but the preaching of the gospel, and not a peculiar jurisdiction or power, as our adversaries reach. For even as a master of some house, giveth his keys unto his servant, to open and shut the house, to let men both in & out. So is the church the house of God, in the which who so ever abideth, is an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven, & those which through infidelity, are not in the church, have no portion in the kingdom of heaven, but are even as it were in hell: and the ministers received the keys of the kingdom of heaven from Christ, that is to say, the preaching of the Gospel, that thereby they might open & shut.
THe power which Christ1 hathe giuen to the Ministers of the Churche, is rather an office than a power: for power belongeth to Christ alone. And that power or Office which the Ministers or Priests haue receyued, is to edifie, and not to destroy, as Paule manifestly teacheth. 2. Cor. 10. And the keyes of the kingdome of god are giuen in déede vnto ye Ministers of the church. ⟨image 127⟩For our Lord promised them to Peter2 and to the rest of the Apostles, Math. 16. with these words: I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, and whatsoeuer thou shalt lose in earth shal be losed in heauen, and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde on earth shal be bound in heauen: the same he gaue to all the Disciples. John. 20. saying: Euen as my father sent me, so sende I you: who soeuers sinnes you shall remitte, they shall be forgiuen, and whose sinnes you shall retayne, they shall be retayned. Therefore3 to lose, is to forgiue sinnes: and to binde, is not to forgiue or to retayne sinnes. But bycause no man can remit or forgiue sinnes but God onely, therefore the Ministers of God by his commaundement preaching the Gospel, doo declare that god forgiueth their sinnes, and remitteth all punishmente, if they beléeue in Chryst: and that on the other side their sinne remayneth, and that they shall bée punyshed for the same if they beléeue not in Chryst: and therfore for this cause dothe the Scripture say, that the Minister doth bind or lose, ⟨p. 117⟩forgiue or retaine sinnes. And as the minister doth truly preach this, so doth it vndoutedly come to passe both on the faithfull and vnfaithfull. For God being in heauen, performeth that which his ministers héere doe promisse on the earthe. By this we may easily gather, that the keyes are nothing else but the preaching of the gospel, and not a peculiare iurisdiction or power, as oure aduersaries reache. For euen as a maister of some house, giueth his keyes vnto his seruaunt, to open and shut the house, to let men bothe in & out. So is the church the house of God, in the which who so euer abideth, is an inheritor of the kingdome of heauen, & those which through infidelitie, are not in the churche, haue no portion in the kingdome of heauen, but are euen as it were in hell: and the ministers receiued the keyes of ye kingdome of heauen from Christe, that is to say, the preaching of the Gospell, that therby they might open & shut.
- 1Power is an office.
- 2The keys of the kingdom of heaven.The kayes of the kingdome of heauen.
- 3Of binding and loosing.
