The power of the keys is twofold, Conciovalis & Judicialis, as it is usually called. The first consists in the preaching of the Gospel, wherein the kingdom of heaven is opened to the penitent, sins remitted, life promised, and heaven shut to the obstinate: which is the sword and the sceptre of Christ, whereby he saveth his people, 1and conquereth his enemies, beateth down every strong hold, p•ireeth to the division of foul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and judgeth the very cogitations and thoughts of the heart. These effects Christ executeth by his Word, even when it is not assisted by the cdiscipline spoken of. Now if it be rightly understood, the Church of God cannot be without this key. For the Church is gathered by the Word, and is a company or society which hath received the Word in profession at least, and doth possess it, and amongst whom it dwelleth. The Judicial power of the dkeys is the power of government, which consisteth principally in the right ordering and dispensation of Church censures, and so of the manners and necessities of all men: which agreeth not to any one member, nor to the community of the faithful, nor to any one singular governor, but to the Ecclesiastical Senate, yet with due respect had to the community of the faithful. In the first sense, the Church of England hath the power of the keys, enot so much as is to be desired, but in an eminent sort; and that with Gods blessing upon the labour of his servants, if any other Church under Heaven. In the second signification, the power of the keys for substance is in our Church, but the manner of ordering and administration of them is corrupt and faulty. But this power of the keys is not of absolute necessity to the being of the Church, but to the well-being only. Here is a fit place to answer your Question: Whether to hide from the people the knowledge of all the main truths, which concern the outward regiment of Christs visible church, make a false Prophet.
The power of the keyes is twofold, Concioualis & Judicialis, as it is usually called. The first consists in the preaching of the Gospell, wherein the kingdome of heaven is opened to the penitent, sinnes remitted, life promised, and heaven shut to the obstinate: which is the sword and the scepter of Christ, whereby he saveth his people, 1and conquereth his enemies, beateth downe every strong hold, p•ireeth to the division of foule and spirit, and of the joynts and marrow, and judgeth the very cogitations and thoughts of the heart. These effects Christ executeth by his Word, even when it is not assisted by the cdiscipline spoken of. Now if it be rightly understood, the Church of God cannot be without this key. For the Church is gathered by the Word, and is a company or societie which hath received the Word in profession at least, and doth possesse it, and amongst whom it dwelleth. The Judiciall power of the dkeyes is the power of government, which consisteth principally in the right ordering and dispensation of Church censures, and so of the manners and necessities of all men: which agreeth not to any one member, nor to the communitie of the faithfull, nor to any one singular governour, but to the Ecclesiasticall Senate, yet with due respect had to the communitie of the faithfull. In the first sense, the Church of England hath the power of the keyes, enot so much as is to be desired, but in an eminent sort; and that with Gods blessing upon the labour of his servants, if any other Church under Heaven. In the second signification, the power of the keyes for substance is in our Church, but the manner of ordering and administration of them is corrupt and faultie. But this power of the keyes is not of absolute necessitie to the being of the Church, but to the well-being onely. Here is a fit place to answer your Question: Whether to hide from the people the knowledge of all the maine truths, which concerne the outward regiment of Christs visible church, make a false Prophet.
- 12 Cor. 1.21. 2 Cor. 10.4. Isa. 11.4. Rom. 1.16.
- cTo excommunicate is to remove the wicked & irrepentant from participation of the Lords Supper: least by sacrilegious presuming to violate that Table, the ungodly should condemn themselves, and defile others. Bilson perpet. gov. cap. 9.To excommunicate is to remove the wicked & irrepentant from participation of the Lords Supper: least by sacrilegious presuming to violate that Table, the ungodly should condemne themselves, and defile others. Bilson perpet. gov. cap. 9.
- dExcommunication is a mere spiritual punishment, & reacheth no further by Gods word than to take from offenders the remission of their sins, by wanting the Word and Sacraments, until they repent. Bilson. Christian. part 3. pag. 52.Excommunication is a meere spirituall punishment, & reacheth no further by Gods word than to take from offenders the remission of their sinnes, by wanting the Word and Sacraments, untill they repent. Bilson. Christian. part 3. pag. 52.
- eCyp. lib. 1. epist. 3. I hardly persuade the people, yea, I am forced to wrest it from them, before they will suffer such to be admitted. Bilson. perpet. gov. c. 9. Great reason had those godly Fathers to see the whole Church satisfied, before they released the sentence of excommunication, &c. and so doing they showed not what right the multitude had to sit Judges with the Bishop, but what ••e themselves had to remove from the people all occasions of stumbling. Id. pag. 113. If you take Excommunication for removing the unruly from the civill society of the faithful, until they conform themselves unto a more Christian course of life, I am not altogether averse, that the whole Church should concur in that action, &c. See August. contr. Par, Ep. 1, l. 2. ca. 1. Can. Stay, Sect. 12. pag. 123.Cyp. lib. 1. epist. 3. I hardly perswade the people, yea, I am forced to wrest it from them, before they will suffer such to be admitted. Bilson. perpet. gov. c. 9. Great reason had those godly Fathers to see the whole Church satisfied, before they released the sentence of excommunication, &c. and so doing they shewed not what right the multitude had to sit Iudges with the Bishop, but what e themselves had to remove from the people all occasions of stumbling. Id. pag. 113. If you take Excommunication for removing the unruly from the civill societie of the faithfull, untill they conforme themselves unto a more Christian course of life, I am not altogether averse, that the whole Church should concurre in that action, &c. See August. contr. Par, Ep. 1, l. 2. ca. 1. Can. Stay, Sect. 12. pag. 123.
