As binding and loosing are Acts of authority and power, such as doth not belong to any single person or brother offended, so the binding and loosing mentioned Matth. 18. 18. are Acts of Ecclesiastical and spiritual authority, belonging to the Kingdom and Government of Christ in his Church, but not belonging to the civill Magistrate. And as the authority is Ecclesiastical and spiritual, so it is more than Doctrinal, it is a power of inflicting or taking off Church Censures. These two things I will endeavour to prove. 1. That this power of binding and loosing belongeth neither to private Christians nor to civill Magistrates, but to Church Officers. 2. That this power is juridical or forensicall, and not Doctrinal only; that is, that Church-Officers are here authorised to bind with censures, or to loose from censures, as there shall be cause. In both which we have Antiquity for us. Which I do the rather observe because Erastus and Grotius allege some of the Ancients, for their exposition of Math. 18. 18. that this binding or loosing is by the offended brother. That which Augustine, Origen, and Theophylact say of one brother his binding or loosing, is but spoken tropologically, and not as the literal sense of the Text, yea, Theophylact in that passage cited by Erastus and Grotius, doth distinguish between the Ministerial or Ecclesiastical binding and loosing, and the party offended his binding and loosing. Non enim solùm quae solvunt sacerdotes sunt soluta, sed quaecunque & nos &c. Theophylact doth also find excommunication in that Text Illam autem (Ecclesiam) si non audierit, tunc abjiciatar, ne suae maliti• participes faciat alios. I further appeal to Augustine himself Epist. 75. where speaking of Excommunication and Anathema he distinguisheth it from corporal punishment, and after he hath spoken of the temporal sword he addeth, Spiritualis autem paena, qua fit quod scriptum est, Quae ligaveris in terra, erunt ligata & in caelo, animas obligat. But the spiritual punishment, by which that thing is done which is written, What thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, doth bind soul•. Again in his ⟨p. 410⟩sixth Tome lib. 1. contra adversarium legis & prophetarum •ap. 17.y he doth most plainly interpret Math. 18. 18. of Church discipline and binding by Censure.
As binding and loosing are Acts of authority and power, such as doth not belong to any single person or brother offended, so the binding and loosing mentioned Matth. 18. 18. are Acts of Ecclesiasticall and spirituall authority, belonging to the Kingdom and Government of Christ in his Church, but not belonging to the civill Magistrate. And as the authority is Ecclesiasticall and spirituall, so it is more than Doctrinall, it is a power of inflicting or taking off Church Censures. These two things I will endeavour to prove. 1. That this power of binding and loosing belongeth neither to private Christians nor to civill Magistrates, but to Church Officers. 2. That this power is juridicall or forensicall, and not Doctrinall onely; that is, that Church-Officers are here authorised to bind with censures, or to loose from censures, as there shall be cause. In both which we have Antiquity for us. Which I doe the rather observe because Erastus and Grotius alledge some of the Antients, for their exposition of Math. 18. 18. that this binding or loosing is by the offended brother. That which Augustine, Origen, and Theophylact say of one brother his binding or loosing, is but spoken tropologically, and not as the literall sence of the Text, yea, Theophylact in that passage cited by Erastus and Grotius, doth distinguish between the Ministeriall or Ecclesiasticall binding and loosing, and the party offended his binding and loosing. Non enim solùm quae solvunt sacerdotes sunt soluta, sed quaecunque & nos &c. Theophylact doth also find excommunication in that Text Illam autem (Ecclesiam) si non audierit, tunc abjiciatar, ne suae maliti• participes faciat alios. I further appeal to Augustine himself Epist. 75. where speaking of Excommunication and Anathema he distinguisheth it from corporall punishment, and after he hath spoken of the temporall sword he addeth, Spiritualis autem paena, qua fit quod scriptum est, Quae ligaveris in terra, erunt ligata & in caelo, animas obligat. But the spirituall punishment, by which that thing is done which is written, What thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, doth bind soul•. Againe in his ⟨p. 410⟩sixth Tome lib. 1. contra adversarium legis & prophetarum •ap. 17.y he doth most plainly interpret Math. 18. 18. of Church discipline and binding by Censure.
- yIgnoscendi autem misericors mansuetudo, &c. non ad hoc valet ut sit iniquitas impunita, aut torpens & dormiens disciplina, quod potius obsit quam dil g ns vigilansque vindicta. Claves quippe •egni caelorum sic dedit Christus Ecclesiae, ut non solùm diceret Quae solveritis super terram, c•unt solu a & in caelis: ubi apertissim è bonum, non malum pro malo reddit Ecclesia: verùm & adjungeret: Quae ligaveritis in terra erunt ligata & in caelo. quia bon• est & vindicandi justitia. Illud enim quod ait, Si nec Ecclesiam audi•rit, sit tibi tanquam ethn•cus & publicanus, g•avius est quam si gladio soriretur, si flammis absumeret•r, si feris subrigeretur. Nam ibi quoque subjunxit, Amen dico vobis quae ligaveritis super te•tam erunt ligata & in caelis: ut intelligeretur quanto gravius sit punitus qui velut relictus est impunitus.
