explain'd it, and other cotemporary Witnesses (I have fhewn) confirm'd it to us, was a voluntary Condefcenfion of his own; and that he used their Advice and Information only in the Causes which came before him, and own'd no other Power or Authority in them, or was any ways obliged or bound to do so much as he did in it ; and more than this need not be faid here, till we meet with new Arguments upon this Head, which we must look for in the next Chapter. THE CHA P. VII. HE Conftitution of the Primitive Church has been the general Subject of all that's gone before: The Discipline of it is to be confider'd now: 'Tis introduc'd with proper Obfervations of the Neceffity, Nature, and admirable Advantages of it; about which there need be no Difpute: For that the Christian Church is a true Society, and has a Government annex'd to it as fuch; that 'tis a Spiritual one, and therefore her own proper Laws, Orders and Penalties, purely Spiritual too; that Admonitions, Excommunications,Sufpenfions, and the like (as our learned Author here obferves) are peculiar Acts of this Spiritual Power, is readily agreed; and all the brightest Characters and glorious Encomiums, which from the elegant Pen of S. Cyprian are here transcribed, concerning the Usefulness, Excellency, and Neceffity of this holy Difcipline, are no more than what are due to it; for (to ufe ufe the Apostle's Words) whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, or of good Report, if any Vertue or any Praife; they all fade or flourish in Proportion to the Remifness of it; and may the respective Trustees or Stewards in the House of God, to whom any Part of this important Charge is committed, be ever mindful of it! Who they fpecially are, and in the Primitive Church were ever own'd to be, is the Question now before us. Our learned Enquirer (you fee) has just now told us, that the Clergy and Laity together have a Right to this Ecclefiaftical Power, as in joint Commiffion with one another; they were all Judges (as he here farther affirms) in the Ecclefiaftical Court; infomuch that they perform all things belonging to the Government and Policy of the Church, by their joint Confent and Administra tions. * His Fundamental Proof of this, is taken from fuch Interpretations, as he tells us fome of the Primitive Fathers made of those two eminent Texts, where the Power of the Keys is exprefly promis'd; namely, Matt. xvi. 18, 19. where they are promis'd to S. Peter only, by Name; and Matt. xviii. 15, 16, 17, 18. where in general Terms they feem to be given to the Church; and 'tis fomewhat strange, that he takes no Notice of a third Text, where this Power was more folemnly promis'd, and by a facred Symbol from the Mouth of the bleffed Jefus, affured to those Perfons, for whom it will appear (I think) it was *See Eng. p. 112. § 3. was peculiarly defign'd: I mean, that Text in S. John xx. 21, 22, 23. where our Lord breathed on those Disciples, whom he then fent, as the Father had fent him, and that is furely the Apoftles alone, (that very Miffion confirming the Name and Title to them) faying, Receive the Holy Ghoft,whofe-foever Sins ye remit,they are remitted to them, &c. But I fhall not interrupt our learned Enquirer's Method, on Account of this Omiffion here, but fairly state his Arguments in the Way he offers them to us. This Power of the Keys, as promis'd to S. Peter, in S. Matt. xvi. 18, 19. he confeffes (upon * Origen's Authority, truly quoted for it) the Bifhops of the Primitive Church applied to themselves; and owns alfo, that very ancient Father allow'd it to be Orthodox in thofe Bishops to do so, so long as they held Peter's Confeffion, and were fuch as the Church of Chrift might be built upon; and that is, (furely) fo long as they were true and orthodox Bishops of the Catholick Church. But (what is more furprizing to me) † he tells us that S. Cyprian himself was of the fame Opinion also; and quotes that very Paffage for the Proof of it, which I have elsewhere cited from that Holy Martyr upon much the fame. Occafion; the Church (fays S. Cyprian) || is founded upon the Bifhops, by whom every Ecclefiaftical Action is govern'd. S. Cy *See Enq. p. 113. & Orig. Comment. in Matth. Tom. 12. p. 279. Vol. 1. Edit. Huetii, Rothemagi, 1668. + Eng. p. 114. Ecclelia fuper epifcopos conftituatur, & omnis actus Ecclefiæ per eofdem præpofitos gubernetur. Cypr. Ep. 27. Edit. Pamel; or Ep. 33. Edit. Oxon. § 1. prian then thought just the same, it feems, as Origen did in this Matter; that the Orthodox Bishops might justly claim the Power of the Keys to themselves alone: Tho' others of the Ancients (as the Enquiry adds here) mention this Power as given to the whole Church, according to that in S. Matt. xviii. 15, &c.—And how clearly that appears, we fhall quickly fee. But, in the mean time, here's a Truth acknowledg'd now; which, if earlier own'd, might have prevented a confiderable Part of this elaborate Enquiry; for what numerous Quotations have we met with? and ftill fhall meet with more, from the venerable S. Cyprian's Works, to prove, that not only Presbyters had a Raling Power inherent in their Orders, in refpect of Excommunications, Abfolutions, and fuch-like manifest Acts of the facred Power of the Keys; but that the Laity also, as well as they, had a Share of Legislative, Decretive, and Judicatorial Power in the Confiftory of the Church. And yet this very S. Cyprian himself is now declar'd to have been wholly of that Opinion, that the Bishops alone, by vertue of the Original Grant of the Keys to S. Peter, did in the Prmitive Church juftly appropriate all that Power to themfelves. What can more direaly confirm all that I have prov'd at large before in thefe feveral Particulars? namely, that whatever Part either Presbyters, Deacons, or People had, in any fuch Authoritative Acts of Difcipline or Government in his Church; 'twas upon one or other of these two Accounts, either that S. Cyprian commiffion'd fome amongst them, whofe Character and Station made them Τ the the properer Officers, in many Cafes, to execute fome Parts of Difcipline, which he authentickly decreed to be done by vertue of thePower of the Keys invested in himself; or else, that he purely condefcended (according to his humble Purpose at the firft) to take Counfel, Information, and Advice only, from his Clergy and People, in all important Acts of his Administration: And if there had been more in it, he must have practis'd otherwise than his own Opinion of these Matters is here truly own'd to have been. Thus far, then, the Joint Adminiftration of Clergy and People, together with their Bishop, in the Government of the Church, is fet afide by Origen and S. Cyprian's Interpretations of the Original Promife to S. Peter; (as to any Power the two former were entitled to by it) from which Promife and Commiffion (as our learned Enquirer towns) all Power that any Church-Court exerted, was derived. What is offer'd then to balance fuch Evidence and Authority as this? Why! others of the Ancients (fays our learned Author) mention this Power as given to the whole Church, according to that in S. Matt. xviii. 17, 18. Tell it unto the Church; but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as a Heathen and Publican: Verily I fay unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on Earth, fhall be bound in Heaven, &c. By the Church here, (fays he) is to be understood the whole Body of a particular Church, or Parish, unto which fome † See Eng. p. 113. |