The second part of the Epistle: of the incestuous fornicatour: & lawing
before Infidels.
Sharply rebuking their Clergies negligence, 3. him self absent excommunicateth that publike
incestuous person: 6. commanding that hereafter no Christian be so tolerated in any open crime,
but excommunicated.
1. THERE is plainely heard fornication among you, and such fornication, as the like is
not among the Heathen, so that one hath his
*
Leu. 18,8. 20,11.
fathers wife.
2. And you are puffed vp; and
✟
Christian men should be sorrowful to see greuious offences borne withal, and ought
zelously to seeke the offenders punishment by excommunication.
haue not mourned rather, that he might be taken away
from among you, that hath done this deed.
3.
I absent.
S. Paul here vseth his Apostolike power, of binding this incestuous person,
excommunicating him by his letters and Mandatum, though absent.
I indeed absent in body, but present in spirit, haue already iudged, as present,
him that hath so done,
4. in the name of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ,
You being gathered.
The authoritie of Ecclesiastical censures in the Clergie only, & is executed in the
name of Christ.
Though he commanded the acte should be done in the face of the Church, as such
sentences and censures be at this day executed also, yet the iudgement and authoritie
of giuing sentence was in himself, and not in whole multitude, as the Protestants and
the popular Sectaries affirme. For the power of binding & loosing was not giuen to the
whole Church, but as in the persons of the Prelates, & to them for the benefit of the
whole. Whervpon S. Chrysostome vpon these words, Die Ecclesiæ, Tel the Church
Mat. 18. Complaine to the Church, that is, saith he, to the Prelates and
Presidents therof.
you being gathered together and my
spirit,
With the vertue.
Al such great power ouer sinners, is holden and exercised in the name & vertue of
CHRIST IESVS and whosoeuer setteth light by it, despiseth our Lord's name and power.
with the vertue of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ;
5. to deliuer such an one
To Satan.
To assure vs that al excommunicate persons be in the power & possession to the Diuel,
& quite out of Christ's protection as soone as they be separated by the Churches
sentence, from her body and the Sacraments and fellowship of Christian Catholike men;
it pleased God to giue power to the Apostles and Prelates in the primitiue Church, to
cause the Diuel straight vpon their sentence of excommunication, to inuade the body
of the excommunicate, & to torment him corporally.
The terrible sentence of excommunication.
So Christ excommunicated Iudas, and the Diuel entred into him, and he went forth of
the happie fellowship of the Apostles. Io. 13,27. So this Apostle
excommunicated Alexander and Hymnæus, and Satan straight tooke them: 1. Tim. 1.
Yea it is thought that *S. Peter excommunicated Ananias & Sapphira, and for signe of
his power and terrour if the sentence strook them both starke dead. De mirabil. S.
Scripturæ li. 3. c. 16. apud D. Aug. Which miraculous power though it be not
ioyned now to that sentence, yet as farre as concerneth the punishment spiritual,
which it specially appartaineth vnto, it is as before, and is by the iudgement of the
holy Doctours (Cyp. ep. 26. nu. 3. Chrys. in 1. Tim. 1. ho. 5. Ambros. in 1. Tim.
1. Hiero. ep. ad Heliod. c. 7. Aug. de cor. & gra. c. 15.) the terriblest and
greatest punishment in the world; yea farre passing al earthly paine and torment of
this life, and being a very resemblance of damnation, and so often called by the
Fathers, namely by S. Augustine. And by this spiritual sword (saith **S. Cyprian)
al must die in their soules, that obey not the Priests of Christ in the new law,
as they that were disobedient to the Iudges of the old law, were slaine with the
corporal sword. Would God the world knew what a maruelous punishment Christ hath
appointed the Priests to execute vpon the offenders of his lawes, and specially vpon
the disobedient, as Heretikes namely.
to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit
may be saued in the day of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ.
6. Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a litle leauen corrupteth the whole
paste?
7.
⋮
The Epistle vpon Easter day.
Purge the old leauen, that you may be a new paste, as your are azymes. For our
Pasche, Christ, is immolated.
8. Therfore
Let vs feast.
Puritie in receiuing the B. Sacrament.
The Paschal lamb, which was the most expresse figure of Christ euery way, *was first
sacrificed and afterward eaten with azymes or vnleauened bread. So Christ our Paschal,
being then newly sacrificed on the Crosse, is recommended to them as to be eaten with
al puritie and sinceritie, in the Holy Sacrament. Which mysterie the holy Church in
these words commendeth to the faithful euery yeare at the feast of Easter.
*Exo. 12.
let vs feast, not in the old leauen, nor in the leauen of malice and
wickednes, but in the azymes of sinceritie and veritie.
9. I wrote to you in
✟
Either this Epistle in the words before, or some other
an epistle, not to keep companie with fornicatours.
10. I meane not the fornicatours of this world, or the couetous, or the extorsioners,
or seruers of Idols: otherwise you should haue gone out of this world.
11. But now I wrote to you, not to keep companie, if he that is named a Brother, be
a fornicatour, or a couetous person, or
✟
A notorious wilful corruption in the Bible 1562: translating in the verse before,
Idolaters; and here, worshipper of images: the Apostles word being
one, εἰδωλολάτρης, Idolater.
a seruer of Idols, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an
extorsioner: with such an one not so much as to
Not to take meat.
We are bound to auoid, not al sinners, but the excommunicate only, & them, except
in certaine cases.
It is not meant that we should separate our selues corporally from al sinnes, or that
we might refuse to liue in one Church or fellowship of Sacraments with them, which
was the errour & occasion of the Donatistes great schisme: nor that euery man is
straight after he hath committed any deadly sinne, excommunicated, as some Lutherans
hold: but that we should auoid them when the Church hath excommunicated them for such:
though in mind, and condemnation of their faults, euery one ought to be alwaies farre
from them. As for the Heathen & Pagans, which be not vnder the Churches discipline,
and at that time in external worldly affaires dealth with Christians and liued amongst
them whether they would or no, the Apostle did not forbid Christians their companie.
take meat.
12. For what is it to me to iudge of them that are without? Doe not you iudge of them
that are within?
13. for them that are without, God wil iudge. Take away
The euil one.
He concludeth that though they can not, nor himself neither, cut off the Heathen
that be publike offenders, yet the il person by excommunicated being one of their
owne body, they may cut off, as is aforesaid, and auoid his company. Vpon which
commandement of the Apostle, we see that we are bound by God's word to auoid al
companie and conuersation with the excommunicate, except in cases of necessitie,
and the spiritual profit of the person excommunicated.
the euil one from among your
selues.