Against the false Apostles granting the infirmitie of his person, he doth notwithstanding
set out the power of his Apostleship, 12 reprehending them also for chalenging to themselues
the praise of other mens labours.
1. AND I Paul my self beseech you be the mildenes and modestie of Christ, who in
presence indeed am humble among you, but absent am bold on you.
2. But I beseech you, that being present I need not be bold by that confidence
wherwith I am thought to be bold against some: which thinke vs as though we walke according to
the flesh.
3. For walking in the flesh, we warre not according to the flesh.
4. For the
Weapons.
Punishing of Heretikes. Their pride.
He meaneth the ample spiritual and Apostolical power giuen by Christ for the
punishment of false Apostles, Heretikes, and rebelles to God's Church, who are
here noted specially by pride, and insolence (which is the proper marke of such
fellowes) to extol themselues aboue the measure of the science of God, which
consisteth in humble obedience to the faith and the Preachers of the same.
weapons of our warfare are not carnal: but mightie to God vnto the
destruction of munitions, destroying counsels,
5. and al lofitnesse extolling itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captiuitie al vnderstanding vnto the obedience of Christ,
6. and hauing in a readinesse
To reuenge.
The spiritual power of Bishops against Heretikes.
You may see hereby, that the spiritual power of Bishops is not only in preaching the
Ghospel, and so by persuasion and exhortation only (as some Heretikes hold) to remit
or retaine sinnes, but that it hath authoritie to punish, iudge, and condemne
Heretikes and other like rebelles: which power *one of the principal rebelles of
this time being conuinced by the euidence of the place, acknowledgeth to be grounded
vpon Christes word, whatsoeuer you bind in earth, shal be bound in Heauen:
Mat. 18,18. applying also the words spoken to Hieremie c. 1,10. Behold I
appoint thee ouer Nations and Kingdoms, that thou plant plucke vp, build and
destroy, to confirme & explicate the power Apostolike here alleaged by S. Paul.
Heretical Consistories.
Mary they would gladly draw this power from the lawful Successours of the Apostles,
to themselues, their Ministers, and Consistories, which are nothing els but the
shops and Councels of sedition and al the conspiracies of this time, against the
lawful Princes of the world.
to reuenge al disobedience, when your obedience shal
be fulfilled.
7. See the things that are according to appearance. If any man haue affiance in
himself, that he is Christ's: let him thinke this againe with himself, that as he is Christ's,
so we also.
8. For and if I should glorie some-what more of our power, which our Lord hath giuen
vs
Vnto edification.
Ecclesiastical censures (namely excommunication) when & where to be executed.
This great power of the Churches censures, specially of excommunication, as it was
giuen for the good and saluation of the people, so it must not be vsed against the
innocent, no nor yet vpon Heretikes or other offenders, but where & when it may by
likelyhood benefit either the parties, or the people, or may be executed without the
hurt or perturbation of the whole Church, as oftentimes it can not be, by reason of
the multitude of offenders. Which caused the Apostle here to signifie that he would
not vse his vtermost authoritie against the false Apostles which disturbed him; til
themselues were in perfect obedience vnto him, lest by punishing the principal
offenders, a greater disturbance & reuolt might fal among the people, if they were
not before in perfect obedience.
vnto edification and not to your destruction; I shal not be ashamed.
9. But that I may not be thought as it were to terrifie you by epistles
10. (for his epistles indeed, say they, are sore and vehement; but his bodily presence
weake, & his speach contemptible)
11. let him this thinke that is such a one, that as we are in word by epistles,
absent; such also we are indeed, present.
12. For we dare not match or compare our selues with certaine, that commend themselues:
but we measure our selues in our selues, & compare our selues to our selues.
13. But we wil not glorie aboue our measure: but according to the measure of the rule,
which God hath measured to vs, a measure to reach euen vnto you.
14. For not, as though we reached not vnto you, doe we extend ourselues beyond. For we
are come as farre as to you in the Ghospel of Christ.
15. not glorying aboue measure in other mens labours: but hauing
✟
ἐλπίδα αὐξομένης τῆς πίςτεως ὑμῶν.
hope of your faith
increasing, to be magnified in you according to our Rule aboundantly,
16.
⋮
The Epistle vpon S. Lucies day 13. Decem. s Martha's. Iulij 29. S. Agnes.
secundò Ian. 28. s. Potentiana's. May 19.
yea vnto those places that are beyond you, to euangelize, not in another
man's Rule, to glorie in in those things that are prepared before.
17.
*
Ier. 9,23.
But he that glorieth, let him glorie in our Lord.
18. For not he that commendeth himself, the same is approued; but whom God
commendeth.