Prosecuting the true cause which in the last chapter he gaue of his not comming, 6. he
pardoneth now after some part of penance, him that fo incest he excommunicated in the last
epistle, requiring them obediently to consent therevnto. 12. Then of his going from Troas in to
Macedonia; God euery where giuing him the triumph.
1. AND I haue determined with my-self this same thing, not to come to you againe in
sorrow.
2. For if I make you sorie; & who is it that can make me glad, but he that is
made sorie by me?
3. And this same I wrote to you; that I may not, when I come, haue sorrow vpon
sorrow, of the which I ought to reioyce: trusting in you al, that my ioy is the ioy of you al.
4. For of much tribulation and anguish of hart I wrote to you by many teares: not
that you should be made sorie; but that you may know what charitie I haue more aboundantly
toward you.
5. And if any man hath made sorrowful, not me hath he made sorrowful, but in part,
that I burden not al you.
6. To him that is such a one
This rebuke sufficeth.
The Apostle excommunicateth, enioyneth penance, & afterward pardoneth and
absolueth.
This Corinthian for incest was excommunicated & put to penance by the Apostle, as
appeareth in the former Epistle c. 5. And here order is giuen for his absolution &
pardoning. Wherin first we haue a plaine example & proofe of the Apostolike power,
there of binding, & here of loosing: there, of punishing, here of pardoning: there
of retaining sinnes, here of remission. Secondly we may hereby proue that not only
amendment, ceasing to sinne, or repentance in hart & before God alone is alwaies
enough to obteine ful reconcilement, wheras we see here his separation also from the
faithful, and the Sacraments, and from al companie or dealing with other Christian
men, besides other bodily affliction: al which, called of the Apostle before
interitus carnis, the destruction of the flesh, and named here Rebuke,
(or as the *Greek word also importeth mulct, penaltie, correction, chastisement,
were enioyned him by the Apostles commandement in the face of the Church, and by
the offender patiently sustained so long.
Pardon or remission of penance enioyned.
Thirdly we see that it lieth in the hands of the Apostles, Bishops, & spiritual
Magistrates, to measure the time of such penance or discipline, not only according
to the weight of the offence committed, but also according to the weaknes of the
persons punished, and other respects, of time and place as to their wisedom shal be
thought most agreable to the parties good, and the Churches edification.
Penance & satisfaction euidently proued against the Protestants.
Lastly by this whole handling of the offenders case, we may refute the wicked heresie
of the Protestants, that would make the simple beleeue, no punishment of a man's
owne person for sinnes committed, nor penance enioyned by the Church, noy any paines
temporal of satisfaction for our life past, to be necessarie, but al such things to
be superfluous, because Christ hath satisfied enough for al. Which Epicurian doctrine
is refelled, not only hereby, but also by the **Prophets, Iohn the Baptistes, Christes,
& the Apostles preaching of penance and condigne workes or fruits of repentance, to
euery man in his owne person, & not in Christes person only: and by the whole life
and most plaine speaches and penitential canons of the Holy Doctours and Councels
prescribing times of penance, commanding penance, enioyned penance, and continually
vsing the word satisfaction in this case throughout al their workes, as our
Aduersaries themselues can not but confesse.
*1. Cor. 5,5.
ἐπιτιμία.
**Ioel 1,12.
Mt. 3. & 4.
Act. 2. & 26.
this rebuke sufficeth that is giuen of many:
7. so that contrariewise you should rather pardon and comfort him, lest perhaps
such an one be swallowed vp with ouer great sorrow.
8. For the which cause
I beseech you.
Zeale against the excommunicate.
They which at the beginning did beare too much with the offender and seemed both to
haue him excommunicated in so austere manner, yet through their obedience to the
Apostle become on the other side so rigorous, and so farre detested the malefactour
after he was excommunicated, that the Apostle now meaning to absolue him, was glad to
intreat, and command them also, to accept him to their companie and grace againe.
I beseech you that you confirme charitie toward him.
9. For therfore also haue I written that I may know the experiment of you, whether in
al things you be
Obedient.
The Apostle chalengeth their obedience to his Ecclesiastical authoritie.
Though in the last chapter he discharged himself of tyrannical dominion ouer them,
yet he chalengeth their obedience in al things as their Pastour and Superiour, and
consequently in this point of receiuing to mercie the penitent Corinthian. Wherby we
see, that as the power and authoritie of excommunicating, so of absoluing also was in
S. Paules person, though both were to be done in the face of the Church: els he
would not haue commanded or required their obedience.
obedient.
10. And whom you haue pardoned any thing,
I also.
The Heretikes and others not wel founded in the Scriptures and antiquitie, maruel
that the Popes pardons; counting them either fruitles or vnlawful or no elder then
S. Gregorie.
The authoritie of indulgences whervpon it is grounded.
But indeed the authoritie, power, and right of them is of Christes owne word and
commission, principally giuen to Peter, and so afterward to al the Apostles, and in
their persons to al the cheefe Pastours of the Church, when it was said,
*Whatsoeuer you loose in earth shal be loosed in heauen. By which commission
the holy Bishops of old did cut-off large peeces of penance enioyned to offenders,
and gaue peace, grace, or indulgence, **before they had accomplished the measure of
their appointed deserued punishment.
What is a pardon or indulgence.
And that is to giue pardon. And so S. Paul here did towards the Corinthian, whom he
assoileth of mere grace and mercie, as the word ***donare or condonare
doth signifie, when he might longer haue kept him in penance and temporal affliction
for his offense. Wherof though he had already before God inwardly repented, yet was
he iustly holden vnder this correction for some satisfaction of his fault past,
during the Apostles pleasure. To remit then the temporal punishment or chastisement
due to sinners after the offense it-self & the guilt therof be forgiuen of God, is
an indulgence or pardon. Which the principal Magistrates of God's Church by Christes
warrant and the Apostles example, haue euer done, being no lesse authorized to pardon
then to punish; and by imitation of our Maister (who forgaue athe
aduouteresse and diuers other offenders, not only their sinnes, but also often the
temporal punishments due for the same) are as much giuen to mercie as to iustice.
*Mat. 18,18.
**Cypria. ep. 13. 14. 15.
***κεχάρισμαι.
aIo. 8,11.
I also. For, my-self also that which I
✟
κεχάρισμαι.
Though he did great penance saith (Theodorete) yet he calleth this pardoning,
χαριν, a grace, because his sinne was greater then his penance.
pardoned, if I pardoned any thing,
For you.
Indulgences or pardons in the primitiue Church.
*Theodorete vpon this place saith that the Apostle gaue this pardon to the Corinthian
at the intercession of the blessed men Timotheus and Titus. And we may read in sundrie
places, of **S. Cyprian namely, that indulgences or remissions were giuen in the
primitiue Church by the mediation of holy Confessours or Martyrs, and by communicating
the satisfactorie workes of one to another: to which end they gaue their letters to
Bishops in the behalfe of diuers their Christian Brethren: a thing most agreable to
the mutual entercourse that is between the members of Christes mystical body, and
very answerable to God's iustice, ***which by supply of the one sort that aboundeth,
standeth entire in respect of the other sort also that wanteth. aIn which
kind the
Apostle confesseth that himself by his suffering and tribulations supplieth that wants
of such passions as Christ had to suffer, not in his owne person, but in his body,
which is his Church. Wherupon we inferre most assuredly, that the satisfactorie and
penal workes of holy Saints suffered in this life, be communicable and applicable to
the vse of other faithful men their fellow-members in our Lord, and to be dispensed
according to euery ones necessitie and deseruing, by them whom Christ hath constituted
ouer his familie, and hath made the dispensers of his treasures.
*Theodor. in hunc locum.
**Cypr. locis citatis.
***2. Cor. 8.
aCol. 1,24.
for you
In the person of Christ.
Al pardon and remission is in the vertue and name of Christ.
For that many might of ignorance or pride reproue the practise of Gods Church and
her Officers, or deny the Apostles authoritie to be so great ouer mens soules as
to punish and pardon in this sort, S. Paul doth purposely and precisely tel them
that he doth giue pardon as Christes Vicar, or as bearing his person in this case:
and therfore that no man may maruel of his power herein, except he thinke that
Christes power, authoritie, and commission is not sufficient to release temporal
punishment due to sinners.
Heretical translation.
And this to be the proper meaning of these words, *In
the person of Christ, and not as the Protestants would haue it (the better to
auoid the former conclusion of the Apostles giuing indulgence) In the face or
sight of Christ, you may easily vnderstand by the Apostles like insinuation of
Christes power, when he committeth this offender to Satan, affirming that he gaue
that sentence in the name and with the vertue or power of our Lord IESVS
CHRIST. In al which cases the Protestants blindnes is exceeding great, who can not
see that this is not the way to extol Christes power, to deny it to his Priests,
seeing the Apostle chalengeth it by that that Christ hath such power, & that himself
doth it in is name, vertue, and person. So now in this and in no other name giue
Popes and Bishops their pardons. Which pertaining properly to releasing only of
temporal punishment due after the sinne and the eternal punishment be forgiuen, is
not so great a matter as the remission of the sinne it self: which yet the Priests
***by expresse commission does also remit.
*ἐν προσώπῳ χρισςοῦ.
**1. Cor. 5.4.
***Io. 20.23.
in the person of Christ,
11. that we be not
Circumuented of Satan.
al binding & loosing must be vsed to the parties saluation.
We may see hereby, that the dispensation of such discipline and the releasing of the
same, be put into the power and hands of Gods Ministers, to deale more or lesse
rigorously, to pardon sooner or later, punish longer or shorter while, as shal be
thought best to their wisedom. For the end of al such correction or pardoning, must be
the saluation of the parties soul, as the Apostle noted 1. Cor. 5,5. Which to
some, and some certaine times, may be better procured by rigour of discipline then by
indulgence, to some others, by lenitie & humane dealing (so pardoning of penance is
called in *old Councels) rather then by ouer-much chastisement.
The great penances of the primitiue Church.
For consideration wherof, in some Ages of the Church, much discipline, great penance &
satisfaction was both enioyned and also willingly susteined, and then was the lesse
pardoning and fewer indulgences; because in that voluntary vse and acceptation of
punishment, and great zeale and feruour of spirit, euery man fulfilled his penance,
and few asked pardon.
Why more and pardons Indulgences now then in old time.
Now in the fal of deuotion and lothsomnes that men commonly haue to doe great penance,
though the sinnes be farre greater then euer before, yet our holy mother the Church
knowing with the Apostle the cogitations of Satan, how he would in this delicate time,
driue men either to desparation, or forsake Christ & his Church & al hope of saluation,
rather then they would enter into the course of canonical discipline, enioyneth smal
penance, and seldom vseth extremitie with offenders as the holy Bishops of the
primitiue Church did, but condescending to the weaknes of her children, pardoneth
exceeding often and much, not only al enioyned penance but also al or great parts of
what punishment temporal soeuer due or deserued, either in this world or in the next.
As for the Heretikes which neither like the Churches lenitie and pardoning in these
daies, nor the old rigour of the primitiue Church, they be like to the Iewes **that
condemned Iohn the Baptist of austeritie, & Christ of too much freedom and libertie:
not knowing nor liking indeed either Christes ordinance and commission in binding or
loosing, or his prouidence in the gouernement of the Church.
*Con. Ni. can. 12.
Ancyra can. 2. & 5.
**Mat. 11,18.
circumuented of Satan. For we are not ignorant of his cogitations.
12. And when I was come to Troas for the Ghospel of Christ, and a doore was opened vnto
me in our Lord,
13. I had no rest in my spirit, for that I found not Titus my Brother, but bidding
them fare wel, I went forth into Macedonia.
14. And thankes be to God, who alwaies triumpheth vs in Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ, and
manifesteth the odour of his knowledge by vs in euery place.
15. For we are the good odour of Christ vnto God in them that are saued, & in them
that perish.
16. To some indeed the odour of death vnto death: but to others the odour of life
vnto life. And to these things who is so sufficient?
17. For we are not as very many
Adulterating.
The *Greek word signifieth to make commoditie of the word of God as vulgar Vintners
doe of their wine.
The Heretikes corrupting of the Scripture.
Whereby is expressed the peculiar trade of al Heretikes, and exceeding proper to the
Protestants, that so corrupt Scriptures by mixture of their owne phantasies, by false
translations, glosses, colourable & pleasant commentaries, to deceiue the taste of
the simple, as tauerners and tapsters doe, to make their wines falable by manifold
artificial deceits. The Apostles contrariewise, as al Catholikes, deliuer the
Scriptures and vtter the word of God sincerely and entirely, in the same sense and
sort as the Fathers left them to the Church, interpreting them by the same Spirit by
which they were written or spoken.
*καπηύοντες.
adulterating the word of God, but of sinceritie,
and as of God, before God, in Christ we speak.