"None taketh away sins, but Christ alone, who is the Lamb, that taketh away the sins of the world." Agreeable to that, which in the same place he citeth out of St. Ambrose: "Hef alone forgiveth sins, who alone died for our sins :" and to that of Clemens Alexandrinus: "He alone can remit sins, who is appointed our master by the father of all, who alone is able to discern disobedience from obedience:" to which purpose also, St. Ambrose maketh this observation upon the history of the woman taken in adultery"; that "Jesus', being about to pardon sin, remained alone. For it is not the ambassador," saith he, "nor the messenger, but the Lord himself that hath saved his people. He remaineth alone, because it cannot be common to any man with Christ to forgive sins. This is the office of Christ alone, who taketh away the sin of the world." Yea, St. Chrysostom himself, who of all the fathers giveth most in this point unto God's ambassadors and messengers, is yet careful withal to preserve God's privilege entire, by often interposing such sentences as these. "Nonek can forgive sins, but God alone." "To' forgive sins belongeth to no other." "To" forgive sins, is possible to God only. God" alone doth this; which also

• Nemo tollit peccata, nisi solus Christus ; qui est agnus tollens peccata mundi. Augustin.

Ille solus peccata dimittit, qui solus pro peccatis nostris mortuus est. Ambros.

* Μόνος οὗτος οἷός τε ἀφιέναι τὰ πλημμελήματα, ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων ὁ ταχθεὶς παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν, μόνος ὁ τῆς ὑπακοῆς διακρῖναι τὴν Tарaкоην Evνáμɛvoc. Clem. Alex. pædagog. lib. 1. cap. 8. op. tom. 1. pag. 138. h John, chap. 8. ver. 9.

i Donaturus peccatum, solus remanet Jesus, &c. Non enim legatus neque nuncius, sed ipse Dominus salvum fecit populum suum. Solus remanet ; quia non potest hoc cuiquam hominum cum Christo esse commune, ut peccata condonet. Solius hoc munus est Christi, qui tulit peccatum mundi. Ambros. epist. 26. ad Irenæum, op. tom. 2. pag. 900.

* Οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ θεὸς. Chrysost. in 2 Corinth. cap. 3. homil. 6. op. tom. 10. pag. 476.

1 Τὸ γὰρ ἀφεῖναι ἁμαρτίας, οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου ἐστὶ, Id. in Johan. cap. 8. homil. 54. op. tom. 8. pag. 316.

m

ἁμαρτήματα μὲν γὰρ ἀφεῖναι μόνῳ θεῷ δυνατὸν. Id. in 1 Cor. cap. 15. hom. 40. op. tom. 10. pag. 379.

- Θεὸς γὰρ μόνος τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐν τῷ λουτρῷ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας ipyázεral. Id. Ibid. pag. 380.

he worketh in the washing of the new birth." Wherein, that the work of cleansing the soul is wholly God's, and the minister hath no hand at all in effecting any part of it, Optatus proveth at large in his fifth book against the Donatists: shewing, that "none" can wash the filth and spots of the mind, but he, who is the framer of the same mind;" and convincing the heretics, as by many other testimonies of holy Scripture, so by that of Isaiah", which he presseth in this manner, "Its belongeth unto God to cleanse, and not unto man: he hath promised by the prophet Isaiah, that he himself would wash, when he saith; If your sins were as scarlet, I will make them as white as snow: I will make them white, he said; he did not say, I will cause them to be made white. If God hath promised this, why will you give that, which is neither lawful for you to promise, nor to give, nor to have? Behold, in Isaiah, God hath promised that he himself will make white such as are defiled with sins; not by man."

Having thus therefore reserved unto God his prerogative royal in cleansing of the soul, we give unto his underofficers their due, when we "account" of them as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God;" not as Lords, that have power to dispose of spiritual graces as they please; but as servants, that are tied to follow their master's prescriptions therein; and in following thereof do but bring their external ministry (for" which itself also they are beholding to God's mercy and

• Sordes et maculas mentis lavare non potest, nisi qui ejusdem fabricator est mentis. Optat. lib. 5.

P chap. 1. ver. 18.

a Dei est mundare, non hominis : ipse per prophetam Esaiam promisit se loturum, dum ait; Et si fuerint peccata vestra velut coccum, ut nivem inalbabo. Inalbabo, dixit; non dixit, Faciam inalbari. Si hoc Deus promisit, quare vos vultis reddere, quod vobis nec promittere licet, nec reddere, nec habere? Ecce in Esaia se promisit Deus inalbare peccatis affectos; non per hominem. Id. ibid.

r1 Cor. chap. 4. ver. 1, 2.

Chrysost. in 1 Cor. cap. 4. hom. 10. op. tom. 10. pag. 83.

Id. in 2 Cor. cap. 4. homil. 8. Ibid. pag. 492.

" καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτὸ, φησι, τὸ διακονήσασθαι τούτοις, ἀπὸ ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας. Id. ibid.

" Cuis

goodness); God conferring the inward blessing of his Spirit thereupon, when and where he will. "Who then is Paul," saith St. Paul himself, "and who is Apollos? but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ?" "Therefore," saith Optatus, "in all the servants there is no dominion, but a ministry." creditur, ipse dat quod creditur, non per quem creditur. It is he who is believed, that giveth the thing which is believed; not he by whom we do believe." Whereas our Saviour then saith unto his apostles, "Receive the Holy Ghost; Whose sins you forgive shall be forgiven:" St. Basila, Ambrose', Augustine, Chrysostom, and Cyrile, make this observation thereupon; that this is not their work properly, but the work of the Holy Ghost, who remitteth by them, and therein performeth the work of the true God. For "indeed," saith St. Cyril, "it belongeth to the true God alone, to be able to loose men from their sins; for who else can free the transgressors of the law from sin, but he, who is the author of the law itself." "The Lord", saith St. Augustine, "was to give unto men the Holy Ghost; and he would have it to be understood,

1 Cor. chap. 3. ver. 5.

* Est ergo in universis servientibus non dominium, sed ministerium. Optat. lib. 5.

y Id. ibid. Similiter et Chrysostom. in 1 Cor. cap. 3. homil. S. Tovro di avrò μέν καθ' ἑαυτὸ, μέγα καὶ πολλῶν ἀξιον μισθῶν· πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον καὶ την ρίζαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, οὐδὲν. οὐ γὰρ ὁ διακονούμενος τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, ἀλλ ̓ ὁ παρέχων αὐτὰ καὶ διδοὺς, οὐτὸς ἐστιν ὁ εὐεργέτης.

2 John, chap. 20.

* Basil. lib. 5. advers. Eunom. op. tom. 1. pag. 299.

b Ambros. de Spir. Sanct. lib. 3. cap. 18. op. tom. 2. pag. 693.

Augustin. contr. epist. Parmenian. lib. 2. cap. 11. op. tom. 9. pag. 41. et serm. 99. tom. 8. pag. 525.

d Chrysost. in 2 Cor. cap. 3. hom. 6. op. tom. 10. pag. 476.

e Cyrill. Alexandr. in Johan. lib. 12. cap. 56.

f Et certe solius veri Dei est, ut possit a peccatis homines solvere. Cui enim alii prævaricatores legis liberare a peccato licet, nisi legis ipsius autori? Id. ibid.

Daturus erat Dominus hominibus Spiritum Sanctum: ab ipso Spiritu Sancto fidelibus suis dimitti peccata, non meritis hominum volebat intelligi dimitti pecNam quid es, homo, nisi æger sanandus? Vis mihi esse medicus? mecum quære medicum. Augustin. serm. 99. op. tom. 5. pag. 525.

cata.

that by the Holy Ghost himself sins should be forgiven to the faithful; and not that by the merits of men sins should be forgiven. For what art thou, O man, but a sick man, that hast need to be healed? Wilt thou be a physician to me? Seek the physician together with me." So St. Ambrose: "Behold", that by the Holy Ghost sins are forgiven. But men to the remission of sins bring their ministry; they exercise not the authority of any power." St. Chrysostom, though he make this to be the exercise of a great power (which also he elsewhere amplifieth, after his manner, exceeding hyperbolically), yet in the main matter accordeth fully with St. Ambrose; that it lieth in "God alone to bestow the things wherein the priest's service is employed." "And what speak I of priests?" saith he, "Neither angel or archangel can do aught in those things which are given by God: but the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost do dispense all. The priest lendeth his tongue, and putteth to his hand. HisTM part only is to open his mouth: but it is God that worketh all." And the reasons whereby both he, and Theophylact" after him, do prove that the priests of the law had no power to forgive sins, are of as great force to take the same power from the ministers of the Gospel : first, because "it is God's part only to forgive sins," which is the moral that Haymo maketh of that part of the history of

h Ecce, quia per Spiritum Sanctum peccata donantur. Homines autem in remissionem peccatorum ministerium suum exhibent; non jus alicujus potestatis exercent. Ambros. de Spir. Sanct. lib. 3. cap. 18. op. tom. 2. pag. 693.

* Α' γὰρ ἐγκεχείρισται ὁ ἱερεὺς, Θεοῦ μόνου ἐστὶ δωρεῖσθαι. Id. in Johan. cap. 20. homil. 86. op. tom. 8. pag. 518.

1 Καὶ τὶ λέγω τοὺς ἱερεῖς; οὔτε ἄγγελος οὔτε ἀρχάγγελος ἐργάσασθαί τι δύναται εἰς τὰ δεδομένα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ πατὴρ καὶ υἱὸς καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα πάντα οἰκονομεῖ. ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δανείζει γλῶτταν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρέχει χεῖρα. Id. ib.

1 Τὸ πᾶν τῆς χάριτός ἐστι· τούτου ἐστὶν ἀνοῖξαι μόνον τὸ στόμα. τὸ δὲ πᾶν ὁ Θεὸς ἐργάζεται, σύμβολον οὗτος πληρᾶι μόνον. Id. in 2 Tim.

cap. 1. homil. 2. op. tom. 11. pag. 671.

n Id. in Johan. cap. 8. homil. 54. op. tom. 8. pag. 316.

Τὸ γὰρ ἀφῆναι ἁμαρτίας θεοῦ μόνου. Theophylact, in Johan. cap. 8.

the Gospel, wherein the lepers are cleansed by our Saviour, before they be commanded to shew themselves unto the priests: "because," saith he, "not the priests, but God doth forgive sins." Secondly, because the priests were servants, yea servants of sin, and therefore had no power to forgive sins unto others: but the Son is the Lord of the house; who" was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin," saith St. John, upon which saying of his, St. Augustine giveth this good note: "It is he in whom there is no sin, that came to take away sin. For if there had been sin in him too, it must have been taken away from him, he could not take it away himself."

To forgive sins therefore being thus proper to God only, and to his Christ: his ministers must not be held to have this power communicated unto them, but in an improper sense; namely, because God forgiveth by them, and hath appointed them both to apply those means, by which he useth to forgive sins, and to give notice unto repentant sinners of that forgiveness. "Fors who can forgive sins but God alone? yet doth he forgive by them also, unto whom he hath given power to forgive :" saith St. Ambrose, and his followers'. And "though" it be the proper work of God to remit sins," saith Ferus, "yet are the apostles (and their successors) said to remit also; not simply, but because they apply those means whereby God doth remit sins. Which means are the word of God and the sacraments."

• Δούλοι κᾀκεῖνοι ὄντες οἱ ἱερεῖς ὑμῶν, οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν ἀφιέναι ἄλλοις ἁμαρτίας. Id. ib.

4 1 John, chap. 3. ver. 5.

In quo non est peccatum, ipse venit auferre peccatum. Nam si esset et in illo peccatum, auferendum esset illi, non ipse auferret. Augustin. tract. 4. in 1. Johan. cap. 3. op. tom. 3. par. 2. pag. 854.

• Quis enim potest peccata dimittere, nisi solus Deus? qui per eos quoque dimittit, quibus dimittendi tribuit potestatem. Ambr. lib. 5. comment. in Luc. cap. 5. op. tom. 1. pag. 135.

Beda, et Stratus in Marc. cap. 2. et Luc. cap. 5.

"Quamvis Dei proprium opus sit, remittere peccata; dicuntur tamen etiam apostoli remittere: non simpliciter, sed quia adhibent media, per quæ Deus remittit peccata. Hæc autem media sunt, verbum Dei et sacramenta. Jo. Ferus, annotat. in Johan. cap. 20. item, lib. 3. comment. in Matt. cap. 16.

VOL. III.

K