rtaineth by divine institution. What a
woeful abuse is it, that, in our neighbour churches of England and
Ireland, the bishop's vicar-general, or official, or commissary, being
oftentimes such a one as hath never entered into any holy orders, shall
sit in his courts to use (I should have said abuse) the power of
excommunication and absolution? And what though some silly presbyter be
present in the court? Doth not the bishop's substitute, being a layman,
examine and judge the whole matter, decree, and give sentence what is to
be done? Hath he not the presbyter's tongue tied to his belt? And what
doth the presbyter more but only pronounce the sentence according to that
which he who sitteth judge in the court hath decreed and decerned? As
touching the prelates themselves, I pray, by what warrant have they
appropriated to themselves the whole external jurisdiction of binding and
loosing, excommunicating and absolving? But that we may a little scan this
their usurpation, and discover the iniquity thereof to the view of the
princes, whose part it is to cause the same to be reformed, let us
consider to whom Christ himself, who hath the key of David (Rev. iii. 7),
who openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, hath
committed this power of the keys to be used on earth. And, first, Let us
distinguish betwixt the power itself, and the execution of it.

The power and authority of binding and loosing Christ hath delivered to
the whole church, that is, to every particular church collectively taken.
"The authority of excommunication pertaineth to the whole church," saith
Dr Fulk.(1066) _Jus excommunicandi_, saith Balduine,(1067) _non est penes
quamvis privatum, sive ex ordine sit ecclesiastico, sive politico_, &c.
_Sed hoc jus pertiner ad totam ecclesiam._ So say Zanchius (in 4 Praec.,
col. 756), Polanus (_Synt._, lib. 7, cap. 18), Pareus (in 1 Cor. v., _De
Excom._), Cartwright (on 1 Cor. v. 4), Perkins (on Jude 3): and,
generally, all our sound writers. The Magdeburgians(1068) cite, for the
same judgment, Augustine and Primatius. Gerhard(1069) citeth also some
popish writers assenting hereunto. The reasons which we give for
confirmation hereof are these:--

1. It pertaineth to the whole church, collectively taken, to deny her
Christian communion to such wicked persons as add contumacy to their
disobedience: therefore, it pertaineth to the whole church to
excommunicate them. Again, it pertaineth to the whole church