2 Corinthians — Chapter 2

6. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

17. 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.