V. In what does the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven differ from civil power?

The points of difference are many, and such as are apparent.

1. Ecclesiastical discipline is exercised by the church; civil power by the judge or magistrate.

2. In the state, judgment is passed according to civil and positive laws; in the church, according to the divine law or word of God.

3. The power of the keys committed to the church depends upon the word of God, and the church exercises her power by the word, denouncing the wrath of God upon the impenitent; punishes the obstinate with the word of God alone, yet in such a way that this punishment takes hold even upon the conscience: civil power employs the sword, and compels the refractory to submit to its authority by temporal punishment alone.

4. The church has different steps of admonition and if the offender is brought to acknowledge his sin and repents of it, it does not proceed to execute punishment in his case; the magistrate punishes the offender even though he repent.

5. The church in the exercise of discipline, looks to the reformation and salvation of the offender; the magistrate to the execution of justice and the public peace. Bill ber Dieb nicht zu unferm herr Gott fahren, fo fahre er zum Bofen.

6. As the church exercises discipline in the case of none except the obstinate and disobedient, so it is bound to reverse its decision, and to remove the punishment, whenever there is sufficient evidence of repentance on the part of the offender. The magistrate when he has once inflicted punishment neither reverses the decision, nor removes the punishment. The thief that repents upon the cross, or in the hour of death, is received by Christ into Paradise; the magistrate proceeds to the execution of the punishment to which he is sentenced, and sends him into exile. So Christian discipline often takes cognizance of things which the state does not notice, as when the church casts out of her communion those who do not repent, and refuses to recognize them as her members, whilst the magistrate, nevertheless, tolerates them; and so on the contrary, the state may banish those whom the church receives. The magistrate may, for instance, inflict capital punishment upon adulterers, robbers, thieves, &c., and yet the church may receive them if they give proper evidence of true repentance. The difference, therefore, between ecclesiastical and civil power, is clear and apparent.

It now remains for us to notice in a few words some of the objections which the opposers of Christian discipline are wont to bring forward.

Obj. 1. The Scriptures nowhere command us to exercise the office of the keys. Therefore, no one ought to be excluded from the sacraments.

Ans. We deny the antecedent, because the Scriptures contain many declarations bearing directly upon this subject. “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven,” &c. (Matt. 16:19.) Here the power of the keys, committed to all ministers of the word, is declared in express terms. As to the manner in which the church ought to discharge the office of the keys, Christ commands and instructs us as follows: “If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:17, 18.) What Christ has here delivered in the form of a command, the apostle Paul confirms as touching the thing itself. “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” “When ye come together into one place this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” “If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him that he may be ashamed.” “Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1 Cor. 5:5; 11:20. 2 Thes. 3:14. 1 Tim. 1:20.) There are also many clear testimonies found in the writings of the prophets, from which it is evident that God has commanded the exercise of discipline in his church. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord; I am full of the burnt offerings of rams,” &c. “He that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man,” &c. “I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.” “Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes; or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth.” Hence, Christ also said: “Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Is. 1:11; 66:3. Jer. 7:22. Ps. 50:16. Matt. 5:24.) The Scriptures also contain many other declarations in addition to these, which command that all those who are openly wicked be excluded from the church and the use of the sacraments; as where the unlawful use of the sacraments is condemned, and where ministers are commanded to receive none as members of the church, except such as profess repentance and faith.

To this it is objected, that whilst God forbids the ungodly to come to the sacraments, he does not command that the church should exclude them. But it is sufficient to reply, that what God forbids to be done in the church, that he will have prohibited by the discipline of the church; and that God has commanded the church to exclude those, who are openly wicked is plainly declared in the passages of Scripture already cited.

Obj. 2. Men cannot distinguish the worthy from the unworthy, neither can they know who truly repent, and who persist in wickedness; because they cannot look into the heart, and are not able to cast any into hell. Therefore the church is not empowered with any discipline, by which the godly may be discerned, and separated from the ungodly.

Ans. The church does not sit in judgment upon those things which are secret and hidden, but upon those which are manifest, and which are apparent in the outward life and profession. The church does this when it subscribes to the judgment of God with reference to the wicked; that is, when it judges of them according to the requirement of God s word, as when it declares, testifies according to the word of God that obstinate offenders are condemned as long as they remain such; and when, according to the word of God, it absolves all those who truly repent. But as to discern from others those whose true character is not known, the church is not able, neither does it arrogate this to itself.

Obj. 3. Christ says in the parable of the wheat and tares, “Let both grow together until the harvest.” (Matt. 13:30.) Therefore none ought to be excluded.

Ans. 1. Christ here speaks of hypocrites, who cannot always be discerned from those who are truly pious. Therefore the meaning is, that hypocrites ought not to be cut off and separated from the church, when we do not certainly know them to be such; for the angels will do this at the last day. 2. Christ here distinguishes the office of ministers from that of the magistrate. Let them grow, that is, do not put to death those that are estranged from the church; for the minister must not use temporal power against any man, as the magistrate does. If this difference now be properly considered the difference which exists between the church and the kingdom of the devil will still remain.

Obj. 4. Men are to be urged to the performance of good works. The use of the sacraments is a good work. Therefore none should be excluded from the sacraments, but all should be urged to the observance of them.

Ans. 1. The minor proposition is not true, unless it be understood to refer exclusively to the use which the faithful make of the sacraments, otherwise their use is not a good work, when observed by the unbelieving. The use of the sacraments is a good work, when works of a moral character precede their observance. When this is the case it is correctly called the use of the sacraments; otherwise it is an abuse and profanation of the sacraments; for when the wicked observe the sacraments they abuse them. It is for this reason that Christ expressly exhorts the wicked not to present their offering, saying, Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, &c. 2. The major must be distinguished: Men are to be urged to the performance of good works, but in their proper order. They should, in the first place, be urged to the performance of such works as are of a moral character, and then to those which are ceremonial. It is in this sense that we are to understand Christ when he says, “Compel them to come in,” &c. (Luke 14:23.) If the objection were to be presented thus: Good works are not to be forbidden. The use of the sacraments is a good work. Therefore it is not to be forbidden; if thus stated we grant the whole argument; for we do not forbid the use, but the abuse of the sacraments. But it is said, God commanded all to celebrate the passover. Ans. He commanded all, meaning not the wicked, but those who were members of his church, and who were to be retained as citizens of the Jewish common wealth; for there was an express command that those, who were disobedient should be cut off from the congregation of God s people. But it is still further objected; that there are, nevertheless, many evils accompanying the use of the sacraments. These evils, however, are committed by the impenitent those who are unwilling to conform to a proper use of the sacraments, and not by those who exhort them to their duty. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness,” &c., that is, who desire the performance of that which is good. But if these good works are not per formed, it is not their fault. We may not do that which is evil, or omit the good, which God commands, that good may result from such a course. We must do our duty, and leave the event with God. By so doing we shall always retain a good conscience, even though those good things which we desire are not realized.

Obj. 5. But neither the Prophets, nor Apostles, nor John the Baptist, excluded any from the sacraments; nay, John baptized a generation of vipers. Therefore neither ought the ministers of the church now to exclude any.

Ans. We deny what is affirmed in the antecedent; for although those who were baptized of John were from a generation of vipers, yet they were no longer vipers after they were baptized; for he baptized none, but those who confessed their sins. He preached the baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins, and required of those who were baptized to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. The Prophets, although they could not exclude the wicked from the sacrifices, and sacraments of the old dispensation, nevertheless, severely condemned the sins and abuses of those who offered sacrifices; and often delivered long discourses, as well against those who were presumptuous enough to come into the presence of God without having repented of their sins, as against the church which admitted them to her sacrifices. And that the Apostles did exclude the openly wicked from the use of the sacraments, is evident from the example of Paul who commanded the incestuous man of whom we have an account in his first epistle to the Corinthians, to be delivered unto Satan, and to be cut off from the church.

Obj. 6. John admitted by himself alone those who professed repentance and faith, and rejected the impenitent in the same way. Therefore it is lawful for one minister alone, either to admit them that profess repentance and faith, or to exclude them that are obstinate, which has been denied, or the example of the Baptist proves nothing.

Ans. The examples are not similar. John was endowed with prophetical and apostolic author ity, which ministers of the present day have not. Again, there was at that time particular respect had to the gathering of the church, and not so much to the exclusion of those who were in the church, and had nevertheless forfeited all right to its privileges by their sins, and obstinate perseverance in evil.