enabled to do somewhat about the remission of sins, that is not (of like avail) done by others, though perhaps, more learned and virtuous than they, in that they have not the like mitto vos, nor the same accipite that these have.
Ibid.—Sermon on Absolution. (Appendix, p. 90.)
The power of remitting sin is originally in God, and in God alone. And in Christ our Saviour, by means of the union of the Godhead and manhood into one person, by virtue whereof, "The Son of man hath power to forgive sins upon earth."
This power being thus solely vested in God, He might, without wrong to any, have retained and kept to Himself, and without means of word or sacrament, and without ministers, either apostles or others, have exercised immediately by Himself from Heaven. But we should then have said of the remission of sins, saith St. Paul, "Who shall go up to heaven for it, and fetch it thence? for which cause," saith he, "the righteousness of faith speaketh thus, say not so, &c."
Partly this, but there should be no such difficulty to shake our faith, as once to imagine to fetch Christ from heaven for the remission of our sins; and partly also, because Christ, to whom alone this commission was originally granted, having ordained Himself a body, would work by bodily things, and having taken the nature of a man upon Him, would honour the nature He had so taken, for these causes; that which was His, and His alone. He vouchsafed to impart, and out of His commission, to grant a commission, and thereby to associate thera to Himself, (it is His own word by the prophet) and to make them συνέργους, that is co-operatores, workers together with Him (as the Apostle speaketh) to the work of salvation, both of themselves and of others. From God then it is derived; from God and to men. * * *
Now if we ask, to what men? the text is plain. They to whom Christ said this Remiseritis, were the Apostles.
In the Apostles, (that we may come nearer yet) we find three capacities as we may term them, 1. As Christians in general. 2. As preachers, priests, or ministers, more special. 2. As
