૯

your Mouth, with which, inftigated by Fury, έσ you commanded fo much Blood to be unjustly "fhed? Go then, and attempt not by a new " Crime to encreafe the Guilt of that Crime you "have already committed; but take this Band, which "the Lord of All gives Sentence that you be bound "with: This Band hath Force in it to repel the Dif "ease of your Mind, and to rettore you to your Health. The Emperor, in his own Excufe, had recourfe to the Example of David, who was guilty both of Adultery and Murder. To which Ambrofe answered, Go then and follow him in his Repentance, whom you have followed in bis Sin. The Emperor immediately retir'd and bewail'd his Sin: And having continued under this Band Eight Months, when Christmas came, he fat weeping in his Palace; and Ruffinus, one of his chief Officers of State, asking the Cause of it, he faid, Slaves and Beggars have free Admiffion to the Temple, there to offer up their Prayers to God, but that Place and Heaven itself is fhut against me.

1

For I call to Mind that Sentence pronounced by our Lord, where it is faid, Whatfoever ye shall bind on Earth, Shall be bound in Heaven. I will go to the Bishop, fays Ruffinus, and befeech him to abfolve you. The Emperor fearing Ambrofe would deny his Requeft, was fome time before he would give Ruffinus leave to go to him; however at last he fent him, and alfo followed himself, attended with his Guards. Ambrofe gave Ruffinus a flat Denial; and then feeing the Emperor attended with his Guards, reproved him alfo, and told him, That his coming in that manner look'd Tyrannical, and that he feem'd as if he came to offer Violence to the Priefts and to the Church. I do not come, fays Theodofius, to oppose the Sacred Laws, nor to break into the Church, nor to ufe any Violence: But I beseech you to loose the Band wherewith you have hound me: And that you would imitate the Clemency of the Lord, who hath D 2

open'd

the

the Door of Mercy to Sinners. Ambrofe reply'd, What Penitence do you fhew for fo great a Crime? It is your part,fays Theodofius, to prefcribe the Remedy, and mine to perform your Commands. Then faith the Bishop, Make a Law, that the Execution of Imperial Sentences, which relate to the Shedding Blood, Shall be deferr'd thirty Days, that the Anger of the Emperor may have Time to cool, and he may confider before Execution, whether bis Orders are juft or unjust. The Emperor confented, and immediately enacted this Law, and fign'd it with his own Hand. And as foon as this was done, Ambrofe abfolved him. Then they went into the Church, where the Emperor caft himself proftrate on the Floor, repeating thofe Words of David, My Soul cleaveth to the Duft: 25. O quicken thou me according to thy Word. Then the Time coming when they, were to make their Offerings at the Holy Table, he arofe weeping and lamenting his Sin, as he had done before upon the Ground; And coming into the Chancel, he went, as he had been accuftomed to do, and made his Offering at the Altar, and flaid within the Rails. But again the Great Ambrofe call'd to him, and ask'd him if he wanted any thing? The Emperor faid, He waited to receive the Holy Myfteries. Then Ambrofe fent his Arch-deacon to him, to acquaint him that the Place within the Rails was only for the Pricfts, and therefore defired him to go out, and receive with the rest of the People. For the Purple, fays he, makes Emperors, but does not make Pricfts. The faithful Emperor obey'd the Admonition, and anfwered, That he did not ftay in that Place out of any Prefumption, but had been accuftomed to do fo at Conftantinople: Therefore, fays he, Ithank you for this Inftruction. And when he return'd to Confiantinople, which was the Seat of his Empire, and came to receive the Communion, after he had made his Offering, according to Cu

fom,

ftom, he went out of the Rails again. And when Nectarius, who was Bishop of that Church, ask'd him, Why he did not ftay within the Rails, as he had been us'd to do formerly? He anfwerd with a Sigh, and faid, I have at laft, though with much Difficulty, learn'd the Difference between a Bifhop and an Emperor. I at last found a Mafter that has taught me the Truth. For Ambrofe is the only Eifhop I know that is worthy of that Name.

It is obfervable that there was no fuch thing as Popery in the World, when St. Ambrofe exercis'd this Authority, of Binding and Loofing upon this Great and Good Emperor. For I may well call him Good Emperor, fince except this one Inftance of Cruelty, to which he had very great Provocation, and to which he was inftigated by the continued Importunities of his Great Councellors, no Prince ever govern'd with more Clemency; and he teftified a moft fincere, hearty Penitence for this A&t, and made the beft Amends for it to his Subjects, by publifhing that equitable Law abovementioned. But it is evident, there was no Popery in the World at that time: For if the Emperor had ever heard of fuch a thing as a Bishop of Bishops, fuch as the Pope pretends to be, and has done ever fince what we call Fcpery has appear'd, he would immediately have applied to hm, to have been loofed from that Bandwherewith Ambrofe had bound him: And being fo near to Rome too, would not have waited eight Months under the continued Fears of Damnation, if he fhould happen to die before he was abfolv'd, without making any Applications there for Pardon. It is therefore certain that he knew, that neither the Pope, nor any other fingle Bishop had the Power to loofe that Band, which his own Diocefan had put upon him: And that the Bifhep of Rome pretended not at that time to any fuch Power, or at least that no fuch Power was

す

gene

generally thought to belong to him. Neither was he a Prince that had been ufed to be Prieft-ridden, according to a Modern Phrafe, for he had lived the moft part of his Time (after he was Emperor at leaft) at Conftantinople, where Nellarius was Bilhop, who appears by the Story to have been one that was by no means like Ambrofe, but ac

Lib.v.cap.

cording to Socrates, was of an exceeding 8. fair, plaufible Demeanour, and affected Popularity, and therefore would give no Offence to any by the Exercife of his Authority; for which Theodofius, after his Return from Milan, gave him a handfome Rebuke, when he invited him to come within the Rails, by letting him know, That Ambrofe alone deferv'd the Name of a Bishop: Which was a civil way of telling him that he deferved it not. In fhort, it appears, That Theodofius was a good Chriftian, and as foon as he met a Bishop, who had the Courage to teach him his Duty, and to let him know the Authority he had to bind and loofe, to remit or retain Sins, he fubmitted to the Band, teftified his Repentance in the manner the Bishop prefcrib'd to him, and humbly begged for Abfolution Another thing which clears this A& of St. Ambrofe from any thing like Popery, is, that when he excommunicated the Emperor, he pretended not in the leaft thereby to diminish his Civil Authority, he own'd him ftill to be his Sovereign, and that his Subjects every one of them ow'd him the fame Allegiance as before: During the eight Months he lay under this Cenfure, he exercifed his Imperial Authority, and enjoyed his State, and was attended by his Guards, as he had been formerly. He was the fame in all respects as to his Imperial Capacity as he had been. Whereas Popish Excommunications pretend to affect the Civil Rights of thofe, on whom they are infliEted: The Pope pretends to depofe Princes, abfolve

Sub

Subjects from their Allegiance, and to give away their Dominions to whom they pleafe. But no thing of this was done by St. Ambrofe, his Cenfure purely related to the Emperor's Soul. If there had been any thing Popish in this Act, the Compilers of our Homilies (who were as firm Proteftants as ever this Nation had) would not have fpoke of it with Approbation. And thofe Homiles being confirmed by our Articles, is a Teftimony, That this A&t was agreeable to the prefent Doctrine of our Church, and confequently that our Bishops have the Authority which St. Ambrofe exercifed, and by the Law of God may execute it when there is juft Occafion, even upon the Greateft; there being no Perfon on Earth fo great as to be exempted from this Power. As all Perfons, of what Quality foever, are to be admitted into Chrifi's Church by the fame Ordinance; fo are they liable to be caft out of it in the fame Manner: For God is no Refpecter of Perfons.]

And that our Church conceives her Priefis to be vested with the fame Authority which the Apofiles, and their Succeffors the Bishops and Priefts in the Primitive Church did exercife, in this particular part of Remitting and Retaining Sins, is evident, not only from the allowed Practice in the Spititual Courts to Cenfure and Abfolve, which by reafon of the Abuses there too frequent, are not now much regarded, but from our very Liturgy, or Book of Common-Prayer. When a Prieft is Ordained, the Bishop laying his Hands upon him (as the Apoftles, and Primitive Bishops did on thofe they Ordained, fays, Receive the Holy Ghoft, for the Office and Work of a Prieft in the Church of God, now. committed unto thee by theImpofition of our Hands.Whofe fins thou doft forgive, they are forgiven, and whofe fins thou doft retain, they are retained. And in our Daily Service it is expreffed, That God hath given

Power