Summa de Ecclesia

There were, however, certain lost men by name Waldensians, who presumed to dogmatize that to priests alone who are eminent in life and doctrine, as the apostles were, is conceded the power of binding and loosing. They strove to prop up this error with authorities and reasons. First, thus: in the donation or promise of the keys which was made to Peter, Peter was first commended — whence it was said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona — and afterwards there follows: And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; therefore it seems that if the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given to Peter by reason of his good and faithful confession, and in Peter they were given to all priests, as Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine attest, that the power of the keys was derived only to those who are imitators of Peter in life and doctrine. Hence Aug. says on John that when it was said to Peter, To thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, Peter bore the type of the good; therefore it seems that only good priests have the use of the keys. Second, thus: in John 20, when the keys were given to the apostles, it was said: Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall remit, etc. If therefore, before the donation or use of the power, Christ gave them the Holy Ghost, it seems that those who do not have the Holy Ghost do not have the power or use of the keys; but the evil do not have the Holy Ghost, for as is found in Wis. 1: The spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful; therefore etc. Third, from what blessed Aug. says in the book On Baptism — and it is recited in On Consecration, dist. 4, in ch. Quomodo: God gives the sacrament of grace even through the evil, but grace itself only through himself or through his saints; and therefore he effects the remission of sins through himself or through the members of his dove. But the remission of sins is the use of the keys; therefore sinners, who are not members of the dove, do not have the use of the keys. Fourth, the same is shown from that text of Aug. which is found in ch. Remissionem, Causa 7, q. 1: The avaricious do not give the remission of sins, which is given through prayer, that is, through the groaning of the dove; and there follows: For the Lord does not say to robbers and usurers: If ye remit the sins of any, they are remitted to them; if ye retain them, they are retained; therefore as before. Fifth, it is argued from that text of Greg.: Those alone, set in this life, have the power of binding and loosing, as did the holy apostles, who hold the examples of them together with their life. Sixth, the same is argued from the saying of Origen, as the Master of the Sentences adduces in bk. 4, dist. 28: This power was conceded to Peter alone and to his imitators, for whoever imitate the footsteps of Peter have rightly the power of binding and loosing. Seventh, by reason, thus: no wise king entrusts the dispensation of his treasure to his enemy; but the use of the keys consists in the dispensation of the treasure of the heavenly King; therefore evil priests, who, since through mortal sin they are enemies of God, do not seem to have the use of the keys. Eighth, thus: no wise man gives the power of distributing to a distributor whom he knows to be altogether unworthy; but the sinner existing in sin is altogether unworthy of such a power of absolving, namely, and of binding, and the Lord knows this, who bestows such a power; therefore either God bestows his gifts unwisely, which is not to be said, or he bestows such a power on no such unworthy one.