Of the power of the keyes; or, of binding and of loosing..

London: For Richard Royston, 1647. FIRST EDITION. Title in red and black with woodcut vignette, woodcut headpieces and initials, portions of text in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Full calf, bound in a period style with gilt rule; page 117 trimmed on fore-edge with no loss to text, some waterstains and browning throughout. Signature of Robt. F. Colem dated 1858. First edition of this anonymous tract in which the author engages in controversial critical interpretations on church policy and authority. Citing Matthew 16:19 ("And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"), the book responds to the attempts to restructure the Church by Parliament during the Westminster Assembly, of which Hammond was a member. Hammond was critical of the dilution of authority that Parliament had overseen. He reminds his audience that Jesus granted to the apostles the sole (and divine) authority over the church, including what can and should be taught. The "key" in the passage is the symbol of power and authority; "binding" and "loosing" are terms used to designate a permission or prohibition.

Fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, the author here dissects this passage from Matthew and appeals to political and religious authorities to stay true to the longstanding Church of Christ. However, his stand was met with opposition from ministers of other sects who supported the Long Parliament. Though this book was considered immensely valuable, it was banned briefly along with similar works, given the tensions between the church and state due to the unraveling English Civil War. Concurrent to this work King Charles was dethroned, Hammond was briefly removed as his servant and imprisoned for disobedience to the new order.

Hammond (1605-1660), son of a physician and godson to Henry Prince of Wales, was a divine of the English Church. He became archdeacon of Chichester in 1643, and always remained a Royalist cleric, attending the King during his exile and captivity. For a time he managed Christ Church College when the dean was imprisoned. Always held in high esteem, even by his opponents, he was noted for his oratory skills.