from a stupid Easiness in admitting such a Lieutenancy to our Lord if we do not see exhibited to us manifest and certain Patents assuring its Commission to us We should love the Church better than to yield up its Liberty to the will of a Pretender upon slight or no ground Their boldly claiming such a Power their having sometime usurped such a Power will not excuse them or us Nor will precarious Assumptions or subtile Distinctions or blind Traditions or loose Conjectures serve for probations in such a case § XIX Such demands they cannot wholly balk wherefore for satisfaction to them not finding any better plea they hook in Saint Peter affirming that on him by our Lord there was instated a Primacy over his brethren all the Apostles and the Disciples of our Lord importing all the Authority which they claim and that from him this Primacy was devolved by succession to the Bishops of Rome by right indefectible for all future Ages Which Plea of theirs doth involve these main Suppositions I. That Saint Peter had a Primacy over the Apostles II. That Saint Peter 's Primacy with its Rights and Prerogatives was not personal but derivable to his Successours III. That Saint Peter was Bishop of Rome IV. That Saint Peter did continue Bishop of Rome after his translation and was so at his decease V. That the Bishops of Rome according to God's institution and by original right derived thence should have an Vniversal Supremacy and Jurisdiction over the Christian Church VI. That in fact the Roman Bishops continually from Saint Peter's time have enjoyed and exercised this Sovereign Power VII That this Power is indefectible and unalterable The truth and certainty of these Propositions we shall in order discuss so that it may competently appear whether those who disclaim these Pretences are as they are charged guilty of Heresie and Schism or they rather are liable to the imputations of Arrogancy and Iniquity who do obtrude and urge them A TREATISE OF THE Pope's Supremacy MATTH 10.2 Now the names of the twelve Apostles were these the first Simon who is called Peter AMONG the Modern Controversies there is scarce any of greater consequence than that about Universal Supremacy which the Bishop of Rome claimeth over the Christian Church the assertion whereof on his side dependeth upon divers Suppositions namely these I. That Saint Peter by our Lord's appointment had a Primacy implying a Sovereignty of Authority and Jurisdiction over the Apostles II. That the Rights and Prerogatives of this Sovereignty were not personal but derivable and transmitted to Successours III. That Saint Peter was Bishop of Rome IV. That Saint Peter did continue Bishop of Rome after his translation and was so at his decease V. That hence of Right to the Bishops of Rome as Saint Peter 's Successours an Vniversal Jurisdiction over the whole Church of Christ doth appertain VI. That in Fact the said Bishops continually from Saint Peter 's time have enjoyed and exercised this Power VII That this Power is indefectible such as by no means can be forfeited or fail In order to the discussion and resolution of the first Point I shall treat upon the Primacy of Saint Peter endeavouring to shew what Primacy he was capable of or might enjoy what he could not pretend to nor did possess SUPPOSITION I. The first Supposition of those who claim Universal Jurisdiction to the Pope over the Church is That Saint Peter had a primacy over the Apostles IN order to the resolution of this Point we may consider that there are several kinds of Primacy which may belong to a person in respect of others for there are 1. A Primacy of Worth or Personal Excellency 2. A Primacy of Reputation and Esteem 3. A Primacy of Order or bare Dignity and Precedence 4. A Primacy of Power or Jurisdiction To each of these what title Saint Peter might have let us in order examine I. As for the first of these a Primacy of Worth or Merit as some of the Ancients call it we may well grant it to Saint Peter admitting that probably he did exceed the rest of his Brethren in personal endowments and capacities both natural and moral qualifying him for the discharge of the Apostolical Office in an eminent manner particularly that in quickness of apprehension in boldness of spirit in readiness of speech in charity to our Lord and zeal for his Service in resolution activity and industry he was transcendent may seem to appear by the tenour of the Evangelical and Apostolical Histories in the which we may observe him upon all occasions ready to speak first and to make himself the mouth as the Fathers speak of the Apostles in all deliberations nimble at propounding his advice in all undertakings forward to make the onset being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 always hot and eager always prompt and vigorous as S. Chrysostome often affirmeth concerning him these things are apparent in his demeanour and it may not be amiss to set down some instances When our Lord observing the different apprehensions men had concerning him asked the Apostles but whom say ye that I am up starteth he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he skippeth forth and preventeth the rest crying Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God The other Apostles were not ignorant of the Point for they at their Conversion did take Jesus for the Messias which even according to the common Notion of the Iews did imply his being the Son of God Nathanael that is Saint Bartholomew as is supposed had in terms confessed it the whole company upon seeing our Lord walk on the Sea had avowed it Saint Peter before that in the name of them all had said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We have believed and have known that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God They therefore had the same Faith but he from a special alacrity of spirit and expedition in utterance was more forward to declare it He was more hot saith St. Greg. Naz. than the rest at acknowledging Christ. When our Saviour walked on the Sea who but He had the Faith and the Courage to venture on the Waters towards him When our Lord was apprehended by the Souldiers presently up was his spirit and out went his Sword in defence of him When our Lord predicted that upon his coming into trouble all the Disciples would be offended and desert him he was ready to say Though all men shall be offended because of thee yet will I never be offended and Though I should dye with thee yet will I not deny thee such was his natural courage and confidence When our Lord was discoursing about his Passion he suddenly must be advising in the case and urging him to spare himself upon which St. Chrysostome biddeth us to consider not that his answer was unadvised but that it came from a genuine and fervent affection And at the Transfiguration he
absolute Monarch upon earth for the Power of St. Peter in their opinion was the same which now the Roman Bishop doth challenge to himself over the Pastours and People of God's Church by virtue of succession to him Saint Peter's Power being the base of the Papal and therefore not narrower than its superstructure but what domination comparable to that hath ever been used in the world What Emperour did ever pretend to a rule so wide in extent in regard either to persons or matters or so absolute in effect Who ever beside his Holiness did usurp a command not onely over the external actions but the most inward cogitations of all mankind subjecting the very Minds and Consciences of Men to his dictates his laws his censures Who ever thundred Curses and Damnations on all those who should presume to dissent from his Opinion or to contest his pleasure Who ever claimed more absolute Power in making abolishing suspending Laws or imposing upon men what he pleased under obligation of Conscience and upon extremest penalties What Prince ever used a style more imperious than is that which is usual in the Papal Bulls Let it be lawfull for no man whatever to infringe this expression of our will and command or to goe against it with bold rashness What Domitian more commonly did admit the appellation of Lord than doth the Pope Our most Holy Lord is the ordinary style attributed to him by the Fathers of Trent as if they were his slaves and intended to enslave all Christendom to him Who ever did exempt his Clients and Dependents in all Nations from subjection to Civil Laws from undergoing common burthens and taxes from being judged or punished for their misdemeanours and crimes Who ever claimed a power to dispose of all things one way or other either directly or indirectly to dispose even of Kingdoms to judge Sovereign Princes and to condemn them to depose them from their authority absolving their Subjects from all allegiance to them and exposing their Kingdoms to rapine To whom but a Pope were ever ascribed prerogatives like those of judging all men and himself being liable to no judgment no account no reproof or blame so that as a Papal Canon assureth us let a Pope be so bad as by his negligence and male-administration to carry with him innumerable people to Hell yet no mortal man whatever must presume here to reprove his faults because he being to judge all men is himself to be judged of no man except he be catcht swerving from the Faith which is a case they will hardly suffer a man to suppose possible To whom but to a Pope was such Power attributed by his followers and admitted by himself that he could hear those words applying to him All Power is given to thee in Heaven and in Earth Such Power the Popes are wont to challenge and when occasion serveth do not fail to execute as Successours of St. Peter to whom therefore consequently they ascribe it and sometimes in express terms as in that brave apostrophe of P. Gregory VII the Spirit of which Pope hath possessed his Successours generally Goe to therefore said he directing his Speech to Saint Peter and Saint Paul most Holy Princes of the Apostles and what I have said confirm by your Authority that now at length all men may understand whether ye can bind and loose that also ye can take away and give on Earth Empires Kingdoms and whatever mortal men can have Now if the assuming and exercising such Powers be not that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that exalting ones self that being called Rabbi Father Master which our Lord prohibiteth what is so what then can those words signify what could our Lord mean The Authority therefore which they assign to Saint Peter and assume to themselves from him is voided by those Declarations and Precepts of our Lord the which it can hardly be well conceived that our Lord would have proposed if he had designed to constitute Saint Peter in such a Supremacy over his Disciples and Church 7. Surveying particulars we shall not find any peculiar administration committed to Saint Peter nor any privilege conferred on him which was not also granted to the other Apostles Was Saint Peter an Ambassadour a Steward a Minister a Vicar if you please or Surrogate of Christ so were they by no less immediate and express warrant than he for As the Father sent me so also I send you said our Lord presently before his departure by those words as St. Cyprian remarketh granting an equal Power to all the Apostles and We saith Saint Paul are Ambassadours for Christ we pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled to God and So let a man esteem us as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Was Saint Peter a Rock on which the Church was to be founded Be it so but no less were they all for the Wall of Jerusalem which came down from Heaven had twelve foundations on which were inscribed the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb and We saith Saint Paul are all built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ himself being the chief Corner stone whence Equally saith St. Hierome the strength of the Church is setled upon them Was Saint Peter an Architect of the Spiritual house as himself calleth the Church so were also they for I saith Saint Paul as a wise Master-builder have laid the Foundation Were the Keys of the Church or of the Kingdom of Heaven committed to him So also were they unto them They had a Power to open and shut it by effectual instruction and persuasion by dispensation of the Sacraments by exercise of Discipline by exclusion of scandalous and heretical Persons Whatever faculty the Keys did import the Apostles did use it in the foundation guidance and government of the Church and did as the Fathers teach impart it to those whom they did in their stead constitute to feed and govern the Church Had Saint Peter a Power given him of binding and loosing effectually So had they immediately granted by our Saviour in as full manner and couched in the same terms If thou shalt bind on Earth it shall be bound in Heaven said our Lord to him and Whatsoever things ye shall bind on Earth they shall be bound in Heaven said the same Divine mouth to them Had he a privilege to remit and retain sins it was then by virtue of that common grant or promise Whos 's soever sins ye remit they shall be remitted and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained Had he power and obligation to feed the Sheep of Christ all or some so had they indefinitely and immediately so had others by Authority derived from them who were nominated Pastours who had this charge laid on them Take heed unto your selves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost
instances which follow In the designation of a new Apostle to supply the place of Judas he did indeed suggest the matter and lay the case before them he first declared his sense but the whole company did chuse two and referred the determination of one to lot or to God's arbitration At the institution of Deacons the twelve did call the multitude of disciples and directed them to elect the persons and the proposal being acceptable to them it was done accordingly they chose Stephen c. whom they set before the Apostles and when they had prayed they layd their hands on them In that important transaction about the observance of Mosaical Institutions a great stir and debate being started which Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas by disputation could not appease what course was then taken did they appeal to Saint Peter as to the Supreme Dictatour and Judge of Controversies not so but they sent to the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem to enquire about the question when those great messengers were arrived there they were received by the Church and the Apostles and Elders and having made their report the Apostles and Elders did assemble to consider about that matter In this assembly after much debate passed and that many had freely uttered their sense Saint Peter rose up with Apostolical gravity declaring what his reason and experience did suggest conducing to a resolution of the point whereto his words might indeed be much available grounded not onely upon common reason but upon special revelation concerning the case whereupon Saint James alledging that revelation and backing it with reason drawn from Scripture with much authority pronounceth his judgment Therefore saith he I judge that is saith St. Chrysostome I authoritatively say that we trouble not them who from among the Gentiles are turned to God but that we write unto them c. And the result was that according to the proposal of Saint James it was by general consent determined to send a decretal Letter unto the Gentile Christians containing a Canon or advice directive of their practice in the case It then seemed good to or was decreed by the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church to send and the Letter ran thus The Apostles and Elders and Brethren to the Brethren of the Gentiles Now in all this action in this leading precedent for the management of things in Ecclesiastical Synods and consistories where can the sharpest sight descry any mark of distinction or preeminence which Saint Peter had in respect to the other Apostles did Saint Peter there any-wise behave himself like his pretended Successours upon such occasions what authority did he claim or use before that Assembly or in it or after it did he summon or convocate it no they met upon common agreement did he preside therein no but rather Saint James to whom saith Saint Chrysostome as Bishop of Jerusalem the government was committed did he offer to curb or check any man or to restrain him from his liberty of discourse there no there was much disputation every man frankly speaking his sense did he more than use his freedom of speech becoming an Apostle in arguing the case and passing his vote no for in so exact a relation nothing more doth appear did he form the definitions or pronounce the Decree resulting no Saint James rather did that for as an ancient Authour saith Peter did make an Oration but Saint James did enact the Law was beside his suffrage in the debate any singular approbation required from him or did he by any Bull confirm the Decrees no such matter these were devices of ambition creeping on and growing up to the pitch where they now are In short doth any thing correspondent to Papal pretences appear assumed by Saint Peter or deferred to him If Saint Peter was such a man as they make him how wanting then was he to himself how did he neglect the right and dignity of his Office in not taking more upon him upon so illustrious an occasion the greatest he did ever meet with How defective also were the Apostolical College and the whole Church of Jerusalem in point of duty and decency yielding no more deference to their Sovereign the Vicar of their Lord Whatever account may be framed of these defailances the truth is that Saint Peter then did know his own place and duty better than men do know them now and the rest as well understood how it became them to demean themselves St. Chrysostome's reflexions on those passages are very good that indeed then there was no fastuousness in the Church and the souls of those primitive Christians were clear of Vanity the which dispositions did afterward spring up and grow rankly to the great prejudice of Religion begetting those exorbitant pretences which we now disprove Again when Saint Peter being warned from Heaven thereto did receive Cornelius a Gentile Souldier unto Communion divers good Christians who were ignorant of the warrantableness of that proceeding as others commonly were and Saint Peter himself was before he was informed by that special revelation did not fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to contest with him about it not having any notion as it seemeth of his Supreme unaccountable Authority not to say of that infallibility with which the Canonists and Jesuits have invested him unto whom Saint Peter rendreth a fair account and maketh a satisfactory Apology for his proceedings not brow-beating those audacious contenders with his Authority but gently satisfying them with reason But if he had known his Power to be such as now they pretend it to be he should have done well to have asserted it even out of good-will and Charity to those good Brethren correcting their errour and checking their misdemeanour shewing them what an enormous presumption it was so to contend with their Sovereign Pastour and Judge Farther so far was Saint Peter from assuming Command over his Brethren that he was upon occasion ready to obey their Orders as we may see by that passage where upon the conversion of divers persons in Samaria it is said that the Apostles hearing it did send to them Peter and John who going down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost The Apostles sent him that had he been their Sovereign would have been somewhat unseemly and presumptuous for Subjects are not wont to send their Prince or Souldiers their Captain to be sent being a mark of inferiority as our Lord himself did teach A servant said he is not greater than his Lord nor he that is sent greater than he that sent him Saint Luke therefore should at least have so expressed this passage that the Apostles might have seemed to keep their distance and observed good manners if he had said they beseeched him to go that had sounded well but they sent him is harsh if he were Dominus noster Papa as the modern Apostles of Rome
special Revelations from God or upon personal graces his great Faith his special love to our Lord his singular zeal for Christ's Service or upon personal gifts and endowments his courage resolution activity forwardness in apprehension and in speech the which advantages are not transient and consequently a preeminency built on them is not in its nature such 2. All the pretence of Primacy granted to Saint Peter is grounded upon words directed to Saint Peter's Person characterized by most personal adjuncts as name parentage and which exactly were accomplished in Saint Peter's personal actings which therefore it is unreasonable to extend farther Our Lord promised to Simon Son of Jona to build his Church on him accordingly in eminent manner the Church was founded upon his Ministery or by his first preaching testimony performances Our Lord promised to give him the Keys of the Heavenly Kingdom this Power Saint Peter signally did execute in converting Christians and receiving them by Baptism into the Church by conferring the Holy Ghost and the like administrations Our Lord charged Simon Son of Jonas to feed his Sheep this he performed by preaching writing guiding and governing Christians as he found opportunity wherefore if any thing was couched under those promises or orders singularly pertinent to Saint Peter for the same reason that they were singular they were personal for These things being in a conspicuous manner accomplished in St. Peter's Person the sense of those words is exhausted there may not with any probability there cannot with any assurance be any more grounded on them whatever more is inferred must be by precarious assumption and justly we may cast at those who shall infer it that exposâ—ulation of Tertullian What art thou who dost overturn and change the manifest intention of our Lord personally conferring this on Peter 3. Particularly the grand promise to Saint Peter of founding the Church on him cannot reach beyond his person because there can be no other foundations of a Society than such as are first laid the successours of those who first did erect a Society and establish it are themselves but superstructures 4. The Apostolical Office as such was personal and temporary and therefore according to its nature and design not successive or communicable to others in perpetual descendence from them It was as such in all respects extraordinary conferred in a special manner designed for special purposes discharged by special aids endowed with special privileges as was needfull for the propagation of Christianity and founding of Churches To that Office it was requisite that the Person should have an immediate designation and commission from God such as Saint Paul so often doth insist upon for asserting his title to the Office Paul an Apostle not from men or by man not by men saith St. Chrysostome this is a property of the Apostles It was requisite that an Apostle should be able to attest concerning our Lord's Resurrection or Ascension either immediately as the twelve or by evident consequence as Saint Paul thus Saint Peter implyed at the choice of Matthias wherefore of those men which have companyed with us must one be ordained to be a witness with us of the Resurrection and Am I not saith Saint Paul an Apostle have I not seen the Lord according to that of Ananias The God of our Fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will and see that just one and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth for thou shalt bear witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard It was needfull also that an Apostle should be endowed with miraculous gifts and graces enabling him both to assure his Authority and to execute his Office wherefore Saint Paul calleth these the marks of an Apostle the which were wrought by him among the Corinthians in all patience or perseveringly in signs and wonders and mighty deeds It was also in St. Chrysostome's opinion proper to an Apostle that he should be able according to his discretion in a certain and conspicuous manner to impart Spiritual Gifts as Saint Peter and Saint John did at Samaria which to doe according to that Father was the peculiar gift and privilege of the Apostles It was also a privilege of an Apostle by virtue of his commission from Christ to instruct all Nations in the Doctrine and Law of Christ He had right and warrant to exercise his function every where His charge was universal and indefinite the whole world was his Province he was not affixed to one place nor could be excluded from any he was as St. Cyril calleth him an Oecumenical Judge and an Instructour of all the Subcelestial World Apostles also did govern in an absolute manner according to discretion as being guided by infallible assistence to the which they might upon occasion appeal and affirm It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and us Whence their Writings have passed for inspired and therefore Canonical or certain Rules of Faith and Practice It did belong to them to found Churches to constitute Pastours to settle orders to correct offences to perform all such Acts of Sovereign Spiritual Power in virtue of the same Divine assistence according to the Authority which the Lord had given them for edification as we see practised by Saint Paul In fine the Apostleship was as St. Chrysostome telleth us a business fraught with ten thousand good things both greater than all privileges of grace and comprehensive of them Now such an Office consisting of so many extraordinary privileges and miraculous powers which were requisite for the foundation of the Church and the diffusion of Christianity against the manifold difficulties and disadvantages which it then needs must encounter was not designed to continue by derivation for it containeth in it divers things which apparently were not communicated and which no man without gross imposture and hypocrisie could challenge to himself Neither did the Apostles pretend to communicate it they did indeed appoint standing Pastours and Teachers in each Church they did assume Fellow-labourers or Assistents in the work of Preaching and Governance but they did not constitute Apostles equal to themselves in Authority Privileges or Gifts For who knoweth not saith St. Austin that principate of Apostleship to be preferred before any Episcopacy and the Bishops saith Bellarmine have no part of the true Apostolical Authority Wherefore Saint Peter who had no other Office mentioned in Scripture or known to Antiquity beside that of an Apostle could not have properly and adequately any Successour to his Office but it naturally did expire with his Person as did that of the other Apostles 5. Accordingly whereas the other Apostles as such had no Successours the Apostolical Office not being propagated the Primacy of Saint Peter whatever it were whether of Order or Jurisdiction in regard to his Brethren did cease with him for when there were no Apostles extant there could be no Head or Prince of
instance we may discern what little consideration sometimes was had of personal or topical succession to the Apostles in determining the extent of Jurisdiction and why should the Roman Bishop upon that score pretend more validly than others 6. Saint Peter probably e'er that he came at Rome did found divers other Churches whereof he was paramount Bishop or did retain a special superintendency over them particularly Antioch was anciently called his See and he is acknowledged to have sate there seven years before he was Bishop of Rome Why therefore may not the Bishop of Antioch pretend to succeed Saint Peter in his universal Pastourship as well as his younger brother of Rome why should Evodius ordained by Saint Peter at Antioch yield to Clemens afterward by him ordained at Rome Antioch was the first-born of Gentile Churches where the name of Christians was first heard Antioch was as the Constantinopolitan Fathers called it the most ancient and truly Apostolical Church Antioch by virtue of Saint Peter's sitting there or peculiar relation to it was according to their own conceits the principal See Why therefore should Saint Peter be so unkind to it as not onely to relinquish it but to debase it not onely transferring his See from it but devesting it of the privilege which it had got Why should he prefer before it the City of Rome the mystical Babylon the mother of abominations of the earth the Throne of Satan's Empire the place which did then most persecute the Christian Faith and was drunk with the bloud of the Saints 7. The ground of this preference was say they Saint Peter's Will and they have reason to say so for otherwise if Saint Peter had died intestate the Elder Son of Antioch would have had best right to all his goods and dignities But how doth that Will appear in what Tables was it written in what Registers is it extant in whose presence did he nuncupate it it is no-where to be seen or heard of Neither do they otherwise know of it than by reasoning it out and in effect they say onely that it was fit he should will it but they may be mistaken in their divinations and perhaps notwithstanding them Saint Peter might will as well to his former See of Antioch as to his latter of Rome 8. Indeed Bellarmine sometimes positively and briskly enough doth affirm that God did command Saint Peter to fix his See at Rome but his proofs of it are so ridiculously fond and weak that I grudge the trouble of reciting them and he himself sufficiently confuteth them by saying other-where It is not unprobable that our Lord gave an express command that Peter should so fix his See at Rome that the Bishop of Rome should absolutely succeed him He saith it is not improbable if it be no more than so it is uncertain it may be a mere conjecture or a dream It is much more not-unprobable that if God had commanded it there would have been some assurance of a command so very important 9. Antioch hath at least a fair plea for a share in Saint Peter's Prerogatives for it did ever hold the repute of an Apostolical Church and upon that score some deference was paid to it why so if Saint Peter did carry his See with all its Prerogatives to another place But if he carried with him onely part of his Prerogative leaving some part behind at Antioch how much then I pray did he leave there why did he divide unequally or leave less than half if perchance he did leave half the Bishop of Antioch is equal to him of Rome 10. Other persons also may be found who according to equal judgment might have a better title to the succession of Peter in his Universal Authority than the Pope having a nearer relation to him than he although his Successour in one charge or upon other equitable grounds For instance Saint John or any other Apostle who did survive Saint Peter for if Saint Peter was the Father of Christians which Title yet our Saviour forbiddeth any one to assume Saint John might well claim to be his eldest Son and it had been a very hard case for him to have been postponed in the succession it had been a derogation to our Lord 's own choice a neglect of his special affection a disparagement of the Apostolical Office for him to be subjected to any other neither could any other pretend to the like gifts for management of that great charge 11. The Bishop of Jerusalem might with much reason have put in his claim thereto as being Successour of our Lord himself who unquestionably was the High-priest of our Profession and Archbishop of all our Souls whose See was the Mother of all Churches wherein St. Peter himself did at first reside exercising his Vicarship If our Lord upon special accounts out of course had put the Sovereignty into Saint Peter's hands yet after his decease it might be fit that it should return into its proper chanel This may seem to have been the judgment of the times when the Authour of the Apostolical Constitutions did write who reporteth the Apostles to have ordered Prayers to be made first for James then for Clement then for Evodius 12. Equity would rather have required that one should by common consent and election of the whole Church be placed in Saint Peter's room than that the Bishop of Rome by election of a few Persons there should succeed into it As the whole body of Pastours was highly concerned in that Succession so it was reasonable that all of them should concur in designation of a Person thereto it is not reasonable to suppose that either God would institute or Saint Peter by will should devise a course of proceeding in such a case so unequal and unsatisfactory If therefore the Church considering this equity of the case together with the expediency of affairs in relation to its good should undertake to chuse for its self another Monarch the Bishop of another See who should seem fitter for the place to succeed into the Prerogatives of Saint Peter that Person would have a fairer title to that Office than the Pope for such a Person would have a real title grounded on some reason of the case whenas the Pope's pretence doth onely stand upon a positive Institution whereof he cannot exhibit any Certificate This was the mind of a great man among themselves who saith that if possibly the Bishop of Triers should be chosen for Head of the Church For the Church has free power to provide its self a Head Bellarmine himself confesseth that if Saint Peter as he might have done if he had pleased should have chosen no particular See as he did not for the first five years then after Peter's death neither the Bishop of Rome nor of Antioch had succeeded but he whom the Church should have chosen for it self Now if the Church upon that supposition would have
Power even in Temporal matters This Opinion so common doth not I say in effect and practical consideration any-wise differ from the former but onely in words devised to shun envy and veil the impudence of the other Assertion for the qualifications by reason of the Spiritual Power and at least indirectly are but notional insignificant and illusive in regard to practice it importing not if he hath in his keeping a Sovereign Power upon what account or in what formality he doth employ it seeing that every matter is easily referrible to a Spiritual account seeing he is sole Judge upon what account he doth act seeing experience sheweth that he will spiritualize all his interests and upon any occasion exercise that pretended Authority seeing it little mattereth if he may strike Princes whether he doeth it by a downright blow or slantingly § IV. That such an universal and absolute Power hath been claimed by divers Popes successively for many Ages is apparent from their most solemn Declarations and notorious Practices whereof beginning from later times and rising upwards toward the source of this Doctrine we shall represent some The Bull of P. Sixtus V. against the two Sons of wrath Henry K. of Navarre and the P. of Conde beginneth thus The Authority given to Saint Peter and his Successours by the immense Power of the Eternal King excels all the Powers of earthly Kings and Princes It passes uncontrollable sentence upon them all And if it find any of them resisting God's Ordinance it takes more severe vengeance of them casting them down from their Thrones though never so puissant and tumbling them down to the lowest parts of the earth as the ministers of aspiring Lucifer And then he proceeds to thunder against them We deprive them and their posterity for ever of their Dominions and Kingdoms And accordingly he depriveth those Princes of their Kingdoms and Dominions absolveth their Subjects from their Oaths of Allegeance and forbiddeth them to pay any Obedience to them By the Authority of these presents we do absolve and set free all persons as well jointly as severally from any such Oath and from all duty whatsoever in regard of Dominion Fealty and Obedience and do charge and forbid all and every of them that they do not dare to obey them or any of their Admonitions Laws and Commands P. Pius V. one of their Holiest Popes of the last stamp who hardly hath scaped Canonization untill now beginneth his Bull against our Q. Elizabeth in these words He that reigneth on high to whom is given all Power in Heaven and in Earth hath committed the one H. Catholick and Apostolick Church out of which there is no Salvation to one alone on earth namely to Peter Prince of the Apostles and to the Roman Pontife Successour of Peter to be governed with a plenitude of Power This one he hath constituted Prince over all Nations and all Kingdoms that he might pluck up destroy dissipate ruinate plant and build And in the same Bull he declares that he thereby deprives the Queen of her pretended right to the Kingdom and of all Dominion Dignity and Privilege whatsoever and absolves all the Nobles Subjects and people of the Kingdom and whoever else have sworn to her from their Oath and all duty whatsoever in regard of Dominion Fidelity and Obedience P. Clement VI. did pretend to depose the Emperour Lewis IV. P. Clement V. in the great Synod of Vienna declared the Emperour subject to him or standing obliged to him by a proper Oath of Fealty P. Boniface VIII hath a Decree extant in the Canon-Law running thus We declare say define pronounce it to be of necessity to Salvation for every humane creature to be subject to the Roman Pontife The which Subjection according to this intent reacheth all matters for he there challengeth a double Sword and asserteth to himself Jurisdiction over all Temporal Authorities for One Sword saith he must be under another and the Temporal Authority must be subject to the Spiritual Power whence if the Earthly Power doth go astray it must be judged by the Spiritual Power The which Aphorisms he proveth by Scriptures admirably expounded to that purpose This Definition might pass for a Rant of that boisterous Pope a man above measure ambitious and arrogant vented in his passion against K. Philip of France if it had not the advantage of a greater than which no Papal Decree is capable of being expresly confirmed by one of their General Councils for We saith P. Leo X. in his Bull read and pasâ—ed in the Laterane Council do renew and approve that H. Constitution with approbation of the present H. Council Accordingly Melch. Canus saith that the Laterane Council did renew and approve that extravagant indeed extravagant Constitution and Baronius saith of it that all do assent to it so that none dissenteth who doth not by discord fall from the Church The truth is P. Boniface did not invent that Proposition but borrowed it from the School for Thomas Aquinas in his work against the Greeks pretendeth to shew that it is of necessity to Salvation to be subject to the Roman Pontife The which Scholastical Aphorism P. Boniface turned into Law and applied to his purpose of exercising domination over Princes offering in virtue of it to deprive King Philip of his Kingdom The Appendix to Mart. Pol. saith of P. Boniface VIII Regem se Regum Mundi Monarcham unicum in Spiritualibus Temporalibus Dominum promulgavit That he openly declar'd himself to be King of Kings Monarch of the world and sole Lord and Governour both in Spirituals and Temporals Before him P. Innocent IV. did hold and exemplifie the same notion declaring the Emperour Frederick II. his Vassal and denouncing in his General Council of Lions a sentence of Deprivation against him in these terms We having about the foregoing and many other his wicked Miscarriages had before a carefull deliberation with our Brethren and the H. Council seeing that we although unworthy to hold the place of Jesus Christ on earth and that it was said unto us in the person of Saint Peter the Apostle Whatever thou shalt bind on earth the said Prince who hath rendred himself unworthy of Empire and Kingdoms and of all Honour and Dignity and who for his iniquities is cast away by God that he should not reign or command being bound by his sins and cast away and deprived by the Lord of all Honour and Dignity do shew denounce and accordingly by sentence deprive absolving all who are held bound by Oath of Allegeance from such Oath for ever by Apostolical authority firmly prohibiting that no man henceforth do obey or regard him as Emperour or King and decreeing that whoever shall hereafter yield advice or aid or favour to him as Emperour or King shall immediately lie under the band of Excommunication Before him Pope Innocent the Third that
hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Bloud whom he doth himself exhort Feed the Flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof Let feeding signify what it can instruction or guidance or governance or all of them together Regio more impera if you please as Bellarmine will have it it did appertain to their charge to teach was a common duty to lead and to rule were common functions Saint Peter could not nor would not appropriate it to himself it is his own exhortation when he taketh most upon him Be mindfull of the commandment or precept of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour Was his commission universal or unlimited so was theirs by the same immediate Authority for All Power said he to them when he gave his last charge is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Goe therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you and Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature They as St. Chrysostome speaketh were all in common intrusted with the whole world and had the care of all Nations Was he furnished with extraordinary gifts with special graces with continual directions and assistences for the discharge of the Apostolical Office so were they for the promise was common of sending the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth and cloathing them with the power from on high and of endowing them with Power to perform all sorts of miraculous works Our Lord before his departure breathed into them and said Receive ye the Holy Ghost All of them saith Saint Luke were filled with the Holy Ghost all of them with confidence and truth could say It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us all of them did abundantly partake of that character which Saint Paul respected when he did say The Signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in signs and wonders and mighty deeds Did Saint Peter represent the Church as receiving privileges in its behalf as the Fathers affirm so did they according to the same Fathers If therefore saith St. Austin citing the famous place sicut me misit Pater they did bear the Person of the Church and this was said to them as if it were said to the Church it self then the peace of the Church remitteth Sins What singular prerogative then can be imagined appertaining to Saint Peter what substantial advantage could he pretend to beyond the other Apostles Nothing surely doth appear whatever the Patrons of his Supremacy do claim for him is precariously assumed without any fair colour of proof he for it is beholding not to any testimony of Holy Scripture but to the invention of Roman fancy We may well infer with Cardinal Cusanus We know that Peter did not receive more Power from Christ than the other Apostles for nothing was said to Peter which was not also said to the others Therefore addeth he we rightly say that all the Apostles were equal to Peter in Power 8. Whereas Saint Peter himself did write two Catholick Epistles there doth not in them appear any intimation any air or savour of pretence to this Arch-apostolical Power It is natural for Persons endowed with unquestionable Authority howsoever otherwise prudent and modest to discover a spice thereof in the matter or in the style of their writing their Mind conscious of such advantage will suggest an authoritative way of expression especially when they earnestly exhort or seriously reprove in which cases their very Authority is a considerable motive to assent or compliance and strongly doth impress any other arguments But no Critick perusing those Epistles would smell a Pope in them The Speech of Saint Peter although pressing his Doctrine with considerations of this nature hath no tang of such Authority The Elders saith he which are among you I exhort who also am an Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the Glory that shall be revealed by such excellent but common advantages of his Person and Office he presseth on the Clergy his advices Had he been what they make him he might have said I the peculiar Vicar of Christ and Sovereign of the Apostles do not onely exhort but require this of you this language had been very proper and no less forcible but nothing like this nothing of the Spirit and Majesty of a Pope is seen in his discourse there is no pagina nostrae voluntatis mandati which now is the Papal style when He speaketh highest it is in the common name of the Apostles Be mindfull saith he of the command that is of the Doctrine and Precepts of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour 9. In the Apostolical History the proper place of exercising this power wherein as St. Chrysostome saith we may see the predictions of Christ which he uttered in the Gospels reduced to act and the truth of them shining in the things themselves no footstep thereof doth appear We cannot there discern that Saint Peter did assume any extraordinary authority or that any deference by his Brethren was rendred to him as to their Governour or Judge No instance there doth occur of his laying commands on any one Apostle or exercising any act of jurisdiction upon any one but rather to the contrary divers passages are observable which argue that he pretended to no such thing and that others did not understand any such thing belonging to him His temper indeed and zeal commonly did prompt him to be most forward in speaking and acting upon any emergency for the propagation or maintenance of the Gospel and the memory of the particular charge which our Lord departing had lately put on him strongly might instigate him thereto regard to his special gifts and sufficiency did incline the rest willingly to yield that advantage to him and perhaps because upon the considerations before touched they did allow some preference in order to him but in other respects as to the main administration of things he is but one among the rest not taking upon him in his speech or behaviour beyond others All things are transacted by common agreement and in the name of all concurring no appeal in cases of difference is made singly to him no peremptory decision or decree is made by him no orders are issued out by him alone or in a special way in Ecclesiastical Assemblies he acteth but as one member in deliberations he doth onely propound his opinion and passeth a single vote his judgment and practice are sometime questioned and he is put to render an account of them he doth not stand upon his Authority but assigneth reasons to persuade his opinion and justify his actions yea sometimes he is moved by the rest receiving orders and employment from them these things we may discern by considering the
superiour to Saint Paul but his Collegue and equal in Authority although precedeing him in standing repute and other advantages then Saint Paul's free proceeding toward him was not onely warrantable but wholesome and deserving for edification to be recited and recorded as implying an example how Collegues upon occasion should with freedom and sincerity admonish their Brethren of their errours and faults Saint Peter's carriage in patiently bearing that correption also affording another good pattern of equanimity in such cases to which purpose S. Cypr. alledged and approved by S. Austin doth apply this passage for saith he neither Peter whom the Lord first chose and upon whom he built his Church when Paul afterward contested with him about circumcision did insolently challenge or arrogantly assume any thing to himself so as to say that he did hold the primacy and that rather those who were newer and later Apostles ought to obey him neither despised he Saint Paul because he was before a persecutour of the Church but he admitted the counsel of truth and easily consented to the lawfull course which Saint Paul did maintain yielding indeed to us a document both of concord and patience that we should not pertinaciously love our own things but should rather take those things for ours which sometimes are profitably and wholesomely suggested by our Brethren and Collegues if they are true and lawfull this St. Cyprian speaketh upon supposition that Saint Peter and Saint Paul were equals or as he calleth them Collegues and Brethren in rank co-ordinate otherwise St. Cyprian would not have approved the action for he often severely doth inveigh against Inferiours taking upon them to censure their Superiours What tumour saith he of pride what arrogance of mind what inflation of heart is it to call our Superiours and Bishops to our cognisance St. Cyprian therefore could not conceive Saint Peter to be Saint Paul's Governour or Superiour in Power he doth indeed plainly enough in the forecited words signifie that in his judgment Saint Peter had done insolently and arrogantly if he had assumed any obedience from Saint Paul St. Austin also doth in several places of his Writings make the like application of this passage The ancient Writer contemporary to St. Ambrose and passing under his name doth argue in this manner Who dared resist Peter the first Apostle to whom the Lord did give the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven but another such an one who in assurance of his election knowing himself to be not unequal to him might constantly disprove what he had unadvisedly done It is indeed well known that Origen and after him St. Chrysostome and St. Hierome and divers of the Ancients beside did conceive that Saint Paul did not seriously oppose or tax Saint Peter but did onely doe it seemingly upon confederacy with him for promoting a good design This interpretation however strained and earnestly impugned by Saint Austin I will not discuss but onely shall observe that it being admitted doth rather strengthen than weaken our discourse for if Saint Peter were Saint Paul's Governour it maketh Saint Peter to have consented to an act in all appearance indecent irregular and scandalous and how can we imagine that Saint Peter would have complotted to the imparing his own just Authority in the eye of a great Church doth not such a condescension imply in him a disavowing of Superiority over Saint Paul or a conspiracy with him to overthrow good Order To which purpose we may observe that St. Chrysostome in a large and very elaborate discourse wherein he professeth to endeavour an aggravation of the irregularity of Saint Paul's dâ—meanour if it were serious doth not lay the stress of that aggravation upon Saint Paul's opposing his lawfull Governour but his onely so treating a Co-apostle of such eminency neither when to that end he designeth to reckon all the advantages of Saint Peter beyond Saint Paul or any other Apostle doth he mention this which was chiefly material to his purpose that he was Saint Paul's Governour which observations if we do carefully weigh we can hardly imagine that St. Chrysostome had any notion of Saint Peter's Supremacy in relation to the Apostles In fine the drift of Saint Paul in reporting those passages concerning himself was not to disparage the other Apostles nor merely to commend himself but to fence the truth of his Doctrine and maintain the liberty of his Disciples against any prejudice that might arise from any authority that might be pretended in any considerable respects superiour to his and alledged against them to which purpose he declareth by arguments and matters of fact that his Authority was perfectly Apostolical and equal to the greatest even to that of Saint Peter the prime Apostle of Saint John the beloved Disciple of Saint James the Bishop of Jerusalem the judgment or practice of whom was no law to him nor should be to them farther than it did consist with that Doctrine which he by an independent Authority and by special revelation from Christ did preach unto them He might as St. Chrysostome noteth have pretended to some advantage over them in regard that he had laboured more abundantly than them all but he forbeareth to do so being contented to obtain equal advantages Well therefore considering the disadvantage which this passage bringeth to the Roman pretence might this History be called by Baronius a History hard to be understood a stone of offence a rock of scandal a rugged place which Saint Austin himself under favour could not pass over without stumbling It may also be considered that Saint Paul particularly doth assert to himself an independent authority over the Gentiles co-ordinate to that which Saint Peter had over the Jews the which might engage him so earnestly to contest with Saint Peter as by his practice seducing those who belonged to his charge the which also probably moved him thus to assert his authority to the Galatians as being Gentiles under his care and thence obliged especially to regard his authority They saith Saint Paul knowing that I was entrusted with the Gospel of uncircumcision as Peter was entrusted with that of circumcision gave unto me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship the which words do clearly enough signifie that he took himself and that the other Apostles took him to have under Christ an absolute charge subordinate to no man over the Gentiles whence he claimeth to himself as his burthen the care of all the Churches he therefore might well contest for their liberty he might well insist upon his authority among them Thus did St. Chrysostome understand the case for Christ saith he committed the Jews to Peter but set Paul over the Gentiles and He saith that great Father farther doth shew himself to be equal to them in dignity and compareth himself not onely to the others but even to the ring-leader shewing that each did enjoy equal dignity
fed by him but the common Believers or People of God which St. Peter himself doth call the Flock of God Feed saith he to his fellow-Elders the flock of God which is among you and Saint Paul Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers 9. Take Feeding for what you please for Teaching for Guiding the Apostles were not fit objects of it who were immediately taught and guided by God himself Hence we may interpret that saying of St. Chrysostome which is the most plausible argument they can alledge for them that our Lord in saying this did commit to St. Peter a charge or presidency over his brethren that is he made him a Pastour of Christian people as he did others at least if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be referred to the Apostles it must not signifie authority over them but at most a primacy of order among them for that Saint Peter otherwise should feed them St. Chrysostome could hardly think who presently after saith that seeing the Apostles were to receive the administration of the whole world they ought not afterward to converse with one another for that would surely have been a great damage to the world 10. But they forsooth must have Saint Peter solely obliged to feed all Christ's sheep so they do impose upon him a vast and crabbed Province a task very incommodious or rather impossible for him to undergo how could he in duty be obliged how could he in effect be able to feed so many flocks of Christian people scattered about in distant Regions through all Nations under Heaven he poor man that had so few helps that had no Officers or dependents nor wealth to maintain them would have been much put to it to feed the sheep in Britaine and in Parthia unto infinite distraction of thoughts such a charge must needs have engaged him But for this their great Champion hath a fine expedient Saint Peter saith he did feed Christ's whole flock partly by himself partly by others so that it seemeth the other Apostles were Saint Peter's Curates or Vicars and Deputies this indeed were an easie way of feeding thus although he had slept all his time he might have fed all the sheep under heaven thus any man as well might have fed them But this manner of feeding is I fear a later invention not known so soon in the Church and it might then seem near as absurd to be a shepherd as it is now in his own account to be a just man by imputation that would be a kind of putative pastorage as this a putative righteousness However the Apostles I dare say did not take themselves to be St. Peter's Surrogates but challenged to themselves to be accounted the Ministers the Stewards the Ambassadours of Christ himself from whom immediately they received their Orders in whose name they acted to whom they constantly refer their Authority without taking the least notice of Saint Peter or intimating any dependence on him It was therefore enough for Saint Peter that he had Authority restrained to no place but might as he found occasion preach the Gospel convert confirm guide Christians every where to truth and duty nor can our Saviour's words be forced to signifie more In fine this together with the precedent Testimonies must not be interpreted so as to thwart Practice and History according to which it appeareth that Saint Peter did not exercise such a Power and therefore our Lord did not intend to confer such an one upon him IV. Farther in confirmation of their Doctrine they do draw forth a whole shole of Testimonies containing divers Prerogatives as they call them of Saint Peter which do as they suppose imply this Primacy so very sharp-sighted indeed they are that in every remarkable accident befalling him in every action performed by him or to him or about him they can descry some argument or shrewd insinuation of his preeminence especially being aided by the glosses of some fancyfull Expositour From the change of his Name from his walking on the Sea from his miraculous draught of Fish from our Lord 's praying for him that his Faith should not fail and bidding him to confirm his Brethren from our Lord 's ordering him to pay the tribute for them both from our Lord's first washing his feet and his first appearing to him after the Resurrection from the prediction of his Martyrdom from sick persons being cured by his shadow from his sentencing Ananias and Saphira to death from his preaching to Cornelius from its being said that he passed through all from his being prayed for by the Church from Saint Paul's going to visit him from these passages I say they deduce or confirm his Authority Now in earnest is not this stout arguing is it not egregious modesty for such a point to alledge such proofs what cause may not be countenanced by such rare fetches who would not suspect the weakness of that Opinion which is fain to use such forces in its maintenance In fine is it honest or conscionable dealing so to wrest or play with the Holy Scripture pretending to derive thence proofs where there is no shew of consequence To be even with them I might assert the Primacy to Saint John and to that purpose might alledge his Prerogatives which indeed may seem greater than those of Saint Peter namely that he was the beloved disciple that he leaned on our Lord's breast that Saint Peter not presuming to ask our Lord a question desired him to doe it as having a more special confidence with our Lord that Saint John did higher service to the Church and all posterity by writing not onely more Epistles but also a most divine Gospel and a sublime Prophecy concerning the state of the Church that Saint John did outrun Peter and came first to the Sepulchre in which passage such acute devisers would find out marvellous significancy that Saint John was a Virgin that he did out-live all the Apostles and thence was most fit to be Universal Pastour that St. Hierome comparing Peter and John doth seem to prefer the latter for Peter saith he was an Apostle and John was an Apostle but Peter was onely an Apostle John both an Apostle and an Evangelist and also a Prophet and saith he that I may in brief speech comprehend many things and shew what privilege belongeth to John yea Virginity in John by our Lord a Virgin his Mother the Virgin is commended to the Virgin Disciple thus I might by Prerogatives and passages very notable infer the Superiority of Saint John to Saint Peter in imitation of their reasoning but I am afraid they would scarce be at the trouble to answer me seriously but would think it enough to say I trifled wherefore let it suffice for me in the same manner to put off those levities of discourse V. They argue this Primacy from the constant placing
Saint Peter's name before the other Apostles in the Catalogues and Narrations concerning him and them To this I answer 1. That this Order is not so strictly observed as not to admit some exceptions for Saint Paul saith that James Cephas and John knowing the grace given unto him so it is commonly read in the ordinary Copies in the Text of ancient Commentatours and in old Translations and whether Paul whether Apollo whether Cephas saith Saint Paul again and As the other Apostles and the brethren of our Lord and Cephas and Philip saith Saint John was of Bethsaida the City of Andrew and Peter and Clemens Alex. in Eusebius saith that the Lord after his resurrection delivered the special knowledge to James the Just and to John and to Peter post-poning Saint Peter as perhaps conceiving him to have less of sublime Revelations imparted to him that Order therefore is not so punctually constant In the Apostolical Constitutions Saint Paul and Saint Peter being induced jointly prescribing Orders they begin I Paul and I Peter do appoint so little ambitious or curious of precedence are they represented 2. But it being indeed so constant as not to seem casual I farther say that position of names doth not argue difference of degree or superiority in power any small advantage of age standing merit or wealth serving to ground such precedence as common experience doth shew 3. We formerly did assign other sufficient and probable causes why Saint Peter had this place So that this is no cogent Reason VI. Farther and this indeed is far their most plausible argumentation they alledge the Titles and Elogies given to Saint Peter by the Fathers who call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prince 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Ringleader 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the President 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Captain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Proloquutor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Foreman 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Warden 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the choice or egregious Apostle Majorem the greater or Grandee among them primum the first or prime Apostle To these and the like allegations I answer 1. If we should say that we are not accountable for every hyperbolical flash or flourish occurring in the Fathers it being well known that they in their encomiastick speeches as Oratours are wont following the heat and gaiety of fancy do sometimes overlash we should have the pattern of their greatest Controvertists to warrant us for Bellarmine doth put off their Testimonies by saying that they do sometimes speak in way of excess less properly less warily so as to need benign Exposition c. as Bishop Andrews sheweth and it is a common shift of Cardinal Perron whereof you may see divers instances alledged by M. Dallée Which observation is especially applicable to this case for that eloquent men do never more exceed in their indulgence to fancy than in the demonstrative kind in panegyricks in their commendations of persons and I hope they will embrace this way of reckoning for those expressions of Pope Leo sounding so exorbitantly that Saint Peter was by our Lord assumed into consortship of his individual unity and that nothing did pass upon any from God the fountain of good things without the participation of Peter 2. We may observe that such turgid Elogies of Saint Peter are not found in the more ancient Fathers for Clemens Romanus Irenaeus Clemens Alex. Tertullian Origen Cyprian Firmilian when they mention Saint Peter do speak more temperately and simply according to the current notions and traditions of the Church in their time using indeed fair terms of respect but not such high streins of courtship about him But they are found in the latter Fathers who being men of wit and eloquence and affecting in their discourses to vent those faculties did speak more out of their own invention and fancy Whence according to a prudent estimation of things in such a case the silence or sparingness of the first sort is of more consideration on the one hand than the speech how free soever of the latter is on the other hand and we may rather suppose those titles do not belong to Saint Peter because the first do not give them than that they do because the other are so liberal in doing it Indeed if we consult the Testimonies of this kind alledged by the Romanists who with their utmost diligence have raked all ancient Writings for them it is strange that they cannot find any very ancient ones that they can find so few plausible ones that they are fain to make up the number to produce so many which evidently have no force or pertinency being onely commendations of his Apostolical Office or of his Personal Merits without relation to others 3. We say that all those terms or Titles which they urge are ambiguous and applicable to any sort of Primacy or Preeminency to that which we admit no less than to that which we refuse as by instances from good Authours and from common use might easily be demonstrated so that from them nothing can be inferred advantageous to their cause Cicero calleth Socrates Prince of the Philosophers and Sulpitius Prince of all Lawyers would it not be ridiculous thence to infer that Socrates was a Sovereign Governour of the Philosophers or Sulpitius of the Lawyers The same great speaker calleth Pompey Prince of the City in all mens judgment doth he mean that he did exercise jurisdiction over the City Tertullus calleth Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes and St. Basil calleth Eustathius Sebastenus foreman of the sect of the Pneumatomachi did Tertullus mean that Saint Paul had universal Jurisdiction over Christians or St. Basil that Eustathius was Sovereign of those Hereticks So neither did Prince of the Apostles or any equivalent term in the sense of those who assigned it to Saint Peter import Authority over the Apostles but eminency among them in worth in merit in Apostolical performances or at most in order of precedence Such words are to be interpreted by the state of things not the state of things to be inferred from them and in understanding them we should observe the Rule of Tertullian 4. Accordingly the Father 's sometimes do explain those Elogies signifying them to import the special gifts and vertues of Saint Peter wherein he did excell so Eusebius calleth Saint Peter the most excellent and great Apostle who for his vertue was proloquutour of the rest 5. This Answer is thoroughly confirmed from hence that even those who give those Titles to Saint Peter do yet expresly affirm other Apostles in power and dignity equal to him Who doth give higher Elogies to him than St. Chrysostome yet doth he assert all the Apostles to be Supreme and equal in dignity and particularly he doth often affirm Saint Paul to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equal in honour to Saint Peter as we before shewed The like we declared of St. Hierome St. Cyril c. And as for St. Cyprian who did allow a Primacy to Saint Peter nothing can be more evident than that he took the other Apostles to be equal to him in power and honour The like we may conceive of St. Austin who having carefully perused those Writings of St. Cyprian and frequently alledging them doth never contradict that his sentiment Even Pope Gregory himself acknowledgeth Saint Peter not to have been properly the Head but onely the first member of the universal Church all being members of the Church under one head 6. If Pope Leo I. or any other ancient Pope do seem to mean farther we may reasonably except against their Opinion as being singular and proceeding from partial affection to their See such affection having influence on the mind of the wisest men according to that certain maxime of Aristotle every man is a bad Judge in his own case 7. The Ancients when their subject doth allure them do adorn other Apostles with the like titles equalling those of Saint Peter and not well consistent with them according to that rigour of sense which our adversaries affix to the commendations of Saint Peter The Epistle of Clemens Rom. to Saint James an Apocryphal but ancient Writing calleth St. James our Lord's Brother The Bishop of Bishops the Clementine Recognitions call him the Prince of Bishops Ruffinus in his translation of Eusebius The Bishop of the Apostles St. Chrysost. saith of him that he did preside over all the Jewish believers Hesychius Presbyter of Jerusalem calleth him the chief Captain of the New Jerusalem the Captain of Priests the Prince of the Apostles the top among the Heads c. The same Hesychius calleth Saint Andrew the first-born of the Apostolical Choire the first setled pillar of the Church the Peter before Peter the foundation of the foundation the first-fruits of the beginning c. St. Chrysostome saith of Saint John that he was a pillar of the Churches through the world he that had the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven c. But as occasion of speaking about Saint Paul was more frequent so the elogies of him are more copious and indeed so high as not to yield to those of Saint Peter He was saith St. Chrysostome the ringleader and guardian of the Choire of all the Saints He was the tongue the teacher the Apostle of the world He had the whole world put into his hands and took care thereof and had committed to him all men dwelling upon Earth He was the light of the Churches the foundation of Faith the pillar and ground of Truth He had the patronage of the World committed into his hands He was better than all men greater than the Apostles and surpassing them all Nothing was more bright nothing more illustrious than he None was greater than he yea none equal to him Pope Gregory I. saith of Saint Paul that he was made head of the Nations because he obtained the principate of the whole Church These Characters of Saint Paul I leave them to interpret and reconcile with those of Saint Peter 8. That the Fathers by calling Saint Peter Prince Chieftain c. of the Apostles do not mean Authority over them may be argued from their joining Saint Paul with him in the same appellations who yet surely could have no Jurisdiction over them and his having any would destroy the pretended Ecclesiastical Monarchy St. Cyril calleth them together Patrons or Presidents of the Church St. Austin or St. Ambr. or Max. calleth them Princes of the Churches The Popes Agatho and Adrian in their General Synods call them the ring-leading Apostles The Popes Nicholas I. and Gregory VII c. call them Princes of the Apostles St. Ambrose or St. Austin or St. Maximus Taur chuse you which doth thus speak of them Blessed Peter and Paul are most eminent among all the Apostles excelling the rest by a kind of peculiar prerogative but whether of these two be preferred before the other is uncertain for I count them to be equal in merit because they are equal in suffering c. To all this discourse I shall onely adde that if any of the Apostles or Apostolical men might claim a presidency or authoritative headship over the rest Saint James seemeth to have the best title thereto for Jerusalem was the mother of all Churches the fountain of the Christian Law and Doctrine the See of our Lord himself the chief Pastour He therefore who as the Fathers tell us was by our Lord himself constituted Bishop of that City and the first of all Bishops might best pretend to be in special manner our Lord's Vicar or Successour He saith Epiphanius did first receive the Episcopal Chair and to him our Lord first did entrust his own Throne upon Earth He accordingly did first exercise the Authority of presiding and moderating in the first Ecclesiastical Synod as St. Chrysostome in his Notes thereon doth remark He therefore probably by Saint Paul is first named in his report concerning the passages at Hierusalem and to his orders it seemeth that Saint Peter himself did conform for 't is said there that before certain came from Saint James he did eat with the Gentiles but when they were come he withdrew Hence in the Apostolical Constitutions in the Prayer prescribed for the Church and for all the Governours of it the Bishops of the principal Churches being specified by name Saint James is put in the first place before the Bishops of Rome and of Antioch Let us pray for the whole Episcopacy under Heaven of those who rightly dispense the word of thy Truth and let us pray for our Bishop James with all his Parishes let us pray for our Bishop Clemens and all his Parishes let us pray for Evodius and all his Parishes Hereto consenteth the Tradition of those ancient Writers afore cited who call Saint James the Bishop of Bishops the Bishop of the Apostles c. SUPPOSITION II. I proceed to examine the next Supposition of the Church Monarchists which is That Saint Peter's Primacy with its Rights and Prerogatives was not personal but derivable to his Successours AGainst which Supposition I do assert that admitting a Primacy of Saint Peter of what kind or to what purpose soever we yet have reason to deem it merely personal and not according to its grounds and its design communicable to any Successours nor indeed in effect conveyed to any such It is a rule in the Canon Law that a personal Privilege doth follow the Person and is extinguished with the Person and such we affirm that of St. Peter for 1. His Primacy was grounded upon personal acts such as his chearfull following of Christ his faithfull confessing of Christ his resolute adherence to Christ his embracing
the Apostles in any sense 6. If some privileges of Saint Peter were derived to Popes why were not all why was not Pope Alexander VI. as holy as Saint Peter why was not Pope Honorius as found in his private judgment why is not every Pope inspired why is not every Papal Epistle to be reputed Canonical why are not all Popes endowed with power of doing miracles why doth not the Pope by a Sermon convert thousands why indeed do Popes never preach why doth not he cure men by his shadow he is say they himself his shadow what ground is there of distinguishing the privileges so that he shall have some not others where is the ground to be found 7. If it be objected that the Fathers commonly do call Bishops Successours of the Apostles to assoil that objection we may consider that whereas the Apostolical Office virtually did contain the functions of Teaching and ruling God's people the which for preservation of Christian doctrine and edification of the Church were requisite to be continued perpetually in ordinary standing Offices these indeed were derived from the Apostles but not properly in way of succession as by univocal propagation but by Ordination imparting all the power needfull for such Offices which therefore were exercised by persons during the Apostles lives concurrently or in subordination to them even as a Dictatour at Rome might create inferiour Magistrates who derived from him but not as his Successours for as Bellarmine himself telleth us there can be no proper succession but in respect of one preceding but Apostles and Bishops were together in the Church The Fathers therefore so in a large sense call all Bishops Successours of the Apostles not meaning that any one of them did succeed into the whole Apostolical Office but that each did receive his power from some one immediately or mediately whom some Apostle did constitute Bishop vesting him with Authority to feed the particular Flock committed to him in way of ordinary charge according to the sayings of that Apostolical person Clemens Rom. The Apostles preaching in Regions and Cities did constitute their first Converts having approved them by the Spirit for Bishops and Deacons of those who should afterward believe and having constituted the foresaid Bishops and Deacons they withall gave them farther charge that if they should dye other approved men successively should receive their Office thus did the Bishops supply the room of the Apostles each in guiding his particular charge all of them together by mutual aid conspiring to govern the whole Body of the Church 8. In which regard it may be said that not one single Bishop but all Bishops together through the whole Church do succeed Saint Peter or any other Apostle for that all of them in union together have an universal Sovereign Authority commensurate to an Apostle 9. This is the notion which St. Cyprian doth so much insist upon affirming that the Bishops do succeed Saint Peter and the other Apostles by vicarious ordination that the Bishops are Apostles that there is but one chair by the Lord's word built upon one Peter One undivided Bishoprick diffused in the peacefull numerosity of many Bishops whereof each Bishop doth hold his share One Flock whom the Apostles by unanimous agreement did feed and which afterward the Bishops do feed having a portion thereof allotted to each which he should govern So the Synod of Carthage with St. Cyprian So also St. Chrysostome saith that the Sheep of Christ were committed by him to Peter and to those after him that is in his meaning to all Bishops 10. Such and no other power Saint Peter might devolve on any Bishop ordained by him in any Church which he did constitute or inspect as in that of Antioch of Alexandria of Babylon of Rome The like did the other Apostles communicate who had the same power with Saint Peter in founding and settling Churches whose Successours of this kind were equal to those of the same kind whom St. Peter did constitute enjoying in their several precincts an equal part of the Apostolical power as St. Cyprian often doth assert 11. It is in consequence observable that in those Churches whereof the Apostles themselves were never accounted Bishops yet the Bishops are called Successours of the Apostles which cannot otherwise be understood than according to the sense which we have proposed that is because they succeeded those who were constituted by the Apostles according to those sayings of Irenaeus and Tertullian we can number those who were instituted bishops by the Apostles and their Successours and All the Churches do shew those whom being by the Apostles constituted in the Episcopal Office they have as continuers of the Apostolical seed So although Saint Peter was never reckoned Bishop of Alexandria yet because 't is reported that he placed Saint Mark there the Bishop of Alexandria is said to succeed the Apostles And because Saint John did abide at Ephesus inspecting that Church and appointing Bishops there the Bishops of that See did refer their Origine to him So many Bishops did claim from Saint Paul So St. Cyprian and Firmilian do assert themselves Successours of the Apostles who yet perhaps never were at Carthage or Caesarea So the Church of Constantinople is often in the Acts of the Sixth General Council called this great Apostolick Church being such Churches as those of whom Tertullian saith that although they do not produce any of the Apostles or Apostolical men for their authour yet conspiring in the same faith are no less for the consanguinity of doctrine reputed Apostolical Yea hence St. Hierome doth assert a parity of merit and dignity Sacerdotal to all Bishops because saith he all of them are Successours to the Apostles having all a like power by their ordination conferred on them 12. Whereas our Adversaries do pretend that indeed the other Apostles had an extraordinary charge as Legates of Christ which had no succession but was extinct in their persons but that Saint Peter had a peculiar charge as ordinary Pastour of the whole Church which surviveth To this it is enough to rejoyn that it is a mere figment devised for a shift and affirmed precariously having no ground either in Holy Scripture or in ancient Tradition there being no such distinction in the Sacred or Ecclesiastical Writings no mention occurring there of any Office which he did assume or which was attributed to him distinct from that extraordinary one of an Apostle and all the Pastoral charge imaginable being ascribed by the Ancients to all the Apostles in regard to the whole Church as hath been sufficiently declared 13. In fine If any such conveyance of power of power so great so momentous so mightily concerning the perpetual state of the Church and of each person therein had been made it had been for general direction and satisfaction for voiding all doubt and debate about it for stifling these pretended Heresies
for the like reason Saint Peter might assume the Bishoprick of Rome I answer 1. It is not certain that Saint James the Bishop of Jerusalem was an Apostle meaning an Apostle of the primary rank for Eusebius the greatest Antiquary of old times doth reckon him one of the 70 disciples So doth the Authour of the Apostolical Constitutions in divers places suppose Hegesippus that most ancient Historian was of the same mind who saith that there were many of this name and that this James did undertake the Church with the Apostles Of the same opinion was Epiphanius who saith that Saint James was the Son of Joseph by another Wife The whole Greek Church doth suppose the same keeping three distinct solemnities for him and the two Apostles of the same name Gregory Nyssene St. Hierome and divers other ancient Writers do concur herein whom we may see alledged by Grotius Dr. Hammond who themselves did embrace the same opinion Valesius Blondel c. Salmasius after his confident manner saith it is certain that he was not one of the twelve I may at least say it is not certain that he was and consequently the objection is grounded on an uncertainty 2. Granting that Saint James was one of the Apostles as some of the Ancients seem to think calling him an Apostle and as divers modern Divines conceive grounding chiefly upon these words of Saint Paul But other of the Apostles saw I none save James the Lord's Brother and taking Apostles there in the strictest sense I answer That the case was peculiar and there doth appear a special reason why one of the Apostles should be designed to make a constant residence at Jerusalem and consequently to preside there like a Bishop For Jerusalem was the Metropolis the Fountain the Centre of the Christian Religion where it had birth where was greatest matter and occasion of propagating the Gospel most people disposed to embrace it resorting thither where the Church was very numerous consisting as St. Luke or Saint James in him doth intimate of divers myriads of believing Jews whence it might seem expedient that a person of greatest Authority should be fixed there for the confirming and improving that Church together with the propagation of Religion among the people which resorted thither the which might induce the Apostles to settle Saint James there both for discharging the Office of an Apostle and the supplying the room of a Bishop there According to him saith Eusebius The Episcopal Throne was committed by the Apostles or our Lord saith Epiphanius did entrust him with his own Throne But there was no need of fixing an Apostle at other places nor doth it appear that any was so fixed especially Saint Peter was uncapable of such an employment requiring settlement and constant attendance who beside his general Apostleship had a peculiar Apostleship of the dispersed Jews committed to him who therefore was much engaged in travel for propagation of the Faith and edifying his Converts every where 3. The greater consent of the most ancient Writers making St. Iames not to have been one of the twelve Apostles it is thence accountable why as we before noted Saint James was called by some ancient Writers the Bishop of Bishops the Prince of Bishops c. because he was the first Bishop of the first See and Mother Church the Apostles being excluded from the comparison Upon these considerations we have great reason to refuse the assertion or scandal cast on Saint Peter that he took on him to be Bishop of Rome in a strict sense as it is understood in this controversie SUPPOSITION V. A father Assertion is this superstructed by consequence on the former That the Bishops of Rome according to God's institution and by original right derived thence should have an Vniversal Supremacy and jurisdiction containing the privileges and prerogatives formerly described over the Christian Church THIS Assertion to be very uncertain yea to be most false I shall by divers considerations evince 1. If any of the former Suppositions be uncertain or false this Assertion standing on those legs must partake of those defects and answerably be dubious or false If either Peter was not Monarch of the Apostles or if his privileges were not successive or if he were not properly Bishop of Rome at his decease then farewell the Romish claim if any of those things be dubious it doth totter if any of them prove false then down it falleth But that each of them is false hath I conceive been sufficiently declared that all of them are uncertain hath at least been made evident The Structure therefore cannot be firm which relieth on such props 2. Even admitting all those Suppositions the inference from them is not assuredly valid For Saint Peter might have an Universal Jurisdiction he might derive it by Succession he might be Bishop of Rome yet no such Authority might hence accrue to the Roman Bishop his Successour in that See For that Universal Jurisdiction might be derived into another Chanel and the Bishop of Rome might in other respects be Successour to him without being so in this As for instance in the Roman Empire before any Rule of Succession was established therein the Emperour was Sovereign Governour and he might dye Consul of Rome having assumed that place to himself yet when he dyed the Supreme Authority did not lapse into the hands of the Consul who succeeded him but into the hands of the Senate and People his Consular Authority onely going to his Successour in that Office So might Saint Peter's Universal Power be transferred unto the Ecclesiastical College of Bishops and of the Church his Episcopal inferiour Authority over the singular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Province of Rome being transmitted to his Followers in that Chair 3. That in truth it was thus and that all the Authority of Saint Peter and of all other Apostles was devolved to the Church and to the representative Body thereof the Fathers did suppose affirming the Church to have received from our Lord a Sovereign Power This saith St. Cyprian is that One Church which holdeth and possesseth all the power of its Spouse and Lord in this we preside for the honour and unity of this we fight saith he in his Epistle to Jubaianus wherein he doth impugn the proceedings of Pope Stephanus the which Sentence St. Austin appropriateth to himself speaking it absolutely without citing St. Cyprian To this Authority of the Church St. Basil would have all that confess the faith of Christ to submit To which end we exceedingly need your assistence that they who confess the Apostolick faith would renounce the schisms which they have devised and submit themselves henceforth to the Authority of the Church They after the Holy Scripture which saith that each Bishop hath a care of God's Church and is obliged to feed the Church of God and is appointed to edify the body of Christ do suppose the administration
the authority of a Church especially then when no Church did appear to have either Principality or Puissance And that sense may clearly be evinced by the context wherein it doth appear that St. Irenaeus doth not alledge the judicial Authority of the Roman Church but its credible Testimony which thereby became more considerable because Christians commonly had occasions of recourse to it Such a reason of precedence St. Cyprian giveth in another case Because saith he Rome for its magnitude ought to precede Carthage For this reason a Pagan Historian did observe the Roman Bishop had a greater authority that is a greater interest and reputation than other Bishops This reason Theodoret doth assign in his Epistle to Pope Leo wherein he doth highly complement and cajole him for this city saith he is the greatest and the most splendid and presiding over the world and flowing with multitude of people and which moreover hath produced the Empire now governing This is the sole ground upon which the greatest of all ancient Synods that of Chalcedon did affirm the Papal eminency to be founded for to the throne say they of ancient Rome because that was the royal city the Fathers reasonably conferred the privileges the fountain of Papal eminence was in their judgment not any divine Institution not the Authority of Saint Peter deriving it self to his Successours but the concession of the Fathers who were moved to grant it upon account that Rome was the Imperial City To the same purpose the Empress Placidia in her Epistle to Theodosius in behalf of Pope Leo saith It becometh us to preserve to this city the which is mistress of all lands a reverence in all things This reason had indeed in it much of equity of decency of conveniency it was equal that he should have the preference and more than common respect who was thence enabled and engaged to do most service to Religion It was decent that out of conformity to the State and in respect to the Imperial Court and Senate the Pastour of that place should be graced with repute it was convenient that he who resided in the centre of all business and had the greatest influence upon affairs who was the Emperour's chief Counsellour for direction and Instrument for execution of Ecclesiastical affairs should not be put behind others Hence did the Fathers of the Second General Synod advance the Bishop of Constantinople to the next privileges of honour after the Bishop of Rome because it was new Rome and a Seat of the Empire And the Fathers of Chalcedon assigned equal privileges to the most Holy See of Rome with good reason say they judging that the city which was honoured with the Royalty and Senate and which otherwise did enjoy equal privileges with the ancient Royal Rome should likewise in Ecclesiastical affairs be magnified as it being second after it Indeed upon this score the Church of Constantinople is said to have aspired to the supreme Principality when it had the advantage over old Rome the Empire being extinguished there and sometimes was styled the Head of all Churches It is also natural and can hardly be otherwise but that the Bishop of a chief City finding himself to exceed in wealth in power in advantages of friendships dependencies c. should not affect to raise himself above the level it is an ambition that easily will seise on the most moderate and otherwise religious minds Pope Leo objected it to Anatolius and Pope Gregory to John from his austere life called the Faster Upon the like account it was that the Bishops of other Cities did mount to a preeminency Metropolitane Primatical Patriarchal Thence it was that the Bishop of Alexandria before Constantine's time did acquire the honour of second place to Rome because that City being head of a most rich and populous Nation did in magnitude and opulency as Gregory Nazianzene saith approach next to Rome so as hardly to yield the next place to it Upon that account also did Antioch get the next place as being the most large flourishing commanding City of the East the which as Josephus saith for bigness and for other advantages had without controversie the third place in all the world subject to the Romans and the which St. Chrysostome calleth the head of all cities seated in the East Saint Basil seemeth to call the Church thereof the principal in the world for what saith he can be more opportune to the Churches over the world than the Church of Antioch the which if it should happen to be reduced to concord nothing would hinder but that as a sound head it would supply health to the whole body Upon the same account the Bishop of Carthage did obtain the privilege to be standing Primate of his Province although other Primacies there were not fixed to places but followed Seniority and a kind of Patriarch over all the African Provinces Hence did Caesarea as exceeding in temporal advantages and being the Political Metropolis of Palestine o'ertop Jerusalem that most ancient noble and venerable City the source of our Religion It was indeed the general Rule and practice to conform the privileges of Ecclesiastical dignity in a proportion convenient to those of the secular Government as the Synod of Antioch in express terms did ordain the ninth Canon whereof runneth thus The Bishops in every Province ought to know that the Bishop presiding in the Metropolis doth undertake the care of all the Province because all that have business do meet together in the Metropolis whence it hath been ordained that he should precede in honour and that the Bishops should doe nothing extraordinary without him according to a more ancient Canon holding from our Fathers that is according to the 34th Canon of the Apostles It is true that the Fathers do sometimes mention the Church of Rome being founded by the two great Apostles or the succession of the Roman Bishop to them in Pastoral charge as a special ornament of that Church and a congruous ground of respect to that Bishop whereby they did honour the memory of Saint Peter but even some of those who did acknowledge this did not avow it as a sufficient ground of preeminence none did admit it for an argument of authoritative Superiority St. Cyprian did call the Roman See the chair of Saint Peter and the principal Church yet he disclaimed any authority of the Roman Bishops above his brethren Firmilian did take notice that Pope Stephanus did glory in the place of his Bishoprick and contend that he held the succession of Peter yet did not he think himself thereby obliged to submit to his authority or follow his judgment but sharply did reprehend him as a favourer of Hereticks an authour of Schisms and one who had cut himself off from the communion of his brethren The Fathers of the Antiochene Synod did confess that in writings all did willingly honour the Roman
Church we are not merely upon that score to condemn or reject from communion of Charity or Peace for in that they do but use their Liberty 10. But if such Churches do maintain impious Errours if they do prescribe naughty Practices if they do reject Communion and Peace upon reasonable terms if they vent unjust and uncharitable Censures if they are turbulent and violent striving by all means to subdue and enslave other Churches to their will or their dictates if they damn and persecute all who refuse to be their Subjects in such cases we may reject such Churches as heretical or schismatical or wickedly uncharitable and unjust in their Proceedings A TABLE of the AUTHOURS quoted in the Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy and Vnity of the Church A. S. AMbrosius 155. in Luc. 277. de Poen 274. de Sac. 128. Anastasius in vit Joh. 204.210 Anton. de Concil Pis. 24. Anselmus in Joh. 60. Apost Can. 324. Aquinas Tho. 278. Arist. Pol. 131.142.314 S. Athanas. Disp. contra Arium 3. Athanas. 73.115.148.155.202 Athanas. de Syn. 321. August Triumph 3. S. Augustinus contra Crescon 48.53.127.133 Idem de Unit. Eccles. 26.123.250.251.277.296.301.307 Ep. 128.155.249.155.305.314 in S. Joh. 31. contra Don. 54. de Bapt. 150.300 in Psal. 296. contra Jul. 223. B. BAlusius 170. Not. ad Agorbard 26. Baronius 5.10.82.142.151.161.122.180.187.203.216.232.234.239.241.151.256.215.264.318 S. Basil. 68.115.246.264 Epist. 61.160.244 in Is. 61. de Judicio Dei 33. Bellarminus 2.3.15.51.59.69.71.137.148.153.193.256.269.257.261.287.321 S. Bernardus 141.145.281 de Consid. 40.265 Binius 6.8.52.65.152.192.265.277.325 Bochell 2. Bodin de Rep. 147. Bullae Variorum P. 5. c. C. CAmd Hist. 5. Canon Apost 164.178.241 Cajet in 1 Cor. 284. Canus 6. Celest. ad Cyril 203.213 Chrysol 62. S. Chrysostomus 30.31.32.63.67.74.75.82.264.269.281.313 Idem in Ephes. 40. in Act. Apost 44.45 in S. Joh. 49. in Galat. ibid. 55. Ep. 135.159 in Colos. 283. in 1 Cor. 301. Claudianus 132. Clemens ad Corinth 48.58.113 S. Clemens Alex. 118.297.299.308 Clemens Alex. apud Euseb. 57. Cod. Afr. 164.241.248 Cod. Lib. 1.179 Concilium Ant. Bas. 25.264.132.135.141.267.268 Chalced. 165.166.163.225.135.136.248.270.303.202.203.204.205.206.121 Sard. 84.233 Trid. 2.7.135.136.280.283.285.286.230 Lat. 41.136.185.281.325 Ludg. 146. Tolet. 227. Nic. 241.121 Trull 84. Eph. 234.278.155 Florent 21. Cons. 25.330.121.248 Miler 248. Carth. ibid. Conc. sub Men. 85.231 Const. Apost 230. Card. Cusanus de Conc. Carth. 43. S. Cyprianus 149.150.150.252.263.269 de Unit. Eccles. 58.62 in Conc. Carth. 211.216 Ep. 54.71.67.79.113.115.124.125.129.153.157.158.162.229.232.235.243.248.249.276.277.269.301.302.304.305.312.315.318.323 S. Cyril 68.78.282 D. DAmasi P. Ep. Distinct. 228 c. Durandus 263. Dionysius de Eccl. Hier. 58. E. EAdmeri Hist. 182.270 S. Epiphan 83.252 Haer. 34.51.324.298.308 Erasmi Praefat. ad Hieron 288. Evag. 239.240 Euseb. 158.173.273.202 Hist. 32.73.298.318 de Vit. Const. 86.186.304.305.306 F. FAC. Hermian 276. Florus 131. G. POpe Gelas. distinc 58. Ep. Georg. Alex. vita Chrys. 12. Gervas Dorob apud Twisd 151. Grat. Dist. 10.41 Greg. Decret 15. Greg Past. 53. Greg. M. Ep. 122.124.125.265.225.169 S. Greg. Naz. 130.152.159.257 Guicc 136.143 Gunth Lig. 180. H. HEgesippus apud Euseb. 57. Hesychius apud Photium 46. Hieron adv Evagr. 152.125 Hieron Ep. 129. S. Hier. in Matt. 33. in Jovin 42. Hilar. de Trin. 35. Hilar. 153.155.213 Hist. Trident. 321. Horat. 177. I. IGnat ad Trall 294. S. Iren. 87.88.119.158.299.311.316.318 Joseph de Bello Jud. 160. Isid. Dist. 169. Isid. Hispal 128.58 Isid. Pelusiot 130. Justini Cod. 204. Justini Novell 235. L. LActantius 35. Lateran Concil 46. Launoius 12.116.185 P. Leo Ep. 126.273.204.205.208.209.225.230.225.254 Livius 178. M. MAchivel 144. De Marc. 170. Marsil Patav. 17. Matt. Paris 6.7.182.183.192.251.262.265 Memor Hist. de 5 Propos. 267. N. POpe Nic. Ep. 174.175.200.210 O. OCcam 17. Optat. lib. 2.303 Orient Relat. ad Imper. Act. 208. Orig. in Matt. 62. Otho Frising Chron. 13. P. POpe Pash Ep. apud Eadmer 261.262 Pelag. Ep. 123.201.86 Petr. ad Jacob. 83. Photius 33.42 Pighius de Hier. 265. Platina de Vit. Pont. 8.28.41.145.150.215.228 Plut. in Pyrr 174. Prudent in Apotheos 290. R. RIgalt in Cypr. Ep. 60. 157.237 Ruffinus 170. S. SEnec de Benef. Sigeberti Chron. 9. Sleid. 139.141 Socrates Sozom. 12.87.120.173.186.167.208.216.234.242.226.232.252.253.256 Spalatens 5. Suetonius 83. P. Symac Ep. 325. Synes Ep. 325. Synod Ant. 157.216.312.231 Ansel. 85. Bas. 133.314 Chalc. 158 159.167.168.184.231·233.245.254.257.264 Const. 165.159 Eph. 168. Trull 201. Nic. 164.166.231 Flor. 177. Laod. 166. Sard. 324. T. TAcitus 131.142 Ann. 174. de Morib Germ. 178. Tertullianus 26.50.58.63.67.77.80.118.119.164.298.216.269.280.282.294.297.309.318 Theod. 156.161.166.187.208.227.229.237.238.255.256.323 Theoph. in Matth. 33.253 Tho. Aq. 3.6 Tho. Cajet Orat. 267. Thorn 318. Thuan. 146. Tort. Tort. 147. Trid. Concil 41. Twisd 184. V. VAles in Euseb. 310. P. Vrb. Ep. 7. Vsserius 242.315 Z. ZAbarellus 4. Zozomen 117.131.161.213.225.227.232.239.250 A TABLE OF Things or the Chief Matters contained in the Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy and of the Vnity of the Church A. ABsolution Particular Absolution why allowed in the Church of Rome 139. Anacletus and Cletus by some thought to be the same 88. Anathema's of the Romanists 289. Angels Popish Doctrine of worshipping them contrary to Scripture 280. Apostles Which the Elder 34. That Office of the greatest Authority in the Primitive Church 37. This Authority of their Office they frequently assert never Superiority over one another 50. Their manner of Life ibid. Their Equality attested by the Fathers and plain from Scripture 57 59. Their extraordinary Privileges and miraculous Powers not successive nor communicable 78. Appeals to the Pope disclaimed 248 249. B. S. BAsil His Authority against the Pope's Supremacy 123. Bishops How to discharge their Office 40. In what sense said to be Successours of the Apostles 79. All Bishops styled Clavigeri by the Council of Compeigne 65. Their Residence and Translation 84 85. The Highest Order in the Church 128. Their Equality notwithstanding some Differences in Order and Privileges 125 129 151. An Answer to such who object They had a Power as well as Emperours to call General Councils 193. Metropolitan Bishops in their Provinces had far more Power and more truly grounded than the Pope had in the whole Church 212. What kind of Authority they had heretofore in Synods ibid. Their Ordination in whose Power Their Authority and Rights 215 216. Constitution of them not in the Power of the Pope but Emperour 225. Nor Censuring them in the power of the Pope 231 232. No power in the Pope to depose them 233 The contrary Assertions examined and confuted in seq v. 241. Confirmation of them belongs not to the Pope 269. Bishops and Pastours Their Authority in Church Government in the Primitive Church 312 313. Their Character ibid. C. CAnon Law The vain pretence for the Obligation thereof 210. Canons Ancient Canons their silence concerning the Pope's Authority 120 121. Canons Universal Canons Popes no Power to alter them nor Exemption from them 213 their policy herein ibid. contrary Opinion from whence arising ibid. Canons of Popes why set above General Councils 268.
true wonder of the world and changer of the Age did affirm the Pontifical Authority so much to exceed the Royal Power as the Sun doth the Moon and applieth to the former that of the Prophet Jeremy Ecce constitui te super gentes regna See I have set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdoms to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down c. Of this Power that Pope made experiment by deposing the Emperour Otho IV whom saith Nauclerus as rebellious to the Apostolical See he first did strike with an Anathema then him persevering in his obstinacy did in a Council of Prelates held at Rome pronounce deposed from Empire The which Authority was avowed by that great Council under this Pope the which according to the men of Trent did represent or constitute the Church wherein it was ordained that If a Temporal Lord being required and admonished by the Church should neglect to purge his Territory from Heretical filth he should by the Metropolitan and the other Comprovincial Bishops be noosed in the band of Excommunication and that if he should slight to make satisfaction within a year it should be signified to the Pope that he might from that time denounce the Subjects absolved from their Fealty to him and expose the Territory to be seised on by Catholicks c. Before that Pope Paschal II. deprived Henry IV. and excited enemies to persecute him telling them that they could not offer a more acceptable Sacrifice to God than by impugning him who endeavoured to take the Kingdom from God's Church Before him Pope Vrban II. called Turban by some in his Age did preach this Doctrine recommended to us in the Decrees that Subjects are by no authority constrained to pay the Fidelity which they have sworn to a Christian Prince who opposeth God and his Saints or violateth their Precepts An instance whereof we have in his granting a privilege to the Canons of Tours which saith he if any Emperour King Prince c. shall wilfully attempt to thwart let him be deprived of the dignity of his honour and power But the great Apostle if not Authour of this confounding Doctrine was Pope Gregory VII a man of a bold spirit and fiery temper inured even before his entry on that See to bear sway and drive on daring projects possessed with resolution to use the advantages of his place and time in pushing forward the Papal Interest to the utmost who did lift up his voice like a trumpet kindling Wars and Seditions thereby over Christendom His Dictates and Practices are well known being iterated in his own Epistles and in the Roman Councils under him extant Yet it may be worth the while to hear him swagger in his own language For the dignity and defence of God's Holy Church in the name of Almighty God the Father Son and Holy Ghost I depose from Imperial and Royal Administration King Henry Son of Henry sometime Emperour who too boldly and rashly hath laid hands on thy Church and I absolve all Christians subject to the Empire from that Oath whereby they were wont to plight their faith unto true Kings for it is right that he should be deprived of Dignity who doth endeavour to diminish the Majesty of the Church Go to therefore most Holy Princes of the Apostles and what I said by interposing your Authority confirm that all men may now at length understand if ye can bind and loose in Heaven that ye also can upon Earth take away and give Empires Kingdoms and whatsoever mortals can have for if ye can judge things belonging unto God what is to be deemed concerning these inferiour and profane things And if it is your part to judge Angels who govern proud Princes what becometh it you to doe toward their servants Let Kings now and all Secular Princes learn by this man's example what ye can doe in Heaven and in what esteem ye are with God and let them henceforth fear to slight the commands of Holy Church but put forth suddenly this judgment that all men may understand that not casually but by your means this Son of iniquity doth fall from his Kingdom So did that Pope not unadvisedly in heat or passion but out of settled judgment upon cool deliberation express himself in his Synods at Rome This Pope is indeed by many held the inventour and broacher of this strange Doctrine And even those who about his Age did oppose it did express themselves of this mind calling it the novel Tradition Schism Heresie of Hildebrand Pope Hildebrand saith the Church of Liege in their answer to the Epistle to P. Paschal is authour of this new Schism and first did raise the Priests lance against the Royal Diadem Who first did girt himself and by his example other Popes with the sword of war against the Emperours This onely Novelty saith Sigebert not to say Heresie had not yet sprang up in the world that the Priests of him who saith to the King Apostate and who maketh hypocrites to reign for the sins of the people should teach the people that they owe no subjection to bad Kings and although they have sworn Allegeance to the King they yet owe him none and that they who take part against the King may not be said to be perjured yea that he who shall obey the King may be held excommunicate he that shall oppose the King may be absolved from the crime of injustice and perjury Indeed certain it is that this man did in most downright strains hold the Doctrine and most smartly apply it to practice yet did he disclaim the invention or introduction of it professing that he followed the notions and examples of his predecessours divers of which he allegeth in defence of his proceedings We saith he holding the Statutes of our Holy Predecessours do by Apostolical authority absolve those from their Oath who are obliged by Fealty or Sacrament to Excommunicate persons and by all means prohibit that they observe Fealty to them And so it is that although for many successions before Pope Hildebrand the Popes were not in condition or capacity to take so much upon them there having been a row of persons intruded into that See void of vertue and of small authority most of them very beasts who depended upon the favour of Princes for their admittance confirmation or support in the place yet we may find some Popes before him who had a great spice of those imperious conceits and upon occasion made very bold with Princes assuming power over them and darting menaces against them For Pope Leo IX telleth us that Constantine M. did think it very unbecoming that they should be subject to an Earthly Empire whom the Divine Majesty had set over an Heavenly and surely he was of his authour's mind whom he alledged although indeed this Pope may be supposed to speak this and other
of course by Papal appointment For this surely according to the Pope's meaning by which their obligation is to be measured is designed in the profession ordained by Pope Pius IV. wherein every beneficed Clergy-man is injoined to say And I do promise and swear true Obedience to the Roman Pontife the Successour of Saint Peter and the Vicar of Jesus Christ. Which profession was appointed in pursuance of a Sanction made by the Trent Council that all such persons should vow and swear to abide in Obedience to the Roman Church and consequently how hard soever its Yoke should be they would not shake it off which inferreth most absolute Sovereignty of that Church or of the Pope who ruleth the roast in it But what that true Obedience doth import or how far the Papal Authority in the Pope's own sense and according to the publick spirit of that Church doth stretch is more explicitly signified in the Oath which all Bishops at their Consecration and all Metropolitans at their Instalment are required to take the which as it is extant in the Roman Pontifical set out by order of Pope Clement VIII doth run in these terms I N. Elect of the Church of N. from henceforward will be faithfull and obedient to Saint Peter the Apostle and to the Holy Roman Church and to our Lord the Lord N. Pope N. and to his Successours canonically coming in I will neither advise consent or doe any thing that they may lose life or member or that their Persons may be seised or hands any-wise laid upon them or any injuries offer'd to them under any pretence whatsoever The counsel which they shall entrust me withall by themselves their messengers or Letters I will not knowingly reveal to any to their prejudice I will help them to defend and keep the Roman Papacy and the Royalties of Saint Peter saving my Order against all men The Legate of the Apostolick See going and coming I will honourably treat and help in his necessities The rights honours privileges and authority of the Holy Roman Church of our Lord the Pope and his foresaid Successours I will endeavour to preserve defend increase and advance I will not be in any counsel action or treaty in which shall be plotted against our said Lord and the said Roman Church any thing to the hurt or prejudice of their Persons right honour state or power and if I shall know any such thing to be treated or agitated by any whatsoever I will hinder it to my power and as soon as I can will signify it to our said Lord or to some other by whom it may come to his knowledge The Rules of the Holy Fathers the Apostolick decrees ordinances or disposals reservations provisions and mandates I will observe with all my might and cause to be observed by others Hereticks Schismaticks and Rebels to our said Lord or his foresaid Successours I will to my power persecute and oppose I will come to a Council when I am call'd unless I be hinder'd by a Canonical impediment I will by my self in person visit the threshold of the Apostles every three years and give an account to our Lord and his foresaid Successours of all my Pastoral Ossi and of all things any-wise belonging to the state of my Church to the discipline of my Clergy and People and lastly to the salvation of Souls committed to my trust and will in like manner humbly receive and diligently execute the Apostolick commands And if I be detain'd by a lawfull impediment I will perform all the things aforesaid by a certain Messenger hereto specially impower'd a member of my Chapter or some other in Ecclesiastical Dignity or else having a Parsonage or in default of these by a Priest of the Diocese or in default of one of the Clergy of the Diocese by some other Secular or Regular Priest of approved integrity and Religion fully instructed in all things above-mentioned And such impediment I will make out by lawfull proofs to be transmitted by the foresaid Messenger to the Cardinal Proponent of the Holy Roman Church in the Congregation of the Sacred Council The Possessions belonging to my Table I will neither sell nor give away nor mortgage nor grant anew in fee nor any-wise alienate no not even with the consent of the Chapter of my Church without consulting the Roman Pontife And if I shall make any alienation I will thereby incur the Penalties contain'd in a certain Constitution put forth about this matter So help me God and these Holy Gospels of God Such is the Oath prescribed to Bishops the which is worth the most serious attention of all men who would understand how miserably slavish the condition of the Clergy is in that Church and how inconsistent their obligation to the Pope is with their duty to their Prince And in perusing it we may note that the clauses in a different character are in the more ancient Oath extant in the Gregorian Decretals by which it appeareth how the Pope doth more and more enlarge his Power and straiten the bands of Subjection to him And it is very remarkable that the new Oath hath chang'd those words REGVLAS SANCTORVM PATRVM into REGALIA SANCTI PETRI i. e. THE RVLES OF THE HOLY FATHERS into THE ROYALTIES OF SAINT PETER § XV. I know there are within the Roman Communion great store of Divines who do contract the Papal Sovereignty within a much narrower compass refusing to him many of those Prerogatives yea scarce allowing to him any of them There are those who affirm the Pope in Doctrine and Discipline subject to the Church or to a General Synod representing it Which opinion thwarteth a proposition in Bellarmine's opinion e'en almost an Article of faith but to be even with him they do hold his proposition to be quite heretical The Pope is simply and absolutely above the Vniversal Church this proposition is almost an Article of faith saith Bellarmine The Cardinal of Lorrain on the contrary But I saith he cannot deny but that I am a French-man and bred up in the Church of Paris which teaches that the Roman Pontife is subject to a Council and they who teach the contrary are there branded as Hereticks There are those who affirm the Pope if he undertake Points of Faith without assistence of a General Synod may teach Heresie which opinion as Bellarmine thought doth closely border on heresie And those who conceive that Popes may be and have been Hereticks whence Christians sometimes are not obliged to admit their Doctrine or observe their pleasure There are those who maintain the Pope no less than other Bishops subject to the Canons or bound to observe the Constitutions of the Church that he may not infringe them or over-rule against them or dispense with them and that to him attempting to doe so obedience is not due There are those who maintain that the Pope cannot subvert or violate the Rights and Liberties of particular
fell to proposing about making an abode there not knowing what he said so brisk was he in imagination and speech Upon the good Womans report that our Lord was risen from the dead he first ran to the Sepulchre and so as Saint Paul implieth did obtain the first sight of our Lord after the Resurrection such was his zeal and activity upon all occasions At the Consultation about supplying the place of Judas he rose up proposed and pressed the matter At the Convention of the Apostles and Elders about resolving the debate concerning observance of Mosaical Institutions he first rose up and declared his sense In the Promulgation of the Gospel and Defence thereof before the Jewish Rulers he did assume the conduct and constantly took upon him to be the Speaker the rest standing by him implying assent and ready to avow his word Peter saith Saint Luke standing with the rest lift up his voice and said unto them so did they utter a common voice saith St. Chrys. and he was the mouth of all That in affection to our Lord and zeal for his service Saint Peter had some advantage over the rest that Question Simon Peter dost thou love me more than these may seem to imply although the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may bear other interpretations whereby the seeming invidiousness of the Question according to that sense will be removed However that he had a singular zeal for promoting our Lord's service and propagation of the Gospel therein outshining the rest seemeth manifest in the History and may be inferred from the peculiar regard our Lord apparently did shew to him Upon these Premises we may well admit that Saint Peter had a Primacy of Worth or that in personal accomplishments he was most eminent among the twelve Apostles although afterward there did spring up one who hardly in any of these respects would yield to him who could confidently say that he did not come behind the very chief Apostles and of whom St. Ambrose saith Neither was Paul inferiour to Peter being well to be compar'd even to the first and second to none and St. Chrysostome For what was greater than Peter and what equal to Paul This is the Primacy which Eusebius attributeth to him when he calleth him the excellent and great Apostle who for his virtue was the proloquutor of all the rest II. As to a Primacy of Repute which Saint Paul meaneth when he speaketh of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those which had a special reputation of those who seemed to be Pillars of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the supereminent Apostles this advantage cannot be refused him being a necessary consequent of those eminent qualities resplendent in him and of the illustrious performances atchieved by him beyond the rest This may be inferred from that advantageous renown which he hath had propagated from the beginning to all posterity This at least those elogies of the Fathers styling him the Chief Prince Head of the Apostles do signifie This also may be collected from his being so constantly ranked in the first place before the rest of his Brethren III. As to a Primacy of Order or bare Dignity importing that commonly in all meetings and proceedings the other Apostles did yield him the precedence the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or privilege of speaking first whether in propounding matters for debate or in delivering his advice the conduct and moderation of affairs that this was stated on him may be questioned for that this were a kind of womanish privilege and that it doth not seem to befit the gravity of such persons or their condition and circumstances to stand upon ceremonies of respect for that also our Lord's Rules do seem to exclude all semblance of ambition all kinds of inequality and distance between his Apostles for that this practice doth not seem constantly and thoroughly to agree to his being endowed with this advantage especially seeing all that practice which favoureth it may fairly be assigned to other causes for that also the Fathers Authority if that be objected as a main argument of such a Primacy in points of this nature not bordering on essentials of Faith is of no great strength they in such cases speaking out of their own ingeny and conjecture and commonly indulging their imaginations no less freely than other men But yet this Primacy may be granted as probable upon divers accounts of use and convenience it might be usefull to preserve order and to promote expedition or to prevent confusion distraction and dilatory obstruction in the management of things yea to maintain concord and to exclude that ambition or affectation to be formost which is natural to men For seeing all could not goe speak or act first all could not guide affairs it was expedient that one should be ready to undertake it knowing his cue See saith St. Chrysostome noting on Act. 2.14 where Saint Peter speaketh for the rest the concord of the Apostles they yield unto him the speech for they could not all speak and One saith St. Hierome is chosen among the twelve that a head being appointed an occasion of Schism might be removed St. Cyprian hath a reason for it somewhat more subtile and mystical supposing our Lord did confer on him a preference of this kind to his Brethren who otherwise in power and authority were equal to him that he might intimate and recommend unity to us and the other African Doctours Optatus and St. Austin do commonly harp on the same notion I can discern little solidity in this conceit and as little harm However supposing this Primacy at least in respect to the Fathers who generally seem to countenance it divers probable reasons may be assigned why it should especially be conferred on Saint Peter 1. It is probable that Saint Peter was first in standing among the Apostles I mean not that he was the first Disciple or first converted to Faith in Christ but first called to the Apostolical Office or first nominated by our Lord when out of all his Disciples he chose twelve and called them Apostles Simon whom he called Peter and Andrew his Brother He was one of the first Believers at large he was perhaps the first that distinctly believed our Lord's Divinity he was probably the very first Apostle as the fittest Person in our Lord's eye for that employment He saith St. Hilary did first believe and is the Prince or first man of the Apostleship He saith St. Cyprian was the first whom the Lord chose He saith St. Basil was by judgment preferred before all the Disciples He by other Ancients is called the first-fruits of the Apostles And according to this sense St. Hierome I suppose doth call him and his Brother Andrew Principes Apostolorum that is according to frequent usage of the word Princeps in Latin the first of the Apostles So that as in divers Churches perhaps when
Authority can hardly be assigned For was it when he was constituted by our Lord an Apostle Then indeed probably he began to obtain all the primacy and preeminence he ever had but no such power doth appear then conferred on him or at any time in our Saviour's life at least if it was it was so covertly and indiscernibly that both he himself and all the Apostles must be ignorant thereof who a little before our Lord's Passion did more than once earnestly contest about Superiority And it is observable that whereas our Lord before his Passion did carefully teach and press on the Apostles the chief duties which they were to observe in their behaviour toward each other The maintenance of peace of charity of unity of humility toward one another yet of paying due respect and obedience to this Superiour he said nothing to them The collation of that Power could not well be at any time before the celebration of our Lord's Supper because before that time Saint Peter was scarce an Ecclesiastical Person at least he was no Priest as the Convention of Trent under a curse doth require us to believe for it were strange that an unconsecrated Person or one who was not so much as a Priest should be endowed with so much spiritual Power After his Resurrection our Lord did give divers common Instructions Orders and Commissions to his Apostles but it doth not appear that he did make any peculiar grant to St. Peter for as to the pretence of such an one drawn out of the Appendix to Saint John's Gospel or grounded on the words Pasce oves we shall afterward declare that to be invalid 4. If Saint Peter had been instituted Sovereign of the Apostolical Senate his Office and state had been in nature and kind very distinct from the common Office of the other Apostles as the Office of a King from the Office of any Subject as an ordinary standing perpetual successive Office from one that is onely extraordinary transitory temporary personal and incommunicable to speak according to distinctions now in use and applied to this case whence probably as it was expedient to be it would have been signified by some distinct name or title characterizing it and distinguishing it from others as that of Arch-apostle Arch-pastour High-priest Sovereign Pontife Pope his Holiness the Vicar of Christ or the like whereby it might have appeared that there was such an Officer what the nature of his Office was what specialty of respect and obedience was due to him But no such name or title upon any occasion was assumed by him or was by the rest attributed to him or in History is recorded concerning him the name of an Apostle being all that he took on him or by others was given to him 5. There was indeed no Office above that of an Apostle known to the Apostles or to the primitive Church this saith St. Chrysostome was the greatest authority and the top of authorities there was saith he none before an Apostle none superiour none equal to him this he asserteth of all the Apostles this he particularly applieth to Saint Paul this he demonstrateth from Saint Paul himself who purposely enumerating the chief Officers instituted by God in his Church doth place Apostles in the highest rank Our Lord saith Saint Paul gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastours and Teachers and God hath set some in his Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why not first a Pope an Universal Pastour an Oecumenical Judge a Vicar of Christ a Head of the Catholick Church Could Saint Paul be so ignorant could he be so negligent or so envious as to pass by without any distinction the Supreme Officer if such an one then had been As put case that one should undertake to recite the Officers in any State or Republick would he not do strangely if he should pretermit the King the Duke the Consul the Major thereof would not any one confiding in the skill diligence and integrity of such a relatour be induced from such an omission to believe there was no such Officer there St. Chrysostome therefore did hence very rationally infer that the Apostolical Office was the Supreme in the Christian state having no other Superiour to it Saint Peter therefore was no more than an Apostle and as such he could have no command over those who were in the same highest rank co-ordinate to him and who as Apostles could not be subject to any 6. Our Lord himself at several times declared against this kind of Primacy instituting equality among his Apostles prohibiting them to affect to seek to assume or admit a superiority of Power one above another There was saith Saint Luke among the twelve at the participation of the Holy Supper a strife among them who of them should be accounted the greatest or who had the best pretence to Superiority this strife our Lord presently did check and quash but how not by telling them that he already had decided the case in appointing them a Superiour but rather by assuring them that he did intend none such to be that he would have no Monarchy no exercise of any Dominion or Authority by one among them over the rest but that notwithstanding any advantages one might have before the other as greater in gifts or as preceding in any respect they should be one as another all humbly condescending to one another each being ready to yield help and service to one another The Kings said he of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authority over them are called benefactours but ye shall not be so but he that is greater among you let him be as the younger and he that is leader as he that doth minister that is whatever privilege any of you obtaineth let it not be employed in way of command but rather of compliance and subserviency as occasion shall require let him not pretend to be a Superiour but rather behave himself as an Inferiour thus our Lord did smother the debate by removing from among them whatever greatness any of them did affect or pretend to forbidding that any of them should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exercise any Dominion or Authority over the rest as worldly Princes did over their Subjects Again upon another occasion as the circumstances of the place do imply when two of the Apostles of special worth and consideration with our Lord Saint James and Saint John the Sons of Zebedee did affect a preeminence over the rest requesting of our Lord Grant unto us that we may sit one on thy right hand and the other on thy left hand in thy glory or in thy Kingdom as Saint Matthew hath it that is in that new state which they conceived our Lord was ready to introduce which request doth not seem to import any great matter of Authority
do style their Peter The truth is then among Christians there was little standing upon punctilio's private considerations and pretences to power then took small place each one was ready to comply with that which the most did approve the community did take upon it to prescribe unto the greatest persons as we see again in another instance where the Brethren at Antioch did appoint Paul and Barnabas the most considerable persons among them to go up unto Jerusalem They were then so generous so mercifull so full of charity as rather than to cause or foment any disturbance to recede or go whither the multitude pleased and doe what was commanded by it 10. In all relations which occur in Scripture about Controversies incident of Doctrine or Practice there is no appeal made to Saint Peter's Judgment or allegation of it as Decisive no Argument is built on his Authority dissent from his Opinion or disconformity to his Practice or disobedience to his Orders are not mentioned as ground of reproof as aggravation of any errour any misdemeanour any disorder which were very strange if then he was admitted or known to be the Universal Prince and Pastour of Christians or the Supreme Judge and Arbitratour of Controversies among them for then surely the most clear compendious and effectual way to confute any errour or check any disorder had been to alledge the Authority of Saint Peter against it who then could have withstood so mighty a prejudice against his cause If now a question doth arise about any Point of Doctrine instantly the Parties at least one of them which hopeth to find most favour hath recourse to the Pope to define it and his Judgment with those who admit his pretences proveth sufficiently decisive or at least greatly swayeth in prejudice to the opposite Party If any Heresie or any Opinion disagreeing from the current sentiments is broached the Pope presently doth roar that his voice is heard through Christendom and thundreth it down if any Schism or disorder springeth up you may be sure that Rome will instantly meddle to quash it or to settle matters as best standeth with its Principles and Interests such influence hath the shadow of Saint Peter's Authority now but no such regard was then had to poor Pope Peter himself he was not so busie and stirring in such cases the Apostles did not send Hereticks to be knocked down by his Sentence nor Schismaticks to be scourged by his Censure but were fain to use the long way of Disputation striving to convince them by Testimonies of Scripture and rational discourse If they did use authority it was their own which they challenge as given to them by Christ for edification or upon account of the more than ordinary gifts and graces of the Divine Spirit conferred on them by God Saint Peter no-where doth appear intermedling as a Judge or Governour paramount in such cases yea where he doth himself deal with Hereticks and disorderly persons confuting and reproving them as he dealeth with divers notoriously such he proceedeth not as a Pope decreeing but as an Apostle warning arguing and persuading against them It is particularly remarkable how Saint Paul reproving the factions which were among Christians at Corinth doth represent the several parties saying I am of Paul I am of Apollos I am of Cephas I am of Christ Now supposing the case then had been clear and certain and if it were not so then how can it be so now that Saint Peter was Sovereign of the Apostles is it not wonderfull that any Christian should prefer any Apostle or any Preacher before him as if it were now clear and generally acknowledged that the Pope is truly what he pretendeth to be would any body stand in competition with him would any glory in a relation to any other Minister before him It is observable how Saint Clemens reflecteth on this contention Ye were saith he less culpable for that partiality for ye did then incline to renowned Apostles and to a man approved by them but now c. If it be replyed that Christ himself did come into the comparison I answer that probably no man was so vain as to compare him with the rest nor indeed could any there pretend to have been baptized by him which was the ground of the emulation in respect of the others but those who said they were of Christ were the wise and peaceable sort who by saying so declined and disavowed faction whose behaviour Saint Paul himself in his discourse commendeth and confirmeth shewing that all indeed were of Christ the Apostles being onely his Ministers to work faith and vertue in them None saith Saint Austin of those contentious persons were good except those who said but I am of Christ. We may also here observe that Saint Paul in reflecting upon these contentions had a fair occasion of intimating somewhat concerning Saint Peter's Supremacy and aggravating their blameable fondness who compared others with him 12. The consideration of the Apostles proceeding in the conversion of people in the foundation of Churches and in administration of their spiritual affairs will exclude any probability of Saint Peter's Jurisdiction over them They went about their business not by Order or Licence from St. Peter but according to special instinct and direction of God's Spirit being sent forth by the Holy Ghost going by revelation or according to their ordinary prudence and the habitual wisedom given unto them by those aids without troubling St. Peter or themselves more they founded Societies they ordained Pastours they framed Rules and Orders requisite for the edification and good Government of Churches reserving to themselves a kind of paramount inspection and jurisdiction over them which in effect was onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a paternal care over them which they particularly claimed to themselves upon account of spiritual parentage for that they had begotten them to Christ If saith St. Paul to the Corinthians I am not an Apostle to others I am however so to you why so because he had converted them and could say As my beloved sons I warn you for though ye have ten thousand instructours in Christ yet ye have not many fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel This paternal charge they did exercise without any dependence or regard to Saint Peter none such appearing it not being mentioned that they did ever consult his pleasure or render him an account of their proceedings but it rather being implyed in the reports of their actions that they proceeded absolutely by virtue of their universal Office and Commission of our Lord. If it he alledged that Saint Paul went to Jerusalem to Saint Peter I answer that it was to visit him out of respect and love or to confer with him for mutual edification and comfort or at most to obtain approbation from him and the other Apostles which might satisfy some doubters but not
to receive his commands or authoritative instructions from him it being as we shall afterwards see the design of Saint Paul's discourse to disavow any such dependence on any man whatever So doth St. Chrysostome note What saith he can be more humble than this Soul after so many and so great exploits having no need at all of Peter or of his discourse but being in dignity equal to him for I will now say no more he yet doth go up to him as to one greater and ancienter and a sight alone of Peter is the cause of his journey thither And He went saith he again not to learn any thing of him nor to receive any correction from him but for this onely that he might see him and honour him with his presence And indeed that there was no such deference of the Apostles to St. Peter we may hence reasonably presume because it would then have been not onely impertinent and needless but inconvenient and troublesome For 13. If we consider the nature of the Apostolical Office the state of things at that time and the manner of Saint Peter's Life in correspondence to those things he will appear uncapable or unfit to manage such a jurisdiction over the Apostles as they assign him The nature of the Apostolical Ministery was such that the Apostles were not fixed in one place of residence but were continually moving about the World or in procinctu ready in their gears to move whither Divine suggestions did call them or fair occasion did invite them for the propagation or furtherance of the Gospel The state of things was not favourable to the Apostles who were discountenanced and disgraced persecuted and driven from one place to another as our Lord foretold of them Christians lay scattered about at distant places so that opportunities of dispatch for conveyance of instructions from him or of accounts to him were not easily found Saint Thomas preaching in Parthia Saint Andrew in Scythia Saint John in Asia Simon Zelotes in Britain Saint Paul in many places other Apostles and Apostolical men in Arabia in Aethiopia in India in Spain in Gaul in Germany in the whole world and in all the Creation under Heaven as Saint Paul speaketh could not well maintain correspondence with Saint Peter especially considering the manner of his Life which was not setled in any one known place but moveable and uncertain for he continually roved over the wide World preaching the Gospel converting confirming and comforting Christian people as occasion starting up did induce how then could he conveniently dispense all about his ruling and judging influence how in cases incident could direction be fetched from him or reference be made to him by those subordinate Governours who could not easily know where to come at him or whence to hear from him in any competent time To send to him had been to shoot at rovers affairs therefore which should depend on his resolution and orders must have had great stops he could but very lamely have executed such an office so that his jurisdiction must have been rather an extreme inconvenience and encombrance than any-wise beneficial or usefull to the Church Gold and Silver he had none or a very small Purse to maintain Dependents and Officers to help him Nuncio's Legates à latere Secretaries Auditours c. Infinity of affairs would have oppressed a poor helpless man and to bear such a burthen as they lay on him no one could be sufficient 14. It was indeed most requisite that every Apostle should have a complete absolute independent Authority in managing the concerns and duties of his Office that he might not any-wise be obstructed in the discharge of them not clogged with a need to consult others not hampered with orders from those who were at distance and could not well descry what was fit in every place to be done The direction of him who had promised to be perpetually present with them and by his Holy Spirit to guide to instruct to admonish them upon all occasions was abundantly sufficient they did not want any other conduct or aid beside that special Light and powerfull influence of Grace which they received from him the which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did as Saint Paul speaketh render them sufficient Ministers of the New Testament Accordingly their discourse and practice do throughly savour of such an independence nor in them is there any appearance of that being true which Bellarmine dictateth that the Apostles depended on Saint Peter as on their head and commander 15. Particularly the discourse and behaviour of Saint Paul towards Saint Peter doth evidence that he did not acknowledge any dependence on him any subjection to him Saint Paul doth often purposely assert to himself an independent and absolute power inferiour or subordinate to none other insisting thereon for the enforcement or necessary defence of his Doctrine and Practice I have become a fool in glorying ye have compelled me saith he alledging divers pregnant arguments to prove and confirm it drawn from the manner of his call the characters and warrants of his Office the tenour of his proceedings in the discharge of it the success of his endeavours the approbation and demeanour toward him of other Apostles As for his call and commission to the Apostolical Office he maintaineth as if he meant designedly to exclude those pretences that other Apostles were onely called in partem solicitudinis with Saint Peter that he was an Apostle not from men nor by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father that is that he derived not his Office immediately or mediately from men or by the ministery of any man but immediately had received the grant and charge thereof from our Lord as indeed the History plainly sheweth in which our Lord telleth him that he did Constitute him an Officer and a chosen instrument to him to bear his name to the Gentiles Hence he so often is carefull and cautious to express himself an Apostle by the will and special grace or favour and appointment and command of God and particularly telleth the Romans that by Christ he had received grace grace and Apostleship For the warrant of his Office he doth not alledge the allowance of Saint Peter or any other but those special gifts and graces which were conspicuous in him and exerted in miraculous performances Truly saith he the signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in all patience in signs and wonders and mighty deeds and I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God To the same purpose he alledgeth his successfull industry in converting men to the Gospel Am I not an Apostle saith he are ye not my work in the Lord If I am not an Apostle to others I am surely one to
you for the seal of mine Apostleship are ye in the Lord. And By the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was on me became not in vain but I laboured more abundantly than they all In the discharge of his Office he immediately after that he had received his call and charge from our Saviour without consulting or taking licence from any man did vigorously apply himself to the work Immediately saith he I conferred not with flesh and bloud neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that before me were Apostles so little did he take himself to be accountable to any man In settling order and correcting irregularities in the Church he professed to act merely by his own Authority conferred on him by our Lord Therefore saith he being absent I write these things that being present I may not use severity according to the authority which the Lord hath given me for edification not for destruction Such being the privileges which he did assert to himself with all confidence he did not receive for it any check from other Apostles but the chief of them knowing the grace that was given unto him gave unto him the right hand of fellowship in token of their acknowledgment and allowance of his proceedings Upon these considerations plainly signifying his absolute independence in the reception and execution of his Office he doth more than once affirm and in a manner boast himself to be inferiour in nothing to the very chief Apostles in nothing that is in nothing pertinent to the Authority or substantial Dignity of his place for as to his personal merit he professeth himself much less than the least of the Apostles but as to the authentickness and authority of his Office he deemed himself equal to the greatest being by the grace of God what he was a Minister of the Gospel according to the gift of the grace of God which was given him according to the effectual working of his power When he said he was behind none he could not forget Saint Peter when he said none of the chief he could not but especially mean him he did indeed as St. Chrysostome saith intend to compare himself with St. Peter when he said in nothing he could not but design that which was most considerable the Authority of his place which in the context he did expresly mention For when he objected to himself the semblance of fondness or arrogance in speaking after that manner he declared that he did not speak rashly or vainly but upon serious consideration and with full assurance finding it very needfull or usefull to maintain his Authority or to magnify his Office as he otherwhere speaketh If things had been as now we are taught from the Roman School it is strange that Saint Paul should compare himself so generally not excepting Saint Peter that he should express nor by the least touch intimate no special consideration for his as they tell us ordinary Pastour that he should not consider how lyable such words were to be interpreted in derogation to Saint Peter's due prerogatives But it is no wonder that Saint Paul in Saint Peter's absence should thus stand on his own legs not seeming to mind him whenas in immediate transactions with him he demeaned himself as his fellow yielding to him no respect or deference as to his Superiour For When Saint Paul went to Jerusalem to have conference with Saint Peter and other Apostles who were chief in repute he professeth that they did not confer any thing to him so as to change his opinion or divert him from his ordinary course of practice which was different from theirs this was it seemeth hardly proper or seemly for him to say if Saint Peter had been his Sovereign but he seemeth to say it on very purpose to exclude any prejudice that might arise to his Doctrine from their authority or repute their authority being none over him their repute being impertinent to the case for whatsoever addeth he they were it maketh no matter to me God respecteth no man's person the which might well be said of Persons greater in common esteem but not so well of one who was his Superiour in Office to whose opinion and conduct as of his Judge and Pastour by God's appointment he did owe a special regard Again St. Paul at Antioch observing St. Peter out of fear and policy to act otherwise than became the simplicity and sincerity of Christians to the prejudice of Evangelical Truth Charity and Liberty against his own judgment and former practice drawing others by his pattern into the same unwarrantable course of behaviour did withstand him to the face did openly reprove him before all because he was blameable did as P. Gelasius I. affirmeth to excuse another Pope misbehaving himself worthily confute him did as St. Augustine often doth affirm and urge in proof that greatest Persons may sometimes err and â—ail correct him rebuke him chide him Which behaviour of Saint Paul doth not well consist with the Supposition That Saint Peter was his superiour in Office if that had been Porphyrius with good colour of reason might have objected procacity to Saint Paul in taxing his betters for he then indeed had shewed us no commendable pattern of demeanour toward our Governours in so boldly opposing Saint Peter in so openly censuring him in so smartly confuting him More unseemly also it had been to report the business as he doth in writing to the Galatians for to divulge the miscarriages of Superiours to revive the memory of them to register them and transmit them down to all posterity to set forth our clashing and contests with them is hardly allowable if it may consist with justice and honesty it doth yet little favour of gravity and modesty It would have been more seemly for Saint Paul to have privately and humbly remonstrated to Saint Peter than openly and downrightly to have reprehended him at least it would have become him in cold bloud to have represented his carriage more respectfully consulting the honour of the Universal Pastour whose reputation was like to suffer by such a representation of his proceedings Pope Pelagius II. would have taught Saint Paul better manners who saith that they are not to be approved but reprobated who do reprove or accuse their Prelates and Pope Gregory would have taught him another lesson namely that the evils of their Superiours do so displease good Subjects that however they do conceal them from others and Subjects are to be admonished that they do not rashly judge the life of their Superiours if perhaps they see them doe blameably c. It is plain that Saint Paul was more bold with Saint Peter than any man now must be with the Pope for let the Pope commit never so great crimes yet no mortal saith the Canon Law presume to reprove his faults But if Saint Peter were not in Office
It may also by any prudent considerer easily be discerned that if Saint Peter had really been as they assert him so in Authority superiour to the other Apostles it is hardly possible that Saint Paul should upon these occasions express nothing of it 16. If Saint Peter had been appointed Sovereign of the Church it seemeth that it should have been requisite that he should have outlived all the Apostles for then either the Church must have wanted a Head or there must have been an inextricable Controversie about who that Head was Saint Peter dyed long before Saint John as all agree and perhaps before divers others of the Apostles Now after his departure did the Church want a Head then it might before and after have none and our Adversaries lose the main ground of their pretence did one of the Apostles become Head which of them was it upon what ground did he assume the Headship or who conferred it on him who ever did acknowledge any such thing or where is there any report about it was any other person made Head suppose the Bishop of Rome who onely pretendeth thereto then did Saint John and other Apostles become subject to one in degree inferiour to them then what becometh of Saint Paul's first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers what do all the Apostolical privileges come to when St. John must be at the command of Linus and Cletus and Clemens and of I know not who beside was it not a great absurdity for the Apostles to truckle under the Pastours and Teachers of Rome The like may be said for Saint James if he as the Roman Church doth in its Liturgicks suppose were an Apostle who in many respects might claim the preeminence Who therefore in the Apostolical Constitutions is preferred before Clement Bishop of Rome 17. Upon the same grounds on which a Supremacy of power is claimed to Saint Peter other Apostles might also challenge a Superiority therein over their Brethren but to suppose such a difference of power among the rest is absonous and therefore the grounds are not valid upon which Saint Peter's Supremacy is built I instance in Saint James and Saint John who upon the same probabilities had after Saint Peter a preference to the other Apostles For to them our Saviour declared a special regard to them the Apostles afterwards may seem to have yielded a particular deference they in merit and performances seem to have surpassed they after St. Peter and his Brother were first called to the Apostolical Office they as Saint Peter were by our Lord new Christned as it were and nominated Boanerges by a name signifying the efficacy of their endeavour in their Master's service they together with Saint Peter were assumed to behold the transfiguration they were culled out to wait on our Lord in his agony they also with Saint Peter others being excluded were taken to attest our Lord's performance of that great Miracle of restoring the Ruler's Daughter to life they presuming on their special favour with our Lord did pretend to the chief places in his Kingdom To one of them it is expressed that our Saviour did bear a peculiar affection he being the disciple whoâ— Jesus loved and who leaned on his bosome to the other he particularly discovered himself after his Resurrection and first honoured him with the Crown of Martyrdom They in bloud and cognation did nearest touch our Lord being his Cousin Germans which was esteemed by the Ancients a ground of preferment as Hegesippus reporteth Their industry and activity in propagation of the Gospel was most eminently conspicuous To them it was peculiar that Saint James did first Suffer for it and Saint John did longest persist in the faithfull Confession of it whose Writings in several kinds do remain as the richest magazines of Christian Doctrine furnishing us with the fullest Testimonies concerning the Divinity of our Lord with special Histories of his Life and with his divinest Discourses with most lively incitements to Piety and Charity with propheâ—ical Revelations concerning the state of the Church He therefore was one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chief Pillars and props of the Christian Profession one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Superlative Apostles Accordingly in the Rolls of the Apostles and in reports concerning them their names usually are placed after Saint Peter Hence also some of the Fathers do take them as Saint Peter was to have been preferred by our Lord Peter saith Saint Gregory Nazianzene and James and John who both were indeed and were reckoned before the others so indeed did Christ himself prefer them and Peter James and John saith Clemens Alex. did not as being preferred by the Lord himself contest for honour but did chuse James the Just Bishop of Jerusalem or as Ruffinus read Bishop of the Apostles Hence if by designation of Christ by the Concession of the Apostolical College by the prefulgency of his excellent worth and merit or upon any other ground Saint Peter had the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or first place the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or next place in the same kind by like means upon the same grounds seem to have belonged unto them and if their advantage did imply difference not in Power but in Order onely not authoritative Superiority but honorary Precedence then can no more be allowed or concluded due to him 18. The Fathers both in express terms and implicitly or by consequence do assert the Apostles to have been equal or co-ordinate in Power and Authority What can be more express than that of St. Cyprian The other Apostles were indeed that which Peter was endowed with equal consortship of honour and power and again Although our Lord giveth to all the Apostles after his resurrection an equal power and saith As the Father sent me so I send you What can be more plain than that of St. Chrysostome Saint Paul sheweth that each Apostle did enjoy equal dignity How again could St. Chrysostome more clearly signifie his Opinion than when comparing Saint Paul to Saint Peter he calleth Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equal in honour to him adding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for I will not as yet say any thing more as if he thought Saint Paul indeed the more honourable How also could St. Cyril more plainly declare his sense to be the same than when he called Saint Peter and Saint John 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equâ—â— to one another in honour Did not St. Hierome also sufficiently declare his mind in the case when he saith of the Apostles that the strength of the Church is equally settled upon them Doth not Dionysius the supposed Areopagite call the decad of the Apostles co-ordinate with their foreman Saint Peter in conformity I suppose to the current judgment of his Age. What can be more full than that of Isidore whose words shew how long this sense continued in the
already stated would they have troubled our Lord to inquire of him who should be the greatest in his Kingdom when they knew that our Lord had declared his will to make Saint Peter Viceroy would the Sons of Zebedee have been so foolish and presumptuous as to beg the place which they knew by our Lord's word and promise fixed on Saint Peter would Saint Peter among the rest have fretted at that idle overture whenas he knew the place by our Lord 's immutable purpose and infallible declaration assured to him And if none of the Apostles did understand the words to imply this Roman sense who can be obliged so to understand them yea who can wisely who can safely so understand them for surely they had common sense as well as any man living now they had as much advantage as we can have to know our Lord's meaning their ignorance therefore of this sense being so apparent is not onely a just excuse for not admitting this interpretation but a strong bar against it 4. This interpretation also doth not well consist with our Lord's answers to the contests inquiries and petitions of his Disciples concerning the point of Superiority for doth he not if the Roman expositions be good seem upon those occasions not onely to dissemble his own word and promise but to disavow them or thwart them can we conceive that he would in such a case of doubt forbear to resolve them clearly to instruct them and admonish them of their duty 5. Taking the Rock as they would have it to be the Person of Saint Peter and that on him the Church should be built yet do not the words being a Rock probably denote government for what resemblance is there between being a Rock and a Governour at least what assurance can there be that this metaphor precisely doth import that sense seeing in other respects upon as fair similitudes he might be called so St. Austin saith the Apostles were Foundations because their Authority doth support our weakness St. Hierome saith that they were Foundations because the Faith of the Church was first laid in them St. Basil saith that Saint Peter's Soul was called the Rock because it was firmly rooted in the Faith and did hold stiff without giving way against the blows of temptation Chrysologus saith that Peter had his name from a Rock because he first merited to found the Church by firmness of Faith These are fair explications of the metaphor without any reference to Saint Peter's Government But however also admitting this that being such a Rock doth imply Government and Pastoral Charge yet do they notwithstanding these grants and suppositions effect nothing for they cannot prove the words spoken exclusively in regard to other Apostles or to import any thing singular to him above or beside them He might be a governing Rock so might others be the Church might be built on him so it might be on other Apostles he might be designed a Governour a great Governour a principal Governour so might they also be this might be without any violence done to those words And this indeed was for all the other Apostles in Holy Scripture are called Foundations and the Church is said to be built on them If saith Origen the Father of Interpreters you think the whole Church to be onely built on Peter alone what will you say of John the Son of thunder and of each of the Apostles c. largely to this purpose Christ as St. Hierome saith was the Rock and he bestowed on the Apostles that they should be called Rocks And You say saith he again that the Church is founded on Peter but the same in another place is done upon all the Apostles The twelve Apostles saith another ancient Authour were the immutable Pillars of orthodoxie the Rock of the Church The Church saith St. Basil is built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Peter also was one of the Mountains upon which Rock the Lord did promise to build his Church St. Cyprian in his disputes with Pope Stephen did more than once alledge this place yet could he not take them in their sense to signify exclusively for he did not acknowledge any imparity of Power among the Apostles or their Successours He indeed plainly took these words to respect all the Apostles and their Successours our Lord taking occasion to promise that to one which he intended to impart to all for themselves and their Successours Our Lord saith he ordering the honour of a Bishop and the order of his Church saith to Peter I say to thee c. hence through the turns of times and successions the ordination of Bishops and the manner of the Church doth run on that the Church should be setled upon the Bishops and every Act of the Church should be governed by the same Prelates as therefore he did conceive the Church to be built not on the Pope singularly but on all the Bishops so he thought our Lord did intend to build his Church not upon Saint Peter onely but on all his Apostles 6. It is not said that the Apostles or the Apostolical Office should be built on him for that could not be seeing the Apostles were constituted and the Apostolical Office was founded before that promise the words onely therefore can import that according to some meaning he was a Rock upon which the Church afterward to be collected should be built he was A Rock of the Church to be built as Tertullian speaketh the words therefore cannot signify any thing available to their purpose in relation to the Apostles 7. If we take Saint Peter himself for the Rock then as I take it the best meaning of the words doth import that our Lord designed Saint Peter for a prime Instrument the first mover the most diligent and active at the beginning the most constant stiff and firm in the support of his Truth and propagation of his Doctrine or conversion of men to the belief of the Gospel the which is called building of the Church according to that of St. Ambrose or some ancient Homilist under his name He is called the Rock because he first did lay in the Nations the Foundations of Faith In which regard as the other Apostles are called Foundations of the Church the Church being founded on their labours so might Saint Peter signally be so called who as Saint Basil saith allusively interpreting our Saviour's words for the excellency of his Faith did take on him the edifying of the Church Both he and they also might be so termed for that upon their testimonies concerning the Life Death and Resurrection of Christ the Faith of Christians was grounded as also it stands upon their convincing discourses their holy practice their miraculous performances in all which Saint Peter was most eminent and in the beginning of Christianity displayed them to the edification of the Church This interpretation plainly doth agree with matter
had a peculiar or sole faculty of catching men why might it not by as good a consequence as this whereby they would appropriate to him this opening faculty Many such instances might in like manner be used III. They produce those words of our Saviour to Saint Peter Feed my sheep that is in the Roman interpretation Be thou Vniversal Governour of my Church To this allegation I answer 1. From words which truly and properly might have been said to any other Apostle yea to any Christian Pastour whatever nothing can be concluded to their purpose importing a peculiar duty or singular privilege of Saint Peter 2. From indefinite words a definite conclusion especially in matters of this Kind may not be inferred it is said do thou feed my Sheep it is not said do thou alone feed all my Sheep this is their arbitrary gloss or presumptuous improvement of the Text without succour whereof the words signify nothing to their purpose so far are they from sufficiently assuring so vast a pretence for instance when Saint Paul doth exhort the Bishops at Ephesus to feed the Church of God may it thence be collected that each of them was an Universal Governour of the whole Church which Christ had purchased with his own bloud 3. By these words no new power is assuredly at least granted or instituted by our Lord for the Apostles before this had their Warrant and Authority consigned to them when our Lord did inspire them and solemnly commissionate them saying As the Father did send me so I send you to which Commission these words spoken occasionally before a few of the Disciples did not add or derogate At most the words do onely as St. Cyril saith renew the former Grant of Apostleship after his great offence of denying our Lord. 4. These words do not seem institutive or collative of Power but rather onely admonitive or exhortative to duty implying no more but the pressing a common duty before incumbent on Saint Peter upon a special occasion in an advantagious season that he should effectually discharge the Office which our Lord had committed to him Our Lord I say presently before his departure when his words were like to have a strong impression on Saint Peter doth earnestly direct and warn him to express that special ardency of affection which he observed in him in an answerable care to perform his duty of feeding that is of instructing guiding edifying in faith and obedience those Sheep of his that is those Believers who should be converted to embrace his Religion as ever he should find opportunity 5. The same Office certainly did belong to all the Apostles who as Saint Hierome speaketh were the Princes of our Discipline and Chieftains of the Christian Doctrine they at their first vocation had a commission and command to go unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel that were scattered abroad like sheep not having a shepherd they before our Lord's Ascension were enjoyned to teach all Nations the Doctrines and Precepts of Christ to receive them into the fold to feed them with good instruction to guide and govern their Converts with good Discipline Hence All of them as Saint Cyprian saith were shepherds but the flock did appear one which was fed by the Apostles with unanimous agreement 6. Neither could Saint Peter's charge be more extensive than was that of the other Apostles for they had a general and unlimited care of the whole Church that is according to their capacity and opportunity none being exempted from it who needed or came into the way of their discharging Pastoral Offices for them They were Oecumenical Rulers as St. Chrysostome saith appointed by God who did not receive several Nations or Cities but all of them in common were entrusted with the world Hence particularly St. Chrysostome calleth Saint John a pillar of the Churches over the world and Saint Paul an Apostle of the world who had the care not of one House but of Cities and Nations and of the whole Earth who undertook the World and governed the Churches on whom the whole world did look and on whose soul the care of all the Churches every-where did hang into whose hands were delivered the Earth and the Sea the inhabited and uninhabited parts of the World And could Saint Peter have a larger Flock committed to him could this charge feed my sheep more agree to him than to those who no less than he were obliged to feed all Christian people every-where 7. The words indeed are applicable to all Christian Bishops and Governours of the Church according to that of St. Cyprian to Pope Stephen himself we being many Shepherds do feed one flock and all the sheep of Christ for they are styled Pastours they in terms as indefinite as those in this text are exhorted to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own bloud to them as the Fathers commonly suppose this Injunction doth reach our Lord when he spake thus to Saint Peter intending to lay a charge on them all to express their love and piety toward them in this way by feeding his Sheep and People Which Sheep saith Saint Ambrose and which Flock not onely then Saint Peter did receive but also with him all we Priests did receive it Our Lord saith Saint Chrysostome did commit his Sheep to Peter and to those which came after him that is to all Christian Pastours as the scope of his discourse sheweth When it is said to Peter saith Saint Austin it is said to all Feed my Sheep And we saith Saint Basil are taught this obedience to Superiours by Christ himself constituting Saint Peter Pastour after himself of the Church for Peter saith he dost thou love me more than these feed my Sheep and conferring to all Pastours and Teachers continually afterward an equal power of doing so whereof it is a sign that all do in like manner bind and do loose as he Saint Austin comprizeth all these considerations in those words How could these great Masters more clearly express their mind that our Lord in those words to Saint Peter did inculcate a duty no-wise peculiar to him but equally together with him belonging to all Guides of the Church in such manner as when a Master doth press a duty on one Servant he doth thereby admonish all his Servants of the like duty whence St. Austin saith that Saint Peter in that case did sustain the person of the Church that which was spoken to him belonging to all its members especially to his Brethren the Clergy It was saith Cyril a lesson to Teachers that they cannot otherwise please the Arch-pastour of all than by taking care of the welfare of the rational Sheep 8. Hence it followeth that the Sheep which our Saviour biddeth St. Peter to feed were not the Apostles who were his Fellow-shepherds designed to feed others and needing not to be
and Schisms very requisite that it should have been expressed in some authentick Record that a particular Law should have been extant concerning it that all posterity should be warned to yield the submission grounded thereon Indeed a matter of so great consequence to the being and welfare of the Church could scarce have scaped from being clearly mentioned somewhere or other in Scripture wherein so much is spoken touching Ecclesiastical Discipline it could scarce have avoided the pen of the first Fathers Clemens Ignatius the Apostolical Canons and Constitutions Tertullian c. who also so much treat concerning the Function and Authority of Christian Governours Nothing can be more strange than that in the Statute-book of the new Jerusalem and in all the Original Monuments concerning it there should be such a dead silence concerning the succession of its chief Magistrate Wherefore no such thing appearing we may reasonably conclude no such thing to have been and that our Adversaries assertion of it is wholly arbitrary imaginary and groundless 14. I might add as a very convincing Argument that if such a succession had been designed and known in old times it is morally impossible that none of the Fathers Origen Chrysostome Augustine Cyril Hierome Theodoret c. in their exposition of the places alledged by the Romanists for the Primacy of Saint Peter should declare that Primacy to have been derived and setled on Saint Peter's Successour a point of that moment if they had been aware of it they could not but have touched as a most usefull application and direction for duty SUPPOSITION III. They affirm That Saint Peter was Bishop of Rome COncerning which Assertion we say that it may with great reason be denyed and that it cannot any-wise be assured as will appear by the following Considerations 1. Saint Peter's being Bishop of Rome would confound the Offices which God made distinct for God did appoint first Apostles then Prophets then Pastours and Teachers wherefore Saint Peter after he was an Apostle could not well become a Bishop it would be such an irregularity as if a Bishop should be made a Deacon 2. The Offices of an Apostle and of a Bishop are not in their nature well consistent for the Apostleship is an extraordinary Office charged with instruction and government of the whole world and calling for an answerable care the Apostles being Rulers as Saint Chrysostome saith ordained by God Rulers not taking several Nations and Cities but all of them in common entrusted with the whole world but Episcopacy is an ordinary standing charge affixed to one place and requiring a special attendance there Bishops being Pastours who as St. Chrysostome saith do sit and are employed in one place Now he that hath such a general care can hardly discharge such a particular Office and he that is fixed to so particular attendance can hardly look well after so general a charge Either of those Offices alone would suffice to take up a whole man as those tell us who have considered the burthen incumbent on the meanest of them the which we may see described in St. Chrysostome's Discourses concerning the Priesthood Baronius saith of Saint Peter that it was his Office not to stay in one place but as much as it was possible for one man to travel over the whole world and to bring those who did not yet believe to the faith but thoroughly to establish believers if so how could he be Bishop of Rome which was an Office inconsistent with such vagrancy 3. It would not have beseemed Saint Peter the prime Apostle to assume the charge of a particular Bishop it had been a degradation of himself and a disparagement to the Apostolical Majesty for him to take upon him the Bishoprick of Rome as if the King should become Mayor of London as if the Bishop of London should be Vicar of Pancras 4. Wherefore it is not likely that Saint Peter being sensible of that superiour charge belonging to him which did exact a more extensive care would vouchsafe to undertake an inferiour charge We cannot conceive that Saint Peter did affect the Name of a Bishop as now men do allured by the baits of wealth and power which then were none if he did affect the Title why did he not in either of his Epistles one of which as they would persuade us was written from Rome inscribe himself Bishop of Rome Especially considering that being an Apostle he hid not need any particular Authority that involving all power and enabling him in any particular place to execute all kinds of Ecclesiastical Administrations there was no reason that an Apostle or Universal Bishop should become a particular Bishop 5. Also Saint Peter's general charge of converting and inspecting the Jews dispersed over the World his Apostleship as Saint Paul calleth it of the Circumcision which required much travel and his presence in divers places doth not well agree to his assuming the Episcopal Office at Rome Especially at that time when they first make him to assume it which was in the time of Claudius who as Saint Luke and other Histories do report did banish all the Jews from Rome as Tiberius also had done before him He was too skilfull a Fisherman to cast his Net there where there were no Fish 6. If we consider Saint Peter's life we may well deem him uncapable of this Office which he could not conveniently discharge for it as History doth represent it and may be collected from divers circumstances of it was very unsetled he went much about the World and therefore could seldom reside at Rome Many have argued him to have never been at Rome which opinion I shall not avow as bearing a more civil respect to ancient Testimonies and Traditions although many false and fabulous relations of that kind having crept into History and common vogue many doubtfull reports having passed concerning him many notorious forgeries having been vented about his travels and acts all that is reported of him out of Scripture having a smack of the Legend would tempt a man to suspect any thing touching him which is grounded onely upon humane Tradition so that the forger of his Epistle to Saint James might well induce him saying If while I do yet survive men dare to feign such things of me how much more will they dare to doe so after my decease But at least the discourses of those men have evinced that it is hard to assign the time when he was at Rome and that he could never long abide there For The time which old Tradition assigneth of his going to Rome is rejected by divers learned men even of the Roman Party He was often in other places sometimes at Jerusalem sometimes at Antioch sometimes at Babylon sometimes at Corinth sometimes probably at each of those places unto which he directeth his Catholick Epistles among which Epiphanius saith that Peter did often visit Pontus and Bithynia And that he seldom
should sit above the Pope as in the pride of his heart he might perhaps offer to do I cannot forbear to note what an ill conceit Bellarmine had of Leo I. and other Popes that they did forbear coming at Synods out of this villainous pride and haughtiness 15. One would admire that Constantine if he had smelt this Doctrine or any thing like it in Christianity should be so ready to embrace it or that so many Emperours should in those times do so some Princes then probably being jealous of their honour and unwilling to admit any Superiour to them It is at least much that Emperours should with so much indulgence foster and cherish Popes being their so dangerous rivals for dignity and that it should be true which Pope Nicholas doth affirm that the Emperours had extolled the Roman See with divers privileges had enriched it with gifts had enlarged it with benefits had done I know not how many things more for it surely they were bewitched thus to advance their concurrent Competitour for Honour and Power one who pretended to be a better man than themselves Bellarmine in his Apology against King James saith that the Pope was vellet nollet constrained to be subject to the Emperours because his Power was not known to them it was well it was not but how could it be concealed from them if it were a Doctrine commonly avowed by Christians it is hard keeping so practical a Doctrine from breaking forth into light But to leave this consideration Farthermore We have divers ancient Writings the special nature matter scope whereof did require or greatly invite giving attestation to this Power if such an one had been known and allowed in those times which yet do afford no countenance but rather much prejudice thereto 16. The Apostolical Canons and the Constitutions of Clement which describe the state of the Church with its Laws Customs and Practices current in the times of those who compiled them which times are not certain but ancient and the less ancient the more it is to our purpose wherein especially the Ranks Duties and Privileges of all Ecclesiastical Persons are declared or prescribed do not yet touch the Prerogatives of this Universal Head or the special respects due to him nor mention any Laws or Constitutions framed by him Which is no less strange than that there should be a Body of Laws or description of the state of any Kingdom wherein nothing should be said concerning the King or the Royal Authority It is not so in our modern Canon-law wherein the Pope doth make utramque paginam we reade little beside his Authority and Decrees made by it The Apostolical Canons particularly do prescribe that the Bishops of each Nation should know him that is first among them and should esteem him the Head and should doe nothing considerable or extraordinary without his advice as also that each one of those Head-bishops should onely meddle with those affairs which concerned his own precinct and the places under it also that no such Primate should doe any thing without the opinion of all that so there may be concord Now what place could be more opportune to mention the Pope's Sovereign Power how could the Canonist without strange neglect pass it over doth he not indeed exclude it assigning the Supreme disposal without farther resort of all things to the arbitration of the whole body of Pastours and placing the maintenance of concord in that course 17. So also the Old Writer under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite treating in several places about the degrees of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy was monstrously overseen in omitting the Sovereign thereof In the fifth Chapter of his Ecclesiastical Hierarchy he professeth carefully to speak of those Orders but hath not a word of this supereminent rank but averreth Episcopacy to be the first and highest of divine Orders in which the Hierarchy is consummated and in his Epistle to Demophilus there is a remarkable place wherein he could hardly have avoided touching the Pope had there been then one in such vogue as now for advising that Monk to gentleness and observance toward his Superiours he thus speaketh Let passion and reason be governed by you but you by the holy Deacons and these by the Priests and the Priests by the Bishops and the Bishops by the Apostles or by their Successours that is saith Maximus those which we now call Patriarchs and if perhaps any one of them shall fail of his duty let him be corrected by those holy persons who are co-ordinate to him why not in this case let him be corrected by the Pope his Superiour but he knew none of an Order superiour to the Apostles Successours 18. Likewise Ignatius in many Epistles frequently describeth the several Ranks of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy extolleth their Dignity and Authority to the highest pitch mightily urgeth the respect due to them yet never doth he so much as mention or touch this Sovereign degree wherein the Majesty of the Clergy did chiefly shine In his very Epistle to the Romans he doth not yield any deference to their Bishop nor indeed doth so much as take notice of him is it not strange he should so little mind the Sovereign of the Church or was it for a sly reason because being Bishop of Antioch he had a pique to his brother Jacob who had supplanted him and got away his birthright The counterfeiter therefore of Ignatius did well personate him when he saith that in the Church there is nothing greater than a Bishop and that a Bishop is beyond all rule and authority for in the time of Ignatius there was no domineering Pope over all Bishops 19. We have some Letters of Popes though not many for Popes were then not very scribacious or not so pragmatical whence to supply that defect lest Popes should seem not able to write or to have slept almost 400 years they have forged divers for them and those so wise ones that we who love the memory of those good Popes disdain to acknowledge them Authours of such idle stuff we have yet some Letters of and to Popes to and from divers eminent Persons in the Church wherein the former do not assume nor the latter ascribe any such power the Popes do not express themselves like Sovereigns nor the Bishops address themselves like Subjects but they treat one another in a familiar way like brethren and equals this is so true that it is a good mark of a spurious Epistle whereof we have good store devised by colloguing Knaves and fathered on the first Popes when any of them talketh in an imperious strain or arrogateth such a Power to himself 20. Clemens Bishop of Rome in the Apostolical times unto the Church of Corinth then engaged in discords and factions wherein the Clergy was much affronted divers Presbyters who had well and worthily behaved themselves were ejected from their Office in a seditious manner did write a very
bulk whereas so long ago when it was but in its budd and stripling age it was observed of it by a very honest Historian that the Roman Episcopacy had long since advanced into a high degree of power beyond the Priesthood 3. This pretence doth thwart the Scripture by destroying that brotherly co-ordination and equality which our Lord did appoint among the Bishops and chief Pastours of his Church He did as we before shewed prohibit all his Apostles to assume any domination or authoritative Superiority over one another the which command together with others concerning the Pastoral function we may well suppose to reach their Successours so did St. Hierome suppose collecting thence that all Bishops by original Institution are equals or that no one by our Lord's order may challenge Superiority over another Whereever saith he a Bishop is whether at Rome or at Eugubium at Constantinople or at Rhegium at Alexandria or at Thanis he is of the same worth and of the same Priesthood the power of wealth or lowness of poverty do not make a Bishop higher or lower but all are Successours of the Apostles where doth not he plainly deny the Bishop of Eugubium to be inferiour to him of Rome as being no less a Successour of the Apostles than he doth he not say these words in way of proof that the authority of the Roman Bishop or Church was of no validity against the practice of other Bishops and Churches upon occasion of Deacons there taking upon them more than in other places as Cardinal Deacons do now which excludeth such distinctions as Scholastical fancies have devised to shift off his Testimony the which he uttered simply never dreaming of such distinctions This consequence St. Gregory did suppose when he therefore did condemn the Title of Vniversal Bishop because it did imply an affectation of Superiority and dignity in one Bishop above others of abasing the name of other Bishops in comparison of his own of extolling himself above the rest of Priests c. This the ancient Popes did remember when usually in their compellation of any Bishop they did style them Brethren Collegues fellow-Ministers fellow-Bishops not intending thereby complement or mockery but to declare their sense of the original equality among Bishops notwithstanding some differences in Order and Privileges which their See had obtained And that this was the general sense of the Fathers we shall afterward shew Hence when it was objected to them that they did affect Superiority they did sometimes disclaim it so did Pope Gelasius I. a zealous man for the honour of his See 4. This pretence doth thwart the Holy Scripture not onely by trampling down the dignity of Bishops which according to St. Gregory doth imply great pride and presumption but as really infringing the Rights granted by our Lord to his Church and the Governours of it For to each Church our Lord hath imposed a Duty and imparted a Power of maintaining divine Truth and so approving it self a pillar and support of truth of deciding Controversies possible and proper to be decided with due temper ultimately without farther resort for that he who will not obey or acquiesce in its Decision is to be as a heathen or publican Of censuring and rejecting Offenders in Doctrine or Demeanour Those within saith Saint Paul to the Church of Corinth do not ye judge But them that are without God judgeth wherefore put away from among your selves that wicked person Of preserving Order and Decency according to that Rule prescribed to the Church of Corinth let all things be done decently and in order Of promoting edification Of deciding Causes All which Rights and Privileges the Roman Bishop doth bereave the Churches of snatching them to himself pretending that he is the Sovereign Doctour Judge Regulatour of all Churches over-ruling and voiding all that is done by them according to his pleasure The Scripture hath enjoyned and empowered all Bishops to feed guide and rule their respective Churches as the Ministers Stewards Ambassadours Angels of God for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edification of the Body of Christ To them God hath committed the care of their People so that they are responsible for their Souls All which Rights and Privileges of the Episcopal Office the Pope hath invaded doth obstruct cramp frustrate destroy pretending without any warrant that their Authority is derived from him forcing them to exercise it no otherwise than as his Subjects and according to his pleasure But of this Point more afterward 5. This pretence doth thwart the Scripture by robbing all Christian People of the Liberties and Rights with which by that Divine Charter they are endowed and which they are obliged to preserve inviolate Saint Paul enjoyneth the Galatians to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage there is therefore a liberty which we must maintain and a power to which we must not submit and against whom can we have more ground to doe this than against him who pretendeth to dogmatize to define Points of Faith to impose Doctrines new and strange enough on our Consciences under a peremptory obligation of yielding assent to them to prescribe Laws as Divine and necessary to be observed without warrant as those Dogmatists did against whom Saint Paul biddeth us to maintain our Liberty so that if he should declare vertue to be vice and white to be black we must believe him some of his Adherents have said consistently enough with his pretences for Against such tyrannical Invaders we are bound to maintain our Liberty according to that Precept of Saint Paul the which if a Pope might well alledge against the proceedings of a General Synod with much more reason may we thereby justify our non-submission to one man's exorbitant domination This is a Power which the Apostles themselves did not challenge to themselves for We saith Saint Paul have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy They did not pretend that any Christian should absolutely believe them in cases wherein they had not Revelation general or special from God in such cases referring their Opinion to the judgment and discretion of Christians They say Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed If any man c. which Precept with many others of the like purport injoyning us to examine the truth to adhere unto the received Doctrine to decline heterodoxies and novelties doth signify nothing if every Christian hath not allowed to him a judgment of discretion but is tyed blindly to follow the dictates of another St. Austin I am sure did think this liberty such that without betraying it no man could be obliged to believe any thing not grounded upon Canonical Authority for
Church as having been from the beginning the School of the Apostles and the Metropolis of Religion although yet from the East the instructours of the Christian Doctrine did go and reside there but from hence they desired not to be deemed inferiours because they did not exceed in the greatness and numerousness of their Church They allowed some regard though faintly and with reservation to the Roman Church upon account of their Apostolical foundation they implied a stronger ground of pretence from the grandeur of that City yet did not they therefore grant themselves to be inferiours at least as to any substantial Privilege importing Authority If by Divine right upon account of his succession to Saint Peter he had such preeminence why are the other causes reckoned as if they could add any thing to God's Institution or as if that did need humane confirmation The pretence to that surely was weak which did need corroboration and to be propp'd by worldly considerations Indeed whereas the Apostles did found many Churches exercising Apostolical authority over them eminently containing the Episcopal why in conscience should one claim privileges on that score rather than or above the rest Why should the See of Antioch that most ancient and truly Apostolical Church where the Christian name began where Saint Peter at first as they say did sit Bishop for seven years be postponed to Alexandria Especially why should the Church of Jerusalem the Seat of our Lord himself the mother of all Churches the fountain of Christian Doctrine the first Consistory of the Apostles enobled by so many glorious performances by the Life Preaching Miracles Death Burial Resurrection Ascension of our Saviour by the first preaching of the Apostles the effusion of the Holy Spirit the Conversion of so many people and Constitution of the first Church and Celebration of the first Synods upon these considerations not obtain preeminence to other Churches but in honour be cast behind divers others and as to Power be subjected to Caesarea the Metropolis of Palestine The true reason of this even Baronius himself did see and acknowledge for that saith he the Ancients observ'd no other rule in instituting the Ecclesiastical Sees than the division of Provinces and the Prerogative before established by the Romans there are very many examples Of which examples that of Rome is the most obvious and notable and what he so generally asserteth may be so applied thereto as to void all other grounds of its preeminence X. The truth is all Ecclesiastical presidencies and subordinations or dependencies of some Bishops on others in administration of spiritual affairs were introduced merely by humane Ordinance and established by Law or Custome upon prudential accounts according to the exigency of things Hence the Prerogatives of other Sees did proceed and hereto whatever Dignity Privilege or Authority the Pope with equity might at any time claim is to be imputed To clear which point we will search the matter nearer the quick propounding some observations concerning the ancient forms of Discipline and considering what interest the Pope had therein At first each Church was settled apart under its own Bishop and Presbyters so as independently and separately to manage its own concernments each was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 governed by its own head and had its own Laws Every Bishop as a Prince in his own Church did act freely according to his will and discretion with the advice of his Ecclesiastical Senate and with the consent of his people the which he did use to consult without being controllable by any other or accountable to any farther than his obligation to uphold the verity of Christian profession and to maintain fraternal communion in charity and peace with neighbouring Churches did require in which regard if he were notably peccant he was liable to be disclaimed by them as no good Christian and rejected from communion together with his Church if it did adhere to him in his misdemeanours This may be collected from the remainders of State in the times of St. Cyprian But because little disjointed and incoherent Bodies were like dust apt to be dissipated by every wind of external assault or intestine faction and peaceable union could hardly be retained without some ligature of discipline and Churches could not mutually support and defend each other without some method of entercourse and rule of confederacy engaging them Therefore for many good purposes for upholding and advancing the common interests of Christianity for protection and support of each Church from inbred disorders and dissentions for preserving the integrity of the faith for securing the concord of divers Churches for providing fit Pastours to each Church and correcting such as were scandalously bad or unfaithfull it was soon found needfull that divers Churches should be combined and linked together in some regular form of Discipline that if any Church did want a Bishop the neighbour Bishops might step in to approve and ordain a fit one that if any Bishop did notoriously swerve from the Christian rule the others might interpose to correct or void him that if any errour or schism did peep up in any Church the joint concurrence of divers Bishops might avail to stop its progress and to quench it by convenient means of instruction reprehension and censure that if any Church were oppressed by persecution by indigency by faction the others might be engaged to afford effectual succour and relief for such ends it was needfull that Bishops in certain precincts should convene with intent to deliberate and resolve about the best expedients to compass them And that the manner of such proceeding to avoid uncertain distraction confusion arbitrariness dissatisfaction and mutinous opposition should be settled in an ordinary course according to rules known and allowed by all In defining such precincts it was most natural most easie most commodious to follow the divisions of Territory or Jurisdiction already established in the Civil State that the Spiritual administrations being in such circumstances aptly conformed to the Secular might go on more smoothly and expeditely the wheels of one not clashing with the other according to the judgment of the two great Synods that of Chalcedon and the Trullane which did ordain that if by Royal authority any city be or should hereafter be re-established the order of the churches shall be according to the civil and publick form Whereas therefore in each Nation or Province subject to one Political Jurisdiction there was a Metropolis or Head-city to which the greatest resort was for dispensation of Justice and dispatch of principal Affairs emergent in that Province it was also most convenient that also the determination of Ecclesiastical matters should be affixed thereto especially considering that usually those places were opportunely seated that many persons upon other occasions did meet there that the Churches in those Cities did exceed the rest in number
Prelate is nothing else but one that sustaineth the person of Christ. St. Chrysostome We have received the commission of Ambassadours and come from God for this is the dignity of the Episcopal Office It behoveth us all who by divine authority are constituted in the Priesthood to prevent c. Wherefore the ancient Bishops did all of them take themselves to be Vicars of Christ not of the Pope and no less than the proudest Pope of them all whence it was ordinary for them in their addresses and compellations to the Bishop of Rome and in their speech about him to call him their Brother their Collegue their Fellow-minister which had not been modest or just if they had been his Ministers or Shadows Yea the Popes themselves even the highest and haughtiest of them who of any in old times did most stand on their presumed preeminence did yet vouchsafe to call other Bishops their Fellow-bishops and Fellow-ministers Those Bishops of France with good reason did complain of Pope Nicholas I. for calling them his Clerks whenas if his pride had suffered him he should have acknowledged them for his Brethren and Fellow-bishops In fine the ancient Bishops did not alledge any Commission from the Pope to warrant their Jurisdiction but from God If Moses his Chair were so venerable that what was said out of that ought therefore to be heard how much more is Christ's Throne so we succeed him from that we speak since Christ has committed to us the ministery of reconciliation That which is committed to the Priest 't is onely in God's power to give Since we also by the mercy of Christ our King and God were made Ministers of the Gospel This is a modern dream born out of Ambition and Flattery which never came into the head of any ancient Divine It is a ridiculous thing to imagine that Cyprian Athanasius Basil Chrysostome Austin c. did take themselves for the Vicegerents or Ministers of the Popes if they did why did they not so frequent occasion being given them in all their Volumes ever acknowledge it why cannot Bellarmine and his Complices after all their prolling shew any passage in them importing any such acknowledgment but are fain to infer it by far-fetched Sophisms from Allegations plainly impertinent or frivolous The Popes indeed in the Fourth Century began to practise a fine trick very serviceable to the enlargement of their power which was to confer on certain Bishops as occasion served or for continuance the title of their Vicar or Lieutenant thereby pretending to impart Authority to them whereby they were enabled for performance of divers things which otherwise by their own Episcopal or Metropolitical power they could not perform By which device they did engage such Bishops to such a dependence on them whereby they did promote the Papal Authority in Provinces to the oppression of the ancient Rights and Liberties of Bishops and Synods doing what they pleased under pretence of this vast power communicated to them and for fear of being displaced or out of affection to their favourer doing what might serve to advance the Papacy Thus did Pope Celestine constitute Cyril in his room Pope Leo appointed Anatolius of Constantinople Pope Felix Acacius of Constantinople Pope Hormisdas Epiphanius of Constantinople Pope Simplicius to Zeno Bishop of Seville We thought it convenient that you should be held up by the vicariat authority of our See So did Siricius and his Successours constitute the Bishops of Thessalonica to be their Vicars in the Diocese of Illyricum wherein being then a member of the Western Empire they had caught a special jurisdiction to which Pope Leo did refer in those words which sometimes are impertinently alledged with reference to all Bishops but concern onely Anastasius Bishop of Thessalonica We have entrusted thy Charity to be in our stead so that thou art called into part of the solicitude not into plenitude of the authority So did Pope Zozimus bestow a like pretence of Vicarious power upon the Bishop of Arles which city was the seat of the temporal Exarch in Gaule So to the Bishop of Justiniana prima in Bulgaria or Dardania Europaea the like privilege was granted by procurement of the Emperour Justinian native of that place Afterwards temporary or occasional Vicars were appointed such as Austin in England Boniface in Germany who in virtue of that concession did usurp a paramount authority and by the exercise thereof did advance the Papal interest depressing the authority of Metropolitanes and provincial Synods So at length Legates upon occasion dispatched into all Countries of the West came to doe there what they pleased using that pretence to oppress and abuse both Clergy and people very intolerably Whence divers Countries were forced to make legal provisions for excluding such Legates finding by much experience that their business was to rant and domineer in the Pope's name to suck money from the People and to maintain luxurious pomp upon expence of the Countries where they came Of this John XXII doth sorely complain and decrees that all people should admit his Legates under pain of interdicts In England Pope Paschal finds the same fault in his letter to King Henry I. Nuncio's or letters from the Apostolick See unless by your Majestie 's command are not thought worthy any admittance or reception within your jurisdiction none complains thence none appeals thence for judgment to the Apostolick See The Pope observing what authority and reverence the Archbishops of Canterbury had in this Nation whereby they might be able to check his attempts did think good to constitute those Archbishops his Legates of course Legatos natos that so they might seem to exercise their Jurisdiction by authority derived from him and owing to him that mark of favour or honour with inlargement of power might pay him more devotion and serve his interests Bellarmine doth from this practice prove the Pope's Sovereign power but he might from thence better have domonstrated their great cunning It might from such extraordinary designation of Vicegerents with far more reason be inferred that ordinarily Bishops are not his Ministers XI It is the privilege of a Sovereign that he cannot be called to account or judged or deposed or debarr'd communion or any-wise censured and punished for this implyeth a contradiction or confusion in degrees subjecting the superiour to inferiours this were making a river run backwards this were to damm up the fountain of justice to behead the State to expose Majesty to contempt Wherefore the Pope doth pretend to this privilege according to those Maxims in the Canon Law drawn from the sayings of Popes either forged or genuine but all alike obteining authority in their Court. And according to what P. Adrian let the 8 th Synod know because says he the Apostolick Church of Rome stoops not to the judgment of lesser Churches They cite also three old Synods of Sinuessa
sense of good men in all times XVIII It is a Prerogative of Sovereign power to Erect Translate Spiritual Presidencies Wherefore this the Pope claimeth Cum ex illo c. But at first he had nothing to doe therein except in his own Province or Diocese As Christianity did grow and enter into Cities so the neighbour Bishops did ordain Bishops there Princes often as they did endow so they did erect Episcopal Sees and did as was sutable change places Pope Paschal II. doth by complaining attest to this writing to the Archbishop of Poland What shall I say of the translations of Bishops which among you are presumed to be made not by Apostolick authority but the King's command XIX It is a great Prerogative of Sovereignty to impose Taxes on the Clergy or People Wherefore the Pope doth assume this as for instance that Decree of Pope Innocent IV. in the First Synod of Lions By the common consent of the Council we ordain that all the Clergy as well those who are under authority as the Prelates pay for three years a twentieth part of their Ecclesiastical revenues towards the assistence of the holy Land into the hands of those who shall be thereto appointed by the prudence of the Apostolick See and let all know that this they are bound faithfully to doe under pain of excommunication But Antiquity knew no such Impositions when the Church the Clergy the Poor were maintained and relieved by voluntary Offerings or Obventions Even the invidious splendour of the Roman Bishop was supported by the Oblations of Matrons as Marcellinus observeth This is an encroachment upon the right of Princes unto whom Clergy-men are Subjects and bound to render tribute to whom tribute belongeth SUPPOSITION VII A farther grand Assertion of the Roman Party is this That the Papal Supremacy is indefectible and unalterable BUT good reasons may be assigned why even supposing that the Pope had an Universal Sovereignty in virtue of his Succession to Saint Peter conferred on him it is not assuredly consequent that it must always or doth now belong to him For it might be settled on him not absolutely but upon conditions the which failing his authority may expire It might be God's will that it should onely continue for a time And there are divers ways whereby according to common rules of justice he might be disseised thereof 1. If God had positively declared his will concerning this Point that such a Sovereignty was by him granted irrevocably and immutably so that in no case it might be removed or altered then indeed it must be admitted for such but if no such declaration doth appear then to assert it for such is to derogate from his power and providence by exemption of this case from it It is the ordinary course of providence so to confer power of any kind or nature on men as to reserve to himself the liberty of transferring it qualifying it extending or contracting it abolishing it according to his pleasure in due seasons and exigencies of things Whence no humane power can be supposed absolutely stable or immovably fixed in one person or place 2. No power can have a higher source or firmer ground than that of the Civil Government hath for all such power is from heaven and in relation to that it is said There is no power but from God the powers that are are ordained by God But yet such power is liable to various alterations and is like the Sea having ebbs and flows and ever changing its bounds either personal or local Any temporal Jurisdiction may be lost by those revolutions and vicissitudes of things to which all humane Constitutions are subject and which are ordered by the will and providence of the most High who ruleth in the Kingdom of men appointing over it whom he pleaseth putting down one and setting up another Adam by God's appointment was Sovereign of the world and his first-born Successours derived the same power from him yet in course of time that order hath been interrupted and divers independent Sovereignties do take place Every Prince hath his authority from God or by virtue of Divine Ordination within his own Territory and according to God's Ordinance the lawfull Successour hath a right to the same authority yet by accidents such authority doth often fail totally or in part changing its extent Why then may not any Spiritual power be liable to the same vicissitudes why may not a Prelate be degraded as well as a Prince why may not the Pope as well as the Emperour lose all or part of his Kingdom Why may not the Successour of Peter no less than the Heir of Adam suffer a defaileur of Jurisdiction That Spiritual Corporations Persons and Places are subject to the same contingences with others as there is like reason to suppose so there are Examples to prove God removed his Sanctuary from Shiloh Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at first c. He deserted Jerusalem He removeth the Candlesticks He placed Eli of the Family of Ithamar in the High-Priesthood and displaced his Race from it I said indeed saith God that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever but now the Lord saith Be it far from me c. 3 The reason and exigency of things might be sufficient ground for altering an Universal Jurisdiction for when it should prove very inconvenient or hurtfull God might order such an alteration to happen and men be obliged to allow it As God first did institute one Universal Monarchy but that form upon the multiplication of mankind and peopling of the earth proving incommodious providence gave way for its change and the setting up of particular Governments to which men are bound to submit So God might institute a singular Presidency of the Church but when the Church grew vastly extended so that such a Government would not conveniently serve the whole he might order a division in which we should acquiesce 4. It hath ever been deemed reasonable and accordingly been practised that the Church in its exteriour form and political administrations should be suted to the state of the world and Constitution of worldly Governments that there might be no clashing or disturbance from each to other Wherefore seeing the World is now settled under so many Civil Sovereignties it is expedient that Ecclesiastical Discipline should be so modelled as to comply with each of them And it his reasonable that any pretence of Jurisdiction should veil to the publick good of the Church and the World That it should be necessary for the Church to retain the same form of policy or measure of power affixed to persons or places can no-wise be demonstrated by sufficient proof and it is not consistent with experience which sheweth the Church to have subsisted with variations of that kind There hath in all times been found much reason or necessity to make alterations
Rome This hath been the Doctrine of divers Popes Which not onely the Apostolical Prelate but any other Bishop may doe viz. discriminate and severe any men and any place from the Catholick communion according to the rule of that fore-condemned heresie Faith is universal common to all and belongs not onely to Clergymen but also to Laicks and even to all Christians Therefore the sheep which are committed to the cure of their Pastour ought not to reprehend him unless he swerve and go astray from the right faith 15. That this was the current opinion common practice doth shew there being so many instances of those who rejected their Superiours and withdrew from their communion in case of their maintaining errours or of their disorderly behaviour such practice having been approved by General and Great Synods as also by divers Popes When Nestorius Bishop of Constantinople did introduce new and strange Doctrine divers of his Presbyters did rebuke him and withdraw communion from him which proceeding is approved in the Ephesine Synod Particularly Charisius did assert this proceeding in those remarkable words presented to that same Synod 'T is the wish and desire of all well affected persons to give always all due honour and reverence especially to their spiritual Fathers and Teachers but if it should so happen that they who ought to teach should instill unto those who are set under them such things concerning the faith as are offensive to the ears and hearts of all men then of necessity the order must be inverted and they who teach wrong Doctrine must be rebuked of those who are their inferiours Pope Celestine I. in that case did commend the people of Constantinople deserting their Pastour Happy flock said he to whom the Lord did afford to judge about its own Pasture St. Hierome did presume to write very briskly and smartly in reproof of John Bishop of Hierusalem in whose Province he a simple Presbyter did reside Who makes a schism in the Church we whose whole house in Bethlehem communicate with the Church or thou who either believest aright and proudly concealest the truth or art of a wrong belief and really makest a breach in the Church Art thou onely the Church and is he who offendeth thee excluded from Christ Malchion Presbyter of Antioch disputed against Paulus Samosatenus his Bishop Beatus Presbyter confuted his Bishop Elipandus of Toledo But if the Rectour swerve from the faith he is to be reproved by those who are under him 16. The case is the same of the Pope for if other Bishops who are reckoned Successours of the Apostles and Vicars of Christ within their precinct if other Patriarchs who sit in Apostolical Sees and partake of a like extensive Jurisdiction by incurring heresie or schism or committing notorious disorder and injustice may be deprived of their Authority so that their Subjects may be obliged to forsake them then may the Pope lose his for truth and piety are not affixed to the Chair of Rome more than to any other there is no ground of asserting any such Privilege either in Holy Scripture or in old Tradition there can no promise be alledged for it having any probable shew that of Oravi pro te being a ridiculous pretence it cannot stand without a perpetual miracle there is in fact no appearance of any such miracle from the ordinary causes of great errour and impiety that is ambition avarice sloth luxury the Papal state is not exempt yea apparently it is more subject to them than any other all Ages have testified and complained thereof 17. Most eminent persons have in such cases withdrawn communion from the Pope as other-where we have shewed by divers Instances 18. The Canon Law it self doth admit the Pope may be judged if he be a Heretick Because he that is to judge all persons is to be judged of none except he be found to be gone astray from the faith The supposition doth imply the possibility and therefore the case may be put that he is such and then he doth according to the more current Doctrine ancient and modern cease to be a Bishop yea a Christian Hence no obedience is due to him yea no communion is to be held with him 19. This in fact was acknowledged by a great Pope allowing the condemnation of Pope Honorius for good because he was erroneous in point of Faith for saith he in that which is called the Eighth Synod although Honorius was anathematized after his death by the Oriental Bishops it is yet well known that he was accused for heresie for which alone it is lawfull for inferiours to rise up against superiours Now that the Pope or Papal succession doth pervert the truth of Christian Doctrine in contradiction to the Holy Scripture and Primitive Tradition that he doth subvert the practice of Christian piety in opposition to the Divine commands that he teacheth falshoods and maintaineth impieties is notorious in many particulars some whereof we shall touch We justly might charge him with all those extravagant Doctrines and Practices which the high flying Doctours do teach and which the fierce Zealots upon occasion do act for the whole succession of Popes of a long time hath most cherished and encouraged such folks looking squintly on others as not well affected to them But we shall onely touch those new and noxious or dangerous positions which great Synods managed and confirmed by their Authority have defined or which they themselves have magisterially decreed or which are generally practised by their influence or countenance It is manifest that the Pope doth support and cherish as his special Favourites the Venters of wicked Errours such as those who teach the Pope's infallibility his power over temporal Princes to cashier and depose them to absolve subjects from their allegiance the Doctrine of equivocation breach of faith with hereticks c. the which Doctrines are heretical as inducing pernicious practice whence whoever doth so much as communicate with the maintainers of them according to the principles of ancient Christianity are guilty of the same crimes The Holy Scripture and Catholick Antiquity do teach and injoin us to worship and serve God alone our Creatour forbidding us to worship any Creature or Fellow-servant even not Angels For I who am a Creature will not endure to worship one like to me But the Pope and his Clients do teach and charge us to worship Angels and dead men yea even to venerate the reliques and dead bodies of the Saints The Holy Scripture teacheth us to judge nothing about the present or future state of men absolutely before the time untill the Lord come who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of hearts and then each man shall have praise of God But the Pope notoriously in repugnance to those precepts anticipating God's judgment and arrogating to himself a knowledge requisite thereto doth presume to determine
such a kind Unity which is a sufficient Proof that it hath no firm ground We may say of it as Saint Austin saith of the Church it self I will not that the Holy Church be demonstrated from humane reasonings but the Divine Oracles Saint Paul particularly in divers Epistles designedly treating about the Unity of the Church together with other Points of Doctrine neighbouring thereon and amply describing it doth not yet imply any such Unity then extant or designed to be He doth mention and urge the Unity of Spirit of Faith of Charity of Peace of Relation to our Lord of Communion in Devotions and Offices of Piety but concerning any Union under one singular visible Government or Polity he is silent He saith One Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all not one Monarch or one Senate or one Sanhedrin which is a pregnant sign that none such was then instituted otherwise he could not have slipped over a Point so very material and pertinent to his Discourse 2. By the Apostolical History it may appear that the Apostles in the Propagation of Christianity and founding of Christian Societies had no meaning did take no care to establish any such Polity They did resort to several places whither Divine instinct or reasonable occasion did carry them where by their Preaching having convinced and converted a competent number of persons to the embracing Christian Doctrine they did appoint Pastours to instruct and edifie them to administer God's Worship and Service among them to contain them in good order and peace exhorting them to maintain good correspondence of Charity and Peace with all good Christians otherwhere this is all we can see done by them 3. The Fathers in their set Treatises and in their incidental Discourses about the Unity of the Church which was de facto which should be de jure in the Church do make it to consist onely in those Unions of Faith Charity Peace which we have described not in this political Union The Roman Church gave this reason why they could not admit Marcion into their Communion they would not doe it without his Father's consent between whom and them there was one faith and one agreement of mind Tertullian in his Apologetick describing the Unity of the Church in his time saith We are one body by our Agreement in religion our Vnity of discipline and our being in the same Covenant of hope And more exactly or largely in his Prescriptions against Hereticks the breakers of Unity Therefore such and so many Churches are but the same with the first Apostolical one from which all are derived thus they become all first all Apostolical whilst they maintain the same Vnity whilst there are a Communion of peace names of brotherhood and contributions of hospitality among them the rights of which are kept up by no other means but the one tradition of the same Mystery They and we have one Faith one God the same Christ the same Hope the same Baptism in a word we are but one Church And Constantine the Great in his Epistle to the Churches Our Saviour would have his Catholick Church to be one the members of which though they be divided into many and different places are yet cherisht by one Spirit that is by the will of God And Gregory the Great Our Head which is Christ would therefore have us be his members that by the joints of Charity and Faith he might make us one body in himself Clem. Alex. defineth the Church A people gathered together out of Jews and Gentiles into one Faith by the giving of the Testaments fitted into Vnity of Faith This one Church therefore partakes of the nature of Vnity which Heresies violently endeavour to divide into many and therefore we affirm the ancient and Catholick Church whether we respect its constitution or our conception of it its beginning or its excellency to be but one which into the belief of that one Creed which is agreeable to its own peculiar Testaments or rather to that one and the same Testament in times however different by the will of one and the same God through one and the same Lord doth unite and combine together all those who are before ordained whom God hath predestinated as knowing that they would be just persons before the foundation of the world Many Passages in the Fathers applicable to this Point we have alledged in the foregoing Discourses 4. The constitution of such an Unity doth involve the vesting some Person or some number of Persons with a Sovereign Authority subordinate to our Lord to be managed in a certain manner either absolutely according to pleasure or limitedly according to certain Rules prescribed to it But that there was ever any such Authority constituted or any Rules prescribed to it by our Lord or his Apostles doth not appear and there are divers reasonable presumptions against it It is reasonable that whoever claimeth such Authority should for assuring his Title shew Patents of his Commission manifestly expressing it how otherwise can he justly demand Obedience or any with satisfaction yield thereto It was just that the Institution of so great Authority should be fortified with an undoubted charter that its Right might be apparent and the Duty of Subjection might be certain If any such Authority had been granted by God in all likelihood it would have been clearly mentioned in Scripture it being a matter of high importance among the establishments of Christianity conducing to great effects and grounding much duty Especially considering that There is in Scripture frequent occasion of mentioning it in way of History touching the use of it the acts of Sovereign Power affording chief matter to the History of any Society in way of Direction to those Governours how to manage it in way of Exhortation to Inferiours how to behave themselves in regard to it in way of commending the Advantages which attend it it is therefore strange that its mention is so balkt The Apostles do often speak concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs of all natures concerning the Decent administration of things concerning preservation of Order and Peace concerning the furtherance of Edification concerning the Prevention and Removal of Heresies Schisms Factions Disorders upon any of which occasions it is marvellous that they should not touch that Constitution which was the proper means appointed for maintenance of Truth Order Peace Decency Edification and all such Purposes for remedy of all contrary Mischiefs There are mentioned divers Schisms and Dissensions the which the Apostles did strive by instruction and persuasion to remove in which Cases supposing such an Authority in being it is a wonder that they do not mind the Parties dissenting of having recourse thereto for decision of their Causes that they do not exhort them to a Submission thereto that they do not reprove them for declining such a Remedy It is also strange that no mention is made of any Appeal made by
any of the dissenting Parties to the Judgment of such Authority Indeed if such an Authority had then been avowed by the Christian Churches it is hardly conceivable that any Schisms could subsist there being so powerfull a Remedy against them then notably visible and most effectual because of its fresh Institution before it was darkned or weakned by Age. Whereas the Apostolical Writings do inculcate our Subjection to one Lord in Heaven it is much they should never consider his Vicegerent or Vicegerents upon Earth notifying and pressing the Duties of Obedience and Reverence toward them There are indeed Exhortations to honour the Elders and to obey the Guides of particular Churches but the Honour and Obedience due to those Paramount Authorities or Universal Governours is passed over in dead silence as if no such thing had been thought of They do expresly avow the Secular Pre-eminence and press Submission to the Emperour as Supreme why do they not likewise mention this no less considerable Ecclesiastical Supremacy or enjoin Obedience thereto why Honour the King and be subject to Principalities so often but Honour the Spiritual Prince or Senate doth never occur If there had been any such Authority there would probably have been some intimation concerning the Persons in whom it was setled concerning the Place of their residence concerning the Manner of its being conveyed by Election Succession or otherwise Probably the Persons would have some proper Name Title or Character to distinguish them from inferiour Governours that to the Place some mark of Pre-eminence would have been affixed It is not unlikely that somewhere some Rules or Directions would have been prescribed for the management of so high a Trust for preventing Miscarriages and Abuses to which it is notoriously liable It would have been declared Absolute or the Limits of it would have been determined to prevent its enslaving God's heritage But of these things in the Apostolical Writings or in any near those times there doth not appear any footstep or pregnant intimation There hath never to this day been any place but one namely Rome which hath pretended to be the Seat of such an Authority the Plea whereof we largely have examined At present we shall onely observe that before the Roman Church was founded there were Churches otherwhere there was a great Church at Jerusalem which indeed was the Mother of all Churches and was by the Fathers so styled however Rome now doth arrogate to her self that Title There were issuing from that Mother a fair Offspring of Churches those of Judaea of Galilaea of Samaria of Syria and Cilicia of divers other places before there was any Church at Rome or that Saint Peter did come thither which was at least divers years after our Lord's Ascension Saint Paul was converted after five years he went to Hierusalem then Saint Peter was there after fourteen years thence he went to Hierusalem again and then Saint Peter was there after that he met with Saint Peter at Antioch Where then was this Authority seated How then did the political Unity of the Church subsist Was the Seat of the Sovereign Authority first resident at Jerusalem when Saint Peter preached there Did it walk thence to Antiochia fixing it self there for seven years Was it thence translated to Rome and setled there ever since Did this roving and inconstancy become it 5. The primitive State of the Church did not well comport with such an Unity For Christian Churches were founded in distant places as the Apostles did find opportunity or received direction to found them which therefore could not without extreme inconvenience have resort or reference to one Authority any where fixed Each Church therefore separately did order its own Affairs without recourse to others except for charitable Advice or Relief in cases of extraordinary difficulty or urgent need Each Church was endowed with a perfect Liberty and a full Authority without dependence or subordination to others to govern its own Members to manage its own Affairs to decide Controversies and Causes incident among themselves without allowing Appeals or rendring Accounts to others This appeareth by the Apostolical Writings of Saint Paul and Saint John to single Churches wherein they are supposed able to exercise spiritual Power for establishing Decency removing Disorders correcting Offences deciding Causes c. 6. This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Liberty of Churches doth appear to have long continued in practice inviolate although tempered and modelled in accommodation to the circumstances of place and time It is true that if any Church did notoriously forsake the Truth or commit Disorder in any kind other Churches did sometime take upon them as the Case did move to warn advise reprove it and to declare against its proceedings as prejudicial not onely to the welfare of that Church but to the common interests of Truth and Peace but this was not in way of commanding Authority but of fraternal Solicitude or of that Liberty which Equity and Prudence do allow to Equals in regard to common good So did the Roman Church interpose in reclaiming the Church of Corinth from its Disorders and Seditions So did Saint Cyprian and Saint Denys of Alex. meddle in the Affairs of the Roman Church exhorting Novatian and his Adherents to return to the Peace of their Church It is also true that the Bishops of several adjacent Churchs did use to meet upon Emergencies concerning the maintenance of Truth Order and Peace concerning Settlement and Approbation of Pastours c. to consult and conclude upon Expedients for attaining such Ends this probably they did at first in a free way without rule according to occasion as Prudence suggested but afterwards by confederation and consent those Conventions were formed into method and regulated by certain Orders established by consent whence did arise an Ecclesiastical Unity of Government within certain Precincts much like that of the United States in the Netherlands the which course was very prudential and usefull for preserving the Truth of Religion and Unity of Faith against heretical Devices springing up in that free age for maintaining Concord and good Correspondence among Christians together with an Harmony in Manners and Discipline for that otherwise Christendom would have been shattered and crumbled into numberless Parties discordant in Opinion and Practice and consequently alienated in Affection which inevitably among most men doth follow Difference of Opinion and Manners so that in short time it would not have appeared what Christianity was and consequently the Religion being overgrown with Differences and Discords must have perished Thus in the case about admitting the Lapsi to Communion Saint Cyprian relates when the persecution of Decius ceased so that leave was now given us to meet in one place together a considerable number of Bishops whom their own faith and God's protection had preserved sound and entire from the late Apostasie and Persecution being assembled we deliberated of the composition of the matter with wholsome moderation
no more than Humane Thus in effect we see that it hath succeeded from the Pretence of this Unity the which hath indeed transformed the Church into a mere worldly State wherein the Monarch beareth the garb of an Emperour in external splendour surpassing all worldly Princes crowned with a triple Crown He assumeth the most haughty Titles of Our most holy Lord the Vicar general of Christ c. and he suffereth men to call him the Monarch of Kings c. He hath Respects paid him like to which no Potentate doth assume having his Feet kissed riding upon the backs of men letting Princes hold his Stirrup and lead his Horse He hath a Court and is attended with a train of Courtiers surpassing in State and claiming Precedence to the Peers of any Kingdom He is encompassed with armed Guards He hath a vast Revenue supplied by Tributes and Imposts sore and grievous the exaction of which hath made divers Nations of Christendom to groan most lamentably He hath raised numberless Wars and Commotions for the promotion and advancement of his Interests He administreth things with all depth of Policy to advance his Designs He hath enacted Volumes of Laws and Decrees to which Obedience is exacted with rigour and forcible constraint He draweth grist from all Parts to his Courts of Judgment wherein all the formalities of suspence all the tricks of squeezing money c. are practised to the great trouble and charge of Parties concerned Briefly it is plain that he doth exercise the proudest mightiest subtlest Domination that ever was over Christians 8. The Union of the whole Church in one Body under one Government or Sovereign Authority would be inconvenient and hurtfull prejudicial to the main designs of Christianity destructive to the Welfare and Peace of Mankind in many respects This we have shewed particularly concerning the Pretence of the Papacy and those Discourses being applicable to any like Universal Authority perhaps with more advantage Monarchy being less subject to abuse than other ways of Government I shall forbear to say more 9. Such an Union is of no need would be of small use or would doe little good in balance to the great Mischiefs and Inconveniences which it would produce This Point also we have declared in regard to the Papacy and we might say the same concerning any other like Authority substituted thereto 10. Such a Connexion of Churches is not any-wise needfull or expedient to the Design of Christianity which is to reduce Mankind to the Knowledge Love and Reverence of God to a just and loving Conversation together to the practice of Sobriety Temperance Purity Meekness and all other Vertues all which things may be compassed without forming men into such a Policy It is expedient there should be particular Societies in which men may concur in worshipping God and promoting that Design by instructing and provoking one another to good practice in a regular decent and orderly way It is convenient that the Subjects of each temporal Sovereignty should live as in a civil so in a spiritual Uniformity in order to the preservation of Goodwill and Peace among them for that Neighbours differing in opinion and fashions of practice will be apt to contend each for his way and thence to disaffect one another for the beauty and pleasant harmony of Agreement in Divine things for the more commodious succour and defence of Truth and Piety by unanimous concurrence But that all the World should be so joined is needless and will be apt to produce more mischief than benefit 11. The Church in the Scripture sense hath ever continued One and will ever continue so notwithstanding that it hath not had this political Unity 12. It is in fact apparent that Churches have not been thus united which yet have continued Catholick and Christian. It were great no less folly than uncharitableness to say that the Greek Church hath been none There is no Church that hath in effect less reason than that of Rome to prescribe to others 13. The Reasons alledged in proof of such an Unity are insufficient and inconcluding the which with great diligence although not with like perspicuity advanced by a late Divine of great repute and collected out of his Writings with some care are those which briefly proposed do follow together with Answers declaring their invalidity Arg. I. The name Church is attributed to the whole body of Christians which implieth Unity Answ. This indeed doth imply an Unity of the Church but determineth not the kind or ground thereof there being several kinds of Unity one of those which we have touched or several or all of them may suffice to ground that comprehensive Appellation Arg. II. Our Creeds do import the belief of such an Unity for in the Apostolical we profess to believe the Holy Catholick Church in the Constantinopolitan the Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church Answ. 1. The most ancient Summaries of Christian Faith extant in the first Fathers Irenaeus Tertullian Cyprian c. do not contain this Point The word Catholick was not originally in the Apostolical or Roman Creed but was added after Ruffin and Saint Austin's time This Article was inserted into the Creeds upon the rise of Heresies and Schisms to discountenance and disengage from them Answ. 2. We do avow a Catholick Church in many respects One wherefore not the Unity of the Church but the Kind and Manner of Unity being in question the Creed doth not oppose what we say nor can with reason be alledged for the special kind of Unity which is pretended Answ. 3. That the Unity mentioned in the Constantinopolitan Creed is such as our Adversaries contend for of external Policy is precariously assumed and relieth onely upon their interpretation obtruded on us Answ. 4. The genuine meaning of that Article may reasonably be deemed this That we profess our adhering to the Body of Christians which diffused over the World doth retain the Faith taught the Discipline setled the Practices appointed by our Lord and his Apostles that we maintain general Charity toward all good Christians that we are ready to entertain communion in Holy Offices with all such that we are willing to observe the Laws and Orders established by Authority or Consent of the Churches for maintenance of Truth Order and Peace that we renounce all heretical doctrines all disorderly practices all conspiracy with any factious combinations of people Answ. 5. That this is the meaning of the Article may sufficiently appear from the reason and occasion of introducing it which was to secure the Truth of Christian Doctrine the Authority of Ecclesiastical Discipline and the common Peace of the Church according to the Discourses and Arguments of the Fathers Irenaeus Tertullian St. Austin Vincentius Lirinensis the which do plainly countenance our Interpretation Answ. 6. It is not reasonable to interpret the Article so as will not consist with the State of the Church in the Apostolical and
Str. 5. p. 409. And to those familiar friends striving for the preeminence he commends equality together with simplicity saying that they ought to become as little Children Matth. 23.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in 1 Tim. 3.1 in Eph. Or. 11. Isid. Pel. Ep. 4.219.2.125 Greg. Naz. Orat. 28. 1 Pet. 5.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in Eph. Orat. 11. Ille enim nolentibus praeest hic volentibus Hier. Ep. 3. ad Nepot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrys. in Tit 1.7 He ought to rule them so as they may be willing to be ruled c. 1 Pet. 5. Sed contenti sint honore suo Patres se sciant esse non dominos Hier. Ep. 62. ad Theoph. cap. 3. Amari parens episcopus debet non timeri Ibid. cap. 1. Indè denique superintendis sonante tibi Episcopi nomine non dominium sed officium Bern. de Consid. 2.6 Nulli hominum liceat hanc paginam nostrae voluntatis mandati infringere vel ei ausu temerario contraire Sanctissimus Dominus noster Concil Trid. Sess. 22. cap. 11. c. Si Papa suae c. Grat. dist 40. cap. 6. Concil Lat. sub Leone X. Sess. 11. p. 133. in Orat. Archiep. Patrac Hâc itaque fiduciâ fretus c. Excommun Henrici R. in Concil Rom. 3. sub Greg. 7. apud Bin. Tom. 7. p. 484. Agite Apostolorum Sanctissimi Principes c. Plat. in Greg. VII In Concil Rom. 6. apud Bin. p. 491. Et quamvìs Apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuat dicat Sicut c. Cypr. de Vn. Eccl. 2 Cor. 5.20 1 Cor. 4.1 2 Cor. 6.4 Matt. 16.18 Apoc. 21.10 14. Eph. 2.20 Ex aequo super eos Ecclesiae fortitudo solidatur Hier. in Jovin 1.14 1 Pet. 2.5 1 Cor. 3.10 Matt. 16.19 Matt. 16.19 Matt. 18.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phot. Cod. 280. p. 1600. Those who by Succession from them viz. the Apostles were endowed with Episcopal Authority we believe to have the same Power of binding and loosing John 20.23 Eph. 4.11 Act. 20.28 1 Pet. 5.2 2 Pet. 3.2 Matt. 28.19 Mark 16.15 Luke 24.47 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. Tom. 8. p. 115. Tom. 5. Orat. 47. in 2 Cor. 11.28 Luke 24.49 John 16.13.14.26 Luke 24.49 Mark 10.17 John 20.22 Act. 2.24 Act. 15.28 2 Cor. 12.11 12. Cui totius Ecclesiae figuram gerenti c. Aug. Ep. 165. Ergò si personam gerébant Ecclesiae sic eis hoc dictum est tanquam ipsi Ecclesiae diceretur pax Ecclesiae dimittit peccata c. Aug. de Bapt. c. Don. 3.18 Scimus quòd Petrus nihil plus potestatis à Christo recepit aliis Apostolis nihil enim dictum est ad Petrum quod aliis etiam dictum non est Ideò rectè dicimus omnes Apostolos esse aequales cum Petro in potestate Card. Cus. de Conc. Cath. 2.13 1 Pet. 5.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 3.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in Act. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in Act. 1.15 As being a man hot and earnest and as entrusted with the flock by Christ and as the fore-man of the company he ever begins to speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Act. 1.26 Probably so it fell out by reason of the signal vertue of the man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. de Sacerd. Or. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in Act. 1.16 Behold him doing all things by common consent nothing authoritatively nor imperiously Act. 1. Act. 1.15 21. Act. 23.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 6.2 V. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Act. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ver. 2. V. 2. V. 4. V. 6. V. 7. Act. 15. V. 13 V. 14. v. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 V. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. V. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 16.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 21.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. Tom. 5. Or. 59. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in â—c For he had the Government committed to him he was empowered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesych apud Phot. Cod. 275. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. ibid. Act. 10.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 11.12 Act. 11.2 Bell. de Pont. Rom. 4.3 4 c. Act. 11.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. See how free he is from pride and vain-glory see how he excuses himself and thinks himself not worthy to have the honour of a Master Ità ut Petrus quoque timens ne culparetur ab ipsis Iren. 3.12 N. In the matter at Antioch Saint Peter did comply with Saint James and the Judaizers which did not beseem such Authority Act. 8.14 John 13.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 B. Act. 15.2.13.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. ad Cor. p. 69. Who among you is noble and generous who has bowels of compassion who is full of charity Let him say If for my sake there be sedition and strife and divisions I will depart and go whither you would have me and doe what shall be enjoyned me by the multitude 2 Cor. 13.10.10.8.12.21 1 Cor. 4.2 2 Thess. 3.14 1 Cor. 7.25 40. 1 Thess. 4.8 1 Cor. 1.12.3.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Clem. ad Corinth p. 61. 1 Cor. 3.5 Falsum est quòd illi boni erant exceptis eis qui dicebant Ego autem Christi Aug. Cont. Crescon 1.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 13.4.2.16.6 9. Gal. 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 3.5 1 Cor. 7.17.11.34.16.1 Tit. 1.5 Isid. Pel. 1 Thess. 2.7 11. 1 Cor. 9.2 Act. 18.1 1 Cor. 4.14 15. Gal. 4.19 Gal. 1.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in Gal. 118. 2 Cor. 11 2◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in John 21.23 For seeing they were to take upon them the inspection and superintendency of all the world it behoved them not any longer to be mixt or conjoyn'd together for this had been a great loss and hinderance to the World 1 Cor. 4.9 2 Cor. 4.8.6.4.11.25 Matth. 24.9 Luke 21.12 Eus. 3.1 Niceph. 2.38 39 40. Tertull. ad Jud. cap. 7. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bas. Seleuc. Or. 2. He that run his race through the whole Universe and by his so eager running for the Faith made the World as it were too narrow for him Col. 1.6 23. Rom. 10.18 Matt. 28.20 John 16.13.14.26 2 Cor. 3.5 Rom. 15.15 à quo illi tanquam à capite imperatore ' suo pendebant Bellarm. de Pont. 1.16 2 Cor. 12.11 Rom. 11.13 Bell. 1.9 14 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Act. 9.15 â—2 21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 1.1 2 Cor. 1.1 Eph. 1.1 Colos. 1.1 2 Tim. 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 15.10 Eph. 3.7 1 Tim. 1.12 2 Tim. 1.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 1.1 Rom. 1.5 2 Cor. 12.12 Rom. 15.18 19. 1 Cor. 2.4 1 Cor. 9.1 1 Cor. 15.10 2 Cor. 11.23 Gal. 1.16 17.