Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	council_n	rome_n	10,036	5	7.5247	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94272	A treatise of the schism of England. Wherein particularly Mr. Hales and Mr. Hobbs are modestly accosted. / By Philip Scot. Permissu superiorum.	Scot, Philip.	1650 (1650)	Wing S942; Thomason E1395_1; ESTC R2593	51,556	285

as appears in the Councel What similitude hath this case with the known subjection of England to Rome known I say and acknowledged even by our lawes ever from the conversion of the Country under St. Gregory All lawful mutations of Provinces which were ever made as long as the Church was in her full power had to this effect the especial authority of some general Councel So in the Councel of Constantinople many dioceses and some whole Provinces were made subject to that Patriarch which before were subject to Ephesus and the Primate of Trace So in the Councel of Calcedon exchange of Provinces was decreed between the Patriarch of Antioch and Hierusalem and in the first general Councel the sea of Hierusalem was created a Patriarchate and the refore the Fathers took some Provinces from the Patriarchate of Antioch others from Alexandria And in the foresaid example the Cyprians could not shake off the authority of Antioch till the decree was produced of the Councel of Ephesus Much loss this Iland ought to separate from the Sea of Rome by reason of the titile of conversion and only under Gregory the first but long before the entrance of St. Austin under Pope Elutherius by Elvanus and Meduinus Priests being requested thereunto by King Lucius Anno Dom. 179. Whilest it was possest by the Brittans in which primitive faith it remained immaculate and uncorrupted except the question of Pascha in which it was corrupted by Picts and Scots indeed they resisted St. Austin because they thought he sided with the Saxons who had expelled them by force out of the kingdom and because they had an Arch-Bishop of their own of Legancestriae Those other things which the Author so often cited of the Treatise of Schism mentioned for he proves nothing concerning the nullity of power or of all superiority of Christians as they are such so that no obedience but simple reverence is due to our betters except that which may arise by certain convention amongst men not by right This Tenet indeed if made good would make all Schism impossible all superiority ridiculous and arbitrary but it is far from Christian verity being against Scripture it self and all common sense of Christians And truly whatsoever the same Author saith in and for the cause of the Donatists if it hath any favour he doth not onely accuse St. Augustine but the whole Church of foolishness and malice and all the Prophecies of the fignes of the Church upon which St. Augustine before him Optatus Hierom and all Bishops and Doctors rely out of the old and new law the Prophets and the Acts of the Apostles all which in them this man derideth what he speaketh of the use of Images he simply affirmeth as the rest but is so far from proving any thing that he doth not so much as attempt it neither is it a thing worthy my insisting upon since every Abodary Controvertist makes it obvious to children Yet Mr. Hobbs will force me afterward to joyn issue with him in it In fine The Treatise of Schism speaketh many things which seem distructive to Christian faith which he barely proposeth or rather supposeth out of which false supposition he doth falsly conclude that there is no Schism in the Church but as Aristotle Pol. l. 2. c. 4 rightly admonisheth Suppositions indeed may be made as every one pleaseth but not impossible ones Neither is it of more moment what Antonius de Dominis l. 4. and others contend that it was not lawful for the Africans to appeal to Rome according to the 22. Canon Concil Melevit And in like manner England was not bound to recur thither or elsewhere but justly provided for its own right whilest it withdrew it self from the Roman yoak as the African Church living in the district of the Patriarchate procured to it self the same ease First I say that Africa did in no wise withdraw it self from the obedience of the Sea of Rome I add moreover neither did it deny the right of appeals but in certain cases certain persons to wit simple Clearks which did appeal thither without observing any order of law which the Bishop of Rome did doth at this day condemn otherwise read St. Augustine ep 162. Omitting others who expresly affirms the right of appeals to the Sea of Rome So the pretended Canon made by the consent of the Bishop of Rome sheweth no other thing but in no wise as I said did it withdraw it self from the obedience of the Sea of Rome Neither is there the least shew of it but of the clean contrary in the reciprocal letters of that Councel to the Pope and of him to them as may be seen in the body of the Epistle of St. Augustine it would be tedious to learned Readers if I should write them out they will more easily recur to the place cited I add further worthy to be noted If the right of appeals had been there abrogated yet it concludes not that the jurisdiction of the Sea of Rome over them was anulled except any should be so senceless as to imagine that the prefects of the Pretorian Court were not subject to the Roman Emperors because their authority deserved to be advanced to such a height that it was not lawful to appeal from them l. 1. F. de offic Pref. Praet I am not ignorant that some Grecians as Nilus contend that the right of appeals which the Seat of Rome hath for he acknowledgeth that in respect of the other Patriarchs doth not convince that Seat to have jurisdiction over them Because by the same reason the constant Inopolitan having by the Councel of Calcedon Can. 9. the same power over their Metropolitans doth not exexcise jurisdiction over them I answer That be denieth only the Bishop of Rome to have the same power over the general Patriarchs which he hath over other Bishops who are ordained by authority derived from him and therefore concludes that the Pope cannot trouble their ordinary government which is true This therefore confirmeth what hitherto hath been said and maketh good that England by all law remains subject to the Sea of Rome under pain of Rebellion CHAP. 7. Protestants have made this Schism IT is clearer then noon day that not Catholicks but Protestants have made this Schism and divided the Church because when in any Common-wealth governed under the same Prince or Soveraignty and by the same lawes a few men withdraw themselves from the obedience of authority and increasing in number they begin to set up their conventicles make lawes and the rest of the body remaining in the ancient manner of government under their own Soveraign power proclaim a war It is manifest not the Body of the Common wealth which still persevereth in the same state but these few men receding from the Body with their adherents have made the division and blown up the rebellion In the same manner have Protestants behaved themselves towards Catholicks before the scandal of Henry the 8th or

offended with the Popes Tertullian though persecuted for Montanism by that sea yet acknowledges the power 1. de pudicitia Audio edictum esse propositum et quidem peremptorium Pontifer scilicet maximus c. I understand that the Pope hath made a peremptory decree c. where he is angry at it because against his heresie but doubteth not of his power St. Cyprian as Erasmus in his notes confesseth everywhere acknowledgeth it even St. Stephen and Cornelius his adversaries Usher who boggles at all things because St. Cyprian calls Cornclius brother would seem to doubt but Erasmus less squintsighted will teach him that it is in respect of his conjunction in faith not equality of person St. Ireneus is so vulgarly known that all confess it Nay even Usher who seems to have sworn to corrupt the clearest passages of antiquity yet confesseth in the business of Easter that St. Victor Pope did then pretend his supremacy over the rest of the Churches as appears in his Catologue as he calls it in the second Century So that it is no new title of the Popes even according to Usher The full sway of this great Bugbear in every age according to the enlargment of Christian bounds appears still more gloriously in the Oeconomy of the Church before in after the four Councels to St. Gregory Therefore I touch this no more every Abodary controvertist forceth them to confess it to be truth Mr. Hobbs indeed c. 17. in the end of n. 26. denieth that there is or can be a Rector of the universal Church by whose authority the whole Church may be convocated He ventures also to prove it thus because to be a rector in that sense over the Church is to be rector and lord of all Christians in the whole world which is not granted to any but God If he had been a stranger in Christian principles it had been no wonder to have misunderstood so solemn and publick a Tenet The Supreme Pastor of the Church hath an acknowledged power for preservation of the Church in integrity of faith to convocate Bishops to a general deliberation and determination of things necessary to salvation and to this end he hath coactive power in the exercise of his spititual sword and no otherwise What connexion this hath with a Dominion over the world I know not which by God himself is denied him in holy Scripture and in this his power is distinguished from temporal principality His power is spiritual his weapons are spiritual the objects to which he tends are spiritual in this confinement he commands without prejudice to temporal rights wherein Princes are simply supreme and onely have the coactive sword of justice independently in respect of him and this onely is dominion He thinks this too much and therefore will not acknowledge that there is any subordination in Christianity out of each city or county but every city is supreme to it self in Spiritual and Ecclesastical matters and therefore no Prince or city or particular Church can be excommunicated or interdicted Supposing the antecedent the consequence would without much difficulty be proved for if the Prince is supreme in all things he cannot be excommunicated which is an act of superiority neither the common-wealth by it self for it were to dissolve it self into no city if it should deprive it self of mutual commerce which he acknowledgeth to be an effect of excommunication But he leapes over the proof of the Antecedent which had been indeed worth his doing by Topicks fit for him taken out of Scripture antiquity or reason subordinate to these principles At least he should have shewed an inconsistency of the publick welfare of a common-wealth with the spiritual subordination of particular Churches to a supreame seated out of the temporal confines Surely if there were not a most ordinate subordination all religion would turn to a Hidraes confusion which were to destroy Christs acquired spiritual kingdom on earth and is evidenlty against the light of reason and one main article of the Creed which he accepteth of communion of Saints The excellency of Christs kingdom is that though universal yet it troubleth not but much conserveth each kingdom in their particular Oeconomy though much different betwixt themselves St. Augustine in his city of God Orostus in his History and many others against the Gentiles demonstratively shew the benefits all places receive by this spiritual subjection to Christian principles Amongst which this was alwayes judged one of the most capital as St. Denise St. Ignatius and the rest shew of this Hierarchy instituted by God He would tell us not perswade us c. 17. n. 22. that all power which anciently the Church of Rome exercised over particular Churches or Cities was derived from the Soveraignty of the Emperors and was shaken off when their Empire was abdicated and in pursuit of this he saith that the Roman Church was indeed very large anciently but always confined within the limits of the Empire How false this is no man can be ignorant that hath perused antiquity Prosper assures us that Rome is made greater by the faith of Christ then by the civil Empire and so the rest of the Fathers but especially he de vacatione Gentium l. 2. c. 16. Roma per Apostolici Sacerdotij Principatum amplior facta est arce religionis quam solen Potestatis St. Ireneus indeed tells us that the reason why Rome was chosen for the head was because it had been the head of the Empire but none will say that it was confined by it or measured her spiritual territories by it Who knows not that even in the Apostles time and ever since vast Empires were reduced to this spiritual Empire of Rome which never had to do with the Romane Empire Our own countries ever acknowledged subjection to the Church of Rome under this title Scotland also and Ireland were most oxthodoxly subject to the mitre though not to the Scepter This is onely by the by to Mr. Hobbs But besides this the Patriarchal right which he hath over this our nation cannot be deposited by them for by the same causes authority should be destroyed by which it was set up as the Jurists agree seeing therefore that the Bishop of Rome hath had his Patriarchal power granted unto him by general Councels to wit by those four first which St. Gregory received as four Gospels and especially here by the Parlimentary lawes are esteemed sacred it followeth manifestly that by less power then a general Councel it cannot be abolished for our Britany is one of the seven provinces of the western Church which are the ancient bounds of the Roman Patriarchate as all know In times past I grant that the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury was called Patriarch by Pope Urbane the second with Anselme and Malmes and the Glosse c. Clero d. 21. as also the Bishop of Algar in the districts of Venice but this was for honors sake not for exemption as the thing it self speaketh and the