Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	peter_n	successor_n	2,942	5	9.2143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04285	Triplici nodo, triplex cuneus. Or An apologie for the Oath of allegiance against the two breues of Pope Paulus Quintus, and the late letter of Cardinal Bellarmine to G. Blackvvel the Arch-priest. Authoritate regiâ.	James I, King of England, 1566-1625.; Paul V, Pope, 1552-1621.; Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.	1607 (1607)	STC 14400; ESTC S121305	37,662	98

is alleaged was neuer before heard nor read of in the Christian Church and therefore I would haue wished the Pope before hee had set downe this Commaundement to all Papists here That since in him is the Power by the infallibility of his spirit to make new Articles of Faith when euer it shall please him That he had first set it down for an article of faith before he had commanded all Catholikes to beleeue and obey it I will then conclude the Answere to this point in a Dilemma Either it is lawfull to obey the Soueraigne Question in Temporall things or not If it be lawfull as I neuer heard nor read it doubted of Then why is he so vniust and so cruell towards his owne Catholikes as to Commaund them to disobey their Soueraignes lawfull Commandement If it be vnlawfull Why hath he neither expressed or any other that either would professe or any wayes tollerate the professors of our Religion contrary to his manifold vowes and protestations simul eodem tempore and as it were deliuered vno eodem spiritu to diuers of his Maiesties ministers abroad professing such kindnesse and shewing such forwardnesse to aduance him to this Crowne Nay the most part of Catholikes here finding this Breue when it came to their hands to be so farre against Diuinitie Policy or naturall sense were firmely perswaded that it was but a counterfeit Libel deuised in hatred The Catholikes opinion of the Breue of the Pope Or at the farthest a thing hastily done vpon wrong Information as was before said Of which opinion were not onely the simpler sort of Papists but euen some amongst them of best account both for learning and experience wherof the Archpriest himselfe was one But for soluing of this obiection the Pope himselfe hath taken new paines by sending forth a second Breue only for giuing faith and confirmation to the former That whereas before his sinne might haue bene thought to haue proceeded from rashnesse and mis-information he will now wilfully and willingly double the same whereof the Copie followeth TO OVR BELOued sonnes the English Catholikes Paulus P. P. V tus BEloued Sonnes Salutation and The second Breue Apostolicall Benediction It is reported vnto vs that there are found certayne men amongst you who when as wee haue sufficiently declared by our Letters dated the last yeere on the tenth of the Calends of October in the forme of a Breue that ye cannot with safe Conscience take the Oath which was then required of you And when as wee haue further straightly required you that by no meanes yee should take it yet there are some I say among you which dare now affirme That such Letters THE ANSWERE TO the second Breue NOw for this Breue I may iustly reflect his owne phrase vpon him in tearming it to be the craft of the Deuil For if the deuill had studied a thousand yeeres for to find out a mischiefe for our Catholikes here hee hath found it in this That now when many Catholikes haue taken their Oath and some Priests also yea the Arch-priest himselfe without compunction or sticking they shall not now onely bee bound to refuse the profession of their naturall Allegiance to their Soueraigne which might yet haue bin some way coloured vpon diuers scruples conceiued vpon the words of the Oath but they must now renounce and forsweare their profession of obedience already sworne and so must as it were at the third Instance forsweare A double Oath of every Subject their two former Oaths first closely sworne by their birth in their naturall Allegiance and next clearely confirmed by this Oath which doeth nothing but expresse the same So as no man can now hold the faith or procure the Saluation of his soule in England that must not abiure and renounce his borne and sworne Allegiance to his naturall Soueraigne And yet it is not sufficient to ratifie the last yeeres Breue by a new one come forth this yeere But that not onely euery yeere but euery moneth may produce a new Monster The great and famous writer of the Controuersies The late Vn-Iesuited Cardinall Bellarmine must adde his talent to this good worke by blowing the Bellowes of Sedition and sharpening the Spurre to Rebellion by sending such a Letter of his to the Arch-priest here as it is a wonder how Passion and an Ambitious desire of mainteining that Monarchy should charme the wits of so famously learned a man The Copie whereof here followeth TO THE MOST Reuerend Master GEORGE BLACKVVEL Arch-priest of the English Robert of the holy Church of Rome Cardinall BELLARMIN sendeth greeting MOst reuerend Sir and Brother in Christ It is almost fourtie yeeres since we did see one the other But yet I haue neuer beene vnmindfull of our ancient acquaintance neither haue I ceased seeing I could doe you no other good to commend your labouring most painefully in the Lordes vineyard in my prayers to God And I doubt not but that I haue liued all this while in your memorie and haue had some place in your prayers at the Lords Altar So therefore euen vnto this time wee haue abidden as S. Iohn speaketh in the mutuall loue one of the other not by worde or letter but by labour and trueth But a late message which was brought vnto vs within a few dayes of your bonds and imprisonment hath inforced mee to breake off this silence which message although it seemed heauie in regard of the losse of your pastorall function which you haue exercised in that Church yet withall it seemed ioyous because you drew neere vnto the glory of Martyrdome then the which thing there is no gift of God more happie That you who haue fed your Flocke so many yeeres with the worde and doctrine should now feed it more gloriously by the example of your patience But another heauy tidings did not a litle disquiet and almost take away this ioy which immediatly followed of the aduersaries assault and peraduenture of the slip and fall of your Constancie in refusing an vnlawfull Oath Neither truely most deare brother could that oath therefore be lawfull because it was offered in sort tempered and modified for you knowe that those kinde of modifications are nothing els but sleights and subtilties of Satan that the Catholique faith touching the Primacie of the Sea Apostolike might either secretly or openly be shot at for the which faith so many worthy Martyrs euen in that very England it selfe haue resi sted vnto blood For most certaine it is that in whatsoeuer words the Oath is conceiued by the aduersaries of the faith in that Kingdome it tends to this end that the Authoritie of the head of the Church in England may bee transferred from the successour of S. Peter to the Successour of K. Henry the eight For that which is pretended of the danger of the Kings life if the high Priest should haue the same power in England which he hath in all other

Christian Kingdomes it is altogether idle as all that haue any vnderstanding may easily perceiue For it was neuer heard of from the Churches infancie vntill this day that euer any Pope did command that any Prince though an Heretike though an Ethnike though a Persecuter should be murdered or did approue of the fact when it was done by any other And why I pray you doeth onely the King of England feare that which none of all other the Princes in Christendome either doeth feare or euer did feare But as I sayd these vaine pretexts are but the Trappes and Stratagemes of Sathan Of which kind I could produce not a few out of ancient Stories if I went about to write a booke and not an Epistle One only for example sake I will call to your memory S. Gregorius Nazianzenus in his first Oration against Iulian the Emperour reporteth That he the more easily to beguile the simple Christians did insert the Images of the false gods into the pictures of the Emperor which the Romanes did vse to bow downe vnto with a ciuill kind of reuerence so that no man could doe reuerence to the Emperours picture but withall he must adore the Images of the false gods Whereupon it came to passe that many were deceiued And if there were any that found out the Emperours craft and refused to worship his picture those were most grieuously punished as men that had contemned the Emperour in his Image Some such like thing me thinkes I see in the Oath that is offered to you which is so craftily composed that no man can detest Treason against the King and make profession of his Ciuill subiection but he must be constrayned perfidiously to denie the Primacie of the Apostolike Sea But the seruants of Christ and especially the chiefe Priests of the Lord ought to be so farre from taking an vnlawfull Oath where they may indamage their Faith that they ought to beware that ry the Great hath written in his 42. Epistle of his 11. booke Let not the Reuerence due to the Apostolique Sea bee troubled by any mans presumption for then the state of the members doeth remaine entire when the head of the faith is not bruised by any iniurie Therefore by S. Gregories testimonie when they are busie about disturbing or diminishing or taking away of the Primacie of the Apostolique Sea then are they busie about cutting off the very head of the faith and dissoluing of the state of the whole body and of all the members Which selfe same thing S. Leo doeth confirme in his third Sermon of his Assumption to the Pope-dome when he saith Our Lord had a speciall care of Peter and prayed properly for Peters faith as though the state of others were more stable when their Princes minde was not to be ouercome Whereupon himselfe in his Epistle to the Bishop of Vienna doth not doubt to affirme That he is not partaker of the Diuine Mysterie that dare depart from the soliditie of Peter who also saith That hee who thinketh the Primacie to bee denied to that Sea hee can in no sort lessen the Authoritie of it but by being puft vp with the spirit of pride doeth cast himselfe headlong into hell These and many other of this kinde I am very sure are most familiar to you who besides many other bookes haue diligently read ouer the visible Monarchie of your owne Saunders a most diligent writer and one who hath worthily deserued of the Church of England Neither can you be ignorant that most holy and learned men Iohn Bishop of Rochester and Thomas More within our memorie for this one most weightie head of doctrine ledde the way to Martyrdome to many others to the exceeding glory of the English Nation But I would put you in remembrance that you should take heart and considering the weightinesse of the cause not to trust too much to your owne iudgement neither be wise aboue that is meete to bee wise And if peraduenture your fall haue proceeded not vpon want of consideration but through humane infirmitie and for feare of punishment and imprisonment yet doe not preferre a temporall libertie to the libertie of the glory of the Sonnes of God neither for escaping a light and momentanie tribulation loose an eternall waight world to wonder with me at the committing of so grosse an Errour by so learned a man as that hee should haue pained himselfe to haue set downe so elaborate a Letter for the refutation of a quite mistaken Question For it appeareth that our English Fugitiues of whose inward societie with him he so greatly vaunteth haue so fast hammered in his head the Oath of Supremacie which hath euer bene so great a Scarre vnto them as hee thinking by his Letter to haue refuted the last Oath hath in place thereof onely payd the Oath of Supremacie which was most in his head As a man that being earnestly caried in his thoughts vpon another matter then hee is presently in doing will often name the matter or person hee is thinking of in place of the other thing hee hath at that time in hand For as the Oath of Supremacy was deuised for putting a difference betweene Papists and them of our profession So was this Oath which hee would seeme to impugne The difference betweene the Oath of Supremacie and this of Allegiance ordained for making a difference betweene the Ciuilly obedient Papists and the peruerse Disciples of the Powder-Treason Yet doth all his Letter runne vpon an Inuectiue against the compulsion of Catholikes to denie the authoritie of Saint Peters successors and in place thereof to acknowledge the successors of King Henry the eight For in King Henry the eights time was the Oath of Supremacie first made By him were Thomas Moore and Roffensis put to death partly for refusing of it From his time till now haue all our Princes professing this Religion successiuely in effect mainteined the same And in that Oath only is conteined the Kings absolute power to bee Iudge ouer all persons aswell Ciuill as Ecclesiasticall excluding all forreigne Powers and Potentates to be Iudges within his Dominions Whereas this last made Oath containeth no such matter onely medling with the Ciuill Obedience of Subiects to their Soueraigne in meere Temporall causes And that it may the better appeare that whereas by name hee seemeth to condemne the last Oath yet indeede his whole letter runneth vpon nothing but vpon the some other authority of the Church and Sea of Rome yet by other meanes with others helpe he may depose our King That the Pope may dispose of his Maiesties Kingdomes and Dominions That the Pope may giue authoritie to some Forrein Prince to inuade his Maiesties Dominions That the Pope may discharge his Subiects of their Allegiance and Obedience to his Maiestie That the Pope may giue Licence to one or more of his Maiesties Subiects to beare Armes against his Maiestie That the Pope may giue leaue to the King his Subiects to offer violence

put any of his Subiects to a needlesse extremitie might haue bene contented in some sort to haue reformed or interpreted those wordes With his owne Catholikes Either if his Maiestie had so done they had bene thereby fully eased in that businesse Or at least if his Maiestie would not haue condescended to haue altered any thing in the said Oath yet would thereby some appearance or shadow of excuse haue bene left vnto them for refusing the same not as seeming thereby to swarue from their Obedience and Allegiance vnto his Maiestie but onely being stayed from taking the same vpon the scrupulous tendernesse of their Consciences in regard of those particular words which the Pope had noted and condemned therein And now let vs heare the wordes of his Thunder POPE PAVLVS the fifth to the English Catholikes WElbeloued sonnes Salutation The Pope his first Breue and Apostolicall Benediction The tribulations and calamities which ye haue continually susteined for the keeping of the Catholike Faith haue alwayes afflicted vs with great griefe of minde But for as much as we vnderstand that at this time all things are more grieuous our affliction hereby is wonderfully increased For we haue heard how you are compelled by most grieuous punishments set before you to goe to the Churches of Heretikes to frequent their Assemblies to be present at their Sermons Truely wee doe vndoubtedly beleeue that they which with so great constancie and fortitude haue hither to indured almost infinite and most cruel persecutions that they may walke without spot in the Law of the Lord will neuer suffer themselues to bee defiled with the communion of those that haue forsaken the diuine Law Yet notwithstanding being compelled by the zeale of our Pastorall Office and by our Fatherly care which we doe continually take for the saluation of your soules we are inforced to admonish and desire you that by no meanes you come vnto the Churches of the Heretikes or heare their Sermons or communicate with them in their Rites lest you incurre the wrath of God For these things may yee not doe without indamaging the worship of God and your owne saluation As likewise you cannot without most euident and grieuous wronging of Gods Honour binde your selues by the Oath which in like maner we haue heard with very great griefe of our heart is administred vnto you of the tenor vnder written viz. I A. B. doe truely and sincerely acknowledge The Oath professe testifie and declare in my conscience before God and the world That our Soueraigne Lord King IAMES is lawfull King of this Realme and of all other his Maiesties Dominions and Countreys And that the Pope neither of himselfe nor by any authoritie of the Church or Sea of Rome or by any other meanes with any other hath any power or authoritie to depose the King or to dispose any of his Maiesties Kingdomes or Dominions or to authorize any forraigne Prince to inuade or annoy him or his Countreys or to discharge any of his Subiects of their Allegiance and obedience to his Maiestie or to giue Licence or leaue to any of them to beare Armes raise tumults or to offer any violence or hurt to his Maiesties Royall person State or Gouernement or to any of his Maiesties Subiects within his Maiesties Dominions Also I doe sweare from my heart that notwithstanding any declaration or sentence of Excommunication or depriuation made or granted or to be made or granted by the Pope or his successors or by any Authoritie deriued or pretended to be deriued from him or his Sea against the said King his Heires or Successors or any Absolution of the said subiects from their Obedience I wil beare faith and true Allegiance to his Maiestie his Heires and Successors and him and them will defend to the vttermost of my power against all Conspiracies and Attempts whatsoeuer which shal be made against his or their Persons their Crowne and dignitie by reason or colour of any such Sentence or declaration or otherwise and will doe my best endeuour to disclose and make knowen vnto his Maiestie his Heires and Successors all Treasons and traiterous Conspiracies which I shall know or heare of to be against him or any of them And I doe further sweare That I doe from my heart abhorre detest and abiure as impious and Hereticall this damnable doctrine and Position That Princes which be Excommunicated or depriued by the Pope may be deposed or murthered by their Subiects or any other whatsoeuer And I doe beleeue and in conscience am resolued that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoeuer hath power to absolue me of this Oath or any part thereof which I acknowledge by good and full Authoritie to be lawfully ministred vnto me and doe renounce all pardons and dispensations to the contrary And all these things I doe plainely and sincerely acknowledge and sweare according to these expresse wordes by me spoken and according to the plaine and common sense and vnderstanding of the same words without any Aequiuocation or mentall euasion or secret reseruation whatsoeuer And I doe make this Recognition and acknowledgement heartily willingly and truely vpon the true Faith of a Christian So helpe me GOD. Which things since they are thus it must euidently appeare vnto you by the words themselues That such an Oath cannot be taken without hurting of the Catholique Faith and the Saluation of your Soules seeing it conteines many things which are flat contrary to Faith and Saluation Wherefore wee doe admonish you that you doe vtterly abstaine from taking this and the like Oathes which thing we doe the more earnestly require of you because we haue experience of the Constancie of your Faith which is tried like Gold in the fire of perpetuall Tribulation We doe well knowe that you will cheerefully vnder-goe all kinde of cruell Torments whatsoeuer yea and constantly endure death it selfe rather then you wil any thing offend the Maiestie of God And this our Confidence is confirmed by those things which are dayly reported vnto vs of the singular vertue valour and fortitude which in these last times doeth no lesse shine in your Martyrs then it did in the first beginnings of the Church Stand therefore your Loynes being girt about with Veritie and hauing on the Brest-plate of Righteousnesse taking the Shielde of Faith be ye strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And let nothing hinder you He which will crowne you and doeth in Heauen beholde your Conflicts will finish the good worke which he hath begun in you You knowe how he hath promised his Disciples that hee will neuer leaue them Orphanes for hee is faithfull which hath promised Hold fast therefore his correction that is being rooted and grounded in Charitie Whatsoeuer ye doe whatsoeuer ye indeuour doe it with one accord in simplicity of Heart in meekenesse of Spirit without murmuring or doubting For by this doe all men knowe that we are the Disciples of Christ if we haue Loue

So his Saint Leo lift vp Saint Peter with praises to the Skie that he being his d For so he calleth himselfe in sermo 1. in die ●ssum heire might haue gone vp with him For his Saint Leo was a great Orator who by the power of his Eloquence redeemed Rome from fire when both e Exbreniario Romano Attilas and Gensericus would haue burnt it Some fruits of this Rhetorick he bestowed vpon Saint Peter saying The Lord f Epist 89. did take Peter into the fellowship of the indiuisible vnitie which words being coupled to the sentence alleadged by the Cardinall That hee hath no part in the diuine Mystery that dare depart from the solidity of Peter should haue giuen him I thinke such a Sare as he should neuer haue dared to haue taken any aduantage by the words immediatly preceding for the benefit of the church of Rome and the head thereof since those which immediatly follow are so much derogatory to the diuine Maiestie And againe My g Epist 52. writings bee strengthned by the merit and Authority of my Lord most blessed Saint Peter We h Epist 89. beseech you to keepe the things decreed by vs thorough the inspiration of God and the Apostle most blessed Saint Peter If i In ser 2. in die an●●●er as●um suae any thing be well done or decreed of vs If any thing be obtained of Gods mercy by dayly prayers it is to be ascribed to Saint Peters works and merits whose power doth liue and Authority excell in his owne Sea He k Ser. 3. in die ann● assump su● was so plentifully watered of the fountaine of all Graces that whereas hee receiued many things alone yet nothing passeth ouer to any man but by him And in a word he was so desirous to extoll Saint Peter That a message from him was an c Epist 24. Embassage from S. Peter Any thing done in his presence was in Saint Peters d Epist 4. presence Neither did he vse all this Rhetorick without purpose for at that time the Patriarke of Constantinople contended with him for Primacy And in the Councell of e Concil Calc●d Act. 16. c. ● 28 Calcedon the Bishops sixe hundred and more gaue equall Authority to the Patriark of that Sea and would not admit any priuiledge to the Sea of Rome aboue him but went against him And yet hee that gaue so much to Peter tooke nothing from Caesar but gaue him both his Titles and due giuing the power of calling a Councell to the Emperour as it may appeare by these one or two places following of many If it may please your f Epi. 9. Theodo sio Godlines to vouchsafe at our Supplication to condescend that you will command a Councell to be holden within Italy And writing vnto the Bishop of Constantinople Because the most Clement g Epist 16. Flauiano Emperour carefull of the peace of the Church will haue a Councell to be holden Albeit it euidently appeare the matter to be handled doth in no case stand in neede of a generall Councell Albeit h Epist 17. Theodosio my occasions will not permit me to be present vpon the day of the Councell which your Godlinesse hath appointed So as by this it may well appeare that he that gaue so much to Peter gaue also to Caesar his due and prerogatiue But yet he playeth not faire play in this that euen in all these his wrong applied Arguments and Examples he produceth no other witnesses but the parties themselues bringing euer the Popes Sentences for approbation of their owne Authority Now indeede for one word of his in the middest of his Examples I cannot but greatly commend him that is that Martyrs ought to indure all sorts of tortures and death before they suffer one syllable to be corrupted of the Law of God Which lesson if he and all the rest of his owne profession would applie to themselues then would not the Sacrament be administred sub vnâ specie directly contrary to Christs Institution the practise of the Apostles and of the whole Primatiue Church for many hundred yeres then would not the priuate Masses bee in place of the Lords Supper then would not the words of the a Bellar. de sacra Eucharist lib. 4. cap. 14. Canon of the Masse be opposed to the wordes of Saint Paul and Saint Luke as our Aduersary himselfe confesseth and cannot reconcile them nor then would not so many hundreths other Traditions of men be set vp in their Church not only as equall but euen preferred to the word of God But sure in this point I feare I haue mistaken him for I thinke he doth not meane by his Diuina dogmata the word of the God of heauen but onely the Canons and Lawes of his Dominus Deus Papa otherwise all his Primacy of the Apostolike Sea would not bee so much sticken vpon hauing so slender ground in the word of God And for the great feare he hath that the suddainty of the Apprehension the bitternesse of the Persecution the weakenesse of his Age and other such infirmities might haue bene the cause of the Arch-priests fal in this I haue already sufficiently answered him hauing declared as the trueth is and as the said Blackwell himselfe will yet testifie That hee tooke this Oath freely of himselfe without any inducement thereunto either Precibus or Minis But amongst all his citations he must not Some of Sanders his worthy sayings remembred forget holy Sanderus and his Visibilis Monarchia whose person and actions I did already a little touch And surely who will with vnpartiall eyes reade his Bookes they may well thinke that he hath deserued well of his English Roman-Church But they can neuer thinke but that he deserued very ill of his English Soueraigne and State Witnesse his owne bookes whereout I haue made choice to set downe heere these fewe Sentences following as flowers pickt out of so worthy a Garland a Sand. de visib monar lib. 6. cap. 4. ELIZABETH Queene of England doeth exercise the Priestly acte of teaching and preaching the Gospell in England with no lesse authority then CHRIST himselfe or MOSES euer did The Supremacie of a b Sand de cla Dauid lib. 6. cap. 1. woman in Church matters is from no other then from the Deuill And of all Kings in generall thus hee speaketh The c Sand. de visib Monar lib. 2. cap. 4. King that will not inthrall himselfe to the Popes authority he ought not to be tollerated but his Subiects ought to giue all diligence that another may be chosen in his place assoone as may be A King that is an d Ibidem Heretike ought to be remoued from the Kingdome that he holdeth amongst Christians and the Bishops ought to endeuour to set vp another assoone as possibly they can We doe constantly e Ibidem affirme that all Christian Kings are so farre vnder Bishops and Priests