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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	author_n	bishop_n	write_v	1,649	5	5.6678	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96402	Historical reflections on the Bishop of Rome: chiefly discovering those events of humane affaires which most advanced the papal usurpation. By John Wagstaff, M.A. O.C.	Wagstaffe, John, 1633-1677.	1660 (1660)	Wing W196; Thomason E1035_9	19,265	43

Historical Reflections ON THE BISHOP OF ROME CHIEFLY DISCOVERING Those Events of Humane Affaires which most advanced THE PAPAL VSVRPATION By JOHN WAGSTAFF M. A. O. C. OXFORD Printed by Hen Hall for Ric. Davis and are to be Sold by S. Thompson at the Bishops Head in St Pauls Church-yard 1660. The PRAEFACE THese Reflections having laine by me long enough to coole the heat of my invention upon a late review of them I was emboldn●d to this Publication And here I dare promise the Reader that he shall not meet with Crambe bis cocta or a meer garbling of other mens labours For amongst all the various Tracts written against the Pope there never came any into my hands of the same kind Now if the novelty hereof shall invite any one to a perusal perhaps he will not altogether repent his pains especially if he intend for Historical Knowledg In regard that this Treatise may serve as a Praemonstratour or Pointer out of the most remarkable revolutions in Ecclesiastique affairs and the most notable junctures of time The thing which I chiefly aime at in the ensuing discourse is to make it appeare That the Hierarchical Policy of the Roman Church was not extant in the Learned times when the old Roman Empire flourisht But was contrived in the daies of ignorance between the Bishops of Rome and the Leaders or Princes of the Barbarians Nor would the truth of this assertion be in the least manner doubted were we not almost benighted with darke ignorance in reference to preceeding ages For as on the one hand an infinite number of Books have been partly abolished partly counterfeited and Partly adulterated or corrupted So on the other hand Those Books which remaine entire are for the most part written either by unskilful or partial pens However from the very present records an unpraejudic●d man though of ordinary parts may gather That the modern Policy which fashions a great part of the world as well in Church as State did take it's beginning since the inundations of the Northerne People July the 20. 1660. POSTCRIPT I have not quoted any Authours for these Passages which are reflected on in the following Treatise When I read the Historians whence the foundation of my discourse is gathered it was not in my thoughts to make use of them this way Afterwards reflecting on the series of affairs in Christendome and framing several meditations thereupon Though I very well remembred the Historians yet I had forgot the names of many Historians whence I gathered it Neverthelesse I can assure the Reader that I have hardly mention'd any Historical passage which is not very obvious in one of these three Authours Blondus Baronius and Platina CHAP. I. That the Roman Bishops had no supremacy over the Primitive Christians I Have often delighted to trace out in my mind the footsteps of the papal usurpations And perhaps it will please the Reader to give him in one view the several steps or degrees by which the Roman Bishop rose unto such a heigth as to trample upon the necks not only of his fellow Bishops but also of Kings and Emperours themselves For that the Pope did not from the beginning enjoy his present great and Lordly power but arrived unto it by several gradations in a long processe of time none but those who are either wholy ignorant of History or else swayed with invincible prejudice can offer to deny It being manifest on all hands that in the Primitive times the Roman Bishops were not taken notice of as superiours to all others much lesse as sole Vicars under Christ and infallible dictatours of Divine truth Indeed you may meet in the ancient Authours with commendations given unto the faith professed by the Bishops of Rome Which is no wonder to him that considers how pious at first they were in their lives how glorious in their deaths bearing witnesse to the Truth under Persecution Besides when the whole Christian world was under one Empire and Rome the Metropolis or Emperial City It was but rational that the new and rising sect of the Christians should bestow the notabl'st men of their party in that place Hence it came to passe that the Fathers dwelling in the Provinces when they contested with Hereticks did often commend the Roman Faith as it were upbraiding their Antagonists with a departure from those who resided in the Metropolis of the Empire where usually Learning and Religion doe most flourish And to speak the truth That advantage which the Roman Bishops had by dwelling in the Emperial City was the chiefe temptation at first inducing them to affect a supremacy For that the dignity and grandeur of a City or place of residence was wont to put spirits into the Bishops residing therein Rome is not the onely example So did Alexandria puffe up her Bishops So did Jerusalem Hers. So especially did Constantinople make John the Constantinopolitan swell with ambition and pride affecting the title of Oecumenical Bishop Nay which you 'l more wonder at even so did Ravenna when proud with Exarchs animate her Bishop also in contending with the Roman for superiority Which contention went so far that the Church of Ravenna by reason of her separation from Rome was commonly called Allocephalis Now by how much the renowned and ancient Rome was more venerable in the eyes of men than other Cities by so much had the Roman Bishops a fairer opportunity than others to put themselves forward and usurp an unlawfull power Nor needed they to be minded of this advantage such of them as were of haughty spirits beginning betimes to make use of it amongst whom I may justly reckon Leo surnamed the Great For he and severall others did take all occasions to send pragmaticall letters up and down the world about every important businesse which happened in Christendome Neverthelesse let no one be afraid of the Roman Bishops and be ready to ascribe unto them an universall Diocesse when he finds them frequently sending stately letters to the Bishops throughout the Christian world Many of those letters recorded in the book entitled Epistolae decretales summorum Pontificum are false and counterfeit many adulterated or corrupted and many if true are so haughtily written as to argue the Authours pride but not his power For in the pimitive times the Christian Bishops did generally and not only the Roman write often to their fellow Bishops in whatsoever place they resided And this they did whether they had any power one over the other or no meerly from a Principle of love or Christian charity Which familiar epistolary entercourse with one another was in those daies laudable and allmost necessary In regard the whole Christian world was at that time under one Empire Consequently they were obliged to exhort and admonish one another upon a twofold respect Partly grounded on that interest which members of the same Commonwealth especially those of the same rank have with one another And partly grounded on that spiritual communion

of that ridiculous question which was so solemnly sent to Rome Namely Whether he that had the name and title of a King only being given to idlenesse or he that was active and exercised the office and power of a King deserved to weare the regal diademe Which in plain termes was this Whether Chilperick King of France descended from the ancient race of Kings having out of respect to his own ease entrusted the management of affairs with his servant Pipin might not be turned out of that throne which his ancestours had so long enjoyed by his own servant whom he had unadvisedly rais'd to a Capacity of doing it if he would The good Pope was not ashamed of this senselesse question nor needed he to be instructed how profitable it was to judge for the strongest At length it came to this that King Chilperick's head was shaven and his man Pipin's wore the Crown Now Pipin having made use of pontificial authority to cheat the poore Francks of their King and to invade the temporal Soveraignty did out of gratitude recompense the Pope with a spiritual jurisdiction over the Gallicane Church Nay further when Desiderius the Lombard infested Gregory the third Pipin out of a tender regard to that See which had been so friendly towards him not only by his aid delivered the Pope from feare of being besieged in Rome but gave him as the Italian writers say the Exarchate with several other territories Eighthly The Conquering arms of Charlemaign son to King Pipin who having the same reasons that his Father had to indulge the pontificial See confirmed whatsoever his Father Pipin had granted to the Pope Yet to make him the more sure Leo the third with the people of Rome elected him Roman Emperour Hence it came to passe that as far as the Conquests made by Charlemaigne did reach So farre also did Papal authority extend No otherwise than the Mahometan doctrine did enlarge it's bounds by the victorious arms of Ottoman Thus have we proceeded to the Pope's Ecclesiastique supremacy through eight severall causes Of which the six former may be accounted the more remote or procatarctique The two latter being those which put together doe integrate the principal efficient and adaequate cause For although the six procatarctiques did very much embroile the Church affairs and laid them in a tendency to Papal encroachments yet it is evident that the universal power which the Pope acquired over the Western Churches owed it's very rise and being to the notorious jugling between the Roman Bishops and the usurpers of the French Merovingean Crown Well therefore may the Kings of France be stiled the eldest sons of the Papal Church Nay rather let them be stiled fathers thereof There being no appearance in History of a generall submission unto the pontificiall See untill the dayes of the traitor Pipin and the Emperour his Son But then you may perceive as it were a bargain stroake of mutual assistance between the pontificial and the French tyrants The pontificial assistance is made use of by Pipin for the deposing his master and invading the French Crown By Charles his Sonne for the obtaining of the Western Empire They on the other side in lieu of their secular Kingdomes settle upon the Popes an Ecclesiastique Soveraignty Nor are they content to gratifie them only so but they must needs be giving them a very fair temporal demeans The tast of which did so please their palates that they have been ever since hankering to be Lords paramount over all the world in Civil as well as Ecclesiastical affairs Wherefore it behoves me next to set down the remaining causes of the Papal encroachment Whereby the Bishop of Rome was encouraged to usurp unto himselfe the rights of the Magistrate CHAP. III. How or by what Causes the Pope was not onely confirmed in his Ecclesiastical usurpation but was also encouraged to invade the rights of the Magistrate HEre I shall in the first place premise that the causes mention'd in the foregoing Chapter did not only advance the Pope's Ecclesiastique Tyrannie but also had an influence upon the making of way for his temporal usurpation Had he not first come to that heighth in the Church he could never have dreamt of a superintendency over the state Likewise the causes which now follow are to be allowed an influence upon the Popes domination spiritual by way of confirming him in his unjust acquests Although I confesse they do more neerly concerne his invading the rights of the Magistrate in regard that we have already brought him unto the highest pinnacle in the Church Ninthly The donation which Pipin made and his sonne Charles confirmed unto the Pope whereby he was possessed of a very large territory yet not as Lord in chiefe thereof but rather as a dependant on the Empire as appeares by several actions of Charlemaigne and his Sons after him which sufficiently evince that they kept the Soveraignty of those places still unto themselves however this proved such a bait of temptation to the Pope that he hath ever since had an unbridled lust after the kingdomes of this world and the glory thereof insomuch that he who pretends to be the Universal Vicar of Christ and Deputy to Him in His Kingdome seems unto me a pretty riddle Our Saviour doth absolutely Declare that His Kingdome is not of this world But I pray to what world doth that belong which is full of armed Souldiers walled Cities fortified Havens strong Gallies great Guns abundance of Ammunition and Treasures Tenthly The general decay of Learning after the dayes of Charlemaign Whence it came to passe that the East and the West were not more alienated one from the other by the distinction of different Empires than they were by the want of mutual correspondence in learned entercourses Nay it was the policy of the Popes by affronts done to the Emperours and several other waies to augment the strangenesse between the Greeks and the Latines That so the Barbarians being brought up in a prejudice against the Gracians might neglect their language and consequently be overcast with such a night of ignorance that they should not be able to see the injustice of the Papal proceedings And truly to the losse of the Greek tongue may justly be imputed the losse of all purity in the Latine and consequently of History Geography skill in Antiquity and whatsoever savour'd of polite learning Thus the whole Western Empire were quite deprived of the benefit they might have received by informing their judgments in Religion with the goodly books that were written in Greek Nay they did not so much as knowingly converse with the Latin Fathers So that it was allmost impossible for them to be acquainted with the infant purity of the Christian religion which they had taken upon trust from the Roman Bishop Whereas if they had but well studied the writings of those men whose Fathers were converted together with nay some before the Bishop of Rome it would have been