Celestine make S. Cyrill Patriark of Alexandria his Vicar in the East to iudge the cause of Nestorius and appointed him to excommunicate Nestorius if within ten daies after the receipt of the letters from the Apostolicke Sea he did not anathematize his error The authoritie of our Sea said he being added to thee and vsing with power the representation of our place thou shalt execute exactly and seuerelie this sentence to wit that if within ten 〈◊〉 tolde aster signification made to him of this admonition Nestorius 〈◊〉 not his naughtie doctrines c. thy Holynesse prouiding without delaie for that 〈◊〉 shall declare him wholy cutt of from our bodie And Prosper touching the same history Celestine to cut of the Nestorian impietie ayded Cyrill the Bishop of Alexandria most glorious defendor of the faith with the Apostolicke sword And why then when S. Cyrill had receiued the Popes admonition did he send to signifie it to Nestorius and to the Constantinopolitans in these wordes 〈◊〉 are constrained to signifie to him by Synodic all letters that if verie speedily and within the tyme sett downe by the most holy Bishop of the Roman Church Celestine he renounce not his nouelties and anathematize them by writing c. he shall no more haue anie parte amongst the ministers of God And for what cause when Pope 〈◊〉 was come in the age following to Constantinople did the Religious men of Syria pray him to doe the same to Anthimus Archbishop of 〈◊〉 We pray you said they to doe to Anthimus as Celestine did to Nestorius assigning him a 〈◊〉 as Celestine did to Nestorius And why then when the Councell of Ephesus proceeded to the condemnation of Nestorius did they couch it in these termes Constrained necessarily by the 〈◊〉 of the Canons and by the letters of our most holie Father and fellowe minister 〈◊〉 we are come not without manie teares to pronounce this sad sentence against him And why then when the Legates of the Pope were arriued to the same Councell of Ephesus did they thanke the Bishops of the Councell for hauing shewed themselues true and holy members of the Pope We giue thankes said they to this reuerent Synod that the letters of our most holie and hlessed Pope hauing bene recited to you you haue by your holie and religious voyces shewed your-selues holie members to your holie head for your 〈◊〉 is not ignorant that saint Peter was the head of all the faith and of all the Apostles And againe none doubtes for it hath bene notorious in all ages that the holy and most blessed Peter Prince and head of the Apostles pillar of the faith foundation of the Catholicke Church did receiue from our Lord IESVS CHRIST the 〈◊〉 of the heauenly Kingdome and the power to binde and loose sinnes and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and decides causes yet vnto this daie and for all eternitie by his Successors of 〈◊〉 then the holy Successor and ordinarie Vicar and most blessed Pope and Bishop Celestine hath sent vs for him as his Lieutenant to this holie 〈◊〉 And why then when there was a question to passe from the cause of Nestorius to that of Iohn Patriark of Antioch did IVVENALL Bishop of 〈◊〉 say in presence of the whole Councell that the ancient custome and the Apostolicke tradition haue bene that the Church of 〈◊〉 was to be iudged by the Roman It is fitt said hee that the Right 〈◊〉 Bishop of Antioch Iohn honoring this great holy and 〈◊〉 all Councell should haue recourse hither to iustifie himselfe of what is obiected against him and that he should obey and honor the Apostolicke Throne of great Rome sittinge with vs and with the Apostolicke Throne of Ierusalem before which principallie it is accustomed by Apostolicke tradition and practice that the Seate of Antioch is to be ruled and iudged For that we must referr the laste clause of the period of IVVENALL to the Sea of Rome as 〈◊〉 hath done deceauing himselfe with this that the word to obey gouernes the datiue and not considering that the verbe to honor which is there added changeth the Rule it shall be shewed heereafter by seauē necessarie and vndoubted proofes And why then when the Councell proceeded indeede to the cause of IOHN Patriark of Antioch did they reserue the decision to the Pope Being moued writes the Councell to the Pope with the indignitie of the thing we would pronounce against him and the rest the same sentence that he had vnlawfullie pronounced against those which were conuinced of noe crime but to the end to conquerr his rashnesse with meekenesse although he had most iustlie deserued to suffer such a sentence yet we haue reserued him to the iudgement of thy pietie Which afterward the third oecumenicall Councell of Constantinople did imitate in the cause of Macarius Patriark of Antioch as the Emperor Constantine Pogonat reportes in these wordes Macarius Bishop of Antioch and his adherents haue bene deposed by the consent of the whole Councell and remitted to the discretion of the most holie Pope And why then when HILARIE Bishop of Arles vndertooke to ordaine Prelates in the prouince of Vienna without the Popes leaue did the Emperor Valentinian the third make a lawe which afterward the Emperor Theodosius the second inserted into his new constitutions vnder the title of the lawe of Theodosius and Valentinian by which he forbadd that anie inuocatiō should be made in the Church without the Popes licēce Whereas saith the lawe the merit of Peter who is the Prince of the Episcopall societie and the dignitie of the cittie of Rome and the authoritie of the sacred Synod haue soe establisht the primacie of the Apostolicke Sea as presumption should attempt nothing vnlawfull against the authoritie thereof for soe the peace of Churches shall be maintained by all if the vniuersalitie acknowledge her Rector And a little after Wee decree by a perpetuall ordinance that it shall not be lawfull either for the Bishops of the Gaules or those of other prouinces to attempt anie thing against the ancient custome without the authoritie of the Reuerend Pope of the eternall cittie but to them and to all those things shall be lawes which haue bene ordained or shall be ordained by the authoritie of the Apostolicke Sea in such sort as whatsoeuer Bishop being called to the iudgement of the Pope of Rome shall neglect to present himselfe he shall be constrained by the Gouernor of the prouince to appeare For to obiect that Prosper for all this attempt did call HILARIE Bishop of Arles a Saint it had bene somewhat if betweene HILARIES attempt and his death there had bene noe penance interposed but soe farr was HILARIE from persisting in this crime to the end of his daies that he went himselfe to make personall satisfaction to the Pope He vndertooke saith the author of his life reported by Cuias a iourney to ` Rome on foote and entred into the
causes of Bishops could not be determined till first the decision had bene made at Rome And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Sacerdot all lawe required that those things which were constituted without the Bishop of Romes sentence should be annulled Neuerthelesse for as much as Caluin obiectes that if this cause had belonged to the Popes Ordinary iurisdictiō he ought not to haue iudged it by the Emperors commission it is necessarie to cleere it To this obiection then before wee 〈◊〉 the matter to the bottom wee will answere in forme of a prologue fiue thinges first that it was not a commission except in regard of the three Assessors of the Gaules that the Emperor named to content the importunitie of the Donatists to the end that they might serue for 〈◊〉 warrants of the sinceritie of the proceedings of the Councell of Rome but a remittmēt as it appeares both by the Emperors confessiō who avowed that it belōged not to him to examin this cause by the electiō that the Pope made of fifteene other Bishops that he tooke for his assistāts besides those that the Emperor had nominated And therefore although S. AVG. in regard of the Donatists intētiō sometimes calls this remittmēta delegation neuerthelesse hee sheweth sufficientlie that it was rather a relegation then a delegation when he notes that the reason wherefore the Emperor did it was for as much as he durst not iudge the cause of a Bishop Your Superiors said he to the Donatists first brought the cause of Cecilianus to the Emperor Constantine And a little after But because 〈◊〉 durst not iudge the cause of a Bishop hee delegated the examination and 〈◊〉 thereof to Bishops I add that hee vsed this language by Synecdoche and referringe the word delegation to the Iudges of the Gaules onelie that were deputed to assist at the Councell of Rome and not to all the Councell of Rome as hee witnesseth elsewhere by these wordes The Emperor gaue to the Donatists the Iudges that themselues had demaunded that is to 〈◊〉 the Iudges of the Gaules And againe Donatus was heard at Rome by the Iudges that himself had demaunded For of the ninteene Bishops of the Councell of Rome there were but three of the qualitie of those that Donatus had demaunded Donatus had demaunded but three but saint AUSTIN extendes this clause by Synecdoche to all the Coūcell for as much as the three Iudges demaunded by Donatus had iudged in Common with all the Councell and were found soe conformable to the rest as the iudgement of the Councell which passed all with one voice and without anie diuersitie of opinions and theirs was one selfe same thing The second answere is that Constantine did not interpose his authoritie in this affaire as Maister by himself of the cause but as an Arbiter sought by the Donatists and assuringe himself as a Catholicke that he should be avowed by the Catholicks This Matter saith saint AVGVSTIN belonged greatly to the Emperors care whereof he ought to giue an accompt to God for the Donatists had made him arbiter and iudge of the cause of the tradition and of the Schisme From whence it appeares that the Emperors interposition in this cause was a matter of fact and not of right and whose example cannot be alleadged for a paterne of the ancient discipline of the Church The third that it was not a controuersie questioned amongst the Catholicks and according to the ordinarie lawes of the Church but a Sute commenced by the heretickes against the Catholicks and by waies extraordinarie to all the lawes and formes of the Church For the Donatists had alreadie broken the bond of vnitie and shaken off the yoake of the Churches authoritie They were saith saint AVGVSTIN alreadie culpable of the Schisme and alreadie stained with the horrible crime of the 〈◊〉 of Altar against Altar By meanes whereof there being noe iudge common betweene them and the Catholicks in the Church there remained nothing for them to doe but to haue recourse to the Arbitrements of the secular powers whose examples could noe more be drawne into consequence against the ordininarie authoritie of the Christian Church then the iudgment that Ptolomeus Philometor king of Egipt gaue betweene the Iewes and the Samaritans could forme a president against the ordinarie authoritie of the high priest and of the Sacerdotall colledge of the Iewish Church The fowrth that the cause questioned in this processe was not a cause of right and that should be proued by ecclesiasticall meanes such as the testimonies of Scripture or the traditions of the Apostles or the Custome of the Church or the sentences of the Fathers but a question of fact and whereof the hypothesis was mingled with accessories that belonged not to the causes of the Church and could not be examined by ecclesiasticall meanes onelie but must be iustified by human and secular meanes as the confronting of witnesses the acts of Notaries yea Pagan and heathen ones the Recordes of Clerkes and euen the applications of questions and corporall tortures For the accusation of the Donatists was principallie grounded vpon the framing of a false letter that they had forged against Felix Bishop of Aptunge for the examination whereof there must be a secular and proconsulary iudgement interposed betweene the ecclesiasticall iudgements that is to saie betweene the Councell of Rome and that of Arles to conuince the forgers of the falshood by the application of rackes and tortures Wee haue vndertaken saith saint AVSTIN the defence of the cause of Cecilianus although it belong not to the cause of the Churche that we may make their calumnies appeare euen in that And againe speaking of the torture which was offered to the scriuener Ingentius or Uigentius to make him confesse whether he had falsified the letter of the Aedile Alfius Cecilianus to Felix Bishop of Aptunge The Proconsull said hee amongst the fearefull cries of the vshers and the bloudy hands of the hangmen would not haue condemned a Colleague of his being absent And the fifth that all the actes that the Donatists extorted from the Emperor in this 〈◊〉 hee protested them to be soe manie irregularities and nullities and so manie vnlawfull enterprises vniust and extraordinarie wherein he suffered himself to be constrained against his will to giue waie to the passion and malice of the Donatists and in yeilding to them to assaie to reduce them to the peace and vnitie of the Church and he was soe 〈◊〉 from desiring to haue the example thereof serue for a lawe to the Bishops as contrarywise he promised to aske the Bishops pardon the historie is this The Donatists hauing accused Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage of treason or communication with traytors that is to saie with those that had deliuered the holie Bookes and the sacred Vessells to be put into the fier in the persecution tyme yea euen to haue bene ordained by a traytor soe did they intitle Felix
carnally that Peter that should tell them knew them 〈◊〉 FOR that in the sixth of S. IOHN S. PETER answeres in common for all the Apostles Wee beleeue and knowe thou art Christ the Sonn of the liuing God besides that the Latine editions haue not the word liuing Wee saie it was a later thing for as much as when sainct PETER answered Wee beleeue and know that thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God hee had bene alreadie constituted head and Prince of the other Apostles and in this qualitie he answered alone for all the rest as sainct CYRILL testifies in these wordes By one that presided or that was preeminent all answered and had alreadie receiued the promisses of our Lord that vpon him he would build his Church As S. CYPRIAN declares in these wordes Peter speakes heere vpon whom the Church had bene built And therefore as the Apostles had part in the primacie of this confession only by adherence and non-repugnancie so our Lord gaue them part in the authotitie he had giuen to S Peter by adherence and communication with S. PETER that is to saie vnder condition of cōmunicating and adhearing and remayning in vnitie with saint PETER And yet this part that he promised and gaue them in the rule and ministrie of the Church was afterward to witt as in right in the eighteenth of saint MATHEW What yee bind on earth shall be bound in heauen And as the installment into the possession in the twentith of saint IOHN Receiue the holie Ghost whose sinns yee forgiue shall be forgiuen to the end to shewthat to sainct PETER ōly the cōditiō of being a Rock that is to sa rule and foundation of the building of the Church had bene principallie and originally giuen and that afterwards it was extended to the other Apostles it was by aggregation and association and by communicating and adhering with him and as hauing relation and correspondence to him as to the Center and middle forme of the veritie of the Church For as God gaue first his spiritt to Moyses and after tooke of the Spiritt that he had giuen to Moyses and gaue thereof to the seauen tie two Elders not that God tooke awaie from Moyses anie portion of the spiritt that he had giuen him not that the spirit of God was diuisible but to the end to establish and shew a relation of vnitie dependencie and adherencie of the seauentie two Elders to Moyses Soe in some sort for I compare not the two histories wholie our Lord gaue first the whole authoritie of the ministrie and the Chaire Apostolicke to saint PETER alone I intend as in right and not in actuall possession which he receaued not till after the Resurrection and after 〈◊〉 it to all the twelue Apostles in common to the end to shew the relation of dependencie vnitié and adherence that they ought to haue with saint PETER whom vpon this occasion Macharius an antient Egiptian diuine calls the successor of Moyses Afterward said hee to Moyses succeeded Peter to whom the new Church of Christ and the true priesthood hath bene committed Which hath caused the Fathers to saie that there was but one Chaire which was the Chaire of PETER but that in this Chaire all the Apostles were placed to witt by the adherence communion and vnitie that they had with S. PETER In the Episcopall Chaire saith saint OPTATVS Mileuitanus there is sett the head of all the Apostles Peter from whence he also hath bene called Cephas to the end that in this only Chaire vnitie might be preserued in all least the other Apostles should attribute to themselues euery one his Chaire a parte but that he might be a Schismaticke 〈◊〉 that against this onelie Chaire should erect an other And therefore also the surname of PETER by which this Condition of being the foundation of the rule of the Church is designed hath bene giuen to him only to beare it in the title of a proper name and not to anie other Apostle to show that to him by excellencie and eminencie ouer all the rest appertained the thing whereof he alone bore the name For since our Lord should by the word PETER designe the condition of being the ministeriall foūdation of the Church for what cause should he affect it to Peter alone to beare it in the title of a proper and ordinarie name and not giue it to anie other if he were not to bea foundation of the Church in an other manner then the rest Which S. BASILL hath in such sort acknowledged as desiring to shew the difference which is betweene the substance and the hipostaticall proprieties of anie subiect he alleadgeth for example of the substance the substāce of humanitie which is commō to PETER PAVL although said he the appellations be different yet the substance of Peter and Paule and of all men is one and alleadgeth amongst the examples of the hypostaticall indiuiduall and incommunicable conditions of PETER that is to saie which are particular to him onely and are not common to him with saint PAVL nor with anie other the condition of being the foundation of the Church Because said he the names of men signifie not their substances but the proprieties whereby each of them is designed in particular From thence it is that when wee heare the name of Peter we vnderstand not his substance c. but conceiue the sence of the proprieties which are perticular to him For as soone as wee heare this word wee vnderstand Peter the Sonne of Ionas he that was of Bethsaida he that was Brother to Andrew he that of a Fisherman was made an Apostle he that 〈◊〉 reason of the supereminencie of his Faith receiued vpon him the edification of the Church AND for this same cause to saint PETER onely there hath bene conferred singularlie separately and apart the authoritie of the rule of the Church and to all the rest onely in common and ioyntlie with him to the end to shew that he was the originall the source the center and the beginning of the vnitie of the Church and that no other out of his Communion could exercise the rule and ministrie thereof but that the rest had right to exercise it it is onely as associated and aggregated with him and as grafted and inserted vpon him For our Lord neuer said singularly to anie of the Eleuen Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke I will build my Church and I will giue thee the keies of the Kingdome of heauen nor I haue praied for thee that thy faith shall not faile And finallie Thou being conuerted confirme thy Bretheren nor louest thou me more then these feede my sheepe But only hath said in generall to all the Bodie of the Apostles sainct PETER being Colleague present and comprehended therein that which he had said before to saint PETER alone as to the head That which yee shall binde on earth shall be bound in heauen and they
himselfe confest in these wordes The Apostles saith hee in truth haue prescribed nothing of this but this Custome ought to be beleeued to haue taken originall from their tradition as there are manie things that the vniuersall Church obserueth which art with good reason beleeued to haue bene giuen by the Apostles although they be not in writing Was this to pretend to seperate themselues from the Church out of iollitie of hart and without anie cause and neither to blame the faith nor discipline of the Church Of the authoritie of the rest of the Christian people which denied to the Church the title of Catholick Chapt. XXXII The continuance of the Kings Answere THE English haue separated themselues by a cruell necessitie from that Church that infinite Christian people that I may speake as modestly as I possiblie can doe not 〈◊〉 to be the true vniuersall Church THE REPLIE THat the English Church hath bene iustly forced by a cruell necessitie to depart from the Catholicke Church wherein alone the stocke of vnitie doth reside as our very aduersaries dare not saie that the bodie of Catholicke vnitie was to be found in anie other Societie when the English nation deuided themselues from her saint AGVSTINE will not avow who saith that there is no iust necessitie to deuide vnitie And lesse S. DIONISIVS of Alexandria who was much antienter then saint AVGVSTINE who writes Thou oughtest rather to suffer all kinds of death then to deuide the Church of Christ. For whereas his maiestie adds that an infinite number of Christian people doe not grant her to bee the true vniuersall Catholicke Church if these people can shew that there was an other to whom this title belonged when Luther came into the world wee will confesse her not to be soe but if it be not in their power not only to shewe but to faine an other then this must be shee For the Catholicke Church is perpetuall and their contradiction that are departed from her can not raise anie doubt of her title more then the contradiction of the antient Arrians and other hereticks could cause the antient Catholicke Church to loose this title For in that only that they haue departed from her and cannot shew that she hath departed from anie of all the other Societies which are in being they testifie that she only is the true Catholicke Church that is to saie the true stocke and originall roote of the Church from whom all others by their Schismes and diuisions are departed and gone forth Of the testimonies of our writers CHAP. XXXIII The continuance of the King answere AND that maniē of your writers themselues haue a longe while agoe ingeniousliē confessed to haue much varied from the antient in the dogm'as and in the forme of discipline and to haue patched and tacked together manie new thinges to the old manie euill thinges to the good THE REPLIE THOSE writers haue bene such as I haue aboue described as Erasmus Cassander and others who partly in presumption and partlie in ignorance of antiquitie and partlie to gratifie those Princes in whose fauour they haue taken penn in hand haue written thinges which would confound their faces if they were to maintaine them before anie that were versed of purpose in the studie of Antiquitie Of the begging of the principle contained in this hypothesis CHAPT XXXIV The continuance of the Kings answere WHICH is alreadie so knowne to all the world as it is noe longer in thé power of anie to denie it or to be ignorant of it THE REPLIE THIS is to take for a principle of disputation that which is the subiect of the controuersie for not only all Catholickes but also all the Christian Societies in the world more antient then the authors of this diuision and who haue noe interest neither for the one part nor for the other and if they had anie would haue it rather against the Church from which they are separated then for her doe maintaine that all the principall pointes that the pretended reformers calumniate in the Roman Church are of the true faith and of the true discipline of the antient Catholicke Church Of the temporall causes of the separation of England CHAP. XXXV The Continuance of the Kings Answere ADD to this that the Church of England had found the yoake of the Roman Bondage so hard vpō her for some ages past being incrediblie tormented frō daie to day with new vexations oppressions and vnheard of exactions as 〈◊〉 only cause before iust iudges may seeme to be able to free her from suspition of Schisme and as S. AVGVSTINE saith speaking of the Donatists wicked dismembring For sur ely the English haue not separarated themselues for iollitie of heart from brotherly charitie as the 〈◊〉 did THE REPLIE IF it may please your maiestie to call againe to memorie the historie of the Schisme of England you will finde that all those thinges which were alleadged for pretence of the Churches diuision haue noe waie bene the cause thereof contrariwlse that the English Church was more flourishing when this separation happened and the King of England and his clergie more affectionate to maintaine the Faith and communion of the Roman Church then euer they had bene before as appeares by the Booke that he made in defence of the Church against Luther the originall whereof he sent to Rome with these verses such as they are addressed to Pape Leo written with his owne hand Harrie the English King at once doth recommend This worke Leo to thee which publick proofe shall lend To shew which way his faith and friendship both doe bend But that it was the amorous passion of that King who to satisfie the appetite which transported him would cause a iust mariage to be broken and marrie her that he loued his first lawfull wife and by whom he had issue being yet liuing to which the Pope conceaued that he could not with a safe conscience giue consent This was the true and onely cause of all this Iliad of euills From hence gusht all these teares Of the comparison of the English Church with the Iudaicall CHAP. XXXVI The continuance of the Kings answere NOT for feare of the 〈◊〉 which was eminent but did not yet presse them like the tenn tribes of the people of the Iewes but after hauing suffered manie ages after the 〈◊〉 of vnspeakable greeuances they haue finallie shaken from their shoulders that insupportable burthen which neither their strength was longer able to beare nor would their conscience permitt them to doe it THE REPLIE HERE I might content myself with saying that what was ordained and approued by God in the separation of the ten tribes of Israell from the Kingdome of Iuda was the only di uision of State and not that of Religion For God as saint AVGFSTINE saith commaunds neither Schisme nor heresie And by consequence what pretence soeuer is added of present and not future euill there can be noe consequence
of Catholique to the Donatists because of the separation of Communion and yet graunted it to those from whom the Donatists had taken their doctrine because of the vnitie of Communion Cyprians people saith S. Pacian hath neuer bene called otherwise then Catholicke And Sainct Vincentius Lerinensis O admirable change the authors of one selfe same opinion are adiudged Catholickes and the Sectaries heretickes And S. Augustin Dissention and diuision saith hee makes you heretickes and peace and vnitìe makes Catholiques And that in the fowrth Coūcell of Carthage this article was inserted into the triall of the promotion of Bishops whither they beleeue that out of the Catholicke Church none cā be saued And that in the Epistle of the Councell of Cyrtha it was repeated by S. Augustin who was Secretarie thereto in theses wordes Whosoeuer is separated from this Catholicke Church how praise-worthie soeuer he conceaue his life to bee by this onlie crime that he is separated from the vnitie of Christ he shall not haue life but the wrath of God shall remaine vpon him And after by Fulgentius in these wordes Beleeue firmelie and doubt it not at all that no hereticke or Schismaticke baptized in the name of the Father of the sonne and of the only Ghost if he be not reconciled to the Catholicke Church what almes soeuer he may giue yea though he should shedde his blood for the name of Christ can in any sort be saued That I say was against or principallie against the Donatists And neuerthelesse the Donatists agreed in all the doctrine of the Creede and of the Scripture with the Catholicks Your are with vs saith S. Augustine in Baptisme in the Creede and in all the other Sacraments of our Lord but in the spirit of vnitie and in the bond of peace and finallie in the Catholicke Church you are not with vs And yet they differed only in one pointe of vnwritten tradition which as S. Augustin himself who principallie triumphes ouer this heresie confessed could not be demonstrated by Scripture This saith hee in the Booke of the vnitie of the Church neither thou nor I doe euidentlie reade And in the first Booke against Cresconius though for this there be noe example in the scriptures yet euen in this wee follow the truth of the Scriptures when wee doe that which hath pleased the vniuersall Church which the authoritie of the same scriptures doth recommend And in the secōd Booke of Baptisme against the Donatists And ourselues saith hee durst affirme no such thing but that we are upheld by the vnanimous authoritie of the Church And in the fift The Apostles haue in this prescribed vs nothing but this custome which was opposite to Cyprian ought to be beleeued to haue taken it's originall from their tradition as manie other things which the vniuersall Church obserues and for this cause are with good right beleeued to haue bene commaunded by the Apostles although they haue not bene vvritten From whence it appeares that to obtaine the name of Catholicke it sufficeth not to hold or rather to suppose to hold the same beleefe that the Fathers held vnlesse they communicate with the same Catholicke Church wherewith the Fathers did communicate and which by succession of persons and as wee pretend of doctrine is deriued downe to vs and if she haue lost anie thing of her extent in our hemisphere she recouers as much and more daily in the other hemisphere that these prophecies may be fulfilled In thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed In the last daies the mountaine of the howse of our Lord shall bee vpon the topp of mountaines and shall be exalted aboue all the highe hills and all nations shall come vp to her This Ghospell of the Kingdome must be preached ouer all the world and then the end shall come and such like in right whereof the Church as saith S. Augustin hath obtained the title and the marke of Catholicke The SECOND obseruation is vpon the restriction in Cases necessarie to saluation For besides pointes necessarie to saluation there are two other degrees of thinges the one sort profitable to saluation as it is according to the opinion of your owne ministers to sell all our goods and giue it to the poore to fast in affliction to appease the wrath of God to pray our Bretheren in the faith to praie to God for vs and the other sort lawfull and not repugnant to saluation as to fly from persecution to liue by the Altar since we serue at the Altar to putt awaie our wiues for adulterie and other the like for I alleadge these for examples and not for instances Now it is needefull to be cōformable to the integritie of the beleefe of the Fathers to beleeue all thinges that they haue beleeued according to that degree wherein they haue beleeued them to witt to beleeue for thinges necessarie to saluation those thinges that they haue esteemed to be necessarie for saluation and for thinges profitable to saluation those things that they haue esteemed to be profitable to saluation and for things lawfull and not repugnant to saluation those thinges that they haue holden to be lawfull and not repugnant to saluation and not vnder colour that the two last kindes are not things necessarie to saluation but only profitable or lawfull to condemne them and to separate ourselues for their occasion from the Church which then had thē in practise and still practiseth thē to this day The third obseruation is vpon the ambiguitie of the word necessarie to saluation which because of the diuers kindes of necessitie which haue place in matters of religion is capable of diuers sences for there is an absolute necessitie and a conditionall necessitie a necessitie of meanes and a necessitie of precept a necessitie of speciall beleefe and a necessitie of generall beleefe a necessitie of act and a necessitie of approbatio I call an absolute necessitie not simplie but by vertue of Gods institution that which receiues no excuse of impossibilitie nor anie exception of place time or persons as in regard of those that are of age capable of knowledge the beleefe in Christ mediator betweene God and man for neither the circumstance of being in a place where wee cannot be instructed in that article nor the preuention of time in dying before wee are informed thereof nor the condition of being an ignorant person vnlearned dull not apt to comprehend a sheepe and not a shepheard can warrant those from damnation that beleeue it not actually for as much as who beleeues not in the onlie Sonn of Gods is alreadie iudged And in regard of little Children baptisme only according to our doctrine may supplie the defect of Faith in Christ in their behalfe agreeing with that sentence of S. Augustin Doe not beleeue doe not saie doe not teache if thou wilt be a Catholick that little children which are 〈◊〉 by death from being
perfectly treated of no more then before the questions of the Arrians the Trinitie had neuer bene perfectlie treated of the thesis or tenet of the Catholickes was that the word Catholicke was a word of Communion and not a word of Simple beliefe The Christian Africans are called saith Saint AVGVSTIN and not with out good right Catholickes protesting by theire proper Communion the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And againe wee shew by the testimonie of our Cōmunion that wee haue the Catholicke Church the thesis of the Donatistes contrariwise was that the word Catholicke was not a word of Cōmunion but of beliefe and obseruation of precepts The Donatistes saith Saint AVSTIN answered that the word Catholike was not deriued from the vniuersalitie of nations but from the fulnes of the Sacramentes that is to saie from the integritie of the doctrine And in the Epistle to VINCENTIVS Rogat Thou thinkest said he then to saìe some subtile thing when thon interpretest the name of Catholicke not from the Communion of the whole world but from the obseruation of all the preceptes and diuine Sacramentes And againe you are those that hold the Catholicke faith not from the Communion of the whole world hut from the obseruation of all the preceptes aud diuine Sacramentes And the iudgement that was made vpon this difference was that the word Catholicke was a title not of simple beliefe but of Communion also After a contention of 40. daies saith OPTATVS Mileuit speaking of the first disputation of the Donatistes the finall sentēce of the Bishops Eunomius and Olimpius whcih were the Bishops deputed to iudge the possessiō of the word Catholicke betweene the Catholickes of Africa and the Donatistes was that that was Catholicke that was spread throughout the world And Saint AVSTINE speaking of the Conference of Carthage The Commissarie said he answered that he could not by 〈◊〉 attribute the name Catholicke to anie other then to those to whom the Emperor from whom he had his Commision had attributed it And in an other place citing the law of the Emperors made vpon this Conference The Emperors said he haue forbidden that those that vsurpe the name of Christians out of the Communion of the Catholicke Church and will not in peace adore the author of 〈◊〉 should dare to possesse anie thing vnder the title of the Church And againe The Emperors of our Communion haue ordained lawes against all heretikes now they call heretickes those that are not of theire Communion amongst which you are And after disputing with the same Donatists Thou askest said he of a stranger whether he be a pagan or a Christian he answeres thee a Christian thou askest him whether he be a catechumenus or one of the faithfull least he should intrude himselfe vnlawfullie to the Sacraments he answers thee one of the faithfull thou askest him of what Communion he is he answers thee a Christian Catholicke CHAP. II. Of the Conditions of the Catholicke Church The pursuite of the kings answere NOw the King belieues simplie without colour or fraude that the Church ōf God is one only by name and effect Catholicke and vniuersall spread ouer all the world out of which he affirmes himselfe there can be noe hope of Saluation he condemnes and detestes those which either heeretofore or since haue departed from the faith of the Catholicke Church are become heretickes as the Man ichees or from her Communion and are become schismatickes as the Donatists Against which two kindes of men principally sainct AVGVSTINE hath written the things alleaged in this obseruation THE REPLIE TELESIVS a Stripling of Greece hauing won the prize and victorie of the Combate in the Pythian games when there was question of leadinge him in triumph there arose such a dispute betweene the diuers natiōs there present euery one being earnest to haue him for theire owne as the one drawing him one waie the other an other waie insteed of receiuing the honor which was prepared for him he was torne and dismembred euen by those that stroue who should honor him most Soe happenes it to the Church All those that beare the name of Christians auow that to her only appertaines the victory ouer hell and that whosoeuer will haue parte in the prize and glory of this Triumph must serue vnder her ensigne But when they come to debate of the true bodie of this societie then euery sect desirous to draw her to themselues they rent and teare her in peeces and in steed of embracing the Church which consistes in vnitie they embrace schisme and diuision which is the death and ruyne of the Church The cause or rather the pretext of this euill comes from two faultes that the aduersaries of the Church commit in the distinction of the word Ecclesia or Church which makes the possession vncertaine and disputable The one is the fraudulent restriction of the terme of the Church to the only inuisible number of the predestinate by which when they feele themselues pressed to represent the succession of theire Church they saue themselues like Homers Aeneas or Virgils Cacus in obscuritie and darknes The other is the equiuocall and captious extension of the same word Church to all Sectes which professe the name of Christ by which when they see themselues excluded from the refuge of theire inuissble Church they haue recourse from darknes to confusion and confesse that there hath bene alwaies a visible Church but sometymes pure in faith and sometymes impure that is to saie now a Church and now noe Church And therefore I attribute it to a singular care of the prouidence of God that his Maiesty saying he beleeues the catholicke Church hath added as to preuent all theses shiftes without colour or fraude For to beleeue the catholicke church without colour or fraude is to beleeue her in the sence that the Fathers haue beleeued and vnderstood her the Fathers I say which haue lest vs these sentences pronunced sometymes as in the hypothesis against the Manichees and Donatists but as in the thesis against all kindes of heretickes or schismatickes in generall that out of the Catholicke Church there is noe saluation that whosoeuer is separate from the Catholicke Church cannot haue life and other such like which his Maiestie protested to approue Now first by the word Catholicke Church these Fathers haue beleeued and intended such a Church as these wordes of Esay 〈◊〉 In the last daies the Mountaine of the Lord shall be on the topp of all the Mountaines and all the hills shall flowe to her The people shall walke in thy light and the kings in the brightnes of thy Orient Theire seede shall be knowne amongst the people and theire kinge in the middest of the nations And these of our Lord The Citie built vpon the mountaine cannot be hid Tell it to the Church and if he heare not the Church let him be to thee as
light more splendid then the Sunn whose rayes From the ethereall desert first doe springe And that the rest of the seede of the woman were those of whom our Lord said shewing his disciples See heere my mother and my bretheren For though Saint Iohn make mention of the paines of childbirth neuerthelesse those wordes may be vnderstood to be spoken accordinge to the ordinarie custome of the childbirth of wemen as it is written that the daies of the purification of the childbirth of the virgin were accomplished and that she presented our Lord in the temple to obserue the lawe that commaunded that euery male that opens the wombe shall be holy to the Lord. Now if the mention of the paines of childbirth keepe vs from expoundinge this passage of the virgin and obligeth vs to transferr it to the Church what shall hinder vs from interpretinge still the wildernesse to be heauen and from sayinge that the wildernesse whither the woman fled was heauen into which the first of the faithfull persecuted and martyred fled euery day by theire death and the Church in theire persons from before the face of the serpent and were deliuered from his Snares persecutions and temptations followeinge this exclamation of Saint IOHN Blessed are those that dye for the cause for the Lord for they shall rest from thence forward from theire labors Or if wee will not by the word Wildernesse vnderstand heauen who shall hinder vs frō sayinge that this woman was the Church who haueinge bene once amongst the Iewes after she had brought forth Christ by the preachinge of the Ghospell was persecuted by the Iewes that is to saie the people of the Gentiles which is often vnderstood by the wildernesse from whence it is that S. AVG. interpretinge these wordes of the Psalmist Whē I passed through the wildernesse the earth trēbled writes the wildernesse were the natiōs that 〈◊〉 ignorant of God the wildernesse was there where there was noe lawe giuen from God where noe Prophetes had dwelt which had foretolde that the Lord should come And who can hinder vs from Supposeinge that the relicks of the seede of the woman were the Iewes who were conuerred to the Christian Religion and whose generall reunion with the Church shall be made before the end of the world or who can forbidd vs to interpret this wildernesse to be the exclusion from ciuill and politicke charges from which the Church was soe banished vnder the pagan Emperors that the Christians were not admitted to anie parte of the administration of the Common wealth For our aduersaries will not haue that the number of three yeares and a halfe to which this flight is limitted should be taken accordinge to the ordinary and literall accompt Or finally if it permitted to the last commers to hope to finde the diuination of the passages of the Reuelation in theire coniectures as the cupp of prophecie in Beniamins Sacke Who shall hinder vs from applyinge this allegory to the Conuersion of the Countries newly discouered and to in terpret the wildernesse to be the Indias and the other hemispheare which had bene soe longe tyme left waste and desert from the knowledge of the true God and from saying that the two wings are the two nauigation of the East and west by which the Church that the diuell vnder the ensignes of Mahomet striues to driue from our hemispheare is gone to visite those regions conformable to the stile of the Grecians which call the sailes of shipps wings and say winge a shippe in steede of settinge to the sailes and who shall hinder vs from interpretinge the Eagle from whence these two winges preceede to be the westerne part of the Roman Empire whereof these two nauigations are partes and from expoundinge the relickes of the woman to be the Catholickes that remaine vnder the tiranny of Mahomet For to expound the woman to be the secret mumber of the predestinate and the wildernesse to be inuisibilitie and obscurity how can it agree with that that our Lord Cryes If they tell you heere is Christ beholde him in the desart goe not forth beholde him in the secret places belieue them not And S. AVGVSTINE after him It is not an obscure question and wherein they can deceiue you of whom our Lord foretolde that they should come and saie see heere is Christ beholde he is there see heere hee is in the wildernesse that is out of the frequency of the multitude And a while after that is then the Church that is not in anie one parte of the earth but which is well knowne ouer all And how can it be that the woman beinge retired into the wildernesse that is to saie the Societie of the predestinate beinge shadowed hidden and obscured from before the face of the Dragon shall quit the pursuite of the woman to goe make warr with the relickes of the seede of the woman for if the woman be inuisible how can the relickes of the woman be visible And if from that that is said that the woman flied into the desert it be permitted to conclude that the Church shall be inuisible wherefore shall we not by the same reason conclude that the Babylon of the Reuelation shall be inuisible seeinge Saint IOHN writes And he carried me in the spirit into the desert and I saw the woman sitt vpon the beast And this wee saie not that we pretend to warrant this interpretation more then the rest but to shew how weake foundation such allegoricall allegations are to builde a reuolt and an alteration of Religion vpon and to ouerthrowe soe manie euident and literall promises of perpetuall beinge visibilitie eminencie and purity as God hath made to his Church Of the consequence of the places alleadged by the fathers for the aucthoritie of the Catholicke Church CHAPT XVI The continuance of the Kinges answere NOw to come neerer the point the kinge denies that this exact collection of places out of Saint AVGVSTINE doth in anie sorte touch him THE REPLIE IN truth if the most excellent Kinge can proue that the Church to which he adheares hath bene perpetually visible and eminent aboue all other Christian Societies as Saint AVGVSTINE puts this condition for one of the necessary markes of the Church when he saith she hath this most certaine marke that she cannot be hidden she is then knowne to all nations the sect of Donatus is vnknowne to manie nation then that cannot be she And if he can shew that she hath bene not onely perpetuallie visible and eminent but also perpetuallie pure from all contagion of Schisme and heresie as Saint AVGVSTINE protestes that to be of the essence of the Catholicke Church when he writes noe hereticke belonges to the Catholicke Church because she loues God nor noe Schismaticke because she loues her neighbour And againe The Church of the Saintes is the Catholicke Church the Church of the Saintes is not the Church of the hereticke she was
to conferr it Marriage for a true and proper Sacrament Pennance for a true and proper Sacrament and vocall Confession to the Pastors of the Church for one of the Conditiōs necessary to this Sacrament Order for a true and proper Sacrament and Extreame Onction for a true and proper Sacramēt which are the seuen Sacramentes that the Roman Church acknowledges and the Greeke Communion alsoe makes profession to embrace with vs. A Church which in the Ceremonies of baptisme vsed oyle salte waxe lights exorcismes the signe of the Crose the word Epheta and other thinges that accompanie it to testifie by oyle that in baptisme wee are made Christians that is partakers of the vnction of Christ by salte that God contracted with vs in baptisme an alliance for euer followinge the stile of the Scripture which calls eternall alliances alliances of salte by the light that Christ is the light that enlightens all men commeinge into the world by exorcismes that baptisme puts vs out of the Diuells possession by the signe of the Crosse that it is the Death of Christ that giues strength to all Sacramentes by the word Epheta that God accomplisheth spiritually in vs by baptisme what he wrought corporally in the deafe and dumbe man A Church that esteemed baptisme for persons of full age necessary with a conditionall necessitie and for children necessary with an absolute necessitie and for this cause permitted lay men to baptise in danger of death A Church that vsed holy water consecrated by certaine wordes and ceremonies and made vse of it both for baptisme and against inchantments and to make exorcismes and coniurations against euill spirits Frō whence it is that S. Gregory the great who though he were after the first fower Councells yet not to be excepted against by English men who tooke the originall of their mission from him ordained when Englad returned backe from paganisme to Christiā Religiō that the temples should not be demolished but expiated by the sprinkling of holy water A Church that in the oeconomy of Ecclesiasticall ministrie held diuers degrees the Bishop the Priest the Deacō the Acolite the Exorcist the Reader and the Porter and consecrated and blessed them with diuers formes and ceremonies And in the order Episcopall acknowledged diuers seates of iurisdictīo of positiue right to witt Archbishops Primates Patriarckes and one supereminent by diuine law which was the Pope without whom nothing could be decided appertayning to the vniuersall Church the want of whose presēce either by himself or by his legates or his confirmation made all Councells pretended to be vniuersall vnlawfull A Church wich held a succession of Bishops not interrupted since the first mission of the Apostles for an essentiall condition of her reputed those who had it not or that communicated with those that had it not for Schismatiks and cul pable of the same Curse with Core Dathan and 〈◊〉 A Church that held the distinction of Bishop and Priest and namely in the acte of ordinatiō for a thing of diuine law and Apostolicall tradition and condemned as hereticks those that held it not A Church that held free will for a doctrine of faith reuealed in the holy scripture that held that faith onely without Euāgelicall works is not sufficient for saluation that wicked men perseuering to the end were reprobates but not predestinate to euill that the certainty that particular men presumed to haue of their predestination was a rashe bouldnes A Church wherein their seruice was said throughout the East in Greeke and through the west aswell in Africa as in Europe in Latine although that in none of the prouinces neither of Europe nor Africa except in Italie in the citties where the Roman colonyes resided the latine were vnderstood by the simple people but onely by the learned In briefe a Church that vsed either in gender or in species either informe or in analogie the very same ceremonies vvhich are the vvords vvell knovven the all men vvhich the Catholique vseth vniuersally at this 〈◊〉 obserued the distinctīo of the Feasts and ordinary daies the distinction of Ecclesiasticall and lay habits the reuerence of sacred vessells the custome of shauing and vnction for the collation of orders the ceremonie of vvashing their hands at the Altar before the consecration of the mysteries the kisse of peace before the 〈◊〉 pronounced a part of the seruice at the Altar vvith a lovv voice and vvheard made processions vvith the relickes of the martyrs accompained the dead to their 〈◊〉 vvith vvax tapers in signe of ioy and future certainty of their resurrectiō had the pictures of Christ and his Saînts both out of Churches and in Churches and vpon the very altars of martyrs not to adore them as adoration signifies di nine vvorship but to reuerence by them the souldiers and champions of Christ vsed the signe of the crosse in all their conuersations imprinted it on the forehead of their catechumenists painted it on the portall of all the hovvses of the faithfull gaue the blessing to the people vvith their hand by the signe of the Crosse imployed it to driue away evill spirits proposed in Ierusalē the very Crosse to be adored on good friday vsed incense in their Synaxes not particularly incēse of Arabia but indifferently odoriferous gummes for they held not incense for sacrifice as in the tyme of the lawe but for a simple ceremony designed to represent the effect of prayers described by these wordes of Dauid Let my prayer arise euen as incense into thy presence And by these of the Reuelation The smoke of the incense of the prayers of the Saints ascended from the hand of the Angell before God And finally a Church which held that the Catholicke Church had the infallible promise that she should be perpetually visible and eminent in her communion perpetually pure and vncorrupted in her doctrine and in her Sacramentes and perpetually bound and cōtinued in the succession of her ministrie and that to her onely belonges the keeping of the Apostolicall traditions the authority of the interpretation of scripture and the decision of controuersies of Faith and that out of the succession of her Communion of her doctrine and of her ministrie there was neither Church nor saluation Beholde what the excellent King when it shall please him to consider it at sufficient leasure shall finde the Catholicke Church to haue bene in the tyme of saint AVG. and of the 4 first Councelles Let his Maiestie see whether by these features he can knowe the face of Caluines Church or of ours Of the conformitie or inconformitie of the sense wherein the word Catholicke hath bene cōmon to the ancient Catholicke Church and to the moderne
is deriued And in vertue of what power did he solicite Pope STEPHEN to write letters to the Gaules whereby he should depose Martian Bishop of Arles Thou shouldest saith he write letters into the prouince and to the people inhibiting in Arles by which Martian being deposed an other might be substituted in his place And why then when the same Saint CYPRIAN and the councell of Africa had embraced the error of rebaptising heretickes which since the Donatistes haue conuerted into an heresie did Saint VINCENTIVS 〈◊〉 say then Pope Stephen of happie memorie prelate of the Apostolicke Sea with 〈◊〉 before his other colleagues resisted it esteeming it a thing worthie of him to surpasse all others as well in deuotion of faith as he surmounted them by aucthoritie of place For as for the angrie words that Saint CYPRIAN lett slip against Pope STEPHEN which Saint AVSTIN iudges vnworthie to be reported they shall be spoken of hereafter And why then the same Pope STEPHEN had depriued of his communion Firmilianus Arch-Bishop of Cappadocia and the other Bishops of the Religions of Cappadocia Cilicia and Galatia for the same error of S. CYPRIAN but more obstinately defended did Firmilianus amongst his other wordes of fury which bare with them their owne confutation that he spued vp against the Pope reproch to him that he was soe senselesse he that boasted soe much of the place of his Bishops Sea and gloried that he had the succession of Peter vpon which the foundation of the Church had bene established as to introduce many other Peters and to cōstitute a plurality of Churches I am angrie said he not without cause with soe manifest and euident a follie in Stephen that he that glorifies himselfe soe much for the place of his Bishops Sea and maintaines that he hath the succession of Peter vpon which the foundation of the Church hath bene sett hath introduced manie other Peters and constituted new buildings of manie Churches in sustaining by his authoritie that baptisme is amongst heretickes And why then when DIONISIVS Patriarch of Alexandria had seene that Pope STEPHEN had shut the gate of his communion from Firmilianus and the other Bishops of Cappadocia Cilicia Galatia and the other neighbouring nations did he write to him letters of intercession and of intreaty vpon this subiect I writt to him said hee beseeching him for them all or praying him concerning all these things For as for that that Saint BASILL Archbishop of 〈◊〉 in Cappadocia omitted not to reckon Firmilianus amongst his Catholicke Predecessors notwithstanding his staine it was because he repented afterwardes as Saint AVGVSTINE witnesseth in these wordes Those of the East that had held the opinion of Ciprian corrected their iudgement And Saint IEROM in these Finally the Bishops themselues that had conceaued with Cyprian that heretickes should be rebaptised returning to their ancient custome published a newe decree saying what doe wee soe to them and to vs their Elders and ours haue giuen it by traditiō And why then whē the same DIONISIVS Patriark of Alexandria was fallen into suspition of heresie did the Catholickes of Alexandria in steed of hauing recourse to the Synodes of their prouinces come to accuse him at Rome before DIONISIVS Bishop of Rome They went vp said saint ATHANASIVS to Rome to accuse him before the Bishop of Rome being of his owne name And a while after And the Bishop of Rome the translator hath falsely reported the surname to that of Alexandria sent to Dionisius that he should cleere himselfe from those things whereof they had accused him and suddenly he answered and sent his bookes of defence and apologie And in an other place Some hauing accused the Bishop of Alexandria before the Bishop of Rome to holde the Sonne for a creature and not consubstantiall with the Father The Synod of Rome that is to say the consistory of Rome compounded of the Bishops neighbouring vpon the 〈◊〉 of Rome without whom the Pope iudged nothing of importance and of the principall Church men of Rome was offended with him and the Bishop of Rome writt to him the opinion of all the assistants and he iustifying himselfe addressed to him a booke of defence and apologie And why then when the councell of ANTIOCHE twice called from the prouinces of Pontus Capadocia Cyria Cilicia Lycaonia Palestina Arabia and from all the other Prouinces of the East had deposed Paulus Samosatenus Patriarke of Antioche and substituted Domnus in his steede And that Paulus would not quitt the possession of the Church did the Emperor Aurelian though a Pagan ordaine And that saith EVSEBIVS verie fitlie that it should be deliuered to him whome the Bishops of Italie and of Rome that is the Bishops of Italie assembled with the Pope should direct it to by writing For for what cause should EVSEBIVS who was one of the Bishops of the Patriarkship of Antioche and besides as an 〈◊〉 not well affected to the Roman Church and this word verie 〈◊〉 but to shewe that the Emperor had in this action followed the order of the church and that it was a thing fitt for the Ecclesiasticall lawes that the 〈◊〉 of Rome should iudge the affaires of the East euen after the 〈◊〉 of the East and synodes compounded of a farr greater mumber of Bishops and Prouinces When Paule saith EVSEBIVS would not quit the 〈◊〉 of the Church the Emperor Aurelian being called to this businesse ordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it should be deliuered to him to whom the Bishops of Italie and of Rome of the same lawe should write backe And the Greeke manuscript of the 〈◊〉 of the councells kept in the priuate library of the most Christian kinge The Emperor Aurelian although a Pagan sent backe the question of Paul to the Bishop of Rome and to those that were by him that when they had examined whether he were iustlie deposed he might be dispossessed of the Church And Zonaras and after him Balsomon not onely Grecians but schismatickes The Emperor Aurelian enioyned the Bishop of Rome and the Bishops that were with him to examine those things wherewith ` Paul was charged and if he were iustly deposed to cast him out of the Church of the Christians Which alsoe since the 〈◊〉 councell of Ephesus did imitate when it reserued as shall appeare hereafter the iudgement of Iohn Patriarck of Antioche to the Pope and that Iuuenall Bishop of Ierusalem saied that the ancient custome and the 〈◊〉 tradition bare that the Church of Antioche was alwaies to be ruled by the Roman And after the councell of Ephesus the sixth oecumenicall councell of Constantinople when they sent backe the cause of Macarius Patriarck of Antioch to the Pope And why then when the Arrians held their false councell at Antioch 1270. yeares agone did Socrates an ancient Greeke author of 1200 yeares standing write IVLIVS Bishop of Great Rome was not there nor sent he anie in his steede
Nicea and of the third Canon of the Councell of Constantinople inferred thereupon thus it appeares from hence that all primacie and principall honor hath alwaies bene 〈◊〉 to the Bishop of Rome a thing that amazes me that the Greeke Schismatickes and 〈◊〉 amongst the rest did not perceiue it For Nilus Archbishop of Thesalonica disputing against the Pope saith If the Canon of the Councell of Nicea had distributed the Climates of the earth to euerie one of the Bishops-Generall so he calls the Patriarkes and had determinately setled nothing vpon the Sea of the Pope but had contented itself with saying that he had receiued the primacie there had bene some reason to esteeme that all the earth had bene vnder him And neuerthelesse not onely the Councell of Constantinople ordaines that the Bishops should not exceede their limitts but that according to the Canons of the Councell of Nicea the Bishop of Alexandria gouerned onely the affaires of Egipt And the Bishops of the East that is of the Patriarkship of Antioch onely the affaires of the East And the Councell of Chalcedon ordaines to the Bishop of Ierusalem the three Palestina's And to him of Constantinople Asia minor Pontus and Thrasia and the Barbarous prouinces that is to say Russia and Muscouia without euer goeing about either that or anie other Councell to sett out a part to the Bishop of Rome nor prescribe limitts out of which he might not exercise his authoritie But euen the Councell of Nicea speakes of the Bishop of Alexandria with restriction assigning him the prouinces of Egipt Libia and Pentapolis and of the Pope without restriction leauing him the waie free and assigning him noe limitts nor anie determinate number of prouinces The customes said the Canon obserued from antiquitie in Egipt Libia and Pentapolis are to be maintained to wit that the Bishop of Alexandria haue the power of all those things for as much as this is also accustomed to the Bishop of Rome By meanes whereof it remaines in the libertie of the Reader to supplie the word ouer all the Church and to expresse the Canon in this sence that the customes obserued from antiquitie in Egipt Libia and Pentapolis should be maintained to wit that the Bishop of Alexandria haue the power of all those things for as much as this is also accustomed to the Bishop of Rome ouer all the Church For what was this custome practized by the Bishop of Rome but that whereof saint IRENEVS speakes when he saith to the Roman Church because of a more mightie Principalitie it is necessarie that all the Church should agree And saint AVSTIN when he writes In the Roman Church hath alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke And Socrates when he affirmes that the Ecclesiasticall lawe bare that uo decrees might be made in the Church without the sentence of the Bishop of Rome And Sozomene when he notes that to the Bishop of Rome because of the dignitie of his Seate the care of all things apportained And so who sees not that the intention of the Councell was net to compare the Bishop of Alexandria with the Pope formallie but anologically that is to saie that the intention of the Councell was not to compare the authoritie of the Bishop of Alexandria ouer the prouinces of Egipt Libia and Pentapolis with the authority of the Pope ouer anie determinate territorie but to compare the authoritie of the Bishop of Alexandria ouer the prouinces of Egipt Libia and Pentapolis with the authority of the Pope ouer the whole Church It is certaine that in this clause for as much as this is also accustomed to the Bishopof Rome there is an omission which should be supplied either by the extent of an vniuersall word of particular restriction Now that the designe of the Councell was not to compare the Sea of Alexandria as head of the particular Prefecture of Egipt with the sea of Rome as head of an other particular prefecture but to compare the Sea of Alexandria as head of the particular prefecture of Egipt with the Sea of Rome as head of all the Empire the decree of the Councell of Chalcedon which shall be spoken of hereafter shewes it when it saies designing the temporall cause of the priuiledges of the Church of Rome The fathers yeilded the priuiledges to the Sea of the ancient Rome for as much as that Cittie helde the Empire And the Confronting of these wordes of Socrates The Ecclesiasticall rule bare that no lawes should be introduced into the Church without the sentence of the Bishop of Rome with these of the Bishops of Egipt to the Councell of Chalcedon Permitt vs to attend the ordination of our Archbishop to the end that according to the ancient customes we may follow his sentence And againe It is the custome in the prouinces of the prefecture of Egipt to doe noe such ting without the sentence and ordinance of the Archbishop of Alexandria confirmeth it For to saie that there could be nothing established in the vniuersall Church without the sentence of the Bishop of Rome and to saie there could be nothing established in the prouinces of the Prefecture of Egipt without the sentence of the Bishop of Alexandria was it not to make the Bishop of Alexandria that in the prefecture of Egipt that the Bishop of Rome was ouer the whole Church And therefore the Councell saying simplie for as much as this is also accustomed to the Bishop of Rome and not specifying where nor bringing in 〈◊〉 restriction what should hinder vs from supplying ouer all the Church and from answering that the intention of the Councell was to ordaine that the Bishop of Alexandria who in Egipt Libia and Pentapolis was as Vicar bred from the Sea of saint PETER who had there established his second selfe that is to saie his sonne and welbeloued disciple the Euangelist saint MARKE should haue the superintendencie of the Ecclesiasticall affaires in all these prouinces for as much as the Bishop of Rome to whom as Sozomene saith because of the dignitie of his Seate the care of all things appertained had it generally ouer all the Church or if they will presse vs to reduce the enthymeme of the Councell into the forme of a complete sillogisme what can hinder vs from reducing it into this The same priuiledges that the Bishop of Rome hath in regard of the whole Church the other Patriarkes haue proportionablie euery one in reregard of his Patriarkship Now the Bishop of Rome hath this priuiledge that to him because of the dignitie of his Sea the care of all things pertaines and that without him nothing can be decided of things which concerne the gouernment of the vniuersall Church the Bishop of Alexādria then ought to enioy by proportion the same priuiledges in the prouinces of his Patriarkship that is to say in the prouinces of Egipt Libia and Pentapolis
translations of the treatises of some Greeke diuines and not of his historicall workes or translations Otherwise how could Pope Gelasius in the same decree haue condemned the ten bookes of the recognitions of Clement which had bene translated by Russinus and how could he haue written in the same place the holy Roman Catholicke and Apostolicke Church hath not bene preferred before other Churches by anie Synodicall Constitutions but hath obtained the primacie by the Euangelicall voice of our Lord and Sauiour saying Thou art Peter and vpon this rock I will build my Church And how could he haue writtē elsewhere speaking of the ancient canons of the Church These are the Canons which ordaine that from all partes of the world the appeales shall be brought to the Sea Apostolicke And how could he haue said that the care of the Regions of Egipt and of Antioch had bene by Pope Felix committed to Acacius Patriark of Constantinople And whereas they add that saint CYRILL sending the Canons of the Councell of Nicea to the Bishops of Africa writt to them that they might finde them in the Ecclesiasticall historie which they pretend must be vnderstood of the history of 〈◊〉 for as much as those of Socrates Theodoret and Sozomene were written since and besides containe nothing of the canons of the Councell of Nicea this is yet a more feeble and deceiptfull caution For besides that many others had made collections of the Ecclesiasticall historie as amongst the Catholickes saint ATHANASIVS Bishop of Alexandria who had composed a volume intituled Synodica Theodorus Bishop of Mopsvestia not yet then noted for heresie who had framed a particular historie of the Councell of Nicea Philip of Sida who had compiled an vniuersall Ecclesiasticall history And amongst the heretickes Philostorgius the Arrian and Sabinus the Macedonian where is the article of the Bishop of Antioch and the precept to adore standing on the sundaies and during the fiftie daies of Pentecoste which were contained in saint Cyrills Copie to bee found in Ruffinus edition and contrariwise where are the permission to deacons to distribute the Eucharist in the absence of priests and Bishops and the restitution of the communion to penitents before the accomplishement of their pennance and the extension of the canon of the Paulianict deaconesses to all deaconesses in generall and the equiuocation and mistaking of the confession of priests after promotion which are all in the edition of Ruffinus to be read in the copie of saint CYRILL contrarywise if saint CYRILLS intention had bene to approue the edition of Russinus by this remittment why did not the Africans which turned or caused to be turned from Greeke into Latine saint CYRILLS Greeke Copie followe Ruffinus in their translation and put in the Clause of Churches Suburbicarie And saint CYRILL himselfe if he had beleiued that the clause of Churches suburbicary should haue bene added to the Canō of the Councell of Nicea how could he haue taken a Vicarship and commission from Pope Celestine to execute the sentence of the Sea Apostolique against Nestorius Archbishop of Constantinople And how could hee and the other Bishops of the Councell of Ephesus haue approued of the oration of the Popes Legates by which they called the Pope the head of the Church and the Vicar and ordinary Successor of saint PETER and why had they reserued the iudgement of the cause of Iohn Patriarke of Antioch to the Pope And then what proofe is there that Ruffinus by the word suburbicary did intend the Churches within a hundred thousand paces of the Cittie of Rome and not the Churches of all the Citties subiect to the Empire of the Cittie of Rome Is there anie likelyhood that the Bishop of Alexandria should haue had Egipt Libia and Pentapolis vnder which were yet intended many other great prouinces either annexed or subalterne as Ammoniaca Maroeotides Thebaidis and besides the immense Region of Ethiopia from whence the Greeke Emperor Leo surnamed the Philosopher saith in the life of saint CHRYSOSTOME that the Emperor Arcadius caused Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria to cometo Cōstantinople accompanied with Indian and Egiptian Bishops And that the Bishop of Rome by whom they squared him had no more but those onelie Churches that where neere the 〈◊〉 of Rome Theocritus writeth that Ptolomeus Philadelphus king of Egipt of whose Empire the Prouinces since attributed to the Patriarkship of Alexandria made the principall parte commaunded 33339. citties Of townes thirtie three thousand three hundred thirty nine Vnder the yoake of his decrees their seruile heads incline And Strabo and Diodorus Siculus and the interpreter of the notice of the Empire after them saie that the ancient diuision of Egipt was diuided into thirtie six prouinces whereof Delta in Egipt contained ten and the 〈◊〉 Theodosius the second writing to Dioscorus Patriarke of Alexandria to cause him to come to the false Coūcell of Ephesus sent to him to bring his ten metropolitan Bishops or ten of his metropolitā Bishops that is to saie heades of Prouinces with him And the Bishop of Antioch who was but the third Patriarke had vnder him the two Syria's the three 〈◊〉 the two Cilicia's the three Arabia's the Region of Euphrates Mesopotamia Jsauria and Osrhoene and more as he pretended the Isle of Cyprus without reckoning manie other prouinces which though he 〈◊〉 not their metropolitans yet neuerthelesse acknowledge him For there were manie prouinces which acknowledged their Patriarks and were obliged to appeare at their patriarchall Synods although they tooke not from them the ordination of their metropolitans from whēce it is that Balsamon writes that the Councell of Antioch holden vnder the patriark Peter Jberia Asiatica otherwise called the prouince of the Georgians was made Autocephalus that is to saie exempt from takeing the ordination of their Metropolitan anie other where then from the Synod of the prouince and neuerthelesse still remained subiect to the patriarke of Antioch And when the Councell of Chalcedon would erect Constantinople into a patriarkship they assigned him for his patriarchall Diuision the prouinces of Trace pontus Asia minor with the Barbarous prouinces that is to saie Russia and Muscouia which together contained more ground then all Europe principally if we giue Credit to Herodotus who saith that the Thracians were the greatest nation of the world next the Indians And the Pope who was the first patriarke and the patterne and modell of all the patriarkes to haue bene restrained to the onely Churches neere the Cittie of Rome what a Birth-right had that bene For to saie that the Pope had in his portion the Cittie of Rome which recompenced in splendor and dignitie the extént of the other patriarkships and besides that the prouinces neere the Cittie of Rome were much more peopled then the prouinces neere the other patriarchall Citties who knowes not first that the Cittie of Rome being vnder the Popes
to the blessednesse of the most holy Pope for as much as he is the head of all the most holy Ministers of God And by the places aboue cited of saint GREGORIE the great which witnesse that the Pope confirmed euen then that is to saie fiftie yeare after Iulian the former the election of the Bishop of the first Iustinianea and sent him the Archiepiscopall mantle and the reuocation of the Vicarship of the Sea Apostolicke and iudged by appeale of the causes of his Bishops chasticed him himselfe when he had misiudged But in summe whatsoeuer the sence of this addition of Russinus bee it imports little to knowe it For hauing bene excommunicated for his errors in saith by the Pope and the Roman Church who doubtes but if he could insert into his translation anie thing to the Popes preiudice he hath done it It 〈◊〉 before the Councell of Nicea which wills that to euery Church the prerogatiues thereof be preserued the Roman Church was she whereof S. IRENEVS cryes out to this Church because of a more mightie principalitie that is to saie because of a principalitie more mightie then the temporall it is necessary that all the Churches should agree It was she that S. CYPRIAN called the Chaire of Peter and the principall Church from whence the 〈◊〉 all vnitie proceeded It was she of whom S. IEROM writt I know the Church is built vpon this stone whosoeuer eates the lambe out of this howse is prophane It was she of whom S. AVSTIN said In the Roman Church hath alwaies 〈◊〉 the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke It sufficeth that before the Councell of Nicea which ordaineth that the ancient customes should remaine entire the law Ecclesiasticall sorbad to canonize Churches that is to 〈◊〉 to make canons touching the generalitie of Churches without the sentence of the Bishop of Rome that the Ecclesiasticall custome bare that the finall depositions of Bishops could not be proceeded to without attending the decision from Rome and that from the tyme of the Emperor Gallienus that is to saie more then sixtie yeares before the Councell of Nicea the Churchmen of Egipt desiring to accuse Dionisius Bishop of Alexandria their Patriarke went vp saith saint ATHANASIVS Patriarke of the same Sea of Alexandria to Rome and accused him before 〈◊〉 Bishop of Rome It sufficeth that presently after the same Councell of Nicea when S. ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria Paul Bishop of Constantiuople Marcellus Primate of Galatia Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in Palestina had bene deposed by diuers Councells of the East Iulius Bishop of Rome restored to euery one his Church because to him saith Sozomene for the dignitie of his Sea the care of all things appertayned It sufficeth that after the death of ATHANASIVS Pope Damasus confirmed the ordination of Peter Patriarke of Alexandria successor to the same saint ATHANASIVS and restored him to his Sea of Alexandria It sufficeth that in the Councell of Sardica holden for the defence of the Councell of 〈◊〉 whereat assisted besides more then three hundred other Bishops the same Osius that was President at the Councell of Nicea the same saint ATHANASIVS which had helped to frame the acts of the Councell of Nicea the same Protogenes Bishop of Sardica which was at the Councell of Nicea the Episcopall appeales to the Pope were authorized by a written lawe and the Bishops of all the prouinces exhorted to referr the affaires to their head that is to saie to the Sea of the Apostle PETER It sufficeth that in the Councell of Lampsacus in Asia the Macedonians purposing to returne to the Catholicke Church sent their Legats from Asia to Rome to protest obedience to the Pope to oblige themselues to come vp to his Tribunall or to the iudges delegated by him in all causes that should be attempted against them It sufficeth that in the Councell of Tyana in Cappadocia Eustachius Bishop of Sebastia in Armenia who had bene deposed by the Councell of Melitina the Metropolitan cittie of Armenia bringing letters of restitution from Pope Liberius was receiued without forme of processe and had place as a Bishop in the Councell It 〈◊〉 that when the Emperor Constantius had caused S. ATHANAS Patriarke of Alexandria to be deposed in a Councell of more then three hundred Bishops of the East and West he thought he had not satisfied his desire if the thing saith Amianus Marcellinus were not confirmed by the authority whereof the Bishops of the eternall cittie are superiors It sufficeth that when the same Canon of the Councell of Nicea which is now in question was renewed in the Councell of Constantinople the other Patriarkes and Primats were forbidden to meddle beyond their diuisions Let the Bishop of Alexandria said the Synod gouerne onely what belongs to Egipt and let the Bishops of the East that is to saie of the patriarkship of Antioch admister onely to the East where neuer Coūcell interdicted the Pope from medling in matters which were out of his patriarkship Cōtrariwise the Pope in importāt occasiōs hath alwaies takē notice of the ecclesiasticall affaires of the Empire of the East iudged by appeale the causes of other patriarkships the Catholicke Councells of the East thēselues yeilding to be solicitors executors of his sentences oppositely neuer anie of the other Patriarks once attempted to examine the Ecclesiasticall causes of the Empire of the West and of the patriarchall diuision of the Pope It sufficeth that in the Mileuitan Councell holden by the Bishops of Asrica and by S. AVSTIN amongst others it was affirmed that the Popes authoritie was of diuine right and drawne from the authoritie of the holy Scriptures and then not to be restrained to the simple patriarkship of Rome but vniuersall and such as the law of the Emperor Valentinian the third describes it when it calls the Pope the Rector of the vniuersalitie of Churches And the Emperor Iustinian when he writes that the Pope is the head of all the most holy ministers of God And the Bishop of Patara in Lycia one of the prouinces in Asia when he saith to the same Emperor Iustinian that there were many kings and princes in the world but there was noe one of them that was ouer all the earth as the Pope was ouer the Church of all the world It sufficeth that in the generall Councell of Ephesus when the Fathers had executed the sentence of deposition that the Pope had pronounced at Rome against Nestorius when they should haue passed to the cause of Iohn Patriark of Antioch the Councell reserued the iudgement thereof to the Pope and that according to the ancient custome and tradition Apostolicall It sufficeth that in the false Councell of Ephesus after Dioscorus Patriarke of Alexandria and his pretended generall Councell had deposed Flauianus Archbishop of Constantinople and Theodoret Bishop of Syre Flauianus saith the Emperor Valentinian
that he would haue brought vnder the Patriarkships of Alexandria and of Antioch from whence it is that the same Pope Leo reproached it to him that he had packed this decree not simplie to exalte his ranke but to increase his power This thy fault said hee which to augment thy power thou 〈◊〉 committed as thou saist by the exhortation of others thy charitie had better and more sincerely blotted out if thou hadst not imputed that which could not be attempted without thy will to the onely Councells of thy Clergie And elsewhere After the vicious beginnings of thy promotion after the ordination of the Bishop of Antioch which against the rules of the Canons thou hast attributed to thy self I am greeued that thy dilection hath fallen so farre as to insringe the holy Constitutions of the canons of Nicea as if thou hadst watched a time for thy purpose wherein the Sea of Alexandria was fallen from the priuiledge of the second honor and wherein the Church of Antioch had lost the proprietie of the third dignitie to the end that those places being subiected to thy iurisdiction all the Metropolitans might be depriued of their proper honor And was it not vnder this pretence that the Patriarkes of Constantinople attributed to themselues the appeales from other Patriarkes That which was defined saith Balsamon in the Councell of Sardica for the Pope concerning appeales ought also to be extended to the Patriarke of Constantinople for asmuch as hee hath bene by diuers canons meaning the canon of the Councell of Chalcedon and that of the Councell Trullian honored in the same sort as the Pope And againe This priuiledge belonges not to the Pope alone that euerie Bishop being condemned should haue recourse to the Sea of Rome but it ought also to be vnderstood of the Patriarke of Constantinople And Nilus Archbishop of Thessalonica the twentie eight canon of the Councell of Chalcedon and the thirtie sixth of the sixth Councell honoring the Sea of Constantinople with the same priuiledges with that of Rome grant also manifestly the appeales to that of Constantinople And in briefe was it not vnder this very pretence that when Gregorie Patriarke of Antioch had appealed to the Emperor and to the Councell from the persecutions of the Gouernors of Syria John Patriarke of Constantinople presumed to call a generali Councell of the Church of the East and to assigne the other Patriarkes and Metropolitans of the Empire of the East to be there and there to iudge with them the cause of Gregorie and there to intitle himself vniuersall Bishop Now is not this to protest that before that Constantinople was erected into the title of second Rome and that the Councells of Constantinople and Chalcedon had made this pretended extension of the priuiledges of the Bishop of Rome to him of Constantinople the vniuersall primacie and superintendencie of the Church belonged to the Pope For to say that at least it appeares from these words of the Councell of Chalcedon The Fathers did iustlie exhibit the priuiledges to the Sea of the ancient Rome for asmuch as that cittie had the Empire and the hundred and fiftie Religious Fathers moued with the same consideration 〈◊〉 attributed equall priuiledges to the holy Sea of the Cittie of 〈◊〉 That the cause wherefore the Fathers which had preceded the first Councell of 〈◊〉 had giuen the primacie to the Pope was not the Succession of saint PETER but the dignitie of the cittie of Rome besides that heere the question is not of right but of possession nor of 〈◊〉 the cause wherefore the Fathers which liued before the first Councell of 〈◊〉 had granted the primacie to the Pope but to knowe whether indeede they had graunted it him when the Bishop of the Councell of Chalcedon said that the primacie had bene exhibited to the Church of Rome because the cittie of Rome was the Seat of the Empire they intended not that the dignitie of the cittie of Rome had bene the next conioyned and immediate cause of the primacie of the Bishop of Rome but the cause antecedent obiectiue and remote contrarywise the next and conioyned cause of the primacie of the Church of Rome they acknowledged to be the Succession of saint PETER as it appeares both by the title that they gaue to the Popes Epistle calling it the sermon of the Sea of saint PETER and by the protestation that they made that the Popes primacie was of diuine right and instituted by the proper mouth of our Lord when they said speaking of Dioscorus He hath extended his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against him to whom the guarde of the vine was committed by our 〈◊〉 But the cause of the cause that is to saie the cause that moued saint PETER head of the Apostles to place and settle his Sea at Rome rather then in an other place they pretended to haue bene the dignitie of the Cittie By meanes whereof these two causes were not exclusiue but inclusiue one to the other As also the lawe of the Emperors 〈◊〉 Valentinian made six yeare before the Coūcell of Chalcedon comoynes them in these wordes Three things haue established the primacie of the Sea Apostolicke the Merit of saint Peter who is the Prince of the Episcopall 〈◊〉 the dignitie of the Cittie and the Synodicall authoritie And to this there is no repugnancie in that which the Fathers of the same Councell argued also of the dignitie of the cittie of Constantinople and they alleadged that it was second Rome to inferr from thence the second place to the Bishop of Constantinople for they grounded not their instance simplie vpon the temporall dignitie of the cittie of Constantinople which was saith saint AVSTINE daughter to the cittie of Rome but also vpon the spirituall dignitie of the Church of Constantinople which was daughter to the Church of Rome forasmuch as a part of the Clergie of Rome were transferr'd to Constantinople with the other Roman inhabi tants when one of the halues of the Empire was transported thither that is to saie they did not leane onely vpon this that the Cittie of Constantinople was an other Seate of the Empire but vpon this that the Church of Constantinople was a Swarme and a collonie of the Church of Rome and the Episcopall Sea of Constantinople a member and part of the Sea Episcopall of Rome or rather one and the same Sea Episcopall and one and the same Throne of saint PETER with that of Rome as Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople protesteth to Pope Hormisdas in these words I esteeme the Church of your ancient and this new Rome to be one self-same Church and I make account that that Sea of saint Peter and this of this Imperiall cittie is one selfe same 〈◊〉 And as it seemes the title of the lawe of the Emperor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it when he calls the Sea of Constantinople the Sea 〈◊〉 and Zonarus when he saith that in the tyme
and in cutting it of doth not onely cutt it of from the communion of the head onely but from the communion of the whole bodie or that the stocke and roote in cutting of some branche cuts not of it selfe from that but cutts that of from it selfe and in cutting it of cutts it not of onely from the communion of the roote but from that of the whole tree And therefore we alsoe see that in all the breaches of communion which haue bene betweene the Roman Church and the other Churches there hath happened fower things The first that when other Churches haue separated themselues from the Roman all the Catholicke Churches haue alwaies remained vnited with the Roman and haue separated themselues from those which haue forsaken her The second that when it hath bene the Roman Church which hath excōmunicated others all the Catholicke Churches haue forsaken them or if they not thought the cause of the excommunication grieuous haue had recourse to the Roman Church with remonstrances and intercessions to beseeche her to suspend and reuoke her censure as it appeares both by the words of S. IRENEVS to Pope Victor vpon the excommunication of the Asians he exhorted him not to cutt of all the Churches of God 〈◊〉 held the tradition of this ancient custome And by those of Dionisius Bishop of Alexandria to Pope Steuen vpon the condemnation of the Bishops of Cappadocia I haue said hee written beseeching him for all these things or occording to the other translation beseeching him for them all And by these of Socrates vpon the Popes censure against Flauianus Patriarke of Antioch Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria hauing sent the Priest Isidorus appeased Damasus you must reade Anastasius his indignation and represented to him that it was profitable for the concord of the people to forgett the fault of Flauianus and soe the communion hauing bene restored to Flauianus the factions of the people of Antioch were soone after revnited And by these of the Councell of Carthage vpon Pope Innocents sentence against Theophilus Patriark of Alexandria for S. CHRYSOSTOMES cause It had bene agreed vpon that concerning the dissention of the Roman and Alexandrian Churches Pope Innocent should be written to that both Churches may obserue the peace that our Lord hath commaunded For why should it be ordained that Pope Innocent should be written to and not Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria but because it was the Pope that kept the key of the Ecclesiasticall communion and that it was the Roman Church to whom it belonged to receaue the Alexandrian Church into her communion and not to the Alexandrian Church to receiue the Roman into her communion And in briefe that it belonged to the Roman Church to prescribe to the Alexandrian the lawes of the revnion and not to the Alexandrian to 〈◊〉 them to the Roman as Theodoret witnesseth that it happened a while after in these words Iohn being dead those of the West would neuer admitt the communion nether of the Egiptians nor of those of the East nor of the ` Bishops of Bosphorus and Thrace till they had inscribed the name of this admirable personage into the rolle of the Bishops his predecessors And the third that when the separation hath continued those that were excluded from the communion of the Roman haue alwaies bene cast out from the communion of the other Catholicke Churches and reputed for heretickes or schismatickes as it-appeares euen in the busines of the Asians excommunicated by Victor whose Sectaries were afterward constrained to abiure their heresie in these termes I anathematize all heresie and particularlie that of the Quartodecumans And the fowrth that when the deuided partes were to be revnited the other Churches haue alwaies sent to take and demaund their restitution into the commnnion of the Roman Church and that the Roman Church neuer sent to take or demaund that of other Churches Those of the West saith Theodoret speaking of Flauianus Patriarke of Antioch promised to laie by all bitternesse and to 〈◊〉 the Embassadors that Flauianus should send Which the diuine Flauianus hauing heard he sent a legation of famous Bishops and Priests and Deacons of Antioch to Rome And Socrates The communion hauing bene restored to Flauianus the parts of the Church of Antioch were soone after reunited And Pope Innocent the first writing to Alexander Patriarke of Antioch vpon S. IOHN CHRYSOSTOMES cause I haue diligentlie in quired whether the case of the blessed Bishop Iohn had bene satisfied in all pointes and hauing found by those of your 〈◊〉 that all things had bene accomplished according to our desire I haue by the grace of God admitted the communion of your Church And 〈◊〉 treating of the same matter Iohn being dead those of the West would neuer admitt the communion neither of the Egiptians nor of those of the East nor of the Bishops of Bosphorus and Thrace that is to saie of the diuision of Constantinople till they had inscribed the name of that admirable personage into the rolle of the Bishops his predecessors and scarcely esteemed Arsacius who had succeeded him 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 saluted and as for Atticus successor to Arsacius after manie legations and 〈◊〉 for peace they finallie receaued him but when he had first added the name of Iohn to the other Bishops And Pope Leo in his Epistle to Anatolius Patriark of Constantinople concerning the Bishops of the false councell of Ephesus Wee will said hee that by our Legats the care of the affaire being communicated to thee it be ordained that those that with full satisfaction shall condemne their euill actions and rather chose to accuse then to defend themselues shall enioy the vnitie of our peace and cōmunion And else where But as for those that haue more grieuously sinned if they after such satisfactiō as it shall seeme it ought not to be refused c. let the things be reserued to the more mature determination of the Sea Apostolicke And Pope Hormisdas tyme-felowe with the Emperor Iustin in his Epistle to Epiphanius Patriarke of Constantinople You must said hee put on my person and of those that shall 〈◊〉 with you in communion and by you to the Sea Apostolick informe vs by your letters therein 〈◊〉 therein the tenor of the libells which they shall haue presēted And againe Which we thought wought to impose vpon you laying our charge vpon your diligence because you haue giuen noe small proofe of your resistance to hereticks And Victor of Tunes reporting the same historie The Emperor Iustin reunited those of the East c. with 〈◊〉 satisfaction for those of the West And the Emperor Iustinian nephew and Successor to Iustin in the Epistle to Pope Iohn surnamed 〈◊〉 Wee haue hastned to submitt and vnit to your Holynesse Sea all the 〈◊〉 of the East Countries And certainelie if the Pope had holden noe other ranke in the ecclesiasticall communion then the other Patriarkes
of Constantinople who intreateth Domnus Patriarke of Antioch that he would beare with the infirmities of Athanasius Bishop of Perhes his fellowe Minister and to graunt him for his iudges other Bishops then his Metropolitan who was suspected by him It appeares thirdly by the sentence of the Bishops of the Councell of Ephesus who called Pope Celestin their most holy Father and fellowe Minister and nenerthelesse made themselues the executioners of his Decrees Constrained Necessarilie said they by the force of the Canons and by the letters of our most holie father and fellow-minister Celestin wee are come not without teares to pronounce this heauie sentence against Nestorius And finallie it appeares by the writings of Optatus Bishop of Mileuis in Africa who calls the Pope Siricius companion of Societie with the Catholicke Bishops and neuertheles acknowledgeth him in the same place for the heire of saint PETERS Chaire and for center and principle of Ecclesiasticall vnitie To the second head which is that saint CYPRIAN complaines that Basilides a Bishops of Spaine hauing bene deposed by the Councell of the Prouince for hauing yeilded vnder the persecution and an other hauing bene ordained in his place Pope Steuen had restored him Wee answere that this complaint insteede of wounding the Popes authoritie wholie confirmes it For saint CYPRIAN complaines not of the enterprize made by the Pope but of the surprize made vpon the Pope by Basilides who had misinformed him concerning that affaire Behold his 〈◊〉 That Basilides said hee after the discouerie of his crimes and the ignominie of his conscience made naked by his owne confession trauailing to Rome hath deceiued our brother Steuen remote by a farr distance of place and ignorant of the historie in fact and the truth of the matter which hath bene concealed from him to procure that he might be vniustly restored to his Bishopricke from which he had bene iustlie deposed cannot annull an ordination lawfully made c. Neither is he so worthie of blame who hath by negligence suffred himselfe to be misinformed as he is worthie of execration that hath fraudulently imposed it vpon him Now who sees not that this manner of speeche is not to reproue the interprize made by the Pope but the surprize made vpon the Pope And indeede how could saint CYPRIAN reproue the enterprize made by the Pope he that writes to him 〈◊〉 there be letters directed from thee into the prouince and to the people that inhabite Arles whereby Marcian being deposed an other may be substituted in his place To the third head that is that saint CYPRIAN writes Since it hath 〈◊〉 or dained to vs all or by vs all and that it is iust and equitable that euerie cause should be heard where the crime hath bene committed and that to euerie pastor there should be assigned a part of the flocke which he may rule and gouerne besore he come to yield an accompt of his actions to God those that we rule must not runne heere and there and cause the well vnited concord of the Bishops to knocke one against an other by a fraudulent and deceiptfull rashnes but pleade their cause where there may be accusers and wittnesses of their crimes Wee answere that he speakes heere of minor and particular causes whereof it was afterward ordained in the Councell of Carthage That particular causes should be determined within their prouinces that is to saie causes os manners and which concerned nothing but the liues of Clerkes and of inferior Clerkes onely that is to saie of Priests deacons subdeacons and other ecclesiasticall persons constituted to the lesser orders as it appeares both by these wordes Those whom we rule and by the qualitie of Fortunatus person of whom the question was who was a priest of the Church of Carthage who had bene excommunicated for his crimes by saint CYPRIAN and had made a Schisme against him at Carthage And not of Maior causes as those of faith or of the Sacraments or of the generall customes of the Church or of the depositions of the persons of Bishops the definition of which causes might be reserued for the iudgements beyond the Seas For that there was euer this difference in Africa betweene the inferior Clerkes that is to saie Priests deacons subdeacons and other ecclesiasticall persons constituted to the lesser orders and the superior Clerkes that is saie Bishops that the causes of the inferior Clerkes of Africa ought to be determined in Africa and not passe beyond the Seas but that the causes of the superior Clerkes that is to saie of Bishops might be transferred to the iudgement beyond the Seas wee learne it from saint AVGVSTINE who cries out that Cecilianus one of saint CYPRIANS Successors in the Archbishoprike of Carthage and within fortie yeares of S. CYPRIANS tyme who had bene condemned in Africa by a Councell of seuentie Bishops might reserue his cause beyond the Seas for as much as he was of the order of Bishops and not of that of Priests deacons and other inferior Clerkes There was noe question then saith saint AVGVSTINE of Priests or Deacons or other Clerkes of the inferior order but of the Colleagues that is to saie of Bishops who might reserue their cause intire to the iudgement of the other Colleagues and principallie of the Churches Apostolicke For whereas saint AVGVSTINE vseth the word Churches Apostolicke in the plurall number wee answere that in the Chapter following and shew that it is not to exclude the eminencie of the Roman Church ouer the rest 〈◊〉 of contrarywise he said but three lynes before In the Roman Church hath alwaies flourisht the principalitie Apostolicke But to preuent the malice of the Donatists who refused the iudgement that Pope Melchiades had giuen of the cause of Cecilianus for as much as they said that Melchiades had sacrificed to Idolls and consequenrlie could not iudge of the cause of Cecilianus who was accused of a crime of the like nature or equiualent to it It sufficeth at this tyme to inferr from the wordes of saint AVGVSTINE that there was this difference betweene the superior and inferior Clerkes of Africa that the causes of the superior Clerkes might be iudged beyond the Seas and not those of the inferior Clerkes And therefore where saint CYPRIAN saith that euery cause should be iudged where the crime had bene committed he spake of the causes of inferior Clerkes that is to saie of Priests Deacons subdeacons and other Ecclesiasticall persons constituted to the lesser order and not of the causes of superior Clerkes that is to saie of Bishops To the fowrth head which is that saint CYPRIAN complaines That the authoritie of the Bishops of Africa seemed lesse to some lost and desperate persons who had alreadie the yeare before bene iudged by them Wee answere two things the one that the word lesser hath noe reference heere to the Roman Church and is not a Comparatiue of relatiue signification but
it is a comparitiue of positiue signification which hath noe other meaning but lesse then it should be that is to saie little or not great enough as when the same S. CYPRIAN writeh in the Epistle to Antonius If the number of Bishops resident in Africa seemed lesse sufficiēt that is to saie not enough sufficient And the other that if it were a comparison of the comparatiue signification it should noe more haue reference to the Roman Church but to these wordes paucis desperatis perditis interpreting them in the ablatiue and not in the datiue and translating the period in this sence If it be not peraduenture that the authoritie of the Bishops constituted in Asrica who had alreadie iudged of them be esteemed lesse then a small number of desperate and lost men it seemes that the continuance of the period doth afterward declare which compares the number of the Bishops of Africa who had iudged of Fortunatus with those that tooke part with Fortunatus and not with the Roman Church in these wordes If the number of those that iudged of them the yeare past comprehending the Priests and deacons be reckoned it will be found there were more assistants present at the iudgement and at the examination of the cause then of those that tooke Fortunatus part And indeede if saint CYPRIAN had intended this word in a comparatiue signification and in regard of the Roman Church how could he haue said three lines aboue they presumed to saile to the Roman Church which is the Chaire of Peter and the principall Church from whence the Sacerdot all vnitie hath proceeded And how coul Optatus Mileuitanus an African as well as hee saie At Rome hath bene constituted to Peter the chiefe the Episcopall Chaire that in this onely Chaire the vnitie of all might be preserued And howe could saint AVGVSTINE an 〈◊〉 as well as either of them say That Cecilianus might despise the conspiring multitude of his Enemies that is to saie of seauentie Bishops of Africa assembled in the Councell of Numidia with him For as much as he sawe himself vnited by letters communicatorie with the Roman Church in which had alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke and with the other Countries from whence the Ghospell came into Africa And againe That he doubted not but that Pelagius and Celestius who had bene iudged by two Councells of Africa whould more easilie yeild to the Popes authoritie drawne out of the authoritie of the holie Scriptures To the fifth head which is that the same S. CYPRIAN saith That there is but one Bishopricke whence euerie one holds his portion vndiuidedlie Wee answere hee vseth this language to insinuate that the Bishopricke cannot be possessed separatelie out of the vnitie and societie of the Episcopall Bodie but not to denie but that in the vnitie of this Episcopall Bodie the functions of Episcopall power are exercised in a more principall and eminent manner in the Roman Church then in the other Churches noe more then when wee saie that the soule is possessed by all the partes of the bodie inseparablie and vndiuidedly wee intend not to saie that for the exercise of her functions she resides not in a more principall and eminent fashion in the head then in the other partes otherwise why should hee call the Roman Church the Chaire of PETER and the principall Church and the originall of Sacerdot all vnitie To the sixth head which is that S. CYPRIAN saith in the Councell holden for the rebaptization of heretickes None of vs constitutes himself Bishop of Bishops Wee answere he speakes there onelie of the Bishops of Africa to whom hee directs his speach and whom hee exhorts to tell their opinion freelie in the Councell without being held backe by the respect of the authoritie that as Primate of Africa hee had ouer them And wee will add that if hee had holden this language euen to taxe and preuēt the Pope obliquely who afterward condemned him the matter would be of noe weight for as much as this Coūcell was an erroneous Coūcell where S. CYPRIAN cast the foundations of the Donatists heresie and that as such it was not onelie condemned by the Pope and by all the rest of the Church but euen by those that had adhered to saint CYPRIAN witnes these wordes of saint 〈◊〉 The Blessed Cyprian stroue to auoide the myrie lakes and not to drinke of the strainge waters and vpon this subiect addressed the Synod of Africa to Steuen Bishop of Rome who was the twentie sixth after saint PETER but his strife was in vaine And finallie those that had bene of the same opinion with Cyprian sett forth a newe decree saying What shall wee doe Soe hath it 〈◊〉 deliuered to them by their Ancestors and ours To the seauenth head which is of the inuectiues that S. CYP. suffered to slipp out of his mouth after the contention that hee had with Pope Steuen for the rebaptizatiō of hereticks taxing him of ignorance and presumption Wee answere it is impietie in Caluin to alleadge them since S. AVSTINE holds them vnworthy to be reported and couereth them with this excuse The things which Cyprian in anger hath spread against Steuen I will not fuffer them to passe vnder my penn And we adde the resistance that Pope Steuen made to the error of S. CYPRIAN was the safetie of the church as saint Uincent Lerin witnesseth in these wordes Then the Blessed Steuen resisted with but before his Colleagues iudginge it as I conceaue a thing worthie of him that he should surmount them as much in Faith as he did in the authoritie of his place Of the Commission of the Emperor Constantine the Great for the iudgement of Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage CHAPT IV. THe third instance of Caluin is taken from Optatus Mileuitanus and from saint AVGVSTINE who saie that the Donatists hauing accused Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage and Felix Bishop of Aptunge his Ordinator and besought the Emperor Constantine who thē was resident amongst the Gaules to giue them Iudges of the Gaules the Emperor gaue them three Bishops of the Gaules whom he sent to Rome to iudge the affaire with Pope Melchiades But whom doth this Instance combate against but those that alleadge it For the Emperor being constrained by the importunitie of the Donatists and that as himselfe protested against all Ecclesiasticall order to giue them Iudges and hauing giuen them according to their demaund Iudges of the Gaules what could he more expressely doe to testifie the Popes authoritie then to remitt them to Rome and to ordaine that the same Iudges of the Gaules that hee had giuen them should transporte themselues from the Gaules to Rome to the end the cause might be 〈◊〉 at the Popes Tribunall and vnder the presidencie and direction of the Pope Was there a Stronger meanes to proue what wee reade in S. ATHANASIVS That antient custome of the Church was that the
of the watchfulnes of two Episcopall Councells with the helpe of God who takes the protection of his Church haue also bene condemned in all the Christian world by the Reuerend Prelates of the Sea Apostolicke yea euen to the number of two Pope Innocent and Pope Zosimus if they doe not correct themselues and besides doe pennance And Prosper his disciple Vnder the twelfth consulship of Honorius and of Theodosius the decrees of the Councell of Carthage two hundred and fourteen Bishops were carried to Pope Zosimus which hauing bene approued the Pelagian heresie was condemned throughout the world And againe The Pope Zosimus of blessed memorie added the force of his sentence to the decrees of the Councells of Africa and to cutt of impious persons armed the right hands of all the Bishops with the sword of Peter The second solution that whe bring to the place of the Mileuitan Councell is that the Canon speakes but of inferior clerks which were Priests deacons subdeacons and other lesser Orders and not superior Clerks that is to saie Bishops whose causes because of the importance and dignitie of their persons were reputed maior causes as Pope Nicholas the first though longe after writes to the Bishops of France in these wordes The more the Bishops are in a principall degree and more exalted in the Church of God the more when their preseruation is treated of or their deposition ought their causes to bee reckoned amongst maior and difficult causes for they are the first in the Church they are those which holde the reede in their hand to measure the holie Ierusalem they are those that rule in Gods buildings And this solution we drawe first from the very wordes of the Mileuitan Councell which are It hath bene thought fitt that the Priests Deacons and other Clerks of the inferior order in the causes that they shall haue if they complaine of the iudgements of their Bishops appeale not but to the Councells of Africa or to the Primates of their prouinces By which words restrained to onely priests deacons and other Clerkes of inferior order it is manifest that the Councells except the Clerkes of the superior order that is to saie Bishops And secondly wee drawe it out of the Epistle of Pope Iulius the first reported by saint ATHANASIVS which saith that saint ATHANASIVS could not be definitiuely iudged without the Roman Church because he was of the order of Bishops They were said he Bishops and not of vulgar Churches And a little after If then there were such a suspition conceaued against the Bishops there it must haue bene written of to this Church here Hereby testifying to vs that there was this difference betweene the Bishops and the inferior Clerkes as the causes of inferior clerkes were determined in particular Councells but the causes of Bishops could not be iudged definitiuely without the Pope And thirdly wee collect it from saint AVGVSTINE who teacheth vs as wee note in the appendix of the conference of Fontaine-bleau that the prerogatiue of Bishops and that of priests deacons and other inferior Clerkes were distinct in Africa for matter of appeale and that the one to witt Bishops might appeale beyond Sea and not the others yea groundes the iustice of the Catholickes of Africa who tooke part with Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage against the Donatists who opposed him vpon this that Cecilianus hauing bene iudged by a Councell of seauentie African Bishops assembled at Carthage could haue appealed beyond Sea for as much as he was not of the number of Priests deacons or other inferior Clerkes but was of the order of Bishops He might saith saint AVSTIN despise the conspiring multitude of his enemies because he sawe himselfe ioyned by communicatorie letterrs with the Roman Church in which hath alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke and with the 〈◊〉 transmarine Churches For adds he a little 〈◊〉 there was noe question of Priests deacons or other Clerkes of the inferior order but of the colleagues that is to saie of Bishops who might reserue their cause intire to the iudgement of other Bishops and principallie of the Churches Apostolicke In which place saint AVSTIN vseth the word Churches Apostolicke in the plurall number not to denie the eminencie of the Roman Church ouer the other Apostolicke Churches of which contrarywise he had newlie said that Cecilianus might dispise the conspiring multitude of his Enemies for as much as he sawe himselfe vnited by communicatorie letters with the Sea of Rome in which had alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke but to the end to shutt vp the gate against the shift of the Donatists which calumniated and reiected the iudgement that Pope Melchiades had made of Cecilianus because they said that Melchiades not onely was culpable of the crime of treason as well as Cecilianus and by consequent capable of refusall in this case but also whilst he was yet a deacon had Sacrificed to Idolls with Pope Marcellinus For although this reproach were false as appeares by the computation that saint AVGVSTINE giues it elswhere and by the testimonie that Theodoret giues to Marcellinus to haue bene most excellent in persecution Neuertheles it gaue colour to the Donatists to reuolte against the Popes iudgement therefore saint AVSTIN without tying himself to the specialitie of the Roman Church contents himself to saie in generall that Cecilianus might reserue his cause to the iudgement of the transmarine Churches and principally those that are Apostolicke to inferr thēce that the Donatists who vpon the onelie sentence of the Councell of Africke without attending a iudgement frō beyond Sea had instituted an other Archbishop at Carthage were 〈◊〉 For the priuiledge that the Bishops of Africke had that they might appeale beyōd Sea was such that their causes could not be determined either till the Roman Church should examine them or in default of the Roman Church putting it in the forme of a case giuē not graūted that they had iust cause to refuse the Pope in anie affaire till the iudgemēt of all the other trāsmarine Churches principallie Apostolicke had interuened as S. AVS declares a while after in these wordes Put the case that the Bishops that iudged the cause at Rome had not bene good iudges there remayned yet the vniuersall Councell of the whole Church For this cause then the Mileuitan Councell willing according to the ancient African discipline witnessed by saint AVSTIN himselfe to except at the Canon where the defence of the appeales beyond Sea is questioned the clerkes of the superior order that is to saie the Bishops put in by waie of barr the specification of priests Deacons and other Clerkes of the inferior order to hinder Bishops from being comprehended therein It hath bene thought fitt saith the Councell that the Priests Deacons and other clerkes of the inferior order should not appeale but to the Councell of Africa or to the 〈◊〉 of
had bene brought out of the East and that when they should come they whould assemble a councell to aduise vpon it From whence it appeares that the sixth councell of Carthage was finished the same yeare wherein it began and lasted but till the copies came out of the East which arriued in the month of Nouember of the consulship of Monaxius and Plinta and the other that when there was question of the last processe of Apiarius and of the second voyage of Faustinus into Africa the Bishops of Africa writt to Pope Celestine that they had assembled a councell expressly vpon the occurrence of this Businesse from it may be gathered that the sixth councell of Carthage had not continued till then Our holy brother fellowe Bishop Faustinus said they coming to vs wee haue assēbled a councell Whereto there may yet be added that betweene the first appeale of Apiarius when he was pursued by the inhabitants of Sicca which was determined in the sixth councell of Carthage in the presence of Flauianus and the second appeale of the same Apiarius when he was pusued by the inhabitants of Thabraca which was determined in the Councell holden after the returne of Faustinus into Africa there did againe interuene an other Councell by which he had bene depriued a second time of the 〈◊〉 of all the Bishops of Africa And it is not to bee replied that the sixth Councell of Carthage chose twentie two deputiesto finish what had not bene determined in the generall assemblie of the Councell for it was an ordinarie thing for the generall Councells of Africa when they had bene some daies together to auoide the wearysomnes and the expences of so great a multitude of Bishops to choose three or fower 〈◊〉 from euerie prouince who should prepare and put into forme the actes of the Councell as in the Councell holden the yeare before vnder the twelfth Consulship of Honorius after the constitution of the 〈◊〉 there was chosen three deputies of euery prouince to determine the other businesse of the Councell and to reduce into forme the actes of what had bene there resolued And neuerthelesse soe farr is it from appearing from thence that this Councell lasted to the yeare following as contrarywise the yeare followinge which was the yeare after the twelfth consulship of Honorius there was assembled a newe Councell the eigth of the calends of June which was that that we call the sixth of Carthage The seauenth skirmish is about the collection intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage which is a gathering of thirtie three of the principall canons of the former Councells of Carthage which manie thinke to haue bene made in the sixth Coūcell of Carthage and we cōntrarywise pretend it to be compiled by some impertinent Rapsodist whether an African during the last and most barbarous tyme of the dominion of the Uandalls in Africa or an Europian while the heresie and tyrannie of the Vandalls hindred the catholickes on this side the Sea from beinge able to haue exact communication and knowledge of the ecclesiasticall things of Africa And we are grounded in this beliefe by infinite reasons The first reason is that Fulgentius Ferandus an African deacon and very conuersant in the African antiquitie who writ a little before the expulsion of the Uandalls out of Africa not onely makes noe mention of this collecton that they intitle the sixth councell of Carthage but also citinge some of the canons that are there alleadgeth them vnder the title of canons of the former Councells of Carthage As when he citeth the canon of the canonicall Bookes he cites it from the Councell of Carthage where there was added the permission to reade the Passions of the martyrs which is the third Councell of Carthage and doth not note that this canon hath bene published in anie other Councell of Carthage when he registers the prohibition of ordayninge Bishops without the consent of their Primate he alleadgeth it with these quotations 〈◊〉 Councell of Carthage vnder the Prelate Genetlius title tenth the Generall Councell of Carthage title fortie fowerth And the Councell of Zelles in the recitall of the Popes Epistle and maketh noe mention amongst the places where this canon of the Councell is that we call the sixth Councell of Carthage which was holden the yeare after that of Zelles When he inrolls the canon of the celibate of Bishops Priests and deacons he inserts it with this quotation The Councell of Carthage title the first and Councell of Zelles And of the Coūcell of Carthage holden after that of Zelles which is that which we call the sixth he speakes not one word And it is not to be obiected that these fragments are found in the collection of Dionisius Exiguus For besides that the collection of Dionisius Exiguus was compiled not by a naturall African as was Fulgentius Ferandus but by a Scythian it was made after the Register of Ferandus as it appeares both by the canons of the Apostles which are there inserted which in Pope Gelasius his tyme and in Fulgentius Ferandus his tyme who were both Africans were neither receuied in the church of Rome nor in the African church and for this cause are not mentioned in the Register of Ferandus and by the diuision of the last canon of the seauenth councell of carthage which the collection of Dionisius and the Greeke edition that followes it doe diuide inpertinently into two canons whereas Fulgentius Ferandus and the originall text of the seauenth Councell of Carthage doe place them vnder one onely title And to this there is noe opposition in this that Victor Bishop of Tununes or according to others Tunnes extendes the 〈◊〉 of Fulgentius Ferandus if the quotations be not transposed to the one twētith yeare of the Empire of Justinian For it is certaine that Fulgentius Ferandus writt from the tyme of the Emperor Anastasius and of Fulgentius Bishop of Ruspa to whom he dedicated the Epistle of the fiue questions The second reason is that these fragments intituled the sixth Councell of Carthage are not in the collection of Jsidorus Mercator and in the ordinary volumes of the Coūcells where the Coūcells of Africa in chiefe are reported and all the other ancient Councells of the latine church whereof wee make vse Contrarywise that the sixth Councell of Carthage which is there inserted containes noe canons and comprehends but the verball processe of what passed betweene the Popes legates and the Bishops of Africa about the matter of appeales which verball processe is reduced onely to tenn Chapters after which immediatly followes in the ordinarie copies the seauenth Councell of Carthage The third reason is that the sixth Councell of Carthage and the seauenth were not two different Councells but two actions of one and the same Councell the one celebrated the eigth of the calends of June vnder the twelfth consulship of Honorius and the
Iustinian himselfe in the Sea of Constantinople in the steede of Eutychius and deceased twelue yeares after the death of Iustinian And it derogates not from this that Balsamon reiects all the Nomocanons that is to saie all the marriages of lawes and canōs which haue bene made before that of Photius And amongst the rest one Nomocanon which distributes the lawes and canons into fiftie titles For be it that he speake of that of Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople surnamed Scholasticus be it that he speake of an other later he reiects it not for not hauing bene antient enough but for being too antient for as much as manie lawes of the Emperor Iustinian which are there inserted haue ceased to be in vse hauing bene abrogated by the later Emperors yet lesse is this repugnant to it that the canons intituled from the Apostles are quoted in this synagogue vnder the number of eigthie fiue canons Whereas Doonisius exiguus and after him Cresconius report but of fiftie For bsiedes this that the greeke code of Dionisius as hath bene aboue noted was very lame and defectiue it is certaine that the Greekes both before Theodoret and before Dionisius Exiguus retained eightie fiue as appeares by these wordes of the councell of Constantinople surnamed Trullian Wee ordaine that the eightie fiue canons which haue bene receaued and confirmed by the holie Fathers who haue preceded vs and haue bene giuen vs by them vnder the name of the canons of the holie and glorious Apostles remaine from hence forward 〈◊〉 and vnmoueable And by the councell of Constantinople holden vnder Nectarius in the cause of Agapius and of Bagadius more then sixtie yeares before Theodoret that the councell Trullian canoniseth in these wordes Wee seale also the canons of the holie fathers which reassembled thēselues anew in this religious imperiall cittie vnder Nectoirius Archbishop of the same cittie vnder Theophilus Archbishop of Alexandria Which coūcell holden vnder Nectarius in the cause of Agapius and Bagadius cites the seauentie sixth Canon of the Apostles for I will not renewe the difference that hath bene since Pope Gelasius betwene the greeke and latine church in regard of these Canons intituled from the Apostles It sufficeth to defend the antiquitie of this Synagogue that from before the time of Theodoret the Greekes held eigthie fiue canons for Apostolicall canons and this may be said touching the sixth obiection lett vs dispatch the two others The seauenth obiection that the Popes aduersaries propound against the authoritie of the canons of the Councell of Sardica is that Pope Adrian the first in the epitomy of the canons that he addresses to Charlemaine saith that the Canons of the councell of Sardica are not to be found amongst the Greekes and that Pope Nicholas the first in his Epistle to Photius Patriarke of Constantinople and to the 〈◊〉 writes The Councell of Sardica which you saie you haue nott To this obection then wee answere two thinges the one that if Photius who was author of the schisme which lasts to this daie betweene the greeke and Latine Church should haue said by malice and to couer his intrusion in to the Patriarkship of Constantinople which he had vsurped vpon 〈◊〉 true and lawfull Patriarke that the Greekes had not or receiued not the Councell of Sardica it were noe great meruaile no more then that the Bishops of Egypt writt to the Emperor Leo to couer their heresie that they knew not the Synod of the hundred fifteen fathers that is to saie the first generall Synod of Constantinople in the which neuerthelesse Timothie the first their Patriarke had assisted and presided For Photius hauing intruded into the Patriarkship of Constanstinople against the Canons of the Coūcell of Sardica which forbad Laymē to vsurpe ecclesiasticall charges there is noe doubt but he would willingly haue auoided that which condemned him And the other that it is a mistaking in Pope 〈◊〉 who deceaued himself vpon the Epitomy of the Canons of Pope Adrian who was deceiued vpon Dionisius his collection For not only the Councell of Constanstinople surnamed Trullian that the Greekes intituled the sixt generall Councell which was more then an hundred and fiftie 〈◊〉 before Pope Adrian more thē two hundred before Pope Nicolas 〈◊〉 before Photius that Photius himself canoniseth registers it in his 〈◊〉 as an vniuersall oecumenicall Coūcell writes Wee seale also the 〈◊〉 that haue bene publisht by the fathers assembled at Sardica Carthage by those which reassembled thēselues the second time in this Religious and imperiall 〈◊〉 vnder Nectarius Archbishop of this imperiall Cittie and Theophilus 〈◊〉 of Alexandria But Photius himself in his Nomocanon insertes allmost 〈◊〉 euery title the canōs of the coūcell of Sardica those particularly of the Episcopall appeales to the sea Apostolike after Photius Simō 〈◊〉 Zonara Balsamō Alexius Blastares Harmenopolus other later 〈◊〉 Canonists The eigteenth last obiection that the aduersaries of the church make against the authoritie of the canōs of the coūcell of Sardica 〈◊〉 that the practises of episcopall appeales which are the subiect of the third fourth and fift Canon of the Coūcell of Sardica hath bene long 〈◊〉 to the Easterne Church For proofe whereof they alleadge six 〈◊〉 the first is that Socrates speaking of Cyrill Bishop of Hierusalem who had appealed from the Councell of Palestina holden vnder Acacius Archbishop of Cesarea to a greater iudgment that is to saie to the iudgement of the Councell of Seleucia saith that Cyrill practised the first and 〈◊〉 one of this kind of proceeding making vse against the custome of the ecclesiasticall Canon of appeales as in a lay iudgement The 〈◊〉 that the first Councell of Constantinople that was called the 〈◊〉 generall one ordained that after the Synod of the Prouince the 〈◊〉 of the Patriarkship might examine in the second instance of the 〈◊〉 of Bishops but that if after the Synod of the Patriarkship anie one 〈◊〉 dare to importune the eares of the Emperor or of secular Princes 〈◊〉 disquiet the generall synod that he bee no more receaued to pursue his 〈◊〉 The third that the Emperor Iustiniā saith that frō the sentēces of the Patriarkes there is noe appeale no more then from the sentences of the Prouosts of the Pretory The fourth that the Emperor Iustinian ordaines that if a Clearke attempt anie Cause against his Bishop 〈◊〉 bee iudged by his Metropolitan and in case the one of the parties 〈◊〉 to obey the iudgement the Patriarke of the diocese shall end 〈◊〉 The fifth that the Emperors Leo and Constantine declared that the sentence of the Patriarke was not subiect to appeale as being the Prince of Ecclesiasticall iudgements And the sixth that Photius in his Nomocanon saith there is noe appeale from the sentence of the Patriarkes To the first then of those obiections which is that Socrates saith that Cyrill Bishop of Jerusalem was the only and
Disciples And Optatus Mileuit In the Roman Chaire there is sett Peter the head of all the Apostles And againe Against the gates of hell we reade that Peter our Prince hath receaued the wholesome keyes And S. CYRILL of Alexandria Peter as the Prince and head of the rest first cryed out thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Euen vntill then it was a thing so well knowne vnto antiquitie that sainct PETER was the visible head of the Church and of Christian religion as the verie Pagans and Porphirius amongst the rest as sainct HIEROME reportes it reproched it to Christians that S. Paul had bene so rashe as to reproue Peter the Prince of the Apostles and his master And they fained as saith sainct AVGVSTINE that the Oracles of their false Gods hauing bene inquired of concerning Christian Religion answered this blasphemie that Chrict was innocent of the imposture of the Christiās but that Peter who was a Magitian for the loue he bore to his Master had inuented Christian Religion And this may be said of the comparison betweene PETER and the other Apostles for I will not now treate of the other frequent markes of the preheminēce and authoritie of S. PETER which are in the Euangelicall and Apostolicke historie As that our Lord commaunded him to paie the tribute for himself and for him that he vndertooke the care of the replacing of an other Apostle in Iudas his steede all the Colledge of the Apostles suffring themselues to bend and to be lead by his words that he is nominated as for preheminence and ranked a part Peter and the Eleuen that they bore the sicke into the Apostles waie that Peters shadowe might passe ouer them that that he alone iudged Ananias and Saphira to death that to him alone is reuealed the introduction of the nations into the Church and other the like for as much as it is not my purpose to examine the other places of scripture but onely those that his maiestie hath alleadged and to examine those not by scripture but by the Fathers whose obiection me thinkes I haue sufficiētly satisfied And as for Origēs interpretatiō which extends this text to all Christians in generall and saith that whosoeuer confesseth that Christ is the Sonn of God is made a foundation of the Church it is an interpretation morallized from this passage to bring it into sence although strained and wrested whose fruite may be applied to all the hearers and not a serious and litterall interpretation as the same Origen that makes vse of it testifies when he expounds it expressly and literallie of the persō of Peter There remaines the third point which is that the Church is built vpon Christ now in this point we are all of accord with his Maiestie but yet wee graunt not that S. PETER leaues to be the visible and ministeriall Foundation of the Church for the Philosophers teach vs that thinges subordinate combat not one an other but imbrace presuppose one other therefore to saie that Christ is the foundation of the Church and to saie that S. PETER is the foundation of the Church are not repugnant propositions but vnanimous and compatible For wee doe not pretend that they are foundations of the Church after one and the same sort but we hold that Christ is the foundation of the Church by himself and by his owne authoritie and S. PETER only by commission no more then to saie with Moyses that God only was the guide of the people of Israell in their passage from Egipt to the land of Chanaan and to saie with S. STEVEN that Moyses guided the people in the Wildernesse This was he said he that was with the Church in the desert Are not things incompatible for god was the guide of the people of Israel by his proper vertue and Moyses by commission and lieuetenancie from God Likewise to saie that the Vice-Roy of Ireland is the foundation of the gouernment and policie of Ireland And to saie that the excellent Kinge of Great Brittaine is the foundation of the state and policie of the same Ireland are not things incompatible for the excellent King of Great Brittaine is so by his proper authoritie and the Vice-Roy is soe by commission lieuetenancie and representation Although notwithstanding that the literall intention of this passage Vpon this Rock I will build my Church is no way to designe by the word Rock the person of Christ but that only of Peter as it appeares by six euident reasons THE first that our lord hauing foretold to S. PETER that he would change his name not by the attribution of a simple Epithete as he did to the Sonns of Zebedee whom he called the Sonns of thunder but by the imposition of a name ordinarie and permanent in saying to him Thou shalt be called 〈◊〉 puts him noe where in possession of this promise nor explaines to him noe where the cause of the imposition of this name but in this passage Thou art Peter vpō this Rock I will build my Church Now this passage cānot explaine the sence of the word Peter if in the secōd part of the passage the word Rock be not taken in the same sence and for the same subiect for which it is taken in the first and by consequence this clause vpon this Rock I will build my Church cannot there be interpreted of the person of Christ but on the only person of S. PETER The second that our Lord meanes in this place to render an exchange for the words that S. PETER spake of him as may appeare by this preface And I tell thee which for this cause Beza hath translated into these words And I tell thee reciprocallie Now S. PETER in his propositiō had done two things the one to declare the appellatiue name of our Lord which is Christ the other to explaine the sence and energy of the same name of CHRIST in saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God And therefore the lawe of the Antithesis correspōdencie wills that not only our lord should declare the name that he had promised to giue him in saying to him Thou art Peter but also should explaine the sence energy of this name in saying to him and vpon this Rock I will build my Church Which could not be vnlesse by the word Rock in this second clause there were literally vnderstood the person of S. PETER and not that of CHRIST THE third that it had bene a thing extremely from the purpose to haue made mention of the name of Peter for the language that our Lord meant to speake to S. PETER if by this clause and vpon this Rock he had not intended to speake of the person of Peter For the word Rock hath no metaphoricall relation to the keyes but to the building The fourth that it had bene an inconstant grammaticall consequence and euil knitt to saie And I
to the Church CHAPT V The continuance of the Kings answere AND also which is principallie to be lamented it is happened by this dissipation that there is lesse force in the seperate parts then there was in the whole to resist the enemie of mankinde who as Christ teacheth vs is a wake and attentiue vpon 〈◊〉 occasion to mingle the good seede with darnell and tares THE REPLIE AFTER the deuision of the externall communion all the soule the forme and essence of the Church rests in one onlie of the societies which remaine after the diuision and not in the others which are no more trulie partes of the Church but only equiuocallie euen as when a member is separated from a liuing and sensible Bodie all the essence the Soule and forme of the creature remaines in the Bodie from whence that separation hath bene made and not in the part that hath bene separated from it which is noe more a part of the Bodie but equiuocallie and inproperlie And therefore after the separation of hereticks all the same strength vigor and vertue which was in the Bodie of the Church before the separation remaines in the part from whence the separation is made as she that inherits the condition of all and not in the others in such sort as she hath noe lesse force to resist the corruption that the enemie of mankinde would bring in but contrariwise oftentimes more for as much as the constancie of the Charitie of those which remaine in the Church is made the more vnited and the more eminent by the separation of the rest according to this sentence of saint PAVLE There must be heresies that the Good may be manifested And therefore saint AVGVSTINE writes That the Church makes vse of 〈◊〉 for the approbation of her doctrine and of schismaticks for the demonstration of her stedfastnes And elsewhere That those that goe forth from the Bodie of the Church are as euili humors by whose purgation the Bodie is eased By meanes whereof his Maiestie ought not to pretend that the alienations of the partes which are seperate from the Bodie of the Church haue left in her from whom they are seperated the lesse vigor to resist the enemie of mankinde and to maintaine her self vncorrupted then there was in the whole Bodie before but contrariwise to presuppose that the same vertue which resided in the whole Bodie is reunited in the part that succeedes it As when one of our eyes hath lost his former light His splendors faire effect shines in the other sight And th'extinguisht beame adds to the cleere-eyes store Who sees alone as much as both could see before Also it cannot be found that since the separation of the Roman Church and the Greeke faction quoted by his Maiestie which is the greatest seperation that euer was made the Roman Church receaued anie doctrine which was not holden by all the Bodie of the Catholike Church when this diuision happened and noe more till then since the separation of the Egiptians and Ethiopian Prouinces Of the pretended corruption of the Church CHAPT VI The continuance of the Kings answere AND what wee now see with our eyes to be happened yea and handle it with our handes it is a ridiculous thing and more then absurd to dispute if heretofore it could be or now can be done THE REPLIE THere was neuer anie age wherein those that seperated themselues from the Church haue not beleeued that they saw cleerly and euidently that she was corrupted and full of palpable and Cymerian darknes otherwise they had not seperated themselues from her The figure of this preiudication preceded in the rashnes of Oza who beleeued that the Arke was about to fall and vpon that beleefe put out his hand to lifte it vp for which he was punisht with death And followed in the incredulitie of the Apostles who while our Lord slept thought that the Barke wherein they were with him was about to perishe in indignation whereof he chidd them for their little faith and taught them that he that keepes Israell doth neither slumber nor sleepe and the historie since hath cōtinued in all the pretended Reformers of the Church For as Pentheus in seeing his children thought hee had seene Beares Tigers Serpents and other wild beastes and did not perceiue that the euill was not in them but in his sight Soe the heretickes in all ages in seeing their mother that is to saie the Church thought they had seene a troope of Dragons Lyons and wild-beasts and vpon that occasion haue put themselues to flight not discerning that the euill was not in the Church but in their eyes And that it is soe did not the Luciferians saie That the Catholicke Church had bene conuerted into a brothell and was become the whore of Antichrist And did not the Donatists call the Apostolicke chaire the chaire of Pestilence And did they not crie out that the Catholicke Church was become the shield of Romulus And saith not saint AVGVSTINE of them I iustly persecute him that detracts from his neighbour wherefore shall I not more iustlie persecute him that publickly blasphemes the Church c. when he saith she is a whore And the Pelagians when there was alleadged to them the number and the multitude of the Catholicks did they not answere that to finde anie thing a multitude of blinde men auailed nothing And neuerthelesse who knowes not at this daie that they were the blinde men and not the Church And then this pretended corruptiō of the Church being the theame of the question debated by vs to cause that to passe as a thing graunted it is to put for a principle that which his maiestie ought if it please him to reserue to be iudged at the end not presuppose at the beginning of the disputation For to saie that there is no thing but is altered and corrupted by age this argument is good for those thinges that are preserued by ordinarie and naturall faculties but not for those that are assisted by extraordinary and supernaturall helpe and to whom these words of Dauid may be applied Thy youth shall he renewed as the youth of an Eagle Now the Church is of this number for our Lord saith of her without exception of time Thou art wholly faire and there is noe spott in thee and shee sings and will sing to the end of the world I am black but I am faire that is to saie I am black in manners but faire in doctrine And therefore S. AVGVSTINE compares her to Sara who when she was old left not to be faire And for this same cause sainct HIEROME citing these wordes of Salomon that the eye that mockes his Father or despiseth the age of his mother the Crowes of the valley shall pull it out interprets them of hereticks who despise the age of the Church Assoone saith hee as the eye of the hereticks mocks the creator his father or despiseth the age
alone and from belonging to her alone noe more then when in a common weale the factious part and which separated it-selfe from the state and reuoltes against the true preseruers of the Estate come to be deuided from that which remaines in the lawfull administration of the Estate this diuision hinders not the part which restes vnited with the Estate from preseruing the right and title of the vniuersallitie of the cōmon-wealth and those thinges which are done by it alone from being accounted to be done by the whole Bodie of the common-wealth Whose whole being is preserued in this part alone the other by the desertion thereof hauing lost all the part it had in the name and effect of the common-wealth Of the sence wherein the Roman Church is called Catholicke CHAP. IX The continuance of the Kinges answere TO attribute to themselues the title of Catholicke as proper to themselues alone THE REPLIE WHEN wee vse this traine of Epithetes the Catholicke Apostolicke Roman Church we intend not by the word Roman the particular Church of Rome but all the Churches which adhere and are ioyned in communion with the Roman Church euen as by the Iewish Church wee intended not the tribe of Iuda only but the lines of Leui and Beniamin and manie relikes of the lines which were ioyned therewith For S IOHN BAPTIST was of the tribe of Leuy and sainct PAVL of that of Beniamin Anna of the tribe of Aser and neuerthelesse they were all of the people of the Iewes and of the Iewish Church but they were called Iewes and Iewish people because of the adherence and communion that they had with the principall Tribe which was that of Iuda Soe all the other Churches which communicate with the Roman in what soeuer part they are constituted are comprehended vnder the common word of the Roman Church when wee saie the Catholicke Apostolicke and Roman Church because they hold the Roman Church for the center and originall of their communion And in this sence saint AMBROSE saith that his brother inquired if the Bishop of one of the citties of Sardica where he desired to be baptised consented with the Catholicke Bishops that is to saie added hee with the Roman Church And in this sence saint HIEROME saith that the Church of Alexandria glorifies her selfe that she participates with the Roman Faith And in this sence Iohn Patriarke of Constātinople writes to Pope Hormisdas Wee promise not to recite amongst the sacred mistiries the names of those which are separate from the communion of the Cathoick Church that is to saie that consent not in all thinges with the Sea Apostolick And in this sence Beda vseth these words Our mother the Roman Church In this same sence they comprehend vnder the Greeke Church not only the natuaall Greekes but the Russians and Muscouites although they be distinct in nation and in language from the Greekes yea euen haue their Seruice in a tongue quite different for asmuch as they adhere to the Creeke Church Not that the particular Roman Church may not also in a certaine regard be called Catholicke For the word Catholicke is taken in three sortes to witt either formallie or causallie or participatiuelie Formally the only vniuersall Church that is to saie the Societie of all the true particular churches vnited in one selfe same communiō is called catholicke Causallie the Roman church is called Catholicke for as much as she infuseth vniuersalitie into all the whole bodie of the Catholicke church That it is soe to cōstitute vniuersalitie there must be two thinges one that may analogicallie be insteede of matter thereto to witt the multitude for where there is no multitude there can be noe vniuersalitie And the other to be in-steede of forme thereto to witt vnitie for a multitude without vnitie makes noe vniuersalitie Take awaie saith sainct AVGVSTINE the vnitie from the multitude and it is a tumult but bring in vnitie and it is the people And therefore the Roman Church which as center and beginning of the ecclesiasticall communion infuseth vnitie which is the forme of vniuersalitie into the Catholicke Church and by consequent causeth vniuersalitie in her may be called catholicke causallie though in her owne being she be particular noe more nor lesse then the Galley to which all the other Gallies of a Fleete haue relation of dependancie and correspondencie is called the Generall although she bee but one particular Galley because it is she that by the relation that all others haue to her giues vnitie to the totall and generall bodie of the Fleete And finallie particular Churches are called Catholicke participatiuely because they agree and participate in doctrine and communion with the catholicke Church And in this sence the Church of Smyrna addresseth her Epistle To the Catholick Church of Philomilion and to all the Catholick Churches which are throughout the world Of the causes wherefore the Roman Church hath cutt of the rest from her communion CHAP. X. The continuance of the Kings answere AND to exclude from their communion all the rest which dissent from them in anie thinge or refuse the yoake of slauerie THE REPLIE THE most excellent King may be pleased to remember two things one that antient authors haue written that oftentimes for one only word contrarie to Faith manie heresies haue bene cast out of the bodie of the Church And the other that the societies of the Egiptians and Ethiopians haue not bene excluded out of the Church for refusinge that which his maiestie call the yoake of slauerie that is to saie the Superintendencie of the Roman Church but for hauing imbraced the Sect of Eutyches who with all his partakers was cutt off from the Church by the Councell of Chalcedon and that euen to this daie they are all readie and haue often offerred to acknowledge the Pope whom they confesse to bee the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles if they might be receiued into the communion of the Roman Church without obliging them to anathematize Eutiches and Dioscorus And as for the diuision of the Greeke Church the true cause thereof hath bene the Schisme fallen out betweene Ignatius lawfull Patriarke of Constantinople whom the Pope preserued in his communion and Photius intruded into the Patriarkship by the fauour of the Emperor to which Schisme the Greekes added for an obstacle of reuniō as the crabb cast the stone into the oyster to hinder it from shutting itselfe againe the difference of the procession of the holy Ghost and of Schismatickes became flatt heretickes This was the true cause of the seperation of the Greekes and not the yoake of slaueries of the Roman Church of the which neither Jgnatius nor anie of his Catholicke Predcessors had euer complayned Of the sence wherein the hereticks belonge not to the Catholick Church CHAP. XI The Continuance of the Kings Answere AND so on the suddaine to pronounce presumptuouslie that they belonged not in anie thing to the Catholicke Church THE REPLIE This deniall is
expresse wee must haue recourse thereto But wee said that he neuer thought neither in generall that all things belonging to Religion were treated off in scripture nor in particular that the contention betweene the Catholickes and the Donatists concerning Baptisme was of that quality And wee maintaine that for soe manie yeares wherein hee combated with them about this article when there was quēstion of Searching the cause to the bottome hee neuer produced one proofe out of Canonicall scripture Indeede he hath often alleadged places of Scripture to make some approaches to it and to beate downe certaine defences to solue by scripture the arguments that the Donatists brought out of Scripture to maintaine that the custome of the Church in the point contested was according to Scripture in as much as According signifies not against the Scripture to establie generall theses and preparatiues to proue the propositions that had some simpathy and affinitie with that which hee disputed As for example he doth indeede proue by scripture that what is sound and intire amongst heretickes must not be repeated againe when they returne to the Church but that Baptisme is sound and intire amongst them he doth noe were proue by Scripture He proues indeede by Scripture that there may be ecclesiasticall thinges out of the Church but that Baptisme is of that number he nether doth nor can proue by Scripture He proues indeede by scripture that it is against the commaun dement of God if heretickes haue receaued the Baptisme of Christ in their owne partie to rebaptise them for wee also reade that our Lord answered Sainct PETER Hee that is wholie washt neede washe but his feete But that heretickes receiue the Baptisme of Christ in their Sects and not 〈◊〉 polluted and prophane washing which is all the knott of the question he noe were proues by scripture For as hee notes elsewhere Peter of whom this is written had not bene baptised by heretickes he prooues indeede by scripture that they who are out of the interior and Spirituall vnitie of the Church as Judas and wicked Catholickes doe not for that leaue to conferr true Baptisme but that they who are neither inwardlie nor outwardlie in the Church who are out of the vnitie of the profession of Faith and of the communion of the Sacraments of the ecclesiasticall bodie can conferr it he proues noe where by scripture And in Summe the thinges which belong to the Solutions of arguments to probable and coniecturall preparatiues to shewes of possibilitie and non repugnancie to soften and dispose the spiritt of the Readers he doth indeede prooue by scripture but the impression of the last forme the assumption and hypothesis of the sillogisme the proofe of this precise and speciall point that Baptisme whereof Sainct IOHN cryes None may receaue anie thinge except it be giuen him from heauen That Sainct PETER saith to be administred into remission of Sinnes That Sainct PAVL calls the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the holie Ghost and whereof hee writes One faith and one Baptisme And againe All they that are baptized haue put on Christ That this Sacrament I saie may be conferred out of the Church which is the fullnes of Christ which is the sealed Fountaine which is the only dwelling of the holie Ghost which is shee alone that hath receiued the keyes and the authoritie to remitt sinnes that this can subsist amongst hereticks who haue neither faith nor guift from heauen nor the holie Ghost you can neuer finde that in soe maine yeares as saint AVGVSTINE the principall opposite and ouerthrowe of this heresie hath contested her he hath neuer manifested nor could hee nor he hath not pretended to proue by anie passage of Scripture but by the only vnwritten traditions of the Apostles and the generall practise and vniuersall attestation of the Church Wee must saith hee obserue in these thinges what the Church of God obserues The question now betweene you and vs is which of yours or ours is the Church of God And againe Wherefore although in truth there be noe example to be produced of this out of the 〈◊〉 Scripture yet we leaue not to maintaine euen in this case the truth of the Scriptures when we obserue what hath bene approued by all that Church that the authoritie of the canonicall Scripture recommendeth And in an other place This is neither openlie nor euidentlie read neither by you nor by me c. But if anie one indued with wisdome and recommended by the testimonie of our Lord Iesus Christ were to be found in the world and that hee had bene consulted by vs vpon this question wee ought noe waie to doubt to doe what he should tell vs for feare of being iudged repugnant not so much to him as to our Lord Jesus Christ by whose testimonie hee had bene recommended Now he giues testimonie to his Church And in the worke of Baptisme against the same Donatists The Apostles saith hee haue prescribed nothing in this matter but this custome ought to be beleeued to haue taken the originall there of from their tradition as there are manie thinges which the vniuersall Church obserues and which are therefore not without cause beleeued to haue bene commaunded by the Apostles although they be not written From whence the contrarie appeares to what his maiestie pretends to inferr from this passage to witt that the scripture only destitute of the vnwritten Apostolicke tradition cannot decidè all pointes of Faith nor refute all heresies For the point in agitation betweene the Catholicks and the Donatists concerning the truth realitie of the baptisme giuen by hereticks was a point of faith and wherein obstinate error would make an heresie The proofe of this is first that the doctrine of Baptisme importes so much to the faith as where there is noe true baptisme there is noe true Church S PAVL teaching vs that God clenseth his Church through the washing of water in the word Now there where the Church is destroyed there is destroyed this article of the Faith of the Creede I beleeue the bolie Catholick Church And secondlie that the vnitie of Baptisme belonges so to faith as S. PAVL saith there is one faith and one Baptisme And that the creede of Cōstātinople setts amōgst the Articles of the Confession of the Faith We 〈◊〉 one baptisme in the remission of sinns in such sort as if the Donatists erred in disanulling the baptisme of heretickes and rebaptizing them they destroyed the faith of the vnitie of baptisme and anathematised the character of Christ which had alreadie bene imprinted in the baptized by baptisme And if the Catholicks erre in approuing the baptisme of heretickes and in not rebaptisinge them when they came to them they sinned against the Faith of the necessitie of Baptisme for the constitution of the Church and consequently had noe Church And neuerthelesse neither could this point of Faith be proued nor
others haue gone forth and is gone forth from none which is also the marke that S. AVGVSTINE 〈◊〉 it when he saith The Catholicke Church combating against all heresies may be opposed but she cannot be ouerthrowne all 〈◊〉 are come forth from her as vnprofitable branches cutt off from their Vine but she remaines in her vine in her roote in her Charitie And S. PACIAN Bishop of Barcelona before him when he writes Now to knowe whether she hath bene principallie built vpon the foundation of the prophetts and of the Apostles in Iesus Christ the corner stone Consider whether she began before thee whither she hath growne before thee if she be not withdrawne from her first foundation whether in separating herselfe from the rest of the Bodie she haue not constituted to herselfe her Masters and her particular instructions if she haue argued anie thing vnaccustomedlie if she haue formed anie point of new right if she haue declared to her Bodie the diuorce of peace then lett her be esteemed to be departed from Christ and to be constituted forth of the prophetts and Apostles And therefore although the point of the assentiall deitie of Christ deserue to be more cleerelie exprest in Scripture then anie other as the qualitie of the Testator ought to bee more cleerelie exprest in the Testament then anie other neuerthelesse for as much as the heretickes by their malice and subtletie shift off the places of Scripture alleadged to this purpose the Fathers after they had tried all their strength to bring them backe to reason by Scripture were constrained seeing they could not make them yeeld vp their weapons by that waie to chāgetheir battery haue recourse to the authoritie of the Church Behold saith saint ATHANASVS wee haue shewed the succession of our doctrine from father to sonn you new Cayphas what Progenitors of your phrases and your termes will you bringe vs And saint HILARIE Lett vs consider soe manie holie fathers what will become of vs if wee anathematize them for we bringe thinges to this point that if they haue not 〈◊〉 Bishops we are none since we haue bene ordained by them And the same saint ATHANASIVS It is sufficient that these things are not of the Catholicke Church and that the Fathers were not of that beleefe From whence it appeareth that if the point of Christs diuinitie had neuer bene exprest in Scripture they held the light of the perpetuall testimonie of the Church for a sufficient proofe of this article For whereas saint CHRISOSTOME compares the Scripture to a Rule according whereto all things should be squared besides this that according signifies there not against he intéds that Scriptures rule all thinges either mediately or immediately that is to saie either by it selfe or by the meanes whereto it remitts vs as hee testifies himselfe in these wordes From whence it appeares that the Apostles deliuered not all thinges in vriting but also manie thinges vnwritten Now either of these are worthie of equall credit Of the Rules to iudge admitted by sainct Chrysostome and S. Augustine CHAP. XX. The continuance of the Kings answere THese two Rules to iudge the King with the English Church embracing them with an earnest desire pronounceth that hee acknowledgeth that doctrine finall ie both to be true and also necessarie to saluation that running from the Springe of the holie Scripture by the consent of the ancient Church as by a channell hath bene deriued downe to this time THE REPLIE NEither doe saint CHRISOSTOME and saint AVGVSTINE restraine the meanes to iudge of all the doctrine of the Church to these two onelie meanes by exclusion of the third to witt of Apostolicke Tradition since saint AVGVSTINE saith this is plainelie read neither by thee nor by me And againe The Apostles haue prescribed nothing in this yet the custome opposit to Cyprian ought to bee beleeued to haue taken originall out of their tradition as it is in manie thinges that the vniuersall Church doth obserue And for this cause indeede well beleeued to haue bene commaunded by the Apostles though they haue not bene written And that saint CHRYSOSTOME saith that from thence it appeares that the 〈◊〉 haue not giuen all thinges in writinge but some also without writinge whereof both sortes are in like manner worthie of creditt And elsewhere It is not in vaine that the Apostles haue giuen it by tradition to offer sacrifice for the dead they know how much aduantage and profitt encreaseth to them thereby Neither is the question in the disputation which is now handled betweene his maiestie and vs of the examination of the right but of the examination of the fact that is to saie wee are not to inquire by conferring the conclusions of Faith with their principles which of the English doctrine or ours is the truth which is a question of right whose triall besides that it must be long goes out of the listes frō the state of the questiō that we treate of But to inquire by the continuāce cōformitie with the aunciēt Catholicke Church whether our Church be the same Church as was in the time of S. AVGVSTINE and of the fowre first Councells which is a question of fact in which must be handled not what ought to be beleeued but what hath bene beleeued For his maiestie being of agreement that there was an obligation of communicatiō with the antient Catholicke Church which flourisht in the time of the foure first Councells and that whosoeuer was separate from the communion of that Church was an hereticke or a Schismaticke And the question is whether I might except from the praises of his maiestie the title of Catholicke which is the first cause of this comparison consisting in the knowing not whether the Church of those ages had beleeued well or euill which is a question of right but whether the Church of the last ages from which his maiestie or those that haue bene before him haue separated themselues be the same Church by an vninterrupted succession both of persons and of doctrine as that was in the time of S. AVGVSTINE which is a question of fact and capable of being proued by historie alone soe as the subtletie of spiritts can finde noe shift for it now to leapefrom the question of fact to the question of right And in steede of examining whether the Catholicke Church of this time had the same beleefe in the pointes controuerted betweene vs and our aduersaries as the Church in the time of the foure first Councells had to dispute whether the Church of those ages hath beleeued well and with what reseruations and mollifications her beleefe must 〈◊〉 receiued it is to goe forth from the state of the question and to change the order and meanes of the disputation Of the application of the Thesis of this obseruation to his Hipothesis CHAP. XXI The continuance of the Kinges answere THen to make an end of this discourse the
this cause soe abhor Achaz as being dead although his owne sonn succeeded him they did not 〈◊〉 him in the sepulcher of his Fathers THE fifth obiection is taken from the foure hundred Prophetts that Achab caused to come and prophecie before Josaphat who were all found false prophetts and Micheas alone a true Prophet But neither did this fall out in the kingdome of Iuda where was the seate of the Church but in the kingdome of Israel neither were those Prophets of the colledge of the Prophetts of Baal and of the qualitie of those of whom before Elias had said Take all the Prophetts of Baal and let not one man escape And of whom afterward Elias said to Ioram sonn of the same Achab What is there betweene me and thee Goe to the Prophets of thy Father and of thy mother And therefore when Iosaphat would cause Micheas to come hee asked him is there not heere one Prophet of the Lord to distinguish him from the Prophetts of Baal by this word of the Lord which is the same difference which Iehu afterwards vsed when being desirous to put Baal's Priests to death he said Take beede least there be anie of the seruantes of the Lord amongst you but lett the seruant of Baal be only heere The sixth obiection is taken from the historie of Manasses an Idolatrous Prince and who caused all manner of abominations and false worshipp to be practised in Hierusalem and Iuda But besides this that hee came afterward to repentance and then draue awaie all the Idolls and all the false Gods from Hierusalem and commaunded the people of Iuda to serue God euen then when he exercised his greatest impieties the church and the multitude of Gods true seruants were not for all that inuisible Contrariwise the scripture saith that he shedd so much innocent blood as Hierusalem was filled there with euen vp to the throate By meanes whereof although there had then bene no solemne assemblies in the Synagogues of Iuda and that all publicke exercise had bene suspended there yet the slaughter of the faithfull yet warme still breathing and the voyce of their blood which smoaked and cryed for vengeance as that of Abel before heauen and earth permitied not that the true Religion should be vnknowne and inuisible there For as manie executions and martirdomes as there were so manie sacrifices of praise and sweete smell were they soe manie professions of Faith soe manie sermons so manie seales and sacraments of the true beleefe which refresht and confirmed the memorie of the doctrine of saluation euen in the spiritts of those that persecuted it for as much as all men knew and themselues protested the cause wherefore they were banisht pursued and martyred For the Church is not only illustrated by her Lillies but also by her roses that is to saie she is not only euident by her quiet and peaceable exercises which are the congregations to heare and adore the word of God and to communicate in the sacramentes but also by her militarie exercises dyed in blood which are the martyrdomes and the executions suffered for the defence of the Faith which doe often no lesse increase her fame and renowne in the times wherein she is oppressed then in the seasons wherein she enioyes more calme quiet and fulfills without hindrance her ordinarie and accustomed workes Soe as S. AVGVSTINE saith she is then eminent in her most stedfast champions THE seauenth obiection is taken from the transmigration of Babilon during with time they pretend that the visible communion of the Iewish Church was interrupted But who knowes not that the Iewes during this exile had the true externall exercise of their religion wherein they wrought their Saluation performed the visible obseruation of all their worships seruices and ceremonies except of the Sacrifice alone which could not be offered but in the Temple and were euidently distinguished from other nations witnes these wordes of Aman to Assuerus There is a people 〈◊〉 ouer all the Prouinces of thy Kingdome and diuided into manie partes that practises new lawes and ceremonies And these of the historian Manie other nations and sects ioyned themselues to their religion and to their ceremonies For that this historie fell out in the time of the transmigration it appeares by this that it is said that Mardocheus was one of those that had bene transported from Hierusalem in the time of Nabuchodonosor and of Iechonias And it is not cōtradictorie to this that Assuerus writes that Amā was a Macedonian and would haue betraied the Empire to the Macedonians For the copie of the same epistle reported by Iosephus sixteene hundred yeares a gone hath it Allophilus that is to saie a stranger And that the Greeke Latine Edition saith a Macedonian it proceedes from the Syriacke translation of the same Epistle made after the death of Alexander after which all strangers in Asia were called Macedonians as at this daie all those of the west are called Frankes there From whence it is that the Syriacke edition saith that Assicerus was cloathed in a Macedonian habit that is to saie in the habit of a stranger THE eight obiection is taken from the writings of the Prophetts who often deplored the dessolation of the seruice of God in their people But either they spake of the portion of the Kingdome of Israel diuided from that of Iuda and of the faction of the schismaticall Israelites who were no more the Church and to whom God protested by the mouth of Ieremie that he had giuen the libell of diuorce Or if they spake of that of the Kingdome of Iuda S. AVGVSTINE teacheth vs that they spake prophetically and by an analogie of time of the future Estate of the Iewish people such as they should be after the death of our Lord Or if they spake by Synecdoche and according to the stile of preachers who censure the vices of particular persons in generall termes to the end to reproue as S. AVGVSTINE saith of S. HILARY the more seuerelie that which they reproue more vniuersallie that is to saie that they spake of certaine particular persons who either abandoned the Religion of their Fathers some to followe that of the Pagans that sacrificed to Idolls some to followe that of the Schismatickes who sacrificed in the high places or if they remained in the true religion and communion liued wickedlie there as concerning manners They collect saith S. AVGVSTINE speaking of the Donatists he might haue added the Caluinists to them either ignor antlie or fraudulentlie the places of Scripture which are spoken either of the wicked which are nimgled with the good vntill the end or of the destruction of the first people of the Iewes and would wrest them against the Church of God that she may seeme to haue failed and to be perisht from the whole earth The ninth and finall obiection is taken from the comdemnation that the Iewish Church made of the Sauiour of
Scripture haue bounded her to a little number of Moores of the Cesarian prouince then we must goe to the Rogatists if to a little compaine of Tripolitans Byzacenians and prouincialls the Maximianists haue gotten her If onlie to those of the East we must seeke her amongst the Arrians Macedonians Eunomians and others if there be others to be found for who can number the particular heresies of euerie nation But if by the diuine and most certaine testimonie of the holie Scriptures she is designed to be in all Nations whatsoeuer is alleadged to vs or from whence soeuer it is alleadged by those that saie heere is Christ there is Christ if we be sheepe lett vs rather heare the voice of our shepheard who saith beleeue them not for these are not tobe found in manie places where she is and she who is euerie where is also wheresoeuer they are And againe My sheepe heare my voice and follow me You haue heard his most manifest voice recommendinge his future Church not only in the psalmes and in the prophets but by his owne mouth alsoe And a little after This is no obscure question and wherein they may deceiue you of whom our Lord hath foretolde that they should come and saie lo heere is Christ behold he is tbere lo he is in the desert that is to saie out of the frequeneie of the multitud beholde him heere in the secret places that is in hidden traditions and darke Doctrines You heare that the Church must be spread ouer all and grow to the haruest you haue the citie of which himselfe that built it said the Cittie built vpon a hill cannot be hidden it is then she that is not in anie single parte of the earth but is well knowne euery where Beholde the markes of the Church that saint AVGVSTINE affirmes to be designed by the voice of the pastor and soe cleerely designed as they neede noe interpreter to the end that the Church beinge knowne by them we may after by the Church be informed of the sense of the other voices of the pastor which neede interpretarion Produce to vs said he something for your cause which cannot be interpreted more truly against you nay which at all needes no interpreter as these wordes In thy seede all nations shall be blest neede no interpreter As these wordes It behoued that Christ should suffer and rise againe the third daie and that in his name there should be preached penāce and remissiō of Sinnes through all nations beginning from Ierusalem haue no neede of an interpreter c. As these wordes And this Ghospell of the kingdome shall be preached through the whole world in testimonie to all people and then the end shall come haue noe neede of an interpreter As these wordes Let both grow together till haruest haue noe neede of an interpretor For when they had neede of an interpretor our Lord himselfe ineerpreted them for euen as when a testator ordaines some one to interpret the difficulties of his testament and that the name o this interpreter being common and equiuocall to manie the testator assignes marks in his 〈◊〉 to make him knowne the clause whereby he designes the markes to know him must be so cleere as they shall need no interpreter since it is by them that he should be knowne to whom it is necessary they should addresse themselues to make them vnderstand those thing that shall neede interpretation So God hauing promised in his testament to giue the interpretatiō of his testamēt to the Church the wordes whereby the markes of the Church are there designed must be so cleere that they shall neede noe interpreter so that by them the Church beinge knowne we may after by the Church learne the vnderstanding of those things that neede an interpreter And therefore the order and course of S. AVGVSTINE was to verifie by places of Scripture which had not need of an interpretor the externall and sensible markes ' of the Church by the externall and sensible markes of the Church the Church itselfe and by the Church the vnderstanding of those places of Scripture which had need of interpretation n This point said he we reade it not plainely and euidētly neither I nor thou but if there were beere some mā indued with wisdome to whom our Lord himselfe had giuen testimonie and that he were consulted with by vs about this question I beleeve we would nothinge doubte to doe as he would 〈◊〉 vs for feare of beinge iudged repugnant not soe much to him as to our Lord Iesus Christ by whom he was recommended Now he giues testimony to his Church And elswhere Whosoeuer then feareth to be deceaued through the obscuritie of this questiō lett him cōsult with that Church which the holy Scripture bath designed without 〈◊〉 ambiguitie But this was when hee disputed with the Donatists who agreed with the Catholicks concerninge the truth of the Scripture for when he disputed with the Manichees or with the Infidells which denied or questioned it then he changed his method and did not proue to them the Church by the Scripture but the Scripture by the Church and to that end he vsed two kindes of proceedinge The one was to put it for a ground that if god haue care of the Saluation of man as without this principle all discourse of Religion is in vaine there can be noe doubt but he hath appointed a meanes howe they might attaine it and that this meanes not cōsisting in thinges knowne by naturall reason for as much as thē naturallie all men would agree in it it is thē of necessity that it should consist in authority and then this ground benig laid to verifie that amonge all the Societies of Religion that bee in the world the onely Catholicke Church hath the true markes of authority The other proceedinge was to propose to them the accomplishment of profecies touching the extirpation of Idolles and the ruyne of the false Gods of the paganes and touchinge the abolishment of the Iewish Ceremonies and the dispersinge of the people of the Iewes and touchinge the comeinge of a newe lawe maker and of a newe Religion and to represent to them that these prophecies were written before the birth of our Lord and kept by the enemies of the Church and were couched in termes soe cleere that it was a wonder that the Iewes which kept them were not persuaded by them but that within the same bookes it was foretolde that theyshould be stricken with blindnes and that in seeinge they should not see And by this meanes to proue to them that these were sacred and inspired from God and then this obtained to shewe them in the same prophecies the markes whereby amongst soe manie Societies which should vsurpe the title of Christian Societies shee was to be discerned to whow appertained the right of beinge the true Common wealth of Christ. And she beinge finally acknowledged to addresse them to
deceiptfull that is to saie he spake not this language to shewe that when he writt it there was then noe externall and visible Church which must be communicated with vnder paine of anathema but contrarywise to shew that they must continue to conserue the externall and visible communion of that Church impolluted and vndefiled from the contagion of the Arrians And therefore in the second place alleadged by his Maiestie he representes two Combates that the good Catholicke Pastors had in theire charges some within the Church against the iealousie emulation of euill Catholickes others without the Church against heretickes Schismatickes And which heretickes and not against the Church intituled Catholicke he calleth the warre sacred warre in imitation of the Phocensian warre which was called sacred Of the pretended precepts to goe forth from the visible communion of the Church CHAP. XV. The continuance of the Kings answere NOW that in the Church it was once necessarie to make such a separation we lerrne it cleerely as well out of other places of the Scripture as frō that which is opēlie declared to vs by this admonition of the holy Ghost made to the Church certainely not without cause Goe out of Babylon my people least you communicate in her sinnes Now what this Babilon is from whence the people of God are commaunded to goe forth the kinge searcheth not into it nor decides nothinge in that respect This certainly at least the thinge it self shewes manifestly that whether in that place by the word Babylon be meant a particular Church or the greater parte of the vniuersall Church it must be she hath heertofore bene a lawfull Church wherewith Religious men communicated 〈◊〉 and then from whom after her deprauation had yet past further the faithfull receiued commaundement to goe forth and to breake the communion they had with her Soe as it is easie to be vnderstood from thence that the faithfull ought not to desire all kinde of communion with those which are called vnder the title of Christ but only that which is made retaining still the 〈◊〉 of the doctrine reuealed from heauen THE REPLIE IT was not without cause the first Grecians called their allegoricall sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be it that this word intend hidden conealed senses or whether it intend suspitions For all senses purelie allegoricall are but suspitiōs coniectures haue noe firme solide foūdatiō And it is not without cause that the hebrew Doctors call the literall sense of the scripture the little word the allegoricall sense the great word For the literall sense is restrained by the square straight measure of that which is cōtained in the text where as the allegoricall sence hath noe boūd but is multiplied infinitly goes as farre as humane imaginatio can be stretched And therefore this axiom is past for a prouerbe in diuinitie that allegories proue nothinge Now if there be a booke in the world writtē in an allegoricall stile what one cā be equalled in that kinde to the Reuelation which as Sainct IEROM saith containes as manie Sacraments that is to saie sacred riddles as wordes And if Sainct AVGVSTINE cryed out against the Donatists who would haue found a prediction of theire Church in an allegoricall verse of the Canticles and said to them who is it that dares without a most vnbridled licence produce for himselfe that that is 〈◊〉 in an allegorie if he haue not places more cleere by whose light to illustrate that which is obscure What would he saie in this age not against his Maiestie but against the proceedinges of those that haue built the vocation of theire Church vpon these alegoricall wordes of the Reuelation goe forth of Babylon my people who knowes not that it is a solution sufficient for arguments drawne out of allegoricall expositions to answere I denie it and principally when there may be an other sense giuen to the allegoricall wordes then that according to which they are alleadged If I could not saith Sainct AVGVSTINE answering an allegoricall obiection proue this sense by anie more certaine argument yet it ought to satisfie euerie iudicious bearer that I haue foūd an issue for these wordes by meanes whereof it appeares that they haue alleadged nothīge for thēselues that is certaine but what may de doubted of And not only may there be found an other way of vnderstādinge this passage then that which his Maiestie supposes but antiquitie hath found two others and both celebrated by excellent and authenticall Authors and those which haue come after haue yet added a third The first way of vnderstandinge it is to interpret Babylon described by the Reuelation to be the Societie of all the wicked in generall as S. AVGVSTINE and many others often expound it in that sense and to expound Ierusalem described in the same booke to be the Societie of all the Good which are the two Citties whereof Saint AVGVSTINE hath composed a worke of the Cittie of the diuell which began in Cain and the Cittie of God which began in Abell For as there is the same reason in things contrary and opposite soe must the interpretatio of that Ierusalem painted out in the Reuelation and that of that Babylon which is opposed to it be a like Marke said Saint AVGVSTINE the names of these two Citties Babylon and Ierusalem Babylon signifies confusion and Ierusalem the view of peace c. They are mingled from the beginninge of humane kind and shall continue soe to the end of the world Hierusalem tooke her beginning from Abell and Babylon from Cain And a little after From whence can we now shew them that is discerne them Our Lord will shew to vs when he placeth them the one on his right hand the other on his left Ierusalem shall heare come you blessed of my father take possession of the kingdome which is prepared for you from the beginminge of the world and Babylon shall heare goe you cursed into eternall fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angells Yet we may also bringe some marke accordinge to the capacitie that it pleases God to giue vs by which the faithfull and godlie Cittizens of Ierusalē may be distinguished from the Cittizens of Babylon Two loues make these two Citties the loue of God makes Ierusalem the loue of the world makes Babylon let euerie one then examine himselfe what he loues and he shall finde of which he is a Cittizen And in an other place all the wicked belong to Babylon as all the Saintes doe to Ierusalem And in the volume of the Cittie of God And what shall we gather from this but that we must flie out of the middle of Babilon which propheticall precept ought spirituallie to be vnderstood in this sense that out of the Cittie of this world wich is without doubt the societie of euill Angells and wicked men we should flie with the steps of faith which workes by loue and
although the Ecclesiasticall Canon forbidds to rule the Churches without the sentence of the Bishop of Rome And likewise Zozomenus a greeke author alsoe and of the same tyme with Socrates IVLIVS saied he reprehended them that they had secretly and priuily altered the faith of the Councell of Nicea and for that against the lawes of the Church they had not called him to the Synod for there was a Sacerdot all lawe which imported that all things which were done without the aduice of the Bishop of Rome should be inualid And why then when Eusebius of Nicomedia vsurper of the Bishopricke of Constantinople and firebrand of the Arrian faction and the other Arrians his complices sawe that the deposition of Saint ATHANASIVS that they had packed in the councell of Antioche was argued of nullitie because the Popes authoritie did not appeare therin Did they aduise themselues to repaire this defect to preuent the Pope and to pray him to calle the cause to his tribunall EVSEBIVS saith Socrates haueing done in the councell of Antioche what he listed sent an Embassador to JVLIVS Bishop of Rome requiring him to be iudge in the affaire of ATHANAS and to call the cause before him And this not after the voyage of S. ATHANAS to Rome as Socrates and Sozomene and the Protestants with them pretend but before as IVLIVS recited by S. ATHANASIVS saint ATHANASIVS himselfe and THEODORET doe writness ATHANASIVS said IVLIVS is not come to Rome of his owne motion but haueing bene called and hauing receiued 〈◊〉 from vs. And saint ATHANASIVS EVSEBIVS and his partie writt to Rome that is to 〈◊〉 to the Pope they writt alsoe to the Emperors CONSTANTINE and CONSTANT C. that is to saie to CONSTANTINE Emperor of the Gaules whose residence was at Treuers and to CONSTANT Emperor of Itali and Africa whose residence was at Millen but the Emperors reiected them and as for the Bishop of Rome he answered that we should keepe a Councell where we would And in an other place The Eusebians writt to IVLIVS and thinkinge to terrifie vs demaunded of him that he would call a Councell and that himselfe if he would should be the iudge thereof That is to say they demaunded either that the Pope would keepe a Councell out of Rome in which the cause might be iudged in the presence of his Legates or that he should iudge it himselfe at Rome if he pleased And a while after But when they heard the newes of our arriuvll at Rome they were troubled not expecting our comeing thither And THEODORET Assoone as ATHANASIVS receiued the citatior from IVLIVS he transported himselfe in diligence to Rome And why then when the same IVLIVS obiected to the Arrians the enterprise of the Councell of Antioch did he reproch them that against the custome of the Church they had deposed saint ATHANASIVS in the Councell of Antioch without attending first for a decision from Rome Are you ignorant said Pope IVLIVS in the second answere to the Arrians recited by saint ATHANASIVS that the custome is that we should be first written to and that from hence the iust decisions of things should proceede And therefore if there were anie suspicion conceiued against your Bishop there you must haue written to this Church A manifest argument that the request that the Arrians a while after the Councell of Antioch had made to the Pope to call the cause of ATHANASIVS before him and to call a Councell to iudge it or to iudge it himselfe if hee would was noe newe attribution of iurisdiction to the Pope as the aduersaries of the Church imagine but a truce of their rebellion to the Popes iurisdiction For how could the Pope haue reproached to the Arrians that the Councell of Antioch against the ancient custome of the Church had deposed saint Athanasius without stayinge for a decision from Rome if the Pope had not had right to iudge the cause of saint Athanasius but since the Councell of Antioch And how could the Arrians themselues haue inserted 15. yeares after these wordes in the false letter that they inforced Pope Liberius to write against saint Athanasius I haue following the traditions of the ancients sent on my behalfe Lucius Paule and Aehanus Priests of the Roman Church into Alexandria to Athanasius to cause him to come to Rome that we might ordaine himselfe beeing present vpon his person what the discipline of the Church exactes if this right had bene from the newe attribution of the Arrians and not from the ancient tradition of the Church and euen from that that IVLIVS newly came from speaking of For the things which wee haue receiued from the blessed Peeter I doe signifie them to you But let vs againe goe forward with our interrogatories And why then when the articles of the Eusebians against S. Athanasius were brought to Rome did the Pope vpon the accusation of one of the parties as the common iudge adiourne or giue them both a day and that following the Ecclesiasticall Canon Julius saith Theodoret following the Ecclesiasticall lawe commannded the Eusebians to present themselues at Rome and gaue assignation to the diuine Athanasius to appeare in iudgement And why then when those greate Prelates Athanasius Patriarke of Alexandria Paule Bishop of Constātinople MARCELLVS primate of 〈◊〉 in Galatia ASCLEPAS Bishop of Gaza in Palestina LVCIVS Bishop of Andrinopolis in Thrace who had bene accused of diuers crymes some Secular As Athanasius of the crymes of manslanghter and Rape and other Ecclesiasticall as the same Athanasius to haue caused a Chalice to be brokē And Asclepas to haue ouerthrowne an Altar and had bene deposed from their seates by diuers councells of Thrace and of Asia and had bene heard at Rome did the authors of the Ecclesiasticall histories say that the bishop of Rome restored them forasmuch as to him because of the dignitie of his sea the care of all thinges appartained IVLIVS Bishop of Rome said Socrates because of the priuiledge of his Church armed them with couragious letters and sent them backe into the East and restored to eache of them his place rebukeinge those that had 〈◊〉 deposed them And Sozomene the Bishop of Rome haueing examined their complaints and found that they agreed touchinge the decree of the Councell of 〈◊〉 receiued them into his communion as conformable and of the same beliefe And because that to him for the dignity of his Sea the care of all things belonged he restered to euery one of them his Church For as for the out ragious letters that those of the East that is to say as it shall appeare heereafter the Bishops of the Patriarckship of Antioch and their complices who were Arrians writt against IVLIVS in hate because he had broken their Councell and restored saint Athanasius I meane to confute them particularly in an other place It shall suffice nowe that I say two thinges one
reuerence to the Apostolicke sea it shall turne you to great honor And a while after But what neede was there to exact from me the deposition of Timothy since hee was longe since deposed here with his Master Apollinarius by the iudgement of the Apostolicke sea and in the presence of Peter Bishop of Alexandria For whereas the demaund of this confirmation is not to be found in the Epistle of the councell of Constantinople reported by THEODORET it is because that Epistle is not the letter of the coūcell of the one hundred and fiftie Fathers but of an other councell celebrated the yeare following at Constantinople by some of the same Fathers either called backe againe as THEODORET pretends or remayning of the former councell as it appeares by the tenor of that letter And why then when the same councell had confirmed the election that the Syrians had made of Flauianus insteede of Miletius competitor of Paulinus to the Patriarkshipp of Antioch and had reunited in Flauianus person both their Rightes did the Pope call the cause to Rome before a councel that hee assembled there and by his letters accompained with those of the Emperor GRATIAN sent for the councell of Constantinople which had confirmed this election to cause them to come and put it againe to triall at Rome and gaue assignation to both parties to appeare there whereof one to witt Paulinus appeared but Flauianus distrusting the equitie of his cause had recourse to excuses and delaies The Ecclestasticall necessitie saith saint IEROM drew me to Rome with the holie Bishops PAVLINVS and EPIPHANIVS whereof the one gouerned the Church of Antioch in Syria and the other the Church of Salamina in Cypres And againe When the Emperiall letters had drawne to Rome the Bishops of the East and west Paul sawe there the admirable men and Bishops of Christ Paulinus Bishop of Antioch and Epiphanius Bishop of Salamina in Cypres And Sozomene the Bishop of Rome said he and all the westerne Praelates bare the ordination of Flauianus verie impatiently And a little after And therefore because it should be 〈◊〉 they together with the Emperor 〈◊〉 writt and called the Bishops of the East into the west And the same Fathers of the councell of Constantinople excusing themselues to the Pope and the councell of Rome that they could not come to Rome moued said they with brotherly charitie you haue called vs as your members by the letters of the most religious Emperor c. But besides that our Churches but a while before beginning to be restored if we should haue done this had bene 〈◊〉 abandoned it was a thing which many of vs could noe way put in execution for asmuch as we trauelled to Constantinople vpon the letters of your Reuerence sent the last yeare after the councell of Aquilea to the most religious Emperor Theodosius hauing prepared vs for none but that onely yourney of Constantinople and hauing gotten the consent of the Bishops remayning in the Prouinces for none but that And towardes the end of the Epistle speaking of PAVLINVS whom they belieued Pope DAMASVS fauored as hauing bene created Patriarcke of Antioch by Lucifer Legate to the Pope LIBERIVS his predecessor we 〈◊〉 you not to preferr the fauour or friendship to one particular man before the edification of the Churches that by this meanes the Doctrine of saith and Christian Charitie being confirmed amongst vs that is to saie of those of the East amongst themselues we may ceasse to haue in our mouthes these wordes condemned by the Apostle I am of Paule and I of Apollo and I of 〈◊〉 that is to saie we should cease from saying I am a Miletian I am a Paulinist I am an Appolinarist For that it is which those signifie I am of Paul I am of Apollo I am of Cephas which doe not designe as our aduersaries pretend the Pope and the Bishops of the Empire of the hast but the three factions whereinto the Churches of the Easterne Asia had bene deuided and rent vnder Paulinus Miletius and Appollinarius And indeede how could those of the East meane by those wordes amongst 〈◊〉 the Pope and themselues they that were soe tied in communion to the Pope as they had not bene restored to their seates as Theodoret said but euen nowe but vnder condition to communicate with the pope but that is so cleere as it needes noe proofe let vs goe on And why then when the euasions of Flauianus who withdrew himselfe because he knew he had bene ordered against the oath made betweene Miletius his predecessor and Paulinus that the longest liuer of them two should remaine the sole Patriarck had bene discouered and that the complaintes thereof were arriued to the Emperor THEODOSIVS then only Emperor who resided at Constantinople did the Emperor make him come from Antioch to Constantinople and pressed him to goe to Rome euen after the departure of the councell of Rome The Emperor said THEODORET often called vpon made Flauianus come to Constantinople and commaunded him to trauaile to Rome but Flauianus answering it was winter and promisinge to performe his commaund in the returne of the Spring returned into his countrie And a while after the Emperor hauing againe made him come to him againe commaunded him to transport himselfe to Rome For that THEODORET Suffragan of the Patriarkship of Antioch and creature to one of Flauianus successors adds that the Emperor touched with the second answere of Flauianus sent him backe to his prouince and tooke vpon him protection of his cause is a testimonie that hath more relation to fauour then to truth as it appeares by these wordes of saint AMBROSE written after the councell of Capua which was holden vnder Pope SIRICIVS Successor to DAMASVS Flauianus hath cause to feare and therefore he flies a triall And againe one onely Flauianus not subiect to lawes as it seemes to him appeares not when we are all assembled And a while after Flauianus only is exempted as he pretendes from the conditions of the Sacerdotall Colledge who will neither exhibite his presence to the Sacerdotall assemblie nor to the imperiall decrees And why then when Paulinus was dead and that Euagrius was substituted in his steed did the same councell of Capua which the third Councell of Carthage calls an vniuersall councell and that S. AMBROSE describes as assembled from an infinite mumber of Prouinces continue the first proceeding of the Pope and seeing that Euagrius had appeared and that Flauianus perseuered in his contempt delegated THEOPHILVS Bishop of Alexandria whose Patriarkship bordered vpon that of Antioch to examin it The sacred Synod saith saint AMBROSE in his Epistle to Theophilus hauing committed the right of examining this affaire to your vnanimitie and to our other colleagues of Egipt it is necessarie that you cite againe our brother Flauianus And why then when the councell of Capua had giuen this commission to THEOPHILVS Patriarke
of Alexandria did saint AMBROSE write to him that hee should after he had iudged it procure his iudgement to be confirmed by the Pope Certainly said hee wee conceaue that you should relate the affaire to our holie brother the Bishop of the Roman Church for we presume that you will make noe iudgement that can displease him And a litle after To the end that we hauing receaued the tenor of your acts when we shall see that you haue iudged soe as the Roman Church will vndoutedly approue it we may reape with ioy the fruite of your examination And why then when it appeared that EVAGRIVS Successor to PAVLINVS had bene euill ordained for as much as Paulinus only had imposed his handes vpon him and that Flauianus by this occasion remained without a competitor did Theophilus send a legation to Rome to put Flauianus againe into the Popes grace and Flauianus an other to obtaine the restitution of communion with the Pope THEOPHILVS saith Socrates hauing sent the priest I sidorus appeased Damasus you must reade Anastasius that was offended and represented to him that it was profitable for the concord of the people to forgett the fault of Flauianus and soe the communion being restored to Flauianus the factions of the people of Antioch a while after that is to saie vnder Pope Innocent the first were reconciled And Sozomene speakinge of saint IOHN CHSOSTOME Archbishop of Constantinople who had a little before bene a priest of Flauianus and for that cause affected him IOHN saith he praied Theophilus to labour with him and to helpe him to make the Bishop os of Rome to be propitious to Flauianus and to this end there were deputed Acacius Bishop of Beroe and Isidorus And THEODORET although for his partiality he be not altogether to be credited in this cause speaking of the Emperor THEODOSIVS his voyage to Rome The Emperor said he exhorted them to extinguish this vnprofitable contention for you must reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and represented to them that Paulinus was alreadie dead and that Euagrius came not by lawfull meanes to the Prelacye And a little after Then vpon the exhortation of the Emperor those of the west promised to lay aside all bitternesse and to receaue the Ambassadors that Flauianus should send which the diuine Flauianus hauing learnt he sent to Rome a legation of most famous Bishops and priests and Deacons of Antioch for all which the chiefe was Acacius Bishop of 〈◊〉 in Syria renowned through all parts of Sea and land But here is too much of this historie lett vs passe on to the rest And why then when Saint AMBROSE Archbishop of Milan a cittie where the Emperors of the west made their residence speakes of his brother Satyrus doth he saie that when he had escaped Shipwracke and was cast vpon the Isle of Sardinia he inquired of the Bishop of that place whether he agreed with the Catholicke Bishops that is to saie as himselfe adds with the Roman Church And why then when he excuseth the custome of washing of feet which was practised in the Church of Milan although it was not vsed in the Church of Rome doth he crye We follow in all things the type and the forme of the Roman Church And againe The same Peter is our warrant for this obseruation who hath bene Bishop of the Roman Church And why then when he or the author that was of his tyme of the comētary that is attributed to him vpon the first Fpistle to Timothie explaines these wordes of the Apostle to conuerse in the howse of God Doth he write that Pope DAMASVS was the Rector of the Church Although saith he the whole world belonges to God neuerthelesse the Church is called the howse of God of which at this day Damasus is the Tector And why then when OPTATVS Mileuitanus that is Bishop of 〈◊〉 in Africa whom saint AVSTIN calls a Bishop of reuerend memory and whom Fulgentius honors with the title of a Saint disputes Thou against the Donatists doth he saie to Parmenian a Donatist Bishop canst not denie but that thou knowest that the Episcopall chaire was first sett vp in Rome for Peter in which seate wassett the head of all the Apostles Peter whereof also he hath bene called Cephas soe saith he to allude to the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies he head ressembles the Hebrow Cephas that is to saie a stone from whence this Apostle was named to the end that in this onely chaire vnitie should be preserued to all least the other Apostles might attribute to themselues each one his particular chaire but that he should be a Schismaticke and a Sinner that would against the onely chaire set vp an other And for what cause after he had cited the catalogue of Popes from saint PETER euen to his tyme doth he inferr from thence the Donatists could haue noe chaire and consequently noe Church since they had noe communion with the Bishop of Rome Giue vs said he an accompt of the originall of your chaire you that will attribute to your selues the holy Church But you 〈◊〉 quoth hee that you haue alsoe some parte at Rome but this is a braunch of your Error sprunge out of a lye and not from the roote of truth for in the end if Macrobius be inquired of soe was the name of the false Bishop that the Donatists kept at Rome where he sitts there can he answere in the chaire of Peter which 〈◊〉 he knowes not soe much as by sight And a while after From whence is it then that you attempt to vsurpe to yourselues the keyes of the Kingdome you that fight against the chaire of Peter by your bould and sacrilegious presumptions And why then when saint AVSTIN an African as well as he pressed the same Donatistes did he saie to them In the Roman Church there hath alwaies flourished the principalitie of the Apostolique Sea And againe Reckon the 〈◊〉 euen since the seate of Peter and in this order of the Fathers see who hath succeeded one an other this is the Rocke that the prowde gates of Hell shall neuer ouercome And in an other place considering the Popes as successors of saint PETER according to the other interpretation to witt according to that of the figure of the Church In this order of Fathers said he that is to saie from Saint Peter to Pope Athanasius there is not one Donatist And in his disputations against the Manichees In the Catholicke Church I am detained by the Successiion of Prelates from the Seate of Peter to whom our Lord gaue his sheepe to feede after his resurrection vnto the present Bishops seate And why then when the Empresse Eudoxia wife to Arcadius Emperor of the East seeing her husband would cause Theophilus to be degraded from the Patriarkship of Alexandria but delaied because saith the Emperor
to saie for the celebration of Prouinciall and nationall Synods for the correctiō of minor and particular causes for the confirmation either mediate or immediate of the Bishops of the same prouinces addeth for as much as this also is accustomed to the Bishop of Rome it is certaine that the intention of the coūcell was not by that to square the Bishop of Alexandria by him of Rome in things that wét beyond the limitts and authoritie of Patriarchall iurisdictiō and concerned the iurisdictiō of the head of the Church and the gouernment of the vniuersall societie but in those things onely that were withim the boūdes and within the facultie of Patriarchall iurisdiction No more then when they measured the power that the other Prefects of the Empire had within the cōpasse of their prouinces by the power that the prefects of the cittie of Rome had within the prouinces of his Prefecture they pretēded not by that that in matters that wen forth by appeale from the other prouinces the cittie Prefecte as head of the Senate and Vicar to the Prince was not Superior to all the others nor that whē in a nationall Councell they square out the power that the Archbishops haue ouer the Bishops of their prouinces to the modell of that which the Primate of the natiōs hath as particular Archbishop ouer the Bishops of his quarter they pretēd not by that that in things which goe beyōd the iurisdictiō of the prouinces regard the generall interest of the natiō the Primat should not be superior to the other Archbishops nor finallie whē in a regiment of men of warre they measure the power that euery particular Captaine hath to commaund his company by the paterne and modell that the Campe-Master of the Regimēt hath ouer his they intend not by that in things which are not in the particular comaund of euerie companie but haue regard to the order the disposition and gouernemēt of the Regiment in generall the Campe-Master should not be superiour to all the other captaines For both before the Councell of Nicea when the Church-men of Alexandria would accuse Dionisius the Patriarke of Alexandria their Bishop who was the first Patriarke of the Church after the Pope they transported themselues saith Athanasius to Rome accused him before Dionisius Bishop of Rome presently after the Councell of Nicea when the councell of Antioch Sea of the third Patriarkeship had bene celebrated it was argued of nullitie because saith SOCRATES the Ecclesiasticall law forbad to rule the Churches whithout the sentence of the Bishop of Rome And when the same Councell of Antioch the other councells of the East had deposed S. ATHANAS Patriarke of Alexandria and Marcellus Primate of Ancyra in Galatia and Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in Palestina a cittie of the Patriarkeship of Antioch The Bishop of Rome saith Sozomene restored them euerie one to his Church because to him for the dignitie of his Sea appertained the care of all things And when the Councell of Sardica within twentie yeare of that of Nicea and holden for the Confirmation of that of Nicea and composed of the like or a greater number of Bishops thē that of Nicea and at which assisted the same Osius Bishop of Corduba the same saint A THANASIVS then Patriarke of Alexandria the same Protogenes Bishop of Sardica which had assisted at that of Nicea proceeded to the direction of ecclesiasticall causes it did not onely authorize the appeales from the Bishops of all the Earth to the Pope but also declared that it was a very good and conuenient thing that from all the Prouinces the Bishops should referre the affaires to their head that is to saie to the Sea of the Apostle PETER And whē the Councell of Capua which the third Councell of Carthage calls a generall councell deputed Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria because of the neighbourhood of his Patriarkship to examine the cause of Flauianus Patriarke of Antioch saint AMBROSE writ to him that after he had iudged it he must get the Pope to confirme his iudgement And when the generall councell of Ephesus passed to the cause of Iohn Patriarke of Antioch Iuuenall Bishop of Ierusalē said that the ancient custome bare that the Church of Antioch was alwaies gouerned by the Roman and the councell in the Bodie of it remitted the iudgement of the Patriarke of Antioch to the Pope And when Dioscorus Patriarke of Alexandria had in the false Councell of Ephesus condemned and deposed Flauianus Bishop of Constantinople Flauianus appealed frō him to the Pope and that saith the Emperor Valentinian following the custome of the Councells And when the Councell of Chalcedon disanulled the false Councell of Ephesus it was voted by Anatolius Bishop of Constantinople that of all the acts of that councell none should remaine in force except the creation of Maximus Patriarke of Antioch because the Pope hauing receiued him into his cōmunion had iudged that he should gouerne the Church of Antioch whē Theodoret Bishop of Cyre neighbour to Persia and one of the Subiects of the Patriarkship of Antioch who had bene deposed by the same coūcell of Ephesus had frō it appealed to the Pope presented himselfe at the coūcell of Chalcedon the senators to cause order to be obserued there commaunded he should come in for as much as the Pope had restored him to his Bishopricke And when the Popes Legates bare the first word in the Councell not onely they intitled the Pope the head of all the Churches but also when the Fathers of the councell in their Bodie sent their Relation to the Pope they intreated him as the head of the vniuersall Church Thou hast guided vs said they by the legats as the head doth the members And againe As in this which is for the 〈◊〉 we haue brought correspondencie to our head so thy Soueraigntie may fulfill in the behalfe of thie Children that which concernes decencie and they treated Dioscorus Patriarke of Alexandria as ghostly vassall to the Pope 〈◊〉 said they hath extended his felonie euen against him to whom the 〈◊〉 of the Vine hath by our Sauiour bene committed that is to saie against thy Holynesse Euident and manifest arguments that the Pope had two qualities distinct the one of Patriarke of the West and the other of Soueraigne Vicar of Christ and head of the vniuersall Church and that when the other Patriarkes were compared to him it was in qualitie of Patriarke of the West and not in the quality of Soueraigne Vicar of Christ and head of the vniuersall Church The second Solution is that the Councell of Nicea speakes of the Bishop of Alexandria with restriction and of the Pope without restriction from whence it is that the Senators assisting at the Councell of Chalcedon to cause order to be obserued there after they had heard the lecture of the sixth Canon of the Councell of
who had bene iudged in the first instance by the Archbishop of Constantinople and in the 〈◊〉 instance by the Pope did the Councell of Chalcedon cry out that Dioscorus and the false Councell of Ephesus had restored to Eutyches the dignitie that the Pope had depriued him of He hath said they declared Eutyches in 〈◊〉 and hath restored to him the dignitie taken from him by your Holynesse And wherefore then when John Patriarke of Alexandria had bene deposed from his patriarkship and Peter surnamed Mongus established in his place did John appeale to Pope Simplicius and tooke Synodicall letters from Calendion Patriarke of Antioch to accompanie his appeale John saith Liberatus addressed himselfe to Calendion Patriarke of Antioch and hauing gotten from him Synodic all letters of intercession appealed to Pope Simplicius And wherefore then when Pope Felix successor to Simplicius had deposed the same Peter Mongus Patriarke of Alexandria and Acacius Patriarke of Constantinople and Peter surnamed the Tanner Patriarke of Antioch and that these three Patriarkes trusting vpon the support of the Emperor Zeno who was an hereticke like themselues dispised the Popes sentence doth Victor of Tunes saie that they dyed all three vnder damnation And wherefore then when the Emperor Justin a Catholicke Prince was come to the Empire was the sentence that the Pope had pronounced against them executed soe exactlie that their names euen after their deathes were blotted out of the records of the Churches of Alexandria of Antioch and of Constantinople And that for the rest that had communicated with them but were not comprehended by name within the Popes letters the Emperor was faine to demaund pardon of the Pope for them Wee aske grace saith the Emperor writing to Pope Hormisdas for the names not of Acacius not of either Peter that is to saie not of Peter Patriarke of Antioch and of Peter Patriarke of Alexandria not of Dioscorus or Timotheus of whom your Holynesse letters to vs directed made especiall mention but of those whom the Episcopall Reuereuce hath celebrated in the other citties And wherefore then when Pope Agapet deposed within Constantinople itselfe Anthimus Patriarke of Constantinople doth Liberatus saie The Empresse Theodora wife to the Emperor Iustinian on the one side secretlie offered great presents to Pope Agapet and one the other side tried him with threates to hinder him from deposing Anthimus but the Pope persisted in not hearing her request And Anthimus seeing himselfe cast out of his Sea rendred vp the Archiepiscopall mantle to the Emperors and retired himselfe into a place where the Empresse tooke him into her protection And for what cause when the Councell of Constan 〈◊〉 holden vnder Menas speakes of the deposition of the same 〈◊〉 Patriarke of Constantinople doth it saie that the Pope had pardoned Peter Patriarke of Ierusalem and the other Bishops of the East that had communicated with him It must not be wondred at saith the Councell if the great Sea Apostolicke still continue to followe the first tract preseruing the Rights of the Church inuiolate and maintayning the faith and granting pardon to those that haue sinned And againe The blessed Pope Agapet of holie and Reuerend memorie comeing into this Royall Cittie hath next God giuen his helping hand to the sacred Canons and hath cast Anthimus out of the Sea which appertained not to him and hath pardoned those who had participated or communicated with him And wherefore then when John Archbishop of Larissa and Iohn Primate of the first Justinianea had iniustly condemned the one in the first and the other in thè second instance Adrian Bishop of Thebes in Thessalia did Sainct GREGORIE depriue the Bishop of the first Iustinianea of the communion for the space of thirtie daies and Ecclipsed the Bishopricke of Thebes from the iurisdiction of the Archbishopricke of Larissa and ordained that if the Archbishop of Larissa should anie more attempt to enterprise anie thing vpon the Bishop of Thebes he should remaine depriued of the sacred communion soe as it might not be restored to him except at the point of death without the leaue of the Bishop of Rome And wherefore then when the same S. GREGORIE restored Athanasius Abbot of Tamnaca in Lycaonia who had bene deposed by John Patriarke of Constantinople and had appealed from him to the Sea Apostolicke did he saie to him Wee declare thee free from all crime of heresie and giue thee free le aue to repaire to thy Monasterie and there to holde the same place as thou didst before But for as much as these shiftes are more then sufficiently confuted by the onely Canons of the Councell of Sardica which were framed to iustifie the restitution of S. ATHANASIVS and in the presence of S. ATHANASIVS himselfe wee remitt the Reader to the Chapter wee shall heereafter make thereof And the while we will examine the obiections that Caluin alleadges against the appeales to the Sea Apostolicke which consist in fiue principall instances which though they are treated of vnder two titles the one of corrections the other of appeales Neuerthelesse for as much as the right of appeales dependes from that of corrections and besides that Caluin mingles the instances of the one with the instances of the other we will treate of them vnder one Title to witt vnder that of Appeales Of the opposition of S. Ireneus to Pope Victor CHAPT II. THE first instance then that Caluin alleageth against the Popes censures is taken from Eusebius an Arrian author and from Ruffinus enemie to the Roman Church his translator who writt that S. IRENEVS reprehended Pope Uictor for hauing excommunicated the Churches of Asia for the question of the daie of Pasche which they obserued according to a particular tradition that S. IOHN had introduced for a tyme in their prouinces because of the neighbourhood of the Iewes and to bury the Synagogue with honor and not according to the vniuersall tradition of the Apostles Jreneus saith Caluin reprehended Pope Victor bitterlie because for a light cause he had moued a great and perillous contention in the Church There is this in the text that Caluin produceth He reprehended him that he had not done well to cutt of from the bodie of vnitie soe manie and soe great Churches But against whom maketh this but against those that obiect it for who sees not that S. IRENEVS doth not there reprehend the Pope for the wante of power but for the ill vse of his power and doth not reproache to the Pope that he could not excomcommunicate the Asians but admonisheth him that for soe smale a cause he should not haue cutt of soe manie prouinces from the bodie of the Church Jreneus saith Eusebius did fitlie exhort Pope Victor that he should not cutt of all the Churches of God which held this ancient tradition And Ruffinus translating and enuenoming Eusebius saith He questioned Victor that he had not
Bishop Iohn had bene satisfied in all conditions and hauing learned from those of your legation that all things had bene accomplished according to our desire I haue by the grace of God admitted the communion of your Church And a little after As for the letters of the Bishop Atticus because they were ioyned with yours we haue receiued them least the refusall of a man alreadie a long while suspended by vs should turne to your preiudice and yet we haue sufficiently and more then sufficiently ordained in the acts what ought to be obserued in his person And Theodoret treating of the same matter Iohn being dead those of the West would neuer admitt the communion either of the Egiptians those of the East nor of the Bishops of Bosphorus and Thrace that is to saie of the diuision of Constantinople till they had inscribed the name of that admirable personage into the rolle of the Bishops his predecessors and esteemed Arsacius that succeeded him scarce worthie of a salutation and as for Atticus successor of Arsactus after manie legations and requests for peace they receiued him finallie but when he had added the name of John to the other Bishops And the third that if what Sigebert writes were true there were great difference betweene suspending themselues from the communion of anie one which was sometymes done by intermitting the commerce of communicatory letters and excommunicating him or making him incommunicable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that in the matter of verie excommunications there was great difference betweene minor excommunications which depriued those that were smitten with them from the vse of the Sacraments but depriued them not as is aboue said from the other fruits of the Churches communion and the maior excommunications which tooke awaie not onely the vse of the Sacraments but cast out those that were therewith attainted from the bodie and societie of the Church Now it was with this kind of excommunication wherewith Pope Victor excommunicated the Bishops of Asia who obserued the Pasche according to the Iewish computation Victor saith Eusebius moued with the answere of Polycrates attempted to cutt of at one blowe from the common vnion all the Diocesses of Asia and the neighbouring Churches as Heterodoxall and proscribed them by letters declaring all the bretheren which inhabited those Regions incommunicable And againe Ireneus exhorted Victor that he should not cutt of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Churches of God that obserued the tradition of this ancient custome By which wordes it maie appeare that the meaning of Vistors censure was not simplie to seperate himselfe from the communion of the Asians but to diuide and cutt of the Asians from the bodie and societie of the whole Church and that the remonstrance and exhortation that S. IRENEVS and others made him was not to keepe him from seperating himselfe from the cōmunion of the Asians but that he should not cutt of the Asians from the bodie and common masse of the Church for the verbes to proscribe and to declare incommunicable expresse an other thing then to seperate himselfe from them the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof Eusebius makes vse signifieth to diuide and cutt of from the bodie and from the masse for which cause Ruffinus hath translated it to cutt of from the vnitie of the bodie He reproued him saith Ruffinus for not doeing well in cutting of from the vnitie of the bodie so manie and so great Churches of God And certainlie what subiect of terror had Pope Victor giué to the Bishops of Asia in threatning to excōmunicate them if he had intended onely to seperate himselfe from them And why should Polycrates haue said that hauing the word of God for him he feared not those that threatned him if this threat had bene noe more but to seperate himself from their communion and not to seperate and cutt them of from the communion of the bodie and from the societie of the Church For what greater wound had the Asian Bishops receiued in the Popes seperation from them then the Pope in the Asian Bishops seperation from him if the Popes excommunication had bene noe other thing then a declaration that seperated himselfe from their communion Contrariwise the Bishops of Asia minor and of the neighbouring prouinces that the Pope comprehended in his censure being so great number as Polycrates saith that if hee should represent their names the multitude would seeme too great why had it not bene more opprobry for the Pope to be seperated from them then for them to be separated frō the Pope if the Popes excōmunication had bene but a simple declaration that he departed from their cōmunion And it can not be said that Eusebius writes that Victor attempted to cutt them of for the question is not of the diminutiue termes which Eusebius whom S. IEROM calls the ensignebearer of the Arrian faction vseth with an Arrian en uie and malignitie against the Romane Church but of the intention of Victor of the Bishops that made their remonstrances to him And yet lesse can it be replied that the other Bishops opposed themselues against it for they opposed it not but in the forme of remonstrances and exhortations representing to him not that he could not doe it and that he enterprized beyond his iurisdiction but that for soe small a cause he ought not to cutt of soe manie Churches from the vniuersall bodie and societie of the Church Wherein was discouered the euill will of Eusebius against the Roman Church who saith that the other Bishops did bitterly reproue Victor when there is question to produce an example of the bitternes of their reprehensions he alleadges for his onely patterne the words of S. IRENEVS where there is not one bitter word to be found which containeth onely simple gentle remonstrances and full of submission to the person of Victor and to the authoritie of his Sea For to represent to the Pope that he ought not to cutt of so manie Churches from the bodie and from the societie of the vniuersall Church was it anie other thing then to confesse that if the cause had bene sufficient as afterward the Councells of Nicea and of Ephesus shewed it to be it belonged to him to cut them of and chiefely in the time of the pagan Emperors vnder whom noe generall councells could be celebrated And to vse the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to diuide and cutt of from the bodie and from the masse what was it but to saie that it was the Roman Church that as the stocke and roote did not cutt her selfe of from the Churches that she excommuni cated but cutt them of from her selfe and in cutting them of from her selfe cutt them of from the communion of the whole bodie noe more nor lesse then the head in cutting of anie member from the communion thereof cutts not it selfe of from that but cutts of that from it selfe
that were admitted into her communion were admitted into the Communion of the whole Catholicke Church and that those that were seperated from her communion were seperated from the communion of the whole Bodie of the Catholick Church Of the oppositions of saint Cyprian CHAPT III. THE second instance of Caluin is taken from saint CYPRIAN and consistes in seauen heades produced by him or by his disciples The first that saint CYPRIAN calls Pope Steuen Brother The second that he complaines because Basilides a Bishop of Spaine hauing bene deposed by a Synod of his Prouince for hauing bowed vnder persecution and an other hauing bene ordained in his place Pope Steuen restored him The third that he saith there were but a small number of lost and desperate persons who beleeued that the authoritie of the Bishops of Africa was lesser The fowrth that he saith that the ecclesiasticall causes ought to be determined where they were bredd The fift that hee affirmes that the Episcopall power is one thing whereof euerie one holdes his portion vndiuidedly The sixth that hee cries none of vs constitutes himselfe Bishopp of Bishopps And the seauenth finallie that he vseth rude wordes against Pope Steuen and accuses him of ignorance and of presumption To the first then of these heades which is that saint CYPRIAN calls Pope Cornelius brother Wee answere he calls him Brother not to denie to him the superintendencie of the Ecclesiasticall gouernement but for two other causes The one to insinuate that the Popes superintendencie ouer other Bishops was not a Lordly Monarchie as that of temporall princes ouer their subiects but a gentle and brotherly Monarchie as that of an elder brother ouer his younger Bretheren which is the title that our Lord himselfe would beare when he made himselfe be called the first borne amongst manie bretheren and which is the memoriall of humilitie that God had giuen to the Kings of his people when he had pronounced Thou shalt take a king from amongst thy bretheren And againe that the kings heart may not be exalted aboue his bretheren From whence it is that the Scripture to represent this brotherly Monarchie as well in the Sacerdotall as in the politicke order saith in the first booke of Esdras And Iosua sonne of Iosedeck 〈◊〉 vp and the priests his bretheren and built vp the Altar of God And the other to signifie the vnitie of the communion that Tertullian calls the nomination of brotherhood and to shew that he spake not of the Antipope Nouatianus to whom the Schismatickes adhered but of the true Pope Cornelius and of Steuen his successor with whom the Catholicke Bishops communicated as Erasmus hath acknowledged vpon the same place of saint CYPRIAN in these termes The word BROTHER doth not there signifie equalitie but societie of Religion For that it was a familiar thing for ancient authors to vse the word Brother not to exclude the superioritie 〈◊〉 but to expresse the vnitie of communion it appeares by a thousand testimonies It appeares first by the testimonie of saint AMBROSE who calls the Bishop of Rome his holy Brother and neuerthelesse ' in the same place aduertiseth Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria who was a committee from the Councell of Capua to iudge the cause of Flauianus Patriarke of Antioch to procure his iudgement to be confirmed by the Pope Wee conceaue said hee that you ought to reserr the affaire to our holy brother Bishop of the Roman Church for wee presume you will iudge soe as can not displease him And a little after that Wee hauing receaued the tenor of your acts when wee shall see that you haue iudged things soe as the Roman Church shall vndoubtedlie approue we will receiue with ioy the fruite of your examination It appeares secondly by the testimonie of the Catholicke Bishops of Africa who answered the Donatists in the conference of Carthage that Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage had bene their brother Hee was saith saint AVSTIN our brother because of the communion of the Sacraments And neuertheles the Archbishop of Carthage was head and Superintendent of all the Bishops of Africa It appeares thirdly by the testimonie of saint AVGVSTINE who calls Aurelius Archbishop of Carthage his brother and neuerthesse saint AVGVSTINE was the spirituall subiect to Aurtlius and had bene made Bishop of Hippo by meanes of the dispensation that Aurelius had giuen to Ualerius to take him for coadiutor and himselfe acknowledged that he was obliged to execute his commaundemēts I haue said hee obeied thy commaundements my holie brother 〈◊〉 It appeares fowrthlie by the testimonie of Epigonius one of the Bishops of the third Councell of Carthage who calls the same Aurelius his brother and neuerthelesse acknowledgeth in the same place that Aurelius had superintendencie ouer all Africa It appeares in the fifth place by the testimonie of John Patriarke of Constantinople who writing to Pope Hormisdas intituleth him his Brother and neuertheles protests wee doe in all things followe the Sea Apostolicke and preach all that hath bene thereby decided And promise in the tyme to come not to recite amidst the sacred misteries the names of those that are seperated from the communion of the Catholicke Church that is to saie addeth hee that doe not altogether agree with the Sea Apostolicke And finallie it appeares by the testimonie of the Emperor Justinian who 〈◊〉 to Pope John surnamed Mercurius Wee demaund that your Fatherlie 〈◊〉 may declare to vs your intention by your letters directed to vs and to the most holie Bishop and Patriarke of this famous cittie your brother And neuertheles in the same Epistle and in the Epistle to the Patriarke of Constantinople he affirmeth that the Pope is the head of all the holie Prelates of God And the same may be said of the words Colleague or Fellow-Minister that the ancient Catholique Bishops sometimes attribute to the Pope not to weaken the Superioritie of the Gouernment but to designe the societie of the Ministrie and to shew that the faithfull and wise seruant that the Master hath substituted ouer the companie of his seruants to giue them their nourishment in due season is not Lord but fellowe Seruant to his fellowe Seruants For that the Fathers doe so vnderstand it it appeares by manie Examples It appeares first by the Epistle of the Synod of Alexandria where the Bishops of Egipt call saint ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria their Colleague who neuerthelesse was their head and had iurisdiction ouer all the Bishops of Egipt and Libia as it appeares both from the sixth Canon of the Councell which giues perfect authoritie to the Bishop of Alexandria ouer all the Bishops of Egipt Libia and Pentapolis And from the Remonstrance that the Metropolitans of Egipt made to the Councell of Chalcedon that they could enterprise nothing without the authoritie of the Bishop of Alexandria It appeareth secondlie by the Epistle of Proclus Archbishop
of Africa forbad the clerkes of their Prouinces the appeales beyond Seas In the Mileuitan Couueell saith Caluin where saint AVGVSTINE assisted those that should appeale beyond Sea were excommunicated It is true but to this instance we bring two sharpe and decisiue answeres the first that the canon is meant but of appeales in minor and personall causes as were causes as well pecuniarie as morall that is to saie as well ciuill as criminall of clerkes and not in maior causes that is to saie in common and Eclesiasticall causes as were causes of Faith and Sacraments or of the vniuersall customes of the church And the second that he speakes but of the Appeales of Priests deacons and other clerkes of the inferior order and not of the Appeales of the Clerkes of Superior orders that is to sale of Bishops For the cleering then of the first of these doubtes which is that the Canon is meant but of Appeales in minor causes it must be knowne that the ecelesiasticall Tribunalls did then examine not onely the spirituall and religious causes of the Church but also all the temporall and secular causes of ecclesiasticall persons as well ciuill as criminall This appeares both by the first Councell of Constantinople which ordaines That if anie one doe begin a particular processe against a Bishop as hauing receiued losse or iniurie from him the person and Religion of the accuser shall not be examined but if it be an ecclesiasticall crime the accusers person shall be examined and first it shall not be lawfull for heretickes to accuse orthodox Bishops for ecclesiasticall causes And by the third Councell of Carthage celebrated ninteen yeares before the Mileuitan Councell which decrees That 〈◊〉 Clerke that leauing the Ecclesiasticall gouernment would purge himselfe in the publicke iudgements although the sentence be to his aduantage if it be in a criminall iudgement he shall loose his degree and if it be in ciuill iudgement he shall loose that which hath bene adiudged to him And by the Epistle to the Emperor Theodosius the second who to aduance the iudgement of the controuersie of Nestorius imposed truce to the Councell of Ephesus of all pecuniarie and criminall causes and ordained that they should handle noe cause neyther ecclesiasticall nor other till that of Faith were determined Now these different sortes of causes were not reputed to be all of a weight but the one to witt those that regard Faith or the generall customes of the Church were called maior causes maior businesses maior affaires And the others to witt those that regard the particular persons of clergy men and consisted in accusation of manners or pursuite of pecuniarie interests were called minor causes minor businesses and minor affaires And that by a distinction taken from the analogie of the Scripture which 〈◊〉 that Iethro aduised Moyses to suffer the minor causes of the Israelites to be iudged by the inferior iudges and to reserue to himselfe onely the maior causes Those that shall be maior causes said hee lett them bring to thee but let themselues iudge the minor causes The vse of this distinction may be seene in a thousand places of antiquities It appeares in these wordes of the Epistle of the same Pope Innocent vnder whom the Mileuitan Councell was holden to Uictricius If they be maior causes that are in question after the Episcopall iudgement lett them be referred to the Sea Apostolicke as the Synod and ancient customes vetus and not beata ordaine Which Epistle I the rather alleage because it was cited by the Bishops of France in the second Councell of Tours a thousand and seauen hundred yeares agone It appeares in these wordes of the Epistle of the Pope saint LEO the first to 〈◊〉 Bishop of Thesalonica his Vicar in Macedonia and other prouinces 〈◊〉 Constantinople If anie maior cause be moued for which it maie be reasonable and necessarie to call an Episcopall assemblie lett it suffice thee to cause two Bishops to come to thee out of euerie prouince such as the Metropolitans would choose And a litle after And if their iudgement be found differing from thy opinion let the acts be sent to vs with authenticall testimonie that all dissentions taken awaie a sentence pleasing to God may be decreed It appeares in these wordes of the Epistle of saint GREGORIE the Great to Iohn Bishop of the first Iustinianea If anie cause of faith or of crime or of pecuniary matter be obiected against our Colleague Adrian Bishop of Thebes lett it be iudged if it be a matter of light importance by our Nuncios which are or shall be in the royall Cittie that is to saie at Constantinople and if it be a matter of weight let it be referred hither to the Sea Apostolicke And finally it appeares in the capitularie of our great Emperor Charlemaine where the wordes of Pope Innocent the first are repeated by forme of lawe in these wordes If they be maior the Sea Apostolicke as the Synod and the blessed or to reade better the ancient custome ordaines And from thence it is that Hincmarus Archbishop of Rheims writing a little after that is to saie vnder Charles the Balde to Pope Nicholas the first maketh him this protestation Let it not please God that we should soe despise the priuiledge of the first and soueraigne sea of the Pope of the holie Roman Church as to wearie your soueraigne aucthoritie with all the Controuersies and with all the quarrells of the Clergie as well of the Superior as inferior order which the canons of the Councell of Nicea and the decrees of Innocent and of the other Popes of the holy sea of Rome commaund to be determined in their prouinces And againe Wee Metropolitans trauailinge in our prouinciall Councells decide carnall controuersies and haue care after iudgement to referr the maior causes and of maior persons to the examination of the Pope of the Soueraigne Sea And from hence it is alsoe that Gerson declaming longe tyme after against the disorders in the court of Rome during the schisme of Iohn the twentie three cryes out If the iudgement of minor causes be reproued in Moyses by Iethro how would it be in the Pope and in his Court of soe manie continuall and importune imployments of most prophane and vnworthie processes The first solution then that wee bring to the prohibition that the Bishops of the Mileuitan Councell made to their clerkes from appealing beyond Sea is that the wordes of the Councell were intended not of appeales in maior causes that is to saie in causes that concerne faith or the vniuersall customes of the church but of appeales in minor causes that is to saie in causes morall or pecuniarie of Ecclesiasticall persons And this solution besides the places alreadie alleadged wee drawe first from the text of the canon which saith preciselie In the cause that they shall haue to shewe that he speakes of their particular causes
and not of the causes of the church And secondly from the argument that hath bene sett before one of the places of the Greeke translation of this canon neere thousand yeares agoe which saith in their proper causes to distinguish them from Ecclesiasticall causes for the first councell of Constantinople that the Greekes held for the Palladium of their discipline And the third Councell of Carthage oppose proper causes to ecclesiasticall causes not that proper and temporall causes of ecclesiasticall persons were not sometimes called ecclesiasticall causes but because when the word ecclesiasticall cause was speciallie taken it was restrained onely to ecclesiasticall matter And thirdlie wee collect it from the practise and proceedinges of the same Mileuitan Councell For after that Pelagius whose cause was a maior cause and belonging to the Faith had bene iudged in the East by the Bishops of Palestina and that Celestius his disciple had bene heard and excommunicated for the same cause in Africa by the African Bishops the Mileuitan Councell remitted the finall iudgement thereof to the Pope in these words Because God by the guift of his principall grace hath placed thee in the Sea Apostolicke and in our daies giuen thee for such as wee ought rather to feare that it should be imputed to vs for a crime of negligence if wee chould conceale from they Reuerence those things that ought to be represented for the good of the Church then to apprehend that they would seeme troublesome or contemptible to thee Wee beseech the to applie thy pastorall diligence to the great perills of the sick members of Christ And a little after Iusinuating these things into they Apostolicall breast wee neede not extend our-selues in language and to amplifie so great an impietie with words being assured that they will so moue thee as thou canst not delaie their correction least they should spread farther And againe But we hope with the helpe of the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christ who vouchsafe to gouerne thee consulting with him and to heare thee praying to him that those that holde these doctrins so peruerse and pernicious will more easilie yeeld to the authoritie of thy Holynesse drawne out of the authoritie of the holie scriptures in such sort as we may haue more cause to reioyce in their correction then to afflict ourselues in their ruine A meruailous encounter of the effects of Gods prouidence which willed that the same Mileuitan Councell which the Lutherans and Caluinists abuse to ouerthrowe the Popes authoritie not onely puts it in practise but also witnesseth that it is of diuine right and grounded vpon the authoritie of the holie scriptures For to thinke to shift off this Epithete drawne from the authoritie of the holie scriptures by saying that the Councell speakes not of the cathedrall and Iudiciary authoritie of the Pope but of the authoritie of the passages of the scripture alleadged by the Pope against Pelagius it is a childish and ridiculous shifte aswell because the Pope had not then alleadged anie thing against the Pelagians as because it had bene a singular impertinencie that the Pelagians would rather yeild to the Popes authoritie then to that of the other Bishops doctors and Catholicke Councells and amongst the rest of saint IEROM saint AVGVSTINE and of the two Councells of Africa whereof bookes are full saith saint PROSPER Of Channells that wee bring From the eternall Spring Because the Popes authoritie was drawne from the authoritie of the holy scriptures If by the Popes authoritie they had intended the passages alleadged by the Pope and not the authoritie of the Popes chaire Iointly that the fiue Bishops of Africa who accompained the relation of the Mileuitan Councell with their letters did sufficientlie explicatē of what authoritie the Mileuitan Councell intended to speake when they writt to the Pope If the abettors of 〈◊〉 knew that the booke which they belieue or knowe to be his hath bene anathematized and condemned by the authoritie of the Catholicke Bishops and principallie by that of thy Holynesse which wee doubt not but it is of greater weight in his behalfe wee will imagine that they will noe more dare to disturbe the soules of the faithfull which are simplie Christian. And fowerthlie wee collect it from the words of the same saint INNOCENT the first to whom the Mileuitan Councell addresse their relation who not onely in the Epistle alreadie cited to Victricius saith That the ancient custome bare that the maior causes after the Episcopall iudgement were referred to the Sea Apostolicke but also in the verie answere of the Mileuitan Councell witnesseth that causes of Faith were wont to haue recourse to the Sea Apostolicke As manie tymes said hee as there is question of anie matter of faith I make accounte that all my bretheren and fellowe Bishops cannot chuse but referr it to Peter that is to saie to the 〈◊〉 of their name and dignitie Which wordes are not to be argued of ambition since saint AVSTIN commendes them as iust and lawfull in these wordes Vpon this the relations of the two Councells of Carthage and Mileuis were sent to the Sea Apostolicke And a little after Wee writt also to Pope Innocent of blessed memorie familiar letters wherein wee treated the affaire somewhat more amplie To all these things he answered vs in the same manner as was conuenient and fitt that the Prelate of the Sea Apostolicke should answere vs. And finallie we drawe it from the issue of Celestius his cause which was that Pope Innocent hauing bene preuented by death before he could bring it to effect Pope Zosimus his Successor and that euen at the instance of the Councells of Africa who sent to Rome the verball processe of that that past betweene them and Celestius finisht it And after he had heard Celestius in person and deliberated whether hee would absolue him or not absolue him from the excommunication that the Bishops of Africa had pronounced against him he finallie confirmed the sentence of the Councells of Africa and declared him condemned and excommunicated through the whole earth Celestius saith saint AVGVSTINE speaking of the answeres that Celestius made to the Interrogatories of Pope Zosimus would not condemne the things that had bene obiected to him by the Deacon Paulinus in the Councell of Carthage but he durst not resist the letters of the blessed Pope Innocent but promist to comdemne all what that Sea would comdemne And therefore hauing bene gentlie fomented like a franticke person to the end to giue him a little rest it was not yet thought fitt that he ought to be absolued from the bondes of excommunication but for the space of two moneths attending an answere from Africa leasure for repentance was giuen him vnder a certaine medecinall sweetenes of iudgement And againe Of this newe heresie Pelagius and Celestius hauing bene the authors or the most famous and violent promoters they themselues by the meanes
office which were composed to impugne certaine Religious persons slothfull and long heared that saint AVSTIN combats in the worke of the trauaile of Religious persons who held it for an oprobry that Religious men should labour with their handes or shaue their heades The other reason is that the decrees of this councell are acknowledged and cited not onely by all the canonists that haue written since six hundred yeares as Burchard Iuon and Gratian but also by Isidorus Bishop of Hispalis now called Seuill a cittie neighbouring vpon Africa who liued a thousand yeares agone who reported the canon of the ordination of Exorcists in these wordes When the Exorcists are ordained they take as saith the canon from the Bishops hand the little Booke where the exorcismes are written receiuing the power to impose hands vpon the Energumenes whether they be baptized or Catechumens Which are the very words of the seauenth Canon of the fowrth Councell of Carthage And by Hincmarus ancient Archbishop of Rheims who cites the Canon where it is forbidden to the Bishop to iudge the cause of anie without his clergie in these termes Let the Bishop heare noe mans cause without the presence of his Clergie which are the very wordes of the twentie third canon of the fowrth Councell of Carthage The fowrth difference is vpon the order of the fifth Councell of Carthage that the Illustrious cardinall Baronius pretends to haue bene transferred from the degree and that it ought to be placed againe in the third place that is to saie betweene the Councell of Carthage holden vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus that he places in the second ranke and the fowrth The reasons of the Illustrious Cardinall Baronius are the one that the date of this Councell which is not filled vp in the printed editions but onelie beares The sixth of the calends of June after the Consulship without specifying the consulls names is found in some manuscripts filled vp with these wordes Cesarius and Atticus by which meanes this councell must haue bene holden the next yeare after the celebration of the Councell that we call the third of Carthage and he the second which was holden vnder the consulship of Cesarius and Atticus and the other that there is a canon in the fifth Councell of Carthage which ordaines that the Emperor may be besought to roote out the relickes of Idolatry From whence it followes that this Councell hath preceded the commaundement that the Emperors gaue to abolish the remainder of Idolatrie Now this Commaundement was giuen vnder the consulship of Theodosius the yeare of our Lord according to our computation three hundred nintie nine by two edicts the one addressed to Apollodorus vicar of Africa where the Emperors commaund that the pagans Idolls should be taken out of their temples and their sacrifices abolisht And the other addressed to Eutychianus prouost of the Easterne Pretory where they commaunded that the temples of the pagans that were in the fieldes should be demolished without trouble or tumult And consequently saith he the Councell had bene holden the yeare before which was the yeare after the Consulship of Cesarius Atticus To the first then of these reasons we answere that the manuscript which saith after the Consulship of Cesarius and Atticus is not confirmed by the vniuersall consent of the other manuscriptes for there are collections in manuscripts of Mercator as the new publishers of the Councells of Africa haue noted which saie after the Consulship of Flauius Stelicon And to the secōd we saie that the Canō that ordaines the request for the abolishmēt of the remainders of Idolatrie hath nothing in it common with the Edicts of the Emperors of the yeare three hūdred nintie nine Forasmuch as the Emperors had onely ordained by one of the Edicts that the Sacrifices should be taken out of the Temples and the Idolls deposited into the handes of the Ministers of the Empire but that the buildings should still be kept intire and by the other that the Temples of the pagans which were in the fieldes should be demolished And the fifth Councell of Carthage demaun des that the remainder of Idolatrie should be abolished not onely in the Idolls but also in the woods and in the trees For the pagans adored not onely the similitudes of the false Gods but also adored certaine 〈◊〉 thicketts and certaine ancient Trees that they belieued to be the dwellinges and mansions of the presence of their Gods From whence it is that Quintilian speaking of Ennius said Wee adore Ennius as we doe thicketts that are become sacred through age These trees then and these groues polluted by the worship that the Pagans yielded to thē the canon demaunded to be rooted out as well as the Idolls and similitudes From whence may be drawne that it is soe farr from following thence that this canon was before the Emperors Edictes as contrarywise it appeares hereby that it was after them For as for the decree where was required the distruction of the temples built in fieldes which gaue noe ornament to citties which seemes to haue preceded the Edict of the Emperors addressed to the prouost of the East it is not in the fifth Councell of Carthage in cheefe but in the onely Rapsody of the councell of Africa which hath transferred this canon and manie others from the Councell holden after the consulship of Honorius and Eutychianus where the first legation to the Emperors was decreed to the Councell holden after the consulship of Stelicon where the second was decreed By meanes whereof the obseruation of the Illustrious Cardinall Baronius is good to ouerthrow the order of the African Rapsody and to shew that it was made by some grosse and ignorant Rapsodist and not to remoue the chronologie of the fifth Councell of Carthage But we haue said enough of these reasons it is tyme to propound ours The motiue then that incites vs to belieue that the Councell that we call the fifth of Carthage hath bene holden in the tyme wherein we place it that is to saie betweene the fowrth Councell of Carthage and the sixth consists besides the common consent of copies and the vniuersall voice of Canonists in two reasons the one is that S. AVGVSTIN in his Epistle to Quintianus after he hath spoken of the Councell where there were ioyntly publisht the Canon of the canonicall Bookes and that of the prohibition to Bishops to vsurpe one an others Clerkes which was the third Councell of Carthage saith And after in a fresh Councell it hath bene ordained that those who retire from a monastery or are driuen from it shall not be receiued elsewhere to be clerkes or to be superintendents in an other Monastery which are the wordes of the thirteenth Canō of the fifth Councell of Carthage from whence it is gathered that the fifth Councell of Carthage that saint AVGVSTIN calls freshe in regard of the third Councell of
Carthage was not holdēn the next yeare after the third councell of Carthage but a longe while after and by consequent ought to keepe the ranke of the fifth and not of the fowrth Councell of Carthage The other reason is that in the Epistle two hundred thirtie sixth written to Xantippus Primat of Numidia the same saint AVGVSTIN cites the canon by which those that had neglected to followe their cause a whole yeare together were excluded from goeing forward with it which is the twelfth canon of the fifth Councell of Carthage as a canon newlie instituted From whence it appeares that the fifth Councell of Carthage was holden after that that we call the fowrth For saint AVGVSTINE testifies that the yeare in which he writt this Epistle the Pasch should be the eigth of the Ides of Aprill I haue said he heard the cause of Abundantius there being yet a hundred daies to Pasch Sundaie which shall be this yeare the eigth of the Ides of Aprill This I haue had care to insinuate to your Reuerence because of the Councell and I haue not concealed it from himselfe but haue faithfullie aduertised him of what was there instituted that if within a yeare in case hee thinkes he should be prouided of a iudgement he neglect to pursue his cause none may after giue him audience Now Pasch neuer fell out vpon the eigth of the Ides of Aprill while Xanthippus was Primat of Numidia but the yeare of our saluation four hundred and two which was the yeare of the fifth consulship of Archadius and Honorius and consequently the fifth Councell of Carthage that had bene holden the yeare before fell out in the yeare foure hundred and one that is to saie in the yeare after the consulship of Stelicon which was two yeare after the yeares of the consulship of Honorius and Eutychianus in which the fowrth councell of Carthage had bene celebrated The fifth question is concerning the second Mileuitan Councell holden vnder the Consulship of Honorius and Constantius that the new publishers of the Councell of Africa pretend to haue made noe canons moued by three coniectures the first because in the Rapsody of the African canons there is noe mentiō made of this Councell The second because the canons that are thereto attributed are in part taken from the first Mileuitan Councell and in part from the Councell holden vnder the twelfth consulship of Honorius And the third that amongst the Canons that are thereto assigned there are some that cannot agree either with the place or tyme wherein it was celebrated To these three coniectures we haue also three answeres The first answere is that the Councell celebrated vnder the twelfth Cōsulship of Theodosius against Pelagius Celestius was rather a repetition and confirmation of the Mileuitan councell which had bene holden the yeare before against the same heretickes then a new Councell By meanes whereof it must not be held strange if the African Rapsody whereinto the Coūcell celebrated vnderthe twelfth consulship of Houorius is inserted hath not reported the Canons of the second Mileuitan Councell and principally the second Mileuitan Councell hauing bene but a prouinciall Councell of the Bishops of Numidia which had not the force of a nationall Councell of Africa but by the concurrencie of the Councell of the Proconsulary Prouince celebrated the same yeare at Carthage and by the emologation that was made thereof the yeare following in the generall Councell of all Africa assembled at Carthage For the Bishop Aurelius who is mentioned in the inscription of the Mileuitan Councell reported by saint AVGVSTIN is not Aurelius Bishop of Carthage but Aurelius one of the Bishops of Numidia whereof mention is made in the Councell holden vnder Cesarius and Atticus otherwise he could not haue bene put in the third place and named after Siluanus and Valentinus For Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presided in all the Episcopall assemblies of Africa as well at Carthage as out of Carthage as it appeares both by the commaundement read in the conference of Carthage which saith Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presiding and Siluanus Primat of Numidia and by the first Mileuitan Councell where Aurelius Bishop of Carthage presided and preceded Xanthippus Primate of Numidia Predecessor to Siluanus and Nicetius Primat of Mauritania Sitifensis and Valentine and all the other Bishops The second answere is that the writers finding in the African Rapsody the Canons and the preface of the fist Mileuitan Councell and belieuing there was noe other Mileuitan Councell but that that was holden against Pelagius and not being enough conuersant in historie to discerne them by the distance of dates haue mingled a part of the preface and of the decrees of the one with the text of the other And the third that the same Bookebinders finding the greater part of the canons of the Mileuitan Councell in the Councell holden vnder the twelfth consulship of Honorius and vpon this occasion conceiuing that the Coūcell holden vnder the twelfth Consulship of Honorius was but a repetition of the Mileuitan haue added to the Mileuitan what they haue found more in the Coūcell holden vnder the twelfth con sulship of Honorius and haue yet added thereto some other canons taken out of other Councells But that for this cause it followes that the second Mileuitan Councell hath made noe canons wee denie and denie it with the authority of the second Councell of Tours celebrated a thousand and fifteene yeares agone which cites the canons of the second Mileuitan Councells in these words It hath bene ordained in the ancient Mileuitan Canons that euerie Bishop that in case of necessitie etc. vailes a virgin before the age of twentie fiue yeare shall not be holden culpable of breaking the Councell were this number is prescribed Which are the very words of the twentie sixth canon of the Mileuitan Councell that we haue in our handes at this daie The sixth controuersie is concerning the durāce of the sixth Councell of Carthage which not onely the Protestants but the Illustrious Cardinall Baronius himselfe and the doctors of Collen which haue followed him in the last impression of the Councell will haue to haue continued fiue yeares to witt to the tyme of the Epistle of the Bishops of Africa to Pope Celestine which was written vnder the consulship of Victor and of Castinus And we contrarywise maintanie that it ended the same yeare wherein it began to witt the yeare after the twelfth Consulship of Honorius that is to saie the yeare of the Consulship of Monaxius and Plinta and thatall the assemblies which were made after vpon the subiect of appeales were as many distinct seperated Councells and for proofe of our intention wee will imploy two reasons the one that the Bishops of the sixth councell of Carthage protested that they would answere nothing concerning the appeales till the copies of the exemplifications of the councell of Nicea kept at Constantinople and in Alexandria
first man who against the Ecclesiasticall canō made vse of an appeale wee bring two Answeres the one that those wordes are not the wordes of Socrates but the wordes of an hereticall author from whom Socrates reports them to wit from Sabinus who to calumniate saint CYRILL who although for feare of Constantius the Arrian Emperor he did then communicate outwardly with the Arrians neuerthelesse was in doctrine and beleefe a catholicke reproaches it to him that he had appealed rom the Councell of Cesarta in Palestina wherein he had bene deposed by the Arrians and had put in his appeale to the Councell of Seleucia holden by the Arrians but wherein there were manie couert catholicks and which communicated not with the Arrians but in the receipt of the Sacraments and differd wholie from them in faith The truth of his Answere appeares both by this that Socrates in the beginning of this historie saith that he hath abridged it from the collection of Sabinus Let the Readers saith he curious to know things in particular search them in the collections of Sabinus where they are at large sett downe wee running ouer them haue but extracted heads And by the canon whereto this Author saith that Cyrill contradictes which was a canon of the Councell of Antioch holden in the dedication which Councell Socrates was so farr from thinking it lawfull as contrariwise not only in the same historie he makes an Apostrophe against the memorie of Eleusius who had qualified the Bishops of the Councell of Antioch with the title of Fathers and askes him How ò Eleusius dost thou call those Fathers that were assembled at Antioch and deniest that title to their Elders And a little after that if those that were assembled at Antioch haue rooted out their Fathers those that followe them followe Paricides but also in the cause of saint CHRISOSTOME he saith that the canon of the Councell of Antioch which was produced against him had bene forged by the Arrians And in deede how could Socrates haue held the Bishops appeales for a new thing and cōtrarie to the canon of the Church hee that alleadgeth for a reproach of nullitie against the Councell of Antioch that the lawe of the Church imported that those thinges that were done without the Bishop of Romes consent were nullities And who had said speaking of Paule Bishop of Constantinople of Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in Palestina of Marcellus primat of Ancyra in Galatia and other Bishops deposed by the Councell of Antioch and other Councells of the East and yet had had recourse to the Pope the Bishop of Rome because of the prerogatiue of his Church armed them with confident letters and writt into the East and restored them euery man to his place and that a longe while before the action of Cyrill and of the Councell of Seleucia The other answere is that Sabinus himself did not pretend to saie by that that Cyrill had done a new thing and cōtrarie to the lawes of the Church or as the words of Sabinus imported from a lesse Tribunall to a greater that is to saie from the Councell of Palestina to that of Seleucia in appealing from one Synod to an other For the Councell of Antioch it self vpon which Sabinus grounds himself ordaines that a Bishop còdēned may haue recourse to a greater Synod But for this that he had in his appeale followed the forme of secular appeales for as much as he had taken to speake according to the stile of this time a releefe of appeale from the imperiall Chancerie that is to saie had taken letters from the Emperor to oblige the Bishops of the Councell of Seleucia and particularly the Acacians who being Arrians and fauourd by the Officers of the Emperor who assisted at the Councell who were 〈◊〉 would not haue suffered that the cause of Cyrill who had bene condemned by 〈◊〉 in the Councell of Palestina should againe haue bene put to triall to receaue his Appeale and to renew the examination of his cause This appeares both by the beginning of the historie of the Councell of 〈◊〉 where it is said that diuers letters of the Emper ors were brought where of some ordained that they should first treat of matters of faith and others that they should first handle the causes of accused Bishops And by the very words of Sabinus against Cyrill which are As soone as he had bene deposed hauing sent a libell of appeals to those that had deposed him he appealed to a greater iudgement to which appeale the Emperor Constantius added his suffrage and this Cyrill did only the first against the Custom of the 〈◊〉 Canon making vse of Appeales as in lay iudgments By which words Sahinus intended not to saie that Cyrill was the first that appealed from a lesser Synod to a greater but that hee was the first the vsed the forme of secular appeales in Ecclesiasticall iudgement that is to saie that had recourse to the Emperor to cause his appeale to be accepted And therefore hee saith not that he was the first that vsed appeales but that hee was the first that vsed them as in laie-Iudgments And this finallie appeares by the same Canon of the Councell of 〈◊〉 the transgression whereof 〈◊〉 obiects to S CYRILL which Canon forbids not that wee may appeale from a lesser Synod to a greater contrariwise ordaines it in expresse words but forbids that they should haue recourse to the Emperors authoritie and setts downe the deffence in these words If any Priest deposed by his owne Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishop deposed by a Synod presume to importune the eares of the Emperor whereas he should haue recourse to a greater Synod and referr the right that he 〈◊〉 he hath to a greater number of Bishops let him not be receaued to 〈◊〉 From whence it appeares that this that Sabinus reprehended in Cyrill was not that he had appealed from the Synod of Palestina to a greater Synod to witt to that of Seleucia which was compounded of all the East but for hauing recourse to the Emperor for hauing obtained letters from him to cause his appeale to be accepted which is that that he calls to vse appeales as in lay iudgments for as much as in lay iudgments the Emperor gaue letters to oblige the seconde Iudges to 〈◊〉 the appeale and the first to yeeld to it TO the second instance which is that in the first generall Councell of Constantinople it was ordained that those that would accuse a Bishop should accuse him to the Synod of the Prouince and if the Synod of the Prouince did not content them they should haue recourse to the Synod of the Patriarkship and that after it should noe more be lawfull neither to importune the eares of the Emperor nor to disquiet a generall Councell wee answere that he speakes of the accusers of Bishops and not of Bishops accused that is to saie that he pretends not to ordaine that it should
caused the diuision of the Church especiallie in the West for whatsoeuer multitude of gouernments haue had place there vnder the title of Empire Kindome Principalitie and Common wealth and whatsoeuer difference of manners languages lawes and institutions that haue raigned there the Church hath bene no more visible in the tyme when the Empire was one and ruled ouer all the East and west then it hath bene vnder this diuersitie of Princes and gouernments Also the vnitie of the Church was not foretold by the Prophets only for the time wherein there should be but one tēporall monarcke in the world if euer that title could haue belonged to anie Prince but also for that tyme wherein there should bee seuerall kinges and Administrators of Estates according to this Prophecie of the Psalmist The Kings and Kingdomes shall agree in one to serue our Lord. Which caused S. AVGVSTINE to saie vnder colour that in the whole world Kingdomes are often deuided yet for all that Christian vnitie is not 〈◊〉 for as much as the Catholicke Church remaines on either part And indeede that the vnitie of the Church depends not from the vnitie of the Empire but from the relation to a visible center of the Ecclesiasticall communion it appeared sufficiently euen in the time of the greatest vnitie and extent of the Empire when the Christians which were vnder Firmus King of the Barbarians in Africa vnder Mania Queene of the Sarazins vnder Cosroes King of Persia states all distinct yea the most part of the time enemies to the Romane Empire And after in Damascus and other neighbouring Prouinces vnder the Kings of the Agarenians did all agree in the vnion and communion of the Catholicke Church For as for the deuisions which are at this daie in the East euery one knowes that that of Egypt and Ethiopia hath begun from the time of the vnitie of the Empire And that of the Armenians likewise as appeares by the decisiōs made against them in the Canōs of the Coūcell holden vnder Iustinian 〈◊〉 And that of the Nestorians and Iacobites which haue yet to this day their sect in Mesopotamia other partes of Asia likewise And as for the Greeke Church it is certaine that although it began to be diuided since the separation of the Empire neuerthelesse the cause of the diuision was not the diuision of the Empire vnder which it perseuered yet manie yeares in vnitie with the Latine but the Schisme betweene the two competitors of the Patriarkship of Constantinople Ignatius and Photius to which to make it the more lasting heresie was added and which the Emperors according as they haue bene good or euill haue indeuoured themselues to fomēt or stopp and there haue not wanted generall Councells euen of the two seuerall Churches to extinguish this diuision when they haue desired it For histories are full of these examples witnes that which was holden at Constantinople vnder the Emperor Basilius for the restitution of Ignatius that which was holden vnder Pope Innocent the third which wee call the great Councell of Lateran to reunite the Greeke church with the Latine and that which was holden for the same effect at Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth at which the Emperor and the Patriarke of Greece assisted in person As also the diuision of the Empire and the rule of the Greeke Emperors after of the Mahometan Princes did not hinder the Churches that acknowledged the Patriarke of the Syrian tongue whom we call Maronites from perseuering in the communion of the Roman Church In such sort as this varietie and diuision of sects in the East can not be attributed to the defect of the vnitie of the Empire since in the time that the Empyre was most vnited these troubles and innouations had such place therein as Socrates and Sozomene doe in the tyme of the Emperor Constantius set the mount Tuscis in Illiria for a bound betweene the quiet peace of the Church and the tempest and turbulencie of hereticks But it ought to be attributed to the want of constancie of the Easterne people or rather to the blessing of God vpon the Roman church which would shew that this prophecie Thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it hath had some more speciall effect for the Sea of S. PETER then for those of the other Patriarkes according to that oracle of the great Leo Besides the stone that our Lord hatt sett for a foundation noe other building shall be stedfast Of the interpretation of these vvords Thou art Peter and vpon this Rock I will build my Church CHAPT III. The continuance of the Kings answere SINCE that time the Catholicke Church in truth hath not ceast to be for it shall allwaies bee and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against her who is founded on Christ the true stone and in the faith of PEETER and of the other Apostles THE REPLIE THat some times the Fathers expound these words Vpon this Rock I will build my Church of the Faith of S. PETER and say that the Church was built vpon the confession of PETER And that some times they expound it of the person of PETER and saie that the Church hath bene founded vpon the person of PETER they are not contrarie expositions the one excluding the other but conioynt the one including the other for they intend the Church to speake the Schoole language is built causallie vpon the confession of PETER and formallie vpon the ministrie of the person of PETER that is to saie the confession of PETER was the cause werefore Christ chose him to constitute him for the foundation of the ministrie of his Church By that saith saint HILLARIE the blessed Confession hath obtained his reward and that the person of saint Peter hath bene that vpon which our Lord hath properlie built his Church Soe as to saie that his Church is built vpon the confessio of PETER is not to denie that it is built vpō the person of PETER but it is to expresse the cause wherefore it is built vpon him noe more then to sale with saint HIEROME that PETER walked not vpon the waters but Faith is not to denie that saint PETER walked trulie properly and formallie vpon the water but it is to expresse that the cause that made him walke there was not the actiuitie or naturall vertue of his person but the faith that he had giuen to the words of Christ. And therefore as these two propositions the faith of PETER walked vpon the waters and the person of PETER walked vpon the waters are both true but in a different sence for the faith of PETER walked vpon the waters causallie as the Schooleme sare that is to saie it was the cause that the person of saint PETER walked there and the person of saint PETER walked there trulie properlie and formallie so these two propositions the Church was built vpon
the confession of PETER and the Church was built vpon the person of PETER are both ioyntly true but in different sence for the confession of PETER is the causall foundation of the Church that is to saie it is the cause for which the Church is built vpon the person of PETER rather then vpon that of anie other Apostle for as much as the primacie of this confession not proceeding nor preuented from or by anie humane instruction but proceeding immediatlie frō the pure reuelation of God the other Apostles being silent not knowing what to answere was the cause in fauour whereof Christ chose preferring him before all others saint PETER to constitute him the foundation of his Church And the person of Peter is the formall foundation of the Church that is to saie him vpon whose ministrie by preferring him before all others Christ hath built and edified his Church But the differenc of these two expositions is that the one is immediate and the other mediate the one direct and the other collaterall the one literall and the other morall the one originall and perpetuall and the other accessorie and temporall the one consigned from the beginning and the other introduced by occasion For before the Arrians were risen vp that is to saie before the age of Constantine and of the first Councell of Nicea the interpretation that was current in the Church was that not of the confession of PETER but of the person of PETER As when 〈◊〉 saith in his Booke of Prescriptions against heretikes Was there anie thing cōcealed from Peter who was called the stone of the building of the Church And ORIGEN See what is said to the great foundatiō of the Church and the solid stone vpon which Christ hath built his Church And elsewhere Peter vpon whō the Church of Christ hath bene built against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile And in the comentarie vpon the Epistle to the Romans trāslated by saint HIEROME When the Soueraigne authoritie of feeding the Sheepe was giuen to Peter and that vpon him as vpon a stone the Church was built the confessiō of anie other vertue was not exacted of him but onlie that of Charitie And S. CYPRIAN Peter whom the Lord chose first and vpon whom he built his Church And againe God is one and Christ is one and the Church is one and the Chaire is one built by the voyce of our Lord vpon Peter But after the coming of Constantine when the Arrians had lifted themselues vp against the diuinitie of Christ the Fathers finding no passage in the scripture more expresse to proue vnto them that IESVS CHRIST was the sonn of God not by adoption but by nature then this Confession of sainct PETER Thou art Christ the Sōne of the liuing God in which they held that the word liuing had bene expressely inserted to shew that IESVS CHRIST was the sonn of God by generation for as much as to engender as saie the Philosophers is proper to liuing thinges they tooke care as much as was possible for them to 〈◊〉 the dignitie of this confession And because that in fauour thereof and for it S. PETER had bene constituted foundation of the Church they licensed themselues to call it by Metonimy that is to say by translation of the name from the effect to the cause the foundation of the Church that they might haue the more occasion to declaime against those that destroyed it in reproching thē that they ruined the foundatiō of the Church that is to saie the confession in fauour whereof and for whose cause he that had made it had bene constituted foundation of the Church but neuerthelesse to shew that they intended not in doeing this to exclude the person of PETER from being the formall foundation of the Church that which the same fathers had said in one place of the confession of PETER as causall foundation of the Church they said it in an other yea often times in the same place of the person of PETER as formall foundation of the Church This appeares by saint HILARIE who disputing in his workes of the Trinitie against the Arrians after he had said This faith is the foundation of the Church by this faith the gates of hell are disabled against her this faith hath the keyes of the heauenlie Kingdome Adds immediately after to declare that this should be intended of the saith of sainct PETER causallie and meritoriouslie but of his person formallie that is to saie that this confession hath only bene the meritorious cause for which sainct PETER hath receiued these things but that it is the person of PETER that hath properly and formallie receiued them This is hee that in the silence of all the other Apostles acknowledging beyond the capacitie of human infirmitie the Sonn of God by the Reuelation of the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Confession of his blessed faith a supereminent place And a little after Hee hath confessed Christ to be the Sonn of God and for that he is called blessed This is the Reuelation of the Father this is the foundation of the Church this is the assurauce of eternitie from hence he had the keyes of the Kingdome of 〈◊〉 from hence his earthly iudgments become heauenly And a little before After the confession of the Sacrament the blessed Symon is submitted to the edification of the Church receiuing the keyes of the heauenly Kingdome And in his comentaries vpon the verie place of the words of IESVS CHRIST The confession of Peter hath receaued a trulie worthiereward And a little after in the title of a new name blessed foundation of the Church and worthie Stone of her edification that destroyed the lawes of 〈◊〉 and the gates of the deepes and all the prisons of Death O blessed Porter of heauen to whose arbitrement the keyes of the eternall entrie are deliuered whose iudgments on earth haue authoritie to preiudge in heauen And elsewhere Christ had so great a zeale to suffer for the Saluation of human kinde as Peter the first Confessor of the Sonn of God the foundation of the Church the Porter of the heauenly kingdome the iudge of heauen vpon earth disswading him he called him by the name of Satan And soe sainct CHRYSOSTOME interprets it that is to saie sometimes of his faith Upon this stone said hee that is to say vpon the faith of this confession And sometimes of his person Hee promiseth saith he to make a fisherman more solid then anie kinde of stones And vpon the fiftith Psalme heare what he saith to PETER That Pillar that foundation and therefore called Peter as made a Rocke by faith And againe that Pillar of the Church that basis of the faith that be ad of the Apostolick flock And saint CYRILL doth euen the same sometimes of his faith He hath said hee called the immutable faith of Peter his disciple a Rocke and sometimes of his
and roote of this vnitie and by relation and adherence whereto all the colledge of the Apostles and all the Bodie of the Church might be manitained in vnitie For the thinges which are plurall by themselues and are not one with locall vnitie cannot without loosing their vndiuided pluralitie be reduced to a visible vnitie vnlesse by relation to some thing which by it self may be visiblie one And secondlie to maintaine this vnitie it is necessarie further beside the internall authoritie essentiall to the Apostleship there should be an other externall authoritie and accessory to the Apostleship which might haue the superintendencie ouer the care of the preseruation of vnitie to cause the Apostles to exercise their Apostleship in vnitie And as the office of the cause is to rule his effect he that should be the beginning and originall of this vnitie should likewise haue the superintendencie ouer the rest for what concernes the preseruation of vnitie and by consequence that to him should belonge the supereminent iurisdiction ouer things necessarie to the maintenance of vnitie that is to saie ouer things necessarie to preuent schisme and hinder the disorder and confusion of the exercise of the ministrie as are the distinction and distribution either mediat or immediate ofiurisdiction the suspension limitation of the exercise of the ministrie and other such like Not that the Apostles for their maintenance in vnitie had neede that the effect of this Authoritie should be practised so euidently ouer them as ouer their sucessors because of the assistance that they had euery one in particular of the Spirit of God but to the end to propound to the Church a forme and a modell of the order that she should keepe after their decease 〈◊〉 as although there were noe neede of a Councell in the time of the Apostles to decide questions of Religion whereof euerie particular Apostle might be informed with all fullnes and certaintie neuerthelesse the holie Ghost would that they should vse this forme in the matter of legall things to leaue it for a patterne to the Church of the succeeding ages in like occurrences It was then the internall authoritie and essentiall to the Apostleship which consisted in the power of reuealing matters of faith with assurance of infallibilitie to make canonicall writings to institute the first mission of pastors remitt sinns to giue the holy Ghost and other the like that saint CYPRIAN spake of when he said that all the Apostles were indued with equall authoritie and not of the externall authoritie and accidentall to the Apostleship which was instituted to cause it to bee exercised in vnitie THIS appeares first because he touches before and after the originall of vnitie The Lord saith he buildes the Church vpon him being one and commaunds him to feede his sheepe And although he conferr like power after his Resurrection vnto all his Apostles and said to them As my Father sent me so send I you c yet to manifest vnitie he constitutes the Chaire one and disposeth by his authoritie that the originall thereof shall take beginning from one That certainly that Peter was the other Apostles were also indued with a like share of authoritie and power but the originall takes his beginning from one that the Church the Chaire may appeare to be one And a little after according to the antient manuscripts and the citations of Iuon and Gratian He that abandons the Chaire of Peter vpon which the Church is built can he bee confident of being in the Church And elsewhere Peter vpon whom one God hath built the Church and from whom he hath instituted the originall of vnitie This appeares secondly because he calls the Roman Church the Chaire of Peter and the principall Church from whēce Sacerdotall vnitie proceedes This appeares thirdly because saint HIEROME after he had repeated the same sentence of S. CYPRIAN in these words Thou wilt tell me that the Church is built vpon Peter though the like be done in an other place vpon others and that the fortitude of the Church doe leane equallie vpon all Adds but amongst twelue one is chosen to the end that a head being appointed the occasion of Schisme might bee taken awaie To teach vs that in all other things the Apostles were equall to saint PETER except in those that had regard to the preuention of Schisme and the preseruation of vnitie for the consideration whereof he had bene constituted head of the Apostles And finallie because Optatus Mileuitanus countryman to the one to witt saint CYPRIAN and timefellowe to the other to witt saint HIEROME cries out Thou canst not denie but that at Rome the Episcopall Chaire hath bene placed by the Apostle Peter c. in which the vnitie was obserued by all to the end that all the Apostles should not attribute to themselues to each one his Chaire but that he should be a sinner and Schismaticke who against the onelie Chaire should erect an other And a little after from whence is it then that you would vsurpe to yourselues the keyes of the Kingdome you that by your presumptions and audacious sacriledges combat against the Chaire of Peter To the eleuenth obiection which is that Eusebius ill translated by Russinus reportes from Clemens Alexandrinus that Peter James and Iohn established Iames brother to our Lord Bishop of the Apostles Wee answere that it is from a faultie Grammar a faultie-diuinitie For the greeke text saith of Hierusalem and not of the Apostles Peter saith he James and John contested not for glorie or opinion for greeke word signifies either but vnanimouslie constituted Iames brother of our Lord Bishop of Hierusalem that is to saie James and John did noe more stand vpon it to dispute for honor with S. PETER as they had formely done but vnited themselues with him to consecrate Iames Bishop of Ierusalem whereto the words of CHRISOSTOME agree about the iealousie that James and John formerly had of the Primacie of S. PETER Harken said hee how this same Iohn that latelie demaunded these thinges afterward wholie yeelds the primacie to Peter TO the twelfth obiection which is that S. CHRYSOSTOME vpō the proposition made by S. PETER in the first of the Acts to substitute an other Apostle in steede of Iudas writes See the modestie of James he had bene made the greeke saith he hath bene made Bishop of Hierusalem yet he saith not a word vpon this occasion Consider also the singular modestie of the other disciples how they yeelded the Throne to him and debated not more among themselues Wee answere that this obiection is Andabates fence For this concession of a Throne hath reference not to S. IAMES but to S. PETER who whilst he spake S. JAMES was soe modest as although he were so excellent that he was after made Bishop of Hierusalem he opened not his mouth and the other Apostles as James and Iohn Sōns of Zebedeus which had formerly bene iealous of S.
beginning of these last diuisions either perswaded in some pointes by the innouators or ioyned to the partie of the innouators themselues haue attempted to seeke out some accommodation in matter of doctrine and of the vniuersall Religion of the Church to come to a reunion perswading themselues that as the Poet saith all men doe Sinn Without the walls of Troy and 〈◊〉 within It will bee alwaies easie for vs to shew that the desire of reconciliation rather then the knowledge of antiquitie and truth hath caused them to speake this language Of the agreement or disagreement of the English reformers with the Donatists CHAP. XXXI The continuance of the Kinges answere AND therefore the English Church feareth not that she can seeme in the iudgment of sincere arbitrators to haue done anie thinge like to the 〈◊〉 in this separation They out of a iollitie of harte and without anie cause abandoned the Catholicke 〈◊〉 approued by the consent of all nations whereof they could neither blame the faith nor the discipline THE REPLIE NEITHER was the Catholicke Church then actuallie approued by all nations for these prophecies In thy seede shall all nations be 〈◊〉 and This Ghospell must be preached ouer all the world shall not be fullie accōplisht as S. AVGVSTINE notes till the end of the world But it might well be said by 〈◊〉 in regard of other Christian sectes to be spread ouer all nations because the extent thereof was more eminont as it is nowe then that of anie other Christian Societie Neither was she approued by 〈◊〉 men of all the Christian nations For who knowes not how great the multitude of other heresies was when the sect of the Donatists sprange vp and how much greater then when the passages of the Fathers cited in the beginning of this obseruation were pronounced against them Of one side the Arrians possessed almost all the East of the other side the number of the Donatists was such in Africa as they held all at a time Councells of three hūdred Bishops yea euē in the time of S. AVGVSTINE there where whole natiōs that professed christianitie which did not acknowledg 〈◊〉 Catholick Church as that of the Gothes Vandalls And in breefe elghtie or an hundred other sects of Christiās which were then in the world diuided like Sāpsons Foxes by the heads but tyed together by the tayles did all agree to reproue the Catholicke Church And whereas the excellent king addeth that the Donatists could blame neither the faith nor discipline of the Catholicke Church if by blaming his maiestie intend to blame with reason that is not particular to the Donatistes for neuer anie Sect either Schismaticall or hereticall could blame with reason the faith or discipline of the Church But if by blaming he intend accusing and slandring her and beleeuing that they had iust occasion to doe soe who euer blamed the faith and discipline of the Catholicke Church more then the donatists who called themselues the Bishops of thē Catholicke truth and obiected to the Catholickes that they erred in faith in beleeuing that the holy Ghost resided out of the Church and in holding that Baptisme which cannot be administred but by the operation of the holy Ghost might be conferred out of the Church and in the Societie of hereticks who reprocht it to them thāt they violated these oracles One faith one Baptisme It is lawfull to be baptised if thou dost beleeue be yee euery one of you baptised in the remission of Sinnes Christ purgeth his Church by the washing of water in the word Who heares not the Church lett him be as a publican and as a heathen Baptisme is the washing of the regeneration of the Ghost The Church is the close Garden and the sealed Fountaine Who gathers not with Christ scatters And other such like alleadged by them in so great number as Vincentius Lyrinensis cryes out But perchance this new inuention that is to saie the heresie of the Donatists will want defences nay she was assisted with soe great strength of spirit with so many flouds of Eloquence with so great a number of protectors with so much likelyhood with so manie oracles of diuine lawe but expounded in a new and naughtie manner that it seemes to me that such a conspir aice could neuer haue benē destroyed if this same imbraced this same defended this same extolled profession of noueltie had not in the end left the cause of soe great a motion alone and abandoned And as for the discipline of the Church did not they blame it who taxed the discipline of the Church to haue receiued without expiation of preceding pennance those that in the persecution time had denied Christ and communicated in the sacrifices of the Pagans and consequently to haue bene polluted with the contagion of the Pagans who accused her for hauing receaued conuerted heretickes into her communion without giuing them true Baptisme which could not be giuen according to them but in the Church and consequently to haue polluted her communion with the contagion of vnbaptised or vncircumcised spirituallie and so to haue lost the being of the true Church which could not subsist without the true vse of the sacramēts Who made profession in manners of a conuersation of life much better ruled more reformed then that of the Catholickes from whence it is that S. AVGVSTINE forbidds the catholicks to reproche the Donatists with anie other thing but that they were not Catholickes Who called themselues the little flocke of the lord the two tribes of the Kingdome of Iuda who said we hauing nothing and possessing all things wee account our soule to he our riches and by our paines and our blood we purchase the treasure of heauen And in breese who supposed themselues to haue such reason for their separation as they reputed the Catholickes not to be worthie of so much as the name of Christians as hauing lost the true vse of Baptisme whereby men are made Christiās when they spake to them they said Caius Seius Caia Seia O man 〈◊〉 thou be a Christian O woeman wilt thou be a Christian And cryed to them Come o yee ignorant and wretched people who are commonlie called Catholickes And called the Chaire of Rome the Chaire of pestilence and called the Catholicke Church an Harlott and an Adulteresse and chose rather to suffer all kindes of persecutions and false Martirdomes then to communicate with her If I persecute saith Saint AVGVSTINE iustlie him that detracts from his neighbour why should I not persecute him that detracts from the Church of Christ and saith this is not shee but this is an hatlott And againe If the punishment and not the cause made Martirdome heauen should be full of your martirs And against whom contrariwise the Catholickes in matter of doctrine had not one passage of scripture for them but only the Apostolicall vnwritten tradition as S. AVGVSTINE