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A08783
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Romes ruin or A treatise of the certaine destruction of Rome and of Antichrist before the ende of the world Wherein is cleerely manifested out of the Holy Scriptures, conferred with the historie of the Papacie, that he hath but a short time. A worke published to strengthen the faith of such as suffer vnder him. By I.P.
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I. P., fl. 1629.
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1629
(1629)
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STC 19072; ESTC S120095
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48,692
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57
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379. he writeth an Epistle to the Bishops of the East wherein he intimates vnto them the condemnatory sentence pronounced against Apollinaris and his Disciple Timotheus which Epistle is indited with the swelling pride of a loftic minde breathing soueraignty and preheminence aboue all other Churches as if the Roman Church were that only Apostolike chaire whereunto all other Churches ought homage and reuerence Basil Epist 20. ad Euseb Samosat Soe that S. Basil Bishop of Cesarea complaines of the pride of the West because they cared only for theire owne preheminence but not for the state of theire persecuted Brethren in the East vnder the Arrian Emperour Valens Yea he saith that he purposed oft times to haue written to the cheife of them that is to Damasus that he should not count the * Splendor superbiae splendour of pride true dignity and honour Aboute the yeare 380. a generall Councell was assembled at Constantinople Whence the Fathers of the Councell wrote vnto Damasus as to a Brother and ranke him with other Bishops of the West then assembled in Rome as theire Letters shew Theod. lib. 5. c. 9. vvhich are recited by Theodoret To our Brothers and Colleagues Damasus Ambrose Britto Valerian and other holy Bishops assembled in the greate City of Rome c. He then vvith other Bishops of the West in a Synod at Rome beeing desired as Brethren to approue the Councell of Constantinople did it and Baronius vvould perswade vs that he confirmed it as a Superiour and made it of force And indeede though Damasus durst not openly professe so much yet it seemes he was willing to take theire Letters in that sense and that it should after be thought so for he resaluteth them as Sonnes and saith that indeede they had yelded all due reuerence to the See Apostolike as if he saide desiring to haue youre acts ordered or confirmed and made good by it Which howsoeuer it was neuer so intented by the Councell yet it gaue the Popes power to doe as they were disposed then and euer after to take it and make vse of it For therevpon Innocent also vsed the same sleight when the Mileuitan Councell Anno 402. and another of Carthage Anno 413. had * See Plesses Myst Iniqui Progr 9. without consulting with him ordered matters and then in like manner acquainted him with theire acts and desired that he would adde his authority he ansvvers that they had had due regard of the Apostolicke honour I say of him which had the care and charge of all other Churches thus he assumed a power ouer Councels so power to doe as a head But some man will say it seemes that as yet he had not this power because the Popes of these times were opposed and the power ouer Councels was not yet conferred on him I ansvver Antichrist was to be opposed by some in all ages and so hath the Pope beene by perticular men and in many Councels and euen of late in the Councels of Constance and Basil which declared that a Councell was aboue the Pope yet he tooke it before and had it as the Beast vvas to haue it by his ovvne ambitious vsurpation and the flatterie of his follovvers But as far as I can finde not before the time of Damasus aboute the yeare 380. And then indeede he had also begunne to take it vpon him in the case of appeales espetially in that Epistle vvhich he vvrote to Stephanus Archbishop of Mauritania Poâ—â— Council vvherein he pretendeth that all the greater sort of causes ought to be referred to his hearing and that they could not be descided but by his authority as also that the prouision of Bishops belonged to him vvherein also he qualifieth the Church of Rome vvith the title of the Pirmament of all Bishops and top of all other Churches emboldened noe doubt therevnto by Letters sent before that time vnto him from the saide Stephanies vvho complained that certaine Bishops had beene deposed in in Afrike adding that this vvas donne though they all knew well enough That Censures of Bishops all other causes of moment ought to be reserued to the audience of the Bishop of Rome whom he termeth the Father of Fathers and thereby giueth him power to doe himselfe beeing of that broode of Schismatiks of whome S. Cyprian complained in his dayes that beeing censured would presently crosse the Seas to Rome And indeede it is the more likely that there had beene such pride or vsurpation in Damasus and flaterie in his followers I. Because the Councell of Constantinople did not only limit euery Patriarch Theod. lib. 5. cap. 9. and gaue equall priuileidges to Constantinople but euen declared that there was an auncient law and decision of the Nicene Councell that the Bishops of euery Prouince with those which dwelt neere vnto them should ordaine theire owne Ministers Concil Const Can. 5. 7. Can. Graec. 3. diuiding the prouinces for the auoidance of confusion And ordaining that if in any prouince a matter of difference hapened to arise it should be decided by the Synod of the same prouince II. Because Syricius aboute the yeare 386. emboldened as it seemes by the power which Damasus had taken the flateries of such as followed him feared not to say to Himerius B. of Aragon Siricius Epi. 1. ad Himer That it is not lawfull for any Preist of the Lord to be ignorant of the decrees and statutes of the Sea Apostolike and therefore requesteth him to make knowne such ordinances decrees as he should send vnto him not only to those of his owne Diocesse but also to those of Carthagena Andalusia Portugall Galeace and others that is in effect to all the Prouinces of Spaine which could not saith he but be glorious vnto him who was a Preist of so longe continuance Purposing to vse the ambitious humour of this Prelate to extend his authority law and traditions through Spaine And in his 4. Epistle to the Bishops of Afrike That without the priuitie of the Sea Apostolike that is to say of the Primate none might presume to ordaine a Bishop All which makes it most cleare that he had the power to doe which the Beast was to haue in the beginning of his raigne His ambition was so apparaÌ„t and men in those times so prone to flatter him with titles that in remedy thereof the third Councell of Carthage anno 397. Siricius then sitting Pope decreed That the Bishop of the first See should not be called the Prince or Cheife of Priests or high Priest or by any other such name but only the Bishop of the first See As for the name of vniuersall Bishop that the Bishop of Rome it selfe should not be called by that name Which shewes that theese titles had beene giuen him by some flatterers in those dayes or why else should the Councell make this Canon this Siricius to shew the Beast was risen had power to doe stablished the forbiddance
of Preists marriages though by generall consent it had beene reiected in the Councell of Nice and was not receiued in the West of 600. yeares after doe his Successors what they could After him came Innocent Innocent Epist 2. ad Victric anno 401. He in his 2. Epistle to Victricius B. of Roanâ— published this generall decree That the greater causes after that they had beene censured by the Bishop should be referred to the See of Rome as the Synod saith he hath ordained and the laudable vse and custome of the Church requireth He and his Successors Zozimus Boniface and Celestine would haue men thinke that the councell of Nice had soe ordained which that councell did not as the 6. councell of Carthago proued against them aboute the yeare 420. and soe did the generall councels of Constantinople and Chacedon It was indeede the councell of Sardica aboute the yeare 350. that gaue this power to Iulius but that canon neuer put in practise by him was reuoked in expresse termes in the councell of ConstaÌ„tinople can 3. which councell had now beene approued by Damasus therefore they would not name it to be a canon of Sardica but pretend it to be a canon of Nice Which forgerie many perceiued not and therefore gaue him power to doe But if any man will yet obiect and say It seemes he had not yet this power because the councels of Constantinople the 6. councell of Carthage and the councell of Chalcedon opposed it I answer here as before Antechrist was to be opposed by some in all ages and so hath the Pope and euen of late in the Councels of Constance and Basile but yet he had power as the Beast was to haue it by his owne arogant vsurpation the flaterie of his followers and that I thinke aboute the yeare 380. in the time of Damasus or soone after and not before and so as I saide his time may expire aboute the yeare 1640. or within few yeares after that is if his terme of doeing began not till the time of Siricius Others perhaps will say he had it much sooner Here I must tell the Papists that it is to noe purpose for them to bringe for a ground of appeales or the antiqâ—â—â—â—â— of them the acts of any perticular Heretike Schismatike or Superstitious Doter before the Nicene Councell because the mysterie did worke in the Apostâ—es time and if it were graunted that Marâ—ian and Valentinia Hereticks had recourse to the Bishop of Rome as Basiâ—des and 〈◊〉 had who were deposed for sacrificing to idols and likewise diuers Scismatiks of Afrike in the time of Cyprian yet this proues not that they might appeale or he receiue for if the Pope had had any such right then would not Cyprian haue complained of them for appealing nor of him for receiuing neither would the Councell of Nice haue limited his power and giuen as much to Alexandria But howsoeuer the question is here of power that was giuen to the Beast after his rising which could not be before the Nicene Councell because he that hindred was not then taken out of the way the Emperour not fully departed to Constantinâ—ple Neither could the burning mountaine signified vnder the second trumpet Reu. 8.8 be cast into the sea before the Nicene Councell which will appeare to be the sea as they abused it to rise out of it But indeede this burning mountaine was either cast into the sea in the time of the Councell when the Pope by his deputies might ambitiously craue of the Emperour or of the Councell that his might be the first see and haue some preeminence in power or else as I rather thinke soâ—ne after before the fall of Constantius into Arianisme signified vnder the third trumpet Reu. 8.10 when the Pope alleaged the Nicene Councell for his authority as Iulius did and thenceforth the beast might indeede begin to rise and doe yet I thinke he had not this power to doe before the time of Damasus nor longe before the yeare 380. or perhaps not till the time of Syricius aboute the yeare 386. or soone after For though wee finde in Socrates and Sosomene that before that Iulius tooke vpon him by absolute authority * Socrat. lib. 2 c. 11. Edit lat Sozom. lib. 3. c. 7. to restore sundrie Bishops of the Easterne Churches deposed for diuers causes by theire Synods because saith he the care of all Churches belonged to him by reason of his see therefore he wrote to the Bishops of the East telling them that they had donne verrie ill to determin and conclude any thinge against those Bishops without his priuitie yet as Socrates and Sosom shew they tooke his reproofes in scorne and calling a Synod at Antioch by common aduise consent retourne his imputations backe vpon himselfe with all bitternesse telling him that he was no more to controll theÌ„ if they thought fit to depriue any man in theire Churches than they intermedled at what time Nouatus was cast out of the Church of Rome Sosomene addeth That theire answer was full of scoffes and threats c. Thus as yet they gaue him noe power to doe And it seemeth that this answer wrought vpon him for in his next letter he coÌ„plained only that they called him not to theire Synod whereas before he pretended that they might not call a Councell without his authority he doth not alleadge for himselfe that either by virtue of his succession to S. Peter or of the Nicene Councell they ought to appeale to Rome his words are only theese The Fathers of Nice ordained and that not without the counsell of God that the acts of one Councell should be examined in another whereby appeares noe greater power giuen to the B. of Rome ouer Alexandria than to the B. of Alexandria ouer Rome As for the greiuance whereof he complaineth it is only this that contrary to the custome they had not written first of all vnto him concerning the differences amongst theÌ„ to haue his aduice for composing of them as beeing Bishop of the first see as also that many Synods had beene held in the East concerning points of faith and doctrine without giueing him notice thereof contrary to the Rule and canon of the Church wherein is coÌ„tained that none might impose any law vpon the Churches without the aduice of the Bishop of Rome This canon gaue him indeede that he should either be called and haue a voice in euery Councell that imposed lawes or at least that his aduise consent should be asked if he should be farre away as fell out at the generall Councell of Constantinople where Damasus was neither in Person nor by his deputies and in noe other sense did Iulius now alleadge it he complaineth not that they assembled without his leaue but that they neither called him nor vsed his aduise he doth not say that this giues him that he should be as a head or Soueraigne to confirme or abrogate at his pleasure much lesse that