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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	bishop_n	ecclesiastical_a	2,214	5	8.3845	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11054	A godlie and short discourse shewing not onely what time the inhabitants of this land first receyued the Christian faith: but also what maner of doctrine was planted in the same. Whereby may appeare, howe the reformation at this day in England is not a bringing in of a newe religion, but a reducing againe of the olde and auncient fayth.	Rosdell, Christopher, b. 1553 or 4.	1589 (1589)	STC 21320; ESTC S101597	36,383	98

iurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome ANd first to begin with the Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction of the Bishop of that Sea which they affirme at this day to extend it selfe not only ouer all nations kingdomes and prouinces of the world but also ouer al estates degrées synods and assemblies of men When the disciples contended amongst themselues Mat. 18. Mar. 9. Luke 9. who should be the greatest good occasion was offered vnto our Sauiour if he had intended any such Hierarchie or supremacie then by shewing whom he would aduaunce to that dignitie for euer to haue decided this question But as one intending no such matter hée perswadeth them rather in perfect humilitie and lowlinesse of mind one to goe before another In deed after his resurrection hee gaue them commission saying Go into all the world teaching all nations c. but no where nor at any time did hee say to them or any of them Goe to Rome Antioch or Hierusalem and be thou intituled or installed there for Bishop that thou mayest be prince of Priests supreme heade of the Church my vicar vppon earth not to bee iudged of any hauing all knowledge of Scriptures lawes within thy breast and that I giue to thée I will also tie and binde my selfe by promise to giue to all those shall in that place succéede thée And as Christ no where gaue any such prerogatiue to any of his disciples aboue the rest so did none of them euer vsurpe or take vpon them any such matter Yea the Apostle Peter was so farre from chalenging vnto himselfe any such prerogatiue aboue his felow Apostles that he did not onely giue the right hand of felowship to Paul Gal. 2. but also was content to be reprooued by him And as for the Church of Rome there was no more respect had vnto it in olde time as appeareth euidently by the testimonie of Pope Pius the second Ex Epist Pij secundi 301 thē to other churches But euery Church was then ruled by his owne gouernance till the yéere of our Lord 3●0 Anno. 340. Then folowed the Coūcel of Nice wherein was decréed not that the Bishop of Rome should be vniuersal Bishop chiefe priest of the worlde prince of the Church or any such matter but that the whole vniuersitie of Christs Church which was now farre spred ouer all the world Ex concil Nicen. should be distinguished in foure prouinces or precincts whereof euery one should haue his head church and chiefe bishop called then Metropolitane to haue the ouersight of such Churches as did lie about him In the nūber of which patriarches or Metropolitanes the bishop of Rome had the first place not for any dignity of the person of him that then was bishop or of him that succéeded or of him whō he is said to succeed but onely in the place wherein he did sit Ex Concil Calc ca. 2● as most plainly may be proued by the Councel of Calcedon which saith Our fathers did worthily attribute the chiefe degrée of honor to the sea of old Rome because the principall raigne or emperie was in that city The same also is confirmed by Euseb Caesariensis Ex Gabriel Bicl lect 25. declaring that the excellencie of the Romane Emperie did aduance the Popedom of the Romane Bishop aboue other Churches Moreouer the said Caesar saith the councell of Nice gaue this priuiledge to the Bishop of Rome that like as the king of the Romanes is named Emperor aboue other kings so the bishop of the same city of Rome should be called pope aboue other bishops Thus although the B. of Rome for the dignity excellency of that city had the first place giuē to him this was don by mās authoritie not by the authoritie of God And all this notwithstanding he had no more nor greater authority thē the other Metropolitans but euery of the 4. had his peculiar circuit and precinct to him peculiarly apointed Ex Concil Constant cap. 36. in such sort as one of them should not deale within anothers precinct and also that there should be among thē equalitie of honor Whervpon we reade so oft in the decrées of the old coūcels equal degrée of thrones and of honours amongst Priestes and ministers And againe speaking of the said Patriarkes Conc. Con. cap. 2.3 or Primates we reade in the Councell of Constantinople that Bishops should not inuade the dioces of others without their borders nor confound togither Churches The old doctors also for the most best sort of them accord in one sentence that all Bishops placed wheresoeuer in the Church of God be of one merit of like honor and all to be successours together of the Apostles For S Hierome sayth plainly Omnes Episcopi pares haeredes sunt sedis Apostolicae That is Al Bishops are equall and are the heires of the Apostolicall sea And by examples he sheweth that the Bishop of a small towne hath like authoritie as a Bishop of a great citie And that if one Bishop be higher or lower then another it is because one Bishoprike is richer or poorer then another otherwise they are all the successors of the Apostles For this cause when Victor which was Bishop of Rome Anno 200. Anno. 200 went about to excommunicate the East Churches for the obseruation of Easter day hée was not permitted by Ireneus so to doe Also when Boniface the first required of the Bishops of Carthage to sende vp their appellations to the Church of Rome he was not only denied thereof Con. Cart. 6 but also the learned and godly men of Carthage assembling themselues in a Councell to the number of 217 Bishops made a publike decrée that none out of that countrie shoulde make anie appeale ouer the sea Yea the fathers in that Councell by their letters exhorted the Bishops of Rome that he would not induce the swelling pride of the worlde into the Church of Christ which sheweth and giueth the light of simplicitie and humilitie to such as loue to sée God c. And after this about the yéere of our Lord 583. Anno. 583. When Ioannes Bishop of Constantinople went about to establish that proude title of vniuersall Bishop to the sea of Constantinople the Bishop of Rome that then was Ex Palagi 20. dsti 99. cap. nullus Ex Anton. tit 12. cap. 3. called Pelagius the second his next successour Gregorie the first were so farre off either from giuing vnto the Bishop of Constātinople that proud title or from chalenging it to themselues that when it was offered by certaine Bishops vnto Gregorie hée refused it saying none of my predecessours were so arrogant as to vsurpe this proude title calling it newe foolish proude peruerse wicked prophane such as to consent vnto it is as much as to denie the fayth Yet for all this there is no one thing for the which the Bishops of this later Church of Rome doe more egerly fight and contende

as may appeare not onely by the decrée of Boniface the eight wherein he commaundeth euery man vpon paine of damnation not onely to beléeue but also to be subiect to the primacie or supreme authoritie of the Bishope But also by that they doe euery where burne those for heretikes which acknowledge not the same The seuenth Chapter Howe the Bishops of Rome in olde time were subiect to ciuill Magistrates AND as in olde time the Bishops of Rome kept themselues within the bounds limits of their own prouince and precinct so were they also as wel as all other ecclesiastical persons subiect to their Emperors lawful magistrates yea and that not onely in causes ciuill but also in ecclesiasticall gouernement Gregorius surnamed Magnus was subiect to Mauritius called him Lord saying you were then my Lord when you were not Lorde of the whole Empire Gregor ad Mauritium August lib. Epist 3. Epist 61. behold Christ himselfe shall make you answer by me which am his most simplest seruant and yours And before him Eleutherius his predecessor bishop of Rome writing to Lucius king of this realme calleth him by the name of Christs vicar Boniface also the first by humble supplication obteined of Honorius his Emperour that a lawe was established none should be made Bishop of Rome by ambition Dist 97. ca. Ecclesiae ca. Victor Iustinian also Emperour of Rome ordeined and constituted many wholesome lawes for the ordering and gouernement of the Cleargie as that no Bishop or Priest should excommunicate any man before his cause were knowen and proued to be such as for the which the auncient Canons of the Church woulde him to be excommunicate And if any should otherwise procéed contrarie to the same then the excommunicate person to bée absolued by an higher degree and the excommunicator to be sequestred from the Communion 24. q 3. cap. dc illicita so long as it should be thought méete by him that had the execution thereof c. Besides these many other such like examples if it were not to auoyde tediousnesse might be inferred But séeing the question groweth to this issue whether the Bishops of Rome ought by the diuine law of Gods word to be subiect to their lawful magistrates or not we will omit and cease to heape vp a multitude of examples out of mās law and produce a fewe witnesses out of the worde of God And first of all Christ our Sauiour did not onely commaund his disciples to giue their alleageance to Cesar but also himselfe paide tribute And the Apostle Paul writing to the ancient Romanes saith Rom. 13. Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers vnder whose obedience neither Pope Cardinall Patriarch Bishop Priest Frier nor Monke is excepted nor exempted Theophil as Theophilactus expounding the same place declareth saying Hee teacheth all sorts whether he be Priest or Monke or else Apostle that they should submit themselues vnder their Princes And S. Augustine writing ad Bonifacium sayeth in such like sort Whosoeuer refuseth to obey the lawes of the Emperour which make for the veritie of God incurreth the danger of great punishment Aug. contra Cresco lib. 3 cap. 5. Also writing vnto Cresconium hee hath these wordes Kings according as it is inioyned them of God doe serue God in that they are kings if they in their kingdome commaund those things that be good and forbid things that be euill such as appertaine not onely to humane societie but also to Gods religion Vnder the olde Testament were not the Priests and Leuites subiect to the ciuill Magistrates yea euen in matters of Ecclesiasticall gouernement when king Dauid disposed them into foure and twentie orders or courses appointing them continually to serue in the ministerie 1. Para. 23. 24. 25 euery one in his proper order and turne as came aboute And when good king Ezechias renued the same institution of the Cleargie being decayed 2. Para. 31. 2. Parapo Chap. 31. But the Byshop of Rome at this day with his shaued Cleargie can not in anie kinde abide to bée ordered or disposed by any and therefore iudge good Christian Reader whether wée or they in this respect come nearer vnto the auncient constitution of the Primitiue Church The eight Chapter Of iustification NOw as we haue heard how the ancient Bishops in former time neither exempted themselues frō subiection to their lawful magistrates nor chalenged vnto themselues any vniuersall iurisdiction ouer others so let vs also in other points of their religion doctrine compare them with the first and primitiue time and we shall most plainly sée they are altogether vnlike vnto themselues And here to begin with the article of iustification first the blessed Apostles thēselues in al their writings and namely Paul the doctor teacher of the gentiles setteth forth no other meanes for iustificatiō or remission of sinnes but only faith aprehending the body or person of Christ Iesus crucified For as there is no way into the house but by the doore so is there no comming to God but by Christ alone which is by fayth And as the mortall bodie without bodily sustenance of bread and drinke can not but perish so the spirituall soule of man hath no other refreshing but only by faith in the bodie blood of Christ Iesus And for this cause it is saide To him doe all the Prophets witnesse that through his name Acts. 10. all that beléeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Hee that beléeueth in the sonne hath euerlasting life Iohn 3. and be that obeyeth not the sonne Ephes 2. shal not sée life but the wrath of God abideth on him For by grace are ye saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God When the kéeper of the prison at Philippos asked Paul and Silas what he should doe to be saued they answered him Acts 16. saying Beléeue in the Lorde Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saued With this Charge and to this end our Sauiour sent foorth his disciples into all the world saying He that beléeueth and is baptised shal be saued but he that will not beléeue shall bee damned So Paul witnesseth that hee was called and sent of God to call the people to repentance that they might receyue forgiuenesse of sinnes Acts 16. and inheritance among them which are sanctified by fayth in Christ Thus the Apostles preached and thus were the olde Romanes to whom Paul sent a worthie Epistle notably deciding this question taught Acts. 10. The same did Cornelius a Romane and first that was baptised of all the Gentiles learne of Peter when he receiued the holy Ghost not by his own workes which he did according to the lawe but onely by hearing the fayth of Iesus preached And in this faith and doctrine not only the Church of Rome but the whole congregation of Gods people continued many yéeres as more plainely may appeare by the