but subscribed also with them to the councell To this I answer that this being graunted that Constantinus sat in the councell and subscribed also thereto neither weakeneth our parte nor streÌ„gtheneth theirs For who euer yet denyed that Christian emperours might not be present at the councelles yea and subscribe thereunto also The thing wherein we differ from them is in the onely manner of subscribing For we saie that the bisshoppes subscribed as defining and iudging the emperours as folowing and coÌ„senting that the bishoppes ar necessary parsons in the councelles as without whome they can not be kept that the emperours ar ornamentes and not of the substance The which difference of their presence and the cause thereof there if it wer by no place elles to be proued this onelie testimony which I will here alleage of the councell of CalcedoÌ„ written by the whole consent of the fathers and others there assembled to Leo then pope where they all professed that he as the head was in his legats that there supplyed his roome of all the rest as membres the gouern our and that the emperours gouerned there ad ornandum to be an ornament woulde be sufficient to persuade This thing would also most manifestly haue appeared if our aduersaries had faithefully alleaged the wordes which the emperour vsed in subscribing which wer after the subscription of all the bishoppes a hundred and seuenty in nombre thiese Legimus consensimus we haue readen and giuen our consent Whereas the subscription of euerie bishop was Definiens subscripsi I defining haue subscribed And thus should they if they will nedes glory of the emperours subscribing haue alleaged this example that thereby might haue byn perceiued the manifest difference betwene conâ—enting in the one and defining in the other that men might yet at the least haue wondred if emperours and kinges bare the sway in religion and ruled all if the bishoppes and priestes wer their vnderlinges and gouerned by them what should then meane that strange manner of subscribing in them that should leade and rule to say they subscribe consenting whereas the bishoppes that should be ruled by them write that they subscribe determining and defining And thus much touching the diuersitie of subscribing betwene the bishoppes and the emperours whereby may easely be iudged what auctoritie th'emperour and ciuile magistrate had in the councell As for th'other difference wherein they and we vary that th'emperours presence in the councell is not of the substance thereof as is the bishoppes they I thinck them selues except they will say that the first councell assembled after Christes ascension in Ierusalem was of no force or of lesse as though there wer not all the parsones necessary for the holding thereof will not deny No more then we doe this that emperours haue vsed to be present at such councels as haue byn kept and subscribed also thereto but alwayes as for the suerer confirmation and trusty execution and yeat not that with the better sort neither but with such as regarded more and stoode in greater awe of present punishement in this world then of goddes indignation in an other of such thinges as wer agreed apon there that they seing th'emperours and rulers of the world in worldely matters assenting thereunto that the which they feared not in the bishoppes and priestes propter conscientiam they might feare in the ciuile magistrates propterâ—iram Thus deny we not that many yeares before this in the second councel Aurasicane subscribed to the doinges of the councell those notable lay men the example also of whome our aduersaries obiect ageinst vs Petrus Marcellinus Felix and Liberius But ô lord god I would once at the length they woulde alleage such thinges as they bring ageinst vs simply truely and as they finde them in the originals with their circumstances Then should they haue told vs that as these men subscribed to the councell so was it by licence of the fathers Then would we haue asked of them why bring you then to vs that example that maketh not onely not at all for yow but also much ageinst yow But how I proue this perhappes yow will aske Forsooth by the actes of the same couÌ„cel about th'ende thereof Where I finde these wordes spoken by the fathers Et quia definitionem antiquor um patrum nostrámqâ—e que suprascriptaest non solum religiosis sed etiam Laicis medicamentum esse desideramus cupimus Placuit vt etiam illustres acmagnifici viri qui nobiscum ad praefatam festiuitatem conuenerunt propria manu subscriberent And forasmuch say they as our desire is that those thinges which be aboue written defined of old time by th'auncient fathers and now presently by vs should be not to the cleargy onely auaileable but to the profit and health of the laytie also it pleaseth vs that those noble men that haue byn assembled with vs at this present councell or solemnitie should also with their owne handes subscribe to the actes thereof Here note I beseche yow good Readers this word placuit it hath pleased vs or wear content Is this thincke yowe a phrase of speche meete for them that can doe no other If these lay men had subscribed by their owne right as hauing an interest thereunto would the bishoppes in the councell haue euer showed them selues so presumptuously foolish as to say to them it pleaseth vs that yow subscribe who might haue answered them by the rule of the lawe Eius est velle cuius est nolle what tell yowe vs that yow ar coÌ„tented who can neither will nor choose he maie onely say he will or is contented that can say the contrary that is that he will not or is not coÌ„tented Doeth not this place argue most manifestly ageinst theÌ„ that the ordre touching matters of religion was all in the bishoppes handeâ— as to whose doinges they could not so much as witnesse their consent by subscribing vnlesse the bishoppes had first coÌ„sented thereto yea trulie doeth it except we haue of those wise and learned fathers that opinion that we thinck they wer all starcke fooles As any maÌ„ might haue of our countrefeict bishoppes in England if they should assemble together and agree that euery Baron within the realme should haue a voice in the parlyament house Thys therefore being presupposed as till they be hable to showe the contrary it must that those bishoppes had their right wittes and knew what they did this argument holdeth verie well The fathers assembled in the councell Aurasican wer contented that laie men that wer there should subscribe to the councell with the cleargie Ergo they might haue chosen And then howe maketh th'auctoritie of this example for them Nay who seeth not howe much it maketh ageinst them It foloweth that IustiniaÌ„ being a Christian emperour deposed yet notwithstanding two popes Siluerius and Vigilius Hereby our aduersaries thinck to haue not a littel help to proue the superioritie
for your soules Here considre I beseche yow that S. Paules placing of th'apostels and in them the bishops and priestes their successors in the first and chiefest place in Christes churche his calling of them the rulers thereof and appoincted so to be not by man but by the holie gost was not to deceiue vs. Remembre that if in matters of religioÌ„ the â—ishoppes and priestes should haue solowed the ciuile magistrates ordinaunces it had byn in vaine that Ignatius and Policarpus bad the people emperours and Kinges none excepted to be obedient and subiect to them For wherein should they be subiect or in what thing should they obey if not in religion and matters thereunto apperteining Reade ouer the auncient histories aswell of the Griekes as of the Latines peruse the doinges of Iues and Gentiles paganes heathen or what so euer people or nation yow list and yow shall neuer finde any to haue byn so barbarouse or far out of ordre that first they had not their religion and next their bishoppes and priestes to whome they wholie referred th'ordre and disposition thereof But to procede Chrisostom calleth the priestes the hart and stomack of the churche his reason is quia in rebus Spiritualibus per eos totus popâ—lus gubernatur because in spirituall gouernement all the people is gouerned by them Lo good readers here may yow see that in Chrisostomes time in that pure state of the primitiue churche all the people was in matters spirituall gouerned by not the kinges or other ciuile magistrates but the bisshoppes and priestes Then wer the priestes in those matters iudges and emperours them selues subiectes Then had emperours and kinges this persuasion that they could garnish their stile with none more excellent title or name more honorable then to be called the children of the churche Thus thought Constantinus the greate the first empâ—rour that is reported to haue openly professed Christ. who as Ruffinus witnesseth of him being present at the first generall councel of Nice which was assembled aboue twelue hundred yeares agoe had there deliuered vnto him certein libelles and billes of complaintes that the bishoppes had one of them put vp ageinst an other The which all as he receiued and put vp into his bosom so after that he had refused to be iudge in their causes affirming that it becaÌ„ not him to iudge them to whome god had giuen power to iudge him and that therefore their querels what so euer they wer they should referre to the iudgement of almighty god as hauing no other iudge emongest men he caused without once opening them to see the contentes to be throwen into the fier that the brawle and discord he said of priestes might neuer goe farder into the knowledge of men But here our aduersaries as blame theÌ„ I can not seing they will nedes be patrones to desperat causes if theie be glad to catche holde of a little will perhappes â—ay that I haue vndiscretely behaued my self in alleaging this auctoritie which fardereth me not so much one waie as it hindreth me an other in that by the historie it apâ—eareth that th'emperour sat in the councell with the bishoppes Well of th' alleaging of this place who is like to get shame and who honestie who to winne and who to lose therebie for our aduersaries also I am not ignorant thereof ar wont to bring this example for them the triall thereof I leaue till such time as it shalbe laied more whotly to my charge which shalbe hereafter in bringing to light such simple store as they haue gathered together for the confirmation of their parte from th' examples of such emperours as sence christes time haue reigned Yeat this may I be bould to say in the meane season that as Constantinus sat in the councell with the bishoppes there was neuer yet emperour nor kinge for bidden I dare well say to sitte nor neuer I trowe shall And ouer this that in there being it is not very likely that he encroched any thing apon the spirituall iurisdiction bothe by that which yow haue hard before and also for this that being on a time as S. Austen reporteth of him required by the Donatistes to take apon him the hearing of the cause which depended betwene them and Cecilian th'archebishop of Carthage he refused to meddle there with all because saith he non est ausus de causaeepiscopi iudicare because he durst not be iudge in a bisshops cause But leauing this for the while let vs examine the doings of other good and catholike emperours Valentinianus th'emperour was from that desire of gouerning in churche matters and ecclesiasticall causes so far that as Sozomenus writeth of him being required on the behalf of the bishoppes that inhabited the partes of Hellespontus and Bithinia that he would vouchesauf to be present with them to entreat of certein pointes in religion to be refourmed he made them this asnwer To me being one of the people it is not laufull to search out such thinges But the priestes to whome the charge thereof belongeth let them assemble them selues where they list This is the same ValentiniaÌ„ who willing the bishoppes to chose a meete man to the see of Millain being by the deathe of Auxentius then voide vsed to theâ— thiese wordes Talem in pontificali constituite sede cui nos qui guberâ—amus imperium sincerâ— nostra capita submittamus cuius â—onita dum tanquam homines deliquerimus necessariò velut curantis medicamenta suscipiamus that is to say Choose yow such a bishop as to whome eueÌ„ we which gouerne the empire may syncerely submit our selues and whose monicions while like men we fall as pacients doe the phisicions receiptes we may necessarily receiue This to be short is he which would not so much as be present wheÌ„ Sixtus the B. of Rome was charged with certein accusations but rising from the councel left him to be iudged of him self His sonne also Valentinian succeding his father in th'empire proclaymed he him self chief gouernor in causes ecclesiasticall True it is that being yet a childe and seduced by his wicked mother Iustina to fauour the horrible heresie of the Arrians he began to affect that title But after S. Ambrose like a true bishop and faithefull councelor had tolde him that it apperteigned not to him to pretend any auctoritâ—e or right to meddle with the ouersight of gods matters that to him belonged his palaces and to the priestes the churches that he should not auaunce him self but be subiect to god and giue to hiÌ„ that wich was his reseruing to Cesar that which was Cesars after that he had proposed to him the example of his father who not onelie in wordes saide that it was not his parte to iudge emongest the bishoppes but established also a lawe that in causes of faithe and religion yea in th'examination of the maners of bishoppes and priestes onelie â—ishoppes
should be iudges after that he had willed him to searche the scriptures where he should finde that bishoppes ought in matters of faithe to be iudges ouer Emperours not they contrariwise ouâ—r bishoppes After that he had bidden him call to his remeÌ„braunce if euer he so much as hard that in a matter of faithe thelay meÌ„ weriudges ouer the bishoppes and finally told him that if he should giue him such councell or being vnminderfull of that right which belongeth to priestehod coÌ„mit that to other which god had giuen to him that he should not then treade in the vpright pathes of trâ—th and simplicitie but walck in the crooked way of adulatioÌ„ and flatterie and that at the lenght he should he douted not him self as he grewe to more ripenes in yeares well vnderstand what maÌ„ner of bishop that wer that would submit the auctoritie of priestes to the iudgemeÌ„t oflay men After I saie all thiese persuasioÌ„s he found that good emperour so well â—eclaimed that him self reporteth of 〈◊〉 an epistle which he wrote to Theodosius that where before he persecuted him nowe he loued him where before he tooke him for his mortall enemy nowe he reuereÌ„ced him as his father Which S. Ambrose neuer yelding in his or 〈◊〉 gods right the emperour would neueâ— vndoutedly haue doen had he not well knowen that S. Ambrose was in the right and he in the wrong What should I here alleage the wordes of Basilius the emperour who being present at the eight siâ—ode the fourth of Constantâ—nople made there a notable orâ—tion in the which to the 〈◊〉 he vsed thiese wordes De vobis autem 〈◊〉 etc. â— of you that ar lay men whether yow besuch as haue dignities in the common weale or none I haue no more to saie but that in no wise it is lawfull for yow to dispute or reason of causes ecclesiasticall For to searche out those thinges it belongeth to the patriarches the bishoppes and the priestes who haue receiued the office to rule who haue the power to sanctify to lose and to binde in whose handes ar the ecclesiasticall and heauenlie keies not vnto vs who must be fedde who haue nede to be sanctified to be bound and to be released frâ—Ì„ our bandes For the lay man of how greate deuotion and wisedom so euer he be yea although he haue all the vertue that is possible to be in a man yet whilest he is a laie man he is in the place of a shepe Hetherto Basilius the emperour to whome I might ioine bothe the doinges and saienges of many other wer it not that euen of those earthely rulers who haue byn tyrants and persecutors of the christians we want not yet examples to beate downe thiese beastelie flatterers with all Emongest a nombre of the which that might be here brought I shall for this time be contented to alleage onelie three Gallio the proconsul of Achaia Theodoricus king of the Gothes and Aurelianus th'emperour of Rome Of whom the first although he wer an infidell yet refused he to heâ—re the accusations layd in at CorinthuÌ„ ageinst S. Paul and saied in plain wordes Ego iudex horuÌ„esâ—e nolo I will not take on me to iudge in thiese matters because th'accusation concerned religion where with he had nothing to doâ— The second although an Arrian yet would not presume to be present at a certein councell of bishoppes whereunto he was called but modestlie excusing him self made this answer that in matters of the church he had nothing to doe but onelie to beare towardes them his reuerence The third being an ethnike and of the Christians a cruel persecutor when the catholike bishoppes who had excoÌ„municated the heretike Paulus Samosatenus and depriued him of his bishoprike resorted to him for his help touching the remouing of the said Paulus out of the mansion house belonging thereto the possession whereof he then kept would not take apon him the knowledge of this matter where bishoppes wer parties but referred the iudgement thereof to the bishoppes of Italie and Rome If heretikes good Readers tirantes and Ethnikes wer yet so modest that they would not or of the wrath of god which brooseth into fitters the proudest of the all like the sherdes of a potters pot as continually was represented vnto ther eyes by the terrible examples of the two kinges Ozias and oza so fearefull that they durst not with Saul cut any parte of Samuels coate with Oziasinuade the priestes office and straie out of the limites of that iurisdiction which god had giuen to them what may then the kinges and princes of our age say who by thiese â—urious fire â—randes haue bene so farre abused that they haue not douted to take on them that which heretikes and miscreants of coÌ„science haue refused For this by the way is well to be noted that as thiese being heretikes and Ethnikes refused to intrude them selues in to ecclesiasticall iurisdiction so was there neuer emperour sence first they became Christened onlesse he wer him selfe an heretike or by heretikes set on that attempted to doe otherwise and that immediatly in so doing what so euer he wer as he was by heretikes mainteined so by good and catholike bishoppes such as of whose bothe vertue and learning no ma douteth was he both earnestly and sharpely reproued And here to begin with that inconstant Constantius who of a catholike emperour becam a wicked Arrian in whose time as Socrates reporteth there wer no â—ewer them nine faithes When he began to take apon him the part of Ozias the priestes office in deciding questions and matters of religioÌ„ in deposing the catholike bishoppes and placing Arrians in their roomes in prisoning some in banishing moe in vexing and disquieting all had not god thincke yow his Azarias ready to matche with him Was not there first â—iberius the pope of whom when he meddeling in matters of religion most earnestly required that he would subscribe against A thanasius promising on the one side greate rewardes if he did and threatening on the other exquisite tormentes if he refused he receiued this answer Non ita â—e habet ecclesiasticus canon neque vnquam accepimus talem a patribus traditionem Quod si omnino Imperator curam suam pro ecclesiastica pace ininterponere quaerit aut scripta à nobis pro Athanasio deleri iubet deleantur quoqué ea quae contra eum scriptasunt fiatquè deinde ecclesiaflicasynodus vbi nec Imperator praestò sit nec Comes se ingerat nec iudex minetur The rules of the churche quoth he teache vs no such thing nor we neuer receiued of our fathers any such tradition But if the emperour will nedes be carefull in procuring the peace of the churche or coÌ„maund that I retract those thinges which I haue written in the behalfe of Athanasius let them also be called in that haue byn written against him and let there be after that an
ecclesiasticall synode assembled far from his palace where neither the emperour shalbe present neither his lieuetenant intrude him self nor iudge threaten Thus was the emperour answered by that greate good olde man and true confessor Hosius the bishop of Corduba in Spayn to whom as Theodoretus writeth Athanasius was wont to say that no man came sicke and wounded that went not away hole and cured This notable and auncient father this true confessor of Christes faithe for so did also Athanasius call him when he sawe that the emperour Constantius would nedes take apō him the gouernement of the churche which belonged not to him first he proposed to him th' example of his brother Constans who liuing like a vertuouse prince within his boundes neuer attempted the like and after he writeth thus Ne te misceas ecclesiasticis nequè nobis in hoc genere praecipe sed potius à nobis ea disce Tibi deus imperium commisit nobis quae sunt ecclesiae concredidit Et quemadmodum qui tuum imperium malignis oculis carpit contradicit ordinationi diuina ita tucaue ne quae sunt ecclesiae ad te retrahens magno crimini fias obnoxius Date scriptum est quae sunt Caesaris Caesari quae Dei deo that is to say Entremedle not your self o emperour in ecclesiasticall causes nor take not apon yow to commaund vs in those matters but the thinges that belong thereto learne yow them rather of vs. To yow hath god commited th' empire and to vs the busines and affaires of the churche And euen as he that will with comptrolling eye checke your gouernement resisteth the ordinaunce of god so take yow also good hede lest in drawing to yow those thinges which apperteine to the churche yow incurre a greate and a heynouse faulte Giue it is written to Cesar that which is his dutie and to god that which is gods Athanasius speaking to this purpose sayeth Siistud est iudicium episcoporum c. If this iudgement belong to bisshops what hath th' emperour to doe therewith or if on the contrary part these matters be wrought by the threateninges of Cesar what nede is there of any men beside to beare the bare title of bishops when from the beginning of the world hath it byn hard of that the iudgement of the churche hath taken auctoritie of the emperour Or when hath this byn agnised for any iudgemēt Many synodes haue there byn before this time many councels hath the churche holden but the time is yet to comme that euer either the fathers went about to persuade the prince any such matter or that the prince showed him self to be curiouse in matters of the churche But nowe haue we a spectacle neuer seene before brought in by Arrius heresie And towardes the ende of the same epistle of Constantius attempting to meddle in causes ecclesiasticall he writeth thus Quid igitur hic quod Antichristi est omistt aut quid ille vbi venerit plus committere poterit aut quomodo ille in aduentu suo non repererit sibi expeditam uiam ad dolos abisto praeparatam Siquidemiam denuò in locum ecclesiasticae cognitionis palatium tribunal earum causarum constituit sesequè earum litium summū principem authorem facit What is therefore sayth he to be doen by Antichrist that Constantius hath omitted or what can Antichrist doe more at his commyng then he hath doen allready Or how can it be that he shall not find the way ready made by hym when he commeth for all his disceytfull wyles For euen nowe again in the place of the ecclesiaticall iurisdiction he hath placed and appointed his owne palace to be the cōsistory of those causes that should haue byn determined thereby and he maketh him self the chief iudge and arbitre thereof And a little after he addeth Quis enim videns eum in decernendo principe se facere episcoporū praesidere iudicijs ecclesiasticis non meritò eam ipsam abominationem de solationis dicat esse que a Daniele praedicta est for who seeing him in iudgement make him self the chief of the bishoppes and rule in causes ecclesiasticall may not worthely say that he is that abhomination of desolation that Daniel prophecied of Thus haue yowe hard good Readers how thiese auncient fathers Liberius Hosius and Athanasius reproued the doings of Constantius th' emperour the first that we read of and yet him self an Arrian and prouoked thereto by that wicked broode that tooke apō him to meddle in ecclesiasticall iurisdiction Next after him succeded in the empire Iulian of the historiographers called apostata for that that being once a professed Christian he afterward renied his faithe and became a wicked infidell He robbed churches he plucked priestes from the aultars and sent them to the warres he did sacrifice and called him self as Sozomenus writeth of him by the name of bishop and finally by cōtempt termed the Christians Galilei and was to them a more cruell scourge then any that went before him Of him it is likely that Gregorius Nazianzenus who liued in his time would saie no lesse then of Valens the emperour plaieng not much vnlike parte he did whome in the middest of that ruffle which he made in the churche he told to his face that his power was subiect to his consistory and him self a shepe of his flocke I can not here passe ouer in silence the answer I wot not whether I may call it more pleasant more wittie or more godlie that Theodoretus in his ecclesiasticall historie writeth to be made by one Eulogius a man for his vertues emongest his neighbours highly estemed the historie calleth him primarium inter suos the chief of the place where he dwelled to an officier of Valens th' emperour touching this matter This Valēs fauoring the heresie of Arrius encroched so far apon cclesiasticall iurisdiction that he fell to the depriuing of bishoppes and the placing of other in their roomes besides many other sondry enormites and outrages It happened so that coming on a time to a certein towne in Mesopotamia called Edessa where this Eulogius was then gouernour and thincking to doe there as elles where he had that was to place there a chaplain of his to be bishop he was by this good man and certeine other withstand The officer that had to doe vnder the emperour trauailed earnestly to get his consent and emongest other persuasions that he vsed to induce him thereto it chaunced him to cast out thiese wordes Coniungere cum imperatore Be contented man to ioyne with the emperour Set your harte at rest he will haue it so Tumille faithe the history placidè festiuê Numquid vnà cum imperio etiam ille pontificatum est consecutus whie answered he coldely and pleasantly was he made a bishop that daie that he was crowned emperour as who would saie what although he be
I had not nor could getanie other copie The place is thus Pour tant ceulx qui despouillenâ— l' Eglise de ceste puisance pour exalter be magistrate ou la iustice terriene non seulemeÌ„t corroÌ„pent le sens des paroles de Christe par faulse interpretation mais aussi accusent d' une grande vice les sainctz euesques qui ont estè en grand nombre depuis be temps des Apostres comme â—iilz eussent vsurpè la dignitè office du magistrate subz fauls se couerture That is to saie in englishe Those therefore which to exalt the magistrat or earthely iustice doe spoile the churche of this power he meaneth and speakith of the ordre touching churche matters doe corrupt not onelie the sense of Christes owne wordes by false interpretation but doe also accuse of a heynouse faulte the holie bishops whereof the nombre is not small which haue bin sence the apostles time as though they had vsurped by false colouring the matter the office and dignitie of the magistrate Nowe choose good readers whether ye had rather beleue Caluin mainteining the auctoritie and iurisdiction of the churche or our clawebackes and parasites which impugne the same The one hath scripture to defende it The other hath nothing to assaulte it The scripture saeith that in doutefull questions we should resort to the priestes that at their word should all matters be decided that they should iudge that at their handes we should demaunde knowlege that their lippes be the kepers thereof because they ar our lordes angells Nowe coÌ„meth the heretike the peruerter of scripture he telleth vs that we must seke it at the princes handes that he is goddes chiefest ministre in thinges and causes aswel ecclesiasticall as temporall The scripture reaconeth in the first place in Christes churche apostles that is to say priestes for we maie not thinck that in that place the apostle described a forme of the churche to endure but for that onelie age The heretike will haue princes placed aboue and priestes benethe The holie ghost appointed bishoppes and priestes to gouern the flock of Christ that is the churche The diuell in his meÌ„bres appointeth ciuile magistrates to rule and priestes to obey So that herebie we maie most euidentlie see how manifestly they peruert and corrupt the true sense and meaning of gods worde As for the other poinct which Caluin also laieth to their charge of accusing of a most heynouse and grieuouse fault the auncient bishoppes that haue bin sence th'apostles time as though they had by vnlaufull meanes vsurped to them selues the office and dignitie of the Magistrate it is also if their doctrine wer true most plaine and euident eueÌ„ at the eye For first if kinges must be the chiefe gouernours in matters of religion and bishoppes their vnderlinges who seeth not then how far Ignatius that holy martyr abused bothe him self and vs to bid all men without exception euen th'emperor him self by name to the obedient to the bishop to tell vs that after him next the king is to be honored If this be true which they teache who is he that can excuse Liberius that holie father who for the determining of matters coÌ„cerning the cuhrche would haue a sinode kept where the emperour should not so much as be present Or that reuerend father Hosius who willed th'emperour not to entremedle in ecclesiasticall causes nor to comptroll or commaunde the bishoppes therein but to learne of the in those thinges to whose charge they wer committed not to his Or Athanasius that strong piller of Christes churche who when he saw that wicked emperour Constantius doe that which the heretikes of this our time perswade the Kinges and Emperours that now arre to doe as the Arrians did those of their age that is to take apon him the determination of matters ecclesiasticall to make him selfe chief iudge bothe of the bishoppes and causes belonging to the churche called him that abhomination of desolatioÌ„ spoken of by Daniel the prophet and pronounced that for his so doing his impietie was such as Antichrist when he should comme him self should not be able to goe beyond termed it a newe deuise brought in by the Arrians and finally demaunded but one example ab oeuo condito from the beginning of the world where by it might appeare that the doinges of the churche should take their auctoritie from th'emperour till Arrius his time Or Gregorius Nazianzenus who told th'emperour that by the lawe of Christ his power was subiect to his consistory and that although he wer an emperour yeat was he not withstanding a shepe of his flock Or S. Ambrose that bad the emperour set his hart at rest and not to thinke that he had by the right of his crowne any auctoritie in those matters that concerned religion that his palaice belonged to him and the churche to the priestes Or Chrisostom who comparing the power of a King with the auctoritie of a priest calleth the one a prince aswell as the other and greater theÌ„ he toe by so much as heauen is greater then the earth and addeth that god him self to witnesse the same hath brought vnder the handes of the priest the head of the prince For that saith he that is lesser is blessed of the greater Who in an other place saieth that the power which is geuen to priestes is such as the like thereto was neuer giuen to Angels or Archangels seing that to none of them it was euer said what so euer yow binde in earthe shalbe bound in heauen or what so euer yow loose in earthe shalbe loosed in heauen Or how wer it possible if this doctrine of our aduersaries wer true to excuse Damascenus for reprehending Leo Isaurus as yow haue hard before the emperour and many a one more of the holie fathers which for breuities sake I am here constreined to passe ouer in silence Leauing therefore our aduersaries thus at square both with the old fathers and their newe doctours it is high time good readers that I remembre to discharge my self of my promise which was to laie before your eyes such euidence as in this matter ether part had to bring for theÌ„ selfe Which as I haue for the catholikes according to my simple wit and pooer knowledge allreadie done so shall I by goddes grace on the contrary parte for the protestaÌ„tes and Huguenotes faithefully endeuor to doe the like And because for that aswell of all the poisoned reasons touching either this matter or almost any other at this day in question the late apologie of the churche of EnglaÌ„d for so is it by th' authors termed may well be called as it wer the some or abridgemeÌ„t as also for that there is as it should seme and sence hath byn coÌ„fessed in it comoÌ„ consent of all the fantasticall congregation I meane of them that trouble Christes churche in our countrie
kept that the praiers in the night wer vtterly ceassed To that holy father it seemed a great outerage that the churches wer shut vppe what would he thinck we then say wer he aliue in these dayes when of our churches he should see some made the dwelling houses of priuat men other some turned into barnes or stables other cleane ouer throwen and made euen wyth the grounde and those that remain whole so moch worse then if they had byn alltogether shut vp left open for heretikes to pollute with schismaticall seruice and diuelysh doctrine It grieued S. Basil that th' altars should lack the spirituall seruâ—ce whych was not nether for any mislike that men had therein but because in that grieuouse persecution of the Christians theie could not be founde that durst doe it And could he haue taken it well to haue seene theÌ„ broken defaced and quite ouer throwen yea whiche is a crime so horrible that to write it I tremble in those places in which the altars stood whereon was wont in that spirituall sacrifice to be offered vp the most pretious body and bloud of Christ Oxen and beastes more vncleane to befedde He lamented that learned men wer not estemed that they wer not prouided of lyuings and would he not much more lament to see them depriued of those whych they had and shoemakers weuers tinckers coweherdes broome men Russians forfelonies burned in the haÌ„ds to be put in ther places Then was no holsom doctrine taught nowe is ther nothing elles taught but poisoned and vnholsom Then wer there no holidaies kepte nor hymnes vsed in the night Nowe ar they accompted to be superstition Nowe as we felt none of all thiese miseries besides a thousand moe so long as we kept our selues wythin the vnite of one heade so is euery man able to beare me witnesse that as soone as the diuel the author of all heresies had once obteined and brought about the banishmeÌ„t in our countrye of that one bishop wyth the whych as you haue hard out of S. Cyprian before he vseth alwayes to begin all these russhed in apon vs as the dore that should haue kept them out being set wide open And as this is confessed by the most auncient fathers that haue wrytten sence Christes tyme that by this meanes we first reuolt from the churche by contemning and not acknowleging the head so muâ—t our return thyther again be by the contrary that is by reuerencing him by acknowleging him by humble submission of our self to him So did those that after ther fall with Nouatus S. Cyprian receiued into the churche again apon ther submission testified in these wordes Nos Cornelium episcopum sanctissmum Catholicae Ecclesiae erectum à deo omnipotente Christo D. nostro scimus Nos errorem nostrum confitemur Circumuenti sumus perfidiae loquacitate factiosa amentes videbamur qua si quandam communicationem cum homine schismatico habuisse Syncera tamen mens nostra in ecclesia semper fuit Nec ignoramus vnum deum esse vnum Christum esse dominum quem confessi â—umus vnum spiritum S vnum Episcopum in ecclesia catholica esse debere We say they acknowledge Cornelius to be erected by god almighty and Christe our lorde to be the holie bishop of the catholike churche We confesse our error we haue byn circumuented ronning madde by the factious babbling of treachery we semed to haue communicated as it wer with that schismaticall man Nouatus yet was our sincere minde alwaies in the churche Nor we ar not ignorant that there is one onlie god and one Christ our lorde and that in the catholike churche there must be one holie ghost and one bishop So did Vrsatius and Valens forsaking the heresy of Arrius offer vp ther recantation to Iulius then bishop of Rome By thys meanes good Christian readers returned they to the churche by this must you return that haue straied what so euer you be if you will be saued Seing now as I haue declared the going out of the churche is by the contempt of the head thereof and the return home again by th' acknowleging and reuerencing of the same persuade your selfe that it hath not byn for nothing that good men in all ages haue byn and at this time ar no lesse busyed in defence thereof then heretikes myssecreantâ— and enemies to our faithe ar readie wyth all ther power to assault the same The consideration whereof hath caused also me in this enterprise of mine to begin first wyth the fortifieng of that whereunto our enemies as the very fundacion of all true religion the comfort and stay of the catholikes the terror and vtter vndoing of all heretikes doe most direct ther battery In the handling where of I purpose god willing to take this ordre First before I comme to the principall poinct thatlieth in question betwene vs which is of the bishop of Romes supremacie to proue to you by most plaine and euident reasons that the churche of Christ here militant in earth must of necessitie for diuerse and sondrie vrgent causes haue one chief head and ruler vnder Christ to rule and gouerne the same Secondarily that that one head must nedes be a priest Thirdly and so last of all that of all priests the bishop of Rome is he whych must supply that place and that for so that is head and ruler of the church he hath byn of th' auncient councels and old fathers wyth in the first six hundred yeares after Christes de parture taken THAT CHRISTES CHVRCH HERE IN EARTH MVST OF NECESSITIE HAVE ONE CHIEF HEAD AND GOVERNER VNDER CHRIST TO RVLE THE SAME THe truthe of thys proposition good Christian readers is not onely by the whole ordre and forme of the estate of gods people in th' olde lawe whych was also the true churche of god long before the comming of our sauiour in to this world but by the dailie experience also of ciuile and polytike gouuernenement most manifestly confirmed For who is there so blynde that he seeth not that in the whole frame of this worlde there is no kingdom so mighty no realm so puysant no cytie so populous no towne so welthy yea on the coÌ„trary part also no village so littell no family so small finally no societe of men no not of those that haue wrapped them selues in league to robbe and spoile that can anie while continue wythout a head to gouern them If therefore to lyue vnder the gouuernement of a head be a matter of such importance as wythout the whych neyther great nor little riche nor pooer good nor bad can stande how much more necessary shall we thinck it in Christes churche here militant in earthe where the diuell in hys membres is continually occupied in raysing of schismes in stirring vp discord to vex and molest the people of god to haue thys wholesom prouision for th' appeasing thereof and the restoring of the same being troubled to quietnes
of thiese wordes must nedes be atteined by the conference of one place of scripture with an other and to that ende doe they not fondly alleage S. Paule callyng Chryst a rocke yea Chryst calling hym selfe a vine when he was in dede neither the one nor the other but by a fimilitude As though because th' apostle or Chryst hymself vseth a fygure in one place we must thincke that in all other he neuer spake other wise By which abhominable doctrine what letteth if a man would be so wicked to affirme that Chryst the sonne of god and second parson in trinitie wer not the true and naturall sonne of god but by adoption onelye and for that wycked heresy to bring this texte dedit eis potestatem filios dei fieri he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of god Which wordes we knowe being spoken by vs men must be vnderstand by grace and adoption and frowardly to mainteyne that all the places whych any good man can bryng for the defence of the contrary should be drawen to thys texte alleaged by them and expownded and vnderstand thereby The Anabaptystes who deny the baptesme of infants leane they not thyncke yow to thys grounde of yours yea truely and good reason it is that being all heretykes as you ar although in some poyntes dissentyng yet all ioining and agreing in one cancred hatred against the churche you should all vse the same rules and principles For that I may here passe ouer that reason of the Anabaptistes which belongeth to an other place that therefore infants must not be baptized because it is not expressed in scripture a principle also of your religion but deliuered vnto vs by tradition saye they not also that they haue the scripture playne for them ageinst vs where yt hath Qui erediderit baptizatus fueriâ— saluus erit he that beleueth and is baptized shalbe saued and again in an other place vna fides vnum baptisma one faythe one baptesme By whych places say they it appeareth that say the must goe before and baptisme folowe after And when the catholykes to represse and vtterly ouerthrowe this bruâ—ysh and beastely opinion answer that for infants thus baptized the faithe of the churche is sufficient and accounted for theirs crie they not as yowe doe that in this controuersâ—e one place of scripture must expound an other and that therefore where as the scripture requireth in him that is baptized faith that theie must haue it of their owne according to th'apostles saieng fides ex auditu faithe commeth by hearing which infants can not haue and according to the saieng of the prophete Iustus ex fide sua victurus est the iust man shall liue by his owne faithe I am sory that in answering to this fond reason I haue bin compelled to make anie mencion of such horrible heresies as thiese ar which I had much rather wer with their first authors buried in hel from whence theie cam where neither they nor their name might euer hereafter offend the conscience of any good christian man But as I haue necessarily laied before your eyes thiese that by a part yow may iudge of the whole so haue I willingly staied my self from rehercing whole swarmes of such opinions as being of all men taken for confessed heresies onely depend apon this one false ground that we nede here in earthe no other iudge to decide and determine doubtes arising upon the sâ—ripture then the scripture it self whych being they saye laied and conferred to gether one text with an other will not faile to bring vs to the right vnderstanding thereof If your hartes good readers be moued with thiese heresies in the reading as truely god I take to witnesse mine was in the writing abhorre those that teache them shonne and auoide such principles and groundes as haue byn the foundacion not of thiese onelie but of all that now reigne in the worlde and may be of any other hereafter that any desperate heretyke lysteth to inuent Stick to those by which all heretykes haue byn and thiese shalbe to their vtter confusion vanquished Shrincke not rashelie from that fundacioÌ„ whereon your elders and forfathers fastening them selues haue passed ouer so many hundred yeares in the true confession of one god one faith one truthe to them that hauing yet scarse fourty on ther backes haue notwithstanding emoÌ„gest theÌ„ creaping all out of the filthy neast of one Martin Luther so manie faythes and yet no faith so many truthes and yet no truthe neuer a one agreing with the other as there be mad frantick heads emongest them Giue no eare to that subtil generation walcking in the darck like blinde battes without a head without a iudge and all to thend ther iuggeling might not be espied Tell them that yow haue sene them thriue so euel apon that presumption of theirs so many heresies so many schismes and lewd opinions brought in thereby that yow ar at a poinct with your selues to leaue them and take that way that S. Hierom in the like case hath doen before yow who although his knowledge in the tongues wer such as by the report of most men it passed anie others in his time yet would not he take apon him in the discussing of doutes to leane to that rule of theirs to lay and confer to gether one texte with an other but referring him self to the see of Rome he alwaies protested that by that seate and faithe praised by th'apostles owne mouth would he be counceled and ruled Beatitudini tuae id est cathedrae Petri communione consocior To your holines saith he writing to Damasus then the bishop of Rome that is to say to Peters chaire am I ioined in communion and he addeth a cause whie Super illam Petram aedificatam ecclesiam scio I knowe that on that rock Peters chaire the churche is builded Say vnto them as S. Hierom said vnto the the heretikes Vitalis and Miletus because they ar aduersaries to this seate that yow knowe them not that they scatter and ar schismatikes alltogether out of the churche that gather not with Peters successor Tell them boldelie with S. Austen that yow will owe neither sute nor seruice to their chaire of pestilence nor be a membre of that bodie that either lacketh a head and is a dead tronck or hath many and is a liue monstre Aske of them with what face they could so many yeares to gether call king Henrie the eight supreame head of the churche of England immediatlie vnder god and nowe our gracious souereigne lady his daughter supreame gouernor in all ecclesiasticall thinges and causes ouer the same which how so euer they please them selues with fine fetches and coloured deuises is with th'other title in effect all one if this reason of theirs wer good Christ is head of the churche therefore there is no other head thereof vnder him And how was king Henrie then if they say that
to them thiese perniciouse persuasioÌ„s that they be here in earth by almighty god placed in his churche to be the heads thereof and not membres to be fathers and not children to rule in causes of religion and not to be ruled that to them it belongeth in the right of their crowune to approue doctrine or to condemne it to alter at their pleasure the state of religion by actes of parliament without the consent of their cleargie to depose bishops and put other in their places in their stiles and titles boldely to write them selues gouernours in their realmes in all things and causes aswell ecclesiasticall as temporall and yet no ordre all this while broken because forsoth theie be such as theie beare them in hand they ar that is to say the heades the rulers the shepherdes the fathers maisters and guides in religion Thiese be theie therefore good readers that as the prophete saith call bonum malum malum bonum tenebras lucem lucem â—enebras good euel and euel good darckenes light and light darckenes Thiese be they that as their Idol of Geneua in this poinct trulie giueth answer goe about to make princes iustle with god Finally thiese ar those lowsy brokers that leading as it wer by the hand their good and vertuous princes after this sweete poysoned bait from the most pleasaunt and fertile valeis of humilitie to the toppe of the highe barren and craggy mountaines of pryde and arrogaÌ„cie showing them when they haue them there the riches and ornaments of the churche the landes and reuenues thereof by good and vertuous princes their predecessors and auncestors long time before for this entent especially thereto giuen that the ministres of Christes most holy word and blessed sacraments being by hauing of their owne deliuered from that comberouse care of prouisioÌ„ for them selues that afterward the holy ghost who was the procuror of such almoise and stirred from time to time the deuocion of good men thereto forsaw thorough the decay of pietie and coldenes of charitie towardes the latter ende of the world they wer likelie to fall into might thereby the more quietlie folow their vocation promise of all the same to make them the lordes and maisters if they will doe them homage and fall down and worship them that is to say harckeÌ„ to their doctrine submit them selues thereto and graunt to it within their realmes and dominions fauorable entreteinement And that this is true good readers that they haue thus shamefully abused and deceiued their princes and not surmised or imagined by me to bring them in to hatred whome god I take to recorde I pity much and hate nothing I hope by his assistaÌ„ce who is the giuer of all good thinges â—o plainely to proue that yow your selues shall at the eye see it and they if there remain yet in them anie sparcle of grace shall not be hable to denie it The which that I may the better perform I shall truly bring furth as it wer into the face of the open courte all such euidence of importance as either parte hath to alleage for them selfe so truely Itrust that the councel of th'other side shall haue no cause to complaine that either I haue suppressed and coÌ„cealed their necessary proofes one waie or obscured their beauty in the bringing of theÌ„ furth on th' other But because an indifferent and vpright iudge must alwaies haue an earnest eye to the issue which is betwene vs who should gouerne in ecclesiasticall causes the prince or the priest it shall not be amisse because to be chief gouernour in thinges and causes ecclesiasticall is nothing elles but to haue the supreme iurisdiction thereto belonging to examine first in what poinctes that consisteth that so by conferring our euidence wyth the same whether it agre with euery parte with none with some and with which we maie at the length by good scanning comme to the knowledge of euery mans owne Iurisdiction therefore ecclesiasticall consisteth especially in thre poinctes in auctoritie to iudge ouer doctrine whych is sound and which is other in the power of the keyes that is to say as our sauiour him self hath expounded it in loosing and binding excommunicating and absoluing in making rules and lawes for the gouernement of the church and in the ministery of the word and the sacraments To the first of thiese three what title Kinges and princes haue it shall if theie haue anie be seene hereafter But for priestes yow shall see to begin withall an auncient commission out of the scriptures where almighty god speking to Aaron vsed thiese wordes Praeceptum sempiternum eâ—t in gener ationes vestra vt habeatis scientiam discernendi inter sanctum prophanum inter pollutum mundum docâ—atisqué filios Israel omnia â—egitima mea that is to say it is a precept that shall euer endure thorough all your generations to haue the knowledge to discern and put difference betwene holy thinges and prophane betwene cleane and polluted and that yow teache the children of Israel all my commaundements To whome gaue almightie god here the power to iudge of doctrine whome commaunded he to teache anie other then Aaron and his race which wer priestes In the booke of DeuteroÌ„ saieth he not also that if there arise any hard or doutefull question the priest must be consulted that he that of pride will spurn ageinst his ordinance shall suffer death therefore and agein in the same booke in an other place that apon the priestes word all causes shall hang. Ezechiel the prophete doeth he not witnesse the same â–ª and when there is anie controuersy sayth he they shall stay in my iudgements and giue iudgement Aggeus and Malachias prophetes bothe bid they vs enquier for the law of god at the priestes handes or at the kinges No assuredlie they send vs not to kinges which had they bene the chiefe gouernours in those matters without faile they would haue doen but to the priestes whose lippes they promise shall not misse to kepe the true knowledge because theie ar our lordes angels Haue we any such warrant of worldely princes No trulie And wer it not more theÌ„ necessary that we should if princes should rule them in matters of religion of whom thiese wordes be spoken But to procede is this auctoritie giue to them onely in the olde testamentâ—ar they not put trow yow in as greate trust in the newe Or ar they thinck yow excluded and kinges admitted theâ—eâ—â—â— If it had bene so neuer would S. Paule tâ—at blesâ—ed aposâ—le haue made his accopte that god had placed in his churche first apostles next to them prophetes then doctours and so furth Emongest all the which although that frantick foole that preaching not many yeaâ—eâ— sence at Powles crosse went about with his rayling Rhetoricke to make his audience as foolish as he was maâ—de in beleâ—ing that this place should make ageinst the auctoritie of the pope because
forsoth he could he saide finde no roume for him there and therefore of his charitie 〈◊〉 that if any good fellow emongest his audieâ—ce wer weâ—rie of his roume he might be placed the re as verilie â— both thinck and knowe there wer manie that wished bothe them selues away and him in Bedlem emongest his compagnions neuer to come more in pulpit especiallie in that place to dishonor the vniuersitie his mother from whence he cam by such vnreasonable not reasoning but rayling although he I say could finde there no place for the pope he might yet haue wyth his yong sight founde at the least that which Iohn Caluin could before with his old and dimme eies espie out that is that the chiefest place of gouernement in Christes churche belonged to the apostles and so to the bishops and priestes their successors Except his braine would serue him to say that Christes churche died with his apostles But if a man should aske this great clercke that hath so narowely scanned the texte what roome he found there for Kinges I maruâ—ll what his wisdome would answer There is but one word in all the texte that should seeme to make place for any temporaâ—l magistrate and that hath Caluin watred with such a glose that it can in no wise serue his purpose The worde is gubernationes gouernements placed beside so far from the chiefest and first place if it wer to be vnderstand of temporal magistrates that it occupieth the seuenth But Caluin saieth it may not so be vnderstand but that the apostle ment by that word such spirituall men as wer ioined to the preachers for the better ordre in spirituall gouernement And he addeth a reason why it may not be vnderstande of ciuile magistrates because saith he there wer at that time none of them christians By which wordes this mery man maie see that if he will nedes daunce after his maister Caluin his pipe he muste saie that there is not not onelie no roume in this place for ciuile magistrates but that he is excluded alâ—o from the hope of finding for them anie I meane in the gouernement in ecclesiasticall causes in any other place of the newe testament But not in this place onely was S. Paule of that minde that priestes should gouern the churche of christ but in that notable sermon of his also that he made to the priestes of Ephesus at his departure from thence where he giueth them this exhortation Attendite vobis vniuerso gregi in quo vos spiritus sanctus posuit episcopos regere ecclesiam dei Looke saith he to your selues and to your flock in the which the holie ghost hath placed yow to rule and gouern the church of god Can there be any plainer euidence then is this Let them therefore eyther rule as S. Paule saith they ar appointed thereto and that by the holie ghost or if princes must let vs deny sainct Paule his auctoritie and say that the spirite failed him for surelie bothe maie not And thus for the scriptures good readers ye see to whom of right that parte of ecclesiasticall gouernement which standeth in the alowing and condemning of doctrine dothe apperteine For that doe the auctorites by me out of the old testament alleaged expressely proue as also doe those brought out of the newe by a necessarie consequence in that they giue to them the whole gouernement and chief souereintie of which this is as is before saide a parte The nexte membre of spirituall gouernement is thepower as Christ him self calleth it of binding and loosing Which power to excomunicate and to absolue our sauiour gaue to his apostles when he saied to them what so euer yow binde in earth shalbe bound in heaueÌ„ and what so euer yow loose on the earthe shall be loosed in heauen Wherein and in the last which is to preache and ministre the sacramentes because thiese peuish proctours pretend not as yet any greate title for princes but seeme rather to ground their action in the first I will leauing them bothe as either by the scriptures in all mennes iudgements sufficiently defended or by our aduersaries them selues not assaulted examine of what minde touching this controuersie the holy doctours of Christes churche from time to time haue byn Not as though maÌ„nes word should haue with vs more auctoritie then goddes or that it nedeth to be boulstred vp there with but for this causeonelie that if it happen theÌ„ to wrangle as their manner is about the true interpretacion thereof all men may perceiue that we giue no other then the fathers of christes churche before vs haue giuen And here to begin with Ignatius that holy martir who for the faithe of Christ was with the teethe of wild beastes torn and as he writeth him selfe sawe our sauiour in fleshe coÌ„sidre I beseche yow in the prescribing of such ordre for obedience in Christes churche as wherebie vnitie might be preserued what place of preeminence he giueth to Emperours who ar of the laietie the greatest estates and what to bishops his wordes ar thiese Principes obedite Caesari milites principibus diaconi praesbiteris sacrorum prefectis praesbiteri diaconi reliquus clerus vnâ cum omni populo militibus principibus Caesa re episcopo episcopus Christo sicut Christus patri vt ita vnitas per omnia seruetur Princes saith he obey your emperour souldiors your princes deacons the priestes which haue the charge of religion priestes deacons all the rest of the cleargie with the people what so euer they ar souldiors princes yea the emperor him self be yow obedient to your bishop the bishop to Christ as Christ is obedient to his father that so vnitie maie in all poinctes be obserued Here may we see good readers that euen in the daies of this holie martir Ignatiâ—s it was then thought necessary and expedient that for the better obseruing of vnitie the emperour him self should obey the bishop well I wot our aduersaries will not restreine this obeâ—ience to temporall gouernement and therefore it must nedes be vnderstand of spirituall and in causes ecclesiasticall But if th'obseruing of this obedience be the way to conserue vnitie what shall we alas thinck of them that laboure to violat and breake the same as doe all they that trauail to make princes in matters of religion to rule and bishoppes to obeye The same worthy bishop and constant martâ— Ignatius writing in an other place ad Smirnenses biddeth he them not to honor first god next the bishop as bering his image and then after the king Policarpus disciple to saincte Iohn theuangelist of priestes and deacons writeth thus Subiecti estote praesbiteris diaconis sicut deo Christo. Be ye subiect to the priestes and deacons as to god and Christ. Is this any other to say then as thapostle said before him Obedite ijs qui vigilant pro animabus vestris Obey yow them which kepe the watche
occupation and so maie not I who I thanck god therefore am none of the company will take the paines to stoope and doe it for them It foloweth in Theodoretus after he had mentioned the oration which Constantin had in the councell Haec his similia tanquaÌ„ fiâ—â—us amator pacis sacerdotibus veluti patribus offerâ—bat These wordes and such like as a sonne that loued peace he offred vp to the priestes as to his fathers Lo good readers was not here trow yow a greate president for our Emperours and kinges to meddle with the ordre of religion Well he was as the histories beare witnes the first christian emperour that openly professed the faithe and name of Christ for of Phillip the histories make no greate accompt and before that time the church was gouerned either by infidleles and tirantes as Nero Domitianus and such other or by priestes or by none And this was the very cause that they would so faine haue wonne to their parte the first Christian emperour The next example that they bring is of Theodosius th'emperour that he not onely sat emongest the bishoppes but was also the verie chief of the conference betwene the Catholykes and the Arrians That Theodosius did in this matter nothing of him self but all by the councell of Nectarius the B. of Constantinople had not our aduersaries as they did before in th'example of Constantine mangled the historie any man might easely haue perceuid For reade the beginning of the chapiter where this matter is mencioned and yow shall finde that Theodosius called to him Nectarius then B. of Constantinople asked of him his aduice what ordre wer best to be taken for thappeasing of that schisme which then so miserably troubled the churche and finallie embrased him self and commaunded all other to receiue the same doctrine not which him self had determined to be true but which Nectarius and the other catholyke bishoppes had deliuered and commendid to him And truly maruell had it byn if he had otherwise doen in matters of religion any thing to the preiudice of that auctoritie which bishoppes and priestes of right ought to haue in those matters who at other times had so often declared his minde persuaded to the contrary and namelie in that councell that he caused to be assembled at Aquileia where in the sommons of that Sinode he openlie protested that controuersies arising apon matters of doctrine can not be better tried then by being referred to the bishoppes that they quoth he from whome the very groundes and principles of doctrine haue proceded may if there fall out anie doubtes dissolue the same For the which wordes being afterward rehersed in the councell it appeareth how greately S. Ambrose praised him when he saide openlie Behold what ordre the christian emperour hathe taken he will not doe anie iniurie to the priestes he referreth to the bishoppes the interpretation of all doubtes If Theodosius had taken apoÌ„ him to iudge in matters of faithe being a lay man coulde S. Ambrose thincke yow that florished vnder him haue byn ignorant thereof If he could not would he haue praised him for that he did not would he haue asked of Valentinianus the yonger beginning in his youthe although he after repeÌ„tid to encroche apoÌ„ the spirituall limites and iurisdiction Quando audisti clementissime imperator in causa fidei Laicos de Episcopo iudicasse when did yow euer heare most gentle emperour that in matters of faith lay men haue iudged of the bishoppes doinges Might he not haue answered if it had bene as our aduersaries say I haue not hard onelie but knoweÌ„ also by experience that mine owne felowe in the empire Theodosius hath doen so So that hereapon we may be bould probably to conclude S. Ambrose vertue wisdome lerning long experience and greate practise in Christes churche well coÌ„sidered that Theodosius atteÌ„pted no such matter nor did anie thing in religion without the councell of such bishoppes as being catholike enstructed him what he should doe for thaduauncement and setting forwarde of Christes catholyke faithe It foloweth in the apologie In the couÌ„cel of CalcedoÌ„ the ciuile magistrate condeÌ„ned for heretikes by his senteÌ„ce Dioscorus Iuuenalis Thalassius being all bishoppes and iudged them vvorthy to be degraded Here would I faine knowe in what place or where they finde this historie written If they saie in the. 5. booke and tenth chap. of Socrates historie as the place is in the margent coated I must nedes tell them that the place hauing byn there sought for can not be found And as littell hope is there of finding the same elles where if a man maie beleue vehemeÌ„t presumptions For if in that couÌ„cell Iuuenalis and Thalassius had bene at all condeÌ„ned by any magistrat either ecclesiasticall or ciuile as well should it of all likelihood haue byn mencioned in the actes and recordes of the couÌ„cell of Calcedon as was the condemnatioÌ„ of Dioscorus they being all accused and partakers of one crime True it is although in the place by theÌ„ alleaged there be no such thing that in the actes yet of the councell we finde a record where the ciuile magistrates consented that Dioscorus had well deserued to be of his bishoprick depriued and of all priestely dignitie degraded But how I beseche yow diligently to considre if to the bishoppes to whome god had committed the charge to giue that sentence it should so seme good And thiese ar not my wordes but his that was sent from the whole councell to Dioscorus who then after the manner of all heretikes fled from the face of the councell and lurcked I wot not where Ioannes the bishop of Germanicia who after he had told him in what termes he stoode that was condemned by the whole councell he added this clause Si hoc placuisset sanctissimis episcopis quibus hanc inferre a domino deo creditum est if it so semed good to the holy bishoppes to whome god had committed the power to giue that sentence This sentence afterwarde the said Dioscorus continuing in his obstinacie was by the whole councell alowed and by the legates of the bishop of Rome in his name pronounced no mans name subscribed or consent asked thereto besides the onelie bishoppes And thus much for Dioscorus for of Iuuenalis and Thalassius till they show where and when they wer condemned for heretikes and worthy to be degraded I can saie nothing Although this in the meane season I may boldelie say that if they the ciuile magistrates I meane gaue anie such sentence it is verie likely that they would qualifie it as yow hard before that they did in Dioscorus with this adiection if the bishoppes thinck good to whom that matter belongeth Which if they did what haue they then gotten by th'alleaging of such a sentence I praie yow The next proufe that they bring is out of the third councell of Constantinople where Constantinus they say did not onelie sit emongest the bishoppes
of emperours and kinges ouer bishoppes and priestes Trulie that Iustinian did this it is but barelie affirmed nor any place in th'apologie is there coated where a maÌ„ that doubted might see it proued And therefore with the same auctoritie might it be denied with the which it is proposed to be beleued True it is that Theodora th'empresse as some write being alltogether giuen to the heresie of Eutiches after she had long trauailed first with Siluerius and after Vigilius bothe bishops of Rome to haue Menna the catholike archebishop of Constantinople depriued of his bishoprick and the heretike Anthimius remoued by Agapetus before restored again and could not obteine at their handes her wicked purpose did apon displeasure conceiued by this repulse â— procure by the meanes of Belisarius Iustinians chief â—apitaine the banishement first of th'one and after of th'other Who so euer deposed them or who so euer banâ—shed them true is it that this was the cause thereof and no other Which being as in dede it is most true let vs nowe graunte to our aduersaries that it was not the empresse but the emperour him self that deposed them and let vs see how they be hable to proue thereby that emperours and kinges may degrade priestes and depose bishoppes If they will deale vprightely they must to proue it â—eason thus Iustinian otherwise a Christian emperour but in this point a cruell heretike tirannously deposed two popes Siluerius and Vigilius onely because they would not doe wrong that is depriue him of his bishoprick to a catholike bishop and restore an heretike laufully before depriued Ergo th'emperour is aboue the pope Ergo kinges be aboue bishoppes Is not this a propre kinde of reasoning trowe yow Might they not haue reasoned after this sort that Nero deposed S. Petre that Traian put downe Clement with a nombre of such like examples For to saie that Iustinian was a christian whereas thiese wer infidelles is but a mist cast in to th'obiection to desell our eyes For who seeth not if he be not allreadie blinde that this deede if it should haue bene Iustinians to mainteine and defend an open heretike ageinst a faithefull and true catholyke had bene the act of a tyrant and infidell not of a Christian and good prince and that it is no better reason to say and conclude that he deposed them and therefore iustlie then it should be to say that he defended the heretike Anthimius and therefore rightefullie But seing this example will not serue our aduersaries turn let vs assaie to make it serue ours And first let vs examine what should be the cause why Iustinian should be so earnest with these two bishoppes of Rome to depose the B. of Constantinople and to restore the heretike that stoode depriued was he not emperour of all the worlde had he not by the meanes thereof as our newe doctours beare vs in hande the chief gouernement ouer all matters spirituall and temporall was on the other side the auctoritie of the bishoppes of Rome at that time such that it extended I will not saie out of their owne diocesse to any other bishoppes in the Latine churche but to Constantinople the chief of the Grieke Here ar they taken how so euer they answer For first if th'emperour had bene of that auctoritie that they saie the laie magistrates arre why did he not then by his owne mere and absolute power displace the one and place the other Might he not as well haue deposed one bisshop at Constantinople as two at Rome But if on the contrarie parte they answer that the pope was he that must necessarilie place and displace euen at that time and in the Grieke churche and not the emperour whie then should it be laufull at this time for emperours or kinges to doe that which was not laufull to be done then Or why should it not now be laufull for the B. of Rome which at those daies was not vnlaufull Thus may yowe see good Readers howe this history wholly and truly alleaged maketh not onely not against vs but also much with vs if it had bene true that th'apologie saieth that Iustinian had deposed those two popes Yea but say they yowe can not denie that the emperour made lawes of matters of religion that he absteined not euen in matters of the churche froÌ„ thiese termes Sancimus iubemus we ordeine we commaunde with such like Trulie this can I not denie and if I would there be whole constitutions of his ready to be brought againste me as that where he commaundeth that none be made bisshop that hath a wife and of them that haue had such as haue had oneâ—ie one the same no widowe neither deuorced from her husband neither forbidden by the holie canons and also that where he commaundeth that of priestes no other be receiued to that ordre but such as vel coelibem vitam agunt vel vxorem habuerunt aut habent legitimam eam vnam primam nequé viduam nequé diuortio separatam à viro aut alioquiî legibus aut sacris interdictam canonibus that is to saie as either leade a single life or haue had a laufull wife or presently haue and that one and the first no widowe none diuorsed from her husband or otherwise by the lawes or holie canons forbidden and that of deacons also where he giueth coÌ„maundement that if he that should be deacon haue no wife presently he be not otherwise promoted except being first asked of him which giueth the ordres whether he caÌ„ from thence furth liue without a wife he answer yea In somuch that th'emperour plainely pronounceth that he that ministreth to him the ordres can not dispence with him to mary after and that if he should so doe the bishop which suffred it should be deposed But although this be true that th'emperour Iustinian not onelie in thiese matters which touched the cleargie but in manie other also hath entremedled yet hath he alwaies so tempered the matter as he hath showed him selfe to be a folower not a leader a ministre to execute not a gouerner to prescribe The which thing his owne wordes in all such places where he entreateth of such matters placed as it wer for the nones to take awaie all such sinistre suspicioÌ„ doe manifestlie declare For either he hath these wordes Sequentes ea quae sacris definita sunt canonibus folowing the definition of the holy canons or thiese Sacras per omnia sequentes regulas in all poinctes folowing the holie rules or such like wherebi he would haue testified to the worlde that he meaneth by his penall lawes seuerelie to execute the canons of the churche and nothing lesse then to make newe him selfe In this sense vsed he the worde Sancimus we ordeine Where speaking of the first fower generall councels and the B. of Rome he hath thiese wordes Sancimus vt secundum eorum definitiones sanctissimus veteris Romae papa primus omniâ—m
by common consent and is rightely termed the certificate of their doinges to Leo the pope wherein they called him the heade and them selues the membres and in that that they termed him the man to whome our lorde committed the keping of his vineyarde doe moste plainelie affirme the same there is nowe left to our aduersaries no starting hole to escape Besides all this that yowe haue hard there is a notable testimonie of Iustinian the emperour who in his Codex calleth in plaine wordes Ioannes that was then the pope of Rome caput omnium ecclesiarum that is the heade of al churches And thus much for such as within the first sixe hundred yeares haue called the B. of Rome by this name heade of the churche To come nowe to those who although they haue not vsed the same terme haue named him yet notwithstanding by the like and haue attributed vnto hiÌ„ and acknowleged in him in all poinctes the same iurisdiction and auctoritie I shall first bring furth the testimonie of that stroÌ„g piller and vnmoueable rocke of Christes churche Athanasius and yet not him alone but accompanied with the whole noÌ„bre of the bishoppes of Egipt Thebaida and Libia Who writing to three seuerall popes Marcus Liberius and Felix called first Marcus S. Ro. Apostolicae sedis atque vniuersalis ecclesiae papam that is the bishop or pope for the worde is in the auncient doctours vsed indifferentlie for bothe of the holie apostles seate at Rome and also of the whole vniuersall churche of Christ and the churche of Rome the mother and heade of all churches acknowleged in the secoÌ„de written to Felix that almighty god had placed the bishoppes of Rome insummitatis arce omnium ecclesiarum curam habere praecepit in the chiefest tower that he had commaunded them to take on them the charge not of their owne propre and peculier churche of Rome onlie as though their charge extended no farder but of all churches vniuersallie witnessed beside whereof theie coulde not be ignorant them selues being present there and then which they coulde not haue brought a stronger proufe to proue the superioritie of that See that in the first councell holden at Nice it was ordeined and agreed apon that no councells should be holden or bisshoppes condemned without the auctoritie of the B. of Rome And in their lettres last of all to Liberius the popeâ— doe so openlie and manifestlie witnesse their opinion in this controuersy in saieng that to him as pope was committed the vniuersall churche of Christe to labour for all to helpe euerie one that I can not ynough maruell at your impudency M. Iuell who standing in defence of the contrary beate in to the eares of the people that this doctrine of the popes auctoritie is newe and hath for warrante thereof not so much as one auncient writers approbation and that as suerly as god is god the Catholikes if they had vouchesaufed to folowe the scriptures the generall councels the examples of the primitiue churche or opinions of th'auncient fathers would neuer haue brought in the pope again being once banished out of the realme The seuerall answers of euerie one of thiese popes wherein they acknowleged no lesse burden of charge then was by these fathers laiâ—d apoÌ„ theÌ„ I here forbeare to bring in lest theie maie by yow perhappes be chaleÌ„ged as principall partes to the title in strife The which because I knowe yow can not say by S. Hierom S. Ambrose S. Austen and other such like I shall here of many alleage some for the confirmation thereof S. Hierome called Damasus who was B. of Rome the chief and highest prieste S. Ambrose calleth him ruler of the churche Ecclesia saieth he domus dei est cuius hodie rector est Damasus The churche is goddes house the gouernor whereof at this day is Damasus S. Austen saieth in writing to Bonifacius the pope ageinst the Pelagians that although the office of being a bishop be to them all comon that yet he was in that care placed aboue the rest And in an other place comparing together the blessed apostle S. Peter and the holie martir S. Ciprian he had cause to feare he saied least he might seme to be towardes S. Peter contumeliouse not as though touching the crowne of martirdome they wer not bothe equall but in respect of their seates and bishoprikes Quis enim nescit illum apostolatus principatum cuilibet episcopatui praeferendum for who is quoth he ignorant that that principalitie of apostleship is to be preferred before all bishoprikes To these shall I adde Theodorite the B of Cyrus who writeth in this wise to Leo the pope Si Paulus praeco veritatis tuba sanctissimi spiritus ad magnum Petrum cucurrerit vt ijs qui Antiochiae de institutis Legalibus contendebant ab ipso adferret solutionem multò magis nos qui abiecti sumus pusilli ad apostolicam vestram sedem currimus vt ecclesiarum vlceribus medicinam à vobis accipiamus Vos enim per omnia primos esse conuenit If Paule that is to saie the messanger of truthe and trumpet of the holie ghost ran vnto mighty Peter to fetch from him the resolution of such doubtes as rising apon th' obseruation of the Lawe ministred to them occasion of strife that wer at Antioche much more neede had we which ar weake and abiect to run vnto your apostolicall seate from thence to fetch salues for the sores of the churche For expedient is it that in all pointes before all other yow haue the preeminence And a little after he addeth that the churche of Rome is of all other maxima praeclarissima quae praeest orbi terrarum the greatest the noblest and that which ruleth all the worlde By occasion of this place of Theodoritus calling the churche of Rome the chief of all other which yet he doeth not alone neither for so did well neare two hundred yeares before his daies Irinaeus when he would haue euery churche that is as him selfe expoundeth it all faithefull Christians from all partes of the worlde to mete and conforme them selues to the imitation of this churche propter potentiorem principalitateÌ„ saieth he for the chiefest souereintie that it hath and after him aswell S. Ambrose whose opinion was that Rome hath bene more honored thorough the preeminence and principalitie of the apostolicall priestehood by hauing there the chief tower of religion then it was before when it had there the chief throne of worldly power and ciuile iurisdiction as also S. AusteÌ„ affirming that in that churche the preeminence and chief honour of the apostolicall priestehood hath alwaies florished I shall here make this argument for the better coÌ„firmation of this controuersie that the B. of Rome is the heade and chief of the whole churche this allwaies presupposed that yowe M. Iuell whome I desire to solute this argument ar stille of this minde that the
aunâ—ieÌ„t fathers ar good groundes to builde apon Irinaeus S. Ambrose S. Austen and Theodoritus affirme that the churche of Rome is the chief of all other churches Ergo the B. and heade of that churche is chief and heade ouer all other bishoppes and heades of all other churches And thus much by the occasion offred Stephan to return from whence we haue digressed the archebishop of Carthage with three councels of Africa called the B. of Rome pater patrum summus omnium praesulum pontifex that is to saie father of fathers and chief B. of all bishoppes Constantinus the emperour in one place calleth him summus pontifex the chief bishop and in an other vniuersalis papa vniuersall pope In which place he also commaunded that the churche of Rome should be called the heade of all other in the worlde and for so reputed and taken Hetherto haue I proued vnto yow that the B. of Rome hath bene of the auncient fathers of Christes churche within the firste sixe hundred yeares after Christes departure hence called heade of the churche ruler of the churche chief prieste chief of all other bishoppes bishop of the vniuersall churche and vniuersall bishop Nowe will I showe that the doctours and fathers in the primitiue churche haue not onelie in wordes which yet proceding from the mouthes of such men as they wer might to anie honest man seme sufficient so termed him but by seuerall actes also of theirs well witnessed to the worlde that in their consciences for so theie tooke him And euen as in the lawe to proue the possession of a lordshippe or manor it is a sufficient proufe to bring in euideÌ„ce that he who is disturbed therein hath quietlie without interruption or contradiction maâ—ured and tylled the grounde reaped and receauid the fruites or in a controuersie of iurisdiction to proue the doing of such actes as properlie belong thereunto euen so in this case if I proue vnto yow that the auncient fathers of Christes churche the same whome I named to yowe before haue some of them from the fardest parte of the Easte churche complained to the B. oâ— Rome of wronges don to them some of them required him to confirme their actes and ratifie their doinges other some sente to him their worckes by him to be examined and iudged I nothing doubte but yow will easelie graunte that these ar to induce and proue his iurisdiction ouer the whole churche argumentes moste strong and inuincible To performâ— this the better call to your remembrance I beseche yowe that which a littell before I alleaged to yow out of S Chrisostome where he witnessed that Peter and his successors had the charge of those shepe for whome Christ shed his bloud and then iudge I praie yowe whether of likelihood he thought not as he saide when being chased from his folde and flocke at Constantinople where he was archebishop and vniustlie driuen into banishement he wrote vnto Innocentius then being pope and the chief shepherd for helpe after this manner Obsecro scribas quôd haec tam iniquâ— facta absentibus nobis non declinantibus iudicium non habeant robur sicut neque sua natura habent illi autem qui iniquè egerunt poenaeecclesiâ—sticarum legum subiaceant that is to saie I praie yow saith this holie father to the pope addresse furth your lettres to signifie that those thinges which haue so vniustly bene decreed ageinst me in my absence not proceding of contumacy maie be of no force as of their owne nature theie ar not and that they which haue giuen this vniust sentence maie suffer the smart of the ecclesiasticall lawes Beholde here good readers a moste manifest place to proue in those daies the vniuersall auctoritie of the pope Two thinges there ar here to be noted which Chrisostome desireth the pope to doe first to declare that all that was doen ageinst him should be of no force nexte that he would write that they might be punished which had thus misused him Nowe if the pope had had nothing to doe out of his owne churche then had wote yow well Chrisostome bene a mad man to make labour to him to sende his commaundementes to the Grieke churche to entremeddle in the affaires thereof who might easely haue receiued of the doers of those iniuries which wer membres thereof as Chrisostome was this short answer to meddle with his owne matters and to let theÌ„ alone with theirs Or if he had had nothing to doe in that cause which was concerning the archebishoprike of Constantinople woulde he is it like haue excommunicate Arcadius th'emperour with Eudoxia th'empresse for not permitting Chrisostom quietly to enioye his said bishoprike as Nicephorus reporteth of him that he did by thiese wordes Itaquè ego minimus indignus peccator cui thronus magni apostoli Petri creditus est segrego reijcio te illam à perceptione immaculatorum mysteriorum Christi Dei nostri Episcopum etiam omnem aâ—t clericum ordinis sanctae dei ecclesiae qui administrare aut exhibere ea vobis ausus fuerit ab ea hora qua praesentes vinculi mei legeritis literas dignitate sua excidisse dâ—cerno That is to say I therefore Innocentius the pope of all other the leaste and an vnworthy sinner to whome the throne of the greate apostle Peter is committed doe sequestre and reiect both the and her the Empresse he meaneth from the receauing of the immaculate misteries of Christ our god The bishop or clerck within the ordre of the holye churche of god which shall presume what so euer he be from the time that these letters conteining the band of our â—xcommunication shall come to your knowledge to ministre the sacrameÌ„tes vnto yow him pronounce I depriued of his dignitie Nowe if he had then auctoritie ouer Constantinople in the Grieke churche whie doe yowe at thiese dayes M. Iuell thrust him out of Englande in the Latine churche S. Hierom as yow harde before called the B. of Rome chief prieste and successor to Peter If he had not thought as he saide would he euer haue penned his faithe and sent it to him to be allowed with thiese wordes Haec est fides beatissime papa quaÌ„ in ecclesia Catholica didicimus quamque semper tenuimus tenemus In qua si minus perité aut paruÌ„ cauté aliquid forté posituÌ„ est â–ª emendari a te cupimus qui Petri fideÌ„ fedeÌ„ tenes c. This is that faithe most blessed pope which I haue learned in the catholike churche and which I haue euer hetherto mainteined and still doe In to the which if anie thing by me be either not cunningly or without due circumspection infarsed or put in that desire I by yow to be corrected who possesse bothe the faithe and seate of Peter And if this confession of my faithe be by the iudgement of your apostleship alowed who so euer he be
our aduersaries them selues I appeale to their consciences knowe right well that we might abundantlie and in greate store haue heaped together onelie because the gainesaiers might happelie haue excepted ageinst them that not with standing they wer martirs and in the whole course of their liues verie apostles yet because they wer bishoppes of Rome theie wer not in that cause which was their owne indifferent witnesses so would I also haue forborne the alleaging of this answer of Innocentius for the same cause had it not bene that S. Austen him selfe had iustified his parson ageinst our aduersaries in this behalfe For he writing to one Paulinus a bishoppe after long discoursing with him touching the heretikes Pelagius and Celestius telleth him at the length howe the councels of Carthage and Mileuite had written about them and their heresies to Innocentius the pope not onelie the certificate of their doinges but also certeine familier letters beside To all the which saieth he ille no bis rescripsit eodeâ— modo quo fas erat atque oportebat apostolicae sedis antistitem he answered vs by his lettres againe euen as it was right and as was for the B. of the apostolicall See meete Nowe I praie yowe considre here with your selues good Readers â–ª if Innocentius when he wrote to these fathers to auaunce him selfe and his See had being led thereunto by blinde affection without the warrant of goddes worde the vsage of the churche the auctoritie of the canons praised them that keping and obseruing the examples of antiquitie and hauing in remembrance the ecclesiasticall discipline they had referred as theie ought their doinges to his iudgement if he had besides borne them in hande that the auncient fathers had decreed not by mannes iudgement but by goddes him selfe that what so euer wer to be doen wer it of those prouinces that wer neare to Rome or far of it should not be determined before that it wer brought to the knowledge of that seate of his if he had excommunicate Pelagius and Celestius without auctoritie and finallie doen and saide so manie thinges as ar in his saide epistles more at large to be sene for the prerogatiue of his churche and all false howe had then S. Austen saide trulie that he answered in all pointes aright and as the B. of the apostolicall seate shoulde Shall we thincke that S. Austen was ignorant and so deceauid or that he flattred and so lied Orcan we iustly thincke that S. Austen if he had not taken him as heade of the churche would euer haue willed him to haue cited Pelagius being not then in Britaine but in the east partes as in the same epistle it appeareth to co me to Rome But thus much be saide by the waie to that question whie I rather vse the auctoritie of Innocentius then anie of those other popes before him I might here bring furth for examples alowed of the primitiue churche seing hetherto they haue bene practised and neuer disalowed howe that Vrsatius and Valens two ringleaders and chiefe capitaines emongest the Arrians at the length being wearie of their heresies and har telie sorie therefore of alâ— the bishoppes in the worlde went to no other but to onelie Iulius the pope to be absolued and by him receiued into the churche and admitted to the coÌ„munion and coÌ„panie of the faithefull as witnesseth Epiphanius and other howe that the same Iulius restored to their bishoprikes being vniustely depriued Athanasius to Alexandria Paulus to Constantinople Marcellus to Ancyra and Asclepas to Gaza all in the East churche and therefore impossible to haue bene doeÌ„ had not his auctoritie bene vniuersall I might here put yow in remembrance of a nombre of bishoppes of Rome that wrote their lettres in to the fardest parte of the worlde sometimes commaunding other whiles forbidding this or that of the like that directed their commissions to this bishop and to that to execute their auctoritie in countries and prouincies far from Rome as namelie to passe ouer Pius Victor Fabianus and such other of Leo the first who in Grece and the countries bordering thereapoÌ„ appointed the B. of Thessalonia in Fraunce the B. of Arles and in Spaine Hormisdas an other bishoppe to be his vicaires and deputes in those parties Which had bene a matter of all other to be laughed at if they writing such letters and making such delegations had had nothing or no more to doe there then other men But omitting manie other bothe before and sence that haue doen the like I shall at this time onelie alleage Gregorie the first of that name him rather then anie of the rest because in this controuersie yowe beare your selfe on his auctoritie so bolde Did not he ordeine that Maximianus the B. of Siracusa should in his stede ouersee all the churches of Scicilie Did he not write his lettres to all the bishoppes of Numidia coÌ„maunding them that they should giue ordres to no Donatistes Did he not direct his letters to Adeodatus the metropolitane of Numidia to take good heede that none wer promoted to holy ordres by mony And will yow yet M. Iuell hearing this persist in your lewde opinion that S. Gregorie then whome emongest all that range of bishops that haue either gone before him or folowed after yowe coulde neuer haue founde one that more maketh in this point for the catholike faithe and lesse for yow should be a patrone of your heresie But because it maie the better appeare to all men in what distresse yow ar that be driuen to such shamefull shiftes and extreme refuges for the vpholding of your newe founde religion I shall here occasion so aptelie offering it selfe examine that place of S. Gregorie which yowe tosse so coÌ„monlie in your mouthes repete so often in your bookes where he sharpe lie reprehendeth Iohn the B. of Constantinople for taking apon him the name of vniuersall bishop a title alltogether he saithe prophane and mete for antichriste a title which Leo his predecessour hauing offred vnto him by the whole councell of Calcedon refused Thus hath S. Gregorie To this auctoritie the trâ—the it selfe compelling me I must nedes folowe in answering that excellent clercke and man for his lerning not in one thing or two but Vniuersallie in all emongest those of the olde worlde wor thie to be reconed for for no lesse doe the wise and learned iudge him to be howe euer some foolish calfe haue in vaine murmured to the contrarie who being vrged as yowe knowe by your selfe M. Iuell with this place tolde yow that it serued nothing to disproue the souereintie as in deede it doeth not For if yow had reade S. Gregorie so diligentlie as reason woulde yow should before yowe had alleaged him so impudentlie then had yow founde that allthough the B. of Rome had neuer bene called vniuersall bishoppe yeat had that bene no proufe that he is not therefore heade of the churche theÌ„ would yowe not so foolishelie haue noted
apon D. Coles wor des in the margeÌ„t of your boke that no B. of Rome before S. Gregories time would euer be called vniuersall biâ—shop finallie then would yowe not so ignorantlie haue confounded together these termes vniuersall bishop and heade of the churche as though theie had in that place signified all one thing The which that theie doe not no maÌ„ doeth more plainelie expresse then S. Gregorie him selfe who writeth of S. Peter after this maÌ„ner The charge saith he and supremacie of all the whole churche was committed to him and yeat was he not called vniuersall apostle Lo M. Iâ—ell if you had taken the paines to haue scanned the place of S. Gregorie alleaged by yow by this and such other would yow euer haue brought in to the lighte this deade mouse this false argument and vntrue consequent There was neuer anie B. of Rome called or that would be called by the name of vniuersall bishop therefore â–ª theie be not or ought not to be heades of the churche Seing that S. Peter as saithe S. Gregorie had the charge of the whole churche although he wer neuer called by the name of vniuersall apostle If S. Peter might be heade of the churche and without anie absurditie haue the charge thereof as S. Gregorie thought although he wer not called vniuersall apostle whie should yow thicke it now anie more impossible for the pope to be called head of the churche although he be not called vniuersall bishoppe And so haue yowe by the waie an answer to your wise demaunde also that is if no B. of Rome would euer take apon him to be called th'vniuersall bishoppe or heade of the whole churche for the space of six hundred yeares after Christe where then was the heade of the vniuersall churche all that while or howe it coulde then continue without a heade more theÌ„ nowe For we saie vnto yow that that is moste false and vntrue which yowe lay for a grounded truthe that is that no B. of Rome woulde euer be called by the name of heade of the churche within the first six hundred yeares after Christe as hath bene sufficientlie proued before and that also as we haue declared yowe abuse your selfe in the framing of your saide questioÌ„ in taking for all one the heade of the churche and the vniuersall bishoppe And thus haue yow one cause whie this place of S. Gregorie maketh nothing ageinst the supremacie of the B. of Rome And other cause is for that that Iohn the B. of Constantinople by this name or title of vniuersall bishoppe vnderstoode him selfe onelie to be a bishoppe and none elles Which meaning neither in the first six hundred yeares nor at anie time sence anie B. of Rome that I could yeat heare of euer had And that this is the true meaning of S. Gregorie and not forced by me the verie wordes of the same man written to Iohn archebishop of Constantinople doe well witnesse with me Qui enim indignum te esse fatebaris vt episcopus dici debuisses ad hoc quandoque perductusâ— es â–ª vt despectis fratribus episcopus appetas solus vocari that is to saie for thow Iohn B. of Constantinople which once grauntedst thy selfe to be vnworthie the name of a bishoppe art nowe at the length comme to that passe that thowe labourest to be called a bishop alone And a little after Thow goest about saieth he to take awaie that honour from all other which by singularitie thow desirest vnlaufullie to vsurpe to thy selfe Thus maie yowe see M. Iuell howe this place being by th'author him selfe expounded fardereth yow nothing at all and also by suche auctorities and reasons as haue for our parâ—e bene before alleaged vnderstand howe vnaduisedlie it was saide of yowe that the catholikes as sure as god is god if theie would haue vouchesaufed to folowe either the scriptures either the auncieÌ„t Doctours and couÌ„cels would neuer haue restored again the supremacie of the B. of Rome after it was once abolished Doe yow not hereby giue occasioÌ„ to meÌ„ to thinke that your lacke of faithe and mistrust in goddes omnipotency in other thinges groweth euen thereof that yow thincke god is not god For towching the supremacie hauing in the scriptures nothing in the councels as little in the fathers writinges onelie thiese fewe wordes that might se me to impugne the same and yet doe not howe will yow be able to discharge so manie auctorities of the fathers such consent of councels such conformitie of examples and force of reasons as haue bene and maie be brought ageinst yow howe will you satisfie your owne conscience which telleth yowe that so manie ceremonies so manie ordonances so manie decrees of bishoppes of Rome as Thomas Beacon otherwise called Theodore Basile or by what name so euer he be elles termed hath heaped together deliuered by them to the worlde some of them as emongest a nombre that which of all other yowe make lest account of holie water within little more then a hundred yeares after Christe and the most parte in the pure state of the primitiue churche would neuer haue bene by such common and generall confent without contradiction of anie receiued by the whole worlde vsed and frequented in all the churches scattred and dispersed thorough out the same onlesse the authors thereof had had vniuersall auctoritie to establishe that which hath bene vniuersallie receiued Thus hauing hetherto touching the supremacie saide so much as maie presently serue for your chalenge leauing the rest for a whole booke either by me when god shall sende better laisure or some other better able when he shall thincke best to be thereof made I shall nowe passe to the nexte article in question THAT THE PEOPLE VVAS TAVGHT VVITHIN THE FIRST SIX HVNDRED YEARES AFTER CHRISTE TO BELEVE that in the Sacrament of the altar for so dothe S. Austen terme it is conteined Christes bodie reallie substantiallie corporalie and carnallie TErtullian an auncient writer of Christes churche reporteth of heresie that the nature thereof is either when it is pressed with the auctoritie of scripture to denie it platlie to be scripture or if she receiue it with additions and detractions to the framing of her purpose to peruert it or finally with false gloses and vntrue expositions in such sorte to water it that it maie seme to haue a far other sense then had euer the holie ghost the author thereof This lesson and manner of olde heretikes was neuer I trowe more diligently put in execution or earnestlie practised theÌ„ in this our most miserable and wretched time nor in anie controuersie more perspicuouse and easie euen at the eye to be perceiued then in this of the moste blessed sacrament of Christes owne bodie and bloude For when our aduersaries demaunde of vs scripture for the confirmation of our parte and we bring them the wordes not of Peter not of Paule not of anie of thother apostles but of Christe him selfe that
lord redeeme vs with his bloud neither the cup of the sacrament is any part of his bloud nor the bread the coÌ„munication of his body For bloud there can not be without there be vaines fleshe and other substance such as man is made of This place of Irenaeus good readers let it not I beseche yow belightly runne ouer For if any one of the rest prooue all M. Iuelles termes and more then he demaundeth toe by flesh and vaines this is it For the better vnderstanding whereof reteine well the cause that moued this auncieÌ„t father and learned bishop to write as he did The cause was the absurde doctrine of them that taught that Christ had no naturall fleshe such as we haue against whom he reasoned thus If he had no true body of such nature as oures is of then was not his bloud shed on the crosse then doe we not eate his fleshe nor drinck his bloud in the sacrament For as there could be no bloud shed on the Crosse so there can be none dronck on the altar except there be vaines fleshe and other substance of man Here haue yow proued to yow M. Iuell that Christes fleshe and bloud is present in the sacrameÌ„t in humain substance therefore substantially that there be vaines and fleshe such as bloud vseth to issue furth of therefore corporally carnally and realâ—y Of the which wordes of Irenaeus yow may if it please you gather also that so confessed a truthe it was emongest all men in that age that Christes blessed body was truly present in the sacrameÌ„t yea euen with the heretikes theÌ„ selues that the true suffring of the same apon the crosse was holden for no more certein and vndouted a truthe And truly if it had not so bene a pooer argument had Irenaeus made to induce any man to beleue that Christ had a true naturall body as we haue because there is fleshe vaines bloud and the very substance of man in the sacrament Whereas he ageinst whome he should so haue reasoned might haue bidden him goe proue first the grounde that he toke for the fundation to builde his reason apon that is that Christ wer present in such sort in the sacrameÌ„t and then to come to him again afterward But well wist he that the heretikes theÌ„ selues could not denie it and therefore he so reasoned After this manner of reasoning disputed Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria ageinst Origen who was in this errour that he thought the bodies should be after their resurrectioÌ„ mortall again and that after many other yeares passed ouer they should vanishe away and become nothing His wordes ar these Nec vanitatem appellamus substantiam corporalem vt ille astimat alijs verbis in Mâ—nichaei scita concidens ne Christi corpus suâ—iaceat vanitati cuius aedulio saturati ruminamus quotidieverba diceÌ„tis Nisi quis comederit car neÌ„ meaÌ„ etc. that is neither doe we call corporall substaÌ„ce vanitie as he thincketh OrigeÌ„ he meaneth falling thereby although in other wordes in to Manichaeus doctrine lest by that meanes Christes body might be subiect to vanitie with the foode whereof being filled we chewe daily the wordes of Christ saing except yow eate my fleshe c. What had here Theophilus ment to obiect to Origen that by this opinion of his it would follow that Christes body which we receiue and eate in the sacrament should vanish away and become vaine if it had bene there not in substance but in a figure or baresigne If he had not bene there corporally and substaÌ„tially to what purpose seing he spake of corporall substance mencyoned he his body in the sacrament and not rather the same being in heauen which no heretike could haue denied Truly we can no lesse doe but thinck that both for his greate learning and wisdom he would so haue doen had he not bene fully persuaded that the same body which is in heauen is in the same substance the same truthe of nature and in the same moment in the blessed sacrament of the altar Eusebius Emissenus when he taught the people that the visible creatures of breade and wyne ar turned in to the substance of Christes body and bloud said he not that Christes body is in the sacrament substantially Or Chrisostome when he taught the people QueÌ„admodum si caeraigni adhibita illi assimilatur nihil substaÌ„tiae remanet nihil superfluit Sic hic puta mysteria consumi corporis substantia Euen as wax if it be cast in to the fier becommeth like to the fier nothing of the substance remaineth nothing abundeth euen so thinck that here in the sacrament the misteries ar consumed with the substance of Christes body was his meaning thinck we any other I passe ouer here the testimonies for this matter that â—ight be brought out of the workes of that noble bishop Cirillus Bishop of Alexandriâ—â— who in sundry places there of absteineth not from thiese termes corporaliter substantialiter carnaliter corporally substantially carnally and diuerse other because I hope these which allready haue bene alleaged shalbe sufficient Or if this suffise not then beseche I you M. Iuell and your companions to drawe vs out in writing a forme of wordes to proue that Christes bodye and bloud ar present int the sacrament such as your selues will promise if we be hable to proue by the scriptures fathers or councels to stand to simply without adding thereto gloses distinctions or interpretacions When I minded here to haue knyt vp this knot behold it cam to my remembraunce that I had yet answered nothing to the foolishe and vnsauory reasons of your aduocat who so euer he be who more stoutely then wysely beareth out euen to the hard hedge this diuelish doctrine of yours First forsooth he beareth vs in hand that Christ when he sayed This is my body the same which shalbe betrayed for yow ment not that we should receaue his very true naturall and fleshly body but vsing a figure called Metonymia gaue the name of his bodie to the signe that is to the breade And this interpretation he saith maie be proued by a nombre of examples out of the canonicall scriptures as in one place where circuncision was called a couenauÌ„t being in deede but a signe and testimonie thereof in an other the paschall lambe called the passeouer Christe him selfe a vine a rocke with suche like But here note I beseche you good readers what a straÌ„ge kinde of reasoning this is In the scriptures is vsed a figuratiue kinde of speche in one two three fower or mo places Ergo Christ in that place where he instituted the sacrament is to be vnderstaÌ„d by a figure Or thus the scriptures speake figuratiuelie in some places Ergo in all and no where otherwise This kinde of Sophistication in arguing is the olde shift of the wicked Arrians who like as this man taketh awaie now from the blessed sacrament the verie bodie and blood of Christe
not therefore beleue that churche willing vs to giue no credite to Luther to Zuinglius to Caluin and such like seing we obeied it coÌ„maunding vs to beleue the gospell If it deceaue vs nowe in counceling vs not to beleue them What more assurance haue we that it might not doe the like in deliuering to vs the gospell THIRDLIE youre inconstancie in misliking one daie that which you praised th' other in chaunging youre opinioÌ„s as maketh best for youre purpose in vsing now in manie thinges the reasons of the Catholikes which once ye condemned When in the olde writers I finde that this was the very manner of the olde heretikes and considre on thother side how the Catholikes remaine alwaies settled and staied without change or innouation how so euer the course of time turning about alter many thinges to their disaduauntage this I say hath moued me not a little to rest rather with them then stray with yow neither yow nor I wot whither And because yow shall perceiue that I goe not about by false and sclaunderouse reportes to bring yow in hatred but haue noted trulie the maÌ„ner of youre proceding that you may the rather detest the same Call to youre remembraunce the changing and turning in and out of youre communion booke how the first was praised for vniformitie to be agreing with Christes institution and the vsage of the primitiue churche and yet in how shorte a space that being takeÌ„ awaie yow broughte in a newe to the first in the principall pointes cleane contrary to Christes institution and the order neuerthelesse of the primitiue churche as agreable iust as was the first And yeat that whether it be in all pointes as ye minde to haue it squared and trimmed youre self and youre coÌ„panions perhappes can tell wise men that knowe the nature of heresie and haue obserued the practise and ordre of youre procedinges thinke vereily no. And whether yow youre self M. Iuell haue at any time by priuate letters to Frauncis Baldwin cast out anie by wordes to that effect of chaunging some such thinges which yet yow take to be but grenelie handled apon better laisure you knowe best your selfe at the least he hath so reported of you But because what yow will doe hangeth but apon vncerteine euentes I shall leauing that as likely whereof yow haue giuen vehement presumptions put yow in remembraunce that there was a time when youre nombre was yet but small that the Catholikes laide to youre charge that their doctrine was vâ—iuersallie receauid of all meÌ„ and in all places which no doute Christe assisting alwaies according to his promise his churche and not suffring hell gates which one righte well interpreteth to be ment of heresies to preuaile ageinst the same coulde neuer haue bene had their doctrine bene false and that youres was such as comming sodenlie no man wist from whence had onelie founde entreteinemteÌ„ at the handes of a fewe miserable men who either for the lothesomnes of some streight and peinefull profession that theie before had bounde them selues vnto gredelie desired now to walcke in the wide fieldes and brode waie of that large and lewde libertie which theie sawe to be openlie proclaimed by yow other elles thorough plaine desperation of thriuing in their present state looked after some change which as theie trusted might better the same so wer theie suer coulde empaire it neuer At which time ye coulde glorie in youre fewenes with boasting on the scriptures wronglie vnderstoode that Christes flocke was but little that manie were called but fewe chosen with such like Now beholde youre inconstancie I praye yow After that youre heresies haue gotteÌ„ in a greate parte of Germanie in England Fraunce Scotland and elles where some more libertie and freer passage as though all the world were on youre side you vaunte youre selues of youre nombre and make in youre Apologie a necessarie argument that youre doctrine must nedes be true and sounde which notwithstanding so manie enemies such a nombre of backe friendes as from the beginning it hath had hath yeat at the length founde such happie successe â–ª as that now it ruffleth in the courtes and palaces of noble men O you that triuÌ„pheas ye doe of this little which yet o god is by all were thy will otherwise to muche and yet in dede compared with the rest of the Catholikes or with that nombre and power that in his time Arrius his heresie was of verie little what woulde ye theÌ„ haue saide how woulde yow haue taken vp the Catholikes reasons of generalitie and consent which now ye set so little by if yow might once haue gotten that aduantage by th' ende which now of youre small scattred coÌ„pany brag and boaste so much Euen thus did as S. Austen rereporteth of them those perniciouse heretikes the Donatistes Who when at the first theie were but fewe bragged therein afterward when theie were groweÌ„ to be manie triumphed likewise in their nombre The Arrians also when thâ—ie were so now encreased that theie had gotteÌ„ the emperour of the worlde besides a greate nombre of bishoppes and priestes almost all to take parte with them had theie not trowe yow M. Iuell as good cause if happie successe ageinst all enemies and gainesaiers be a cause to triumphe then as yow haue now Yea trulie in all mennes iudgement theie had But euen as of them Hilarius the bishop saide Antea in obscuro atque in angulis D. Christus Deiesse secundum naturam filius negabatur c. In times pastour lorde Christe was denied to be the naturall sonne of god and was preached hauing no parte of his fathers substaÌ„ce to haue had his beginning commoÌ„ with other creatures of nothing and thus much onelie in hocker mocker But nowe heresie breaking in apon vs by the helpe and fauour of publike auctoritie triumpheth of that like a coÌ„querour which before she whispered in corners like a micher so maie we at this time iustlie saie of you And therefore we enuie not youre sorie ioye wherewith yow woulde seme to make your selues merie but contrarie wise doe pitie much your case who seing how you arre dailie driuen to such miserable shiftes that yow ar faine after the manner of suche olde heretikes as haue heretofore vexed the churche to change with the time youre opinions haue not yeat the grace to perceiue the same and to mislike that doctrine which can not come forwarde but by such meanes as heresies haue doen. When it serued youre tuâ—ne yow defended stoutelie with toothe and naile that a woman might not gouerne a realme laufullie descended vnto her no not in ciuile and politike matters Within how fewe yeares yea monethes after taught ye the time so seruing for youre purpose and yet doe that a woman maie rule not a realme in temporall thinges but the churche in spirituall I am not ignorant of your excuse in this behalfe which is to couer youre malice with the cloke of a straunger and so to
S. Peters time first mainteined that we reade of any heresie against the truthe haue yow not borowed this wholesome doctrine of youres that such good worckes as god giueth vs the grace to doe merite for vs nothing towardes oure saluation Nouatus Nouatus whose heresies raged in the churche in S. Cyprian his is time Cornelius being theÌ„ pope aboute the yeare of oure lorde 249. withdrewe him selfe from the obedieÌ„ce of the See of Rome he exacted a solemne othe of those that receiued the blessed sacrament of the altar at his handes that they should vttrely renounce the obedience of the pope which was at that time Cornelius as I saide before Doe not yow the like Manichaeus in the yeare of oure lorde 271. The Manichees denied that man hath any freewill They refused to fast on such dayes as the churche had appointed and prescribed and therefore they fasted not the wednesdaies and fridaies as all Christian men beside did but the sondaies as witnesseth S. Austen Aâ—â—rius almoste 1300. yeares ago Aâ—â—rius did not onely refuse to obserue the prescript and appointed fasting dayes alleaging for him â—elf that so he should be vnder the iudaicall yoke of boÌ„dage a reason also of youres M. Iuell and youre coÌ„panions wheÌ„ ye claime the libertie of youre newe gospell but he was an enemie also to sacrifice and prayers for the deade and defended that they were vnlaufull Iouinianus in the yeare 388. If yow agree not iustly with the Manichees and the Aâ—erians it is because you haue ouerrunne them For yow denie not simply with Aâ—eÌ„rius the offering vp to god of sacrifice for the deade but yow which they were not so impudent to doe condemne all manner of sacrifice bothe for the quicke and the deade Yow arre not contented barely to denie the solemne fasting on certeine prescript and appointed dayes but going farder condemne with Iouinian the heretiâ—e all manner of fasting and abstinence from meates vtterly Aâ—erius and Manicheus although they woulde be bound to no certeine time fasted yeat at some time onely yow will fast at no time so religiously doe yow kepe and so fast doe yow holde the fast learned of Iouinian youre auncestor He taught that all sinnes were equall yow put no difference betwene veniall and mortall The virginitie of noonnes and continencie of men choosing to liue single he counted no better nor more meritoriouse then the chaste mariages of other men For so reporteth S. Austen of him by thiese wordes Virginitatem etiam sanctimonialium continentiam sexus virilis in sanctis eligentibus coelibem vitam coniugiorum castorum atqueue fidelium meritis adaequabat The vowes of chastitie he animated and encouraged those that had made them to breake them His wicked persuasions were to the men by asking them whether they thought them selues to be better then Abraham and other the holye fathers that were maried to the womeÌ„ whether they durst compare them selues with Sara with Suâ—anna and such holye women that were also maried and had husbandes Whether yow agree in this pointe with Iouinian let the hearers of youre sermones and readers of youre bookes iudge Or if yow will not put the matter to iudgement but youre selues confesse as the truthe is that yow receiued this doctrine from Iouinian if yow will nedes stande in defence thereof that it is bothe sounde and good then expostulate with S. Austen why he called Iouinian the first author thereof a monstre why he termed the doctrine it selfe heresie when nombring it emongest other heresies he wrote thereof in this manner Citò tamen ista haeresis oppressa exâ—incta est nec vsâ—que ad deceptionem aliquorum sacerdotum potuit peruenire This heresie notwithstanding was quickely repressed and sone extinguished nor euer coulde it come to be able to deceaue any priestes Heare yow not here S. Austen calling this doctrine of youres heresie Heare yow him not as it were reioising of the sodeine decaye thereof and that although the author deceiued therewith some seely simple women he was not yeat able to entrappe any prieste Oh had he liued in oure time when Martin Bucer taughte the same doctrine that Iouinian did if he had sene Peter Martir not a prieste onely but a moncke also so farre deceiued that he shoulde be yoked in countrefeite mariage to a nonne What thincke yow he woulde haue saied What mettall woulde maye we iudge M HaddoÌ„ his paire of golden olde men haue bene tried oute to be if they had bene touched by S. Austens touchestone Thus much of Iouinian Vigilantius in the yeare â—98 Vigilantius the heretike against whome S. Hierome wrote murmured against the tapers and lightes that burned in the churche he spake against the worshipping of sainctes and dispised the holy reliques of martirs Lo M. Iuell an other of youre fathers Eutiches in the yeare 453 Leo the pope the first of that name complaining by his letters to Martianus the emperour of such outrages as were committed in Alexandria by the furie of Euâ—iches and his companions who denied that oure Sauiour had anie more then the diuine nature emoÌ„gest other wordes hath also these Intercepta est sacrificij obâ—aâ—iâ— defecit Chrismatis sanctificatio the oblation of the sacrifice is by their meanes kepte from the people the halowing of the crisme faileth Who kepeth from vs in oure countrie the dailie sacrifice Who letteth the sanctifieng of that crisme the lacke whereof in the baptising of Nouatus that heretike Cornâ—lius a bishop of Rome and a holy martir writing to Fabianus the bishop of Antioche iudged to haue bene the cause as Eusâ—bius reporteth why he neuer receiued the holie ghost who but yow treading the steppes of Eutiâ—hes and his folowers going before yow I might here alleage diuerse other heretikes from whome yow haue borowed a greate parte of the rest of youre wicked and perniciouse opinions were it not that I hope that this which allreadie hath bene brought shalbe sufficient to make you either to mislike the other or to giue yow at the leaste iust occasion to seke therefore youre selfe and also for this that in the proâ—ecuting of youre agrement with them in their manneâ—s manie other of their opinions arre like in that discourse to come to light also Of the Protestantes agrement vvith the olde heretikes vvith the infidelles vvith Antichrist vvith Sathan him self Paulus Samosatenus The yeare 273. Eusebius writeth in his ecclesiasticall historie that Paulus Samosatenus whose herâ—sie was that Christ the sonne of god neuer came from heauen trained vp after that sorte his hearers that at his lessons and sermones they shoulde bothe men and womeÌ„ giue greate showtes in token of that liking and pleasure that they tooke in their maisters doctrine Si quis verô auditorum honestius verecundius agens a clamore nimio temperasset velut iniurâ—am faciens patiâ—batur iniuriam If any of his hearers saith Eusebius
square all youre doinges by the auncieÌ„t tradition and doctrine of the fathers yet when yowe haue all doen yowe will be taken for an heretike as theie were and in calling them youre fathers that neuer coulde abide the sighte of that malignant churche the strompet youre mother and â—n refusing them which in deede begot yowe as before in the eighte cause it appeareth to haue proued youre selfe an impudent lier on the one side and an vnnaturall childe on the other FINIS Quoniam Liber iste a Thoma Dormanno Anglo sacre theologiae Baccalaureo compositus a viris doctis probis Anglica linguae peritis apud me fide dignissimis diligenter est examinatus probatus vtilis iudicatus qui euulgetur libenter eâ—rum sententiae subscribendum esse iudico Cunnerus Petri pastor Sancti Petri Louanij 9. Iulij anno 1564. Faultes committed in the Printing The leafe The side The lyne 2 Country self reade countrye it self 2 5 7 VVordly VVorldly 2 28 8 Interpretatyon interpretation 2 16 8 Hereaster hereafter 2 22 15 Leâ—t lefte 1 8 22 asnvver ansvvere 1 25 24 Ecclesiaflica ecclesiastica 2 24 24 Them those 2 30 29 Cuhrche churche 2 24 31 inrerpret interprete 2 31 32 Intetpretation interpretation 1 30 43 Infidleles infidelles 1 9 45 Might not be might be 1 3 54 strog strong 2 7 55 Immedatly immediatly 1 4 65 thicke thincke 2 26 66 And. An. 1 15 90 Paiers praiers 1 17 101 Tarito tarye to 1 30 134 acerbissimem dolorum acerbissimum dolorem 2 3 136 Subsistentiam Substantiam 2 8 1. Cor. 9. vvho plaÌ„â—â—th a vyn â—ard an â— tastith not of the fâ—uâ—ctes thereof Lib. 〈◊〉 3 episâ— 11. Lib. 4. epist. 9. Epistola 61. ad Episcopos per ItaliaÌ„ Galliani Lib. 6. cap 30. The baâ—ishment of scholers from th' vniuer sites for re fusing to svveare ageinstthe Pope Epistola 70. A comparison betvâ—ene the complaynt vvhich S. Basile ma de of his time and that vvhich vve may make of ourâ—â— The vvay to return to the vni tâ— of the church Epistola ad CornElium papam lib. 3. This Cornelius vvas B. of Rome One god One Christ One holy ghost One Bishop 1. 2. 3. Lib. 1. Episto 3. The high vvay to heresyes to thynck that there is not one iudge in earth in the steed of Christ. The Apologâ—e of the Englysh churche reproued by S. Cyprian The definitioÌ„ of the protestants Church Contrâ— Lâ—â—iferianâ—s One chief prieâ—t to auoide scâ—ismâ—â— Ad 〈◊〉 Episâ—ola ad Anastasiâ—Ì„ Episcopâ—Ì„ Thessâ—l Bishops Arâ—hebishops Pope Ciprian Hieron Lco. Cap. 17 Lib. 3. de Theologia 〈◊〉 10. 1. Cor. 9. 〈◊〉 25 â—polog Eccles. Aâ—glic sol â— The common reason of the protestants ageinst the Supremacy of the Popâ— Hovv Christ is head of the churche and hovv the Pope Deâ—ter 17 Apocâ—â—ip Cap. 17. 1. Cor. 11. 1. Reg. 15. Hosiuâ— the Cardinal sclaundre by the heretikes Lib. de Hae resib nostri temporis Hosius Cardinalis Numer 1â— The protestants reason as Chore Dathan and Abyron did Numer 16. The scripture not hable to determine all the controuersies that maie rise apon the meaning of the lettre Deuter. 17 â—â—â—an 17. â— Cor. 10. Iâ—â—an 15. Iâ—â—an 1. Marc. 16. Rom. 10. Abacue 2. S. HieroÌ„ in doutes referred him self to Peters Seate Tom. 2. epist. ad Damasum The churche builded on S. Peters chair ibid. In quaest veteris noui testameÌ„t q. 110 The heretikes churche a dead troÌ„ck or a lyue monstre In oratione de modestia in disceptat tenenda a ad virg lapsam Cap. 5. b in orat de virginitate c in cap. 7 1. Cor. d lib. 1. contra IouiniaÌ„ e lib. de bono vid. cap 10. f epist. ad Theododor lapsum Caluinus bro. 4. instit capit 20. The cause of endovvinge the churche vvith landes Eccleâ—iastical iuri diction â—â—here in it conâ—isteth Matth. 16. Leuitici Cap. 10. Cap. 17. cap. 21. Cap. 44. Aggeus 2. Malacâ— 2. â— Cor. 12. Lib. 4. Iâ—â— sti cap. 3. sect 4. That ciuile magistrates should gouern in the church it can not be proued by the nevv testament by CaluiÌ„s â—eason Actuum 10. Matth. 19. Ignatius Epist. ad Philadelpheâ— Epist. ad Smyrnens Epist. ad Philippens â— Cor. 12. Actor 20 Homel 38 in ca. Mat. 21. The prieâ— tes chief gouernors in spirituall matters â—oâ—stantiâ—â—s Lib. 10. â—ap 2. â—ccles â—ist Conâ—tanâ—ine the emperour refused to be iudge in the bishops causes Onelie god the iudge of bishops causes Epist. 166 Valentinianus Tripart histor lib. 7. cap. 12. Valentinian his ansvver being required to entre meddle in matters of religioÌ„ â–ª Tâ—eodorit lib. 7. hist. eccl cap. 8. Nicolâ—us papa in epistola ad Faustuâ—â— To. 1. coÌ„cil de expurg Sixti ValeÌ„tiniaÌ„ the sonne Lib. 5. episâ—ol 33. Lib. 5. epiâ—tâ—l 32. Our couâ—trefeit biâ—sâ—ops proused true flatteres by S. Ambrose Epist. 34. lib. 5. Act. ca. 18. In. 4. sâ—nod Rom. sub Simacho papa In churcâ— matters vvhat the prince hath to doe Aurelianus Eusebius lib. eccle hist. 7. cap. 26. Psalm 2. ConstaÌ„â—ius Lib. 2. cap. 41. a. paralip cap. 26. Liberius Atâ—anas in epist. ad solitariam vitam ageÌ„â—es Hosius Histor. eccles lib. 5. cap. 16. Athanas. in epist. ad solitariam vitam ageÌ„tes A necessary admonitioÌ„ for princes that entre meddle in matters of the churche Athanasius In epist. ad solitar viâ—aÌ„ agentes A questioÌ„ to be ansvvered by the Huguenotes Arrius he resie first brought in that priÌ„ces should medle in matters of the churche A poinctâ— of Antichrist for a lay man to entremeddle in spiritual iurisdiction Daniel capit 9. Iulianus Lib. â— histor eccles cap. 50. Oration ad subdit â—iâ—ore perculs Imper irascâ—Ì„â—em Lib. 4. ca. 18. A pleasant vvitty and godlie an svvere to stop their mouthes vvithall vvho in matters of religioÌ„ obiect alvvaies the priÌ„ces auctoritie Sermon 1. in Oseâ—â— cap. 1. Amos. 7. Lib. 4. cap. 11. sect 4. Deuter. 17. Ezech. cap. 44 â—ggeus 2 1. Cer. 12. Actor 20 Igâ—â—tius Epistol ad Philadelphens Liberius Hosius Athanasius Gregorius NaziaÌ„zenus Ambrose Chrisostom Homilia 5 â–ª de verbis Esaiae Heb. 7. Libr. 3. de sacerdotio Damascenus The first argument of the protestants Moyses The ansvvere Psalm 9 4 The Reply The solutioÌ„ prouing that Moyses vvas a priest Hieron in Psalm 9 8 Psalm 9 8 Exod. 28. Exod. 28. In quaestiâ— Sup. Leuit. Lib. 3. cap 23. By the bisshoppes appareâ—lâ— vnderstaÌ„d the executioÌ„ of the things beâ—longing 〈◊〉 Exod. 4. Hovv Moyses vvas chief and hovv Aaron In oratione quaÌ„ habuit in praesent Gegor fratris Basilij de Moyse Aaron Leuit. capite 8. Lib. Instit. 4. cap. 11. Sect. 8. Caluins ansvver to the obiection of Moyses The secoÌ„de example Iosue The .3 example 1. Paralip cap. 13. â— Paralip cap. 15. The bringing home the arck vvithout the priestes acknovvleged by Dauid to be an vnlauful act 3. Paralip â—â—p 15. Salomon 3. Reg. Cap. 8. Ezechias 4. Reg. cap. 18. Iosaphat Iosiat Ioas. Iehu