proceeds from the Father alone which error of the Greekes is also testified and learnedly confuted by that famous Cardinall Bessarion and by Gennadius Scholarius in two speciall Treatises of this subiect and before them by S. Thomas of Aquine (d) Opusc contr error Graec. against whom writ Nicolaus Cabasilas whose booke is extant in the Vatican was soone after confuted by Demetrius Cidoinus a Greeke Catholike And to omit other Protestant writers Thomas Rogers in his booke of the 39. Articles perused by the authority of the Church of England allowed to be publike sayth (e) Art 3. propos 3. pag. 25. This discouereth all them to be impious to erre from the way of truth which hold and affirme that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father but not from the Sonne as this day the Grecians the Russians the Muscouites mantaine and in proofe therof he alleageth other Authors Finally the same is testified by Kekerman (f) Sistem Theolog. pag. 63. and Doctor White (g) Way Ep. Ded. n. 8. affirming that the Latin Greeke Churches brake vpon the Controuersy of the proceeding of the holy Ghost From hence it followeth that the Greekes which are not of the Roman Communion are absolute Heretikes and erre fundamentally for what error can be more fundamentall then that which is immediatly against the blessed Trinity God himselfe This you could not be ignorant of but that you may not seeme to be absurd in professing that Protestants are accordant in communion with heretikes you seeke to free the Grecians from heresy which you haue no other meanes to performe but by falsifying Catholike Authors 1. Therfore to this end you alleage (h) Pag. 334. lit q. marg these words as of Cardinall Tolet Gracus intelligens dicit Spiritum sanctum procedere per Filium quod non aliud significat quà m quod nos dicimus And in your text you english them thus The vnderstanding Greekes saying that the holy Ghost proceedeth by the Sonne signify therby nothing but what we our selues professe O egregious imposture Tolet there explicating these words of S. Iohn qui à Patre procedit expresly condemneth the Greekes of error in that point and proueth out of S. Cyrill that these words of S. Iohn confute their error Locus prasens c. This present passage sayth he (i) In caput 15. Ioan. Annot 25. doth no way fauor the error of the Grecians but rather confuteth and ouerthroweth the same for out of these words it is plaine that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Sonne and the Father which Cyrill though an vnderstanding Grecian confesseth saying that the holy Ghost is of the Sonne and of the Father and that he proceedeth from the Father but by the Sonne Which signifieth nothing els but what we say These are Tolers words in which you see he chargeth the Greekes with error in their beliefe of the holy Ghost and therby conuinceth you of an vntruth in saying (k) Pag. 334. that Tolet freeth them from heresy in this point But to make good this vntruth you corrupt his words for whereas he speaking not of the later Greekes but only of that ancient and Orthodoxe Father S. Cyrill sayth Cyrillus Graecus intelligens c. Cyrill an vnderstanding Grecian sayth in this point no other thing but what we professe you both in your Latin and English leaue out Cyrillus as if Tolet had not mentioned him and translate Graecus intelligens in the plurall number The vnderstanding Greekes which you do purposely to perswade your reader that Tolet speaketh not of S. Cyrill nor of any particular man but in generall of the Later Grecians and freeth them from that error of the holy Ghost with which you haue heard him so expresly charge them Can there be a more wilful falfication then this 2. But your dealing with others is no better You cite (l) Pag 331. lit a. Castro to proue that the Greeks haue bene diuided many hundreds of yeares from the Latines But because you would haue your Reader conceaue that Castro holds them not to be heretikes and out of the state of saluation you set downe these words as his Per multas annorum centurias Graci à Latinis diuisi with is a plaine falsification for Castro's words are Duodecima haeresis est quae negat Spiritum sanctum procedere à Patre à filio Hanc haeresim docuerunt tutati sunt Graeci per multas annorum centurias itae vt haec fuerit vna ex praecipuis causis propter quas à Romana Catholica Ecclesia diuisi sint The twelth heresy is that which denieth the holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Sonne This heresy the Greekes haue taught and mansained many hundreds of yeares in so much that this is one of the chiefest causes for which they are diuided from the Roman and Catholike Church Here therfore you māgle Castro's words And to mantaine your vndertaken falsity that the Greekes notwithstanding their diuision from the Roman Church are partes of the Church Catholike and in state of saluation you conceale that he affirmeth them to be heretikes and that the chiefe cause of their diuision from the Roman Church is their heresy concerning the holy Ghoast 3. With like preiudice of conscience you cite (m) Pag. 335. Azor who in that very place (n) Instit. l. moral part 1. l. 8. c. 20. §. Decimo directly affirmeth the Greekes to be heretikes and that although some thinke that concerning their beliefe of the fire of Purgatory and some other few points of fayth they differ not from the doctrine of the Roman Church really and in sense but only in words and in that respect are not heretikes but schismatikes yet he concludeth that whatsoeuer their beliefe concerning these articles is they are Heretikes and perhaps in these very points because they erre culpably in them but that wee often call them Schismatikes because we retaine the ancient manner of speach for first the Greekes diuided themselues often from the Church by schisme and in progresse of time brought heresies into the Church 4. You cite (o) Pag. 334. Suarez saying that the Greekes are schismatikes because they erre in those things which belong to the vnity of the Church though indeed they be heretikes also because they deny the vnity of the Head And immediatly before he had alleaged out of S. Hierome that all Schismatikes feigne to themselues some heresy to the end they may seeme not to haue departed from the Church without cause Agayne he expresly sayth (p) De Deo trino vno l. 10. c. 1. n. 2. that the Greeks erre in holding the holy Ghoast not to proceed from the sonne and that for this error among many others the Greeke Church hath diuided it selfe from the Roman Church denying obedience to the Pope These are the Authors which you produce to saue the Greekes from the infamous note of heresy wherin you
thing vncertaine Many thinke it to be of Damasus and his you will haue it to be But the contrary is manifest for the epistle speaketh of Bonosus an Arch-heretike who had bene condemned by Iudges appointed in thē Councell of Capua which was not held in time of Damasus but of Siricius successor to Damasus It is therefore euident that the request of Bouosus which you obiect out of this epistle to haue his cause heard againe could not be to Damasus his first condemnation being not vntill after Damasus his death When you can shew this epistle to be of Damasus you shall receaue an answeare which it were easy to giue you now if I listed to spend time in refuting your tedious discourse of racking the verbe Competit to a strict sense and which not one but many wayes is deficient as all your arguments for the most part are Your addition (e) Pag. 318. marg l. that if the epistle be not of Damasus it is certainly of some Pope and that all hold it so is affirmed by you gratis and as easely denied by me CHAP. XL. Whether the Easterne Churches be at this day accordant in Communion with Protestants SECT I. The state of the Question THE nine first Sections of your fourtenth Chapter you spend in prouing that the Grecians Aegyptians Aethiopians Assyrians Armenians Russians Melchites and other remote nations at this day dissent from the Roman Church and are accordant in Communion with Protestants The foundation of your whole discourse you lay in these words (f) Pag. 330. Whatsoeuer Christians haue not ruinated any fundamental article of sauing fayth set downe in our ancient Creeds and are vnited vnto the true Catholike Head Christ Iesus our Lord by a liuing fayth all Protestants esteeme them as true members of the Catholike Church and notwithstanding diuers their more tolerable errors and superstitions to be in state of saluation albeit no way subiect or subordinate to the Roman Church These are your words which containe in themselues open implication namely that one may be vnited to the true Catholike Head Christ Iesus by a liuing fayth and be in state of saluation and yet be out of the Catholike Church which to be none els but the Roman and that out of her there is no saluation hath bene already proued (g) Chap. 1. sect 2.3.4 From this false principle you deduce that the Grecians Asians Aegyptians Assyrians Aethiopians Africans Melchites Russians and Armenians notwithstanding their separation from the Roman Church are at this day truly professed Christian Churches (h) Pag. 379. partes of the Catholike Church (i) Pag. 406. fin 407. init faythfull Christians professing the fayth of the ancient Fathers (k) Pag. 417. in state of saluation and raile bitterly at the Church of Rome for denying the same But how great ignorance and impiety you shew and how many most shamefull vntruthes you vtter in the prosecution of this Argument it is easy to declare Some of them I shall present to the Readers view And to proceed methodically I will reduce what I am to say to two heades 1. I will proue that as the Christians of these remote nations anciently were so many of them at this day are accordant in beliefe and communion with the Roman Church yeild obedience to the Pope as to the Vicar of Christ on earth and as to the supreme Pastor and Gouernor of the vniuersall Church 2. That the inhabitants of these nations which are not Roman Catholikes are not of one beliefe or Communion with Protestants but wholly dissent from them holding most blasphemous and damnable heresies acknowledged for such by Protestants themselues From whence it will follow that you affirming them to be faythfull Christians of the same beliefe with the ancient Fathers charge the ancient Fathers with blasphemous heresies and make them incapable of saluation SECT II. Whether the Grecians of the primitiue and successiue times agreed in fayth and Communion with the Bishop and Church of Rome and particularly at the Councell of Florence THat the Greekes in the first Councell of Constantinople and afterwards in that of Calcedon endeauored to giue to their Patriarke of Constantinople the second place of dignity in the Church next after the Pope and before the other Patriarkes we acknowledge But that they sought therby to exempt themselues from their obedience and subiection to the Pope hath bene effectually disproued (l) Chap. 17. sect 5. Chap. 19. sect 4. I speake not this to deny that anciently there were of the Grecians many Heretikes which opposed the Roman Church and by her authority were condemned and that eight Patriarkes of Constantinople in particular as also Eutyches an Arch-heretike of the same City were anathematized and east out of the Church for heresy And wheras the Westerne Church by the example and diligence of the Bishops of Rome was preserued from heresy the Churches of the East new heresies daily springing vp were so pitifully torne and ten in peeces that S. Hierome complaining therof to Pope Damasus said (m) Ep. 57. Because the East striking against it selfe by the ancient fury of the people teares in litle morsells the vndeuided coate of our Lord wouen on high and that the foxes destroy the vine of Christ in such sorte that it is difficult among the drie pits that haue no water to discerne where the sealed fountaine and the inclosed garden is I haue therfore thought that I ought to consult with the Chaire of Peter and the fayth praised by the mouth of the Apostle This was the miserable state of the Easterne Churches in those dayes being gouerned somtimes by Catholike Bishops that acknowledged subiection to the Church of Rome and somtimes by Heretikes that opposed her authority vntill at length Photius hauing iniustly driuen Ignatius Patriarke of Constantinople from his See and intruded himselfe into his place and being for that cause often excommunicated by Nicolas the first and Iohn the eight Popes of Rome to mantaine his iniust title withdrew himselfe from their obedience and to the end he might haue some colour to perseuer in that separation cauilled at the doctrine of the Roman Church which teacheth that the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Sonne and writ against it And the Greekes following him in this error separated themselues from the Communion of the Roman man Church Yet not so but that they haue often eleauen times sayth S. Antoninus (n) Hist. par 2. tit 22. c. 23. acknowledged their error and reconciled themselues to her and especially thrice in most solemne manner in three seuerall Councells of Barium in Apulia of Lions in France and of Florence in Tuscany but still returning to their error against the holy Ghost and disobedience to the Church of Rome as dogs to their vomit Almighty God punished them with a heauy hand deliuering them vp to a miserable captiuity seruitude vnder the Turke And that they might know the cause of
communicated with Cornelius Pope but because as there he expresseth to be in his Communion was to be in the communion of the Catholike Church And writing to Cornelius himselfe he calles the Chayre of S. Peter (u) L. 4. ep 8. the roote and Mother of the Catholike Church and (x) L. 1. ep 3. the principall chayre from whence sacerdotall Vnity is deriued from whence he inferreth that whosoeuer departeth from that (y) L. de vnit Ecclesiae See holds not the fayth nor is in the Church So teacheth ancient Pacianus (z) Ep. 2. for Nouatian as S. Cyprian affirmeth hauing made himselfe an adulterous and contrary Head to Cornelius the lawfull Pope and thereby separated himself from the Roman Church Pacianus for that very cause pronounceth him to haue dyed out of the state of saluation Although sayth be Nouatian hath bene put to death yet he hath not bone crowned And why not because he was out of the peace of the Church out of concord out of that Mother wherof whosoeuer will be a Martyr must be a portion So teacheth Optatus that learned Bishop of Mileuis in Africa when writing against Parmenianus the Donatist he (a) L. 2. cont part Parmen sayth Thou canst not deny out that thou knowest the Episcopall chayre to haue bene first set vp in Rome for Peter in which seat was placed the Head of all the Apostles Peter from whence he hath bene also called Cephas to the end that in this only chayre Vnity might be preserued to all least the other Apostles might attribute to themselues each one his particular Chayre and that he should be a Schismatike and a sinner that would against the only chayre set vp another And againe shewing the Donatists to be Schismatikes and out of the state of saluation because they opposed the Roman Church he (b) Ibid. sayth From whence is it that you attempt to vsurpe to your selues the Keyes of the kingdome you that fight against the chayre of Peter by your bold and sacrilegious presumption Thus writ Optatus 1200. yeares since and by his argument we may now proue Protestants to be Schismatikes no lesse then he did the Donatists So teacheth S. Ambrose (c) De obitu Satyri professing that to communicate with Catholike Bishops and to communicate with the Roman Church is all one And writing to Siricius Pope and acknowledging all those to be Heretikes whom the Roman Church condemneth as such he sayth (d) L. 10. ep 81. Whom your Holines hath condemned knowe that we also hold them condemned according to your iudgment So teacheth S. Hierome who writing against Lucifer the Schismaticall Bishop of Calaris in Sardinia and the Luciferians his followers that boasted themselues to be the true Church sayth to Lucifer (e) Epist. 8. I could dry vp all the riuers of thy arguments with the only sun-shine of the Church but because we haue now reasoned longe I will in few words declare plainly vnto thee my iudgment which is that we are to remayne in that Church which being founded by the Apostles dureth vntill this day And else where declaring what Church he meaneth he aduiseth Demetrias that if she will auoyd the snares of Heretikes she hold fast the fayth of Innocentius Pope sonne and successor in the Apostolicall chayre to Anastasius who had broken the pestilent head and stopped the hissing mouthes of that Hydra which attempted to pollute and corrupt the simplicity of the Roman fayth commended by the voyce of the Apostle And againe writing to Dâ—masus Pope he sayth (f) Ep. 57. I am ioyned in communion with your Blessednes that is to say with Peters Chayre I know the Church is built vpon that Rocke whosoeuer is not in the Arke shall perish at the comming of the floud he that eates the lambe out of this house is prophane whosoeuer gathers not with you scatters that is to say whosoeuer is not of Christ is of Antichrist So teacheth S. Basill In very deed sayth he in a letter to the (g) Ep. 69. per Sabin Diac. Pope that which was giuen by our Lord to thy piety is worthy of that most excellent voyce which proclaymed thee blessed to wit that thou maiest discerne betwixt that which is counterfeyt that which is lawfull and pure and that without any diminution thou maist preach the fayth of our Ancestors It is then certaine in S. Basils beliefe that the assurance which Christ gaue to S. Peter that the gates of hell which are errors and Heresies should neuer preuaile against the Roman Church was not made to S. Peter in his owne person only nor only for his tyme but in him to all his Successors and to them in him is granted that admirable priuiledge of preaching the fayth of Christ pure and without any diminution So teacheth S. Maximus alià s (h) In ep ad Orientales apud S. Tho. in Opuse 1. prope fin Maximianus All the bounds of the earth that haue receaued our Lord sincerely and all Catholikes throughout the whole earth that confesse the true fayth looke vpon the Church of the Romans as vpon a Sunne and shall receaue from her the light of the Catholike and Apostolike fayth and not without cause for Peter is the first that is read to haue made a perfect confession of the fayth our Lord reuealing it vnto him Math. 16. When he said Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God whereupon our Lord said vnto him I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy fayth fayle not And (i) Ibid. againe We professe the Vniuersall Church to be framed and founded vpon the rock of Peters confession according to the sentence of our Sauiour in which Church it is necessary to remayne for the saluation of our Soules and to yield obedience to her keeping her fayth and confession So teacheth S. Augustine who among the Arguments which held him in the Catholike Church reckoneth the succession of Bishops in the Roman See euen from S. Peter vntill his tyme I am kept sayth (k) L. eont epist. Funda c. 4. he in the Church by the succession of Priests from the very See of Peter the Apostle to whom our Sauiour after his resurrectien committed his sheepe to be fed euen to the present Bishop And exhorting the Donatists which bragged that they also had Bishops he (l) Epist. 165. sayth If the order Succession of Bishops be to be obserued how much more assuredly safely indeed do we begin our accompt from S. Peter himselfe vnto whom as he represents the whole Church our Lord said Math. 16. vpon this Rock I will build my Church for Linus succeeded to Peter Cletus to Linus and hauing reckoned vp all the Popes vnto Anastasius who then sate in S. Peters chayre he coÌ„cludeth against the Donatists In this order of succession there is not any one Donatist to be found to which we may adde no nor yet any Protestant Since therefore the Church in