These Churches of Asia the lesse St. Iohn governed and placed Bishops in them 7 The Christians in the Kingdomes of Cazan and Astracan and other Countries in Asia under the dominion of the Emperour of Muscovia who hath under him in Europe and Asia a greater extent of Land than the Roman Catholicks have in Europe All the Asiatick Christians before named are of the Greek communion and observe the Greek rites 8 The Armenians under their two chiefe Patriarchs one of these Patriarchs liveth under the Turke the other under the Persian In Cardinall ' Baronius Annals you may read of 1000 Armenian Bishops Thaddaeus whom they much esteeme preached the Faith to them Now I heare the Patriarch of the greater Armenia to be called Moses As these Christians live in Armenia the greater and lesser so also in many Countries and Cities of Asia Africa and Europe About the yeare 324 Gregory whom they call Illuminator was Bishop of Armenia who suffered Martyrdome under Licinius the Emperour In the yeare 1609 Abbas the Persian Emperour put to death 1000 of these Christians upon a Letter fained to bee written from their Patriarch to the Pope of Rome acknowledging him to be Head of the Church 9 The Iacobites who inhabit a great part of Asia and other places mingled with Mahumetans and Pagans Their Patriarch having many Bishops under him keepeth residence in Caramite the Metropolis of Mesopotamia wee may reade of a Patriarch of the Iacobites in the time of Heraclius the Emperour 10 The Chaldean and Assyrian Christians with others under the Patriarch of Mozul who have many of them their Services in the Syrian Tongue being the language in which our Lord preached These Christians inhabite mingled with Mahumetans and Pagans a great part of the Orient for beside the Countries of Babylon Assyria Mesopotamia Parthia Media c. wherein many of these Christians are found They are scattered farre and neere in the East both Northerly in Cathaia and Southerly in India Trigautius reckoneth 14 Metropolitans viz. of India China Cambaia Mogor Hilam Nzivin Prath Assur Bethgarmi Halack Passes Mauzeor xam Raziqueor besides many Archbishops and Bishops Cardinall Vitriacus in his History of the East reporteth these Christians with the Jacobites to be more in number then the Latines and Greeks These Christians were converted by Saint Thomas the Apostle and in their Service-book they have this Hymne as Trigantius reporteth The Indians the Chinoises the Persians and other Islanders and they that are in Syria Armenia Grecia and Romania in commemoration of S. Thomas doe offer prayse to thy holy Name 11 The Maronites in Mount Libanus who have a Patriarch and eight or nine Bishops under him 12 The Indians of Saint Thome so called because they received the Christian Faith from Saint Thomas the Apostle These Christians inhabite many places in the East Indies as Melia-par where Saint Thomas was buried and hath a goodly Temple erected to his name Angamall where an Archbishop resideth Cranganor Negapatan Vaipecotan and others Trigautius writeth that when the Portugals arrived at Cochin that the Lord Iacob ruled the Malabar Church who stiled himselfe Metropolitan of India and China and that Ioseph succeeded him Iosephus Indus borne in Cranganor in East India also writeth of a great Prelat to whom twelve Cardinals were subiect with two Patriarchs and many Archbishops and Bishops 13 The Chinoises possesse a Countrey little lesse then all Europe Saint Thomas preached the Gospel first amongst them afterwards they had a supply of Preachers from Iudea K. Tay with Neu huanti reigning in the yeer 782. They erected a Monument declaring the bringing in of the Gospell into China in what Provinces it was promulgated and how many yeeres it flourished The Monument is graven with Syrian Letters with these words Adam sacerdos Presbyter Papalis Zinostan seu regionis Sinarum in the margent of this Monument there are divers names engraven of them that brought the sweet Name of our Lord Iesus Christ among them as Constantinus Saba cusio seu Aethiops Dominus Sergius c. Paulus Venetus writeth of a Christian Church in the great Citie of Quinsay I read also of Gaspara a China Bishop 14 Cathaia is one of the largest Empires upon the face of the whole Earth in which there be also many Christians They write of a Christian King of Tenduc whose native Subiects are Christians besides he ruleth farre and wide over many Provinces whose inhabitants are also for the most part Christians To conclude there is neither speech nor language but his voice hath beene heard among them The sound of the Gospell is gone out into all Lands and the Word of God into the ends of the World In Africa are these Christians following 1 VNder the Patriarch of Alexandria whose iurisdiction hath been from the River of Nilus to the Gaditan straits In the City of Caire only are thought to be 200000 Christians Saint Marke was their first Bishop and now Metrophanes governeth and precedeth there brought up in Oxford sent hither by Cyrill the then Patriarch to our late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury In Cardinall Baronious Annalls you may read of a Succession of Bishops from Saint Marke to Gabriell the then Patriarch There is a service in the Syrian tongue set forth by Severus Patriarch of Alexandria also a service in the Cophts Language set forth in print by Kirkerus The Cophts are the native EEgyptians and have a Patriarch of their owne Moreover Demetrius of Thessalonica hath set forth a Service used in Cair and among the Christians in Arabia The Holy Bishop Athanasius who opposed the Arrian World was sixe and forty yeares Patriarch of Alexandria with many other Holy Bishops as among others Poterius Bishop of Alexandria who was slaine by the Eutychian Hereticks haled through the streetes his body cut in pieces and his Entrailes chewed by them The Patriarchs of Alexandria have beene great Princes and weare a Crowne His title is Oecumenick Iudge So many Holy men lived in this Church in ancient time that it was called the Paradise of God 2 The Abassine Christians under the Emperour of Aethiopia who inhabit many Kingdomes of Affrica They received the Faith first from Philip and afterwards Saint Matthew the Apostle preached among them they have a Patriarch or Abuna a-man of great esteeme and estate Their Abuna when Alvares was in Aethiopia was called Marke a Reverend old Man aged about 110 a man gracious in his speech never speaking without blessing of God and giving of Thankes when hee goeth out of his Tent he rideth upon a Mule well attended Their Churches are builded round adorned with rich hangings and Plate They have their Service in their owne tongue Zago Zabo Bugana Raze that is The Vice-Roy of Bugana an Aethiopian Bishop was sent Ambassadour from the Aethiopian Emperour to Iohn King
excepting the Romanists doe all genegenerally as I find deny the Popes Supremacy viz. First That every soule must bee subiect to him upon necessity of salvation Secondly they affirme the Roman Bishops to be subiect to Error as other Bishops are Thirdly they deny that he hath power to depose Kings and to dispose of their Kingdomes Fourthly they teach not works of Supererogation Fiftly they admit not of Purgatory Sixtly nor pray for deliverances of soules from any temporall punishment after this life Seventhly they reiect the Romish Doctrine of Pardons and Indulgences Eightly they allow not private Masses Ninthly they administer the Communion in both kinds daring not to keep the Cup the symbol of our Lord Iesus Christs Blood from the Laity Tenthly they believe not the Romish Transubstantiation Eleventhly nor the now reall sacrificing of our Lord Iesus Christ to quit soules out of Purgatory Twefthly they have married Priests Thirteenthly they make no Image of God Foureteenthly they have most of them their Service in their owne or a knowne Language And these are some of the causes of the bitter contentions between the Roman Catholicks and these other Churches And as the Roman Church excommunicateth these Churches so doe they excommunicate the Roman Church For example the Patriarch of Constantinople doth yearely excommunicate the Pope and his Church for Schismaticks The Moscovites doe the same as counting the Pope an Hereticke The Patriarchs of Ierusalem Antioch have done likewise The Christians under the Patriarch of Mozul call the Pope the Reprobate Bishop other call him Antichrist The Copts account the Roman Church Hereticall and avoid the communion and conversation of the Latines no lesse then of the Iewes Thus some of the Popes of Rome have beene like Ismael whose hand was against every man and every mans hand against him The Turkes in their Mahumetan Worship The Pagans in their adoration of the Sun and Moon The Aegyptians in the service of Isis and Osyris use diversity of worships and Rites and yet still retaine the ill-tied knot of Friendship in their Idol-worship But Christians differing thunder calumnies bolt out excommunications one against another after their excommunications usually follow eradications of Kingdoms people estates by Conspiracies rebellions and hostile machinations by generall Massacres and particular torments As how many Kings and great persons have beene murthered by their desperate Assassins The said Massacre in France is not to be paralelled by any ancient cruelty The Acharonticall Powder treason for the heinousnesse thereof will seeme incredible in the Ages to come Examples are infinite yea so great is the uncharitablenesse and cruelty of the Roman Catholicks to the Christians of the Reformed Churches that if any of them dye among them they setting themselves as if it were upon Gods Tribunall in whose secret Cabinet is blessing and cursing give sentence of damnation against them sending their soules packing to hell and denying their bodies Christian Buriall Barbarous cruelty voyd of Charity As a tree is knowne by his Fruit so is the true Church by Charity By this saith our Lord all men shall know that yee are my Disciples if yee love one another Zaga-Zabo an Aethiopian Bishop and sent Embassadour from the Emperor of Aethiopia to the K. of Portugall complaineth his words are these The Romish Doctors I know not how piously forbad me the communion of our Lords Body all the time I was in Portugall even the space of seven yeare and which I cannot relate without grief and tears I was reputed among the Romanists as a Heathen and Anathema upon which their doings let him that governeth all things looke to whose iudgement I commit these their doings This their uncharitablenesse doth not onely offend other Christians but also it maketh the very Mahumetans to loath our Profession to condemne our Faith and to persecute our Persons Good Iesus when shall these iarrings have an end when shall the Church Catholicke live in union of faith and communion of Charity O miserable Christians returne unto the Lord and he will cure you Earnest Prayer endlesse Devotion volumnes of penitentials Ninives fastings Peters weeping Pauls conversion is the Metredate and true Alexipharmacon to cure this Vlcer to heale this never enough to be lamented Schisme Alas who shall furnish my eies with floods of water who shall make my head a living Spring that I might water my Couch with sorrowfull teares As for us Clergy men let us not so much endeavour to make the Christians our adversaries odious to our people as to move them to commiserate their estates and so to make our ioynt prayers to Almighty God not for their confusion but for their Conversion Oh would to God the Potentates and Monarches of Christendome would ioyne hand in hand to make up the breaches of Zyon and to build up the wals of Ierusalem Oh sweet Iesus that cleansed thy Church by thy most precious blood Prince of Peace and author of love grant us thy peace To conclude my most humble prayer to Almighty God is that he would vouchsafe us most unworthy to enioy that Legacy which our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ left unto us viz. My Peace I give unto you my Peace I leave with you And for this cause I humbly supplicate his Divine Maiesty that he would incline the great Bishop of Rome Pope Urban whom he hath endued with many gifts and graces with the hearts of the Lord Cardinalls and Prelates of the Church of Rome that they would submit themselves to retrograde from some of their new Canons to the ancient Primative Canons of their Church viz. That they would restore to the Church of God of which they have cure in the Sacrament of the Eucharist The Cup the symboll of our Lord Iesus Christs blood according to our Lords holy institution and practise of the ancient Roman Church and of all the other Christian Churches in the World That they would suffer our Lord Iesus Christs sheepe to drinke of the Waters of Life viz. to have the use of the Holy Scriptures in the Vulgar tongue from which they are now restrained with their Service in their own tongue That they would permit Marriage to all men and represse Stewes and Brothel-houses permitted by them scandelous not onely to all the Christians in the VVorld but also to them which are without with some other like things which may admit of reformation And also whereas some other Churches pretend to abhorre Idolls I wish from the bottome of my heart that they would also abstaine from committing of Sacriledge And whereas they cry out of permitting of Stewes and Brothel-houses in the Roman Church that they would be as zealous in not permitting oppressing Usury among them both which are alike abhominable in the eyes of Almighty God Sweete Iesus what should not a man doe yea what should he not suffer to quench the fire of Contention in the Christian world There was a time when the Roman Church did
all offices of government and burthening them with heavie taxes and payments he robbed the Church and spoyled Spirituall Persons of their Revenues and tooke away their mayntenance Whereas other Tyrants persecuted Presbyterors the Presbyters or Ministers Iulian persecuted Praesbyterium the whole Order of Ministers or Priesthood by which meanes none would apply themselves to the studie of Divinitie when after long painfull and costly study they should have nothing to live upon Such Reformations before-named may rather be called Persecutions than Reformations of a Church Is this a Reformation to dispoyle their Bishâ—ps of their Livings which they enioyed from the very beginning of Christianity amongst them and to root out the very name of Bishops from among them Is this a Reformation to appropriate to themselves or convert to prophane uses the Livings of their learned Pastors set apart by their fore-fathers for their maintenance and put them to poure Stipends and oft pay them as the Souldiers are paid in some places with Flemmish cheese Is this a Reformation to pilfer and pill Churches of their Plate and rich Ornaments which many a devout Saint had offered to the service of Almightie God and to convert them to profane uses which the very Goths and Vandals durst not touch no not in their Enemies Churches for feare of Gods heavy indignation upon them Is it a Reformation to pluck down Churches built to the honour of God with great labour and cost I have heard one tell me that he saw the great Church at Redding overthrowne with a Myne God be mercifull to us and deliver all them that beare the name of Christ from such Reformations But whom should I exclaime upon for this exercrable wickednesse upon the Reformers God forbid they I hope had no such intent or upon the Ministers who had delivered their Magistrates from their slavery to the Pope alas by this meanes they were brought to misery and slavery But upon some covetous persons men void of all Religion who under colour of Religion and Pietie ioyning with the Reformers made a prey of the Church and brought it to this misery How can these men expect an inheritance with Christ in Heaven who have defrauded him here in earth But what do I telling them of Heaven If Almighty God did punish Ananias and Saphyra with suddaine death who gave much to the Church and kept back only some part dedicated to God and that of their owne how shall these men stand in iudgement that never gave any thing of their owne but have seized upon those livings which not they but their Pious Forefathers with many Execrations had given and dedicated for the Service of Almightie God In this their execrable dealing they have given great offence not only to the Romanists but to them who are displeased with the Roman Superstitions and Doctrines and would willingly make a separation from them but they see in these Reformations not a secession from their enormities but rather a defection from all Antiquitie In my poore opinion to overthrow the Policie and Government instituted by Christ in his Church and continued to this our age and used in all Churches else cannot be a Reformation but rather a Deformation All this I write not that I blame that which is reformed but for the amendment of that which is deformed which Almighty God grant in his good time Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory was wont to say That it is in a manner all one to have no Clergie at all as a beggerly or base one In America THere are some Christians both Roman Catholicks and Protestants The King of Spaine is said to have in America foure Regions or at least the Maritine parts of the said Regions The Regions are New Spaine Castella Neuva Peru and Brasile The Hollanders have surprised a great part of Brasile Some write that the Indians had some knowledge of Christ before the Spaniards arriued there For the Estate of Religion in West India under the Spaniard most of the Inhabitants of the Inland Countries and wilder parts continue in their Paganisme Thomas a Iesu writeth Although saith he the Indians have long enioyed the Husbandry of Ministers so that all are baptized yet very many of them worship Idols who taking offence at the covetousnesse of their Parish Priests blaspheme the Christian Faith In America also are divers Plantations of Protestants English and Dutch not onely in the Ilands but also in the continent And thus much I have related of the Christians in the World but whereas many places of the World are unknowne to us so also are the sheepe of our great Shepheard who cannot all be counted wee being ignorant of the Pastures in which they feed The Spaniards have in West India some Bishops 2 What manner of Christians AS I have in the first place reckoned up these severall sorts of Christians before named So in the Second place my purpose is to set downe what manner of Christians these be both for soundnesse of Faith and holinesse of life For the first these Christians are all Baptized in the Name of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost They receive the Holy Eucharist in both kinds according to our Lord and Saviours institution They Believe the Creed retaine the Canonical Scriptures yea from some of these Churches both we and the Roman Catholicks have received the Sacraments and holy Scriptures Seeing then that these Christians use the same Sacraments as wee doe Seeing they believe in Iesus Christ and professe to fight under the Banner of Christ Crucified and reioyce in their suffering for his sake farre be it from us ever to thinke these Christians to bee cast away and reiected from being of the houshold of Faith Of these Christians Brocard the Monke testifieth Moreover those whom wee iudge to be damned Hereticks as the Nestorians Iacobits Maronites and Georgians and such like are found to bee for the most part honest and simple men living uprightly towards God and Man But to answer some particular obiections made by some Roman Catholicke against these Churches And first for the Greeke Christians whom some Roman Catholicks account erronious in their opinion concerning the proceeding of the Holy Ghost whom they affirme to proceed from the Father by the Sonne Now they doe acknowledge the Holy Ghost to be the Spirit of the Sonne as well as of the Father because the Apostle saith He is the Spirit of the Sonne and in the Gospell he is called the Spirit of Truth Now seeing it is no other thing to be the Spirit of the Father and the Sonne then to proceede from the Father and the Sonne They agree with us in Iudgement though they differ in Words so saith Lombard Thomas a Iesu and also Cardinall Tolet affirmeth the understanding Greeke saying That the Holy Ghost proceedeth by the Sonne signifieth thereby nothing but that which wee our selves professe But for full satisfaction in this poynt Read the Booke lately
affirme the Catholick Church of God to be onely in Rome and in the Countries subiect to their Bishop And therefore they tearme themselves Catholicks excluding all other Christians in the World out of the Catholike Church and so Heaven and putting them into the state of damnation though never so Orthodox and Pious for not being subiect to their Bishop onely Yet many of these Christians by them so damned suffer grievous persecutions for Iesus Christs sake which they might quit themselves of if they would renounce their Saviour and also attaine great priviledges and preferments And that which is more some of these Churches so damned and condemned by them never heard of the Bishop of Rome Postel writeth a Booke of the great multitude of Christians unknowne to the Latine World Before the Papacy of Iulius the third writeth Miraeus the name of the Chaldean Patriarch was unknowne to us Neither doe I find any mention of him in the Popes Records And yet Cardinall Amuleius reporteth That hee and his Bishops had long kept the Faith and also many of them had suffered Martyrdome for Christs Name Also the Indian Christians of Taprobane and the Islands adiacent saith Thevet nor their Fathers never heard of the Pope of Rome nor his Cardinals nor of the Greek Patriarchs nor of the Councells untill the Portugals came among them and yet they kept the Ceremonies of the Primative Church which they received from the Apostles and their Disciples God forbid that all these Christians and especially they that have given their Bloods for Iesus Christs Name and glory in his Crosse should be excluded for having any share or benefit by Christs Blood and this for not being subiect to the Pope of Rome and for not being members of the Roman Catholicke Church which they never heard of By this their uncharitablenesse doe not the Romish Catholicks cut themselves off from the unity of the Catholicke Church As Firmilian writeth to St. Cyprian of Pope Stephen Excommunicating other Churches Thou hast cut off thy selfe from the unity of the Churches Deceive not thy selfe he is a true Schismaticke that maketh himselfe Apostate from the Communion and Union of the Churches Thou thinkest they are divided from thee but thou onely art separated from them As the Church of Rome hath exalted her selfe above all other Churches so also the Roman Catholicks are accused for devising and adding some new Articles of Faith to the old ones much advancing the state and profit of their Clergy which the other Christians will not nor dare admit of having received onely twelve from the holy Apostles As first they have made the Popes Supremacy before named an Article of the Faith viz. That their Bishop is head of the whole Church of God and that every soule must be subiect to him upon necessity of salvation Secondly That their Bishop cannot erre in Cathedra Thirdly That their Bishops hath power to depose Kings and to dispose of their Kingdomes Fourthly For the honour of the inferiour Clergy they have made Transubstantiation a Doctrine of Faith by which every Priest hath superlative power given him As a Reverend Bishop writeth viz. To doe a greater worke daily than God did in the Creation For therein Almighty God made but Creatures But in this the Priest as they say can make his Maker Fiftly for the more honour of the Clergy They allow them the onely use of Christs Blood in the Eucharist prohibiting the Laity the use thereof VVhich all the Christians in the Vniverse enioy but onely the Romish Catholick Laitie and for this they have made a Decree flat against Christs institution viz. Although the Lord Christ in his last Supper did deliver this venerable Sacrament in both kinds c. Yet non obstante they doe approue and decree for a Law the custome of receiving in one kind Againe for the better Maintenance of their Clergy they have invented new devises as Purgatory with the horrible paines thereof as with Burnings Boylings and Roasting of soules they doe so fright simple people that they get much mony from them Of this place the Bishop of Rome hath iurisdiction the other Orthodox Patriarchs having nothing to doe with it commanding out whom he will much Treasure is got hereby 2 Pardons which are grounded upon Purgatory Pardons began saith Fisher Bishop of Rochester when men were frighted with Purgatory 3 The inferiour Clergy doth also share with the Pope in the profits of Purgatory for they have turnd the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist into a Sacrifice true reall and propitiatory under the name of Masse in which they doe say that the Priest doth truely and really offer up Christ to God his Father but this is done by way of bargaine and hire for remission of sins and freedome of soules out of Purgatory And of this they make great profit 4 They have made a Canon for the Worshiping of Images and for this cause they have in every Church an Image or more of some of their Saints many of which simple people and especially foolish women are made to beleeve to have some speciall vertue to helpe as St. Radegond can make barren women fruitfull St. Bartilmew can make women to conceive a Male-child or a Female according to their desires St. Margart can give them easie labour St. Uncomber can make peace betweene married folk St. Edith can keepe corne from blasting And to these Saints simple people did trot with rich Offerings and Worship these Saints with kneeling bowing and praying before them yea the Priests carry them about in Procession with great pomp playing at noddy with the simplicity of the people 5 They have also devised a Treasury in which is reserved the surplussage of the Sufferings of Christ of the Saints Whereas say they the least drop of Christs Blood had beene sufficient to have saved all the World And that Christ shed all his blood and also that many holy men suffered more than their sins deserved least their sufferings should be in vaine they are reserved in this Treasury for the Pope to bestow where he list The other Orthodox Christian Patriarchs having nothing to doe with this Treasurie With this and such like devises they get much money from simple and silly people For the confirmation of these things although they have no Scriptures yet they will store you with multitudes of Miracles and Visions These with some other the Church of Rome hath Canomzed for Articles or Doctrines of Faith as if the Apostles Creed should be defective which the other Christians in the world thinke to bee compleate enough About these Additions is the contestation betweene the Roman Catholicks and the other Christians of the world These are urged by the Romanists under their Popes curse and these additions are reiected by others fearing Gods curse being Articles not left by the holy Apostles nor found in holy Scriptures The societies of Christians before named
Church hath received the Holy Scriptures the Creedes the Sacraments and Christianity it selfe as the very names of Baptisme Eucharist Bishop Deacon Presbyter and many other sacred things doe testifie Moreover they have as they affirme St. Peters Chaire who was Bishop of Antioch and governed that Church many a yeare Hee was there Incathedrated with great reverence received and esteemed But going to Rome he was there most vily used and put to a most cruell death with his fellow Apostle St. Paul They also affirme that the City of Antioch commonly called Theopolis that is The City of God must needs be much dearer to St. Peter which honoured and reverenced him than the City of Rome which most unworthily used him and put him to death They moreover affirm that he must rather leave the Keyes to the Greek Church than to the Romish defiled with Simony Vsury Avarice and all other Vices whatsoever The Greekes also charge the Latines with divers errours besides the challenging of the Supremacy which they hold to be most grievous and intollerable to teach all to be taught of none and Dictator-like to give Lawes to bind other Churches yea in things against their Consciences as is their Doctrine of Purgatory of Image-Worship abusing their Fasts making no conscience to drink in them al day long that they scarce reade the Sacred rules and holy Scriptures saying That the Popes Commandements who for the time sitteth in the See of Rome are their Canons and Lawes That they make no account of Periury yea that the Pope freeth them of all Periury whensoever they intend to breake any bargaine or covenant made with any man That the Pope and his Priestly traine remit slaughter Periury and all kind of crimes past or to come by which remission there is a gate opened to villany And that which is most ridiculous for the future time they will remit to a determined time of Moneths or Years that the Latine Bishops are accessary to the death of Christian people the Pope especially who pronounceth the killer of Christians such as resist the Papacy blessed and happy That they shut up by their Lawes all Priests and Deacons from marriage and hold it an abhomination to receive the Sacrament from married Priests That there are many Church Men among them that commit whoredome and all kinde of uncleannesse most securely without punishment They accuse the Latines of many more Errors both in their Doctrine as also in their manners some of which you may finde in Cardinall Baronius Annalls Tome 11 Anno Christi 1054. with some answers to them by the Cardinal But this Church God hath humbled being subdued by the Mahumetans living as the Israelites in their Aegypticke Bondage We may see their lamentable estate in the late Martyrdome of learned Cyril late Patriarch of Constantinople who had long and wisely governed that Church And it seemeth that this his Crowne of Martyrdome was not to him unexpected as appeareth by a clause of a letter written by him to our late Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury viz. For the Name of Christ saith he which we professe and whose marks wee beare about in our Bodies it is a ioy to us to be afflicted and vexed so also if it bee the Will of God to abide the utmost extremity of their cruelty that in the fiery tryall our Faith may shine more bright and God receive the greater glory This Church hath beene humbled as before but the Bishops of Rome have exalted themselves not onely above their follow Bishops but also above their Lords the Emperours and the whole Church of God For the First Pope Boniface the third having obtained of Phocas the Tyrant the glorious Title of Universall Bishop by little and little the Bishops of Rome subdued divers Bishopricks under them As Donus the first subiected Ravenna about the yeare 676. Pope Stephen the ninth subdued Millaine Anno 1057. and so others Yea Urban the 2. exacted an oath of Bishops for the further establishing of their Authority For the Second Leo Isaurus being perplexed with warre in Asia and Constantinople it selfe being besieged by the Caliph Pope Gregory the second stirred up the Princes of Italy against the said Emperour who tooke Italy from him of which the Pope hath a part now called St. Peters Patrimony which the Emperour could never againe recover The Bishops of Rome dividing the Empire into the East and West Pope Leo the third proclaimed Charles of France Emperour about the yeare 881. And Pope Iohn the thirteenth translated the Empire about the yeare 968 from the French to the Germans Thus by little and little the Emperours waxed weaker and the Popes stronger untill the time of Gregory the seventh who founded as Aventine writeth the Pontificall Empire To this Man saith Onuphrius the Church of Rome is beholding for her freedome and that shee is preferred above all Kings and Emperours whom before they obeyed as their Lords acknowledging themselves to bee their Vassalls as manifestly appeareth among other Records by the Dating of their ancient Bulls and Charters thus expressed Such a one our Lord and Emperour reigning As also by the Letters of the Bishops of Rome written to the Emperours as of Pope Leo the first to Martian By all meanes wee are to bee obedient to your Piety and most Religious Will As also of Gregory the great to Maurice the Emperour I being subiect to your command and of divers others as of Liberius to Constantius Leo the first to Theodosius Simplicius to Zeno Foelix to the same Emperour Pope Anastatius to Anastatius the Emperour Martin to Constantine with many more And some of the Bishops shew a reason of this their Obedience to be because they are commanded so to doe in Holy Scripture St. Peter himselfe commanding Obedience to the King as supreame Thus they were for many hundred yeares subiect to the Emperours but now they claime a superiority above Kings and Princes and challenge to themselves plenitude of Iurisdiction to take away and to give Empires and Kingdoms at their pleasures bringing the Emperours in subiection Pope Constantine gave his Feet to kisse to Iustinian the Emperour Gregory the seventh compelled Henry the fourth to wait bare-footed at his Doore three daies and three nights craving Absolution Alexander the third set his feete upon the Emperour Fredericks neck And as they have lift up themselves over their fellow Bishops and their Lords the Emperours so also over the whole Church of God viz. Above Generall Councells A Generall Councell is the representative Church of God upon Earth they claiming power to iudge controule all men her selfe to be iudged of none yea to make new Articles of Faith And as the Donatists falling from the unity of the Church fell also into this Hereticall Opinion That the Catholicke Church of God was no where to be found but in a corner of Africa where they dwelt and amongst them So the Romanists