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A04285 Triplici nodo, triplex cuneus. Or An apologie for the Oath of allegiance against the two breues of Pope Paulus Quintus, and the late letter of Cardinal Bellarmine to G. Blackvvel the Arch-priest. Authoritate regiĆ¢. James I, King of England, 1566-1625.; Paul V, Pope, 1552-1621.; Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621. 1607 (1607) STC 14400; ESTC S121305 37,662 98

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Temple g 2. Chron. 6. dedicated the same assisting in their owne persons to the sanctification thereof h 2. King 22 1 made the booke of the Lawe new-found to be read to the people i Nehe. 9. 38 Dauid Salomon 2. Kings 8. 4. renued the couenant betweene God and his people brused the brasen Serpent in peeces which was set vp by the expresse commandement of God and was a figure of Christ destroyed k 1. Kings 15. 12. 2 kings 13. 4. all Idols and false gods made l 2. Chron. 7. 8. a publike reformation by a Commission of Priests and Secular men mixed for that purpose deposed m 1. Kings ● 27. the High Priest and set vp another in his place and generally ordered euery thing belonging to the Church-gouernment their Titles and Prerogatiues giuen them by God agreeing to these their actions They are called the n 2. Sam. 7 4 Sonnes of the Most High nay Gods o Psal 82. 6 Exod. 23. 8 themselues The p 1. Chron. 14. 8. Lords anoynted Sitting q 2. Sam. 3. 1● 2. Chron. 6. 15 in Gods Throne His r seruants The Angels ſ 2 Sam. 14 ●0 of God According to his t 1. Sam. 13. 4 hearts desire The light u 2. Sam. 21 7 of Israel The x Isa 49. 23 nursing fathers of the Church with innumerable such stiles of honour wherewith the old Testament is filled whereof our Aduersary can pretend no ignorance And as to the New Testament Euery soule is commanded to be subiect vnto them euen for y Rom. 13 5 conscience sake All men z 1. Tim. 2. 2 must be prayed for but especially Kings and those that are in Authority that vnder them we may leade a godly peaceable and an honest life The a Rom. 13. 4 Magistrate is the minister of God to doe vengeance on him that doth euill and reward him that doth well Ye must obey all higher Powers but b 1. Pet. 2. 13 especially Princes and those that are Supereminent Giue euery man his due feare c Rom. 13. 7 to whome feare belongeth and loue to whome loue belongeth Giue d Matth. 22 ●1 vnto Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods e Ioh. 18. 36 Regnum meum non est huius mundi f Luk. 12. 14 Quis me constituit Iudicem super vos g Luke 22. 25. Reges gentium dominantur eorum vos autem non sic If these Sentences Titles and Prerogatiues and innumerable other in the old and new Testament do not warrant Christian Kings within their owne Dominions to gouerne their Church as well as the rest of their people in being Custodes vtriusque tabulae not by making new Articles of faith which is the Popes office as I said before but by commanding obedience to be giuen to the word of God by reforming the Religion according to his prescribed will by assisting the Spirituall power with the Temporall Sword by reforming of corruptions by procuring due obedience to the Church by iudging and cutting off all friuolous Questions and Schismes as Constantine did And finally by making Decorum to be obserued in euery thing and establishing orders to be obserued in all indifferent things for that purpose which is the only intent of our Oath of Supremacy If this Office of a King I say doe not agree with the power giuen him by Gods word let any indifferent man voyd of passion iudge But how these honorable Offices Stiles and Prerogatiues giuen by God to Kings in the old and new Testament as I haue now cited can agree with the braue Stiles and Titles that Bellarmine giueth them I can hardly conceiue 1 De laicis ca. 7. That Kings are rather slaues then Lords 2 De Pont. lib. 1. cap. 7. That they are not only Subiects to Popes to Bishops to Priests but euen to Deacons 3 Ibidem That an Emperor must content himselfe to drinke not onely after a Bishop but after a Bishops Chaplen 4 Ibidem de cler cap 26. That Kings haue not their Authoritie nor Office from God nor his Lawe but onely from the Lawe of Nations 5 De Pont. lib. 3 cap. 16. That Popes haue degraded many Emperors but neuer Emperour degraded a Pope nay euen Bishops that are but the Popes vassals may depose Kings and abrogate their Lawes 6 De laicis cap. 18. That Church-men are as farre aboue Kings as the Soule aboue the Body 7 De Pont. lib. 5. cap 8. That Kings may bee deposed by their people for diuerse respects 8 De Pout lib. 2. cap. 26. But Popes cannot be deposed for no flesh hath power to iudge of them 9 De Pont. lib. ● cap. 15. That obedience due to the Pope is for Conscience sake 10 De clericis cap. ●8 But the obedience due to Kings is onely for certaine respects of Order Policie 11 I●idem That these very Church men that are borne and inhabite in Soueraigne Princes Countreyes are notwithstanding not their Subiects and cannot be iudged by them although they may iudge them 12 Ibidem And that the obedience that Church men giue to Princes euen in the meanest and meere Temporall things is not by way of necessary subiection but onely out of discretion for obseruation of good Order These contrarieties betweene the Booke of God and Bellarmines bookes haue I here set in opposition to other Vt ex contrarijs iuxta se positis veritas magis elucescere possit And thus farre I dare boldly affirme That whosoeuer will indifferently weigh these inreconcileable Contradictions here set down will easily confesse that GOD is no more contrary to Belial Light to Darkenesse and Heauen to Hell then Bellarmines estimation of Kings is to Gods Now as to the conclusion of his Letter which is onely filled with strong and pithy Exhortations to perswade and confirme Blackwell to the patient and constant induring of Martyrdome I haue nothing to answere saue by way of regrate That so many good sentences drawen out of the Scripture so well and so handsomely packed vp together should be so ill and vntruely applied But an euill Cause is neuer the better for so good a Cloake And an ill matter neuer amended by good wordes And therefore I may iustly turne ouer that craft of the Deuill vpon himselfe in vsing so Holy-like an exhortation to so euill a purpose Onely I could haue wished him that he had a litle better obserued his Decorum herein in not letting slippe two or three prophane wordes amongst so many godly mortified Scripture sentences For in all the Scripture especially in the New Testament I neuer read of Pontifex Maximus And the Pope must be content in that stile to succeede to Numa Pompilius and not to Saint Peter who neuer heard nor dreamed of such an office And for his Caput fidei which I remembred before the Apostles I am sure neuer gaue that stile to any but to CHRIST So as these stiles whereof some were neuer found in Scripture and some were neuer applied but to CHRIST in that sense as hee applieth it had bene better to haue bene left out of so holy and mortified a Letter To conclude then this present Discourse I heartily wish all indifferent readers of the Breues and Letter not to iudge by the speciousnesse of the wordes but by the weight of the matter Not looking to that which is strongly alledged but iudiciously to consider what is iustly proued And for all our Soueraignes good Subiects that their hearts may remaine established in the Trueth That these forraine inticements may not seduce them from their naturall duety And that all aswell Strangers as Naturall Subiectes to whose eyes this Discourse shall come may wisely and vnpartially iudge of the Veritie as it is nakedly here set downe for clearing these mistes and cloudes of Calumnies which were iniustly heaped vpon our Soueraigne For which ende onely I heartily pray the courteous Reader to be perswaded that this discourse was published
is alleaged was neuer before heard nor read of in the Christian Church and therefore I would haue wished the Pope before hee had set downe this Commaundement to all Papists here That since in him is the Power by the infallibility of his spirit to make new Articles of Faith when euer it shall please him That he had first set it down for an article of faith before he had commanded all Catholikes to beleeue and obey it I will then conclude the Answere to this point in a Dilemma Either it is lawfull to obey the Soueraigne Question in Temporall things or not If it be lawfull as I neuer heard nor read it doubted of Then why is he so vniust and so cruell towards his owne Catholikes as to Commaund them to disobey their Soueraignes lawfull Commandement If it be vnlawfull Why hath he neither expressed or any other that either would professe or any wayes tollerate the professors of our Religion contrary to his manifold vowes and protestations simul eodem tempore and as it were deliuered vno eodem spiritu to diuers of his Maiesties ministers abroad professing such kindnesse and shewing such forwardnesse to aduance him to this Crowne Nay the most part of Catholikes here finding this Breue when it came to their hands to be so farre against Diuinitie Policy or naturall sense were firmely perswaded that it was but a counterfeit Libel deuised in hatred The Catholikes opinion of the Breue of the Pope Or at the farthest a thing hastily done vpon wrong Information as was before said Of which opinion were not onely the simpler sort of Papists but euen some amongst them of best account both for learning and experience wherof the Archpriest himselfe was one But for soluing of this obiection the Pope himselfe hath taken new paines by sending forth a second Breue only for giuing faith and confirmation to the former That whereas before his sinne might haue bene thought to haue proceeded from rashnesse and mis-information he will now wilfully and willingly double the same whereof the Copie followeth TO OVR BELOued sonnes the English Catholikes Paulus P. P. V tus BEloued Sonnes Salutation and The second Breue Apostolicall Benediction It is reported vnto vs that there are found certayne men amongst you who when as wee haue sufficiently declared by our Letters dated the last yeere on the tenth of the Calends of October in the forme of a Breue that ye cannot with safe Conscience take the Oath which was then required of you And when as wee haue further straightly required you that by no meanes yee should take it yet there are some I say among you which dare now affirme That such Letters THE ANSWERE TO the second Breue NOw for this Breue I may iustly reflect his owne phrase vpon him in tearming it to be the craft of the Deuil For if the deuill had studied a thousand yeeres for to find out a mischiefe for our Catholikes here hee hath found it in this That now when many Catholikes haue taken their Oath and some Priests also yea the Arch-priest himselfe without compunction or sticking they shall not now onely bee bound to refuse the profession of their naturall Allegiance to their Soueraigne which might yet haue bin some way coloured vpon diuers scruples conceiued vpon the words of the Oath but they must now renounce and forsweare their profession of obedience already sworne and so must as it were at the third Instance forsweare A double Oath of every Subject their two former Oaths first closely sworne by their birth in their naturall Allegiance and next clearely confirmed by this Oath which doeth nothing but expresse the same So as no man can now hold the faith or procure the Saluation of his soule in England that must not abiure and renounce his borne and sworne Allegiance to his naturall Soueraigne And yet it is not sufficient to ratifie the last yeeres Breue by a new one come forth this yeere But that not onely euery yeere but euery moneth may produce a new Monster The great and famous writer of the Controuersies The late Vn-Iesuited Cardinall Bellarmine must adde his talent to this good worke by blowing the Bellowes of Sedition and sharpening the Spurre to Rebellion by sending such a Letter of his to the Arch-priest here as it is a wonder how Passion and an Ambitious desire of mainteining that Monarchy should charme the wits of so famously learned a man The Copie whereof here followeth TO THE MOST Reuerend Master GEORGE BLACKVVEL Arch-priest of the English Robert of the holy Church of Rome Cardinall BELLARMIN sendeth greeting MOst reuerend Sir and Brother in Christ It is almost fourtie yeeres since we did see one the other But yet I haue neuer beene vnmindfull of our ancient acquaintance neither haue I ceased seeing I could doe you no other good to commend your labouring most painefully in the Lordes vineyard in my prayers to God And I doubt not but that I haue liued all this while in your memorie and haue had some place in your prayers at the Lords Altar So therefore euen vnto this time wee haue abidden as S. Iohn speaketh in the mutuall loue one of the other not by worde or letter but by labour and trueth But a late message which was brought vnto vs within a few dayes of your bonds and imprisonment hath inforced mee to breake off this silence which message although it seemed heauie in regard of the losse of your pastorall function which you haue exercised in that Church yet withall it seemed ioyous because you drew neere vnto the glory of Martyrdome then the which thing there is no gift of God more happie That you who haue fed your Flocke so many yeeres with the worde and doctrine should now feed it more gloriously by the example of your patience But another heauy tidings did not a litle disquiet and almost take away this ioy which immediatly followed of the aduersaries assault and peraduenture of the slip and fall of your Constancie in refusing an vnlawfull Oath Neither truely most deare brother could that oath therefore be lawfull because it was offered in sort tempered and modified for you knowe that those kinde of modifications are nothing els but sleights and subtilties of Satan that the Catholique faith touching the Primacie of the Sea Apostolike might either secretly or openly be shot at for the which faith so many worthy Martyrs euen in that very England it selfe haue resi sted vnto blood For most certaine it is that in whatsoeuer words the Oath is conceiued by the aduersaries of the faith in that Kingdome it tends to this end that the Authoritie of the head of the Church in England may bee transferred from the successour of S. Peter to the Successour of K. Henry the eight For that which is pretended of the danger of the Kings life if the high Priest should haue the same power in England which he hath in all other
put any of his Subiects to a needlesse extremitie might haue bene contented in some sort to haue reformed or interpreted those wordes With his owne Catholikes Either if his Maiestie had so done they had bene thereby fully eased in that businesse Or at least if his Maiestie would not haue condescended to haue altered any thing in the said Oath yet would thereby some appearance or shadow of excuse haue bene left vnto them for refusing the same not as seeming thereby to swarue from their Obedience and Allegiance vnto his Maiestie but onely being stayed from taking the same vpon the scrupulous tendernesse of their Consciences in regard of those particular words which the Pope had noted and condemned therein And now let vs heare the wordes of his Thunder POPE PAVLVS the fifth to the English Catholikes WElbeloued sonnes Salutation The Pope his first Breue and Apostolicall Benediction The tribulations and calamities which ye haue continually susteined for the keeping of the Catholike Faith haue alwayes afflicted vs with great griefe of minde But for as much as we vnderstand that at this time all things are more grieuous our affliction hereby is wonderfully increased For we haue heard how you are compelled by most grieuous punishments set before you to goe to the Churches of Heretikes to frequent their Assemblies to be present at their Sermons Truely wee doe vndoubtedly beleeue that they which with so great constancie and fortitude haue hither to indured almost infinite and most cruel persecutions that they may walke without spot in the Law of the Lord will neuer suffer themselues to bee defiled with the communion of those that haue forsaken the diuine Law Yet notwithstanding being compelled by the zeale of our Pastorall Office and by our Fatherly care which we doe continually take for the saluation of your soules we are inforced to admonish and desire you that by no meanes you come vnto the Churches of the Heretikes or heare their Sermons or communicate with them in their Rites lest you incurre the wrath of God For these things may yee not doe without indamaging the worship of God and your owne saluation As likewise you cannot without most euident and grieuous wronging of Gods Honour binde your selues by the Oath which in like maner we haue heard with very great griefe of our heart is administred vnto you of the tenor vnder written viz. I A. B. doe truely and sincerely acknowledge The Oath professe testifie and declare in my conscience before God and the world That our Soueraigne Lord King IAMES is lawfull King of this Realme and of all other his Maiesties Dominions and Countreys And that the Pope neither of himselfe nor by any authoritie of the Church or Sea of Rome or by any other meanes with any other hath any power or authoritie to depose the King or to dispose any of his Maiesties Kingdomes or Dominions or to authorize any forraigne Prince to inuade or annoy him or his Countreys or to discharge any of his Subiects of their Allegiance and obedience to his Maiestie or to giue Licence or leaue to any of them to beare Armes raise tumults or to offer any violence or hurt to his Maiesties Royall person State or Gouernement or to any of his Maiesties Subiects within his Maiesties Dominions Also I doe sweare from my heart that notwithstanding any declaration or sentence of Excommunication or depriuation made or granted or to be made or granted by the Pope or his successors or by any Authoritie deriued or pretended to be deriued from him or his Sea against the said King his Heires or Successors or any Absolution of the said subiects from their Obedience I wil beare faith and true Allegiance to his Maiestie his Heires and Successors and him and them will defend to the vttermost of my power against all Conspiracies and Attempts whatsoeuer which shal be made against his or their Persons their Crowne and dignitie by reason or colour of any such Sentence or declaration or otherwise and will doe my best endeuour to disclose and make knowen vnto his Maiestie his Heires and Successors all Treasons and traiterous Conspiracies which I shall know or heare of to be against him or any of them And I doe further sweare That I doe from my heart abhorre detest and abiure as impious and Hereticall this damnable doctrine and Position That Princes which be Excommunicated or depriued by the Pope may be deposed or murthered by their Subiects or any other whatsoeuer And I doe beleeue and in conscience am resolued that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoeuer hath power to absolue me of this Oath or any part thereof which I acknowledge by good and full Authoritie to be lawfully ministred vnto me and doe renounce all pardons and dispensations to the contrary And all these things I doe plainely and sincerely acknowledge and sweare according to these expresse wordes by me spoken and according to the plaine and common sense and vnderstanding of the same words without any Aequiuocation or mentall euasion or secret reseruation whatsoeuer And I doe make this Recognition and acknowledgement heartily willingly and truely vpon the true Faith of a Christian So helpe me GOD. Which things since they are thus it must euidently appeare vnto you by the words themselues That such an Oath cannot be taken without hurting of the Catholique Faith and the Saluation of your Soules seeing it conteines many things which are flat contrary to Faith and Saluation Wherefore wee doe admonish you that you doe vtterly abstaine from taking this and the like Oathes which thing we doe the more earnestly require of you because we haue experience of the Constancie of your Faith which is tried like Gold in the fire of perpetuall Tribulation We doe well knowe that you will cheerefully vnder-goe all kinde of cruell Torments whatsoeuer yea and constantly endure death it selfe rather then you wil any thing offend the Maiestie of God And this our Confidence is confirmed by those things which are dayly reported vnto vs of the singular vertue valour and fortitude which in these last times doeth no lesse shine in your Martyrs then it did in the first beginnings of the Church Stand therefore your Loynes being girt about with Veritie and hauing on the Brest-plate of Righteousnesse taking the Shielde of Faith be ye strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And let nothing hinder you He which will crowne you and doeth in Heauen beholde your Conflicts will finish the good worke which he hath begun in you You knowe how he hath promised his Disciples that hee will neuer leaue them Orphanes for hee is faithfull which hath promised Hold fast therefore his correction that is being rooted and grounded in Charitie Whatsoeuer ye doe whatsoeuer ye indeuour doe it with one accord in simplicity of Heart in meekenesse of Spirit without murmuring or doubting For by this doe all men knowe that we are the Disciples of Christ if we haue Loue
sufficient to exhort him to Courage and Constancie by Eleazars and Basils examples but he must be vtterly cast downe with the comparing his fall to S. Peters and Marcellinus which two mens cases were the most fearefull considering their persons and places that are to bee found or read of either in all the Bookes of Diuine Scripture or the volumes of Ecclesiasticall Stories the one denying the onely true God the other our Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST the one sacrificing to Idols with the profane Heathen the other forswearing his Lord and Master with the hard-hearted Iewes Vnles the Cardinall would driue the Arch-priest to some horror of conscience pit of despaire I know not what he can meane by this comparison For sure I am all that are not intoxicated with their cup cannot but wonder to heare of an oath of Allegiance to a naturall Soueraigne to be likened to an Apostats denying of God forswearing of his Sauiour But to let passe the Disdiapason of the Cases as his ill fauored coupling Saint Peter the head of their Church with an Apostate Pope I maruaile he would remember this example of a Looke Platina in vita Marcellini Marcellinus since his brother Cardinall Baronius and the late Edition of the Councels by b Concil Tom. 1. pag. 222. Looke Baronius Anno 302 ●●m 96. Binnius seeme to call the credit of the whole Story into question saying That it might plainely be refuted and that it is probably to be shewed that the story is but obreptitious but that hee would not swarue from the common receiued opinion And Subiects from their obedience to their naturall King nor bee so cruell to their owne Mancipia as returning them with these wares put either a State in iealousie of them or them in hazard of their owne liues Now to our Apostle since the Cardinall will haue him so called I perswade my selfe I should doe a good seruice to the Church in this my labour if I could but reape this one fruite of it to moue the Cardinall to deale faithfully with the Fathers and neuer to alleadge their opinions against their owne purpose For this letter of Gregorius was written to Iohn Bishop of a Greg. lib. 11. cap. 42. Palermo in Sicily to whom hee granted vsum pallij to be worne in such times and in such order as the Priests in the I le of Sicily and his Predecessours were wont to vse and withall giueth him a Caueat that the reuerence to the Apostolique Sea be not disturbed by the presumption of any For then the State of the members doeth remaine sound when the head of the faith is not broken by any iniury and the authoritie of the Canons remaine safe and sound Now let vs examine the vvordes The Epistle was written to a Bishop especially to graunt him the vse of the Pall a ceremonie and matter indifferent As it appeareth the Bishop of Rome tooke it well at his hands that hee would not presume to take it vpon him without leaue from the Apostolike Sea and giuing him that admonition which followeth in the wordes alleadged out of him which doctrine wee are so farre from impugning that we altogether approue and allow of the same That whatsoeuer Ceremonie for order is thought meete by the Christian Magistrate and the Church the same ought inuiolably to be kept And where the Head and gouernours in matters of that nature are not obeyed the members of that Church must needes runne to Hellish confusion But that Gregory by that terme Caput fidei held himselfe the head of our Faith and the head of all Religion cannot stand with the course of his doctrine and vvritings For first vvhen an a Iohan. Constan Greg. lib. 4. Epist 32. other vvould haue had this stile to be called Vniuersalis Episcopus he said Whosoeuer would giue himselfe that Title was the Fore-runner of Antichrist Which notvvithstanding vvas a Stile farre inferiour to that of Caput fidei And vvhen it vvas offered to himselfe the vvords of Saint Gregory be these refusing that Title a Greg. lib. 4. Epist 32. 36. That none of my Predecessors Bishops of Rome euer consented to vse this vngodly name of Vniuersall Bishop None of the Bishops of Rome euer tooke upon vs this name of Singularitie Wee the Bishops of Rome will not receiue this Honour being offered vnto vs. And novv I pray you vvould he that refused to be called Vniuersall Bishop be stiled Caput fidei vnlesse it vvere in that sense as I haue expressed Which sense if you vvill not admit giue me leaue to say that once of one which himselfe saith often of many of the Fathers b Bellar. de Rom. Pontif lib. 2. cap. ●0 lib. 2 de Christo cap. 2. Minùs cautè locutus est To redeeme therefore our Apostle out of his hands and to let him remaine ours and not his in this case It is very true that he saith in that sense hee spake it When yee goe about to disturbe diminish or take away the Authority or Supremacy of the Church which resteth on the head of the King within his Maiesties Dominions ye cut off the head and chiefe Gouernour thereof and disturbe the State and members of the whole Body And for a Conclusion of this point I pray him to thinke that wee are so well perswaded of the good mind of our Apostle Saint Gregory to vs that wee desire no other thing to be suggested to the Pope and his Cardinals then our Apostle Saint Gregory desired the Deputy of the Emperour a Greg. lib. 7. Epist 1. Sabinian to suggest vnto the Emperour and the State in his time His words be these One thing there is of which I would desire you would suggest it to your noble Lord and Master That if I his seruant would haue had my hand in staying of the Lombards at this day the Nation of the Lombards had neither had Kings nor Dukes nor Earles and had bene diuided asunder in vtter confusion but because I feare God I dread to haue my hand in the blood of any man And thus hauing answered to S. Gregory An answere to the authoritie out of Leo. I come to another Pope his Apostle S. Leo. And that hee may see I haue not in the former Citations quareled him like a Sophister for contention sake but for finding out of the Truth I do graunt that the Authorities out of b Leo primus in di●●s●ump suae ●d Pontificat 〈◊〉 mone 3. Leo epist. 89 ad ●pisc V. en Idem ibid. cap. 2. Leo are rightly alleadged all three the words truely set downe together with his true intent and purpose But withall let me tell him and I appeale vnto his owne conscience whether I speake not truely that what Tully sayd to c Cicero in Hort. Hortensius when he did immoderatly praise Eloquence that he would haue lift her vp to heauen that himselfe might haue gone vp with her