the word Pope which is as to say Father or if ye will Father of fathers Pater patrum it was a name common in ancient time to all Bishops and when they called him Bishop that was neither universall nor yet of Rome nor Romane but very seldome but onely Bishop of the Citie of Rome to shew that in those times his Jurisdiction extended not without the walls and suburbs of the Citie of Rome Whence it may be observed that in much probability the Bishops yet of those times were no more than the Pastours of parishes as it is certain they were at the first institution there being not yet at that time speech of diocesse nor of Pastour that had authoritie over many Pastours or Churches and the number of Christians being but small every where one Pastour did serve and was sufficient for the greatest Cities who was called Bishop using the aid and assistance in his charge of the Presbyters that is to say Elders and out of the number of the Elders was ordinarily chosen the Bishop which is to say Intendent or overseer of the flock but this by the way Now to return to the Bishop of Rome it is true that some times they were transported with flattery or by way of civility and complement to give him some titles and Epithites of praise savouring more of flattery than truth extolling either his learning or holinesse beyond all christian modesty and appearance of truth but by a speciall providence of God who would conserve this pure doctrine for his elect or because that was too great a prejudice for them they were never induced to give him any title which might any way shew that Primacie or generall superiority and that without any contradiction of the whole Romish Church to the time of Sylvester which is about 300. yeers and a long time also after him Which if the Bishop of Rome had had or thought to have had it was highly to wrong him in writing to him and not giving him those titles of honour which were due unto him Nor was it a good way to obtain satisfaction in that which they asked to refuse him those qualities of superioritie his subjects did owe him especially in so teetling and important a thing Is there any Prince in the world that would not have reason to be offended if one of his vassals writing to him should call him comrade and companion writing nothing in his letter to shew his submission and the dependence he hath on his Lord and yet in those first ages we read not of any Pope that was offended with any Bishops who writ to them for calling them brother fellow Bishop or companion or for denying him the title of Universall Head This therefore is a manifest proofe that no Bishops did beleeve the Pope of Rome to be universall head of the Church and that the Bishops of Rome did not think it of themselves if this consequence be not reasonable I know not what may be thought reasonable in the world Judge thou indifferent Reader with a spirit of sinceritie and void of passion They of the Romish Church it may be will produce against all that we have cleerly alledged and proved from the Scriptures or otherwise a number of passages out of some Fathers men of the first ages for since Sylvester that the greatnesse of the Bishop of Rome did begin we must not marvell for the reasons alledged which seem to give the Primacy to St. Peter and the Bishop of Rome but the answer is brief in this and other points if they produce ten seeming testimonies for them I shall produce a dozen to the contrary taken out of the same Fathers a great deale stronger cleerer and of greater force than others But not to stay any longer upon their needlesse things let them shew us the true manuscripts written by those ancient Fathers and we will take the pains to read them and examine their opinions although nothing ought to be opposed to the holy Scriptures But to alledge us books written eight or nine hundred yeers after the Autographs and written or printed after a thousand copies and under the highest power of the Church of Rome there is no reason we should trouble our brains with them and also those books being laid together can in nothing equall nor come neer the authoritie of the holy Scriptures which are avowed and acknowledged of all men and speak most cleerly and manifestly in this point And so for the Fathers in this and other matters because I will say no other thing than that which I have said in the seventh Chapter of this book I intreat the Reader to see it there But how cometh it to passe that the Pope of Rome hath possessed himself of so great an authority and maintaineth the same in so high a degree for so many ages CHAP. XII In what manner and at what time the Bishop of Rome usurped the Primacie THose who will read and consider attentively the History of the Christian Church especially the life and history of the Popes written by Popish Authors themselves will cleerly see that the first 300. yeers after the death of our Saviour to the time of Pope Sylvester the Bishop of Rome did pretend no authoritie over the Bishops nor did any give him the title of Universall Head and Bishop in any of the Epistles which were written unto him the Bishop and Church of Rome afflicted with the persecutions and tyrannies of the Emperours imploying their thoughts rather for the conservation of the faith in the practise of humility and patience than in ambition and usurpation of any authoritie which belongeth no wayes unto them But as honours change manners and seldome to the better Constantine the Emperour having been baptized by Sylvester then Bishop of Rome and made the first Christian Emperour by an excessive zeal of devotion to the great prejudice since of all Christendome transferred his Court to Constantinople leaving the City of Rome to Sylvester with a donation of many Lands Lordships and rents so by that gift the Bishop of Rome became the richest and greatest Lord and most considerable without comparison of all the Bishops of the Christian Church it being knowne through the world that the sole Emperour and Monarch of the world had left him his imperiall Citie and inriched and gratified him with so great wealth and honour for him and his successors the Bishops of Rome and howsoever this good Bishop did see himselfe possessed of all this wealth yet did he never usurpe any primacy nor title of head and superiour over other Bishops or Christians himselfe nor his successours for two hundred yeares after his death It is true that being made the richest potentest and most considerable amongst all the Bishops many began to honour him more and write to him with greater respect which ever followeth riches and greatnesse and being thus eminent among all Christians if there were any Bishop who was persecuted by other Bishops or
unto him goe and governe my subjects well what foole is there in the world will beleeve that by these words the King giveth him an ample unlimited power over all his Kingdome subjects and createth him thereby his successour in all his estates after his death would not he be thought to be hypocondriacally affected who would make himselfe beleeve it the King understandeth questionlesse thereby his people and subjects which are in the Province and place where he is sent as Governour and not those who are in other places If a Bishop send a Priest to governe a Parish or a Church and say to him goe I recommend my people and my sheep unto you teach them well and instruct them faithfully take great care to feed my flock with good doctrine ought this Priest therefore to imagine with himselfe that all the people in his diocesse are subject to him and that the Bishop giveth him ample power over all his Bishopricke and maketh him his successour by those words Let him perswade himselfe as much as he can as doe the Hypocondriaques but I beleeve he should finde some to speake withall if he would undertake the exercise of such authoritie without some other Commission for by that it is sufficient he beleeves that the Bishop recommendeth to his charge the sheep which he hath committed to his guard and leading So it is without sence and reason they imagine to inferre by those words that Christ hath given all power over the Church to St Peter and established him his Vicar and Successour in his place but onely he commandeth him to preach and declare the Gospel every where as he did in other places to all the other Apostles without distinction of Jewes or Gentiles Countreyes or Estates but generally in every place where they should be sent And after this manner doth the Romish Church use the holy Scripture to prove the Articles of their beliefe Another objection of the Church of Rome is Our Saviour cōmanded St Peter Mat. 17.27 Mat. 17.27 To take the first fish he could catch and take a piece of money out of its mouth and pay the tribute for them two therfore he made him his successour after his death and hath given him the Primacy over the whole Church and over the other Apostles See here the meaning of this history some Collectour or Publicane cometh to St Peter who was with our Saviour as the first he found it may be or perhaps the most ancient and considerable of all and said unto him that their Master did pay no tribute to the Prince St Peter telleth it to Christ who commandeth him to go to the sea and the first fish he could catch to take a piece of money which he should find in his mouth and pay for him and himself to the publicane to eschew scandalls hereby it appeareth that he maketh him his successour and vicar after his death and that he hath the Primacy and superiority over all the other Apostles and Christians Is not this a consequence handsomely deduced by wise men and neverthelesse it is one of the Romish Church The publicans and collectours for the Prince come to a noble man to ask of him some subsidy and tribute they addressed themselves to the first they met withall or to some old servant and tell him that his Master hath not paid the subsidies the servant goeth and telleth it to his Master who commandeth him to go to such a place and take money to pay for him and himself which he doth to shunne noise and scandall this servitour ought he here for to presume with himself that he will succeed to all the goods and estate of his Master and that thereby preheminence is given unto him over all his other companions and fellow-servants and should he not shew himself altogether ridiculous who would maintain the same to draw such consequences and to found one Article of faith and the most important of them all upon so frivolous conjectures and weak proofs is to make fools of men there must be other proofs and more authentique and clearer declarations to pretend lawfully the greatest power and most advantagious succession in the world Take here yet another parcell of the same dough or rather more frivolous St Peter say they was the first who was called to the Apostleship therefore Christ made him his Successour and Vicar and gave him after his death the superiority over his fellows and the whole Church St John saith that Andrew having found Jesus Christ Ioh. 1.41 went and told his brother Simon and brought him to Christ so that by that means Andrew should be the first of the Apostles who found the Messiah and knew Christ but put the case it were Peter and that he was the first chosen of the Apostles and called to the Apostleship will it follow thence that Christ Jesus made him his Successour The first souldier that is inrolled in a Company by his Captain is he for that his Successour after his death must he have the superiority after his Captains death over all the rest without other declaration or title at all especially the Captain having never declared any thing that way but provided other waies for the government and leading of his company there is certainly neither rhyme nor reason for deducing such consequences so all this serveth onely to deceive the simple and weaker spirits but every man of judgement seeth well enough their weaknesse to believe or give credit thereto Now I protest they are the strongest arguments the Romish Church produceth out of the holy Scripture to prove the primacy of St Peter and consequently that of the Pope for there is nothing spoken of the Pope in the holy Scripture nor doth he pretend any right thereto but so farre as he termeth himself the Successour of St Peter and if they be attentively considered as they ought I perswade my self there is no man in the world provided he hath any sparks of common reason who will not judge them too small and weak to prove so important a doctrine which is the foundation of all the Romish belief and this certainly is more then sufficient to shew that the power of the Pope is usurped that he hath not the authority he pretendeth over the Church and that wrongfully he calleth himself the universall Pastour over all Christians and Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth he not being able to shew or prove his succession and power by any passage of Scripture which hath any strength or likelihood But I minde not to stay there not for any obligation but for greater satisfaction of those who are desirous of salvation and the truth I will prove the negative by Scripture and thereby shew that our Saviour had never intention to leave St Peter nor any other Successour or Vicar in his place and that the Apostles never acknowledged S. Peter nor any other for universall Pastour but Christ we shall also see hereafter how the
doe it it should especially have been at this time an occasion and if he hath not done it here nor elsewhere it is an infallible and certaine proofe that he will leave no other superiour over the Church but himselfe and the holy Spirit Mat. 28.20 and he saith that he would remaine and stay with them alwayes even to the end of the world Besides our Saviour being upon the Crosse recommendeth his Mother to St John and St John to his Mother if St Peter should have been his Successour and Vicar after his death he might even then have spoken something but neither did he it there nor before nor after he was risen although he was conversant amongst them and with his Disciples oftentimes for the space of fortie dayes is not this then a most manifest and cleere proofe that he would leave neither Successour nor generall Vicar in his roome and that it is without sence or reason to say he left St Peter If the testimony of all the men in the world should be found to contradict this same would it be of greater force and strength than this The Word of God ought to triumph over all neither should any thing be opposed to it and it is blasphemy to attempt it there needeth no glosses here for this is cleere enough but either must a man renounce all that is in the holy Scripture or acknowledge this doctrine and truth nor could ever I conclude otherwise having considered it Here you may see good Reader by the holy Scripture that Jesus Christ had never intention to leave any man for Successour and universall Vicar or generall head in his place and that he himself alone would be governour and director for ever and none other but himselfe Therefore it is wrongfully that the Pope of Rome groundeth and maintaineth his authoritie upon that Now let us see by the holy Scripture that the Apostles did never hold Peter for his Successour or universall head of the Church CHAP. X. Proved by the holy Spirit that the Apostles did never acknowledge St Peter for superiour and universall head of the Church IF St Peter hath been instituted by Christ generall Pastour of the Church and Superiour over all the Apostles and Christians I undoubtedly beleeve that the other Apostles did know it perfectly for although Christ should never have declared any thing to them yet the holy Spirit who instructed them in all truth would have taught them this so important a point So it is that it may be proved even by the Scripture it selfe that the Apostles did never acknowledge this superioritie and primacy in Peter and therefore we may safely conclude that he never had it I finde in the Acts of the Apostles chap. 15.7 that the first Councell of the Church after the death of our Saviour was holden at Jerusalem where St James was Bishop and not St Peter that Paul and Barnabas and others came expresly that the Apostles and Elders did assemble to confer about something touching Circumcision and after great debate Peter saith Luke rose up and spake and after him Paul and Barnabas declaring what signes and wonders God had done by them among the Gentiles and so soone as they had done St James answered saying Men and brethren hearken unto mee Simon hath declared how God c. Wherefore my sentence is that wee trouble not them which among the Gentiles are turned to God but that we write unto them c. Now judge I pray you by this passage if Peter may be thought chiefe in this so noble and famous action if there be any of the Apostles who may be thought superiour in this assembly it is questionlesse St James the Councell holding in his Citie and Church It is true St Peter speaketh after some dispute not first as is pretended for they had already disputed and spoken but St James pronounceth sentence in this assembly and as Judge and of most authoritie in the Councell it being done in his Church he imposeth silence to speak and pronounce the sentence as is the custome of the Judges and saith Wherefore my sentence is or now I Judge Ego autem Judico as St Jeroms translation hath it which questionlesse he did not as superiour to all but as Bishop of the place where the assembly was holden and to whom for that respect the first place and greatest authoritie was due as there is no Bishop in the world that giveth not place to another in his owne Church and within the bounds of his Jurisdiction But if Peter had had the primacy he would have pronounced the sentence as Judge and as Master and superiour over them all and it was his to say Ego Judico I marvell also that St James speaking to him if he thought him Vicar of Christ said not our Master Simon or the universall Vicar and Pastour or gave him not some great title such as is now given to the Pope it being a great over-sight to omit it but he saith onely Simon hath told if Simon was his superiour and universall head of the Church St James was greatly to be blamed in this point for some irreverence or little respect but knowing that there was but equalitie among them he useth him as his equall keeping onely the authoritie and dignitie of his own Sea It is said in the Acts chap. 11.1 that St Peter having converted and baptized Cornelius the Centurion and all those men who were Gentiles he came up againe to Jerusalem and being there they who were of the Circumcision that is the converted Jewes would have reproved him and contended with him saying Why wentest thou into men uncircumcised and didst eat with them Peter beginneth and declareth all the matter unto them in order and justifieth the action if St Peter was head of the Church and generall Pastour of all Christians and of all the world I marvell first how they had the boldnesse to reprove him for preaching to the Gentiles whose Pastour he was as well as of the Jewes and I admire also that St Peter seemeth to excuse himselfe before them upon a particular revelation and commission and did not rather tell them that being universall Pastour he had power over all soules and it belonged to him to preach the Gospell to every creature not onely to the Jewes but also to the Gentiles certainly he did not acknowledge as yet that generall power and universall primacy in himselfe nor yet did Christians acknowledge it in him for out of all question they would have spoken otherwise to him and he would also have answered in other tearmes especially if he had thought to have had that infallibilitie which the Pope of Rome vindicateth to himselfe which he saith he hath gotten by the succession and in the person of St Peter Moreover the Apostles sent Peter and John to preach in Samaria would the Pope now adayes receive any such commission Acts 8. and goe preach to the Indians or in Russia by Commission
before it was given them by the wicked and perfidious Emperour Phocas who having overcome and taken Maurice succeeded in his place and because he was freely and without any contradiction crowned at Rome in recompence would oblige the Romans and ordained that the Church of Rome should thereafter be chiefe of all the Churches and that Boniface the third then Pope should be universall Bishop and so was the controversie determined by the power and authoritie of the Emperour If after all this the title of head universall and generall Bishop ought to be thought of divine right and of divine and Apostolique institution given to the Bishop of Rome I have done beleeving that the gift and declaration of a wicked Emperour maketh not the Institution divine Thus you may perceive friendly Reader that Christ never gave it to St Peter and that the Apostles never beleeved any such thing nor did St Peter himselfe ever imagine to have it or make use of it Yee see how almost six hundred yeares were finished which questionlesse is a long time after the death of our Saviour before either the Bishop of Rome was esteemed or did esteeme himselfe generall Bishop and Superiour over the whole Church and now to say that it is the institution of Jesus Christ is it not to thinke men fooles and beleeve they are geese void of all sense and reason not to perceive the imposture Nor is there any but simple and weake wits will beleeve it in the Romish Church and if it be any Article of faith as the Pope his adherents preach and as the Councell of Trent declareth there is none by that reason in the Romish Church but weake judgements who are in the paths of salvation CHAP. XIII How the Bishop of Rome hath and doth labour to maintaine his usurped Primacy and after what manner the Pope is elected at this present I Know the Cardinall Baronius a man otherwise learned and of great authoritie in the Church of Rome in his Ecclesiasticall History hath endeavoured above all things to shew the primacy of the Bishop of Rome as being the principall end and cause of all his painfull labours but I protest that he saith nothing contrary to all I have spoken here of the History of the Popes except onely that he striveth to draw more advantageous consequences for the Bishop of Rome but with what sinceritie and ground the indifferent Reader may judge And because he sheweth that which I have granted that Letters were written from divers places and from many Churches to the Bishop of Rome since St Peters death either to have his advice in matter of faith or clearing of some doubts in Religion or composing of some differences risen amongst the Bishops as to one of their fellow-fellow-Bishops and brethren who had great authoritie amongst them as being the Bishop of the Metropolis of the world where the Emperour did reside he concludeth every where the primacy but with very bad consequences as doe many more of his fellowes who taking pay of the Romish Church either for feare to loose the Benefices they have or in hope to obtaine better and greater doe all that lyeth in their power to extoll the same dissembling often those errours they perceive and labouring to cloake and excuse that which they cannot deny Certainly there is no man who reading the Cardinall Baronius with a minde void of passion will not cleerly perceive that he proceedeth after that manner and indeed according to the policy and wisdome of this world which is neverthelesse foolishnesse before God he could not doe otherwise for he was wise enough to see and foresee if he wrote otherwise than in the favour of his Holines and the Romish Church he could never have aspired to the Cardinalship which he obtained thereby nor to the honours and gratifications the Pope imparted to him thereafter for having maintained so advantageously his authoritie and pretended rights Now to returne to my purpose the Bishop of Rome having once obtained the title of universall Bishop and generall Pastour of the Church by the donation and investure of the Emperour he being already in possession of great authoritie and abundance of great riches it was not hard for him to maintaine and conserve it in despite of all oppositions that were raised from time to time by Bishops who had not so much riches and authoritie as he nor a backe strong enough to contest it against him and make him quit the title but rather hath laboured to exalt himselfe more and more taking occasion from the weaknesse and necessitie or the simplicitie and devotion of Princes to augment his authoritie and estate And he who by the meanes and beneficence of the Emperours was invested in the possession of his greatnesse primacy and riches rose in a small time to that point as to strive to depose them from their thrones and usurp the right of creating and crowning them make them kisse and adore his feet nay even to set his feet upon their necke abusing those words of the Psal 91.13 Thou shalt walke upon the Aspe Basilisque Psal 91.13 and the Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou tread under-foot as did Alexander the third to the Emperour Fredericke Barberousse and his sonne Henry the sixt saith Baronius being brought to the feet of Pope Innocent the third there to receive the Imperiall Crowne upon his knees and it being set upon his head as he was on his knees before the Pope who was on a throne he beat it off with his foot saying to him with an unsupportable arrogancy Know that as I have had the power to set the Crowne on thy head so have I to take it from thee and deprive thee thereof at my pleasure But they took their time and opportunitie of the infirmity and misery of those afflicted Princes to exercise upon them the usurpation of their Empire And no man of understanding will peruse the History but he may see that as the Emperours had invested the Bishops of Rome in the title and qualitie of Head of the Church so for a long time after they reteined the authority to create and install them in their See and depose and turne them out neither was any admitted on received but by consent of the Emperour And if in the absence and distance of the Emperour the Romanes at any time medled themselves with the choosing of the Pope they sent continually to the Emperour to have his consent which sometimes he gave and other times refused And because time altereth and changeth all things that which sometime before was done by all the Romane people with the aforesaid conditions became by little and little to be reduced to the Clergie alone which as the Pope grew greater and richer did also augment their revenues and power gathering the crummes from a Table so excessively furnished as was that of the Pope and so the consent of the Emperour began by little little to be neglected but principally then
learned to be saved for wisdome to speak properly is no other thing but a supereminent and excellent knowledge and Saint James saith Iam. 1.12 that the word of God is able to save us if it be able to save us it is sufficient to do the same and contains all that is necessary to salvation and therefore he who believes that which is in the holy Scripture and no more hath the perfect faith Yes but saith the Romish Church Christ Jesus remits us to the Church Matth. 18.16 for it is said He who will not hearken to the Church let him be as a Pagan and a Publicane that is an excommunicate and anathema therefore we must have recourse to the church as Judge of all controversie and obey its determinations The onely consideration of the occasion of this passage and the words themselves may serve for a sufficient answer our Saviour preaching to his Disciples and teaching them the method they ought to use in brotherly corrections that it may be done according to the rules of charitie speaks to them in this manner If thy brother have offended against thee go and reprove him thou and he alone if he hearken unto thee thou hast wonne thy brother but if he will not heare thee take with thee one or two more that out of the mouth of two or three wetnesses every word may be established and if he will not heare them tell it unto the Church and if he refuse to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen and a publicane By which ye see that Jesus Christ speaks onely of the order which ought to be kept in fraternall correction that is we ought first to reprove in secret next in the presence of one or two witnesses and then in case of obstinacy declare it to the Church and if he will not receive correction from the Church let him be accounted as a pagan that is as a man without faith and religion and as a publicane that is as one whom we must shun for in those times the publicanes were odious to all the people But the Romish Doctors who make use of every thing to prove their doctrine infer by those last words that all power is given to the Church that we must have recourse to the Church in every thing and that all men ought to render perfect obedience to the Church in all things whatsoever and note that to have recourse to the Church and to obey the same is in the school of Rome to have recourse to the Pope and obey him Innocentius cap. 3. so Pope Innocent the third in the chapt novit extra de Judic would fain vindicate to himself the cognizance of some differences betiwixt John king of England and Philip August king of France because saith he it is written in the Gospel tell it to the Church as if by the Church the Pope onely were understood and this interpretation is confirmed by Bellarmine in his book of the authority of Councells cap. 19. Bellarm. de Concil cap. 19. the Pope saith he should tell it to the Church that is to say to himself But the consequence is not good from a particular case to all the other thou must have recourse for the correction and amendment of thy brother to the Church when there is no other easier way therefore we must have recourse to it in all things that will not follow on the contrary he declareth that even in brotherly correction we must not have recourse thereunto but in extremity and also because Christ Jesus saith that in case of obstinacy and known sinne we must hear the Church that is receive correction and admonition from the Church it is not meant that in vertue of those words Kings and Princes should submit themselves to the authority of the Pope in all things and I suppose that there is none but the Pope of Rome and his adherents would draw such an unreasonable consequence because he thinks to finde his profit therein CHAP. III. That the holy Scripture is clear in that which concerns things necessary to salvation ONe of the greatest subtilties which the Romish Church hath found to hinder the people from reading the Scripture and to make them believe they have good reason for so doing and perswade them that the Scripture is an unsufficient rule and Judge of our faith is that they alleadge the holy Scriptures to be obscure and difficult to understand and therefore christians ought not to rush in upon the reading of them in the vulgar tongue that is to say which they understand best without expresse permission from the Pope who saith he as the onely vicar of Jesus Christ in the world and infallible hath the true understanding of the Scripture and that we cannot admit it for Judge and rule of faith but onely the sence and explication of the Church that is of the Pope as I have shewed before And to prove that the Scripture is hard to be understood they search and pick out of purpose some obscure passages which the most learned have much adoe to understand but which are no wayes absolutely necessary to salvation or if they were they are sufficiently and clearly enough explained in other places as for example Psal 16.16 Psal 18.9 Hos 12.1 Ezek. 19.10 of the first part of Psal 16.16 The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places surely I have a goodly heritage or this other psal 18.9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils or fire out of his mouth devoured or some other prophesie as that of Hos 12. Ephraim feedeth on wind and followeth after the East wind or Ezek. 19.10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy bloud planted by the waters with an infinite number of the like whereof the Prophets are full which are not necessary to salvation or if they be necessary to salvation they are sufficiently explained in other places as that which Christ said to Nicodemus Joh. 3.3 Except a man be born again be cannot enter into the kingdome of God it is explained after in the fifth verse Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God by which it is evident Christ Jesus would say he who is born carnally of flesh and is not regenerated spiritually by grace and faith cannot enter into the kingdome of God and so of other passages which neverthelesse are very rare in the new Testament in respect of that which is clear under pretext of those passages which are nothing in comparison of the rest they make the simpler sort believe that that the holy Scripture is so obscure and difficult that it is a rashnesse extremely dangerous for a christian to think he can understand the meaning thereof as a certain Dame at Court told me not long agoe not knowing me and that no man ought to presume to read the same in a vulgar tongue without expresse license the power whereof is
from the dead to convert his brethren God who is understood by Father Abraham did he not answer They have Moses and the Prophets let them harken to them that is let them reade and see what they say for Moses and the Prophets were already dead and could not speake but by their Bookes St John the Evangelist having written the Apocalyps which is the most obscure and difficile Booke of all the Scripture in the opinion of all the learned whereof St Jerome saith that it containes as many mysteries as words yet St John who writ it forbiddeth not the reading thereof to Christians nor saith that none but the Pope of Rome or the Bishops and Doctors have power and presumption to reade it but stirreth up every one to reade it and proclaimeth a blessing upon all those that reade it by those words Blessed is he that readeth Apoc. 1.2 and they that heare the words of this Prophesie and keepe the things that are written therein Apoc. 1.2 When Philip went out of Jerusalem by the commandement of the Lord Act. 8.27 to goe for Gaza he did meet with the Eunuch of the Queene of Ethiopia who being a man that sought the Kingdome of God did reade the old Testament the Apostle did not reprove him for reading the Scripture but explained to him a Prophesie of Isaiah that was difficile to be understood and that reading was a means and helpe to finde true faith and to embrace Christian Religion In the time then of Jesus Christ and his Apostles the reading of the holy Scripture was not forbidden neither was it thought to be pernicious The Romish Church commendeth also St Cecill whose feast they keep as of a great Virgin and Martyr for carrying continually in her bosome the Books of the Evangelists and they hold she lived in the times of St Clement who is esteemed one of the first Bishops of Rome after the death of St Peter The Scriptures then were not as yet prohibited nor the reading of the same thought pernicious or dangerous to the simple sort for she was but a simple young damsell brought up in Paganisme As we reade of St Jerome who lived about three hundred yeares after that he did recommend nothing to Paula and Eustochium Mother and daughter both great Romane Dames so much as the assiduous reading of the holy Scriptures and that it should be their most ordinary study and frequent meditations By these and an infinite of other examples which I might alledge if I feared not tediousnesse we see that the reading of the Scripture was permitted yea recommended and laudable in Christians and that neither by Christ Jesus nor his Apostles nor the Romish Church in those times was it thought to be pernicious None will say that the Gentiles Jewes and Christians of those times were of greater judgement than those of our times or that they were more capable to read the holy Scriptures and the most difficile Prophesies for that should be ridiculous Neither dare any one say that the Prophets and Apostles and Jesus Christ himselfe or the first Pastours of those times had not as much and more understanding than the Pope or the Church of Rome in our time and yet they did not conceive that some would abuse such reading for that should be a great impietie notwithstanding this must be the inference from such a prohibition But to speake truth it appeareth to be no other thing but a policy and malicious subtiltie of the Romish Church for the present too much corrupted or rather from those who governe the same for feare that the people reading the holy Scriptures perceive the errours and falsenesse of the doctrine therein preached seeing so little conformitie in it with the Word of God And truly according to the Maxime of policy and for the conservation and upholding of their doctrine they have as great reason as Mahomet had to destroy all the Universities and Colledges of learning within the reach of his authoritie for my part I doe not remember to have seene any Christians who have not in reading the holy Scriptures faln soon to an infinite number of doubts about the beliefe of the Romish Church it being almost impossible to be otherwise and as black is never better seen than when it is brought neere to white in the light so the lies and false doctrine being confronted and placed by the truth cannot but appeare immediately And there are but few learned men who perceive not this cleerely enough but being interessed in that party and being bound to it with humane cords and bands they strive to dissemble the same that they may conserve their goods and dignities and by the spirit of pusillanimitie or avarice endeavour to suffocate and tread underfoot the prickings motions caused by the truth but blessed are they whom neither wealth nor honours nor any worldly or humane consideration hinder to come to Christ and who embrace his holy doctrine and can say with St Paul Phil. 3.8 Phil. 3.8 I account all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Saviour Since then courteous Reader the reading of the holy Scriptures is of such vertue that it discovereth the lies and is so much recommended to us by God the Father who hath spoken to us by his Prophets and servants and by his Sonne Jesus Christ who hath preached it to us from his owne mouth and by the holy Spirit who hath charged us therewith by his Apostles and Evangelists be in love with it reade it againe and againe without wearinesse Let no power nor authoritie in the world no prohibition of any whosoever hinder you from the reading of it for it being against the will and intention of God there is no power nor authoritie in the earth can binde us from it On the contrary God who commandeth it must rather be obeyed than all the Popes that forbid it although they were universall Pastours as they falsely brag themselves to be and undoubtedly it is a great sin to neglect and set at naught the commandements of our God in that point to obey man and therefore I exhort you againe to read the holy Scriptures couragiously and often to have them continually before your eyes to compare the whole doctrine of our salvation with them and hold them for a sure rule of all truth to meditate and ruminate them uncessantly and obey the holy Spirit who preacheth to us therein for I doubt not but yee may reape great profit for your soules necessary instruction for your salvation and a singular consolation And because that some one by Gods punishment and just judgement abusing the same finds death instead of life is that a sufficient reason to deprive others thereof forbid the reading of it Because the Sunne the fire or the water occasions sometimes great damage to certain persons ought the use thereof be forbidden to all men therefore as most dangerous some there are who abuse both
Church which are almost without number And mark that in all ages this hath been the malice of hereticks to have recourse to Traditions when the Scriptures faile them Tertull. de Monog cap. 2. Joh. 16.12 Bellarm. lib. 5. de verbo Dei so Tertullian being become hereticall in his Booke de Monogania cap. 2. maintaineth the heresie of Montanus by those words of our Saviour I have yet many things to say unto you but yee cannot beare them now Which is the passage Bellarmine citeth for Traditions cap. 5. of his Book of the unwritten Word and yet it appeareth by the following verse that our Saviour by those things which they cannot for the present beare meant the things which are to come as the prophesies concerning the things which were to fall out which are to be seen in the Epistles of the Apostles and in the Revelation of St John and such like things and not any doctrines of faith Irenaeus in the second chap. of his third Book saith Irenaeus cap. 2. lib. 3. that when any did convince the hereticks with Scripture they began to accuse the Scripture saying that the truth could not be found in the Scripture by those who knew not the Tradition because it was not given in writing but onely spoken verbally Now this is practised by the Romish Church more than by any sect that hath ever yet been because seeing Scripture doth faile her to maintaine her tyranny and innumerable superstitious policies she hath invented a word not written which shee calleth Traditions equalling their authoritie with the holy Scriptures and those Traditions are invented and augmented from time to time according to the will and fancy of the Popes for some of them have invented the Masse and some other ceremonies and one or other of them have now and then added to them or taken from augmented or diminished the same some of them have invented Purgatory others Indulgences some the invocation of Saints others the reliques some the Communion under one kinde and yet to this day their number is not perfect neither is it yet known to the Romish Church that which our Saviour preached as necessary to faith and salvation for as there were new Articles of faith made in the Councell of Trent which was the last generall Councell amongst them as that of justification and originall sin so doe they hope to make yet more in the next Councell as it may be of the conception of the Virgin Mary of predestination with or without merits or some others Here is another objection those of the Romish Church thinke to be of great force and which I my selfe have often used disputing against those of the Romish Religion pretending thereby to prove the necessitie of Traditions and to referre our selves to the Church for say they who gave you the holy Scripture but the Tradition and whence know yee the Canonicall Books from those that are not Canonicall but by the determination and tradition of the Church It is true that every particular man receiveth the holy Scripture from the Church he liveth in whether it be a pure or impure Church so the Apostles had received from the Priests and Scribes enemies of Jesus Christ the books of the old Testament but in that the Church doth onely the office of a Witnesse and not of a Judge it onely witnesseth that those Books are holy and Canonicall but it judgeth not them to be holy nor giveth them any authoritie and the Tradition of the Church witnessing those books to be divine and holy is onely a protestation of her subjection to the Scripture and not an usurpation of her authoritie above the written word of God He who sheweth the King to a stranger is not therefore above the King nor giveth he any authoritie to the King and a Book-seller shewing to a buyer the Book of the Statutes of the Kingdome doth not for that authorise those Statutes and some man may receive the holy Scriptures from the Church and afterwards use it to condemne the same Church And as the testimony of innumerable eyes and eares seeing the lightnings and hearing the thunder maketh us say that it thundreth and lightneth so the testimony of innumerable Churches assuring us that the holy Scriptures are from God cause us to give an assent to them as divine Where it is to be noted that as for the Books of the New Testament wee ought to take the testimony of the Churches under the New Testament so for the Books of the old Testament we ought to follow the judgement of the Churches of those times and refer our selves to their testimony without making them for that Judges of the controversie Nor doth it appertaine to him who is to be judged by the holy Scripture and the word of God to make himselfe Judge of that word of God so it is a great impertinency to inferre from this objection the necessitie of Traditions to be of the same vertue with the pure word of God CHAP. VI. Traditions condemned by the holy Scriptures VVE have seen the testimonies of the holy Scripture and the reasons they of the Romish Church bring to establish the doctrine of Traditions Now let us see the testimonies of the same Scripture which the Orthodox and reformed Church alledge to condemne those Traditions and consider which of them are of greatest strength As for mee having maturely considered the passages I cannot see how their force can be eluded or rather that men yeeld not to their cleernesse The Prophet Moses saith to the people of God Deut. 12.13 Deut. 12.13 Yee shall doe that which I command you before the Lord neither adding nor diminishing there from and more cleerly in Chap. 12. Yee shall adde nothing to the word which I command you nor take nothing from it and Salomon in his Proverbs saith Pro. 30.6 Adde thou nothing unto his word least he reprove thee and thou be found a lyar Which being not deniable but that it is said of the Church what doth the Scripture thereby but condemne most cleerly the Traditions which are questionlesse new inventions added to the holy Scripture For my part after I began to consider attentively the words of the Apostle St Paul on this subject I could never see how those of the Romish Church can maintaine the doctrine of their Traditions as pertaining to faith and equall in authoritie to the holy Scriptures Gal. 1.8 Mark I pray you with me those words Gal. 1.8 If we our selves or any Angel from heaven preach to you any other Gospel than that which hath been preached unto you let him be accursed Note these words Let him be accursed which are of no small importance and observe the word besides Praeterquam quod is in the vulgar translation of St Jerome which is more fully expressed by the word besides than by the word otherwise as it is in some corrupted impressions and above all note that he saith not against but besides Praeterquam
quod Now what I pray you are all the traditions of the Romish Church but doctrine and things besides the Word of God Besides that which St Paul and Christ Jesus and the other Apostles did preach yea even contrary for all doctrine taught as necessary to faith out of the Scripture is also contrary unto the Scripture seeing it is against the prohibition to adde to the Word of God Mat. 15.9 and God condemneth them who teach for doctrine of faith the doctrine and commandements of men And mark that Christ Jesus in this chap. of St Matthew did specially condemne the Pharisees because they transgressed the commandements of God by their traditions and what I pray you were those traditions they were not things expresly forbidden in the law of God but simple additions and willing devotions without the word of God and which outwardly smelled of nothing but devotion puritie and holinesse as to fast three times a week to wash the cups the platters to tithe Mint and Annise to make conscience to heal any sick man on the Sabbath day to make long prayers to abstaine from certaine meats and that not through a conceit that those things were polluted but through a willing devotion and humilitie of spirit or through a desire to mortifie the flesh but because those things were taught as being of equall authoritie with the doctrine of faith that is the cause wherefore they are condemned by the Son of God as contrary to his holy Word There is no doubt but by this passage of the Apostle St Paul we cited before are also condemned all the Traditions of the Romish Church which are taught and preached to be of equall authoritie with the holy Scriptures which truely are besides the Word of God and the Gospel that was preached by our Saviour and his Disciples for how cometh it to passe that they should have preached so many things pertaining to faith and salvation and never speak any thing of them in any of their Books nor in the acts of the Apostles which is the History of the most remarkable actions and Sermons of the Apostles for more than twenty yeares see if there be any thing spoken there of the invocation of Saints of Indulgencies Purgatory prayer for the dead of the Communion under one kinde or of the rest and if those and the like things be not in the holy Scriptures they are besides the Word of God and consequently he that preacheth them is accursed and Anathema and they are not to be received as pertaining to faith And to shew that the Traditions which the Church of Rome teacheth as Articles of faith doe not come from Christ Jesus and his Apostles nor cannot be said to be Apostolique nor divine but papall and humane to say no worse there is almost none of them the history of that Church sheweth not by what Pope or Bishop they were invented and at what time they had their beginning Baro. Annal Eccle. Gualter Chronol Durant de ritib. see the Authors who handle the same least I should be too prolix in this matter being desirous to lay open another of not much lesse importance CHAP. VII That wee cannot ground our beliefe upon the Books of the ancient Fathers THose of the Romish Church to authorise their Traditions which are besides nay contrary to the Word of God send us to the Fathers as to other Judges to determine our differences whose doctrine they affirme to be conformable to that which they teach Certainly I have thought Antiquitie in it selfe to be very venerable and worthy to be respected especially the Fathers whose grave and learned Books deserve praise of all good spirits principally if their doctrine be conformable to the Word of God which is the sole infallible rule of all good doctrine And to speak truly I finde that the Fathers of the first ages condemne in a number of places so manifestly the errors and superstitious doctrines of the Romish Church that I have marvailed oftentimes how they can have the boldnesse to alledge them in their favour It is true that as in the time of St Paul the mystery of iniquitie was already working so it is not to be marveiled that they being men some things have now and then insensibly crept into the writings of some of them which were not altogether so pure and seeme somewhat to incline to superstitions which by little and little insinuated themselves into the Church But I beleeve that though all their Books should seeme manifestly to contradict the faith of the Reformed Churches wee are not obliged to receive them as our Judges neither as irreprochable Witnesses and howsoever I esteeme highly of the Authours yet wee cannot ground any Article of faith upon their Writings but so far as wee finde them to conforme to the Word of God which is the toucstone of all truth neither are wee bound to have recourse to them any wayes For if we were obliged to have recourse to them and receive them for Judges of our faith that were to bring our faith and the point of our salvation in an impossibilitie at least morall because all Christians should be obliged to have them and to have them all or the most part which is not possible but to the richer sort and having them they should be obliged to reade them almost all and that wholy to the end they might compare one with another and see if they agree one with another in the same doctrine and if they be conformable to themselves every where and so none but those who had great leasure could reade them and being almost all of them either in Latine or Greeke or other strange tongue but few of them in vulgar tongues what should they doe who understand neither Latine nor Greeke There would be none then but the richer and learneder and those who had no other imployment but to reade could be assured of their faith and so all others should be without faith and knowledge of those things which concerne their salvation and consequently in a manifest way of perdition by their ignorance Notwithstanding our Saviour his coming was to teach the poore as well as the rich the ignorant as the learned the Merchants and Tradesmen as well as those who are not so much imployed Besides it is impossible to build upon their Writings any beliefe of faith for as Printing was not in their time but onely two or three hundred yeares since those who have written in the Primitive Church even to our time since our Saviour which hath been thirteen or fourteen hundred yeares have left us nothing but Manuscripts which behooved to be transcribed that they might be dispersed Now there is no man who will not confesse that the Originals and first Manuscripts written or at least revised and corrected by the Fathers which composed them have been seen but of a few and little or nothing of them all is to be found at this time nor was found
when Printing did begin they being either lost or consumed by fire or time or by the Wormes or a multitude of other accidents which we see doth eat and consume the very stones and Iron Now those first Manuscripts have been copied out by divers Writers and that from hand to hand from time to time to be dispersed and preserved from age to age and run over Kingdoms and after a multitude of Transcriptions passed by example since our Saviours time to us how many faults and what alteration have been made in those Books and in the doctrine of those Fathers for there is no man almost how able soever who can brag that he can transcribe a sheet of paper without committing some one or more faults how many will there be then in a great Volume as one of St Augustins or St Chrysostoms And as those Clerks or Transcribers who were called Amanuenses were for the most part mercenary and did all for money and profit living by that trade it is likely they took not much care but thought onely upon a quick dispatch that they might gaine the more and when they found any thing that seemed a fault to them whether it was really so or not they changed and corrected it according to their minde and passion it faring with faults as with balls of snow which the more they are rolled grow the bigger so far was their faults to be lesned by their Writers thav they were rather augmented and multiplied the old continuing or rather growing worse and daily more new ones being made so that some little time after it might be said of every Book that it was in a manner no more the same Book but altogether another being so much changed and altered And the Romish Church growing in power and authoritie when shee found any thing in those Books contrary to her doctrine and the increase of her greatnesse or against her designes and intentions shee did condemne the same as falsified and falsly attributed to the Fathers and correct it after her own minde and fancy and when Printing was come in use shee made choice of that which was most conformable to her doctrine or rather moulding and forming it by her agents and supporters to her own minde caused it so to be printed suppressing and forbidding other Copies as spurious and corrupted said they by some heretiques or malicious people or falsly attributed to their Authors and so who can now say in the world certainly that the writings fathered upon Irenaeus Cyrillus Augustin and other ancient Fathers are the true and genuine Writings of those Fathers not falsified or supposed And if it hath been so hard a matter to preserve the holy Scripture which is but a little Book in comparison of those others in its purity through so many ages when Printing was not in use What can we say of those great Volumes which were not in so great request nor so much respected and where the change and alteration was not of so great importance to care so much but where every one took often the authoritie to change according to his fancy and accommodate the Father to his minde to authorise his beliefe I think there is no man of good judgement in the world who seeth not cleerly the force and power of this so manifest truth and that it is impossible to ground any certaine beliefe such as that of faith ought to be upon so uncertaine grounds Besides that though they were most certaine yet being men subject to mistakes and errours wee were not obliged to make their opinions our Judges if they be not conformable to the Word of God which is the rule of all truth For which cause I shall not strive in this Booke to alledge many passages of Fathers but onely shew my opinion grounded upon strong reasons and upon the vertue of the Scripture My intention not being to make a great Volume but onely a little Book of small cost and little time and paines both for my selfe and the Reader CHAP. VIII Concerning the chiefe point of Controversie to wit that St Peter had no primacy in the Church and that the primacy of the Pope is an unlawfull usurpation AS I have ever beleeved that the chiefe and most important point among all the controversies betwixt the Catholique reformed and the Romish Church is that of the Primacy of the Pope and whether he be Vicar of Christ Jesus on earth universall and generall Bishop over all Christians and be head and superiour of the Catholique Church So it was the first motive of my conversion and that which I esteemed to have most need to be well considered and examined as being the ground of all the Romish beliefe which once over-turned shee must of necessitie fall to the ground And howsoever there be many other points of great importance this neverthelesse is as the Center where all the rest do meet and the axletree on which they all move and the foundation that upholdeth them because that whatsoever point of faith or Scripture is in controversie those of the Romish Church will have none but the Church for Judge or as I have shewed the Pope saying he is Vicar of Christ Jesus and head of the universall Church and consequently sole Judge in matters of faith And being the Pope of Rome pretendeth this authoritie onely so far as he vaunteth himselfe to be successour of St Peter to whom he saith that Christ Jesus hath given this power I have diligently examined the question to see what reason and ground the Doctors of the Romish Church have to maintaine the same and howsoever they reject the Scripture and will not admit it to be Judge of controversie they are neverthelesse necessitated to have recourse to it and receive it for Judge in this point For the question being of the Pope he must not be Judge and party and it would be an insufferable impertinency to goe about to prove the Pope by the Pope and maintaine that he is head of the Church because maintaineth he and affirmeth it he must then of necessitie declare and produce his other titles and shew by what vertue he posseseth this authoritie there being no proscription in matter of faith and conscience for otherwise the Religion of the Gentiles and Idolaters would have been thought the best and the doctrine of the Evangelists would never have been planted for which cause also he laboureth to prove this his Article by the Scripture And to that end we shall first set downe the strongest of his reasons by way of objection the weaknesse and nullity of which I shall shew And although it be sufficient enough for evidencing his power to be unlawfull and usurped making it appeare that his titles are false and of no force and that wee are not obliged to bring proofes out of the Scriptures for that which is not a point of our faith it being sufficient for us that it is not in the Scripture which we hold for sole rule
of St Peters primacy shall be drawne from the following words Mat. 16.14 set downe in Mat. 16.14 And I will give thee the keyes of the Kingdâ—me of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven The Popes grounding themselves on those words have assumed all power over Christians over Kings Emperours and States to excommunicate interdict and depose to crowne and create Princes and to give all their estates in spoyle In a word they thinke all they are able to attempt is lawfull to them as being sufficiently authorised by those words and that nothing under the heavens is exempt from their jurisdiction because it is said in that passage Whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven At the first sight this passage wee have cited seemeth to be of great strength to maintaine the primacy of St Peter and his successours but I will onely turne over the leafe to elude this objection and shew its weaknesse and insufficiency for this purpose for I finde in Mat. 18.18 that Christ said to all his Disciples and Apostles present the same words in the plurall number Verily I say unto you that whatsoever yee shall binde on earth Mat. 18.18 shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Quaecunque ligaveritis in the plurall number neverthelesse I have never as yet heard nor seen any Author that attributeth this generall and universall power over the whole Church and over all Christians to any other of the Apostles by those words why then to St Petrr more than the rest seeing the same words were spoken to them by Christ This might be a sufficient Answer to the objection of the Romish Church But because they use these words yet further to give power to all their Priests to absolve from all sinnes even the most secret and to binde and loose the soules and consciences at their pleasure I intreat you seriously to consider the occasion of this passage to see how little reason they have or rather the great wrong they doe in establishing a doctrine of so great importance on these words for these are the words the Bishops use at the consecration of Priests imposing their hands and saying Receive the holy Spirit all that yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and all that yee loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Jesus preaching to his Disciples of the order that ought to be kept in brotherly correction saith Mat. 18.16 Mat. 18.16 If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betwixt him and thee alone if he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if he will not heare thee take with thee two or three more that out of the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word shall be established and if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican verily I say unto you that whatsoever yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Thence every man may cleerly see that our Saviour speaks of the exterior and publique sinnes of our neighbour which are knowne not of secret sinnes and to keep the order of charitie and not dishonour him his will is that when thou shalt know it thou reprove him secretly between thee and him alone but if he continue still take with thee two or three Witnesses to reprove him in their presence and if for all that he continue in his sin and obstinacy accuse him to the Congregation and company of the faithfull that he may receive correction and if he doth not humble and submit himselfe let him be excommunicate and thrust out of the Congregation and thereupon he assureth the Pastours of his Church in the person of his Disciples that whatsoever they shall binde or loose on earth being understood with this order of charitie shall be bound or loosed in heaven that is whomsoever they shall bind with the bands and sentence of excommunication shall be bound in heaven and the sentence shall be confirmed and ratified in heaven by God and he whom they shall thrust out of the Church and Congregation shall be esteemed of us as thrust out in heaven Is there any man in the world that can justly contradict the literall sence of these words and who seeth not that this hath been out of all doubt the true meaning of the Son of God To what purpose then doe they apply that which was spoken of a particular case and of exteriour and knowne sinnes to all the interiour hidden and secret sinnes of the heart and to what end doe they enlarge the power of the Minister which is limited in this case over all manner of persons subjects and States but the ambition to command maketh arrowes or rather Charcoale of all wood to defile it selfe and all its followers See here another objection of the same mettle with the former Our Saviour Joh. 21.15 saith to St Peter twice Joh. 21.15 feed my Lambes and once feed my sheepe and by consequence he hath established him universall Pastour over all Christians I marvell much that the Doctors of the Romish Church should take pleasure to forge such bad consequences for I beleeve they know well enough that Terminus indefinitus aequivalet particulari non universali that an indefinite proposition is equivalent to a particular and not to an universall or generall Wee might say that Christ in those words did not recommend all his sheep to Peter nor give him power over them all and let us grant notwithstanding that St Peter had charge to feed all the sheep and lambs of the Lords flocke and commission to preach the Gospell unto them and feed them with the doctrine of life and salvation The same Commission and power was also given by Jesus Christ to all the Apostles Mark i6 15 Mat. 28.19 when he said to them in Mark. 16.15 Goe yee to all the world and Preach the Gospell to every creature and Mat. 28.19 Goe and teach all Nations for so ought the word feed to be understood namely to feed with doctrine and to teach so it is not said that primacy and superioritie is attributed to them but onely a Commission and charge given to preach the Gospel every where and teach all men to beleeve Further I answer that although this passage were understood of the power and authoritie it being an indefinite proposition to wit my sheep all the sheep cannot be understood here but onely those which Christ would especially commit to his guard and put under his government to wit the Churches which he was to found and governe A King sending a Nobleman to be Governour of a Province or Citie if perchance he say
Pope of Rome was above three or foure hundred yeares without being acknowledged for generall Bishop and universall Pastour of the Church which next we shall shew how this usurpation was brought into the world and how it hath been maintained in such an ambitious greatnesse CHAP. IX Proved from holy Scripture that Christ had never intention to leave S. Peter or any other Apostle for his Successour or generall Vicar after him ALthough it be sufficient to prove the usurpation of any authoritie that no authentique nor credible titles can be produced so to prove the authority the Pope pretendeth over the Church to be usurped it is sufficient that he cannot produce any passage of Scripture which sheweth with any appearance that that authority was given him by Jesus Christ Neverthelesse I shall shew the contrary out of the holy Scripture and evidence cleerely by the same that it was never the intention of Christ Jesus to leave St Peter nor any other of the Apostles as generall Vicar in his place or superiour over the whole Church assuring the Reader that if he will be but an indifferent Judge in this point and examine this with sinceritie and without passion he shall finde my reasons stronger for the negative which none is obliged to prove than those of the Romish Church for the affirmative of the most important article of their beliefe Our Saviour saith St Luke being neere the time of his suffering did advertise his Disciples of his death telling them that the Son of man should be delivered into the hands of men Luk. 9.49 Mark 9.33 and that they should slay him and put him to death and that he would rise againe the third day after his death They understood not say the Evangelists these words and that mystery neverthelesse hearing him speake of his death they dreamed of a succession and primacy after his death and fell into dispute among themselves who should be the greatest among them and who should command after his death If Christ Jesus had had any desire to leave any Successour after his death for universall head over them all and the whole Church that was a very fit occasion to declare his will None dare say that he forgot himselfe for the Disciples gave him sufficient occasion to thinke of it Moreover he being the eternall Wisdome he did remember all things he had to doe neither was there ever in him defect of remembrance or memory St Peter was present with the others if he had a desire to leave a Successour there is no man in the world who will not thinke that this was a faire occasion to declare himselfe there anent his death being neere or then take some other time to leave a successour to them and neverthelesse he never spake so much as one word neither at that time nor any other onely he reproved and checked greatly their ambition in that and setting a little childe in the middest of them exhorted them all to submission and to the contempt of domination to imitate the humble thoughts of that little childe which were questionlesse far from ambition And observe that they did even dispute of that primacy after our Saviour had said to St Peter Thou art Peter Mat. 16.13 and upon this rock c. and the other words which the Romish Church bring for the primacy of St Peter and if they understood those words as the Romish Church saith they must be understood how commeth it to passe that they disputed yet still among themselves for the primacy Luk. 22.26 Was not that to oppose themselves to the Lords command And Christ saith not unto them why dispute yee for the primacy doe yee not well remember that I have already given the superioritie to Peter if it was given as they pretend this was the answer he behoved to make but he exhorteth them onely to humilitie and to the contempt of all primacy And as they disputed yet another time the night before his death he said to them The Kings of the Nations exercise Lordship over them but it shall not be so amongst you Now seeing Christ hath not left a Successour neither at that time nor at any other it is an evedent signe that he would not that it was never his intention and that it is to conjecture without reason to thinke the contrary Further our Saviour being neere to his death yea a few houres before he was taken he desired being with all his Disciples together to sup with them and celebrate the Passeover Ioh. 14.4 after Supper he riseth from the Table and laying aside his garment girdeth himselfe with a linnen cloath putteth water into the Bason himselfe and washeth the feet of his Apostles beginning it is true at St Peter it may be as one of the ancientest and being of a lively spirit and a bold he was questionlesse one of the most considerable amongst them nor must we marvell if our Saviour spoke often to him and that St Peter speaketh sometimes for all the rest not by office nor dignitie but possibly through confidence of facilitie in discoursing but this by the way he doth the same to the other Apostles and washeth their feet he resumeth his garments and sitteth down to the Table againe and beginneth a long exhortation to them as being the last of all both to bid them farewell and declare to them his last Will. It is out of all doubt at this time that he should speak to them of a Successour if he have any intention to leave one after him he exhorteth them by his owne example to humilitie to puritie and patience to charitie and to love one another he speaketh to them of his deitie and of eternall life of the persecutions and tortures which he and they were to suffer In a word he telleth them a number of things which may be seen at large in St Joh. chap. 13. but he speaketh not one word to them of a Successour Ioh. 13. nor of leaving a Vicar in his place or an universall head after his death And is it not a most evident signe if he have not done it that he would not doe it for that was his last exhortation before his death knowing that they should not conveene nor he see them any more together to speake to them He speaketh indeed of Peter and to him when he spoke of his inconstancy that he should deny him three times but he speaketh never a word to him of primacy or leaving him as his Vicar on earth he saith often that he is to depart from them and promiseth he will not leave them Orphans but that he will send them the holy Spirit to abide eternally with them to comfort them and teach them in all truth but he saith not to them that he will leave them another Master in his place a generall Vicar or head and superiour whom they must obey after him There are none who will not judge that if he had intention to
from some other Bishops in France or Italy Further St Paul saith Gal. 2.16 that the preaching of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision was committed to him as that of the Circumcision to St Peter and when James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars perceived the grace saith he that was given unto mee they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that is they received mee for companion that we should goe unto the brethren and they unto the Circumcision Here if you please you may observe that he attributeth no more to Peter than to John and James but calleth them all three Pillars and nameth not Peter but James first which shewed that he acknowledged no superioritie amongst them above the rest and saith further that the right hand of association was given him that is they received him for companion to goe and preach to the Gentiles as they to the Jewes Is there any Bishop in the world who dare write himselfe companion to the Pope and the charge to preach to the Gentiles was it not the most honourable and greatest and most fit to the universall Pastour of the world which if St Peter had been it was to him rather than to St Paul to whom it did belong it being also said that he hath been Bishop of the chiefe Citie of all the Gentiles although there be no proofe or likelihood of it fit in the Scripture but of this hereafter Gal. 2.11 And a little after in the same chap. When Peter saith he was come to Antioch I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed for before that certaine came from James he did eat with the Gentiles but when they were come he withdrew and separated himselfe fearing them which were of the Circumcision and the other Jewes dissembled likewise with him in so much that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel I said unto Peter before them all If thou being a Iew live also after the manner of the Gentiles and not as doe the Jewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as doe the Iewes Here you see how Paul saith that he withstood Peter to his face because he was to be blamed yea and reproved him sharply for his dissimulation and evill example if Paul had acknowledged Peter for his superiour and head over all Christians it is out of all doubt a great fault in Paul to resist his superiour to his face and so to write and if he did acknowledge in him that infallibilitie whereof the Pope braggeth how saith he that he was to be blamed and faulty there can be no other thing answered to this but that Paul did not acknowledge any superioritie or infallibilitie in Saint Peter otherwise there is none of good judgement in the world who would not think Paul guilty of a fault and crime of contempt and yet no man even to this day nor any Pope durst ever condemne this fault in Paul and did also he onely acknowledge Peter as his equall and fellow-Apostle whom he was bold to reprove and I beleeve that every man who is not interessed and is void of passion will judge with me by those passages of Scripture and with the orthodox belief that the Apostles did never acknowledge this superiority and Primacy in Peter and that it is in vain to the Pope to vindicate the same to himself Peter having never had it Finally if Saint Peter himself did think he had this universall authority over all the Apostles and all Christians and all the Churches of the world I marvell he never made it appear nor used it at any time and that there is nothing spoken of it in the Acts of the Apostles which are the history of the Apostles for more then 20 years I marvell also that he did not addresse some Epistles to all the Christians in the world but contented himself to write onely to some Jewes who were dispersed by the persecution of Saint Steven and I marvell yet most of all he did not put some titles before his Epistles to make known his Primacy he doth not write Peter Bishop of Bishops or universall Pastour of the Church or great Vicar of Christ on earth 1. Pet. 1. nor any such thing but onely Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers which are scattered in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia there is not so much as one word in both those Epistles that favoureth of his Supremacy his words are not the words of a Master nor of a Superiour or Soveraign doth a Soveraign ever write long letters to his subjects and never speak to them as a Soveraign how humble soever he be without using any word of Lord and Master or giving any commandement It appeareth then hereby and by that which we spoke before that the Apostles did never acknowledge this Primacy of Saint Peter nor did he ever acknowledge it himself and I beleeve I have sufficiently proved this by Scripture to be judged by any man of judgement that those arguments of Scripture to prove this negative to wit that Saint Peter had no Primacy are beyond all comparison stronger than those which the Romish Church doth produce to prove the affirmative of this Doctrine to wit that Saint Peter was Head of the Church I know that the Doctours of the Romish Church want not explications in their favour upon those passages whether found out by them or some of the auncients for there is no errour that may not finde some colourable pretext but we shall give sufficient answers thereto in the next chapter and J protest I never found satisfaction nor I beleeve shall any man of sound judgement find satisfaction therein for this truth is too clear and evident to be contradicted Now let us see if the Bishop of Rome who calleth himself Successour of Saint Peter was acknowledged by the primitive Church and those first ages to have had this Primacy and universall superiority over the whole Church CHAP. XI That although Saint Peter had had the preeminence the Pope hath no right to challenge it to himself and that the Primitive Church never acknowledged this universall Superiority in the Bishop of Rome THe first question to be cleared here should be whether Saint Peter were ever Bishop of Rome or if he ever was at Rome for the Pope of Rome pretendeth onely his Primacy by succeeding Saint Peter in the Sea of Rome to which saith he is annexed the generall chair and universall power over all christians If any truth may be drawn from the Scripture in this point it is out of all doubt more probable yea and more certain that he was never Bishop nay that he was never there then otherwise for it was a strange and hard thing to beleeve that he was there and founded that Church established there his Sea and chair which the Pope esteemeth the first
excommunicated by his Patriarch or Metropolitan or by any Councell either justly or unjustly he went presently to Rome addressing himselfe to the Bishop as the richest of them all to assist him and the most powerfull and of greatest authoritie to protect him against his adversaries and as necessitie and extremitie passe often all the limits of truth many amongst them to captivate his good will and favour strove to give him as great titles as their industry could suggest and although they who gave them and they to whom they were given knew sufficiently that it was wrongfully and without reason or the Word of God neverthelesse the extremitie and necessitie of the one made them submit even in that point depriving themselves of somethings which justly belonged to them to give them to the Bishop from whom they expected assistance and the vanitie which did creep in and diffuse it selfe in the hearts made many Popes receive those titles without contradiction at least apparant or opposition that was capable to hinder the progresse In Sylvester his time indeed it did cleerly appeare that the greatnesse and authoritie of the Bishop of Rome did grow and increase mightily Neverthelesse the title of general Pastour or universall head of Bishops or Vicar of Christ Jesus on earth was not yet in use nor was it given or usurped by any and the first Bishop of Rome in whose time the title of universall Bishop began to be spoken of was Gregory who lived above an hundred and fiftie yeares after Sylvester between the fifth and sixth age I call them and others Saints after the manner of the Romish Church that it may the better be knowne of whom I speake I having no purpose here to question their holines seeing also the Apostle calleth all Christians Saints and although it is apparant that the puritie of the Church was already much changed under this Pope yet he had modesty enough pertinently to refuse this title which was offered him and to reprove and blame the same severely in the Bishop of Constantinople who challenged and usurped that which hitherto had been attempted by none other And however my resolution be not to overcharge this Treatise with passages of Fathers I hope notwithstanding that it shall not be amisse to set downe St Gregories own words on this subject which even those of the Romish Church confesse to be true and not Apocrypha and shew so neere as I can the summe of the History There was at that time in Constantinople a Bishop named Iohn a man exceeding ambitious desiring to extend the limits of his Diocesse as far as was those of the Empire and usurpe the title of universall Bishop over the whole Church even as the Emperour who had his residence in that Citie was generall and universall Monarch of the world a title which before him no Bishop durst usurpe which Gregory Bishop of Rome seeing and considering how great consequence prejudice it was to his See and all other Bishops he as the most potent and remarkable among them for the causes I have already set downe opposeth stoutly labouring violently to repell the boldnesse and temeritie of this usurper Greg. l. 4. Epist 76. without complaining therefore that John had therein incroached upon any priviledge appertaining to him and all the Bishops of Rome but he couragiously maintaineth that title to be prophane sacrilegious and a presage of the comming of Antichrist Idem l. 4. Epist 78. see the 76 Epistle 4 Book And in the 78 Epistle of the same Book It is saith he a thing too hard to indure that our brother and fellow-Bishop should be alone called Bishop in contempt of all the rest and what other thing doth his arrogance portend but that the time of Antichrist approacheth already in so far as he imitateth him who disdaining the company of Angells assayed to ascend to the top of singularitie In the 80 Epistle of the same Book he saith Idem l. 4. Epist 80. None of my predecessours would use this prophane word because if one will call himselfe universall Patriarch the name of Patriarch is stolne from others but far be it from a Christian soule that any should falsly ascribe to himselfe that whereby he diminisheth any thing from the honour of the brethren to consent to that unjust speech is no other thing than to fall from the faith one thing wee owe to the unitie of faith and another thing to suppresse pride and I say boldly that he who calleth himselfe Pastour universall or desireth so to be called surpasseth the Antichrist in pride because by pride he exalteth himselfe above others Idem l. 6 Epist 188. In his 188 Epistle of the sixt Book see his words I have said that he could not have peace with us if he corrected not the vanitie of that superstitious and ambitious word which hath been invented by the first Apostat and to speak nothing of the injury done to your honour if a Bishop be called universall that universall once falling the universall Church must also fall downe Thus much saith St Gregory of the arrogance of John Patriarch of Constantinople Idem l. 1. Epist 30. who would appropriate this title to himselfe he blameth his insolence and applieth not to himselfe that which he denieth to him but rather refuseth it being offered in those words in the thirtith Epistle of his seventh Book Behold saith he in the Preface of the Epistle yee have sent unto mee I having forbid it yee have wrote a word full of ambition calling mee universall Pope which I intreat you yee would use no more for it is taken from you which is given to any other more than reason requireth As for mee I account it no honour to see the honour of my brethren diminished for my honour is the honour of the universall Church and the solid authoritie of my brethren Now if your sanctitie call mee the Pope universall you deny your selfe to be such in calling mee universall And thus much St Gregory in those places for the condemning of that title as well in his owne person as in John who would not for all submit thereto but persisted still in his presumption nor would his successour after him for any intreaty part with any thing Judge by those testimonies if in those times the Bishop of Rome was thought or did thinke himselfe generall Pastour and Head of the Church his power and authoritie being already very great but not yet come to the presumption of usurping that dignity and primacy for that seemed to be an usurpation of such consequence and prejudice to all other Bishops that he durst not attempt it publikely for feare of a generall oppositiō from all other Bishops who might also have interposed the authoritie of the Emperour And howsoever the Bishop of Rome at that time did shew a great inclination to their primacy for perfecting of their greatnesse yet did they never dare to ascribe the same to themselves
might ask who those Cardinals be whom they call Princes of the Church and upon whom the Church is said to rest and move as a doore on the hinges for from the word Cardine is Cardinall taken and it is known to every man that some of them are simple Priests others Bishops and others neither Priests nor Bishops but ordinarily great Lords and Princes to whom that dignitie is given for the greatnesse of their family the most part of them being very rich and abounding in wealth and pleasures who represent neverthelesse as they say the Apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ although the difference be as great betwixt the Cardinals and the Disciples as betwixt day and night and a great Chaos between those conditions and neverthelesse these are the guides and leaders of the flock of Christ the Counsellours of the universall Pastor and the onely men can give a Pastor to the Church But consider I pray you what prejudice it is to Princes and Kingdoms hereby the Popes labouring to perpetuate that Primacy within the families and confines of Italy make of purpose a great number of Italians Cardinals for one of other countreys and I am full perswaded if there be sixtie Cardinals there are ever more than fourtie of them Italians and it may be three or foure of every other Nations and when the Pope is dead there being but 16. or 17. dayes purposely to conveene and make a new election there are none but the Cardinals in Italy can be present so it is not to be marvelled if the Pope who is now adayes created is ever an Italian it being impossible to other Cardinals who are imploied in their charges or about their Princes to be present in time their number being even too small to contradict or carrie it although they were there But I would willingly ask who hath made Italy dearer to God than other Kingdoms and Nations to carry this priviledge and to give and impose a Law upon all other Christians of the world Was Christ Jesus and St. Peter born in Italy they were born and issued from Judea ought Italy which is but a small peece of ground to give Laws to the whole world and to bring all other Christians under their yoke Is it a Nation of greater worth then is France Spaine Germany or other Kingdoms greater and richer more powerfull and renowned than she is to bring them also under her Empire if the Head of the Church ought to be created by election to make the election just equitable and lawfull all Kingdoms should be advertised of the day of the election that they may have time to come or send their deputies thither Let them have equalitie of voice as many and no more of Italy than of France or Spaine let Italy although but little hold the place of a Kingdom and have as many voices if they will as a greater and more powerfull Kingdom that might be suffered and it is all the favour it could pretend let the election be made at Rome and let the Pope live there if he list this might be born with providing all the Christian Kingdoms might have time to send their deputies and be received with equalitie of voice and suffrage so he who should be chosen in this manner might more lawfully be esteemed head of the Church if not by divine at least by humane right and Ecclesiastical policie and Christians having after this manner contributed and consented to his election might have some reason to acknowledge him for superiour and obey him But to be elected as he is now adayes although in all times there had been a head in the Church he who is elected after this manner cannot be justly and lawfully esteemed for such a one for the election is altogether unjust and consequently invalid and therefore none are bound to obey him I speak even according to the Laws of the Romish Church supposing also that Jesus Christ had had intention to leave another Head than himself to the Church on earth I marvell that Kings and Princes who have so great power and so wise Counsell neer them should so suffer this great injustice to be done to all Christians that depend on their Authority and take no order with it are there not as wise men and capable to govern the Church in their Dominions as in Italy Is it necessary that it be continually governed at this day by an Italian and that all the Congregations and orders of the Romish Church be also governed by men whom the Pope laboureth by his policy to have ever of his Nation to reign and maintain himself with more full power Those whom this doth concern know sufficiently what I mind to say And must all the goods and almes of Christians serve onely to augment and inrich all the families of Italy one after another and that strangers can never pretend any part in that wherein they have as much interest as the others and the materials of which they furnish at their proper charge and to the great oppression of the people which might be much eased if those innumerable summes of gold which go every yeer out of their Dominions to maintain the dissolutenesse and excesse of the Pope and his Court did remain within the countrey or were converted to the use of the Kings and Princes nor is it without cause that the Italians mock other Popish Nations for suffering themselves to be so gulled by them and truly they have good reason Let those who have the authoritie and power in their hands look to it if they please I speak this even according to the maximes of the Romish Church and their worldly policie but this is not the greatest evil nor the thing I intend most in this discourse By this it may be seen how the Pope of Rome abuseth the bountie of Princes and Christians to maintain himself in his authoritie and howsoever S. Peter and the other Apostles were subject to Princes he himself in his 1 Epist 2 Chap. 13 verse exhorting Christians to all dutifull obedience 1 Pet. 2.13 and especially that obedience and subjection that is due to Kings and Princes Notwithstanding the Pope at this day saith that he is exempted from all spirituall and temporall Laws and jurisdiction thinking he holdeth of none but himself on earth labouring to usurpe the same authoritie over Kings and Princes that the Son of God had and applying to himself that of our Saviour Mat. 28.18 Matth. 28.18 All power is given to me in heaven and earth but with this difference that although Christ had the authority yet he made no use of it but ever submitted himself to Princes and Kings of the earth and the Pope having not this power usurpeth it neverthelesse so farre as he can Thence cometh it to passe that he would bring under his authoritie and Dominions Kings and Princes and pretendeth them all to be subject and tributarie to his power not onely in spirituall but even in
which they are daily about to try and would gladly execute if they could he sendeth Agents and imployeth spyes and men disguised especially of some orders who goe secretly from house to house preaching his Indulgences and pardons to move the people to acknowledge him and restore his former revenues for this is the onely end of all his Inventions what ever pretext of faith and Religion he pretend but the carriers of those Indulgences are no more in request and are onely good for nothing but to cheat women and weak spirits the world hath had so many of his Bulls and pardons that they beleeve they will have no more need but may live without them the ages to come and wise Princes chose rather to keepe their moneys for the ease of their subjects and conservation of their estates than to send it to the Pope to maintaine his Court in riot and inrich his kindred the falsenesse of his doctrine appearing too cleerly now to be embraced by judicious and cleer-sighted men CHAP. XV. How absurd is and how little ground hath the pretended infallibilitie of the Bishop of Rome and that it is not without cause he is called Antichrist THe Bishop of Rome is not onely content to challenge the primacy and superioritie over the whole Christian Church but to strengthen and increase his credit he falleth into a folly insupportable to every wise and understanding man for he attributeth to himselfe the same infallibilitie and truth that God doth affirming and maintaining that he cannot erre no more than God when he pronounceth any sentence in matter of faith This seemed to me a cunning subtilty if it were as easily to be beleeved as invented for wanting the word of God and sufficient Scripture to establish his primacy and universall superioritie he hath resolved to attribute to himselfe the infallibilitie to make men receive the Scriptures according to his explication to ground his authoritie and establish his doctrine thereby And this Article of infallibilitie is at this day come to such a passe in the Romish Church that it must be beleeved as pertaining to faith and necessary to salvation it being forbidden under the paine of being holden for an heretique and Anathematized for preaching to the contrary and truely it is a doctrine which in policy ought to follow that of the primacy for the accomplishing of a perfect and absolute authoritie But as wee have shewen this primacy to be usurped and invalid so doe we beleeve we have sufficiently nullified all that followeth upon those prerogatives whereof this is the principall Notwithstanding for the greater satisfaction of the courteous Reader wee shall answer briefly the principall reasons they bring to prove this doctrine The first Objection is drawne out of a passage alledged before where it is said Mat. 16.18 Mat. 16.18 Thou art Peter and upon this Rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it This say they being understood of St Peter is to say that errour and untruth shall not prevaile against Peter nor have victory over him and that he shall never be deceived nor erre nor consequently the Pope who tearmeth himselfe successour of St Peter Notwithstanding St Peter having erred after these words were pronounced and denied his Master which is the greatest fall that can be in the faith sheweth that those words are not understood of St Peter but of the faith and confession he made at that time which being most true and the truth it selfe shall never be overcome nor surmounted by the gates of hell but shall continue in strength eternally and so it is in vaine for the Pope to ground his infallibilitie upon words which are not spoken of St Peter nor consequently of him as is most manifest and as I have shewed before Another Objection which the Romish Church thinks stronger and more expresse is this Luk. 22.32 The Lord said to Simon Luk. 22.32 Simon behold Sathan hath sought to winnow thee as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not and then when thou shalt be converted strengthen thy brethren For my part I perceive not what they would conclude thereby but that the faith of St Peter should never faile and yet wee see that it failed much and that St Peter did stumble and erre grossely in the faith having denyed his Master a long time after those words were spoken If then that be understood as they would have it the prayers of Christ should be of none effect which is blasphemy to thinke wherefore we must finde out a truer meaning of those words and say that is understood of small falling Christ Jesus saying to Simon Simon I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not finally that is to say if peradventure thou succombe and fall as thou wilt at least raise thy selfe and enter againe into the profession of faith and being converted by a true repentance thou must confirme thy brethren and let this fall make thee wiser in time to come and be a means to thee to confirme others and exhort them to take heed least they slide and fall as thou This is doubtlesse the true and lawfull meaning of those words as every understanding man may judge and not the explication of the Romish Church which every reasonable man will finde to be altogether absurd and invented of purpose to establish a false doctrine And although it could be proved that St Peter did never fall and we should confesse that the infallibilitie was given to him Will it therefore follow that it is given to all his successours also and that which was said to one person and of one person must be said to all his successours and of them all if they apply to the Pope all that was said to St Peter the Apostle and in his favour by Christ Jesus why doe they not apply as well all that was said to his disgrace and so the Pope must be called Sathan because Christ did call Peter so those words must also be applyed to the Pope Thou shalt deny mee as our Saviour spake them to St Peter This certainly hath too often falne out to the great hurt and scandall of Christian people although I confesse that our Saviour speaking to Peter did not meane it of those who should be thought his successours Now these are the strongest passages and arguments on which this pretended infallibilitie is grounded which is the whole foundation and basis of all the Romish Doctrine now in controversie which being proved to be usurped against reason and equitie as the primacy whereon it is grounded you see in what estate of errour and heresie that Church is in and how blinde and deceived they are that follow it It was thought formerly strange that the Pope of Rome was called Antichrist and I confesse it was long before I could be satisfied with the application of this name to the Pope thinking it was too rigorously spoken and with too small
ground but when I came to consider and examine the ground more narrowly I thought they had reason sufficient for so doing especially for attributing to himselfe the infallibilitie which is onely proper to God and which is the most execrable blasphemy Antichrist can commit and the greatest of his offences mentioned by St Paul in those words 2 Thess 2.4 Even to sit as God in the Temple of God and exalting himselfe above every thing that is called God for truely the Pope in this maketh himselfe as God appropriating to himselfe infallible truth which is onely proper to the Godhead and is the Godhead it selfe Making himselfe further to be adored as God yea more than God causing men to carry him upon their shoulders at the Procession of the Sacrament where that which they call the Hoast or body of the Son of God is onely carried on horsebacke causing Christians yea Nobles and Princes to kisse and adore his feete and laying the holy Scripture at his feete And when he celebrateth the Masse his Chaplaines use a great deale more reverence and ceremony about his person than they doe about the Altar and Hoast with an infinite number of other things proper to the sonne of perdition described by St Paul and by other Scriptures which to shunne tediousnesse I passe by remitting the Reader to those who have expresly and amply written on this subject CHAP. XVI The summe and conclusion of the former Discourse concerning the usurped Primacy and infallibilitie of the Pope YOu have seen good Reader how I have clearly shewed that the Romish Church which maketh the primacie and infallibilitie an Article of faith set down especially in the Confession of faith of the Councell of Trent can produce no passage of holy Scripture that proveth it with the least ground or reason you have seen how I not being obliged to prove the negative by Scripture have notwithstanding by the same word of God shewed cleerly enough that Christ Jesus had never intention to give that primacy to S. Peter as the Apostles did never beleeve nor acknowledge it and that S. Peter himself did never think it nor make use of it and consequently that it is falsly attributed to the Bishop of Rome although he were successour to S. Peter in the Bishoprick of Rome which is a great controversie You have also seen that the Bishop of Rome was never called nor acknowledged for head of the Church or universall Pastor the first 300. yeers without controversie yea for almost 500. yeers which is a very great and long time and further that he never assumed but rather rejected that title as wicked damnable and arrogant and proper to Antichrist never using that Authority It hath been shewed you how this usurpation was brought in and how it hath been maintained in what case it may be in at this present and by what unjust and tyrannicall means that unlawfull Authoritie reigneth in the world to the great prejudice of Princes and oppression of Prelates and to the great scandall and hurt of all poore and simple Christians Lift up therefore the eyes of your understandings and conclude with me that this power being usurped is unlawfull and void as it appeareth is in vain and without reason said to be the rule of faith that it appropriateth to it self the infallible explication of the holy Scripture and the priviledge to declare the Articles of faith It is in vain then that it sendeth us to its Synods and Councels which presume to have no authority but from him who hath none himself neither to call nor confirm them and all the Canons that were ever made under that unlawfull authoritie have neither force nor vertue neither can they oblige any Christians All the Canons and Constitutions therefore established and confirmed by the Popes of Rome and their Councels are of no force nor strength neither can they oblige any man Therefore all the Excommunications and Anathema's all the commandments and prohibitions issuing and coming from such an Authority which are numberlesse ought to be rejected and set at naught if they have no other authoritie from the Word of God as void and unlawfull and cruell burthens laid on mens shoulders to hold them in slaverie as those of the Pharisees condemned and accursed by God himself Compare I pray you courteous Reader the Commandments of God with those of the Church and Pope and you shall see that the Commandments of God are easie Mat. 11.30 and his yoke is light as he hath said and that the commandments of the Church which the Pope affirmeth to be of equall authoritie with Gods are insupportable burthens and cords to strangle the consciences and snares to precipitate them into hell Open therefore your eyes O ye people and behold your blindnesse and the captivitie in which ye live so miserable Isa 52.2 Loose the chains from off thy necke poore slave and captive daughter of Sion may I say unto you with Isaiah I know that many Bishops and Prelates men of great learning and honest conversation yea the most part of the Prelates of the Romish Church mourn and groan under the weight of that yoke and wish nothing more than the happy occasion to see themselves delivered complaining often amongst themselves and making their complaints resound in the eares of their trusty friends I know assuredly as having heard it from their mouthes that they are of the opinion of the ancient Bishops that the Apostles were equals according to the testimonie of the Scriptures and that the Bishop of Rome is no more than their equall their fellow Bishop and brother not their superiour although one of the greatest amongst them because of the greatnesse of the City of Rome where he resideth as they of the first ages did esteeme I know they see and acknowledge that it is nothing but an usurpation begun by the liberality of great Princes and brought in by the ambition of the Popes and the indiscretion of the wicked Emperour maintained by force during the weaknesse and calamities of the Emperours and the dissention and division of States and yet tontinue at this present by unlawfull policies and courses under the bountie of soveraigne Monarchs who suffer it All the learnedst and most judicious of the Romish Church see and deplore this miserie and tyranny but to open their mouth aloud and in publique is a thing which none dare attempt under the Popes authoritie for besides the excommunications and Anathema's which will not be wanting to terrifie the simpler besides the prisons and other corporall punishments where the Inquisition reigneth they must expect where the Pope hath any credit with Princes to be quickly deprived of all the Church Revenues they possesse and out of hope to get any more which verily are too strong motives to retain many who have not sufficient courage and who by pusillanimity and those temporall respects are forced to keep silence and yeeld as dumbe dogs which dare not barke
Isa 56.10 seeing the woolfe fall upon the flock as saith Isaiah Would to God Princes would once rellish this important truth which a great many of their ablest Subjects do acknowledge and open their eyes to see the captivitie under which they go about to oppresse their authoritie God of heaven make them see their servitude and give them resolution to deliver themselves and their Subjects from under that strange and cruell yoke I am perswaded if once this great abuse were out of the Church if this unjust and incompetent Judge were once rejected as an usurper of an authority not belonging to him all Christians would in a short time be of one flock and under one Pastor Christ Jesus and in a short time there would be through all Europe and other places of the earth but one faith one baptisme one God for the holy Scriptures entring to be Judge and Rule of all controversies in point of Religion there would be no man of spirit and judgement who would not in a short time know the truth and the darknesse of error would quickly be dissipated by the approach of the light But from this incompetent Judge doth proceed all the miserie of the Church and because that point is the most important of all others in controversie I have stayed longest upon it and laboured to deduce and cleer the same more amply as being that whereupon I did most ground my conversion and the change which I have made And because I know there be yet many points which for not being sufficiently cleered are the cause of the perdition of many I shall endeavour to speak something of them in the following Chapters according to the light God hath given me and the knowledge I did acquire being in the Romish Church not that I promise to set them down so amply as I have done the precedent points For having proved evidently that rejecting the judgement of the Pope as unlawfull and of no force we ought to take the Scriptures and Word of God alone to judge all our controversies in matter of faith all that cannot be shewed in the holy Scriptures must be banished out of our beleef and because they of the Romish Church confesse that in many points they have no Scripture nor ground it is by consequence to avow and confesse the nullitie thereof neither need we any other form of processe to condemne them of untruth so that which I shall write hereafter shall onely be for the greater satisfaction of the Reader and to open the eyes of many simple souls who see not their blindnesse and darknesse CHAP. XVII Of the Invocation of Saints AFter that I was sufficiently informed and fully satisfied by those reasons and considerations I have already deduced and others like to them which to avoid prolixity I omitted that neither the Pope nor the Church ought to be my Judge in matter of faith but the holy Scripture onely which God hath given us to that end then did I begin to examine all points of faith by the Scripture alone and in every thing that was propounded to me by the Romish Church I had recourse to the Word of God and holy writings to see if it was conformable to them and if any such thing were preached by Christ and his Apostles who have questionlesse divulged the pure and most perfect faith that being the thing every Christian ought to practise in matter of faith And perceiving the point of the Invocation of Saints to be at this present in great estimation in the Romish Church and that the câ—nfession and profession of faith ordered by the Bull of Pope Pius the fourth according to the Councell of Trent saith expresly we must honour and invoke the Saints I have searched and examined this point by the holy Scriptures I confesse truly that as my nature moveth me enough praised be God to give honour to those to whom it appertaineth especicially in holy things so have I ever had an inclination to render to the Saints as much honour and respect as I thought was due to them and if I should have found any ground in the holy Scripture for the Invocation of Saints I would certainly have embraced it with a hearty affection but knowing that God is better pleased with obedience than will-sacrifice so I did beleeve the Saints demanded nothing more of us than what was due to them and that we are so far from doing them pleasure in giving them more honour than justly appertains to them that it were rather to offend God and them in God who loving him above all things have no other glory nor pleasure than his glory and will Now for passages out of the holy Scriptures to prove this Article the Romanists produce none worthy of consideration and that which ever I did read of greatest importance for them 2 Pet. 1â— 15. is the passage in 2 Pet. 1.15 Moreover I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things alwayes in remembrance Thereby say they Peter promiseth the faithfull that he will pray for them after his death This passage is falsified for it is according to the Greek I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things still in remembrance that is Theod. Aquin. in Comm. super Epist as Aquinas himself who is esteemed Mr. of the Schoole explaineth because saith he I must shortly be dissolved therefore so long as I live I will take pains to advertise you not onely once but often that is instantly and diligently that you may remember those things I told you after my death Oecumenius also acknowledgeth this explanation to be the best and the other to be hyperbolicall that is troubling and overturning the construction And although we should confesse that by this passage is proved that St. Peter and the other Saints pray in Paradise for the faithfull it will not thence follow that they hear us and that we must call upon them nor can they produce any proofe out of Scripture The Jesuite Cotton also in his first book of his Institution in the Chapter of the Invocation of Saints saith Cotton Instit li. 1. cap. dâ— Invoc Sanct that for commandment to pray and call upon the Saints the Church hath never taught any neverthelesse the confession of faith of the Councell of Trent composed and formed to be received of Christians by command of the same Councell Concil Triden Sessio 25. de Reform cap. 20. and especially by Pope Pius the 4th hath those words I beleeve the Saints must be honoured and invocated who reign together with Christ and that they offer up prayers to God for us Thence it would appeare that this good Father did not well know his belief for behold his Church beleeveth that Saints must be honoured and invocated if it be not peradventure that he would put this glosse upon the words of the Councell to wit that the obligation is onely by way of
times and at least as many vigils which make 24. dayes with fourty in Lent which make above threescore and they are obliged every day to fast under pain of mortall sin and there be very few as all the Casuists affirm who are justly exempted for from the age of 21. till threescore all those who are able to fast without great manifest prejudice of their health ought to do it so that those are 60 new commandments which joyned to the former make alreadie above 200. Moreover he must abstain all the fasting dayes from flesh under pain of mortall sin that is to say neither eat flesh eggs nor butter according to the Statute and some one will easily fast who cannot so easily keep this abstinence so there are 60. more commandments from this which being joyned with the former besides Gods ten Commandments make above two hundred and fourscore commandments of the Church which every faithfull person ought to observe every yeer and are onely comprehended in the first commandments besides those of keeping abstinence every Friday and Saterday and others which we might find in them that rest in the last of which onely which is to pay the tithes and dues to the Church a great number might be remarked and so we should have above 300. Now God having given us onely ten Commandments the most part whereof are negatives and the Church of Rome proposing above 300. whereof the most part are affirmative and without holy Scripture of her own authoritie and particular invention may we not say first that she goes beyond the Commandments of God by her traditions and next that the yoke of Christ is light and easie and the Romish yoke heavie and insupportable and if the authoritie of the Church of Rome be true some men might be saved if there were no more but the Commandments of God which will be condemned for not doing those of the Church and an infinite multitude might fulfill the commandments of God sufficiently to be saved which must be damned because they have not fasted or do not fast all Lent over and other fasting dayes or who have not heard the Masse all the Sondayes and holidayes or who have wrought or caused their servants work on them I leave off to speak here of an infinite multitude of other commandments of that Church which are not common to all Christians but to the Priests alone and those who are in Orders and possesse Benefices as every day to say their Brevier which is very long and wearisome as also of all other precepts and commandments particular to every religious Order which truly make a great multitude of poore souls groane and lament who out of simplicitie and ignorance have unhappily suffered themselves to be oppressed under the weight of their burthens But I will let them groane so long as they will if knowing their error and abuse as do the most part they will not take a necessarie resolution to break all those humane bonds wherewith they are detained in that captivity and follow after the doctrine of Christ whose yoke is easie and burthen light CHAP. XXVIII If one can be saved in the Church of Rome IT is certain that no man can be saved but by the faith which Christ did declare and the Apostles hold and preach which is the onely true and perfect faith without which none can hope for salvation Now I having shewed clearly as ye have seen that the faith of the Church of Rome is another different from that of Christ and his Apostles the consequence is easie to be drawn But as I remember never to have hindred those of the Reformed Religion so much to become docile to the doctrine I preached to them when I was in darknesse as when according to the maximes of the Romish Church I preached to them that they would all be damned without remission so that I may not alienate the spirits of those of the Romish Religion from the reading of this discourse and lest that thinking me too severe they rellish not so well the reasons which they might read in this Treatise I chose rather to let them draw the conclusions themselves and remit the decree to Gods judgement to whom onely it appertaineth to pronounce the sentence of the salvation and condemnation of souls But the thing I especially intend in this Chapter is to shew to those of the Romish Church that even according to their proper maximes and doctrine it is impossible for them speaking morally to be saved I know this proposition will seem a paradox to many but if they will onely take the pains to see and examine the reasons on which I am grounded I perswade my self that even the most learned will confesse and acknowledge it with me for they cannot deny it it being the common doctrine of their own Schools and books which questionlesse a multitude of simple people have never been aware of I will not speak here of the difficultie they of the Romish Church may meet withall as do other Christians in the keeping of Gods ten Commandments for howsoever I know certainly and may speak it truly that they are worse kept and fulfilled in that Church than in the Reformed Religion in England or other places which I have seen yet I will leave this point and comparison till the following chapter and will shew this impossibilitie of salvation onely by the commandments which are added by the Romish Church or rather by the Popes of Rome to the ten Commandments of God and I shall shew it especially in the obligation of hearing Masses on Sundayes and holidaies and in the conditions of the mystery of confession for notwithstanding that according to the maximes of their Doctors the obligation to fast all Lent over and at other dayes commanded ought to damne and destroy many who otherwaies it may be are persons unblameable walking straightly in the observation of Gods ten Commandments yea and in many other things but having too much a do to fast do it not although they might do it if they would but endeavour to do the same and be not of the number of them whom the Lawes of fasting exempted And howsoever also the obligation to keep the holidaies strictly without working or causing others to work should condemne according to their doctrine another great multitude by whom this rigid and straight commandment is hard to be kept for the great charge and imployment of their calling yet that is nothing in comparison of the difficultie that is in the commandments of hearing the Masse which obligeth all Christians and the saying over of the Breviary which obligeth the Priests and the obligation of Auricular confession which is common to all Because ye must know according to the Doctors and Casuists of the Romish Church that for accomplishing the commandment of hearing the Masse it is not sufficient to be there bodily present but to fulfill the precept one must be present in attention and devotion so that he who
the Sacraments and the bounty of God yet no man will judge them so pernicious and of so dangerous consequence that they ought to be abstained from and the Popes prohibition is grounded upon a too frivolous weak and ridiculous reason to have any weight or authoritie in the judgements of the wiser Neither is there any who doe not sufficiently see it to be meerly a humane and a politique invention to conserve a false doctrine and an usurped jurisdiction if he will but strictly remarke it as God hath given mee grace to doe CHAP. V. Of Traditions and that they ought not to be taken for Iudge or Rule of our Faith THe Romish Church finding her selfe but weakly sustained by the Scriptures and not being able to maintaine her doctrine by the written Word of God hath be thought of an unwritten word called Tradition making it of the same power with the holy Scriptures and is therefore called Divine Tradition and Apostolique and not humane which seemed to me a brave field to lay open all her fancies Now the rule and way of the Romish Church to know and declare those Apostolique Traditions is this When the beginning and originall of any doctrine or Ecclesiasticall ceremony is not knowne neither exactly by whom or in what yeare it was instituted since the time of Jesus Christ and his Apostles it is holden amongst them of Divine and Apostolique Tradition As for example because it is not certainly knowne who was the first that invented holy-water and imployed it in Baptisme and to other uses it is esteemed to come from Christ Jesus and his Apostles although it appeare sufficiently from the holy Scripture that Christ and his Apostles did never use that ceremony but onely baptized with pure and naturall water So because it is not knowne who it was that first did pray to the Saints that doctrine is said to be of Apostolique and divine Tradition and to come from Christ and his Apostles although it appeare not in any place of Scripture that ever any Apostle did pray to the Saints that were before them or recommended it to us but the contrary and so of the rest of their Traditions Is not this a fine rule and prety invention whereon to ground an infinite number of divine and Apostolique Traditions for Printing not being in use but within this two or three hundred yeares there were but few things written before that and that seldome to be left to posteritie and that which was written for the most part dyed and vanished by the death of the Author or shortly after for not being transcribed as it is with a great number of particular writings especially if they doe not concerne temporall things So that in so many ages an infinite number of things ceremonies doctrines and errors have been invented in the worship of God by the superstition vanitie and presumption of some particular men of which now it is impossible to know the originall and first Author either because it was never written by any or if it hath been written the writings have been lost if therefore all those things must be esteemed divine and Apostolique out of question there will be a numberles number of divine and Apostolique Traditions And upon these considerations I marveiled no more at the great number of Traditions that are in the Romish Church which I can assure you to be such that if they were all redacted to one volume it would assuredly be greater than all the books of the Bible for their number is almog infinite and not certainly known to this day the number yet not being perfect and hardly is there any generall Councells in which some one or more new ones are not discovered Those of the Romish Church who will not admit nor acknowledge the Scripture as Judge of faith strive neverthelesse to serve themselves with it the best they can to confirme their doctrine But I pray you with what reason in the point of Traditions To prove that the holy Scripture is not a sufficient rule of faith and that we must have recourse to a word not written which they call Tradition 1 Thes 2.15 they alledge this of St Paul Wherefore my Brethren be yee stedfast and hold fast the Traditions which yee have learned either by word or by our Epistle Thence they inferre that St Paul had preached many things to the Thessalonians which he had not written to them in his Letters and therefore wee must beleeve more things than those which are written We ingeniously confesse that the whole doctrine of salvation and that which St Paul might have preached to the Thessalonians is not in these two little Epistles and affirme that we must beleeve more things than those which are conteined in them but thence it will not follow that that which St Paul had preached to the Thessalonians of the necessitie of faith and salvation is not conteined in the Old and New Testament for there is great difference betwixt the two little Epistles to the Thessalonians and all the rest of the holy Scripture and the consequence is very bad as every one may judge Besides when St Paul saith Keep the Traditions it will no more follow that by this word Traditions an unwritten word ought necessarily to be understood and that besides the written word of God there is yet an unwritten word equall in authoritie to the other for by the word Tradition may be understood that which is given and left either by word or writing and not necessarily some word not written for the holy Scripture is also a tradition that is a doctrine which hath been left us And although wee should grant that St Paul had preached to the Thessalonians many things which are not written in the holy Scriptures and exhorted them to keepe them it will therefore not follow that he did exhort them to keep all those Traditions as necessary to salvation for there are none who will not confesse that St. Paul might have preached and said many things which were not absolutely necessary to salvation nor faith but onely convenient and helpfull as our Saviour did in his preaching and although our Saviour should give us charge to remember them all and keepe them he doth not therefore meane that wee should be equally obliged to keep them all and that wee should keep them otherwise and in another fashion than he gave them to us that is the Articles of faith as Articles of faith and necessary to salvation the Commandements as Commandements the examples and parables as such things essentiall to faith as essentiall the ceremony and things accidentall as such and it is a very bad consequence drawne by the Romish Church that because St Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians to keep the Traditions he commandeth us all to beleeve and keep them as pertaining to faith and of equall authoritie with the Scripture a word not written and Traditions meerly humane as divine Traditions and chiefly all the Traditions of the Romish