but in one place For as concerning those prerogatiues which after he speaketh off they are rather motiues to drawe vs or probable coniectures to perswade vs then strong argumentes to prooue or sufficient reasons to conuince and force vs to beleeue I saie they haue but one authority of Scripture that they rest vpon because that place out of the sixteenth of Saint Matthewes gospel is but a promise as master Bellarmine himselfe confesseth of that which was afterwardes giuen when Christ commaunded him to feede his sheepe so that one is not perfect without the other But let vs see what iurisdiction is promised in the one and then also what is giuen in the other vnto Peter Our Sauiour Christ inquiring of his disciples what opinion other men had of him they answered some saie that thou art Iohn Baptist some Elias some Ieremias or one of the Prophetes and asking of them what they thought of him Simon Peter answered thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God And Iesus answered and saide vnto him happie art thou Simon the sonne of Iona for flesh and bloud hath not opened that vnto thee but my father which is in heauen And I say also vnto thee that thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And I will giue vnto thee the keies of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt bind in earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose in earth shall bee loosed in heauen These are the wordes that must strengthen and stay this stately building of the popes supremacie or else it is like to fall Out of which master Bellarmine draweth two argumentes First that Saint Peter is the foundation secondly that hee is the key carier of the church and therefore that hee must bee the supreme head of the church The first is taken out of these wordes Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will build my church The plaine meaning of which words I take to be this When first I tooke thee to be an Apostle I said thou shouldest bee called Cephas which is by interpretation a stone Thou shalt shew thy selfe so to be indeede and that I haue named thee so truly for in this confession that thou hast made of me thou shalt hereafter continue so cōstant that thou shalt die in it And therefore because thou shalt bee so constant thou art Peter or Cephas indeede As for this confession that thou hast made all my faithfull people shall settle and staie themselues thereupon in all conflictes of conscience so that no terrour of hell shall bee able to discourage or disamaie them But master Bellarmine out of this doth gather that the church is built vpon Peter as vpon a foundation Yet I trust hee will not deny that Christ is such a foundation as there is no other because S. Paul telleth vs that other foundation can no mā lay thē that is laid which is Iesus Christ Of this foundation God speaketh by his prophet Esay behold I wil lay in Sion a stone a tried stone a pretious corner stone a sure foundation Then this being graunted that Christ is this speciall foundation and the onely sure ground-worke in this building I trust it will be the easier to know what place belongeth to Peter but the later of these two places by mee alleaged which is onely verified of Christ and of him onely meant most prophanely doth master Bellarmine apply to saint Peter and so to the church of Rome that very particularly making it thestone tried with persecutions with heresies which the pride of the Greeke church with stiffenesse of some emperors with schismes with wicked popes The corner stone that ioyneth into one church the Iewes and the Gentils The pretious stone because she is rich in ceremonies and sacramentes in pardons in councils in interpretation of scriptures and such like And last of all the sure foundation But here master Bellarmine is forced to graunt that Peter is but a secondary foundation and not the principall foundation for that Christ onely is This discourse of his maketh me remember frier Toittis otherwise called frier Paternoster who vpon a great controuersie that arose in Scotland concerning the lords prayer whether it might be said vnto the Saints or not beeing intreated as a man belike most sufficient to deale in the matter comming into the pulpit at Saint Andrews where this controuersie was began in particular to shew how euery petition might be made vnto the saints vntil he came to the fourth petition wherein hee was faine to confesse that the saints cannot giue vs our daily bread and so with shame bewrayed his owne folly and the feeblenesse or rather the falsnes of his cause Euen so master Bellarmine robbing Christ of his ornaments that hee may decke therewith that whorish synagogue which vntrewly he callet Peters seate hauing besides all learning nay contrarie to the sinceritie of a christian diuine most blasphemously applied vnto that Romish seate that which belongeth vnto Christ onely and is one of his most especiall and peculiar markes whereby hee is set foorth as the promised sauiour that he should be the corner stone tried and precious Yet is he in the end forced to confesse that the sure foundation cannot be found but in Christ although he would seeme to apply that title to that seate also I would hardly haue thought that a man so learned as master Bellarmine in these our dayes wherein knowledge aboundeth would euer haue abused Gods sacred word in such sort That this is only true in Christ our Sauior Christ himselfe out of the Prophet Dauid teacheth S. Paul agreeth to the same not only writing to the Ronanes but also to the Ephesians shewing how he onely can be as a corner stone gathering and knitting together the Iewes and Gentiles S. Peter also himselfe maketh Christ to be this stone It is not a sufficient excuse for master Bellarmine that he acknowledgeth that the prophet Esay speaketh especially of Christ and then to apply it vnto the church of Rome For seeing the scriptures with so great consent do acknowlege Christ to be that tried and and precious corner stone and therefore doe call him the corner stone because he hath made of Iew and Gentile one breaking downe the stop of the partition wall In whom all the building coupled together groweth to a holy temple in the Lord which is a thing that not one but Christ can performe let vs knowe that to giue this title to any other is to rob Christ of his glory And yet as though master Bellarmine had not powred out already blasphemies ynow he prosecuteth wickedly that which absurdly he hath begun adding that this their Romish church is the stone of offence and stumbling blocke vpon which stone he that falleth shall be broken but on whomsoeuer it shall fall it shall grinde him to
endangered by this subtile but false perswasion which wholly possesseth the heartes of many that if they will be saued and auoide the danger of damnation they must stedfastly beleeue that the Bishop of Rome is the vniuersall Bishop hauing authoritie ouer all that he is the head of the church and the generall shepheard of Christ his flocke For that man of sinne hauing so bewitched the hearts of his fauorites that they are once persuaded that it is good religion so to beleeue and that to defend this his pride is christian constancie what shamelesse villanies will not they thinke to be lawfull practises what cruell murders will not they account to be commendable attempts what vnnaturall deuises and drifts wil not they esteeme most godly and catholike vertues I neede not stand long in dilating this point Our natiue soile hath too much and too lamentable experience of such vnkindly slips Who when they did and do owe to their countrey wherein they were bred and brought vp the sweete fruit of loue to her and sacred obedience to her lawes bring forth almost nothing else but the sowre grapes of treasons and treacheries Which all spring out of this bad roote that they falsly perswade themselues that they owe their chiefe obedience to the Bishop of Rome whose commaundements if they obey and follow his directions and hearken to his perswasions then must they suffer no princes with qnietnesse to enioy their ancient and vndoubted inheritance and rightfull crownes but such as will be tenants at will to their lawlesse master Which the more I doe thinke of it the more I feare we haue no great hope as yet to be free from such villainous practises as may bring danger vnto her Maiestie and ruine to this realme because I see that stubburne Recusants who if they haue any conscience in religion it is very strange for many of them shew little conscience in any thing else wilfull Papists I say are not in some reasonable maner forced in this point to shew their obedient and dutiful hearts but may freely without controlment professe themselues enemies to the truth that we acknowledge For how can there be any certainety to this estate that is so pestered with a great number of false hearted subiects whose very religion is to be deuoted to him and to the maintainance of his kingdome that is grieued at nothing more than at our happinesse neither seeketh any thing so much as our destruction To plucke away therefore this visard of Religion from this their disobedient and dissolute affection I thinke it to be the duetie of euery good christian according to our calling and talents wholy to indeuour our selues And as this dutifull affection of christian obedience should effectually moue vs vnto this attempt so the very ruine of religion and the decay of all true deuotion which foloweth that perswasion should forâ—e vs to make haste to take this stumbling blocke out of the way of the simple lest at vnwares running thereupon they should make shipwracke of their faith For the Bishop of Rome by this his pretended priuiledge doeth take vpon him to make lawes to binde the conscience to adde to Gods word to dispence against the same to chop and change religion it selfe as seemeth good to him to doe and vndoe at his owne pleasure And do he neuer so much hurt in the church of Christ yet no man must say Sir why do you so And thus hauing gotten by this prowd name his fulnes of power he hath filled all christendome with horrible superstitions I speake not heere of the prophane or rather blasphemous praises which the flatterers of this vniuersall Bishop do giue to him to make the world not so much to reuerence him as a B. as to honour him rather almost as a god Which if it had bin done onely by his Canonists who liued in the dayes of darkenesse and saw not so much as men now do yet the fault and folly had bin very great But that master Bellarmine a man doubtlesse learned in so cleare light of the trueth as now shineth should so farre ouershoote himselfe as he doeth in this point in his Preface to his bookes of the bishop of Rome it maketh me not a little to wonder at his grosse folly and to detest his irreligious flattery But of this more shall be said hereafter if God permit Seeing therefore the truth of this doctrine is so necessary both for the sinceritie of religion and also for the quietnesse of common wealths my desire purpose is if God giue good successe thereunto to shew and proue that the Bishop of Rome maketh herein an vniust claime and hath possessed himselfe of an vntrue Title To come therefore to the point in controuersie The holy catholike church the spiritual house of God the mystical body of Christ comprehendeth two sortes of members Some that are triumphing in heauen others that are here trauelling vpon the earth some profiting as saint Augustine saith in this life others perfited in an other Now the question is whether this part of the catholike church that is here wandering in this vale of misery which is called militant for here is the place of striuing else-where the place of crowning must needes haue the Bishop of Rome to bee the head thereof This is it that they vntruly and without any good warrant do affirme This is it which iustly and vpon good ground as I trust it shall appeare we deny Master Bellarmine laboureth very much to prooue that the gouernement of one ouer all is the best indeuouring thereby to prooue that if it be best in ciuill regiment it should also be the best gouernment in the church as it appeareth in his Bookes of the bishop of Rome Howsoeuer the monarchicall regiment within euery kingdome or country is liked of yet that vniuersal rule of one ouer al hath not bin thought good of at any time as may appeare by those great monarchies so commended vnto vs in histories To whose subiection kingdomes and nations did not subiect themselues willingly but were subdued to them by might Neither is it necessary that that kind of gouernement which is thought best for worldly kingdomes whose Law-makers are men and whose lawes are alwayes new to be made as new inconueniences do arise in the common-wealth and to be short whose glory is here in this world should also be most conuenient for the church of God whose kingdome is not worldly whose beauty is not outward or external But to knit vp this point with one argument thus I reason That kind of gouernement is fittest for the church that bringeth most profit to them that are gouerned but master Bellarmine confesseth that the mixed gouernement is most profitable therefore it is fittest But because it pleaseth master Bellarmine so well that one should beare rule ouer the whole church let him and his fellowes submit hemselfe to Christ that King
of kings and Lord of lords whom God hath appointed to be the head of the church of whose kingdome there shall be no end whose dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the riuer to the ends of the land so that no continuance of time no distance of place shall hinder his gouernment An inuisible head of an inuisible body Or else in particular churches let him behold a visible pastor ouer a visible flocke which is also a kinde of Monarchy But this one head which is Christ cannot content the church of Rome although notwithstanding his absence from vs in the flesh there is no want either in his will or might but that he is able and readie at all times to direct and defend his flocke But as the children of Israel not contenting themselues with that forme of gouernment whereby God gouerned them would needes haue a king as other nations had euen so will the papists haue a visible monarche one ruler of the whole church as one King is ruler ouer a whole Kingdome And if we tell them that it is a monster in nature that the church which is but one should haue two heades that is to say Christ whome we all acknowledg to be the head thereof and the pope whom they make their visible and ministeriall head then they reply that in that Christ is head of the church it doth no more hinder the supremacie of the bishop of Rome then it taketh away the bishop and ministers out of the church For so master Bellarmine affirmeâ— as if bishops and ministers were vniuersall heads as the pope would be And can master Bellarmine see no difference betweene the calling of pastors and teachers and of the pope Is hee so blinde or bleareied in beholding the brightnesse of their glorious Bishoppe that hee can see no difference betweene these two pastors we are sure are ordained of God euen of him that apointed Christ to be head of the church But that the bishop of Rome is head of the church by Gods word master Belarmine himselfe denieth Secondly the pastor contenteth himselfe with the ministrie of the word and sacraments and such ecclesiasticall censures as the word affordeth him But the bishop of Rome despiseth all power abuseth all magistrates yea almost treadeth vnder foote the maiestie of the mightiest monarches As for the sword of the word either he thinkes it not sharp enough or else he is too proude to drawe it for preaching is too base a thing for so proude a prelate but with his temporall sword he florisheth lustily Againe the pastor hath his flock in a litle compasse so that he may in some measure discharge his dutie amongst them he may feede with the bread of life the hungrie soules he may strengthen the feeble comfort the weake seeke the lost and bring whom the wandring sheep But the bishop of Rome in chalenging authoritie ouer all places and persons and seeking to bee head ouer all churches doth both meddle with other mens charges and laieth vpon his owne shoulders an importable burthen Thus I trust it appeareth that this argument standeth still vnanswered Christ is the head of his church Christ I say whom God the father appointed to that office and who is able to vndergoe this charge because he hath the holy ghost to be his Housband man to dresse his vine his Vicar or leieutenant to looke to his charge the pope therefore who is neither appointed to it nor able to doe it is not Now for that which master Bellarmine affirmeth of the heauenly host that they haue in heauen another head besides Christ and therefore that the church vpon earth ought so to haue his proofe is more vncertaine and hard to be knowen then that he should seeke thereupon to ground any argument But the church in the old Testament had one high priest therefore saith master Bellarmine the church of Christ must haue so For that church was a figure of Christs church If master Bellarmine his argument shall goe for currant wee must also haue but one Temple for they might not haue any moe they might offer but in one place and many such things were commaunded vnto them vnto which it were absurd to tie christians Whereby we may see that in all things that church was not a figure of ours Then also the leuiticall priest was a figure not of any ministeriall head of Christs church but of Christ himselfe as the apostle to the Hebrews doth proue in sondrie chapters And here master Bellarmine sheweth rather a desire to maintain his errors then to yeld to the truth For without all reason hee affirmeth that Aaron was not onely a figure of Christ but of Peter also and his successors sauing that to auouch his vntruth hee setteth downe another namely that the leuiticall sacrifices were figurs not of Christ onely but also of that which they call the sacrifice of the masse which how vntrue it is I haue shewed elsewhere But if it were true that those sacrifices were figures of both must it needs follow that Aaron also must be the figure of Christ and Peter It hath no necessitie And moreouer to answere both this and his fifth argument The church was at that time contained within the bonds of Iewry or at the least hee was but hie priest vnto them that were circumcised As also in Christ his time the church consisted but of a few persons and therefore it cannot be necessarily concluded that if the church then was gouerned by one when it was in a small corner of the world it should now be so likewise when it is scattered in many places vpon the earth But what if I should denie to Bellarmine that this was the gouernment of the church before Christ or that they were not at that time all vnder one hie priest For more then 2500. yeares the church was not gouerned by one hie priest which master Bellarmine himselfe doth not greatly denie in this place especially limiting this hie priest vnto that time when there was some forme of gouernment established amongst them after they were come out of Egypt For vntill that time as himselfe confesseth the heads of their houses were priests And although there were many good men at one time as Seth Enosh and others yet master Bellarmine cannot shew that there was amongst them a hie priest but euery one was chiefe in his owne familie But what if it appeare that then when there was a hie priest yet al Gods people were not bound to be vnder him The widow of Sarepta as appeareth by her story had a sure faith in God so that wee may say shee might well be accounted the child of God Naaman also the syrian did belong to the church of God And no doubt but God had many people among the Niniuites who repented at the preaching of Ionah And yet none of these
were commaunded to be vnder the subiection of the hie priest Which thing being well coosidered of wee may conclude that if the gouernment of one ouer the whole church were not thought necessarie for any people before such time as Moyses had deliuered such laws to the Israelits from God after they were come out of Egypt neither yet afterward for any but only for the Iews as by the examples alleadged may appeare out of this I say wee may gather that neither then was the whole church commaunded to be vnder the gouernment of one and also that it was not a pattern of gouernment for the church nowe but onely a figure of Christ to them to whome all things almost were deliuered in figures and shadowes But master Bellarmines fourth argument hath yet lesse weight then any of the rest The church saith hee is compared to an Armie to Mans body or a beutifull woman to a kingdome a Ssheepfold a house Noahs arke but no armie without a generall no body without a head no wife without a husband no kingdome without a king no shipfold without a sheapheard no house without a steward no ship but hath a master We grant all this and as Saint Augustine saith of the head so we may say of all these similitudes for Christ can not be called a head if there be no body whereof he should be head And these names are bestowed vpon the church and belong vnto her no otherwise then as we haue respect vnto Christ that is our general head husband king sheapheard householder and shipmaster And I cannot but muse at the great ignorance or wilfulnesse that master Bellarmine sheweth in this argument who knowing the nature of relatiues to be such as that the one of them dependeth on the other so that the one cannot be without the other knowing also that the wife is so called in respect of her husband and the husbaÌ„d so called in respect that he hath a wife yet he shames not to affirme that the church here vpon earth may well be compared to a wife not hauing respect to Christ her husband It may be his meaning is to rake again out of the chenel that filthy blasphemous cannon wherein the pope maketh claime to be the husbaud of the church which title the scriptures ascribe to Christ onely To his fifth argument and his third I answered together his sixth argument is this Bishops are well set to haue authoritie ouer Ministers Archbishops ouer Bishops therefore also there must be one ouer all others But this proueth not that which fame hee would proue that by Gods word one must haue rule ouer al. Seuenthly saith master Bellarmine the church must still increase but it can not increase vnlesse one man bee aboue the rest to take this care therefore one must be chiefe aboue all other And cannot the church increase except one be among the rest to commaund all others Who commaunded Saint Paul to preach as he did in many places Not Peter But they will say he was extraordinarily called And they that are extraordinarily called must now by the popes lawes be allowed by the pope But to let this passe Parthia to Thomas Aethiopia to Matthew India to Bartholomew were appointed to preach in not at Peters commandement but by lot Not Peter but Thomas moued thereunto by God sent Thadde vnto Edessa So that we see Maister Bellarmines minor proposition to be very false For the kingdome of Christ may well be increased without the Popes supremacie As then it was so now I say it may be yea and is increased mightely although the Pope doe not onely grieue at it but also striue against it Lastly there must be vnity in faith saieth Maister Bellarmine but that cannot be vnlesse all be vnder one therefore one must haue the rule ouer all In deede it cannot be denied but that one man being of authority in the church of God may manie times doe much good either to confirme the godly or daunt the courage of the contentious But if this authority bee bestowed vppon the vngodly it doeth much hurt and it is then found true that the wiseman saieth When the wicked beare rule the people sigh Neither can we haue a better example of this then in the Bishops of Rome that haue beene these many hundred of yeares who to get the soueraignty aboue all authority omitte no practises shame not of anie treacheries spare not anie shedding of bloud but forget all dutie all nature all humaniâ—ie all christianitie so that they may haue the commaunding of all the world And for their vnitie in faith it is a kinde of vnitie but in hypocrisie not in veritie Against Gods vndoubted word against Christ and his office his merit and satisfaction euen such a vnitie as Dauid speaketh of against the Lord and against his anointed But can there be no vnity in faith but where there is supremacie in authoritie Yes if wee marke the histories wee shall finde that there was neuer so good consent in sound doctrine as when this supremacie was not hatched A question concerning circumcision fell among the christians in the Apostles time The matter was referred vnto the Apostles The Apostles and elders came together to looke to this matter After much disputation Peter gaue his iudgement of gods goodnes towardes the Gentiles To that end also Paul and Barnabas told howe wonderfullie God had wrought among the Gentiles by them And last of all Iames concluded according to whose direction the matter was defined Now what supremacie was in this counsell The Papists tell vs that Peter was chiefe here but this is but a bold assertion vow of all proofe For first the wordes doe not shew that Peter called them together but the contrary rather Which Saint Luke would not haue omitted if Peter by anie superiour authoritie that he had ouer them had called them Neither did Peter speake first For before he spake there was much disputation neither did he giue definitiue sentence in the counsell but Saint Iames as doth easily appeare to them that â—ompare the words that he did speake with the Epistle that they did write concerning the matter in controuersie So that if there were then anie chiefe it was Saint Iames and not Saint Peter The like also I might shew out of some other of the first counsels following Of which because I shall haue better occasion after to intreat I trust this may suffice to shewe that without supremacie vnitie in faith may be maintained and therefore that the minor proposition in this argument is false And thus haue I briefly râ—â—ne ouer the arguments that are alleadged by Maister Bellarmine to proue this soueraigne Monarchy which he saith must be in Gods church rather pointing to them then prosecuting anie of them Against all which I wilt oppose one onelie argument which I would desire Maister Bellarmine or some friend of
to Peter but that we deny not But it is Maister Bellarmines bad hap many times to take great paines fortify where y â— enimy assaulteth him not to prooue that which no body denieth That we may ioine in some issue we will easily confesse that the keies were deliuered to Peter What then Were they deliuered to him alone No Maister Bellarmine himselfe confesseth and that oftentimes neither can he deny it if he would the fathers doe so generally affirme it that this great authority was committed to all the Apostles Wherein then do we dissent Forsooth Maister Bellarmine telleth vs that the other Apostles had this authority but as Christes legates or by especiall commission but to be vnder Peter Whereas Peter had it as his ordinary iurisdiction Now this he should proue but he leaueth it with a bare affirmation so that you are not bound to beleeue him But we see that which here is promised vnto Peter alone whether because he alone tooke vpon him to answere Christes question or that Christ therein would signifie the vnity of the church as some of the fathers affirme or because he was a figure of the church as Saint Augustine saith that I say which is here promised to him alone is in Matthewe xviii promised to all and that Maister Bellarmine himselfe cannot deny although he affirme it to be in all but Peter a legantine in him an ordinary power And this promise is perfourmed to all Iohn the xx in these words receiue the holy ghost whose sinnes soeuer ye remit they are remitted and whose sinnes yee retaine they are retained And Theophilact doth expound these wordes of Matthew the sixteenth which here I haue in hand by this place of saint Iohn saying that in that place of saint Mathew that is promised that is here giuen and that this power belongeth vnto all What can be more plaine to prooue that although Christ spake vnto Peter onely in that first place to thee will I giue the keies yet they were giuen to all Why should we then trust the bare assertions of maister Bellarmine or any other that the keies are not in like maner giuen to all when wee see that Gods worde maketh no difference betweene them But master Bellarmine because we goe about trewly with Theophilact to expound this promise to thee I wil giue the keies by that of Iohn whose sinnes so euer ye remit they are remitted c. would faine make vs beleeue if we will trust him of his bare word that Theophilact and we are deceiued and that Christ in these words of saint Iohn doth onely giue power of order whereas in Mathew he promiseth power of Iurisdiction And the better to perswade vs he telleth vs that to keepe a mans sinnes is not a matter of so great power as to bind a mans sinnes And yet saint Ambrose whose credit is far aboue maister Belarmines doth vse the words of remitting loosing retaining and binding indifferently the one for the other And therefore this is but a blinde cauill to keepe the light of the truth vnder a bushell If we prooue out of Cyprian that all the Apostles were of like honour and power They were saith he alike in their apostleship and had all one authoritie ouer christian people but were not alike among themselues The wordes of Cyprian haue no limitation but maketh all of like power and of like honour But maister Bellarmine like false mates that doe wash and clippe the coyne whereby they make it of lesse value so doeth hee by such sâ—eights seeke to diminish the force of such authorities as are brought against him But what reason hath hee so to expound Saint Cyprian Because hee saieth in that Booke that beginning proceedeth from a vnity to shew that the church is one Thus then doeth hee reason The Church proceedeth from one or from vnitie Therefore Peter is aboue all the Apostles Let other iudge of his argument I see not out of this how he can prooue that Peter hath such superioritie ouer the Apostles as that hee may exercise iurisdiction ouer them which is that the church of Rome must prooue if Peters supremacie shal do them good Seeing therefore it appeareth by that which hath beene spoken that not Peter onely but all the apostles in like manner receiued the keies as Saint Hierome testifieth that is power to retaine or remit to binde and loose although it were saide to Peter To thee I will giue the keies yet it is manifest that for his sake onely it was not spoken or the vse of the keies to him onlie was not promised but in and by him Christ spake to all without giuing lesse power to them or more to him And thus much concerning this question to whom the keies were giuen Nowe must we see what these keies are that so we may examine what that is which they say is giuen to Peter in this promise Maister Bellarmine affirmeth that they all vnderstande by the keies the soueraigne or chiefe pnwer ouer the whole church And that it must so be he proueth thus In the Prophet Esay is described the deposing of one high priest and placing of an other by the deliuering of the keies And the keies of the house of Dauid will I lay vpon his shoulder and hee shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and no man shall open Sincere dealing would become all men especially in Gods cause which is farre from maister Bellarmine as in many other places so heere also For Eliachim of whom the promise was made in this place was not hie priest Indeede Azariah was high priest in the dayes of Ezechiah Neither yet was there euer any such high priest as Shebnah whome God threateneth in that place Whosoeuer marketh either the pedigree of priests in the scriptures or in Iosephus hee shall finde it to bee most false and vntrue that heere maister Bellarmine so boldly affirmeth But this Eliachim was one of the princes whome Ezechiah sent to Rabsache whome in that place the Septuagint do call the Ruler of the house as also in the seuen and thirtieth verse of that chapter And the prophet Esay in the six and thirtie chapter and two and twentieth verse they call him the Maister of the housholde And indeede the Hebrew words do teach him to be one that was ouer the house as also Saint Hierome yea and their owne old translation doe translate those words of Esay And Saint Hierome in his commentaries vppon that place calleth him maister or ouerseer of the house And so Iosephus also doth witnes that he was one of Ezechias especially frends as it may also appeare in that he sent him to Rabsache and his lieutenant or vicegerent or doer for him let the indifferent reader now iudge whether this be good dealing in master Bellarmine thus to abuse the simplicitie of his reader and the credulitie of
his frends who hee hopeth wil not examine that he writeth whether it haue weight or not but will take all for gold that hee giueth if it looke yelow Thus against all truth to affirme Eliachim to be hie priest is too bad And to offer by such proofe as could not but be vncertain euen to himselfe to proue so waighty a matter whereupon so great controuersie in religion hangeth doth not onely proclaime that all may heare it the weaknesse of his cause but also that his indeuour is to keepe vnder the truth that it appeare not And thus much to lay open his falshood in his first reason Now let vs see the weakenesse of his second To binde and loose saieth hee is to commaunde and to punish and to dispence and to remitte But Peter coulde binde and loose What nowe will Maister Bellarmine conclude Therefore saith hee hee is iudge and prince of all that are in the church we will not much stand with him in his maior although it might haue beene vttered in plainer termes For this authoritie of binding and loosing is so committed vnto the church that the power to do it is tied not to the man but to the ministerie not to the materiall church but to the word And therefore wee cannot simply say that to bind and loose is to commaund or punish but to commaund according to the word and to punish according to the direction of it For wee must not imagine that God must be the executioner of our owne decrees or tyed to allowe of our iudgements but that wee are the proclaimers of his iudgements and must pronounce what God in his reueiled word hath already set downe And also the word of dispensing though it may perchaunce haue a good vnderstanding as if thereby we meane the meane the ordering and bestowing of the word in respect whereof the ministers are called stewards or disposers of the secrets of God so must we take heede that thereby we giue not to any man saint Peter or any other libertie to dispense at their pleasure and to order as they will the people of God For as magistrates if they do not gouerne according to law abuse their authoritie and doe degenerate into tyrants so ministers of the word if they swarue from the word are but seducers The maior I say beeing rightly vnderstood wee doe yeld vnto and the minor is also true that Peter could binde and loose But master Bellarmines conclusion doth not agree with these propositions neither can it folow if they be graunted It hangeth no better together then Daniels image of sundrie mettalles that could not long hold together But this must be master Bellarmines conclusion to bind and loose is to commannd punish dispense and remit in such sort as I haue alreadie shewed but saint Peter could binde and loose therefore saint Peter might commaund punish dispense and remit as hath beene shewed This must be master Bellarmines conclusion but this will not serue master Bellarmines turne For euery minister should so doe and not Peter onely And all this is doone by the ministery of the word in euery pastours seuerall charge if the minister be faithfull in his office Seeing his second argument concludeth nothing against vs what doth his third and last argument He promiseth by the fathers to proue that these keis are a soueraigne and chiefe authoritie ouer the whole church What will he bring vs a catholike erposition receaued by all or most of the godly learned at all times in all places agreed vpon with one consent For otherwise it is not catholike No. But hee telleth vs of two of the fathers onely And the one of them being himselfe a pope and in such times as that before his dayes this superioritie ouer all had bin sundrie wayes sought for by the Bishop of Rome his credit is in this point not much worth against vs. As for Chrisostom who is the other witnes that must prooue that by the keies Christ meaneth this vinuersal iurisdiction First he reasoneth in that very place where these words are against the Arrians or some such heretikes as made Christ not equall to the father aud insulteth against them by occasion of this place The father saith hee gaue vnto Peter the reuelation of the sonne But the sonne gaue vnto him partly that hee might sowe through the whole earth this reuelation both of the father and of the sonne partly that he being a mortall man should be indued with heauenly power and haue the keis of the kingdome of heauen And it foloweth there in Chrisostom how then is he lesse that wrought this in Peter So then to proue Christ to be equall vnto the father in power he sheweth that he wrought if not more mightely yet as powerfull in Peter as the father did And vpon this occasion he thus amplifieth this excellency of Peter as also he doth a litle before in respect of that vniuersall church that Christ committed to him which charge the rest also had For all the apostles were generall Preachers wheresoeuer God called them And therefore Chrisostom doth say of them all not of Peter only that they were the teachers of the world And in another place that there were two paires of the apostles that held this headship And yet Peter might better then any of the rest be called the pastour or head of the church that were of the twelue because the charge of the Iewes wheresoeuer they were in any place were cōmitted to him without any limitation of nation or countrie wherein they liued Seeing therefore his proofes whereby he indeuoureth to proue these keis to signifie that vniuersall and soueraigne authoritie ouer the whole church are either so false or faultie that they are not worth alleaging as are his two reasons taken out of scripture or so feeble that they can haue no strength as this out of Chrisostome I see no reason why we should yeld either to scripturs so falsly or foolishly applyed or much lesse to the sayings of men so hardly construed For as before I haue admonished it is one thing to haue an excellency or superioritie among others in some respects of other mens yeldings another thing to haue iurisdiction of his owne right and interest ouer all other The first we confesse was in Peter but that wil nothing at all helpe the Pope or the iurisdiction of the church of Rome Against the interpretation of the popish church thus I reason If these keis belong to all them that haue ovtained that grace of God to be called to the function of a bishop I speake not of the hononr but of the office then is no chiefe authoritie signifieth thereby for where many are equall there is no man chiefe But these keies belong vnto all such as Theaphilact doth testifie therefore no such chiefe authoritie is signified thereby For my minor proposition that euery bishop or pastour hath such authoritie or such
there is no necessitie that his seate wherein hee must bee succeeded is either at Rome or Antioch But wee denie first that Peter himselfe had this vniuersall charge And in this respect wee thinke it a verie needlesse matter for vs to beate our heades about his successour in the same But I pray you what meaneth this that master Bellarmine taking in hande to write of the controuersies of these tymes and to impugne and withstande them that in these dayes doe speake agaynst his Popes supremacie doth so suddenlie turne his backe vppon them and incounter with Nilus who is much more friendlie to him in this matter chen we can bee For whereas hee hath promised to prooue that the Bishop of Rome dooth succeede Peter in the vniuersall Bishopricke by Gods lawe and by reason of succession his arguments onely intend and prooue thus much Peter had this vniuersall charge and therefore another must haue it also And that Peter had it hee saieth Nilus dooth graunt it But that is it that wee denie and master Bellarmines store will not affoorde him one argnment agaynst vs directlie except hee haue anie confidence in the two last the fifth and the sixt And for the sixt as also his other arguments that may any thing touch vs they are answered almost in the beginning of this Treatise Let vs then see what strength this argument hath that so much of the weight of the cause must rest vppon Saint Paule saith the church is one body but he head can not say to the feete I haue no neede of you therefore the Church must haue another head vpon earth besides Christ If the argument be hard fauoured and mishapen and ill tied together and agree like strings al out of tune blame him that make it so For master Bellarmine doth so reason These are his wordes The church is one body and hath her kinde of head here vppon earth besides Christ as appeareth out of 1. Corinthians and the twelfth chapter In which place after that the Apostle Saint Paule hath said that the church is one body hee addeth The head cannot say to the feet I haue no need of you Which his reason if it be drawen into a forme of argument must as I thinke be formed into such a monstrous shape as you haue seene But to omit the shape of his argument let vs see what substaunce there is in it And if it bee examined it hath as little found matter as good making For out of these wordes of Saint Paule the head can not say to the feete I haue no neede of you hee thus inferreth but Christ may say that hee standeth in neede of none of vs therefore by this head heere Christ can not be meant Is not this very clarkely handled of maister Bellarmine to apply that vnto Christ our head in the church which S. Paul speaketh of the head of a naturall bodie whereof he hath borrowed a similitude to teach how necessary the members of Christ his mysticall body are one to an other so that none may without wronging himselfe despise another which collection of M. Bellarmine is most plainely against the text it selfe and the iudgement of all good expositours Nay I suppose I neede except no expositor but maister Bellarmine himselfe And yet we haue in that very place an other argument of his For a man may see that he was sore pained in trauaile of this argument For seeeing no way how to deliuer it well he was faine to heape vp much stuffe in few lines for al this matter is contained in little more then eight short lines to make a shew as though he had much to say when as that which he said is farre worse then iust nothing Well let vs view his argument One head besides Christ there must be but there is no other then Peter therefore Peter must be the head We flatly deny that we need any head but Christ as before I haue proned Lastly Peter dying the church must not want a head therefore Peter must haue a successor But this argument supposeth that Peter is the head of the vniuersall church which they cannot prooue and vntill they can prooue it we will content our selues with Christ our head Thus we see how master Bellarmines fift argument as a plenteous spring sendeth forth three streames but there is no cleare water in any of them but bad couers of a bad messe And what is all this to the bishop of Rome if Peter must haue a successour For as we deny Peters supremacie so may wee doubt whether he might be a bishop being not an apostle only as were the rest but an apostle of the Iewes wheresoeuer they were we doubt of his resignation of the bishopricke of Antioch if he were at any time bishop there we doubt of his being bishop of Rome and lastly whether this succession must needes belong to the bishops of Rome if Peter had it for it might bee personall in Peter And master Bellarmine who in other questions is plentifull of his reasons and will make some reasonable shew of proofe in this greatest matter and which it especially behoueth him to prooue is so barren that he hath almost nothing to say no reason to alleage although by his promise he made vs looke for great matters And yet when all is done he must either haue vs to graunt him the thing that is in question which we cannot doe or else he can say nothing to it But there are many strong reasons that moue vs to denie that Peter had any such vniuersall authoritie ouer all Christs flock or that any man the bishop of Rome or any other should haue such supremacie First the greatnesse of the change which is far aboue the abilitie of many much lesse can any one performe it Secondly that our sauiour Christ doth shew a litle before his death as appeareth in Saint Iohns gospell a fatherly affection and tender care to comfort his disciples being pensiue because of his departure and yet neuer vseth this argument or giueth them this commaundement that Peter should be their head and they should obay him Although good oportunitie was offered to haue spoken of it if it had beene so when Christ told them that it was expedient that he should departe He doth not then tell them that Peter must be in his place and supply his roome or that one should haue general charge of his church But on the contrarie he appointeth his vicar and vicegerent euen his spirit to supply his want Who can be in all places at once in euery particular church yea in euery particular member of the church to comfort instruce direct defend and to do to and for the godly whatsoeuer is needefull or expedient for them Thirdly the apostles after Christ ascension and Saint Luke that writeth the acts of the apostles make no mention of such a supremacie in Peter vnlesse we could
had beene knowen to be sufficient proofe of the supremacy What needed they so notoriously to falsifie the council What needed the fathers to take such paines and to be at such cost as to send for true copies of that council to Constantinople Alexandria and Antioche to trie whether the fathers in that council of Nice had giuen such power to the bishop of Rome if in these words To thee will I giue the keies of the kingdome of heauen Christ had promised or in these feed my sheepe Christ had giuen such fulnes of power ouer all others to the bishop of Rome Seeing therefore that proofe seemed not strong enough in those times the graunt which they had from Phocas did them no great good to shewe what right they had to that supremacy although thereby they got possession thereof For if by his gift they claimed then they confessed this their authority to be from man and that from too wickes and bloudy a murdering man to doe any great good in Christ his church or for setting downe of any order whereby all should be ruled Then also it might haue beene called in question whether he by his authoritie could subiect all men for euer to that church of Rome or not To make their title therefore as good as they could they deuised another helpe They fained this gift to be from Constantine the first emperour that publickly allowed of christian profession And they make him to giue not onely his palace of Lateran and many other temporallties to the bishop of Rome as master Bellarmine would haue it thought but they bring him in speaking these words We decreeing doe ordaine that he the bishop of Rome shall haue the supremacie as well ouer the foure principall seates of Antioch Alexandria Constantinople and Ierusalem as also ouer all churches in the whole earth And that the pope for the time being of that holy church of Rome shall be hier and Prince of all princes in the world Is this onely to giue temporalties But the falshood of the donation of Constantine doth shine more bright then the noone day although the papists make great account of the same Yea Melchior Canus altogether a papist yet he did either see more or dealt plaiulier in this matter then did master Bellarmine For although he be loth to denie it or to diminish the credit of it yet he bringeth moe reasons against it then hee with all his felowes can be able to answere So that we neede not seeke for arguments out of Laurentius Valla or others to confute it For euen hee hath giuen it a more deadly wound then can be healed againe He confesseth that the lawyers take it to be but a fained matter and therfore cal it chaffe for it is indeed so called in their owne distinctions He acknowledgeth that Eusebius Ruffinus Theodoret Socrates Sozomenus Eutropius Victor and other authors of credit who most diligently wrote all that Constantine did haue not onely made no mention of that donation but also doe affirme that he so deuided his empire among his three sonnes as that the one of them had Italie And that Ammianus Marcellinus in his fifteenth booke writeth that Constantius Constantines sonne had the rule of the citie of Rome and made Leontius his liuetenant there And lastly that all Histories record that many Emperours after that time ruled in Italie yea and in Rome What can be more plaine Their owne Lawyeares confesse it to be fained no good story recordeth it but y e contrary Rome after this gift was the imperial citty and seat Therefore either Constantine gaue no such thing from him and his heires or his gift was nothing worth Melchâ— or Canus also doubteth of the very foundation of this fable which is the leprosie whereof they faine that Constantine was healed plainly affirming that in any good author he readeth no such thing But not he only doubteth hereof but long before him it hath beene spied by Anthonius B. of Florence in his history by Volateran writing of Constantine by the cardinal Nicolas Cusam a fast friend and faithful to that Romish church that this donation was not in the old coppies of Grecians decrees And therfore when it was added themselues accompted it but chaffe and no good corne And these and such reasons made Pius the second pope of that name to maruell in a certaine dialogue written by him being a Cardinall that the Lawyers were so mad as to make any question of that matter which neuer was And that wee may see how all things in this donation of Constantine are but fained whereas the donation maketh Siluester the Pope to whome this gift was giuen yet in another place the same thing is said to be giuen vnto Melchiades that was bishop before Siluester And he is made to speake as though it had beene done before his time also And yet this Melchiades was pope about two or three yeares before Constantine was Emperour and died long before he gaue peace and quietnes to Christians as in the Cronicle of Eusebius who lined in those daies it may appeare What needeth this point of their doctrine any aduersary Themselues doe fully confute one another And the prouerb is in this found true when theeues fal out true men come by their goods For these decrees if they be well considered it is not hard to spie falshood in them both And therefore we may take heede how we trust them seeing that in these two we see plainly how the one is contrarie to the other and both contrary to the truth There are also some impossibilities in the said donation which doe sufficiently prooue it to be but a fraudulent deede For the occasion of this gift is there set downe Namely that Constantine beeing baptised is healed of his leprosie and thereupon giueth these things to Siluester of whome he was baptised And yet besids many other ancient histories of good credit Saint Hierom doth plainly write that he was baptised at the latter end of his life and that not of Siluester bishop of Rome for hee was dead and also Marke that succeded him but of Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia some six or seauen yeares after Siluester was dead How then could these things be giuen to Siluester at the baptisme of Constantine Siluester being dead so long before Or howe at his baptisme in Rome when he was baptised in Nicomedia the chiefe citie of Bithinia many hundred miles distant from Rome But it is strange that they are so impudent as to name Constantinople at this time for one of the principall seats of bishops as in this donation they do which was called not by that name before Constantine in the tenth yeare of his raigne did build it but while Siluester and Marke his successor liued it was called Bizance And about twentie or thirty yeares after the death of Constantine was there a councill at Constantinople wherein y t sea of
that it is dangerous to speake the truth of him But his meaning is that our weaknes and wants will not let vs so speake of him as we should And the popes feare is that if we speake truth of him we must speake otherwise then he would haue vs or were for his honesty Nowe bishops hauing their tongues and pens thus bridled who durst venture to finde any fault If for them to speak the truth be periury what should it be thought in others And thus because he saw that to haue the truth of popes doings known it would be a burning shame he full wisely laieth this blocke in that way and thus maketh vp that gappe And after commeth in to serue their turne that fulnesse of authority and power of the keies which they would so seeme to haue from Christ as that none but they should rule that sterne none but they should haue that iurisdiction So that if they curse none can blesse if they excommunicate none may absolue if they binde no man may loose Wherein they challenge so great priuiledge that they can worke thereby against the law of God the lawe of nature the law of nations They can if you will that they will tell you release the subiectes from the bond of obedience which they owe to their magistrates and the children they can cause to rebell against their parents A perilons practise is this for all princes estates thus to lead the people on the blind side as to make them beleeue that to rebel is to obey and to dishonour their superiours is an acceptable sacrifice to God By these their powerfull keies they also open the dore of immunities and priuiledges of the clergy whereby they are exempt from all corrections and punishmentes vnlesse forsooth it please his holines to deliuer them to the secular power to make them his hangmen But of their owne authority they may not touch him because they are say they the Lordes annointed By which meanes they grew to great sawcines and the state was not a little indangered thereby in many places They had also another practise to maintaine their pride and hold them in their high seate That is auricular confession or that which we call shrift For vnder colour of being ghostly fathers the Popes subtill and sworne friendes had accesse to princes had conference with their counsellours had knowledge of their secrets had opportunity to practise with their false and faithlesse subiectes and they might and did take al occasions by terrifying the consciences of princes in respect of their sinnes which they made knowne to them as if there were no hope of mercy at the hands of God if first they were not reconciled to the Holy Father the Pope and the holy mother the Church of Rome And thus were they euery way distressed their consciences being intangled and their estates indangered But one of their most subtill shiftes was the taking away of knowledge from the people Whereby they became as men that walked in the darke in an vnknowne way They neuer knewe whether they did right or wrong They knew not their own duty They were taught to beleeue as the church beleeued Now although they heard much of the church of Rome yet for the most parte they were not acquainted with it So that the church that must be their direction must be their parson or vicar or perchance their bishop Who if he would leade them out of the way they must needs go wrong Because their light of knowledge was quite put out The Scriptures were either quite taken from them and mens dreames and deuises deliuered to the lay people insteede of them or els they were so corrupted with foolish gloses and so mingled with mens traditions that the true sence and meaning of them was stil vnder a bushell so that it gaue no light at all to them Nowe they not knowing their duty which God had commaunded them to performe to magistrates howe easily might they be drawen aside from the same Yea they through ignorance not beeing able to put a difference betweene trueth and falsehoode howe readily might they be moued to thinke it to be true that they doe say vnto them who were onely reputed and taken for holy Church that the Pope is Christes Vicar that he is so much more excellent then any worldly potentate as the soule is better then the body that there is no lesse difference betweene the glory of the Emperour and the pope then is betweene the brightnesse of the Sunne and of the Moone The pope being like the Sunne and the Emperour compared to the. Moone which hath her light from the Sunne These and other such like blasphemies against the maiesty whome God hath placed vpon earth were accompted good doctrine and strong proofes through want of knowledge And this very effect that ignorance did worke whereby the very brokers for the church of Rome did see themselues and their masters esteemed halfe as Gods and their messages receiued more readily and more constantly kept and more willingly obeied then gods word by a great deale made them to proclaime so lowde and so stiffly to maintaine that ignorance is the mother of deuotion And why should they not when they see that princes are readye by reason of their ignoraunce in Gods trueth to be led and guided by such blind guides euen to the hazarding of their kingdoms And the people therby are withdrawen from al duty so that they may leade both prince and people as Elisha led the Syrians euen into their enemies hands And as this ignorance hath beene a great cause that the pope hath mightily preuailed and aduaunced his seate farre higher than became one of his coate and yet his pride was neuer spied of many euen so at this day for want of knowledge the people are most easily drawen to worship euen the very name of Holy Father and to sucke the breasts of the holy mother the Romish church Whose doctrines if they could examine whose spirites if they coulde trie whose horrible blasphemies against Gods trueth and vnnaturall cruelties against Gods saints if they could with indifferent iudgement consider of if I say the Lord in mercy would vouchsafe them that knowledge they would euen hate the name of a Romish catholike and feare to be of that company and crew that so plainely and stubburnely reiecteth Gods commaundement despiseth Gods magistrates deceiueth Gods people and leadeth them in the waies of death and damnation There are also some other meanes and practises whereby the popes drawe the people into great admiration of them Namely their pardons and indulgences their agnus Dei and such other trash and trumpery whereby they perswade the simple ones that they can effectually and really pardon their sinnes which is Gods office onely take away their iniquities deliuer them from damnation and shield them from all euill And who would not giue all that he hath if he
Christ himselfe as man onely for he was taught of his father what to doe and what to say much lesse then would his vicar of Rome if he had but one sparke of christian humilitie claime such absolute power ouer the whole earth Seeing therefore by this name head hee chalengeth greater power then either any good man would haue in Gods church for the godly can be content to speake of God as God teacheth them and to doe as hee woulde haue them or is fit for any man to haue as his vnruly doings do sufficiently declare we iustly denie that euer any bishop of Rome was of the godly called the head of the church in that sence that it is now vsed as their doings doe plainly teach vs. As for the name Papa or pope it was a common name to all bishops as is confessed by Baronius yea and graunted also in this place by master Bellarmine himselfe And it signifieth as much as father or grandfather so that it seemeth that it was first giuen vnto bishops by godly christians who did honour and reuerence them for their calling And why may not this name be aptly giuen to any diligent bishoppe or pastour in the church of god No master Bellarmine wil haue this name after a more particular maner to be giuen to the bishop of Rome then to any other Then we must learne of Christ not to call any man our father vpon earth For there is but one our father which is in heauen And therefore if he wil otherwise be our father then man may be our father let him seeke for other children for to such a father we owe no obedience The name of vniuersal bishop was giuen in the councill of Chalcedon to the bishop of Rome maister Bellarmine telleth vs. We deny it not But without a fauourable and good vnderstanding that title may be very odious For euen Gregory himselfe a bishop of Rome and no man more vehemently inueieth against that proud title in many plaids His places are so commonly alleadged that I neede not come to any particular But Bellarmine going about to deliuer this title from all suspition of antichristian ambition telleth vs that this name vniuersall bishop may be taken in two sorts One way that a vniuersall bishop should signifie an only bishop that is such a one as woulde haue none to be bishop but himfelfe onely And such a vniuersall bishop saith master Bellarmine Saint Gregory condemneth And doth he not otherwise condemne Iohn of Constantinople his pride but because he would haue no bishop but himselfe No master Bellarmine the stories are more plaine then that such shifts may go for currant The controuersie was whether the bishop of Constantinople should be as now the bishop of Rome is in his owne account a bishop aboue al bishops Read all the histories and it wil easily appeare his indeuour was only to haue the commanding of other bishops Neither could he be called vniuersal if he were the only bishop but rather the singular bishop But master Bellarmine bringeth two or three testimonies out of Gregory wherein he complaineth that Iohn patriarch of Constantinople would be bishop alone Gregories meaning is plaine enough that he saith he would only be bishop because he only would haue the commanding of all that others should indeede be his suffraganes and at his commandement which reason of Gregory against that title of vniuersall bishop if it be wel marked giueth I thinke a wound vncurable to the church of Rome A soueraigne authoritie in one to commaund all saith he is to take away all bishops but that one onely but such soueraigne authoritie ouer bishops the pope doth chalenge in this name of vniuersall bishop as experience teacheth therefore he maketh him selfe the onely bishop And this is the thing that Gregorie so mislyketh in Iohn bishop of Constantinople therefore I cannot see how it can be tolerable in him of Rome But one may be called a vniuersall bishop saith he in another sence as he hath a care of the whole church and so the Pope may be called a vniuersall Bishop But herein master Bellarmine giueth very litle authoritie to the bishop of Rome For this generall care belongeth not onely to euery Bishop but also to euery Christian as Caesar Paronius doeth plainly confesse of whom master Bellarmine doth write that he is a singular good man and without all doubt most learned And therefore I trust hee will by him be perswaded to let this name of vniuersall bishop be a name that may belong to mo then to him of Rome and so not to make it his peculiar title A fourth name of his is that hee is called most holy And here master Bellarmine doth maruelously insult ouer master Luther for insinuating that the names of most high and most holy had not beene hard of in the dayes of Gregorie Master Luther said not so master Bellarmine onely feared that he ment some such matter and therefore quareleth with him and telleth him that he lieth Well Leo the pope is called most holy in three seuerall titles that three Graecians wrote to him It is true master Bellarmine and in the same action in a great number of places besids the bishops yelding their consent do call him most holy He is there also called holy and why would not that name holy which is there also giuen to him as well content the bishop of Rome now as to be called most holy Or why should that be a peculiare name to him alone that was giuen in that place as well to others as to him For Anatolius the patriarch of Constantinople is often called most holy Yea and the council writeth vnto Dioscorus patriarch of Alexandria whome they depriued of his dignitie because he was a manitainer of Futiches that notable heretick yet I say the conncill writing vnto him doe call him also most holy And whosoeuer marketh that councill shall see no titles more common then most holy most blessed or happie mow beloued of God and such like Neither were these things giuen vnto them as names to continue to them and their seate but onely such titles as they thought well bestowed vpon such persons as they vsed them to As Leo bishop of Rome who although he were not without his infirmiries yet sure he was a man of great gifts And they in aboundance of affection towardes him called him most holy Must it therefore be a name hereditary to that sinfull and shamelesse broode that since hath sprong vp in that place It were absurd to thinke that coniurers inchaunters poyseners adulterers and such ruffians and rakehelles should be called by right of their seat most holy And yet now nothing more common then this title His fauourites must not speake of him but with this tearme of most holy Looke all his bulles and writings and you shall see that hee that is most vnholy before God and men yet by a lying
stile must be called most holy Yea to doubt whether it be a fit name for his holinesse forsooth or not is a sinne more to be punished then the breach of Gods lawe if it be true that Gentiletus writing against the council of Trent reporteth of a bishop that was put out of his bishopricke because in that council he misliked that the pope should be called most holy and God in the scriptures is called but holie And indeede he might iustly mislike it if he duely considered that in God hee could not see any thing like vnto sinne in the pope almost no sparke of goodnesse in these latter ages And this I take to be the reason why master Bellarmine doth not place among the fifteene names that he hath found out for the pope this name most holy because in respect of his vnholinesse he thinketh it pitie to bestow that name vpon him And therefore he should the rather haue borne with master Luther if hee did maruell that the popes flatterers would so prophane that holy title in bestowing it vpon so vnholy men as for the most parte they haue all beene which these many hundred of yeares haue sit in that seate Or at the least hee would not haue giuen the lie to master Luther for signifying that Saint Gregorie would haue misliked the abuse of that name in these dayes As for the name of Christs vicar which is also one of his common title wee would not much sticke to bestow it vpon him our selues if he would content himselfe with that place wherein he is or else should be if he were as he ought to be the vicar of Christ For euerie pastor is in his owne charge Christs vicar and must in Christs steede be a messenger from God and pray the people to be reconciled to God But this is too small a benefice for this prowd prelate too litle a compasse for his ambitious minde He will be vicar generall All the world must be his diocesse all people are his flocke But wee cannot yeeld him that title we cannot displace him whome Christ hath assigned to that Rome euen whilest he was vpon earth and promised to send in his place euen the spirit of truth that euer abiding comforter His eies see our wants his eares heare all our cries yea our sighes and groanes are not hidden from him He is worthie to be Christs vicar generall because hee is with the church in all places yea if it bee in prisons and dungeons But this vicar of Rome as he can not be euery where if he would so in such places he will not be if he could His predecessors indeede that neuer sought so proud titles suffered much for Christes sake But now the case is altered All men must suffer his wrongs and violence His name of father how it can be bestowed vpon him I cannot see vnlesse it be for getting of bastards and so their own stories will report vnto vs that many of them haue beene fathers as Iohn 12. Alexander the sixt and many other But seeing spirituall fathers must beget children to God by the word of truth and by the seede not mortall but by the immortall seede of the worde of God which seede they loue not to sowe for a preaching pope in our dayes is as a blacke swan they cannot therefore get spirituall children vnto God therefore as I said before I cannot see that they can be spirituall fathers If they be called fathers in respect of their age and so it be vsed as a name of reuernce wee enuie then not that name in such sort so that they take it not from other to make it proper to them And these are the names which are commonly giuen in our days to the B. of Rome As for the rest of his titles because we hear them not attributed to popes now I omit Sauing that I must put you in remembrance of one blasphemous name which although it be not a name by which he is commonly called yet it is giuen to him as his due and master Bellarmine because he would not haue him to leese it doth tel vs it is his name He is therefore called the bridegroome of the church Which name master Bellarmine saith was giuen to him by a generall council holden at Lyons it was Anno. 1215. more then twelue hundreth yeares after Christ But as it seemeth it was neuer worthy to be reckoned among the councils For we haue it not in the tomes of councils Yea and the pope Boniface the eight doth challenge to himselfe that proud name we not minding to neglect our iustice and the iustice of our spouse or wife the church saith he what shall this holy church which is likened to a body because it can haue but one head to a house because it can haue but one foundation to an army because it can haue but one captaine or generall to a turtle doue because it can haue but one mate to a kingdoem because it can haue but one king to a sheepfold because it can haue but one sheepheard to a wife because it can haue but one husbād shall shee I say now forsake the husband of her youth or at the least keepe him and another too Who euer heard that an honest woman could at one time haue two husbands or an honest husband haue together two wiues since Christ his time Or how can the holy church that chast virgine who is coupled to Christ be the wife of that vicar of Rome God is a ielous God Christ is a ielous husband his wife must loue none but him Shee therfore can haue no other husband Saint Bernard telleth pope Eugenius that the church is his masters wife It is for him enough to be the friend of the bridegroome he must not call his masters bestebloued his own prince but a prince Yea saith he thou must challenge in her nothing to be thine But master Bellarmine telleth vs that saint Bernard did let Eugenius to vnderstand that he is not the true and chiefe husband of the church We confesse it neither he is nor any man excepting Christ can be the churches true husband And this is also as true that the church because she is chast can haue but Christ her one only husband And this is it that Iohn the baptist meaneth when he saith that he that hath the bride is the bridegroome I haue her not saith he what am I then The friend of the bridegroome Thus doth S. Augustin bring Iohn the Baptist acknowledging that he hath no right in the bridegoomes wife but is only a friend to the bridegroome As also he maketh the bridegroome him only that is lord ouer the whole earth And he maketh his argument strong against Donatus because the church hath but one husband which is Christ therefore Donatus is not that husband nor can be But if master Bellarmines distinction might serue that Christ is chiefe