Church of Rome that the Pope hath power to absolve Subjects from their Oaths of fidelity to their natural Princes to command them to fight against them and consequently to kill them that all are oblieged to acknowledge him for their natural Prince whom the Pope shal appoint It is taught also in that Church That the Pope is direct Monarch of the whole World both in Spirituals and Temporals So Bozius lib. 10. de signs Ecclesiae and Carerius de potestate Papae and all the Canonists they teach also That a Pope deposing a King without any reason but his will doth him no wrong because he takes only what is his own from him As a King doth no wrong to the Governor of a Province when he gives his government to another Subject Although the former have done no offence as is maintained by Thomas Bozius lib. 3. cap 4 de jure status Here our Romish Emissaries in Scotland endeavor to perswade their Proselytes that this doctrine of deposing Kings is not the doctrine of the Church of Rome but only of some particular Persons whom they call the Popes Flatterers But is replyed that those Gentle-men are either not well versed in their own principles or else they are like Father Cotton the Jesuite who being demanded by the Parliament of Paris If he believed that the Popes had power to depose Kings Answered He did not believe it in France but if he were at Rome he would believe it However that it is to the doctrine of the Church of Rome that the Pope hath power to depose Kings is proved by these following reasons which will puzle those gentlemen very sore to answer The first is this innumerable Books are Printed teaching this doctrine and yet are Printed by authority and licence as containing no doctrine contrair to the true Catholick doctrine of the Church of Rome Ergo the deposing of Kings by the Pope is the true Catholick doctrine of the Church of Rome since a doctrine which is not contrary to the doctrine of the Church of Rome must of necessity be the doctrine of the Church of Rome The second reason is this All the Roman Doctors unanimously maintain except some few who dare not set out their Head that whatever the Pope and his Cardinals discern in a Conclave is of equal if not of a Superior Authority with that which is decreed in a General Council but the Conclave at Rome gives unto the Pope power of deposing Kings Ergo it is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome That such power is given to the Pope by the Conclave appears by innumerable bulls as that of Gregory 7. against Henry the 4. Emperor That of Paul the third against Henry the 8. of England Of Paul the 5. against Queen Elizabeth Of Sixtus the 5. against Henry 3. and 4. Kings of France The third reason is this Every one is bound to believe that to be the true Doctrine of the Church of Rome which the Pope teacheth in Cathedra in which case they maintain he is infallible But the Pope teacheth in Cathedra that he hath power to depose Kings by his decretal bulls obliging the whole Church as is notorious in which he assums to himself that power as appears by innumerable of his Bulls especially by those now mentioned against the Emperor Kings of England France in which he expresly assumes unto himself authority of building or aedificandi of casting down or demoliendi of planting plantandi of rooting out eradicandi transferendi of transferring Kingdoms at his pleasure In some of which Bulls also he applyeth to himself those words of the Prophet Per me Reges regnant By me Kings reign which is notorious blasphemy And thus we have proved against those Gentlemen that they are mistaken in denying that is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome which giveth authority unto the Pope to depose Kings They are not yet satisfied as appears by two objections made by one of those Gentlemen to my self The first was this that I could not instruct that it was the Doctrine of any General Council that the Pope hath power to depose Kings and consequently I could not make out it was the doctrine of the whole Church of Rome To which objection I answered First that I had made it out That it was the doctrine of Popes in Cathedra and consequently I had made it out that he and all other Romanists were obliged to believe it as an Article of Faith He told me plainly he did much doubt of that neither was he of that opinion That the Pope could not err in cathedra but still pressed me to prove it by the Authority of some General Council protesting he detested that doctrine as unsound I desired him to read Baronius anno 1072. and he would find that the Emperor Henry the 4. was exautorated by a Council at Rome num 16 17 18. and by another at Collen 1118. num 20. and by another at Fritislar ibid. The Gentleman answered very pertinently That these were only petty particular Councils but he desired the authority of a General Council I desired him to read Baronius ad an num 1102. num 1 2 3. and also the same Author 1116. num 5. and also anno 1119. Where he will find that doctrine to be the doctrine of General Councils especially that of Lateran anno 1116. is called a General Council by Baronius Likewise I desired him to read Bzovius anno 1245. num 4. The Council of Lions in the tombs of Councils tom 28. pag. 431. The decretals sext de sententiâ re judicata ad Apostolica where he would find that the Emperor Frederick the second was deprived or declared to be deprived and his subjects quit from their Oaths of Allegiance by Innocentius 4. in the Council of Lions I desired him also to read an Act of a General Council at Lateran under Innocent third where he would find that doctrine or that power of Deposing Kings attributed to the Pope which Act he would find in Bzovius anno 1215. Paragraph 3. in Binnius and Crab in their collection of Councils C. l 3. and in Gregorius de haeret C. excommunicamus I desired him also to read Ses 25. Canon 19. of the Council of Trent where he would find that power of the Popes so intelligibly asserted and consequentially although not expesly that it was one of the main reasons for which the Kingdom of France stood out against that Council of Trent rejecting its Authority By the said Canon any Dominus fundi is deprived of the Dominion of it if a düel be fought in it and since a King is comprehended under Dominus fundi the Council takes upon it to deprive him of a part of his Kingdom but if they have power to deprive him of a part by the same reason they take upon them power to take his whole Kingdom from him And this way I answered his first objection viz. that it could be instructed by Act of
by usurpations of Bishops of Rome and appellations They next endeavour to prove it by testimonies of Fathers which are of two sorts 1. wrested 2. forged In this Chapter and the next following we will examine the first sort and then we will conclude this Book with examining the last The Fathers whose testimonies they wrest are either Greek or Latin The Greek Fathers are Ignatius and Irenaeus the Latin Fathers by them alledged are Tertullian and Cyprian We will speak of the Greek Fathers and also of Tertullian in this Chapter and will answer these testimonies of Cyprian in the Chapter next following And first of Ignatius from whom they alledge the inscription of his Epistle written to the Romans which is this Ignatius to the Sanctified Church presiding in the region of the Romans thus the place is alledged by Bellarmine whereas the Greek hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is which presides in the place of the region of the Romans wherefore they render it so this is the reason Barronius ad annum 45. num 10. observes that the Roman Church and the Catholick Church were believed to be the same and therefore they translate Ignatius affirming the Church of Rome to Preside in the region of the Romans that is saith Bellarmine and Bozius Presiding in the Catholick Church But it is answered first that it was not the custom in the dayes of Ignatius to call the Roman-church the Catholick-church or where they spake of the Roman-church to mean by it the Catholick-church first because the oldest testimony we have of that kind is in the dayes of Theodosius junior Victor Uticensis and Gregorius Turonensis that is not till 300. years after Ignatius and 400. after Christ Secondly that maner of phrase had its Original from the Arians the said Gregorius Turonensis in his Book De Gloria martyrum cap. 25. brings in an Arian Prince calling the Orthodox-church the Roman-church or Orthodox-christians Romans Thirdly that maner of speaking had its Original from a politick reason and not from an Ecclesiastical In those dayes the Goths Alans and Vandals made war upon the Romans the first three were Arians the Romans Orthodox and therefore because all the Orthodox Christians partied the Romans in that war they called them all Romans their Faith the Roman Faith their Church the Roman Church as the Turks at this day call all Christians Francks or French-men Fourthly as we said they translate Ignatius falsly for his words are to the Church presiding in Loco regionis Romanorum in the place of the region of the Romans whereby it evidently appears that the meaning of Ignatius is no other then the Church presiding in the Town of Rome since none can affirm by these words he means otherwayes or that the Church of Rome presides in the whole Church since he particularizes the presidency and restricts it to a certain-place of the region of the Romans and therefore they sophisticate egregiously in translating Ignatius Presiding in the region of the Romans Since the Romans say they at that time commanded the whole world Ignatius by a Church Presiding in the region of the Romans understands a Church Presiding in the whole world whereas the words of Ignatus impart no more but a Church presiding in a certain place of the region of the Romans Which is further confirmed because we shewed before from these two Epistles of Ignatius to the Trallians and Magnesians that he acknowledged no Office in the Church above that of a Bishop but he could not be so forgetful of himself as in this Epistle to acknowledge the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome as Bellarmine and Bozius pretends he doth which is further confirmed by the testimony of Basilius Epists 8. where he affirms that Iconium presides in a part of Pisidia which is just such an other expression as that of Ignatius We could defend the meaning of Ignatius not to make much for them although they had translated him faithfully that is if he had said Presiding in the region of the Romans for from these words it can no more be gathered that the Bishop of Rome is oecumenick Bishop then it can prove the Bishop of Ments or the Bishop of Carthage oecumenick Bishop because they preside in the region of Carthage c. for in the dayes of Ignatius as we said none were called Romans but those who lived within the precinct or particular command of the City and this much of Ignatius Now followeth Irenaeus from whom they bring a testimony by them much magnified the passage is this speaking of the Church of Rome ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire ecclesiam hoc est eos qui sunt undique fideles in qua Semper ab his qui Sunt undique conservata est ea quae ab Apostolis est traditio The substance is all Churches should accord with the Church of Rome for two reasons first because of its more powerful principality the next is because Apostolical tradition is preserved in that Church But this place makes not much for them as appears by Irenaeus scope this passage is found lib. 3. cap. 13. in which Chapter he is disputing against Hereticks which were the perfect Scriptures he willeth them for their satisfaction to consult with the ancient Churches which successively descended from the Apostles and for instance sake proponeth unto them the Church of Rome his meaning is then in those words whatever the Church of Rome at that time thought perfect Scriptures all Churches about were bound to acknowledge them for such first by reason of its more powerful principality that Church being founded by the Apostles Paul and Peter as was believed then Secondly because it hath been thought by Churches about to have purely preserved that tradition of the Canon of Scripture which it had received from the Apostles so that the meaning of Irenaeus is no other then this that all are bound to accord to that Church so long as it preserves the perfect Canon of Scripture and teaches no other Doctrine then is contained in it by this testimony of Irenaeus we are bound no more to adhere to the Church of Rome then it adhereth to the Scripture But they instance Irenaeus simply without such restrictions affirms that all should accord to the Church of Rome because it observes the apostolick tradition which is as much say they as the Church of Rome cannot make an Apostacy But it is replyed first although Irenaeus affirmed that in those times the Church of Rome preserved the pure Canon of the Scripture yet he doth not affirm that in all times coming it would do so The Church of Rome at this day observes not that Cannon of the Scripture which was observed in the dayes of Irenaeus the Council of Trent under the pain of an Anathema adds to the Canon of the Scriptures these Books commonly called Apocrypha which were rejected by the Church of Rome in the dayes of
not now found in the Editions of Rhenanus printed since in those places where the Pope hath jurisdiction They had reason to purge out those words from Rhenanus because the testimony of his was as a Poyniard sticking in the very bowels of that article of the Catechise of the Council of Trent viz. that there is no salvation without communion with the Church of Rome CHAP. XII Several passages objected out of Cyprian to prove the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome in that interval vindicated from Sophistry THe last Father they make use of to prove the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome in that interval between the times of the Apostles and the death of Cyprian is Cyprian himself There is not a Father of them all more urged to prove the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome then Cyprian and yet it is most certain that it never had a greater enemy then he what Cyprians opinion was anent that contest appeared in the former Chapters both by his testimonies and his actions Our adversaries dispute two wayes for the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome out of Cyprian first by sophistry next by forgery we will refute the first in this Chapter and prove the second in the Chapters following and that by the testimonies of the greatest Antiquaries that ever the Church of Rome produced The first testimony of Cyprian they bring is from his 42. Epistle where writing to Cornelius Bishop of Rome he hath these words Some while ago we sent some of our Colleagues to compose some differences or to reduce some schismaticks to the unity of the Chatholick Church c. and a little after But those Schismaticks set up to themselves an adulterous head against the Church from which place Bellarmine reasons thus as those Novatians set up one to be heaa of their Church or of the whole Church of the Novatians so Cornelius was head of the Catholick Church But it is answered this reasoning is very unbeseeming such a learned man as Bellarmine for the meaning of Cyprian is no other then that the Novatians set up to themselves a Bishop at Rome in opposition to Cornelius so he calls the Novatian Bishop an adulterous head contrary to Cornelius who was the true head of the particular Church at Rome because he was the true Bishop thereof and so Cyprian doth not mean any head of the whole Church but only by Head he means Bishop of the particular Church of Rome Bellarmine instances that Cyprian affirms his intention was to reconcile those Shismaticks to the Catholick Church by which he means the Church of Rome and since the Church of Rome is the Catholick Church and the Bishop of Rome head of the Church of Rome Ergo he is head of the Catholick Church But it is answered when Cyprian calls the Church of Rome the Catholick Church his meaning is a particular Church professing the Doctrine of the Catholick Church and therefore they who were reconciled to the Church of Rome were reconciled to the Catholick Church also so any reconciled to a particular Church professing the Doctrine of the Catholick Church is reconciled also to the Catholick Church and yet that particular Church is not the Catholick Church That this is the meaning of Cyprian appears by the preceeding Epistle or epist 41. where speaking of some Schismaticks in the Church of Carthage he affirms they opposed themselves to the Catholick Church he means they opposed themselves to the Church of Cathage inwhich doing they opposed themselves to the Catholick Church because the Church of Cathage professed the same Doctrine with the Catholick Church in opposing or renting the Church of Carthage they rent and opposed the Catholick Church Pamelius urgeth that Cyprian affirms that those Schismaticks refused the bosome of the root and mother Church where observe saith he that Cyprian calls the Church of Rome the root and the mother of all Churches or of the Catholick Church which Epithet is given by Cyprian to the Church of Rome not only in this epistle but also in his 45. epist to Cornelius in which he gives injunctions to those he was sending to Rome to be informed concerning that schism of the Novatians that they should acknowledge and adhere to the Root and Mother of the Catholick Church But it is answered that Cyprian by Root and Mother of the Catholick Church means no other thing but the Catholick-Church it self as appears by the said 45. Epistle in which he affirms to Cornelius that hearing that there was a schism in the Church of Rome he sent Caldonius and Fornatus to be informed of the truth of the business and to adhere to neither party till they were informed which of the factions was in the right and which in the wrong and for that reason he did not direct his Letters either to Cornelius or to that Novatian Bishop but only to the Presbyters and Deacons of Rome that being informed by them they might adhere to those who held and acknowledged the Root and Mother of the Catholick Church whereby it is evident that Cyprian did not believe that Cornelius Bishop of Rome or those who adhered to him were the root and mother of the Catholick Church since he gave his messengers injunction to suspend their Judgments till they were informed who adhered to the root and mother of the Catholick Church that is who maintained the true Faith or who were members of the Catholick Church for if Cyprian had believed that Cornelius and his faction had been the root and mother of the Catholick Church he would not have injoyned his messengers to suspend their judgment till they were informed by the Presbyters and Deacons so it is evident that Cyprian by Root and Mother of the Catholick Church means the Catholick Church it self both in his 45. and 42. Epistle and in the same sense epist 43. and 44. he exhorts them to return to their mother that is to the unity of the Catholick Church The second passage of Cyprian is found in his 55. Epistle where he hath these words That the occasion of Heresies and Schismes in the Church is only this that the Priest of God is not obeyed and that it is not believed that one Priest as Judge in place of Christ for a time is in the Church This place is much urged by Pamelius in his Annotations upon the said Epistle to prove an oecumenick Bishop But it is answered Cyprian in this Letter or Epistle is inveighing against those who had set up one Fortunatus as we shewed before Bishop of Carthage in opposition to himself and his meaning is not that there should be one Bishop in the Catholick Church but only one Bishop in a particular Church or the Church of Carthage because two Bishops in one place occasions Schismes and Heresies saith Cyprian so its evident that Cyprian is pleading his own cause disputing against those who had set up a Schismatick Bishop in the Church of Carthage in opposition to himself and
and disposed by his authority the source or fountain of the same beginning of one 3. The rest of the Apostles were that Peter was in equal fellowship of honour and power but the beginning cometh of unity the primacy is given to Peter that the Church of Christ may be shewed to be one and one Chair 4. He that withstandeth and resisteth the Church he that forsaketh Peters Chair upon which the Church is built doth he trust that he is in the Church In these words observe that all the sentences written within a parenthesis are forged and not to be found in the old Manuscripts of Cyprian or in the old printed copies of Cyprian the reason wherefore the said sentences are added to the words of Cyprian is evident because they make Cyprian expresly dispute for the supremacy of Peter but take them away the supremacy of Peter is quite destroyed as may appear to any who will read over these words and omit those forged passages written within a parenthesis If ye demand how those passages came to be added to Cyprians text It is answered that Pius fourth Bishop of Rome called Manutius the famous Printer to Rome to reprint the Fathers he appointed also four Cardinals to see the work done among the rest Cardinal Barromaeus had singular care of Cyprian Manutius himself in his preface of a certain Book to Pius fourth declareth that it was the purpose of the Pope to have them so corrected that there should remain no spot which might infect the minds of the simple with the shew of false Doctrine How they corrected other Fathers shall be declared in the following Books how they corrected Cyprian appears by those words we have now et down which are marked with Parenthesis which being added perverts the whole meaning of Cyprian neither were they content by adding to Cyprian to prevert his meaning other passages of Cyprian which could not be mended by additions or be made to speak for them by inserting sentences unless they made Cyprian speak manifest contradictions those other passages I say they razed quite out of Cyprian in the said Roman Edition of Manutius anno 1564. in which Edition they razed out Eleven or Twelve entire Epistles as 1. 2. 3. 15. 21. 22. 71. 73. 74. 75. 83. 84. 85. 86. It were too prolix to declare for what reasons they razed out all those Epistles the sum is all of them were no great friends to the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome nor to the Doctrine of the present Church of Rome anent the perfection of the Scripture We will cite a passage or two out of the 74. and 75. Epistle which will evidently make known wherefore they razed those Epistles surely there must be some great reason since Pamelius himself wisheth those Epistles had never been written What the reason is appears thus The 74. Epistle was written to Pompeius against the Epistle of Stephanus in which ye have these words Stephanus Haereticorum causum contra christianos contra Ecclesiam Dei asserere conatur and a little after Reus in uno videtur reus in omnibus That is Stephanus Bishop of Rome defends the cause of hereticks against the Church who is guilty in one thing he seems to be guilty of all The 75. Epistle was written by Firmilianus to Cyprian in which ye have these words Non intelligit obfuscari à se c. that is Stephanus Bishop of Rome understands not that the truth of the christian Rock is obfuscated by him and in a manner abolished The words of which two Epistles are very prejudicial to the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome those Epistles are every where filled with such expressions too prolix to be answered here but these we have mentioned are sufficient to declare what the opinion of Cyprian was concerning the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome or of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome In the said 74. Epistle in several places he calls the said Stephanus ignorant arrogant c. insolent impertinent c. in the 75. Epistle Stephanus is called wicked insolent a deserter and betrayer of the truth Likewayes what a friend Cyprian was to the Doctrine of the Modern Church of Rome appears by the said 74. Epistle where tradition without warrand of Scripture is called by him Vetustas Erroris antiquity of Error and affirms that all is to be rejected for such which is not found in Scripture so it concern matters of Faith whereby it appears that Cyprian incurres the Anathema of the council of Trent And this we have shewed how they have corrupted Cyprian as well in adding to him to make him speak what he thought not and when that would not serve the turn except they made him speak contradictions they therefore also cutted out his tongue what reason they had so to do we have given some instances many such other might be given but it would be prolix and these are sufficient Now let us hear how they defend those Impostures and first for the razing out of those Epistles Gretserus answers Pamelius restored them in his edition of Cyprian But it is replyed that this is as much as to say that by the testimony of Pamelius Pope Pius Fourth and those four Cardinals whom he appointed to correct the works of Cyprian are notorius impostors It is a new sort of reasoning that they did no wrong in razing out those Epistles of Cyprian because Pamelius restored them Secondly they defend those additions by an old copy of the Abbey of Cambron 2. By a coppy fetched out of Bavaria 3. And by an other old coppy of Cardinal Hosius and so Gretserus the Jesuit defends the last three additions But it is answered that the first addition upon him alone is the most important of all intimating that upon Peter alone the Church was built which is the main Basis of the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome but Gretserus the Jesuit who defends this corruption of Cyprian doth not affirm that those words upon him alone are found in any of these three Copies he only affirms that the second addition one Chair and the third the Primacy is given to Peter are found in those old Copies Secondly it is replyed that that Copy of Cardinal Hosius is only mentioned but it was never yet seen If Hosius had any such Copy how comes he left not such a Monument of antiquity to Posterity As for the other two copies of Cambron and Bavaria it is a ridiculous business to object their Authority against the Authority not only of all the printed Copies of Cyprian before that of Manutius but also against all the Manuscripts of Cyprian found in the most famous Bibliothicks of Christendom and the Vatican it self and whereas Gretserus affirms that perhaps the Wicklephian Hereticks corrupted all those Ancient Manuscripts it is a ridiculous objection how could those Hereticks get access to the Libraries of all Princes Universities and the Popes own Library to corrupt the works of Cyprian without
of Rome in power encreased not only corruption in Doctrine but also in manners encreased with it And after the Bishop of Rome was made universal Bishop nothing could be added to the wickedness of the Clergy The complaints of Bernardus Picus Merandula are notorious and innumerable others The corruptions of the Clergy moved them not onely to call Rome Babylon but also consequently and not obscurely the Bishop of Rome Antichrist and yet both of them professed themselves obedient Sons to the Church of Rome In a word since the times of Cyprian no brave man lived in any Age unto this day who did not complain of the corruption of the Roman Clergy and so heir Clergy cannot be their Saints Secondly if they have little reason to brag of their Clergy they have far lesse reason to brag of the sanctity of their Popes Baronius Platina and Onuphrius ingenuously confesse that the World never produced such Monsters for murtherers Impoysoners Adulterers Symoniacks Witches yea and Hereticks who but a mad man will affirm that such persons cannot erre teaching the Church Surely Pighius was out of his witts teaching that a Pope could not be an Heretick and Bellarmine no less for calling that opinion of Pighius a pious opinion their feaver now is turned to a Phrensie the Author of that Book entituled Cardinalismo conscious to all the Caball of the Roman Clergy affirms that now they begin to teach at Rome that a Pope cannot be a reprobat which at last will turn to an Article of Faith as well as infallibility But because corruption of lives of the Clergy doth not of necessity infer a false Church We do not affirm that the wickedness of their Clergy or their Popes proves them Idolaters in Doctrine we only affirm that they have no reason to brag of either of them as Saints to prove the Church of Rome to be the true Church And although they were so it is no infallible mark for it may be affirmed that the holyest of them all comes short of Novatus Donatus and other ancient Hereticks or of Tertullian when he was a Montanist We only ask of them where those Saints are to be found of which they brag so much if they be neither their Clergy nor their Popes They will answer they mean those persons canonized by the Pope and placed in their Calander But we reply they cheat egregiously first it is reported of a certain mad-man in Athens who imagined that all the Ships which came into the Harbour were his own so they when they hear of any promises made to the Church they imagine they are all made to the modern Church of Rome and when they hear of any Saints and Martyrs they believe they all professed the Doctrine of the Church of Rome In reason they can brag of no Saints but those who lived after the beginning of the seventh Century the Saints of the first six Centuries were not of their Church at all for it shall be proved part 4. lib. 2. that the Saints Fathers and Martyrs of the first six Centuries condemn all the Tenets of the Church of Rome of any moment which they hold contrary to Protestants as heretical and are in right down terms Protestants yea it shall be proved by testimonies of their own Doctors that many of these most eminent Saints died excommunicated by the Church of Rome for resisting the pride of that Church as Saint Polycarpus and all the Bishops of Asia in the time of Victor anno 195. Saint Cyprian and all the Churches of Africk in the time of Stephanus Bishop of Rome about anno 256. Saint Aurelius and Saint Augustine and all the Bishops of Africk in the times of Sozimus Bonifacius and Celestinus Bishops of Rome in the beginning of the fifth Age. Secondly as for those Saints since the beginning of the seventh Century it is answered first that albeit the Clergy of Rome call them Saints yet they thought the said Clergy no Saints such as Saint Bernard and others who most bitterly inveigh against the corruption of the Roman Church Saint Bernard expresly calls Rome a den of theeves and Babylon mentioned by John in the Apocalyps 2. How many of these modern Saints have been proved cheats It shall be proved by testimonies of their own Doctors part 3. lib. 2. that the Pope hath no power to canonize Saints and that the most part of their Saints are vile Impostors devised by Priests to cheat the ignorant people of their money and to make them offer oblations at their shrines It were prolix in this Preface to insert the particulars but that Impostur of Saints in many examples shall be made unanswerably appear part 4. lib. 2. And this much of Saints the seventh mark of the Roman Church The last mark is Miracles the Scripture informs us that Antichrist shall deceive all the world by false miracles It shall be proved likewayes part 4. lib. 2. by the testimony of the most learned Popish Doctors that Miracles are no true marks of the true Church in these last times but rather marks of the Antichristian Church 2. It shall be proved by the testimonies of the same men that most of the late miracles pretended by the Church of Rome and the most notable ones are meet Imposturs which we shall instance in the forementioned place And whereas they object we have no miracles in our Church it is false our Doctrine was confirmed by the miracles performed by Christ and his Apostles neither need we any other miracles since we profess the same Doctrine And this much of those marks of the true Church pretended by the Mannual of Controversies to prove that the Church of Rome was such to refute which is my first scope and intention in this following Disput The second scope of the said Manual of Controversies was to perswade the Proselyts of this Nation that it was not the Doctrine of the Church of Rome that the Pope had power to depose Kings either Popish or Protestant but only of some particular persons whom they called the Popes flatterers and therefore my second intention is to prove that the said Author is either ignorant in the Principles of his own Religion or else he is like Father Cotton the Jesuit who being demanded if he believed the Pope had power to depose Kings answered He did not believe it in France but if he were at Rome he would That this King-deposing doctrine is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is proved by three reasons which will puzle the said Author very sore to answer The first is this innumerable Books are printed asserting so much the names of the Authors shall be cited afterwards some of which Books are dedicated to Cardinals some to the Pope himself but those Books are authorized by those who have authority from the Pope to peruse Books before they go to the Press with an Imprimatur and a Declaration that they contain nothing contrary to the Catholick Doctrine But who but a
mad man or an Impostor will affirm that any Doctrine conform to the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is not the Doctrine of the Church of Rome This is the Doctrine of the Church of the whole Canonists unanimously maintained by them and most of the Theologues viz. that the Pope has direct power in Temporals or is direct Monarch of the whole world Some Theologues indeed as Bellarmine and others maintain that the power of the Pope is only indirect in ordine ad spiritualia as when a King is an Heretick or otherwayes encroacheth upon the Liberties of the Church or when he assumes any thing to himself which the Pope sayes belongs to him but this Doctrine is exsibilated now at Rome as heretical and Bellarmine himself is taxed by Carerius of heresie for maintaining that the Pope hath no direct power in temporals Yea Sixtus 5th with much ado was hindered from burning these Books of Bellarmine de pontifice Romano for denying that direct power of the Pope in temporals albeit Bellarmine in the said Books gives power to the Pope indirectly or in order to spirituals to depose Kings to absolve their Subjects from all fidelity to them and that their Subjects are oblieged at the Popes command to rise up in Arms against them and consequently to kill them but Bellarmines opinion is now thought too little of the Popes power all the Theologues now are for the direct dominion of the Pope in temporals And this much of the first reason proving that this King-deposing Doctrine is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome The second reason is this That is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome what is asserted by the Pope in Cathedra or teaching the whole Church but the Pope in Cathedra assumes that power of deposing of Kings unto himself as appears by his Bulls as that of Gregory the seventh against Henry the fourth Emperor that of Alexander the third against the Emror Frederick that of Bonifacius the eighth against Philip King of France that of Paulus the third against Henry the eighth King of England that of Paulus the fourth against Queen Elizabeth that of Sixtus the fifth against Henry the third and Henry the fourth Kings of France in which Bulls they expresly affirm that Kings reign by them and that power is given them from God to establish plant build root out cast down transfer Kingdoms at their pleasure The tenors of those Bulls too prolix to be inserted here shall be particularly mentioned and set down part 4. lib. 1. And this much of the second reason that it is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome that the Pope has power to depose Kings The third reason is this the Popes have procured that power to be conferred on them by general Councils as in the Council of Lateran under Innocent third the Act of which Council is found in Bzovius anno 1215. parag 3. and also in Binius and Crab in their Collection of Councils It is found likewayes in Baronius ad annum 1102. numb 1 2 3. and also ad annum 1116. numb 5. and also ad annum 1119. Likewayes in the Council of Trent Sess 25. Canon 19. It is ordained that the Popes have power to depose any Dominum fundi or Proprietar of any Land where a Duel is fought in which Canon power of deposing Kings tacitly and consequentially is attributed to the Pope The Council thought it not fit in express terms to affirm that the Pope had power to deprive a King of his property in that case and therefore they made the Canon in general termes comprehending a King under Dominus fundi or Proprietar in general That this is the true meaning of that Canon appears because by reason of it mainly the Kingdom of France did not acknowledge the Council of Trent And thus we have proved by three unanswerable reasons that it is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome that the Pope hath power to depose Kings to which may be added a fourth which is this which is so evident that it takes away all doubt The Pope hath innumerable times put that power in practice the first Pope we read attempted it was Pope Constantine against Philippicus Emperor of Constantinople because the said Philippicus caused pull down the Images of the Fathers of the sixth general Council commonly called Tâ—ullanum which were placed in the Temple of St. Sophia but Pope Constantine did only bark his Successors Gregory 2d and Gregory 3d. did bite for the same reason of the Images stirring up the Lombards against the Emperor and bereaved them of the Exarchat of Ravenna in which broils the Emperors Governour at Rome being killed the Bishops of Rome got the Dutchy of Rome to themselves and when the Lombards as we said before demanded that Tribute of them which they were accustomed to pay for these Territories to the Emperors of Constantinople they called in the French against the Lombards and in recompence of their services authorized their General Pipin King of France shutting up the righteous King the last of the race of the Merovingians in a Monastery and afterwards they made Carolus Magnus Son of the said Pipin Emperor of the West which Carolus Magnus made appear that although he loved the treason of those Bishops of Rome to their Masters Liâ—geâ— Lords Benefactors and Creators the Emperors of Constantinople by whose procurement they were made Universal Bishops yet he hated the Traitors as we shewed before making them his Vassals both in Spirituals and Temporals lest they should play such tricks to him and his Successors as they had done to the Emperors of Constantinople We read no more of the temporal usurpations of the Bishop of Rome before Gregory 7th when the race of Carolus Magnus being extinct the Empire was translated to the Germans What extremities the said Gregory 7th did put the Emperour Henry 4th to is notorious In sum he was forced to resign the Empire to his Son Henry 5th the Imperial Ornaments being violently plucked from him by the Bishops of Mentz and Culen his own Creatures which Son of his agreed little better with Paschalis Bishop of Rome after which time it was the continual practices of the Bishops of Rome to depose Kings and Emperors and to stir up their Subjects to Rebellion against them as appears by those passages of Alexander 3. with the Emperor Frederick of Boniface 8th with Philip. le Bell King of France of Julius 2. with the King of Navarre of Sixtus 5th with Henâ—y 3. and 4. Kings of France of Paul 3. with Henry 8. and Paul 4 with Queen Elizabeth of England The Stories of these two Henries of France is most lamentable And thus we have proved that it is both the Doctrine and the Practice of the Church of Rome that the Bishop of Rome hath power to depose Kings to absolve their Subjects from fidelity towards them to compell them to Arms against them and consequently to kill them and to acknowledge any for