Who obteining that seate by vnlaufull meanes that is to saie vpon promise made to the Empresse to restore to the bishoprike of Constantinople Anthemius depriued thereof by Agapetus for heresie as sone as euer he entred into that seate the empresse chalenging him off his promise so was his wicked minde by gods speciall prouidence soddenly altered made answere that rather then ▪ he woulde restore an heretike to his seate from whence he was iustlie remoued he woulde soner suffer all the extremitie that might be And so did he in dede lyeng longe in prison suffer bothe hongre colde and diuerse other tormentes Whiche notwithstanding he acknowledged to be worthilie due vnto him for his greate offense The priuileage therefore I saie of this seate is suche that we be assured by his promise that saide to Peter that his faithe should Lucae 22. not faile that as hetherto the pope hathe allwaies fedde Christes churche withe sounde faithe and wholesome doctrine so shall he continue to doe so long as there is in earthe anie churche at all that is so longe as there is a worlde so long as Christes churche militant here in earthe and triumphant in heauen mete not in one to ioyne together And therefore yowe talcke of the popes tirannie to doe and say what he listeth yow talcke without boke M. Nowell and continue youre accustomed wont of sclaundring and lyeng Because yow well vnderstode that all this rouing talcke of youres was wide from the marcke that we shoote at and that happelie some one might saie vnto you that the matter which nowe is handled is whether there ought to be one generall heade in Christes churche or no and that therefore this place was brought in not to proue who it shoulde be or where he shoulde be resident yow thought it good to saie somewhat to this effecte to proue that this place is vntrulie applied to the proufe of the supremacy of one heade But howe proue yow this M. Nowell Because S. Cyprian alleageth this and other like places of scripture Nowell fo 60. a. 6 to make for the seuerall auctoritie of euerie peculier bishopp in his owne diocesse not of one heade ouer all bishoppes What thereof M. Nowell maye not one texte be applied Dorman by diuerse men diuersely and yeat no sense contrarie to the truthe The commaundement of S. Paule Omnis anima Rom. 12. potestatibus sublimioribus subditasit Let euerie soule be subiect to the higher powers maketh especiallie for the auctoritie of Emperours and kinges because it importeth moste that they be obeied yeat will you not I thinke saie that if the Iustice of a shiere or maior of a citie woulde bringe this texte to some stubborne man to wyn him to obedience that it were euill applied or were not when occasion serueth thertoe to be applied to the obedience of a kyng or emperour because it serueth also for his subiect The meaning of S. Cyprian was to persuade obedience to suche priestes as haue the charge to rule to the whiche purpose the example of the high prieste is well applied if it were for no other cause yeat euen for this that euerie bishop is in his owne diocesse the high and chiefe prieste of all the other that be of the same and no lesse to be obeied in that portion of his charge of those that be vnder him then he him selfe is bounde to obeye the pope the chiefe and heade in earthe of all bishoppes It agreeth not you saie that because the Iues one nation had Nowell one chiefe prieste therefore all nations thorough out the worlde shoulde haue one high prieste ouer all other You misuse the reader with the terme nation For not Dorman as one nation but as one Sinagoge as the onelie churche that then God had they had one highe prieste And so all Christians being but one catholike churche though manie nations ought to haue one heade bishop ouer all nations For as for the impossibilitie that yeat once againe you repeate of hauing one heade it hathe bene sufficinetly proned allreadie that that plea of youres is of no force and so far wide from the truth that it is not otherwise possible to haue the church well gouerned and without schismes God hauing nowe taken that ordre Which I saye as of the churche consisting of fraile and sinfull men For as touching God as you saie it is possible to him to gouerne the church without one heade so saye we it is not impossible to him to giue vs one heade to rule the whole and so to direct him that he neuer faile in his decrees concerning oure faithe Which because hetherto in dede he hathe done and beside hath promised that the faithe of Peter shall not faile we saye Lucae 22. of necessitie that it is and must be so S. Cyprian you saye alleageth this place of Deuteronomie of obedience to the high priest aswell for the auctoritie of Rogatianus Nowell a. 21. b. 28. as for his owne This is no more then you saied before which you ofte Dorman repeate to seme by ofte saing one thing to saie somewhat In dede it confirmeth verie muche my answere made before For whereas it is manifest that this place concerning the obedience due to the high prieste is alleaged as well for the auctoritie of Rogatianus who was an inferiour bishop as also for S. Cyprian the archebishop and Metropolitane of Africa it foloweth that S. Cyprian in the citing and alleaging therof had no other meaning then to persuade obedience to euerie bishop of what calling so euer he were bishop Archebishop primate patriarke or pope Excepte you will saye that he was of the minde that betwene bisshoppes and Archebishoppes he put no difference Yea verilie saie you of that minde was S. Cypriā in dede Nowell b. 15. For he confesseth in the beginning of his epistle to Rogatianus that he did but of courtesy and not of dutie refer this matter of his disobedient deacon by complaint to him c. I nede not muche to trauaile to proue that S. Cyprian Dorman shoulde not be of this minde seing that the learned knowe that the verie worde it selfe Archiepiscopus vsed in the churche bothe in S. Cyprians time and long before doth proue the contrarie and youre selfe haue vsed before the worde chiefe prelates of euerie prouince which were toe foolishe to be saied if there were betwen bishoppes no difference at al. Li. 3. epist 9. The wordes of S. Ciprian praising Rogatianus for that he did honorably towardes him and according to his accustomed hunulitie in referring the matter of his stubborn deacon to him being his archebishop whereas he him selfe by his owne auctoritie might haue punished him make nothing for this equalitie betwene all bishoppes If they had bene equall then might belike Rogatianus haue punisshed aswell one of S. Ciprians diocesse as he might the deacon who was of Rogatianus diocesse Which if you saye then will it
miserably shaken notwithstāding the labour of the chiefe prelates of euery prouince Now to come to princes and tēporall gouernours if they haue as many seueral or contrary lawes as their be seuerall countries or nations cōcerning the keping of their people in ciuile ordre and peace what breache off vnitie What hurte What disordre in the worlde will folowe hereof I praye you So that to haue made this reason of youres probable you shoulde thus haue reasoned As in the whole worlde there is no disordre because seuerall princes haue seuerall and contrary lawes so in the churche will there be also none if diuerse bishoppes teache diuerse and contrary faithes But as no man is so blinde but he seeth the falsehode of this comparison so is no man I truste so voide of wit but that he seeth this to be as true as that which you made before Thus by reason we finde that schismes can not be appeased without one heade in the churche to whome the greater causes ought to be referred whome the rest ought to credite and obeye To the which heade because he is by Christes owne mouthe so priuileaged in Peters faithe that as he neuer yeat deliuered to the churche any erroniouse doctrine to be beleued but hathe allwaies continued the faith receiued from the Apostles so are we suer that he neuer shall we ought and maye in matters of faithe giue full and assured credite As by S. Austen we be counceled who to this purpose bringeth this saing of the ghospell Quae dicunt Epist 165 Matth. 23. facite c. Doe what they bidde you doe and addeth for the reason that in so doing oure faithe being moste certaine as being grounded not vpon man but vpon goddes promise can neuer be scattred by the tempest of anie schisme This being most true we maie boldely conclude that this state of Monarchie that is of gouerning the churche by one heade as it is moste necessarie so because we are suer that this one heade can not giue wrong iudgement in matters of faithe it is of all other for the churche the moste conuenient as being the verie best For in this pointe doe all men agree euen the moste aduersaries to this state that if one Monarche were suer allwaies to gouerne well that then that state off gouernement were to be preferred before all other To all this that hathe bene saide maye be added that iff you will nedes haue the seuerall diocesses and churches off euerie bishoprike to be like seueral kingdomes then as there is no only kingdome in earthe so by you it shoulde folowe that there is no one only churche in earthe Or if it may be enough for the church in earthe to be one body because Christe in heauen is the one heade thereof why maie not then the kingdomes of the earthe be in earthe one because Christe in heauen is the king of them also This being not I thinke vnknowen vnto you howe vneuen this comparison of youres was made yow will nowe leauing youre reason trie the matter by auctoritie S. Cyprian yow saie dothe most plainely teache that Nowell fo 32. a. 30 it is right and reason that seuerall bishoppes haue the gouernement of seuerall diocesses euen for the same cause for the which I yow saye doe vntruly alleage the necessitie of one heade To the place of S. Cyprian beginning Cum statutum sit Dorman Lib. 1. Epist 3. omnibus nobis c. I answere that it is right and reason that seuerall bishoppes haue the gouernement of seuerall diocesses and that to appease schismes and correcte vices as often as these thinges maie be in suche seueral diocesses commodiously done But that this maie be allwaies perfourmed in particuler bishoprikes and that if it can not recourse maie not be had to higher power that yow shoulde haue proued and that S. Cyprian hathe not Therefore this place maketh not against the auctoritie of one heade But you force it further and saie S. Cyprian affirmeth all suche appellations from a bishop off Nowell one countrie to a bishop of an other countrey to be vnlaufull for that that all bishoppes of all countreys be of like auctoritie and that none but naughtie and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie of some bishoppes to be inferiour to the auctoritie of other S Cyprian affirmeth not here that all appellations from Dorman one bishop to an other be vnlaufull He saieth that it is reason and hathe bene ordeined emongest them that the subiectes of euery bishop haue their causes hearde there where the faulte was committed And maye not the B. of Rome doe this by sending his legates in all such cases of appeale to the places where the offences were committed there to examine the processe to receiue witnes to determine the matter Beside this if S. Cyprian had in this place vttrely forbidden all maner of appeales to Rome yeat by the phrase of his wordes it appeareth that it was decreed emongest them by a locall statute of their owne for the better maintenaunce of brothrely concorde Which as it extēded no fardre then to that place so if anie of them that once agreed to that ordre refuse at anie time to obey it although it ought to be a barre to him that once gaue his consent to the cōtrary yeat is it none to the pope why he maie not procede in the cause who neuer renounced his right if it be appealed to him The like to this is to be seene in the colleages of oure vniuersities where the founders in most places haue ordeined by their statutes that the membres of such colleages for the better reteining and vpholding of quiet and brotherly agrement emongest them shall propose suche quarelles and contentions as happen emongest them to the seuerall heades of suche colleages This ordre thus taken right and reason woulde haue kepte but if some frowarde body not contented with this will complaine furder to the chauncelor of the vniuersitie or chiefe patron of his colleage he may at their handes haue iustice That this was the case that S. Cyprian speaketh of manie thinges may persuade First that he saieth Cùm statutū sit omnibus nobis wheras an ordre is taken emōgest vs all he giueth vs two thinges to vnderstande that whereas they toke suche an ordre emōgest S. Cyprians place expoundyd thē it was not ordinarily so before but accustomed rather to be otherwise or elles what neded a statute to be made to for bid a thing neuer any otherwise practised Nexte that it was but for thē only for he saieth omnibus nobis emōgest all vs. So that in other places he denieth not yea by these words he cōfesseth rather that it was otherwise And therfore you haue done lewdly and made alowde lie M. Nowel to gather of this place this generall propositiō that all appellations from the bishop of one countrie to the bishop of an other be vnlaufull Whereas this ordre being taken
one and therein resteth the strength and force of my exāple I make no comparison betwene all kingdomes of the worlde whiche be manie and all churches which are but one as you doe here deceauing your selfe and other toe For if I shoulde so haue done then had not the comparison bene good Nowe if it were as true that God had ordeined all the kingdomes of the worlde to make one kingdome and not manie as he hath all the churches to be one and not manie then if you denied to all these kingdomes ioyned in one a visible king to be aboue all the rest and to gouerne the whole because god is the Monarche and ruler of all as you doe to the vniuersall churche for the same cause I woulde saie that you offendid as muche therein not alowing to all these kingdomes being but one one heade and chiefe gouernour as you shoulde doe if you woulde graunte to particuler kingdomes no particuler king the reason being as greate why the whole shoulde haue one ruler ouer it as why anie particuler membre shoulde But nowe I can not so saye because God hath appointed no suche ordre in the worlde as he hath in his kingdome the churche and therfore the questions be not like From this you runne as one that feared to tarie to long to gesse what we woulde saie if the time serued vs and here on Gods name you tel vs a long tale of the popes rule ouer all the worlde in temporalities and of king Iohn as muche to the purpose as if you had tolde vs of Robin hood and therfore I passe it ouer with youre other reasons that folowe fo 118. b. made to boulster vp the rotten reason of youre Apologie because they haue bene so often answered by showing the difference betwene the two states of the worlde and the churche The answere to the conclusion The 32. chapiter NOWE foloweth M. Nowelles conclusion wherein drawing nere to the ende and knowing howe weakely the matter hathe bene handled by him in the whole processe of his booke before he thinketh by a certeine lusty brauery of wordes to make amendes and so to beare awaye the garlande But nowe let vs here howe he bestirreth him Thus I trust good Readers you see the insufficiencie or more Nowell fo 119. a. 7. truly the lewdnesse of M. Dormans prouffes of the necessitie of one only heade ouer Christes whole church here in earthe you see where he saieth he hathe sufficiētly proued it to be Christes pleasure that there shoulde be suche an one heade that he hathe not nor coulde not for if he coulde he woulde alleage out of the newe testament where Christes will and pleasure is written and declared moste largely and manifestly as muche as one worde foūding to that purpose so farre of is it that it is as he saieth sufficiētly proued Thus I trust you see good Readers howe M. Nowell Dorman hauing begonne with a lye in the verie title of his booke calling it a Reproufe of my boke which reproueth but only 15. leaues hathe continued and nowe endeth the same in such wise as the middle and ende maye appeare in all mennes iudgement to answere to the beginning Yow see where he saieth that I haue not sufficiently proued it to be Christes pleasure that there shoulde be one heade in his steede in the whole churche because I alleaged no testimonie oute of the newe testament that in restreining my prouffes to the only newe testament and calling the testimonies brought out of the olde lawe as he dothe hereafter olde shadowes while he reproueth my prouffes for this cause he semeth not to be farre from the heresie of the Manichees who condemned the olde testament It was not M. Nowell because I coulde not that I alleaged no proufe out of the newe testament But the cause if you will nedes knowe it was for this that I thought it best to vse suche testimonies as consisting in facte and hauing bene alreadye put in execution you shoulde be lesse able to cauill against especially making my counte that the appointing of one chiefe prieste in the olde lawe being for the benefite of Goddes people you woulde easely admitte that Christe woulde be as beneficiall to his churche in the newe lawe Otherwise I coulde haue brought to you oute of the ghospell of S. Matthewe the wordes of oure Sauiour Matth. 16. to S. Petre where he vsing these wordes And I tell the that thow arte Petre and vpon this rocke I will builde my churche and againe what so euer thow shalt binde vpon earthe shall be bounde in heauen c. made Peter as Chrisostom witnesseth Shepeherd of the churche heade of the churche ruler ouer the whole Homi. 55. lu Matth. worlde I coulde haue alleaged lhe place of S. Iohn where Christe committing to Peter the charge of all his flocke Ioan. vlt. excepting none made by that meanes one ruler of the whole Homil. in cap. Ioan. vlt. and committed curam orbis terrarum the charge of the vniuersall worlde to Peter as saieth the same Chrisostome These places coulde I haue alleaged and other also had it not bene to auoide wrangling and for that that I persuaded my selfe that this example takē from the gouernement of Goddes people the Iues shoulde be to all indifferent mē sufficient enough to confirme my purpose as til M. Nowell confute it it is Yow see that schismes and controuersies by S. Cyprians iudgement Nowell and S. Augustins with 217. bishoppes moe assembled in the African councell with him and by good reason and experience allso maye be beste quieted in the countries where they arise You see that neither S. Cyprian neither S. Augustine Dorman neither the 217. bishoppes emongest whome M. Nowell before nombred Orosius being no bishoppe but a prieste onely and Prosper a bishop of Rhegium in Italie and therefore not like to be at anye councell in Africa neither yeat reason or experience whiche teache the contrarye doe saye Supra cap. 11. that schismes and controuersies maye be best quieted and decided in the countries where they arise That which they saye is ment of criminall causes not of schismes about doctrine as those wordes of S. Cyprian conteining the reason why he woulde haue suche causes hearde in the countries where they happen being these but ought there to make answere to their causes where they maye haue accusers and witnesses of their crimes doe well declare And thus you see that this is a manifold lye Yow see that it becommeth man vnhable well to gouerne a Nowell verie little thinge to humble him selfe and to yealde vp the honour and glory of gouerning the whole worlde and churche to God c. You see by the example of Peter refusing of humilitie Dorman the seruice that Christ offred to him in wasshing his feete Ioan 13. that true humilitye is to doe that whiche Christe biddeth to be done Yow see withall M. Nowells honestie
For so the I should haue concluded with S. Cyprian yow saye ergo b. 11. in likewise euerye diocesse and euery churche ought to haue their seuerall heade prelate or bishop I toke not my reason oute off S. Cyprian and therefore I folowe not his conclusiō What so euer it be my reason is that the whole churche dispersed through the whole worlde is as truly one kingdome of heauen one societie one body as any other company throughe oute the worlde is one be it greate or litle Therefore if I had concluded as S. Cyprian dothe vpon your graunting the same to be true as here you saye you woulde haue done that euerye diocesse and particuler churche nedeth a heade it woulde well haue folowed spite of youre bearde ergo in the whole churche being also one is more nede of one heade These cōclusions of S. Cipriās and mine be not cōtrary but stande wel together Euē as if one should inferre in our countrie vpon suche a proposition as is this of S. Cyprians ergo euery citie euery shiere hath nede of a heade to gouerne it and then vpon that againe ergo the whole realme it selfe conteining all these cities and shieres hathe muche more nede of one heade to gouerne that And yeat yow so shamelesse you are saye that S. Cyprian hath the cleane b. 21. contrarie to this conclusion saing thus Singulis pastoribus c. that is To euery pastour is a portion of our lordes flocke appointed the whiche euery one ought to rule and gouerne who shall giue accompt of his doing to oure Lorde This place you saye Lib. 1. epistol 3. maketh plainely againste the supremacy off one These wordes conuince you plainely of a lye This place if you knowe A lye 22. not how to vnderstand it be not ashamed to learne of S. S. Cypriā expoūded by S. Bernard Bernarde of whome you disdaine not to learne matter to reproue the maners of the bishoppes of Rome when yow thinke he maye serue you to that effect He telleth vs speaking to pope Eugenius Habent illi sibi assignatos greges singuli Lib. 2. ad Eugen. singulos tibi vniuersi crediti vni vnus that is to saie They haue also he meaneth the other bishoppes of the churche euery one their seuerall flockes assigned vnto them to the being one all are committed in one Lo M. Nowell S. Bernard telleth you whome youre selfe bothe alleage for youre purpose and to whome you giue the title of a blessed sainct that this reason of youres is not good Euerye pastour hath a portion off Christes flocke allotted out to him to gouerne Ergo there is no one heade ouer all For by this meanes if suche collections might be allowed aswell might euery parson and vicair because he hath also a portion of the flocke committed to his charge by him selfe be discharged from the obedience of his bishop as maye the bishoppes from the gouernement of one chiefe heade The maior bailif or other officier of anie the Quenes good townes in England hath a portion of the realme committed to his charge to gouerne will youre wisedome serue you M. Nowell to conclude vpon this that therefore there is no one in oure saide countrie who hathe the supremacie ouer all This is S. Cyprian his reason this is you saie his conclusion You beelye S. Cyprian M. Nowel he neither reasoneth nor fol. 30. b. 30. concludeth against the supremacy of one as I trust I haue made euident You might rather thinke that he who was for euery portion so hofull woulde be no lesse carefull to prouide for the whole where was more daunger and cause of feare For that you reason after youre maner negatiuely that neither S. Cyprian nor any other learned man doth vse these examples or similitudes any where to proue that there ought to be one heade or gouernour ouer the vniuersall churche that reason showeth it selfe from whence it commeth Will you now as you haue taught vs a newe kinde of diuinitie so teache vs also a newe waye of reasoning Yea will you teache the learned Lawiers and graue iudges off the realme neuer to decide case but suche as they shall finde recorded in their yeare bokes in the same termes Shall it not be laufull for them by youre depe diuinitie whereas it is impossible so to conceiue lawes that all cases maye be expressely comprehendid when suche a case shall happen to procede therein by the iudgement giuen in other cases where although the case be diuerse the reason is one Iff youre discretion will serue you to alowe this kinde of reasoning in the lawe whiche is nothing elles but altogether reason why take you then suche holde of this that S. Cyprian did not in termes that is to saye in the selfe same case of one heade ouer the vniuersall churche applye these examples seing that as I proued before S. Cyprians reason is one in bothe the cases yea greater and of more force in the fol. 30. b. 31. case of one heade ouer the whole church then of one ouer euery particuler churche Because M. Nowell thinketh as the truthe is that this conclusion that there ought to be one generall heade ouer all churches liketh me well and yeat that I haue handled it but ill it pleaseth him here of an extraordinarye liberalitie for the pitie that he taketh vpon me to playe once againe the scholemaister in his olde dayes and now because I am past my Grammer to teache me logike I shoulde haue reasoned thus my maister saieth There is one generall king ouer al the Nowell fo 31. a. 2. worlde one generall heade ouer all people c. Therefore there must be one generall heade ouer all the churche My maister plaieth here with me as S. Thomas More Dorman writeth that a poet of Cambridge did once with his boye whome plaing with him being a yong Sophister on a time for his pleasure he offred to proue an asse which when the boye denied well quoth the poet thow wilt graunte me this first that euery thing that hath two eares is an asse Nay mary maister will I not quoth the boye No wilt thow quoth the poete Ah wyly boye there thow wentest beyond me For and thow wouldest haue graunted me that I woulde haue proued the an asse anon Mary maister quoth the boye ye might well and so might euery foole toe Well quoth the poet I will goe now an other waye to worcke with the. Thow wilt graunt me that euerie asse hath two eares Naye marie will I not maister quoth the boye Why so boye quoth he Mary maister quoth he some asse maie happē to haue neuer a one for they maie be cut of bothe Naye then quoth the poet I giue the ouer thow arte to frowarde a boye for me Woulde not yow now M. Nowell make me here to reason as pleaseth you as the poet woulde haue made his boye to answere But how little nede I haue of youre
to a very Exigent and to extreme desperation when to excuse the secretenesse of their congregation their hidden and vnknowen churche they wrappe them selues like crafty wolues for feare of being betraied in the fine fleeses and soft wooll of the name of Christe and his Apostles As though after so manie hundred yeares that Christes faithe hath floorished thorough out all the worlde it were nowe newe to begin againe Considre whether they ought not to be ashamed if shame there were anie in them to saie that the churche was in Christes time and his apostles secrete and vnknoweÌ„ seing that to them that shall reade the Actes Act. 2. 4 alibi of the Apostles it can not be vnknowen howe mightely the churche encreased euen in their tyme Seing that the Apostle S. Paule witnesseth the contrary in saing that the Rom. 1. faithe off the Romaines Christes true faithe was preached euen then in the vniuersall worlde It is therefore a A sclaunderouse and blasphemouse lye 28. moste sclaunderouse and blasphemouse lye to saye that Christes churche was at anye tyme after the comming downe of the holie ghost secrete or vnknowen It is a lye to saie that it was so hidden that who so euer woulde at anie time haue ioyned him selfe thereto might not haue knowen it But this is an olde shift off the Donatistes who when they coulde finde none off their religion but only in Africa were driueÌ„ to say that there the church was only as you must say it was 50. yeares agoe in Germanie or elles no where Of whom as S. AusteÌ„ said then so will I saie of you now O impudenteÌ„ voceÌ„ c. O impudeÌ„t voice is there no church because thow arte not in it See to thy selfe lest thow be not in it In psalm 101. therefore For the churche shal be allthough thow be not This abhominable this detestable voice of presumption and falshoode boulstred with no truthe lightened with no wisdome seasoned with no discretion vaine rashe hedlong perniciouse did the spirite of God forsee and spake euen as it were against them when he preached vnitie In gathering the people and kingdomes together to ser us Psalmus 101. oure lorde Where is now I praie you youre churche spred thorough all nations Where was there anie signe thereof in all the worlde the yeare before that Martin Luther begaÌ„ to preach his gospel When I call youre coÌ„gregation scattered and vnknoweÌ„ I haue relatioÌ„ to that time in which you first shewed your selues to the world For that you now brag that the pope and his haue both more knowledge and feling also of your coÌ„gration theÌ„ liking that is coÌ„mon to you seing you will nedes holde in coÌ„mon with the ArriaÌ„s Whose heresies were as famouse in the world as yours are and yeat coulde neuer by time so grow in credite God be praised therfore that their first beginning bewrayed them not to the worlde as youres doth you Might you not be ashamed M. Nowell if there were anie shame in you to goe about to persuade meÌ„ that Christes churche after fiftene hundred yeares shoulde be now in her enfancy yea within these fifty yeares not borne at all Ihon Caluin youre late maister in a litle treatise that he made against Michael Seruetus whome for his heresies he put to deathe in Geneua disputeth thus against him Ecclesiam fingit ab annis mille ducentis sexaginta fugatam Caluins opinion of the churche a mundo fuisse vt coelum illi exilium fuerit Nos certé é splendidis aedibus eiectam fuisse fatemur sed it a vt electas a se reliquias admirablili gratia seruauerit dominus Alioqui mentitus foret qui semper aliquem sibi populum in terra fore promisit quaÌ„diu Sol Luna in coelo fulgebunt Scimus quid passim de aeterno Christi regno testentur prophetae An eius sedem in coelis locant Imò fore praedicunt vt sceptrum eius é Sion procul dominus ostendat quo dominetur ab ortu vsque ad oâ—casum eius haereditas sit terraruÌ„ orbis Nunc ergo populo eum priuare qui nomeÌ„ eius celebret est ac si abscissa eius parte ipsum in coelo multilum includere tentemus Seruetus saieth Caluin feineth the churche these 12. hundred and thre score yeares to haue bene chased oute of the world so that it must be in banishement in heauen We trulie confesse that she hath bene cast out of glittring and shining palaces but yeat so that the lorde hathe preserued his chosen remenaÌ„tes by his merueilouse grace Otherwise he shoulde haue lyed who euer promised to him selfe some people in the earthe so long as the sonne and mone shoulde shine in the firmament We knowe what the prophetes doe in euerie place witnesse of the aeternal kingdom of Christe Doe they place his throne in heauen Yea trulie they prophecy that it shoulde come to passe that the lorde shoulde showe a far of his sceptre out of Sion with the which he shall rule froÌ„ the easte vnto the west and his enheritaunce shall be the whole worlde Now therefore to depriue him of his people which shoulde glorifie his name it is euen as though cutting of a parte of him we woulde assaie to include him mangled in heauen Thus farre Caluin touching the church And therfore you may not blame me M. Nowell if I reason as youre maister dothe nor maie not thinke your selfe well excused if after fiftie yeares you shewe a fewe remenantes of youre church which at the beginning thereof 51. yeares ago coulde not shewe in all the worlde one man that might be as a stone thereof so secrete so scattred so hidden and vnknowen was it Yow are not headlesse you saye yow haue Christe in heauen and youre prince vnder him c. you haue the rules and groundes Nowell fol. 39. b. 3 of goddes worde You are not headlesse if so manie bishoppes as you haue so manie heads you be vnder But you ioyne in no one head Dorman in earthe for which cause onelie I call you headlesse Your prince in earthe for now youre minde is changed and being past the places of S. Cyprian which made so muche for the auctoritie of priestes and bishoppes yow crie that the prince is youre heade can not make you haue a heade in earthe in so muche as youre whole congregation whereof I trowe yow will confesse youre selues in Englande to be membres is not vnder any one prince â–ª Yow haue not the rules and groundes of goddes worde to staye vpon forasmoche as you reiect the certeine meanes and waies to vnderstande goddes word by And therfore you knowe not whither to goe nor whereupon to rest That S. Hierom was of the minde that there ought to be one chiefe bishop in Christes churche Dialog aduersus Lucifer The 13. Chapter Yow graunt M. Nowell that saint Cyprian and saint Hierome fol. 30. b. 23. fol.
they were bishoppees of priuate places yow haue against yow S. Hierome him selfe Who can not be otherwise taken theÌ„ to meane thus by calling Petre as you hard before the heade of the other Apostles the maister of Christes house the one shepherd vndre whome there might be one faith You shall speake against Chrisostome who speaking of S. Iames the B. of Hierusalem hathe Quôd si quis percontaretur quomodo Homil. â—â—lt in cap. Ioan. vlt. igitur Iacobus sedem Hierosolomis acceperit responderem hunc totius orbis magistrum praeposuisse That if any man woulde aske how then Iames came by the bishoprike of HierusaleÌ„ I woulde answere that the maister of all the worlde Peter made him bishop And a litle after in the same place Nam quum magna Christus Petro communicasset c. For when Christe had communicated greate thinges to Peter and committed to his charge the care of the whole worlde c. Last of all if you will nedes contentiously mainteine that Petre was no more aboue the Apostles as they were bishoppes Arnobius then as they were Apostles theÌ„ to omitte diuerse other that might be alleaged to this effect yow shall saie againste that auncient eloquent and learned father who liued in the In psalm 138. time of persecution before the reigne of Constantine the greate Arnobius the scholemaistre of that eloquent and learned Lactantius who by name calleth Peter EPISCOPVS EPISCOPORVM the B. of bishoppes Seing nowe that Peter is coÌ„fessed by the fathers to be the heade of the apostles the one pastour the maister of the whole world and bishop of bishops which caÌ„ not be in that respecte that the Apostles were all the generall legates of Christe thorough out the whole world what remaineth but to acknowledge that superioritie to haue place as Arnobius wordes importe ouer them as bishoppes And so is youre argument taken from the equalitye of the Apostles shewed to be insufficient to proue your fantasied equalitie of all bishoppes Hetherto you haue talked generally of this epistle of S. Hierome to Euagrius Nowe will you come to the place you saie alleaged by me oute of this epistle Quòd autem postea vnus electus est c. That one was afterwarde chosen to rule the reste that was done for a remedie against schismes c. To this place you adde an other sentence of S. Hierome where for example of that which he had saide he bringeth the churche of Alexandria VVhere from Marke the Euangelist vnto Heracla and Dionisius being bishoppes the priestes did euer place one chosen off their companye in the higher roume and named him bishoppe c. Vpon this place yow conclude as foloweth VVhereby it appeareth plainely that the wordes of Saint Hierrome Nowell â— â–ª a. one chosen afterwarde emongest them to rule the reste for a remedie of schismes doe apperteine to euery bishoppe as heade ruler of the cleargie off his ownâ— diocesse For saieth Saint Hierome suche an heade ruler was chosen at Alexandria in Aegypt c. The example of Alexandria maketh nothing against Dorman my vnderstanding of these wordes to be ment of the Apostles For why might not S. Marke the B. of Alexandria be made bishop there after this fourme of gouernement vsed emongest the Apostles that as emongest the Apostles one was aboue the reste so in Alexandria shoulde be one chiefe ruler aboue the rest of the cleargie there But in this pointe I will contende with no man For howe euer they be to be vnderstande of the Apostles or of euerye bishop as heade ruler off the cleargye in his owne diocesse once this is cleere that by them is proued that of one company there must for the better auoiding of schismes be one heade Againe on the other side you seme to be as indifferent and therefore you adde And withall what so euer was done afterwarde was not done Nowell fol. 43. a. 23 de iure diuino vpon the grounde of Goddes lawe but of an ecclesiasticall ordre and policie I praye you what if this were but an ecclesiasticall ordre Dorman M. Nowell Thinke you it nothing to breake the canons and constitutions of the vniuersall churche Because with men of youre vocation that is counted a small faulte I will proue to the reader euen by S. Hierome him selfe that this ordre to haue one generall heade ouer Christes churche is neither the inuention of ambitiouse popes as before sclaunderously you saide neither grounded only vpon anye ecclesiasticall ordre and policie as here vpon better aduise more modestly you reporte but vpon the infallible grounde of Christes owne expresse ordinaunce S. Hierome therefore writing against one of youre auncestors Iouinian the heretike who maintained that votaries and professed persones might laufully mary for the defence Aug. lib. 2. Retractat cap. 22. Haeresi 82. of this heresie of his for so hath S. Augustine termed it brought the example of Peter who was he saide a maried man By this occasion offred S. Hierome vttreth of S. Peter these wordes At dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia Lib. 1. coÌ„trâ— Iouin licet idipsum in alio loco super omnes Apostolos fiat cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur tamen propterea inter duodeeim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasiâ— â–ª Sed cur non Ioannet electus est virgo AEtati delatum erat quia Petrus senior erat ne adhuc adolescens ac pené puer progressae aetatis hominibus praeferretur magister bonus qui occasionem iurgij debuerat auferre discipulis c. causam praebere videtur inuidiae That is to saye But thou saiest the churche is builded vpon Petre allthough the same in an other place be done vppon all the Apostles and al of them receiue the keyes of heaueÌ„ and indiffereÌ„tly vpon theÌ„ is the strength of the church grounded yeat therfore is there one chosen emoÌ„gest the 12 THAT BY APPOINTING A HEADE OCCASION OF SCHISMES BE TAKEN AWAYE But why was not Iohn chosen being a virgin Age was preferred because Peter was elder Lest a strippling and yeat almost a childe should be preferred before auncient and elderly meÌ„ and the good maister which Christ appointed Peter to be heade shoulde take from his scholers occasion of strife c. might some to ministre cause of enuie Hetherto the wordes off S. Hierome Of the which maye be concluded Firste that this ordre to haue one heade in Christes churche is no ecclesiasticall ordre and policie but an ordre appointed by Christes owne mouthe to begin in his blessed Apostles in whome if this gouernement were necessary for the auoiding of schismes howe muche more necessary it is emongest vs I leaue to the learned and wise to iudge The secoÌ„de coÌ„clusion that I gather vpoÌ„ this place is that here S. Hierome teacheth vs that this common obiection of the heretikes
that Christ gaue power of losing and binding to al indifferently and that therfore Peter had no more premineÌ„ce then the rest is a naughty and vntrue reason as appeareth by these wordes of S. Hierome tamen etcae yeat one is chosen etc. Thirdly I gather that seing the apostles were bishoppes this Maxime of youres is cleane ouerthrowen that all bishoppes be equall and that no one hathe anie other ouer him seing the Apostles being bishoppes had Peter to be their heade Fourthly I note that this confession was wroong as it were by violence from S. Hierome by the force of his aduersarie his reason Which being that priestes might marie seing Peter the heade of the Apostles was maried it had bene for S. Hierome his vantage to haue denyed that he was heade of them to haue sayde as yow doe that they were all equall and no one aboue the other And so woulde he we maie be suer being so vehement and learned an aduersary as he was if it had not bene so manifest a truthe that it coulde be no more denied then that Peter was maried His qualifieng of the place here that the churche was in an other place builded vpon all maie giue vs to vnderstande what he woulde quickly haue done if Christe had not for all that specially made Peter the heade By this appeareth the corrupt iudgement of Erasmus who in his notes vpon the epistle Ad Marcellam where S. Hierome hath againe that the churche was builded Tom. 2. ad Marcellam adueâ—sus Montanum vpon Peter giueth this iudgement Hoc detorquet in commendationem Petri. This he wresteth to the commendation of Peter Last of all it is to be noted that in S. Hieromes time it was acknowledged euen by heretikes that Christe appointed this ordre of one heade as appeareth by this that Iouinian grounded him selfe thereupon in reasoning against S. Hierome for the maintenaunce of his heresie Vpon the which last note some other maie happely note that yow and youre companions are more shamelesse heretikes then were Iouinian and his To this place of S. Hierome I will adde one other to shewe that yow abuse his auctoritie to muche in labouring to founde vpon him this vntrue proposition of youres that not by goddes lawe but by mannes this ordre of one heade in Christes Churche shoulde be established The wordes off S. Hierome alluding to the house mentioned in the ghospell where Christe eate his passeouer are these Dominus domus Petrus apostolus est cui dominus domum suam In cap. 14. Marci credidit VTSVBVNO PASTORE SIT VNA FIDES The maister of the house is Peter the Apostle to whome One head shepherde that the faithe maye be one oure Lorde committed his house that vnder one shepheard the faithe maye be one Doe yow not see M. Nowell the necessitie of one heade that vnder one shepherd the faithe maye be one Heare yow not that it is not mannes deuise that it be so but Christes owne ordinaunce Haue you not with all S. Hierome expounding as it were the wordes of S. Cyprian tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem Lib. de vnitat ecclesiae ab vno incipientem sua auctoritate disposuit yeat to make vnitie manifest he Christe disposed by his auctoritie the beginning of this vnitie to procede from one by these wordes of his That vnder one shepherde there maye be one faithe By this it appeareth that S. Hierome is not of that minde that yow woulde haue him to be that is that this ordre of hauing one heade in the churche shoulde be off mannes ordinaunce not of Christes institution But here yow will aske me how I can then reconcile him and make him agree with him selfe who in this place hath that one Quòd vnus postea electus est S. Hierom expounded by him selfe was afterwarde chosen to rule the rest If after saye yow then not vpon goddes lawe Yes I reconcile him after this sorte M. Nowell If yow vnderstande this place to be of the Apostles then he expoundeth him selfe in the place that you harde before where allthough he confesse that in one place Christe builded the churche equally vpon all his Apostles which was done streight after his resurrection Ioan. 20. yeat in an other he graunteth that the good maister for so he calleth Christe there builded it vpon Peter a little before his ascension into heauen whome he appointed Ioan. vlt. to be the heade of the rest So that the worde here Postea afterwardes hath relation to that ordinarie prerogatiue of S. Peter giuen to him at Christes assension at whiche time he perfourming the promise made before to Peter in the future tense to builde his churche vpon him Matth. 16. appointed him as Chrisostome saieth vpon that place to haue orbis terrarum curaÌ„ the charge of the whole worlde Homil. vlt. in Ioan. vlt. If yow vnderstande not these wordes one chosen afterwarde to rule the rest of the Apostles but of the gouernement in particuler churches as because of the example brought by S. Hierome of the churche of Alexandria you thinke they shoulde then Postea afterwarde must haue this sense that whereas vnder one generall heade of Christes churche the particuler churches were at the beginning gouerned by manye heades and common consent whiche was as Epiphanius saieth because the apostles could not furthwith take ordre for all thinges his wordes are non enim omnia statim potuerunt Apostoli constituere for the apostles could not furthewith take ordre for all things afterwardes the state of the church being better Lib. 3. haeâ—es 75. setled and being come to vse the words of Epiphanius ad propriaÌ„ mensuraÌ„ to her own measure that ordre appearing to be such as was not coÌ„uenieÌ„t for the gouernemeÌ„t of the churche was alltered and one chosen to rule alone for the auoiding of schismes in euery particuler church not as though S. HieroÌ„ should meane that the vniuersall churche lacked at anie time one heade or had bene gouerned by diuerse the coÌ„trarie wherof he affirmed before but that afterward particuler churchs began to see the necessitie of one head ouer euerie churche according to the patern wherein Christ appointed Peter to be the chiefe head of all As S. Hierom him selfe in an other place doth well declare where he saieth An tequà m diaboli instinctu studia in religione fierent c. Before by the instigation of the diuell factions were made in religion and In cap. 1. epi. ad Tit. 1. Cor. 1. one saide I am of Paule I am of Apollo I of Cephas the churches were gouerned by the coÌ„mon councell of priestes But after that euery one thought those that he baptized to be his and not Christes it was thorough out all the worlde decreed that one being chosen out of the priestes shoulde be set ouer the rest to whome all the care of the churche should belong and the occasioÌ„ of
disposuit Hoc erant vtique caeteri apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consortio praediti honoris potestatis SED EXORDIVM AB VNITATE PROFICISCITVR VT ECCLESIA VNA MONSTRETVR That is to saye And although oure Lorde gaue like power to all his apostles after his resurrection and saide As my father sent me so sende I you Take you the holie ghost whose synnes you forgiue they are forgiuen whose sinnes you reteine they are reteined yeat to set furthe vnitie he disposed by his auctoritie the same vnitie to beginne of one That were trulie the other apostles also that Peter was indued with like felowship of honour and power but the beginning commeth from vnitie that the churche maie be declared to be one These be the wordes of S. Ciprian faithfullie alleaged and trulie englished I will now repeate the matter euen from the beginning and doe you good Readers to vnderstande the cause why S. Cypriā mentioneth here at all S. Peter and why he entreth in to this comparison betwene him and the other apostles and then after make you priuey to the misteries of M. Nowelles sleight in alleaging this place which he perhappes thinketh that no man knoweth but him selfe and woulde I dare saie be lothe that anie mo shoulde For the first it is to be vnderstande that not manie lines before this place that I haue nowe in hande S. Cyprian complaining of the fraude and subtilite of oure enemie the diuel saith that now that idolles be euerie where destroied he hath bethought him of a newe waie to deceiue mankinde and that is by heresies and schismes to carie them oute of the churche And this commeth to passe saieth he while men come not to the beginning of truthe the heade is not sought out neither the doctrine off oure heauenly maister kepte which thinges if a man woulde considre and examine there woulde nede no long discourse nor greate argumentes The truthe hath made the way to proue the faithe easy Oure Lorde saieth to Peter and vpon this rocke will I builde Math. 18. my churche c. And after his resurrection he saieth to him feede my shepe And although after his resurrection he gaue all his apostles like power and so furthe as I rehersed before After all this he addeth Hanc ecclesiae vnitatem qui non tenet tenere se fidem credit This vnitie of the churche he that holdeth not thinketh he that he holdeth the faith Thus farre S. Cipriā The occasion you see that moued him to mention Peter Note and to compare him with the other apostles was because to auoide schismes we must he said seke out vnitie by the scripture where we shoulde finde that our lord woulde haue his churche to begin of one of him to whome he saide thow art Petre and vpon this rocke will I builde my churche Well then must this be reteined as a truthe in the meane season if we will be within the vnitie of the churche we must kepe vs in that churche which beginning and springing out of one roote or flowing out of one heade founteine for these be also in this place S. Cyprians similitudes is one Now let vs applye the place as it is alleaged by you M. Nowell and see whether you haue vsed S. Cyprian wel or no. You alleage the place to proue such an equalitie emongest th' apostles as that there should be no difference emongest thē and so ouerthrowe all S. Cyprians drift whereby he woulde proue the churche to be one because it taketh beginninge of one For if they be all equall and no difference betwene them then either the churche hathe no one beginning or 12. beginninges If no one beginning howe can the vnitie procede of that which is not if 12 how can the churche be therefore one because as S. Cyprian saieth the vnitie thereof beginneth of one or what beginning call yow that of vnitie that commeth from suche an equall multiplicitie If therefore it be builded vpon one alone as by S. Cyprian it appeareth that it must then is that one aboue the rest Nowe to haue the churche builded vpon one is thus muche to saye that as in a materiall building there is one foundation whereupon all the rest thereof stone tymbre Iron and what so euer elles leaneth so there is in the churche one to whome after Christe the great rocke and firste grounde all the rest that be membres thereof muste as it were leane he him selfe bearing the burdē of the whole building Is not this to be the chiefe stone in Gods building If you shoulde here perhappes wrangle and saye that although it appeare by this place that Christe disposed the beginning of vnitie to procede from one and from Peter toe that yeat here is no mention that the churche shoulde be builded vpon him notwistanding that Christe speaking off Peter saide he woulde builde it vpon that rocke then I remit you for the proufe that S. Cipriāmeaneth so here to those places of his lib. 1. epist 3. epist 8. 12. lib. 4. epist 9. lib. de habit Virgin lib. de bono pati epist ad I ubaianum And last of all to the epistle ad Quintum where he hath in expresse wordes against this equalitie that you dreame of Petrus quem Dominus primum elegit super quē aedificauit ecclesiā suam Peter whome oure Lord chose to be the chiefe and vpon whom he builded his churche This because yow sawe M. Nowell M. Nowell shamefully misuseth S. Cypriā that the verie wordes of S. Cyprian in this place did purport and that alleaged wholly they were to vnequall to serue your fantasied equalitie you first hewed of this knot Et quamuis and although Then you shaued cleane awaye tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret yeat that he might make vnitie manifest vnto this place Hoc erant vtique And yeat that sentence escaped not youre fingers for the last parte thereof Sed exordium but the beginning procedeth from vnitie you pared cleane awaye First the worde Quamuis althoughe is of suche a nature that where so euer it be put it is a messenger that signifieth some diuersitie like to followe as when S. Cyprian saide here although the Apostles were equall that which foloweth yeat he disposed the beginning off vnitie to begin of one argueth in that point some inequalitye Againe the wordes that folowe tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret yeat that he might make vnitie knowen and vt ecclesia vna monstretur that the churche may be shewed to be one These you passed ouer because in them lyeth the very cause why oure Sauioure hath appointed one to be aboue the rest for vnities sake because otherwise it coulde not haue bene chosen but so manie rulers so manie faithes and then where had vnitie bene Beside this the worde ab vno incipientem beginning of one lefte also quite oute ouerthroweth that false proposition of youres that to vnite the churche and make it one in earthe
Italie or Rome it selfe for his wordes haue euidentlie that relation and that none thinke the auctoritie of one bishop to be lesse then the auctoritie an other but a few wicked and desperate men You were driuē to the wall M. Nowell when you were forced Dorman for a pore shift to say that Leo said as he did because he wolde haue bene lord and heade ouer the church S. Cipriā saith that euerie bishop hath his seuerall portion The same saieth Leo. Leo saieth that the charge of the vniuersall church must Lib. 1. ep 3 haue recourse to Peters chaire S. Ciprian saieth not the cōtrarie Yea so saieth S. Ciprian toe calling Rome matricem the mother church And whither should children I pray you haue recourse for succour but to their mother He saith not that the subiecte of one bishop may not appeale to an other Lyes that is one lie He saieth not that the cause determined by one bishop may be called before no other that is an other lie He maketh no comparison as you say he doth betwene the bishoppes of Afrike Italie and Rome behold the third lye He saieth not that none but a fewe wicked and desperate men thinke the auctoritie of one bishop to be lesse then the auctoritie of an other which if he shoulde youre selfe were like by that meanes to be of the nombre of such desperate and wicked men who before acknowledged chiefe prelates a worde that presupposeth other that be inferiour and fol. 32. 2. be cōtrarie to him selfe as I proued before by his writing to Steuen the pope wherby he required him to take ordre by his lettres for the remouing from his bishoprike Martianus the B. of Arles and by that that him selfe sent to Rome to Cornelius to trie the matter before him with those euill mē that complained vpon him there by his excepting againste the sentence giuen by the pope for the restitution of Basilides for no other cause but because it was obteined by false information All which exāples doe not only proue that he was not of the minde that no one bishop was aboue an other but this also that the B. of Rome was of greater auctoritie then the bishoppes of Fraunce Spaine or Afrike Hetherto of the disagrement betwene S. Ciprian and Leo which by this time all men I trust perceiue to be no suche as you vaunted it was yea to be none at all but suche consent rather as in diuerse wordes there can not be greater It foloweth that we examine how Hierome and Leo agree S Hierome yow saye hath that all churches worshipping one Nowell fo 51. a. 10 Borowed out of Caluin Inst. lib. 4 cap. 7. Sect. 3. Christe and obseruing one rule of truthe are equall with the churche of Rome that all bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles and of one priestehod and of the same merite and dignitie But Leo saieth contrarie that it was giuen to one to be aboue all the rest and that they who be in greater diocesses or cities haue more care and auctoritie and that the onelie see of Peter hath charge of the vniuersall churche and is heade thereof Yow belye S. Hierome He saieth not that all the churches Dorman A lye 38. in the worlde be equall If he did he shoulde saie contrarie to Irinaeus who saieth that the churche of Rome hath potentiorem principalitatem greater souereintie then other churches haue contrary to S. Cipriā who calleth Rome the Li. 1. cap. 3 Lib. 1. ep 3. mother churche the roote and principall churche and contrarie to S. Austen who calleth it the churche in the which the principalitie of the apostolicall see hath allwaies florished Epist 162. He saieth that Christes church is not diuided * Nec altera Romanae vrbis ecclesia altera totius orbis existimanda as thoghe Rome were one and the whole worlde an other As for that that he saieth that all bishoppes be the successours off the apostles those wordes make merueilously for the opinion of Leo against you For vpon that proposition of S. Hierome I reason thus All bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles but the Apostles were not all equal because as S Hierom saith Peter was their head Ergo by S. Hieromes minde all bishoppes who be their successours be not equall but haue the successour of Peter their heade Againe Peter was heade of the Apostles and made because there shoulde arise no schisme emongest them Ergo the B. off Rome who is Peters successour must be heade of his felowe bishoppes for the same cause These two propositions that there was emongest the Apostles one heade and that that was Peter be S. Hieromes owne in his first boke against Iouinian The wordes although I rehersed before yeat because they perteine not onelie to this matter but to shewe also how these thre Ciprian Hierome and Leo mete and knit as it were together in this sentence that Christ appointed ouer his church one generall heade I will recite once againe The wordes therfore of S. Hierō to Iouiniā be these At dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia licet idipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos fiat cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur tamen propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio That is to saie But thou saiest The churche is builded vpon Peter although the same in an other place be done vpon all the Apostles and all of them receiue the keyes of heauen and equallye is the strength of the churche grounded vpon them yeat for all that is there one chosen emongest the twelue that by making a heade emongest them occasion of schisme maye be taken awaye See yow not nowe by this place of S. Hierome M. Nowell howe the equalitie of power that S. Cyprian speaketh of the similitude of honour and equalitie of calling that Leo remembreth the building of the churche in one place vpon all the Apostles indifferentlie that S. Hierome mentioneth notwithstanding they all three conclude in one maner with this worde tamen notwithstanding that the churche was builded vpon one that there was one heade that there was one preferred before the reste This place of S. Hierome as it vtterly stoppeth their mouthes who reason that the Apostles were absolutely in all pointes equall so confirmeth it moste strongly the answere made before to the place of S. Ciprian that the Apostles were all of equall power and auctority that that was true at the first but Ioan. 20. that after oure Lorde last before his ascension gaue the Ioan. 21. chiefe auctoritie to one in respecte as one was chosen from the rest vpon whome the churche shoulde be builded S. Hierome saieth that al bishoppes are of one priesthode and of the same merite you plaie the falsefier and adde of youre owne and of the same dignitie The gentlewoman
In cap. Marci 14. Peter was made ruler of the churche vt sub vno pastore sit vna fides that vndre one shepherd there maie be one faithe that the same remedie ought to continue also that is that there be one heade But to this will you by no meanes be brought and therefore I maie iustly conclude that you are those headlesse bishoppes that sitte in these pestilēt chaires making to youre selues seates out of the churche and against the church by troubling the ordre begonne by sainte Petre as bothe this auncient auctor saieth here and Optatus moste euidently in his worckes against the Donatistes Lib. 2. doing the like But against this you reason and saie that we must first Nowell fol. 112. proue oure selues to be the true churche of Christe which we shall neuer be hable to doe being in deede the Sinagog of Antichrist We will not proue it M. Nowell but will make you and Dorman youre companions to proue it for vs in spite of your beardes be you neuer so lothe For when being asked where youre church in the which you make youre ministres and bishoppes was but fifty yeares ago you shall not be hable to answere youre verie silence shall speake for vs seing that a church Christe must haue allwaies which because it could not be youres that was no where it must be that of whiche we are that was allwaies and euery where Your nexte refuge is to this that these wordes whose seate Nowell fol. 113. a. 1. he vsurpeth seme to proue that the auctor here noted some Antipope which hath bene no noueltie for these 3. or 4. hundred yeares to haue two or three popes at once And so some writer in fauour of him by like that was chosen and kepte residence at Rome hathe written this against some other that vsurped Petres seate c. It is happy M. Nowell that this is but a bare surmise of Dorman youres leaning to no sure fundation but confirmed by a pore by Like As for the wordes whose seate he vsurpeth they make nothing for youre Antipope but haue relation to suche false bishoppes as being heretikes or schismatikes corrupt the traditiō of catholike bishoppes whose seates they vsurpe by making warre with the church and chalenging to be of the ordre of bishoppes and of the bodye of Christes church whereas of their bishoppes they can shewe no beginning and of their bodye they will haue no heade You can not here saye that because they were oute of the church thys auncient auctor called them a body without Christe their heade For althoughe that be true Yeat the wordes that go next before They trouble the ordre begonne of Peter c. chalenging to them selues an ordre withoute beginning that is to saie professing a body without a heade argue an other heade then Christe whose auctoritie of being heade of his church depended not vpon Petre you wote well but contraryewise Peters vpon his Whereas you restreine this place to be ment against some false pope intruding him selfe into the bishoprike of Rome you doe the auctor greate wronge who as the learned will easely espye speaketh here generally of all suche bishoppes as make them selues sees out off the churche or against the churche You might if it had pleased you haue gessed nearer if you had saide that he had noted the false Donatist bishoppes who making them selues Sees against the churche professed a bodye withoute a heade as you doe As appeareth by Optatus liuing in the same time and writing of their bishoppes in this wise Igitur Optatus lib. 2. de Schismat Donatist quia Claudianus Luciano Lucianus Macrobio Macrobius Encolpio Encolpius Bonifacio Bonifacius Victori successisse videntur si Victori diceretur vbi sederit nec ante se aliquem illic fuisse monstraret nec cathedram aliquā nist pestilentiae ostenderet that is to saie Therefore because Claudianus seemeth to haue succeded Lucianus Lucianus Macrobius Macrobius Encolpius Encolpius Bonifacius Bonifacius Victor if one shoulde aske Victor to whome he succeded neither coulde he name any before him nor shewe any other chaire then the chaire of pestilence That to colour the better this fond fantasy of youres you saie it hath bene no noueltie for these 3. or 400. yeares to haue 2. or 3. popes at once as though some late writer were the auctor of this worcke it is a most miserable shifte seing that bothe there be store of olde writtē copies not vnwritten these 500. yeares where this worcke is to be founde in the name of S. Augustine and therefore can this place by no meanes excepte yowe woulde haue it written by prophecie before the thing were done be vnderstande of anie suche schismaticall pope and againe if it be not S. Augustins it is yeat more auncient for as muche as the auctor thereof counteth but 300. Quaestio 44. yeares from the comming of Christe to his time Howe so euer it be the matter can not be applied to vs who Nowell a. 10. doe not vsurpe Peters chaire Further what worde is there here to proue the chaire of Rome to be the heade of the vniuersall churche c. You trouble the ordre begonne of Petre whiche is inough Dorman to proue youre chaire the chaire of pestilence For that I noted you of althoughe by taking vpon you that whiche belongeth to that chaire you vsurpe his chaire also These wordes the ordre begonne of Petre include the auctoritye of the See of Rome that ordre being first begonne in Peter that he was the heade of the reste as hathe bene declared and so are you answered to youre demaunde what word there is here to proue the chaire of Rome to be the heade of the vniuersall church To procede we hauing Christe to be oure heade our churche Nowell is no deade troncke as lacking an heade and hauing him oure heade onely and other his ministres oure gouernours vnder him oure churche is no lyue monstre as hauing manye heades no more then oure common wealth hauing God the onely heade in heauen oure prince his seruaunt oure heade gouernoure in earthe is therefore a liue monstre or the whole worlde hauing God to his heade is therefore a deade troncke because it hathe no one onely earthly heade nor can haue any suche no more can the vniuersall churche thorough oute the whole worlde haue anye suche one earthly heade c. and so maye he conclude that God and Christe the authors of lyfe be no heades or no suche heades as can saue the bodies whereof they be heades from being deade tronckes excepte the saide bodies haue a false vsurper from Rome to be their heade beside and to giue them life You twang here M. Nowell vpon that olde false string Dorman that euer iarreth and neuer is in tune For as I haue euer tolde you so often as you made mention of this comparison betwene the state of the worlde and the church
which hathe bene in this Repronfe of youres verie often that betwene the gouernemet of the church and the whole worlde there is greate oâ—â—es so doe I nowe answere you againe But you will saie that I am the auctor of this comparison my selfe who reason that the churche must haue one heade because kingdomes countries cities be so best gouerned It is my reason I confesse that euery thing that is one is best gouerned by one And therefore the worlde it selfe were for vs that liue in the same best gouerned by one chiefe heade vnder Christe if for the paine of oure sinnes God had not disposed the same to be gouerned by manie Which when yow saie to be a thing impossible bothe in the church and in the world you speake as you are wont without anie proufe muche to the derogation of goddes omnipotency Nowe to come to youre comparison see I praie yow whether if God had appointed all the kingdomes in the worlde to be one as he hathe all the churches to be one for he came into the worlde vt dispersos congregaret in vnum Psal 146. to gather the dispersed together it shoulde not be also a deade troncke if it lacked a visible heade to make it one Your similitude betwene the churche and oure common wealthe is made betwene Christe heade of the churche onlye a multitude of ministres gouernours of the same vndre him and the common wealthe hauing God the heade in heauen and one prince his seruaunt and heade gouernour in earthe This comparison maketh not onelye not withe yow but verie muche also against yow First it maketh not with yow because yow supposing the churche to be one bodie and Christe the onelye heade thereof allowe to the churche manie vndreheades whereas in the common wealthe being allso one bodye and the other parte of the comparison there is mention but of one heade vndre Christe the prince him selfe So that thereupon to infer that the churche hauing an infinite no more of heades beinge but one bodye is no monstre because the common wealth hauing but one visible heade like to it selfe is no monstre it is a monstrouse conclusion more meete to procede from a blocke that hathe no sense or a monstre that hathe manye heades but wit in none of them then from a creature endowed with reason It maketh against yowe thus the common wealth where be manie heades and euerie one will gouerne is a monstrouse bodye but the churche is Christes common wealthe and hathe as yowe saie manie heades to gouerne it therfore it is a monstre Againe The common wealthe that because Christe is the onelye heade thereof in heauen will admit no other chiefe heade in earthe is a blocke But so doeth youre churche therefore it is a blocke or deade troncke As for the conclusions that yowe saie I maie make that God and Christe be no heades or no suche heades c. and againe that aswell all kingdomes and common wealthes in Christendom be liue monstres as hauing many heades c. In dede I muste nedes confesse a truthe God hathe giuen me free will and I maie abuse it if I list and make as manye foolishe conclusions as yow haue done But I trust yowe will not deale with me as yow ruffled before with the pore Franciscanes and those of the company of Iesus to conclude that I will saie so because I maie saie so if I list to plaie the foole Nowe to these conclusions I saie that trulie I can not so conclude the first of them folowing no better then if yow M. Nowell woulde conclude that God and Christe the auctors of all true doctrine can not instructe men if it so pleased them in all wholesome knowledge without the externall helpe of man because they doe this by men For euen as God vseth the ministery of men to teache and preache not as though he coulde not so doe without for our infirmities sake and because it pleased the diuine wisdome that Christe the seconde persone in Trinitie should not be allwaies visibly present with vs for the same cause hathe it pleased all mightie God to gouerne the membres of his churche by the meanes of one visible heade the B. of Rome The folie of youre seconde conclusion appeareth I doubte not by the difference that is betwene all the churches of the world which make all but one and the kingdomes which be diuerse and were neuer appointed to be one And had M. Dorman had so muche leasure from his diuinitie Nowell matters as to haue looked better vpon his notes of the canon lawe his peculier studie he woulde haue bene better aduised then to haue called vs Acephalos headlesse and therefore deade trunckes who doe obeie oure owne prelates seing Acephali as is there noted are those who be subiecte to no prelate And had M. Nowell had so muche witte to haue loked Dorman first vpon the texte and then vpon the glose from whence he borowed this note he woulde haue bene better aduised then to haue alleaged it of all other for their defence For by the texte it appeareth that those whome the glose there calleth Acephali had heades quos ministros seu custodes vel gardianos aut nominibus alijs appellant whome they cal ministres kepars wardens or by other names Why dothe the glose then call then headlesse quia sub nullius veri praelati obedientia existunt because they are vnder the obedience of no true prelate This is the reason of the glose But yeat let vs aske an other question why were they vnder the obedieÌ„ce of no true prelate Because their heades were not alowed by the pope This is the reason of the texte You must not be angry with me M. Nowel for charging you as I doe with the canoÌ„ law For you bogge me in my peculier studie as you saie and you seme to haue coÌ„ceiued greate trust vpoÌ„ this place which maketh me the bolder and earnester to With the texte and the glose agreeth reason for if your head that standeth now vpon your shoulders should sodenly be turned in to the heade of an Asse he should not saye amisse that for all the long eares shoulde saye you were headlesse not for that that yow had no heade at all suche a one as it were but in this respect that you had no suche heade as you shoulde haue no suche heade as a preacher shoulde loke out of a pulpite withal To come nowe nearer to the common case of you all and to exemplifie it by some of youre lignage that haue gone before you were the subiectes of Nouatus trowe you that false bishop Acephali without a heade when forsaking Cornelius the B. of Rome they obeied him If they were you are For youre case is like your bishoppes being no more truly bisshoppes then Nouatus was nor alltogether so truly neither For he was made bishop by two bishoppes laufully made by the pope whereas you were made by the commission
there neadeth no other heade then Christe which is in heauen Whiche if it had bene so what nede was there that Christe shoulde appointe a mortall man to that office as here it appeareth he did Peter To this moste shamelesse mangling and mutilating of this and other lyke places of the fathers vsed by you and youre fellowes I saye as S. Cyprian in this verie place saieth to such like craftes men that vsed so to alleage thinges to their vauntage in his tyme. Corruptores euangelij atque interpretes falsi extrema ponunt superiora praetereunt partim memores partim subdole corrumpentes Vt ipsi ab ecclesia scissi sunt ita capituli vnius sententiam scindunt That is to saie The corrupters of the ghospell and false interpretours take that which commeth behinde and leaue out that which goeth before partly mindefull partly craftely corrupting As they are them selues cut from the churche so deuide they the meaning The answere to the place of S. Cyprian of one sentence Thus muche of youre falsehode in alleaging this place Nowe to the place I answere that S. Cyprian sayeth not that Christe gaue like power to his Apostles in all respectes absolutely but determineth particulerly wherein this equalitie dothe consist as in being sent to preache thorough out all the worlde as Christ was sent by his Father in power of forgiuing sinnes Which power being giuen to them streight vpon Christes resurrection and being common to them as they were all the generall legates of Christe thorough out the worlde derogateth nothing by S. Cyprians minde from that speciall auctoritie that Christe departing out of this worlde gaue to Peter to continue And therefore to shewe that this was his meaning euen as before S. Hierome after the like equalitie mētioned Cap. 13. in the Apostles concludeth that notwithstanding that Peter was chosen to be the heade emongest them so dothe here S. Cyprian after the generall rule that they had all like power adde as an exception from the rule the same that S. Hierome hath in other wordes Tamen vt vnitatem c. yeat to make vnitie manifeste he disposed the beginning thereof by his auctoritie to begin of one Thus much maye suffice to satisfie youre wondring M. Nowell with what face I haue bene so boulde and busye with S. Cyprian To the place of S. Hierome which you bring also to fol. 50. a. 9. b. 6. proue that the dignitie of a bishop is not estemed by the greatnesse of his diocesse or citie and that all be equall in office I saie that it is true that the dignitie of a bishop dependeth not vpon the greatnesse of his diocesse but it is false that there be no degrees in the office of a bishop That yow bring Erasmus to proue it it forceth not For he is with Catholikes of no more auctoritie thē Pighius is with yow That betwene S. Cyprian Hierome and Leo there is no disagrement The 15. chapiter Yow are now come to the comparing of the sainges of S. Cyprian and S. Hierome with the testimonie of Leo bearing witnesse yow saye to him selfe The which you compare firste after this sorte Leo saieth In the holie Apostles them selues there was a difference Nowell b. 8. of power and that it was geuen to one to be aboue all the rest On the contrarie parte S. Cyprian saieth the Lorde gaue like and equall auctoritie to all his apostles all the Apostles be indewed with like felowship both of honour and power Neither are Leo his wordes trulie alleaged neither yeat Dorman S. Cyprians Leo sayeth that inter beatissimos Apostolos False dealing in alleaging the wordes of Cyprian and Leo. in similitudine honoris fuit quaedam discretio potestatis emongest the blessed Apostles in likenesse of honour there was a certeine difference of power quum omnium par esset electio vni tamen datum est vt coeteris praeemineret And whereas they had all one calling yeat it was giuen to one to be aboue the rest S. Cyprians wordes are that although oure Lorde after his resurrection gaue all his Apostles like power behold the likenesse of honour that Leo speaketh of c. yeat to make vnitie knowen he disposed by his auctoritie that it should begin of one Lo here quaedā discretio potestatis that certeine difference of power acknowledged by S. Cyprian that Leo mentioneth What iarring is there here M. Nowell their wordes being trulie alleaged Naie what swete consent is there betwene these two learned fathers Leo saieth there was emongest the Apostles a likenes of honour but yeat a certeine difference of power he saieth their calling or election was like but yeat giuen to one to be aboue the rest Doth not S. Cyprian saie the same when first in their election to be sent into all the worlde to preache then in the power of remitting sinnes he maketh them equall and yeat in adding afterwarde this particle tamen but yeat he noted a certeine difference of power this forsoth that vpon one of them the beginning and verie fundation of vnitie should be laied notwithstanding all the equalitie otherwise Is this true dealing M. Nowell thus to bring in M. Nowell mangleth the wordes of Leo and S. Cypriā to make them disagree mangled at youre pleasure the sainges of the fathers to deface them to the worlde as here yow doe by taking from the wordes of Leo this particle quaedam making him to seme the more to differ from S. Cyprian and cutting from S. Cyprian those wordes that vnitie should begin of one conteining that certeine difference in likenes of honour that Leo speaketh of Yow saie that S. Cyprian hath this in his boke De simplicitate praelatorum noting them as double faced prelates that teache or attēpt to make one bishop aboue an other The true title of the boke is De vnitate ecelesiae of the vnitie of the churche as to him that shall reade it maie easly by the contentes thereof appeare Yow are therefore a double faced or manie headed prelate that for one chiefe heade giue vs so manie You procede in youre cōparison and saie that Leo hathe out of this fourme is taken oure difference of bishops that in euerie prouince one be Dorman chiefe and of most auctoritie and the bishop of greter cities to haue greater care and consequētly that he that sitteth in Peters chaire should haue charge and be head of the vniuersal church Thus you say Leo saieth because he him selfe wold be Lord and head ouer all the church wheras S. Cyprian on the other side saieth Euerie bishop hath his seuerall portion of Christes flock to rule and gouern c. that those who are vnder the charge of the B. of one coūtrie may not appeale to a bishop of an other for that the auctoritie of one bishop is not inferiour to an other nor the auctorite of the B. of Afrike is lesse then the auctoritie of the bishopps of