of two extremities the meane of which consisteth in fiue royall prerogatiues The first is a power to make Lawes L. 55. v. C. de leg Tit. c. de veâ—stig without the coÌ„sent of any subiect necessary thereto consequently to coine mony to giue it value to stamp his armes vpon it to impose taxes according to the necessity of the State Secondly to make peace or warre be it to succour his allies or to reuenge an iniury L. vt Armorum Auth. de armis l. 1. ad l. Iul. de Ambitu l. ius gladij de reg iu. Doct. in l. 3. de iurisd omnium whosoeuer haue committed it Thirdly to create Magistrates and to establish or suppresse them Fourthly to take knowledge of and to iudge appeales definitiuely And lastly to haue power of life and death ouer all sorts of inhabitants in his kingdome ouer all persons resident within his Dominions and generally to dispose according to the lawes of their goods life reputation Of which points whosoeuer preteÌ„deth himselfe to be exempt resisteth the ordinance of God and are guilty of high Treason what pretext soeuer they bring CHAP. III. That Ecclesiasticall persons were subiect to Princes before the comming of our Lord IESVS CHRIST THAT is not new which is froÌ„ the beginning of the world 1. Ioh. 2.7 2. Ioh. 5. saith Saint Iohn Teneaut Sa. Iesuite in his Aphorismes Printed at Antwerp v. Princeps v. Clericis Wherefore we cannot sufficiently detest the new opinion of the Iesuits who teach that Ecclesiastical persons caÌ„not be condemned for high Treason because they are not the Kings subiects To conuince which heresie to hinder that none following this doctrine doe any more atteÌ„pt against our Kings let vs lead these Pharisies to that which was at the beginning We haue no Hystorian more antient then Moses who from the creation of the world vntill his death in the yeare of the world 1493. telleth vs of no other superiour power but of the Prince ouer all the inhabitants of his Territory And accordingly hereunto Exod. 20. to the 25. Chapter the Law was giuen of God to Moses the Duke and King of the people and not vnto Aaron acording as it is written Ex. 24.7.8 that Moses tooke the booke of the Couenant and read it in the hearing of the people c. Tooke the bloud of the couenant and sprinkled it vpon the people And wheÌ„ the chiefe Priest with all the visible Church had committed idolatry about the golden Calfe Moses reproued him saying to Aaron Ex. 32.21 What did this people vnto thee that thou hast brought so great a sinne vpon them To which reproofe Aaron answered him not that he could not erre nor his Church nor that hee iudged the whole world and was not to be iudged of any but acknowledged himselfe to be in the State and consequently the Princes subiect asketh him pardon saying Let not the wrath of my Lord waxe fierce The like reprehension Eleazer the chiefe Priest did take in good part when Moses said vnto him Leuit. 20. Yee should haue eaten it in the holy place as I had commanded In the same manner also as touching the iurisdiction for it was wholly in the hands of Moses Exod. 18.13 c. as being the Prince of the people iudging in person as in times past the Kings of France haue done or ordeining Iudges to take knowledge of causes which respect either the Church or processe betweene man and man Afterwards also there was references appeales in cases of difficulty which returned to Ierusalem 2. Chron. 19.8 Deut. 17.8 And to himselfe was giuen of God the direction of the seruice and order Ecclesiasticall and not to the Priests Against which truth it will not serue the turne to say that Moses was of the family of Leui for seeing hee reproued the chiefe Priests themselues it was not in quality of a Leuite who had bene inferiour to the least of the Priests if hee had not further had the quality of Duke So Dauid a man after Gods owne heart who tooke not vpon him aboue his charge hauing named Salomon his son for successor gathered a Councell 1. Chro. 23 numbred and distributed to the Priests their charges and offices described in that place which consisted not in commanding but in their administring before the Lord For to purifie all holy things for the shew-bread and for the fine flower for the meate offering and for the vnleueaned cakes and to offer burnt-offerings 2. Chro. 6. c. Salomon likewise dedicated the Temple and consecrated it to God in presence of all the Church And himselfe conceiued prayer and blessed the people the Priests being present Iosaphat also hauing broken downe the groues and banished the seruice of images 2. Chron. 19.3.8.11 Hee established in Ierusalem namely for the iudgement of the Lord Amariah the Priest and Zebadiah a ruler of the house of Iuda for all the Kings affaires 2. Chron. 17.6 and in the third yeare of his raigne he sent of his principall Gouernours and the Leuites with them for to teach the people And of Iosias it is written 2. King 23. And the King stood by the pillar and made a couenant before the Lord c. and it is added then the King commanded Helkijah the high Priest c. Who said not that the King had nothing to do to command him in matters which concerned the seruice of God but fulfilled the Kings commandement Likewise it is said of King Ezechias 2. Chro. 29 Hee opened the dores of the house of the Lord in the first yeare and in the first moneth of his raigne and repaired them c. called for the Priests and Leuites and said vnto them Heere me yee Leuites sanctifie now your selues and sanctifie the house of the Lord. Againe Now I purpose to make a couenant with the Lord God of Israel c. Then he said to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron that they should offer vpon the Altar he appointed the Leuites in the house of the Lord c. Then Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering vpon the Altar Also he saith Now yee haue consecrate your selues to the Lord come neere and offer the sacrifices and praises c. Againe 2. King 18.4 Hee tooke away the high places brake the images cut downe the groues and brake in peeces the brasen serpent that Moses had made And he gathered together the whole Church and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasses 2. Chro. 30 that they should come to Ierusalem to celebrate the Passeouer c. For the King marke it and his principall Officers with all the congregation had held a counsell in Ierusalem to celebrate the Passeouer in the second moneth 2. Chron. 31.3 2. Chro. 35 1. King 2.27 Nehe. 8.8.13 the Postes therefore went note it by commission from the King Also hee prouided for the sacrifices as did Iosias
Canonum 25. q. 1. in deed or word are said by the Pope to be damned and to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost Although hee take leaue to himselfe to transgresse the Law and the Gospell of God and to shew it these blasphemous words are in the Canon Can. sors nō est causa 26. q. 2. Before that the Gospell was explaned many things were permitted which in time of a more perfect discipline haue bene altogether banished for the marriage of Priests or of cousin germans is not forbidden neither by the Law nor by the authority of the Gospell nor of the Apostles Notwithstanding by the discipline of the Church it is wholy forbidden O what perfection to transgresse the Law and the Gospell is not this to fulfill that which is foretold should come 1. Tim. 4. In the last times some shall depart from the faith giuing heed to spirits of errour and doctrines of diuels teaching lies through hypocrisie and hauing their consciences seared with an hot yron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meates which God hath created to be vsed with thankes-giuing of them which beleeue and know the truth for euery creature of God is good and nothing to bee refused being taken with thankes-giuing For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer If thou be put in minde of these things thou shalt bee a faithfull seruant of IESVS CHRIST c. And that which S. Ignatius wrote to the Philadelphians (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man confesse not these things but saith that the generation of children and lawfull marriage is pollution or that certaine meates are execrable that same man hath for familiar the Apostata Dragon Of the same opinion is Saint Augustine blaming them (b) Ad Ian. Epist 119. c. 19.20 that do so depriue themselues of the vse of meates that they esteeme such impure as vse them The like opinion hath he concerning mariage and alleageth for ground of his saying that place of S. Paul Now the reason may be taken from this that (c) Gen. 2. God hath instituted marriage That Aaron the chiefe Priest was not the lesse apt for the sacrifices that his sonnes succeeded him in the Priest-hood That God saith It is not good for man to bee alone That our Lord honored mariage with his presence in Cana of Galilee That he wold be borne vnder the veile of marriage although the holy Virgin remained without the company of man In a word in the state of Holinesse Adam and Eue were conioined by mariage Gen. 2.24 7 The Sacraments are also of God called his body and bloud the vse of which in matter and forme as hee hath prescribed ought to bee practised in the Church Such men neuerthelesse teach that the Church that is to say the Pope hath power to change in them whatsoeuer it thinketh meete Conc. Trident sess 21. c. 1. c. 22. act 23. although our Lord haue instituted it vnder two kindes And by this authority they haue added cut off from the forme Con. Const sess 13. matter and number of Sacraments And forasmuch as the Hoste among the Romish Catholickes is said to bee of God Monluc li. de relig ad Regin matrem De Monluc Bishop of Valentia complaineth by writing to the Queene mother that the Pope going forth of the Citty made the same bee carried vpon a little curtall among his carriage and the Courtesans and then come backe to meete the Pope accompanied with the pompe of the Court of Rome This same Hoste was much more despised by Hildebrand Gregory the seuenth whom Bellarmine calleth Saint The Abbot of Vespurg in the life of the Emperour Henry 3. Benno Cardinall in the life of Hildebrād for hee caused Pope Victor the second to bee impoisoned in the wine of the Eucharist The same Pope cast into the fire the consecrated Hoste in presence of many Cardinals because it gaue him no answere touching the euent of the warre that hee made against the Emperour Henry the fourth As for Gregory the ninth Baleus li. 5. of the liues of Popes hee refused the Gospell and in stead thereof substituted a Legend compiled by a Monke named Cyrill It is notorious the base account that Boniface the eighth had of the same Hoste Platina being prisoner of the Gibelins in the Citty of Agnania Another caused the Emperour Henry the seuenth surnamed of Luxemburke to bee poisoned and that in the consecrated bread giuen him by a Monke at Florence Pope Iulius the second after hee had lost the battel neere to Rauenna against the Earle of Foix cast the consecrated Hoste away and made it be troden vnder feete as the history of his time reporteth 8 The Church is of God for it is the body of CHRIST is the onely spouse of her onely head God hauing giuen to this head the solide Lordship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all the inheritance Act. 3.16 as it is written for IESVS is both of the triumphant and militant Church yea of euery particular Church Epes 1.22 Rom. 8.9 of the least indiuiduall Christian both the head and saluation incommunicably to any other according as it written for the whole 2. Cor. 11.2 It is he whom the Father hath appointed head of his Church both of the militant visible and particular I haue prepared you for one husband to present you as a pure virgin to CHRIST speaking to the Church of Corinth to euery Christan he saith CHRIST is the head of euery man 1. Cor. 11.3 Cap. quoiā lib. 3. decretal de Eccl. in 6. cap. vnico extrauag Nes de vacante Neuerthelesse these men with audacious boldnesse speake thus Not being willing to neglect our iustice and the iustice of the Church our Spouse And Bellarmine passeth farther saying that the Pope is the head of the Church CHRIST excluded etiam Christo secluso Bellar. li. 1. de Pon. c. 9. which is against the Gospel I am with you alway vntill the end of the world and contrary to the glosse of the Canon where it is said that CHRIST is alwaies the gouernour and head of his body which is the Church Gl. v. non consonam Clem. Ne Romani l. 1. de Elect. tit 3. and although the Vicar faile yet hee doth neuer faile it And how should hee faile in the guidance of his Spouse since hee tooke vpon him our nature seeing he guided her foure thousand yeares before as being her onely Bridegrome for euer as saith Origen Orig. Cant. hom 2. Think not that the Church hath bene called Spouse onely from the comming of Christ in the flesh shee was so from the creation of Mankind and from the beginning of the world Why then doth Bellarmine put IESVS apart and in default shall hee bee lesse the Spouse of his body since his Incarnation then hee was before the same Moreouer these same blasphemers attribute to the
hee spake to that hee should first confesse him to bee God before he gaue him the title of good But what should wee say if in the Kings chamber of presence some great man did cause himselfe to be stiled Your Maiesty Would he be excused of crime by such as haue authority And who is it perceiueth not by this the mystery and name of blasphemy foretold of by Saint Iohn Reuel 13. which should bee written vpon the forehead of such a head For whereas the chiefe Priest did weare vpon his Miter this inscription Exod. 28. Holinesse to the Lord This man of sinne will be entituled Holinesse of the Prelate of Rome Now seeing these Tiara's and ornaments more stately do publish abomination against the honour of the most High Let vs be rather of those lesser vtensiles of which Zachary speaketh on which is grauen openly Holinesse pertaineth to the Lord Zechar. 14. excluding all creatures 9 Yet this is not all for Kings also must be submitted vnto him Wherefore they say that the spirituall and temporall sword are in his disposition the one for to execute it personally by excommunications and Anathema's the other to cause it be borne by his subiects Lib. Extrauag communium c. Vnam sanctam de maiori obedientia See al that is alleaged by the glose of the chapter Nouit verbo iurisdictionem li. 2. decretal tit 1. de iudicijs Emperours Kings and Princes and bee drawne forth or sheathed ad nutum vel patientiam Pontificis according as the Pope will suffer it or make signe with the head for saith hee Wee declare and define that it is necessary to saluation in all things and in all places for all creatures to bee vnder the Bishop of Rome How is there any Article necessary to Saluation omitted in the Apostles Creed And neuerthelesse hence it is hath crept in the adoration of him reiected by Saint Peter who said to the Centurion (a) Act. 10.26 rise vp for I am a man also as thou art and by Saint Paul and Barnabas who rent their garments seeing that the inhabitants of Lystra in Lycaonia would haue giuen them an honour due to God alone (b) Act. 14. Wee are men as yee are And by the Angell who saith to Saint Iohn (c) Reuel 19.10 See thou doe it not I am thy fellow seruant Worship God And it serueth not to say that there is two kindes of worship and that men kisse the hands and garments and bow the knee before Princes for this kinde of worship is ciuill by reason of the homage due vnto them But Kings or Emperours doe not owe worship to the Pope for why more to a strange Bishop then to their owne Pastours which administer the Sacraments vnto them Yea why to either of them both seeing that ciuilly Kings and Emperours are greater then they all And as for religious worship that is alone referred to God euen by the Angels themselues Now to take away all equiuocation these new Doctors haue sufficiently expounded themselues one of the Popes Clerkes saying in an oration hee made to Leo the tenth incerted in the ninth Councel of Lateran in these wordes Your feete haue receiued voluntary kisses from them whose terrible hurts were feared that as before so againe is fulfilled in you the onely true and lawfull Vicar of CHRIST and of God this Prophesie All the Kings of the earth shall worship him and all nations shall serue him As if the Prophesies concerning our Lord IESVS onely should haue any other accomplishment then in his person or that religious worship ought to be conferred to man seeing we know that the humanity euen of our Sauiour is not adored of Christians but in as much as it is one same person with the God-head Wherefore the Creede of Ephesus translated out of Greeke into Latine by the Iesuite Peltanus hath these expresse termes Symbol Ephes Wee confesse that IESVS CHRIST our Lord ought to be worshipped wholly yea with his body but that he ought not to bee worshipped according to his body For the Arrians for this occasion were called idolaters by Athanasius Cyrill and Theoderet for that they worshipped a God which they said was created So saith Ireneus Iren. de incarnat cap. 25. CHRIST hath worshipped with vs yet he must be also worshipped for euery knee ought to bow before him but that is in regard of one of the natures And Saint Augustine giueth an example of it Aug. de verbo diu sermo 58. of the Kings Crowne being on the ground or vpon his head Now if religious worship ought to bee denied to all other humanity then to that which is personally vnited with the God-head who is hee dares challenge it but the God-man IESVS CHRIST Vnlesse it bee that man of sinne of whom it is written that hee should sit as God in the Temple of God 2. Thess 2. behauing himselfe as if he were God This is hee of whom Saint Hierome saith Hier. ad 11. c. Zachar. that the sword is vpon his right eye and hee boasteth that he seeth more cleerely in matter of the Sacraments then all the Prophets that haue gone before him For who is it vaunteth to see more cleerely but they which take away the cup as superfluous from the lay-people change the forme and matter of the Sacraments Can. Romanus de consecrat dist 4. c. praeter in fine dist 32. and adde vnto them twice so much as the sonne of God hath ordained suffering Baptisme to bee performed by a silly nurce keeper or midwife and approuing that which is conferred by a Pagan but the Sacraments that hee hath ordained are reserued to the highest in dignity among his Prelates and although this man armed with two swords sitteth in the Temple of God yet the faithfull are not bound to submit themselues vnto him but as soone as they perceiue the abuse they ought to imitate holy men in the like occurrence namely Moses and Iosias of whom one brake in peeces the Golden Calfe the other the brazen Serpent So the Prince and Magistrate may destroy idols and reforme abuses that they may saue the bodies and soules of idolaters The same did our Sauiour driuing the money-changers out of the Temple And if the tirranny and violence or hardnesse of the Apostasie bee such that one cannot bee in it without transgressing the Law of God and that admonition will not serue the turne the examples of Elias Micheas Isay and Ieremie vnder the Law and of the Apostles who turned to the Gentiles and the testimonies of the Doctors of the Church do shew what must be done So cryeth Ieremy Iere. 51.9 Wee would haue cured Babell but shee could not be healed forsake her and let vs go euery man to his owne country And wee need not feare the being schismatickes for such a separation for they are schismatickes which are the cause of separating Secondly in that the synagogue
si quando de rescrip authority it is permitted to resist the same Whence commeth it that if the Pope or his Legats would legitimate a bastard in the Kingdome of France to the end hee might succeed it is another thing when it is to make the marriage (e) Cap. Tuam de ordin cognit of validitie whence he is issued or in some fashion trouble the royall iustice the obtainer of such legitimation c. (f) Guil. Bened 2. part c. Rainutius vers si absq libertis 2. c. in materia nu 47. Phil. Decius Cons 307. Coll. 2. shall bee amerced the abuse reiected by the Kings Officers So by sentence of the Parliament of Tholouse anno 1400. was pronounced that it had bene ill and abusiuely proceeded by the Popes delegates who had absolued Maister Giles de Bellemere Archidiaconus Micapicen without calling the party the Kings Attorney Now William Benedict saith there are three generall cases in France in which notorious abuse may be commited namely when the Pope and Ecclesiasticall persons attempt against the decrees of the anicient Councels against the Kings statutes or against the liberties of the Gallicane Church Seeing then there is appeale from the Pope who is it can endure him to be a Soueraigne no not in spirituall things Note this for it is the argument wherewith Seneca concludeth that the first Kings of the Romans were not Soueraignes Cic. 2. de repub because there was appeale made from them to the people Thus Horace the murderer of his sister was absolued who had bene condemned by King Tullus Hostilius Therefore this pretended Soueraignety Spirituall and Temporall resteth vaine according to the opinion of Saint Gregory and Saint Bernard the practise of the Gallicane Church For to feede the sheepe is meant after another manner Mat. 18.18 and that deliuering of keyes is not excluding the other Apostles seeing that the same promise was made to all otherwise they could not haue executed their charge and besides Peter could not receiue them but in the name of all Ioh. 20.22 according to the opinion of Saint Augustine written into the Canons Which is conformable to the disposition of the ciuill Law Can. quodcunque 24. q. 1. which saith that the deliuery of a key and of a ring by a father to his eldest daughter bringeth to her no priuiledge aboue her fellow heires but is taken as done in common as well for the rest L. cum pater 79. Sect. pater pluribus delegat 2. which decision is obseruable in the Ciuill Law as likewise that which is written in the Law tenth C. de Incendio which speaketh of certaine fishers of men like vnto him that Cardinall Bellarmine figureth forth against whom are these words Let not Fishermen deceiue Mariners in causing a light to be seene in the night in dangerous places as if it were a safe hauen to the end they might aduantage thēselues by the ship-wracke There is therefore no ground for this power in the Law of God nor in the Law of man for as no Prince giueth any priuiledge against himselfe so neuer any King nor Emperour resigned such a right to the Pope which cannot be alienated It remaineth to speake of the Canon Law De Elect. lib. 1. tit 3. Clem. Ne Romani which cannot derogate from the Law of God as saith the Clementine that the Law of the Superiour cannot bee abrogated by the inferiour Neither can it also derogate from the Law of Kings because it is a writing framed for aduantage of them that wrote it Conc. Agathens sub Alaciaco rege anno 506. can 32. Clericū can 11. q. 1. can 3. ibidem l. in fraudem §. quoties de iure fisci without hearing or calling the party interessed and held for priuate in this consideration are obserued therein many falsifications specially one notable one vpon this subiect for in steed of saying Clericus nullum praesumat as the Councell hath it it is written nullus Clericum changing the prohibition made to the Clergy to prescribe it to the Laity Now hee that produceth false proofes is to loose his cause though otherwise it were a good one Lastly this Canon Law I meane that from which are taken the maximes of the Iesuites vpon this subiect is new and but of late for the ancientest part of it which is the Decree was cōpiled by Gratian in the yeare 1093. the Decretals in the yeare 1211. The Sextus by Boniface the eighth in the yeare 1298. and the Clementines in the yeare 1310. Wherefore iudging well the authors of this new power are not grounded on diuine nor humane Law seeing our Sauiour himselfe witnesseth the Sonne of man came not to be serued Math. 20. but to serue and to giue his life a ransome for many neither on the example of the Apostles 1. Cor. 4.1 whose charge consisted in administration not in cōmanding and who said 1. Pet. 2. Psal 2. 72. Let men esteeme of vs as the Ministers of CHRIST and disposers of the secrets of God These men haue set themselues in place of the Maister are (a) V. gl in verbo non consonam Clem. Ne Romani sponsus vester rector est Christus caput Ecclesiae quae est ipsius corpus Hebr. 7. c. stiled Princes of Bishops and King of Kings Though the true King of Kings be risen againe and liueth for euer hauing no heire nor successour in his offices being eternally both King and Priest and Prophet of the Catholicke Church after the order of Melchizedec The flatterers neuerthelesse will substitute a mortall and sinnefull man in his steed and ascribe vnto him power in heauen and in earth and make him Lord of two swords and Soueraigne of all demeans so that he may confiscate or giue them away whence a blasphemous parasite saith (b) Cap. vnam sanctam extra communiā de maioritate Petr. Bertrandus in gl illius exarauag Our Lord should haue bene vndiscreete if hee had not left a man after him hauing the like power as he had as if such a head could bee seperate from his body and this Bridegroome CHRIST being a iealous God could endure any corriuall or as though such a supposition were not directly contrary to the wordes of our Sauiour Ioh. 16. v. 7. 14. v. 16. 15. v. 26. saying Verily I say vnto you it is expedient for you that I goe my way for if I goe not away the Comforter will not come vnto you For he knew that his presence and the exhortation of his carnall mouth so often reiterated hindred them not from sleeping in the garden or from denying him thrice at the words of a silly maide-seruant But hee knew that his holy Spirit the Moderator of the Church working inwardly and accompanying them after his Ascension would make them confesse the Sauiour in the middest of the most cruell torments Against which