Purgatory Indulgence the doctrine of transubstantiation Communion of the Laity in one species priuate Masses and such like yet all this cannot proue yours to bee the true Church nor the Roman to bee false because yet you are defectiue in this That the Church being one onely true entire body of Iesus Christ you are seperate from it and will not be vnder the gouernment of that visible-hood which Christ hath appointed ouer it to wit the Bishop of Rome the successor of Saint Peter to whom is giuen the highest iurisdiction and gouernment of the whole Church vpon earth and the infallibility of iudgement to guide it right and keepe it from error so that they that are not vnder his gouernment and guidance are out of the Church in which saluation is to be found and no where else Neither can the things now vsed which were not vsed in the Primitiue Church any way nullifie or disgrace the Church since in the wisedome of him that is infallibly assisted by the holy Ghost for the guidance of the Church they are iudged profitable in these times which were not so necessary in former ages All inferiour and priuate spirits must submit to the iudgement of that Head whom Christ hath constituted ouer his Church and doth assist with his spirit that hee shall not erre That Saint Peter was made Prince and Head of the Apostles by our Sauiour Christ the Proofes are plaine in the Scriptures and Fathers Mat. 16.16 In the 16. of Saint Matthew when Saint Peter had confessed Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Christ answered Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke will I build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against it To thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to open and shut to bind and loose In the 21 of S. Iohn Christ saith to Peter Ioh. 21.15 Since thou louest mee more then these the rest of the Apostles Feed my Sheepe Be thou the generall Pastor ouer my whole flocke euen ouer the rest of the Apostles In the 22. of Saint Luke Christ saith I will pray for thee Peter that thy faith shall not faile Luk. 22.32 and when thou art conuerted strengthen thy Brethren Conformable to these Scriptures the Fathers doe ordinarily giue vnto Saint Peter the Primacy of the Apostles call him the Mouth the Chiefe the Top the Highest the Prince the President of the Apostles the head and foundation of the Church all which laid together and well considered doe proue such a prerogariue in Saint Peter that the Church taught and guided by him and his Successors shall neuer erre in matters of Faith and good life but bee infallibly lead into all truth that bringeth to holinesse and happinesse And this is not promised to Saint Peters person or for his life onely but to all his Successors when Christ promiseth to bee with them to the end of the world Mat. 28. in the last words Whereupon these things will follow 1 That the Church of Rome See the Relation of the Religion in the West parts pag. 15. now gouerned by S. Peters Successors is vndoubtedly the true Church of God deliuering and practising the true meanes of saluation and hath the prerogatiue to keepe men from erring in matters of Faith and from falling from God hath the keyes of heauen in custody to admit in by indulgence such as shall be saued and shut out by excommunication such as shall bee condemned so that in it there is a happy facility and without it an vtter impossibility of saluation 2 And consequently It is of the necessity to saluation that all particular Churches and all men be subiect to the Bishop thereof Christs Vicar and the visible head of the Catholike Church vpon earth and whosoeuer or what Nation or people soeuer are not subiect to him in spirituall things are no part of the Catholike Church of Christ §. 3. Antiquis Were all this true and substantiall it were able to charme all the world to be of your Church and to make the Pope absolute Lord of all And you do politikely to keep this point for your last refuge and final ground of all controuersies betwixt vs for if you can euict this you need no more If your Popes bee Saint Peters successors in all those things which you ascribe vnto Saint Peter and thereby haue full iurisdiction ouer the whole Christian world and cannot erre all is yours Stapleton principio doctr lib 6. cap. 2. Sanders Rocke of the Church Bristow Motiue 47. c. See Bellarm. letter to Blackwell there is an end of all controuersie and disputation And therefore your Chieftaines haue great reason to fortifie this piece with all the art and artillery their wit learning and power can afford them thereby to cut off all particular controuersies wherein they finde we are too strong for them This Gorgons head alone is able to affright the simple that they shall not beleeue their owne eyes or see your palpable corruptions or beleeue that any thing can be amisse with you be it neuer so foule and and manifest But alas deare friend I shall shew you plainely that all this is but an Imaginary Castle built in the Ayre without ground or foundation and that all your men stretch the Scriptures and the sayings of the Fathers farre beyond their meaning B. Iewel B. Bilson B. Morton B White D. Rainolds D. Field c. To answere their bookes and arguments punctually would aske too great time and be a needlesse labour because our Learned men haue done it sufficiently and often already But for your satisfaction I will shew you first what dignity the ancient Church hath yeelded to the Bishop of Rome Secondly that the Supremacy now claymed cannot be proued to bee giuen to Saint Peter either by the Scriptures or thirdly by the Fathers but coÌ„trary that both the Scriptures and Fathers are against it Fourthly that the true primacy and Prerogatiues of Saint Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles were personall and did not descend to his successors §. 3. 1. For the first Aeneas Syluius who was afterterwards made Pope Aeneas Syluius epist 288. Ante conciliuÌ„ Nicenâ—â— qu sque sibi viuebat paruus respectus habebatur ad ecclesiam Romanam and called Pius Secundus saith plainly that before the Councell of Nice 327. yeeres after Christ little respect was had to the Church of Rome yet was Rome the chiefe City of the world by reason of the Antiquity Magnificence Dominion and the residence of the Emperours there at that time The Apostles vsed to plant Churches in the chiefest Cities from whence the Gospell might best be propagated into the Countries adioyning Cities therefore were first Christians the people dwelling in Country Pagis Villis in Pages and Villages being not conuerted See D. Field Church book 5. epist to the Reader cap. 27. 30 31. were called Pagans or Infidels But for their
and patience such as is fit to winne others with all long suffring and doctrine 2 Tim. 2.24.25 and 4.2 1 Tim. 5.1.2 and 3.3 Prot. Sir wee pray with vnderstanding in our English Letany from all blindnesse of heart from pride vainglory and hipocrisie from enuy hatred and malice and all vncharitablenes good Lord deliuer vs. Rom. It is a good prayer I would it were well liked and practised of you all Prot. You shall finde me not onely patient but exceeding pitifull and full of commiseration to you and to all other well-minded men that are seduced that be Errones onely and not Turbones as Lipsius distinguisheth them not wilfull but ready to yeeld to sound reason Iustus Lipsius Politic. and to the truth when it manifestly appeares such as be vere Candidi as I hope you bee But against those wicked seducers that wilfully persist to blindfould themselues and you by Pious fraudes as they call them and keepe you on their side for by-respects contrary to the truth laied open to their eies you must giue me leaue to vse iust indignation As we see the Prophets our Sauiour and his Apostles did Rom. Whomsoeuer you shall proue to be such I will ioyne with you in your lust indignation and abhorre them I account no fraud pious nor lawfull to doe euill that good may come of But by forgery and deceit to mis-lead simple soules from the truth in Religion I account most detestable Prot. If it please you then to alleadge your best and most solid reasons whereby you are moued to forsake our Church and embrace the now Roman Religion I will be willing to answer you Rom. I will doe it not of mine owne head but out of the best and learnedest Authors of our side Prot. And I will endeuour to answere out of the learnedest and most iudicious Authors of the Protestants and most especially out of our latest pithiest and substantiallest English writers referring you to the bookes themselues with notes of their Chapters Sections and Pages for your more thorow satisfaction and setling of your Iudgement with like allegations also of your owne best Authors when they doe as they doe often yeeld vs the truth A IVSTIFICATION OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND Demonstrating it to be a true Church of GOD affording all sufficient meanes to SALVATION CHAP. 1. The alleadged 1 antiquity of the Romish Church and newnesse of the Protestants Church 2 is shewed to be vaine for that the Protestants retain the ancient sauing faith and 3 onely weede out the super-seminated Tares 4 as Hezekias and other good Princes did in their times So that 5 these two Churches differ onely as fields well weeded and ouergrowne with weeds And 6 Protestants are not separated from the good things found in the Roman Church but from the Papacy which is a domineering faction in the Church 7 For the Doctrines whereof the ancient Martyrs suffered not but for the Doctrines which Protestants hold §. 1. Roman Catholicke IT is a sufficient notice to mislike and forsake the Protestants Church because it is new neuer seene nor heard of in the world in any Age or Countrey before Luthers time for wee know the true Church of Christ is ancient Bellar. de notis Ecclâ—s l. b. 4. c. 5. Gâ—eg de Valentâ—a Analysis fidei l. 6. c. 12. Costerus Enchirid cap. 2. §. convertat Campian ratâ—o 4 5 6 7. Doct Hil. reas 1. And all Roman Writers triumph in this Argument See B. White ag Fisher p. 115. Cal. inst l. 4. c. 2. §. 2. continued from our Sauiours owne time and such is the Church of Rome founded vpon the chiefe Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul manifestly traced throughout all Ages with an honourable and certaine succession of Bishops the successors of S. Peter All Tyrants Traitors Pagans Hereticks in vaine wrastling raging barking against it confirmed by all worthy Counsels the generall graue Senates of Gods highest Officers and Ministers vpon earth enriched with the Sermons and writings of all the sage learned and holy Doctors and Fathers made famous by all those millions of Saints with their holinesse Martyrs with their suffrings Confessors with their constancy the building of Churches Monasteries Colledges Vniuersities and by all excellent meanes made conspicuous and honourable to the whole world Is it likely is it possible that this Church so ancâ—ent so honourable so holy and glorious should all this while be false hereticall and now to bee forsaken and reiected and a new particular Church lately moulded and erected by Luther Melancton Caluin Beza and a few other obscure vpstarts should bee the only true Church to be imbraced or that the most gracious God would hide his sauing truth from the world fifteene hundred yeeres to the distruction and damnation of so many millions of soules and now at last reueale it to a few in a corner No Sir giue mee leaue herein to take the name of Antiquus to liue and dye in the old Religion and to refuse your new §. 2. Protestant This is indeed the generall enchantment whereby those that compasse Sea and Land to make Romish Proselytes doe bewitch the vnwary and were it true it were able to draw all the world to become Roman-Catholicks But I pray you marke my counter-charme shewing the vntruth and weaknesse of your assertion We of the Church of England doe professe and protest that we are of that a All our learned Bishops Docâ—ors and Preachers beat vpon this point B. Iewel Arch. Abbot B. Abbot B. Bilson B. Andrewes B. Carlton B. Barlow B. Morton B. Vsher B. Downan B. White B. Hall D. â—ulk D. Whitacres D. Field D. White B. Bot. D. utclis D. Favour Mr. Perkins and inâ—umerable others true ancient Church of Christ which you describe b â—ee Fâ—eld Church lib. 3. cap. 6. c. that we hold entirely and soundly all that sauing Doctrine which the blessed Sonne of God brought into the world and his Apostles taught wrote in the holy Scriptures and which the ancient holy Fathers of the Primitiue Church held with great vnity and vniuersality for many ages §. 3. c This is shewâ—d chap. 5. sect â— Booke 2. chap. 2. §. 6. chap. 4. sect 2. And we reiect nothing but the corruptions errours and abuses that haue crept into the Church in later times and from small beginnings haue growne at last to be great and vntollerable those onely we haue refused and haue reformed our particular Churches in diuers Kingdomes and Nations as neare as we could to the fashion of the first true pure and vncorrupt Churches retaining all the Doctrines of the Church of Rome which we found to be Catholicke or agreeable to the faith of the whole Church in all times and places d See D. White against Fisher pag. 68. But Doctrines not Catholicke being neither Primitiue belonging to the ancient Church nor generally receiued by the whole Church either at this day nor in any other age
nor grounded vpon the Scriptures we haue no reason to receiue as points necessary to saluation And the points tending to superstitâ—on corruption or deprauation of Gods honour Christs merits our owne saluation the disturbance of the peace or safety of Kingdomes States or Common-wealthes we worthily abrogate as intollerable and vnchristian And in these respects as you assume the title of Antiquus so doe I of Antiquissimus And let you know that e See D. Mortons Appeal lib. 4. cap. 16. sect 4. §. 10. our Church is no new Church deuised by Luther and other learned men and receiued by Princes affecting mutations neither euer was it their purpose to doe any such thing but faithfully and religiously to purge out new corruptions and to continue and maintaine the substance and whole essence of the old Church of God and all the sound Catholick Doctrines thereof comming along thorow so many ages from the first planting of the Church to their times §. 4. Read 2 Kings 1â— 4 5.6 and chap. 22. 23. No otherwise then the most religious Kings Hezekiah and Iosiah and other godly Rulers did in their dominions being moued by their learned Priests and by their knowledge of Gods Law who remoued the high places and brake the Images and cut downe the Groues spoyled the vessels made for Baal and for the Groues and for the hoste of heauen and put downe the Idolatrous Priests and the brazen Serpent also though at first it was made by Gods owne appointment erected to good purpose and was a figure of Christ because it was now growen to be an instrument and occasion of Idolatry but they preserued still the old Religion and seruice of God entire and whole and that much more pure then they found it This when they did can any man haue the forehead to say They erected a new Church when they onely purged and retained the old or shall we be reuiled and blamed for imitating Hezekias Josias and Iehoshaphat and in that for which they were much praised and honoured in the Scriptures §. 5. Obserue then here first the vanity and deceit of your Romish teachers that against their owne knowledge bewitch the simple people with this conceit that our Church forsooth is a new Church begun in Luthers time little aboue an hundred yeeres agone and was neuer seene nor heard of in the world before Whereas indeed there is no other difference betwixt the Roman Church and ours then betwixt a corrupt Church still maintaining her owne corruptions for worldly respects and a Church well reformed according to the Scriptures and the purest Primitiue Churches or betwixt the corrupt Idolatrous Church before Hezekiahs time 2 King 18. and the same Church reformed in and after his time I may compare the whole Church of CHRIST in all her ages to Naaman the Syrian 2 King 5. who was honourable for bringing safety to his Nation He was first pure and sound and did many honourable acts and thereby represented the Primitiue Church pure and cleane without spot or disease appearing howbeit there might be some secret seedes of diseases vnperceiued which in continuance of time grew into a visible leprosie In his middle time he became leprous diseased and deformed fowly infected in himselfe and infecting others and thereby represented the later Church of Rome Afterwards by the Prophets direction he was washed and cleansed from his leprosie and his flesh restored to become pure and perfect like the flesh of a yong childe and thereby represented our Reformed Churches And as Naaman in all these three estates was the same person and not a new diuerse or seuerall man for Elisha made not a new man but clensed the old of diseases and restored him to his first soundnesse so our Church is not a new Church but the old Church reformed from errours and corruptions and restored to her ancient purity and soundnesse Let the Church of Rome still glory in her leprosie and brag of the antiquity of some of her diseases we thanke God for our Churches clensing and the new restoring of it to the Primitiue purity §. 6. Secondly obserue that we haue not departed froÌ„ the sound parts of the Church of Rome it self for the leprosie thereof was not vniuersall nor spred ouer all there were many euen in the corruptest ages of that Church which taught the same sauing doctrine that we doe See Chap. following and misliked and wrote against the errours and abuses that wee refuse but our departure or separation is onely from the Papacy or Court of Rome which much oppressed the best members of the Church of Rome and instead of Christs heauenly Kingdome set vp and maintained an earthly ouertopping and abusing all other Christian Kingdomes or our departure is from that domineering faction in the Church which like an ill disease and botch in the body intolerably oppressed the Church by imposing vpon it errours in doctrine and tyranny in gouernment But to the sound members of that Church both of ancient and moderne times we are still conioyned and vnited and herein their and our Church continued alwayes sufficiently visible §. 7. Thirdly obserue as a consequent of the former that our Church is so farre from being new that it is most ancient the very same Church that our Sauiour Christ and his blessed Apostles first founded We succeed them both in succession of persons as well as the Church men of Rome and in succession of doctrine much better So that we iustly challenge our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles to be ours all the learned holy Fathers to be ours the ancient Councels the blessed Saints Martyrs and Confessors to bee ours For they taught professed liued and dyed in and for those points of sauing Religion which we soundly hold and for none other The Martyrs dyed for the profession of their faith and seruice to the true God for beleeuing in Iesus Christ crucified whom their persecutors scornefully called the crucified God and for their hope to bee saued by his merits and passion for their trust comfort and constancy in the Holy Ghost and worshipping the holy blessed glorious and indiuiduall Trinity and for cleauing truly and constantly to the holy Scriptures and the doctrines grounded thereupon onely as the true rule of their faith and on the other side for refusing to sacrifice offer incense or doe worship to Idols and Heathen gods They suffered not death for standing in defence of Image-worship or for holding the doctrine of Purgatory so like to the Heathen Poets Homer and Virgil or for praying for the dead or to the dead or for accusing the holy Scriptures of insufficiency and ambiguity and forbidding Christian people to reade them vnder great penalties for feare of Heresie For such points would haue pleased their Heathen persecutors well enough Neither suffered they for crossing Christs institution in denying the Communion cup to Gods people or for worshipping a God made of a piece of bread or for maintaining
interuallo a great Way behind them in the manner not in the matter of their writing I know it vnfit for me yea vnfit for a Christian and I hate it in my heart to bean Author or Inuenter of new opinions of Religon We must learne of S. Iude Iude v. 3. onely earnestly to contend for the faith which was once that is first deliuered to the Saints Therefore the Materials of my building I create not but fetch them from the Garden of Eden the holy Scriptures and the large Forests and rich Quarries of others but the choice of all the Timber and Stone the squaring ioyning forme and frame of the worke is mine which I haue set together without any impairing of the strength or beauty I hope of any peece Such graue and holy Authors words as vndeniable witnesses add waight and authority to my discourse more then from my selfe it could haue and it will be a great ease to the Readers as Iudges to haue the whole pleadings abridged and laid in one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or short view before them with the witnesses names annexed to euery Article whom they may more fully examine vpon euery occasion This I haue aymed at how neere I haue come vnto the marke I must leaue to others to Iudge The first part of this worke I now publish which concerneth the generall exceptions against our Reformed Church which I hope I fully cleare and satisfie in this small Volumne The second part which handleth the particular doctrines controuerted I am compelled to put off to another time Those my labours I am bold or rather indeed I am bound to dedicate vnto your Honour 1 As to my most bountifull Patron furnishing me with increase of meanes both to liue in better sort without want and thereby without contempt and especially to furnish me with many vsefulll bookes of all kindes and sides in perusing examining and extracting the quintessence whereof is my daily labour and my greatest worldly contentment The honour and fruits whereof are due debts vnto your bounty 2 As to our Reuerend Bishop and generall Father of the Clergy in this your Diocesse of Lincolne appointed according to the order of christs Apostles deliuered in Scripture a As appâ—â—reth by the subscriâ—tions of the second Epistle to Timothy in the Originall Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To Timotheus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians And the like to Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Cretians And by the Text Tit. 1.5 cap. 2. cap. 3.1 2 8 9 10 c. To gouerne part of Gods Church not onely for the b Ordination Tit. 1.5 1 tim 4.14 5.21 2â— 2 tim 2.2 Ordination of Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in euery Congregation but also for c Iurisdiction 1 Tim. 1.3 4.11 5. per tot 6.3 4 5 20. 2 tim 2.14 tit 1.10 11 13. 3.10 c. Iurisdiction or power or ouer-fight that they teach found doctrine and liue without scandall 3 As to a most eminent and excellent builder of Gods Spirituall house by your diuine wisdome learning preaching and writing 4 And yet further To the most Noble and famous builder of Gods externall and visible houses by your d The beautifull Chappell at Lincolne Colledge in Oxford a magnificent Library at S. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge the mother and â—â—rse-place of of his learning another at Westminster his Dignity built and furnished by his cost as also another at Lincoln his Bishopricke with store of excellent bookes Founding also â—ew Fellowes and other Students with yeerely maintenance for euer in Cambridge with many other workes of Piety and abundant charity Oxford Westminster Lincoln Leicester and other places materiall buildings enriching beautifying and amplifying Churches and Colledges with Chappels Libraries Fellowships and Schollerships in both the Vniuersities and else where and furnishing them with the most excellent and necessary bookes that can bee gotten Which With other your most pious and Noble works draw the hearts and tongues of all men which I can heare mention your name to glorifie God for you and you for glorifying God and our Church and Nation with such worthy Monuments of your Piety Cost and Labours In regard of all these I could not hold my hart would breake if I did not in some sort vent the fulnesse thereof and honor your Bounty your Fatherhood your spirituall Graces and your materiall magnificall Beneficence by the best meanes I can with this dedication of my poore labours And let me adde that which all men will easily conceiue 5 To receiue honour from you by prescribing your much honoured name before my labors And finally as in these many respects I am bold and bound So 6 I doe most willingly and humbly offer my labours to your Fatherhood to be viewed Iudged approued or censured by your graue Wisedome Learning Piety and Authority For the continuance and encrease whereof and of all your temporall and eternall happinesse I shall dayly pray as becommeth Your Lordships much bounden ANTHONY CADE To the Reader DEare Christian Reader whatsoeuer or of what Religion soeuer thou art if there be any of these three things truly rooted in thy heart either the care of Gods Glory or the saluation of thy soule or the loue of thy Country with the peace strength happinesse and flourishing estate thereof as I hope all these three are conioyned in thee by them all of them or any of them I humbly and heartily entreat thee to reade not with prejudice but with an honest and good heart with indifferency patience aduisednesse and with continuall waighing considering and examining the things which I haue with great labour and diligence gathered and heere set before thee Rom 9.1 c. I doe protest before God as Saint Paul did for the Hebrewes that I haue great heauinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for my deare brethren English people that are seduced and withdrawen from the sincerity of the Gospell and my hearts desire and praier to God is and my endeuours both by example of life and holy doctrine Rom. 10.1 c. continually tend that way that they might be saued eternally and in this world liue comfortably and happily For I beare them record the greatest number of them that they haue a zeale of God but not according to knowledge And it may bee many of their seducers are themselues first seduced by the cunning of their greatest Rabbines who yet the most of them know full well and very often confesse in their writings as I shall manifestly shew in handling the chiefe points controuerted betwixt vs that Protestants hold the truth and themselues haue swarned from pure Antiquity In tender commiseration therefore and yerning bowels of compassion vnto the seduced I haue vndertaken this great labour with neglect of my selfe my health and state to doe good to their soules and good to my Country by vniting them so far
as in me lyeth firmely to be the true Church of Christ and the body of this State And I haue caried my selfe with that sincerity and singlenesse of heart that I may safely protest againe with S. Paul I speake the truth in Christ I lie not Rom. 9.1 c. my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost I renounce the hidden things of dishonesty not walking nor writing in craftinesse 2 Cor. 4.2 2.17 1.12 nor handling the word of God or diuine things decitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending my selfe to euery mans conscience in the sight and feare of God I am no Innouator inventer or fauourer of new things in Religion I search for the old and out of all kinde of Authors deduct allegations authorities consequences and reasons against the new I cut off extrauagant needlesse and endlesse questions priuate opinions both of these and former ages and comprehend the necessary points of Religion agreed vpon by the Scriptures Fathers and moderne diuines within their owne true limits I set downe the most substantiall points agreed vpon betwixt the Romans and vs and shew withall their vnnecessary additions and corruptions I search how corruptions came into the Church as they will doe into all societies of Men in continuance of time I shew how they were discouered opposed and reformation wished and sought for in all former ages and by what power policies and cunning they preuailed after Sathan was loosed I finde and shew the out-cries of historians and other learned men Emperours Princes Clergy and people yea of their owne writers against them all before Luthers time And all this while I shew the continuance of all necessary sauing doctrine in many other famous Churches beside the Church of Rome yea and within that Church also a sufficient visible number of many hundred thousands farre and wide spread in Countries and Nations and continewing till Luthers time which refused the gouernment errors and corruptions of the Papacy and taught the same substance of doctrine which Protestants now teach Yea the better part of the Church of Rome it selfe excepting onely the Papacy and the faction that maintained it held with great liberty the same most necessary points of Faith which we doe vntill by the Councell of Trent which was not a free end generall Councell but guided wholly by the Papall faction that liberty was taken away and the errors of the Papacy were imposed generally vpon all vnder paine of Anathema or depriuation of saluation Vpon due search of these and many other things which heere I deliuer vnto thee in the Scriptures Fathers Histories and all kinde of Authors of either Religion I haue by the grace of God attained to that perfect knowledge and assurance of the Verity Antiquity and Sufficiency of the Protestants doctrine to good life in this world and eternall saluation in the world to come that any mortall man can desire to haue and am as willing if God haue so decreed iâ— expedient and the times desire it to suffer for it as the holy Martyrs were for this same Religion in the Primitiue Church not writing any thing in substance which I will not willingly seale with my blood This is it deare Christian Reader which I present vnto thy view in this worke being a Summe or Abridgement of many great volumnes written on both sides vpon these points and thus briefly deliuered for thy greater case in reading and perfecter iudging of Truth and Errour Sincerity and Corruption Antiquity and Nouelty To answer all the Romish bookes lately come abroad in great numbers punctually following their owne method had beene an endlesse labour both to Writers and Readers and therefore for my part I thought better to gather their principall motiues and reasons out of the chiefest of their bookes and separating them into seuerall Chapters to giue them their full answer in their proper places so answering many bookes in one Among the store of all other Allegations I haue most willingly and commonly referred the Reader to the late Writers of our owne Nation and that especially for these Reasons First for the excellency of our Authors surpassing others both in multiplicity of reading profundity of Iudgement and sincerity of affection in deliuering the truth As we finde in our learned Bishops Iewel Abbots Bilson Morton Vsher Downham Hall White Andrew c. And our Doctors Fulke Raynolds Whitakers Field Favour White Prideaux c. And other Diuines Master Foxe Perkins Hooker and many other whose worthy labours I doe heartily commend to the diligent reading of our English men The Romish affected very well know that those English which haue fled from vs and written on their side haue in shew of wit and learning gone beyond not onely all former but all other of this Age So that Bellarmine takes most out of them in the points whereof they haue written as Sanders Allen Stapleton c. And therefore let no man contemne their owne Countreymens wits and learning but acknowledge their worth and make high account of their learned labours Secondly to shew that I bring no new thing of my selfe but what is fully confirmed by our most approued writers and that I also thankfully remember and honour them Per quos profecerim Thirdly to shew the vnity of the Writers of our Church from the beginning of the Reformation to this time contrary to the Romish slanders which charge vs with continuall varying from our selues Fourthly to shew to our English men especially where they may read in our learned English Writers more fully of the points which I deliuer briefly for their better instruction and satisfaction Fiftly because my selfe am aged and not fit by reason of the encreasing weakenesse of my body and memory hereafter if any flourishing busie wits list to oppose to manage this cause without much disparagement to it and to my selfe I thought good to alleadge many worthy Diuines now liuing that they might take vpon them the defence of their owne writings by me alleadged or impose it vpon others more able in body then my selfe Further I confesse that it much troubled me that I could not make my booke shorter without either making it too obscure and vn-intelligible or else cutting off much matter fit to giue the fuller satisfaction For by this length of it I doubt it will become tedious to many to reade it thorow and cary away the matter in their memory But I haue helped this Inconuenience as much as I could 1 by distinguishing the whole matter into Chapters euery Chapter being as it were a seuerall Treatise by it selfe which may be read alone without reference to the rest And 2 by dividing the Chapters if they be long into Sections and sometimes also the Sections into Subsections and Paragraphes marked thus § setting downe the summes of the Chapters and Sectâ—ons in the beginning and before them for the quicker finding or refinding of the matters therein contained and the easier view and
Paragraph Of the differences of Fathers and Protestants and of their contentions Page 236 Paragraph § 1 Many Fathers are confessed by all sides to haue held some erronious opinions which none are bound to receiue and yet in the substance of Religion were good Catholick Christians and our Predecessors Page 236 Paragraph § 2 Many differences also are noted among Romish Doctors which yet hinder them not from being all accounted Catholicks Page 243 Paragraph § 3 The differences among Protestants are nothing so great or many as those afore noted of the Fathers and of the Romish the especiall one about the manner how Christ is present in the blessed Sacrament is much lesse then it seemeth Page 248 Paragraph § 4 The popes vnwillingnesse to reforme manifest abuses by the way of generall Councels was the cause of all differences in Reformed Churches when each seuerall state was compelled to reforme a part without sufficient generall consultations with other Nations Page 250 Paragraph § 5 The Protestants contentions for Gods cause as they take it are nothing so hote or troublesome is the contentions of many ancient holy Fathers haue beene about smaller matters View the examples Page 253 CHAP. 4. Paragraph Of the rule to iudge the soundnesse and purity of all Christians and Churches by Page 261 This Chapter hath foure sections Page 261 Paragraph The first section of the rule vsed in the Primitiue Church Page 261 Paragraph The second of the Rule enlarged and approued in this Age. Page 268 Paragraph The third of obiections arising from the former discourses and their answeres Page 280 Paragraph The fourth of the necessity of preaching still to them that hold this rule Page 288 The first section Paragraph § 1 The rule in generall Page 261 Paragraph § 2 Opened by distinctions of the foundation of Religion Page 262 Paragraph § 3 A necessity of a short rule drawne out of the Scriptures Page 262 Paragraph § 4 This rule is described by S. Paul Page 263 Paragraph § 5 The practise of it by the Apostles who deliuered the most necessary fundamentall points to the Iewes and then baptized them Page 265 Paragraph § 6 The like practise vsed by the following Primitiue Church to their Catechumeni before Baptisme Page 266 The second section Paragraph § 1 The rule enlarged and approued in this Age. Page 268 Paragraph § 2 By Azorius out of the Schoole-Diuines in 14 Articles Page 269 Paragraph § 3 Some obseruations and censures of those 14 Articles Page 272 Paragraph § 4 The rule set downe by Bellarmine more briefely Page 273 Paragraph § 5 By Doctor Field farre more sufficiently in 6 Articles with his iudgement of the deductions therefrom euident or obscure Page 274 Paragraph § 6 Bishop Vshers distinction of superstructions vpon the foundation Page 277 Paragraph § 7 Consequents of this doctrine Page 278 The third section Paragraph § 1 Obiection If holding the foundation will serue then wee may easily obtaine saluation in the Church of Rome Page 280 Paragraph § 2 Answer The Church of Rome holds many things which by consequent destroyes the foundation by the most moderate Master Hookers iudgement Page 281 Paragraph § 3 Obiection This crosseth what was said before That many before Luthers time might be saued in the Roman Church Answ No for they liued in those errours of ignorance not obstinacy and not knowing any dangerous consequence of them Page 282 Paragraph § 4 Such men by particular repentance of sinnes knowne and generall repentance of vnknowne might by Gods mercy be saued Page 284 Paragraph § 5 Obseruations hereof Page 285 Paragraph § 6 Other learned Protestants ioyne in opinion with Master Hooker Page 286 The fourth section Paragraph § 1 There is a necessity or great profit of preaching euen to them that are well grounded in all necessary principles Page 288 Paragraph § 2 As Israel needed all helpes after the giuing of the Law and all were too little Page 289 Paragraph § 3 The profits of preaching in generall Page 290 Paragraph § 4 Some particulars for continuall spirituall food cordiall medicine and comfort memory armour c. Page 290 Paragraph § 5 The continuall need thereof was found in all Churches planted euen by the Apostles and in their times Page 292 CHAP. 4. Paragraph Of the succession of the Protestants Bishops and Ministers from the Apostles Page 296 Paragraph Section 1. The necessity thereof vrged without which there can be no Church Page 296 Paragraph 2 This succession is clamourously denyed to Protestants Page 299 Paragraph 3 But manifestly proued and the slanders confuted Page 300 Paragraph 4 Particularly in Cranmer our first Archbishop Page 302 Paragraph 5 In other Bishops of King Henry 8 his time Page 304 Paragraph 6 And of King Edward 6. and of Queene Maries time Page 306 Paragraph 7 And of Queene Elizabeths time Page 306 Paragraph 8 The false reports whereof doe alienate many from the Reformed Religion Page 309 Paragraph 9 A proofe of the sufficient ordination of Ministers in forraigne Reformed Churches Page 310 Paragraph 10 Which is further confirmed by the doctrine and practise of the Romish Page 312 CHAP. 6. Paragraph Of the Popes supremacy challenged ouer the whole Church page 1 Paragraph § 1 The necessity thereof vrged as the maine pillar of Religion Page 1 Paragraph § 2 The matter and method of the Answer propounded Page 4 Paragraph § 3 The ancient Church yeelded to Rome as the greatest and most honourable City of the world and seat of the Empire to haue the dignity of one of the fiue Patriarcks Page 5 Paragraph § 4 And among the Patriarkes sometime the first or chiefest place Page 6 Paragraph § 5 Which dignity the ambition and couetousnesse of following popes haue much impaired Page 8 Paragraph § 6 And haue challenged that dignity which was anciently yeelded vnto their predecessors for their sanctity and for politicke reasons and much more also by authority of the Scriptures But Bellarmine gathering the pith of all learned writers can finde no strengh in them by any Scriptures to maine the Papacy as in their chiefest places Matth. 16.18 Page 11 Paragraph § 7 And Iohn 21.15 c. Page 16 Paragraph § 8 Obserue the Romish strange extractions out of the words Feed my Sheep Page 18 Paragraph § 9 And other learned-foolish allegations of other Scriptures Page 20 Paragraph § 10 The Scripture against the supremacy of Peter Page 23 Paragraph § 11 And the fathers are vrged for it vainely beyond their meaning Page 24 Paragraph § 12 The Fathers are manifestly against it Page 29 Paragraph § 13 Saint Peters prerogatiues were personall and descended not to his successors Page 32 Paragraph § 14 The conclusion collecting the parts of this Chapter briefly and Iustifying the Protestants Page 35 CHAP. 7. Of the Popes infallible Iudgement in guiding the Church by true Doctrine Paragraph § 1 Jt cannot be prooued by Scriptures or Fathers or by the Analogie to the chiefe Priests of the Old
dissolving the whole frame of Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy and forme of gouernment settled by Christ was thought no lesse hurtfull then the bringing in of heresie and false doctrine by all that wrote against it and therefore they impute vnto it Heresim pestilentissimam and all such things as belong onely to Antichrist and his followers And indeed the desire of worldly wealth and honour drew on many corruptions of doctrine For when the ouer-politicke Popes found but few learned iâ—dicious men able to maintaine the truth and few potent couragious Princes able to maintaine their right against them then they fell to make their owne greatnesse wealth and honour the very rule to square out the Canons of Faith and Gouernment and then set Clerks on worke to deuise arguments to maintaine them The Church at that time abounding with rewards to quicken their wits and spurre on their diligence From this root proceeded doubtlesse the forged Donation of Constantine and the Decrees and decretall Epistles of ancient Bishops then newly brought to the knowledge of the world and neuer before seene and in these more learned Ages rejected by their owne Doctors and from this root sprung a new generation of Schoolemen moulding a new Doctrine mixed of Philosophy and divnity to amuse and amaze the world and keepe it in blindnesse and much corruption of Scriptures which now must haue no other sense then their Philosophy and the Rules of their Gouernment will giue it This desire of wealth and greatnesse brought in Image-worship which the holy Scriptures so plainly and plentifully condemne For when it might easily haue been abolished See the Histories of those times as but then creeping in and that Leo Jsaurus Emperour seeing the Sarazens take offence at Christians to abhorre and massacre them for their Images in Churches which offence Leo tooke away and burned the Images Pope Gregory the second that ought to haue Ioyned therein opposed him and tooke the hint to make the Emperour odious to all Italy as an enemy to Religion to the Saints and to their Memories And while the Emperour was weakned by the Sarazens in the East the Pope made this an occasion to make the West to reuolt from him and quickly depriued him of Italy to the great iniury of the Emperor scandall to the world and hurt to Christendome And then Image worship must be defended that had been the meanes of so much wealth to the Pope with opposing Councell to Councell Princes and learned men one against another to the great trouble of Christendome The worshipping of Images therefore did the Pope good seruice and so it doth still for it drawes multitudes of deuout people to Rome and other places with their offerings and other spendings to enrich them §. 14. But to leaue these things and come to particular doctrines held then by many otherwise then they be now by the Romans The Fathers held those bookes for Canonicall Scriptures which we now doe D. Field of the Church lib. 4. cap. 23. Appendix part 1. pag. 100. See all their allegations in D. Field lib. 4. cap. 23. and separated those from the Canon which we doe separate Namely Melito Bishop of Sardis Origen Athanasius Hilarius Nazianzen Cyril of Jerusalem Epiphanius Ruffinus Hierom Gregory and Damascene So did also many other learned men liuing in the corrupt state of the Church vnder the Papacy as Hugo de Sancto victore Richardo de Sancto victore Petrus Cluviacensis Lyranus Dionysius Carthusianus Hugo Cardinalis Thomas Aquinas Richardus Armachanus Picus Mirandula Ockam Caietan and Dredo In this point they were all Protestants and desired the reformation that we haue made That man after the Fall Field Appendix ad lib. 5. part 1. pag. 101. vntill he be restored by grace can doe nothing spiritually good or that is not sinne nor can any way dispose himselfe to a true conuersion vnto God without preuenting grace was the doctrine of S Augustine Prosper and more lately of Thomas Bradwardin Gregorius Ariminensis Cardinall Contaren and Bonaventure cited by Cassander Consult art 8. Iustification by Christs imputed righteousnesse not by our inherent was taught by S. Bernard Epist 190. Bernard Geâ—son lib. 4. de consulatione theologiae See these alleadged in my second Booke in the chapter of Iustification Assignata est homini Iustitia aliena quia caruit sua To man is assigned the righteousnesse of another because he had none of his owne And serm 61 Jn cantica And Gerson and Cardinall Contarenus and the Diuines of Colen in their Enchiridion and Antididagma and Albertus Pighius That man cannot merit any thing properly at Gods hand See D. Field Church appendix ad lib. 4. cap. 11. Scotus Ariminensis Waldensis are plaine So Pope Aâ—rian on the 4 of the Sentences cited by Cassander Consult art 6. and Clicthoveus cited there also And Bernard serm 1. in festo omnium sanctorum and oft elsewhere he saith our good workes are via regni non causa regnandi the way to heauen but not the cause meriting heauen See these Authors words cited at large in Bishop Vshers booke D. Field Church appendix part 1. pag. 103. c. And Cardinall Contarenus epist ad Cardinalem Farnesium To which adde out of Bishop Vshers answer to the Jrish Iesuite pag. 500. seq A great number more of ancient Fathers and later writers That Christs merits are to be apprehended by a liuely faith which faith is a motion of the spirit when men truely repenting of their former life are raised and lifted vp to God and doe truly apprehend the mercies of God promised in Christ and doe indeed feele in themselues an assurance that they haue receiued remission of their sinnes and reconciliation by Gods goodnâ—sse and by the merit of Christ and doe cry Abba Father Cited by Cassander consult aâ—â— 4. This is expresly deliuered in the booke exhibited by Charles the fift Emperour to the Diuines of both sides and the Diuines agreed vnto it And in the Enchiridion cited by Cassander ibid. well approoued by all the learned Diuines of Jtaly and France and by Cardinall Contarenus in his Tract of Iustification and by the Diuines of Colen in their Antididagma De duplici fiducia and by Saint Bernard serm 1. de Annuntiatione dominica The Communion in both kindes is deliuered to the people in all Churches of the world vnto this day sauing in the Roman Church and in the Roman Church it so continued for more then a thousand yeares in the solemne ordinary and publike dispensation of that Sacrament Cassander consult art 22. As Cassander sheweth and Beatus Rhenanus And it hath been called for with great earnestnesse by many Nations and Churches Rhenanus vpon Tertullian de corona militis both before and in the Councell of Trent and is still stiffely denyed by the Pope and his Prelates Against priuate Communions called priuate Masses where none of the people present receiue but the
sheweth § 1. An obiected description of the excelâ—ency of the Church and a necessity of the perpetuall succession and visibility thereof § 2. That for a thousand yeares and more our Church was all one with the Roman § 3. After that corruptions grew intollerable in the Roman Church many yet misliked them and held the truth § 4. The whole Catholicke Church can neuer be visible to men at once but parts of it may and must § 5. The promises of purity and eternall life do not belong to all the called but to the few chosen which to men are invisible though their persons and profession be visible § 6. And this Bellarmine and many other Romanists yeeld §. 1. Antiquus YOu shew no wisedome in disgracing thus the Church of Rome for you must deriue your Church from it or else you haue no succession from the Apostles and consequently no Church at all and therefore no possibility of saluation You that so much glory in the Scriptures doe you not marke how the Scriptures describe the Church calling it a Ephe. 2.19 the City of our Lord b Ib. Hebr. 3.2 6. the house of God c Cantic 4.12 a Garden enclosed a spring shut vp a fountaine sealed d Psal 80.8 our Lords vineyard of his owne planting e 1 Tim. 3.15 the pillar of truth f Psal 27.13 the land of the liuing g Cantic 4.15 the fountaine of liuing waters h Eph. 6.25 c. the Spouse of Christ who gaue himselfe for it who sanctifieth and clenseth it and maketh it a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle that it may be holy and without blemish and to omit other titles i 1 Pet. 3.20 compares it to the Arke of Noe out of which there is no saluation from the deluge of sinne And to the end that by it all men may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saued it must be visible conspicuous and mounted aloft as a City vpon a hill k Mat. 5.14 seene of all the world shining to all the world so continuing to the end of the world with continuall succession of holy gouernment teaching administring the Sacraments without interruption For if it be hidden or inuisible any time how can it teach the people conuert Pagans dispence Sacraments glorifie God lead men to saluation Therefore the holy â—criptures describe this Church to be most ample conspicuous and not onely gracious but glorious l Psal 45.9 This Queene is all glorious in a vesture of gold wrought about with diuers colours to whom the daughter of Tyre and all Nations bring gifts signifying the magnificence of the Church gathered of all the Gentiles m Esay 2.2 3 4 18 20. cap. 49.5 6 7 23. 60.3 4 c. It is the holy mountaine of the Lord to which all Nations shall come and Kings and Queenes should come and doe homage vnto it n â—sal 72.8 c. Micah 4.1 Dauid magnifies this Church as extending from Sea to Sea and from the Riuer to the worlds end adding that the Aethiopians should fall downe before the great Messias the Kings of Tharshish and of the Iles should bring presents the Kings of Arabia of Saba should offer gifts yea all kings should fall downe before him and all Nations should serue him The Messias himselfe saith o Ioh. 12.31 32. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out and I if I be lifted vp from the earth will draw all men vnto me Meaning by his passion to draw all Nations of the world from heathenish Idolatry to become members of his holy Church Now instead of this conspicuous glorious Church you Protestants obtrude vnto vs an obscure latent invisible Church vnseen in the world for more then a thousand yeares or rather neuer seene before Luthers time But if these prophesies of the Scriptures concerning the glory and amplitude of the Church be true as they are most true then is the conspicuous Church of Rome the true Church and your so long latent visible Church the false §. 2. Antiquissimus The wisâ—dome which we vse is not grounâ—ed vpon vnsound policies but vpon standing to the sound truth which is great and will preuaile the disgraces of the Romish Hierarchy we either reade in your own Authors who write them necessario potiùs quam libenter as wrested from them by the truth rather then of any itching humour to disgrace it or wee obserue them with our owne eyes so manifest that they cannot be hid so bad that they cannot be excused The propheticall promises to the Church which you alledge wâ—th all reuerence we doe acknowledge and we confesse that within the first thousand yeares after Christ before â—atan was loosed Reuel 20.2 and 7 8. the most of them werâ— fulfilled and principally in the first ageâ— of thâ—t period when the Church was by the Apostles and their successors propagated to the Gentilâ—â— and plantâ—d in all Nations and while the Church of Rom tauâ—ht the same pure doctrine which we now doe and while your Church and ours and all other particular Churches in the world were one Catholike Church And although some errours and abuses began to creepe into the Church of Rome within that time and weâ—e by many espyed and reprooued yet were they not imputed to the whole Church of Rome but to a faction breeding in it Neither were they so great â—t so largely spred or so strongly defended or of such regard as to make any such breach or manifest sepâ—r tâ—on as in the following ages ensued So that in tâ—e firâ—â— thousand of yeares the holy prophesies by you alleaâ—geâ— make nothing more for your Church then ours â—otâ—ing more against our Church then against yoâ—rs yours and ours being then both one Church §. 3. Sâ—conâ—ly wee affirme that when the Church of Rome grew vntollerably corrupt by mens traditions and new inuâ—â—â—ions especially in the Hierarchy thereof there wanted not multitudes of good Christians both separated from the community thereof that followed their better teachers and professed still the pure ancient Doctrine and other multitudes also liuing in community with the vnsound Romish gouernours groning vnder their corruptions and longing for reformation which made a full sufficient visible Church to whom the propheticall promises belonged and in whom they were fulfilled so much as was intended by them Which that you may the better vnderstand Handled in this section consider first more thorowly the nature of the promises and state of the Church as it must be in these later ages and secondly the state of our Church fully agreeing thereunto and the state of yours disagreeing You that cannot endure to heare of any kind of invisibility of the Church Handled in the second section must of necessâ—ty admit of some kinde thereof or else you involue all in confused obscurity First if you take the Church for the whole Catholicke Church that is
vniuersall both in time and place §. 4. See Aug. in Psal 92. continued throughout all Ages and dispersed in all places in which sense onely the Church is Catholicke and one then it is a point of faâ—th and not of sight For it is visible totally at any one time or place to any mortall eyes Some part thereof being in Europe some in Asia some in Africa for place some part in heauen triumphant some on earth militant some not yet in the world for time We beleeue therefore that there is one Catholicke Church we see but a small part of it that is one vniuersall company of Christians spread ouer the whole earth and continuing from the Apostles times till the day of Iudgement part whereof is now in heauen part on earth and part yet to come called to be professors of Gods worship and partakers of his glory through Iesus Christ his sonne And though this whole company be neuer visible to men at once yet some parts thereof liuing vpon earth are alwayes visible to men by their persons and profession some at one time some at another some in one Countrey some in another as the Church of Jerusalem and of Antioch of Rome Corinth Galatia c. In the Apostles times the seuen Churches of Asia in S. Iohns time the Churches of England France and other Nations in our time §. 5. Secondly if you take the Church for the company of Christians liuing in any one particular Age and thereunto apply the propheticall promises you must admit a threefold distinction one of the parts of the Church another of the promises appliable to the seuerall parts and a third of the times wherein they are to be fulfilled For a D. VVhite Reply to Fisher pag. 52. most of the promises though in generall termes made to the Church in common to shew what the whole is in respect of Gods outward vocation or what the office and duty of the whole Church is yet doe appertaine formally and indeed onely to the better part of the common subiect As your owne Doctors teach b Cornel. de â—apide com Esa cap. 2. v. 4 Cum Deus aliquid Synagoga vel Ecclesiae permittit quamvis amplâ— vniuersal bus vâ—rbis â—â— tamen de bonis proba tantum qui saeâ—â—s amicitiam cum deo promittente paâ—iscente seruant intelligendum The Scriptures giue vs a distinction of the Called and Chosen saying Many be called but few chosen Mat. 20.16 The Called are the Professors and the Profâ—ssors saith your c Bellar. de Ecclesâ— militant lib. 3. cap. 2. §. nostra autem sententia Bellarmine are the members of the true Church though they be reprobi scelesti impij reprobates wicked and impious For saith he to be a member of the Church there is not necessarily required any inward vertues but onely outward profession But I hope you will not say that to this company in grosse these promises doe belong of purity vnspottednesse eternall life but onely to the better part thereof that is the Chosen that truely beleeue and holily liue according to Christs doctrine which company because who they are is onely knowne to God the discerner of the hearts and not to men who see onely their persons and profession but not their hearts may well be called in respect of men The invisible Church as visible to God onely The Holy Ghost describing the true members of the Church calls them such as should be saued Acts 2.47 The Lord added to the Church such as should be saued And this is the ordinary doctrine of d Aug. de Bapt. contra Donatisâ—as lib. 6. cap. 3. Auari raptores faencratores inuidi malevoli ad sanctam ecclesiam dei non pertinent quamvis esse videantur illa autem columba vnica pudica casta sponsa sine macula ruga hortus conclusus sons signatus paradisus cum fructu pomorum c. non intelligitur nisi de bonis sanctis iustis intimâ—m supereminentem spiritus sancti gratiam habentibus S. Augustine that true godly men such as shall be saued are the only heires of the promises the couetous rauenous vsurers enuious malevolous do not belong to the holy Church of God though they seeme to be in it That onely Doue that chaste and pure Spouse without spot or wrinkle that garden inclosed fountaine sealed paradise of Pomegranats c. is not vnderstood but of the good holy and iust such as haue the inward and supereminent grace of the holy spirit Thus Saint Augustine Againe e Aug. ib. lib. 7. cap. 51. he saith All things considered I thinke I shall not rashly say that some are so in the house of God that they are also the very house of God which is said to be built vpon a Rocke which is called his onely Doue his faire Spouse without spot or wrinckle c. for this is in the good faithfull The like De vnitate eccle cap. vlt. Epist 48. De Bapt. cort Donat. lib. 5. c. 27. in praesatione in Psal 47. De doctr Christiana lib. 3. cap. 22. In the rules of Tychonius De corpore Domini bipartito and holy seruants of God euery where dispersed and yet conioyned in spirituall vnity and in the same communion of the Sacraments whether they know one another by face or not And it is certaine that others are said so to be in the house that they belong not ad compagem domus to the frame of the house nor to the society of fruitfull peacefull righteousnesse but as the chaffe among the Corne c of whom it is said They departed from vs but they were not of vs. In many other places Saint Austen hath the like Insomuch as Bellarmine being ouerpressed with the Scriptures and Fathers and especially Saint Augustine §. 6. cannot but yeeld and saith in plaine tearmes f Bellar. de eccle milit lib 3 cap. 2. §. notaâ—dum autem that wicked men without any internall vertue are no otherwise members of the Church then our excrements and diseases are parts or members of our bodies as our hayres our nayles and euill humours in our bodies and elsewhere g Ib. cap. 9. §. Ad vltimum aâ—o malos non esse membra viva corporis Christi hoc significari illis scripturis obiectis He saith that euill men are no other then dead members of Christs body and hee citeth many learned Papists that say Malos non esse membra vera nec simpliciter corporis ecclesiae sed tantum secundum quid aequivocè That euill men are not true members nor simply of the body of the Church but onely after a sort and equiuocally His Authors alleadged there are Iohannes de Turrecremata Alexander de Ales Hugo B. Thomas Petrus à Soto Melchior Canus alij I will conclude this point with Saint Augustine who saith h Aug lib. 2. contra Creâ—conium
cap. 21. Ac per hoc etiam nesciente ecclesia propter malam pollutamque conscientiam daâ—nati a Christo â—am in corpore Christi non sunt quod est ecclesiâ— â—uoniam non potest Christus habere membra damnata Though the Church know them not yet they that are condemned by Christ for their euill and defiled conscience are not now in the body of Christ which is the Church because Christ cannot haue any damned members To which place and many other like cited out of Saint Augustine Bellarmine i Bellar. ib. §. Argumâ—ntum octauum answereth That wicked men are not of the true inward part of the Church but of the outward onely as he had said before not true members nor simply of the Church but equiuocally By all this I hope you see our Doctrine and distinctions agree with the truth taught by the Scriptures and Fathers and your best learned men to which euen Bellarmine himselfe after much disputing and shifting is compelled to yeeld And though you are loth to allow vs the termes of visible and invisible the one noting the outward mixt number of professors the other the purer part of the Church to whom the promises belong and who are onely knowne of God yet you are compelled to yeeld vs the matter meant by them Antiquus If you meane no other thing by those termes we yeeld you both the matter and the termes But Subsection 2. § 1. Some promises of God concerne the outward spreâ—ding of the Church some the inward graces § 2. The outward spreading and glorious visibâ—lity is not at all times alike § 3. So S. Ambrose and S. Austen teach by comparing the Church to the Moone § 4. Many Fathers and Romish Doctors say that in the time of Antichrist the Church will be obscure and hardly visible § 5. Which say Valentinianus and many Fathers was fulfilled in the Arrians time § 6. The Jesuite Valentinianus grants as much invisibility of the Church as Protestants desire § 7. Obseruations out of his grant If you meane that the whole true Church may bee latent and invisible many yeares §. 1 without being seene of the world by her Gouernment Doctrine and Sacraments we deny all possibility of such invisibility Antiquissimus We neuer held or taught any such thing See B. Whâ—â—e against Fisheâ— pag. 62. Now then since you yeeld vs those distinctions of the Church and grant that the most or best of the promises belong onely to the better part thereof which is onely knowen vnto God and not to all the professors that are visible to men I goe forwards to distinguish of the promises whereof some are of the outward amplitude largenesse spreading of the Church to all Nations whereas formerly it had beene shut vp in the land of Canaan onely and of outward subiection of Kings and peoples to the profession of the truth Some are of the inward purity grace and holinesse of the Church and of our Sauiours peculiar loue vnto it vniting it as his immaculate Spouse vnto himselfe and making it partaker of his glory The former are pliable to the visible Church in the generality thereof But it you apply the latter also to that whole visible company you runne into inextricable errours For they are appliable onely to the better and sounder part thereof which is onely discerned and knowen vnto God and in that respect invisible to men This distinction you grant also in granting the former I come therefore thirdly to The distinction of times for the outward promises are not all at all times appliable to the outward visible Church §. 2. or not at all times alike For in some Ages the Church is more conspicuous then in other yea the false Church more conspicuous then the true If you thinke the Church must be alwayes gloriously visible to the end of the world without interruption you are deceiued Consider one part of the Scripture with another Esay 2.2 Mat. 7.14 You looke vpon Esayes mountaine to which all must flow but you see not Christs strait gate and narrow way which few doe find Esay 49.23 You note how at sometimes Kings and Queenes shall be nursing Fathers to the Church but you note not that at another time Reuel 17.2 The Kings of the earth shall commit fornication with the Whore of Babylon and the Inhabitants of the earth be made drunke with the wine of her fornication Psal 45.9 You thinke of a Queene all glorious in a vesture of gold wrought about with diuers colours to whom all Nations bring gifts the Church spreading her glory to the Gentiles Reuel 12.1 6. but you forget the woman flying into the Wildernesse to hide her selfe from the rage of the Dragon which woman signifies the persecuted Church by your Rhemish confession Marke 16.15 You remember well that the faith of Christ must be spread ouer the face of the earth but you forget that towards Christs comming there shall scarce be found any faith vpon the earth Luke 18.8 You remember that the Church shall extend from sea to sea and from the Riuer to the worlds end Psal 72.8 and the Kings of Tharsis Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts and all Nations shall serue the Messias 2 Thess 2.3 4 7. But you forget there must be an Apostacy a reuolt a falling away which your Rhemists say shall be from many points of true Religion and that the man of sinne shall sit in the Temple of God carrying himselfe as if he were God not in plaine termes but in a mystery Saint a Ambr. Epist lib. 5. ep 31. Ambrose and S. b Aug. in Psal 101. De Temp. ser 134. epist 48. â—â— Augustine compare the Church to the Moone §. 3. which receiâ—eth her light from the Sunne and sometime shineth in her full light some times with halfe light sometimes obscurely and sometime is ecclipsed You would haue this Moone alwayes in the full And if she shew but little light to vs or be ecclipsed you will not yeeld she is the Moone And yet except in the eclipse Astronomers demonstrate that the Moone hath at all times as much light as in the full but oftentimes a great part of the bright side is turned to heauen and a lesser part to the earth And so the Church is euer conspicuous to Gods eye though it appeare not alwayes so to vs. As when Elias thought there had beene no more true seruants of God but himselfe yet God knew of 7000 more though their names be not recorded I pray you consider well these and other places of Scripture that describe the Church persecuted scattered and obscured as well as those that describe the largenesse conspicuousnesse and glory of it And remember the one must be true as well as the other and each must haue their times to be fulfilled in So shall you runne straight forward and not on a byas as you haue done
among other writers of Bohemian matters Hannov. anno 1602. see there pag 222. 223. and by Grets Iesuita Ingolstad anno 1603. see there Rainer contra haeret c. 4. pag. 54. And his testimony is often cited by Protestants as Morney Mysterium iniquitatis pag 731. aedit Salmuriâ—n 8. 1612. Vsher grav quaest c. 6. §. 11. Archb. Abbot contra Hill Reason 1. §. 29 c. Rainerius saith That of all Sects which either are or haue beene none hath beene more pernicious to the Church he meaneth of Rome then that of the Leonists For three causes marke them well first for the long continuance for some say it hath continued from the time of Sylvester he sate anno Christi 314. others say from the time of the Apostles Secondly for the generality for there is almost no countrey into which this Sect hath not entred Thirdly that whereas all other haue wrought a horrour through their outragious blasphemies against God this of the Leonists hath a great shew of piety because that before men they liue iustly and of God they beleeue all things well and all the Articles which are contained in the Creed onely they blaspheme and hate the Roman Church wherein the multitude is prone to hearken vnto them Note you the antiquity and the generality in all Nations arguing a visibility sutable to the Church Now heare your Poplinerius b Genebrard Chronol lib. 4. an 1581. pag. 782. edit Paris 1600. whom Genebrard calls an vpright and right learned man and one who hath written all things purely and simply according to the truth of the History not for fauour of the cause Hee c Palinerius hist Franc. lib. 1. edit an 1581. fol. 7. b. saith The Roman Church was neuer more sharpely oppugned then by the Waldenses and their successors in Aquitania and the Regions adioyning c. For these saith he against the wils of all Christian Princes about the yeere 1100 and in the succeeding times spread abroad their doctrine little differing from that which at this day the Protestants embrace not onely through all France but almost through all the Countries of Europe also For the French Spanish English Scots Italians Germans Bohemians Saxons Polonians Lithuanians and other Nations haue obstinately defended it to this day Gretserus the Iesuite saith d Gretserus prolegom in script edit contra Wald. cap. 2. The Waldenses multiplied so that vix aliqua regio ab hac peste immunis intacta mansit adeo se diffuderat vt cum plurimorum exitio in varias provincias infuderat c. Scarse any Region remained free and vntouched of it so greatly it spred it selfe into all Prouinces The Albigenses errour so increased saith Cesarius e Caesarius Heisterbach hist lib. 6. cap. 21. that in a short time it infected Vsque ad mille ciuitates a thousand Cities and if it had not been repressed by the sword I thinke saith he it would haue corrupted all Europe This also your Iesuite f Parsons three conuersions part 2. cap. 10. §. 28. Robert Parsons acknowledgeth and saith they had an army of 70000. men to fight for them Obserue here their multitude and obserue how it was repressed not by soul-convicting disputation but by body-killing-persecution We reade indeed of some disputations and conferences with them wherein the Popes learned Doctors and Bishops sought to conuince and winne them but all without fruit a Altissiodorensis Chronloog an 1207. Vsher cap. 10 §. 20 20. Diuers Abbots of the Cistercian order by appointment of the Pope and one Bishop Episcopus Oximensis with their assistants to the number of 30 went by two or three together thorow their Cities Villages and Townes preaching for three moneths space but saith the Author Paucâ—s revecant they converted but few b Ibid. At other times the like preachers assayed to perswade them but profited little or nothing c Bertrand de gest Tholossanor fol. 46 col 4. One among all other disputations is most famous * Montreal apud montem Regalem in the Diocesse of Carcasson betwixt Fulco B. of Tolous Didacus B. of Exon. Saint Dominicke Peter de Castro nouo and Ranulphus on the one side and Pontanus Iordanus Arnoldus Aurisanus Arnoldus Ottonus Philebertus Castrensis and Benedictus Thermus Pastors of the Albigenses on the other side d Iacobus de Riberia in collectaneu de vrbe Tâ—lcsa before foure Moderators or Arbiters two of them Noble men Bernardus de villa noua and Bernardus Arrensis and two Plebeians Raimundus Godius and Arnoldus Riberia The herosies or questions were these That the Church of Rome is not the holy Church nor Spouse of Christ but a Church defiled with the doctrine of the Deuill and is that Babylon which Saint John describes in the Reuelation the Mother of fornications and abhominations made drunke with the blood of the Saints and that those things are not approued of God which are approued of the Church of Rome And that the Masse was not ordained by Christ nor his Apostles but is an inuention of men This disputation held them many dayes without fruit sauing that diuers histories giue the victory to the Albigenses e Histor Albig booke 1. cap. 2. See Vsher ib. §. 22. And it is certaine that f Chronolog Altisiod an 1208. fol. 103. b Albigenses saepiùs attentati nullatenus gladio verbi Dei poterant expugnari Odo B. of Paris finally informed the Pope that The Albigenses being often set vpon could by no meanes be conquered by the sword of Gods Word and therefore it was fit to beat them downe by warres g Hilagarus hist of Foix pag. 126. And some say It was the Popes policy to entertaine them with conference and disputations that in the mean season he might prepare great Armies to root out them and their Religion These oft and great trauailes in preaching conferring disputing needed not to men invisible obscure of small numbers or contemptible §. 3. much lesse needed those great Armies which were gathered to put them downe if they were few and obscure a Vsher ib. cap. 8. § 31 32 37. Pope Alexander 3. had cursed them anno 1163. persecuted them with warre 1170. and with Inquisition 1176. And after this spoyled a great number of them anno 1181 exercitu militum peditumque infinite with an Army in number of horse and foot infinite saith Nangiacus b Gulielmus Nangiacus chron M S. and yet saith the Monke c Altissiodorens chrono an 1181. Altissiodorensis they recouered returned to their former opinions and multiplied d Antonin hist part 3. tit 23. cap. 1. prope mitium which Innocent 3 seeing and foreseeing the great danger of the Popes downefall by their spreading doctrine thought best to arme both heauen and earth against them Authorizing the e Fryers original about 12 hundred yeerâ— after Christ new-sprung Friers Dominicans and Franciscans to preach in all places whether the
perswaded to correct things manifestly amisse and to reforme themselues There needs no Counsell thoâ—e need no syllogismes there need no alleadging of places of Scripture for the quiering of these stirres of the Lutherans but there is need of good minds of loue towards God and our neighbour and of humility c. Thus writes Contarenus I might cite your Thu anus and many others that lay the fault of the diuisions rents and differences in the Church vpon your Pope and Prelats Bad Statists and worse Christians But I pray you what other differences of moment do ye finde among the Protestants Antiquus When the Diuines of the Reformed in France were called to the Mompelgart colloquy in the yeare 1586 they looked for no more differences then of our Lords Supper which you spake of but they found more of the Person of Christ of Predestination of Baptisme of Images in Churches Antiquissmus They found those fiue indeed And it was a wonderfull prouidence of God that so many seuerall Countries Kingdomes and States abandoning the abuses of the Church or rather Court of Rome and making particular Reformations in their own dominions without generall meetings and consents should haue no more nor greater differences then these And of these the first two of Christs presence in the Sacrament and of the communication of properties of the diuinity and humanity in the person of Christ are in a maner all one and reconciled both alike Concerning the two next the differences among the Fathers who notwithstanding still continued members of the same true Catholik Church may well excuse the differences among the Protestants And for the fifth difference concerning Images it proued no difference at all Both sides therin fully agreed But these are not the Tithe of the differences amongst your men and in these fiue which you reckon many of your owne men differ one from another and yet with you are good Catholiks Antiquus Happily I might insist vpon many other differences among you if I carried a minde rather to number then to weigh them But I will name onely one more the great and scandalous dissention among you about the gouernment of your Church betwixt the Bishops and Formalists on the one side and the Puritans or Separatists on the other side Antiquissimus Both these sides agree in all necessary sauing points of doctrine But in this very point of gouernment D. Field Appen first part pag. 120. first pull out the beame out of your owne eyes before you stare vpon our motes Some of your Doctors hold that the Pope is aboue Generall Councels some that he is not Some hold that the pope hath the vniuersality of all Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction in himselfe Others hold the pope to be onely the Prince Bishop in order and honour before other which are equall in commission with him and at the most but as the Duke of Venice among the Senators of that State Some hold that the pope may erre Iudicially Others that the pope cannot erre Iudicially Some hold the pope to be temporall Lord of al the world Others hold that he is not so Some hold that though the pope be not temporall Lord of the world yet in ordine ad spiritualia he may dispose of the Kingdome of the world Others hold that the pope may not meddle with Princes States in any wise §. 5. Antiquus The differences among Protestants you say are not great but I am sure their dissentions are great bitter scandalous and odious while they write most virulent inuectiues one against another damne one another most grieuously for their different doctrine without shew of any touch of Christan mortification or moderation Antiquissimus Those that do so are much to blame It is farre from mee to defend them Yet you know sometimes very holy and well mortified men may happen into strange contentions euen for smal matters Saint Paul and Barnabas appointed by the Holy Ghost to ioyne for the worke of the ministry in planting Churches among the Gentiles Acts 13.2 which they did very laboriously cheerefully with good successe and though they suffered persecution in doing it yet were comfortably deliuered and allwayes found God who had sent them present to protect and blesse them and afterwards they were sent by the Church to Ierusalem to the Apostles and elders Acts 15.1 2. about questions that troubled the Church and by the whole Councell of Apostles they were sent againe Iointly to the Churches of Antioch Syria and Cilicia and other Nations to giue them notice of the decrees of the Councell to direct and confirme the brethren now hauing deliuered their message and done their businesse imposed at Antioch and were so to go forward to Syria and Cilicia They fell to contention and for a matter of no great moment to wit Barnabas would haue Iohn to goe with them and Paul refused him the contention grew so sharp that they parted company and went seuerall wayes See how flesh and blood boyled in these good mens hearts Euen in those mens hearts whom God had made speciall choyce of and Ioyned them together for his most especiall and extraordinary workes vpon whom the Church of God after fasting and prayer had laid their hands and separated them to goe Ioyntly together about that holy busines who had power to doe many miracles and extraordinary workes Acts 15. who made report of the wonderfull successe which God gaue them in conuerting the Gentiles to the great admiration and consolation of the Apostles whom the Apostles sent againe with their decrees to the Churches euen these holy men fell out for a light cause and parted company Haply some man might say Are these to be accounted truely mortified and holy men who were carried away with such a humor of pride and sâ—lfe will that neither of them would yeeld to other are these guided by the spirit of God the spirit of peace loue concord humility are these fit to teach others that cannot ouerrule their owne passions or haue they no part of the spirit of God but are men ouerborne with haughtinesse wilfullnesse stubbornesse vnfit for men of this profession able to make men vtterly distaste and abhorre whatsoeuer they preach Thus would some men gather out of this action But Saint Paul a chosen vessell yet still an earthen vessel who knew well he had his cracks and his flawes himselfe gathereth another thing 2 cor 4.6 2 Cor. 4.6 God who hath commanded the light to shine out of darknes hath shined in our hearts to giue the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Chirst But we haue this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of vs. Secondly At the first Councell of Nice many Churchmen offred vp to the Emperor Constantine Bills of Complaint one against another Zozomen hist lib. 1. cap. 16. which the Emperor tooke very ill and said this was worse then
conuersion and for the better gouernment of the Church Bishops were by the Apostles placed in the Cities with power of iurisdiction to gouerne and of Ordination to institute Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in euery towne as was Timothy in Ephesus Titus in Crete If any difficulty arose either in doctrine or gouernment too great to be ordered by these Bishops the wise policy of the Church ordained it should be referred to the determination of higher Bishops called Archbishops that is chiefe Bishops Metropolis in the Greeke tongue signifies a Mother City by some fatherly authority ouer the other Bishops and Clergy or being Bishops of the chiefest or Mother Cities within the Nation whereof they were called Metropolitans And ouer these Archbishops or Metropolitans in seuerall Lands or Nations some one was made the Primate for better vnity and commodity of gouernment and calling together and guiding of National Councels vpon occasions It was thought conuenient also for the better keeping of all Christian Nations in the vnity of Faith Holinesse and peace to appoint yet a higher degree of Patriarchs in some of the most eminent Cities of the world who might haue some ouersight authority ouer all the Primats Archbishops and other Clergy of all the Nations which were vnder their Patriarchall Iurisdiction Of these Patriarchs we read in the Counsell of Nice and before that in the whole Christian world there were but three B. Carlton The Bishop of Rome for the West parts of Antioch for the East and of Alexandria for the South D. Field ib. li. 3. chap. 1 Concil Nicon cant 6. The Bishop of Rome had these fiue principal Nations within his Patriarchship Italy Spaine France Germany and Brittany The other had their Patriarchships bounded also by the Councell of Nice Afterwards when the Emperours had translated the seat of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople whereupon that City was called new Rome and that City was grown very great Noble and Magnificent it was thought fit there to erect a fourth Patriarch the Patriarch of Constantinople And lastly for the honour of Ierusalem where our Sauiour liued and dyed and from whence Christian Religion was propagated into all parts of the world the Bishop of Ierusalem was made a fifth Patriarch and their dominions were assigned vnto them D. Field ib. Bellar. praefat in 16. de pontif Rom Concil Constantinop sub Theodosio seniore can 1. Socrat. lib. 5 cap. 8. Concil Chalcedon can 23. Eliensis Responsio ad Apologiam Bellarmini pag. 170 171. §. 4. Amongst these the Bishop of Rome had the first place of dignity and in the second generall Counsell holden at Constantinople anno 383. the Bishop of Constantinople obtained the second degree of honour among the Patriarchs next vnto the Bishop of Rome and before the other of Alexandria and Antioch And in the great Counsell of Chalcedon anno 454. it was decreed that Rome and Constantinople should haue all Rights Priuiledges and Prerogatiues equall because as Rome was before Sedes regia the seat of the Empire so now was Constantinople this was the reason then alleadged But not long after the magnificence of Constantinople encreasing and with it the haughtinesse of her Bishop he challenged to be superiour to the Bishop of Rome and encroached vpon the right of all other as greater and more honourable then all the rest and to be the chiefe Bishop of the whole world because his City was then the chiefe City of the world See before lib. 1. cap. 4. §. 4. About this was the contention betwixt Gregory the first of Rome and Iohn Bishop of Constantinople whereof I haue spoken before But Iohn carried away the title and honour for ten yeeres during his life by fauor of the Emperour Mauricious and Cyriacus his successor for eleuen yeeres more Phocas is thus described by Zonaras who calls him pessimus tyrannus postis humani generis saith he was worthily slaughtered by Heraclius who cut off his wicked hands and fee and then his genitals by peecemeale Paulus Diacouus in Phoca The same writeth Bibliothearius in Bonifacio 3. Platina in Bonifacio 3. and Sabellicus 8 6. thoâ—gh Bellarmine lay that Boniface sued not for that title in Apologia pro Torto Baronius anno 606. nu 2. But when Phocas the Emperour succeeded a wild drunken bloody adulterous tyrant who like another Zimry hath slâ—yne his Master Mauricius Boniface the third Bishop of Rome who had been Chancelour to Phocas obtained of him by earnest suite to haue that title and honour of Primacy transferred from Constantinople to Rome And thus saith Paulus Diaconus at the entreaty of Boniface Phocas appointed the seat of the Roman Church to be the head of all Churches or as Baronius deliuers it onely the Roman Bishop should be called vniuersall Bishop and not the Bishop of Constantinople But the contention betwixt the two Patriarchall seas ended not thus for they of Constantinople vpon euery occasion stirred againe vntill at length difference growing betwixt the two Churches the Greek the Latine about the proceeding of the holy Ghost either pronounced other to be Heretiks and Schismaticks In the yeere 869 aboue 400. B. Vsher De Ecclesiarum successione c. 2. §. 28 yeeres after the two Patriarchs were equalled at Chalcedon in a Councell at Constantinople wherin Image-worship was established the two Patriarchs were made friends and it was agreed that the one should be stiled Vniuersall Patriarch Onuphrius in Platinam in vita Bonifaci 3. Gâ—nebrard l. 4. Chronograph Vniuersalis Patriarcha Vniuersalis Papa and the other Vniuersall Pope and so the word Pope which before that time had beene common to all Bishops became then the proper title of the Bishop of Rome Hereby we may obserue 1. That this Primacy or Supremacy of the Bishops of Rome was of no such Antiquity as is pretended 2. That in those times it was not thought either by the Emperours or by the Councels to haue beene giuen to the Bishops of Rome or established vpon any at all by the diuine Scriptures as now the Popes do claime but left at the discretion of Princes and Wise-men to giue it to whom they would and to order or alter it as occasion serued and the respect or dignity of Cities and times required For neither were their arguments that then claimed it drawne from the Scriptures but from ciuill reasons of State and Policy neither was it vpon any other reasons setled and the controuersie proceeded not from any institution of the Omnipotent God but from the ambition of Impotent men 3. The author that setled it vpon the Roman Bishop was Phocas one of the Diuels eldest sonnes a murderer of his master a drunken adulterous tyrant a scourge and plague to mankinde §. 5. 4. Obserue the Romish Bishops ambition in those times swaruing from the most honored humility of a number of their first Ancesters holy men and Martyrs to whom the ancient Fathers
more infallible Thirdly as formall causes by their gouenment for all the Apostles were Capita Rectores Pastores Ecclesiae Vniuersae Heads Gouernors and Pastors of the Church Vniuersall Antiq. This Bellarmine saith indeed but he addes a difference in this third point the other were onely heads as Apostles and Legats but Peter as the ordinary Pastor they had fulnesse of power yet so as Peter was their head and they depended vpon him not hee on them Antiquiss What Bellarmine yeelds and proues against his owne side wee may well take as true and wrested from him by the euidence of the truth This last which hee addes in fauour of his side hee onely saith but proues not as behoued him For how depended the Apostles more on Peter then hee on them where doe we reade that euer hee appointed enioyned limited or reâ—â—rained any of them or shewed any authority ouer them but contrarily a Acts 11. Wee reade that he was censured by them and caused to giue an account of his actions Act. 11. b Gal â— And that hee was reproued to his face and openly by St. Paul who protested also that hee was not inferiour to St. Peter neither receiued they ought from him And further euen c lib. 4 depoâ—t Rom. cap. 23. Bellarmine himselfe saith they were all equall in the Apostleship which they râ—ceiued equally of Christ immediately and none of them of Peter as he proueth against many d Cardinalis Turrecremata Dominicus Iacobatius c. great men of his owne side in a whole chapter of set purpose e ibid. For the better to make all the Clergy depend vpon Peter though many succeed the other Apostles many great Catholikes hold that the Apostles receiued not their authority and iurisdiction of Christ immediately but Saint Peter only and all the rest of Saint Peter which f ib. Bellarmine soundly confutes both by Scriptures and Fathers shewing that Christ himselfe gaue them all parem potestatem equall power that not Peter but Christ himselfe did chuse Matthias by Lot at the instant prayer of the Apostles that Paul was an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Iesus Christ and God the Father Gal. 1.1 c. All which makes for the equality of Peter with the rest and not for his superiority ouer them Antiq. Yet surely he holdeth the same Supremacy which other Catholikes hold though he think it cannot be grounded so firmely vpon these places Antiquis You may well imagine he giues not ouer without much compulsion and reluctation these castles and holds which other great Captaines with all their power and policy held and maintained §. 7. But there is one poore castle more which hee laboureth to hold though very weakely that is in Iohn 21.15 Bellar. de Rom. pontif l. 1. c. 12 â— vt autem See D. Field Church book â— chap 22. where it appeareth saith hee that Christ gaue more to Saint Peter then to the other Apostles for hee said vnto him Louest thou mee more then these and then addes Feed my sheepe To him that loued more he gaue more to wit the care of his whole Flocke euen the care ouer his brethren Apostles making him generall Pastor ouer them also for there can no cause or reason be imagined saith Bellarmine why vpon Peters answere of his singular loue aboue the rest Christ should singularly say to him Pasce oues meas if he gaue him not something aboue the rest To which we say the Fathers shew another cause or reason Peter had denied Christ more then the rest and being forgiuen was to loue more then the rest Luk. 7.43.47 and therefore Christ vrged him singularly by thrice asking Louest thou mee Cyril super Ioan. lib. 12. cap. 64. Augustin tract in Ioan. 123. See this largely handled betwixt Raynolds Hart. p. 135. seq answerable to his three denials to performe the office enioyned in generall to all the Apostles So saith Cyril Because he denyed him thrice at his Passion therefore there is a threefold confession of loue required of him and so the glosse and Saint Augustine saith A threefold confession answereth to a threefold negation that the tongue may expresse as much in loue as it did in feare And so in very truth Christs words were rather a stay of Peters weakenesse then a marke of his worthinesse or a proofe of his supremacy Thus we haue the onely place of Scripture whereupon Bellarmine insisteth of performance and bestowing supremacy particularly vpon Peter Bellarmin saith De iustifâ—t 3. c. 8. initio Non potest aliquid certum esse certitudine fidei nisi aut immediate contineatur in verho Dei aut ex verbo Dei per euidentem consequentiam deducatur c. and that not a plaine and euident place of Scripture or by deduction of euident reason such as necessary points of diuinity should haue but onely their owne infirme and vnsound interpretation a poore and weake ground of so great a building The transcendent supremacy of the Pope of Rome ouer the whole Church of Christ and the many Doctrines and practises that depend thereupon haue no other ground in Scripture but this their owne conceited and forced interpretation of this place Peter louest thou mee more then these Feed my sheepe that is Take thou authority more then these to make thy successors aboue all theirs heads of the vniuersall Church with such power as themselues shall list to take or exercise Antiq. I cannot but ingenuously confesse this inference to be weake indeed and it doth much amaze me and makes me quake and stagger to consider how confidently I haue beene perswaded that the Scripture is most plaine and euident for the Popes supremacy and now to see that nothing of any moment can thence be alleadged for it §. 8. Isa chus Casaubonus excrcitatio ad Baronium Epist dedic pag. 19. Luk. 22.25 26. Gasper Scioppius in Ecclesiastico suo ex pos cap. 47 Is not this quidlibet e quolibet or rather Contrarium é contrario Antiquis By such alleadging of Scriptures they may make quidlibet è quolibet make any substance of any shadow The learned Frenchman Casaubon wonders at them Pasce oues meaâ— that is as Baronius interprets it Supremum in ecclesia dominium tibi assere Feed my sheepe that is Take to thy selfe the highest dominion in the Church or as Bellarmine Regis more impera Rule and command after the manner of Kings as if he would of set purpose contradict Christs words The kings of Nations exercise dominion ouer them but yee shall not doe so Nay further and more strangely Gaspen Scioppius saith that Christ by those words hath taken away Kings power and dominion ouer the Nations and forbidden it to be exercised among Christians and hath established that infinite power in the Pope ouer Princes by this and such like places of Scripture The pious world wonders at the Popes challenge to be the highest Iudge
partiality and you shall finde they proue no more then the excellency of honourable estimation the primacy of order and the principality of grace and are farre short of prouing the Supremacy of power ouer the whole Christian world now claimed and practised by the Bishop of Rome B. Carlton iurisdiction pag. 55 56. Wee may also iustly alleadge that the honours and titles that other Bishops gaue to the Bishops of Rome for their great vertue in former times the Romists of these latter times vniustly draw to proue the iurisdiction of that Sea because they may finde the same or greater giuen to other worthy Bishops as to Saint Ambrose to whom p Basil epist 55. Saint Basil writing saith He holdeth the sterne of that great and famous shippe the Church of God and that God hath placed him in the primacy and chiefe seate of the Apostles So q Sidon lib. 6. ep 1 4. Sidonius Apollinaris Bishop of Arvern calleth Lupus a French Bishop Pope Lupus and his Sea Apostolike And writing to Fontellus another French Bishop r Lib. 7. ep 4. Quod Apostolatus vestri patrocinium copiosissimumconferre vos comperi saith he greatly reioyced that he found he did aboundantly defend his Apostleship And againe Å¿ Lib. 6. ep 7. Ego quoque ad Apostolatus tui noticiam accedo I come to the knowledge of your Apostleship t Chrysost de laudibus Paul hom 8. in Gal. 2. Erat Paulus Princeps Apostolorum honore par Petro ne quid dicam amplius Saint Chrysostom called Saint Paul Prince of the Apostles u Ruffin histor lib. 2. cap. 1. Iacobus Apostolorum princeps Ruffinus gaue Saint Iames the same title x Greg in 1 Reg. lib. 4. cap 4. Paulus ad Christum conuersus caput effectus est nationum qui obtinuit Ecclesiae totius principatum See D. Field Church booke 5. chap. 41. Saint Gregory gaue Saint Paul the title of Head of the Nations and that hee obtained the gouernment of the whole Church What titles doe the Fathers giue vnto Saint Peter beyond these If these doe not proue any generall Iurisdiction in others how doe they proue it in Saint Peter §. 12. But what need we stand vpon Titles which the ancient Fathers gaue to Saint Peter or the Pope when the whole course of their actions were against the Supremacy now challenged Remember what I haue said a See before booke 1. chap. 1 §. 2. before of the Fathers misliking and disswading the Popes assumed authority in the smallest matters as Polycarpus disswading Anicetus Polycrates and the Bishops of the East and Irenaeus with his French Bishops in the West disswading Victor from new vnusuall vniustifiable courses ibid. §. 3. Other Fathers afterwards plainely resisting and reiecting the Popes iudgement and authority as the holy Martyr Cyprian with many whole Councels of the African Bishops Saint Basil the Great and the whole Greeke Church I shewed you also how three Popes in succession Zozimus Boniface and Celestine aboue 400. yeeres after Christ claymed their superiority and priuiledges not by the Scriptures but by a Canon of the Councell of Nice which Canon the holy learned Bishops in the Councell of Carthage reiected finding no such thing in any of the Copies of the Councell of Nice which their Church kept or the Church of Alexandria or the Church of Constantinople So that finally condemning that Canon to be countefet and the claymed authority of the Church of Rome to bee new and vnlawfull they made Decrees against the Popes clayme conformable to their owne Decrees and Customes of former times b Ibid. sect 4. I shewed you further by the Contention betwixt Iohn Bishop of Constantinople and Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome that your owne Gregory condemned the titles and supremacy which Iohn then laboured for and which your Popes now take vnto them he I say condemned them for Antichristian and said none of his ancestors did euer claym them c Ibid. sect 5. I shewed you also how the Bishops of France Germany and Brittany with many Councels one at Constantinople another at Frankfurt another at Paris with whom also ioyned Charles the Great and Ludouicus Pius beside many learned men in their bookes at that time opposed the Pope and his Councels and his authority in imposing the worship of Images vpon the Church Of these and of the succeeding times I haue spoken d See ibid. sect 9. 10. c. in mine opinion sufficient to satisfie any moderate man and vpon occasion I haue much more to say But reade aduisedly at your leysure B. Iewel B. Morton D. Field and our other learned Protestants or our most iudicious King Iames his bookes or reade onely B. Bilsons booke e B. Bilson The true difference between Christian subiectioÌ„ vnchristian rebellion specially the first part p. 94. seq in 8. who writes fully enough and punctually of these matters and if you bee not prejudicate and obstinate beyond all reason you will be satisfied Onely I will adde here for the present one thing of the African Church about Saint Cyprians time and after The Contention betwixt the Bishops of Africa and the Bishop of Rome was so great that on the one side as Cassander f Cassander consultation arâ—ic 7. pag 54. obserueth Pope Steuen repelled Saint Cyprian à communione suâ from Communion with him See â—efoâ—â— châ—p 2â—â—â— admitted not to his speach the Bishops of Africa comming from Saint Cyprian as Legats yea and foâ—bade all his fraternity to receiue them into their houses denying them not only peace coÌ„munion but also tectum hospitium house-room lodging calling Cyprian Pseudo hristum dolosum operariâ—m a false Christ and deceitfull worker And on the other side Saint Cyprian and the Africans stood out thinking the Pope and the Italians in the wrong neither sued they neither cared they for the Communion of the Pope and the Church of Rome Doctor Harding saith g Hardings answer to Iewels challenge pag. 290. The whole Church of Africa withdrew it selfe from the Church of Rome by reason of this difference of Appeales and so continued in Schisme an hundred yeeres and in that time were brought into miserable captiuity by the Vandales Harding might remember that Rome it selfe about the same season in the space of 140. yeeres was brought to miserable calamities being sixe times taken by the wilde and barbarous enemies h B. Iewel ib. after which time of 100. yeeres Eulabius B. of Carthage condemning his predecessors disobedience and seeking reconciliation to the Pope did by publike instrument or writing submit and reioyne the African Church to the Roman And Boniface the Pope writes thereof to the Bishop of Alexandria exciting him to reioyce and giue thankes to God for this reconciliation saying that Aurelius Bishop of Carthage and his fellowes whereof Saint Augustine was one being set on by the Diuell had
Christ by saying g Ioh. 20. Sicut misit me Pater ego mitto vos gaue them his owne office and authority and made them his Vicars as the Fathers Chrysostome and Theophylact speake and Bellarmine alloweth h Ib. initio capitis And whereas Saint Iames the younger was ordayned Bishop of Ierusalem by the other Apostles as the Ancients shew that ordination was not a new power giuen him but a speciall application of his old power to that particular diocesse i Wherein Bellar. troubles himsâ—lfe idly de pont l. 1. c. 23 §. praetereaquod as also the translation of a Bishop to another Sea is not the making of a new Bishop but a meere application of the old to a new place k D Field ib. pag 116 117. §. 14. Thus you see sufficiently I hope that though the Church l Section 3 4 5. attributed much to Saint Peter yet m Sect. 10 11 12 not such supreme iurisdiction ouer the whole Church as now is claymed n Sect. 13. neither could the prerogatiues due to him descend to his successors no such thing can be proued either by the o Sect. 6 7 8 9. Scriptures or the p Sect. 11. Fathers but plainly the q Sect 10 12. contrary r Cyprian epist 67. D. Field Church book 5. c. 42. p. 288. Saint Cyprian saith wisely that Almighty God wisely foreseeing what euils might follow such vniuersality of power and iurisdiction in one man ordayned that there should be a great number of Bishops ioyned in equall commission that so if some fell the rest might stand and keepe the people from a generall downefall as it was in the time of the Arians wherein many Bishops were corrupted and amongst them the Å¿ See the next chapter sect 4. Liberius and before c. 1. sect 1. subsect 2. §. 5. Bishop of Rome others remayning sound and preuayling to saue the Church from generall corruption To conclude this great point we account this claymed iurisdiction to be one of the great corruptions of the Church of Rome a politike deuice to set vp an earthly Kingdome We know there was a Church of God vpon earth perfect and pure before there was a Church at Rome and that the Churches in other Nations of Corinth Galatia Ephesus Philippy c. had no dependance vpon the Church of Rome they were her sisters not her daughters equally branches of the Oliue tree Rom. 11. Rome was not the Root and they the Sprigs And the Church of Rome was more perfect and pure before this great iurisdiction was euer claymed and practised then euer it was after and saluation therein more easily attained We know that in the smallest Churches euen those in Philemons and in Aquila and Priscillaes houses Philem. 2. 1 Cor. 16.19 saluation was to bee had without subiection to Rome For wheresoeuer two or three are gathered together in Christs name Mat. 18.20 hee is amongst them They that heare his voyce and follow him Iohn 10 27. are his Sheepe and Church whethee they be vnder the Pope or no. And they that are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Ephes 2.19 20. Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone are not strangers and aliens but of the houshold of God and fellow Citizens with the Saints The condition of being vnder the Pope is no where required in Scripture but saluation promised wheresoeuer it is promised without it If nothing be necessary to be beleeued to saluation but what is deliuered in plaine words in Scripture or else thence deducted by euident consequence of reason as Bellarmine teacheth then this point is not necessary to be beleeued then saluation may be had without it The ancient Christians indeed reuerenced the Church of Rome and thought fit to keep in the Community of so famous a Church but they neuer acknowledged the Prerogatiue of the Bishop thereof to bee such that it was damnable to be from vnder him or separate from community with him or feared his excommunication as damnable For the Greeke Church which was a long time a principall part of the Christian world was neuer subiect to the Roman Bishop See B. Morton Causa Regia cap 1. §. 4 pag. 4. but as Bellarmine confesseth a Bellarmine in Praefat. ad libros de Rom. Pont. pag. 15. diuided from the Roman 800. yeeres And b Bellar. li. 3. de verbo Dei c. 6. § secundo All the Churches of Asia were excommunicated by Pope Victor vniustly and contrary to the course of all his predecessors as both Irenaeus with his Westerne Bishops and all the Easterne Bishops manifested it vnto him and therefore they little regarded it though as Bellarmine saith c Bellar de Rom. pont li. 2. c. 19. §. At objicit we neuer read it was recalled or they absolued d Binius Annot. in Concil 1. Carthag Pope Steuen threatned the African Bishops with excommunication which they ioyning with Saint Cyprian the famous Bishop of Carthage made none account of e See before .12 Saint Cyprian was notwithstanding alwaies accounted in the number of Catholikes f Bellar. lib. 2. deconcil c. 5. §. 1 and afterward crowned with Martyrdome In Saint Augustines time the African Fathers g Card. Cusan concord cath lib. 1. cap. 20. continued to withstand Pope Celestine and his successors and stood willingly excommunicated an hundred yeeres as appeares by the Epistle of Boniface h See before §. 12. whereof I spake before i Bellar de Rom. pont lib. 2. c. 25. Bellarmine and k Salmeron rom 12. tractat 58. p. 498 col 1. Baronius that deny the story thereof and would discredit that Epistle know very well that many learned men of their side allow applaude and alleadge it as Lindan Sanders Harding Coster c. and so either are blindely deceiued or wilfully deceiue the world they know also that the African Bishops and among them Saint Augustine the Chiefe did very sharpely withstand the Roman Bishops clayme for Appeales to Rome and k Salmeron rom 12. tractat 58. p. 498 col 1. they know also that from the time of Saint Cyprian the Church of Africa began to be separated from the Church of Rome l Baronius tomâ— 5. anno 4â—9 â—u 93. In which time there were innumerable troopes of Martyrs that dyed for the Catholike Faith as Baronius confesseth m Baron tomâ— 8. anno 604. nu 55 58. Baronius describeth also out of Beda how the Churches of great Brittain England and Scotland were diuided a long time from the Roman Church and subiection to her rites which were commanded vnder paine of excommunication and stood out in Gregory the Greats time aboue 600. yeeres after Christ and would not yeeld the desired subiection for all that Augustine could doe and yet they were accounted Catholike Christians and on one day twelue hundred of them were crowned with Martyrdome dying
Canonicall Scriptures Decret c. in Canonicis dist 19. § V. Thus Erasmus argueth Annot. in 1 Cor. 7. B. Mort Appeal l. 2. c. 20. sect 5. l 3. c. 15. §. 4. Consider lastly what need had there beene of any Councels to what end was so much labour and cost bestowed to what purpose to trouble so many Vniuersities to call together so many learned Diuines to turne ouer so many bookes to beate their heads in the finding out of the truth in discussing of hard questions and satisfying of doubts if all this might be so quickly easily and sweetly done by the onely iudgement and determination of the Pope CHAP. 8. Of the good which the Popes Supremacy might doe to the Church § 1. That is vrged but 2. answered that policies agreeable to Gods word and the Primitiue Church onely are sufficient and blessed by God § 3. But this policy might be set vp by any sect § 4. It is vnprofitable and vntollerable 5. shewed by examples of Hildebrand 6. The voiages against the Turke proued profitable to the Pope not to Christian Princes 7. as appeared by the Story of Gregory 9. and Frederik 2. Emperour and 8. many other most wicked Popes § 9. The Emperour Phocas erred much in gouernment in making the Pope so great so farre from him For Popes shortly after proued Masters of mis-rule eiecting the Emperors out of Italy § 10. Their turbulent proceeding to dethrone Princes § 11. Their troubles wrought in England in King Henry 1. his time by Anselme In King Henry 2. time by Becket In King Iohns reygne by Pope Innocent § 12. In these latter times of Queene Elizabeth by the Bull of Pius Quintus and the erecting of Seminaries at Rome and Rhemes Schooles of Traytors The reasons briefly touched 1. Of the Rebellion in the North 2. Of Ormonds brethren 3. and 4. Of other petty conspiracies 5. Stukely 6. Sanders 7. Someruile 8. Motiues to the Ladies of Honour 9. Of Throgmorton 10. Mendoza 11. Creighton the Iesuite 12. Parry 13. Percy 14. Sauage 15. Balard with his complices 16. Aubespineus 17. Stanley and Yorke 18. The Spanish Armado 19. Lopez 20. Squire 21. Tyrone And in the time of King Iames 22. Watson Clarke and others 23. The Powder treason Some obseruations out of these § 13. A good Christian abhorreth these treasons and reiecteth the doctrine that teacheth them § 14. And thereby is by reason forced to renounce to be an absolute Papist and to thinke the doctrines grounded onely vpon the Popes authority without Scripture to be vnnecessary and consequently to acknowledge that it is not necessary to be a Roman-Catholike The conclusion with a briefe recapitulation of the whole precedent conference §. 1. Antiquus ALthough the supreme gouernment of the Church by the Pope and the infallibility of his iudgement could not bee proued by diuine proofes yet is the good thereof so great for the preseruation of peace and vnity and much other happinesse both in the Church and Common-wealth that euen in good reason and policy the very shadowes of proofes should be admitted as sufficient to establish it And if such power and infallible iudgement may be giuen to any it is most fit it be giuen to him that hath from all Antiquity beene accounted the principall Patriarch and the high Bishop of the principall City of the world Antiquissimus Indeed Antiquus now I thinke you hit the nayle on the head for the Popes Supremacy and infallibility hath no other ground but meere humane policy shadowed by the Scripture cunningly wrested deuised by their learned Politicians for their owne wealth and greatnesse and taught by their Agents as most necessary for peace vnity and much other good a Bellar de Rom. Pont. l. 4. c. 6. § quarta proposit o. Probabile est pâ—eque credi potest pontificem vt pontificem errare non posse c. Bellarmine seemes to confesse thus much when he saith It is probable may piously be thought that the Pope as Pope cannot erre nor as a particular person be an heretike Had hee had better arguments is it probable hee would haue come in with Probabile est piéque credi potest But your b Costerus Enchir pag. 123. Si nullum caput visibile in ecclesia a Christo constitutum foret vehementer optari ab omnibus oporteret Costerus the Iesuite is a little more plaine If there were no visible head saith he appointed by Christ in the Church yet such an one ought to be wished for of all men and your D. c Alablaster Motiue 6. Alablaster yet more plainely Where saith he there is not an infallible authority which doth iudge and decide controuersies by remouing all occasions of doubt and reply and vnto which absolute obedience is tied there must needs be variety of iudgements and opinions which cannot be tyed in one knot And therefore the Protestants haue done very vnwisely to disgrace and reiect this profitable policy of the Church the fountaine of vnity Mr Alablaster cals it policy §. 2. But alas Deare friend In Gods businesse I looke onely for Truth and Sincerity which God may blesse and prosper not for shadowes and policy without them which God doth ordinarily infatuate and confound Happy had it beene for the Angels if they had continued in the excellency of their first estate but when they stroue to be higher their policy failed them they fell lower and of Angels became diuels Gods ordinance for d Ephes 4. vers 12 13 15. gathering of his Saints e vers 14. preseruing true and vncorrupt doctrine and f vers 16. effectuall perfecting of the Church in euery part was saith Saint Paul g vers 11. He gaue some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors and Teachers If one visible Head had beene necessary to these purposes heere was the place he should be spoken of wherein since hee is not mentioned doubtlesse Saint Paul knew no such ordinance of God See the like Catalogue of Church-Officers in 1 Cor. 12.28 29. c. this one visible head is neuer mentioned nor heere nor in any other place of Scripture but left out as supernumerarius and superfluous And we finde whilst Gods ordinance was obserued the Church did wonderfully prosper when it was shouldered out out by humane policies all things grew worse and went to wracke It was an euident worke of Gods Spirit h B. Vsher Sermon at Wansted pag. 20. that the first planters of Religion and their successors spreading themselues through the whole world layd the foundations of the â—ame Faith euery where in great vnity and vniformity and yet were kept only by the Vnity of the Spirit in that bond of peace without setting vp any one man on earth ouer them all to keepe peace and vnity The true bond which contained the Doctors and Fathers of the Primitiue Church in the vnity of Faith and wrought the conuersion of Nations continueth in our Church also
Kings Princes and Nations and of the whole Church their hopes should not haue beene so often deluded who sought and promised to themselues at least some tollerable reformation from him neither should there haue beene such a Rent among the Churches of Europe when euery Nation seeing Rome would doe nothing was constrained to looke to it selfe and make if not a perfect reformation yet as good as it could and as neere to the Word of God and the custome of the Primitiue Church as time and meanes would afford For if it be obiected that the intended Reformation is not perfect as appeareth by the differences of some Reformed Churches yet surely first th◠Reformers mindes were good who with all their hearts and endeuours sought it and secondly the coniunction of all Nations Wits Learning and other meanes by a free generall Councell which might ouer-rule the Pope and all other particulars was onely hindred by the Pope and his Faction But 3 surely the Reformation was most laudable and necessary if it had effected no more but this as one of them wrote in answere to Cardinalll Sadolet that they freed themselues from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and had constituted in their Countries somewhat better forme of the Church which before was most vntollerable both to Princes and People Such a Reformation as many former Ages had with greeuous sighes and grones wished and desired hungred and thirsted after but all in vaine because the truth in Europe had not yet shined out of darknesse of which our Sauiour had said ye shall know the truth Ioh. 8.32 and the truth shall set you free Therefore 1 Our late Princes 2 all the orders of the Kingdome and 3 all the people haue seene and felt the goodnesse of God and are bound to be most thankfull to him except they be of all men the most insensible and vngratefull for their great blessing following the Reformation of Religion in England 1 The Princes that they reigne now in their owne right they are not the liege-men and Vassals of the Pope that haue not their kingdome Precariò at the pleasure of another as Bayliffes of another mans inheritance that they and their Reuerend Clergy are at vnity neither fearing excommunications nor depositions from other that they diuide the care of placing Ministers with their Bishops challenging to themselues without feare that part which is due to them and concerneth the temporalls and leauing that part of the care to the Bishops which toucheth spirituals and all things which proue them to be true Kings For this blessing Kings are behoulden to Gods truth which is a friend to them which establisheth them and is with all care and diligence by them to be established Alas for those former times Inas See Polydor hist Angl. lib. 5. pag. 86. wherein amongst our Kings glorious Ancestors one led away with blinde superstition hauing zeale but not according to knowledge did of his owne accord when no necessity compelled him make his Kingdome tributary to Gregory the third King Iohn Bishop of Rome Another brought into desperation by aduerse crosses yeelded vp his Kingdome of England and Ireland to Pope Innocent 3. By whom he had bene miserably embroyled and was compelled to be content to be the Popes steward or Baily O horrid blindnesse of those times O sucessors of Peter egregiously resembling Peter in their doings O what a griefe surprized not onely the Barons Nobles and all subjects of the Realme but also the Kings and Princes throughout Europe as euery one was more wise and better then other to see the fall so heauy so foule of so great a Prince The speaches which some of them vttered at the newes of so inhumane example are committed to writing for perpetuall memory as witnesses also of their most iust both indignation and amazement Yea the speach of that vnfortunate King is extant in the writers of those times most worthy to be deeply setled in all Princes hearts After that I was reconciled to God saith hee and subjected my selfe and my Kingdomes alas for sorrow to the Roman Church nothing came to me prosperous But al things contrary Post quā ut dixi Deo reconciliatus me ac mea regna proh dolor Romana subjeci ecclesiae nulla mihi prospera sed contraria omnia aduenerunt 2 The Clergy and people of England liue happily The Bishops elect neede not run beyond the Alpes to buy their confirmation of the Pope for great summes of money nor purchase their Palles with the waight of gold nor run to Rome euery 3 yeares or as oft as the Pope list that is as oft as he thirsteth after English coyne Now they haue no such care as in times past the Bishops of England had to take vp the best benefices for Italians In which benefices as Mathy Paris saith neither lawes nor order were kept nor releefe for the poore nor hospitality nor preaching of Gods word nor necessary ornaments or repair of Churches nor care of soules nor diuine or deuout prayers as was fit and as was accustomed in the country but in their buildings the walles and roofes fell downe or were pitifully rent and torne Now the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury feareth not new Bulles from the Pope to suspend him from collating any benefices vntil 300 Romans be prouided for by benefices next falling void as it fell out anno 1239 to Edmund the Archbishop by Buls sent from Gregory 9. The Pope hauing promised it to the Roman citizens who at that time little fauored him 3 The Ecclesiasticall controuersies arising in England by a very ancient Canon wherof S. Cyprian also maketh mention are determined in England The collectors of Peter pence and other contributions the Roman visitors proctors and farmers the Marchants of Indulgences or pardons to men according to their wealth the dispencers of vowes and Institors of legitimation to make men capable of orders the Caursine Vsurers that liued at Rome but drew thither all the wealth of England lending to English Nobles others vpon morgage of their lands or other extreme vsuries money to satisfy the Pope and his Harpies The bringers of Buls for new extortions The witty Mice-catchers Muscipulatores as the Story cals them such as Petrus Rubeus and many others conning Artificers to drain money from men for the Pope and sixe hundred such like greedy and greeuous Arts by the vnvtterable benefit of the truth of Religion their names are now scarse heard of and should be vtterly vnknowne were it not for the monuments and histories of former ages Neither doth now any Legat à latere any messenger from the Popes side exercise any Rauin for money in England as many did heretofore and some with execrable hunger of gold as we read of one of them Otto sent by Gregory 9 who after three yeeres raking together of money by most detestable Artes at last departing hence left not so much money in the whole Kingdome as he either carried with