Peter after he had confessed him to be that Christ and the Son of the Living God Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church But these words give no Superiority to St. Peter above the other Apostles only they shew that the Church is builded not upon the Person of Peter but upon the Rock namely upon Christ whom St. Peter confesses to be the Son of the Living God For as saith St. Paul 1. Cor. 3. 11. That Rock was Christ and other foundation can no man lay but that which is laid already namely Jesus Christ And in the second Chapter to the Ephesians he saith That the Church is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the head stone in the corner Where then can they find that St. Peter was made Prince of the Apostles and had Pre-eminence or Authority over them They say it is when Jesus Christ gave unto Peter the Keys of Binding and Loosing I answer that Christ therein gave no more Authority to St. Peter than to the rest of the Apostles for he doth not say I give unto Thee but I will give unto Thee which Promise was afterwards perform'd and when it was perform'd the Keys or the Power of Binding and Loosing was given not only to St. Peter but also unto all the rest together Go ye saith Jesus Christ Matth. 28. 19. unto all nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you And in the twentieth Chapter of St. John he speaks thus Receive ye the holy Ghost whatsoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whatsoever sins ye retain they are retained By these words ye may clearly see that Jesus Christ speaks unto all the Apostles and not to Peter only And so it is evident that St. Peter receives no more Power than the rest of the Apostles I grant that St. Peter may be called the first of the Apostles in the way of reckoning or as it is commonly seen amongst Men who though they be equal do notwithstanding determine one amongst themselves to whom without being greater than the others leave is given to speak first St. Matthew 10. 2. did mean nothing else when he said Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these the first Simon who is called Peter He doth not distinguish him from the others but by the order of counting If he be then the first of the Apostles it is only by the way of reckoning For the Scripture tells us Ephes 2. 20. That the Church is no less builded upon the others than upon him when she saith that the Faithful are builded upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and that there is no other Foundation nor other Head-stone to prop the Church but Jesus Christ on whom the whole Edification is laid He is the chief and principal Foundation all the others are only subalterne and dependent It is then impossible that St. Peter be the Foundation of the Church more than are the other Apostles and consequently have more Authority For as I have already made it appear Jesus Christ spake to all his Disciples gathered together when he said Matth. 18. 18. Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven He sends them all as his Father had sent him He equally makes them his Ambassadors and gives no more Power or Authority to one than to the other Where was Peter's Supremacy or Authority when St. Paul Gal. 2. 11. withstood him to the Face because he was to be blamed And where was Peter's Pre-eminence when in the Council held at Hierusalem where the Apostles were present St. James and not St. Peter did Rule in the Action And when there was a dispute among the Apostles which of them should be accounted the greatest Luke 22. 25. Jesus Christ said unto them The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authority upon them are called Benefactors but ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve If the greatest ought to be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve what Authority has he over the rest Since then the Pope's Authority over the other Bishops is grounded by the Church of Rome upon St. Peter's Authority over the other Apostles and since St. Peter has no such Authority over them it follows that the Popes have none over the other Bishops This is confirmed by the Popes themselves For John Bishop of Constantinople aiming to be the first and have the Title of Universal Bishop Gregorius Bishop of Rome withstood him and in his 54th Epistle to the Empress speaks thus of him By this Pride and Vanity what is foretold but that the time of Antichrist is at hand and art like Lucifer who making no account of that Happiness he had in common with the whole Army of Angels aspired to a singularity over all the others saying as it is written in Isaiah I will raise my Throne above the stars of Heaven And in 28 Epistle he affirms That whosoever takes the Title of Universal Bishop to himself he cannot be less than Antichrist And St. Hierome ad Evag. saith That the Bishop of Eugubium or any other the least See is equal to the Bishop of Rome For they are all joyned in the same Commission they must serve in the Church and be diligent to discharge that great Charge which their Master Jesus Christ has eaqually laid upon them 3. I say that the Popes have no Power to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones and are not above them For the pulling down of Princes God has reserved to himself alone that Power for it is he that putteth down the Mighty from their Seats and Exalteth them of low Degree By me saith he the Kings Reign and Princes bear Dominion He removes Kings and setteth up Kings wherefore since it is God that has this Authority proper to himself which way can the Popes claim it without Injury to the Power of God and to that of Kings whereunto they ought to be submitted They say it is by reason of their Keys as it appears in the Bull of Excommunication which the Pope Sixte the fifth thundered in the year 1585 against Henry King of Navarre and the Prince of Conde wherein he saith That the Authority given to St. Peter and his Successors by the infinite Power of God is above all Powers upon Earth that it belongs to that Authority to cause the Laws to be observ'd and punish the Offenders by pulling them down from their Seats how Powerful soever they be This is the Origine and the Ground of the Popes Authority over all Men and of Deposing Kings and Princes from their Thrones But
they are deceived for they ought to remember that the Keys given were the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and consequently by this Authority of the Keys he cannot meddle with Terrestrial Kingdoms to shut out those that are in them And they ought also to remember that he has no more Authority by the Power of his Keys or of Binding and Loosing than any other Bishop for the Keys were given to all the rest of the Apostles as well as to St. Peter For Christ speaks thus Receive ye the Holy Ghost whosoever Sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever Sins ye retain they are retained It is then manifest that it is contrary to the Will of Jesus Christ that any Minister of the Gospel should claim Authority above another for they are all indifferently joyned in one Commission and consequently have all equal Authority And therefore the Pope has no more Authority by the Vertue of his Keys than any other Bishop that is to say none at all to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones His Duty is rather to obey them and teach the same Obedience to others as the Apostles of Christ did For in the first Epistle of St. Peter 2. 13. It is Written thus Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Men for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supreme And St. Paul to the Romans 3. 1. saith Let every Soul be Subject to the higher Powers And Jesus Christ himself said that his Kingdom was not of this World He refused to be made a King he payed Tribute to Caesar and commanded others to do the same If then Christ were Subject to Caesar is it not a great shame to the Pope to exalt himself above Caesar I mean above Kings Some Papists do Answer that he got this Sovereign Authority by Donation from the Emperor Constantine but let it be granted that some Christian Emperor was so foolish as to give his Empire which is neither likely nor credible yet I say it was not Lawful for him to take it if he will be a true Minister of the Gospel or lawful Successor of the Apostles For Christ has expresly forbidden his Apostles and in them all the Ministers of the Gospel all such Dominions when he told them Matth. 20. 26. Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them but it shall not be so among you Which words being prohibitory shew that they must not Reign like Kings of Nations but must serve in the Church and be diligent in the great Charge that Jesus Christ has laid upon them It is then evident by what I have said here before that the Pope has no Authority over Kings and Princes and is not above them This may be seen by these Words of Tertullian in Apolog. We Honour saith he the Emperor as the next Man to God and Inferior to god only And in another place he saith that the King iâ— the second to God the first next after God and before and over all Men. Optatus Cont. Parmen l. 13. saith that there is none above the Emperor but God only which made the Emperor And St. Chrysostome ad Pop. Anthio hom 2. saith He has no equal on Earth And Gregory Bishop of Rome himself affirms that Power is given to Princes from Heaven not only over Souldiers but Priests also Which is confirmed by St. Peter when he saith in his first Epistle 2. 13. Submit your selves to every Ordinance for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supream It is then evident that the Popes are not Infallible that they have no Authority to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones and that they are not above them And therefore that the Church of Rome does add to the Word of God when she holds and teaches such a Doctrine Secondly I say and shall endeavour to make it appear that the Roman Church diminishes from the Word of God several Points of Faith and Practice 1. Because she Prays Sings and gives Thanks to God in the Church in an unknown Tongue 2. Because she forbids the Reading of the Holy Scriptures to the common People 3. Because in the Lord's Supper she takes away the Cup from them and from the Clerks that are not Priests 4. Because she forbids every one to eat Flesh in certain Time and Days and all Priests Monks and Nuns to Marry 1. I say that the Roman Church diminishes from the Word of God when she Prays Sings and gives thanks to God in the Church in a Tongue unknown to the common People For St. Paul will not only have us to speak in the Church with a known Tongue but also he shews the Confusion of them that speak in an unknown Tongues Except Pipe or Harp saith he 1 Cor. 14. give distinction in the sound how shall it be known what is Piped or Harped If the Trumpet gives an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the Battle So likewise you except ye utter by the Tongue Words easie to be understood how shall it be known what is spoken For ye shall speak into the Air. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the Voice I shall be unto him that speaketh a Barbarian and he that speaketh shall be a Barbarian unto me Object St. Paul saith the Church of Rome thereby speaketh concerning Sermons and consequently doth not speak against her because she Preaches in a known Tongue I answer that St. Paul speaks concerning Prayers Psalms and Thanksgivings If I Pray saith he in an unknown Tongue my Spirit Prayeth but my Understanding is Unfruitful What is it then I will Pray with the Spirit and I will Pray with the Understanding also I will Sing with the Spirit and I will Sing with the Understanding also else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit 〈◊〉 shall â—e that occupyeth the Room of the Unlearned say Amen at thy giving of Thanks seeing he understands not what thou sayest And notwithstanding this Ordinance of St. Paul and the Confusion of them which go against it as it is declared by the Comparisons of the Pipe Harp and Trumpet the Roman Church Prays Sings and gives Thanks in the Church in a Tongue unknown to the common People And though in the Primitive Church all Prayers were made in the vulgar Tongue Linguâ auditoribus non ignotâ omnia peragebantur consuetudo ita ferebat ut tota Ecclesia simul pssalleret And though St. Austin says Deus vult ut quod Canimus intelligamus humana ratione non quasi Avium voce canamus God will have us to understand what we Sing and not be like Parrots which do not understand what they say Yet the Church of Rome doth not obey this Commandment but continue still in that Error The Origine of this Error proceeds from the Popes of Rome who being exalted in an eminent degree of Grandeur could not be contented until they had set up Laws though very irregular and unreasonable and
this day as that the Flies may fall into the Cup or that the Communicant's Beard may touch the Blood were in the time of Jesus Christ and his Apostles Had there been any Inconveniency Jesus Christ and his Apostles should have certainly remedy'd it Therefore since they have not forbidden the Cup to the common People who did then receive the Communion the Church of Rome ought not now to forbid it The Origine of taking the Cup from the common People proceeds from Transubstantiation which being believed produces Concomitancy and from this Concomitancy followed this conclusion that the Laics ought to be contented with the consecrated Bread because the Blood of Christ was therein contained as well as in the Cup. But I have already prov'd that there is no Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper And though there were any the Roman Church ought not to take away the Cup from the People because Jesus Christ his Apostles and the Primitive Church did not take it from them and because St. Paul orders every one to take it when he saith Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. 4. I say that the Roman Church diminishes from the Word of God when she forbids every one to Eat Flesh in certain times and days and all Priests Monks and Nuns to Marry For St. Paul writing to the Colossians 2. 16. speaks thus Let no man judge you in meat and drink And in his first Epistle to the Corinthians 10. 24. c. whatsoever saith he is sold in the Shambles that eat asking no question for Conscience sake If any of them that believe not bid you to a Feast and ye be disposed to go whatsoever is set before you eat And writing to Timothy he saith That every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving And concerning Marriage 1 Cor. 9. 6. he speaks thus Have we not power to lead about a sister a wife as well as other Apostles and as the Brethren of the Lord and Cephas And in the 1 to Timothy 3. 2. he saith That a Bishop can be the husband of one wife And in the 13 to the Hebrews that Marriage is honourable to all and the bed undefiled but whâ—â—â—mâ—â—gers and adulterers God 〈◊〉 judge And in the 〈◊〉 to Timothy 4. 3. he tells us that forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats is a doctrine of Devils And Jesus Christ himself honoured so much the Marriage of the Priests that he did chuse the Son of the High Priest Zacharias to be his Fore-runner To avoid Fornication saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 7. 2. Let every man have his own wife and let every woman have her own husband And notwithstanding all these Texts of the holy Scripture the Roman Church commands under the pain of Sin unto Death and consequently of Damnation to abstain from Flesh in certain times and days and forbids all Bishops Priests and Clerks to marry And though in the Council of Nice of which the Ecclesiastical Historian speaks thus It pleased some Bishops to introduce a new Law in the Church that those who were dedicated to holy Ministry namely the Bishops Priests Elders and Deacons should lie no more with their Wives But Paâ—hautius an Egyptian Bishop and who had one of his Eyes pluckt out for the Confession of Jesus Christ rose up and opposed them saying That they ought not to impose so heavy a Yoke because Marriage was honourable in all and the Bed undefiled and that this Prohibition would be hurtful to the Church because all men had not the Gift of Continence which did so much prevail that the Council consented to his opinion Hist tripart l. 2. c. 14. Yet Gregory the VII th with cruel Decrees of Excommunication deprived Ministers of their Wives and forced the Clergy to the Vow of Continence And the Council of Trent Sess 23. Can. 11. forbids Marriage to all Clerks that are in Orders and to all Regulers or Monks that have made a solemn Vow of Chastity and thundereth Anathema against those that say they may marry notwithstanding they feel they have not the Gift of Chastity And so this Council doth not only oppose the Primitive Church and the Apostles but even the Law which God himself has pronounced For when he said Thou shalt not commit Adultery thou shalt not be a Whoremonger it is as if he should say Thou shalt make use of Marriage which is a proper means to avoid these two great Sins It is an implicit Commandment of God made to all Men and Women that have not the Gift of Continence in what state and condition soever they be Objection The Monks and Nuns have made a solemn Vow of perpetual Chasttiy therefore they cannot marry I Answer that they cannot and ought not to make such a Vow For every Vow to be good according to the very Principles of the Church of Rome ought to have two Conditions It ought to be of a good thing and ought to be in our Power When the Jews made a Vow that they would neither Eat nor Drink till they had kill'd Paul that Vow was void and they were not obliged by it For had it been in their Power yet it was of a bad thing And when Jacob did Vow unto God if he could return in peace into his Father's House the Lord should be his God and would offer unto him the Tenth part of his Goods Gen. 28. 20. That Vow was good because it contained the two required Conditions for a good Vow It was of a good thing and in his Power When Monks and Nuns at sixteen years old Vow unto God Almighty to keep a perpetual Chasttiy that Vow doth not bind them because it is made of a thing which is not in their Power For Continence is a Gift of God He dâ—â—h not grant it to every body but to whom he pleases Matth. 19. 11. Therefore those only that are indeed with it are bound to keep it Therefore when he that has Vowed a perpetual Chastity finds by experience he is often troubl'd with the Lusts of the Flesh and though he has several times called upon God they still continue to torment him it is a certain sign that God has not granted him the Gift of Continence and therefore will have him to make use of Marriage which is honourable amongst all and which he has appointed as a means to keep Mankind and as a remedy to pacifie our inordinate Passions For when he made Man he speaks thus It is not good for a man to be alone I will give him a companion Gen. 2. 18. He made them male and female and for this cause he said that man shall forsake Father and Mother and cleave to his wife Matth. 19. And St. Paul saith That to avoid fornication every man ought to have his own wife and every woman her own husband for it is 〈◊〉 to marry than