signe of subjection vnto him that is a thing no lesse reprooueable than the fact of Samson Wee reade of CONDALVS Gouernour of LYCIA vnder MAVSOLVS King of CARIA that hee gained infinite summes of Golde and Siluer for suffering the people of LYCIA to weare their haire as an ornament of their bodies wherein they much delighted But it is otherwise with the shauelinges of the ROMANE Church whose expectation of gaine beginneth not vntill their heads bee shauen then they gette some benefice by ascending degrees their estate is aduanced vntill they become companions to Princes LINDANVS according to his accustomed manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saye Serious in trifles hee will needes haue this custome of shauing the heads of Church-men to bee referred vnto the APOSTLE PETER whose head saieth hee the enemies of the GOSPELL did shaue before they executed him vnto the death And this rebuke of CHRIST the CHVRCH conuerted it into an honourable rite of shauing the heads of Church men after the similitude of the shauing of Simon Peters head But if the ROMANE Church had beene verie sollicitous to haue kept the doctrine of the true faith of CHRIST iâ—… puritie as it was deliuered by SIMON PETER and the rest of the APOSTLES they had not beene so serious in matters of haire ANOTHER custome in the ROMANE Church is to annoint with oyle all them who are admitted to Church Orders Where haue they learned this custome from the sonnes of AARON who were annointed with oyle LEVIT CAP. 8. vers 30. and consecrated to the worke of their ministration Maye it not justlie bee spoken of them which was spoken of olde vnto him who was too loftie in his vaunting speaches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saye Either encrease your strength or diminishe your loftinesse Euen so I saye to the Chaplens of the ROMANE Church That they shoulde either bee liker vnto CHRIST who was a Priest according to the order of MELCHISEDECK or else they shoulde bragge lesse of the ceremonies of the LEVITICALL Lawe seeing that the Priesthood of Melchisedeck is farre different from the Priesthood of Aaron To grace this Sacrament of Order all these seuen Orders afore-saide are attributed vnto CHRIST himselfe Hee was a Doore-keeper saye they when He cast out the buyers and sellers out of the TEMPLE IOANN CAP. 2. VERS 15. Hee was a Reader when Hee read the place of ISAIAS in the Synagogue of NAZARETH saying The Spirite of the LORD is vpon mee c. LVKE CAP. 4. vers 17. Hee did the office of an Exorcist when Hee cured a man possessed with a Deuill LVKE CAP. 4. vers 33. Hee practised the office of Acoluthus when Hee saide Hee who followeth Mee shall not walke in darkenesse but shall haue the light of Life Ioann Cap. 8. vers 12. The office of a sub-Deacon when Hee washed His Disciples feete Ioann Cap. 13. vers 4. The office of a Deacon when Hee distributed Bread and Wine to His Disciples Matth. Cap. 26. vers 26. And finallie Hee executed His Priestlie office when Hee offered Himselfe vpon the Crosse a Sacrifice for our sinnes Matth. cap. 27. vers 50. Who can bee so babishe ignorant but hee maye vnderstande that CHRIST in working sauing miracles Hee declared Himselfe the promised MESSIAS and Sauiour In reforming the abuses of the Temple Hee declared Himselfe to bee both King and Priest to whome reformation of abuses in the Church belongeth In reading Holie Scripture and opening the sense and meaning thereof to the people Hee declared Himselfe to bee the Great Prophet whom GOD promised to sende into the worlde DEVTER XVIII And when CHRIST saieth Hee who followeth Mâ—…e shall not walke in darkenesse c. these wordes doe import That wee who followe CHRIST are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not that CHRIST himselfe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who could once imagine that the hearts of men coulde bee ouer-casten with such horrible darkenesse as to attribute to the Lorde of the House of GOD the basest rowme in all the House and to make a Doore-keeper of him for a time NOwe the Ceremonies which are vsed in the Consecration of them who are admitted to inferiour Orders are these The Doore-keepers are admitted with the signe of deliuering the keyes of the Church-doore vnto them The Readers by deliuering vnto them the Holie Bible The Exorcistes by deliuering vnto them certaine formes of adjuration of persons possessed with Deuils or transported with madnesse And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by deliuering vnto them Tapers of waxe with a little water potte Are these elementes instituted by GOD and hath GOD annexed vnto Keyes Bookes Adjurations and Tapers of waxe a promise of spirituall grace If these two thinges cannot bee prooued by Holy Scripture then no Sacrament can bee acknowledged in these Orders especiallie since the administration of these offices is committed to boyes to ignorant fellowes and to men who haue no extraordinarie gift of casting out of Deuils as the Exorcistes of the Primitiue Church had of olde The like I speake of superiour Orders The signes and Ceremonies which are vsed in admitting of Presbyters whome now they call Priestes are the presenting vnto them a platter in the which consecrated Hosties are contained to declare that they are called to stande at the Altar to consecrate the elementes and to offer vp the bodie and blood of CHRIST as a propâ—…tiatorie Sacrifice to the Father Howe blasphemous this opinion is I haue alreadie declared in the TREATISâ—… Of the Sacrifice of the Masse but for the present this I saye That if the auncient Ceremonie of Imposition of handes had beene kept in admission of Presbyters yet it coulde not haue beene called a Sacrament of the Newe Testament because a Sacrament is a visible signe of the inuisible grace of GOD and belonging to all them to whome the Couenant of GOD belongeth Onelie this obserued that euerie Sacrament must bee applied in its owne time as GOD hath ordained The Ceremonie of breathing vpon them who are admitted Priestes conjoyned with these wordes Receaue the Holie Spirite Ioann Cap. 20. vers 22. it is a preposterous counterfeiting of CHRIST whome wee aught to followe in such thinges as Hee hath sette downe to bee followed but not to presume to doe all thinges which Hee did for demonstration of His diuine power The Deacons in the Romane Church are ordained by a Bisshop who cloatheth them with their Stoles and their Oraria vpon their left shoulders and putteth into their handes the Booke of the Euangell whereof they shoulde bee Preachers Their office is to attende vpon the Presbyters when they minister the Sacramentes to laye the Hosties vpon the Altar to prepare and to couer the LORDES Table to carrie the Crosse and to preach and sing the Gospell and the Epistle to the people In the ordination of Deacons there is neither a regarde of the first institution of Deacons appointed by CHRISTES Apostles Acts 6. neither is there anie similitude
Nice suffered Meletius to enjoy the name of a bishop without power of ordination In the yeere of our LORD 324. sprang vp Arrius a presbyter in Alexandria who denied that the Sonne of GOD was begotten of the substance of the FATHER but that hee was a creature and made of things not existant and that there was a time whereinto the Sonne was not Alexander Bishop of Alexandria dealt with him to reclaime him from his Hereticall opinions but his trauell was spent in vaine Therefore Alexander was compelled to use the last remedy to depose and excommunicate Arrius with his complices to wit Achilles Euzoivs Aethales Lucius Sarmata Iulius Menas Arrius alter Helladius This excommunication had allowance by the Bishops of Thebaida Pentapolis Lybia Syria Lycia Pamphylia Asia Cappadocia and manie other places But Arrius an head-strong Heretique was incorrigible Neither the letters of the good Emp. Constantine nor the trauailes of Osius bishop of Corduba coulde worke anie amendement in him Hee laboured to fortifie himselfe in his Hereticall opinion especially by the assistance of Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia a perilous and deceitfull man Arrius was condemned by the Councill of Nice and was banished by the Emperour Constantine Albeit hee was reduced againe from banishment by the meanes of Constantia the Emp. sister and of an Arrian presbyter whom she commended to the Emp. her brother when she was concluding her life Yet the LORD punished the insolent pride of this Heretique with a shamefull and vnquoth death as hath beene already declared This heresie was propagated by Constantius by Iustina and her sonne Valentinian the second by the Emp. Valens and by the kings of Gothes Vandalles The principall defenders of this Heresie were Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia Menophantes bishop of Ephesus Theogonius bishop of Nice Ursatius bishop of Sygdonia and Valens bishop of Mursa in vpper Panonia Theonas b. in Marmarica Secundus b. of Ptolemaida in Aegypt Maris b. of Chalcedon Narcissus b. in Cilicia Theodorus b. of Heraclea in Thracia and Marcus b. of Irenopolis in Syria In the number of most impudent Arrian bishops was Ishyras the chiefe accusâ—…r of Athanasius to whom the Arrians gaue the wages of iniquity and ordained him b. of Mareotis The ouer-throwing of the holy Table the breaking of the holy Cuppe the burning of the holy bookes the slaughter of Arsenius and many other accusations were all forged against Athanasius by Ishyras for hope of reward Eulalius Euphronius Placitus Stephanus Leontius Spado and Eudoxius Bishops of Antiochia all these were defenders of the Arrian Heresie with manie others of whom I will haue occasion to speake hereafter Albeit Anomai were a branch of the stocke of the Arrians yet they differed from other Arrians in this that they abhorred from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which other Arrians embraced The principall Authors of this Heresie were Acatius Eunomius and Aetius whereof it came to passe that some called them Acâ—…tiani others Eunomiani and some Aetiani Acatius in the Councill of Selâ—…ucia manifested the Hypocrisie of his deceitfull speeches because in his bookes he had called the Sonne of GOD 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of like substance with the FATHER he was demanded in what sence he had so written he answered that the Sonne of GOD was like vnto the FATHER in will but not in substance Eunomius bishop of Cyzicus in Bithynia was the first inuenter of this miserable Heresie of Anomaei a man who delited in multitude of wordes as many Heretiques doe Sozomen blames him for altering the custome of thrise dipping in water in Baptisme The people of Syzicus complained to the Emp. Constantius of the bad and reprobate opinion of Eunomius The Emp. was offended against Eudoxius bish of Constantinople who had placed him in Cyzicus Herof it came to passe that Eudoxius who was of that same opinion himselfe but durst not auow it he sent secret aduertisement to Eunomius to flie out of Cyzicus Basilius Magnus in his fiue bookes written against Eunomius as it were filled with the spirite of Phineas who with one speare killed Ombri and Cosbi euen so Basilius with one penne confounded both Eunomius his Maister Aetius This Aëtius was a Syrian admitted to the office of a Deacon by Leontius Spado he spake vnquoth thinges of the Trinitie and was justlie called an Atheist The Emp. Constantius albeit hee loued other Arrians yet hee disliked Anomei and procured his deposition and excommunication by the Bishops who came to Constantinople from Ariminum and Seleucia Eudoxius first Bishop of Germanitia in the confines of Cilicia after Bishop of Antiochia and last Bishop of Constantinople a hunter for preheminence of places He was a fauourer of the sect of Arrians called Anomei or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet he had the heart of a beast for neither would hee embrace the true Faith neither durst hee defend the Iye whereunto his heart was inclined But in the Councill of Constantinople holden after the Councils of Ariminum Seleucia he transferred all the blame vpon Actius whom the Emp. banished so that it is a strange thing that this errour shoulde haue had the name also from such a feeble patrone as Eudoxius was to be called the errour of Eudoxiani Macedonius rather by the authoritie of the Emp. Constantius then by the consent of the people was made bishop of Constantinople Paulus lawfull bishop of Constantinople was banished to Cucusus a towne of Armenia and there hee was strangled by the Arrians also 3150. of the people were slaine and troden vnder feete at his violent entrie This bloody Tyrant denyed the diuinitie of the holy Ghost Hee was deposed by the Emperours procurement because hee durst presume at his owne hande to transport the bones of the Emp. Constantine from one Church to another His followers were abhorred more then any other branch of the Arrian Heresie for their inconstancie They sent Messengers to Liberius Bishop of Rome and consented in al points to the Nicene Faith but afterward like vnto dogges they returned to their vomite againe Hee was damned as a notable Heretique by the seconde Generall Councill gathered at Constantinople by the Emperour Theodosius anno 386. Hee died in a little Village neere to Constantinople and Eudoxius obtained his place Photinus Bishop of Sirmium in Illyria was the Disciple of Marcellus Bishop of Ancyra in Galatia These two renewed both the Heresie of Sabellius and Samosatenus and augmented the blasphemous opinion of Samosatenus with this addition That the Kingdome of CHRIST was not euerlasting but it had a beginning when he was borne of the Virgine and should haue an ende at the latter day This Heresie hath the name from the disciple not from the maister in regard that Marcellus continued not so obstinately in his errour as did Phot. his disciple but renounced his errour was receiued into the fellowship of
it that is vile and filthie as hee did vnto the Priests of the succession of AARON If any man wil obstinatly contend that the promise made to the Apostles and their successours was absolute and not conditionall consider the inconuenients that will follow Seeing this promise was not made to PETER onely but also to all the rest of the Apostles and their successours then as none of the Romaine Bishops can erre in religion because they are the successours of PETER as they alledge so in like maner the Bishops of Ierusalem Alexandria Antiochia Ephesus Philippi Thessalonica Corinth diuerse other places are all exeemed from errour because the Apostles and Euangelists preached and constitute Churches in all-these places they are successours to the Apostles in that same sense that the Bishops of Rome are successours to PETER And if none of all these can erre what priuiledge hath the church of Rome aboue all other Churches Or how can that be performed which was foretolde by the Apostle concerning apostasie that should fall out the reuelation of the man of sinne childe of perdition 2. Thess. 2 For all the successours of the Apostles beeing exeemed from error what place could be giuen to the Antichrist or what doore could haue bene opened to MAHOMET by whose delusions the Orientall Church hath bene so miserably abused But seeing the Apostles had some extraordinarie things such as calling gifts and prerogatiues They were called immediatly by Christ and were taught immediatly by his Spirit and mouth Gal. 1. They receiued from heauen the gift of tongues and languages to vtter this celestiall knowledge to all tongues nations Act. 2. They had power by imposition of hands to conferre to others the gift of the holy Spirit Act 8 With these extraordinarie giftes they had also extraordinarie prerogatiues that in teaching the doctrine receiued from Christ they should not erre Now these who cal themselues successors to the Apostles they dare not clame to the Apostles immediat calling nor yet to their extraordinarie gifts but that which of all the rest was most extraordinarie to the Apostles viz. to be exeemed from errour in teaching and writing that is so fast adhered vnto that it is one of the principal grounds of the Romaine faith in our dayes that the Bishop of Rome cannot erre in faith and religion Yea so infortunate are the Bishoppes of Rome of late dayes that they would climme vp to the highest top and preeminence of Apostolicke dignitie to be exeemed from errour when as in things of lesse importance they cannot attaine as we speak to the Apostles garters This proud conceit of Apostolick succession with power of binding and loosing exemption from errour made some of the Bishops of Rome so high minded so vaine and ridiculous that learned fathers conueened together in Councils thought their pride more worthie to be receiued with scoffing wordes then with prolixe refutations Example whereof wee haue in a Councill gathered at Rome in the time of the Emperour OTTO the first about the yeere of our Lord 956. In which Councill IOHN 13. Others write Pope IOHN the 12. hee fled for feare of the Emperour OTTO Many grieuous accusations were giuen in against him such as incest murther saeriledge playing at dice and drinking to the deuill admitting of boyes to be Bishops for money with many other villanous things ouâ—…r and beside his perfidie in assisting BERENGARIVS and his sonne ALBERTVS against the Emperour OTTO contrarie to his promise and oath made before to the Emperour Libertie being granted to Pope IOHN to compeare without feare to answere to the accusations objected against him he beeing conuict in conscience would not compeare but he sent a short letter to the Council bearing that he was PETERS successor and had power of binding loosing by vertue of this power hee band them vnder paine of cursing that they should not proceede to his deposition To this proud letter the Councill gathered at Rome returned this answere that Christ gaue power of binding loosing to all his disciples as well as to PETER but one of them to wit IVDAS by abusing his power lost his power only he retained some power of binding to wit he had libertie to binde his owne necke to the gallous In which wordes they call him IVDAS and biddes this vile beast goe and hang himselfe if he lift Hist. Magdeb urg Cent. 10. cap. 9. PLATINA callâ—…th IOHN 13. homo sceleratissinus a most wicked man ONVPHRIVS the aduocate of all wicked causes blusheth and dare not stand at the barre to pleade the cause of IOHN 12. the predecessour of LEO the eight for both are one man he whom PLATINA calleth 13. and he whome ONVPHRIVS counteth 12. The Bishops of Rome might haue bene admonished by this one example if there were no mo not to be high minded not to cum to the supreame top of Apostolicke preeminence In a worde the Bishops of Rome of late yeeres are moâ—…e like to the successours of CAIAPHAS who would needes haue Christe to stand before his judgement seat judge of Christ his doctrine disciples Ioh. 18 ver 19. then they are like to the successours of PETER for I can see no inexcusable boldnes in CAIAPHAS damning Christs doctrine but I grope the like in the Romaine church that vsurpeth authoritie ouer the written word ouer Councils and consequently ouer Christ himselfe To conclude this treatise I will compare succession wherof the Romaine church braggeth so much to the way that lay betweene Samaria and Jerusalem this way led the people of Ephraim Manasse Jssachar Zabulon Nephthali and Aser to Jerusalem when they set their face Southward when they went vpward but the same way againe led them from Jerusalem when they turned their faces Northward when they went downward Euen so if a man set his face toward heauenly Ierusalem he shal finde a number of holy successors of the Apostles in puritie of doctrine honestie of conuersation patience in suffering that shall leade him to Christ to heauenly Ierusalem but againe it is as certaine if a man will set his face Northward to defection to backsliding and to preferre the traditions of men to the ordinances of God there shall not inlacke a number of guiders in the roll of personall successours as they call it to the Apostles who shall lead him from Jerusalem to Samaria from the mountaine of God to the valley of Benhinnon Therefore while we are in the way take heed what way our faces are set whether to Ierusalem or to Samaria and if they be set to Ierusalem let vs followe these sure guides who were true successours to the Apostles and they shall indeede leade vs to Christ to heauenly Ierusalem and to the glory which in heart and minde we waite for whereunto God lead vs for his Christs sake Amen CENTVRIE III. Chap. 1. Seuerus AFter PERTINAX and IVLIAN SEVERVS gouerned 17 yeeres 8. months
MAZABANES HYMENEVS LEBDAS THERMON all these followed ALEXANDER Euseb lib 7. cap. 14 Func chronol In Alexandria to PHILETVS and DEMETRIVS succeeded HERACLAS the 12 Bishop of that towne He was the disciple of ORIGEN and a fellow-labourer with him in gouerning the schoole of Alexandria in ende he was chosen to be Bishop of Alexandria whose successour was DIONYSIVS 13. Bishop whom God deliuered miraculously from the hands of persecuters in the dayes of DECIVS by the sudden onset of a number of people who had beene at a mariage feast When they heard that DIONYSIVS was taken by souldiers and led away to Taposiris they arose from table and followed with a speedie pace and with a tumultuarie voyce so that the souldiers who had DIONYSIVS in keeping were afraid and fled and so DIONYSIVS by the great prouidence of God was deliuered out of the hands of his enemies Euseb lib 6. cap. 40. After him MAXIMVS THEONAS PETRVS a martyre vnder DIOCLETIAN and ACHILLAS were Bishops of Alexandria Func Chron. After SERAPION succeeded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Antiochia of whome ALEXANDER B. of Ierusalem beeing the prisoner of Christ in Casarea wrote vnto the people of Antiochia that it was a comfort to him and it made his imprisonment and bandes the more easie that hee heard it reported that ASCLEPIADES a man well exercised in the true faith by the prouidence of God was made Bishop of Antiochia Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 11. PHILETVS was the 10 ZEBENVS the 11. and BABYLAS was the 12. Bishop of Antiochia of whom EVSEBIVS recordeth that he died in prison like as ALEXANDER B. of Jerusalem ended his life in prison both the one and the other suffered such kind of martyrdome vnder the persecution of DECIVS Euseb. lib. 6 cap. 39. In the catalogue of Emperours catholick Bishops and Heretiques subjoyned to the eccesiasticall historie of THEODORETVS wee reade that BABYLAS B. of Antiochia would not suffer DECIVS to enter into the Temple whereinto Christians were conueened and that before hee was beheaded he gaue direction to burie into the sepulchre with his deade body the chaine also wherewith his body had bene bound as a funerall ornament of his buried body But EVSEBI VS deserueth best credite who affirmeth that he died in prison and maketh no mention of his beheading Some imagine that he who died in prison and he who was beheaded were both Bishops of Antiochia but liuing in different ages yet seeing the catalogue foresaid speaketh of this suffering vnder the Emperour DECIVS it is more probable that there is some ouersight in the writer of the catalogue To BABYLAS succeeded FABIVS He was entangled with the errour of NOVATVS but was reclaimed againe by the vigilant trauels of DIONYSIVS B. of Alexandâ—…ia Euseb. lib. 6 cap. 44. DEMETRIANVS a maried man was successour to FABIVS PAVLVS SAMOSATENVS a pestilent Heretique was the 15. Bishop of Antiochia DOMNVS the sonne of DEMETRIAN the 16. TIMEVS the 17. CYRILLVS the 18. and TYRANNVS the 19. Bishop of Antiochia The names of the Bishops of Rome Alexandria and Antiochia were the more accuratly obserued and registrat after the Councill of Nice albeit I recite them before because it hapned in that generall Councill that for timous suppressing of heresies the Bishops of these places were called Patriarches and had power to convocat Councils within their owne boundes for suppressing of Heretiques Alwayes it fell out far contrarie to the expectation of holy fathers for the Patriarches were the chiefe protectours of heresie as the historie of the subsequent Centuries euidently declareth Neuerthelesse in this Centurie beside those men of God aboue mentioned nothing inferiour in spirituall graces to the Bishops of Rome Alexandria Antiochia and Ierusalem there were many worthy men in other places such as FIRMILIANVS B. of Caesarea in Cappadocia a man familiarly acquainted with ORIGEN GREGORIVS and ATHENODORVS brethren and Pastours in Pontus HELENVS in Tarsus and NICOMAS in Iconium THEOTECT VS in Caesarea Palestinae MAXIMVS in Bostra Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 28. EVSEBIVS and ANATHOLIVS Bishops of Laodicea QVIRINVS B. of Scesiana or as others call it Scescania a worthy martyr about whose necke a milstone was hanged as hath bene before declared Func Chron. I make an end of this second head with the greater gladnesse that I perceiue the litle stone hewed out of the mountaine without handes to be waxing and growing to the bignesse of a great mountaine replenishing the whole earth euen in the time of most horrible persecutions Dan. 2. CENT III. Cap. 3. Of Heretiques IVstly did EPIPHANIVS compare an Heretique to a modiwart a beast in quantitie litle lurking in subterraneall holes and yet working great harme to well laboured ground Neuerthelesse when it hapneth that this noysome and blinde beast creepeth out of her hole and runneth vpon the superfice of the earth she is a ridiculous wandering and feeble beast shee cannot see the hole out of which she hath crept forth she is easily taken and slaine Euen so Heretiques so long as they lurke in secret they peruert the heartes of many simple and ignorant people but when they set out their heades and their-doctrine is examined by the light of Gods euerlasting word they are found to be ridiculous and feeble beastes In the former Centuries by way of preterition I passed by many obscure heresies The like order I intend God willing to keepe in this Centurie also The Heretiques called Artotyritae who added vnto the administration of their sacrament cheese vnto the bread Alogi who rejected the writings of the holy Apostle IOHN and said they were written by CERINTHVS Albeit the Euangelist IOHN of purpose wrote the historie of his Euangell against EBION and CERINTHVS Adamiani who had their conuenticles in subterraneall places called Hypocausta because that vnder the place of their meetings a fornace of fire was kindled to warme the place of their conuentions for they vnclothed themselues when they entered into it and stood naked both men and women according to the similitude of ADAM and EVA before their fall Theodotiani who denied the diuinitie of Christ taking the name of their sect from a miserable man in Constantinople called THEODOTVS who in time of persecution for loue of temporall life denied the King of glory Iesus Christ and when this filthie deniall was objected to him as a reproche of a cowardly heart hee answered that he denied not God but man by this answere signifying that Christ was man onely and not God manifested in our nature Melchisedeciani magnified MELCHISEDECK aboue Christ. Bardesianisiae were but a branch of the heresie of the Ualentinians and Gnostici who denied the resurrection as is already declared in the second Centurie Valesii who gelded themselues Angelici whose name was better knowne to EPIPHANIVS then the originall of their sect Apostolici who would haue no possessions but rejoyced in voluntarie pouertie detested mariage giuing out a sentence against themselues that they were
entred into the land of Canaan the Iewes might say that their Church was holier then all the Churches in our daies if holines be esteemed according to the multitude of reliques Let vs now set forward and declare when this corruption of worshipping of reliques crept in into the Church of God In the Apostles dayes no such thing In time of the ten persecutions was burying of Martyrs and celebration of Natalitia Martyrum as hath bene declared From the three hundreth yeere of our Lord till the foure hundreth almost till the fiue hundreth yere there was some transporting of holy mens bones to be buried in a more honorable place as said is but not worshipping There were torches and waxe candles caried to the sepulchres of the martyrs which custome was disallowed by some and excused by others there was also banquetting at the sepulchres of the Martyrs which custome hath not great allowance of AVGVSTINE de moribus ecclesiae catholicae cap. 34. for he thought that some of them who banquetted in such places buried themselues aboue buried men Yet all this time no worshipping of reliques But after the fiue hundreth yeere of our Lord in the daies of ANASTASIVS IVSTINVS the elder IVSTINIAN IVSTINVS the yonger TIBERIVS MAVRITIVS PHOCAS c. superstition began to abound and reliques were worshipped and the very pens of ecclesiasticall writers who wrote the historie of that time such as EVAGRIVS smell of superstition We reade that the crosse of Christ was caried through Apamia worshipped Euag. lib 4. cap. 26. The reliques of S. SEBASTIAN were caried out of Rome to Ticinum laid vpon an altar for staying of the deuouring plague PAVLVS DIACONVS de gestis Longobard lib. 6. cap 2. SERGIOPOLIS is saide to bce preserued from the furie of COSROES king of Persia by the vertue and holinesse of the reliques of the martyre SERGIVS gEuagr lib. 4 cap. 28. Yea the blind guides of this time were not content to fill the world with the reliques of the Saints but also to ground this opinion in the peoples hearts that these reliques ought to be worshipped they found out a thousand lieing miracles so that it was fulfilled that was spoken by the Apostle PAVL that the comming of the Antichrist should be by the operation of Satan in all power and sigâ—…es and Wonders of lying 2 Thess. 2. ver 9 Surely at this time the fore-runners of the Antichrist were ryding poste and busilie preparing the way to that man of sin and child of perdition and therefore lying miracles were neuer more frequent then at this time The miracle wrought at Apamia in the bearing about of the crosse by THOMAS Bishop of Apamia is more regarded then many other miracles because EVAGRIVS witnesseth that he himselfe was present in the town and that he saw the bearing about of the crosse Likewise that he saw a fire compassing the crosse and the Bishop THOMAS whithersoeuer he went and that this sight was more miraculous that this fire had a shining vertue to encrease light but not a consuming power to offend the Bishop that bare the crosse And the sight of this miracle so mooued the heart of EVACRIVS that he himselfe fell down worshipped the crosse that was in the hands of THOMAS Bishop of Apamia To this I giue these answers First that EVAGRIVS in describing the deliuerie of Apamia from the expected siege of COSROES King of Persia and the miraculous deliuerance of SERGIOPOLIS and EDESSA two townes besieged indeed is so fabulous that he deserueth no more credit in this narration then in the description of the life of BARS ANVPHIVS an Egyptian monke of whom EVAGRIVS writeth that he inclosed himselfe within a shop beside Gaza fiftie yeeres seene of no man and vsing no kind of earthly thing that is neither meat drinke raiment nor any other refreshment of earthly things Euagr. lib. 4. cap. 33. He who can excuse this ouersight of EVAGRIVS let him accuse me that I giue not credite to all that EVAGRIVS writeth Secondly the authority of THOMAS Bishop of Apamia EVAGRIVS an ecclesiastical writer are both nothing in comparisoÌ„ of the authoritie of AMBROSE who was nerer vnto the Apostles dayes tooke better attendance to the scriptures of God then EVAGRIVS did he writeth of HELENA the mother of CONSTANTINE who is saide to haue found out the crosse wheron Iesus suffered yet he saith of her Regem adoravit non lignum that is shâ—… worshipped the king not the tree for that had bene saith he the error of Ethnickes the vanitie of vngodly people Ambros. de obitu Theodosu Thirdly I affirme that in scripture is set downe two sortes of lying miracles both are to be misregarded alike 1. false miracles wherein the senses of men only are deluded but nothing wroght neither contrarie to nature nor aboue nature such as were the miracles wrought by the sorcerers of Egypt Exod. 7. 8 9. Other miracles are called lying miracles not because the senses of men are deluded but because they are brought forth by the operatioÌ„ of Satan to coÌ„firme a lying doctrine Deut. 13. 1. 23 And in 2. Thess. cap. 2. 9. they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they are both wrought and alledged to confirme a doctrine of lies In this rancke let vs eount the miracle cited by EVAGRIVS Finally I say that if the coÌ„fidence in the crosse was so powerful as to stay COSROES king of Persia froÌ„ besieging Apamia why was it not also as powerful the people remaining no lesse superstitious theÌ„ they were afore to saue Apamia froÌ„ the siege of ADAARMANES the captain of the armie of COSROES who afterward tooke the towne of Apamia set it on fire Euagr. lib. 5. cap. 10. Notwithstanding of their confidence in the crosse this superstitioÌ„ was no defence vnto them but rather fuell to augment the flame of the wrath and indignation of God against them And thus I leaue EVAGRIVS sporting himselfe with his own conceits wherof what account I make I haue already declared In end Satan counting the ignorance of mankinde to be his gaining brought in false reliques into the world which were worshipped with no lesse reuerence and deuotion then the true reliques were And Satan vsed the world as the Philistimâ—… vsed SAMSON Iudg. 16. First they bound him secondly they pulled out his eyes thirdly they compelled him to grind in their mil and last of all they made a play-soole of him But when they were at the hight of their contempt then suddenly came their destruction Euen so after that Satan had bound the world with the bands of idolatrie and blindfolded them and made them to serue in vile and filthy offices in end with false and forged reliques he would mak a playfoole of the world but then in the mercie of God the kingdome of the deuill began to be shaken and ouerturned The coat of Christ his purple garment his
that precious treasure if so be in the keeping of it there be so great deuotion as the Romane Church now talks of Thirdly what is the cause that the Romane Church brags so much of antiquity when as the worshipping of the crosse one of the maine points of their Religion was vnknowne to the first 300. yeeres of our LORD now in the 4 Cent. the crosse is found but not worshipped yea and the adoration of it is detested abhorred as an error of Pagans To Macarius succeeded Maximus who had be ne his fellow-labourer as of old Alexander was to Narcissus Macarius gouerned the Church of Hierusalem in the peaceable dayes of Constantine but Maximus gouerned that same Church himselfe alone in the dayes of Constantius Hee was present at the Councill of Tyrus but Paphnutius a Bishop and confâ—…ssor in Thebaida pitied the simplicitie of Maximus whom the Arrians with deceitfull speeches had almost circumueened and he stepped to him and suffered him not to sit in the assembly of vngodly people wherâ—…upon followed a bande of indissoluble conjunction not onely with Paphnutius but also with Athanasius who was charged with many false accusations in that wicked Councill of Tyrus This warning made him circumspect and wise in time to come so that hee was noâ—… present at the Arriane Councill of Antiochia gathered vnder pretence of dedication of the Temple which Constantine began to build but his sonne Constantius perfected the building of it To Maximus succeeded Cyrillus a man greatly hated by the Arrians in so much that Acacius bishop of Casarea Palestine deposed him no doubt by some power granted to him by the Emp. Constantius with aduise of Arrian Bishops Notwithstanding Silvanus Bishop of Tarsus receiued him and hee taught in that Congâ—…egation with great liking and contentment of the people The strife of Acacius against him in the Councill of Seleucia I remit vnto the owne place In time of famine hee had a great regard to poore indigent people and sold the pretious vessel and garments of the Church for their support This was a ground of his accusation aftâ—…rward because a costly garment bestowed by the Emp. Constantine to the Church of Hierusalem Cyrillus sold it to a merchant in time of famine and againe the merchant sâ—…ld it vnto a lasciuious woman and such friuolous thiâ—…ges wâ—…re aggreaged by the Arrians who hated the men of GOD. Of other Pastors and Doctors in Asia Africa and Europe BESIDES the Patriarchs of principall places GOD raised vp in this CENTURIâ—… a great number of learned Preachers who were like vnto the Ibides of Aegypt a remedie prepared by GOD against the multiplied number of venemous and flying Serpents Euen so learned Fathers of whom I am to speake were instrumentes of GOD to vndoe the Heresies which abounded in this age aboue al other ages Did not Nazianzenus vndoe the Heresie of Apollinaris Basilius the Heresie of Eunomius Hilarius like vnto a sâ—…conde Deucalion saw the ouer-flowing speate of Arrianisme abated in FRANCE Ambrosius Epiphanius and Ierom set their hearts against all Heresies either in their time or preceâ—…ding their dayes It were an infinite labour to write of them all who in this age like vnto glistering starres with the shining light of celesticall doctrine illuminated the darknesse of the blind worlde but the names of some principall Teachers GOD willing I shall remember Eusebius Pamphili Bishop of Caesarea in Palestina liued vnder the Emp. Constantine with whom he was familiarly acquainted He was desired to supply the place of Eustatius bishop of Antiochia whose deposition the Arrians without all forme of order had procured most vnrighteously but he would not consent to accept that charge so that the chair of Antiochia vaked without a Bishop eâ—…ght yeeres Some expecting the restitution of Eustatius others feeding themselues vpon vaine hopes that Eusebius woulde accept that place The Emp. Constantine commended his modestie and counted him worthie to be bishop of the whole world Neuerthelesse hee was not altogether free of the Heresie of Arrius before the Nicene Councill and hee was remisse and slacke in the cause of Athanasius He was so familiarlie acquainted with Pamphilus who suffered martyrdome in Caesarea that hee clothed himselfe with his name and called himselfe Eusebius Pamphili Hee died about the time that Athanasius first returned from banishment by the meanes of Constantine the younâ—…er about the yeere of our LORD 342. Nazianzenus liued in the dayes of Constantius Iulian and Theodosius He was borne in a little towne of Cappadocia called Nazianzum from which he receiued his name Hee was trained vp in learning in Alexandria in Athens his familiarity with Basilius Magnus began in Athens and it was increased in the wildernesse hee preached in Sasima but because it was a place vnmeete for studies hee returned to Nazianzum and was a helper to his aged father After his fathers death he went to Constantinople where he founde the towne in a moste desolate condition in regard the Arrian Macedonian Heresies had so mightily preuailed that all the principall Churches wâ—…re occupied by them Nazianzenus only had liberty to preach in a little Church called Anastatia because the trueth of GOD which seemed to haue bene buried now by the preaching of Nazianzenus was reuiued againe In the second generall Councill gathered by Theodosius because some Bishops of Macedonia and Aegypt murmured against his admission he counterfeited the fact of Ionas and was content to bee cast out of his place to procure peace and concord amongst his brethren He benefited the CHURCH of CHRIST in the dayes of Iulian by writing bookes of Christian Poesie whereby the Christian Youth shoulde haue no harme by the interdiction of Iulian prohibiting the children of Christians to bee brought vp in the schooles of learning Hee detected the Heresie of Apollinaris and the abominations of Heathen idolatrie whereunto Iulian had sold himselfe more clearely then any other man had done A man worthie for excellencie of giftes to bee caâ—…led THEOLOGUS Basilius Magnus Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia was so united in heart and mind with Nazianzenus that the pen of Socrates will net separate the treatises of their liues His father Basilius his mother Eumele his nuise that fostered him named Macrina all were Christians His father was martyred vnder the persecuting Emp. Maximus Hee left behind him fiue sonnes three of them were Bishops namely Basilius bishop of Caesarea Peter bish of Sebasta and Gregorius B. of Nyssa Hee was instructed in all kind of learning in Caesarea in Constantinople in Athens vnder Himerius and Proaeresius in Antiochia vnder Libanius At his second returning to Athens hee acquainted himselfe with Nazianzenus They spent too much time in searching out the deepenesse of humane learning and it repented Basilius that he had spent so much time in searching out thinges that are not necessary to eternall life Hee was
are transported with incertainetie of doubtfull opinions so that albeit they bee met together to settle others in the certainetie of the true Faith yet they themselues are so wauering minded that they can neuer bee at rest Like as the Arrians not content with the summe of Faith set downe at Nice assembled themselues many times set downe 9. diuers formes of Faith as Socrates recordeth yet coulde they neuer agree vpon one certaine forme of Faith which they woulde not alter Likew◅se in the affaires of Discipline so great discrepance of opinion was founde that neither Councill agreede with Councill nor Bishop with Bishop nor yet Bishops with Councils The Councill of Ancyra thought expedient for order taking with those who had sacrificed vnto Idoles in time of persecution that vnto Bishops should bee adjoined Chorepiscopi that is Countrey Bishops or Landward Bishops to whom they gaue not power to ordaine Elders and Deacons but onely Readers and Subdeacons Damasus Bishop of Rome coulde not agree to this subordinate order of Bishops called Chorepiscopi The Councils of Neocaesarea Antiochia liked of this forme of gouernament Other Councils in not making mention of this name declared their misliking so that this abuse likewise of diuersity of opinions frequently altered both in Doctrine and Discipline impaired much the authoritie of Councils Before I declare who hath power to conuocate Generall Nationall Councils something is to bee premitted concerning the assemblies vpon the LORDS holy Sabboths These assemblies of all other were counted moste holy in so much that when the Princes of the people of Israel were to conueene with Moses to consult concerning matters of ciuil gouernament they were warned so to doe by the blowing of one of the siluer trumpets onely but when both the siluer trumpets did blowe then the people were warned to conueene at the doore of the Tabernacle for the exercise of diuine seruice which as it was of all Conuentions most holy so in like maner it was foresignisied in most solemne maner These holy meetinges were warranded by the LORDES expresse commandement Remember the Sabboth day to keepe it holy c. And in the new Testament Christians hauing receiued power to meete together in CHRISTES Name with promise that CHRIST woulde bee amongst them they conueened secretely to the hearing of the worde and ministration of the Sacramentes albeit they were most straitely inhibited so to doe by the Edictes of persecuting Tyrantes and these who were comprehended and put to death for their conuentions profession they died Holy Martyres how soeuer the Pagans did put them to death as traitors because they disobeyed the Emperours commandement both in their conuentions and profession Yet this ground beeing once laide that they died Holy Martyrs it wil follow that Christians haue power to conucene to heare the worde preached especially vpon the LORDES day albeit all the Princes of the worlde woulde forbid them to meete And this libertie granted by CHRIST and sealed vp by the blood of innumerable martyrs Confirmed also by the lawes of Christian Princes euer since the reigne of Constantine it will continue vnto the blessed appearance of the LORD IESUS to judge the world albeit all the enemies of the Gospell of CHRIST shoulde grinde their teeth and fret against this libertie These fore-saide weekely conuentions are necessarie at all times and in all ages euen albeit there were no H◅retique nor Scismatique in the worlde to diuert people from the trueth of GOD because euen the best of vs all is but like vnto a barren husbandrie that hath neede continually to bee dressed and laboured and watered with the streames of the riuers of the Sanctuarie of our GOD lest wee wither in the barrennesse of a corrupt nature But Councils Generall or Nationall are not necessarie at all times but onely when the peace of the Church is troubled with Heresie and Schisme or an uniuersall ouer-spreading scab of corrupt maners and at such times it is meete that Pastors acquaint the supreame Magistrate with the danger who hath not neede at all times to conuocate a Councill except the maladie that hee would rem◅die be vnsupportable After this wise forme of dealing did Constantine send Osius Bishop of Corduba to Aegypt to see if by his trauels the Heresie and Schisme springing vp in Alexandria could bee timously suppressed but when the good Emperour sawe that this Gangrene dayly increased then there was no remedie but to gather a Generall Councill for suppressing of Heresie and for keeping of intestine peace into the Church of CHRIST Now to proue that Nationall and Generall Councils ought to bee gathered by Monarches and Princes In the olde Testament the great Conuentions at Carmell Silo and Mizpeh were assembled by Princes and the assembly conueened at Mizpeh by Samuel hee gathered it as a ciuill Gouernor of the land and not in so farre as hee was a Prophet for as yet Saul was not allowed by the people to bee king The Conuention appointed at Gilgal was with the expresse consent and allowance of King Saul who was also personally present at that Assemblie In the new Testament the assembly of the Apostles at Hierusalem albeit it was gathered without the knowledge and allowance of the Emperour Cluadius in whose time it was assembled Yet the Apostles had such extraordinary warrandes of the Spirite such extraordinary giftes and their painefull trauels fell in such an extraordinary time when there was no Christian Magistrate fauouring the Gospel that hee who furnished vnto them courage to preach without libertie granted vnto them by Princes furnished also courage and grace vnto them to meete at Hierusalem for the well of the Church without the fore-knowledge and allowance of the Emperour Claudius But thinges done extraordinarily leane vnto their owne extraordinary warrandes and are no impediment to vs to proceede and to speake of thinges that are ordinary And it is to be noted that euen during the time of the 10. Persecutions Christians neglected not to seeke the support of Emperours against Heretiques whē it could be obtained as clearelie appeareth by the ninth Persecuting Emperour Aurelian who with his ciuil authority assisted the Synode of Antiochia against Samosatenus as hath beene declared in the thirde CENTURIE and the Church had craued the support of the Emperours authoritie to that effect From the dayes of the Emperour Constanti◅e vntill the yeere of our LORD 1215. the Emperours were in use to conuocate Councils But Innocentius the thirde to whose tuterie Fredericke the seconde was recommended by his father Henrie the sixt more like to the successour of Iudas then the successour of Peter made Otto Duke of Saxon Emperour in prejudice of Fredericke vntill the spirit of dissention fell betwixt Otto and Pope Innocentius the thirde Then was Otto excommunicated and the Empire was giuen to Fredericke the seconde to whom it rightly belonged Notwithstanding Pope Innocentius tooke vpon him boldnes to
Righteousnesse the affaires of their Kingdome Bambaâ—… King of Gothes which nation reigned in Spaine resigned the title of his Royall authouritie to Euringus and entred into a Monâ—…erie Sâ—…bbus King of the Orientall Saxons left his Kingdome and entred into a Monasterie to the end that it might seeme that GOD gaue allowance vnto this superstition false miracles were inuented to grace this fact of sebbus for the tombe whereinto his bodie was laide beeing â—…n length an hand brâ—… shorter then his corpes was miraculously enlarged and lengthened to the just proportion of his dead bodie so that in the seuenth CENTURIE and about the dayes of Pope Vitaliaâ—…s it was a prouerbe in the mouthes of the people that three adm rable thing s feil out in their age First innumerable Abbaciâ—…s were builded Secondly the heads of King were shauen and they entred into Monastries Thirdly that whoredome waâ—… canonized that is notable â—…arlots were counted Saintes So with the increasing number of Monastâ—…ies superstition false miracles and a lewde conuersation in like maner daily increased In the eight CENTURIE Rachis King of Lom-bardis entred into the Abbacie called Cassinerse in Italie and his brother Aistulphus gouerned the affaires of the Kingdome in the dayes of Pope Zachariâ—… Caralomannus the elder brother of Pipinus King of France was first in the Monasterie builded vpon the Mount Sarapte afterwarde in the Monasterie called Cassinâ—…nse whether voluntarily or against his will I dispute not and hee ended his life in the Monasterie of Vienne in France beeing transported thither against his heart by the violence of his brother Pipinus In the ninth and tenth CENTURIES the Bilshops of Rome finding that their estate was mightily aduanced by Abbacies and Nunneries they also on the other part endeuoured to aduance the Monasticke life in so farre that Kings Princes were allured to profefâ—… themselues to be of the order of Monkes with dispensation not the lesse to them from the Bisshop of Rome vnder whose souereignity all high powers began to stoupe to gouerne their owne Kingdomes prouiding alwayes that with liberall giftes they had enriched the chaire of Rome So it came to passe that the world saw a rare and vnquoth spectacle to wit Kingly Monks and Monkes Kinges Yea and Kings were so bewitched with seducing speaches that they who would not abase their Royall estate with participation of Monkish orders yet they thought it was so holy and meritorious a turne to build Monasteries that by so doing they might merite forgiuenes of hainous sins As Edgarus king of England a man contaminated with many vild spots of sinne such as adultery murther tyranny and an aâ—…tender vpon three notable harlots yet because hee was accustomed euery yeere to build an Abbacy this holy fact abolished the remembraÌ„ce of all his faultes and made him worthie afâ—…er his death to haue his name togâ—…ther with the name of Wâ—…frida an holy Nunne and yet the Kings whore the name of her daughter Edâ—…ha whom she did beare to the King All their names I say were counted worthie to bee enrolled in the Catalogue of Saintes Caziminus King of Poll beeing driuen from his Kingdome entered into a Monasterie of France in the dayes of Benedict the ninth and the Poloâ—…ian Ambassadours who came to France to entrait their king to returne againe to his Kingdome wâ—…re fore grieued at his negatiue an were Yet by the meanes of Pope Benedict the ninth at whose handes all thinges might haue beâ—…ne obtained for money they obtained their King againe with libertie to him to marrie and to procreate children If Monasticke vowes bee lawfull the loosing of the bandes of Monasticke vowes for money was not lawfull This Benedâ—…ctus the ninth is he of whom Platina writeth that after his death his effigie appeared vnto a câ—…rtaine man horrible and monstrous more like the similituâ—…e of a Beast then of a man which betokened the beastly conuersation of this vnhappie Pope in his lifetime The examples of late dayes that are recent in all mens memorie of Lordes Earles Dukes Ladies yea and of the Emperour Charles the fift in his olde dayes who entered into Monastries and Nunneries whether to leade or to conclude their lifetime I passe ouer with silence This was the glorie of Monkes since the six hundreth yeere of our LORD vntill our dayes that Kinges Monarches Popes and mightie men in the world magnified their estate by repairing olde Monasteries building new Abbacies and bestowing great reuenewes and rents vpon them and some times as saide is entering themselues into Monastries either to leade or to ende their liues Monasteries also of late dayes became places of imprisonment especiallie of Noble persons dejected from their anteriour dignities so that Pope Christophorus himselfe in the dayes of the Emperour LODOVICUS the thirde beeing dejected from his Papall dignitie was thrust into a Monasterie Unicum 〈◊〉 refugium as saieth Platina that is the onely refuge of men who were in calamitie Constantine the sonne of the Emperour Leo thrust his brethren into a Monasterie rendri gâ—…vnto them a just recompence of the like inhumanitie that they had practised against their owne father Likewise Monastries became places whereinto men entered to sorrowe for by-past offences imagining that by the strickt obseruation of the rules of the Monasticke life they might obtaine forgiuenesse of sins at the handes of GOD. Paulus Cyprius Bishop of CONSTANTINOPLE before the seconde Councill of NICE entered into a Monasterie and lamented for that hee had consented to the abolishing of Images in the Councill assembled by CONSTANTINUS COPRONYMUS This PAULUS CYPRIUS was a man of a base timorous and feeble spirite who neuer knewe what the Godlie sorrowe described by the Apostle PAULE did meane which causeth repentance to saluation not to bee repented for hee had great neede to haue repented this his repentance and his sorrowe was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof Paul speaketh 2. Corint 7. This bastard glorie aboue specified whereof Monkes rejoiced when the firâ—…t ornamentes were lost did rather belong to the Conuentuall Monkes than to the Anachorites Wee reade not of Kinges who delited to exchange their Kingdomes with the solitarie liuing by themselues apart in the Wildernesse except Suatacopius King of Moravia who beeing ouercome in battell by the Emperour Arnulphus hee went to the Wildernesse wherin hee continued vntill the day of his death eating hearbes and drinking water with greater contentment of mind then hee liued before in the pleasures of his Kingdome As concerning â—…saphat King of India of whom Damascene writeth that hee forsooke his Kingdome and went to the Wildernesse and exercised himselfe continually in reading and praying for the space of fiue and thirtie yeeres it is but a fabulous narration and the writer of it cannot cite so much as one approued Author for confirmation of his alleadged Historie But the purpose of Damascene is to confirme a
Nectarius in the dayes of Arcadius and Honorius hee had bene an helper to Flavianus B. of Antiochia from whence hee was transported by the authoritie of the Emperour Arcadius and ordained bishop of Constantinople sore against the heartes of the people of Antiochia In Oratrie hee had profited in the schoole of Libanius in Philosophie in the schoole of Andragathius beyond his fellowes His libertie in reproouing of sinne both in Court and Clergie procured against him the hatred of Eudoxia the Emprice and the hatred of the Clergie who could not suffer their corrupt maners to be reformed Theophilus B. of Alexandria was opposed to Chrysostome from the verie first time of his ordination for hee endeuoured to haue Isidorus a Monke brought vp in the wildernes of Schethis afterward a Presbyter in Alexandria to bee seated in Constantinople but when his plotted course failed he became an enemie to Chrysostome and gladly embraced all occasions whereby hee might procure his deposition how hee was vniustly deposed banished and iourneyed to death by the malice of Eudoxia and Theophilus it hath beene sufficiently declared in the preceeding historie Other things Godwilling shall be handled in the description of the life of Theophilus Chrysostome gouerned the Church of Constantinople 7. yeeres After Chrysostome Arsatius the brother of Nectarius an aged man for he was fourscore yeere old ministred in Constantinople scarce 2. yeeres Atticus the successor of Arsatius ministred 21. yeeres Hee was admitted to this office in time of the minoritie of Theodosius 2. at what time Antbemius his counseller a man in wisdome inferiour to none who liued in his time gouerned the affaires of the Kingdome Atticus was not vnlearned he was godly and prudent he insert the name of Chrysostome into the rolle of Bishops and in the publicke Liturgie made an honourable commemoration of his name perswaded Cyrillus B. of Alexandria to doe the like Socrates affirmeth that GOD by his ministrie wrought miraculous workes and that a lewe sicke of the palsie was baptized by him in the Name of IESVS and immediatly after Baptisme was healed from his disease In staying the progresse of superstition whereinto people euen at this time were enclined hee kythed himselfe prudent for some of the people of Constantinople resorted to the sepulchre of Sabbatius to pray to doe some worship to the defunct but Atticus caused his body in the night season to be raised to be buried in another place vnknowne to the foresaid superstitious people so they left off their resorting to the sepulchre of Sabbatius Sisinnius after Atticus ministred 2. yeeres Nestorius followed him in office but his name is to bee reade in the catalogue of heretiques Next to Nestorius was Maximianus who continued not aboue 2. yeeres and 5. months To whom succeeded Proclus and continued 12 yeeres Flauianus after Proclus ministred in the dayes of Theodosius the second a faithfull man in his calling but scarcely did hee compleet 2. yeeres in his ministrie He deposed and excommunicated Eutyches an Abbot in Constantinople the authour of a pernitious heresie Hee was cruelly tramped vnder foot in the second Councill of Ephesus called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a councill of brigandrie Dioscorus B. of Alexandria in that Councill fauoured the opinion of Eutyches and by tumultuare dealing so oppressed Flavianus that he procured his death They who attribute too much to the authoritie of Councills let them fasten their eyes vpon this Councill and learne that posâ—… ly Councils may erre and that Patriarches such as Dioscorus was may erre euen in matters of faith To Flauianus succeeded Anatolius and gouerned 8. yeeres And after him Gennadius 13. yeeres Acatius the successor of Gennadius ministred 17. yeeres vnder the Emperour Zeno. Hee gaue a good proofe of his constancie in the true faith at that time when Basiliscus who draue Zeno from his Kingdome condemned the Councill of Chalcedon and compelled bishops to subscribe to the errour of Eutyches The great dissention that fell out betwixt him and the Romane bishops for Petrus Moggus B. of Alexandria and Petrus Cnapheus B. of Antiochia it was not for communicating with them before they renounced their error as some learned men do affirme but for plaine emulatioÌ„ such as was of old betwixt Pompeius Caesar the one could not abide a coÌ„panion the other could not abide a superior The Romane Church manifestly coÌ„tended for superiority the Church of Constantinople on the other part perceiuing what aduantage the Romane bishops took of this that their counsel was craued they left off the doing of it And this moued the proud stomacke of Gelasius after the death of Acatius to brast out in these arrogant words that the Church of Rome had power to iudge of all other Churches but no Church had power to iudge of the Church of Rome yea and Platina a late writer groundeth the supremacie of the bishop of Rome vpon this that Acatius B. of Constantinople wrote vnto him to damne the heretical opinion of Petrus Moggus B. of Alexandria albeit the faith of PETER was grounded vpon a sure rocke yet the supremacie of the Romane bishops is grounded only vpon such sandie ground as Platina and other flatterers of the Romane chaire doe cast out in their writings After Acatius succeeded Phrauitas otherwise called Flauitas continued scarse 4. month some thinke that GOD in wrath shortned his dayes because that by vnlawfull meanes hee attained to that dignitie to bee B. of Constantinople The Synodicke letter of Petrus Moggus B. of Alexandria written to Flauitas and pondered by his successor Euphemius wherein Petrus Moggus accurseth the Councill of Chalcedon it will clearely prooue inconstancie in Petrus Moggus but not a fault in Acatius for many are like vnto dogs who returne vnto their vomite againe this blame must rest in the bosome of fickle vnconstant men not in the bosome of honest men who are deceaued by them Euphemius succeeded to Flauitas ministred vnder the reigne of Zeno and Anastatius would not compleet the ceremonies of the inauguratioÌ„n of Anastatius vntill the time that by his oath and hand writ hee promised to be a desender of the true faith of the actes of the Councill of Chalcedon This hand-writ Anastatius craued to be deliuered backe againe to him which when he could not obtaine Euphemius was compelled to flie for safetie of his life When he pondered the Synodicke letter of Petrus Moggus hee abhorred his name inserted againe the name of Foelix B. of Rome into the catalogue of bishops which was razed cancelled by Acatius one of his predecessors Patriarches of Alexandria THEOPHILVS ministred in Alexandria in the dayess of Theodosius and of his sonnes Arcadius and Honorius a man both reproouable in his life and inconstant in his faith Hee sent Isidorus
the braine of man Likewise Christ in holy Scripture is called the Lambe of God who taketh away the sinnes of the world It is great obliuion in men to magnifie the finger which pointed out Christ so much as to count it incorruptible that the fire hath no power to burne it and it is an holy relique in the Romane Church and on the other part to bee so forgetfull of the golden sentence which hee vttered at the pointing foorth of his finger namely that CHRIST was the Lambe of GOD that is the onely propitiatorie sacrifice for our sinnes for that Lambe which was offered in the morning and the euening in the olde TESTAMENT did not represent our satisfactions but only the propitiatorie sacrifice which CHRIST offered vpon the Crosse for our sinnes The doctrine of Augustine agreeing with Scripture was this That CHRIST taketh away our sinnes three maner of wayes First by forgiuing the sinnes wee haue committed Secondly by supporting vs with his grace that wee should not commit the like in time to come and thirdly by bringing vs vnto eternall life where wee shall be free from committing of sinne Finally the writings of the Prophets and Apostles anent the doctrine of Satisfaction pointeth out CHRIST alanerly by whome wee obteine forgiuenesse of our sinnes as the Apostle PETER speaketh to CORNELIVS in these words To him also giue all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name all that beleene in him shall receiue remission of sinnes If this bee the summe of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apoâ—…es they who contend so seriously to prooue mens satisfactions for faultes committed after Baptisme they striue against the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles As concerning the worde Indulgentia what it did signifie of olde in the primitiue Church I haue already declared to wit a mitigation of the strict discipline vsed against great offenders but this matter will bee better vnderstood if it bee deduced froÌ„ the very first ground In time of the ten great persecutions many were found weake who fell away from the open profession of the trueth and sacrificed to Idoles The dayly increasing number of back-sliders from the trueth compelleâ—… the Church to enter into a deepe consideration howe this defection might bee stayed Novatus was in this opinion that they who made defection in the time of the ten persecutions should not bee admitted againe to the fellowship of the Church albeit they did repent This opinion was too rigorous and repugnant to Scripture Others thought it more expedient to institute Sermoâ—…s to bee preached at solemne times such as Natalitia MartyruÌ„ whereby the great coÌ„mendation of the constant Faith sufferings of the Martyres euen vnto the death might make these timorous backsliders ashamed of their defection on the other part if any of them craued to bee receiued againe into the bosome of the Church that they should testifie their repentance by publicke Satisfaction so many yeeres as was prescribed vnto them by Church discipline the mitigation of the rigour of this discipline was called Indulgentia In our dayes it is taken in another sense for an absolution from fault and punishment at the least from one of them and a dispensation of the merites of CHRIST and his Sainctes to offenders This abuse of ancient wordes to the noueltie of a new fact vnknown to Fathers makes Popish Religion iustly suspect to such as considereth their aberration from antiquitie albeit they bragge of it continually in so much that it may bee saide of them which Philip King of Maccdone spake of a Iudge who dyed his haire that he who was false in a matter of haire would ncuer bee true in a matter of Iudgement so the miserable abuse of the worde Indulgentia prognosticateth horrible abuse in the matter it selfe If any man demand howe doth this Treatise of Indulgences belong vnto this Centurie seeing that Indulgences and Pardones against which I write were not as yet in vse in the Romane Church yea we read not of Plenissimae Indulgentiae à poena à culpa before the 1200. yeere of our Lord. To this I answere that in this Centurie they were opening a passage to that which after followed As Iulian the Apostate when hee cutted a parcell of ground hee opened a passage to Euphrates to runne into Tigris and so procured that his shippes should arriue at Ctesiphon a towne situated vpon Tigris and not vpon Euphrates euen so in this Centurie the bishoppes of Rome were inlarging the power of their keyes which power they extended so amplie that they durst excommunicate Emperours at their pleasure and the posteritie following them finding the power to bee ample they tooke vpon them authoritie to absolue in earth from fault and paine persons whome GOD promised not to absolue in heauen because they were not penitent The two greatest absurdities in late Pardones are these First an absolution from fault punishment vnder another condition than is contained in the written worde of GOD. For there it is expresly written When the wicked turneth away from his wickednesse that hee hath committed and doth that which is lawfull and right hee shall saue his soule aliue But the Pardone of Pope BONIFACIVS the eight containeth a full absolution from fault and punishment vpon condition that men trauell to Rome in time of Iubile and visite the Church of Lateran If an Officer to whom the Kings letters are concredite did proclame his Highnes letters another way than they were first conceiued and stamped with the Kings signet hee would be counted a false messenger and would bee remooued from his office but hee who dare presume to alter the message of the great King to promise forgiuenesse to him to whom GOD hath not promised it in his owne written worde hee is a false teacher Promising liberue to others when as himselfe is a seruant of corruption as the Apostle speakes Before this great sinne was amended another greater sinne was added vnto it and Pardones were solde for money by which doing the bishoppes of Rome ceased from beeing the successours of SIMON PETER and became successours of SIMON MAGVS The Apostle commendeth in the Corinthians before they absolued the incestuous Adulterer godly sorrowe care a clearing of themselues holie indignation feare zeale and punishment amongst other thinges hee commendeth in them an earnest desire to wit of the conuersion of him who had fallen into an hainous transgression The worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed by the Apostle is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say an earnest desire of money but rather an carnest desire of the repentance of him who had offended The horrible abuse of Pardones solde for money were knowne to all Nations in Europe especially to the Countrie of Germanie to whome Pardones were sent both for sinnes by-past and for sinnes to come with Ticelius an eloquent Orator but Pardones at that time were come to the height and could consist no
Nature The Fathers of the Council vpon this ground damned Neslorius as an hereticque and Nestorius on the other part gathered the bishoppes of his owne faction and damned Cyrillus B. of Alexandria and Memnon B of Eâ—…hesus After this Iohn Patriarch of Antiochia came to Eâ—…hesus whose comming rather increased than diminished the schisme for hee was to angrie against the precipitation and hastines of Cyrillus that he would not adioyne himselfe to the Councill hereupon followed mutuall excommunications Iohn Patriarch of Antiochia excommunicated Cyrillus and Memnon and they on the other part excommunicated him and his retinue who came not to the Council yet in the mercie of GOD this schisme that fell out last amongst good men was cured they were reconciled the heretique Nestorius was banished to Oasis Before Theodosius 2. had ended his life Flavianus bishop of Constantinople had gathered a particulare Councill and damned Eutyches an abbot of Constantinople because he affirmed that in CHRIST after the vnton of the diuine and humane natures there was no longer two natures but one allanerly composed of both the natures This absurd Opinion Flavianus damned as hereticall Notwithstanding Chrysaphius the chiefe gouernour of the Emperours palace was a friend to Eutyches and a fauourer of his heresie And hee procured at the Empeâ—…cuts hands that Eutyches cause should be iudged in a more frequent assemblie to be gathered at Ephesus and wherein Dioscorus B. of Alexandria should be moderator In this assembly Dioseorus dealt imperiously like vnto an head-strong hereticâ—…e He called vpon Eutyches required a consession of his faith which when hee had giuen not expecting the votes of others who were present with clamour and outcrying he gaue allowance vnto it as if no more were requisit in a Councill except onely the suffrage and vote of the moderator Likewise hee suffered not the letters of Leo B. of Rome sent to the Councill to be read Thirdly he absolued Eutyches and 300. Monkes all intangled with this heresie whom Flavianus had iustly excommunicated last of all he excommunicated Flavianus caused him by the tumult of his factioners to be so rudely and vncourteously intreated that he was trode vnder soot and was so wounded that within three dayes after he ended his life for this cause this Councill was called a Councill of brigandrie The Councill of Berytus in Phoenicia whereinto the cause of Ibas B. of Edessa whom Dioscorus had deposed was wakned and he was iustified and absolued I purposely passe by because the controuersie against Ibas will be discussed in a greater assembly And the Councill called Agathense in France wherein albeit there be a great number of Constitutions yet nothing is more remarkable in it than this that they grant they had libertie to meete together by commandement of Alaricus King of Gothes who at that time had soueraignitie in that parte of France called Gallia Narbonensis where the Councill was gathered so that in all Countries Councils both generall and nationall were conueened by the authoritie of Princes In the yeere of our LORD 454 in the 3. yeere of the reigne of the Emp. Martianus a general Councill was assembled at Chalcedon a towne of Bythinia lying directly ouer against Constantinople Martianus the Emperour was in person present at the Councill and of Bishoppes and reuerend Fathers from all partes of the world sixe hundreth and thirtie The like whereof hapned not in any generall Councill preceeding this time The Patriarches were all present at this Councill either in proper person or by their ambassadours Anatoliâ—… B. of Constantinople Dioscorus B of Alexandria Maximus B. of Antiochia 〈◊〉 B. of Ierusalem and in stead of Leo B. of Rome his ambassadours Pascasianus a bishop Lucentius Bonâ—…facius and Basilius Presbyters with a Christian brother â—…ulianus Martianus entreated all the Fathers of the Councill to thinke that he gaue his presence to the convention not for ostentation of his power or vertue but only for desire that the true faith should be confirmed and established and that by his authority all tumults of men disobedient to the Councill might bâ—…e â—…epressed Aboue all crauing of them or rather charging and commanding them that they should decerne nothing repagnant to the actes of the Councill of Nice The ambassadours of Leo B. of Rome craued that Dioscorus B. of Alexandria should not sit in the Councill as a â—…udge but that he should stand and answere to things that were to be obâ—…ected vnto him Which petition beeing granted Eâ—…sebius B. of Dorileum stood vp and accused him of three things First that hee had beene an aduersarie to the true faith in absoluing Euâ—…yches a notable here ique in the second Councill of Ephesus Secondly that he was a murderer of Flavianus B. of Constantinople a constant defender of the true faith and thirdly that hee had done himselfe wrong in deposing him without a cause and herewith he desired his letter to be read The Councill not only read his letter accusatorie but also read all the acts of the 2. Councill of Ephesus heard the reports of bishops who were present at that Councill of Brigandrie and had consented against their hearts to the deposition of Flavianus because Dioscorus had bands of souldiers sent by Chrysaphius in name of the Emp. Theodosius 2. to compell simple men to obey all his desires All this beeing considered together with his vnmanerly rudenes who would not suffer the letter of Leo B. of Rome to be read in the Councill foresaid and finally that hee had most vniustly and vnaduisedly excommunicate Leo B. of Rome The Councill of Chalcâ—…on cited Dioscorus the ground of this controuersie but he compeared not therefore he was damned as an heretique together with Eutyches and Juvenalis B. of Jerusalem and it was ordained that men should beleeue that the natures of CHRIST albeit they were vnited yet were they not confounded as Eutyches heretically had affirmed Likewise all the actes of the second Councill of Ephesus were abrogated and rescinded except the doposition of Domnus B. of Antiochia and substitution of Maximus in his place Moreoâ—…er Thâ—…odoretus B. of Cyns and Ibas B. of Edessa who had bene vniustly deposed in the second Councill of Ephesus were both restored to their places after they had clearely damned the heresies of Nestorius and Eutyches In the cause of Bassianus and Stephanus who contended both for the bishopricke of Ephâ—…sus it was ordained that both of them should bee remooued from that dignitie as men who by vnlawfull meanes had aspired to ecclesiasticke offices and a third person should haue the office Finally it was statute and ordained in this Councill that Anatolius B. of Constantinople and his successours should haue the chiefe dignitie next vnto the chaire of Rome It is to bee marked that Protâ—…rius B. of Alexandria to whom the place of old belonged albeit he was present in the Councill yet hee made none obstacle vnto
shall happen at anie time those persons or their children to bee indigent who haue doted anierent to the Church let them render a just deserued retribution to their bene-factors in sustaining them to whose beneuolence they are addoted The Deacons are decerned to be inferiour to Presbyters Let the Leuites bee content to bee cloathed with their ORARIVM onelie vpon their left shoulder and not vpon their right shoulder and let it neiâ—…her bee beautified with coloures nor with golde PLATINA in the life of ZOSINVS calleth it LINOSTIMA Let Clergie-men haue the vpper-moste part of their heads bare and shauen and the lower-part rounded not following the example of the Readers of GALLICIA who did shaue onehe a little of the vpper-moste-part of the haire of their head conforming themselues in so doing to the custome of some Heretiques which dishonour is to bee remoued from the Churches of Spaine No strange women shall cohabite with Church-men onelie their mother or sister or her daughter or fathers sister maye dwell with them amongst which persons the bandes of nature permitteth not to suspect anie sinne according to the constitutions of auncient Fathers Some of the Clergie who are not married are intangled with the forbidden lust of strange women let the bishop separate them sell the women and redact the men infected with their lust for a space vnto pennance If a man of the Clergy marrie a wife or a widow or a deuorced woman or an harlot without aduise of his bishop let the bishop separate them againe Clergie-men who haue cloathed themselues with armour voluntarilie and haue gone to warre-fare let them bee deposed from their office and bee thrust into a Monasterie there to remaine all the dayes of their life Church-men who are found spoyling the sepulchres of persons departed let them bee deposed and be subject vnto three yeeres pennance By the coÌ„mandement of king Sisenandus Churchmen are eximed from all publike indictioÌ„s labours to the end with greater libertie they may attende vpon spirituall seruice Let bishops haue some of their owne Clergie to bè rulers of their house-holde-affaires according as the Councell of Chalcedon hath ordained A man is made a monke either by his parents deuotion or by his own profession but whether he be embarked into the Monastike life the one way or the other there is no regresse againe vnto a seculare estate Persons of the Clergie who are desirous to enter into a Monasteriâ—… and to lead a comtemplatiue life let not their bishops hinder the purpose of their minde because they haue intention to enter into a better trade of liuing Bishops haue power to constitute Abbots to gouerne Monasteries and to correct enormities that shall happen to fall out amongst them but not to redact them to seruile offices nor to conuert the rents of the Abacie to their owne vse as a possession duelie belonging to themselues The Monkes who leaue their Monasterie returne againe to a secular life and marrie wiues let them be brought backe againe to their owne Monasterie there to doe pennance and to lament for their by-past sinnes Religious men who wander vp and downe in a nation and are neither members of the Clergie nor Monkes of anie Monasterie let the bishop restraine their licentious libertie and appoint them either to serue in the Clergie or in a Monasterie except such as through infirmitie or age haue gotten an exemption They who haue confessed the committing of anie deadlie sinne cannot be promoted to Ecclesiasticall honours Secular men who in receiuing their pennance haue beene content to bee shauen and to put on a religious habite if they reuolt againe and will needes become Laikes and bee incorrigible then let them be counted apostates and excommunicate from the fellowship of the Church Widowes who haue put on a religious habite and vowed chastitie if they marrie they haue damnation according to the wordes of the Apostle 1. Tim. 〈◊〉 12. Iewes are not to be compelled to receiue the Christian faith but these who alreadie by constraint haue receiued it in the dayes of the noble king Sisebutus seeing they haue beene alreadie partakers of our Sacramentes let them bee compelled to perseuere lest the Name of the Lord Iesus be blasphemed and the faith which they haue embraced be counted vile and contemptible They who receiue bribes and rewardes from the Iewes to cloake their vngodlinesse and to foster them in their infidelitie let them bee accursed and counted strangers from the Church of Christ. Iewes after their conuersion to the Christian faith if they bee found to haue circumcised their sonnes or seruantes by the commandement of the moste religious king Sâ—…senandus it is ordained That the circumcised children of the Iewes shall bee separated from the fellowship of their parentes and the sâ—…ruants shall bee set at libertie for the injurie done vnto their bodie by circumcision Iewes who are punished to the death for any contempt done by them against CHRIST after their baptisme this punishment shall not prejudge their children from right to enjoye their goods if they bee faithfull because it is written The sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father Ezech. 18. 20. Let not Iewes after their conuersion haunt the companie of other superstitious Iewes as yet addicted to the abolished lawe of ceremonies lest they be perucrted if they transgresse this ordinance such of them as haue professed Christianitie shall bee giuen in seruice to Christians others shall bee appointed to bee publikely scourged Iewes who haue maried Christian women if they will not embrace Christian religion let them be separated from their wiues companie and let the children bee brought vp in the faith of their Christian mothers Iewes who haue once professed Christian faith and haue sliden backe againe from it shall not bee admitted witnesses before a Iudge albeit they professe themselues to bee Christians because like as their faith is suspected so in like manner their humane testimonie is to be doubted of Let no Iew bee preferred to any publike office Let no Iew presume to buy a Christian seruant which if hee doe the seruant shall bee taken from him and shall bee set at libertie Bishops who haue not benefited the Church by any proper donation of their owne goods they should not empouerish their Church by setting at liberty Church seruantes which thing if hee presume to doe his successour shall reduce those seruants againe to the possession of the Church whom iniquitie without any just right hath absolued A Bishop who setteth a seruant at libertie hauing first by permutation set another of the like worth and merite in his place shall denie libertie to the fore-saide seruant either to accuse or to beare witnesse against the Church whereinto he was a seruant else hee shall forfeit his libertie and bee reduced to his former seruile condition in
out let complaint be made to the bishop to the Metropolitane or to the king of the countrey Founders of Churches during their life-time haue power to appoint men who shall attend vpon the fabricke of the Church or Monasterie which is builded that it decay not If any Church-man bestowe any part of Church-rent vnder the colour of prestation let the cause bee clearely contained in an euidence or else it shall be voyde Let the goods of the defunct administrator of the Church affaires be equally diuided betwixt his heires and the Church If a bishop build a Monasterie let him not bestow abcue the fiftie part of the rent of his prelacie in the charges of building and incase he build a paroche Church for honour of his buriall place let him not bestowe aboue the hundreth part of his rent for charges of building To the bishop belongeth the third part of rent of euery paroch Church in his diosie and whether he leaue that thirde part to the Church it selfe out of which it is vp-lifted or to anie other Church his gift shall stand firme without reuocation Let no man vnder pretence of propinquitie and because hee is heire intromet with the goods of the defunct bishop without the fore-knowledge and consent of the Metropolitane and incase the Metropolitane depart this life let no intromission with his goods bee made without the fore-knowledge of his successor lest by fraude and deceit the Church be damnified If any man ministring in a Church-office alienate a part of Church rentes the supputation of time shall begin to bee reckoned from the houre of his death not from the time wherein the charter was subscribed and so after his death let the prescription run on The ninth Canon measureth the commoditie which a bishop shall receiue who hath taken paines to burie another bishop Children procreated by bishops presbyters deacons c. shall not only be depriued of the heritage sometime belonging to their parents but also they shall be mancipated to perpetuall seruice of those Churches whereinto their fathers serued Let the Reader marke that there is greater businesse in Councels to procure obedience to one antichristian precept cōcerning prohibition of marriage than to all the ten Commandementes of Gods holy law Let not a seruant be accepted to serue in the Ministerie of the Church before he be first set at libertie When seruants are set at libertie let the supputation of time beginne at the death of him who set them at libertie and not at the time when the charter was made Seruants set at libertie shall neither marrie a woman of the Romane nor of the Gothes blood and they shall be subject to the Church that set them at libertie and if necessitie compell them to sell landes let the land bee first offered for a competent price to one who ministreth in that Church from which their libertie did arise I◅wes who are baptized shall in time of solemne feastes attende vpon the bishop of the parts where their dwelling is to the ende that he may beare testimonie of the integritie of their faith If this commandement be transgressed the bishop shall ordaine the Iewe either to bee scourged or to be subject to such ◅bstinence as he thinketh most fit In ende thankes beeing rendered to God for their meeting and for the vnitie of their judgementes and supplications beeing made to God for the weale of the King Recesuvindus in soule and bodie the Councell was dissolued IN the eight yeere of the reigne of Recesuvindus king of Gothes assembled in Toledo 21. bishops They decerned concerning the Feastes of the Natiuitie of our Lord and of the Lordes mother at what times they should bee kept Punishmentes are appointed for men of the Clergie and Monkes who are not found loyall and duetifull to the King and the countrey That men vnmeete for spirituall offices should not bee intruded into the Church neither for propinquitie of blood nor for hope of lucre and gaine That widowes professing a religious order shall receiue an habite conuenient for that order And that women who depart again from their professed order shall be punished That parents shall not render their children to religious orders before they bee eighteene yeeres of age Finally Protamius bisshop of Bracara beeing conuict of adulterie was remoued from his office and Fructuosus was placed in his rowme IN the 7. yeere of the reigne of Bamba King of Gothes 19. bishops and 7. Abbots were assembled in Toledo by the Kinges commandement Quiricus bishop of Toledo beeing President In the beginning after a protestation of a decent order to be kept in their Assembly that no tumult nor contentious disputation nor indecent laughter should disturbe the comely modestie of their assembly They set downe a prolixe conf◅ssion of Faith and Canons belonging to Ecclesiasticall discipline in the forme following 1. That bishops should be well acquainted with Scriptures and apt to teach 2. That Metropolitane bishops should ◅rie how the Pastors of their diosie increase in knowledge 3. That the forme of singing vsed in the Metropolitane Church shall be like wise vsed in other inferiour Churches 4. That persons who haue discorded shall not stand at the Altar vntill the time they bee reconciled againe 5. That Church-men shall not judge in actions of blood 6. That bishops shoulde not giue sentence before a sufficient triall of the cause 7. Bishops who commit adulterie or murther shall be deposed and excommunicated beside the punishment to bee inflicted by the secular Iudge 8. No rewarde shall bee taken for ministration of the Sacramentes 9. Bishops before their ordination shall giue their oath that they haue not acquired that dignitie by rewards either giuen or to be giuen 10. He who is to be preferred to any Ecclesiasticall office let him first sweare that he shall continue constantly in the true Catholicke faith and that he shall be obedient to Eccl siasticall Canons 11. Let no man refuse to receiue the Sacrament of the Supper when it is offered by him who hath a l◅wfull calling to ministrate it 12. Absolution should bee pronounced when perill of death impendeth albeit complete satisfaction be not made 13. The holy Sacrifice shall not bee ministred by persons possessed with deuils or transported with passions of madnesse 14. He who ministreth at the Altar shall haue others concurring with him to the end that if he be suddenly oppressed with any infirmitie the other as◅stant brother maye supply his place 15. Councels are ordained yeerely to be kept IF order of time be not precisely kept in commemoration of the Councels of Bracara and Toledo let no man ma◅uell some regard must be had to the memorie of the Reader and it is not meete that the Councels of Toledo being many in number and so frequently conueened one following vpon the necke of another except the 11. Councell conu◅ened 12. yeeres after the 10. should
and saith shee hath committed none iniquitie ambition so blindeth her eyes that vnconstancie is counted no fault and taking deepe roote in her heart hideth from the eyes of her mind the sight of heauen and all heauenly vertues such as humilitie modestie constancie and vprightnesse of a siable and vnwauering heart The preheminence that God licenciateth to bee sought ouer brethren is like to the preheminence of Moses ouer the Elders he ascended higher vpon the mountaine of God than they did and when he came downe againe from the mountaine of God his face shined with greater splendor of celestiall glorie than the faces of others did Would God Pastors could striue to attaine to such preheminence for the striuing for prerogatiue of places hath bred many vnnecessary and vnfruitfull contentions in the Church as an ancient Father hath well marked This supremacie aforesaid so vnhonestly sought was vsed tyrannously vnrighteously Pope Bonifacius the fourth dedicated the Temple called Pantheon wherein all the Gentile gods were worshipped this Temple I say he dedicated to the Virgine Marie and to all the Martyrs rather changing than correcting the vile abomination of Idolatrie Honorius the first in the sixt generall Councell was found to haue bene an Eutychian heretique The Popes Martinus the first and Eugenius the first Vitalianus and Adeodatus were so puft vp in pride that they counted the Bishops of Râ—…uenna heretiques onely for this because they receiued not their ordination from the Bishops of Rome were not subject to their authoritie And this heresie they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pope Sergius 1. obstinately refused to subscribe the decrees of the sixt generall Councell partlie because in it the doctrine and lawes of prohibition of marriage to men in spirituall functions was damned and partlie also because the Bishop of Constantinople was equalled in honour with the bishop of Rome Constantinus the first and Gregorius the second were the first open and auowed traitors against the Emperours the one of them rased the name of the Emperour Philippicâ—…s out of charters the other assoyled the subjects of Italie from the oath of all edgeance to the Emperour Leo Isaurus because these two Emperours dâ—…tested the worshipping of Images What villanie was in Pope Stephanus the thirde who perswaded CAROLVS MAGNVS king of FRANCE to repudiate his wife BERTHA the daughter of DESIDERIVS king of LOMBARDIS abusing in moste impudent manner the wordes of holie Scripture What fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse 2. Coriâ—…t chap. 6. vers 14. In that place the Apostle is giuing counsell to Christians who are disposed to marrie not to couple themselues in matrimoniall band with infideles but the counsell of the Apostle to them who are alreadie married euen with infideles is this If any brother haue a wife that beleeueth not if she be content to dwell with him let him not for sake her 1. Cor. 7. 12. So that albeit Bertha the daughter of Desiderius had bene an infidell shee beeing willing to cohabite with her husband there was no reason to repudiate her But now the bishops of Rome are become wiser than the Apostles of Christ and they bid repudiat the wife with whome the Apostle Paul in expresse wordes biddeth a Christian man cohabite It is more intolerable that Suphanus the third calleth Bertha an infidell was she not baptised in the name of Christe was not her father Desiderius before him Aistulphus partakers of the Lordes holie Sacramentes was not Rachis the brother of Aislulphus so deuout according to the superstitious forme at that time commended in the Romane Church that hee forsooke his kingdome and entered into a Monasterie there to leade his life But the bishops of Rome are become so prodigall of their reproachfull speaches that all persons are counted Infideles who followe not absolutely all the conceites of their changeable mindes Pope Adrian the first with aduise of a great Councell ordained that no man should bee consecrated bishop of Rome before hee had receiued investment by staffe and ring by the Emperour but Gregorius 7. by the contrarie cursed them who receiued inuestment from the Emperour anno 1073. These two popes speak contradictory things yet they must be counted holy Fathers who cannot erre Pope Leo the third tooke vpon him boldnesse to change the Empire and to proclaime Charles the Great king of FRANCE to be Emperour in the West And Baronius the moste inâ—…pt expounder of Scriptures of anie learned men of late dayes defendeth this doing of Lâ—…o by a place of Scripture The moste High beareth rule ouer the kingdome of men and giueth it to whome hee will Dan. 4. 22. Daniel in that place speaketh of the Eternall GOD who indeede is moste high and giueth the kingdomes of the worlde to whome hee pleaseth but Baronius applieth this to the bishop of Rome as if hee were moste high and had the kingdomes of the worlde at his owne dispensation to giue them to whome he pleased So saide the Deuill of himselfe Luke 4. 6. but hee lied for hee had no such power and Baronius attributing this power vnto the Pope lieth as impudentlie as the Deuill did sergius the second with his brother Benedictus for gaining vanta e vnto themselues were not ashamed to sell bishoprickes and to preferre men to spirituall offices not for the worthinesse of their giftes but for the weight of their numbered money and so the chaire of ROME was filthilie spotted with simonic Yea it came to passe that the pridâ—… and simonicall auarice of the bishops of ROME brangled their late vsurped authoritie so that AVGVIBERTVS bishop of MILLANE with allowance of many bishops of ITALIE disclaimed the authority of the bishop of ROME and with great difficultie after the issue of two hundreth yeeres was the chaire of MILLANE reduced againe to the obedience of the bishop of ROME in the dayes of Pope Stephanus the ninth It grieued the bishops of ROME that they were bound by the constitution of Adrian the first to haue the allowance of the Emperour to their election and therefore by degrees they endeuoured to shake off that yoke of bondage Stephanus the fourth was elected without the fore-knowledge of Ludovicus ' Pius but he pacified the Emperours wrath by his comming to FRANCE Pascalis the first in like manner was chosen bishop of Rome without the foreknowledge of the Emperour Neuerthelesse by his letters sent to the Emperour Ludouicus he excused himselfe and ratified the constitution of Adrian In like manner Leo the fourth following the example of his predecessors was admitted without the fore-knowledge of Lotharius hee likewise excused himselfe to the Emperours sonne Ludouicus pretending that the sudden incursion of the Saracenes was the cause mouing the people to precipitate his election and hindering himselfe to make due aduertisement to the Emperour Lotharius in whose time he was elected But the issue after following declared that all these excuses
contende with hatefull malice euerie one against the fame of another and laying aside diuine worship they follow the lusts of their owne hearts the more securelie because their is no man to restraine their inordinate desires This Platina writeth of them in the life of Sergius the third The moste part of them were like vnto Monsters whose natiuitie like as it breedeth sorow in the harts of their verie parents so in like manner it is some mitigation of their heartes griefe when the Monster hastily dieth This second comfort God g◅ue vnto the world Few of these ambitious auaritious and libidinous Monsters continued long in the popedome I will not anticipate the Historie but shortly I hope thus farre hath beene declared that the Romane Church sought this preheminence vnhonestly and abused it vilely by simonie idolatrie heres◅ treason tyrannie schisme and all kinde of inhumanitie which one of them could practise against another And that they haue casten behinde their backe that holie forme of preparation for entering into spirituall functions vsed of olde to wit that their spirituall senses were well exercised with seeing of Heauenlie sightes with hearing of Angelicall hymnes with feeling the opetatiue vertue of the coale taking from the Altar of God and touching their lippes and so being well prepared and furnished with celestiall grace they entered into spirituall callings assisted with the grace of God that commeth from aboue But now the preparation is turned to riches and money where with if a man be well surnished albeit he were like vnto Ioannes the thirteenth that is a man who is perjure the verie childe of the d◅uill the brother of Iudas and a man whose name will remaine in perpetual execration yet such a man furnished as said is with riches and money may bee promoted to the popedome Now is leuen eaten in time of the passeouer and hee who calleth himselfe the Vicare of Christ hee climbeth to that office by the leuen of sin And truely like as the types and figures of good thinges cannot equall in goodnesse the thinges that are figurated by them euen so the figures of euill things were not so much to bee abhorred as the euill things themselues represented by types figures He who commanded to purge the olde leuen to the end that wee might bee an holie lumpe hath vtterly forbidden vs to enter into holy callings by vile and vnhonest meanes NOw followeth the third head of this TREATISE as a preparation to the TREATISE following to prooue that the chaire wherein the Uniuersall Bishop sitteth is the chaire of the Antichrist which I prooue by this argument The chaire that extolleth it selfe aboue Christ is the chaire of the Antichrist but so it is that the chaire wherein the Uniuersall Bishop sitteth extolleth it selfe aboue Christ Ergo it is the chaire of the Antichrist The first part of the argument is proued by the wordes of the Apostle writing to the Thessalonians The second part of the argument I prooue by this reason That chaire which taketh vpon it power to dispense against the lawe of God extolleth it selfe aboue Christ but so it is the chaire of the Uniuersall Bishop arrogateth power to dispense against the lawe of God as namely in the matter of Marriage licentiating a man to marrie his brothers wife and others to marrie women of their nearest consanguinitie Ergo the chaire of the Uniuersall Bishop is the chaire of the Antichrist Heere let vs remember that no lawe can bee dispensed withall but either by the same authoritie by which it is made or by a greater But the lawe of God is manifestly annulled in many points corrected and dispensations giuē against it by the chaire of ROME as shall bee declared heereafter GOD willing what can bee saide of it then but that it is become the seate of the Antichrist Concerning the stile of the Antichrist which I minde to attribute to the bishop of Rome especially since the yeere of our Lord 666. I admonish the Reader that hee bee not deceiued with the generalitie of the worde Antichrist which albeit it may be attributed to Infideles Heretiques and to all them who obstinately contende against the doctrine of the person or office of Christ yet doeth this name most properly belong to the principall ring-leaders and authors of that great defection from the faith fore-tolde by the Apostle Paul 1. Tim. 4. For like as when Moses in Holy Scripture is called a Prophet and faithfull Pastors are called Angels this hindereth not Christ from being called the Great Prophet the Angell of the Couenant Euen so when Heretiques who gainsay the diuinitie of Christ or veritie of His humane nature are called Antichrists this hindereth not but the chaire which hath chiefely blinded the world with errours and hath poysoned kings and people with the cuppe of her fornications to bee called the seate of the Antichrist Nazianzenus in a generall sense counteth Arrius whom hee pointeth out by the stile of a recent Apostate and Nestorius by whose opinion the natures of Christ were diuided to be Antichrists But Chrysostome in a proper sense supposeth him to bee Antichrist who should treade vnder foote the Romane Empire like as the Romanes had subdued the kingdome of the Macedonians and ◅he Macedonians had subdued the kingdome of the Persians and the Persians had vndone the kingdome of the Babylonians Euen so saith Chrysostome the Antichrist shall vndoe the dominion of the Romanes and in ende the Antichrist shall bee consumed by the Spirit of Christs mouth and shall be abolished with the brightnesse of His comming Many thinges are written of the Antichrist who deceaueth people in errour so that they misknowe the Antichrist when hee is come no lesse than the nation of the lewes misknew CHRIST when He was manifested in the flesh They write that he should bee of the Tribe of DAN that hee shoulde bee borne in BABYLON and hee shoulde bee brought vp in CORASIM and BETHSAIDA that SATHAN shoulde ouer-shaddowe his mother and poss◅sse her that hee should re-edifie the Temple of HIERVSALEM and that the people of the IEWES should adher◅ vnto him But all these opinions are grounded partlie vpon a wrong interpr◅tation of Scripture and manie of them are sh◅owded ◅alselie vnder the name of AVGVSTINE Bisshop of HIPPO but it is knowne that RABANVS Archbishop of MENTZ was the compiler of that foolishe TREATISE De Antichristo whereinto the fore-mentioned opinions are contained and not AVGVSTINE More-ouer they say that the Antichrist shoulde bee one particulare man opposite to Christ whose continuance in fighting against the Saincts shoulde not exceede the space of three yeeres and an halfe But what madnesse is it to referre the secrete beginning the open tyrannie the reuelation and destruction of the Antichrist to the person of one singulare man which is a worke working from the dayes of the Apostles vntill the second comming of Christ The argument whereby some
vnderstandeth not one particulare man but the estate of an vsurped kingdome wherein likewise one succeedeth to another But now let vs see how the Romane Emperour so long as he consisted in his owne full strength did hinder the attemptes of the Antichrist First no man was admitted bishop of Rome a long time without the consent of the Emperour Secondlie inuestment of bishops by staffe and ring beeing likewise in the Emperours hands the excessiue pride of the Romane bishops euen after they were called Uniuersall Bishops was mightilie borne downe Thirdly so long as Emperours kept in their owne hand the power of conuocating Generall and Nationall Councels the bishops of Rome all this while acknowledged Romane Emperours for their soueraine lordes But when the Emperours were bereaued of all their forementioned rightes as Palinurus by storme of weather was cast out of the ship and the rudder by violence of the tempest was washen out of his handes then all things were turned vp side downe as we shall heare God willing in the subsequent words wherein he prophesieth that he who letteth should be taken out of the way that is the Romane Empire shall bee vtterly weakened so that it cannot make resistance against the Antichrist but it stoupeth vnder his might adoreth him as the Vicare of Christ who cānot erre and as a god on earth is content to be crowned by him and to make the oathe of alleadgeance to the Pope In what base estate are the Emperours of late dayes how is their golde turned into drosse and the might of their dominion into seruile subjection vnto the Antichrist as was shortly comprised in these verses ROMA tibi serui fuerant domini dominorum Seruorum serui nunc tibi sunt domini Is not the Romane Empire so farre deuested of their auncient glorie that whereas their predecessours wanted nothing of the dominion of the habitable continent knowne in their time except a little part in the East now it hath no commandement except in a little part of the West But it may bee demaunded How can the bishops of Rome be blamed as ouer-throwers of the glorie of the Romane Empire seeing it was the Saracenes who vndid the Empire of the East and the Gothes Vandales Lombardis Hunnes Auares Danes and Normandis weakened the Empire of the West To this I answere That the Bishops of Rome were like unto a lowse tooth and a wrested foote and were deceitfull friendes both to the Emperours of the East and of the West rendering vnto them euill for good Did not the Emperour Iustinian deliuer them from the tyrannie of the Gothes Did not Tiberius the second support them verie kindlie when they were sore pinched with famine and oppressed by the Lombards But what recompence rendered the bishops of Rome to the Emperours of the East when they found their estate to bee weake Euen such as the Edo◅ites rendered to Gods people in the day of their trouble of whom the Prophet speaketh Thou shouldest not once haue looked on their affliction in the day of their destruction nor haue laide handes on their substance in the day of their destruction Euen so the bishops of Rome should not so much as haue laide their hands vpon the substance of the Emperours of the East who had dealt so kindly and friendly with them Neuerthelesse the first occasion that they found to enrich themselues with the possessions of the Emperours of the East they ouer-passed it not but tooke the gift of Exarchatus Rauennae and Pentapolis in Italie which duely belonged to the Emperour of the East These dominions I say they tooke by the gift of Pipinus king of France who was prodigall in bestowing vnto the chaire of Rome other mens possessions and they possesse the dominions afore-saide with their townes villages and territories euen vntill this day On the other part Carolus Magnus Emperour of the West was friendly to the chaire of Rome and made them free of the molestation of the Lombards Notwithstanding after his death and the death of Ludouicus Pius his sonne when cruell hostilitie fell out amongst the children of Ludouicus Pius to wit Lotharius Lewes and Charles whereby the puissance of France was weakened and the Danes and Normans got the more easily place in France What was the carriage of Sergius the second bishop of Rome at this time Platina writeth that hee sent Gregorius Arch-bishop of Rauenna to reconcile these brethren who contended one against another with insupportable hatred but the tragedie of Ludouicus Pius house declared that the bishops of Rome were little grieued when the estate of Emperours houses decayed prouiding their owne estate did increase And I remit to the course of the Historie what friendship the posteritie of Carolus Magnus and his sonne Ludouicus Pius found at the hands of the bishop of Rome for all their bountifull kindnesse towardes that vnthankfull chaire Alwayes remember the wordes of Salomon Hee that ewardeth euill for good euill shall not depart from his house Prouerb 17. 13. What shall I speake of the Emperiall authoritie when it came amongst the Germanes Otto the first a worthie Emperour what fidelitie founde hee in Pope Ihonne the thirteenth whome Onuphrius calleth Ihonne the twelft Hee assisted Berengarius and his sonne Albertus against the Emperour Otto nothing regarding his oath of alleadgeance made to the contrarie And albeit euerie Emperour was not so magnanimous as Otto and euerie Pope was not so beastly as Pope Ihonne the thirteene yet when one of the best Emperours and one of the worst Popes were matched together wee may easily perceiue whereat the Popes aimed continually to wit at the vndoing of the dominion of the Emperour By the waye let vs marke diuerse affections striuing in Onuphrius as they did of olde in Medea when shee killed her owne childe to wit anger and motherly affection contended one against another in her but anger got the vpper-hand and the childe was killed Euen so in Onuphrius a desire to couer the turpitude of the Romane chaire contendeth with a necessitie to report the trueth of the Historie and trueth getteth the vpper-hand at this time and hee leaueth the defence of this vile beast The valiant courage of the Emperour Hendrie the fourth counted no lesse fortunate in warre-fare than Iulius Caesar was in olde times and the gallant spirites of Frederick the first and second could not mende this matter the curses of the Antichrist so terrified the world that they forgot their duetie to their soueraine lordes and suffered them to bee trodden vnder the feete of the Antichrist In the 8. verse followeth the prophesie of the discouerie and destruction of the Antichrist concerning his discouerie three thinges are to bee considered First who shall bee discouered Secondly when shall hee be discouered and thirdly the mean◅s of his discouerie The Antichrist is hee who shall bee discouered to whome the Apostle attributeth a new name and calleth him that wicked man Is he not pointed out already with
Socrates also in his Ecclesiasticall Historie writeth of Eusebius Emisenus an Arrian Heretique vnder the reigne of Constantius who had the gift of working miracles And Platina writeth of miracles wrought at the sepulchre of Rhotaris king of Lombardis an Arrian prince Yea and the Apostle Paul saieth if I had all faith so that I could remooue mountaines and had not loue I were nothing Nowe what wisedome is it to count working of miracles one of the principall notes of the true Church of Christ. which is found also in the kingdome of the Antichrist and amongst Heretiques amongst them who in the sight of God are counted nothing if we taught a doctrine either in substaÌ„ce or forme different from the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles it were good reason that we should confirme it with new miracles But if wee teach no doctrine except the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles then is that ancient doctrine alreadie sufficientlie confirmed by ancient miracles wrought by Christ his Apostles Nowe let vs set forward to the purpose and let vs speake of the false miracles whereby the kingdome of the Antichrist was aduanced and that through the mightie operation of Sathan for like as Achab is saide to haue consented to the death of Naboth because the letters which procured his death were sealed with his ring Euen so Sathan liked well the aduancement of the Antichrist because he set himself to worke by many lying miracles to aduance the kingdome of the Antichrist Before the 600. yeere of our Lord when the way was preparing for the Uniuersall Bisshop was not the worshipping of the Crosse confirmed in Apamea by the fiâ—…e which shined about Thomas bishop there and burned him not The towne of Edessa was thought to bee saued by the picture of Christ dipped in water which picture was alledged to haue beene sent to King Agbarus The towne of Sergiopolis to haue beene sâ—…ued by the reliques of the martyr Sergius But after the 600. yeere of our Lord false miracles were so multiplied that it would be tedious to reade the shortest abridgement of them that could bee compiled The miracles wrought by the reliques of Sainct Oswald King of ENGLAND written by Beda The miracles wrought by the reliques of Iohn Baptist written by Sigebertus and of S. Sebastian written by Paulus Diaconus The miracles of the popes Deus dedit and pope Agatho written by Platina The miracles of S. Dionyse S. Maurice and S. Martine who miraculously deliuered the soule of Dagoberius King of France out of the handes of euill spirites written also by Platina The miracle of Immas a captiue and a prisoner in ENGLAND whome no bandes could binde because his brother beeing a Priest and supposing that Immas had beene slaine in the battell and that his soule had beene in purgatorie hee made prayers to GOD and saide Masse oft times for reliefe of his brothers soule the benefite whereof as Beda supposeth redounded to the weale of Immas soule and bodie O foolishe fable and yet thought worthie by master Brestow by a newe coÌ„memoration thereof to be kept in continuall remembrance To bee short the Legendes Portuses Festiuals Promptuaries Sermones and other bookes of the Romane Church which are all stuffed so full that nothing almoste is thought to bee sufficiently proued that is not confirmed by a number of false and friuolous miracles all these I saye clearely prooue in what account false miracles were and are in the kingdome of the Antichrist Euery man who is a judicious Reader may consider that I leaue this point not for lâ—…cke of aboundance of matter but for feare to offende the Reader with superfluitie of miracles vnworthie to bee rehearsed The thirde cause of the preuailing power of the Antichrist is set downâ—… in the 10. verse in these wordes In all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse amongst them that perishe In which wordes the Apostle pointeth out vnto vs three thinges First that the marke and butte whereat the Antichrist shooteth is vnrighteous Secondly the meanes whereby hee endeuoureth to attaine vnto his intended purpose are deceitfull and thirdly that the deceitfulnesse of the Antichrist shall not hurt the elect of God but onely them that perish The principall butte and ende whereat they aimed continually was superioritie and preheminence aboue their brethren The deceitfull meanes whereby they attained to that preheminence were flatterie lies and fâ—…lse accusations of good men They flattered the Emperours Phocas and Basilius They falsified the actes of the Councell of Nice for excessiue desire to bee counted judges of appellations They accused the bishops of Rauenna moste falsely of the Heâ—…esie of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And not content with superioritie ouer their brethren they aimed continually at the honour due to Christ that is to bee law-giuers in the Church of God This was a matter of greater difficultie to bee brought to passe for albeit a man may climbe vp vnto the toppe of the highest mountaine in the worlde yet can hee not reach his hand aboue the Sunne and Moone and the glistering lightes of the firmament Euen so when all the Bishops in the worlde are casten vnder the feete of the Bishops of ROME howe dare they presume with sacrilegious boldenesse to make themselues companions to CHRIST and to bee Lawe-giuers in the Church By deceiueable meanes also this vnrighteousnesse behooued to bee brought to passe for a false opinion was setled in the heartes of the people That in matters of Faith the Bishop of ROME coulde not erre So ignorant people bewitched with vaine hopes without all due examination receiued all their ordinances howe repugnant soeuer they were to the ordinances of CHRIST The last cause wherefore the ANTICHRIST shall preuaile so mightilie is the power of the wrath of GOD justlie punishing the contempt of His trueth in the worlde The contempt of mercie deserueth punishment and the contempt of great mercie deserueth great punishment Nowe it is certaine that amongst all the rich treasures of the mercie of GOD CHRIST is the greatest with whome and for whose sake all other thinges are giuen as the Apostle PAVL speaketh in the eight Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes and the thirtie and two verse And seeing CHRIST is manifested to the worlde by the preaching of the Gospell the contempt thereof is an vtter rejecting of CHRIST And what wonder is it that GOD suffer them to bee deluded with errours who will not belecue the trueth of His worde The strong delusions or efficacie of errour as the GREEKS worde soundeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rather to bee referred to the ostentation of signes and wonders than to the power of the doctrine that shall bee vnder the ANTICHRIST for it is saide In the Gospell according to Sainct MATTHEW in the twentle and fourth Chapter and the twentie and fourth verse thereof There shall arise false christes and false prophets and shall shewe great signes and wonders so that if it
person which indignitie done vnto him hee tooke it so grieuouslie that hee bounde himselfe by an oath That hee shoulde neuer see the Towne of ROME nor returne againe to his Bishopricke for hee was Episcopus PORTVENSIS But Pope MARTINVS absolued him from his oath and repossessed him into his Bishopricke againe and in ende hee was made Pope as saide is Neuerthelesse the faction of his competitor SERGIVS ceassed not to vexe and molest FORMOSVS so that hee sent secrete aduertisement vnto ARNVLPHVS the Nephewe of Carolus Crassus to come to ROME who came with an Armie and was crowned Emperour by Formosus as hath beene alreadie declared To Formosus succeeded Bonifacius the sixt who concluded his course after he had continued twentie and sixe dayes After Bonifacius the sixt succeeded Stephanus the sixt and ruled one yeere and three monethes Hee not onely annulled all the Decrees of his Predecessor Formosus but also caused his dead bodie to bee taken out of his graue and cutte off his three fingers wherewith hee was wont to consecrate persons admitted to spirituall offices and threwe them into Tyber and caused all them who had receiued ordination by Formosus to receiue newe ordination This fact of Stephanus the sixt is so full of vncouth and vnnaturall inhumanitie that Onuphrius denieth that any such thing was done whose impudencie Morneus discouereth by the testimonie of Luitprandus who liued at that same time and was a Deacon of the Church of Ticinum and maketh mention of this vile fact not without horrour and detestation thereof Baronius is not so impudent as Onuphrius and will not denie the fact but extenuateth the atrocitie and vilenesse thereof for hee saieth Non fuit error in side sed violenta tyrannis in facto that is to saye It was no errour in the faith but a violent tyrannie in the fact And like wise hee annulled the inauguration of the EMPEROVR ARNVLPHVS and annointed ALBERT or Lambert Marques of Tuscia who followed the Popes course to bee Emperour Nowe is the Popedome encreased to the measure of a full strength when they dare authorise and disauthorise place and displace Emperoures at their owne pleasure So that there remaineth nothing but to enter into grippes with the Emperour to throwe him downe to the grounde and to treade vpon the excellent honour of his Soueraignitie which in the next CENTVRIE will follow To Stephanus succeded Romanus and continued onely three monethes Hee abrogated the Decrees of Stephanus his predecessour Theodorus the successour of Romanus continued in his Popedome twentie dayes onely In this short time hee allowed the Decrees of Formosus Patriarches of Constantinople PAtriarches of Constantinople in this Centurie were changed according to the disposition of Emperoures fauouring or disliking the worshipping of Images Nicephorus was a defender of adoration of Images and was banished by the Emperour Leo. Theodotus againe Antonius and Syngelus who had beene Schoole-masters to the Emperour Theophilus were haters of Images But after the death of Theophilus Theodora his Wife aduaunced Methodius a superstitious man and an obstinate defender of adoration of Images and intercession of Sainctes Concerning Ignatius and Photius and the great troubles that arose about placing and displacing of them occasion will bee offered to speake of these thinges in the head of Councels Of other Pastors and Doctors IN this corrupt and backe-sliding age wherein the Romane Antichrist had so great vpper-hande the head of Councels will compell mee to make mention of the names of a number of Learned men At this time the name of Claudius Taurinensis putteth a great number of the rest out of my remembrance because hee was a faithfull witnesse vnto the trueth of God in a difficill time Hee was a man borne in Spaine and vnder the reigne of Ludouicus Pius hee was made Bishop of Thurin in P◅emont At his first entrie to his Bishopricke hee threwe the Images out of his Church affirming that the Sainctes who in their lifetime were not content to bee worshipped much lesse coulde they bee content to haue their pictures worshipped after their death In speciall hee condemned the worshipping of the Crosse. affirming that if it shoulde bee worshipped because Iesus died vpon it then the Shippe in the which Christ sailed the Asle whereupon Christ did ride into Hierusalem and infinite other thinges which Christ touched by the like reason behoued also to bee worshipped Concerning the Bishop of Rome he said that hee was not to bee counted an Apostolicke Bishop who sate in the Apostolicke Chaire but hee who fulfilled an Apostolicke office Hincmarus bishop of Rhemes liued vnder Carolus Magnus and continued in office almost vntill the reigne of the Em. Arnulph He had great strife with his nephew Hincmarus b. of Laudunum who refused to be vnder his Diosie and appealed from him vnto the b. of Rome Likewise in the cause of Rhotardus b. of Soission whom Hincmarus deposed and remoued from his office Nicolaus the first b. of Rome absolued him Hadrian 2. gaue him commandement to excommunicate C. Caluus k. of Fraunce his soueraigne lord but hee refused to performe such an vnlawfull commandement and writ vnto the Pope to be circumspect and not precipitate rashly his sentences of excommunication The question wherunto Hadr. 2. was so serious was about diuision of lāds betwixt C. Caluus his brother Lotharius C. Caluus denied that hee did vnjustly inuade any of his brothers landes but landes duely belonging vnto himselfe by paction and couenant And the Nobles of the countrey saide that it was a strange and an vnaccustomed thing that the Pope would take vpon him to be judge in a controuersie concerning the Titles and Rights of Kingdomes because hee coulde not bee both a Bishop and a King CHAP. III. Of Heretiques THEY who of olde were accustomed to condemne Heresies nowe they are become the chiefe Patrones and maintainers of adoration of Images a notable heresie whose pusillanimitie argueth the weaknesse of their cause for vnder the reigne of Ludouicus Pius Claudius Taurinensis wrote bookes against the adoration of Images and the Emperour by a publicke edict commanded them who were disposed to answere to his bookes to answere whilest Claudius was aliue But Ionas bishop of Orleans concealed and obscured his bookes during Claudius lifetime But after his death with impotencie of railing wordes rather than with power of solide arguments he endeuoureth to refute Claudius Taurinensis But I entrait the judicious Reader without partialitie to reade the bookes of Ionas bishop of Orliens the very stinking breath of the adversary of the trueth shall giue great allowance to the trueth of God Godescalcus a man of the Lowe Countreyes is reckoned in the number of Heretiques of this age about the yeere of our Lord 849. because hee spake of Predestination perilously to wit that these who were predestinated to life by the decree of Gods predestination were forced to doe well and those who were predestinated to
yeere of Tiberius The Senat of Rome refuseth to acknowledge the diuinitie of Christ. Pilat killeth himselfe Caius would be counted a god The Iewes abhorred the vpsetting of the image of Caius in their Temple The petition of Agrippa The bloodie letter of Caius written to Petronius his Deputie The hypocrisie of Agrippa Contention betweene the Iewes and Grecians who dwelt at Alexandria New Iupiter in worse case then old Iupiter The famine foretold by Agabus The Council of Jerusalem ANNO 48. Romaine deputies The ten persecuting Emperours wrestled against God The first persecution ANNO Chr. 65 The martyrdome of Peter Paul Romain Deputies Contention betweene Agrippa and the Iewes The martyrdom of Iames surnamed Iustus The ground of the warre betweene the Iewes and the Romanes Foreranning tâ—…kens of the destruction of Ierusalem The destruction of Ierusalem ANNO Chr. 71. The flood of Noe the ouerthrow of Sodome and destruction of Ierusalem types of the great iudgement to come The second persecution AN. Chr. 96. The banishment of the Apostle John Domitian afraide by rumors of the Kingdome of Christ. Apostles Euangelists The true successours of the Apostles Bishops of Rome Linus Ignatius Papias Heretiques Simon Magus Menander Ebion Cerinthus Nicolaitansâ—… A Treatise of antiquitie Antiquitie of veritie Antiquitie of errour Antiquitie of custome Where veritie is to be â—…ound The power of the veritie The reue rence that should be câ—…ried to the veritie The more the veritie is despised in the world the more ardently it should be loued Antiquitie is no honoar to errour Errour in religion an execrable thing Errour repugneth to itselfe Both ancient and late errours magnifie creatures With the diminution of the glory of the Creator The trueth is not to be judged by outward appearance Antiquitie of custome differeth from antiquitie of commandement How ancient truth may be discerned from ancient lies Foure counterfaite masks of antiquitie in Poperie Wicked men reade holy Scripture of intention to gainesay the trueth of God †Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Confident speaking without a sure ground is not to be regarded What the word heresie doth signifie The grounâ—… of heresie Similitudeâ—… Pride accompanying ignorance The propagation of herâ—…sie Heresie strengthened by the arme of manalanerly The curse of God vpon Heretiques heresies and places of their meetings How Heretiques should be dealt with by the Pastours HAV the magistrate should deale with Heretiques Similitude How the people should deale with Heretiques The word foundation taken properly 〈◊〉 oâ—…ly to Christ. Take heede to the demonstrations of God and beware of Satans demonstrations The similttude of a stone frequently vsedin Scripture The seconâ—… comfort An wholsom admonition In what sense the doctrine of the Prophets c. is called the foundation â—…imilitude Faith is called afoundation The offices of Christ declare that he is a true foundation Christ is a liuing fâ—…undation Similitude The contempt of men cannot impaire the glory of Christ. Similitude We drawe nere to Christ by faith Of Emporours The thirde persecution ANNO Chr. 108 The martyrdome of Simon the son of Cleopas The letter of Plinie 2. written to Traian Gregorieâ—… prayed for the soule of Traian Barcochebas a false prophet seduced the nation of the lewes Adrianus his intention to builde a Church for the honour of Christ. The fourth persecution ANN. Ch. 168. The martyrdome of Polycarpus and Iustinus Slanderous speeches against Christians The Romain armie supported by the prayers of the Christians Contrarie lâ—…wes Bishops of Rome Martyre Mâ—…tyre Maâ—…tyre Martyre The rashnes of Victor Of other Doctours and Preachâ—… Agrippas Castor Hegesippus Melito Iustinus Martyr Polycarpus Ireneus Clemens Alexandrinus Of Heretiques Gnostici Valentinuâ—… Marcus Cerdon Marcion Tatianus Encratitae Montanus Cataphryges Aquila and Theodosion rathâ—…r Apostatstben Heretiques Sacred scripture cannot be sufficiently commended Similitude It is perillous to separat the booke of the worde from the booke of the workes Similitude The spirit the word are not to be separated The Word of God is to bee found in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles The Prophets and Apostlâ—…s added nothing to Moses Similitude Three inturies done to the Written Word by reueiencing of traditions False accusations of holy Scripture Vnsufficiencie Difficultie Perill Things necessarte are to be kept al-beit they be abused Similitude Why Heretiques doe hate the Scripture Similitude The care of Christians of olde to keepe the scripture from burning A remarkable speech of an old honorable Lady Scriptures belong to the sheepe of Christ as their proper treasure Reformation of religion made according to the Written word The cause wherfore the Apostles put in write the summe of their doctrin Be not deceiued with the generalitie of the word tradition Similitude The true meaning of the words of Paul 2. Thess. 2. 15. Constancie differeth froÌ„ wilfulnesse The testimome of Ireneus abused Papists will not binde themselues in all points to old traditions The value of tradition in the fâ—… age In the Second age In the last age The word therefore to be considered 2. Thess. 2. ver 15. Christ doth great honour to the Scriptures Defection in the visible Chuâ—…ch no new thing Differences betweene the ancient fathers and Papists of our time con cerningmeats and mariage The Council of Ancyra Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria a maried man The Council of Gangra The probibition of meats and mariage is an apostasie from the faub. Our seruice to God should be a reasonable seruice The Popish church speak lies in hypocrisie rather then old Heretiques What is meant by a consâ—…ence seared with an hote yron Forbidding and biddâ—…ng wordes of authoritie We ought to hearken vnto the voyce that commeth downe from heauen Similitude Great arrogancie in prohibition of meates Arrogancie mixed with foolishnesse Similitude Similitude The last age of the worlde more senslesse then the first Similitude Both blasphemie and hypocrisie in the matter of mariage and meats is condemned by the Apostle The Papistes more subtle â—…en the Manicheis were The grace of thanksgiuing witnesseth that we enjoy both the gift and the giuer We ougâ—…t 〈◊〉 be ruled by Gods word iâ—… all things both corporat spirisuali The conscience is subject to the yocke of God The cause wherefore the succession of Romam Bishops was magnified of old The succession of Dauid The succession of Aaron The succession of the Prophets The succession of the Apostles The alledged succession of the Romaine Church spotted with heresie schisme and idolatry The heresie of the Collyridians renued increased by the chaire of Rome Eugenius 4. B. of Rome a notable schismatick The chaire of Rome defiled with idolatrie Lkeerrours haue like grounds The Romain church like to the successours of Aaron What inconuenients follow if the promise made to the Aposâ—…les successors be absolute The Apostles had calling gâ—…es prerogatiues extraordinarie The fist persecution ANN. Ch. 205. Leonides the father of Origen Alexander fellow laboureâ—… with Naâ—…cislus Rhais a mar tyre hrunt before she