it is more easy for an Archbishop of Canterbury or any other in the Realme to make ill use of his supreme spirituall jurisdiction in England then it is for the Pope at so great a distance and with so little acquaintance Experience doth demonstrate that the Popes spirituall jurisdiction over all Christendome is not so dangerous as Protestant Lawes and petty Preachers doe pretend Histories doe testify that Popes have restored twenty Kings for one that they are said to depose neither did they ever pretend to depose any King untill his owne Subjects were weary of his tyrannicall government or all the world scandalized at his wicked heresies and in those very cases the Popes never tooke the Kingdome to themselves an evident argument that Religion not interest moved them to take so rigourous wayes whether warrantable or not let others dispute I cannot Yet this much I can assure Protestant Princes that Popes have exhorted their Subjects to obedience and patience when they were most persecuted In case any of his Ministers should be misinformed indiscrete or exceed his commission that fault cannot be attributed to his Master nor to the Religion of Catholick Subjects but rather to the ignorance of Catholick Tenets and of Canonicall Doctrine which commands Subjects to obey though their Soveraignes be not of their owne Religion 3 Kings and Princes by denying obedience to the Pope teach their Subjects to rebell against themselves and doe dispense with oath of alleageance The ground of fidelity and obedience due to hereditary Soveraignes is a constant tradition that he who actually resignes is lawfull successour to one whose right and jurisdiction was undoubtedly acknowledged and indeed there cannot be a more rationall and secure ground of obedience then tradition and a continuall succession of lawfull witnesses from one age to another Writings may be counterfeited Tradition cannot because its impossible to stop so many mouthes as deliver it to posterity or to contradict the testimony of whole Provinces and Nations This is the reason why Hereticks cannot gainesay the tradition of the Popes supremacy though they deny the supremacy it selfe and the truth of that Doctrine yet they are not so madly impudent as to deny what is evident to all Christendome to wit that there was a constant tradition when Luther revolted from the Church that the Bishop of Rome is Christs Vicar upon earth They onely pretend that this tradition is not a sufficient ground to oblige men to believe what it delivered or to acknowledge the Popes supremacy If it be not how can the tradition of one onely Nation be a sufficient ground to oblige Subjects to believe that their Soveraigne is lawfull King of France or Spaine or that they are bound in conscience to obey him There is not any King or Prince in Europe that hath so universall and constant a tradition for his temporall soveraignty as the Bishop of Rome hath to be Saint Peters lawfull successour and of Saint Peters being head of the Church under Christ by divine institution Pasce oves meas Feed my sheepe Joan. 21. and many other texts of Scripture have never beene otherwise understood in the Church by any but by declared Hereticks whose contradicting the tradition and ancient sense of Gods Word can as little prejudice the Popes right and supremacy as a declared Rebell can prejudice his Soveraigns right by calling in question his discent or royall authority When Saint Peters chaire is shaken by Protestant Princes their owne thrones must fall because it is not onely the fundation of the Catholick Church but the support of Christian Monarchy 4 Here I cannot omit to advertise my Reader what poore shifts some of the most learned Protestants are brought to they renew that so often and solidly refuted errour of making the Pope Patriarch onely of the West by misapplying the words of the Nicen Councell Baron an 325. Sirmondus Guther Card. Perron my râ—sp ad Object Reg. Brit. lib. 1 c. 32. 33. and concealing the true translation of the Canon as every man may see in the Authors cited in the margen The title of Patriarch of the West doth no more exclude the Popes supreme dignity of head of the Church under Christ then the title of Earle of Flanders doth exclude that of King of Spaine If the Bishops of Rome were not universall Patriarchs but Patriarchs onely of the West why did Saint Victor Pope in the second age of Christianity excommunicate all the Churches of Asia Euseb 5. hist 24. cap. 25. Spond 198. upon the difference of celebrating Easter for not accommodating themselves to the Roman Sea And though Saint Iretaeus did not approve of so great severity yet neither he nor any other called in question his authority They are also pleased to make the Pope Speaker in the generall Councells but not President they allowe him the place of first Bishop and call him exordium unitatis with Saint Cyprian but by no meanes will they grant him the title of infallible and supreme Pastor These are but weake and pittifull shifts whereunto Protestants are driven by the evidence of Councells Fathers Tradition and Catholick arguments contrary to the Tenets and Doctrine of their brethren of the late Church of England If the Pope be exordium unitatis he must be infallible in deciding the controversy proposed otherwise he will be exordium divisionis because no learned persons will submit their judgements in matters of Faith to a Judge that may be mistaken they will be as farre from his sentence and thoughts as from any other and the unity of Faith whereof Saint Cyprian speakes consists more in an unity of thoughts of judgements then of speech or exteriour acquiescence Such a dumb unity of Faith hath its beginning from Policy not Religion 5 They excuse themselves from the guilt and crime of Schisme as ridiculously as they impugne the Popes supremacy They accuse us Catholicks for the fault themselves committed because forsooth they left not our communion untill we thrust them out of doores It may be as well said that the Judge and not the thiefe is the malefactour because the Judge pronounced sentence against the thiefe The Roman Catholick Church had no more part in the Schisme of England then to declare Henry the VIII and Queene Elizabeth Schismaticks and Hereticks They committed the crime and the Pope pronounced the sentence Therefore the Roman Church or Court is guilty of Schisme is an excellent Protestant consequence But such fopperies we must expect from obstinate Hereticks that with a perverse will oppose no lesse their owne understandings then Catholick verities The Pope say they imposed new articles of Faith upon their tender consciences he made a new Creed and declared it was necessary to believe the same Therefore he was cause of the Schisme The same argument that the Arrians made against the Councell of Nice and Saint Athanasius his Creed doe these Hereticks now object against the Councell of Trent and Pope
Pius V. his profession of Faith Declarations against new heresies are no new Creeds they are but explanations of the old not new articles of Faith One article of Faith may be divided into many branches how many doth Saint Athanasius set downe in his Symbol of the Trinity and Incarnation The Catholick Church did alwayes practise this way when it was necessary to confute heresies If it was lawfull for the Church of the fourth age to command all Christians to professe and believe the Symbol of Saint Athanasius which was but an explanation of particulars contained in the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation why cannot the Church now explaine more particularly the Apostles Creed and any part of Scripture impugned by Hereticks and command all Christians to believe the same All the pretended new articles are contained in the Apostles Creed implicitely as in that of the Communion of Saints Remission of sinnes Catholick Church c. or at least in some text of Scripture as Transubstantiation in Christs words This is my Body The petty Ministers of the English Nags-head Church presume to make a new Creed of 39. articles protesting against the ancient Faith of Christendome and they admire that the Vicar of Christ and a generall Councell should warne all Catholicks to beware of their heresies and to that end declare in a Symbol of Faith more particularly the received Doctrine of the Church of God Away with these shamefull shifts of Hereticks whose last excuse for their Schisme is that they who begunne it were Roman Catholicks So were Rebells once loyall Subjects and yet that doth not excuse themselves or their adherents from the guilt of rebellion With these hereticall devises are many poore idiots misled by ungodly and wicked Preachers who gaine their living and credit by the damnation of soules that Christ our Saviour purchased at so deare a rate 6 The last thing I proposed in the title of this Chapter was that its a greater foppery in Protestants then in Catholicks to deny the Popes infallibily in deciding controversies of Christian Religion That it is a foppery in both must be evident to all persons that will reflect upon the nature of Christian Faith and the Bookes of holy Scripture When men believe as Christians they must exclude all manner of doubts and feares of being mistaken from the act wherewith they believe they cannot defend themselves from a new heresy by onely protesting against it by word of mouth they must detest it with their heart and understanding and believe the quite contrary truth There was never Heretick so simple as to broach an errour upon his owne score he alwayes pretends Gods Word for its fundation and backs it with as many texts of Scripture as Catholicks oppose against his heresy This was the practise of Arrians Nestorians and all other ancient Hereticks which Protestants doe now adayes imitate If the true meaning of Scripture were as visible to us as it is infallible in it selfe no Heretick would make use of the words of holy Writ because his fancy or interpretation would be easily discerned from the sense which God intended at least by combining and comparing one text with another but experience demonstrates that notwithstanding all combinations of one place of Scripture with another the controversy remaines and cannot be decided by Scripture alone To imagine that all which cannot be decided by Scripture alone is superfluous and the beliefe thereof not necessary for salvation is to dispense with the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation seeing the Councell of Nice Soz. lib. 1. c. 16. Athan Apol. 2. and Saint Athanasius that great Champion of the Catholick Church confuted and condemned the Arrians not by Scripture alone but by tradition and adhearing not onely to the words but also to that sense of Scripture which that present Church had received from the former 7 Seeing therefore that controversies of Christian Religion must be decided by the sense as well as by the words of Scripture and that the said sense is more clearly delivered to us by tradition and the testimony of the Church then by the words themselves in controverted texts and that Hereticks may endeavour to confound their owne tradition with that of the true Catholick Church as the Quartadecimans did in the celebrating Easter and that they may invent new heresies never thought of in former ages supposing I say that all this is possible the remedy of these evills in the Church cannot be impossible and truly the remedy is impossible at least at all times to wit when generall Councells are not assembled if the Pope be not infallible in declaring what is heresy divine Faith and Catholick tradition Such few Catholicks as called in question the Popes infallibity excused their errour not onely with the infallibility but also with the morall possibility of a generall Councell whensoever a new heresy would be invented but they were grossely mistaken as experience doth demonstrate and a perpetuall generall Councell was never intended by God who commandeth the Bishops and Prelates to have a care of the particular Churches which he committed to their charge a thing not compatible with their continuall assistance in Constantinople Trent or any other one City where the Councell is assembled But Protestants hitherto have denyed even the English Church in the 21. of their 39. articles that generall Councells arc infallible and consequently must say that God commanded an impossibility bidding us beware of new heresies Act. 20. and not believe false Prophets when he left us no infallible Judge or Pastour to declare unto us what doctrine is heresy and who are the false Prophets No Catholick was ever so unreasonable as to defend such a foppery 8 And though of late some of our Nags-head Doctours contrary to the 21. article of their Creed and English Church acknowledge that generall Councells are infallible in deciding controversies of Faith and to their eternall shame and the infamy of their venerable Mother the Protestant Church of England are now forced to call the 39. Articles of their Religion by the name of onely probable opinions yet such a definition or description they give in their printed bookes of a generall Councell with so many odde conditions and so insuperable difficulties that onely mad men may hope to see such a Christian Assembly meete and much lesse agree in condemning any heresy or declaring what is Catholick Doctrine This new definition of a generall Councell is but a meere put of to gaine time that Nags-head errours may last as long as their Ministers but they are evidently convinced and condemned by the absurdity of their poore shift it s a greater foppery to admit of infallibility in an impossible Councell then to admit of a possible Councell without infallibility The first is an absolute Chimaera contrary to the evident light of naturall reason the second seemeth onely impossible to Christians that grant there is a Church of God upon earth and that be hath
Superintendent or Bishop of the English Church by election of the Congregation without consecration perhaps instead of imposition of hands they touched his head or shoulder with the Bible as Scory did to Parker and the rest at their meeting or Congregation in the Nags-head Taverne 4 And that the world may see how unnecessary they judged imposition of hands in Ordination it will not be amisse to set downe the 23. of their 39. Protestant articles of Religion composed by those very men that met at the Nags head It is not Lawfull for any man to take upon him the office of publike preaching 23. article of the English Religion or ministring the Sacraments in the Congregation before he be lawfully called and sent to execute the same And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent which be chosen and called to his worke by men who have publike authority given unto them in the Congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords vineyard Here is not a word of Ordination or consecration all is election and Congregation Church is not named because their meeting was not in a Church but in the Nags-head Taverne And that there may remaine no doubt of their intention and meaning to exclude all visible signes and ceremonies and consequently imposition of hands as superfluous in Ordination either of Bishops or Priests they explaine themselves in the 25. article or their Religion in these words Those five commonly called Sacraments Article 25. of the 39. composed and agreed upon by the English Protestant Church 1562. that is to say Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and Extreame unction are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Ghospel being such as have growne partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptisme and the Lords Supper for that they have not any visible signe or ceremony ordained of God If God hath not ordained any visible signe or ceremony for Ordination according to the beliefe of Parker and his Nags-head Congregation you may be sure they never troubled themselves with imposition of Episcopall hands and that a knock of the Bible upon their heads or shoulders served their turne especially being performed with so good a grace and so great gravity as Scory did in the Taverne when he made them Bishops by giving them authority to preach the Word of God sincearly This is the reason why they interpreted Saint Paules imposition of hands and the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See the Bible printed in London 1562. when the 39 articles were published by the Nags-head Clergy Ordination by election as it was in the profane Court or Athens whereas Saint Hierom and all the Fathers declare it to be Ordination by imposition of hands So would they also it Landaffe or any other Bishop had laid hands upon them 5 They corrupted Scripture in their translations not onely to make good their Nags-head Ordination but also to justify their keeping women though some of them were Priests and could not have wives proving by Saint Paules words that he had one himselfe Have not we power to lead about a woman a sister as also the rest of the Apostles 1. Cor. 9. They translate Have not we power to lead about a wife it being evident by the circumstances and the interpretation of all the Fathers that wife was not meant in that place by the Apostle more then 1. Cor. 7. v. 1. It is good for a man not to touch a woman where they also translate woman and not wife the Greeke originall using the same word in both places And to make us Catholicks Idolaters these very Nags-head Ministers in the same yeare 1562. corrupt the Scripture 2. Cor. 6. How agreeth the Temple of God with Idols they translated and printed in their English Bible How agreeth the Temple of God with Images The same sincerity they practise in 1. Cor. 5. If any that is called a brother be a fornicator or coveteous or a server of Idols they print 1562. or a worshipper of Images But part of their wickednesse hath since beene corrected by their Protestant Brethren in later edition being ashamed of so manifest knavery And yet we must not thinke forsooth that persons who wilfully corrupted Scripture would forge records to maintaine their Nags-head Consecration 6 It were too tedious a businesse to specifie all their false and absurd translations by which they brought the Word of God to be ridiculous amongst themselves Priest in their language is Elder Church Synagogue Holy Ghost holy wind soule Carcasse Christ anointed Lord Baal Eucharist Thanksgiving Baptisme Washing Hell grave Devill Slanderer Beelzebub Lord of a flye Angells Messengers So that an exhortation to devotion in the Protestant Scripture language will move men more to laughter then to piety whereas in the Catholick Translation and phrase it moves to compunction Suppose a Catholick Priest should exhort the people thus I who am your Priest placed in the Church by the holy Ghost for the feeding of your soules doe denounce unto you in the name of Christ our Lord that unlesse ye come to the holy Eucharist with more devotion and performe better your promises made to God in Baptisme ye shall be condemned body and soule to hell and your portion shall be with the Devills I say with Beclzebub Doctor Reynolds reprehensions of Whitaker and his Angells This exhortation in the Protestant language of Scripture goes very absurdly Let us suppose therefore that a yong spruce Ptotestant Minister should step up to the pulpit and repeate the Priests exhortation in his owne phrase thus I that am your Elder placed in this Synagogue by â—he holy wind for the feeding of your carcasses doe denounce unto you in the name of the anointed our Baal that unlesse ye come to the holy thanksgiving with more devotion and performe better your promises made to God in washing ye shall be condemned body and carcasse to the grave and your portion shall be with the Slanderers I say with the Lord of a flye and his Messengers 7 These wicked men did not onely corrupt the Scripture but also the Councells and Fathers as you may see objected to them in their owne life time and evidently demonstrated by Doctor Harding in his Detection of sundry foule errours against Master Iewell and Doctor Stapletons Counterblast against Horne It is a very certaine story that one of Iewells Chaplins was converted to the Catholick Faith by overseeing the print of his bookes and putting him in minde of a notorious mistake which Iewell laught at and would not have it corrected saying that amongst a thousand Readers not one would trouble himselfe with examining the text of Saint Augustin which he had corrupted An ancient and learned man yet living hath informed me of the manner of this Master Iewells death which he had from one that was present Being preaching false doctrine