came I will it not deny that the West and Occidentall Churches did so greatly reuerence the Church of Rome and many times to appease controuersies and dissentions had recourse to it as to the Mother Churche and auncient Nurse of the Faith But for all this they neuer ascribed this prerogatiue to the Bishoppe of Rome that hee could not erre neyther euer did they acknowledge him to be the sole and onely iudge in questions and controuersies of religion This to bee so one onely testimonie will suffice For S. Cyprian an auncient Father a very learned Bishoppe and blessed Martyr although hee greatly honoured the Church of Rome and the Bishoppes therof for respectes aboue mentioned yet was he so farre from acknowledging the supposed prerogatiue of the Bishoppe of Rome that his faith could not faile or that hee was the sole and only iudge in questions and controuersies of religion that hee flatly reiected his opinion contemned his definitiue sentence and derided his iudiciall decree calling him blinde bussarde and arrogant Prelate The controuersie was this whether they which were baptized of Heretiques ought to bee rebaptized or not The mater and Saint Cyprians words are set downe at large in my Booke of Motiues And the matter it selfe is partly already proued in the Chapters afore going and shall bee more fully confirmed in the Chapters following CAP. V. Shewing that Prouinciall Councels may erre THAT Prouinciall Councels may erre euen in matters of Faith it is so cleare and manifest that famous and verie learned Papistes affirme the same to witte Adrianus who was sometime Pope himselfe Iohannes-Gerson sometime Chauncellor of Paris Almainus and Alphonsus both of them renowmed Papistes For they all hold as the Iesuite Bellarmine graunteth that the infallibility of iudgement touching matters of faith resteth solely in the church and generall Councels this assertion being confessed by great learned Papistes were enough to satisfie the indifferent Reader if more could not be said Saint Cyprian assembled in councell togither with fourescore learned bishops defined against the truth that such as were baptized of Heretiques ought to be baptized againe This decree is extant in the first tome of Councels and is this day reputed for a grosse errour throughout the christian worlde The Prouinciall Councell holden at Iconium decreed with Saint Cyprian and his fellow Bishops that rebaptization was lawfully ministred to those that were baptized of Heretiques The Councell of Sardis erred grossely condemning two Catholike Bishops Iulius the Bishop of Rome and Athanasius the Bishop of Alexandria The third Councell of Carthage decreed the Apocryphall bookes of Tobias Iudith Baruch Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees to be Canonicall But the Councell of Laodicea which was confirmed in the sixt generall Councell condemned that decree long before it was made and denied the said bookes to be Canonicall The Councell of Varmes decreed that secret theft should be knowne and tried by the deliuerie and receyuing of the holy Eucharist Which is a notorious error and a wicked decree as the great papist Aquinas witnesseth in his Theologicall summe The Councell of Rome celebrated by Pope Stephanus disanulled all orders giuen by Pope Formosus and the Councell of Rauennas called by Pope Iohn disanulled the Actes of the Councell vnder Pope Stephanus In fine a Councell holden at Rome vnder Pope Nicholas decreed and enforced Berengarius to confesse the same that the true body of Christ was broken with the Priests hands and consumed with the teeth of the faithfull And yet is this a notorious error manifest to all the worlde Wherefore the Popish Glosse to saue the credite of the decree of the Pope and Councell if it would bee addeth these wordes for explication sake Nisi sanè intelligas verba Berengarii in maiorem incideshaeresim quam ipse habuit ideo omnia referas ad species ipsas Nam de Christi corpore partes non facimus Vnlesse thou vnderstande soundly the wordes of Berengarius thou wilt fall into a greater heresie then hee had and therefore thou must referre all things to the formes For of Christ bodie no partes are made Loe the Popish glosse saith plainly which is the truth in deed that Christ bodie cannot bee broken or diuided into partes And for all that the Pope with his popish Councell enforced Berengarius to beleeue the contrarie and to cōfesse the same The Apostles words are these Christ being raysed from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him But certes if the true bodie of Christ Iesus be broken in deede and torne in peeces with mans teeth then doubtlesse must it bee corrupted and Christ himselfe must die againe This veritie doth so gall the Papists that the Iesuite Bellarmine who is the mouth of all the Papists is inforced will he nill he to confesse the truth vnawares These are his owne wordes which I wish the Reader to marke attentiuely Certum est semper fuit Christi corpus incorruptibile nunc existens non posse frangi teri nisi in signo siue sacramento ita vt dicatur frangi ac teri cum signum eius id est species panis frangitur teritur Sequitur verum Christi corpus ibi praesens existens frangitur teritur non tamen inse sedin signo It is and euer was certaine and without doubt that Christs bodie now being incorruptible cannot bee broken and torne but in the signe or Sacrament So that it may be said to be broken and torne when the signe thereof that is to say the forme of bread is broken and torne The true bodie of Christ there present is broken and torne yet not in the bodie it selfe but in the signe thereof Thus writeth our Iesuite most Christanly but vnawares agaynst himselfe if his words be well obserued I therefore note first that by Bellarmines owne confession Christs bodie is now immortall and incorruptible I note secondly that Christs bodie can not now bee broken in deed but onely in the signe or Sacrament thereof I note thirdly that Christes bodie is truly said to be broken as our Iesuite affirmeth because the signe of his bodie is truly broken Out of whose wordes and graunt this proposition is inferred of necessity to wit that Christ bodie is truly said to be present to the faithfull and to be truly eaten of them when the signe of Christes bodie is truly present and truly eaten of them Againe it must needs follow vpon the Iesuites grant and exposition of the Romish faith which is a wōder to bee heard that when Christ vttered these wordes to his Apostles this is my bodie his meaning and the true sense of the wordes was this This is my bodie that is to say this is the signe and Sacrament of my bodie The reason hereof is euident because Christes naturall and true body can no more be truely eaten then it can be truely broken And
Chapter hoping by Gods grace to vse such perspicuitie in handling this difficult question as shal bee to the contentment of all indifferent Readers CAP. VIII Shewing who is the right Iudge of the holy Scripture and word of God ALbeit the holy Scripture be the infallible rule of Faith and the true Touchstone by which all doctrines are bee examined and tryed as is already proued yet will controuersies neuer haue a peaceable end vnles some speciall iudges bee appointed to decide and determine the same For as the old Prouerbe saith So many heads so many wittes Out of one and the selfe same Scripture one man gathereth one sense an other man an other sense For the perspicuous vnderstanding wherof I put downe these Paragraffes The first Paragraffe The examination of doctrine is of two sortes the one is priuate the other is publike Priuate examination is that vpon which euery man doth build and stablish his owne faith For as the Prophet sayeth The iust man shall liue by his faith And as the great Popish Doctor Aquinas writeth the former obiect of our faith or that which wee formally belieue is God himselfe or that which God hath reuealed to vs and not that which man telleth vs. For sayeth hee faith doth not yeelde assent to any thing but because it is reuealed of God The publike examination of doctrine pertayneth to the common consent of the Church for the peaceable gouernance thereof For GOD is not the Author of confusion but of peace The Second Paragraffe As the examination of doctrine is of two sorts so are the examiners and the iudges of two sortes also that is to say publike and priuate The Publike iudges are all the Ministers of the Church by what name or title soeuer they bee called The priuate Iudges are all the faithfull seuerally by themselues in all matters pertayning to Faith and the saluation of their owne soules That all the faithfull are priuate Iudges it may be easily proued by many textes of holy writte First by this text of S. Iohn beleeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits if they bee of God Secondly by this text of S. Paule trie all thinges and keepe that which is good Thirdly by this text of the same Apostle the spirituall man iudgeth all thinges These texts the two famous Papistes Nicholaus de Lyra and Dionysius Carthusianns expounde of thinges pertayning to saluation which say they all the faithfull are able to trie And which is to bee wondred at the Iesuite Bellarmine vnawares confesseth the same These are his expresse wordes Duo vel tres congregati in nomine Christi obtinent semper quod petunt a Deo nimirum sapientiam lumen quod sufficit eis ad cognoscenda ea quae ipsis necessaria sunt Sequitur itaque siue pauci siue multi siue priuati siue Episcopi congregentur in nomine Christi omnes habent Christum praesentem adiuuantem obtinent quod eis conuenit obtinere Two or three gathered together in the name of Christ do at all times obtaine that of God which they desire at his handes to witte Wisedome and vnderstanding which is sufficient for them to know those thinges which are necessarie for them Therefore whether fewe or many whether Priuate persons or Bishoppes bee gathered in the name of Christ they all haue Christes presence they all haue Christes helpe they all obtayne that which is meete and conuenient for them Thus sayeth our Iesuite And doubtlesse it is meete for euery one to know all thinges necessary for his saluation it can not be denied Out of these wordes I note first that whosoeuer are gathered together in Christes name they all obtayne of GOD so much vnderstanding and knowledge as is necessarie for Saluation I note secondly that God is as well present in the assemblie of priuate men as in the Synode of Bishoppes I note thirdly that God helpeth priuate men and is present with them at all times euen as hee is with Bishops Whereupon I must needes inferre that the thinges concluded by secular persons in their assemblies for matters pertayning to their soules health doe no lesse proceed from GOD then doe the Decrees of Bishoppes And consequently the Iesuite will hee nill hee must perforce confesse that priuate secular and meere Lay-men can and may iudge in matters of Religion in matters of Faith in matters concerning their own soules health And all this is nothing else in deed but euen that which Christ himselfe hath plainly taught vs. Where two or three sayth Christ are gathered togither in my name there am I'in the midst of them I proue the same doctrine because Christs sheepe as Christ the great sheepheard telleth vs know his voyce and follow him but will not follow a straunger This place doubtlesse doth conuince For if the sheepe know the voice of the sheepheard as Christ saith they do then must the sheepe perforce iudge of the voice of the sheepheard For otherwise it will follow that a man cannot discerne that which hee knoweth Melchior Canus faith plainly that the holy Ghost teacheth euery one all things necessarie to saluation This veritie is confirmed by an other testimonie of our Lord Iesus if any man sayth he will do his will the will of God hee shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe Loe the knowledge of Gods word proceedeth from the doing of his will But the doing of Gods will pertaineth to all both great and small as well to priuate lay-men as to ecclesiastical persons though they be the Bishops of Rome And for this cause sayth the great Papist Panormitan his words you may reade in the sixt chapter of this discourse that the iudgement of a meere lay-man must be preferred before the iudgement of the Pope if that priuate lay-man haue better reasons gathered out of the old and new Testament then are the reasons of the Pope See the aunswere to the Obiection in the fourth Paragraffe and note it will To conclude holy Writ telleth vs that the Bereans did search the Scriptures to see if they were according to Saint Paules doctrine And let this suffice for the iudgement of priuat persons and meerlay-men Now that all ministers Archbishops Bishops and other pastors of the Church may iudge of the sense of the holy Scripture it is a thing so cleare and manifest as little or nothing need be said thereof For Saint Paule saith that Bishops by which worde he vnderstandeth all the Ministers of the Church must haue great care that false doctrine be not taught This the Papists freely graunt of Bishops denying the same in other inferior ministers of the Church But I will proue the assertion to be verified of all ministers in generall First because Saint Paul committeth the gouernment of the church to al the ministers in differently calling them Bishops that is ouerseers of the
who affirmed Christ to haue but one onely nature after the vnion hypostaticall albeit hee graunted him to haue had two natures before the sayde ineffable coniunction This to be so most renowmed Historiographers and Chronographers will testifie with me I say secondly at such times and in such places as they might safely and lawfully come togither because in these latter dayes neither can a plenarie and generall Councell meete togither with securitie neither will the late tyrannizing Bishops of Rome permit that freedome to be their vsed which hath beene graunted in former times Hereof none can stand in doubt that will seriously peruse my booke of Motiues The great pillar of Christs Church Saint Augustine confirmeth this whole discourse in these golden wordes Putemus illos Episcopos qui Romae iudicarunt non bonos iudices fuisse restabat adhuc plenarium Ecclesiae vuiuersale Concilium vbi etiam cum ipsis iudicibus causa possit agitari vt si malè iudicasse conuicti essent eorum sententiae soluerentur Let vs imagine that those Bishoppes which gaue sentence at Rome were not good Iudges there yet remained a plenarie vniuerfall Councell of the Church where both the cause might be examined and the Iudges also that there sentences might be disanulled if they were found to haue giuen euill iudgement The same Saint Austen sayeth againe in an other place that great Doctors of the Church thought diuersly of rebaptization and that without all preiudice of fayth vntill the question was decided in a plenarie generall Councell Loe a free and godly generall Councell was in Saint Austines time the ende of all controuersies in religion But now there remayneth a great and most important question to wit what remedie must bee sought to appease controuersies when a free godly and lawfull generall Councell can not bee had To which question aunswere shall bee made in the Paragraph next following The fourth Paragraph I haue proued at large in my booke of Motiues that the decrees of generall Councels in these latter dayes are nothing else but a meere mockerie and sophisticall subtiltie to deceyue and delude the Worlde To which booke I referre the reader that shall expect a larger discourse in this behalfe I say now for the present that seeing generall Councels cannot be gathered togither in such maner and with such freedome as they haue beene in former times of antiquity and seeing withall that some iudges must be designed of meere necessity to appease end and decide doubts difficulties and controuersies in religion least the Church should be vexed turmoiled and swallowed vp with schismes heresies and variety of opinions euerie Emperour and Empresse euery King and Queen and euery other ciuill Magistrate independent by what title or name soeuer he be called must before all things haue a vigilant Christian and religious care to settle establish and plant within their kingdomes Realmes Precinctes common weales territories and dominions where they haue the chiefe and independent soueraignty immediately vnder God the pure and sincere religion of Iesus Christ and to abandon extirpate and vtterly abolish all schismes heresies errors and superstitions whatsoeuer This hath euer beene the religious care of all godly and zealous Princes aswell before Christ in time of the olde testament as since Christ in time of the new testament Holy Moses tooke the molten Calfe which Aaron the High Priest to please the people had made burnt it in the fire bet it to powder strowed it in the water and made the people to drinke thereof He reproued Aaron for his offence who calling him Lord laboured with humble obeysance to excuse himselfe Iosue commanded the Priestes and Leuits to do all their ecclesiasticall functions to beare the Arke to carry trumpets to circumcise to set vp Altars to offer sacrifice and to reade the booke of the law to all the people yea the same Iosue was appointed to go out and in before the people and to leade them out and in least the congregation of the Lord should be as sheepe without a Pastor King David ordered disposed and reformed the Priestes and Leuits in their offices and functions ecclesiasticall He appointed how the Arke shoulde be borne hee ordained Psalmes Singers Instrumentes Officers and all other things for the setting forth of Gods true religion and seruice King Salomon appointed the Priestes to bring the Arke into the temple hee instituted the dedication of the temple hee offered sacrifice hee directed the Priestes Leuites and other Church officers as his father had done afore him He deposed Abiathar the hie Priest and placed Sadocke in his roome King Iosaphat appointed in Ierusalem Priestes and Leuits and Princes of the Families of Israell that they might iudge the iudgement and cause of the Lord to the inhabitantes of the land And he vsed these expresse wordes vnto them Sic agetis in timore Domini fideliter corde perfecto Thus shal yee doe in the feare of the Lord faithfully with a perfect heart King Ezechias tooke away the hie places brake the images cut downe the Groues and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had set vppe He purged the Temple reformed the Priestes and commanded them to doe their duties in cleansing themselues and in offering their sacrifices Hee renued the Passeouer Hee appointed the courses of the Priestes and Leuites by their turnes both for the burnt offeringes and peace offeringes to minister and to praise God in the Temple He also commanded that sufficient maintenance should be giuen to the Priestes that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord and not bee intangled with prouision of worldly thinges And which is to bee noted he called the Priestes and Leuites his sonnes in regard of his royall power and estate in which respect hee was the Father of all his people for otherwise hee was but a Child and for yeares might haue had many of thē to haue bin his father King Iosias brake the Altars of Baalim destroied the Groues burnt the bones of the idolatrous Priestes vpon their altars and purged Iuda and Ierusalem from idolatrie This religious care had the noble Emperour Constantine the Great who as reporteth Eusebius thought nothing to pertaine more to his royall charge then to plant true religion throughout his realmes and dominions S. Austen proueth the facts and examples of the Kinges of the old Testament to haue beene figures of the new Testament and consequently that it is the duty of all kinges in this time of grace to haue speciall regard to the seruice and true worship of God to abandon all false worshippe idolatrie errors heresies and superstition and to plant the Gospell of Christ Iesus in all the partes of their realmes and dominions The same S. Austen in an other place among many golden sentences which I now omit in regard of breuitie hath these expresse words In hoc ergo reges
the wordes and this is the doctrine of that famous Papist whose workes two Popes Vrbanus and Innocentius haue confirmed plenitudine potestatis for authenticall Whatsoeuer therfore proceedeth from this fountaine the Papists must perforce receiue it as pure and wholsome water And for this end I haue imployed my labors to set down his wordes at large Out of these golden wordes and sound doctrine of this graue Writer a verie learned man in deed though elsewhere in sundrie points he sheweth mans imperfections I note first that a man may speake the truth and yet bee a lier to wit when hee thinketh that truth which he vttereth to be a lie I note secondly that a man may speake falsely and vtter an vntruth and yet be no lyer at all The reason of both the assertions is euident by the doctrine of this famous Papist whose doctrine herein is also the constant doctrine of Saint Austen as shortly shall be proued Because forsooth the formalitie of a lie doth precisely and properly consist in the intention of the speaker This point is yet more apparant by these wordes of the selfe same Writer Si vero aliquis formaliter falsum dicat habens voluntatem falsum dicendi licet sit verum id quod dicitur in quantum tamen buiusmodi actus est voluntarius moralis habet per se falsitatem per accidens veritatem Vnde ad speciem mendatii pertingit If a man shall vtter a falshoode formally being minded to speake falsly then although it be true which he sayth yet seeing such an action is voluntarie and morall it implyeth falshood per se and of it owne nature and truth but onely accidentally And so it reacheth to the nature of a lie This doctrine is confirmed by the testimonie of Saint Austen that worthie Father and mightie piller of Christes Church These are his words Non omnis qui falsum dicit mētitur si credit aut opinatur verū essequod dicit Quisquis autē hoc enuntiat quod vel creditū animo vel opinatū tenet etiamsi falsum sit nō mentitur Sequitur ex quo fit vt possit falsum dicere non mentiens si putat ita esse vt dicit quamuis non ita sit vt possit verum dicire mentiens si putet falsum esse pro vero enuntiat quamuis renera ita sit vt enuntiat Ex animi enim sententia non ex rerum ipsarum veritate vel falsitate mentiens aut non mentiens iudicandus est Potest itaque ille qui falsum pro vero enunciat quod tamen verum esse opinatur errans dici temerarius mentiens autem non recte dicitur quia cor duplex cumenunciat non habet nec fallere cupit sed fallitur Not euerie one that vttereth a falshood is a lier if he beleeue or thinke that to be true which he saith For whosoeuer saith that which he either beleeueth or thinketh in his heart although it be false yet doth he not lie Wherevpon it commeth that one may vtter a falshood and bee no lier if he thinketh it be as he sayth though it bee not so in deed And likewise that one may speake the truth and be a lier if he thinke it be false and vttereth it for a truth though in very deed it be as hee saith For one must be iudged a liar or not a liar of his owne mind and meaning not of the veritie or falsehoode of the things in themselues He therefore that affirmeth falshoode for truth which hee thinketh to bee the truth may truly bee saide to erre and to bee temerarious but hee can not rightly be called a lyar for that hee hath not a double heart when hee vttereth the falsehoode neither desireth to deceyue others but is deceyued himselfe I note thirdly that it is impossible for mee to haue giuen the lie to the reuerend worthie and godly learned man maister Doctor Sutcliffe as E. O. that shamelesse calumniator doeth most impudently affirme The reason is euident if the foundation which Saint Austen and Aquinas haue laide bee well remembred because forsooth I published my Suruey manie yeares before maister Doctor Sutcliffes newe chalenge whereof E. O. speaketh in his Detection And consequently I could not haue any intention as the world knoweth once to thinke of that future challenge which then was not in esse much lesse coulde I haue intention to giue the lie to that reuerende and woorthie man for anie thing conteyned in the same I note fourthly that the foule-mouthed swaggering Diuine E. O. is both materially and formally an impudent liar in verie deede I proue the same many wayes First because he doth not onely auouch a falshoode but also hath a minde and intention so to do wherein consisteth the formalitie of a lie and without which none can be a liar as is already proued But this sillie Diuine E. O. who so bestirreth himselfe to giue the lie to others seemeth not to vnderstand or know what a lie is in verie deed but hath neede to goe againe to the Schoole to learne the true nature and essence thereof Secondly because I affirme the verie selfe same thing in effect which maister Gough doth affirme who for all that as this impudent lyar E. O. auoucheth but with a brazen face doth giue the lie to me For I proue and shew by degrees how late popish inuocation of Saintes crept into the Church and I haue put downe seuen Canons with six conclusions to that effect In the fourth Canon I proue that in the dayes of Origen the first seede of inuocation of Saints began to be sowne In the fift Canon I proue that about twentie years after Origen it became a setled doctrine which in the dayes of Origen was but opinatiue and disputable In the sixt Canon I proue that about an hundred yeares after Saint Cyprian some of the Fathers by Rhetoricall apostrophees did applie their Orations to the dead as if they had beene liuing Who though they did but inuocate the Saints figuratiuely and of a certaine excessiue zeale yet did such their inuocations minister occasion to the Papists of all their superstition in that behalfe And in my aunswere to an obiection of the seuenth Canon I say plainely that late Popish inuocation had in the yeare 400. after Christ gotten deepe roote in the hearts of the vulgar sort Whereupon it is most apparant to all indifferent Readers that the swaggering Diuine E. O. is condemned in his owne conscience when he affirmeth maister Gough to be opposite to mee touching my doctrine of inuocation of Saints For I doe affirme vniformely with maister Gough that inuocation of Saints was in some degree euen in the dayes of Saint Cyprian and of Origen afore him Albeit I truly say withall that it tooke not deepe roote in the peoples hearts for many yeares after them I note fiftly that maister Doctor Sutcliffe if I bee not deceyued doth by the auncient Church vnderstande
flocke or superintendents Take heed saith he to your selues and to all the flocke ouer the which the holy Ghost hath made you Bishops or ouerseers Lo he tearmeth the Ministers of the citie Ephesus Bishops For of one onely citie there could bee but one onely Bishop or chiefe Minister But let vs heare what a great popish Doctor telleth vs. Nicholaus de Lyra hath these expresse wordes Vos spiritus sanctus posuit Episcopos id est ministros Sub nomine enim Episcoporum intelliguntur alii Ecclesiae ministri Vnde Episcopus Gracè superintendens est Latinè The holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops that is to say Ministers For vnder the name of Bishops the other Ministers of the church are vnderstoode Wherefore a Bishop in Greeke is Superintendent in Latin Thus writeth Lyra the great papist whom sir Thomas Moore a famous popish so supposed Martyr tearmed a great Clearke and he was so in deed but our late Romish papists cannot abide that their Bishops be called Superintendents Secondly because Christ himselfe spoke the same wordes to all his Apostles in generall which he said to Peter in the person of all Hee made them all Apostles as well as Peter they had all equall power not onely of order but of iurisdiction also as well as Peter had the same This their owne great learned schoole-doctor Victoria affirmeth to be so These are his expresse wordes Apostoli omnes habuerunt aequalem potestatem cum Petro quam sic intelligo quod quilibet Apostolorum habuit potestatem Ecclesiasticam in toto orbe ad omnes actus ad quos Petrus habuit All the Apostles had equal power with Peter which I thus vnderstand that euerie one of the Apostles had power ecclesiasticall in the whole worlde and to all those acts to which Peter had the same Saint Cyprian hath these expresse wordes Hoc erant vtique caeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consortio praediti honoris potestatis sed exordium ab vnitate proficiscitur vt Ecclesia vna monstretur The same were the rest of the Apostles doubtlesse that Peter was endued with equall felowship both of honour and of power But the beginning proceedeth from vnitie to shew the Church to be one The Papists would wrest these wordes to be restrained onely to the power of consecration But hearken I pray you how the the same doctor confuteth them Nec audienda est glossa dicens hoc debere intelligi in ordine dignitate consecrationis non in potestatis plenitudine vt patere potest ipsam epistolam diui Cypriani legenti Neither must wee hearken to the Glosse which sayth that this to be vnderstoode in the order and dignitie of consecration not in the fulnesse of power as it is euident to him that shall read the epistle of S. Cyprian Couarruuias the Popes famous Canonist albeit he would very gladly defende the Popes pretensed power make only Peters power ordinary and independent yet can he not deny that our Lord Iesus gaue equall power to all his Apostles These are his expresse words Etenim iuxta Catholicorum virorum authoritates communem omnium traditionem Apostoli parem ab ipso Domino Iesu cum Petro potestatem ordinis iurisdictionis acceperunt ita quidem vt quilibet Apostolorum aequalem cum Petro habuerit potestatem ab ipso Deo in totum orbem in omnes actus quos Petrus agere poterat For according to the authorities of catholike Writers and the common traditions of all men the Apostles receyued from our Lord Iesus himselfe equall power with Peter both of order and iurisdiction insomuch doubtlesse as euery Apostle had equall power with Peter from God himselfe and that both ouer all the world and to all actions that Peter could do Out of these graue testimonies I note first that all the Apostles had equall authoritie with Peter I note secondly that all the Apostles had power ouer all the world euen as Peter had I note thirdly that what art soeuer Peter could do euery other Apostle could do the same I note fourthly that the iurisdiction of euerie Apostle did extend as farre as Peters did I note fiftly that Christs speaches to Peter in the singular number did argue no superioritie of iurisdiction but did onely signifie the vnitie of his Church I note sixtly that the late Bishops of Rome do falsely and insolently arrogate to themselues plenitudinem potestatis the fulnesse of power I note seuenthly that all this is cōnfirmed by the opinion of Catholique Writers and by tradition of all generally For all these seuen points are expressely contained if they bee well marked in the authorities alreadie alledged The selfe same doctrine is confirmed by the testimonie of Saint Austen in sundrie places of his workes In one place hee hath these wordes Clauses non vnus homo Petrus sed vnitas accepit Ecclesiae Not one onely man Peter receyued the Keyes but the vnitie of the Church In an other place hee writeth thus Ecclesiae Cutholicae personam sustinet Petrus cum ei dicitur adomnes dicitur amas me pasce oues meas Peter representeth the person of the Catholique Church and when it is sayde to him it is sayde to all Louest thou mee Feed my sheepe This poynt is prooued more at large in my booke of motiues The third Paragraph Although Councels both may erre and de facto haue erred as is alreadie proued yet to auoyd dissention and to establish peace in the Church free and godly generall Councels are and euer haue beene the ordinarie way and meane to condemne heresies errours and superstitions crept into the visible Church and to decide controuersies in Religion at such times and in such places as they could safely and lawfully be assembled brought together I say first free and godly generall Councels such as were the Councell of Nice the Councell of Ephesus the Councell of Constantinople and the Councell of Chalcedon which Councels the Church of Englande doth highly reuerence and christianly admit as agreeable to the holy Scriptures wishing that Councels might this day bee assembled with like freedome and called or summoned by the like authoritie For the Nicene Councell was appoynted by the authoritie of Constantinus surnamed the great to condemne Arrius who denied the consubstantialitie of our Lord Iesus the sonne of God affirming him to bee pure man Theodosius the younger called the Councell of Ephesus to confound the cursed heretique Nestorius who affirmed Christ to haue two persons and the blessed Virgin to bee onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of Christ but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of God The Councell of Constantinople was called by the authoritie of the Emperour Theodosius the elder to confounde Macedonius who denied the diuinitie of the holy Ghost And the Councell of Chalcedon was assembled at the commaunde of Martianus the Emperour to condemne Eutiches