Church hath received the Holy Scriptures the Creedes the Sacraments and Christianity it selfe as the very names of Baptisme Eucharist Bishop Deacon Presbyter and many other sacred things doe testifie Moreover they have as they affirme St. Peters Chaire who was Bishop of Antioch and governed that Church many a yeare Hee was there Incathedrated with great reverence received and esteemed But going to Rome he was there most vily used and put to a most cruell death with his fellow Apostle St. Paul They also affirme that the City of Antioch commonly called Theopolis that is The City of God must needs be much dearer to St. Peter which honoured and reverenced him than the City of Rome which most unworthily used him and put him to death They moreover affirm that he must rather leave the Keyes to the Greek Church than to the Romish defiled with Simony Vsury Avarice and all other Vices whatsoever The Greekes also charge the Latines with divers errours besides the challenging of the Supremacy which they hold to be most grievous and intollerable to teach all to be taught of none and Dictator-like to give Lawes to bind other Churches yea in things against their Consciences as is their Doctrine of Purgatory of Image-Worship abusing their Fasts making no conscience to drink in them al day long that they scarce reade the Sacred rules and holy Scriptures saying That the Popes Commandements who for the time sitteth in the See of Rome are their Canons and Lawes That they make no account of Periury yea that the Pope freeth them of all Periury whensoever they intend to breake any bargaine or covenant made with any man That the Pope and his Priestly traine remit slaughter Periury and all kind of crimes past or to come by which remission there is a gate opened to villany And that which is most ridiculous for the future time they will remit to a determined time of Moneths or Years that the Latine Bishops are accessary to the death of Christian people the Pope especially who pronounceth the killer of Christians such as resist the Papacy blessed and happy That they shut up by their Lawes all Priests and Deacons from marriage and hold it an abhomination to receive the Sacrament from married Priests That there are many Church Men among them that commit whoredome and all kinde of uncleannesse most securely without punishment They accuse the Latines of many more Errors both in their Doctrine as also in their manners some of which you may finde in Cardinall Baronius Annalls Tome 11 Anno Christi 1054. with some answers to them by the Cardinal But this Church God hath humbled being subdued by the Mahumetans living as the Israelites in their Aegypticke Bondage We may see their lamentable estate in the late Martyrdome of learned Cyril late Patriarch of Constantinople who had long and wisely governed that Church And it seemeth that this his Crowne of Martyrdome was not to him unexpected as appeareth by a clause of a letter written by him to our late Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury viz. For the Name of Christ saith he which we professe and whose marks wee beare about in our Bodies it is a ioy to us to be afflicted and vexed so also if it bee the Will of God to abide the utmost extremity of their cruelty that in the fiery tryall our Faith may shine more bright and God receive the greater glory This Church hath beene humbled as before but the Bishops of Rome have exalted themselves not onely above their follow Bishops but also above their Lords the Emperours and the whole Church of God For the First Pope Boniface the third having obtained of Phocas the Tyrant the glorious Title of Universall Bishop by little and little the Bishops of Rome subdued divers Bishopricks under them As Donus the first subiected Ravenna about the yeare 676. Pope Stephen the ninth subdued Millaine Anno 1057. and so others Yea Urban the 2. exacted an oath of Bishops for the further establishing of their Authority For the Second Leo Isaurus being perplexed with warre in Asia and Constantinople it selfe being besieged by the Caliph Pope Gregory the second stirred up the Princes of Italy against the said Emperour who tooke Italy from him of which the Pope hath a part now called St. Peters Patrimony which the Emperour could never againe recover The Bishops of Rome dividing the Empire into the East and West Pope Leo the third proclaimed Charles of France Emperour about the yeare 881. And Pope Iohn the thirteenth translated the Empire about the yeare 968 from the French to the Germans Thus by little and little the Emperours waxed weaker and the Popes stronger untill the time of Gregory the seventh who founded as Aventine writeth the Pontificall Empire To this Man saith Onuphrius the Church of Rome is beholding for her freedome and that shee is preferred above all Kings and Emperours whom before they obeyed as their Lords acknowledging themselves to bee their Vassalls as manifestly appeareth among other Records by the Dating of their ancient Bulls and Charters thus expressed Such a one our Lord and Emperour reigning As also by the Letters of the Bishops of Rome written to the Emperours as of Pope Leo the first to Martian By all meanes wee are to bee obedient to your Piety and most Religious Will As also of Gregory the great to Maurice the Emperour I being subiect to your command and of divers others as of Liberius to Constantius Leo the first to Theodosius Simplicius to Zeno Foelix to the same Emperour Pope Anastatius to Anastatius the Emperour Martin to Constantine with many more And some of the Bishops shew a reason of this their Obedience to be because they are commanded so to doe in Holy Scripture St. Peter himselfe commanding Obedience to the King as supreame Thus they were for many hundred yeares subiect to the Emperours but now they claime a superiority above Kings and Princes and challenge to themselves plenitude of Iurisdiction to take away and to give Empires and Kingdoms at their pleasures bringing the Emperours in subiection Pope Constantine gave his Feet to kisse to Iustinian the Emperour Gregory the seventh compelled Henry the fourth to wait bare-footed at his Doore three daies and three nights craving Absolution Alexander the third set his feete upon the Emperour Fredericks neck And as they have lift up themselves over their fellow Bishops and their Lords the Emperours so also over the whole Church of God viz. Above Generall Councells A Generall Councell is the representative Church of God upon Earth they claiming power to iudge controule all men her selfe to be iudged of none yea to make new Articles of Faith And as the Donatists falling from the unity of the Church fell also into this Hereticall Opinion That the Catholicke Church of God was no where to be found but in a corner of Africa where they dwelt and amongst them So the Romanists
the Spanish Bishops are very great As the Archbishop of Toledo hath 250000 Ducats per annum more than some Kingdomes Italie being as some write 900 miles in length and in breadth from the Adriatick Sea to the Ligurian shoare 240 miles growing narrower in breadth untill it shut itselfe into two hornes either of which are not above 14 miles in bredth Of this Country the King of Spaine hath a part as the Kingdome of Naples and the Dutchie of Millaine In it also the Venetians The Duke of Florence and other Princes and Common-wealths have severall Dominions In Italie also resideth the Bishop of Rome who as hee hath many Cardinals Metropolitans Archbishops and Bishops under him so also many temporall Dukedomes and Principalities of which he is absolute Prince and Lord. The Bishops of Rome for the first 300 yeeres were most of them Martyrs as Clement who was tied to an Anchor and cast into the Sea Fabian who did prohibit the Emperour Philip to enter the Church without some shew of penitence Cornelius who was banished revoked whipt and beheaded c. Paul and Barnabas preached Christ first in Rome and afterward was the first Bishop of Millaine where Saint Ambrose also sate France mingled with Protestants as before being about 200 leagues square in which is reckoned Loraine Saboie and Avignion belonging to the Pope and Geneva with foure Territories not subiect to the French King The Church Gallican is best priviledged of all the Churches in Christendome that are under the Pope It is more free from payments to the Pope than the Church of Spaine as also to the King they pay only the Disme whereas in Spaine the King hath his Tertias Subsidio Pila Escusado in all a moitie of the Church-livings In France are reckoned 12 Archbishopricks 104 Bishopricks 540 Archpriories 1450 Abbeyes 12322 Priories 567 Nunneries 130000 Parish Priests 700 Convents of Friers 259 Commendants of the Order of the Knights of Malta six of the French Bishops are Peeres of France who are to aid the King with their Councell Poland mingled with Protestants and Greeks as before there are in Poland two Archbishopricks and many Bishopricks The Archbishop of Guesne is Primate and in the vacancy hath regal Authoritie precedeth in Councell proclaimeth the new King c. Some part of Germany in which Country are reckoned seven Archbishops and about 47 Bishops Three of their Archbishops are Princes Electours Halfe the Netherlands in which there are two Archbishopricks and many Bishopricks One third part of Switzerland and the Grisons Country Austria Hungaria Bohemia and some other Countries mingled with Protestants as before The third sort of Christians in Europe are the Moscovites VNder the great Emperour of Moscovia whose Dominions in Europe and Asia extend from Narve to Siberia West and East about 4400 Verstes and from Cola to Astracan North and South 4226 or thereabouts A Verst is about three quarters of a mile They received the Christian Faith from Saint Andrew the Apostle as their Histories report They have the holy Scriptures in their owne tongue translated by St. Ierome they use the service of St. Chrysostome translated into the vulgar neither is their Clergy mean base or beggarly The now Emperour Michael honoured his father Theodore with the Patriarkship of Mosco their Patriarke Metropolitanes Arch-Bishops under him are men of great dignity and honour what their Clergy want in learning they have and make good in devotion and holinesse of life Some of their Bishops have 2000 some 3000 Rubbles per annum The fourth sort of Christians are the Greekes VNder the Patriarke of Constantinople who live mingled with the Turks and make two thirds and more of the Inhabitants in many places of the Turkes Dominions The Grand Signior alloweth the Christians the liberty of their Religion they paying a tribute and the Bishops their Ecclesiasticall Government The Patriarkship of Constantinople being voyd Sultan Mahumet the Emperour that subdued Constantinople invested Gennadius into it with great solemnity giving to him his Pastorall staffe and many gifts This Patriarke had 28 Provinces under his iurisdiction and yet hath at this day many Metropolitans Arch-Bishops and Bishops under him Stachis was their first Bishop placed there by St. Andrew and now Cyril governeth the Patriarchall See in a continued succession from Stachis before named In this Church the holy Apostles constituted many Bishops As St. Paul placed Timothy in Ephesus Titus in Crete Silas in Corinth Silvanus in Thessalonica with others As St. Andrew constituted Stachis before named Bishop of Bizantium now called Constantinople Philologus Bishop in Sinope Calistus Bishop in Nice Polycarp Disciple to St. Iohn was Bishop of Smyrna In time following this Church had many holy Patriarchs as St. Chrysostome Gregory Nazianzen Paul the Patriarch whom the Arrians banished and strangled with others who governed this Church whose memories shall remaine for ever The Patriarchs of Constantinople before the Turkes Conquest were men of great dignity and estate as Theophylact about the yeare 936 kept 2000 Horse and Alexander An. 1043 died worth 800000 Crownes The Patriarch now hath as Chytraeus writeth about 20000 Dollers yearely for his maintenance He hath also out of Moscovia some pension which was in time past under his iurisdiction The Greekes of Corcira Candy and other Islands are subiect to the Venetians who have Arch-Bishops and Bishops under them In Asia are the Christians 1 VNder the Patriarch of Ierusalem who absolutely moderateth in Iudea and over all professors of the Greek Religion throughout Syria This Patriarch hath had 101 Bishops under him St. Iames called the Iust and the Brother of our Lord was the first Bishop there and now Theophanes sitteth in that See Simon Cleophas succeeded Iames among these Bishops Cyrillus was famous a man greatly hated by the Arrians and deposed by them This Church is most ancient The Law went out of Syon and the Word of God from Ierusalem This City was Emporium The mart of the Christian Faith and the Mother of all Churches as Theodoret saith 2 Vnder the Patriarch of Antioch Who had 141 Bishops under him Their first Bishop was St. Peter and now Athanasius The Disciples were first called Christians there Ignatius the holy Martyr was Bishop of this Church and Cyril who was slaine for denying Numerian the Emperour sonne of Charus to enter his Church because he had sacrificed to Idolls Charus was slaine by Thunder and Numerian by Aper 3 The Georgians in Iberia who have 18 Bishops under their Metropolitane or Patriarch 4 The Circassians who inhabite a Country about 500 miles long and 200 miles broad 5 The Mengrellians who live as the Circassians doe by themselves not mingled with the Mahumetans 6 The Christians in Asia the lesse who except the Cilitians and Isaurians are subiect to the Patriarch of Constantinople
set forth by the most reverend Father in God the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury his Grace my Honourable Patron in which it will appeare The Greekes to differ from us in forme of Words onely So the Greekes deny not the Holy Ghost whom they acknowledge to be the third Person in Trinity God equall with the Father Neither are they Hereticall in this poynt as some affirme them to be so Condemning and casting into Hell so many Millions of Christian soules redeemed with the precious blood of his dearest Sonne Iesus Christ and for this poynt onely Moreover Guido the Carmelite Prateolus and others impute unto the Grecians divers errors which Lucianus of Cyprus a Bishop a learned Dominican and a worthy man as Possevine the lesuite accounteth him sheweth to be falsely ascribed to them As that they teach simple Fornication to be no sinne That it is no sinne to lend upon Vsury That it is not necessary to make restitution of things uniustly taken away with other things being meere slanders Thomas a Iesu writeth that one of the principall things that maketh the Grecians so averse from the Latins is that they are wronged by them by untrue reports and slanderous imputations Of the Greeke Communion are the Muscovites the Russes in Poland the Georgians Circassians Mengrellians and Melchites all these observe the Greek Rites 2 Againe a great part of the Christians in Asia Persia Tartaria and other Provinces are Hereticks Who affirme That there were two Persons in Christ as well as two Names But this Errour they have reiected as Onuphrius writeth they hold nothing savouring of that Errour These Christians indeed make a scruple of calling the blessed Virgin the Mother of God left they should seeme to make her the Mother of the holy Trinitie and divine Essence 3 The Christians in Aegypt Aethiopia with the Iacobites in Syria are accused to be infected with the Heresie of Eutyches wheras they curse Eutyches for an Heretick for confounding the two Natures of Christ. They affirme The two Natures in Christ to be so united that there is one personated Nature arising of two Natures not personated without mixtion or confusion As Thomas a Iesu and others affirme 4 They scandall also the Abassine Christians for using Circumcision If you be circumcised you are falne from Grace and Christ profiteth you nothing whereas they circumcise not for any Religion but only it being an ancient custome of the Aethiopians They accuse them also of Anabaptisme For that they wash themselves yearly in the flouds in memoriall of Christs Baptisme As the Spaniards do yearly in memoriall of Saint Iohn Baptist And the like are the imputations laid upon other Churches To conclude this point through the mercifull goodnesse of God all these different sorts of Christians by reason of delivering certaine points of Faith mistaking one another or variety of opinion touching things not Fundamentall yet agree in one substance of Faith and are so farre forth Orthodoxe that they retain a saving Profession of all duties absolutely necessary to salvation and are members of the true Catholike Church of God As these Christians are Orthodoxe in the mayne so for their holy lives and conversations they are to be admired and may be exemplary unto others Holinesse of Lives FIrst for their Reverence in Churches no man is allowed to walke talke or sit in them especially in the time of Divine Service In Aethiopia old men are allowed to use Crutches in the Church and weak men to leane against the wals Iohannes Faber reporteth of the Rasses that he hath not seene the like of them for their frequenting Prayer and devotion in their Prayers who lying prostrate upon the ground poure out their devout Prayers unto Almighty God For their Chastitie they permit no Stews nor Brothel-houses among them They punish Adultery with death The Adulterer among the Aethiopians is accounted to dishonour the Emperour from whom all Honour is derived Adulterers among them are cast alive unto the Lions They are among other vertues great lovers of Truth Among us saith Pretegian if any man willingly tell a lye hee is accounted a man worthy of death for the first he is admonished for the second he doth penance for the third he is led by a rope about his necke out of the Towne or City and banished into some Desart where commonly he perish for hunger For their Fasts they keepe them very strictly farre unlike the Roman Catholicks in the West who allow men to drink Wine and to eate sweete Meates in their very fasts Thomas a Iesu writeth that the austere living of the Greekes causeth them to contemne the Latines but let the Greekes know saith he that Christian Righteousnesse doth not consist chiefely in macerating the Body but in Charity Faith Hope and other vertues Although these Christians are not so learned as we suppose the Christians in the VVest to be yet they got farre beyond them for godlinesse and devotion And if these Christians shall bee excluded Heaven who ioyne believing and doing Faith and VVorkes together alas where shall they appeare that come farre short of them But as you have heard of the great multitude of Christians in the VVorld of their Religion holy Lives and Conversations wee may in the next place consider what hath beene the bane of the Church viz Ambition which was the ruine of the Angels in Heaven and caused man to lose Paradise Of this our Lord gave speciall warning to his Apostles when they strove who should bee greatest And St. Paul more especially to the Romans Boast not thy selfe against the Branches Be not high minded but feare A great Controversie arose among the Bishops in the west parts of the VVorld who should bee greatest The Bishop of Rome sitting in the Imperiall City claimed superiority above his fellow Bishops precending a Canon of the Counsell of Nice As also the donation of Constantine the Emperour Likewise the Patriarch of Constantinople the Emperours Court being removed thither claimed the like preheminence by the Decree of a Councell also by Donation of Maurice the Emperour Indeed the Easterne Church may challenge to her selfe some preheminence in regard of her great priviledges and prerogatives as having all the Apostles Sees the greatest number of Patriarchs being the bigger Church and more ancient The Maiesty of the Emperour of Constantinople for above 1000 yeares which hath with stood Paganisme and Mahumatisme And of the Emperour of Moscho and Trebizond for some hundred of years The authority of seven generall Counsels held among them The Syrian Language in which the Sonne of God delivered his Holy Oracles the Hebrew and Greek Tongues in which they were Registred and which hath had not only the Holy Apostles but also Christ himself when he was in his flesh preaching among them And this Church we are forced to confesse with the Bishop of Bitonto to be our Mother Church from whom the Latine
affirme the Catholick Church of God to be onely in Rome and in the Countries subiect to their Bishop And therefore they tearme themselves Catholicks excluding all other Christians in the World out of the Catholike Church and so Heaven and putting them into the state of damnation though never so Orthodox and Pious for not being subiect to their Bishop onely Yet many of these Christians by them so damned suffer grievous persecutions for Iesus Christs sake which they might quit themselves of if they would renounce their Saviour and also attaine great priviledges and preferments And that which is more some of these Churches so damned and condemned by them never heard of the Bishop of Rome Postel writeth a Booke of the great multitude of Christians unknowne to the Latine World Before the Papacy of Iulius the third writeth Miraeus the name of the Chaldean Patriarch was unknowne to us Neither doe I find any mention of him in the Popes Records And yet Cardinall Amuleius reporteth That hee and his Bishops had long kept the Faith and also many of them had suffered Martyrdome for Christs Name Also the Indian Christians of Taprobane and the Islands adiacent saith Thevet nor their Fathers never heard of the Pope of Rome nor his Cardinals nor of the Greek Patriarchs nor of the Councells untill the Portugals came among them and yet they kept the Ceremonies of the Primative Church which they received from the Apostles and their Disciples God forbid that all these Christians and especially they that have given their Bloods for Iesus Christs Name and glory in his Crosse should be excluded for having any share or benefit by Christs Blood and this for not being subiect to the Pope of Rome and for not being members of the Roman Catholicke Church which they never heard of By this their uncharitablenesse doe not the Romish Catholicks cut themselves off from the unity of the Catholicke Church As Firmilian writeth to St. Cyprian of Pope Stephen Excommunicating other Churches Thou hast cut off thy selfe from the unity of the Churches Deceive not thy selfe he is a true Schismaticke that maketh himselfe Apostate from the Communion and Union of the Churches Thou thinkest they are divided from thee but thou onely art separated from them As the Church of Rome hath exalted her selfe above all other Churches so also the Roman Catholicks are accused for devising and adding some new Articles of Faith to the old ones much advancing the state and profit of their Clergy which the other Christians will not nor dare admit of having received onely twelve from the holy Apostles As first they have made the Popes Supremacy before named an Article of the Faith viz. That their Bishop is head of the whole Church of God and that every soule must be subiect to him upon necessity of salvation Secondly That their Bishop cannot erre in Cathedra Thirdly That their Bishops hath power to depose Kings and to dispose of their Kingdomes Fourthly For the honour of the inferiour Clergy they have made Transubstantiation a Doctrine of Faith by which every Priest hath superlative power given him As a Reverend Bishop writeth viz. To doe a greater worke daily than God did in the Creation For therein Almighty God made but Creatures But in this the Priest as they say can make his Maker Fiftly for the more honour of the Clergy They allow them the onely use of Christs Blood in the Eucharist prohibiting the Laity the use thereof VVhich all the Christians in the Vniverse enioy but onely the Romish Catholick Laitie and for this they have made a Decree flat against Christs institution viz. Although the Lord Christ in his last Supper did deliver this venerable Sacrament in both kinds c. Yet non obstante they doe approue and decree for a Law the custome of receiving in one kind Againe for the better Maintenance of their Clergy they have invented new devises as Purgatory with the horrible paines thereof as with Burnings Boylings and Roasting of soules they doe so fright simple people that they get much mony from them Of this place the Bishop of Rome hath iurisdiction the other Orthodox Patriarchs having nothing to doe with it commanding out whom he will much Treasure is got hereby 2 Pardons which are grounded upon Purgatory Pardons began saith Fisher Bishop of Rochester when men were frighted with Purgatory 3 The inferiour Clergy doth also share with the Pope in the profits of Purgatory for they have turnd the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist into a Sacrifice true reall and propitiatory under the name of Masse in which they doe say that the Priest doth truely and really offer up Christ to God his Father but this is done by way of bargaine and hire for remission of sins and freedome of soules out of Purgatory And of this they make great profit 4 They have made a Canon for the Worshiping of Images and for this cause they have in every Church an Image or more of some of their Saints many of which simple people and especially foolish women are made to beleeve to have some speciall vertue to helpe as St. Radegond can make barren women fruitfull St. Bartilmew can make women to conceive a Male-child or a Female according to their desires St. Margart can give them easie labour St. Uncomber can make peace betweene married folk St. Edith can keepe corne from blasting And to these Saints simple people did trot with rich Offerings and Worship these Saints with kneeling bowing and praying before them yea the Priests carry them about in Procession with great pomp playing at noddy with the simplicity of the people 5 They have also devised a Treasury in which is reserved the surplussage of the Sufferings of Christ of the Saints Whereas say they the least drop of Christs Blood had beene sufficient to have saved all the World And that Christ shed all his blood and also that many holy men suffered more than their sins deserved least their sufferings should be in vaine they are reserved in this Treasury for the Pope to bestow where he list The other Orthodox Christian Patriarchs having nothing to doe with this Treasurie With this and such like devises they get much money from simple and silly people For the confirmation of these things although they have no Scriptures yet they will store you with multitudes of Miracles and Visions These with some other the Church of Rome hath Canomzed for Articles or Doctrines of Faith as if the Apostles Creed should be defective which the other Christians in the world thinke to bee compleate enough About these Additions is the contestation betweene the Roman Catholicks and the other Christians of the world These are urged by the Romanists under their Popes curse and these additions are reiected by others fearing Gods curse being Articles not left by the holy Apostles nor found in holy Scriptures The societies of Christians before named