tearme it from whence all Spirituall Iurisdiction must proceed to others some adde also Temporall of Spirituall Iurisdiction Bellarmine saith all Bishops receiue Iurisdiction from the Pope The like some of them or some others teach also of Temporall power the difference which they obserue is that Spirituall power is deriued from the Pope to all Bishops but Temporall power is giuen to execute some seruice Augustinus Triumphus of Ancona who wrote about three hundreth yeeres agoe at the commaundement of Iohn 22. Pope set foorth of late by the authoritie and priuiledge of Gregorie 13. did long before the Iesuits dispute this question of the Popes Soueraigne authoritie ouer Princes since which time the Friars haue closely followed his footsteps His assertion is Omnis potestas imperatorum regum est subdelegata respectu potestatis Papae And againe in the same place Omnis potestas saecularis est restringenda amplianda executioni mandanda ad imperium Papâ—… These and the like positions are now resolutely and stiffely maintained by the Iesuits and others of that faction 3. This agreeth well with the Canon lawes which are the fundamentall lawes of the court of Rome For thus they say Nos tam ex superioritate quam ad imperium non est dubium nos habere c. That is we aswell by that soueraignetie and right which without all doubt we haue to the Empire as also by that power whereby we succâ—…ed the Emperour in the vacancie of the Empire and no lesse also by the fulnesse of that power which Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords hath in the person of Saint Peter graunted to vs though vnworthy declare all such sentences and processes made by Henry 7. void and of none effect Thus saith Clement 5. Pope against Henrie 7. Emperour To the same purpose saith Boniface 8. Pope in a Constitution of his Oportet gladâ—…um esse sub gladio c. That is one sword must be vnder another sword and the Temporall authoritie must be subiected to the Spirituall authoritie for when the Apostle saith there is no power but of God and the powers that are are ordained of God They could not be ordinated vnlesse one sword were vnder another and a little after Thus of the Church and of the power Ecclesiasticall is verified the prophecie of Ieremie behold I haue sâ—…t thee ouer nations and kingdomes to plucke vp and to root out and to destroy and to throw downe and to build and to plant And againe we declare we say we define we pronounce that it is necessarie to saluation to beleeue that euery humane creature is subiect to the Pope of Rome These be the lawes of the court of Rome which some of late haue so much adored as to call them Catholike Diuinitie and which for truth and certaintie and for authoritie ouer their consciences they hold comparable euen with the holy Scriptures 4. By all which wee collect the doctrine of the court of Rome or the Popes faction to be that the Pope hath all power Spirituall and Temporall aboue all other whatsoeuer This I call the opinion of the Court of Rome or the Popes faction because we finde the most learned of the Church of Rome to hold the contrary For concerning spirituall power the best learned of the Church of Rome yea and whole councels maintaine the Spiritual power of the Church to be aboue the Pope as hereafter we shall declare And for this Temporall power aboue Kings and Emperours claimed by the Popes in their Canon Lawe maintained by their flatterers it seemeth so straunge so new and absurd that they who maintaine it are not as yet agreed vpon the state of the question For some hold that the Pope hath this power directly ouer Princes as the Canonists to whom some of the Shoole-men may be added as Triumphus and some of late called Congregationis Oratorij as Cardinall Baronius Bozius and such Others denying this direct power hold that the Pope hath the same power but indirectly as depending vpon his Spirituall power of this opinion is Cardinall Bellarmine and others these both hold the same conclusion but differ in the manner of holding it Others there be who are in some sort content to allowe the Popes Fatherhood in spirituall matters in case lie would not prooue incorrigible but vtterly denie this power ouer princes both direct and indirect of this opinion was Guil. Occham Ma' silius Patauinus and other learned men of the Church of Rome And of late Guil. Berclaius a French Lawyer hath with great learning refuted both the former opinions of the Popes power direct and indirect against Bozius and Bellarmine and yet this man professeth himselfe to be resolued to liue and die a Papist so that on the one side stand all the reformed Churches and many of the best learned of the Church of Rome I may say all the Church of old and of late On the other side standeth the Pope with his faction that is his flatterers and this I call with some of former ages the Court of Rome this is the opinion of our aduersaries 5. Our positiue sentence against this standeth in two parts as the Pope hath incroached on two sides both vpon the right of Kings and of the Church Concerning the Kings right we hold that in externall coactiue Iurisdiction the King hath supreame authoritie in all causes and ouer all persons Ecclesiasticall aswell as Ciuill This is that which hath bene published by diuerse writings and ordinances which by publike authoritie haue beene enacted and published declaring that the King within hi Dominions hath this soueraigne authoritie and that heerein there is no forraine power aboue the King The authority of the Church hath beene in like sort vsurped by the Pope by drawing to himselfe a supposed title of the head of the vniuersall Church by deuising a straunge authority in the fulnesse of power by claiming a newe and straunge priuiledge of his not erring iudgement and making himselfe the onely iudge of controuersies of faith This power in iudging and determining of controuersies of faith and religion being partly in the Church partly in the Scriptures the Pope hath wrested from both first extolling the Church aboue the Scriptures and then setting himselfe aboue the Church Then that the limits of each power may be truely knowne we giue all spirituall power to the Church all externall coactiue iurisdiction to the King when each of these shall haue taken vp his owne right there will not be so much left to the Pope as these great flatterers the Iesuits seeke to heape vpon him Our purpose is first to dispute the right which Kings haue in coactiue power ouer all persons and in all causes euen Ecclesiasticall within his dominions by persons ecclesiasticall wee vnderstand Archbishops Bishops Deans Rectors and all other set in calling and place Ecclesiasticall by causes Ecclesiasticall wee vnderstand causes Ecclesiasticall of externall coactiue
liued 30. But was not Bishoppe Grosthead of the same faith and Religion with the Church of Rome Yes verily and so will I be if you grant me his conditions exceptions for he putteth two clauses very memorable by which he will condition with the Church of Rome or any other particular Church whatsoeuer First That the doctrines of that Church be the doctrines of Christ and his Apostles Secondly That so wee may regard the Church of Rome that wee be sure to hold vnity with the true Church the body of Christ. These excellent and famous men that haue heretofore liued in the vnity of the Church of Rome haue beene willing wee confesse to yeelde so much to the Pope and that particular Church as they might doe holding vnity with the true body of Christ. But if the vnity with the Romane Church doe draw them away from the vnity with Christs body then haue they alwaies beene resolued to giue ouer the vnity with that particular Church This confirmeth that which before I obserued in the Distinction betweene the Church of Rome and the Court of Rome because we see many learned and worthy men of our forefathers were of the Church of Rome that is held the bond of vnity with it who were professed enemies to the Court of Rome Now the Pope and his flatterers haue forsaken that vnity with the Church of Rome which stood in Apostolicall doctrines and vnity with the true body of Christ howsoeuer they boast of the name and haue nothing now to shew for themselues but the pride and faction of the Court of Rome 31. Now come we to the time wherein liued Iohn Wiclif another of the worthies of Merton Colledge in Oxford his aduersaries would blot him with the name of an Hereticke some things are vntrue wherewith they iniuriously charge him some things are true which they vniustly call Heresie In this question of Iurisdiction as he receiued the truth from Occham his Senior in Merton Colledge so he deliuered the same faithfully Speaking of the Kings Iurisdiction as well ouer the Clergie as Laity he saith The chiefe Lordshippe in this land of all temporalties both of secular men and religious pertaine to the King of his generall Gouernement for else hee were not King of all England but of a little part thereof Therefore the men that busien them to take away this Lordshippe from the King as don Friars and their sautors in this point beene snarper enemies and Traytors then Frenchmen and all other nations Wiclif labored worthily to descry refute the errors concerning Iurisdiction that in his time came creeping in introduced by Friars For he witnesseth that the Friars taught thus Rex Angliae non est rex totius Angliae sed regulus paruae partis super residiâ—…um vero mortificatum est Papa Dominus Veruntamen non est disp utandum inquiunt de hac materia quousque fuerit in effectu potentius stabilita sed tolerandae sunt iniuriae dominorum saeculâ—…rium quousque arriserit opportunit as temporis That is The King of England is not King of all England but Lord of a little part ouer the residue in a dead hand the Pope is Lord but say they there is no disputing of this matter vntill it be powerfully brought in effect In the meane time they say the iniuries of temporall Lords must be borne vntill an opportunity fauo ur them This is plaine dealing The Friars declare what is that thing at which they haue long aimed For what other meaning haue their pretended exemptions then by making a reuolt from the obedience of their soueraigns to become wholly the Popes seruants and creatures 32. But this late generation of Friars I meane the Iesuites exceeding these olde Friars in admirable practises in the blood and destruction of Princes and states are yet so confident in their wit and eloquence that they thinke themselues able to perswade the Kings of the earth to account them among good and loyall subiects The old Friars dealt more plainely they professed not obedience to Princes these professe more and would colour their deepe deuises in destruction of Princes with impudency and dissimulation as if they meant not the same things which daily they practise Now that which Wiclif taught against these wicked and prophane opinions of these olde Friars was no other thing then the iudgement of the learned Diuines which liued before and in his time for he brought in no nouelties but the Friars introduced the nouelties in Religion and Iurisdiction And that Distinction which before we obserued betweene the Church of Rome and the Court of Rome he confirmeth as a thing notoriâ—…usly marked in his time for of the Church of Rome he saith thus Protestor publice quod amando venerando Romanam Ecclesiam matrem meam desidero procuro defensionem omnium priuilegiorum suorum That is I protest publiquely that louing and honouring the Church of Rome Ireuerence my mother and procure the defence of all her priuiledges But of the Court of Rome or that particular Church of Rome which was gouerned by the Pope hee saith much otherwise not doubting but that the iudgement of the particular Church of England might in many things be preferred before that particular Church of Rome guided by the Pope Fieripotest saith he quod Dominus Papa foret ignarus legis scripturae quod Anglicana Ecclesia foret longe praestantior in iudicio veritatis Catholica quam tota ista Romana Ecclesia collecta de istis Papa Cardinalibus That is It may come to passe that the Lord Pope may be ignorant of the law of Scripture and that the Church of England may be more excellent in the iudgment of the Catholicke truth then all this Romane Church collected of the Pope and Cardinals Then in those dayes there was not much attributed to the Popes not erring iudgement or to the authority of that Church which was wholly gouerned by the Pope seeing the Pope might be ignorant of the lawe of God and the Church of England might haue a more excellent iudgement in the truth then that particular Church of Rome That which Wiclif saith might come to passe the world seeth and acknowledgeth that since that time it is come to passe That Friars were the introducers of Nouelties we haue already shewed out of Iohn Wiclifes obseruations In this sorte things stood vntill the time of the Councell of Pisa which was helde some twentie yeares after Iohn Wiclifes death §. IIII. The Popes Iurisdiction ouerthrowne by Councels 33. THus haue we heard the iudgement of learned men against the Popes Iurisdiction after that the same Iurisdiction began to be practised these haue refuted especially that part of his claime which was in temporalibus Now we will consider another part of his pretended Iurisdiction which was in spiritualibus in this we finde his feathers as well pulled as in the former so that when both temporall and spirituall Iurisdiction is
consecration of Aaron and his sonnes is done altogether by Moses These things though they make faire shew for the Princes Iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall ouer Priests yet wee purpose not to stand vpon them 3. But when the Priest was once consecrated and ordained and all things fully perfected concerning his function and two seuerall and distinct functions set vp then will appeare without faile in Moses his successors the right of Princes in Aaron his successors the right of Priests After all things thus perfected we finde that all the lawes which in truth proceeded originally from God were established by the authoritie of Moses and this we finde true not onely in Iudiciall and Ciuill Lawes which were to rule that state but euen in ceremoniall and Morall Lawes which were to rule the Church There is not so much as one ceremoniall law established by the authoritie of Aaron but in all the name and authoritie of Moses is expressed only we finde concerning Aaron that if any doubt in the lawes ceremoniall did arise for the interpretation of those lawes and of such doubts the high Priest must sit as iudge For the people are charged in matters that are hard to consult with the Priest and ciuill iudge Deut. 17. 8. c. Which the learned interpreters vnderstand thus that if the cause be mixt partly Ciuill partly Ceremoniall or doubâ—…full that then both the Ciuill Magistrate and the Priest must iointly determine it but if the people haue distinct causes some Ciuill other Ceremoniall the Ciuill Magistrate must iudge the causes Ciuill and the Priest must iudge the causes Ceremoniall from the consideration of which place we may drawe certaine inferences 4. First all Lawes euen Ceremoniall that is Lawes whereunto Spirituall or Canon Lawes are answerable are established by the authoritie of the Ciuill Magistrate This taketh away all authoritie of the Popes Canon law in all Christian kingdomes where it is not established by the authoritie of Kings in their kingdomes For it is against all reaâ—…on and rules whether we looke vpon the light of nature or vpon the Scriptures or the lawfull practife of authoritie since the Scriptures were written that any Lawes should be imposed vpon a Prince against or without his consent as the Popes haue indeuoured to impose the Canon Lawes vpon Princes And this appeareth in the practise of Christian Magistrates so long as lawfull authoritie stood up without confusion in the world But heere we consider the fountaine of that practise which was from Gods Law wherein we see all Lawes confirmed and established by the authoritie of the Ciuill Magistrate And if it could bee prooued that in some Lawes Ceremoniall the authoritie of Aaron was requisite yet this helpeth them nothing that plead for the Popes Canons For these men would impose these Canons vpon Princes without their consent but in all these Lawes of Moses wherein is a perfect patterne for all law-makers they cannot shew one Law though neuer so nearely concerning the Church which is established without the authoritie of Moses the Ciuill Magistrate If they obiect these things were all done by an especiall commaundement of God I aunswere this doth more establish the authoritie of Princes and confirme our purpose for let them aunswere why God would haue all these things established by the Ciuill Magistrate and not by the Priest This then maketh a greater and clearer confirmation of the Princes right Then the Church may interpret Scripture determine controuersies of faith but cannot establish a Law the reason is because for the establishing of Lawes coactiue power is requisite which is in the Ciuil Magistrate not in the Church And therefore the Canon Lawes can haue no force of lawes but as they are receiued and established by Princes in their seuerall kingdomes For neither can the law haue the force of a law without coactiue power neither hath the Pope any coactiue power in the kingdomes of other Princes but onely in such places where himselfe is a Temporall Prince 5. Secondly we obserue that the high Priest is appointed by God a iudge for interpretation of those lawes that concerne the Church in questions of conscience in causes mixt or doubtfull This might moderate the humours of some who in loue to innouation would leaue no place of iudicature to Ecclesiasticall persons for these things are insert into Moses lawe taken from the law of Nature and not as things Ceremoniall which thing is apparant from the end vse and necessitie thereof for the things which had a necessary vse before the written law and must haue a necessary vse after the abrogation of that law must be acknowledged to be taken from a perpetuall law because there must be a perpetuall rule for a perpetuall necessity This then being perpetuall and necessary matters of question and of Ecclesiasticall audience still arising the hearing and iudging of such things belong to such as are most skilfull in those affaires And hence is the iudicature of fuch things assigned to the Priest which right of Ecclesiasticall iudgements and courts standeth no lesse now due to them in the time of grace then it was under the law because this office in iugdeing hearing and determining is not heere giuen to Priests as a thing Ceremoniall but as I haue declared deriued from the law of Nature as a perpetuall seruice for a perpetuall vse 6. Thirdly we consider that the lawes Ecclesiastical are established by the authoritie of the Ciuill Magistrate but for interpretation of them the Priest is appointed to iudge Hence riseth the ground of Iurisdiction both Temporall and Spirituall wee consider Iurisdiction here as our question importeth authority coactiue in externall iudicature in the execution of lawes The fountaine of this authoritie is in him principally by whose authoritie the law is established and without whose authoritie it is not The execution of this authoritie is in them that are appointed iudges And heerein there is no difference betweene Temporall and Ecclesiasticall authoritie I speake not nowe of Spirituall gouernment by the lawes of God executed within the court of Conscience but of Ecclesiasticall gouernment in the execution of lawes Ecclesiasticall wherin there is vse of coactiue power These two things being in themselues and in nature so distinct if this one distinction might be remembred it is ynough to aunswere all the confused collections of that Catholike Diuine who wrote of late against the fift part of Reports of the Lord Cooke For all that hee writeth there resting vpon no other ground then vpon the confounding of Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall power is answered in one word by this one poore distinction betweene these two powers Now the distinction is apparant because in Spirituall gouernment there is no coactiue power but in Ecclesiasticall iudicature there is coactiue power which maketh an euident and famous difference in Iurisdiction because this is most certaine that all that Iurisdiction wherin coactiue power is vsed is from the Ciuill Magistrate Then if these two
the bright day of humilitie to such as desire to see God Thus write the Fathers of that Councell to Pope Caelestinus intimating by what meanes that smoke did begin to rise to darken the Church which is prophesied in the Reuelation which came out of the bottomlesse piâ—…t like the smoke of a great furnace Vpon these reasons they make a decree to preuent his ambitious desires by which decree they forbid all appellations to Rome or to any other place from Affrica it is extant in the Affrican Councell and this it is Item placuit vt presby teri Diaconi vel caeteri inferiores Clerici causis quas habuerint si de iudicijs Episcoporum suorum questi fuerint vicini Episcopi eos audiant Moreouer it was thought good that Priests Deacons or other inferiour Clarkes if in their causes they complaine of the iudgements of their Bishops they shall bee iudged by the next adioyning Bishops c. And a little after Quod si ab ijs prouocandum putauerint non prouocent nisi ad Affricana Concilia vel ad primates Prouinciarum suarum Ad transmarina autem qui putauerit appellandum â nullointer Affricam in Communionem suscipiatur And if they appeale from them they shall not appeale but to the Affrican Councels or to the Primates of their Prouinces Whosoeuer appealeth to outlandish places shall be admitted to the Communion by none within Affrica This was not so much a new decree as the maintaining of that auncient decreed right which Cyprian doth mention testifying that it was decreed euen in his time by all the Bishops of Affrica Statutum est ab omnibus that the cause should bee there heard and examined where the fault was committed This Canon which was thus established in the Affrican Councell is for clearing of the truth and preuenting of these ambitious courses and claimes of Rome repeated and confirmed also in the Mileuitan Councell where Saint Augustine was also present For it must be obserued that the sixt Carthaginian the seuenth Carthaginian the Affrican and Meleuitan Councels were held all about this time by the same men so great was the care and diligence of the Fathers that by many Councels as it were by so many lights they might dispell the smoake of the darkenesse which they saw then rising out of the Church of Rome which smoake after those times quenched the light and couered the sight of the Church as a mist couereth the heauens 20 Thus did these worthy Fathers dispell this smoke for that time and reiect the yoake of the Popes Iurisdiction In all this businesse S. Augustine had an especiall hand and head And as long as he liued the Popes could neuer preuaile But the Bishops of Rome hauing thus once cast off all regard of truth and modesty were resolued to proceed on in this wretched course and neuer gaue ouer till at last they obtained their purpose There is an Epistle of Boniface the second written after these times extant in the Tomes of councels which whether it bee true or counterfait as much other stuffe is of this argument we are to obserue something out of it because it concerneth this question This Epistle is intituled De reconciliationae Carthaginensis Ecclesiae written to Eulalius Bishop of Alexandria he certifieth the Bishop of Alexandria of great ioy for as much as the Church of Carthage is now returned saith hee ad communionem nostram and receiueth all our mandates which by our Legates wee send them Hee signifieth that supplications must be made to GOD that other Churches may likewise be brought home to the same obedience That the Bishop of Alexandria must giue notice heereof to all the brethren about him that they cease not to giue thanks for such benefites of the heauenly fauour For saith he Aurelius praefatae Carthaginensis Ecclesiaeolim Episcopus cum collegis suis instigante diabolo superbire temporibus praedecessorum nostrorum Bonifacij atque Coelestini contra Romanam Ecclesiam coepit c. That is Aurelius once Bishop of Carthage began with his colleagues by the instigation of the diuell to wax proud against the Romane Church in the dayes of our predecessours Boniface and Coelestinus But Eulalius at this time Bishop of Carthage finding himselfe for the sins of Aurelius cut off from the coÌ„munion of the Church of Rome hath humbled himselfe and sought peace and the communion of the Church of Rome by his subscription and together with his colleagues hath by Apostolicall authority vtterly condemned all Scriptures and Writings which by any wit haue beene framed against the priuiledges of the Church of Rome 21 Whether this Epistle be forged or not it commeth all to one reckoning For if it be forged let the Bishop of Rome take the shame of the fórgery If it be the true writing of the Bish of Rome then he auoucheth that the holy worthy maÌ„ of God S. Augustine with Aurelius and the rest of his colleagues were stirred vp by the instigation of the diuell to withsâ—…and this Romane Iurisdiction We may the better beare the reproaches of the Romish Sinagogue when they sharpen their tongues and pennes against the seruants of GOD in our times seeing they laue done as much against the auncient godly Fathers For what can the late Popes say more against M. Luther Iohn Caluin or any other of the worthies of the reformed Churches then this Boniface the second saith against holy S. Augustine that he with the rest of his company were stirred and instigated by the diuell to stand against the Iurisdiction of the Romish Church Then when we denie their Iurisdiction wee denie it with the Fathers when wee are therefore condemned by the Pope and his Court we are condemned with the auncient Fathers with them we suffer with them we are reuiled and condemned The goodnesse of our cause the fellowship of the auncient Saints the warrant of the truth is able to support vs against the impotent malice and fury of these men that haue no other cause to be offended at vs then their Fathers had against S. Augustine and the rest of the auncient and holy Fathers who haue resisted the Romish Iurisdiction and therein haue left a worthy example to vs to follow their foot-steps Thus we see the Popes Iurisdiction was first attempted by forgery and afterward by falshood and tyrannie effected 22 Other Churches were afterward in time drawne to the obedience of this Iurisdiction The Churches of Rauenna Aquileia and Millane were long after this brought vnder the same yoake by Pope Stephen the third saith Sabellicus But Platina saith that Millaine was drawne to this obedience by Stephen the ninth If this be true then Millain stoode out till the yeare of Christ nine hundred and fourty And thus the quarrell for Iurisdiction was begun by Zozimus maintained by Boniface and Caelestinus but reiected by these Affrican Councels The cause was much helped by some that succeeded as Leo and
alijs Episcopis sunt terminandae And to proue that scandalous men of the Clargie should not be punished or examined by Lay-men this reason is often repeated in diuers Epistles that if since the Apostles times that course had beene taken to punish such then few or none should now haue beene left aliue in the Clargie which is a secret confession that all the Clargie of the Court of Rome were at this time of euill and scandalous life and conuersation Marcellus as writing to Maxentius the tyrant is produced to say thus Synodum absque huius sanctae sedis authoritate Episcoporum quanquam quosdam Episcopos possitis congr◅gare nonpotestis regulariter facere neque vllum Episcopum qui hanc appellauerit apostolicam sedem damnare autequā hinc sententia defintiua proccdat These and such like are their grounds of Iurisdiction which need no refutation for absurdities carie alwayes their owne bane in themselues this is refutation ynough for such things to make those things well knowen 9. These testimonies for Iurisdiction drawen from these forged Epistles may giue vs occasion to obserue First that the Bishops of Rome haue long greedily gaped after this Iurisdiction to obtain their purpose herein haue made no bones at forgerie As first they attempted that forgerie of a Canon of the Nicen Councellin Saint Augustines time but were then repressed so the diuell to bring them to greater shame mooued them afterward to greater forgerie in deuising so many decretall Epistles to establish this Iurisdiction by this shamelesse attempt which by other direct meanes they could not doe Seconly so greedily are they set vpon this purpose as men blinded with affection that they consider neither manner nor matter nor coherence onely the impotent loue to this Iurisdiction carrieth them through thicke and thin as in many things may be obserued I obserue onely that which toucheth our question for in these Epistles this Iurisdictiō of the Church of Rome and appellation to that Church is maintained as from the institution of Christ himselfe out of these words Tues Petrus c. Now these Epistles must be supposed to be written long before Saint Augustines time when Zoz◅mus Boniface and Caelestinus claimed the same Iurisdiction by the forged Canon of the Nicen Councell for before those times these Bishops liued who are deuised the authors of these Epistles If these Epistles had then beene extant why did not the Popes claime their Iurisdiction by these testimonies which were supposed to be written so long before the Canons of the Nicen Councell What needed they to haue forged a Canon if they had so faire euidences to shew And why did they claime it by a Canon of the Councell when they might haue laid their claime directly from the commaundement of Christ 10. But if these Epistles were not then extant as certainely they were not why should any credit bee giuen to things so manifestly forged Why should any claime be made to Iurisdiction vpon such false grounds Thirdly we obserue also the cursed obstinacie and affected blindnesse of the learned Papists Bellarmine and such who know well that these Epistles are forged and confesse it knowing that this Iurisdiction of the Pope was neuer claimed iure diuino as from Christs owne institution before these Epistles by forgerie inuented that claime are so bewitched in the seruice of the Pope and in this question of Iurisdiction that against learning iudgement conscience all they hold this Iurisdiction to be iure diuino in the grossest sort maintaine it no otherwise then these confessed forgeries haue taught them by those deprauations corruptions and detortions of Scriptures Tues Petrus and such like An indifferent man would thinke that either they should not confesse these forgeries or confessing them they should hate and abhorre these grounds of Iurisdiction which onely the forged Epistles haue deuised from Scripture Fourthly by this we may looke a little farther into the deepenesse of Satan and behold how the Popes Clarkes lie plunging for Iurisdiction 11. For the Councell of Trent being awaked at the preaching of Master Luther and other and finding that the corruptions which were brought into the doctrines of the Court of Rome could not bee mainteined by Scriptures being directly repugnant thereto deuised a very foule shift to maintaine all by vnwritten traditions And for this purpose enacted a Canon that the traditions of the Church of Rome must be honoured and imbraced with the like honour and reuerence as the holy Scriptures are honoured Therefore they deuise the word of God to be either written in Scriptures or vnwritten in Traditions which vnwritten Traditions they reuerence for Gods word no lesse then the holy Scriptures themselues And if you aske how shall men trie true Traditions they aunswere there is no better triall then the iudgement of the Church of Rome Ex tcstimonio huius solius Ecclesiae sumi potest certum argumentum ad probandas Apostolicas Traditiones By these principles if they might once haue them graunted they thinke themselues able to conclude any thing to delude the holy Scriptures and to set vp prophane and Barbarous forgeries in place of holy Scriptures For if wee denie this pretended Iurisdiction they will aunswere that it is grounded vpon the word of God if we demaund what word they haue for it They tell vs Tu es Petrus c. and such like If wee say the sense and meaning of those Scriptures doe no way maintaine that Iurisdiction the auncient Fathers neuer expounded them so that that sense was neuer drawen from these Scriptures before these forged decretall Epistles deuised it To this they will say they take that sense of Scriptures which the Church of Rome taketh and the Pope who onely hath authoritie to giue the sense of Scriptures The summe and conclusion of all is this the Traditions of the Church of Rome are to be honoured and reuerenced with the same honour as the holy Scripture but these filthy forged and corrupt Epistles containe the Traditions yea are the Traditions of the Church of Rome therefore these filthy forgeries of corrupt men are to be honoured and reuerenced as the holy Scriptures 12. Now though some men vnlearned may be caried away with this vaine shew of Traditions yet wee see not how their learned men can plead ignorance or excuse who know that those expositions of these Scriptures were first forged in the decretall Epistles these be their Apostolicall Traditions these be matched with holy Scriptures I appeale to the conscience of any Papist that either is or would bee esteemed learned whether these Epistles be not forged in his iudgement And whether the ground of their Iurisdiction be not hence drawen And whether this Iurisdiction which in these Epistles is maintained concerning appellation was not repressed and vtterly denied by Saint Augustine and the rest of those auncients in the Cartheginian Affrican and Mileuitan Councels Perhaps it is not hard for a
regni maiores admiratione permotos c. That is You signified to me by your Letters that the Princes and Barons of the Kingdome were mooued with admiration that the Pall was offered you by our Apocrisiaries that is Chaplanes with this condition that you should take that Oath which they brought you written from vs. Let them in like sort maruell at our Lord Iesus Christ in this cause Who committing the charge of his sheepe to Peter put thereto a condition saying If thou louest me feed my sheepe Now if the creator of consciences and searcher of secrets vsed this condition and that not once but the second time and againe till he had made him sorie What care then ought we to haue that so great a Prelateship of the Church bee not by vs committed to our brethren whose consciences we know not They obiect that all Oathes are prohibited by the Lord and that this practise of exacting Oathes is not found either established by the Apostles of Christ or by Councels What then is that which the Lord addeth as next following That which is more then this is of euill For euill compelleth and forceth vs the Lord permitting to exact this which is more For is not this euil to start from the Church and obedience of the Sea Apostolicke And to breake out against the constitutions of Canons Which many haue done after their Oath to the contrarie We are therefore compelled by this euill and by necessitie to exact an Oath for Fealtie for Obedience and Vnitie They obiect that this thing is not established by Councels as though any Councels may prescribe a Law to the Romane Church seeing all Councels are by the Authoritie of the Bishops of Rome enacted and haue their strength And in their Canons the Popes Authoritie is manifestly excepted 38. The Reader may be intreated hence to obserue First that this Oath in the time of Paschalis the second who wrote this for Gregorie the ninth Collected it from him was receiued with great admiration both of Temporall Lords and of the Archbishop himselfe as a thing neuer practised before that time Then we haue the antiquitie of imposing such an Oath Secondly we obserue this cursed boldnesse of the Pope in peruerting Scriptures to serue his pride and lust Without which blasphemous abuse of holy Scriptures this Iurisdiction could neither at first haue beene imposed nor since maintained Thus hee handleth all the Scriptures that he meeteth withall as in these few words two diuers Scriptures Thirdly he graunteth that euill compelled him to this God onely permitting which is as if he should say The diuell compelleth and driueth him to it God onely permitteth He who acknowledgeth thus much is wittingly and willingly the seruant of the diuell and of that euill which by his owne confession compelleth him Fourthly he reiecteth the authoritie of the Apostles and Councels as being himselfe aboue them Fifthly his reason is to bee noted drawen from Scripture Christ saith That which is more then this is of euill therefore the Pope may exact an Oath of Archbishops And the Popes Canons hauing once expounded this Scripture thus it must alwayes be the true sense of it For that say they is the true sense which the Pope giueth Sixthly where we find this Oath exacted of an Archbishop accounted a thing so strange by the Barons of the land We collect that the Pope at the first required this Oath of Archbishops onely which was the cause that mooued many Archbishops to ioyne with the Pope in the pursuite of this new Iurisdiction against their owne Soueraignes And hence we see a reason why Anselme withstood the King against the liking and consent of all the Bishops of the land as we shall hereafter declare Because this Oath was exacted of Archbishops Anselme had taken it For as by this Canon it appeareth it was conueyed with the Pall to the Archbishops if they will haue the Pall besides the other price they must take this Oath But the Bishops as then had not taken the Oath which made them freer to withstand Anselm Seuenthly and last of all obserue what kind of Oath the Pope required An Oath of Allegeance And therefore the summe and purpose of that former Canon is thus set downe in the Edition of Gregorie the thirteenth Electo in Archiepiscopum sedes Apostolica Pallium non tradet nisi prius praestet fideluatis obedientiae iuramentum That is The Sea Apostolike will not deliuer the Pall to any Elect for Archbishop except he first take an Oath of Fidelitie and Obedience Then the Oath which the Pope requires is an Oath of Allegeance By this the purpose reason Antiquitie and honestie of this Oath may the better appeare 39. Besides this Oath which Popes haue exacted of the Clergie they haue laboured to bring the Emperours also vnto their obedience by an Oath There is the forme of an Oath set downe Dist. 63. as exacted by Pope Iohn the twelfth of Otho the first Emperour but because in that distinction there is much counterfeited stuffe thrust in as that Canon which beginneth Ego Ludouicus c. which Carolus Molinaeus hath by irrefragable proofes manifested to be forged therfore this is to be suspected to be of the same kinde And this thing seemeth so vnlikely that there is no reason to receiue it without better story then the Popes Canons For Otho the first was a Prince of great worth wise and valiant and Iohn the twelfth a Pope that deserueth no better Titles of the Historiographers then a Monster and a Beast Neither was this Emperour at any time in the power of that Pope but the Pope in his for Iohn the twelfth helped Beringarius and his sonne against Otho which caused Otho to bring an Armie against him And as Luitprandus saith Iuramentum Othoni Papa Iohannes supra pretiosissimum corpus Petri praestitit se nunque Beringario Aberto eius filio auxiliaturum Naucler saith that this Iohn whom he also calleth a Monster and a Beast hauing intelligence that two Cardinals wrote to Otho to call him to Rome cut off the nose from the one and the hand from the other Then for any Oath that Otho should take to the Pope we finde nothing in Storie but the contrarie True it is that Henry the fourth Emperour was forced by Hildebrand to such an Oath for this Emperour being by him excommunicated his Nobles and Bishops falling from his obedience was driuen to come bare-foote with his wife and little sonne in a sharpe frost to Canusium where the Pope then lay and to stay at the gates of the Citie all night and though in greatest humility he intreated pardon yet Hildebrand was so busied forsooth in company of his Harlots that the Emperour was forced to attend three daies in this grieuous affliction before he might haue accesse to his holinesse And when hee came before him he must be contented to be bound by
enacted by Emperours to be a law that all of the Clergie that offended might know their punishment for that Constantine by whose authority the sixt Synode at Constantinople was held in a Decree inserted in that Councell saith Si quidem Episcopusest vel Clericus vel monachico circundatus habitu deportationis paenam exsoluet Carâ—…omannus in a French Synode decreeth imprisonment Si ordinat us presbyter fuerit duos annos in carcere permaneat These punishments were inflicted vpon such Clerkes as would not be ordered by Ecclesiasticall censures of their Bishoppes for so Guntranus doth testifie a French King by whose authority the Councel of Matiscan was held Quicunque Sacerdctum saith he in a Writ added to that councell aut saecularium in intentione mortifera perdurantes crebrius admoniti si se emendare neglexerint c. alios canonica seueritas corrigat alios ligatâ—…s paena percellat And a little after he saith Conuenit vt iustitâ—…ae â—…quitatis in omnibus vigore seruato distringat legalis vltio iudicum quos non corrigit canonica praedicatio Sacer dotum 70. Then the ancient practise was that the temporall Magistrate should punish such as offended of the Clergy as well as of the Laity Concerning the antiquity of this exemption of Clerkes from temporall Courts wee finde no president for it all the while that the Emperours had any gouernement and commaund in Italy But when the Pope was able to meet the Emperour in battell and giue him the worse then began the authority of the ciuill Magistrate to decay in Rome and fell at the last into contempt And the Pope hauing cast off the yoak of obedience which before he held to the Emperour as to his Soueraigne began to take an authority to himself which neither God nor man had giuen him Hence proceeded that vsurpation of power to giue Lawes to other Pope Nicholas the first in the eight hundred and threescore yeare of Christ writeth in his Epistle to the Emperour Michael in another stile then his predecessours had vsed to write to Emperours before Among other things contained in th Epistle whereas the Emperour had written for a Clarke that had offended him and was fled to the Pope whom the Emperour required to be sent back again to Constantinople Pope Nicholas to this maketh this answere Wee haue from the great power of Peter and Paul right and power to call Clerkes from any other Diocesse if wee thinke good and to inuite them to vs. This is our right but Christian Emperours haue no right at all to make any inquisition for Monks vnlesse it be in fauour to pity them 71. Here we obserue the difference betweene the spirits of Popes in this time and the spirits of auncient Popes who held the doctrine of obedience as the Fathers then did drawing the doctrine from the Scripture and examples of Christ and his Apostles Christ when he was vniustly condemned exempted not himselfe from the punishment of the ciuill Magistrate and yet he wanted no power to haue done so if hee would These late Romane counterfait Catholiques when by their rebellious doctrine and bloudy practises they haue iustly 〈◊〉 the Magistrate against them yet forsooth will denie him authority to punish them Saint Paul teacheth Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers S. Peter teacheth the same doctrine Submit your selues to all manner ordinance of man The Fathers receiued this doctrine from the Scriptures and preserued it faithfully in the Church Chrysostome and after him Oecumenius expounding that place of ' Paul say thus Omnem animam instruens siue Sacerdos sit quispiam siue monachus siue Apostolus vt Magistratibus subdatur nam haec subiectio non euertit pietâ—…tem A learned man of late which also was Pope speaking of these words Omnis anima subdita sic c. saith Nec animam Papaeexcipit So doth God sometimes draw testimonies for the truth out of the mouthes of them that oppugne it The auncients helde this truth vp in great sincerity Gregory Nazianzen saith Homines cuncti c. All men are ordered in subiection vnder the higher powers Hee that saith all men includeth the Pope and his Clarkes Augustine saith Generale pactum est societatis humanae obedire gregibus suis. Leo the first saith Ad imperialem pertinet potestatem vâ—… perturbatores Ecclesiae pacis reipub quae Christianis principibus merito gloriatur inimici sollicitius comprimantur These troublers of the peace of the Church and state of whom he speaketh were Clergy men For in that Epistle Leo writeth against certaine of the Clergy who embraced the errour of Eutyches Then in the time of Pope Leo this was not the doctrine of the Church of Rome which now these Romane Libertines haue brought in Gregory the first writeth to the same purpose Potestas super omnes homines dominorum meorum pietaticaelitus data est vt qui bona appetâ—…nt adiâ—…uentur vt caelorum via largius pateat vt terrestre Regnum coelesti Regnofamuletur In the same Epistle he induceth Christ thus speaking to the Emperour Sacerdotes meos tuae manui commisi Then Gregory knew no other doctrine but that Priests were subiect by Christ subiected to the Magistrate And whereas the Emperour commanded a law to be executed which Gregory misliked hee writeth thus to the Emperor Ego quideÌ„ iussioni tuae subiectus eandem legem per diuersas terrarum partes transmitti feci That is I being subiect to your coÌ„mand haue caused that law to be sent to diuers Prouinces but because the law consenteth not with the law of Almighty God behold I haue signified the same by my letters to your most excellent Lordship so that on both parts I haue payed what I ought for I haue yeelded obedience to the Emperor haue not coÌ„cealed what I thought for God Then Gregory knew no exemption he accounteth himselfe among them that owe subiection and obedience to Emperors 72. Concerning the punishment of Heretiques Schismatiques that were criminous there was no other means knowne in S. Augustines time then the coactiue power of the ciuil Magistrate For thus he saith Si nec hoc volunt Donatistae c. If the Donatists will not grant this power to the Emperour why doe they acknowledge the force of the Lawes to be iustly executed against other malefactors and deny the same to be done against hereticks and Schismaticks seeing by the Apostolicall authority they are all alike numbred with the same fruits of iniquity Must not these humane ordinaÌ„ces regard such things Why then doth he beare the sword c. Thus saith Augustine And in the same place he declareth that there is one law imperial general against all that professe theÌ„selues Christians but are not true Catholicks but keep priuate conuenticles that either he that ordaineth such a Clerke or the Clerke so ordained should loose
maintained the lawes and customes of his father against the Pope and Henry the first the lawes and customes of his brother and father and Henry the second the lawes and customes of the Kingdome vsed by his Grandfather Henry the first or any other afterward referring themselues to the same lawes the lawes and customes of which they speake are the auncient lawes and priuiledges of this land confirmed by the Conquerour receiued from King Edward proceeding from King Edgar and before him from King Alphred And are therefore of much greater antiquity then the Popish Religion lately concluded in the Councell of Trent as many parts of that Religion were Then it appeareth that the auncient lawes of this land did forbid an appeale to Rome neither is that to be much maruelled for why should it be thought strange that an appeale to Rome was vtterly forbidden by the Church and State of England feeing long before that time we finde the same thing forbidden by the Church of Africa After this time wherein Appeales to Rome were forbidden in England we finde that in Fraunce the same thing was prohibited by the law which the French call the pragmaticall Sanction for in the yeare one thousand two hundred threescore and eight Lewes the ninth French King called S. Lewes ordeined the pragmatical Sanction wherein all the oppressions of the Church of Rome are vtterly forbidden that none of those things be practised in Fraunce vnlesse it be by the expresse and free consent of the King and Church of that Kingdome Thus haue Kings alwaies prescribed against the Pope in matters of Iurisdiction as the Church in like sort hath prescribed against the Pope in matters of faith and Religion as hereafter in the last Chapter shall be declared §. VIII Of deposing and depriuing Kings and dissoluing the Oath of Alleageance wherein consisted the highest pitch of this pretended Iurisdiction 96. THE last and greatest point of this Iurisdiction wherein the strings of this authority were stretched vp to the highest was that their practise of Deposing Kings and discharging Subiects from their Alleageance By which practise the Church was confounded the States of the world ouerturned Kings robbed of their right subiects of their faith and truth euery nation scourged with warres and blood-shed and in the common vexation of all Christendome onely the Popes state and worldly glory increased who could not otherwise rise but with the ruine of the Church and States In this place therefore I will as breefely as I can passe through by way of short History the practise of the Popes in deposing of Kings That it may be apparant to the world that we are so farre from being afraid to confesse this power which they so much boast of that we are rather readie to publish it to the world For hereby all men which haue any vnderstanding of that power which Iesus Christ left to his Church may know the Tyrannie vsurpation pride vaine-glory ambition and madnesse of him who exalteth himselfe in the Church against God and against them that are called Gods Wherein we may learne to be armed with patience to suffer for a time whatsoeuer the lust of proud and bloud-sucking Popes haue leaue to do for the sinnes of our Princes and people and Churches For their time is set and drawing to an end and nothing hath beene done but that which is fore-warned in the Scripture So that by these ambitious and bloudy practises wee shall finde how the Scriptures are fulfilled 97. For one Scripture saith that a starre must fall from heauen who must be a King of the Locusts which is called also the Angell of the bottomlesse pit whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greeke Apollyon that is a destroyer Which Prophesie of his destroying power is verified most apparantly in this practise of excommunicating Kings and loosing the knot of obedience Whereby confusion and destruction is brought vpon all Kingdomes of Christendome Hereby he is proued to be a destroyer an exterminator an excommunicator Therefore the vulgar translation addeth significantly Latine habens nomen exterminans Another Scripture saith The tenne Kings shall giue their power and authority to the beast Though the Kings of Christendome did neuer directly yeeld to the Pope this authority ouer their owne Kingdomes and ouer themselues that the Popes might depose and displace them at his pleasure yet this they gaue him in effect and by consequence For they gaue him so much that he might vpon their owne graunt challenge this and they who had graunted him so much had no reason to except against his challenge For though the King which was to be depriued denied the Pope this power yet such Princes did yeeld it to him to whom the Pope had giuen the Kingdom of the deposed Prince he did yeeld it who should vse the benefit of the Popes vsurped power For example though the late Kings of France haue alwaies denied that the Pope had any Authority to depose the French Kings yet the Kings of France haue giuen him this power For the former Kings yeelded it as Pipin and Charles For they had no other title to the Kingdome then from this power of the Pope Therefore they yeelded that the Pope had power and authority to giue Kingdomes and in that sense gaue their power and authority to the beast So that when these first French Kings honoured the Pope with this vndue honour though then they seemed to receiue Kingdomes from him yet the Scripture looketh farther into these practises then they did which practised them For they respected onely themselues their owne present greatnesse but in receiuing such power from the Popes they gaue in trueth their power and authority to the Popes For how could they in iustice denie but that the same power which deposed other Kings to raise them might as well haue deposed them to raise other Thus most of the Kings of Christendome gaue their kingdomes to the Popes That this new and strange power of Antichrist may better appeare I will open the beginning and continuance of the Popes practise herein Leo Iconomachus 98. THe first Prince vpon whom the Pope began this practise was Leo the Emperour whom Platina calleth Leo the third he was called Iconomachus for defacing of Images This Prince was deposed by Gregory the third who was Pope in the yeare seuen hundred ninety sixe Pope Gregory the second prepared the way thus When Leo the Emperour being much offended at the superstitious and foule abuse of Images which he saw daily then growing in the Church did vtterly deface Images in Churches and commaunded Pope Gregory the second then Bishop of Rome to doe the like the Pope tooke his aduise in such indignation that he raised all Italy in rebellion against him So the Emperour lost his holde in Italy and a number of little States were raised in Italy euery City striuing to make it selfe a free State Gregory the second hauing done thus much died and left the