ecclesia constituitur ex collectione omnium fidelium vnde omnes fideles orbis constituunt istam ecclesiam vniuersaleÌ„ cuius caput sponsus est ipse Christus Papa auteÌ„ est Vicarius Christi non verè caput ecclesiae vt notat glossa in Clem. ne Romani de elect Quae notabiliter dicit quod mortuo Papa ecclesia non est sine capite ista est illa ecclesia quae errare non potest For concerning maters of Faith euen the iudgement of one that is a meere Lay-man ought to be preferred before the sentence of the Pope if that Lay person could bring better reasons out of the old and new Testament then the Pope did And it skilleth not if one say that a Councell cannot erre because Christ prayed for his church that it should not fayle For I say that although a general Councell represent the whole vniuersall Church yet in truth there is not truely the vniuersall Church but representatiuely For the vniuersall Church consisteth of the collection of all the faithful Whereupon all the faithfull in the worlde make this vniuersall church which cannot erre wherof Christ himselfe is the head The Pope is the Vicar of Christ but not truely the heade of the church as noteth the Glosse vpon the Clementines which saith very well that when the Pope is dead the church wanteth not then an head and this is that Church which cannot erre Out of these wordes I note first that by the opinion of the great Papist Panormitan a meere laye mans iudgement euen in matters of faith ought to bee accepted and receyued before the Popes constitution if that Lay-man bring better reasons then doth the Pope I note secondly that through the wonderfull prouidence of God euen the enemies of the truth the Papists I meane are enforced to testifie the truth against themselues in their owne printed bookes For doubtles this Testimony of this Papist is the foundation of that doctrine which is this day established in the church of England and in all other reformed churches throughout the Christian world I note thirdly that a generall councell may erre because it is not the Catholike or vniuersall church indeed A generall councell therfore yeeldeth not any infallible iudgement CAP. VII Shewing that the holy Scripture is the sole and onely infallible rule of truth IN the former Chapters I haue shewed first that all Bishoppes may erre seuerally secondly that many Bishops may erre ioyntly together when they teach one and the selfe same thing Thirdly that the Pope or Bishoppe of Rome may erre not onely in his priuate opinion but also in his publike sentence and definition Fourthly that Prouinciall Councels may erre Fiftly that generall counsels may erre It therefore now remayneth that I find out and set down some such rule as is infallible and will not in any respect point or clause deceiue them that follow it and leane thervnto Which rule say I is the holy scripture the sole and onely written worde of God And I proue the same briefly first by the written word it selfe which telleth vs plainely that the holy scripture was written by the instinct of the holy Ghost euen as God himself appointed it to be done That prophesie came not in old time by the wil of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost That God is not as man that he should lie neyther as the sonne of man that he should repent I proue it secondly by the testimony of S. Dionyse Areopagita whose wordes are these Omnino igitur non audendum est quicquam de summa abstrusaque diuinitate aut dicere aut cogitare praeter ca quae nobis diuinitus scripturae diuinae enuntiarunt In no wise therfore may we make bold to speake or thinke any thing of the high and ineffable diuinity but that onely which holy writ hath reuealed to vs from aboue I proue it thirdly by the verdict of S. Austen in these wordes Ego solis eis scripturarum libris qui iam canonici appellantur hunc timorem honorem didici deferre vt nullum eorum authorem scribendo aliquid errasse firmissime credam Alios autem ita lego vt quantalibet sanctitate doctrinaque praepolleant non ideo veruÌ„ putem quia ipsi ita censuerunt sed quia mihi vel per illos auctores canonicos vel probabili ratione quod a veritate non abhorreat persuadere potuerunt I have learned to giue this feare and honour to those onely bookes of scripture which are called Canonicall that I firmely belieue no author therof to haue erred in any point but yet I reade others so that how holy or learned soeuer they bee I doe not by and by thinke it true because they say so but because they perswade me by those Canonicall Writers or by probable reason that that is true they say The same S. Austen in an other place telleth vs plainely that the holy Scripture is the rule of faith These are his wordes Sancta scriptura nostrae doctrinae regulam figit ne audiamus sapere plusquam oportet The holy Scripture setteth downe the rule of our doctrine that we presume not to be wiser then it is meete and conuenient The Iesuite Bellarmine whose words are most forceable against Papistes because he is the mouth of all Papistes confesseth plainely that the worde of God is the rule of faith that the written word because it is the rule hath this prerogatiue that whatsoeuer is contained in it is of necessitie true and must bee beleeued and whatsoeuer is repugnant to it is of necessitie false and must be reiected But because it is a partial rule and not the totall rule of faith thereupon it commeth that something is of faith which is not contayned in the same Thus writeth the Iesuite Out of whose wordes euerie child may gather that the scripture is the infallible rule of faith For although the Iesuite would make vnwritten traditions to bee a ioynt rule together with the written word whose opinion I haue disproued in my Booke of Motiues yet neyther doth hee neither can he deny but that all must bee reiected whatsoeuer is repugnant to the holy scripture By this my discourse hetherto it is cleare and euident to euery indifferent Reader that neither Fathers Popes nor councels prouinciall or generall are or can bee the infallible rule of faith but the sole and onely written word of God that is the holy Scripture But now remayneth a most intricate and dâ—fficult question who must bee the iudge of the Scripture that is who must determine and set downe what writinges what opinions what preachinges what doctrines are grounded vpon the Scriptures and are consonant to the same againe what opinions what Writinges and what doctrines are not grounded vpon the Scriptures nor are agreeable to the same Hic labor hoc opus est I therefore proceede to the next
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
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
vnderstande the primatiue Church which is most truly and properly called the ancient Church VVhich Church doubtlesse knewe no Popish inuocation of Saintes as I haue proued in my Suruey For aunswere to which booke or to any of the rest published now many yeares ago neither this hote-spurre mate E. O. nor any other English Iesuite or Iesuited Seminarie dare for their lugges encounter with mee So then there is a sweet harmonie but no discord at all in the writings of maister Sutcliffe of maister Gough and of my selfe In an other place this Libeller sayth that I holde auricular confession to haue beene established in the yeare 254. and doe but proue it by my bare worde onely This is a lie with a witnesse For I haue proued it in the second booke of my motiues and that by the testimonie of Iosephus Angles a Popish Frier and Bishop of Bosana euen in the second to me of that worke which he dedicated to the pope himselfe Sixtus Quintus These are the expresse wordes Ante Concilium Later erat Haereticum negare necessitatem confessionis negantes tamen non erant Haeretici Ratio est quia nondum erat ab Ecclesia declaratum Before the Councell of Lateran it was hereticall to denie the necessitie of confession but they were not Heretiques that denied it The reason is because the Church of Rome had not declared it to be an article of faith In the said second booke of Motiues in the ninth Chapter and fift conclusion the Reader shall finde these expresse wordes Albeit popish auricular confession be so magnified with Papists that euerie one is commaunded vnder paine of damnation to beleeue the same as instituted by Christ himselfe yet was it not an article of popish fayth for the space of one thousand and fiue hundred yeares after Christ. These are my expresse wordes in that place Here I heartily desire all people that are careful of their saluation especially such as are deuoted to the Iesuites and I craue it for the tender mercy of God in the bowels of Christ Iesus to marke attentiuely what I shall sincerely deliuer as I will answere God at the dreadfull day of generall doome I therefore say first that the author of this lewde Pamphlet and scurrilous libell intituled the detection of vntruthes who concealeth his name not daring to auouch it to the world but seemeth to be Robert Parsons the Iesuite alias Bastard Cowbucke expelled out of Baliol Colledge in Oxford for his illegitimation libelling and factious dealing who will affirme or denie anie thing as his owne deare brothers the secular Priestes write of him hath incurred the censures of their church and is become an excommunicate person for publishing this lewde libell and slaunderous Pamphlet I proue it because the generall councell of Lateran celebrated in the yeare 1515. prohibiteth vnder the paine of excommunication to print or cause to be printed any booke or scripture whatsoeuer in any Cittie or Diocesse wheresoeuer vnles the same be first diligently examined by the Bishop of the same Diocesse or by his Deputie and subscribed by their owne hand And it will not serue the Iesuites turne to say or pretend for his excuse that the pope hath dispenced with their sect to print bookes and libels at their pleasure For a generall councell hath power to make constitutions which the Pope is bound to obey but the Pope hath no such power ouer the councell to which he is and must be subiect This doctrine is flatly decreed in two famous popish generall Councels Constance and Basill Yet to this day was it neuer heard of in the world that an inferiour could make lawes to tie his superior or by his owne power exempt himselfe or others from the obedience hee oweth to the lawes of his superior I say secondly that this shameles Iesuite must of necessitie condemne himselfe in his own conscience when he sayeth that I affirme auricular confession to haue been established in the yeare 254. and l proue it by an euident demonstration For though I made mention of the time in three seueral bookes to witte in my Motiues in my Suruey and in my hunting of the Romish Foxe yet did I that but obiter in the two latter bookes referring the Reader to my first Booke that is to my Booke of Motiues In which booke I handled the question indeede and decided it by popish approbation there affirming in expresse wordes that Popish auricular confession was not an article of Popish faith for the space of one thousand fiue hundred yeares after Christ. Which number is set down without figures in that place and so lesse subiect to falshood or corruption But in the other bookes the number is put downe in figures and so more easily subiect to alteration especially seeing my self was distant from the Presse well neare two hundred miles I say thirdly that to obiect to me my reuolt from falshood and my returne to God with remorse for mine errours which this libeller recounteth for want of better matter doth nothing else but argue his owne imperfection and insufficiency to defend the matter hee tooke in hand CAP. IIII. Of the finding out of the endes of the Gordian knot I Say first that Gordius as stories doe relate was first a poore husbandman and afterwarde elected to be the king of Phrygia by the oracle of an Idoll who being made king caused his yokes to be hanged vp in the temple of Iupiter and the cordes to bee knit in such knots that it seemed a thing impossible to vntie or loose the same I say secondly that this masked libeller E. O. or if ye will Parsons that trayterous Iesuite seemeth greatly to fauour Gordius his knot because forsooth as Gordius by the helpe of an Idol became of a poore husbandman a mighty Prince so hee by treasonable plottinges with the King of Spaine forsooth one day of a poore Fryer to be made the Viceroy of England For which end he bestirreth himself to deuise such knots of bloudy treacheries as hee thinketh mans power not able to resist or vntie I say thirdly that all the difficultie in vntying this knot consisteth precisely and specially in this because forsooth I say in my Suruey that the Bishops of Rome were godly men till S. Austens time and long after him and yet withall I doe charge Pope Siricius to haue published wicked doctrine and Pope Sozomene to haue falsified the councell of Nice This is the knot that as our Iesuite E. O. thinketh cannot bee vntied If I can find out the endes of this knot a more large subiect saith he must be prouided for my learning to worke vpon A worthy reward of so mighty a Personage for the vnfolding of one silly knot Well I vndertake in Gods name to find out the ends of this knot expecting that E. O. will for his credites sake performe his promise made herein For the clearing of which difficultie and vnfolding of which knot I desire the
sum ipsi sint mecum What doubt is there did he pray for Peter and did he not also pray for Iames and Iohn to say nothing of the rest it is cleare that in Peter all the rest are meant because he sayeth in an other place I pray for these O Father which thou hast giuen me and desire that they may bee with mee where my selfe am Origen a learned and very auncient father affirmeth in a large discourse vpon S. Mathew that all things spoken of Peter touching the church the keyes are to be vnderstood of all the rest And the collection of Origen is euident euen by natural reason For if Christ prayed not aswell for the rest as he did for Peter of small credite were a great parte of the holy scripture A reason doubtles insoluble for all Papistes in the world For if they could faile in their faith they could also faile in their writing and yet that they could not so faile was by vertue of Christes prayer This my aunswere is farther confirmed by the testimonie of learned and approued Papistes Panormitanus was their skilfull Canonist their religious Abbot and their renowmed Archbishop and consequently his authority must needs gall and confound them all His words are these Et pro hactantum Christus in Euangelio or auit ad patrem ego rogaui pro te And for this he meaneth the vniuersal Church Christ onely prayed to his Father in the gospell when he said I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Behold here gentle Reader and yeelde thine indifferent censure When Christ saith the great Papist Panormitane prayed that Peters faith should not faile hee prayed for the faith of the vniuersall Church whose faith shall neuer faile indeede And the saide Panormitane proueth his opinion directly and strongly by many textes of the Popes Canon-law De Elect. Cap. significasti Alphonsus a Castro a religious Popish Carthusian hath these wordes Non dubitamus an haereticum esse papam esse coire in vnum possint infra non enim credo aliquem esse adeo impudentē papae assentatorē vt ei tribuere hoc velit vt nec errare nec in interpretatione sacrarum literarum hallucinaripossit We doubt not whether one man may be both a Pope and an Heretike together For I belieue there is none so shamelesse a flatterer of the Pope that will ascribe this vnto him that he can neyther erre nor bee deceyued in the exposition of the scriptures To these I must needes adde that all the doctors of the famous Vniuersity of Paris as our Iesuite Bellarmine freely graunteth doe expound Christs words in S. Luke euen as I haue proued out of Panormitane That is that Christ praied for the faith of the whole church or for Peters faith as he did represent the whole church And therefore our Iesuite doth easily reiect their exposition without all time and reason And hee telleth vs forsooth that Christ in his prayer obtayned two Priuiledges to Peter the one that his faith should neuer faile the other that neyther Peter neyther any in Peters seat should euer teach false doctrine But wise men I hope will belieue Bellarmines wordes when hee shall bring good proofes for the same For first my selfe haue proued most euidently euen by manifest Popish Testimonies that many Bishops of Rome haue taught false doctrine and become flat Apostataes Secondly Bellarmine himselfe confesseth freely that Peters Successors perhaps wanted the former prerogatiue and sometime became Heretikes but the latter saith hee they had vndoubtedly Which Exposition is easily retorted against himselfe because the former may as well if not better bee gathered out of the text as the latter And therefore Bellarmine presumeth to much vpon his owne credite when hee will without all reason enforce vs to expound Christes Gospell as hee listeth The second Obiection Christ commaunded the people to doe what soeuer the Scribes and the Pharisies willed them to obserue and this hee did onely because they sate in Moyses chaire But doubtles if they sitting in Moyses chaire could haue erred Christ would not haue commanded so strictly to obserue their doctrine The Aunswere Our Sauiour Christ seeing many thinges amisse in the Scribes and Pharisies thought it meete and conuenient to giue the people warning thereof And hee wisely tempereth his admonition least they should reiect the good together with the euill For to teach the Lawe and the Prophetes whith was to sitte in Moyses Chaire or to execute Moyses authoritie which was all one in effect was a thing very honest and lawfull Therefore Christ commanded the people to obey them and to doe whatsoeuer they did bid them doe But this must bee vnderstoode with this limitation so long as they taught and commaunded Ex Cathedra that is agreeably to Gods law not otherwise This to bee the true sense and meaning of Christs words I will proue euidently both by the Fathers and by the Testimonies of Nicholaus de Lyra and Dionysius Carthusianus two zealous and learned Papistes S. Austen hath these wordes Sedendo Cathedram Moysi legem Dei docent ergoper illos Deus docet sua vero illi si velint docere nolite audire nolite facere Certè n. tales sua quaerunt non quae Iesu Christi Sitting in the Chayre of Moyses they teach the Law of GOD therefore God teacheth by them But if they will needes teach their owne opinions and fantasies then heare them not doe not as they bid you do For doubtles such men seeke to please them selues and not to accomplish the will of Iesus Christ. S. Hilarie hath these wordes Cum igitur doctrina pharisaeorum ob id probabilis esse docetur quia ipsi in Mosi Cathedra sederunt doctrina necessariò significatur in Cathedra Seeing therefore that the doctrine of the Pharisies is for that proued to bee probable because they sate in the Chaire of Moses therfore by the Chaire must doctrine of necessitie be signified Thus writeth this great learned and auncient Father by whose iudgement it is plaine that the chaire of Moses and the doctrine of Moses is all one And consequently that not they which occupie the roome of Moses or Peter are to bee followed but they that teach the doctrine of Moses and Peter are to bee heard and their commaundement must be done Lyra hath these wordes Omnia quaecunque dixerint vobis facite Quia praelatis etiam malis est obediendam nisi in his quae sunt manifestè contra Deum Doe all things that they shall say vnto you because wee must obey euen those prelates that be euill vnlesse they teach plainly against God Dionysius Carthusianus hath these words Hoc non est absolute vniuersaliter intelligendum quia Scribae Pharisaei multa superstitiosa falsa docuerunt corumpentes scripturam irritum facientes verbum Dei per suas traditiones Intelligendum est ergo de