bene of diuine institution hee would haue said first a Pope armed with two swords Temporall and Spirituall secondly Cardinals and so forward from Principallity to Principallity Hierarchicall But contrariwise Saint Peter forbiddeth his true successors all domination saying 1. Pet. 5.2.3.5 Feede the flocke of God c. not as hauing domination ouer Gods heritage but as being ensamples to the flocke which hee so ordaineth that saith he yee submit your selues euery man one to another 2. Cor. 11.5 12.11 Gal. 2.9.11.14 And Saint Paul witnesseth that hee was nothing inferiour to the very chiefe Apostles that Iames Peter and Iohn who were counted to bee pillars had giuen him the right hand of fellowship And indeed when Peter was come to Antiochia he withstood him to his face for hee was to bee reproued in constraining the Gentiles to do like the Iewes And if Saint Peter was reproued by one of his companions by a stronger reason was he bound to render an account to the whole Councell assembled in the capitall Church in which Iames sate Act. 8.14 namely in Ierusalem as wee reade in the Actes Hee also obeyed the other Apostles who sent him with Saint Iohn into Samaria Now note that Saint Paul saith not that Iames whom he nameth first Peter and Iohn were pillars but saith they were counted so noting the opinion of the vulgar for the holy building of the Church is not a iustice set vpon three pillars much lesse vpon one onely fantasy of man for to turne euery way but on twelue pillars that is to say the twelue Apostles as is said in the Reuelation Reuel 21. And Saint Hierome in the middle of the discourse against Iouinian hath these wordes The fiâ—menesse of the Church is equally foundâ—d â—pon all the Apostles Note hee saith equally Who also haue all of them for solide Basis that corner-stone of many refused the stone out of which springeth forth the water of life the stone besides which none can lay any other foâ—ndation 1. Cor. 3. Vpon which also both the doctrine discipline of the Apostles haue bene builded to wit IESVS CHRIST Wee reade also that the Apostles were assembled in the Church of Ierusalem Actes 17. a Church priuiledged aboue all others because that out of it haue come the Prophets and Apostles it was taught by the Maister himselfe sprinkled with his bloud honoured with his passion and marked with his sepulcher and of the same was the Apostle Saint Iames called by the Ancients Clem. Epist 1. the Bishop of the Apostles who remoued not thence though the other Apostles were ambulatory who was a Prince of the bloud royal cousin germane to our Sauiour and was president in the first Councell Act. 17.23 in which hee gaue his opinion last and collected the voices as wee reade in the Actes neuerthelesse hee tooke not vpon him for that any principallity For the letter written by aduice of this company beareth not the title of his name but of the name of all The Apostles and the Elders c. greeting Within the bounds of like modesty haue the holy Byshops of all Christendome contained themselues till the yeare sixe hundred and seuent and for proofe hereof we need but the Canon it selfe taken out of Saint Chrysostome which hath these wordes Whosoeuer desireth Primacy on earth Can. mult §. quicunque dist 4. shall finde confusion in heauen amd shall not bee found in the number of the seruants of God c. This Aristocraticall forme then of gouerning the Church by a common councell of Pastors and Deacons dured a long time in the Church so long as the persecutions banished the ambition of Priests which were in nothing different from Bishops For as for the place of Saint Hierome aboue alleaged Hier. Euagrio hee speaketh as hauing regard to his times wherein already the Bishop was distinguished from the Priest in that hee conferred orders which the simple Priest did not But it was not so from the beginning nor a long time after the Apostles Hier. 3. ad Titum And witnesse Saint Hierome himselfe vpon the Epistle to Titus saying that there was no difference of power and charge the one from the other and that it is by custome and not by truth of diuine disposition that such a degree is inuented And to proue that the Priest and the Bishop were one and the same person in the Church he alleageth the 20 of the Actes Act. 20.17 where it is said that Saint Paul sent from Miletum to Ephesus for the Priests of the Church Item that of the Phillipians where Saint Paul saluteth the Saints which are in Phillipi Phillip 1.1 with the Bishops and Deacons For seeing hee nameth many Bishops hee intendeth to speake of Priests because by the new order of such superiority there is but one Bishop in euery Citty Secondly if there had bene there Priests others then them hee calleth Bishops hee would not haue forgotten them seeing he omitted not Deacons 1. Pet. 5.1 Lastly Saint Peter not onely calleth them Priests or Elders to whom hee wrote but also calleth himselfe a Priest or Elder with them and a companion in the Presbitery Saint Paul also ascribeth ordina ion to the assembly of Priests and enioyneth the Hebrews to obey not one sole Bishop but their ouer-seers And if among the Apostles there had bene some greater then others it would not haue bene said I am of Cephas and I of Apollos for either they would haue reclaimed the greatest or hee that had an inferiour Pastour would haue bene still But this Aristocraticall forme hauing displeased some passed to the great Citties who would attribute to themselues some second prerogatiue aboue Bishops and to haue Patriarches of equall authority namely in Ierusalem Antioch Alexandria and Rome Which the Synode Nic. syn c. 6. held about the yeare 400 of our Sauiour winked at Soone after the Emperours hauing translated their seate to Constantinople by reason of the warres of Italy this dignity was communicated to the Bishop of the place Zeno in l. decreuimus 16. l. priuilegia 17. C. de sacros Eccl. Iust Nou. 123. c. 9. de sacros Episcopis l. 24. Constinopolitana C. de sacros Ecclesijs l. Certissimè 34. C. de Episc aud yea greater by measure as ambition grew Thence came a law of Zeno their Emperour in the yeare 476. another of Anastasius by which the Church of Constantinople is exalted and priuiledged aboue others As Mother of the Orthodoxall Churches And Iustinian ordaineth that all Bishops of what Prouince soeuer they bee should repaire to the Bishop of Constantinople and in the Law 24. That the Church of Constantinople is the head of all others And not onely the said Church is called Mother but the Patriarke of Constantinople is called Oecumenicall that is to say vniuersall and superiour to all others in two diuerse Lawes L. Cum velimus 7. C. de summa trinit
of this man of sinne retaineth still the name of the Church of God it is in regard of that it was when hee first thrust himselfe into it for euery corruption hath his degrees nemo repente fuit turpissimus like as when a house is set on fire so long as the floores roofes and walles do stand it is called a house both in name and effect and when it is al◠burnt to ashes it hath no more but the bare name when we say there is a house burnt therefore no man will bee so vnwise to bee perswaded hee should dwell in it which hath neither walles to defend nor roofe to couer him though all men should tell him it was called the house of such a one no not though some part of the same yet stood because hee could not bee in safety Also there is not any Iudge so vniust will be so rigorous to a husband that accuseth his wife of adultery as to condemne him to liue with her onely because in pleading he calleth her his wife For seeing that adultery is cause of the dissolution of marriage in that the husband giueth the name of wife to her he pleadeth against it is to shew what she was that he might ground his action and depriue her of her matrimoniall couenants This causeth vs boldly to point out such a man and to maintaine that it is necessary to saluation to separate our selues from him and his Church without feare of being thereby separated from the true Church of God I say from such a one of whom we are forewarned not as of an open enemy such as the Turke is who ruinateth frō his first rising and therefore sitteth not in the Church But it is he that is entred as a Fox and raigneth as a Lyon who cōmeth in sheeps cloathing within is a rauening wolfe who hath hornes like the Lambe but vttereth blasphemy out of his mouth to wit I am God I cānot erre I am the spouse of the Church I rule in heauen and in earth Who will doubt then but that wee ought to refuse such a head seeing the Cardinall establisheth him ouer the militant Church etiám Christo secluso Bel. lib. 1. de Pontifi c. 9. CHRIST IESVS excluded or separated frō it although the vnion of him his Church is euer to remaine hath bene frō the foundaion of the world and seeing also the Cardinall createth him Monarch Temporal and Spiritual And for such a separation no Christian is separate from the Church as I haue handled at large in the discourse of Catholick Vnity Chap. 3. of the Church in chap. 7. tit of Schime where may bee obserued among other three significations of the Church first the materiall building secondly the visible assembly of euery Parish and thirdly the inuisible company of all the faithfull which is the Catholicke Church beleeued by faith and not seene with the corporall sences for vniuersall things are not the obiect of the sences and being one of the Articles of faith there is none but God that knoweth who are his seeing it may so fall out that a whole companie of men making profession to serue God may bee composed of hypocrites in euery particular man thereof Chrysostom hom 46. in Mat. Hither is referred these testimonies first of Saint Chrysostome Hee goeth not out of the Church that goeth out bodily but hee that in minde forsaketh the groundes of Ecclesiasticall truth We haue left with them the foundations of walles they haue left with vs the foundations of the Scriptures Hierom. in Psal 33. And Saint Hierome The Church consisteth not in walles but in truth of doctrine there where is the true doctrine there is the true Church And Saint Hillary Hilar. contra Auxentium The loue of walls hath taken you in vaine ye reuerence the Church in houses and buildings doe yee doubt whether Anti-christ shall sit there mountaines forrests lakes gulfes prisons are more safe vnto mee Psal 2.10 Bee wise now therefore ye Kings be learned yee Iudges of the earth serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling And I will let you see an extract of one or two orations pronounced in the Councell of Lateran by the Popes Clerkes and by Moderne Canonist Doctors seene allowed and Printed by the commandement of Pope Leo the tenth as may bee seene in his Bull in the beginning of the said Councel the fift of May 1515. Yea the words of him Oratio Antonij Puccij Clerici Apostoli 3. Non Maiae 1515. sess 10. that spake to the Pope in presence of the whole Councell Although the aspect of your diuine Maiesty by the resplendent glory whereof the weaknesse of my eyes is dazaled Here is God robbed of his Maiesty we must come to the King saying And as the chiefe Byshop Leo by diuine prouidence hath bene en-registred in the royall race of chiefe Bishops Item As before in thee alone the true and lawfull Vicar of CHRIST of God this prophesie to be againe fulfilled All the Kings of the earth shall worship him Psal 71. all nations shall serue him Then vsurping the title of IESVS a iealous God hee saith Before and now the vniuersall body to wit the Church is acknowledged subiect to one onely head namely vnto thee Item Knowing that to thee alone from the Lord hath bene giuen all power in heauen and in earth that thou maist giue law and iudge not onely Spirituall men but also the earthly powers of this world But that which is most admirable is that any truth should proceed out of the blasphemous mouth of this mā in that he acknowledgeth Rome to be Spirituall Babylon in these wordes After we haue examined all the decrees of the Church and that I come to the Citty it selfe which the Prince of Apostles inspired with the holy Ghost calleth Babilō 1. Pet. 5. c. Behold this heauenly Ierusalem diuine Spouse c. clad in mourning c. which seemeth to be full of teares and discheueled prostrate at the most sacred feet of the cheife Bishop Is it so most sweete Bridegroome that thy onely thy faire thy wel-beloued Spouse which cannot say looke not vpon mee for I am browne c. Where are the Pastors of the flocke which rule rather then profile which scatter and not gather which kill in steed of sauing c. Then in the end this excreable flaterer saith to Leo. Make hast arise compasse about Syon our mother thy Spouse embrace her c. Instruct and frame the hearts of the faithfull And the Citty to wit of Rome first of all that iudgement may beginne at the house of the Lord afterward restore the whole earth by the censure of thy discipline into the puritie of the ancient faith hope and charity Is not this to exalt himselfe aboue that which is called God there is diuine Maiestie Royall race spouse and head of the Church that hath all power in heauen and
earth Bulla Iulij 3. sess Latran Non Decembris 1512. giueth Law to Temporall powers in Temporall things for there is read a Bull in this same Councell whereby Iulius the second forbiddeth faires to bee kept at Lyons and will haue them bee kept in another Citty ad Gebenensem ciuitatem To conclude hee setteth himselfe aboue the Church which he prostrateth disheuelled at his feete and calleth his seate Babylon of which speaketh Saint Peter in his first Catholicke Epistle 1. Pet. 5. And to the end that in the mouth of two witnesses this truth may bee confirmed I will bring forth yet another Parasite that was Generall of the order of Preachers 2. Sess in Orationem Caietani and had for recompence of his blasphemies a Cardinals hat his wordes may bee thus enterpreted speaking of the Church It shall obtaine if you will and command it if you imitate the power perfection and wisedome of God Almighty whose place on earth you ought to hold not onely in honour of dignity but in affection of will Gird your swords for you haue two one which is vnto you common with other Princes of this world the other which belongeth in such sort vnto you that none can haue it but from you c. Set forwards set forwards happily destroy the nations that desire warre seeing you raigne Priest and King c. And speaking of the mercy of the Pope the same will make you most excellent aboue all the Kings of the earth ergo the Popes mercy is diuine it will make you worthy to be worshipped gracious a friend and most-like vnto God And because we suppose many of quality will come to this Synode by the mercy of God and yours c. Magne regnator Deúm tam lentus audis scelera Senec. Tam lentus vides ec quando saeua fulmen emittes manu CHAP. IX That the Pope exalting himselfe aboue Kings in the manner as Cardinall Bellarmine will haue it exalteth himselfe also aboue all that is called God in Temporall things THE Teachers of nouelties submitting peace and war obedience rebelliō of subiects to the wils of Popes remember not what was in the beginning and that which we haue aboue proued For when the Magistrate hath bene a beleeuer hee hath euer bene aboue the Church to reforme it both in head mēbers being the Guardian to whose trust is committed the Law of God whereof hee is to haue a Copie which is cleere in points necessary to saluation and if there be obscurity in any place it is cleered by the reading of the same Neh. 8. according as Nehemiah practised and of this forme of enterpreting we need none other witnesse then Pope Clemēt who saith that we must not take a sense out of the Scriptures Clem. epist 5. ad discipulos Can. relatum dist 37. c. but must take the sense of truth from the Scriptures and he yeeldeth the reason of it because all men may take from them a full and firme rule of truth And if some Christian Emperours would not take knowledge of Ecclesiasticall causes it followeth not but that they had the authority and right to do it Deut. 17. For not onely the Priests and Leuites which did their duty tooke knowledge of thē but also the Iudge established by the Soueraigne Magistrate So when Ruben and Gad Iosh 22. with the halfe Tribe of Manasses had builded an Altar neere Iordan it is said that all Israell gathered together in Sylo to examine the matter sent ten of the principall of euery tribe vnto thē So Gedeō being established Iudge destroyed the Altar of Baal c. Cyrus Esd 1.16 Neh. 1. Darius Artaxerxes ordaine that the Temple shal be builded againe Esdras Nehemias take cōmission from thē In like maner vnder the Gospel Constantine Valentinian Theodosius assemble Councels We will say they bee present in the Councell after the example of Constantine not to make shew of our power but to confirme the faith c. and it is chiefely said that they which were of the Senate made decrees Cyrill Also Saint Cyrill reporteth that the Councell of Ephesus sent to Theodosius and Valentinian for to render them a reason of what was passed touching the condemnation of Nestorius And the Councels of Aix and of Arles Art 3. In praef Conc. Cub wrote to Charlemaigne praying him to confirme their decrees yea they did beseech him by his wisedome Ca. 45. nō in f. praef mag Can. vtinā 96. distinct Also Pope Nicholas writing to the Emperour Michael acknowledgeth that when there was debating concerning the Articles of faith Emperours were wont to be present in Ecclesiasticall Assemblies According to this power of Emperours vnder the Law of Moses the Church hath bene reformed not in the members onely but also in the head Salomon deposed Abiathar and Moses reproued Aaron and Eleazer Constantius also the sonne of Constantine the great deposed Liberius though without cause The Emperour Otho deposed Pope Iohn the twelfth Plat. in vita Greg. 6. Abbas Vesp an 1406. Sigismond deposed three together at one time and Henry the third as many namely Bennet the ninth Siluester the third and Gregory the sixt The French Kings haue also deposed and created many specially Boniface the eight was displaced by Phillip the Faire who translated the seat to Auignon where it continued 74. yeares and there were resident in that place sixe Popes one succeeding the other by the appointment of the King And this right of deposing Popes is treated of by a certaine Chancellour of the Vniuersitie of Paris Gerson one of the most learned Sorbonists of those times in his booke de Auferibilitate Papae That is farre from being absolute Lords in Spirituall and Temporall things For if euen in Spirituall things lawfull Councels haue required the approbation and authorization of Emperours it followeth that the authority and Soueraignety is wholly theirs velitis iubeatis as in the people of Rome so farre is it off that the Pope or his Colledge can determine any thing soueraignely Also the Kings of France and the Gallicane Church haue preserued to themselues appeales as in case of abuse from such decrees yea so often as Rome abuseth her pretended iurisdiction the Lord Chancellour giueth (a) Can. filijs 17. q. 7. can boni principes 96. dist can Tributum 22. q. 8. letters in case of abuse Now wee must know that wee call notorious abuse (b) L. ob qua §. Idem l. 1. §. sciendum de Aedil edicto when the act that is made is voide when it is against the nature of the act or else made by a man that hath no power (c) Inn. Pan. dd Can. Cum olim de causa possessionis to do it so as that not onely by the authority of the Prince but of priuate (d) L. prohibitum l. defensionis doct de iu. fi li. 10. c.
truth the new Doctors belye the Gospell and hold it expedient that the humanity of our Sauiour bee on earth but not to gouerne the Church and make a sinfull and partiall man to gouerne it who sheddeth the bloud of them for whom IESVS CHRIST shed his bloud and will not haue men beleeue the truth which teacheth that the corporall presence of CHRIST the most perfect head of all men and his carnall gouernance is taken away from vs into heauen that so they might establish Liuetenants in a charge which no mortall man can or ought to haue after the Ascension of the Generall And as new Pharisies who expected a Messiah triumphing ouer Temporall powers and subduing nations by materiall armes these picture forth a successour with mixt power who is ashamed of the simplicity of the Gospell and is an enemy to the crosse of CHRIST which hee cannot endure but grauen or painted And since the Ascension of our Lord IESVS 1. Cor. 3.16 whom wee know no more according to the flesh these men will haue gouernours that are carried on mens shoulders succeding herein the opinion of the Israelites when Moses was so long in the Mount saying to the Priests Exod. 32.23 make vs Gods to goe before vs for as for this man wee know not what is become of him These are likewise those same which the parable of our Sauiour denoteth Luk. 19.12 saying A certaine noble-man went into a farre country to receiue for himselfe a Kingdome and so to come againe c. but his Citizens sent an Embassadour after him saying wee will not haue this man raigne ouer vs but the Lord being returned saith Vers 27. Bring hither those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne ouer them and slay them before mee So let it bee done to all such as will not continue seruants till the Kings returne who is gone to take possession of the Kingdome of heauen and to prepare a place there for vs that they may know that as the Iewes doe in vaine expect a Messiah triumphing in that manner as they would haue it so with as little ground they haue hoped for another Anti-christ then him whom the Iesuites paint forth with his double sword See more of this in a Treatise I haue made of Catholicke Vnity Chap. of the Church sect 6. Mat. 20.26 Mar. 10.43 Can. Constan seque dist And they in all the succession of the Apostles finding but one key of heauen would get the key of earthly Empire and as our Sauiour had said Thou art Peter these men adde Thou art Constantine Pepin and Lewis And because our Sauiour had forbidden superiority among the Apostles these men insert a Canon in these wordes The Emperour Constantine gaue this priuiledge to the Byshop of the Romane Church to be the head of all Byshops as the King is the head of Iudges And the following Cannons adde that hee gaue him also his Pallace his Crowne and Imperiall Ornaments because it was not (a) Idem habetur ca. 17. fundamenta li. 1. 6. decretal De Electione See the abhominations of this Canō reasonable that the Emperour should reside in the same Cittie where the Pope is and then to shew their thankefulnesse they forged that the Emperour was a leaper against the records of all Histories (b) Euseb 5. libris de vita Constantini Plin. li. 21. cap. 1. Mantuan lib. de patientia c. 30. cap. 1. Nesede vacante cap. extra d e consuet Clem. pastorali can 2. de re iudic And vpon this supposition or forgery they build that the Pope is appointed ouer Kings and Kingdomes and succeedeth the Empire vacant and may transport Empires from one nation to another and depose Emperours hauing the exercise of two swordes Behold how of one absurdity many do arise For first that same Donation is false as the learned (c) Hottom brutum fulmen cap. 12. Crimen falsi Hottoman verifieth by twenty sixe reasons And (d) Bartol Proemio digest nu 14. videte nos sumus in terris Eccl. ideo quod illa donatio valuit Bartoll himselfe saith it is true for no other reason but because hee wrote in the territory of Rome and therefore durst not write the contrary The best proofe against this falshood is that Constantius the sonne of Constantine neuer forsooke Rome and the dominions thereof but deposed Liberius Bishop of Rome who became for this occasion an Arrian and subscribed against Athanasius as Saint Hierome (e) Hieron in cap. Fortunatianus Catalogo scriptorum Ecclesiastic Athanasius in Epistola ad solitarium vitam agētes witnesseth But these Doctors must confesse that the great goods that Popes possesse haue proceeded frō the liberality of the Kings Pepin Charles Lewis Also in the confirmation (f) Ego Ludouicus 63. dist volater l. Geor. 3. that beginneth Ego Ludouicus there is no mention made of Constantine but only of Pepin and Charles the grand-father and father of Lewis Now the reason why this donation was published in the name of Constantine Du. Tillet was for that the Emperour tooke it ill as then that the King gaue away that which hee pretended to belong vnto him So this augmentation of titles hath caused the diuerse enterpretation of the word to feede either as a King in commanding or as a Byshop in preaching Aug. de verbo domini ser 20. tract 10. 124. in Ioan Cyril li. 4. dial de Trinit as Saint Augustine and Saint Cyrill enterprete it But Cardinall Baronius passeth further for he maketh to feed the flocke to be as horses feed on grasse saying against the Signory of Venice Holy Father kill and eate I know the word Feed signifieth three things to command as a King to exercise the Ecclesiasticall Ministery and the last to eate but the distinction is knowne according to the subiect whereto it is applyed As therefore it were impertinent to conclude for a King that hee is to Preach the Law of God and administer the Sacraments because the Lord said to Dauid 1. Kin. 2.11 2. Sam. 5.2 Thou shalt feede my people Israel so as wide from the purpose will the Iesuites cōclude that the Pope is to command ouer the Temporallity of Kings because our Sauiour saith to S. Peter Iohn 21. Feed my sheep for that is meant onely of the feeding for which hee had commission Otherwise it would follow by such equiuocations and abusing of words of many significatiōs that an asse turned out to feed in the third signification should be furnished with a Miter a Crosier staffe But to returne to our discourse with what audaciousnesse do they vaunt that the grounds of the Romish Bishops superiority ouer others is taken frō the law of God or diuine right seeing that it is the gift of the Emperour For if hee gaue it it followeth that hee had it before hee granted it and if the Pope receiued it frō