of Peter But here som man may lay Ios not the Pope than wholly the successor of Peter He is truly But in that he is a bishop onely as euery byshop that was ordeyned by hym whiche surely were very many and as euery byshop is the successour of the Apostle of whom he was made or in whose place he techeth And after this sort aswell Peter as other tShapostles had many successours which were byshops only and nothyng elles For Peter was both an apostle and also chiefe of the Apostles But the Pope is no apostle muche lesse chiefe of the apostles for thapostles dyd neither make nor ordeyne Apostles but onely pastours and teachers Moreouer Peter was a Doctoure of all the worlde and so were the reste of the Apostles for the Lorde sayde to hym as well as to the reste of the Apostles Go and preache the Gospel to all nations But the Pope is onely byshoppe of the Citie of Rome and so is he called Furthermore Peter made one byshop at Antioche an nother at Alexandria and an other in an other place but the 〈◊〉 may doo nothyng like Besydes 〈◊〉 Peter may ordeyne the byshop of 〈◊〉 but the Pope can not so doo 〈◊〉 conclude It was sayde to Peter â—â—thout condicion What soeuer thou â—â—â—dest shall be bounde and what so â—â—er thou losest shalbe losed in heauen â—ut when Peter ordeyned the byshop 〈◊〉 Rome he commanded hym to bynd 〈◊〉 lose that which worthily ought to be â—â—sed or bound Beside al this whatsoeâ—er Peter taught either by preachyng â—rityng it is knowen vndoubtedly to be the doctrine of the holy ghoste But of the Pope no suche thynge maye be thought Wherfore the Pope hath not all the prerogatiues giftes and priuiledges of Peter by succession but those onely whiche euery bishop ordeyned of Peter hath that he may bynd and lose baptise and preache and to bee shorte bryng into the way those that are seduced and doo other dueties belongyng to a mynister Thirdly wheras they saye that it is not possible that the pope shoulde falle from the truthe that truely passeth all the gyftes and vertues of Peter hym selfe yea although the Pope must nâ—des haue had theim all by Succession â–ª For he good man full sore agaynst hâ—â— wyll erred more then ones But he 〈◊〉 I woulde fayne knowe whether thâ— Pope may or hath at any tyme falleâ— into the crimes of lyeng couetousnes vayneglorye or other lyke vyces or whether it be impossible that he shulde offende at all Lette theym denye it if they bee not ashamed to lye openly If then it be manyfest that euen he may sometymes offende and synne agaynst conscyence in as muche as he is a manne veryly yt maye happen also that in matters of Relygion he maye bee deceaued The truthe whereof Saincte Paule wytnesseth wrytynge vnto Timothe on this wyfe Hauyng saythe and a good conscience whyche some men not regardynge haue made shypwrecke in matters of Faythe Beholde here we heare that he whose conscience is wounded maye be sycke in faythe Therefore yf the Pope haue not alwayes his conscience free from all offence and this euyll is ioyned with errour in faythe it foloweth of necessitie that they lye manyfestly whiche say that the Pope can not fall from the veritie of Christes relygion Yea it is a kynde of defection to defyle the conscience with synne as S. Paule wytnesseth sayeng They professe God in woorde but in theyr deedes they denye hym Howe then maye it bee that the Pope maye possyblye denye GOD in woorke and deede and not in woorde and doctrine Certaynly Honorius the Pope fell frome the syncere doctrine and therfore was condempned by the syxt Synode as it maye euidentely appeare in the .xvi. decree of the sayd Synode where it is said It behoueth that they whome we haue alreadye pronounced condemned and by the coÌ„mon decree haue put out of y e holy praier bokes be also openly proclaimed accursed ThaÌ„ according to the laudable custome the princis beyng mentioned it foloweth forthwith Cursed be Theodorus Pharanites the heretike Cursed be the heretike Sergius Cursed be the heretike Kyzius Cursed be Honorius the heretike Cursed be the heretike Pirrhus accursed be all that fauoure heretikes But for the more euident truthe lette vs brynge toorthe an other testimonye out of the oration of the holy Synode to the Emperour We remoue sayth the Synode frome the lymittes of the churche and worthyly accurse all new and vayne sermes with theyr inuenters suche as are especially Theodorus Pharanites Sergius Paule Pirrhus and Peter who sometyme ruled this churche of Constantinople and also Cirus the prieste of Alexandria and Honorius bishop of Rome If that Honorius bishop of Rome were an heretike possible it is then that the pope may faile in veritie of doctrine neither shall the wordes of the Lorde be vayne and false although the Pope erre whiche he spake of the church that the gates of hell shulde not preuayle agaynst it for the true doctrine is preserued in other byshops and doctours Here also we may playnly see that it was not sayde of the sea of Rome that the church of God was theron builded For that were to hard and not indifferent from the seruilitie and bondage of the Iewes to bynde the congregation of God to Rome For Christ buylded his churche himselfe vpon the doctrine and confession of Peter and all those that kepe and mayntaine the lyke faith and profession that Peter dydde And where as pope Agathon boasteth that his church neuer went from the truth it is no meruayle consyderynge what face suche men haue But lette suche honest men take it for a warnyng that they wrest not the truthe of the matter to their owne talke but rather let them tempre their tonges to the truth of the matter And percase Pope Agathon was moued so to write either bicause the state of his matter dyd so require as it hapned ofttymes that he so wrote orels bycause the churche of Rome in dede hath not often departed from the truth Otherwyse if that without exception and condition it were symply true howe coulde that sayeng be verified All are gone astraye and are become wycked there is none that dothe good no not one Besyde that we may well saye that Agathon spake of the tyme past because the church of Rome hath not erred afore tyme and not of the tyme to come as thoughe it were vnpossible that it should euer be deceiued Certainely Agathon wrote that before the .vi. Synode neyther dyd he yet vnderstand the thynges wherof the Synode entreated Also it wer no meruayle yf that holye synode wherein so many holy fathers were gathered togither shulde espye and see that whiche he beyng but one man could not sufficiently perceaue And that these thynges are true it may wel be gathered by an Epistle of Pope Leo who succeded next after Agathon and alowed the vi synode For so
scripture This ancient archybshop lyued not longe after the dayes of Charles the great aboute whose tyme the seuenth Synode was helde at Nice whereof the authour in this boke eft soones maketh mencion He wrote as we may gather by coniectures about the yere of our lord 787. His stile and maner of writynge is very playne and easy and sauereth much of that reuerent antiquitie as the lerned in the tongue maye well perceaue This booke of his is but breefe yet it conteyneth many graue sentences and weighty reasons it hath strong argumentes and piththy coÌ„clusions against that loftye and arrogante authoritie of the Romishe bishop Al the Popes lymmes may blushe and be abashed if their faces were not harder than brasse to say that the byshop of Rome hath had that authoritie and power whyche he now vsurpeth in quiete possession sens the Apostles tyme sithe it is proued by the most ancient doctours and holy fathers that that whiche in dede he had was gyuen hym long after the apostles tyme and that which he nowe boasteth hym selfe of hath ben at all tymes and in all ages denied hym by suche godly and lerned pastors as this Nilus was Whose boke as thou seest I haue translated into englisshe to thende that my countreymen whiche are not experte in the toungues may be ware of them whiche to the mayntenance of the Popes authoritie haue alwayes in their mouthes antiquitie antiquitie And that they may perceyue howe lyttell veritie is ioyned with the aniquitie they speake of the fyrst founder wherof was auncient Sathanas their great grandfather the old forger and father of lies from whom procedeth all presumption vanitie and vntruthe whom the Pope and his secte so lyuely expresse in theyr doynges that a maÌ„ may behold in their hypocriticall faces replenished with all dissimulation a perfect patern and liuely image of their holy father Belzebub In translatyng I haue endeuoured my self to speake playnly that the rude and ignorant myght rede it to the encrease of their knowledge in the true religion and to the auoidyng of such forged reasons as the Pope and his complices falsely alledge for the vpholdynge and maynteynyng of theyr tyrannicall and beastly kyngdome If I wold haue studyed for fynenesse of speche or preferred my priuate commoditie before the profite that maye redounde to manne I myghte easyly in lesse tyme more to myne owne furtheraunce haue fynyshed greatter thynges and with more fauour yea and thankes to at somme mennes handes haue abstayned from this payneful and daungerous enterprise But I rather chuse to haue respecte to the glorye of Christe and his holy churche then to myne owne ease and estimation Euery weapon wherwith we may beate downe errours and lies must be takeÌ„ in hand to the defence of the truth neither ought we to consider how fine eloquent it is but rather what strength force efficacy it hath to ouerthrow the enemies of gods veritie I beseche thee therfore good christeÌ„ Reder to accept what soeuer I haue done to thy furtherance in the knowledge of goddes eternall truth and most holy religion And where as my doinges may peraduenture seme scarce thanke worthy yet for my trauayle in thy behalfe suffer me not if any thynge haue escaped in translatyng in that I minded the good to mysse of thy gentyll pardon Whiche if thou graunt me I shall not onely thynke my self sufficiently recompensed for my trauaile but also thereby I shalbe encoraged to attempt greater things to thy coÌ„moditie Now I protest afore god who knoweth y e secretes of al hartes that in translating herof I haue had respecte chiefly to the commoditie of such as for lacke of instruction haue ben to muche deceyued and seduced by the craftye sophistications and subtyll gloses of the Pope and his impes who to the stuffyng of their gredy paunche and maintenance of their beastly ydle lyfe are not ashamed to paint their positions with fayned gloses and feble distinctions But almyghty god hath and wyl reuele to his elect their falsehode subtilie to their opeÌ„ shame coÌ„fusion Wherin as all true christians ought to refuse no paynes but to do y e vttermost of their endeuors so I by gods grace wyll neuer ceasse to doo all that I may eyther in translatyng or otherwyse to the ende that all men may perceyue on howe weake a ground they haue gone about by fyre and fagotte and all extremitie to compell men to laye the foundation of theyr faith And also how that all that they teache as well in this matter as in other poyntes of religion conteineth not one iote of sounde doctrine if it bee tried by the holye scriptures I speake not this that I malyce the pope or his adherentes any thing whose persons as God knoweth I hate not although I abhore their detestable and erronius doctrine but that I myghte drawe out of that stinckynge puddle of wylful ignorance as many as I could I hate the errour and not the menne Whiche if they forsake I shall gladly yelde them all christen loue and due reuerence Therfore I lytle esteme what any man either of malice or ignorance shall report of these my doynges knowyng that whatsoeuer the one saythe procedeth of a peruerse iudgement and what so euer the other reporteth commeth of rashues rather then of reason in iudgyng that which he knoweth not Wherfore as I regarde nat what they saye of me in this behalfe so I submyt bothe this and all my dooynges to the iudgement of the true christian reder whose hart god hath opened to acknowledge and receaue the veritie of his holy wyll besechyng almighty god of his great goodnes and infinite mercye to bryng to the knowledge of his truthe all those whom the god of this worlde yet holdeth in captiuitie that they can not perceyue the power of saythe neyther knowe the Lorde aright in his only sonne Iesus Christ our alone aduocate and true head of the congregation to whome with the father and the holye ghoste bee all honour and glorye euerlastyng Amen LEt rankour not you rule O men of Romyshe secte Expell theÌ„ poyson froÌ„ your brests That dothe you thus infecte Let not that hauty whoore That boasts her selfe for god That rules the realms of Cesars right With her vsurped rod Let not this hag I say Bewitche your earthly eyes That here embraceth beastly ioye And vertue dooth despyse Antiquitie she sayth Gaue her this stately place Lo here Antiquitie you see Dothe her and hers deface Lo here dothe Nilus teache A man of ancient tyme Howe muche she is to be abhorde Howe muche she swelles with crime Leaue her therfore in tyme Forsake her wicked wayes Let vs and you agree in one So God shall haue his prayse Finis ê™ B. G. Fautes escaped in the printyng ¶ In the leafe of B. the .xi. page or side the .xxvii. lyne for indifferent rede muche different In the same leaf of B. the xvi page the vii lyne for yet reade
say that no decree may be made in the Church without the Popes consente whyche in dede they may very well lay against vs but we shall repaye oure aduersaries with the same measure For neyther the Pope yf wee beleeue the canons of the apostles maye constitute any thyng in the Churche without the aduise of other For so sayth the .xxxiii. Canon of the Apostles The bysshops of euerye nation muste knowe who is chiefe amonge them and count hym in manner as theyr heade neyther maye they doo any newe thynge without his consente lette euery man handell suche matters by hym selfe as appertayn and belonge to his Diocesse and the places vndernethe hym neyther may he that is chiefe amonge theim doo any thynge without the consent of the reste For so shall concorde be mayntayned and god shall be glorified through our Lorde in the holy ghoste If our aduersaries say that the Canons of the Apostles ar not theyrs neither of authoritie sufficiente but Apocriphe we may lay vnto them agayne the authoritie of the fathers in the firste thirde fourthe sixthe and seuenth synode whiche defend the authoritie of the Apostles cannons For the fyrste Synode in the fyfth cannon therof maketh mention of two of the apostles cannons the .xii. and the .xxxii. Also the same Synode in the .xv. canon speaketh of the .xv. canon of the apostles The thirde Synode or Ephesine councell writyng to Theodosius maketh mencion of the .lxxiii. canon of the apostles wherwith the sayd synode was armed agynste Nestorius and condempned hym lyke as the fowerth synode with the same condemned Dioscorus Moreouer the same fourthe synode in the .v. canon thereof wryteth in this wyse worde for woorde of the .xii. xiij .xiiij. and .xv. Canon of the Apostles As for suche bysshoppes as wander from one citie to an other and often chaunge theyr mynistery it seemeth good to this Synode that they shall be in daunger and punysshed by the Canons of the Apostles Furthermore the Decrees of the syxte Synode doo shewe the full number of the apostles canons For so hathe the seconde Decree of the sayde Synode It seemeth to this holy Synode that it were most expedient that the .lxxxv. canons in the Apostles name receaued and allowed by the holye Fathers and delyuered to vs by tradition shoulde also from hencefoorthe remayne fyrme and stedfaste that they maye be wholsome medicines for the sowle and remedyes for dyuers dyseases in the Churche The seuenthe Synode in the fyrste Cannon thereof rehersynge the lawes of the Churche beefore all other mencioneth the Cannons made by the Apostles adioynynge oute of Moises That nothyng ought to be added to theym or taken from theym Shall we therefore condemne as fayned and vnprofytable those Cannons that are so muche commended and approued of so many holye fathers No trewely But lefte this bee the summe and chiefe of all our talke and disputation that so longe as the Pope doth keepe the coneuniente order in tymes paste ordeyned so longe as he holdeth and maynteyneth the veritie celestiall and so longe as he cleaueth and stycketh faste to Christe the hygh and trewe Lorde and head of the churche I gladly permytte hym to be heade of the Churche and chiefe priest and successoure to Peter or yf he lyste to all the Apostles all menne to obeye hym and nothynge touchynge his honour to be diminished But yf he be fallen from the truthe and wyll not retourne vnto it agayne he oughte but to bee reputed as a personne condempned and reprobate These thynges haue I spoken accordynge to my abilitie of the Popes primacye as that whyche I iudge to bee manyfeste and trewe If they be otherwyse I desyre to be better enfourmed For I also praye and syng vnto the Lorde that oute of the Psalme Take not from my mouthe the worde of Truthe FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Henry Sutton for Rafe Newbery Authorised accordyng to the Quenes maiesties IniuÌ„ctions In the yere of our Lorde a thousande fyue hundred sixty The .xvi. daye of Marche And are to be solde at his shop in Fletestrete a lyttle aboue the Cundite Grego li. 4. Epi. 48. 〈…〉 〈…〉 The Papistes antiquitie as olde as the diuell him selfe The papiâ—tes best argumentes Gods word muste not be hidde The Pope hathe not his primacy of the apostles The Popâ— Peters successour The Pope 〈◊〉 not in this pointe bee Peters successour Math. 16. Math. 26. Gala. â—â— 1. Tim. 1. The Pope may be sick in faith 〈◊〉 the Pope coÌ„demned for heresy The Pope maye be an heretike Math. 16. The foundatioÌ„ of the churche Pope Agathon Psalm 13. One Pope coÌ„demneth in other Psalm 1â— This Custom the B. of Rome hath brokeÌ„ The Papistes are full of vanitie The Pope 〈◊〉 Prestes mariage lauful by the old canon and constitutions of the apostles The Pope as not aboue a byshop Note the pope breaketh order ecclesiasticall 1. Tim. 6. Pope Adrian proâ—â—â—â— for Image The Popes ar togither by the eares The Pope is not to be estemed The Pope byshop of no place The Pope ouercome vvith his owne reasons The Pope attempteth to make a rope of saÌ„d The sea of Rome only is not called apostolique VVhy the fathers did attribute so much to the sea of Rome Deut â—4 He stycketh fast against him â—he pope a â—â—probate â—â—â—son â—sal 119.
the rome of the Pope in the said sinode Moreouer it is manifest in that the sinode calleth it selfe alwais vniuersall And it had not ben true so great a company of bishops wold haue feared to be taken in a manyfeste lye Besides that the .vii. holy synode sayth in the first decree therof We willingly gladly imbrace the godly cōstitutiōs and we confirme their stedfast and vndefyled authoritie as those that the trumpettes of the holy ghoste hath ordeyned that is to saye the apostles and holy fathers that haue bene gathered togither in dyuers places for the selfe same purpose For they inspired with the spirite of god decreed those thynges that they thought profytable Whome they accursed we accurse also whome they haue suspēded we suspend whom they haue deposed we depose And to be short when they by any other meanes dydde punyshe we also doo taxe in lyke maner Sainct Paule who was taken vp into the thyrd heauen and to whom those thynges were reueled that are not laufull to bee spoken of cryeth out that the maners of the holye ought to be farre from all couetousnes and that they shulde be content with their owne estate and condition Therfore seynge that neyther the .vi. Synode at the first comyng togyther neither the seuenth hath meddled with the constitutions of the apostles and the names of the .vi. vniuersall synodes but the sayd sixthe synode being iterate and renewed hath supplied the defecte therof it is manyfest that the .vii. Synode speaketh of the canons of the said .vi. counsel More ouer where as the Synode accursethe those that regarde not the authoritie of the decrees Is it not a terrible thyng yea is it not ynough to moue any stony hart Besides that the bishop of Rome hym selfe so long as he agreed with the churches of the east dyd so muche approue and allow the decrees of this synode that Adrian the fyrst wrytyng to Taratius archebishop of Constantinople with great admiration cōmendeth hym bycause he dyd so constantely obserue these decrees Whiche may appere by the very wordes of his epistle whiche forth with I wyll alledge We doo perceaue sayth he by the synodall epistle how earnest your profession is in the right faith and how great a zele ye haue towardes the holy congregations and the .vi. holy Synodes and towardes the venerable and sacred Images whyche surely is wonderfull and wrothy great admiration Wherin it is playnely to be seene that in the laudable godly and right canons of the sixte synode that worshipful picture is allowed in which the lambe shewed by demonstration with the finger of the precursor is liuelie expressed which beinge receued of vs as a figure of grace doth represent vnto vs the true lambe by the lawe that is to wete Christ him selfe Therfore we receauyng the olde fygures sygnes and shadowes as tokens of the truthe and markes geuen to the churche dooe acknowledge the grace and truth as they that thynke it to be the fulnes of the law To the end therfore that that image may in liuely coloures he expressed to all mens eyes whiche representeth in manhoode the lambe that taketh away the synnes of the worlde that is to say our God we thynke good that from hensefoorth instede of the olde lambe there be a newe erected in the churches of God to the intent that we maye consyder the raysynge vp of the basenes of gods word and he put in mynde of that common welthe wherein he lyued in the flesshe and also be led as it were by the hande to the contemplation of his Passion and moste wholsome deathe by whiche the freedome of the worlde was purchased That therfore this cannon was alowed of Pope Adrian and that it is the .lxxiii. of the synode now mencioned the autenticall bookes do testifie But no man can sufficiently meruayle at the vnstedfastnesse and lyghtnesse of the Popes adherentes not only for that they nowe hate and deteste the holye generall counselles whyche sommetyme they allowed but also that the Popes theym selues are at varyaunce one with an other For as wee reade euen nowe Pope Adrian meruaylousely commendethe these decrees but Innocentius or some other reiecteth theym If any manne wyll affirme that the Pope is not subiecte to the lawes and rules of the Fathers he trewelye in no wyse is to bee suffered For that were moste vnwoorthy that the Pope shoulde not esteeme the Fathers by whome he hathe obteyned that dygnytie of prehemynence whereof we spake beefore Moreouer yf the Pope contempne decrees he despiseth his owne authoritie for he hymselfe hathe made many and so by the testimonye of Paule he maketh hymselfe an offender But we haue shewed and declared that he is bounde to gyue accompte bothe of his doctrine and also of his other gouernance and regiment ecclesiasticall so that he is of necessitie subiecte to the constitutions of the fathers and counsels Certainly it were not right that any man shuld reuerence the Pope as a Father seyng that he hymselfe regardeth nought so many holy Fathers Nowe the Popes adherentes saye that he is not byshop of any one place but that he is symply a Byshop that is to say Byshop of all the world Wherin truely they speake against the truth For fyrst we haue proued already that he is of one degree with other bishops and as a man woulde say in one order with theym Besyde that the synodes when by occasion they make mention of hym as it oftetymes happeneth alwaies they call hym Byshop of Rome So that yf he be byshop of Rome he is out of doubt a bishop of some determinate place onlesse perhappes any man deny Rome to be a certayne place but per aduenture some man wyll say that the Pope when he writeth to other termeth not hymselfe bysshop of Rome but symply a byshop wherby he declareth hym selfe to bee byshop of no one certayne place but of all the worlde To whom we may answer that he attempteth to proue matters of most importaunce with ouer lyght I wyll not say triflyng reasons Whiche kynde of profe yf we would vse we myghte more easily ouerthrowe the Popes dignitie then they establyshe the same For where as he nameth hymselfe by the vsed name of the common dignitie a byshop and not Pope neyther chiefe of all priestes with the whiche and other lyke titles his adherentes flatter hym it is a taken that the Pope hymselfe acknowledgeth his owne estate and testifieth the same foorthewith by his title But neyther we mynde to striue with suche stronge reasons in so weighty a matter agaynst the Pope neither he in vsyng these argumentes doth any more preuayl then if he shuld attempt to wrethe a rope of sande For if there wer so great force in this kynd of reasonyng then Cyrillus also shuld haue such highnes in honor y t he shuld be byshop of all the worlde yea that so much the sooner then the Pope in that he is