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
in these words Feare me not for I am a man as thou art but I shew my selfe in this likenes because I liued like a beast when I was a wicked Pope Much like stuffe I could recite but I studie to be briefe He that desireth to know more hereof may satisfie himselfe by reading my Suruay In these holy disholy Fathers no sound iudgement can be found Sect. II. Of the Schismes and conflictes which haue beene among the Popes or Bishops of Rome POpe Benedict the ninth was depriued of his popedome and the Bishop of Sabina who after that was called Syluester became Pope in his roome This Syluester was afterward expulst Benedict restored to the popedome again After that the same Benedict was yet againe expulst and the popedome was giuen to Iohn Archdeacon of S. Iohn ante portam Latinam who was after that called Gregorie the sixt This pope being altogether vnlearned caused an other Pope to be made iointly with him that he might execute the Ecclesiastical function which himselfe was not able to do Which thing displeased many and therefore the third Pope was appointed who alone should supply the places of the other two One therefore contending against two and two against one for the Popedome and Gregory being dead Henry the Emperour came to Rome against the two and deposed them by canonicall and imperiall censure and placed Sindegerus the Bishop of Babemberge in the popedome At which time the Romanes promised by solemne oathes that they woulde neuer elect the Bishoppe of Rome without the consent of the Emperour of Rome Many Schismes haue been in the church of Rome and amongst our Romish Bishoppes euen for many years together And thereupon it followeth euidently that the succession of the latter Popes can neuer bee proued constantlie to haue descended without interruption from the former The great Papist Onuphrius Panuinius maketh mētion of no lesse then thirtie Schismes which were all in the Church of Rome Bartholomeus Carranza a lerned Writer popish Fryer reckoneth vp two most notable Schismes in the Church of Rome The former Schisme saith he endured for the space of 64 years during al which time their godly Popedome was at Auinion in France and not one day at Rome though at Rome as they prate God placed their holy seat In the latter schisme three of their holy Bishops were Popes at one and the selfe same time to write Iohannes 24. of that name Benedict 13. Gregorie the 12. From which three striuing and contending like Dogges fighting for a bone I would gladly learne how they cā deriue their holy so supposed successiō of which succession I haue spoken more at large in my book of Suruey Of this Romish Schisme speaketh their own dear Abbot Bernarde egregiously these are his words Tempus faciendi c. It is now high time to do good for they haue trodē vnderfoot Gods law The beast mentioned in the Reuelation to whome was giuē a mouth speaking blasphemies and to make wars with the Saints sitteth in Peters chaire like a Lion ready to take his pray Now I weene that all wise men well obseruing and pondering with themselues these manifolde and notorious Schismes in the Church of Rome which haue continued aboue fiftie yeares togither and in which sundry Popes cōtending who should be the Pope no one could truly be discerned to bee Pope will be fully perswaded therwith that if Gods holy pleasure had bin to haue tied all people in the worlde to hang depend wholy vpon the Bishops of Rome from time to time in matters touching faith and their euerlasting saluation as vpon those persons whose faith should neuer faile that God I say would haue prouided for the securitie and common good of his people that the same Bishops should haue beene more honest and godly in their liues more peaceable among themselues more free from doing homage to the diuell more constant in their seates and not so doubtfull and vncertaine in their succession that Gods people were many times at their wits end which Pope they should take for Peters successor These men therefore can not bee iudges in Religion Sect. 3. Of the priuiledges falsely supposed to be granted from heauen to the Bishops of Rome AVgustinus de Ancona a religious Frier hath these wordes Papa Vicarius Iesu Christi vice Dei viuentis in toto orbe terrarū spiritualium temporaliium habet vniuer salem iurisdictionem The Pope being the Vicar of Iesus Christ hath in steede of the liuing God vniuersall iurisdiction of all things spirituall and temporall throughout the whole world Bartholomaeus Fumus a famous popish Frier and renowmed Canonist hath these wordes Omnis potestas iurat fidelitatē Papae obedientiam recognoscens ab eo omne quod habet Et si aliquando aliquid imperator douauit Ecclesiae vt de Constantino dicitur non fuit donatio sed restitutio Euery power sweareth fidelitie and obedience to the Pope acknowledging themselues to haue from him all that they haue and if any Emperor as Constantine gaue any thing to the Church it was no gift but restitution Iohn Gerson sometime the Chancellor of Paris singeth the same song in these wordes Consurgit ex aduerso c. There starteth vp on the contrarie side faire spoken and craftie adulation whispering in the eares of Cleargy-men specially of the Pope Oh how great how great is the maiestie of thine Ecclesiastiall power For as all power was giuen to Christ in heauen and on earth so Christ left al the same power to Peter and to his successors Wherefore the Emperour Constantine gaue nothing to Pope Syluester which was not his owne before but onely restored that which was vniustly detained from him Further as there is no power but of God so is there neither any temporal or Ecclesiasticall Emperiall or Regall but of the Pope in whose thigh Christ hath written the King of kings the Lord of lords The Popes owne decrees tell vs plainly that though the Pope be neuer so wicked and carry to hell with himselfe neuer so many people yet may no mortall man reproue him for the same And the reason thereof is this because forsooth hee may iudge all but none may iudge him neither great nor small The Popish parasites the interpreters of the Canons doe ascribe titles yet more magnificall to the Pope yea titles plaine diuine and proper to God alone These are the expresse wordes in the popish Glosse vpon the Decretals Sic Papa dicitur habere coeleste arbitrium ideo etiam naturam rerū immutat substantialia vnius rei applicando alii de nihilo potest aliquid facere So the Pope is said to haue celestiall arbitrement and therefore doth he alter the nature of things by application of the substantiall parts of one thing to another and hee can make of nothing something To haue recited these absurd and prophane assertions
Apostolike rule that they must rather obey God then man I say secondly that though the Priestes be appointed to teach and the people to heare the Priestes in Gods name to commaund and the people to obey yet must all this be done Iuxta legem Dei according to Gods law Neither shall the people for all that contemne the authority of the Priestes but with humility admonish the priestes and tell them why they cannot so doe This lesson if the Papistes cannot be content to learne of me yet I hope they will not disdayne to learne it of S. Hierome seeing their Pope in their Collect vpon his festiuity termeth him Doctorem maximum their greatest Doctor His wordes are these Si Sacerdos est sciat legem Domini si ignorat legem ipse se arguit non esse Domini sacerdotem Sacerdotis enim est scire legem ad interrogationem respondere de lege Sequitur discant legem Dei vt possint docere quod didicerint augeant scientiam magis quam opes non erubescant a laicis discere qui nouerint ea quae ad officium pertinent sacerdotum If he be a Priest let him know the law of God if he be ignorant of the Law hee accuseth himselfe that hee is not the Priest of God For the Priestes office is to know the law and to aunswere to questions of the Law Let the Priestes learne Gods law that they may teach that which they haue learned and let them encrease knowledge rather then riches and let them not be ashamed to learne of the Lay people which know those things that pertaine to the Priestes office Out of these wordes of S. Hierome I note first that many Popes are no Priestes and consequently no Popes indeede though falsely supposed so to be S. Ieromes reason is plaine to euery child because many Popes are very vnlearned and know not the law of God neither preach his word which is the chiefest office of a Priest And who wil or can think that Christ Iesus if he had appointed the Bishops of Rome to rule his whole Church throughout the world and all nations to hang their Faith vpon the popes faith woulde in these dangerous times suffer them to liue dissolutely to be as dumbe dogs that barke not and neuer to preach and teach his word none doubtles that haue any wit sense or reason I note secondly that Priests must know the law of God to this end that they may teach the same And consequently that the Bishops of Rome who neuer preach the word of God cannot be the true Priests of God I note thirdly that the Bishops of Rome if they were true Priests indeed both shold and would encrease their knowledge in the law of God rather then their wealth and possessions I note fourthly that the true Priestes of God must not disdayne to learne of the Laicall sorte which are better learned then themselues I note fiftly that sheepe so called Metaphorically such as Christian people are who haue sence reason and learning and know the voyce of the great shephearde Christ Iesus as himselfe telleth vs may with all humility forsake those shepheardes who eyther for their ignorance cannot or for malice will not feed them with the pure word of God as they ought to doe For wise sheepe will not eate that meat which they know to be deadly poison to them For this cause doe the Popes owne Canons graunt libertie to the sheepe to reproue and accuse their Pastor yea though he be the Pope himselfe The expresse wordes of the Canon are these Oues quae suo Pastori commissae sunt eum nec reprehendere nisi a fide exorbitauerit nec vllatenus accusare possunt The sheepe which are committed to their Pastor may neyther rebuke him nor in any wise accuse him vnlesse hee forsake the faith Loe this Canon made of Pope Eusebius himselfe telleth vs two thinges First that the Pope may erre and forsake the Christian faith Secondly that when he doth so erre the sheepe may then reproue him and also accuse him And I am well assured that if the sheep may reproue and accuse the Pope as the Pope himselfe alloweth to bee done much more may the sheepe reproue and accuse other Bishops priests which are farre inferiour to the Pope See the answere to the second obiection The fift Obiection If the Pope had not authority from God himself to rule the vniuersall Church and to decide all controuersies in the same all the Christian worlde would neuer haue yeelded themselues unto him in matters of Faith and euerlasting saluation The Aunswere I say first that when Constantinus the Emperour departed from Rome to Constantinople the Pope then beganne to put out his Hornes and to chalenge the Emperiall authority in the west partes of the world And his flattering Parasites and greedy Sicophantes by false Pamphlets and glosses laboured to confirme his Lordly Titles These are the wordes of the Canon Constantinus Imperator coronam omnem regiam dignitatem in vrbe Romana in Italia in partibus occidentalibus Apostolico concessit The Emperour Constantine graunted to the Apostolicall man the Bishoppe of Rome his crowne and all royall dignitie aswell in the Citty of Rome and in Italie in all the west partes of the world Loe this was the first steppe to that Lordly Primacy and Antichristian tyranny which the Bishoppes of Rome this day chalenge in the Christian world This I say was the originall of Poperie though it bee a very fable and voide of all credite For Eusebius Theodoritus Socrates Sozomenus Eutropius Ruffinus Victor and other approued Writers who all haue writen the Actes of Constantine most diligently do not only make no mentiō of that gift but withal say plainely that the whole Empire was diuided among the three Sonnes of Constantine and that one of them had all Italie for his parte And Ammianus Marcellinus writeth that Constantius had the dominion of the Citty of Rome and that Leontius was his Lieutenant there Laurentius Valla hath written both learnedly largely against the false Donation of Constantine wherewith a great part of the world hath beene seduced To this I could adde many argumentes but that the Reader may find them in my motiues and Booke of Suruey I say secondly that the Maiestie of the Romane Empire and that liberality which the Romanes exhibited to the Martyres in Exile and otherwise afflicted gaue no small honour to the Cittie and church of Rome For the Councels had euer great respect to the dignity and excellency of Cities in the distribution of Episcopall and Patriarkall seates I say thirdly that the church of Rome kept defended a long time the pure and sincere doctrine of Christ Iesus For Saint Paule was beheaded there Saint Peter crucified there and many Bishops of Rome there put to death for confessing defending the Christian faith And hereupon it partly
cōsequently as we are enforced to grant that when we say Christes bodie is broken then is but the signe of his bodie broken euen so likewise are we enforced to graunt that when Christ saide This is my body hee gaue onely the signe and sacrament of his bodie The reason is euident because his bodie can no otherwise be eaten then it is broken that is to say sacramentally or in a signe or if you will so say figuratiuely or spiritually which is all one Here then is no certaintie of iudgement to be found CAP. 6. Shewing that generall Councels may erre THat generall Councels may erre and de facto haue erred euen in matters of faith it is so plaine as nothing can be more plaine when the truth thereof shall betold as it is in deed In the great and generall Councell of the Iewes in which were present as Christes Gospel telleth vs all the Priests the Scribes the Elders togither with the hie Priest Christ Iesus was condemned to death because he named himself the sonne of God Yea Caiphas the high Priest with the consent and assent of the whole Councell pronounced openly that Christ blasphemed when he called himselfe the sonne of God And yet is it euident to all Christian people and all Papists will and must confesse the same that the hie Priest Caiphas erred perniciously and vttered most execrable blasphemie when hee denied Christ to be the sonne of God and true Messias of the world The great and famous Councell of Lateran holden vnder Innocentius the third in which were present the Patriarkes of Hierusalem and Constantinople Metropolitanes 70 Bishops 400 Abbots 12 Priors Conuentuals 800 the Legates of the Greeke and Romane Empire the Orators of the Kinges of Hierusalem France Spaine Englande and Cypres either erred notoriously aboute the creation of Angels or at least made it euident to all the worlde that the decree of generall Councels is not an infallible rule of faith I proue this to bee so by two important reasons First because the Councell hath these wordes Firmiter credimus simpliciter confitemur quod vnus est solus Deus verus creator omnium visibilium inuisilium spiritualium corporalium qui simul ab initio temporis vtranque de nihilo condidit creaturam spiritualem corporalem angelicam scilicet mundanam We firmely beleeue and simplie confesse that there is one onely true God the creator of all things visible and inuisible spirituall and corporall who from the beginning of time created of nothing both creatures togither the spirituall and the corporall that is to say the angelicall and the terrestriall Secondly because great learned men and most renowmed fathers Gregorius Nazianzenus Basilius Magnus Ambrosius Hieronimus Damascenus doe all holde constantly that albeit the Angels had a beginning yet were they before the world was made And this their opinion is deemed probable both to Saint Austen and to the great School-doctor Aquinas Which Aquinas liued after the said Councell of Lateran and had read the same had also written Commentaries vpon this very Canon and consequently he did not repute the decree of the sayde Councell to be an infallible rule of fayth Loe the generall Councell held constantly and firmely beleeued that the Angels were created at one and the same time with the world But the holy fathers and the great Papist Aquinas thought the contrary opinion to be probable notwithstanding the decree of the Councell Whervpon it followeth of necessity that that is not alway the vndoubted truth which is decreed by a generall Councell For which end and purpose Melchior Canus a lerned popish bishop hath written most excellently in these wordes Non satis est vt Conciliorum Pontificum iudicia firma esse credantur in diuino officio publicè à tota etiam Ecclesia celebrari It is not enough to make the iudgements of Councels and Popes firme so as wee may safely beleeue them to celebrate the same publiquely in diuine seruice throughout the whole Church of God These are golden wordes they may not bee passed ouer rawly and negligently but we must firmely imprint them in our hearts And in so doing wee doubtlesse shall reape commoditie more then a little For if we cannot safely giue credite to the Popish seruice which is publiquely done in their Churches how can they or how dare they auouch their doctrine to bee agreeable to Gods worde Nay it is a worlde to heare that the Pope is not ashamed to enforce the worlde as much as in him lyeth to embrace and beleeue that new no Religion lately start vp Popish doctrine whereof the best Popish writers can giue no better reasons The generall Councell of Constance decreed firmely that it was lawfull to debarre the lay-people from the one part of the Eucharist to wit the cuppe And the generall Councell of Basill affirmeth constantly that so to holde and doe is not agaynst the holy institution And yet is it vndoubtedly true that the lay-people ought by Christes institution to receyue both the kindes Saint Paule writing to the vnpriested Corinthians may bee a sufficient proofe hereof For hee telleth them that they ought according to the commaundement which hee receyued of the Lord to drinke of the cuppe as well as to eate of the bread The matter is so plaine as I deeme it a thing needlesse to stand long vpon the same The Councel of Trent a famous general councell by Popish iudgemēt hath flatly decreed that to bee no matrimonie which was euer approued matrimonie in the Catholique Church and is this day perfect matrimonie by Christes institution The wordes of the Councell are these Dubitandum non est clandestina matrimonia libero consensu facta rata vera esse matrimonia quamdiu ecclesia ea irrita non fecit There is no doubt but clandestine and secrete matrimonies made with free consent were perfect and true matrimonies so long as the Church did not disanull the same Yet so it is gentle reader that such secret matrimonies are this day to bee reputed no matrimonies at all Of which kinde of matrimonies I haue written more at large in my booke of motiues That generall Councels may erre the sole and onely testimony of Panormitanus is sufficient and of force enough against all papists because hee was their famous Canonist their most reuerend Archbishop their renowmed Cardinall His expresse words are these nam in concernentibus fidem etiā dictum vnius priuati esset preferendum dicto Papae si ille moueretur melioribus rationibus noui veteris testamenti quam Papae Nec obstat si dicatur quod concilium non potest errare quia Christus orauit pro ecclesia sua vt nō desiceret quia dico quod licet cōcilium generale representet totam ecclesiam vniuersalem tamen in veritate ibi non est vera ecclesia vniuersalis sed representatiuè quia vniuersalis