spiritual food to the soule wher of the wicked are not partakers who are yet partakers of the sacramental bread wine which do signifie the body bloud of Christ for our sauiour doth say Iohn 6. that Whosoeuer doth eate his flesh drink his bloud hath euerlasting life Wherfore it cannot be that the sacramental bread wine should be the verie natural bodie bloud of Christ for as much as the wicked who shal not liue for euer are partakers of them I mean of the bread wine in the sacrament as wel as the godly For as Paul doeth write to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10. Brethren I wold not haue you ignorant how al our forefathers were vnder the cloud al passed through the sea were baptised vnto Moses in the cloud and in the sea Et omnes eandem escam spiritualē manducarunt omnes eundē potū spiritualem biberunt bibebant autem de spirituali consequente eos Petrâ Petra autem erat Christus And they did al eat the same spirituall meate and they did all drinke the same spirituall drinke For they did drink of the spirituall rocke that followed them and that rocke was Christ Wherein we sée first that the wicked among the Iewes with whome God was not pleased did enioye the same sacramentes of Christe the cloude the sea the meate the drinke which the godly did yet did they not enioy the same life by Christ which the godly did for it followeth in Saint Paul that God was not pleased with many of them Which wordes are meant of the wicked Secondly we sée that the godly amongest the Iewes did eate the same meate and drinke the same drinke that the godly amongest the Corinthians did to whome S. Paul doeth write yea that Paul him selfe the Apostles did Now the Iewes did it In spefuturi Christi In the hope of Christ to come for their redemption deliuerance from their sinnes and from death whereof it ensueth that our eating drinking in certa fiducia praeteriti Christi in true beliefe that Christ is come and hath redéemed vs and shed his blood for vs must bée the partaking of a meate spirituall and a spirituall drinke no lesse then that which Paul saith that their fathers did eate and drinke For he saith plainely They did eate the same meat and drunke the same drink that flowed out of the rocke and the rocke is Christ For as the Iewes did it in a figure of Christe by faith in whom to come they were saued as Christ doth say of Abraham Abraham desired to see my day Iohn 8. he saw it and reioiced so are we taught to doe it in remembrance of Christ by faith in whom being come we are saued wherevpon our sauiour said to his disciples Luke 22. Doe this in remēbrance of me Which Paul declareth farther in the first to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11 the eleuenth chapter where after that he had declared the maner of the Lords supper he addeth to both the parts of it Hoc facite ad mei re cordationem Quotie scunque enim manducabitis panem hunc calicem bibetis mortē domini annuntiabitis donec veniat Do this in remembrance of me saith Christe For as often saith Paul expounding the wordes of Christ as ye shall eat this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall shewe the death of the Lord vntil he come So then if these thinges be well considered which I haue briefly touched out of the wordes of Christ declared by his holy euangelists and Apostles the godly I trust shal easily perceiue that Pope Innocent the thirde could by no autority of scriptures proue any transubstantiation in the sacramēt although it were confirmed by neuer so greate a councel of men assembled at Rome hauing in it as they say Archbyshops 70. Byshops 400. Abbats 12. Priors conuentual 800. besides the Orators and Ambassadours of Gréece of the Romaine Empire of the kinges of Ierusalem France Spaine England Cyprus and other kingdomes Many but all to little to take vppon them to alter and change the ordinance and institution which our Sauiour Christ had with his owne wordes established and set in his church for the space of aboue twelue hundred yeares together before the contrary was decréed though some did dreame of it But Pope Innocent was sure to enact there what he wold for that he had aboue the number of twelue hundred shauen crounes in his councel with him so that neither Princes nor Orators of Princes might hinder his pretēses The lesse it is to be meruelled at that the byshop of Rome would take vppon him so proudly to be aboue al other byshops yea the Emperours themselues and kings of this world séeing that he tooke vpon him to do more then euer Christ did that is to make Christ our creator and redéemer of a péece of bread whensoeuer he list and to make that euery one of his priests and chaplens might do the same also as them selues haue a saying Sacerdos est creator creatoris sui The priest doth make his maker And all by the authority of this Lateran Councel not by Christs scriptures And all for the aduancing of his worldly glory extolling of his clergie throughout all Christian kingdomes which after came to passe to the taking away of the goods and liues of a great number of good true Christians who would not beleeue such a new deuised faith of the sacrament of Christ set forth so lately so fondly so vngodly neuer before allowed as any point of our christiā faith for the space of so many hundred yeres after Christ as I haue shewed For in the former ages the godly had bene taughte that Christe according to the presence of his naturall bodye was ascended into heauen but by the benefites of his spirite and by the fruite of his passion he is alwayes present with thē who doe beléeue in him Wherof he gaue them a most liuely moniment and pledge in the blessed sacrament of his body and bloud a moniment for vs to remember his death a pledge to vs of euerlasting life with out transubstantion of the breade and wine or any alteration thereof at all otherwise then of common bread and wine to make it by the words of Christ the sacramental bread wine the signes of Christes body and bloud he being by those creatures of bread wine represented to vs that we may therby with the mouth of our faith that I may so speak receiue spiritually the very selfe same Christ god and man that was borne of the virgin Mary suffered death for our sinnes ascended into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of God the father almighty thence shall he come at the last day to iudge the quick the dead And this most heauenly maner of the spiritual receiuing of Christe is more agréeable to our christian religion then is the Romish dream of transubstantiation which doth as much abhorre from
haue a respecte vnto a godly life let that at al times take place which our Sauiour Christe hath willed vs to search out the trueth of them by the Scriptures Iohn 5. For in the fifth Chapter of the Gospell after saint Iohn when hee had rebuked the Iewes because they woulde not beleeue his doctrine which he brought them from God his Father he saide vnto them Verbum ejus non habetis manens in vobis quia quem misit ille huic vos non creditis Scrutamini scripturas quia vos putatis in ipsis vitam aeternam habere illae sunt quae testimonium perhibent de me You haue not gods word saith Christ remaining in you for you doe not beleeue him whome the father hath sent Search you the scriptures for in them you think to haue eternal life and they beare witnes of me Which wordes of our Sauiour Christ haue enforced me the more boldly to search out by his holy scriptures the bishop of Rome his suspect authority I meane his supremacie and vniuersall iurisdiction most vniustly clamed and vsurped by him for these eight or nine hundred years cleane contrarie to Christ his word and commaundement For it is forbidden by him as the stories of the Euangelistes do shewe in the holy scriptures And as it doth appeare by storyes ecclesiasticall the Byshoppes of Rome haue chalenged and vsed it onely sith Boniface the thirde obtayned it of the Emperour Phocas of whom he was proclamed vniuersall Byshoppe to the ouerthrowe of true religion in the Church of Christ of vertue godlinesse humilitie and obedience amonge all the cleargie of the imperiall estate and maiestie of the noble Emperours and kinges from whome they had their first authoritie and not from our Sauiour Iesus Christ The which I will endeuour to shewe in this litle worke specially by the two cōmissions that he gaue the one before his death and passion the other after his resurrection to all his Apostles in like and equall manner that not one of them might thereby challenge any iote of authoritie or power ouer or aboue the other as by the commissions themselues the whole world easily may see Nowe as no subiecte can haue any higher or larger authoritie then is limited and expressed by plaine wordes in his commission by his emperours or prince whosoeuer it be that graunteth it and as euery one of the commissioners to whom it is directed haue that authoritie which in their commission is mentioned and no other euen so in the commission that our Sauiour Christ gaue to his Apostles euerie one of them ought obediently to obserue their maisters commaundemente with his authority giuen to them and not to breake it and goe beyonde the bondes and lemitation of it Yea much lesse shold they dare to breake it then any subiecte dare the commaundement and commission giuen him by his Prince a Prince of this worlde whose commission no subiect will be so bolde to breake in any one point because he knoweth the daunger of it As for the Bishoppes of Rome howe they haue brokē their master Christes commission you shal find by their doings most cōtrary to his two special cōmissions before mētioned specially in taking vpon thē higher power greter authoritie then any other Bishoppe hath or euer had from our sauiour Christ to wit that they are and ought to be soueraigne heades and rulers not onely ouer all other bishopes in this worlde but also aboue all Emperours Kinges and Princes Which being cleane contrarie to their Maister Christes commaundement commission thereby they haue manifested themselues to be of those very Antichristes of whom the scriptures do make mention 1 Iohn 2. Chap. 2. That the first commission of Christ to his Apostles when he sent them to preach the Gospell did giue no authoritie to Peter aboue the rest but like and equall vnto them all THE first message and commission giuen by our sauiour Christe to his Apostles is declared by the holy Euangelist Saint Matthew in the 10. Chapter of his Gospell Matt. 10. Where he sheweth that the twelue Apostles being called together they had power giuen them ouer all vncleane spirites that they might cast them out and also cure heale all manner sicknesse and diseases Whervpon hauing recited the names of Christes Apostles he saith these wordes Hos duodecim misit Iesus praecipiens eis dicens in viam gentium ne abieritis in ciuitates Samaritanorum ne intraueritis sed potius ite ad oues quae perierunt domus Israel Euntes autem praedicate dicentes appropinquauit regnum coelorum Infirmos curate mortuos suscitate leprosos mundate daemones eijcite gratis accepistis gratis date These twelue his Apostles Iesus sēt forth cōmāding saying to thē You shal not go into the way of the gētiles you shall not enter into the cities of the Samaritās but rather go you to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel and as you go preach saying the kingdome of heauen is at hand heale the sicke raise the dead cleanse the leopers and cast out diuels freely you haue receiued these things of me freely giue thē In this first message and commission of Christ giuen to his twelue Apostles you may plainely vnderstande that he gaue equall and like authority vnto them al without any preferring of any one of them before all his fellowes he gaue the very lowest if any were lowest as greate and large power as he gaue vnto the highest no exception being made of any one as higher in authority then they all So that neither Peter nor any supposed successour of Peter can claime any superiority by this ordinaunce and commission of our sauiour Christ And therefore if they enter into any higher authority it must be otherwise then by Christ belike by that way which Christ himself doth mention in the gospel of Saint Iohn where he sayth Ego sum ostium Iohn 10. qui non intrat per ostium in ouile ouium sed ascendit aliunde ille fur est latro I am the dore he that entreth not by the dore into the Shepehouse but climeth vp some other way he is a theefe and a robber Whereof it followeth that if the Byshops of Rome haue challenged suche authority which our sauiour Christ hath not giuē them but they haue obteined it otherwise by worldly pollicies then they deserue to be called by the names that Christe hath appointed for them euen théeues and robbers Now this wil easily and clearely be proued that the Bishop of Rome hath had no such vniuersal authority from our sauiour Christ Then what names what titles of dignity ought we to attribute to the Byshops of Rome which so haue abused Christes Church sith the time of the good byshop Gregory the first who did vtterly withstād the decrée of the Emperour Mauricius by the which he would haue made Iohn the patriarch of Cōstātinople vniuersall bishop ouer all the byshops of Christs catholike Church
now within these three yeares pleased God to giue me his grace to read his holy scriptures and other good authours and Doctours of his Church to my great comfort and consolation Whereby I was stirred vppe to gather in this little treatise these thinges which moued me to see and know the trueth that if it were Gods will they might doe some good to the instruction of others also to the only glorie of his sonne our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ who haue your honour alwayes in his gratious protection May. 1580. Your good Lordships most humble at Commaundement William Chauncy To the Christian Reader THe moste excellent thing that Almightie God hath giuen to mankinde is the knowledge of the trueth the treasure of his wisdom expressed in his holy scriptures For without it we can neither know God nor Iesus Christ his sonne our Sauiour and Redeemer who saith of him selfe Ego sum via Iohn 14. veritas Vita I am the way the trueth and the life and no man commeth to my father but by me and he that knoweth me knoweth also my father But the knowledge of this truth which lightneth our mindes with the faith of God and of his sonne Iesus Christ by his holy word deliuered in the Scriptures hath bene many hundred yeres couered and hidden from the most part of all temporall men as they are called yea from mightie Emperours Kings Princes and Magistrates of this world through the craftie practises of the Bishoppes of Rome Who to extoll themselues and their Cleargie aboue all Emperours and princes haue by wicked pollicie hidden and withdrawen from them and from all Christians the sacred Scriptures conteined in the old and in the newe Testamentes that thereby the detestable pride of the Bishops of Rome and their Cleargie might not be knowen to men least they should perceiue how farre they did varie frō the example of Christ and the humble godly liues of his Apostles and disciples of Bishops and ministers for the space of vj. hundred yeares after the church was planted by our sauiour Christ So that it came to passe that the Bishops of Rome raged and raigned like Gods vpon the earth and no temporal prince durst as much as looke vpon the worde of God nor haue any bookes of the holie scriptures least they should haue bene excommunicated for heretikes An vngodly pollicie deuised of them to the intent that their deuelish pride intollerable ambition might not be reformed by the doctrine of Christ which is most cōtrarie to their vsurped authoritie supremacie which they haue chalenged and vsed sith the time that the Emperour Phocas more then sixe hundred yeres after Christ did grant vnto Boniface the third of that name the title and authoritie of vniuersal Bishop ouer all other Bishoppes a thing most contrarie to our Sauiour Christes institution and commandements Wherefore gentle Reader to the intent that good Christian people should be no longer abused deceiued through the crafty practises of the Bishop of Romes decrees and counterfet gloses whereby he hath vsurped his most vniust authoritie and title of supremacy with which he hath almost blinded all Christian people kingdoms I haue in this treatise briefely declared the truth of our Sauiour Christs two cōmissiōs giuen ioyntly to all his Apostles in suche manner that they should be in like authoritie and power not one aboue the other in any degree I haue also shewed how earnestly and straightly Christe did forbid all superioritie and dominion to be amongest thē which I haue approued both by the holie Scriptures and by Godly auncient writers I haue noted farther what account was made of the Bishop of Rome in the foure first generall Councels euen the same which was made of other Bishops of the chiefe Sees in Aegypt in Asia in Greece and other prouinces I haue declared when this vsurped supremacie did first begin and by whome moreouer how greatly the Bishops of Rome did fall from true Godlinesse from the faith of Christe after they had obtained of the Emperours that proude vngodly title of vniuersall Bishoppe Wherein I haue touched the wicked behauiour of a fewe of them to giue as it were a taste of the fruites of their supremacie Lastly I haue opened the dealinges of good princes againste their wickednesse and tyrannie in our owne countrie making thereby manifest that King Henrie the eight was not the first king of this realme who did expell that vsurped authoritie but that almost ful two hundreth yeares before King Henrie the eight it was spurned at and diuers lawes and statutes were made by diuers Kinges of this Realme against it So that by reading ouer of this little worke they that desire to see the truth of this matter shal wander I trust no longer in the doubtes of darkenesse for lacke of knowledge of the trueth whiche is reuealed to vs by the worde of God that CHRISTE our Sauiour teacheth vs euen hee who doeth say Ioh. 8.12 Ego sum lux mundi I am the light of the werlde Doubtlesse he that walketh in this light shall knowe the trueth and shall not wander in darkenesse of any Popish traditions and superstitions which is the most daungerous and deadly kinde of darkenesse Now it is saide of Christe Ioh. 12.35 Qui ambulat in tenebris nescit quò vadit He that walketh in darkenesse knoweth not whether hee goeth Let vs therefore heare our Sauiour Iesus Christe Ambulate dum lucem habetis ne vos tenebrae comprehendant Whilest ye haue the light of Gods worde walke in it least the darkenesse come vpon you and you returne againe vnto it 2. Pet. 2.22 Pro. 26.11 ut canis ad vomitum sus ad volutabrum As a dogge to his vomit as a sow to her wallowing in the filthie mire of Popishe superstitions To the which entent my trust is in God that this little booke shall somewhat helpe you forward by satisfying the consciences of good people who will reade it with desire to learne the trueth GOD graunt that we may all both learne it and followe it that we neuer flie from it vnto errours of vaine deuises of men but onely put our whole hope our confidence and trust in the death and passion of our sauiour Iesus Christ and leade a holie life according to his worde to the glorie of God to whome be all honour Dominion and Maiestie for euer and euer Amen ¶ The rooting out of the Romishe supremacie wherein is declared that the authoritie which the Pope of Rome doeth challenge to himselfe ouer all Christian Bishops and Churches is vnlawfully vsurped Chap. 1. That in controuersies of religion the truth must be tried by the holy Scriptures That by the Scriptures no apostle nor Bishop hath a supremacie ouer others IN al maner of doubts controuersies which may arise in our Christian religion the trueth therof must be tried with the touche of Gods word as well in matters that concerne godly instruction as
euident by Christes words Chap. 4. That the second commission which Christ gaue out to his Apostles was giuen in like sort as the first not with any greater authoritie to Peter then to any of the rest THe second commission whiche our sauiour gaue to all his Apostles was giuen to them after that he had suffered death vpon the crosse for al mankinde and hauing redéemed them with his precious bloude was raised vp againe from death vnto life This commission is declared by the Euāgelist saint Mark in these wordes Mark 16. Nouissimè autem recumbentibus illis vndecim apparuit et exprobrauit incredulitatem illorum duritiem cordis quia his qui viderant eum resurrexisse non crediderunt Et dixit eis euntes in mundum vniuersum praedicate euangelium omni creaturae qui crediderit baptizatus fuerit saluus erit qui verò non crediderit condemnabitur Last of all he appeared to the eleuen Apostles sitting at the table and rebuked them for their vnbeleefe and hardnes of their heartes because they did not beleeue them which had seene him being risen from death And he sayde vnto them Go you into all the world and preach the gospell to euery creature He that shal beleeue and be baptised shal be saued But who so will not beleeue shall be damned vnto which commission he added further promises what signes should followe thē who beléeued to wit that in his name they should cast out diuels they should speake new languages they shoulde take away serpentes yea if they did drinke poyson it should not hurt them they shoulde lay their hands vpon diseased persons they should recouer The meaning and manner of this commission that Christe did giue them is declared farther by the Euangelist saint Iohn in that he doth say Cùm ergo serò esset die illo Iohn 20. vna sabbatorum fores essent clausae vbi erant discipuli congregati propter metum Iudaeorum venit Iesus stetit in medio dixt eis pax vobis Et cū haec dixisset ostendit eis manus latus Gauisi sunt ergo discipuli viso domino Dixit ergo eis iterum pax vobis sicut misit me pater ego mitto vos Hoc cùm dixisset insufflauit dixit eis Accipite spiritum sanctum quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eis quorum retinueritis peccata retenta sunt The same day then at nighte which was the first daye of the weeke and when the dores were shut where the disciples were assēbled for feare of the Iewes Iesus came stood in the middest of thē and said vnto thē peace be vnto you And when he had sayd that he shewed vnto them his hands and his side then were the disciples glad when they had seene the Lord. Then saide Iesus againe vnto them peace be vnto you as my father sent me so I also send you And when he had saide this he breathed vpon them and sayde vnto thē receiue you the holy ghost Whosoeuers sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen them and whosoeuers ye retein they are reteined By this later commission our sauiour Christ gaue to all his Apostles like power and equal authority to go through the whole world to prech the gospell of saluation to all creatures of whome he said in general He that shal beleeue and be baptised shall be saued he that will not beleeue shall be damned He gaue them equall authority and power to remit and reteine the sinnes of all both Iewes and Gentiles which by their first commission they could not because they had not authority to preach vnto any but to the lost shéepe of the house of Israel I say this authority nowe giuen the Apostles was giuen in equall and like manner to them all and not to one more then to all the rest Wherfore vnlesse that Satan had mightily puffed vp the bishops of Rome naming them selues Peters successours whome Christe once called Satan and I know not in what they be his successours vnlesse it be in that it might séeme strange that any man pretending the name and faith of a Christian shoulde so farre abuse Christes worde and commission as to claim such authority so far greater then his worde and commission doth extend vnto But it is a true saying who is so blind as he that wil not see Verily if the Papistes woulde read and sée with an humble spirit and obedient hart to the almighty God that which is written in his worde as I beséeche the Lorde they may then out of doubt they shoulde finde that Peter had no greater or larger authority then other the Apostles had Neither did he euer chalenge such authority aboue other the Apostles as the Byshops of Rome haue done aboue all other bishops vnder the false pretence that they are Peters successours because for sooth they are Byshops of Rome therein as they say doe succéede Saint Peter Chap. 5. That Peter was neuer at Rome as farre as may be gatherd by the scriptures Therefore the Popes supremacie may not be laide on that foundation BVT to touch this by the way for so much as they make so much a do about it by the scriptures they can not proue that Peter was euer at Rome much lesse that he was Byshop of Rome But this we can proue that he was at Ierusalem and in many other places gouerning and instructinge the congregation of Christe Yea aboue three yeares after saint Paules conuersion Galat. 1. we read that he went to Ierusalem to see Peter and hauing bene in sundry countries after other fouretéene yeares he went vp to Ierusalem againe talked with him Peter afterward came to Antioche where saint Paul also mette with him as his words doe witnes to the Galatians Galat. 2. Cùm autem venisset Petrus Antiochiam in faciem ei restui quia reprehensibilis erat Prius enim quà m venirent quidā 〈◊〉 Iacobo cū gentibus edebat quū autē venissent subtrahebat segregabat se c sed cū vidissem quòd non rectè ambularent ad veritatē euangelij dixi Cephae corā omnibus si tu cū Iudaeus sis gentiliter viuis non Iudaicè quomodo gentes cogis Iudaizare Therefore when Peter did come to Antioche saith saint Paul I withstood him to his face because he was to bee rebuked For before that some came from Iames he did eate with the gentiles when they were come he did withdrawe him selfe c. But when I sawe that they went not the right way to the truth of the Gospel I saide to Cephas that is Peter before them all if thou being a Iewe liuest as a gentile and not like a Iewe why doest thou cause the gentiles to liue after the manner of Iewes Nowe this rebuke of Paul for that is worth the notinge also Peter did patiently beare and suffer at Paules handes Whereby it is manifest that Peter did not claime the Popish