authoritie of a sacred Emperour declaring therby that in the poynts of externall policy he did esteeme them as men ordinary subiects whō in their spiritual functions he had counted as Gods The same authoritie was practised by Charlemaine who in his time did conuocate eight Councels and by his sonne Lewis Debonnaire who did assemble one And to shew it more plainely that this power to conuocate was Imperiall and not Episcopall we read how all the Popes of those dayes did write to Emperours for that effect Pope Innocent sent to Honorius fiue Bishops two Priests to obtaine a Councell for the restitution of Saint Iohn Chrysostome as we read in Euagrius Pope Leo doth beseech Valentine the third to obtaine of Theodose the yonger a Councell against Eutiches and in token that the Popes did not so much as pretend this power to assemble wee finde in Sozemene that Pope Iulius complaines onely that the Bishops of the Orient did not inuite him to the Councell of Antioch saying that a law of the Church prouided that no Decree should passe without the opinion asked of the Bishop of Rome And in Theoderet Pope Damasus makes the same complaint and in the same termes against the councel of Arimini in which such honour was done to the Emperour Constantius and such reuerence to his authoritie that the Fathers conuened there being detayned too long and being pressed to put downe some Decrees which were not orthodoxall they durst not for all that depart vntill they had the Emperours leaue and permission Further now will wee obserue the very internall Iurisdiction of the Church and that which is meerely spirituall to wit the sentence of Excommunication and how it was exercised we doe finde two things in that one is we shall not see that the primitiue Church did excommunicate any Emperour or King albeit there were more occasion against them nor is now contained in the great Bul of the holy Thursday which is yeerely published at Rome against Christian Kings and States Constantius and Valeus persecuting heretikes Trinitaries who would haue forced the Fathers to confessions against the Catholike faith were not excommunicate Theodose the second and Valentinian the third Eutichean heretikes were not excomunicate Basilieius enemie to the Councell of Calcedon Iustinian and of Kings Chilpericke King of France infected with Arrianisme Theodoricke King of Gothes Atalarichus Theodotus Vittiges and many others of whom none was excommunicate no not Iulian the Apostata nor Valentinian the second who fell in an heresie three seuerall times nor Iustinian who fell twise no when they had banished Popes themselues for wee read in an Epistle of Pope Siluerius that beng banished by Belizarius at the command of Iustinian his Master he assembled certaine Bishops to excommunicate Belizarius but did not so much as murmurre against Iustinian by whose direction he was persecuted Neither yet if they did kill a Bishop a◅ Valens who caused some of them to be drowned Secondly we obserue on this point of Excommunication that Bishops in the primitiue Church did excommunicate by the consent and permission Imperiall for Princes fearing that Church Rulers should abuse the spirituall sword made an ordinance repeated afterwards by Iustinian that no person should bee excommunicate vnlesse the cause of their sentence were before the Emperour cleerely prooued to be agreeable to the will and meaning of the holy Spirit which Saint Augustine doth expressely acknowledge in an Epistle to Boniface saying that the Church doth exercise her power against heretikes vnder the permission and power of Kings Some Bishops haue questioned hardly with Emperours as a Bishop did commaund Phillip the Emperour that hee should not enter into the Church but remaine without in the place of the Penitentiaries Saint Ambrose Bishop of Milane dealt right so with Theodosius the great but they did not pronounce any Excommunication maior against them for then they would not haue enioyned them penance if they had beene without the bosome of the Church As for Anastatius albeit some Churches as that and the Church of Ierusalem did excommunicate him yet he was euer in peace and vnion with numbers of Catholike Churches in the Orient which did declare that it was not magnum anathema but rather a t◅merarious Act howsoeuer this be such two or three exceptions will not serue against one ordinarie rule for then to meete these we finde in like manner three extraordinarie acts of Imperiall authoritie which caused excommunicate or eiect the Popes Xistus the third of that name suspected for adulterie was excommunicate by commaundement of Valens the third Theodoricke King of Gothes did eiect from the Church Pope Symmachus And the people of Rome vnder the Magistrates did forbid Pope Pelagius the assembly of the Church besides Saint Iohn Chrysostome deposed and expelled from his Church by Arcadius As for the excommunication of Arcadius done by Pope Gelasius it is doubted of in the Ecclesiasticall histories but I doe not speake of such extrauagant acts but of that which was ordinarily followed whereby it is still verified that the whole sway of Iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall was in the Emperors The Conuocation was due to them the processe went by their permission and consent their persons were exempted from excommunication as wee haue heard which bee three maine points of soueraigne Commandement For the fourth which is the confirmation of the Popes it was also due to the Emperours Constantius the sonne of Constantine hee banished Liberius and erected Pope Felix in his place yea farther hee recalled that good Prelate did establish him with the other Theodosius the great a great pillar of the Church by the right Emperiall he setled at Rome together with a Pope a Bishop of a diuers religion I thinke for satisfaction of a mutinous people Laeonius in his time was Bishop of Rome for the Church of the Nouatianes Honorius his son again comming into Italie while Boniface and Eulalius did contend for the Pontificat he chased them both away and after placed Boniface making lawes against such ambicious competences Iulius Nepos the tyrant ouercomming Glicerius the Emperour he made him Pope as Euagrius doth recorde for some hold that he made him onelie Bishop of Milane because he is not found in the catalogue of the Popes Odoacre king of the Horoli being master of Rome he made an ordinance at the solistation of Pope Simplicius and to the imitation of proceeding Emperours That no Pope should be exalted without the consent of Emperiall authoritie When the Emperours had recouered Rome from the Goths Iustinian did not only eiect Vigilius but made him come to Constantinople to be iudged offering to the people of Rome his Arch-deacon Pelagius whereupon they thanked the Emperour willing him to suffer Vigilius and after his death to establish whom he pleased which right did so continue with the seate imperiall that Saint Gregorie the greate durst not honour himselfe with his titles before he had receaued the imperiall confirmation of
President in effect of the Ecclesiasticall Senate differing onely in name from a Bishop which name and authoritie both hee could haue susteyned in his person if the State had vrged him seing hee was contented himselfe to obey a reformed Bishop Beza likewise during ten or twelue yeares carried the same authoritie they did both rule ouer their brethren as a Primate ouer his Coepiscopi or a Bishop ouer his Compresbyteâ—… euen as Zanchius hath said And how many Christian Pastors of remote Nations did in all those times depend from their Oracles as Presbyters vnder Bishops If any man will say it was the merit of the men no ordination of the Church I answer if it was so it is all one to beare authoritie whether colourably or openly onely heere is the difference that lawfull authoritie is better then that which men doe arrogate without warrant and it is better to endure a lawfull Bishop then an vsurping Brother but to neither of these two doe I ascribe any disorder they were wise learned and diuine men who did comport with the policie of the time Inuita Minerua as wee say of necessitie For euen Beza finding things yet to goe farder from the Episcopall rule by the comming thither of Daâ—…aeus he did vehemently regrate it to his familiars And I say that Anthon Faâ—…us who is now Arch-Presbyter there is as wise in that kind as any of his Predecessors for I know it by experience to be so It may be indeed said that the Church of Geneua is yet in puritie without faction but who doth not see the reason of it because it is parua Respublica a small Common-wealth easily ruled where the Presbyteriall Clergie is not aboue the number of eighteen counting both Pastors and Doctors but if it were populous and grosse or if diuision should fall in that which is might it not come to passe among them as it hath done to others in the like that for want of a spirituall head the Ciuill Magistrate behooued to interpose his authoritie and perhaps ioyne him selfe to the wrong side as sundry Romane Emperours haue done in such things according as Ecclesiasticall Stories doe record And what was the doing of our owne Reformator Iohn Knox and of all those who were wise Reformators was it not like vnto the Romanes wisdome who hauing cast out their Kings did in euery case of danger clothe themselues with the absolute authoritie of Dictators Euen so did they after the expulsion of Bishops exercise the same power as Zanchius hath said vnderchanged names and euill Latine names as he calls them of Superintendents and generall Superintendents vntill by length of time as the state of Rome was neuer stayed before it fell againe into the owne naturall center of Monarchie Naturam furca expellas licet vsque recurret Euen so the Ecclesiasticall policie hath returned againe to the owne fountaine from whence it did flow All which considered I giue you my counsell who are Puritans that you be not ashamed to say with Zanchius Quis ego sum c. who are you to oppose your selues against the rule of God in nature in all her members against the rule of wisedome in the Ciuill state of Oeconomie in families of moralitie in one mans person of God in the Architype of the Iewish Church of the Apostles the Primitiue Church and all antiquitie following thereupon I giue you my Counsell to vnderstand the mysterie of time and the nature of reformation which is not compassed vpon the suddaine but with length of time euen as corruption growes with time We see in the old Law the Priesthood was one thing and the Priestly transgressions an other what did Manâ—…sses what did Ahas and other kings of Iudah How did Uziah the Priest and diuers others concurre with the impiety of their kings to defile the house of God with Idolatrie we may see it in the booke of the Kings and Paralyp did God therefore take away from the people the Priesthood no it was oft times prophaned but neuer abolished yea before the Lord should take it away hee did rather suffer both Priesthood and Principautie to be confounded in one person as is said before why should you then malitiously transgresse against so many examples to contemne Episcopall regiment because the Papall tyrannie hath prophaned it why doe you search argumens for diuision and not for vnity It is no Christian part out of the sixteene Archbishops of Antioch to obiect alone Paulus Samositanus who abused his authority to pride heresie would you thinke the like aduantage good against the Apostles to speake of Iudas out of multitudes of Bishops you haue chosen a few of the most insolent and wicked to be of your side marking the disorders of Theoph. Alexandrinus Valens Vrsatius Nestorius Macedon Phoc. What would you answere to these who would deale so with yourselues among hundreths of the like entercourses of your policie to obiect but two your great feast day holden at Edenburgh which made the seuenteenth of December so famous and again your caryage after the treason of Gowrie at Perth where the Lord God stood miraculously for the life of your most Gratious Prince and that for greater causes as you haue seene then were reuealed at that time and no doubt for greater ends then you doe yet see what can you answere to the bad behauiour of some brethren who durst challenge such a king his Maiesties reputation and fame and bring it in question before his people which things I mentioned heere out of my true affection to your reformation because the Physicians say Nulla medicamenta magis sunt salutifera quam ea qua dolorem pariunt There is no medicine more powerfull then that which breedeth dolor to the patient why doe you not therefore ouerpasse your malitious caption of mens faults to lookevpon the benefite which doth depend from lawfull policie why doe you not remember that the Archiepiscopall authority hath serued to represse the Arrian heresie the most mighty opposition that euer hath beene in Gods Church why do you not remember that Samositanus was more times in parting from the troth and more corrigiable thereafter as is said then Manicheus Marcion Arrius Pelagius and other Heresiarches who were but Presbyters why doe you not call to memorie the holy and reuerend names of Gregor Nazianz. Basil. Nicen. Athanas. Chrysost. Cyprian Ignat. Polycarp Iren. Ambros. August Whose persons were not so remote from this age of ours as the sincerity of their Christian and Catholike gouernement in the Church was different for the present rule of the Romane Bishops And notwithstanding of the corruption which is this day pregnant in the world and which you doe so much perill to fall in the state of Bishops by diuoluing of that charge in great noble personages more through the fauour of Princes then for their Merit as you say yet doe but looke a litle vpon the worthy Prelates which haue bin in the Church of
England stil since the reformation thereof and who be presently whom you shall see all to be ordinarily taken out of the prime men of the Vniuersities and neuer brought from the Court to that dignity doe witnesse in speciall those graue and most Reuerend diuines the Archb now of Canterbury the Bishops of London Elie and Bathe more shining lights then whom the Church of God hath not within nor without the kingdom which I in special may affirme who haue heard some of their vertuous names remembred with honor by their chiefest enemies in Christendome a cleerer marke then which cannot be of mens worth I say no more but God of his mercy grant that ourmost vpright Christian Ministers may follow their example in true pastorall vigilance and sincerity out of those mirrours let vs reuerence this beginnings which we see of our reformation that by our zeale and loue to peace and vnitie God may be moued to ouerthrow that beast of Rome and to plant againe his holy spirit in it to dissolue the Papall tyranny to reduce it to the ancient regular limits of Patriarchall degree If this Counsell be contrary to your Theologie then learne it from nature That Princes and Prelates are the Superiour Orbes that moue you and therefore that no motion must be within the peculiar Spheare of your Pastorall discharge to make you disobey their motions and if you cannot neither doe this out of a good instinct of nature like the celestiall Planets whose proper mouements doe neuer hinder them to obey and follow their Primum Mobile Then for the last make it a good and necessarie policie to imitate that Goose who knowing her owne imperfection prouides for those euils which might fall vpon her in perilous places through too much noise and so to saue her selfe from the Eagles which frequent the top of mount Taurus as she flieth along it she keepeth a lowe course and carrieth a stone in her beake to restraine her ordinarie cry Princes and Prelates tanquam aues solares are like the celestiall Eagles which goe neerest to the sunne they receiue the immediate inspiration and deputation of God to rule the inferiour world they are placed in the mountaine of gouernment so that you must take heede that you doe not concitate them by your disordered clamours Now hauing said thus farre in fauours of the Episcopall authoritie to the effect that you may see how I intend heere to serue God and not man I will also lawfully speake of that which ought to be the vpright and Christian duety of Bishops They are to remember that it is the fault of rulers which often times giueth distaste to people of lawfull authorities as the tyranny of Rome hath made the Primatiue and Orthodoxall gouernment of Christes Church to be abhorred it is the wisedome and modestie of their carriage which must cast a good smell in the nose of the multitude the Popular is like to a dead Ocean which hath no motion of it selfe but from aboue from the influence of the Moone or from the agitation of the aire Bishops are the Spheares placed aboue them to giue them influence and the Planets which should minister light vnto them So that they are to learne the temperament of their gouernment from the sunne the chiefe of Plannets which if it should still keep the altitude or summer solstice howsoeuer the glory and force thereof should be that way more perceiued yet no man nor beast could endure the vehemence of that heate in such manner that for the benefit of inferiour Creatures which be nourished by it it followes as we see an oblique temperate course betwixt the Tropicks of Cancer and Capricorne They are to learne the artes of their gouernment from God himselfe who albeit hee haue both absolute and infinite power that he could of the stones of the earth raise vp seede to Abraham and bring any thing to passe suddainely and in a moment in the generation of whatsoeuer his creatures yet for the maintenance of their order and policie he doth adioyne vnto his working the ordinarie concurrence of second and inferiour causes making things to goe on by naturall and mutuall meanes they are to follow the example of Moses in the Iewish rule of Gods people not as the Presbyterians doe following the Archi-type for the Laicke Elders and refusing it for the Prelacy they must not onely imitaâ—… the Moysaicall where it serueth to establish their power but also in that which Saint Ierome doth record of Moses Qui cum solus praeesse populo haberet in potestate who hauing in his will to be onely ouer the people yet hee did adioyne vnto him seuenty to assist him among the most ancient Canons which be Catholike this is reckoned with the formost Episcopos singulartum Genium scire oportet qui inter eos primus sit qui habeatur Caput praeter cuius Sententiam nihil agant sed nec ille praeter illorum sententiam faciat The Bishops of all Nations must vnderstand that hee who in his owne iurisdiction is head ouer the rest without whose authoritie they can doe nothing neither hee shall proceed but by their concurrence and aduise Sic enim vnanimitas erit Deus glorificabieur saith he by that meanes Vnanimitie shall be kept and God shall be glorified Ignatius the most ancient of the Fathers hath called the Presbyters Counsellours and Coasessours Cyprian followed this temperate rule Ambrose also doth teach the same For this sort of gouernment doth much ease them in their discharge and nothing derogate from their authority for who will say that a temperate Monarch who followeth his graue Counsell doeth thereby lessen his power but hee is the more aduised The excellent vertues of the Episcopall function are knowne by the excellent stiles giuen vnto it by the Spirit of GOD in the Apocalips they are called Angells and Starres Constantine did call them Gods in his time and seeing they get celestiall stiles they must also imitate the heauens to bee the chiefe Preachers of Gods glory Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei saith the Prophet Dauid These bee the properties of the heauens which also ought to be in them bodies most subtile most high most lucid most cleane most perfectly ordered most round they doe euer moue euer giue life and light vnto inferiour creatures First they must bee subtile in solide knowledge of holy scriptures Quia tu Scientiam repulistirepellam egote ne Sacerdotio fungaris 〈◊〉 saith the Lord Because thou reiectest knowledge I shall relect thee from the Priesthood They must bee high in the vertuous shew of their life Tantum gregem praecellat sanctitas presulis quantum ones superat vita Pastoris The sanctity of a Prelate should as farre excell that of his flocke as the life of a Pastor is more worth then a sheepe In the vertue specially of charitable frugality they should shine Splendidum in panibus benedicent labia multorum
their faithfull obedience vnto all the Ostrogotti who did raigne in Italie among the which Theodoricke was so respected of the Sea of Rome chiefly of Pope S. Hormisda that they had almost canonized him as is written There was no seruice whereinto they did not obey those princes if they had any occasion to send any Embassadours they did vndergoe it as Pope Innocent the first tooke a legation from Alarico to the Emperour Honorius to negotiat his peace and to obtaine a dignitie to that Arrian King And further to declare how sacred they did hold their obedience to whatsoeuer King God did place ouer them they did vndertake Embassages from Arrian Princes in fauour of Artian Churches for conseruation of Arrians and in case of excommunication as Iean the second and Pope Agapet were imployed by Theodoric and Theodotus Now to him who will answere to this that these Princes were not excommunicate therefore the Church did serue them I replie that there was greater cause to excommunicate them then nor nowadayes is taken against Christian Princes and which is more we find the letters of Hormisda and others to Anastase as full of honor and respect as if he had beene free from the sentence of excommunication and of Gregorie the second to the Emperour Leon Iconomachus albeit he was excommunicate by that same Pope himselfe which things we must not imagine to haue bin done at randome or pro tempore but from good warrant appearantly since the iurisdiction spirituall is onely ouer the soules of men Church gouâ—…rnours ought not to transcend their ordinary bounds to meddle with the bodies or temporall states of Kings but their Fulmen Ecclesiasticum the thunder of excommunication should bee onely spirituall and like vnto the naturall thunder which can strike a man to the death without the meanest offence done vnto the apparell of his body For I would aske the Iesuite albeit the Church haue power ouer the Kings soule if it be so that they might rashly excommunicate him what right haue they for this ouer his kingdome and people If they haue why did Saint Paul in his time cry Querimus vos non vestra And why hath Saint Ambrose and Optatus Mileuitanus in his third booke Aduersus Parmenianum said That Emperours and Kings be within the Church but that the Empire is without it yea say they the Church is within the Empire in token that Antiquitie did exempt things temporall from the dint of excommunication when Pope Marcelline did sacrifice to Idols and Pope Honorio became a Monothelet Hereticke they were excommunicate but did not loose their Bishopprickes Pope Formose Bishop of Port was chosen successor to the same Pope who had excommunicate him And in the Counsell holden at Lions vnder Pope Gregorie the tenth it was concluded that Cardinals albeit excommunicate might assist the Pope his election by their vote and presence So modest were the Fathers in the point of Princely authoritie that Paulus Samosetanus against whom the Councell of Carthage was conuocate being deposed from Episcopall charge hee did yet possesse a certaine territory belonging to the Church but these Bishops demanded iustice thereof of the Emperour Aurelian albeit an Ethnicke because all that was ciuill and worldly did belong vnto the Empire The Church saith Augustine vpon Saint Iohn doth possesse no patrimonie nor goods but Iure humano Iure diuino she hath nothing This Iure humano is the Right Imperiall of Princes which being vsurped of any other it hath no more Title nor right vpon earth saith he So was it the constant meaning and doing of the ancient Fathers to thinke that they had nothing which they might refuse vnto the Emperours but the onely house of God Nor yet that saith Ambrose if I were assured that the Emperour speaking of Valens would not plant Arrians into it in which case onely I would presse to retaine it O what difference betwixt that and this blind ambitious and impudent age wherein Church rulers make open doctrine and profession to Master Princes lawfull and orthodoxall and to â—…reade vpon their neckes holie antiquitie would not aduenture to take from an excommunicate Bishop an house belonging to the Church but by the authoritie of the Emperour nor would not resiste the Emperoer by violence for the Temple of God to ane hereticke king although it were to giue it to heriticall pastoures whereas the plaine guyse of this time is to be Piscatores piscium non hominum and to abuse excommunication and the papall Thunder to spoyle a king of his cloathes to dethrone him of his kingdomes and to make him naked of his subiects Thirdlie we doe obserue of the primitiue Church that whensoeuer she did enioy good and godly Emperours they did not onelie not repute them as priuate members of the Church iudicable by the power Ecclesiasticall but contrarie they hold them chiefe members of their generall counsels vnder their misticall head Iesus Christ yeelding to them the authoritie of conuocation and whole exteriour Iurisdiction giuing them the tittle of common and externall Bishopes For we reade in Eusebius that Constantine the great was called so of the Church and said to bee brother vnto the fathers in which qualitie of a common Bishop he did exercise his power ouer the Church exteriorlie and ouer Bishops In like maner we find that in the Calcedonian councel the Emperour was called vniuersall Bishops yea Antiquitie did esteme no counsell supreame wherein an Emperour did not sit and praesidiat In all the appellationes of the primitiue Church which forme of Iudicatore is fittest to try where the maine sway of authoritie doth lie because it was absolute soueraigne and without declinatour hauing power against the Tyrannous gouernment of Popes against discords of other Prelats against vniust decrees of counsels themselues In all these appellations I say we finde that none was esteemed supreame but that wherein the Emperour did ouer rule as the only power vpon earth which is in dependant The first appellation we reade of in the Church was by Cyrillus Bishoppe of Ierusalem from the condemnatorie of one Counsel to another more general assisted sayth he with Seculare brachium with seculare power which he called a prouocation vnto a greater Iudgemement And so his cause was examined in the counsell of Seleucia As for the cause of Athanasius which did preceed that it was rather a remission of the processe to the counsell of Sardiâ—… then an appeale and went alwaies by the direction will of the Emperour Constantine to whom Saint Anthony write diuers letters directlie praying him for the restitution of Athanasius Saint Iohn Chrisost. in a second appellation did prouoke in the same tearmes with Cyrill to a higher iudge a more generall counsell assisted with imperiall authoritie as it cleare by a third appellation of Dioscorus Bishop of Alexandria the time of the counsell of Calcedon in which appeale he doth expresselie protest that the coniunction of the imperiall
primitiue Church at the command of their Soueraigne Emperors did take vpon them to be Iudges Councellors Embassadors as I haue related and that because being Subiects of the Empire they were bound to obey as Constantine the great wrot vnto them but these câ—…ill imployments were not due to their Episcopall function Mercy God what wonderfull difference 〈◊〉 here Christ would not vsurpe so much of temporall power as to march a small piece of heritage for pacifying of two brethren being pressed vnto it the Pope doth affirme that he hath right of marching and where betwixt Cancer and Capricorne betwixt the Arctique and Antarctique circles nay betwixt the North and South Poles betwixt the Occident and the Orient he hath the right of diuision ouer all the earthly Globe â—…he hath by his â—…lls deuided the East from the West Indies and hath distributed them betwixt the Spaniard and the Portugalls first and now againe hath giuen all vnto the Spaniard Next I come to tell your Lordship how this doctrine of Papall Soueraignitie is â—…pugned by the catholicke Romanes Panormitanus that learned Bishop hath written against that opinion of the Popes being aboue generall counsels And therefore by Baronius and Bellarmin is counted a schismaticke one Nicholas de Châ—…sa in a treatise de concordia Cathol hath done the same perfectlie saying vniuer sale consiâ—…um maioris esse author it at is minoris fallibilitatis quam Papae tantum The Counsels haue more authority and lesse fall abillity then the Pope alone Paulus Venetus vpon these late distractions of Venice from the Pope hath made it plaine by many Treatises but the fountaine of that truth hath beene in France kept pure and incorruptible with many disputes at seuerall times for the libertie of their Princes as their stories beare namely in the time of Phillip the faire So that this question is cleerely handled of Gerson who for his excellent learning was Chauncellor of the Sorbon He hath expressely written forbearing to speake of particular points of the Papall authoritie De Auferibilitate Papae ab Ecclesia of certaine cases and possibilities wherein the Church of Rome ought to want a Pope and hath put it downe in twentie seuerall considerations as hee termes them from which the generall Counsels haue lawfull power to pronounce a Nâ—… of the Pope All which as any man may perceiue who doth 〈◊〉 them are founded vpon the solid conclusion of S. August Ciaâ—… Regnicaelâ—… datâ—… sunt saith he Pâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The keyes of heauen were giuen to Peter in type of â—…tie of the whole Church Whereon Gerson in his second consideration doth establish the same groâ—… saying they were giuen Non â—…sed 〈◊〉 not to one man but to the 〈◊〉 of one Church And in his 〈◊〉 consideration what Christ gaue to Saint Peter saith he It was not giuen vnto him but vnto the Church because it was giuen 〈◊〉 Therefore saith hee the whole Church may the Pope being absent 〈◊〉 authoriâ—… 〈◊〉 ese the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In that twelfth consideration he doth induce the Apostolicall example when Paul Galat. 2. did reprehend Saint Pâ—… that he brought nouelties 〈◊〉 the Church A murmuration grew Act 10. so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compelled according to his owne Doctrine Paraâ—… esse as Gerson saith 〈◊〉 Ecclesia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecclesia es non 〈◊〉 To prepare himselfe to render an acount before the whole Church otherwise she had not beleeued him in the same consideration againe he reasons thuus The Papall power is giuen to the Church for her 〈◊〉 and not for her destruction and therfore such a power may be suspended or taken away from one who would abuse it to her perill And what else is this then to say that the Pope hath the place of a moderator so long as he is modest or that he thinks the Church could well enough want the Papall authoritie Then doth he passe from the theorick of the question to the practise by supposing what disorder or insufficiencie might fall into the person of a Pope If saith he that the Pope will teach that the holy Ghost doth not proceede from the Father the Son must not the Church resist it if said he an other Pope would orâ—…n the Kingdom of France to be sacked with fire and sword râ—…sistere debet Rex the King ought to resist And so in his tenth consideration issobe saide hee the Pope should inuade a man perâ—…ce and this man in his owne defence Si Papâ—… Mâ—… proiâ—… it if hee should fling the Pope into the Sea he doth it lawfully then should it much more be permitted and lawful saith he for the whole Church to cast out a Pope for her owne preseruation by these twenty Considerations of the occasions of the Papall Nullitie one may well see how hee thought that Popery was a foolish and dangerous humane institution as it is indeed Lastly I will in few wordes open the mysterie and designe of this Iesuiticall doctrine that euery one may know how to pull downe his maske and see the leaprous face of his ambition How this Papall Tower hath beene builded Histories bee so full of it and it is so triniall that I need not to insist in it by the weaknesse of the Empire by the remotenesse of Emperours their naughtinesse by the subâ—…ditie of Popes 〈◊〉 studying to keepe some dangerous enemies vpon the shoulders of the Empire till they might get some aduantage by their fostering of perpetuall discords among Christian Princes and neighbour States for the like end that they might haue the better meanes to ouerthrow one of the sides and ro increase themselues vpon their ruines Crescit 〈◊〉 Roma Alba ruiuis by the crafty practising of ignorant Bishops first to repayre to Rome as for the commodity of the place next to doe nothing without their consent thirdly to make appellation there still keeping the seedes of dissention among Prelates for that purpose till they contriued that inuention of the Vniuersall Bishop Alwaies the Iesuites who haue lately cropen in that the Cup of iniquitie may be the sooner full and that the world may the sooner see the reuelation of the Beast who seeketh to bee adored of all Princes and people They haue a desperate profession not to obey God nor to obey the Pope nor the Church of Rome but to obey their generall per Omnia in Omnibus tanquam Christo presenti as we read in their Summa Constitutionâ—… pag. 307. The glory of their obedience doth stand in undergoing trauailes and dangers for propagation of the Church of Rome and to that end they haue gone through the World as I haue saide like vnto Pandora that wretched and fatall Ambassatrix of fierce Nemesis carrying their boxes full of all sorts of profound and curious learning but alas rearefully infected with Absynthium to poyson the waters of true knowledge and corrupt our vnderstanding they haue braue spirits astonishing tongues and eloquent words with all kinde of
ipsares loquitur One would sweare it had beene a Type of the future estate of Rome as the Religion was typicall there was neuer Diademe nor Crowne like vnto this which she hath arrogated to her selfe to bee mistresse and Queene ouer Christian Princes doe not all the corners of that spacious citie of Rome and all her seuen mountaines looke out like that glorious palace of Pryamus whereof it was said Regia finitimis inuidiosa locis There was neuer any artifice comparable with the curiositie of her three sorts of Images in plate pictures in imbroyderie on silke and gold in grauing vpon all sorts of mettals and vpon fine stones such as Porphyre Agat Diasper Lapis Laznli Cornioll Alablaster Orientall Marble Christall whereof they haue more store then all the world did any citie euer more forget her obnoxious and distressed youth oppressing Princes whose predecessors the Lord made the instrument of her strength and beautie Fourthly God by his Prophet doth pronounce the punishment of Ierusalem saying I will stretch out my hand to diminish thy ordinarie I will gather all these whom thou hast loued and those whom thou hast hated round about against thee and will discouer thy filthinesse vnto them that they may destroy thee and burne vp thy houses with fire because as I liue neither thy sister Sodome nor her daughters haue done as thou and thy daughters haue done which doth no lesse agree with the Church of Rome The Lord hath stretched foorth his hand for her abominations and hath begun to diminish her ordinarie the puritie of his word which is the onely bread of life he hath withdrawen from numbers of Christian people the mutuall loue concord and harmony of the Catholike faith which should be their spirituall food Hath not Rome seene these two ages by-past her louers and her enemies gathered against her to destroy and burne her vp that is to say they who were once knit with her in a perfect vnitie of the Catholike faith did she not see her owne bowels rent and Christian states and cities persecuted with fire and sword by Christian armies hath shee not seene the Turkes whom she doth deadly hate come round about against her in Germanie Hungarie Greece Italie and with barbarous cruelty ouerthrow both townes and floods of Christian people and purchase to themselues our fairest Countreys Is not this to diminish our ordinarie in a fearefull sort for the pride of Rome while I call it our ordinary I meane that through the impietie of Rome all these are taken away from the antient splendor authoritie and strength of the Catholike Church whereby she is become more weake Now since Rome and Ierusalem do iumpe in all these points we will consider a little whether they may also meete in that which followeth in the Text of Ezekiel For fiftly God did limitate his iudgement against Ierusalem saying This will I still doe till thou cease to play the harlot and then my iealousie shall depart from thee I shall confirme to thee for euer the Couenant which I made in thy youth that thou mayest know that I am God and bee ashamed to open thy mouth any more when I am pacified toward thee saith the Lord whereby wesee that whosoeuer God did chastise his Church of Ierusalem with long and hard captiuities yet he did not altogether abandon her she was his Church still albeit now and then a fornicatrix that euen our Sauiour himselfe in his time commaunded to obey them so long as they kept the Chaire of Moses that is so long as they did speake the trueth what reason haue we then to dispaire nor it may please the Lord to reforme the Church of Rome so I doe call all these Churches throughout Europe that haue receiued the marke of the beast and are drunke with the cuppe of her fornication to the great derogation of the holy sanctuary of God And what know we but it may please God to restore the auncient candour and integritie thereof the tymes of secret prouidence are vnknowne we reade in the last chapter of Barucke that it was said to the people of Israel because of your sinnes you shall be captiue to Babell and ye shall remaine there manie yeares euen seauen generations And after that I will bring you away peaceably from thence And in the chapter preceding it is sayde O Ierusalem be of good comfort and looke towards the East to see thy ioy which commeth from thy God The Lord he incensed some Babilonian Princes to carry them away he inspired others to dismisse them freelie to vnderstand then whither apparrantly it will please God to worke so in the hearts of Christian Kings that Rome who for manie ages hath bene spiritually captiued in Babell may open her eyes to see the ioyes of God comming from the west we must trye how this reformation of Israel was wherevpon proceeded their restitution to Gods fauour and vpon that are we to settle our iudgement of reformation which hath beene or may be in the catholike Church As there was in Israel frequent Apostasies so was there frequeat reformations first as both princes and prelats did erre so are they conuicted by the prophets for transgressours aswell as the people as we see in the ninth chapter of Daniel O Lord sayth he open shame belongeth vnto vs our kings our princes our people our selues vnto vs all because we haue sinned Secondlie the Reformations which haue beene in Iuda were performed by the ordinarie magistrates Princes gouernours and Prelats did erre and princes prelats and gouernours did reforme The text of Daniell sayth After the going out of the commandedement for taking backe the people and reedification of Ierusalem there were so manie weekes as he doth reckon there whereby we note that it was not done by any extraordinary meanes but flowed from a commaundement giuen out Thirdly we obserue that these reformations were by reducing the church of Ierusalem to the prmetiue institutions of Moses and Gods word banishing things which had contrarie course so that for Daniel when he prayeth for reformation and restitution of Ierusalem because said he we haue transgressed thy lawe we haue sinned against thy seruant Moses therefore all these plagues are come vpon vs hee doth not appeale vnto the church vnder Salomon vnder Dauid vnder Samuel vnder Ioseph or vnder Iosua albeit all these were vpright Rulers of the Church no but vnder the primitiue Architype and institution of Moses But while we come to this point of reformation here it is where the comparison betwixt the Iewish Church and the Church of Rome doth faile here it is Vbi insaniuimus omnes where for the greatest part we are all gone astray The Prophet Ezechiel did see one standing mourning for Ierusalem but alas how few doe this day mourne for the Sanctuary that is to say for the desperate discords of Christian Churches who doth out of Christian compassion vtter vnto the Church of Rome these kindly speeches of
the Prophet to the Israelites during their captiuitie My children as it came into your minde to goe astray from your God so endeauour your selfe ten times more to seeke him saith the Prophet We haue all here forgotten our exemplar for the Church of Rome on the one side contrary to Daniel and the Iewish reformation she cryeth that neither she nor her Prelates nor her Priests haue transgressed and that they cannot etre and therefore they haue no need of reformation Vpon the other side againe we who doe see her abominations wherewith shee hath defiled the Sanctuary and corrupted Christian Religion in place to say with Daniel Lord turne thy wrath from Ierusalem thy holy Mountaine haue pittie on thy holy Citie wherethy name was once truely called on Ierusalem is a reproach to all that are about her wee doe cry because the Church who was sometimes chaste vnto thee O Lord is now become Fornicatrix therefore destroy her because shee hath polluted the Catholike saith therefore diuorce vs from her O Lord thus lying ouer into implacable paroxisme and strife while one sayes he ought not to be reformed because hee cannot erre and his aduersaries exclaime that he is so contagious as he is not capable of reformation one cryeth for a sole and soueraigne Bishoppe to commaund both Church and State both Prelates and Princes an other cryeth that he will haue no Bishop at all ctc. There is a sort of enchaunted Papists whom the waters of the Iesuiticall absynthyum haue so venummed that they will not remit one dramme weight of the superstitious worshippe of their great Idoll if it were for the peace of the whole Sanctuarie There be againe a Sect of extrauagant and heteroclite Puritans of the late stampe I speake not of any iudicious good man who doth discharge his function in Gods feare and the obedience of his Prince to Christian education but of these Anabaptisticall Clerks Quiout labouche sans bride as the French saith who carry no bridle in their mouthes being in opinion of Gouernments whatsoeuer meerely Republicanes against the Architype and order of God not onely despising Princely authoritie with the Iesuite but vilipending all Prelates in the Church in fauours of a fantasticall Anarchie or a seditious popular tribunat forged in their owne braynes obstinately refusing to accept for doctrine for manners for policie whatsoeuer almost haue beene in the Church of Rome if it were neuer so good these be most wretched and pernicious humours of men carrying factious and vehement spirits blowne vp with the vapours of Pandoras boxe and abhorring the peace of Israel with both which I must expostulate in this place and say vnto them as the Prophet commanded to cry in the eares of the rebellious Iewes of his time Confregistis iugum rupistis vincula you haue disolued the bands of Catholike loue and vnitie you haue broken the yoke of Christian societie you are obstinate against desires of reformation you doe Iudaise but Moses did Christianize who for the sake of that Idolatrous people would haue beene rased out of the Booke of life Saint Paul did the same who would haue beene anathema for the loue of his Christian folke but all your meditations your writtes your sermons be like vnto these inuolued Rolles brought by the Angell vnto Ezechiel wherein was written nothing within nor without but lamentations mournings and woe you haue no sparke of Christian charite left without which it is impossible to please God know you not that in the Scripture this charitie is properly said to be a fire we read in Leuiticus Vt ignis in altari semper ardeat That the fire should neuer goe out vpon the Altar which is a true mysterie and type of that Christian loue which should be vnder the Euangell for now there is no Altar leftvs but the Altars of pure hearts before the Lord nor no Sacrifice bur of contrition faithfull prayers and loue The lawe Euangelicall as I said before is the perfection of the naturall and Mosaicall and loue againe as the Spirit of God doth testifie is the end of this law finis legis est charitas in which words the Apostle doth attribute as much to loue in Theologie as in Philosophie is giuen to Iustice speaking of Cardinall vertues Iustitia in se virtutes continet omnes That Iustice hath in it all vertues euen so saith the Apostle if wee haue as much faith to cause Mountaines remooue and want loue it is all nothing This loue is euer commanded de proximo of our neighbour Thou blinde Papist canst thou haue a neerer brother then the Protestant And you precise Puritans can you but esteeme them your pitifull brethren who liue in Papall ignorance Dilige pro quo mortuus est Christus saith Paul Will you follow the example of Christ did he not both pardon and pray to God for those who slew him whose ignorance was aboue all ignorance their vnbeleefe aboue all vnbeleefe and fault aboue all faults without vnitie and loue there can be no perfect Church because that is the whole scope of the Euangel as I haue saide and of all true Religion vnanimitie is the bond which maketh the Church strong Ecce circundedi te vinculis saith God in Eze. Behold I haue hedged you about with bands This loue is the knot which bindeth together the members of Christ in one body therfore is so diligently recommended by him to his Apostles that they should remaine fast and conioyned among themselues by so many types in the old Testament is figured vnto vs this Christian concord and vnitie by the vestiments of the high Priest whereof euery portion was ioyned to another the wholebeing one peece By the Tabernacle whereof euery thing was ioyned into another the whole standing in coniunction for are we not so called in the Apocalips Ecce Tabernaculum Dei cum hominibus habitat cum ijs The Tabernacle of God which dwelleth among men By the vessels whereof so many as were not closed together but were opened and in diuers pieces they were said by the spirit of God to be vncleane as we see in the Booke of Numbers we are the vessels who bee made by the hand of our heauenly potter of whom S. Paul saith Alia quidem in honorem alia vero vasa in contumeliam some be vessels of honour and some of reproach you haue your mouth open to spewe out contumelies and malignitie one against another and therefore take heed you shew not your selues vessels of dishonour you haue not this Christian fire of charitie whereof the spirit of God saith Quod operit multitudinem peccatorum That it couereth multitude of sinnes The Altars of your hearts are kindled with the prophane fires of Nadab and Abihu the fires of pride arrogancie and contradiction fires of mutuall rayling and Philippicke Inuectiues where Pastors in place to perswade Christian loue vnity and mutuall compassion after the example of our Sauiour they
deceiued who say that Titus or Timothie had an extraordinary vocation for they were chosen by the Apostle and were the Schollers of S. Paul Quae accepi à Domino saith hee catradidivobis The things which were taught to mee by our Master Christ these haue I teached you Yea doe we not see how in the very time of the Apostles themselues when the extraordinary spirit was giuen to many there was iealous warnings among them against extraordinarie Pretenders Audiuimus quosdam ex nobis c. we heare saith the Apostle that some haue gone out from among vs who haue troubled you bidding you to bee circumcised quibus mandat a nulla dederamus to whom no coÌ„mandement was giuen An euident Argument that no man might enter into the Church without Apostolicall ordination notwithstanding the holy Ghost was frequently giuen and extraordinarily to manie by God himselfe immediately Briefely this extraordinary Vocation hath neuer in no time beene seene but accompanied with such miraculous graces as did sufficiently warrant it from doubt or calumnie which makes mee thinke that hee who is in this Libertine and corrupted age will pretend extraordinarie calling he had neede to qualifie the same by extraordinary markes The Lord God indeede who Master of all creation of all redemption and of all Reformation and for common doth worke by naturall and ordinary meanes in all these three when he will to shew his power and glory he will worke aboue and contrary to Nature and to her order as hee made the Red Sea to diuide for Moses and the Sunne to be fixed for his successour Iosua as he suffered by way of reformation the Asmoner to be for the time both Kings and Priests in one person as nature it selfe following the same doing of God her Soueraigne Lord albeit for the ordinary she worketh to procreation and generation of things yet sometimes she workes deuouring inundations and pestilent plagues which although they seeme to destroy yet they are necessary purgers of nature for the time euen so there hath beene in the beginnings of Christian reformation extraordinary things done by good men in case of so great exigence and necessitie as was but these extrauagant interims are neuer to bee drawen in rule The tyranny of Rome hath enforced that kinde of doing the cruell martyrdome first of Sauouarola and then of Hus for their cries of Reformation their deceiuing of Caroliu 5. and two succeeding Emperors in their designs of reformation their barbarous persecution of the Protestants of France and Germany by bringing vpon their neckes the Arms of the holy league for their protestation to haue the Catholike Church reformed These mad Christian people despairing of generall reformation by ordinary means and authoritie of Princes and Prelates to attempt it with some disorder and violence wherein some haue beene better some worse accoding to the diuers mindes and meanes of Reformatours in diuers places all tollerable for the time none perfect but that which hath beene done after these Iewish reformations whereof we speake and to speake ingenuously of all these which haue been it seemeth that no worse carriage hath beene in any then in those of Scotland and France albeit mooued by godly and reuerend men yet because they were attempted against the auctoritie Royall for the time which was the reason why they fell forth as a furious Northerne tempest threatning a common otherthrow in place to reforme Policie and Prelates they did destroy both enrage the people eiect the Prince shake the whole state and make their natiue Countries a bloudy stage of domestick and forraine ambition that it may be iustly said thereof as Cicero did reproach to the vnhappy Brut us Bona inâ—…o optima causa sed mihi crede foedissimè per acta a good cause yea a most good cause but beleeue it most miscreantly gouerned A much better act was that of George Prince of Henault who being but a ciuill man did reforme the Pontificate of Meresburgh For albeit he was not ordained by Pontificiall authoritie yet as he affirmes in his Apologie for that act he did procure vnto himselfe an ordinary vocation and canonicall Election by the whole Chapter of that Cathedrall Church who had their calling in the Church of Rome and did ordaine him a pastour with power by their aduise to reforme that seat for there be diuers of the Catholike Romane Cleargie who doe not hold euerie ordination vnlawfull which is not approoued of the Pope witnesse the late controuersie betwixt him and the Venetians for the Abbey of Policena where he did ordinate his Nephew Cardinall Burghesio they one of their own Citizens who did inioy it Better yet were these Reformations of Germany performed by Wicliffe Luther Bucer Farelluâ—… Viretus and others whereof some being questioned before the Emperor were neuer demaunded vpon their calling because they had gotten order within the Church of Rome yet perfectly good were none of these Germane reformations neither because the greatest part of them were onely Presbyters and had no Episcopall authoritie to reforme But of all these Reformations which haue beene lately in the Catholike Church that of England hath beene most vpright perfect and agreeable to the Architype of Ierusalem as you shall hereafter more cleerely perceiue where Prelates and Princes doe erre and Princes and Prelates againe to whom onely the authoritie did belong did reforme both themselues and the people retaining alwayes in their Church the Primitiue Ecclesiasticke gouernement with so many of their religious Rites and Ceremonies as were agreeable with Catholike Antiquitie and not contrary to Gods word resolued to part no further from Rome then she hath parted from the veritie which was the reason why this Reformation came not as a storme into the ayre nor in a Commotion but like vnto that Sibilus aurae tenâ—…is wherein the Lord was so that amidst the fearefull thundere and coruscations of Europe it did confirme the tranquility of that kingdome in a miraculous sort and did truely procure vnto the late Queene of blessed memorie that braue word Circundita Marte quiesco So that it might haue beene said of her feminine Raigne as it was said of the gowne of that great Orator Cuius sub iure togaque Pacificas sauus tremuit Catilina secures How many forraine machinations did she illude How many intestine Catelines did she surpresse how did shee cut the crust of the Spanish ambition with such dexterity as a second Iudith cutting off the head of Olophernes Cranmer Bishop of Canterbury Primat of the English Church Latymer Bishop of Wighorne Hooper Bishop of Glocestre Rialey Bi of London these were lawfully ordinate Bishops in the Church of Rome King Henrie the eight and his Successors Edward the sixt and Queene Elizabeth were lawfull Princes to both which according to the exemplar of Ierusalem and vnto that which was due to their Predecessors in the Primatiue Church did belong the power to reforme themselues and their kingdomes and Iurisdictions to
the which reformed Church of England the graue and learned Beza giues this vertuous testimony If saith hee the reformed Church of England doe persist as they are ruled by authority of Bishops whereof some of our age haue bin famous Martyrs and most worthy Pastors and Doctors let England enioy that singular blessing of God which I pray the Lord to continue with them said he Alwayes for this point we may conclude thus that in case Prelates should become Papall and Idolatrous that Presbyters might reforme with their tongues but not with hands preach reformation but not pull downe Churches perswade and illuminate mens consciences but not concitate popular tumults The third thing which we mark in these reformations of Ierusalem is that things were reduced not to the times immediately preceding nor other then vnto Primitiue Institutions for saith Daniel Wee haue sinned O Lord not against Dauid nor Samuel but against the lawe of thy seruant Moses who was their lawgiuer And here is the maine point wherein doth stand the perfection of all Christian reformation that the doctrine gouernment of the Catholike Church should be conformed with euery thing which was in the Primatiue Church whereabout there be some little diuersities in opinions but no man yet hath bounded it more narrowly then the first 300. yeeres except this heteroclite Clergie of the late Presbyterians who will precisely limitate it vnto the dayes of Christ and his Apostles taking aduantage that way as they thinke to discredite Episcopall Regiment because forsooth there was no mention then of Diocesan Metropolitan and Partriarchall Bishops And so fantasing to reduce the Church policie to the termer wherein it was immediatly after Christs ascension at which time there was no need but of Presbyters before Cities Sheriffedomes Prouinces Nations were conuerted who doth not know that the policie of the Church behooued to encrease with the encrease of faith it behooued to haue a Bishop before a Diocesan Bishop and him againe before a Metropolitan Bishop the Metropolitan before the Patriarchall authoritie But these bee headdy inuentions of poore and clandestine Synagogues who cannot pretend for themselues any learned Patron except it be falsely Not Luther not Melancton not Bucer not Zuinglius not Zanchius nor Caluine These were no dreamers they were graue and sage Diuines farre of as you shall heare by their owne testimonies from bringing into the Church of God such Anarchies and popular Tribunates yea they cannot betake themselues to any of our own Protoreformatours not to Iohn Knox who howsoeuer in the point of the Ciuill Magistrate to speake ingenuously he was somewhat extrauagant yet he was a great and good instrument of God and in this point of Bishops wise and conforme the time being considered as you shall heare hereafter CHAP. VIII A limitation of the Primitiue Church whereunto we are to appeale for Reformation which the iudgement of the best Reformators touching the meanes thereof BVt to proceede touching the Primitiue Church I say that whatsoeuer is in the Church it is either Doctrine Policie or Ceremonies what concernes doctrine doth limitate the Primatiue Church to the dayes of Christ the Apostles and Euangelists that nothing is to be admitted for doctrine but that which the Spirit of God did penne by their hands what concernes euery particular Act in policie or custome in Ceremonies it is not to be reckoned so To make this cleere we are to vnderstand a distinction in diuine institution some being more directly diuine then others as the doctrinal points of Saluation treated by the Apostles are more diuine then that which the same Apostles did concerning the policie The first is the bread of life it selfe the second is but the order how it shall be kept dispensed so that these things which our Sauiour spake out of his owne mouth are immediately diuine The Acts againe of the Apostles in establishing the Church after the ascension no man will refuse them to be diuine institutions so farre that the Apostles might say they did proceed from the holy Ghost and from themselues yet no man either must hold them equally diuine with the personall doctrine of Christ in regard whereof they hold a second degree are called Apostolike Traditions Therfore such as be strict about this distinctiō say that which did immediatly flow from Christ himselfe is a diuine ordinance and the other onely diuini Iuris that is to say hath a diuine right Now say they in regard of the first institution the difference is but small betwi◅t a diuine ordinance and an Apostolicall ordinance but in respect of continuation or perpetuitie there is a great discrepance that which is immediately diuine being absolutely and unchangeably necessarie to bee kept in the Church from Christs mouth to the consummation of the world The other againe not so but as it did not flow directly from Christs owne mouth nor from the Apostles immediately after the ascension but being traditions politicall for the Church they were peece and peece deliuered and practised according to the increase of the faith euen so they do not imply a necessary perpetuitie in the Church in that sort as some do fondly reason saying if such Policie or such Ceremonies be Apostolicall then they must be perpetuall in the Church wherevpon by way of aduantage they inferre the nullitie of many reformed Churches in France Scotland Geneua and others which is an absurd inconvenient O but it is not so The word of God and the Apostolicall traditions be of like ve◅itie but not of like authoritie nor like perpetuitie nor a like necessitie for that is to bee retained in the Church which is expedient and convenient as wel as that which is absolutely necessary but the difference is that of Christs word one Iot shall not perish it is vnchangeable incorruptible eternall Whereas these other Apostolicall institutions which were the fountaines and beginnings from whence did flow the growth of the Churches policie with the growing of the faith vnder the successors of the holy Fathers of the primitiue Church these I say albeit they be from the spirit of veritie yet hauing but a second place and being but diuini Iuris they are not so absolute incorruptible and vnchangeable as the first they are like vnto vpright gold into which an excellent Iewell is mounted there to be kept which gold if it were most fine it is with time worne diminished altered and perhaps broken but still againe renewed euen so as the Riuers which after long running doe willingly fall againe into the bosome of their great fountaine the Ocean from whence they come and which is their naturall seat so all disordered and strange courses of pretended policies and nouelties of the Church gouernment do by length of time returne againe into the fountaine of the Apostolicall institutions as experience doth shew which are not to bee limited to the daies of Christ or to the beginnings of the Apostles as the word is
the person of one no lest it might both seeme a worke of man and be the more easily corrupted but that it might seeme the worke of God and be the more miraculous by the harmony of many Bishops who atall occasions might communicate the confessions of their faith by their Canonicall Pontificall and publike letters If any man did erre they first sought him to be reformed by those failing thereof they assembled their Counsels to depose him Cyprian saiththat the Catholike Church is one not diuided or rent with Schismes Sed coherentium sibi inuicem Episcoporum glutinâ—… copulata as it were coupled together with the glew of Episcopall Concordance therefore saith he the body of Bishops is copious and tied together with the knot of mutuall vnity that if any one should be author of heresie the rest might indeuour to controle him as this was the true meaning of the Apostles so to reason still from experience it is true that vntill the comming of Papall tyranny in the yere 607 the Church of Christ was euer most free from that superstition ambition auarice and impiety of manners which siâ—…ce haue spoiled all Seeing wee haue thus truely and without inconuenience brought the Ecclesiasticall gouernement to the rules of the old Testament it may suffice to rectifie a good and iuditious mind in that matter of the Bishops yet because it is a maine point not onely of generall reformation but of our intestine vnion with that perfect Church of England of our sincere coniunction also among our selues in Scotland I will insist briefly in it not into the idle perplexities which the malice and ignorance of you who be opponents doth moue because they be exactly treated by learned diuines onely because my discourse is Empericall I will speake two or three words touching the promiscual and common vse of the names Episcopus and Presbyter which is 〈◊〉 questionis affirmed by you to haue had no difference at all in the Apostolicall dayes so that thereupon you doebuild all the Sophistrie of the question Secondly I will giue you the cleere testimonies of the Catholike and Consentient Antiquitie vpon two things one of the great vse and benefite which hath redowned to the Church by the rule of Bishops an other of their successiue continuation from the dayes of the Apostles hitherto without intermission excepting a few reformed Churches 60. yeeres agoe Lastly I will set downe to you the iudgement and meaning concerning Church Policie of all our famous reformatours beginning at Luther euen vntill now to let you see how they bee as farre against your Consistorian Discipline as are our Bishops who be now in gouernment And first concerning the communitie of the words Episcopus and Presbyter it is true they were as they are still Unus Episcopatâ—… vnum Presbyterium and if you please to say Vnus Apostolatus Oâ—…e and the same thing touching the substance of their ministerie they preach one doctrine but we must not from that homonomie of wordâ—… enforce such wrangling conceits as if we had not learned in the Logicall Schoole the definition of Equiuoca verba quorum nomen est commune ea autem quae nomini conueâ—…unt alia atque alia which haue a common name but things competent to the name most diuers in the one and in the other they labour about one subiect but they be distinguished by some accidentall points wherein they differ by reason of degree of Ecclesiastical authority Quae differunt sâ—…lummodo quantitate qualitate non differunt natura say the Philosophers the things which differ onely in quantity and quality they doe not differ in nature as to say that the Archbishop hath within his rule the same power which the Patriarke within his touching the substance of his charge excepting some reseruations to the Patriarchall degree vnto the which by reason of superioritie appellation in some cases was made from the others and to the which belongeth a power to conuocate Archbishops by reason of more ample presedence so euery Patriarchall Bishop was an Archbishop but not reciprocally And euery Episcopus a Presbyter but not reciprocally while the Episcopall power was in the Apostles themselues or in Apostolicall men they who had that power were still called Apostles as by the worthier stile and therefore Ambrose in some of his Treatises vpon the Gospell by Apostles doth vnderstand Bishops and Cyprian in like manner Apostolos id est Episcopos praepositos Dominus elegit The Lord chose Apostles that is Bishops and ouerrulers for as Theodoret hath well obserued in these words in time past saith he they called one and the same man Bishop and Presbyter and these who now are called Bishops they named Apostles but in processe of time they left the name of Apostles to those who were truely Apostles and the name of Episcopus or Bishop they tooke away from Presbyter and gaue it to those who were wont to be called Apostles by confusion of names onely saith he which testimonie conferred with many others like will make the trueth of the matter to be this while as the Bishops were Apostles or Apostolicall men for so were the first Bishops the Angels of the Churches were also called Apostles of the Churches other inferior Pastors were then called Episcopi and Presbyteri by confusion of names but when those first Bishops being dead their successors were to be chosen out of the Presbyters men neither Apostles nor Apostolicall which Ierom noteth to haue beene done at Alexandria after the death of S. Marke as you shall heare and was done in other places where no Apostolicall men did rest aliue then I say and there they left the name of Apostles to Apostles indeed who were dead and for difference from them they called the intrant successor Episcopus or Bishop and his inferiour minister againe Presbyter allowing no more confusion of names so that this cleare distinction both of names and offices was embraced in the very first succession of the Apostles For Ignatius who was Bishop of Antioch in the Apostles time after that Euodius had been there before him hee did vsually distinguish these three degrees of the Clergie as the Church hath euer done since by these three names Bishop Presbyter and Deacon the difference of which degrees and the superioritie of Bishops is witnessed by the same Ignatius writing to the Smyrnenses Let no man doe any thing appertayning to the Church saith he yea let not the administration of the Eucharist be lawfull but by the Bishop or by him who hath his authoritie from the Bishop Next touching the restimonies of Antiquitie vpon the vse and benefit of Episcopall Regiment all the Fathers doe in one voyce applaude that which Cyprian the most modest of Bishops hath written in that point affirming that all heresies and schismes haue euer flowed from discontented humours of those who contemne the authoritie of Bishops which is placed to coerce and correct them Unde schismata
hereses aborta sunt nisi dum Episcopus contemnitur homo dignatione Dei honoratus ab indignis hominibus iudicatur from whence are heresies saith he but because vnworthy men doe censure and despise him whom God hath honoured with preferment Basilius saith that the vnitie of the Church doth depend from the vnitie of the Bishop and that the erection of a second Bishop within one Diocesse vnlesse it be to help and assist him by his own consent hath euer been esteemed the breeding of schisme but of all the Auncients Saint Ierom doth best cleare the truth of this point euen hee who is pretended to be flagellum Episcopâ—… the scourge of Bishops as you shall see It is true indeed that Ierom writing vpon the first of the Epistle to Titus hath once called the Episcopall authoritie rather a custome then an Apostolicall Tradition saying thus Before that by instinct of the Deuill there were factions in the Church and that it was said among the people I am of Paul I am of Apollo and I of Cephas the Church was gouerned by the common consent of the Presbyters but after through all the world it was decreed that one of the Presbyters should be placed aboue the rest to whom should apperteine the whole Ecclesiasticall care and extirpation of schisme Thus far Iâ—…m Out of which words the Presbyterians doe extort this consequence that the primitiue Church was gouerned by presbyteriall policie without Bishops to this the answer is first if it were granted to come in by a consueted and not by a primitiue tradition Yet the consequence is voyde against Bishops vnlesse we will say that Presbyters and Deacons were not neither an Apostolicall ordination because in the beginning the Apostles did gouerne the Church without both these by consent of the people as it is manifest by the Epistle to Titus as Creta Corynth Ephesus and Philippi before they had Episcopus or Presbyter whom when they did receiue the Church did yet remaine vnder the rule of the Apostles Secondly it is answered where hee speakes of the choosing of one Presbyter aboue the rest for taking order with schismes that schismes were begun in the Apostles ownetime so that this same election hath been also then begun or otherwise that the Apostles haue not been so wise as their Successors which were absurd to hold Thirdly it is answered that reason of Ierom taketh away Deacons as well as Bishops because the murmurations of the Greekes against the Hebrewes moued that institution as wee know which was not in the beginning Fourthly it is answered this opinion of Ierom is singular and perhaps of temerarious and discontented humour hee being but a Presbyter For while he speaketh of a noueltie in the Church accepted through all the world he should haue put downe the time by particular circumstances otherwise hee leaueth his opinion weake and obnoxious Lastly the answer is The best Doctors of the Church haue erred in their writts and haue set downe their Retractions as Augustâ—… so is it of veritie that Ierom hath mended himselfe 〈◊〉 this particular 〈◊〉 hath made an ample palinode and Recantation 〈◊〉 in this argument it is ouer past and suppressed by the presbyterian Cleargie as if none but they could finde it out In his epistle to Euagrius Alexandria inquit 〈◊〉 Marco Euangelista â—…sque ad Heracliâ—… 〈◊〉 Episcopos Presbyteri vnum ex sese electum in excelsiori gradâ—… collocatuâ—… ad tollenda schismata Episcopum 〈◊〉 quomodo si exercituâ—… Imperatorem faciat At Alexandriâ—… from Saint Marke the Euangelist vntill Heracliâ—… and Dionisius Bishops The Presbyters did â—…ill choose one of themselues to bee aboue them for auoyding of schismes whom they called Bishop euen aâ—…if an armie should create an Emperour Againe in the preamble of his Commentaries vpon Mattheâ—… he saith that Markâ—… was the first Bishop of Alexandria that 〈◊〉 dyâ—… 〈◊〉 thâ—… times of the Apostles the seuenth yeare of Nero he doth testifie in his Catalogue Script ecclesinst that which is true thaâ—… Ananiâ—… suereeded him therefore it must follow of his owne words that he was 〈◊〉 by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exeroituâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aâ—… an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ate an Emperour Thirdly in an otherplace most plainâ—… Totius Ecclesiâ—… salutâ—…m à Summâ—… 〈◊〉 dignâ—…ate 〈◊〉 câ—… si non exors abâ—…mnibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potestâ—… tâ—… in Ecelesia efficereÌ„â—…r schisâ—…ta quot Sacerdâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he The Churches prosperitio doth relieâ—…n the 〈◊〉 of the chiefe Priest or Bishop of the Church 〈◊〉 if hee haue not granted vnto him a free power aboue the rest there would be as many schismes as Priests withâ—… the Church so that Ierom must confesse that â—…rke and Anianâ—… at Alexâ—… and 〈◊〉 and Ignaâ—… 〈◊〉 Antioch were constitute by the ordiâ—…ce of ouâ—… Sâ—…our or then that the Apostles did institute 〈◊〉 to the minde of Christ which is absâ—…d to holâ—… 〈◊〉 lastlâ—… the conclusion of thaâ—… Epistle as I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…lated doth referre the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Iewish Church in which speeches first and last of Ierom we doe not onely obserue the great benefit redounding to the Church by Bishops and the end why they were created for vnitie and auoyding of schismes but we doe in like manner marke the antiquitie of that policie from S. Marke and the authoritie and power thereof as if an Armie should choose an Emperour saith hee and the succession thereof to Dionisius and lastly the vniuersalitie thereof Decretum erat in toto orbe terrarum saith hee It was decreed throughout the whole world wherevpon hee hath concluded that the weale of the Church doth depend à Summi Sacerdotis dignitate from the worth of the Bishop After that some of the inferiour Clerkes who did assist the informall election of Nouatian in the place of Cornelius were againe reduced vnto the Catholike Church their penitence was declared in these words We are not ignorant that there is one God one Christ one holy Ghost one Bishop into one Church whereby wee see that vnitie was the end of Episcopall institution When Constantine at the instance of the deuout Matrons of Rome licenced Liberius to returne but withall appointed that Church gouernment to bee common betwixt him and Felix The faithfull people deriding that ordinance of the Arrian Emperour cryed aloud as Theodore writeth one God one Church one Bishop So that antiquitie doth euer ascribe the benefit of vnitie in the Church vnto that apostolicall and ancient policie Thirdly for testimonies for the succession of the Bishops in the Church from the Apostles hitherto there be so many that for a short rehearsall one knoweth not what to choose Against the Bishopricks of Titus and Timothie many things bee idly pretended which are plainly discussed by those Theologues who haue expresly handled this question but against those who doe alledge that they remained not at Ephesus and Creta numbers of Authors beare witnesse Dorothaus in Synopsi Soph in Catal in tot Ifidorus de vita morte
haue done Of all the Doctours of Antiquity Ierome is most sought to by the Presbyterians The Councell of Sardica cap. 10. 13. hath decreed that if a rich man by meanes of Court come to bee a Bishop hee shall first performe the office of a Reader Deacon and Presbyter that by degrees hee may ascend to the height of a Bishopricke Nazianzene giueth testimony of Athanasius and Basil that they ascended into Episcopall dignity by the spiritual Law through all the degrees of Ecclesiasticall offices The Councell of Antioch that whatsoeuer things appertaine vnto the Church are to bee gouerned by the authority of the Bishop by whom say they people are instructed The Councell of Calcedon decreed that none should build a Cloyster or Monastery without the consent of the Bishop of the City and that all Monasticall persons should bee subiect to the Bishop And if we should search all the Doctours Fathers and Councells wee should finde that Episcopall policy accompanied with a cleere consent of all Catholike antiquitie to applaud it So farre that for the first thousand yeeres of the Church no man hath beene knowen to denie or decline it but onely Aereus who was therefore compted an Heretike by Augustine in his Catalogue of heresies and by Epiphanius also which hath not beene rashly nor with repentance affirmed by Augustine as some hold for it was written after his retractation and after his writing of 230 Bookes besides his Epistles and Homilies He saith in his preface that it is hard to giue an accurate definition of an Hereticke he reckoneth vp 53. heresies which after Christs ascenscion were contrary to his doctrine giuing the last place to that of Aereus And concluding in the end of all Omnis it aque Christianus Catholicus ista non debet credere Euery Christian Catholike ought not therfore to beleeue them The Coūcell of Nice hauing decreed that the Catharists or Nauatians or a sort of sublimitated Puritans of these daies returned to penitence vnto the Church those who had brooked any dignity of before should be repossessed of any office whatsoeuer in the Church except it were to displace a Bishop which should not bee lawfull to him who hath beene a Nouatian Bishop But hee should content himselfe to be a Priest vnlesse the Bishop would receiue him to be a Coadiutor or communicate to him the honour of the name or if hee like him not to finde him a Choro-Episcopat or Presbyterat To the end as Ruffinus sayes Ne in ◅na Ciuitate duo sint Episcopi that there should not be two Bishops in one City Augustine being ignorant of this when he was drawen from Nauationisme to bee Bishop of Hippona while yet Ualerius liued because of his great woorth when Augustine himselfe became old and nominated Euodius to be his Successour and had chosen him himselfe to be his Coadiutor yet hee held it vnlawfull during his owne life to ordinate him Bishop when Ualerius ordained me Bishop said he we were both ignorant of the decree of the Connsell of Nice but what was reprehended in me shall not be blamed in my Successour as Possidon hath it Quod sibi factum esse doluit alijs fieri noluit So did this holy man reuerence that ordinance of Nice in fauours of orthodoxall Bishops neither shall we find through all ancient Counsels or Fathers one who hath not done the like reposing still the glory of the Church vpon the authority of Bishops according to that which Dauid did foresee in his Propheticall spirit saying in his 45. Psalme Insteed of Fathers children shall be borne vnto thee whom thou shalt make Princes in all the earth which word Augustine doth interprete insteed of Apostolos who were thy fathers O Catholike Church sonnes who are Bishops are created vnto thee therefore thinke not thy selfe forsaken because thou seest not Peter nor Paul who begat thee Agnoscant quiprecisi sunt veniant ad vnitatem Let them saith hee who are Opiniators and Schismatiks acknowledge those sonnes who be borne to the Church to be her Princes ouer all the Earth The like exposition Ierom the pretended Patron of Presbyters maketh vpon the words of Esay in the 17. verse of the 60. chapter according to the Septuagint speaking to the future estate of the Church through a Reuelation I will giue thy Princes in peace and thy Bishops in righteousnesse whereon Ierome Heerein saith hee the Maiesty of the holy Scripture is to be admired who calleth futuros Ecclesia Episcopos The Princes and Rulers that were to be of the Church Bishops whose visitation is all in peace and the name of their dignity all in righteousnesse saith he So that we finde an excesse of honor and dignity which from Primitiue and ancient times hath beene yeelded to this vertuous Prelacie in the Church Doth not Tertullian who liued in the first 200 yeeres write this of Bishops not onely yeelding vnto them poynts of preeminence and iurisdiction but speaking of the celebration of the Sacrament The Bishop saith hee hath the right to minister Baptisme and then the Presbyters and Deacons but not without the authoritie of the Bishop for the honour of the Church which being safe peace is safe In regard of which Catholike and constant testimonies from time to time what shall wee say shall we not for once thinke it impossible that the successours of the Apostles all the holy Fathers so many Martyrs and Saints would haue abolished that gouernment whatsoeuer which Christ and his Apostles left vnto the Church for the next shall we not hold it impossible to fall out that any policie which was not receiued from the Apostles could be at one time embraced of the whole Christian world and approoued of all generall counsels in the Primitiue Church For the last shall we not thinke it a scorne beyond all scornes that all those antiquities and Apostolicall traditions witnessed by Apostolicall men generall counsels Fathers Doctours Catholike consent without interruption must bee condemned for follies schismes corruptions by some pure and Heteroclite braines who haue start vp more then 1500. yeeres after to impugne the credit of the Church Gouernment qualified by so many diuine men whose faith was tried in the fire of affliction and who sealed their profession with glorious Martyrdome Certainely if it must be so we may say that the true light hath endured a miraculous ecclipse and that great knowledge hath beene long reserued to bee at length vouchsafed to the Allobrogicall Doctours CHAP. XI The opinion of the Archi-Reformatours concerning Church-Policie FInally to conclude this point of the Church-Policy I come to shew what haue beene the opinions of Protoreformatours concerning the same In the Augustine confession which is the first publike Protestant act wherin wee can obserue it this Article is contained wee haue oft say they out of our great desires protested to obserue the Ecclesiasticall policie in all degrees as it is canonicall in the Chruch and to reuerence the authority of
Bishops prouiding they doe not force vs to anything contrary to Gods word which protestation shall excuse vs to all posterity that the ouerthrow of the ancient policie be not imputed to vs say they which confession Caluine among others did soone thereafter subscribe Melancthon to Martin Luther Non credis quanto sum in odio Noricis alijs You will not beleeue saith he how I am hated of the Norricians and others Alwayes it is not well that men should so abhorre the restauration of Bishops for I know not with what a face wee can refuse them If they will permit vs to haue purity of doctrine And I doe feare that Episcopall authority being dissolued wee shall haue more intollerable Tyranny in the place thereof saith he And in another place which was not written to Luther Et mecum semper sensit Lutherus And Luther did euer iudge with me who saith he knew himselfe to bee the more loued of mer because by his meanes Bishops had beene cast out and themselues set at liberty which shall be dangerous for the posterity for what state of Church shall we haue when the ancient policie shaken off there shall bee no certaine Rulers saith Melancthon which solid iudgement Camerarius doth praise in these words Quod reclamantibus multis ille hoc suadebat non modo ad stipulatore sed auctore Luthero vt restituerentur Episcopi si vsum purae doctrina permitterent that against many he did not onely by Luthers consent but by his direction perswade the Restitution of Bishops if they will grant the purity of doctrine In another little treatise of these times entituled Articuls Protestantium de vnitate Ecclesiae Gradus illos plures Episcoporum Archiepiscoporum Patriarcharum vtiles esse existimamus ad Ecclesiae salutem si ij qui presunt faciunt officium all these degrees of Ecclesiasticall policie are profitable for the Church prouiding Prelates discharge their dutie Bucer de vi vsâ—… ministerij saith thus Therefore these orders of Bishops Presbyters and Deacons established in the beginning by the holy spirit when Churches begun to be multiplyed they did ordaine to euery Prouince their owne Metropolitan And againe thereafter to shew how he thought it a diuine ordinance he saith as the people were more and more frequent in Metropolitan Citties It a dabat Dominus vt haberent ampliores Episcopos illae Ecclesiae so did God ordaine greater Bishops to those Churches Hemingiâ—…s is of that same opinion and both of them doe blame that wrested sense of Ierom aforesaid saying that howsoeuer it might bee so while Churches were not perfectly constituted yet all the other Fathers were against him froÌ„ thence forth he contented to acknowledge his error as you haue heard Philip Hebrâ—…nerus a great Protestant Theologue hauing mooued the question touching these degrees Ecclesiasticall hee answereth in fauour of them because the Apostles doe mention them in the first place the Presbyter in the next and the Deacon in the last saith he who is more famous among vs as I haue said then the venerable and learned Zanchius who hath left vs a long discourse of Episcopall gouernment in the Church which were too long to relate heere and is to be found in his obseruations 25. in titulo 38. de Disciplina clericali beginning thus Tertia pars disciplina clericalis est ea quae gradus infimi subijciuntur superioribus and it is most plaine of any for Bishops as may bee perceiued also by those his following speeches in the historie of the Augustine confession My faith saith he doth absolutely rest vpon the simple word of God next vpon the common consent of the ancient Catholike Church if it is not repugnant to the holy Scripture for whatsoeuer hath been decreed by those holy Fathers assembled in generall Couâ—…cells in the name of God if it doe not contradict his word that I take to flow from the holy Ghost albeit I doe not account it in the same degree with the written word and seeing it is most euident by all the writts of the ancient Fathers that Bishops and these other orders haue been allowed in the Church Quis ego sum who am I saith he who should take vpon me to impugne that which the holy Catholike Church hath approued Neither durst the most learned of our time disprooue them because they were instituted for good ends and for edification of Gods people Besides I haue respect to these reformed Churches who hauing embraced the Euangell doe yet retaine the order of Bishops in name authoritie meaning the Lutherians And looking to the Protestant Churches I finde they haue their Bishops and Archbishops vnder changed names of Superintendants and generall Superintendants and where neither the old good Greeke names of Episcopus and Archiepiscopus nor these new ill Latine names of Superintendant and generall Superintendent be acknowledged Notwithstanding I see their meaning of Presbyterians chiefe men who take vpon them all the authoritie where therefore these be maintayned and Bishops refused it is but a controuersie for names so when wee agree as wee doe vpon the thing it selfe why should we striue about the name Thus farre Zanchius Wherein wee see that he doth acknowledge that distinction mentioned by me in the beginning of this Article of that which is directly diuine as the word and that which is diuini Iuris as the Policie both being of like veritie but not of like authoritie necessitie and perpetuitie This sound iudgement of Zanchius is so truly naturally and holily conceiued that euen the latest and most peremptorie Reformators since be forced to haue the same opinion and to follow the same practise Caluin speaking of the primitiue church before the intrusion of Poperie during all which time saith he the Church gouernment hath nothing almost dissonant from Gods worde For the Presbyters who had the charge of doctrine did chuse one among them selues vnder the stile of a Bishop ne vâ—… fieri solet dissidia nascerentur ex equalitate that dissension should not arise of aequalitie as commonly it doth saith he And in his Epistle to Cardinall Sadolett he is contented to obey a Bishop prouiding he be reformed in doctrine Talem nobis Hierarchiam si dederint quae à Christo tanquam vnico capite pendeat The opinion of Beza concerning the Church of England I haue told already then for their practise it is manifest that all the Gouernours of the Church of Geneua since the Bishop was eiected haue wished by all meanes to replant that authoritie but could not for the State being altogether changed in a popular gouernment by repining from the Bishop who was also their ciuill head it was so farre from receiuing any image of Soueraigntie either spirituall or temporall that Caluin being altogether out of hope to get a Presbyterie established of Ministers alone was contented to comport a mixed Presbyterie of six Ministerie and twelue Citizens alwayes while he liued he was perpetuall
then earthly as wee see Euen so Prelates and Priests ought not to be so earthly as other men are drowned in mortal passions spotted with ambition pride and auarice defiled with lust or other fleshly concupiscences wherevnto the greatest part of men are obnoxious but they should all consist of spirituall formes and of the puritie of exemplarie sinceritie like vnto Angelicall and diuine creatures Fifthly as the gemmes haue simpathising qualities with the spirit of man in a sort as if they were animal creatures that they will not onely change their proprieties and colours at any great chance which hapneth vnto men but they presege and forewarne our capitall dangers they redeeme vs from them as it were by giuing themselues for our ransome they cannot endure that by brutish luxurie wee should bee turned into beasts things which neither Theologie nor Philosophie make doubt of as being approued by daily experience The Corall being carried by diseased persons changeth the colour to better or worse according to the change of their disease The Turquine in great perill of mans life bursteth in peeces The Diamond hath a virtue to encourage the heart against feare or doubts The Saphir to stirre vp the mind to deuotion wherefore it is vsually carried by Prelates and religious men as wee see the Smerald to banish the spirit of lust to temper that affection in men wherunto it is opposed by a secret antipathie that Albertus writes how a king of Hungarie who delighted greatly in a rare stone of this kind one night after he had committed some acte of abominable lust he found it broken in three pieces and of Nero who tooke such pleasure in the Smerald that it was called the Iewell of Nero carrying vpon his thumbe one of huge quantitie formed in table wherein he did from his Pallace see the Amphitheatrall sports as if he had bin there and with which he did solace and helpe his sore eyes a thing proper also to that stone another night in like sort after some beastly pollution of his body hee found his Iewell rent in pieces Euen so Prelates and Priests who haue the charge of mens soules they are not only to simpathise with them by feeling of their miseries changing from ioy to sorrow for their iniquities and from sorrow againe to ioyfulnesse for their conuersion like vnto Corall they are not onely to supplie the place of the Diamond to inspire into their hearts a courage and constancie in faith the place of the Saphir to indue them with piety and deuotion the place of the Smerald to clense them from the filthinesse but if need be they must take the place of the Turquine to giue their liues for their flocke like vnto Moses who for that peoples sake wished to be raised out of the booke of life like vnto Saint Paul who wished to be made Anathema for his flocke and like vnto the glorious Martyrs in the Primitiue Church and as S. Augustine saith vpon the 86. Psalme By these twelue Gems in the Apocalips is meant the Church of Christ founded vpon the twelue Apostles and by that royall infrangible Diamond which is in the midst the eternall stabilitie of the Throne of Christ which so oft as it hath bene seene by the transported spirits of the Prophets and Apostles it appeared in their eyes as these fiery and celestiall Iewels So that seeing the chiefe doctours of the Church haue so interpreted the brestplate of Aaron we must not thinke that all the ceremonies of his Priestly habite did necessarily expire in the comming of Christ. Now if wee will say that the Brasen serpent must bee broken powder the white Surplis is daily abused to Idolatrie in the Papall Church and therefore it ought to be abolished certaine if the case were alike the argument is good but it is much different First the brasen Serpent was the proper and onely obiect of the Idolatrie committed by the Iewes putting a kind of Dietie in that Serpent but in the Popes Masse howsoeuer polluted with diuers superstitions and idolatries the idolatrous actions therein are not terminated vpon or intended to the garment which the Priest weareth the Surplis being only one of the accidentary adiuncts which as it were vpon the by doe for externall ornament and for the proper and significant representation accompany that action euen as there were tyed to the end of Aarons roabe Pomegranates bels as I haue showen before And as it was neuer hard that any spectator of the Masse did adore the Surplis worne by the Priest so I thinke none of the most superstitions worshippers of those incarnate wafers did euer dreame the supposed transubstantiation to bee wrought by the vertue of any operatiue holines inherent in that vestiment Secondly if whatsoeuer kind of attyre of distinction was then worne by the Priest in Massing must bee vtterly abandoned as polluted with idolatrie what warrant hath any Minister of the Gospell in Diuine Seruice to weare a blacke gowne while as Priests doe weare such vnder their Surplices not wholly couered but appearing commonly beneath the skirts thereof and perhaps such Priests haue thought their Masse as vnperfite without a gowne as without a Surplice Thirdly if we would onely repine at such particular and indiuiduall Surplâ—…ces as haue beene blotted with superstitious seruice the reason were more sutable and probable as for example it were euill done to vse for the Sacrament in reformed Churches that very parcell of bread which hath beene consecrated to be the Hostie of the Masse yet to take for our vse of that same lumpe or of that same loafe before the Papall Consecration therof it were no wrong nor iust scandall so to take exception against the white vestiment of the Church of England because of the Idolatrous Surplice of the Papall Church it is sophisticate Ab indiuiduo ad speciem neuer a man in the Church of England will hold that the Surplice is operatiue or doth conferre holinesse but because it is a comely habite receiued from antiquitie and found by them in their Churches most decent and most significant of any therefore doe they carrie it as also to shew their meeke and ready obedience to the authoritie of their Church and lawes of their state nor neuer a man of true Christian wisedome who doth abhorre it Eo ipso because it is in the Church of Rome Among the Babilonians there were some sacred vessels of the holy Temple as is said but alas for pittie many of vs doe build the wall of our separation from Rome to such disproportionable height that if it stand wee shall neuer returne to play the true Christians in weeping for the holy Sanctuarie Such was the simplicitie and sweet simpathy of the greatest doctours of antiquitie that they would not condemne any thing receiued from their forefathers in the Church except it was repugnant to Gods word yea they would rather turne away their eyes then looke curiously vpon that which might breed vnto
authoritie doth make the highest iurisdiction which cannot be denyed when all the authorities on earth are conioyned there can be nothing aboue that So we reade that Constantius did determine the processe of Saint Athanasius as his father Constantine had designed to doe before for he sent his will touching it vnto the Bishops assembled in the counsell of Tyre with the gouernour Archilaus who did sit and preside in the counsell yet in the ende the Empreour would needes banish that good father into Trâ—…ues After that againe Honoratus the gouernour with some other senatours assisted the counsell conueened in the cause of Aetius and in the counsell of Calcedon the Senatours brought thither by Ualentinian the third and Marcian did coniunctlie with the fathers iudge a great number of Bishops whose requests presented to the Empreour for that effect are yet to be read in the histories and if any man will say that these were but priuate Bishopes who were censured of the Emperours let him remember that Constantius did iudge and condemne to exile Pope Liberius at least he gaue Commission to do the same vnto Bishop Ursatius that Sextus the third did vnderly a criminall iudgement of Valentinian the third assisted with numbers of Ciuill Magistrates fortie eight Priests sixe Deacons That Iustinian made the processe of Pope Siluerius and banished him and of his successor Pope Vigilius accused of treason that Theodoricke King of Gothes did erercise the same iustice against Pope Symmachus assembling a Counsell where the whole Bishops did remit themselues vnto the wisedome of the Emperour And Gregorie the great behooued he not to purge himselfe to Mauricius the Emperor of a disorder fallen out at Rome and of the death of Bishop Malcus did he not in his ordinary letters to the Emperours stile them his Signiors and Masters how like to that is it that Rome is now become Naufragium Principum the rocke vpon the which Kings make shipwracke and the bloodie stage whereupon they act their Tragedies And this touching the forme of Ecclesiasticall iudicatorie in the Primatiue Church As for the power of Conuocation that it was granted to Princes as Soueraigns in the exterior policie of the Church it is as manifest we haue the testimonie of Ruffinus vpon the first Counsell of Nice hee saith it was assembled by Constantine the great with the aduise of the Fathers And Eusebius in the life of this Emperour for calling of this Counsell he doth not so much as mention any letter of the Pope Siluester solliciting the same contenting himselfe to say this Counsell was assembled by the honourable letters of the Emperour as a puissant armie of Christ Iesus in the which he did praeside glorying to call himselfe a common Bishop among them As for the Counsell of Laâ—…dicea Sard Selâ—… Arimini Millane and Rome which were not vniuersall Socrates and Sozemen doe testifie that they were conuocate by the onely commaundement of the Emperour Constant hereticke Arrian the same Authors beare witnesse that the second Counsell of Constantinople generall was assembled by the authoritie of Theodose the great and that of Ephesus by Theodose the yonger and that of Calcedon consisting of 630. Fathers by Valentinian the third and Martian of the fift Counsell was not the honour due to Iustinian and of the sixt to Constantine Wherein were excommunicate Pope Honorio Theodore Bishop of Phare Syrus Bishop of Alexandria heretickes monothelites these two preceeding Counsels are onely comprehended in one called Quinta Sexta Synodus because their decrees were not ample and seuerally particularised Alwayes we reade that the Emperour Constantine sent his letters to Pope Donus requiring him to direct his Legates vnto this Counsell and after his death Pope Agathâ—… his successor when he sent to haue the confirmation of his pontificat from him hee promised that his Legate should come to that Counsell conuocate by the Emperour As for the sixt Counsell Oecumenicke holden at Constantinople in Trullo was it not assembled by Iustinian the second The seuenth concerning the impugnation of images was conuocate by the authoritie of Constantine the sonne of Irene and so foorth through all the rest vntill the Empire became feeble and dismembred which power those Emperours did so absolutely keepe and vse ouer the externall policie of the Church that Theodose the great had once intended to conuocate an vniuersall Counsell of all nations and all sects of Religion to purge the Church from all sorts of schismes and heresies And this is the reason why Socrates in the entrie of the fift booke of his Historie saith he is constrained to introduce the Emperors because after their being Christians they did conuocate the generall Counsels and carrie the sway of Ecclesiasticall gouernement And this is the cause why Augustine in his ninth Epistle De correctione Donatistarum saith when it begun to be fulfilled which is written Et adorabunt eum omnes Reges Terrâ—… when Emperours and Kings became Christians then saith he what man can be so absurd as to say vnto Kings haue no rule of Gods Church within your kingdomes This it is which made Pope Leo to write to Leo Augustus wishing him deepely to consider that Royall power was not onely giuen to him Ad mundi Regimen sed praecipue ad Ecclesia not onely for the rule of the world but more of the Church as Isodâ—…re saith That whither the policie or peace of the Church bee diminished or aduanced vnder Princes they are to render count unto the Lord Qui ab ijs exiget rationem Ecclesiae sua quam corum potestati tradiderat who shall demaund from them an accompt of his Church which he hath committed to their power In Nouellis Constitutionibus 124. The truth thereof is so cleerely verified in the whole practise of this Primitiue Church that the Epistles Synodals of the first Counsell of Nice those holy Bishops did write them in this stile For as much say they as by the grace of God and by the commandement of the most sacred Emperour Constantine the great this holy Counsell hath beene assembled without any mention at all of Pope Siluester his letters the same tenor is obserued in the Synodall Epistle of the Counsell of Trullo where the Fathers did prayse Iustinian the second because he had assembled them foorth of diuers nations to the imitation of Christ who sought so carefully the straying sheepe in the mountaine This authoritie Temporall ouer the Church was exercised euen by Constantine the great himselfe who was the greatest zealator of the Church of any Emperour and who called them Gods in the Church so long as they did minister the Sacraments and holy things yet when he commeth after that to speake of the subiection and duetie of euery Bishop to him in that letter which he wrote for the assemblie of the Counsell of Tyre he saith that they should conueine vnder the paine of exile and that hee should teach all disobedient Bishops to know that they must liue vnder the
they did more surely schoole the sonne of that Emperour Phillip the second and this Phillip now of Spaine whom they haue really incorporate into the seate of Rome making him to thinke that he is perpetuall Dictator as is said and the Popes onely sonne and heire And because all this discourse is of experience I will tell your Lordship how this was very quickely noted to me by a certaine entercourse which did happen to me Being at Millaine in Lombardie I did behold vpon the Gates of that Citie the Armes of Charlequint gloriously planted with many stately inscriptions among the which this was to be read Ad plantandam fidem ad colligenda Regna dispersa à Deo destinatus Destinate by God for the plantation of the faith and for the vnion of dispersed Kingdomes of the world when I did obiect to one of my acquaintance of good vnderstanding that Destinatus ad plantandam fidem was rather a title Apostolicall then Imperiall Hee replyed to me that it was Apostolicall for said hee that Trinitie of the Godhead which is in heauen of Father Sonne and holy Ghost hath deputed here below another Trinitie for earthly gouernment vnder whose obedience all power must bee ranged the Pope the Father the King of Spaine the Sonne and the Societie of the Iesuites the holy Ghost so that the Inscription is thus to bee construed said hee The Iesuite who takes vpon him to bee the onely Plantator of the faith being as the holy Ghost of this Trinity sent forth among stranger Princes to seduce their people to rebellion by sowing into their hearts the seedes of superstition and sedition which so soone as that Prince or King doth offer to punish the Pope who hath the place of the Father he doth excommunicate him and lastly giue commission to the King of Spaine to inuade his Dominions who hath the place of his onely Sonne and heyre who only of all Princes doth vnderstand the right Cabbal of the Court of Rome and is onely destined to execute that which is appoynted in the Councell of his Father so that hee also is Apostolicall saide this Gentleman who was a Frenchman and a true enemie to the Spaniard as may be seene by this ingenious and pretty conceit Thus it is no more a mysterie but reuealed to all the world which way the ambition of this Beast doth tend first debarring from the benefit of generall Councels Lutherans of whom some were cruelly burnt against their safe conduct and publike faith of the world secondly debarring Protestants which ought not to bee because they haue still called for reformation thirdly debarring the Catholike Romane Clergie it selfe giuing out for doctrine that the Pope is aboue all generall Councels which is done so impudently that the Cardinalls Barronio and Bellarmino haue not beene ashamed to condemne that great Panormitan Bishop because from this text Omnis anima subdita sit Superioribus potestatibus he prooueth the Pope to bee subiect to generall Councells and finally not onely spoyling Christian Princes their powers to conuocate Councells debarring them also but vsurping ouer their authorities temporall and inuading their States and liues I haue detained your Lordship so long vpon this point of the Papall Soueraignity and of the Iesuiticall trade quia plurimi interest because it concernes your Lordship you I say and all those who be of your profession chieflie who be of your Lordships Noble rancke it concernes you neerely to bee well informed heere this is the very place of danger it is the insatiable mouth of the deuouring Monster of our Age it is the gulfe which hath swallowed puissant Kings and flourishing Kingdomes This venemous doctrine is like vnto that Lady of whom Tacitus writeth called Locusta whose singular skill to temper Poyson so that when it was most deadly it wrought most vnperceiuedly made her to bee called Maximum instrumentum imperij A great and necessary Instrument of the Empire and much made of vnder Nero. This doctrine doth attrappe and snare the liues of greatest Monarkes before they can be aware It is a drinke of some new Cyrce changing men into brutall Beasts that they haue no more sense of humanitie or respect what shall say to themselues their wiues and children no that is small but not to their sacred Princes nor to our common Mother their Natiue Countreye not caring to cast into the mouth of this Monster millions of innocent soules nor making no account to sprinckle the Altars of their Cyrce with the annoynted bloud of their Soueraigne Kings yea before she should want her nefand and barbarous sacrifice they will offer vnto her the bloud of their owne hearts let vs remember Clement Rauiliacke Persie and his wretched complices So pittifully are they enchaunted with constant and desperate madnesse We must be afraid of the Iesuite and of his potion he will tell vs that constancie in faith is able to ouercome all things as it is indeed when it is inspyred by the good Spirit of God but alas he will tell vs that constancy to prosecute great actions or enterprises is like to an hecticke feuer which scarcely is felt at the first assault but by continuance it ouerthroweth the strongest bodies He will tell vs that oftentimes God doth compassion their teares shed for their brethren Martyred vnder tyrannous hereticall Kings euen by stirring vp within their Courts and Cabinets a Brutus an Aeod inspired with courage and constancy to reuenge his owne cause God of his mercy preserue Christian Princes from these brutish spirits That Brutus is a dangerous fellow be where he will wee read of Brutus that he did glory in the murther of Caesar in these termes Non solum non Caesari sed ne patri quidē meo si reuiuiscat concesserim ego totius orbis terrarū liberator vt me patiente plus legibus ac Senato possit I the deliuerer of the whole world would not on onely not suffer Caesar but not my owne Father to doe these things yet this was but a cause of state and he was onely an hereticke in policie if he then would haue murthered his Father as he did in effect for he was thought the naturall sonne of Caesar albeit not lawfull what shall we then looke for from these brutish beastes of our age who haue a cause of conscience and an errour in their soule which once being infected with that diuelish pride to be called deliuering Aeods of Gods people what is so hainous that they will not perpetrat Brutus was much beloued and bound to Caesar yet that would not keepe vp his hand from impious paricide hee was among the first of his percussors that Cesar saide to him Tu etiam fili Brute This mentall reseruation of mens mindes this wicked equiuocation of their maners it maketh that complaint of Momus against Iupiter to seeme more iust now then euer before why hee did not make an open window into the breast of man that the deepe of his heart might be
seene and God grant it doe not betray the foresight of the most wittie Princes but that they in time discerne these beasts and looke vpon them with the eies of that king of beasts the Lyon whom nature hath made so vigilant ouer his owne safety that he doth neuer sleepe but with open eies as we haue two eyes in our head and none in the members of our bodie so Princes who are heads of the people they must not only haue eyes for themselues but eyes for the bodie of their estates to penetrate most hidden things like vnto that Royall foule the Eagle who being in the high ayre aboue doth see small fishes in the bottome of the waters and as our head hath a Nose to sauour and a Mouth to taste for the necessarie vse of our bodies so they who bee our heads must haue specially in these treacherous and vntrustie times Sagacissimum olfactum most quicke senses able to smell the most secret disposition of their subiects namely of these who liue about their persons what shall we say then of these holy Fathers the Iesuites who haue laid so dangerous nets in the high wayes of Christian Kings and what shall we say of these their holy Disciples who will not spare to murmur against their punishment as to calumniate that sentence worthily lead by the Arch Bishop now of S. Androes against Iohn Ogiluy the Iesuite at Glasgow whose trafficke auowedly was to moue his Maiesties subiects after his owne example to disclaime the authoritie of their most naturall and lawfull King Of the Iesuits your Lo hath my opinion of those be who they will who haue commerce with them or fauour them because I know your Lordship to be farre from being such I say they are hostes Patriae hostis Principis they are no loyall subiects of the Prince nor vpright members of this kingdome I speake not rashly I know as much as any of the Papists who be of that profession and more then many of them and of that Act at Glasgow I say that many such seruices should make a man worthy to watch the Lyons tent to haue his nest next the Eagle and to sit neere the Rudder in the ship of the state Now to conclude this point I appeale to the diuine light of your Lordships conscience whether you doe not thinke in your heart things being as I haue related that this practising of the Court of Rome is to play the beast of the Apocalips who striueth to be worshipped of all the world whither you doe not thinke that vnto her members doth belong the iudgement pronounced by Ezekiel against those who courtise the world and the flesh Dic omni volucri coeli omnibus auibus cunctisque bestijs concurrite vndique c. Thus saith the Lord speake to euery feathered foule and euery beast of the field assemble your selues and come gather on euery side to my sacrifice for I prepare a great sacrifice for you vpon the mountaines of Israel that ye may eate flesh and drinke blood yee shall eate the flesh of the valiant and drinke the blood of Princes of the earth of the Weathers and the Rammes of the Goates of the Bullockes euen of the fat beasts of Basan Thus ye shall be filled at my Table with horses and chariots with valiant men and with all men of warre saith the Lord God Here is a fearefull Proclamation prepared for the feinds of hell who are meant by these feathered foules as the Prophet in one place sayes Malis auibus dedit ad deuourandum he gaue them to bee deuoured of the euill foules of which kind of infernall foules Christ speaking in the Parable of the graine of corne Et volucres coeli comederunt illud and the foules of the aire did eate it vp But who is meant by these Bellators against God and these fat Bulles of Basan will one say the Israelites or the nations about them O but the word of God is eternall and the doctrine of the Prophets is perpetuall and Symbolicall as that Church was Symbolicall that to the worlds end and in all ages the like sinnes shall procure the like vengeance who be they who carrie hornes of ambition like vnto the Ramme was there euer any pride comparable vnto that of Rome where vnder colour of spirituall care there is nothing but contriuing of monarchicall Tyrannie by most wicked meanes as if Christ had left that commission to Saint Peter which Anchises left vnto Aeneas the Grandfather of the Romanes Tu re gere imperio populos Romane memento Ha tibi erunt artes Who be these who carrie hearts polluted with filthie and abominable lustes like vnto the goates mindes puffed vp with vndaunted arrogance like vnto the bulles who bee loaden with sordiditie and riches like vnto fat kine who bee like vnto Sodome ouerflowing with idlenesse and wealth CHAP. VI. The meanes by which it pleased God to reduce this Asse of Balaam with his Counsell against Papisticall and superstitious Induration IT were now a great happinesse for your Lo if you could weigh with sound Iudgement and out of the diuine light which is in your soule the points of this discourse in so many impious and superstitious transgressions but your Lo doth shut your eyes and eares I will yet tell you one iest of my experience Being at Rome I did often heare the chiefest Cardinals deplore Tanquam mortem dilectissimae filiae as the death of their most tender daughter the falling away of this kingdome of Great Brittaine from the seate of Rome affirming that in former ages we were the most vpright Catholike Romanes and most zealous of Christendome and being most curious to demaund a certaine vnderstanding man the reason of that speech he gaue me this answere Per che crano simplichotti lontani mai intendeuano la cuilloneria di questa sedia Because said he your predecessors were simple people farre distant from this who neuer did truely vnderstand the trumperie of this seat because I speake in foro conscientiae your Lordship ought to beleeue me Euen so I say of your Lordship you are remote from these places and doe not see the truth of things and when they are brought before you you doe not looke vpon them with your right eye but with your sinistrous eye not with whole eyes but with sore eyes For like as those whose eyes are weake or diseased doe see better in shadie and darke places then in presence of the sunne so they who haue the eyes of their soule blinded with the shadowes of Pharisaicall coremonies of superstition they cannot willingly abide to haue their sight tried before the brightnesse of Gods word As there were among the Babylonians to be found numbers of holy vessels that were brought foorth of the Temple of Ierusalem when the people were captiued so in the Church of Rome there bee indeed many good and Christian customes and ordinances and sundry pure and sincere grounds of Doctrine mixed with
but vnto the primitiue Church vnder the Apostles and their Successors during the first three or foure hundred yeeres of her puritie so that from the estate of the Church in that time are all our Reformations to be sought apparantly and what we haue transgressed against that is to bee referred againe and ruled by that and by no later times Albeit generall Councells and great numbers of learned men were more frequent thereafter for all the world doth know that as learning grew so grew corruption and so grew curiositie to couer the same so grew contention ambition and heresie To proue by many arguments the sinceritie of the Primitiue Church or the reasons why wee should appeale to her for reformation it is not necessarie The holy and great Doctor S. Augustine giueth such a testimonie as leaueth no suspicion that saith he which the holy primitiue Church obserued although it was not concluded by Counsells but alwaies retayned non nisi authoritate Apostolica traditum rectissime creditur it is most rightly beleeued to haue been no other then an Apostolicall institution Againe saith he to dispute whether that which the holy primitiue Church through the world did obserue should bee now receiued or not receiued insolentissimae est insaniae it is a most mad insolence In which wee marke these two First that hee doth not limitate the primitue Church to the daies of Christ and his Apostles but hee speaketh of a primitiue Church flourishing throw the world Secondly that he doth not tye the credit of the primitiue Church to the authoritie neither of Councels although hee saith it was not concluded in Councells Yea farther all the Councells themselues which followed the primitiue Church did cloath them with the authoritie thereof their Meetings Registers Decrees Canonicall letters and whatsoeuer was were founded vpon this secundum veterem consuetudinem Patrum nostrorum according to the ancient custome of our Fathers For example long before the Councell of Nice the patriarchall Bishops were in authoritie albeit there was no such thing in the daies of the Apostles because there was then no combination of Prouinces conuerted to the faith and in that Councell it was called an ancient custome And in the Councell of Ephesus there was a question decided betwixt a patriarchall Bishop and the Bishop of Cyprus where any man may see if it was not said Secundum vetus decretum Patrum nostrorum And certainely it is an infallible argument of the integritie and vpright meaning which hath been in the proto-reformators of Germanie to heare their willingnesse to follow antiquitie where it was not contrarie to Gods word These are the speeches of Luthor and Bucer touching the retentions of indifferent ceremonies of the Church of Rome Sciant publica pacis causa non detracturos c. we will not say they be against the brooking of ceremonies and traditions receiued in the Popes Church from antiquitie vpon these conditions that the consciences of men be not thereby bound as by fundamentall grounds of faith but that the doctrine Euangelicall of free iustification by faith in Christ remaine inuiolate and that say they not only speaking of festiuall daies musicke organs clericall vestiments which be things indifferent sed etiam de ieiunio ciborum delectu qua magis pungunt but also touching fasting and choyce of meats which be more controuerted points O what a holy and Christian disposition was that what a zeale to the vnitie of the Catholike Church and how contrary to many malignant and seditious spirits which be now in Christs Church who haue no voyces as I haue said but of debate and contradiction contending for Scholasticke tryumph and victorie in place to cry to Gods people that which the Prophets were commanded to cry Annâ—…cia populo meo scelera corum domui Iacob peccata illâ—…rum Threaten my people for their sinnes and the house of Iacob for their iniquities they cry that wee should learne subtle and curious controuersies of Religion many of them bee as profound as prophane they teach Christians to bee obstinate and stubborne in trifling points they teach them to heat one another and to abhorre all meanes of pacification their voice is like vnto the voice of the Eagle in the Apocalyps who tripled her cry vae vae vae habitantibus in terra woe bee to the inhabitants of the earth because they haue broken the bonds of Christian peace and harmonie The fire of our Christian charitie is quite extinguished it is become like vnto that fire mentioned in the booke intituled Esdras which before the captiuitie of Persia was hidden in a pitt by some deuout Priest of Ierusalem that it should not dye out and being againe sought vpon the returne of Nehemiah the Text sayes non invenerunt ignem sed aquam crassam they found no fire but a grosse water In place that through the fire of mutuall loue we should seeke with the Doue to remaine together in the Arke of the Catholike faith Religious men are gone out with the Rauen to hunt carrions among the waters of this world following the sent of honour ambition and wealth Priests seeking to bee Monarches the Clergie becomming factious and irreconciliable hunting after the vaine glorie of learning Ephraim pascit ventum sequitur aestum Ephraim feeds vpon the winde that I thinke bee pastorall follies and neglect the world was neuer so pregnant and raging with the twelue abuses of the earth A wise man without works an olde man without religion a youth without obedience a rich man without almes a woman without shamefastnesse a Master of a house without vertue a poore man proud a King vniust a Bishop negligent a people without discipline a Preacher without humilitie and finally a Christian contentious These be the waters wherein wee are drowned waters whereof the Prophet Dauid hath said Saluum Domine me fac quoniam intrauerunt aquae vsque ad animam meaâ—… Preserue me ô Lord because the waters haue entred into my soule and all these for our proud contempt of Christian simpathie and loue whereof if our spirituall Rulers of Gods people did retaine some true sparkles aquae multae non poterunt extinguere charitatem many waters could not extinguish the heat of charitie Miserable are those Pastors who altogether want this diuine inspiration of Christian concord which was in Luther and Bucer Uaeijs qui sequuntur spiritum suum non videt woe shall be to them who follow their owne spirit and doe not see Let them remember how the Wiseman saith durissimum erit iudicium his qui praesunt most hard shall be the iudgement of those who are placed to ouer-watch people whereof the Prophet Daniel giueth the reason Egressa est iniquitas a senioribus ab ijs qui videbantur regere populum saith hee Iniquity is gone out from the Elders and from those who seemed to bee leaders of the people and how the Prophet Ezechiel doth in his
priuate or publike priuate is it which we call morall or a mans rule ouer himselfe and to speake first of that it is meerely Monarchiall because it is done by reason as a King The Philosophers doe esteeme euery wise man to be a Monarch and the first among Kings Sapiens vno minor est Ioue Rex denique Regum That no King was greater then a wise man but Iupiter Multoties reges siratio te rexerit saith Seneca You shall be many wayes a king if you can be king ouer your selfe yea the Spirit of God in the Apocalips saith as much as these Philosophers Fecisti nos Deo nostro reges Sacerdotes You haue made vs Kings and Priests vnto God certaine there cannot be a more princely rule nor more difficill then to daunt the dissordered passions of our spirits which as a seditious popular doe still perturbe the tranquillity of the mind if reason do not sit in his throne aboue their neckes to punish those Bestias animae called by Plato The temporal gouernment publike of men it is either Oeconomicall or Politicall Oeconomicall is the rule of a family and it is meerely soueraigne one man is master ouer the company of one house politicall is a rule of many families which make Cities Countreyes Kingdomes of all the sorts whreof the Monarchie I say for the first is most perfect because it comes neerest vnto the rule of God in the constitution of nature For the next I reason thus There be in nature three kinds of Creatures some with fewe meanes doe compasse small good as the vermine of the earth which be imperfect Creatures some more perfect by many meanes doe attaine greater good as man some lastly most perfect with few meanes doe attaine greatest happinesse as Angels these that haue the most excellent and supreme dignitie doe the same as that Archangell that turneth the Spheare of the first Mobile is said to mooue it in euery minute of the hower of foure and twentie howers while as there be 60. minutes in euery howre 500000. leagues which is the reason why we must count him a more perfect creature then that Angell who ruleth the globe of the Sunne much narrower then the other and taketh no lesse then a whole yeare for his course Summarily of diuers things which ayme at one marke that is most excellent which doth most easily and most swiftlie attayne the same I subsume that of all formes of gouernment the Monarchie doth most preuaile that way and I proue it thus Gouernment doth shew it selfe in three things first in the power and authoritie of those who commaund secondly in the diuturnitie of estate thirdly in the largenesse of dominion For the first I say that authoritie hath greater force where it is absolute and vnite then where it is dispersed and limited Naturall reason doth stand for it vis vnita fortior experience doth approue it That statelie popular Common-weale of Rome in case of any notable danger was constrained to distrust hir ordinarie Magistrates and to betake her selfe to the absolute and vnite power of the Dictator as Liuie saith Videat Dictator ne quid Respub detrimenti capiat let the Dictator prouide that the Common-weale incurre no euill which Dictatorship was a most soueraigne and powerfull authoritie for the time and when at length that flourishing Common-wealth became mightie and great there was no forme of gouernment could suffice to keepe it in good estate vntill it did againe peece and peece turne to a Monarchie first creating Dictators vpon occasions and by intermission of time next creating Pompey onely Consul thirdly Caesar Dictator in perpetuum And Augustus was receiued in the state absolute Monarch And the greatest part of the Common-wealths of the earth this day which be either Aristocraticall that is to say where a selected number of the most worthy doe gouerne as at Venice or which be Democraticall that is to say meerely popular as at Genua they are forced to acknowledge a certaine soueraigntie by establishing of a Duke For the second touching diuturnitie of States Sparta was of the longest continuance eight hundred yeeres as for Venice which doth reckon eleuen or twelue hundred yeares that is true for the part of their Cittie by reason of the strength thereof by sea but their State hath been oftentimes altered as their Stories doe record and the gouernment it selfe frequently changed being for the first Tribunitiall or popular next vnder a Duke more absolute then hee is now then by little and little it became Aristocraticall vntill in the yeare 1217. it came to this present condition wherein the great Councell was closed and doth since admit no increase of their number Sparta howsoeuer it seeme to be Respub by limitation of their Kings to the Councell of the Ephori yet in actions of warfare and danger his authoritie was absolute so that euen the Republicks in matters of weight and importance they were forced to relie vpon Soueraigntie In the meane time in place of one Cittie which hath stood three or foure hundred yeares there be numbers of Monarchies which haue endured a thousand or twelue hundred yeares The Assyrians more then 1300. yeares Prester Iohn had his beginning before the incarnation and doth yet remaine flourishing The Romane Empire which I count Monarchicall 1600. The kingdome of China is said to be 2300. And of all those of Europe the Royall Crowne of the house of Scotland knowne to bee infallible of greatest antiquitie For the third concerning largenesse of domination the Monarchie hath that way the greatest aduantage Diuers kingdoms haue been of more large and spacious Territories then the dominions of the Romane Empire and many haue been equall More large were the dominions of the Assyrians Medes Persians Greekes and of the Scythians yea forbearing to talke of antiquitie the Ottomanicall Empire is more extended then was that of Rome Rome was dilated from Atlant to England 1200. myles from the streight of Gibalter to Euphrates 3000 myles whereas the Turkish doth lye 4000. in length and in bredth 3500. from Asna to Asaph from Tauris to Buda from Balsara to Algar Moreouer the Romane territories were yet more ample vnder the Emperor then before Augustus there do this day beare rule in Asia great Cam and the great Mogor whereof euery one may put into the fields three hundred thousand horse The great Duke of Muscouia whose bounds doe reach in length 1800. and in bredth 1600. And in the Spanish domination we haue a great example of Monarchicall vertue which doth in largenesse equall many Empires that hath been except that it is weake by disiunction alwaies to brooke dispersed states among diuersities of people languages and manners in the ancient and new found world vnder both poles possessing the most rich Prouinces of Europe in the eyes of strong and dangerous emulators it proues the Monarchiall rule to bee matchles and most solide Briefly for one Repub there be great numbers of principalities
Sanctorum vincent li. 10. cap. 38. Anthonius ex Policrate Part. titul 6. cap. 28. Niceph. li. 10. cap. 11. who all report that they liued and died the one at Ephesus and the other at Creta And as they were ordained by the Apostles so were diuerse others institute Bishops in diuerse places Eusebius witnesseth that about the yeere 45. Euodius was created by the Apostle Peter and Paul Bishop of Antioch and Ignatius who succeeded him in the Apostles time doth witnesse that Peter and Paul ordained Lâ—…nus Bishop of Rome An. 56. whom Anacletus succeeded after him Clemens obserued by Ireneus and Eusebius By the appointment of Saint Peter Marke was first Bishop of Alexandria To whom Aniâ—…us Abilius Cerdo all in the Apostles times witnesseth by Niceph. Gregory Ierome That Iames the iust was Bishop of Ierusalem institute by the Apostles immediately after the passion of our Sauiour Ierome doth affirme it Catalog scrip Eccles. Eusebius bringeth the most ancient testimonies of the Church for the same That to Iames the brother of our Lord surnamed the iust the throne Episcopall of Ierusalem was committed In particular hee bringeth Clemens Alexandrinus testifying that Iames Peter and Iohn did chuse Iames the iust Bishop of Ierusalem after the Ascension and Higesippus whom Ierome and Eusebius affirme to be of the first successours of the Apostles doe hold the same of Iames. Eusebius in his History giueth a Catalogue of 37. Bishops in Ierusalem betweene Iames and Macarius The same is testified by Ambrose and Augustine yea and all the general Councel of Constantinople whose records proue that Iames was the first Bishop to whom the Chayre of Ierusalem was trusted Now if any would say that these were Bishops but of one Church if there was but one in Crete how was it said Opidatim coÌ„stitues sicut ego te Ireneâ—… counted among the first of the primitiue writers speaking of the Church of Rome saith that the holy Apostles Peter and Paul the foundators thereof Tradiderunt Lino potestatem administrandi totius Ecclesiae That as the numbers of Christians did increase at Rome they were diuided in seuerall paroches vnder seuerall Presbyters by Euaristus Bishop of Rome which againe were augmented the Churches I meane by Higinus in the yeere 138 as Platina and Onuphrius doe testifie de Episcopat titul and Eusebius in his sixt Booke cap. 3. doth affirme that vnder Cornelius Bishop and Martyr in the yeere 250. there was in the Church of Rome 46. Presbyters 7. Deacons 100. other Clergy men and but one Bishop But of this point there is a cleere and manifest example and most free from controuersie of the seuen Churches of Asia ouer which was appointed the seuen Angels as Bishops confessed by Doctour Beza himselfe one also of your pretended Patrons calling the Angell of the Church of Ephesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prelate or gouernour Antistitem saith hee vt vocat Iustinus Of these Churches I say that euery one comprehended in circuite both City and Country Churches and euery one of them had but one Angell or Bishop As Polycarp at Smyrna was Bishop 13. yeeres before the Reuelation was deliuered as is obserued by Bullingerus in Apocal. and hee died a glorious Martyr as Eusebius prooueth in his 4. Booke cap. 15. by an Epistle of the Smyrnenses and Onesimus Bishop of the Church of Ephesus testifieth by Ignatius ad Epiphanium and Ignatius himselfe was at Antioch Epiphanius doth testifie that the Church of Alexandria had besides the Church called Caesarea which was burned in Iulian his time and reedified by Athanasius it had also that Church of Dionisius that of Thomas that of Pierius that of Serapion of Mepdidius of Annianus of Baucalis and Abias and that in one of those Colluthus was a Presbyter and in one Carpones in an other Sarmatas and Arrius a Presbyter in one Aps large testimonies haue wee of those of Asia that Ephesus was a great Metropolis hauing a large Countrey subiect to it That Pergamus was a famous City sometimes the seat of the Church of Asia that Smyrna Sardis Laodicia Philodelphia were great and mother Cities hauing within them many Churches Ignatius to the Smyruenses Viueremini inquit Episcepum Reuerence your Bishop saith hee as Christ and his Apostles doe command and in his Epistle ad Trallianos what is a Bishop saith he but one Qui principatum potestatem super omnes obtinet who hath power aboue the rest and what are Presbyters saith he Sed Collegium sacrum Conciliarij Coassessores and in his Epistle ad Magnetianos As Christ saith he doth nothing without the Father so must not the Presbyters or Deacons doe any thing without their Bishops Aliter iniquum est Deo odiosum otherwise it is iniquity and odious to God Cyprian who was the most indulgent Bishop we read of to his Presbyters and the most modest Prelate In the fift Epistle of his second Booke touching one Aurelius whom he did ordinate but aduice of the Church Clergy Wee vse deare brother to deliberate with you before and to weigh the manners and merits of men by your concurrence but wee need not to looke for the testimonies of men Cumprecedant diuina suffragia when wee are strengthened by diuine suffrages Like to this againe we find of him in his ordination of one Numidicus in the tenth Epistle of his fourth Booke Brethren saith he I aduertise you that Numidicâ—… by diuine inspiration is adioyned to the number of our Carthagine Presbyters and that hee doth sit with vs among the Clergy and what hath beene done by Cyprian we read not where it was retracted by any which I doe not put downe heere yet any Bishop should delight to imitate this kinde of rule but onely to shew what doth in cure appertaine to the person of a Bishop and the weight of his authority as the same Cyprian doth testifie in the 27. Epistle Indeper temporum suecessionum vices Episcoporum ordinatio Ecclesia Ratio decurrit vt super Episcopes Ecclesiam constituatur Et omnis actus Ecclesia peripsos gubernetur So hath it fallen out saith hee by length of time that the order of Bishops and the condition of Ecclesiasticall rule is such that it doth altogether rest with them and euery act thereof appertaine to them Now because I intend not to bee tedious in this discourse therefore you are to marke how of all these ancients I haue chosen out three whose testimonies and opinions in the question of Bishops is to bee esteemed most sincere for the reason following Of all the Bishops of Antiquity Cyprian was the most fauourable and most affected to his Presbyters and in his carriage more like to a Compresbyter then a Prelate Of all the Bishoppes of Antiquity whose writings are extant in the Church Ignatius is most ancient and hath drawne his knowledge out of the pure fountaines of Apostolicall wisedome and not from the riuers as his fellowes