conuersion and for the better gouernment of the Church Bishops were by the Apostles placed in the Cities with power of iurisdiction to gouerne and of Ordination to institute Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in euery towne as was Timothy in Ephesus Titus in Crete If any difficulty arose either in doctrine or gouernment too great to be ordered by these Bishops the wise policy of the Church ordained it should be referred to the determination of higher Bishops called Archbishops that is chiefe Bishops Metropolis in the Greeke tongue signifies a Mother City by some fatherly authority ouer the other Bishops and Clergy or being Bishops of the chiefest or Mother Cities within the Nation whereof they were called Metropolitans And ouer these Archbishops or Metropolitans in seuerall Lands or Nations some one was made the Primate for better vnity and commodity of gouernment and calling together and guiding of National Councels vpon occasions It was thought conuenient also for the better keeping of all Christian Nations in the vnity of Faith Holinesse and peace to appoint yet a higher degree of Patriarchs in some of the most eminent Cities of the world who might haue some ouersight authority ouer all the Primats Archbishops and other Clergy of all the Nations which were vnder their Patriarchall Iurisdiction Of these Patriarchs we read in the Counsell of Nice and before that in the whole Christian world there were but three B. Carlton The Bishop of Rome for the West parts of Antioch for the East and of Alexandria for the South D. Field ib. li. 3. chap. 1 Concil Nicon cant 6. The Bishop of Rome had these fiue principal Nations within his Patriarchship Italy Spaine France Germany and Brittany The other had their Patriarchships bounded also by the Councell of Nice Afterwards when the Emperours had translated the seat of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople whereupon that City was called new Rome and that City was grown very great Noble and Magnificent it was thought fit there to erect a fourth Patriarch the Patriarch of Constantinople And lastly for the honour of Ierusalem where our Sauiour liued and dyed and from whence Christian Religion was propagated into all parts of the world the Bishop of Ierusalem was made a fifth Patriarch and their dominions were assigned vnto them D. Field ib. Bellar. praefat in 16. de pontif Rom Concil Constantinop sub Theodosio seniore can 1. Socrat. lib. 5 cap. 8. Concil Chalcedon can 23. Eliensis Responsio ad Apologiam Bellarmini pag. 170 171. §. 4. Amongst these the Bishop of Rome had the first place of dignity and in the second generall Counsell holden at Constantinople anno 383. the Bishop of Constantinople obtained the second degree of honour among the Patriarchs next vnto the Bishop of Rome and before the other of Alexandria and Antioch And in the great Counsell of Chalcedon anno 454. it was decreed that Rome and Constantinople should haue all Rights Priuiledges and Prerogatiues equall because as Rome was before Sedes regia the seat of the Empire so now was Constantinople this was the reason then alleadged But not long after the magnificence of Constantinople encreasing and with it the haughtinesse of her Bishop he challenged to be superiour to the Bishop of Rome and encroached vpon the right of all other as greater and more honourable then all the rest and to be the chiefe Bishop of the whole world because his City was then the chiefe City of the world See before lib. 1. cap. 4. §. 4. About this was the contention betwixt Gregory the first of Rome and Iohn Bishop of Constantinople whereof I haue spoken before But Iohn carried away the title and honour for ten yeeres during his life by fauor of the Emperour Mauricious and Cyriacus his successor for eleuen yeeres more Phocas is thus described by Zonaras who calls him pessimus tyrannus postis humani generis saith he was worthily slaughtered by Heraclius who cut off his wicked hands and fee and then his genitals by peecemeale Paulus Diacouus in Phoca The same writeth Bibliothearius in Bonifacio 3. Platina in Bonifacio 3. and Sabellicus 8 6. thoâ—gh Bellarmine lay that Boniface sued not for that title in Apologia pro Torto Baronius anno 606. nu 2. But when Phocas the Emperour succeeded a wild drunken bloody adulterous tyrant who like another Zimry hath slâ—yne his Master Mauricius Boniface the third Bishop of Rome who had been Chancelour to Phocas obtained of him by earnest suite to haue that title and honour of Primacy transferred from Constantinople to Rome And thus saith Paulus Diaconus at the entreaty of Boniface Phocas appointed the seat of the Roman Church to be the head of all Churches or as Baronius deliuers it onely the Roman Bishop should be called vniuersall Bishop and not the Bishop of Constantinople But the contention betwixt the two Patriarchall seas ended not thus for they of Constantinople vpon euery occasion stirred againe vntill at length difference growing betwixt the two Churches the Greek the Latine about the proceeding of the holy Ghost either pronounced other to be Heretiks and Schismaticks In the yeere 869 aboue 400. B. Vsher De Ecclesiarum successione c. 2. §. 28 yeeres after the two Patriarchs were equalled at Chalcedon in a Councell at Constantinople wherin Image-worship was established the two Patriarchs were made friends and it was agreed that the one should be stiled Vniuersall Patriarch Onuphrius in Platinam in vita Bonifaci 3. Gâ—nebrard l. 4. Chronograph Vniuersalis Patriarcha Vniuersalis Papa and the other Vniuersall Pope and so the word Pope which before that time had beene common to all Bishops became then the proper title of the Bishop of Rome Hereby we may obserue 1. That this Primacy or Supremacy of the Bishops of Rome was of no such Antiquity as is pretended 2. That in those times it was not thought either by the Emperours or by the Councels to haue beene giuen to the Bishops of Rome or established vpon any at all by the diuine Scriptures as now the Popes do claime but left at the discretion of Princes and Wise-men to giue it to whom they would and to order or alter it as occasion serued and the respect or dignity of Cities and times required For neither were their arguments that then claimed it drawne from the Scriptures but from ciuill reasons of State and Policy neither was it vpon any other reasons setled and the controuersie proceeded not from any institution of the Omnipotent God but from the ambition of Impotent men 3. The author that setled it vpon the Roman Bishop was Phocas one of the Diuels eldest sonnes a murderer of his master a drunken adulterous tyrant a scourge and plague to mankinde §. 5. 4. Obserue the Romish Bishops ambition in those times swaruing from the most honored humility of a number of their first Ancesters holy men and Martyrs to whom the ancient Fathers
partiality and you shall finde they proue no more then the excellency of honourable estimation the primacy of order and the principality of grace and are farre short of prouing the Supremacy of power ouer the whole Christian world now claimed and practised by the Bishop of Rome B. Carlton iurisdiction pag. 55 56. Wee may also iustly alleadge that the honours and titles that other Bishops gaue to the Bishops of Rome for their great vertue in former times the Romists of these latter times vniustly draw to proue the iurisdiction of that Sea because they may finde the same or greater giuen to other worthy Bishops as to Saint Ambrose to whom p Basil epist 55. Saint Basil writing saith He holdeth the sterne of that great and famous shippe the Church of God and that God hath placed him in the primacy and chiefe seate of the Apostles So q Sidon lib. 6. ep 1 4. Sidonius Apollinaris Bishop of Arvern calleth Lupus a French Bishop Pope Lupus and his Sea Apostolike And writing to Fontellus another French Bishop r Lib. 7. ep 4. Quod Apostolatus vestri patrocinium copiosissimumconferre vos comperi saith he greatly reioyced that he found he did aboundantly defend his Apostleship And againe Å¿ Lib. 6. ep 7. Ego quoque ad Apostolatus tui noticiam accedo I come to the knowledge of your Apostleship t Chrysost de laudibus Paul hom 8. in Gal. 2. Erat Paulus Princeps Apostolorum honore par Petro ne quid dicam amplius Saint Chrysostom called Saint Paul Prince of the Apostles u Ruffin histor lib. 2. cap. 1. Iacobus Apostolorum princeps Ruffinus gaue Saint Iames the same title x Greg in 1 Reg. lib. 4. cap 4. Paulus ad Christum conuersus caput effectus est nationum qui obtinuit Ecclesiae totius principatum See D. Field Church booke 5. chap. 41. Saint Gregory gaue Saint Paul the title of Head of the Nations and that hee obtained the gouernment of the whole Church What titles doe the Fathers giue vnto Saint Peter beyond these If these doe not proue any generall Iurisdiction in others how doe they proue it in Saint Peter §. 12. But what need we stand vpon Titles which the ancient Fathers gaue to Saint Peter or the Pope when the whole course of their actions were against the Supremacy now challenged Remember what I haue said a See before booke 1. chap. 1 §. 2. before of the Fathers misliking and disswading the Popes assumed authority in the smallest matters as Polycarpus disswading Anicetus Polycrates and the Bishops of the East and Irenaeus with his French Bishops in the West disswading Victor from new vnusuall vniustifiable courses ibid. §. 3. Other Fathers afterwards plainely resisting and reiecting the Popes iudgement and authority as the holy Martyr Cyprian with many whole Councels of the African Bishops Saint Basil the Great and the whole Greeke Church I shewed you also how three Popes in succession Zozimus Boniface and Celestine aboue 400. yeeres after Christ claymed their superiority and priuiledges not by the Scriptures but by a Canon of the Councell of Nice which Canon the holy learned Bishops in the Councell of Carthage reiected finding no such thing in any of the Copies of the Councell of Nice which their Church kept or the Church of Alexandria or the Church of Constantinople So that finally condemning that Canon to be countefet and the claymed authority of the Church of Rome to bee new and vnlawfull they made Decrees against the Popes clayme conformable to their owne Decrees and Customes of former times b Ibid. sect 4. I shewed you further by the Contention betwixt Iohn Bishop of Constantinople and Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome that your owne Gregory condemned the titles and supremacy which Iohn then laboured for and which your Popes now take vnto them he I say condemned them for Antichristian and said none of his ancestors did euer claym them c Ibid. sect 5. I shewed you also how the Bishops of France Germany and Brittany with many Councels one at Constantinople another at Frankfurt another at Paris with whom also ioyned Charles the Great and Ludouicus Pius beside many learned men in their bookes at that time opposed the Pope and his Councels and his authority in imposing the worship of Images vpon the Church Of these and of the succeeding times I haue spoken d See ibid. sect 9. 10. c. in mine opinion sufficient to satisfie any moderate man and vpon occasion I haue much more to say But reade aduisedly at your leysure B. Iewel B. Morton D. Field and our other learned Protestants or our most iudicious King Iames his bookes or reade onely B. Bilsons booke e B. Bilson The true difference between Christian subiectioÌ„ vnchristian rebellion specially the first part p. 94. seq in 8. who writes fully enough and punctually of these matters and if you bee not prejudicate and obstinate beyond all reason you will be satisfied Onely I will adde here for the present one thing of the African Church about Saint Cyprians time and after The Contention betwixt the Bishops of Africa and the Bishop of Rome was so great that on the one side as Cassander f Cassander consultation arâ—ic 7. pag 54. obserueth Pope Steuen repelled Saint Cyprian à communione suâ from Communion with him See â—efoâ—â— châ—p 2â—â—â— admitted not to his speach the Bishops of Africa comming from Saint Cyprian as Legats yea and foâ—bade all his fraternity to receiue them into their houses denying them not only peace coÌ„munion but also tectum hospitium house-room lodging calling Cyprian Pseudo hristum dolosum operariâ—m a false Christ and deceitfull worker And on the other side Saint Cyprian and the Africans stood out thinking the Pope and the Italians in the wrong neither sued they neither cared they for the Communion of the Pope and the Church of Rome Doctor Harding saith g Hardings answer to Iewels challenge pag. 290. The whole Church of Africa withdrew it selfe from the Church of Rome by reason of this difference of Appeales and so continued in Schisme an hundred yeeres and in that time were brought into miserable captiuity by the Vandales Harding might remember that Rome it selfe about the same season in the space of 140. yeeres was brought to miserable calamities being sixe times taken by the wilde and barbarous enemies h B. Iewel ib. after which time of 100. yeeres Eulabius B. of Carthage condemning his predecessors disobedience and seeking reconciliation to the Pope did by publike instrument or writing submit and reioyne the African Church to the Roman And Boniface the Pope writes thereof to the Bishop of Alexandria exciting him to reioyce and giue thankes to God for this reconciliation saying that Aurelius Bishop of Carthage and his fellowes whereof Saint Augustine was one being set on by the Diuell had
passe which Christ so many yeares before had foretold Thus writes Aventine of the times of Gregory the seuenth formerly called Hildebrand Waltramus Bishop of Naumburg and Lambertus Schasuaburgensis and Gerhohus Be cherspergensis say Now was Satan let loose out of prison Sir Iohn Haywooâ— of Supremacy pag. 68. Maâ—hiavel dispat de rep l. 1. c. 12. Hospâ—n de Orig. Monach. l. 6. c. 66. For Piety and Religion now did not onely decline by degrees but ran headlong to a ruinous downefall and there was no where lesse piety then in those that dwelt nearest to Rome as Machiavel obserued This Hildebrand called afterwards Gregory the seuenth liued in this tenth Age beginning his Papacy Anno 1076. The Canons or Dictates of this Hillebrand Onuphr in vita Gregorij 7 col 248. B. Vsher ib. cap. 5. §. 17. Greg. 7. Kegest lib. 2 post epist 55. tom 3. Conâ—â— edit Binij part 2. pag. 1196. which he deuised or executed beyond all his Predecessors saith Onuphrius were many and strange whereof these are the chiefest 1 That the Bishop of Rome onely is by right called vniuersall 2 That he may ordaine Clerkes in euery Church where he will 3 That the greater causes of euery Church ought to be referred to that Sea 4 That he alone can depose Bishops or reconcile them 5 That his Legat is aboue all other Bishops though he be of inferiour degree and that he may giue the sentence of deposition against them 6 That he alone may for the necessity of times make new lawes 7 That he alone may vse the Imperiall Ensignes 8 That his feet alone all Princes must kisse 9 That he may absolue subiects from their fidelity to wicked Princes 10 That he alone may depose Princes and Emperours 11 That his sentence way not be retracted by any man and he alone may retract all mens 12 That he ought not to be judged of any man 13 That he is not to be accounted Catholicke that concordeth not with the Roman Church 14 That the Church of Rome did neuer erre neither euer can erre 15 That the Bishop of Rome if he be Canonically ordained is by the merits of S. Peter vndoubtedly made holy 16 That no Councell without his command ought to be called generall Onuphr ib. col 250. Sir Iohn Hâ—y â—ard Supremacy pag. 57 Avenâ—â—n Annal. Boiorum lib. 7 â—ribuit hanc sententiam Eberhardo Salisburiensi Episcopo Hildebrandus primus specie religionis Antichristi imperij fundamenta jecit Hoc bellum nesandum primus auspicatus est quod per successorâ— hucusque continuatur And A entine hâ—â—â—elfe in the fiâ—t booke writes thus 17 That no Chapter or Booke in the Bible shall be accounted Canonicall without his authority 18 That no man dare to condemne him that appealeth to the Apostolicke Sea c. Vpon these foundations saith Onuphirius he laid his steps and stayres and made his way to effect all that in his mind he had conceiued This man was the first that enterprized to be elected and consecrated Pope without consent of the Emperour and set forth a Decree to excommunicate all that affirmed the consent or knowledge of the Emperour to be necessary to the election of Popes He saith Auentine was the first that vnder colour of Religion built vp the Popes Empire primus Jmperrium pontificium condidit which his successors for 400 and 50 yeares together maugre the world maugre the Emperours invito mudo invitis Imperatoribus haue so drawne out that they haue brought into seruitude high and low put them vnder their yoke and terrified all with their thunder that the Roman Emperour is now nothing but onely a name without a body without glory §. 10. Onuphrius speakes enough also though he was a great fauourer and amplifier of the Popes dignity Onuphâ—n vita Gregor 7. col 271 272. Thus he writes Him alone that is Hildebrand may all the Latin Churches but especially the Roman thanke for freedome from the Emperours hand and for the large endowment or wealth riches and profanaditione worldly iurisdiction and for being preferred and set ouer Kings Emperours and all Christian Princes and shortly to speake in a word by him it attained to that great and high estate whereby the Church of Rome is become the Mistris of all Christians whereas before as a poore handmaid tanguam vilis ancilla it was held vnder not onely by the Emperours but by euery Prince that was aided by the Emperour from him Hildebrand flowed the right jus of that great and almost infinite power of the Roman Bishop so feareful and venerable in all Ages For although before the Roman Bishops were honoured as the heads of Christian Religion Christs Vicars and Peters successors yet their authority stretched no further then to the propounding or maintaining of poinâ—s of faith but their persons were subiect to the Emperous all was done by the Emperours appointment by them the Popes were created of them the Popes of Rome durst not iudge or determine any thing All the Bishops of Rome Gregory the seuenth was the first trusting to the Armes of the Normans and the wealth of Maud the Countesse a powerfull woman in Italy and inflamed by the German Princes discords wasting themselues by ciuâ—ll warres beyond the custome of his Ancestors contemning the authority and power of the Emperor when he had obtained the Popedome dared not onely to excommunicate but further to depriue of his Kingdome and Empire the Emperour himselfe by whom if he was not elected yet he was confirmed in his Popedome Res ante easecula inaudita A thing neuer heard of before that Age. For the Fables which are reported of Arcadius Anastasius and Leo Iconomachus nihil moror I recke not of Whereupon Otto Frisingensis a Writer of those times Lego relego saith thus I reade ouer and ouer the Acts of the Roman Kings and Bishops but I neuer find any of them before this Henry excommunicated by the Bishop of Rome or depriued of his Kingdome B. Vsher grauiss quaest cap. 5. §. 8 9 c. c. Thus writes Onuphrius The like with Otto writes Gotfridus Viterbiensis Joannes Trithenius and others alleadged with these by our Bishop Vsher Of Hildebrand not onely Cardinall Benno who liued in his time and wrote his life but many others do write very prodigiousand diuellish things as Paulus Bernriedensis Ioannes Trithenus Ioh. Aventinus Marianus Scotus Otto Frisingensis Conradus Liechtenavius Abbas Vrspergensis Carolus Sigonius and Onuphrius that he was a Magician a Necromancer and by helpe of the Diuell got the Popedome and that he was so judged by thirty Bishops gathered together out of Italy Frace and Germany in Synodo Brixinae Noricae anno 1080. Although the late Iesuite and Cardinall Baronius would excuse him He propagated the doctrine of Deuils forbidding marriage to the Clergy and commanding abstinence from meates I Tim. 4.1 3. about which many troubles and euils arose in the Church In the Histories of
vsed was worse then the vse of the law of Nature that Bishops sinned in buying their admission of the pope of Rome that no man was bound to beleeue or to be subiect to the Church of Romes determination that the begging of Friers was idle and impious that it was not necessary to saluation to beleeue that Christs body was materially in the Sacrament And many other things against the vnsoundnesse of the Papacy Yea madnesse contra Papatus insaniam At last he was condemned of heresie by the slaues of the popish Bishops 1457. Bale cent 8. cap. 19. ex Thomae Gascoigni Dictionario Theologico 34 Iohn Capgraue Doctor of Diunity in Oxford complained much of the impious tyranny of the prelates and priests hirelings exposing their sheepe to the Wolues seeking their wooll and milke but not their soules c. 1460. Bale cent 8. cap. 1. 35 Henry Parker Fellow of All-Soules Colledge in Oxford preached at Pauls Crosse against the pride brauery and ambition of Prelates so flat contrary to Christs pouerty and humility And at the peoples entreaty he wrote and published his Doctrine to the great shame of the Prelates For which he endured long imprisonment and want 1470. Leland in Catalogo virorum illustrium Bale cent 8 cap. 29. These few for a taste I giue you excerpted out of a great number which that one famous Vniuersity of Oxford afforded Whereof you may reade more plentifully in Master Powels Preface alledged To search and alleadge the Records of that other famous Vniuersity of Cambridge and the rest of England would not be fruitlesse but I hope to you needlesse Antiquus This is full enough so many learned men Preachers Doctors Bishops and Worthies of all sorts out of one Vniuersity with the danger of their state honour liberty and life setting themselues publikely against the corruptions crept into the Church must needs argue the corruptions to be great publike and necessary to be reformed and I am fully satisfied that it was so But happily this Reformation might haue beene performed without such a breach rent schisme and scandall as you Protestants haue made by your departing from that ancient famous Church of Rome §. 16. Antiquissimus Oh sir you must know that this Reformation was sought for euen at the Popes hands with great humility and earnestnesse both by Luther himselfe at the first and also by many other learned men This appeareth by 〈◊〉 Commencaries History of â—he Councell of â—râ—â— Onuphâ—â—â— Sâ—rius Thuaâ—â—us and oth r Histories of those times States and Prâ—nces yea by the Emperour himselfe with much instance And Pope Aâ—rian the sixt was well inclined thereunto confessing ingenuously that the Church was mightily ouer-runne wâ—th corrup ions For reformation whereof diuers conferences were appointed in Germany as not onely our Sleidan but your Surius and Thunâ—nus report And Pope Clement the seuenth promised Reformation to the Emperour Châ—rles the fift and three Cardinals Caieâ—â—â— Pole and Contarene were deputed to giue aduice for this Reformation After many delayes againe Anno 1537. Historie of the Councell of â—rent Pope Paul the third appointed foure Cardinals and fiue other Prelates to consider the demaunds of the Protestants and to collect the abuses of the Church and Court of Rome and to deuise Remedies to correct them And of these abuses they gathered great numbers which are set downe at large in the twelfth booke of Sleâ—dâ—ns Commentaries But all this came to nothing For when vpon due examination the Cardinals found many things too nearely touching the quicke the Reformation thereof would vncurably wound the Sea of Rome ouerthrow and vndoe the greatnesse of their wealth and worldly estate and when they consulted deepely thereof with the Pope See D. Wâ—ite against â—â—â—er pag. 10â— 1â—7 there followed a conclusion and a plot quite contrary In regard of the principall things That nothing should bee reformed but all should be iustified since a thorow-reformation would spoyle them and a halfe-reformation would not content the Protestants and yet would giue the world occasion to thinke They might erre in many things if they reformed some Now therefore the proceeding must be changed At first many of their Diuines opposing Luther laboured to proue all their Doctrines Ceremonies and Gouernment by the Scriptures now they find it cannot be Therefore the Scriptures must be cryed downe disgraced disabled as ambiguous and insufficient to teach and guide the Church And the Church to wit their owne onely Church of Rome must be exalted aboue the Scriptures That Church must giue authority to the Scriptures yea and sense also so that no sense of the Scripture shall be receiued but that which that Church alloweth For that Church only cannot erre See B. Andâ—eweâ— aâ— Apâ—loâ—â—am respâ—â—â—â— pag. 259 and therfore they that admit the Scriptures to be the onely Iudges and Rules of Doctrine and Discipline are bad Diuines little better then Hereticks Enemies to the Church From hence came those base speeches from their Doctors Eckius Hosius contra 〈◊〉 lib. 3. pâ—g 148. 〈◊〉 sâ—â—gâ—â—â—us That the Scripture hath no authority but from the Church Hosius No more force then Aesops Fables without authority from the Church Pighius the Scripture is of it selfe but a Nose of Waxe which may be writhen euery way Costerus compares it to a sheath Costeranchir dâ— saâ—â—a script cap. 1. §. huius script pa 44. B llar de verbo Dâ—i lâ—b 4. câ—p 9. in â—alce Concil Trid. sess 4. Pighius controv 3. pag 92 Hiâ—â—arch epist nunc Mulhus disp 2. de fide pa. 21. See D. White against Vishâ—r pag 92. admitting any Dagger Wooden or Leaden The Iesuite Salmeron saith Tradition is the sure rule of Faith by which the Scriptures are to be tryed And Bellarmine saith the best way to try which be true traditions which be false is the authority of the Church of Rome So that now to speake in their Dialect or meaning The Church of Rome is the Queene and the Scripture her slaue That Church hath now two seruants of equall authority Scripture and Tradition and therefore that Churches Councell of Trent saith Scripturas Traditiones Ecclesiae pari pietatis aspectâ— ac reuerentiae suscipit veneratur We receiue the Scriptures and Traditions of the Church with equall affection and reuerence Nay no great matter what the Scripture saith for their Tradition must interpret it If the Scripture say Drinke yee all of this Matth. 26 27 their Tradition saith not all but the Clergy onely and not all the Clergy but he that ministreth it onely So what their Priests teach must be receâ—ued and obeyed whether out of Scripture or Traâ—ition Tolet. casuum conscientiae l b 4. cap. 3. p â—53 Cardinall Tolet saith The people may merit ar Gods hand in beleeuing an Heresie if their Teachers propound it for their obedience is meritorious And Stapleton They must not regard quid but quis not what is the matter but who
his preaching in the peoples minds If by authority Saint Ierom did meane supreme power ouer the other Apostles then Iames and Iohn should haue had it as well as Peter which is not your Catholike doctrine Also an inferiour or equall in power may be superiour in authority or estimation as Tully saith of Metellus a priuate man though chosen Consull for the yeere following That hee forbade certaine playes when an officer had allowed them and that which he could not obtaine by power Cicero oratione in Pisonem he did obtaine by authority that is with the credit which hee had with the people 2 The Primacy which the Fathers speake of was the Primacy of Order not of Power because Peter was first called to be an Apostle and first reckoned this argues no more power then the Fore-man of the Iury hath ouer the rest 3 The prerogatiue of Principality was in the excellency of grace and not of power as we say the Prince of Philosophers Aristotle the Prince of Poets Homer that is the wittiest or most excellent not Lord and master ouer the rest In this sence Saint Austine speaketh Peter the Apostle in whom that grace and Primacy are so superminent was corrected by Paul a latter Apostle by calling Saint Paul a latter Apostle hee sheweth his meaning of Saint Peters Primacy to bee of his first being an Apostle and by ioyning Grace with Primacy he sheweth that in greatnesse of grace consisted his supereminency So saith Saint Austen also b Aug. in Ioan. Tract 124. that Peter was Natura vnus homo gratia vnus Christianus abundantiori gratia vnus idemque primus Apostolus But to be chiefe in grace is one thing to be chiefe in power another thing c Turrecrem in Summa de Ecclesia l 2 c. 82. Cardinal Turrecramata saith A meane Christian yea an old woman may in perfection of grace and amplenesse of vertues be greater then the Pope but not in power of iurisdiction If excellency of grace might carry the supremacy of power you should take it from Saint Peter and giue it to the blessed Virgin By gifts of grace we vnderstand all blessings wherewith our Lord honoured him insomuch as in one thing or other he surpassed euery one of the Apostles Saint Iohn might exceed him in multitude of prophesies and reuelations and many gifts of grace as Saint Ierom declareth d Ierom. aduersus Iouinianum lib. 1. Saint Paul excelled him in the chiefest gifts and laboured more then all the rest 1 Cor. 15. so that Saint Austen giues excellent grace to Peter e De bapt con Donatistas lib. 2. c. 1. most excellent grace to Paul f in Psal 130. and cals him The Apostle by an excellency g Cont. duas epist pelagianorum lib. 3. c. 1. yet Saint Peter excelled Saint Paul in Primacy or being first chosen and Saint Iohn in age being the elder and therefore preferred before them to be the chiefe of the Apostles by Saint Ieroms opinion h Aetati delatuÌ„ est quia Petrus erat senior Hiero 1. adu Iouin lib. 1. To this Bellarmine yeeldeth i Bellar. lib. 1. de rom pontif cap. 27. § respoÌ„deo Paulum seeing Paul was called The Apostle per Antonomasiam quia plura scripsit doctior as sapientior fuit cateris also for planting more Churches then any other for the other Apostles were sent to certaine Prouinces he to all the Gentils without limitation and he laboured more abundantly then they all 1 Cor. 15. And after k § testatur ib. § fortasse Paul also may bee called princeps Apostolorum quia munus Apostolicum excellentissime ad impleuit as we call Virgil prince of Poets and Cicero prince of Orators Againe Nam etsi Petrus maior est potestate Paulus maior est sapientia Leo makes them the two eyes of the body whereof Christ is the head De quorum meritis atque virtutibus nihil diuersum nihil debemus sentire discretum quia illos electio pares labor similes finis fecit aequales The like hath Maximus ib. and Saint Gregory Paulus Apostolus Petro Apostolorum primo in principata Apostolico frater est Againe l Bellar. ib. §. denique si hac Paulus videtur plus Ecclesiae profuisse quà m Petrus plures enim ex gentibus ad Christi fidem adduxit plures prouincias summo cum labore peragrauit plura scripta eaque vtilissima nobis reliquit Antiq. Saint Ierom saith further that Saint Peter was made the head of the Apostles that all occasion of Schisme might be taken away Will you make nothing of those titles which the Scriptures and Fathers so frequently giue him of authority primacy principality supereminency the mouth of the Apostles the top the highest the president the head and such like Antiquis Nothing at all for that power which the Church of Rome now claymes by them and which hee neuer claymed nor vsed neither did the Scriptures or Fathers giue him What they gaue him we willingly yeeld A principality of Order Estimation and Grace For all Saint Peters power is comprised in the keyes promised him and in building the Church vpon him but all the Apostles receiue the keyes by Ieroms iudgement and the Church is built vpon them equally Ergo by his iudgement Peter was not ouer them in power and if you will yet say hee had some gouernment ouer them what can it else bee but a guidance not as a Monarch ouer subiects or inferiours D. Raynolds ib. pag. 226 227. D. Field l. 5. cap 24. but as in Aristocracy head of the company which in power are his equals For in all assemblies about affayres of gouernment there must needs bee one for orders sake and peace to begin to end to moderate the Actions and this is Saint Peters preheminence which Saint Ierome m Hieronym adu Iouin lib. 2. meant For hauing set downe his aduersaries obiection But thou saist The Church is built vpon Peter he answereth Although the same be done in another place vpon all the Apostles and they all receiue the keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and the strength of the Church is grounded on them equally yet there is one chosen among the twelue that a head being appointed occasion of Schisme might be takeÌ„ away The like hath S. Cyprian n Cyprian de Vnitate Ecclesia Erant vtique caeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consorâ—io praediti honoris potestatis sed exordium ab vnitate prosiciscitur c. The other Apostles saith he were that which Peter was endewed with the same fellowship both of honour and power but the beginning proceedeth from vnity that the Church may be shewed to be one To speake at once view all the titles of excellency giuen by the ancient Fathers to S. Peter alleadged by Bellarmine o De rom pont lib. 1. cap. 25. weigh them aduisedly without preiudice or
borne themselues proudly against the Church of Rome c. So were Saint Austen with 216. other Bishops with foure generall Councels of Africa Carthage Milleuis and Hippo condemned and cursed by Eulabius and declared by Boniface the Pope to bee pricked forwards by the Diuell and wilfully to liue out of the Church of God and die in Schisme This History reported by Mr Harding yeelds a great inconuenience that such good men as Saint Augustine Cyprian Fulgentius and many others should willingly liue and dye out of the Community of the Roman Church as Schismatiks and excommunicated by the Pope and yet thinke themselues safe enough and generally accounted by the world to be good Catholikes and many of them Saints And therefore Bellarmine hath reason to discredit this story of the reconciliation and laboureth to proue it counterfet either in whole or in part i Bellar. de Rom. Pontif. l. 2. c. 25. And thus Mr D. Harding is not onely proued often by our B. Iewel but heere confessed by his fellow Bellarmine to be an errant Catholike an abuser of the world by fables and yet lately againe k Coster enchir cap. De summo Pont. obiectio decima solet Sanders de visib monarch lib. 7. pag 3â—9 as Lindan before Panopl lib. 4. cap. 48. Costerus the Iesuit mentions the same story as true Such is their vnity among themselues and the certainty of their both histories and doctrines If this history be true then in those times holy men Saints and Martyrs made no great conscience to resist the Pope to reiect his soueraignty to liue and dye out of the communion of the Church of Rome if the story be false then condemne your great D. Harding and the Authors which he followes as abusers of the world by falsities By all this it appeareth that whatsoeuer titles the Ancient Fathers gaue to Saint Peter they denyed the supremacy now challenged to the Bishops of Rome his pretended successors §. 13. For indeed the things wherein Saint Peter excelled the other Apostles were personall proper to his person onely and not communicable to his successors To be the eldest first chosen of greatest estimation fullest of grace c. were not things descending to his successors but proper to himselfe Antiq. Neither doe the Bishops of Rome challenge these properties but his Vniuersality of commission ouer the whole world and his Infallibility of Iudgement Antiquis But in these two things the other Apostles were his equals Proued before § 6 11. Saint Paul had care ouer all Churches 2 Cor. 11. so had the rest and all of them were guided by the holy Ghost from error both in teaching and writing Antiq. True but they could not leaue these to their successors as Saint Peter might Antiquis So saith Bellarmine indeed a De pont lib. 1. cap. 9. § Respondeo Pontificatum Iurisdictio vniuersalis Petro data est vt ordinario pastori cui perpetuò succederetur alijs vero tanquam delegatis quibus non succederetur What should be the reason of this Forsooth they say that Christ made Saint Peter supreme Pastor and Bishop of the whole world and so likewise his successors for euer See Doctor Field Church Booke 5. cap. 23. pag. 114. but afterwards he gaue the same authority to the rest of the Apostles for their liues onely A strange conceit Christ first gaue him a Monarchy and afterwards tooke it away againe auoyding his first grant to one by his second grant to eleuen more for by making al the twelue of equall authority in all parts of the world and towards all persons so that no one of them could limit or restraine another hee tooke away the Monarchy from one which he had first giuen him and made it an Aristocracy of twelue equals in power and at their deathes taking away succâ—ssion from eleuen and giuing it to one made a Monarchy of the Aristocracy againe and raysed Saint Peters successor to be greater then Peter himselfe had beene without any peeres honouring the Pope more then he honoured Peter For Peter was onely one of the Duodecem viri but his successor a sole and absolute Monarch and all the other Apostles successors were vnderlings receiuing all their calling mission and commission from him and not to be restrayned limited gouerned by him alone Who would not take this for a strange Paradoxe vnworthy of wise and learned men and yet this they are compelled to hold for two reasons first because it is most cleare that the Apostles were all equall in power and commission and receiued it immediately from Christ and not from Peter which they cannot they do not deny Secondly because if all the Apostles should leaue their power to their successors then their successors should not depend vpon Saint Peters but should deriue their power from Christ himselfe by a line of succession as well as Peters did and consequently all the Bishops ordayned by the other Apostles and by their successors to the worlds end whereof there were and are innumerable should haue no dependance of Saint Peter neither could be limited or ordered by his successors as Bellarmine saw well enough b Lib. 4 cap. 24. §. At contra lib. 2. cap. 23. §. secunda ratio Therefore where Saint Cyprian saith The rest of the Apostles had equall power with Peter Their note saith This must be vnderstood of the equality of the Apostleship which ceased when the Apostles dyed and passed not ouer vnto Bishops c In the annotation to Cyprian printed at Rome by Paulus Manutius at the Popes command Raynolds Hart p. 221. Bellarmine d Bellar. de pont lib. 1. c. 23 §. vigâ—sima prima saw that this shift would not serue the Popes turne because the world is full of the Apostles successors lineally comming from them which no way should depend vpon Saint Peter therefore he hath another conceit more strange than the former That the rest were made also Apostles by Christ and so continued for their life but they were consecrated Bishops not by Christ but by Saint Peter and so consequently the Apostolike office ceasing all the Bishops authority was deriued from Saint Peter A fine conceit were it true but himselfe saith presently after e Ib. §. Respondeo in Apostolatu contineri Episcopatum that the Bishops office is contayned in the Apostles office so that in being Apostles they were Bishops also without any further or new ordination for what Ecclesiasticall acts can any Bishop doe which the Apostles could not Christ gaue to the Apostles power to preach and baptize Mat. 28.19 power to minister the holy Communion Luke 22.19 power of the keyes of binding and loosing of remitting and retayning sinnes of planting Churches ordayning Bishops and Ministers For the Apostleship is the highest office in the Church of God and containeth the power of all the rest in it f Bellar de pont lib. 4. cap. 23. §. Addit Cyril
Boniface 3 and Sabellicus 8.6 against all whom Bellarmine striues in vaine In Apologia pro Torto See B. Andrewes Ad M. Torti librum Responsio pag. 329. seq and Ad Cardinalis Bellarmini Apologium Responsio pag. 277. seq and B. Morton Appeal lib. 4. cap. 11. Vniuersall Bishop and not the Bishop of Constantinople which title in aftertimes gaue a good colour to the Bishops of Rome for their claimed-dominion ouer all Christian Churches Vsher c. 1. §. 18. So that within the first six hundred yeares doubtlesse the seeds of much euill were sowen and Antichrist conceiued though not yet borne for in all those six hundred yeares no man could truly be called Papist either for holding this vsurpation or any other of those 27 Articles which Bishop Jewel learnedly defends against Mr. Harding §. 5. Vsher ib cap. 2. § 4 c. In the succeding times The Bishops of France Germany and Britany opposed the Bishop of Rome in the matter of Images as the African Bishops before had done in the matter of Apeales For in anno 754 A Synod of 338 Bishops at Constantinople had abrogated all Images sauing that one Image of Bread and Wine which our Sauiour ordained in the B. Sacrament to represent his Body and Blood But the Pope in the yeare 587 As our English Histories report by another Synod called the second Councell of Nice established the worshipping of Images Which Councell and Image-worship our English Church execrated and our Alcuinus wrote a Booke against it which he carried in the name of our Bishops and Princes to the K. of France The same second Councell of Nice was condemned also by the Bishops of Germany and France in a Councell held at Frankfort vpon Mene in the yeare 794. As also by Charles the Great and Lodouicus Pius his sonne And in this Lodouicus his time was another Synod held at Paris anno 821. which condemned the same second of Nice with the Image worship and argued the Pope of errour therein Now to say these Councels that were against the Popes Iudgement were condemned by the Pope is to no purpose for thus it appeareth still that the Princes and Bishops of Brittany France and Germany reiected at once both the worship of Images and the determinations of a corrupt Councell and also the Popes infallibity of Iudgement and his authority ouer them as the Easterne and the Southerne African Bishops had done before Baronius further addeth Baronius anno 794. nu 36.39 seq that many learned and famous men liuing then in the world and in the Ages following greatly grudged at and sharpely wrote against that second Councell of Nice and the Image-worship by it and by the Popes confirmed many of whose names he recites and cites their words §. 6. In these times many Authors write that the worlds opinion was that Antichrist was borne yet that he was yet but an Infant not able to subdue the Nations vntill a thousand yeares after Christs planting the Church for till that time Satan was not let loose Reuel 20.7 Esay 1.21 Reuel 17.2 18.23 8. The faithfull City began to be an Harlot and great Babylon prostituted it selfe but could not yet inebriate the Inhabitants of the Earth with her Cups of Fornication till that time came But these preparations must goe before as did also the publishing to the world of Constantines Donation long since made as it was pretented but now first knowen to the world for the Popes larger temporall Dominion and also the comming abroad of the Decretable Epistles of ancient Popes long since also said to be written but neuer before knowen to the world for the Popes greater spirituall Dominion both which are condemned as meere counterfeits by many learned men yea by many of their owne side §. 7. Sigonius l 6. de regno Italiae Werner â—ascil temp aetat 6. circa annum 894 et â—74 Bellar. de Rom. Pont. l 4. c 12. verbis vlt. nulluÌ„ saeculum indoctius aut infaelicius Baronius tomo 10. anno 900. §. 1. Saeculum sui asperitate ac boni sterilitate ferreuÌ„ malique exundantâ—â— deformitate plumbeum â—â—que nopia scriptorum obscurum Abominatio desolationis in Templo mirum quod non secuta mox fuerit desolatio templi But the succeeding Ages exceeded in all kind of wickednesse both by the iniquity of Princes and madnesse of people as Sigonius Wernerus and all others record So openly wicked that Baronius and Bellarmine can neither hide nor deny it Bellarmine saith No Age was more vnlearned nor more if vnlucky Baronius saith They Were Iron Ages for barrennesse of goodnesse Leaden Ages for abundance of euill Ages of darknesse for scarcity of Writers which he tels in the beginning of the story lest a weake man seeing in the story the abomination of desolation sitting in the Temple should be offended and not rather wonder that there followed not immediately the desolation of the Temple And Baronius anno 912. § 8. laments thus O what a face was then of the Roman Church how filthy when the most rich and withall the most sordid Whores domineered at Rome by whose pleasure Bishops Seas were changed Bishops placed and which is horrible to be heard or spoken their Sweet-hearts false Bishops were intruded into Peters seat which are for no other ends recorded in the Catalogue of Roman Bishops but onely to fill vp the times And a little after Then plainly as appeareth Christ was in a deep sleepe in the ship when by these strong winds blowing the ship was neere couered with waues He slept I say when seeming not to see these things he suffered them and arose not to auenge them And which seemed yet worse there wanted Disciples with their cryes to awake him all sleeping What Priests doe you thinke were then chosen by these Monsters what Deacons Cardinals seeing nothing is more naturall then for like to beget their like This and much more Baronius to the like effect Gerber epist 40. at the end of that Age. Vsh ib. §. 33. Platina in Benedicto 4 Sabell in Ennead 9. l. 1. l. 2. Genebrard chronolg l 4 in Decimi saeculi initio Wernerus fasciculo temporum aeâ—â—t 6. circa annum 944. Vsh ibid. §. 34. Gerbertus in few words spake much of those times Romanorum mores Mundus perhorrescit The Romans manners the world thorowly abhorreth Platina and Sabellicus haue the like complaints of the state of the Church and Popes so vntollerably degenerate And Genebrand saith that in about 150 yeares there were about fifty Popes which wholly swarued from the vertue of their Predecessors a virtute maiorum prorsus deficerunt Apotactici Apostaticiue potiùs quam Apostolici rather masters of mis-rule or Apostataes then Apostolicke Wernerus a Carthusian Monke saith of this age Sanctitatem Papam dimisisse ad Jmporatores accessisse That holinesse forsooke the Pope and came to the Emperours Of the profane life of the Clergy
would to God the forme of beleeuing were fetched from the Primitiue Church Thus saith Staâ—pulensis By which rule iustified by our Aduersaries we conclude that the holy Church of God need not receiue or beleeue any of those things following to wit Purgatory Inuocation of Saints departed worshipping of Images Auricular confession the Popes pardons Transubstantiation the Masse to be truely and properly a propitiatory sacrifice to be offered both for the quicke and the dead the Sacrament without Communicants and Communion vnder one kinde without the Cup to be sufficient for Lay people reseruation of the Sacrament and eleuation thereof to be worshipped and circumgestation in Procession for pompe and adoration Matrimony and extreme Vnction to be properly Sacraments of the New Testament and to conferre grace single life necessary to be imposed vpon the Clergy All which and more your Iesuite Azorius reckons for Traditions vnwritten p Azorius Institutionum lib 8. cap. 4. §. 3. seq Also that the Church of Rome is head of all â—hurches and that all Christians must fetch their Faith their Orders and iurisdiction from it that the Bishop thereof cannot erre in matters of faith or interpreting the Scriptures See more of this point Rainold Hart confer chap. 5. diuision 1. pag. 184 c. And chap. 8. divis 1. pag. 462. c. The Scriptures teach no such thing and therefore we need not beleeue it 5 We being constant to the former rule for the sufficiency of the Scriptures in matters of faith and good life further admit of some kind of Trad tions to wit first Doctrinall traditions agreeing with the Scriptures or thence truly deducted q Many Fathers call the whole Word of God which by some holy men guided by Gods Spirit was let downe in writing and by them also others deliuered to the people by liuely voyce A tradition which the Church must preseruâ— and also the forme of wholesome words Creeds Catechismes c. thence deducted 2 Tim. 1.13 Rom. 6 17. See Rain Hart. c. 8. d. 1. p 466 467. So the baptisme of Infants if not coÌ„manded in plaine words yet plainly deducted from Scripture Gen. 17.12 13. Col. 2.11 1â— Act. 2.38 39. Luke 18.16 Mar. 10.16 Mat. 19.14 18 14. 1 Cor. 7.14 Mat. 28.19 The doctrine of the Trinity the equality of three Diuine persons in one substance and the distinction by incommunicable proprieties Gen. 1.1 26. Mat. 3.16 Iob. 1.32 Mat. 17 5 28.29 2. Cor. 13.13 1 Iâ—b 5.7 Psal 2.7 Heb. â— 3 5. 7.3 Col. 1.15 The proceeding of the holy Gâ—ost from the Father and the Son as from one beginning and one spiration from all eternity Ioh. 14.26 15.26 16.13 14. Rom. 8.9 Secondly rituall traditions for order and decency left to the disposition of the Church being not of Diuine but of positiue and humane right r 1 Cor. 14.40 11.2 Acts 15 â—0 So they be not childish or trifling nor accounted parts of Gods worship nor with opinion of merit nor burthensome for their mâ—ltitude Å¿ Of the multitude S. Augustine complained in his time Epist 119. ad â—anuar c. 19. See D. Ram. Hart c. 8. div 4. p. 599. seq The first of these no man allowes and commends more then we and the second kind wee retaine and vse with reuerence such as are profitable and comely in our times and countries without condemning other Churches differing from ours in such matters as we find Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine did Aug. Epist 188. But a third kind of Traditions obtruded for Articles of Religion grounds of Faith and part of Gods worship neither contained expresly in Gods word nor thence deducted by any sound inference and yet receiued by the Councell of Trent Sess 4. with the same authority and reuerence that the holy Scriptures are receiued those we gainesay as things derogating to the verity sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures And herein your Romish Writers deale fraudulenly against vs and deceiue the world for they alleadge the Fathers speaking of the first kind of Traditions as if they spake of all whereas indeed they write very strongly and sharply against this third kind which wee refuse Bishop Vsher in his booke against the Jrish Iesuite pag. 36. seq alleadgeth a whole Iury of ancient Fathers testifying the sufficiency of the Scriptures for matters of Faith Tertullian Origen Hippolitus the Martyr Athanasius Ambrose Hilary Basil Gregory Nissen Jerom Augustine Cyril Theodoret. So that the Traditions which they vrge we alow and those that we deny they write sharpely against The Fathers say your Rom sh are not of the Protestants Church because they vrge Traditions but wee say more truely The Fathers are not of the Romish Church because they teach the Scripture is sufficient and needs no Traditions to supply their defect as the Romish teach When Bellarmine and your other Doctors are pressed with the authority of the Fathers they are compelled to yeelâ— vnto vs the sufficiency of the Scriptures as I alleadged artic 4. but obserue their vnconstancy lest they should ouerthrow thereby the manifold doctrines held by their Church that haue no ground in the Scriptures they are faine to maintaine also vnwritten Traditions to bee the grounds of those Doctrines See more of this point in Mr. Perkins Reformed Catholicke the 7 point B. Morton Apol. Cathol part 2. lib. 1. cap. 32. seq And Protestants Appeal lib. 2. cap. 25. D. Field of the Church Booke B. Vsher in his answer to the Irish Iesuite Rainolds and Hart confer chap. 5. diuision 1. pag. 190. 6 We receiue and beleeue also the three Creeds The Apostles the Nicene and that of Athanasius t These are in our Bookes of publicke prayer and booke of Articles of anno 1562 art 8 and subscribed vnto by all Ministers and the foure generall Councels of the Primitiue Church as good formes of true Christian Doctrine deductions and explications of Scripture u Acknowleeged by King Iames in his Praemonitiâ—n to all Christian Monarâ—s p. 35. and by our Acts of Parliament You receiue the same also but you adde a thirteenth article decreed to be an article of Faith thirteene hundred yeares after Christ by a thirteenth Apostle Pope Boniface the eight x Boniface 8. liued an 13â—â— his Decree runs thus Subesse Romano Pontâ—fici omni humanae creaturae declaramus dicimus desinimus pronunciamus omnino esse de necessitate salutis Thus Boniface 8 in extrauag de majoritate obedientia cap. vnam santaâ— That it is necessary to saluation to be subiect to the Bishop of Rome which is neither in the Scriptures ancient Creeds nor ancient Fathers nor can be thence deducted And you haue further also dately added 12 new Articles by the authority of Pope Pius 4. anno 1564 raised out of the Councell of Trent and added to the Nicene Creed to be receiued with oath as the true Catholicke Faith to bee
many nay But the issues of these Ladies were very vnfortunate and many calamities proceeded from these marriages as he there reports Yet the pope dispensed with all this partly to bind the French vnto him and partly to bridle the Emperour whom he would not haue grow too great by addition of Britany to his State Besides he needed not much care for this present Emperour Maximilian a poore prince full of affaires and of small credit Yea Maximilian himselfe afterwards affected the popedome as Guicciardine reporteth But come we to the affaires of our owne Nation Pope Julius the 2. gaue a dispensation that King Henry the 8. of England might marry Katherine the wife of his brother Arthur deceased A marriage plainly condemned by the Scriptures Leu. 18.16 and 20.21 and Mat. 24.2 4. and by many learned Vniversities Afterwards pope Clement the 7. Hist concil Trid. lib. 1. pag. 68. at Henries sute sent Cardinall Campeggio into England framing a Briefe to dissolue the Kings said marriage with Katherine to be published when some few proofes were passed which he was sure would easily be made and to giue liberty to the King to marry another This anno 1524. but anno 1529. The pope thinking it better to ioyne with the Emperour who was sonne to Katherines sister sent another Nuncio to Campeggio with order to burne the Breefe and to proceed slowly in the cause For the popement to apply himselfe to his best aduantages but the King espying their iugling finally banished the popes authority out of England Annals ibid praepar pag. A. 3. Latin Apparat. p. xij But Queene Mary the daughter of Hâ—nry by the said marriage of Katherine perswaded her selfe that all the right that she had to the Kingdome of England was vpholden by no other meanes then by the power of the pope whose dispensation made that marriage lawfull and gaue sentence of her side after her father had declared her illegitimate and therefore she was bound to cleaue strongly to the Pope Also Charles the 5 Emperour procured a marriage betwixt Philip his sonne of Spaine and Mary Queene of England by a dispensation of pope Iulius the 3. because they were allied in the third degree and that Charles himselfe had contracted to marry her being then vnder age for time to come Ibid. pag. 5. sed â—atin pag. 4. After her death King Philip desirous to keepe England treated seriously of a marriage with Queen Elizabeth his late wiues sister with promise to obtaine a speciall dispensation from the pope Which the King of France fearing it would be granted by the pope laboured secretly to hinder but the hindrance of the marriage was from Queene Elizabeth her selfe Relation of Religion in the West pag. 34. 27. See the whole Tract pag. 25. seq By such dispensations from the pope marriages in the house of Austria haue been so neere that they remaine still as brethren all of one family and as armes of the selfe-same body Keeping their dominions vnited still together without distraction Philip the second of Spaine might call the Archduke Albert both brother cozen nephew and sonne being vncle to himselfe cozen-german to his father husband to his sister and father to his wife Such marriages made lawfull onely by the pope dispensing with the Law of God must needs binde both the parties and issue thereof to be firme to the Papacy and to maintaine that authority by which themselues stand maintained and honoured So searched and penetrant is that Sea of Rome to strengthen it selfe more by vnlawfull marriages of other men then euer Prince yet could doe by the most lawfull marriage of his owne And thus the Pope by some one act ties vnto himselfe the fauour of many friends and many generations Yet may this be thought fit onely for blinded or ill-minded Princes The well-sighted or well-minded need no such cloake nor will make vse of any such for any otherwise vniustifiable courses But if they through their owne ignorance or their Ancestors vniust proiects haue been inuolued in such nets as their conscience now mislikes they may after our King Henries example by Gods booke and the counsell of godly wise and learned men alter their courses abolish his authority that alters Gods Lawes or deludes them and establish their state by more sound meanes Humanum est errare perseuerare diabolicum §. 9. VI. Other dispensations See Verdunt discourse anno 1563. Mense Febr. in hist conc Trid. lib. 7. pag. 676. See Tortura Torti pag 57. for diuers things hurtfull to the Church States and People but very profitable to the Pope and Court of Rome are ordinary About which one Iohannes Verdun spake freely and iudiciously in the Councell of Trent Dispensations saith he are accounted dis-obligations from the Law but Gods Law is perpetuall and remaineth inuiolable for euer The Pope is not Lord and the Church his seruant to bestow fauours as a master vpon his seruants Hee is but a seruant at the best to him who is Spouse of the Church neither can he by dispensing vnbinde any that is bound but onely declare to him that is not bound that he is exempted from the Law Indeed humane Lawes through the imperfection of the Law-makers and Cases not foreseene may admit dispensations in sundry occurrences as exceptions from the generall Law where it may be iustly thought the Law-makers would haue made exceptions if they had foreseene those Cases but where God is the Law-giuer from whom nothing is concealed and by whom no accident is not fore-seene the Law can haue no exception but all his Law is equity it selfe perpetuall and immutable Hist conc Trid. lib. 4. pag. 321. The King of France anno 1551. in a Printed Manifest published to his subiects that they were not to regard the Popes dispensations which were not able to secure the conscience and are nothing but a shadow cast before the eies of men which cannot hide the truth from God Euen in mens lawes Dispensationes sunt legum vlnera Dispensations are deepe wounds In Gods Lawes deadly wounds both to the lawes and to the dispenser for lawes often wounded haue little life left in them and he that wounds them hath little feeling of conscience Christ came not to dissolue the Law but to fulfill it Matth. 5.17 the Pope comes not to fulfill the lawes but to dissolue them He vnbinds subiects oathes to Princes yea bindes subiects with oathes against Princes both against Gods Law binding where he should loose loosing where he should binde as Anti-god and Antichrist He bindes his Catholickes for a time while they want strength they shall not stirre getting strength then they are loosed then stirre killâ— and massacre Thus Gregory the 13. interprets the Bull of Pius the 5. And thus Princes of the old Christian faith that they liue and reigne are beholden to the Catholickes of the new stampe not for their faith but for their weakenesse Hist conc Trent lib.
him might answerably maintaine him vphold his authority and all his proceedings with the disgrace and beating downe of all his or their aduersaries §. 2. See Hist concil Trent lib. 2. pag. 167. 169. 170. an 1546. lib. 4. pag. 322. This course was found to be very hurtfull to the Church and was complained of by many learned men in the following Ages and in the late Councell of Trent Reformation thereof was very earnestly called for by many Bishops especially the Spanish as a thing that vtterly abolished the Apostles Institution and the holy Fathers practise took away the Bishops office and was the cause why all things were out of order and so had growne by degrees from bad to worse for three hundred yeeres Neither was it possible to amend them wh le these ambulatory Monkes and Fryars did so swarme in the world with priuiledge to preach where and what they list against the Bishops willes Vpon such great and frequent complaints in Trent Ibid. pag. 170. the pope and Cardinals at Rome tooke the matter into their consideration and they quickly saw that if these exemptions and priuiledges of preaching Monkes and Fryers were taken away the popes authority would decay For it was a cleare case that after the six hundredth yeare the primacy of the Apostolicke Sea had beene vpheld by the Benedictine Monkes exempted and after by the Congregations of Clunie and Cistercium and other Monasticall Assemblies vntill the Mendicant Fryars arose by whom it had beene maintained till that time And therefore to take away those priuiledges were directly to oppugne the Papacy with a manifest depression of the Court of Rome These motions therefore were by all possible meanes to be silenced Note by the way something of the Monkes here named and the Ages they liued in §. 3. Tritem de viris illustr ord Benediclini lib. 1. cap. 2. 5. Tritemius writes that of the Benedictines there were before the Councell of Constance 15000 Religious houses and that out of this order there had beene taken of Popes eighteene Cardinals one hundred and eighty Archbishops one thousand one hundred sixty foure Bishops three thousand fiue hundred and twelue by which you may gesse at the multitudes power estimation and authority that this order had in the world Azor. instit moral lib. 12. c. 21. Azorius saith when this order grew slacke and swarued from their first rule the Cluniacenses arose out of them an 913. And the Câ—sternienses anno 1198. And these were they that vpheld the Papacy so notably in those middle times of darkenesse when all Learning both Diuine and Humane yea and almost all goodnesse was decayed out of the world and ignorant men were apt to beleeue any thing and take it for currant and authenticall which their seeming-holy Church-men taught being no way able to examine the truth thereof §. 4. Legend Aur. Iacobi de Voragine in vita Dominici c. Also in vita Dominici addita Lipomano De historia Sanctorum These things they say were made knowne to diuers deuout Monkes by Visions or Reuelations whereof Iacobus de Voragine Bishop of Genua reciteth some In legenda S. Dominici But in succeeding times when the worlds eyes were better opened and the opposers of the Papacy specially the Waldenses or Albigenses grew to greater numbers and strength Innocent 3. hit vpon better meanes against them by the two orders of begging Fryers newly deuised by S S. Dominick and Francis There is a wicked and prophane story which I thought the learned of this Age had beene ashamed of but that I find it new written againe by Costerus the Iesuite in the Preface of his Institutions how that Iesus Christ was in a great chafe that the Albigenses increased so fast and seemed to ouercome the world so that he said he would presently destroy the world But the holy Virgin his Mother prayed him to be patient a while that she might first send two men into the world S. Dominicke and S. Francis and if they could ouercome them all should be well if not then let him take his pleasure They write also that Dominicus hauing deuised a new order against Heretickes better then any former came to pope Innocent 3. to haue it confirmed The pope in some suspence whether to grant or deny it one night saw in his dream the great church of Lateran shrinking in his ioynts and ready to finke to the earth whereat affrighted he thought he saw Dominick presently come and hold it vp with his shoulders Vpon which vision he confirmed his new order Thus writes Vincentius in Speculo histor Antoninus Theodoricus Bertrandus Bonav de vita Francisci cap. 3. in fine apud Lipomanum Baptista Mantuanus But Bonaventure saith It was Saint Francis that held vp the Church See Bishop Vsher De successu Ecclesiae cap 9. § 9 10. Howsoeuer it is certaine they that wrote and they that beleeued these stories had a strong conceit that these two Orders were magnae spes altera Romae Strong successiue props to vphold the Maiesty of the Papacy And so they were many wayes 1 by their multitude for they quickly spread ouer the face of the earth some say Chawcer in the wife of Bathes tale as thicke as the Locusts darkning the ayre Reuel 9 or as Chawcer saith as thicke as motes in the Sunne Beame 2 By their credit and estimation among the people for they were receiued and admired as most holy men vowing pouerty forswearing riches lands or other worldly goods for Christs sake contented with their Houses Gardens and Orchards liuing on Almes begged or brought to them simply cloathed with ropes for their girdles and preaching very diligently in all places specially quaint Tales and Legends delighting the people But the sense of their credit made them vntolerably audacious See these things at large in Mat. Paris pag 404. and 673. And in B. Vsher De Eccles cap. 9. §. 14. seq in vilifying all ordinary Ministers of the Gospell creeping into and vsurping their Offices and magnifying themselues as the onely men of Gods priuy Councell full of inspirations and Reuelations they onely knew how to distinguish lepram à lepra one sinne from another how to open hard and knotty questions resolue all doubts giue true penance and absolution c. And they kept bookes of the names of all theit Clients that chose them to be their Confessors and counsellours and by such deuises drew infinite store of people and much wealth after them whereby they built very stately houses like Kings Palaces and professing pouerty abounded with all wealth and superfluity and so robbed the ordinary Ministers of their maintenance and brought them into such contempt and pouerty that they made grieuous complaints thereof to the Emperour Pope and Cardinals in which complaints some Bishops ioyned with them Yea the famous Vniuersity of Paris complained to the Popes of their wrongs also but all in vaine for
Guisanus from vpper Germany and Stephanus Tugius who remained at Rome All these of extraordinary learning and experience hauing bin Gouernors of Colledges or Schooles a long time in their seuerall Countries These were appointed by the Pope and Aqua viua to consult of the best manner of trayning vp yong men in the Seminaries They had consultations instructions and intelligences from other places a whole yeare together and doubtlesse concluded vpon the most politicke and likely course that humane wit could deuise to subdue the the world to their owne purposes Meane season there were entised or drawen out of diuers Nations by bookes published ee B. Bilson â—ifference of subiection and rebellion part 1. pag. 149. seq and other meanes many of the best wits such as wanted maintenance or had missed preferments in the Vniuersities or other places or were otherwise discontented or desirous of nouelties c. they were drawne by magnificall promises of preferment degrees honours imployment and most exquisite education in all manner of learning to come to the most bountifull Pope and receiue them And by this meanes shortly were furnished many Seminaries with Iesuite Gouernours and Readers and with plenty of hearers or students Seminarium Romanum Germanum Anglicum Graecum and Maronitanum or of the Inhabitants of Montlibanus to traine vp and make fit instruments in the shortest time to be sent againe into their Countries to put in practise the things they had learned and with all possible wit and diligence to recouer and restore the authority of the Roman Church where it was decayed and in all other places also to preuent such blowes and wounds as the Papacy had already otherwhere receiued To which purpose they had priuiledges contrary to other orders as times and occasions required to goe disguised not in Religious but Lay-mens habits like Gentlemen gallants or seruing-men Dialogue betweene a secular Priest a Gentleman pag. 90. One of their secular Priests reports that a Iesuite hath worne a Girdle Hangers and Rapier worth ten pounds a Ierkin worth as much and made himselfe three sutes of apparell in a yeare his horse furniture and apparell valued at an hundred pounds the better to insinuate into all Companies vnsuspected and creepe into their mindes with cunning perswasions ere they were aware and so goe forwards or fall off as hopes or feares should meete them And wheresoeuer they could finde or worke out entertainment they had priuiledges Buls and Faculties to heare Confessions to pardon sinnes to reconcile and receiue penitents into the bosome of the Church of Rome to instruct them that Princes not of the Catholicke Romish faith nor subiect to the pope were no Princes but had lost their authority rule gouernement and dominion their Officers no Officers their Lawes no Lawes their subiects were freed from obedience to them further then for feare or want of strength they might obey but when they had strength and power they might and ought by all meanes to put such Princes downe and set vp others such as the pope should like of That they should by no meanes come to the Protestant Churches or prayers but maintaine an irreconciliable hatred to all religious Acts and Doctrines of theirs seemed they neuer so good and as they should be able vtterly to extirpe them as people worse then Infidels And for their cunning and appearing sanctitie they became Confessors and Counsellours to Kings and Queenes and great personages and thrust themselues into counsels and actions of state gouernment intelligences and had such connexions amongst themselues as no kinde of men could goe beyond them in wit learning power or policy They nested themselues in places of best aduantage of Princes Courts chiefest Cities greatest men and where they could once place Seminaries or Colledges of their owne Society they made account that Countrey was their owne Their Colledges as it is obserued placed vpon the walles of Cities afforded them passage into the City or abroad into the world at pleasure to giue or receiue intelligence as occasion serued They haâ— their Generall at Româ— at the popes elbow as the aforesaide Claudius de Aqua viva and vnder him Prouincialles and Arch-priests in euery Countrey as George Blackwell Henry Garnet and after him George Bircot in England to giue order and directions to inferiour Iesuites and there to appoint them their limits and imployments call them to accouâ—t and send them when and whither they thought good And so erected a new Iesu ticall gouernment and clasped the Kingâ—ome as farre as was posâ—ible in their owne fists See the full discouâ—se hâ—re of in Mâ—â—â—â—to Gaâ—lobâ—lâ—iâ—o Daâ—tâ—cano anno 1607. pag. 67. It was wâ—ll discoursed to the Pâ—lonian Nobility assembled for Reformation of the troubles in the Land That the greatest enâ—mies to that other free estates were the Iesuites who had a Monarchicall policy fittest to mooue and act tyed to one head at Rome and tyed to their superiours in straitest forme of Obedience that the lower may not enquire into any no not the absurdest commands of the superiours but must yeeld ready obedience without knowing any reason of the equity or danger thereof Which blinde obedience hath brought forth many desperate audacious instruments and designes So that the Iesuites faction is a most agile sharpe sword whose blade is sheathed at pleasure in the bowels of euery Common-wealth but the handle reacheth to Rome and Spaine So that the very life death and fortunes of all Kings Magistrates and Common-wealthes hangs vpon the horoscope of the Iesuites pleasures If the Iesuites be as lucky starres in the ascendent and culminant they may liue continue and flourish if maleuolent they perish but that Deus dominabitur Astris §. 5. See Rainold Hart. confeâ— cap. 1. din. 6 â—p 382. The great estate and authority of Cardinals was an especiall meanes to aduance and vphold the Papacy after that the parishes grew so populous that there needed morâ— Priests and Deacons then one in euery Parish and Ward in Rome the principall was called the Cardinall priest and Cardinall Deacon Bellâ—r Apolog. conâ—â—a praesat mâ—â—â—ortum Iacob Regâ—s cap. 4. paâ— 34. 38 39 Ibid. pag. 337. conâ— Latâ—ran cap. 1. and this honourable name was in time also giuen to the chiefe Bishops neere vnto Rome they were also called Cardinall Bishops as the Bishop of Alba Tusculum Preneste Sabine Portuesse and Ostia And vntill the yeare 1180. they all Bishops Priests and Deacons liued on thâ—ir owne charge and discharged it in their owne persons though also as nearest often imployed in the popes affaires But by Alexander the third Cerem Eccle. Rom. lib. 1. 3. August Triumphus dâ— potest eccl q est 8. art 4. Antonin Sum. part 3. tit 21. cap. 1. § 2. Ceremoniar Rom eccl s lib. 1. sect 8 cap. 3. Some fetch a prophesie of Cardinals from Samâ—ch Mâ—ther 1 Sam 2.8 where hâ— saith Doâ—ini suâ—t cardines terrae posunt super
principall argument to proue that you Protestants haue no Church at all because you haue no Priests or true Ministers sent and authorized by the Lord. In vrging whereof giue me leaue somewhat to enlarge my selfe Antiquissimus Say what you will I hope to giue you a sufficient and satisfactory answer Antiquus First there can be no Church without true Ministers to teach the holy Doctrine to performe the holy seruice of God and to minister the Sacraments vnto Gods people and bring them to saluation a Ephes 4.8 c. And therefore when our Sauiour ascended into heauen he gaue all necessary gifts vnto men making Apostles Prophets Euangelists Pastors Teachers for the worke of the Ministery gathering and perfecting of the Saints and edifying of the Church to continue by succession to the end of the world b Jb. verse 13. That all might be kept from errour and vnited in the Truth These are the Lords Ambassadors c 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. planters waterers husbandmen builders yea co-adjutors and workers-together-with God d 1 Cor 3.6 9 Secondly therefore these Ministers must be furnished by the Lord with two things 1 With authority to meddle with this holy seruice 2 with power effectually to performe those ancient acts of gracious efficacy belonging to their office as teaching of true sauing doctrine forgiuing of sinnes and administring the admirable holy Sacraments which no man of any other ranke can doe and which they onely can doe who are sent of God and furnished with his authority and power and with whom God effectually worketh To which end the Sacrament of Order giuen to Priests by the hands of Gods officers imprints a Character in the Receiuer e Bellar. de sacraÌ„ in genere lib. 2. cap. 19. § propositio sexta § prop. tertia in sine that wheresoeuer it is God is present * By Couenant or promise ex pacto and concurreth to the producing of supernaturall effects which he doth not where his Character is wanting Therefore when Christ sent his Apostles with this Commission As my Father sent mee euen so send J you f Ioh. 20.21 c. He breathed on them and said Receiue yee the Holy Ghost whose sinnes soeuer yee remit they are remitted vnto them and whose soeuer sinnes yee retaine they are retained Where he gaue them both Commission and power to performe it And in the end of Saint Matthewes Gospell g Matth. 28 18 19 20. first mentioning his vnbounded power both in heauen and earth he sends his Apostles to teach and bring the world into his subiection adding that he would be with them to the end of the world to wit with their persons while they liue and with their successors while the world lasteth with his power and effectuall working with them So that Christ must send and he must furnish with gifts and power And no man taketh to himselfe this office or honour but he that is called of God as was Aaron h Heb. 5.4 Thirdly then As the Father sent the Sonne and the Sonne his Apostles i Ioh 20.21 so the Apostles k Bellar. De notis ecclesiae lib. 4. cap. 8. afterwards chose and ordained other Bishops and gaue them the like power to ordaine others both Bishops and inferiour Priests and Deacons as Timothy at Ephesus Titus in Creet l As appeareth by the Epistles to Tim Tit. By this meanes all true Bishops and Priests haue their succession and ordination from hand to hand from the very Apostles And none are to be accounted true Bishops that were not ordained by the imposition of hands of former true Bishops and they by other former and so vpwards ascending to the very Apostles to Christ Iesus from whoÌ„ they must deriue their authority and power for all workes of the Ministery Therefore Saint Ierom saith m Hieroâ—ym contra Luciferianos Ecclesia non est qua non habet sacerdotem It can bee no Church that hath no Ministery And Saint Cyprian that the Church is nothing else but n Cypr. Plebs Episcopo adunata lib. 4. ep 10. citat à Possevino bibl select lib. 6. cap. 31. ad interrog 4. D. Field Church lib. 3. cap. 39. People vnited to the Bishop And Tertullian further o Tertull. lib. De praescript Bellar. quo supra Let Heretickes shew the originall of their Churches and runne ouer the order of their Bishops comming downe by succession from the beginning so that their first Bishop had some Apostle or Apostolicke man for his author and Predecessor For thus the Church of the Romans reckons Clement ordained by Saint Peter And Saint Cyprian saith p Cypr. lib. 1. ep 4. ad Magnum Nouatianus is not in the Church neither can bee accounted a Bishop who contemning the Apostolicke tradition succeedeth no man but is ordained of himselfe The like haue many other Fathers alleadged by Bellarmine q Bellar. quo supra And by the Canons of the Apostles and many ancient Councels r So Bellarm. sheweth lâ—o citato D. Field lib. 3. cap. 39. lib. 5 cap. 36. A Bishop must receiue his Consecration by three Bishops at the least which were formerly consecrated in like manner And all inferious Ministers must receiue orders of such a Bishop or else they are not Canonicall Lawfull nor to be receiued They that come in other wayes then by this doore are theeues and robbers Å¿ Iohn 10.8.9 10. All this describing and prouing the nature succession and ordination of true Bishops and inferiour Ministers is the first proposition or major of my Argument Then comes my Assumption or minor proposition thus But the Protestant Ministers are not such 1 Kings 20.11 namely their Bishops were not consecrated by three Bishops so formerly consecrated as abouesaid neither did their inferiour Ministers receiue their orders from true Bishops The conclusion will necessarily follow Ergo the Protestant Ministers are no true Ministers of the true Church And consequently they haue no true Church among them An argument inuinsible vnanswerable Sect. 2. Antiquissimus Good Sir triumph not before the victory let not him that putteth on his harnesse boast himselfe as hee that putteth it off It is your mens fashion first to confirme that with glorious words and arguments which we sticke not at as you haue done your Major to make the world beleeue it seemes that we denyed all that which you so busily and so brauely proue and so to make vs odious And your other fashion is as ill to leaue the maine matter in controuersie vtterly vnproued as here your Minor thinking to carry it away with out facing and great words This is a charming and bewitching of the credulous world without all truth and honesty As I shall make it plainly appeare For why else doe your Rabbins so generally declaime against vs and neuer proue it Your 1 Bristow Motiue 21. Bristow 2 Harding confut Apol.
part 2. cap 5. Harding 3 Sanders de schis lib. 3. pag. 299. Sanders 4 Howlet briâ—fe discoursâ—…ason 7. Howlet 5 Card. Allen. with Rhemists Annot in Rom. 10.15 Allen with his Rhemists 6 D. Stapleton princ doctr l. 13. cap. 6. Stapleton 7 Doctor Kellison Reply to D. Sutclif p. 31. Kellison 8 Will. Rainolds Calvino-Turr l. 4. c 15. p. 975. William Rainolds 9 The Cath. Priests in their supplication to K. Iames anno 1604. The number of Catholicke Priests 10 Bellar. eccles milit lib. 4. c. 8. Bellarmine 11 Posnanienses assert de Christi in terris ecclesia thes 60. Posnanienses 12 Gregorius de Valentia tom 4. disp 9. q. 3. punct 2. Valentianus 13 Turrian de Iure ordinand lib. 2. c. 3. The like hath Turrianus 14 Mattheus Lanoius and Lanoius 15 D. Tyreus cited by Schaltingiuâ—â—ib cathol t. 4. pag. 33. The words of these â—uthors you may see in the booke of Mr. Francis Mason lib. 1. cap. 2. Tyreus and other not worth the reckning without measure or end Why doe they so bitterly inueigh against our Bishops and Ministers leauing their Doctrine and discrediting their calling to make people forsake them as men vnsent vncalled vnconsecrated without successiion ordination or iurisdiction yea calling them false prophets inuaders vsurpers and other Apostataes from the Church or Rome or mere Laymen but neither true Bishops nor Ministers at any hand Which they onely say and repeat and affirme with great vehemency but neuer proue Sect. 3. Antiquus Yes they proue it too * Christ a Sacrobosco de Invost Christi eccl cap. 4. Sacroboscus reports the story of the Consecration of the Bishop Iewell Sands Scory Horne Grindal and others who met at a Tauerne or Inne in Cheapside called the Horse-head in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne being disappointed of the Catholicke Bishop of Landaffe who should there haue beene to consecrate them some of them imposed hands vpon Scory he vpon the rest and so were sons made without a father and the father procreated by the sons Thus saith Sacroboscus adding that one Thomas Neal Hebrew Lecturer at Oxford who was present told this to his old confessors and they told it to Sacroboscus and that afterward it was enacted in Parliament that these men should bee accounted lawfull Bishops The same story is also reported in a Preface to a Catholicke booke called A discussion numb 135. citing Sacraboscus for it And thus saith that Preface they vsed the like Art that the Lollards once did in another matter who being desirous to eate flesh on Good Fryday and yet fearing the penalty of the Lawes tooke a Pig and diuing it vnder the water said Down Pig and vp Pike and then after constantly auouched that they had eaten no flesh but fish So these caused him who kneeled downe Iohn Iewell to rise vp Bishop of Saliâ—bury and him that was Robert Horne before to rise vp Bishop of Winchester and so forth with all the rest Antiquissimus I wonder that men of any foreheads are not ashamed to vent such fantasticall and false tales which are confuted fully by the publike Records and Registers of those times Bishop Iewell published his answer to Hardings obiections threescore yeeres agone Anno Dom. 1567. wherein he plainely sheweth f Jewels Defence of the Apology 2. part cap. 5 printed anno Dom. 1567. that himselfe and all our other Bishops succeeded the Bishops that had beene before them and were elected consecrated and confirmed as they were So that your learned men haue had time enough to read search consider and confute or be satisfied and not still thus wickedly to proclaime to the world such falsities And Master Francis Mason hath done it more thorowly in a compleat Treatise g Of the consecration of the Bishops in England and ordination of Priests and Deacons Fiue bookes printed Anno Dom. 1613. Ex Register Park 1. fol. 18. fol. 39. printed anno DoÌ„ 1613. who sheweth out of the Register books of the Archbishops of those times among all other the Consecrations of these Bishops whom your Catholicke scoffers thus depraue 1 B. Scory was consecrated August 30. anno 1551. in the time of Edw. 6 by Archbishop Cranmer Nicholas London and Iohn Bedford 2 3 B B. Grindall and Sauds were consecrated both vpon one day the 21 of December anno 1559. being the Sabboth day and in the forenoone in the Chappell at Lambehith by Matthew Archbishop of Canterbury William Cicester Iohn Hereford and John Bedford Master Alexander Nowell the Archbishops Chaplein then preaching vpon this Text Acts 20.28 Take heed to your selues and to all the flocke whereof the Holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers and a Communion reuerently administred by the Archbishop 4 B. Iewell was consecrated Ian. 21. 1559. being the Sabboth day in the forenoone in the Chappell of Lambehith by Matthew Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal Ib. fol. 46. Bishop of London Richard Gox Bishop of Ely and Iohn Hodskius Bishop of Bedford with Common prayers Communion a Sermon preached by Master Andrew Pierson the Archbishops Chaplein vpon this Text Matt. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in Heauen Ib. fol. 88. 5 B. Horne was consecrated Febr. 16. 1560. being the Sabboth day in the forenoone in the Chappell at Lambehith in all respects as the former by Matthew Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Bishop of Saint Dauids See also Annals of Q. Elizabeth Engl. Darcy pag. 32. Edmund Bishop of London Thomas B. of Couentry and Liechfield which I doe thus punctually relate that the world may be satisfied thorowly and wonder at the impudency of these forgers of lies and at the folly of their beleeuers Antiq. I doubted alwayes of that vnlikely tale of the Consecration of the Nags-head depending onely vpon the report of one sole witnesse Thomas Neal an obscure man and telling it in darkenesse and now I am fully resolued out of publicke Records by you alledged easie to be sought and scarched that it is vtterly false But if it be granted that all these Bishops mentioned in that tale were orderly consecrated by 3 Bishops at the least according to the Canons how may it appeare that those other Bishops which consecrated them were themselues true Bishops Shew me how your first Reforming Bishops as you call them which vpon the banishing of the Popes authority by K. H 8 consecrated the fallowing Bishops were consecrated themselues by lawfull Bishops their Predecessors and then you say something All this out of Mr. Mason lib. 2. cap. 7. Antiq. Brit. pag. 321 322. Act. Mon. Sect. 4. Antiquissimus Our first reformed Bishop was Thomas Cranmer who had beene sent before by King Henry to the Pope with other Ambassadours who deliuered to the Pope a booke of his own writing wherin he
proued by â—criptures Fathers and Councels that no mortall man had power to giue a dispensation for a man to marry hâ—s brothers wife and told the Pope they had brought also other learned men out of England which were ready by dispensation to maintaine it The Pope promised sundry times a day of disputation but after many delayes giuing them good entertainement he made Cranmer his â—enitentiary and dismissed them Then the rest returning Cranmer was sent by the Kings appointment Embassadour into Germany to the Emperour where hee drew many to his side and among the rest Cornelius Agrippa While hee was in Germany Archbishop Warhan dyed and the K. sent for Cranmer to make him Archbishop of Canterbury who delayed his returne partly for businesse and partly for conscience and feare that he should be vrged to receiue the Bishopricke as from the Popes Donation when the right or Donation was in the King As he plainely told the King after his comming home But yet the matter was so handled that both with the Kings and the popes consent Cranmer was made Archbishop There are many letters from the pope soâ—â— to the King some to Cranmer in fauour of Cranmer recorded in the Register of Cranmer fol. 1 2 3. and related in Master Masons Booke lib. 2. cap 6. Whereof one for his Consecration runnes thus Clement Bishop 〈◊〉 our welbeloued sonne Thomas elect of Canterbuty Weâ— grant he eâ—câ— to thee that thou mâ—â—st â—â—â—eiue the gift of Consecration of whatsoeuer Catholicke Prelate thou wilt so he enioy the fauor and communion of the Apostolicke See two or three Bishops enioying the like fauour and communion being sent for and assisting him in this businesse Dat. Bouon 1532. Pontificatus numeri decimo And he was accordingly consecrated March 30. 1533 24. H. 8. by three Bishops to his Lincolne John Exon Hâ—yâ—ry Assaph I hope there can be no quarrell picked against this Consecration The most busie-headed Iesuite of our times Robert Parsons acknowledgeth Cranmer a true Bishop in his three Conuersions part 3. pag. 340. Antiquus But did not Cranmer take the oath to the Bishop of Rome at his Consecration as his predcessors had done and afterwards brake it Sanders de schis lib. 1 cap. 58. Mason lib. 2. cap. 7. Ex Regist Cran. fol. 4. b. Antiquissimus Indeed your D. Sanders so slanders him as if he had taken it simply and absolutely which he did not but with a protestation often made and repeatâ—d plainly and publikely first in the Chapter-house secondly kneeling before the high Altar in the hearing of the Bishops and people at his consecration thirdly in the very same place and in the very same words when by Commission from the Pope they deliuered him the Pall. The summe of the protestation was this That hee intended not to binde himselfe to any thing which was contrary to the Law of God or contrary to the King or Common wealth of England or the Lawes and prerogatiues of the sâ—me nor to restraine his owne liberty to speake consult or consent in all and euery thing concerning the Reformation of Christian Religion the Gouernment of the Church of England and the prerogatâ—ue of the Crowne or the commodity of the Common-wealth And euery where to execute and reforme such things which he should thinke fit to be reformed in the Church of England And according to this interpretation and this sense and no otherwise he professed and protested that hee would take the oath Sect. 5. Antiquus Well I am satisfied for Cranmer What say you to the rest of that time for he alone could not consecrate Antiquissimus I say first the Bishops in King Henries time which had beene consecrated before the renouncing of the popes authority lost not their power of consecrating afterwards For their Character is indeleble and cannot bee nullified by schisme heresie or censure of the Church being a thing imprinted in the soule by God and not by Man as the Councels h Concil of Florence Trent cited by Bellar. De Sacram in genere lib. 2. cap. 19. and your owne Doctors i Bellarmine in the same chapter De Rom. pont lib. 4. c. 10. § Respondeo falsissimum esse in fine he saith Quis ignorat Catholicorum baptizatos ab Haereticis verè esse baptizatos similiter ordinatos vere esse ordinatos quando ordinator vere episcopus fuerat adhuc erat saltem quantum ad Characterem teach Secondly I say that by the Statutes made in the 25 yeare of King Henry 8 it was ordained that euery Bishop should be consecrated by three former Bishops and with all due ceremonies And this is acknowledged by your k De schis lib. 3 pag. 296. D. Sanders and was duly performed in all Consecrations as of Cranmer of Canterbury 1533. Lee of Liechfield 1534. Browne Archbishop of Dublin 1535. Wharton of Assaph 1536. Holgate of Landaffe 1537. Holbecke of Bristow 1537. Thurlby of Westminster 1540. Wakeman of Glocester 1541. Bucklsy of Bangor 1541. Bush of Bristow 1542. Kitchin of Landaffe 1545. Euery one consecrated by three Bishops at the least and with all due ceremonies So that of King Henries time both by the statute De jure and by Records De facto you may be fully resolued that according to your owne rules all were true Bishops that were consecrated either before or after the schisme as you call it nd so they were acknowledged that liued still in Queene Maries time they that had beene thus consecrated in King Henries time were acknowledged I say by all your Catholickes and by the Pope himselfe to be rightly consecrated neither needed they any new consecration as B. Bouer Bishop Thurlby and Cardinall Pole But Thurlby made Bishop of Westminster in King Henries time was translated to Norwich by King Edward and to Ely by Queene Mary and made of her priuy Councell And Anthony Kitchin made Bishop of Landaffa in King Henries time so continued in King Edward and Queene Maries time and till his death in the fift yeare of Queene Elizabeth without any new orders or consecration the first being sufficient and in all times vndoubted Also Reginal Poole Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Watson Dauid Pole Iohn Christoferson made Bishops in Queene Maries time deriued their Consecration from Bishops which were made in the time of the pretended schisme and some of them from Cranmer himselfe Now then if you allow them for Canonicall you must allow their consecrators also to be Canonicall Sect. 6. King Henries Bishops then being thus cleared come we to King Edwards time wherin the Bishops formerly made and then continuing are cleared also to bee truely Consecrated and the Priests also formerly made and continuing in King Edwards time must be acknowledged to be rightly ordered and therefore to be capable of consecration to be made Bishops as were Ridley Hooper Ferrar. These therefore being consecrated by three Bishops became true Canonicall Bishops and so were all throughout King
Kings and discharging their subiects of their alleagiance fidelity and obedience dissoluing gouernment and filling kingdomes with warres and miseries begunne by Hildebrand and still continued by his successors Obserue secondly out of the story of King Iohn Mat. Westmonast Flores loco quo supra pag. 95. K. Iamâ—s Remonstr p. 58. That this successor of Peter fished not for soules but for kingdomes euen with the destruction of millions of soules if your owne doctrine be true for he caused the whole land to be interdicted and so to continue six yeeres fourteene weekes and two dayes plaguing all this while the whole body of the land for the head the Kings offence a point of iniustice with a heauy spirituall plague for a light temporall offence a point of impiety For al this while the Church-dores through the whole kingdome were shut vp no belles stirred no prayers preaching Sacraments permitted Children kept vnbaptized bodies vnburied all people accursed liuing like heathens dying like dogs without instruction exhortation consolation and all that dye thus vnder the curse of the Interdict without some speciall indulgence or priuiledge are thought for euer damned and adiudged to eternall punishments as dying out of the communion of the Church Alas how many millions of soules did this Innocent the Pope wilfully send to hell in this large kingdome of England and Wales in this large time of aboue six yeeres for anothers offence for what could they doe or what offended they poore people if the King would not be ruled by the Pope Nay they offended the King also and incurred much danger and dammage by falling from their obedience for the Popes sake and yet are thus recompensed by him Are these the actions of the Vicar of Christ to saue soules or rather of Antichrist to destroy them Is this the kinde Father of the Church K. Iames ib. p. 257. But obserue further thirdly how these pretended successors of Saint Peter change their spirituall power into temporall for their worldly gaine and greatnesse and change Christs Kingdome which was not of this world into the winning and disposing of the kingdomes of this world and make the pennance of sinners the forfeiture of their estates Is this the satisfaction to be imposed vpon a sinner that of a Soueraigne and free Prince he must become vassall to his Ghostly Father and make himselfe and all his subiects tributary to a Bishop that shall rifle the whole Nation of their coyne and make them doe him homage Shall not a sinner be quitted of his faults except he be turned out of all his goods possessions inheritance and his Pastor be infeoffed in his whole estate Is this holinesse or is it not plaine tyranny and robbery It is plainely to heape robbery vpon fraud and tyranny vpon robbery and to change the sinners repentance into a snare or pitfâ—ll of coozening deceit And as the end is naught so the meanes is worse to bring it to passe by such subtill pranks and wicked deuices as not to sticke at setting a whole flourishing kingdome on fire by warres and seditions not to care what becomes of mens estates of their bodies liues or soules but bring them all to ruine so that the kingdome may be weakened and the King brought to so low a degree of misery that hee may be easily lifted out of his estate and the kingdome seized vpon Of King Henry the thirds reygne See before booke 1. cap. 6. sect 14. Reade also Math Paris Math. Westminster in Henr. 3. B. Carlton of Iurisdiction exhausted of treasure and scourged of his subiects by the Popes most intollerable exactions which caused the people to wish rather to dye than to liue to endure them I haue spoken something already and can say much more §. 12. Antiq. This is enough for me and for this matter more than enough But it may be in these latter times of greater light and opposition the Popes haue beene more moderate and become more like to their first Ancestors Antiquis Neuer a whit See before Booke 1. cap. 5. §. 3. consider 6. haue I not told you before of K. Henry 8. who though he continued the Popes religion entire yet for reiecting his iurisdiction was condemned by the Pope excommâ—nicated pronounced no King his subiects commanded to deny subiection to him and all men to take armes against him c. The like course the Pope hath runne agaynst our late most excellent Princes Queene Elizabeth and King Iames. For I will passe by the mischiefes done in other Countries and the murders of the two last Kings of France the troubles of our owne kingdome will hold me long enough Camden Annal. Elizab. p. 27. By the happy abolishing of the Popes authority by Queene Elizabeth England became the most free of all Countries in the world the Scepter being as it were manumitted from forraign seruitude and a great masse of mony kept at home which formerly was exhausted and yeerely and daily carried to Rome for first fruits Indulgences Appeales Dispensations Palles and such other things so that the land grew much more rich than in former ages The Popes could not be insensible of their losse this way besides all other and conceiuing some hopes of recouery by encouraging persons discontented with this mutation B. Car ton thankfull remembrance pag 13 See the Bull of Pius 5. in Camdens Annals pag. 183. in the eleuenth yeere of her reigne Pope Pius the fifth excommunicated her deposed her by his Bull dated anno 1569. quinto Calend. Mart. thereby also absoluing her subiects from their oath of alleagiance and from all other offices and duties accursing all that did obey her This was done to procure a strong party in England to ioyne with the Pope and Spaniard in their designe for the inuasion and conquering of England when their forces should bee ready Camden ib. pag. For the Papists in the Land were so strangely perswaded and bewitched as to admire with astonishment a certaine omnipotency in the Pope and that his Bulles were dictated by the holy Ghost and that they in executing them and in murdering their Princes should doe meritorious acts very acceptable to God and dying therein should become glorious Martyrs and haue higher places in heauen than other men See Camden Annales Elizabethae p. 315. p. 348. in fine anni 1581. To gayne more people of all sorts Noble Gentle inferiours to their faction and to gull them with such false opinions the Pope out of his Seminaries at Rome and Rhemes sent out yeerely a number of Priests disguised into England to grope and peruert the hearts of men secretly and wickedly telling them that the Pope had supreme power ouer the whole world yea euen in politike affayres that such as were not of the Roman Religion were to be depriued of all regall power and dignity that it was lawfull yea and a meritorious work to depose Princes excommunicated by the Pope that the
8. pag. 815. And with other Lawes Constitutions Councels and Ordinances he playeth fast and loose as he list Take for example that which is written in the end of the history of the Councell of Trent When much debating had beene betweene the Pope and the Cardinals whether his Holinesse should confirme the Councell or no because through the importunity of Princes and some learned Diuines many Decrees had passed for reformat on of diuers things whereby the dignity and profits of the Papacy and Court of Rome would bee much impaired at last Cardinall Amulius told the pope Since he could not possibly auoyd the calling and celebrating of the Councell so much desired by the clamour of the world he must now either quickly confirme it to satisfie the world or else Princes and States would vse other meanes by nationall Councells or by another generall Councell to satisfie themselues But now by confirming all and giuing as much quicke execution as was possible the pope might stay and quiet the humour of the world for the present and afterwards by vnsensible and vnresistable degrees by his dispensations he might bring all to the same estate wherein it was before without seeming to violate the decrees of the Councell and this policy tooke effect and so both frustrate the good reformation entended by the Decrees and also gulled the world and all the Princes and Prelates paines and turned all to the profit of the Pope his Court and Cardinalls Whereby it plainly appeares The popes faction aymeth not at the good of the Church or Christian Common-wealthes but onely at their owne wealth and greatnesse and hereby appeares also the great power and iniquity of the Popes dispensations Antiquus Whatsoeuer they aime at I am resolued that many of these things cannot be of God they are certainly the faults of men and abuses practised vnder colour of Religion I cannot I will not defend them But I doe much wonder how not being of God they should be so generally receiued beleeued to be of God and so long continued and not rather long since driuen out of the world by Princes and People Antiquissimus Sir if ye knew and considered the policies and power which haue been vsed to bring them in and maintaine them your wonder would cease Antiquus I pray you make me acquainted with them Antiquissimus Some of the principall and most obuious I will but my wit cannot sound the bottomlesse depth of the Mystery of Iniquity Antiquus A taste thereof shall content me CHAP. 6. Of policies to maintaine the Popes Princedome and Wealth 1 Depriuing men of the light of the Scriptures And 2 of their ordinary preachings and setting vp ambulatery Monkes and Pryars to preach without controule of Church Ministers and Officers 3 Schoolemens too much subtilty and Philosophy darkning and corrupting Diuinity 4 Iesuites their originall noted their Seminaries their Emissions faculties insinuations and imploiments 5 Cardinals 6 Prouision for men and women of all sorts by Monasteries c. 7 Auricular confession 8 Other policies to gather wealth 9 Purgatory a rich thing 10 So are Indulgences or Pardons 11 Jubilies 12 Corruptions of doctrine touching merits and Justification c. 13 Things hallowed by the Pope 14 Extraordinary exactions §. 1. THe Popes principall meanes to make the people his owne were 1 to keepe the Diuine Scriptures from them by which else they might discerne his vniustifiable policies Psal 119.105 and 19.7 8. For Gods Word is the light and lanthorne of Christians which S. Paul would haue to dwell plentifully among them Col. 3.16 and S. Peter would haue Babes in Christ to desire the sincere milke of the Word that they may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 which is able to make them wise in the points of faith 2 Tim. 3.15 and perfectly furnished vnto all good workes verse 17. Chrysost serm 2. de Lazaro S. Chrysostome as doe many other Fathers also exhorts all people Lay-men especially Tradesmen Carpenters c. to get them Bibles more carefully then any other tooles of their occupation and the more they dealt in the world and met with temptations il examples and occasions of sinne so much more carefully to reade the Scriptures for direction and armour against them Christ himselfe commandeth Search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 and saith Matth. 22.29 Doe ye not erre not knowing the Scriptures So that herein They are Anti-Pauls and Peters Anti-chrysostomes and Anti-Christs that teach and practise the contrary Matth. 5 15. hiding the light of Gods Word vnder their Latin bushels from the vnlatined people in Gods house yea and from the Latined too vnder great penalties except they be licenced Surely as this is a meanes to obscure the truth and lead men as Captiues blind-fold whether they list * 2 Tim. 2.26 so it is a signe they loue not the truth but are euill men and hate the light lest their deeds should be reproued Ioh. 3.20 §. 2. But it was not sufficient to take from men the true light except there be added also a false light to misguide them for mens mindes being naturally desirous of knowledge and giuen to deuotion must haue that hunger satisfied and quieted either by truth or appearance Their second policy was therefore 2 To put downe the ordinary Pastors and Preachers or to take a course that they are discouraged disabled grow vnlearned and vnfit to preach and set vp others For Saint Paul appointed Bishops to ordaine Presbyters * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tit. 1.5 in euery City and Towne to wit such as dwell among the people might best know the wants sinnes capacities of their owne people See Tit. 5 6 7 c. 1 Tim 3.2 c. and 5.22 Acts 20.17 18. and apply their teaching the best way to informe reforme and winne them and such as being fixed in their places might best be called to account by the Bishop either for life or doctrine This was Gods excellent meanes to preserue sound doctrine and sincere holy liues of Ministers But when the Popes ambition and couetousnesse grew so great that they were not content with Christs heauenly Kingdome but would super-adde vnto it an earthly kingdome and make of Christs militant Church and Church triumphant vpon earth a visible Church Monarchy as Doctor Sanders entitles it ouer-topping all other Kingdomes of ciuill Princes Kings and Emperours and draw out of all Countries the Wealth and Treasure of the world to maintaine it Then the Ministers and Preachers of Christs ordaining would not serue their turne but would rather oppose And therefore it was the popes best policy to disgrace and disable them and to finde out and set vp others fitter for their purpose to preach in all places of the world by the authority and priuiledge of the Popes onely and wholly exempted from the Bishops iurisdictions and from all controule of other Ministers or Officers whatsoeuer So that these new Preachers meerely depending vpon the pope and maintained by