the keyes committed to them In all which their authority giuen vnto them from Christ hée confesseth plainely 2. Cor. 10.4 That the weapons of their warfare are not carnall but mighty through God that is spirituall Which words doo demonstrate that by their ecclesiasticall ministerie they haue cléerely no ciuill authoritie committed to them And moreouer it is manifest by the practise of the Apostles and all their precepts commaunding all Christians to obay their Rulers their Kinges and Princes yea though they were persecutors that the Apostles neuer had any such authoritie committed to them Rom. 13.1.2.3.4 1. Pet. 2.13 Tit. 3.1 And therefore it is vndoubtedly true that the Pope of Rome cannot claime it by any such authoritie Againe the Bishop of Rome can claime no more authoritie by the power of the keies or of binding and loosing than any other Bishop elsewhere may doo for the keyes that is to say the power of opening and shutting and of binding and loosing Iohn 20.22.23 were giuen to all the rest of the Apostles as well as to Peter And consequently for any Minister of the Gospell thereby to claimâ— authoritie aboue another is absurd For they bée all indifferently ioined in one commission and therefore haue al equall authoritie therefore the Bishop of Rome by vertue of the keies hath no more authority than any other Bishop hath That is to say none at all to depose Princes their duetie is rather to practise obedience themselues to them and to teach the same obedience to others as the Apostles of Christ did Yea Christ himselfe said his kingdome was not of this world Ioh. 18.36 Himself likewise refused to bée made a king Ioh. 6.15 Himselfe paid tribute vnto Caesar and commaunded others to giue the same and all other dueties of subiection and obedience vnto Caesar Math. 22.21 If hée were subiect to Caesar it is a shame for the Bishop of Rome to exalt himselfe aboue Caesar. But perchaunce the Bishop of Rome will challenge this his Soueraigne Authoritie ouer Princes by donation from Constantine or some other Christian Emperour Indéede such Fables sometimes hée is not ashamed to vtter but let it bée the strongest way for him if you will that some Christian Emperour was so foolish as to giue him his Empyre which is neither likely nor credible yet sâ—y I it was neither lawfull nor tollerable for him to take it if hee will bée a Minister of the Gospell or a Successour of the Apostles For Christ hath expressely forbidden his Apostles and in them all the Ministers of his Gospell all such dominion and ciuill iurisdiction saying thus vnto them The Kings of Nations raigne ouer them and they that be great amongst them beare rule or dominion But it shall not bee so with you Matthew 20 25.26 Marke 10.42.45 Luke 22.25 and 26. verses Which wordes bée most prohibitorie and shewe that they may not raigne like kings of Nations nor beare rule as great men in those Nations doo But they must serue in the Church and bée diligent to discharge that great charge in the Church which their Master Christ Iesus hath laide vppon them And therefore euery way the Pope of Rome hath no title but is herein an vsurper and an intruder and a notorious and odious Traitor both to God and Princes And besides all the auntient Churches haue affirmed and acknowledged the supreame authoritie of Princes aboue and ouer all both Priests and people And therefore saith Tertullian Colimus Imperatorem vt hominem à Deo secundum solo Deo minorem VVe honour the Emperour as the next man to God and inferiour to God onelie And againe hée saith that Princes are A Deo secundi post cum primi ante omnes super omnes The second to God the first next after God and before and ouer all men Optatus in like sort saith Super Imperatorem non est nisi solus Deus qui fecit Imperatorem There is none aboue the Emperour but God onelie which made the Emperour And Chrysostome saith Parem vllum super terram non habetâ— He hath no equall on earth And Gregory Bishop of Rome himselfelf affirmeth That power is giuen to Princes from heauen not onely ouer souldiers but priests And therefore I conclude that the Church of Rome which now is is not the Church which once it was but is wonderfully fallen into corruption and growne into pride both against God and his annointed Prince and consequently not onely may erre but dooth erre and that most detestably and abhominably in the highest degrée The Bishop of Rome dooth further holde that hee hath authoritie from God to forgiue sinnes therevpon hee sendeth foorth his Charters of pardon his Buls and Indulgences to such as hée meaneth to assoyle The Scribes in the Gospell could say None can forgiue sinnes but God Mar. 2.7 Iob 14.4 Esay 43.25 If therefore the Pope of Rome will take vpon him to forgiue sinnes in that sort hée dooth hée must proue himselfe to bée God otherwise his actions will not bée warranted how often in the Scriptures is it said of God that hée forgiueth iniquity and transgressions ascribing that authority only to God and to no other I néed not recite any particular places the whole booke of God is plentifull héerein I doo not denie but Ministers of the Gospell haue power to binde and to loose sinners as Christ himselfe sheweth Math. 16. but how and whome They can neither iustifie the vnrighteous whom God abhorreth nor yet condemn the godly and faithfull whome God dearely loueth In as much therefore as they cannot pardon such as God condemneth nor yet condemn such whom God acquiteth Rom. 8.33.34 it is manifest that al their power of binding and loosing sinners is limited and bounded within the compasse of Gods word which they may not passe for if they doo they goe beyond their warrant and so all that they doo will bée of no force The incredulous and obstinately wicked persons they may by warrant of Gods word pronounce condemnation against except they doo repent and to the assuredly faithfull repentant and godly persons whose centinuall care is to please God and walke in his waies they may pronounce the sentence of vndoubted and certaine saluation because the worde of God doth affirme as much and this all the binding and loosing of sinners which they haue For in all their pronunciations of pardons and forgiuenesse of sinnes they must bée sure they speak not in their own names nor their owne wils and pleasures but they must doo it in the name of God béeing first assured that it is his word will pleasure which they vtter But the Bishop of Rome obserueth not the rule of Gods word to sqare measure his pardoÌ„ by but pardoneth whom he lift as hee list as if he were a God himselfe hauing absolute power in himselfe without respect of Gods word or will to doo what he list Insomuch as Traitors rebels against God
continuall intercession cannot possiblie be the true Church 6 The Papists in words will not denie but Christ is a King which hath all power in heauen and in earth But indéed it appeareth they doe exile and banish him out of his kingdome or at least leaue him but a small portion or rather none at all for in respect that hee is a spirituall King and the King of his Church he is also as Saint Iames speaketh the only law giuer thereunto and therefore-by his lawes only the Church is to be gouerned which they cannot abide for they adde their Popish cannons constitutions and customes whereby they will haue the Church gouerned yea they wil haue these take place though they vtterly displace the word of God for the maintenance of them Secondly Christ onely is to raigne in the consciences of men and yet the Pope claimeth power to binde mens consciences by his lawes statutes and decrees Thirdly hee claimeth most traiterously to be the head of the whole vniuersall Church which title by way of prerogatiue is giuen and attributed onely to Iesus Christ to whome it onely appertaineth But before I procéed anye further herein I demaund of the Pope and Papists when by what right he their proud Pope taketh vp on him this title to be head of the Church or vniuersall Bishop ouer all the Christian world by vertue of which title he taketh vpon him to rule as he list to doe what he list First to claime it as successor to Peter is impossible for that Peter the Apostle neuer had any such title prehemince or authoritie ouer the rest of the Apostles It is true that Christ sayd to Peter after hée had confessed Christ to be that Christ the sonn of the liuing God Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church These wordes hitherto giue no superioritie to Peter aboue the rest only they shew that the Church is builded non super Petrum sed super Petram not vpon the person of Peter but vpon the rocke and vpon what rocke namely vppon that Christ Jesus whom Peter confesseth to bée the sonne of the liuing God For that confession of Peter concerning Iesus to bée that Christ the sonne of the liuing God is the rocke whereupon the Church is builded for as Saint Paull expoundeth and affirmeth Other foundations can no man lay but that which is laid already namely Iesus Christ And in another place hée saith expressely that that rocke was Christ And Christ himselfe affirmeth likewise that he that heareth his wordes and doth them is likened to one that buildeth his house vpon a rocke shewing thereby that he and his words Doctrine be the rocke against which the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile Agreeably whereunto speaketh Saint Paull againe when hee saieth that the Church is builded vppon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ Iesus himselfe beeing the head stone in the corner Where then shall wee finde that Peter was made Prince of the Apostles to rule ouer all the rest as the Pope now doth The Papists answeare that in the next wordes when Christ gaue vnto Peter by speaciall name the keyes of binding loosing he thereby made Peter the Pâ—ince vniuersall Bishop of the whole Church But hereunto I say that Christ therein gaue no authoritye more to Peter than to the rest that is at this time The keyes were not giuen to him nor to the rest only there was a promise that they should be giuen for the wordes be not in the present tense Do tibi I giue vnto thee But in the future tense Dabo tibi I will giue vnto thee which promise of Christ was afterward truely performed and when it was performed the keyes that is the power of binding and loosing sinners was giuen not onely to Peter but to Peter and all the rest together as Saint Iohn in his Gospell cléerely declareth and avoucheth Now because Peter was the man that gaue answeare for himselfe and the rest and so both Cyprian and Augustine doe expound and declare it And therefore neither in the promise of the keyes nor yet in the receit of the keyes by Peter did he receaue any more authoritie or superioritye than the rest of the Apostles did I grant he was called Primus because he was of the first that was called to the Apostleship or because hee was the first of all the Apostles that confessed Christ to be the Messias and Sonne of the liuing God or because hée was readiest alwaies to speake and answere But all this doth not proue that hee had authoritie ouer the rest or a larger Commission than the rest Yea the words of their Commission doe shew the contrarie namely that they had all equall authoritie for it was thus made vnto them all indifferently without putting a difference namely Goe ye and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you Math. 28.19.20 Runne ouer all that remaineth written and you shall finde that Peter was one of the twelue equall with the rest and their fellow but not their Lord Where was Peters superiority when Paul reprooued him to his fate Gallathians the second Chapter and the eleauenth verse when béeing accused hée pleadeth no priuiledge but for the clearing of himselfe and satisfaction of others hée aunswereth to that accusation Where was Peters authority ouer the rest when the rest sent him and Iohn into Samaria Acts the eleauenth Chapter the third and fourth verses and also in Acts the eighth Chapter and the fourtéenth verse In that hée went at their sending hée plainely sheweth that hée had no principalitie ouer them Where was his preheminence or authority when in a Councell held at Ierusalem where the Apostles were yet not Peter but Iames ruled the action and according to his sentence was the Decrée made Luke 22.25.26 c. Yea I say moreouer that when there was contention amongst the Apostles who should bée chiefe amongst the Christ told them plainely that kings of Nations might beare rule ouer their people and that great men vnder those kinges might likewise exercise authoritie ouer other but so might not they doe one ouer another Luke 25.26 c. But the greatest amongst them should be as the least as a seruant yea should bee the least and should be a seruant as it is declared in Matthew 20.25 26 and in Marke 10.42 43. If the greatest must be as the least what authoritie hath hée aboue the least For then hath the least as great authoritie as the greatest That is they bene all equall authoritie I meruaile therefore what the Pope and Papists meane contrary to the tenour of the Commission of Christ contrary to the practise of Peter himselfe and contrary to this decrée made by Christ of their equallity to say notwithstanding that Peter
had a beginning as all the excellent Philosophers that euer were haue agréeed except Aristotle for a time who helde a fancie that this world had no beginning but was from all eternity but at last in his old age he confessed and held the contrary in his booke de mundo which hee wrote to King Alexander which booke Iustin Martyr estéemed greatly and called it the Epitome of all Aristotles true Philosophy This then being so that the worlde had a beginning it must néeds follow that it had an efficient cause or maker thereof I demaund then who it was that made it If you say it made it selfe it is absurd for how could it make it selfe before it selfe was and when it had no being at all If you say that something within the worlde made the world that is thaâ— some one part of the worlde made the whole that is more absurd for it is as much as if a man should say that the finger and this before it was a finger or part of the bodie did make the whole bodie Wherefore it may bee confessed by force of this argument which is plainely demonstratiue that a greater and more excellent thing than is the whole world put togeather yea that some thing which was before heauen and earth were made was and must needes be the maker thereof and framer of this worlde and this can be nothing else but God the Creator of all things who was before all his Creatures and is termed in the sacred writings Alpha and Omega the first and the last For that hee onely was without beginning himselfe and shall be and remaine without ending For he is eternall being the Primus Motor and the onely Almightie Creator of all thinges So true is it which Paul the Apostle doth testifie when he saith that the inuisible things of God that is his eternall power and diuine Essence are perfectly seene in the creation of the world being perceiued by his workes which he hath made If therefore men would but cast vp their eyes to heauen and from thence looke downe againe vppon the earth and so beholde the excellent beauty and building of this worlde he cannot be so sottish or dull conceited but hee must knowe there was and is a God which was the maker of them and be moâ—ued in some sort to glorifie so incomparable and excellent a Creator Yea the Poets and others haue affirmed of God that he is Pater hominum the Father of men to show that men haue their originall and creation from him so that if we should draw our eyes from the beholding of the great world and consider but Man who for his beauty excellencie is called in Greeke Michocosmos the litle world still we shall be enforced to acknowledge God the Author of vs the Father and Creator of vs. So true is it that which Paul the Apostle noteth out of the Poet Aratus which saith that Eius progenies sumus We are the issue or offspring of God And as true it is which he further saith in that place that in him we liue moue and haue our being And therfore we owe all duetifull obedience and subiection vnto him which duety and nature commands vs to performe in regard of our Creation For the sonne honoureth his father by naturall duety and all men are naturally carried to be gratefull to their founders to whom they are specially bound and whom they ought not to forget neither will except they be extreame vnthankefull and dissolute 3 Not onely the Creation of the worlde and of all things therein contained doth proclaim that there is a God who is to be honoured for his infinite extended authoritie and almighty power for he made all things of nothing onely he spake the word and they were created but his daily blessinges and benefites sent downe vppon the earth doe show also there is a God which is prouident and hath care of men and therefore of men to be praised thanked and glorified for euer For true it is which saint Paul saith in this behalfe that God left not himselfe without witnes when he bestowed benefits from heauen giuing vnto vs raine and seasonable weather and filling our harts with meate and gladnes By meanes of these and all other his blessings men might and still may daily be induced not only to beléeue that there is a God from whome they receiue all these but also to acknowledge and attribute all praise and thankesgiuing vnto him as to their first principall and speciall benefactor For the Oxe doth know his owne and the Asse his Master féeder and maintainer And therefore how can it bee but reasonable men should much more knowe God not onely their first founder and Creator but their daily féeder preseruer kéeper and vpholder For so ofâ— as they thinke vpon these thinges and sée and haue them they cannot choose but bee put in minde of God the sender and Author of them all and be mooued with a gratefull minde towards him And hereof is it that hee is called Deus à dando Of giuing And in english wee call God quasi good because hee is onely and perfectly good of himselfe alone and the giuer of all goodnes and of all good gifts and blessings vnto others from whom as from the fountaine al benefits whatsoeuer do come descend ffow and be deriued vnto them 4 I might heere shew how God is also knowen to the world by his iudgements vpon wicked and vnrighteous people who diuers times hee maketh visible examples of his seueritie and iustice if men did well consider them for heereby also hath God ministred himselfe as Paule the Apostle teacheth These promises I trust may suffice if there were no more to bee said for by them we may easily sée and prooue that there is a God which created the world and all things therein which preserueth vpholdeth the same with his mightie puissaunce which supporteth the earth and all the creatures thereof with his prouidence and helping hand yea behind the heauens and the earth which are the worke of his hands Euery mans owne conscience doth plentifully teach as I said before that there is a God which is to bee feared For howsoeuer many a man that hath spent his life in a wicked way and most damnablâ— course could wish in his heart there were no God because hee seeth God no otherwise than in his vengeaunce yea howsâ—euer many a wicked person doth ssooth himselfe in his wickednes and flatteringlie say vnto himselfe like the foole in the Psalmes There is no God yet at other times his own conscience wil so prouoke him and enforce this matter that there is a God that with the horror and dread of him it will make him quake feare and tremble for the feare of him is so deepely printed in the natures of all men as that it is impossible to shake it off And which is more a kinde of deuotion to worship him
haue erred or may erre then they yéeld their cause in this behalfe I wish they would for their owne sakes for false Iesuits Seminaries doo but deceaue themselues others to their owne confusion in this world and except they repent in the world to come That generall Counsels may erre is manifest by Augustine who plainly teacheth that only the Scriptures cannot erre al other writers may erre Prouinciall Counsels may erre lastly hée saith Concilia quae fiunt ex vniuerso orbe Christiano priora posterioribus sape emendari cum aliquo experimento rerum aperitur quod clausum erat cognoscitur quod latebat That generall Councels which are gathered of all the Christian worlde are often corrected the former by the latter when by any triall of things that is opened which was shut and that is knowen which was hidden A generall Councell may be corrected saith Augustine Ergo it may erre And therfore Augustine speaketh plainly to Maximinian the Bishop of the Arrians Neither ought I to alledge the Councel of Nice nor thou the Councel of Arrimine to take aduantage thereby for neither am I bound nor held by the authoritie of this nor thou of that Set matter with matter cause with cause or reason with reason trie the matter by the authoritie of Scriptures not proper witnesses to any of vs but indifferent witnesses to vs both In the time of Constantine that Christian Emperour was the first and last Counsell of Nice wherin according to our Créede was decréed that Christ was God as well as man In the time of Constantius Constantinus sonne fauouring the errour of the Arrians it was decréed in the Counsell of Arimine that Christ was not God but onely man This Counsell of Arimine did erre and that grosely in a matter of faith Ergo it is palpable that a generall Counsel may erre euen in matters of faith Againe generall Counsels haue béene contrary one to the other and that in matters of faith as the Counsell of Constantinople condemned the setting vp of Images in the Church and the Counsell of Nice afterward allowed Images One of their being contrary must néeds be errours Ergo A generall Counsell may erre The generall Counsell confesseth of it selfe that it may erre For the whole Counsell prayeth in the end of a generall Counsell in a set forme of praier that iâ— appointed to bée saide after euery Counsell namely that God would Ignorantiae ipsorum parcere errori indulgere Spare their ignorance and pardon their errour Ergo a generall Counsell may erre The Pope of Rome whom the Papists holde for head of their Church may erre Ergo their whole Church may erre Augustine proueth it erres Beatae memoria Innocentius Papa sine baptismo Christi sine participatione corporis sanguinis Christi vitam non babere paruulos docet Behold Pope Innocentius of blessed memory doth teach that yong childreÌ„ cannot be saued except they receiue the baptisme of Christ and also the communion of the body and blood of Christ. But this is taxed for an errour Ergo the Pope of Rome can erre and consequently the whole Church vnder him except perchaunce members haue a priuiledge aboue the head But what shall I néed to stand hereupon their owne Cannon law as is euident in the decrées doth say expressely that if the Pope bee found negligent of his owne and his brethrens saluation yea thogh he lead innumerable people by heaps to the deuill of hell no mortall man may presume to reproue him because he himselfe béeing to iudge all is to bée iudged of none nisi deprehendatur a fide deuius except he be found erring from the faith wherby it appeareth that they thought hee might erre in matters of faith or else that exception was put in in vaine But the Pope is no other than a man as also all the members of his Church bée and humanum est errare all men are subiect to errour Let euery man take héed how he trusteth the Pope or any man mortall for it is written Iere. 17. Maledictus homo qui in homine confidit Cursed is that man that putteth his trust in man And why because as the kingly Prophet Dauid saith Psa. 116. All men are liers in their wordes and sinners in their works But when the doctrine of that man of Rome and of his Church is in diuers things clâ—ane contrary to the expresse word of God who can denie but it is an apparant erring Church As when it stablished ignorance to bée the mother of deuotion which Christ calleth the mother of errour saying Yee erre not knowing the Scriptures Math. 22. â—9 Who can chuse but think that it hath no good meaning in it but purposed onely to build vy the pride of the Pope of his Cardinals Bishoppes Priests Monkes and other their ecclesiasticall men Christ biddeth the people to search the Scriptures Iohn 5 39. â—â—is Antichrist forbiddeth them saying it is perâ—lous it causeth schismes sectes and heresies as though they were wiser than Christ. Againe the Apostle Paule commandeth That the word of God should dwell plenteously in the people whereby they might teach themselues Collos. 3.16 But the Pope of Rome and his Church alloweth not plentifâ—l knowledge of the word in them yea ignorance is the knowledge that hee would desire them to haue Who would not iustly suspect such a Church such a Religion yea condemne it when to maintaine and continue their Church in errours they would haue none of the people to search any scriptures whereby they might bée discouered Thus the sillie Papistes whom I pittie are lead like blind men they knowe not whither and with their implicita fides which is to beléeue for their part they know not what are lamentably seduced It is good themselues should sée know what they beléeue and that their faith and beléefe be right least at last they be through euer much trust of their teachers extremely deceiued The people of Berca were highly commended and it is noted to their praise that they searched the scriptures to sée whether those thinges were true or no which Paule himselfe teached Acts 17. For whosoeuer he bee yea though it were an Angell from heauen if hée teach matters contrary to the doctrine of the holy canonical scriptures we are to held him accursed yea and accursed againe as the Apostle of Christ Iesus S. Paule commandeth Gal. 1.8.9 Againe the Church of Rome when it taught and holdeth that the Scriptures were to bee made vnto the people or congregation in an vnknowne tongue what were the people the wiser Saint Paule would haue all thinges owne to ediffyng in the Church For sayth Saint Paeule Is qui supplet locum indoctiquomodo dicturus est Amen ad tuam gratiarum actionem quaâ— do quidem quid dicas nescit How shall hee that supplyeth the place of an vnlearned man saye Amen to thy thankes giuing when hee vnderstandeth not what thou