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B13579 A suruey of the apostasy of Marcus Antonius de Dominis, sometyme Arch-bishop of Spalato. / Drawne out his owne booke, and written in Latin, by Fidelis Annosus, Verementanus Druinus, deuine: and translated into English by A. M.; Survey of the apostasy of Marcus Antonius de Dominis, sometyme Arch-bishop of Spalato Floyd, John, 1572-1649.; Hawkins, Henry, 1571?-1646.; De Dominis, Marco Antonio, 1560-1624. Archiepiscopus Spalatensis, suæ profectionis consilium exponit. Selections. 1617 (1617) STC 11116; ESTC S117494 69,215 152

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vnsauory and contemptible what wonder though as salt without sauour you were cast forth vnto the dung-hill 45. The second difference betweene the King and the Pope deuised by you is that the Pope is the brother and colleague of Bishops but the King is second after God inferiour to God only By the first because the Pope is the brother of Bishops you inferre that the Pope may be rebuked by his fellow bishops And your inference is good if the Pope giue iust cause if the correction be giuen with due modesty in due time place and manner that it may be for the good both of the Pope the Church By the other because the King is second to God you gather that no man may rebuke him but God only and the Prophets that are stirred vp by God sent purposely for that end You be then of this mind that the dignity of a King which is to be next vnto God doth make him not to be the sonne of the Church nor the brother of Christians For if his being supreme after God in temporalls hinder not but that in spirituall things he is the sonne of the Church why may he not be rebuked by his Mother If he be the brother of Christiās the brother of the Children of the Church why may not they warne him of his faults freely yet with modesty with prudency and with Charity Hebr. 12. vers 7.8 The Apostle saith What son is it whom the Father doth not correct If you be not vnder discipline and correction you be not sonnes but bastards You can neuer exempt the King from being vnder the discipline and correction of Bishops except you put him from the number of the children of the Church 46. But take heed you do not this not because therein you should contradict the ancient Fathers for to do that you would not greatly care but for feare least you offend his gratious Maiesty of Great Brittany whome by this flattering diuinity you endeuour to sooth For William Tooker Deane of Lich-field in his booke called Duellum aduersus Martinum Becanum in the 34. page thereof hath these words Our most gracious and potent King Iames doth accompt nothing more glorious and more honorable for him then with Valentinian to professe himselfe the sonne of the Church and with Theodoricus King of Italy most willingly to acknowledge himselfe the pupill of the Church and the disciple of his Arch-bishops and Bishops Marke me Antony Either you deny the King to be the sonne of the Church or you grant it If you deny it you take from the King the title which if we beleeue Maister Tooker most and aboue all other he esteemeth If you grant the King to be the sonne of the Church and yet will exempt him from being vnder her discipline you make him if we beleeue S. Paul not a lawfully begotten sonne but adulterous Which way so euer you turne your selfe you are in bryars you both dispute impertinently and flatter foolishly 47. The third difference you put between the Pope and the King is that it is not for Prophets to meddle with the Pope but to reprehend Kings God himselfe appoints speciall messengers and Prophets This difference you proue by the example of Dauid who when he was to be rebuked for murder and adultery no man no not the High-priest himselfe durst attempt it because Dauid being King was inferiour to God only Heere you suppose things that are false yet were your false supposalls granted you yet your argument is naught First it is false that Dauid was to be rebuked for adultery and murder Dauid sinned closely he cunningly made away with Vrias by the sworde of his enemyes This his wickednes mortall men could hardly know much lesse could they reproue him for it Secondly it is false that the high-priest durst not reprehend Dauid because he was a King next vnto God He rebuked him not because he knew not that he was worthy of rebuke for had he knowne it why might he not haue dared to do that to Dauid 2. Paral. cap. 26. which Azarias High-priest did to King Ozias whome after sharpe reprehensions he turned out of the Temple And how vaine your discourse is though your premisses were solide hence may it appeare that by the same kind of argument I will easily proue that the Pope may not be rebuked but by some Prophet and speciall messenger sent for that purpose from God For God to reprehend the High-priest hath sent speciall messengers 1. Reg. cap. 2. 3. When Hely the High-priest out of fond affection and indulgence towards his sonnes permitted them to staine the worship of God with most heynous and scandalous sinnes and so deserued to be rebuked and soundly tould of his fault yet none of the Priests nor of the Leuites nor of his friends and familiars durst that we read of rebuke him for it but God sent singular Prophets and speciall Heraldes for that purpose Therfore the high Priest may not be rebuked but of Prophets by singular commission from God This argument is much stronger then yours is yet if I should seriously bring it as placing any force therein I were a foole But you that would haue earthly power preferred before the heauenly what wonder though your arguments in this behalfe be earthly The eight Gulfe Fond and idle Talking YOvv write in the 28. page that you heare a voice which doth thunder still in your eares and say vnto you Cry You follow the instinct of this voice In cap. 22. Isa you do as Heretikes vse to do whose doctrine saith S. Hierome consistes not in knowledge but in clamors and in idle multiplicity of words without sense You powre forth words and make a noise wherewith you beate the ayre and touch no body yea sometimes you strike your selfe with one sentence destroying what in another you had set vp Examples in both kinds of this fond talking are very plentifull in your booke I shall gather you a few 49. In the 35. page being now Gouernour of the Vniuersal Church created by your owne authority you very grauely exhort and rebuke the Bishop of Rome and other Catholike Bishops in this māner Articles in themselues indifferent that were neuer yet in the Church sufficiētly discussed established or defined let vs not admit as articles of fayth except they be first sufficiently defined to the full or be shewed to be sufficiently already defined Let vs not also condemne any for Heretikes except it be first cleare that they haue been formerly or now are sufficiently condemned by the Church In things indifferent then let free scope be left to euery one to thinke and practise as they please let euery one abound in their owne sense till the Church taught and gouerned by the spirit of Christ shall make an end of Controuersies and separate the true chaffe from the true grayne Thus you talke And to what end are so many wordes cast into the wind Whome
is without any proofe that they put themselues into the busines of visitation of Churches vpon their owne head and authority 36. Theodoret writeth that Lucifer Bishop of Calaris Eusebius Bishop of Vercells went about visiting the Churches of the East Lib. 3. c. 4. and namely the Churches of Antioch and Alexandria to see whether the Decrees of the Nicen Councell were kept That Lucifer at Antioch ordayned Paulinus Bishop that Eusebius at Alexandria togeather with Athanasius called a Councell to which Lucifer sent a Deacon by whome he signified that he would agree to the things that that Councell should ordayne These things you thinke that those two Bishops but of meane Seas did performe by their owne proper authority that you haue sufficient authority of your selfe to do the like when and whersoeuer you shal iudge it expedient Lib. 6. aduersus Iulian I may with reason exclayme with S. Augustine What dares not the pride of rotten flesh presume You should Antony haue known what S. Gregory Nazianzen writeth Monod in S. Basil that Eusebius Bishop of Vercells and Lucifer of Calaris were sent ex vrbe Româ from the Citty of Rome into the East particularly to appease a sedition and tumult at Cesaraea De viris illustribus in Lucifero and that which S. Hierome left recorded of Lucifer that he was sent Legat into the East to Constantius Emperour from Liberius the Roman Bishop Whence you may gather that by power delegated to them from the Roman Bishop they were able to commaund the East and ordaine such great affaires and not by their owne proper authority Wherefore you haue not Lucifer the Bishop of Calaris but Lucifer prince of Pride for your patterne and president when you go about to rayse your selfe a throne in the coasts of the North that as Christ in the South by the Bishop of Rome gouerneth the Vniuersall Church so in the North he that seeks to be like to the highest may by you as Head send forth and display his counsells and deuises vpon all Christendome 37. And what meant you to match your selfe with those most holy and famous Bishops Worthyes of the Church Contrary things layd togeather deserue to set forth mutually ech other In the practise of these Saintes as in a glasse we may behold how opposite all your proceedings are to the rules of sanctity They going left their Churches prouided and well commended to other pastours You leaue your Church wholy destitute to be deuoured as you conceiue by wolues They either went to the Roman Church for succour and counsell or were sent by the Roman to giue succour and counsell to others you fly from the Roman Sea you detest blaspheme it They being men renowned in the whole Church for their learning and sanctity being earnestly inuited by diuers Bishops and by the secret suffrages of the whole Church for that interprise designed went to put an end to the Church Controuersies you being neither for the dignity of your Sea eminēt aboue the rest nor commendable for Knowledge and Holynes of life a man vtterly vnknowne who by your Apostasy now beginne to haue fame You I say offer your selfe for vniuersal Superintendent and Curate to the world which before this your offer had neuer so much as heard of your name They laboured for that faith which had byn settled and defined by Councells you seeke to bring in Doctrine which you know to haue byn many ages ago condemned by the authority of Councells They stroue against Heretikes that seing they had bin accursed in Coūcells they might likewise be reiected from the Catholike Communion your labours are in fauour of damned Heretikes that though they be proscribed by Councells yet they may be reteyned in the Church if so be that they will professe Christ by the essentiall Creedes as you speake And you seeme to be of the same mind that some Donatists were Epist 48. whome S. Augustine condemns that it is no matter in what part or side a man be a Christian nor do you consider that it is sitting that God should be serued in vnity Thus by comparing your selfe with the ancient holy Bishops your sanctity appeares The seauenth Gulfe New flattering doctrine THIS Gulfe imbraceth two vices and both of them properly belong to Heretiks the one is to coyne new doctrines the other to flatter their auditours specially Princes Lib. 1. ca. 1. Of the first S. Irenaeus saith That later Heretiks do day by day inuent some new thing which neuer any man had thought of before Of the second S. Hierome writeth Lib. 1. cōt Pelag. That flattering properly agreeth to Heretiks and to them that study how to deceaue soules according to the saying of the Apostle such persons serue not Christ our Lord but their owne belly and by sweet speaches and benedictions seduce the harts of the innocent 39. Many new doctrines you haue in your booke Antony as are these 1. That a Bishop for feare of persecution may forsake his flock and leaue it wholy destitute 2. That to euery Bishop is giuen the care of the vniuersall Church so that by his owne proper authority he may intermeddle in the affaires of other Bishoprikes 3. That none who professe Christ by the Creeds essential of the ancient Church are to be repelled from the Catholike Communion 4. That Schisme is a farre greater sinne then Heresy These your new conceits haue been mentioned and refuted already 40. Other foure sayings you haue wherin you make fayre with Kings by depressing the authority of the Church The first is That Kings can do many thinges in the Church The second That the Church can do nothing at all in temporalls specially towards Kings The third That all iurisdiction is to be remoued from the Church These three propositions you haue in the 28. and 29. page In the first the English Parlamētarians agree with you The two other be new not only repugnant to the ancient Fathers but also to the Heretikes of this age to Puritans and Protestants and to the eager defenders of the late English Oath For these deny not the Churches authority ouer Kings yea they graunt that euen in temporalls the Church may commaund them though they mantayne that Kings obstinate rebellious against the Church may not be deposed from their gouernement And what is Iurisdiction but power to appoint what is right to enact Lawes to call the transgressors of their lawes before them to sit vpon them and punish thē being conuinced of punishable offences Now that the Church did in former times exercise this power as deriued to her from Christ is so cleere that he that is ignorant therof or so impudent as to deny it I thinke him not worthy to be disputed with 41. The fourth doctrine I dare say is new and properly yours then which scarse any more base can be deuised to flatter Kings Which doctrine you may seem to haue coyned of purpose that therby
cup. 3. to witt the consent of people and notions the authority which was first bred by miracles nursed by hope brought vp by charity founded in antiquity The succession of Priests euen from the seate of Peter the Apostle to whome our Lord after his resurrection committed his flock vnto this present Bishoprick Lastly the name Catholike which not without cause this Church only amongst so many heresies hitherto hath enioyed But say you she smothers oppresseth and destroyeth the aduersaries books by all meanes possible she do●h so indeed like a mother she wisely and piously tenders the good of her children like a shep-heard she lookes carefully to her flocke as the seruant of seruants Whome our Lord hath placed ouer his family forbiddeth them to tast of poysoned meates warily preuenting least such deadly food should be brought into her house what fault is there in all this This is no diffidence but prouidence nor is the weaknes of her doctrine which is diuine the cause of her feares but the frailty and inconstancy of mans mind For experience sufficiently approues nor do you deny that which S. Aug. cont Epist Fund Augustine affirmes That there is no errour whatsoeuer but may be so glossed that it may easily steale in by a faire gate to the minds of the ignorant And who sees not if dangerous Bookes for the vse of the learned should be freely brought into Countries that are not tainted with heresy that scarce truly or rather not scarcely can it be but that they must light into the hands of the ruder sort especially if they should be permitted in such a number as you would haue that is to say to all Bishops and Deuines Pag. 9. that haue fully ended their studies Yea and moreouer to Students and scholers also to see whether their maisters truly alleadge the testimonies of heretikes This were too great a multitude and would make poyson ouer cōmon Wherfore the Catholike Church with great wisedome hath thought it more expediēt that the learned which may securely read such books rather should want this vaine contentment of curiosity or vnnecessary furtherance of learning then that the vnlearned by so common bringing in of such infectious merchandize should be brought into manifest daunger of their saluation 11. Neither truly as you suppose doth this daunger of drinking falshood by perusall of hereticall books belong to the common sort of men only whome you tearme voyd of iudgment and discretion I take it you meane heardes-men shepheards craftes men such like which kind of people notwithstanding for the most part is safest of all of they be not more by others example and authority then by their owne reading peruerted The daunger indeed threatens the vulgar sort but the vulgar sort of the learned In which number are found not a few rash hoat spirits men rather died then imbued with sacred learning that seeme to themselues and many times also to the people learned Catholikes constant when rather they are like vnto men easily remouable from their faith vnlearned apre to worship their owne fancies as diuine oracles Wherfore no Catholike vnles some giddy fellow voyd both of experience and reason will mislike this Roman sollicitude in prouiding so carefully that books condemned be not read rashly and promiscuously euen of those that are otherwise held learned but with choyce mature counsaile and regard had to places times persons and causes And if there be any that would read these books not out of an impious leuity to find out perhaps some better faith nor out of daungerous curiosity by such reading to become more learned but with a purpose to confute them the Catholike Church will neuer deny them faculty if charity be their motiue and they thought meet for the burthen What is there heer done but with great counsaile and wisedome What practise that the Church vsed not in auncient times Aboue 800. years ago more or lesse the seauenth Oecumenicall Synode the second Nicene Canon the ninth decreed that the bookes of the heretiks which they had condemned should be conueyed to the Bishop of Constantinople his pallace there to be laid vp amongst other hereticall bookes You will say that this Canon was directed only to the vulgar not to the Deuines to Bishops much lesse Hear what followes But if there be any that conceale these bookes be he Bishop or Priest or Clergy man let him be deposed and if he be a lay man or a Monke let him be anathematized What can be more manifest Leo ep 48. But Leo the Pope for learning holines surnamed the Great but much the greater by his office with no lesse carefulnes ordeyneth that with all Priestly diligence care be had that no bookes of heretikes differing from godly sincerity be had of any yea and that some of thē should he consumed by fire Moreouer the fourth Councell of Carthage or rather the fifth held in S. Augustines time permitted not hereticall bookes to be read for Bishops curiosities but restrained them to their limites of time Can. 16. necessity Canon 16. ordeyning thus Bishops may read hereticall books according to the time and necessity Is not this practise then of the Roman Church both ancient pious and full of wisedome What will not the reprobate catch at to their owne destruction that are offended with so holsome a custome Aelian lib. 4. cap. 16. The spider suckes poyson from flowers the beetle being toucht with the breath of the purest Rose dieth yea that flower of flowers by whose odour we breath life to the Iewes was an odour of death to death And you Antony are scandalized with the Churches piety in suppressing hereticall books her prudence in this practise strikes you blind her motherly care you calumniate you wrest the motiues of loue to causes of bitter hatred 12. Now as this other saying of yours that the Roman Church for so seuerely prohibiting the books of heretiks may wel iustly be called in question for her doctrine is not only in it self false but in the sequele impious For that which is said of a thing hoc ipso per se that is as belonging to the thing of it self by it selfe is spokē likewise of euery such thing according to Philosophy nor any man that knowes what he saieth will deny it Therfore that which agreeth to the Roman Church of it selfe and meerly for this respect that she prosecuteth her aduersaries books must agree likewise to euery Church that with like industry suppresseth her aduersaries bookes If you do graunt but this once then you must giue sentence against the ancient Church and restore to life all those Heretikes who with their bookes haue beene long since turned into ashes For we haue already declared with what diligence our Forefathers and ancient Councels haue prohibited their aduersaries bookes which care and solicitude Christians and pious Princes haue imitated by their Edictes Iustinian the Emperour being in person at the
say for number very many in doctrine all opposite to the Roman and all agreeing among themselues in the pure primitiue truth But pretermitting these questions I only aske when you say that the Churches which being very many Rome hath raysed vp to be her aduersaries do very little swarue from the pure primitiue doctrine whether you speake of all the Churches and Companies that in doctine are opposite to the Roman or of some of them only You cannot with truth speake it of all they being so many and so repugnant the one against the other Grecians Lutherans Caluinistes Libertines Anabaptists Arians Trinitarians How can it be that they all should very little or nothing disagree from the true doctrine whose doctrines disagree mainly and allmost infinitly the one from the other 7. If you say that though not all yet some of the Churches aduersaries to Rome do very little disagree from the primitiue truth then I demaund Why do you not distinguish these pure Churches from the other impure before you prayse them Why do you thus at random rashly not to say impiously cast that great commendation to swarue very litle from the pure primitiue doctrine vpon the confuse multitude of sects disagreeing from the Roman Church in which masse euen your selfe being iudge all be not sincere yea many be corrupt many impious many most food sottish And yet by your words no man can perceaue whether this high prayse be bestowed by you on the Grecians or on the Septentrionals on the Lutherans or on the Anabaptists on the Caluinists or on the Arians Verily you be not the mouth of God Antony you be not the preacher of Truth who to good bad layd togeather on an heape giue your approbation without any distinction not seuering pretious from vile noxious from wholsome hereticall from Catholike impious from Christian doctrine And yet herein you are excusable For what els could you do who had not as yet made choice of any certaine Church you might magnify before al other being vncertaine for the present and ignorant what finally your choice might be you durst not condēne any Church of the many opposite to Rome fearing you should perchance condemne that Church which you might be forced to fly vnto Had you singled one Church out of that number extolling it only aboue all other the rest perchance would with lesse willingnesse haue intertained you taking your singular prayse of that one Church as a disparagement to them all nor durst you commend distinctlie and by name all the sectes that are enemies to the Pope knowing that thereby you might expose your selfe to iust exception that Catholikes might take at you as being a friend of damnable errours Wherfore craftily you resolued to shoot at randome in the praise of Churches that oppose themselues to Rome without specifying the name or doctrine of any that so you might haue both freedome to runne to what sect you pleased and shelter against Catholikes should they except against you as fauouring the errours of any particuler heresy Now Antony perceaue you not that your secret wily deuise is layd open that this your booke brings to light the things which you most of al desired should haue byn hiddē 8. Thirdly so great is your vncertainty that you are not only ignorant to what sect to fly from the Roman Church but also you know not from what doctrine of the Roman Church you should fly I confesse you do particularily mislike the Primacy of the Roman Bishop but you were not ignorant that the hatred of this authority is common to all sorts of Heretikes Whosoeuer are wicked in the world the more egregiously that they are wicked the more mortally do they hate the power of the Pope all being herein combined Grecians Protestants Lutherans Caluinists Anabaptists Arians Turkes Iews Atheists What other article of the Roman beleife do you condemne besides this You name no other but in generall you proclaime that you fly the Roman sinnes errors abuses and innumerable nouelties Why name you them not I will tel you the sects that band against Rome being very many do not all mislike the same doctrines in the Roman Church What one condemneth another prayseth what some approue others abhorre so your religion depending on future euents you could not shew detestation of the Roman errours in particuler till you had made certaine choice of your Church You knew that you were to condemne in the Roman Church other articles did you become a Grecian others did you fall to be a Lutheran others did you turne Caluinist others did you cleaue to the Anabaptists others should you stay in Germany others should you fly to France others should you sayle into Englād Wherfore wauering in vncertainties not able to forsee what shall becom of you without naming any particulers with all your might and mayne you cry out on the Roman Errours When you shall haue made your election for your religion therein set vp your rest then shal the Roman Church erre in those poynts and as damnably as it please that company you liue with to haue you say 9. But I pretermitt say you in the 17. page to set downe particularly the Errours of Rome because in my booke of the Ecclesiasticall Common wealth I do fully prosecute them which booke now a good while ready for the print I haue and will set it forth out of hand and bequeath it to the first printer in Germany that by the way I shal find for the purpose I beseech you Antony why did you not performe what here so solemly you promise Met you with no Printer in Germany that was for the purpose or did the King of great Britany countermand your purpose or did you of your self shrinke from your purpose I search not into this secret This I say that now you shall not print the booke you brought out of Italy with you but another Your selfe growing daily worse and worse will change therein diuers things either taking away some points of Catholike doctrine or adding some new doctrines gotten by your reading in the books of heretikes to say nothing of the things which Ministers by their arguments will winne you to alter And what shall I say of his gracious Maiesty so excellent for his knowledge To change some things in your booke and to adde other things to it he will persuade you by his learning to leaue out diuers doctrins that sauour to much of Rome he may compell you by his authority perchāce also sundry of his sayings though he vrge you not yet you to please him will put them into your booke Know you not what befell Casaub one How much changed he was from that affection and mind that he seemed to carry with him into England which alteration he going about to excuse to his friend plainly confesseth that by entrance into the English Court he was become a slaue not daring in any thing gaynesay the Kings pleasure which basenes
drawne by that counterfayt weping approacheth his feet fayle him and suddainly falleth a ioyfull pray to the mourner 16. Fourthly you faigne that Scriptures fauour you in the fift page Neuer say you did I at any tyme square the motions and thoughts of my mind by any other ruler then such as the Holy Ghost prescribeth in Sacred Writ This is soone said what Heretike said it not Neither could their talking saith S. Hierome gayne them beleeuers did they not make shew to confirme their peruerse doctrine by diuine authority You still gouerned your thoughts inclinations by the rules of scripture other ruler or direction you vsed neuer at any time A great praise which I cannot say agreeth to any of the Saints if from that number we exempt Christ and his Virgin Mother If this be true surely you neuer sinned vnles one may sinne and do amisse in following the rule and gouernment of Gods spirit perchance you meane not so rudely as you write and I can beleeue these your words may be more vayne then your mind I only warne you not to be hasty to beleeue these thoughts and motions of the spirit that present themselues to you vested with testimonies of scripture wherwith euen serpents are couered and walke about Will you not beleeue me then beleeue Luther who writeth they are wretches that do not consider that the Diuell doth dart venemous fiery thoughts into their hartes Tom. 2. Germ. wit fol. 122. art 552. which be nothing els but most fine thoughts adorned with testimonies of Scripture that they cannot perceaue the subtill poyson that lurketh in them Wherfore seing you make your boast of Scriptures you might not wonder though we should answer you as S. Augustine did the Manichees Being bad you read them not well being ignorant you vnderstand them not right being blind you cannot behold their truth 17. Fifthly you pretend to follow the Fathers After the inward motiōs of the holy Ghost only the holy Fathers say you haue beene the most honorable authors aduisers of this my enterprise You be not wise to trimme your selfe with the shew of ācient Fathers authority seing you go towards those Churches that professe to follow neither Fathers nor Mothers but only the pure Word And if you haue your Passe-port frō the auncient Fathers to leaue Rome why haue you not alleadged so much as one cleere testimony out of them in your behalfe and against the Roman Bishops Preeminency Pag. 35. You bring indeed out of the Councell of Carthage this testimony which you call the most renowned saying of the most renowned Cyprian We do not iudge any man saith he nor remoue them from the right of communion that be of a contrary mind For not any amongst vs doth make himselfe the Bishop of Bishops nor by tyrannicall terrour force his fellow-Bishops to obey him You could not Antony haue produced a cleerer testimony to conuince that in truth you haue found no matter of substance in the Fathers to obiect against vs. Cyprian was indeed most renowned for sanctity learning and eloquence but he was also renowned for an errour which God permitted this worthy light of the Church to fall into This errour he sought by all meanes to establish in that Councell of Carthage out of which you bring this testimony so finding in the approued writings of S. Cyprian not any saying that might steede you Septem libris de baptismo you fly to the testimony of this erroneous reiected councell which S. Augustine hath by name confuted in a most renowned worke And this seemeth to be the weightiest authority of all that in ten yeares study you haue gathered Moreouer when you prayse the charity patience wisedome of Cyprian in his contention with Pope Stephen depressing as much as you can the Pope it is cleere that hatred against the present successour of Stephen makes you forsake the knowne iudgment of antiquity For S. Augustine a most moderate and friendly Censurer of S. Cyprian doth say in plaine tearmes that in his contention with the Pope he wrote with so great indignation Lib. 5. de Baptis c. 25 and addeth this prudent aduise that it were best not to mention all the things which Cyprian irritated against Stephen powred forth in his anger which brought with them danger of pernicious dissention Finally the words of S. Cyprian sound more of indignation then of any errour nor do they crosse the power of the Roman Bishop in deciding the controuersies of faith For he doth not say that none was in the Church appointed by Christ whome the rest of Christian Bishops were bound to obey and endued with authority to put an end to the controuersies of faith but he saith that in that concell of Carthage there was not any Bishop of Bishops nor any that did challenge to himselfe such authority by which words he doth rather insinuate then deny the knowne authority title of the Roman Bishop though perchance he grudged and girded at the present exercise therof accompting it Tyrannous because he found it opposed to his errour which shews that S. Cyprian was then ouer feelingly moued against the Pope as S. Augustine sayth who with great reason exclaimeth against you and such mates as would iustify their rebellion by Cyprians example Oh how detestable is their errour who thinke they do laudably imitate the faultes of some worthy men De vnico Bapt. cont Petil. lib. 1. cap. 13. when they haue not any part of their excellent Vertues The fourth Gulfe Mendacity against the Church NOTHING more notorious in former ages nothing whereof the books of the Fathers do more sound then the impious mendacity of Heretikes whereby they shew themselues to be borne of him that was false from the beginning and the Father of falshood They put their confidence in vntruth nor is there any man held for perfect amōgst them saith holy Irenaeus that hath not fruclified and begot very great and mighty vntruths Antony Lib. 3. ca. 1. you desire to be perfect in your generation and the fertility of your soile is sufficiently proued by this little plant you now haue set forth which is more stored with lies then with leaues Out of which multitude I will gather and present you with ten which be both notorious for their sent and very remarkable for their bignes 19. The first whereof before we made mention but heere in the proper place to be repeated is set downe in your 15. pag. I saw now most cleerly and did fully perceaue that at Rome without any lawfull authority yea by great violence wronge innumerable new articles dayly were coyned and obtruded vnto vs. If you marke well your owne wordes perchance you your selfe will remaine amazed at the hugenes of this vntruth You say that doctrines new cleerly false without any ground by extreamest wrongfull violence are euery day without number coined at Rome and forced vpon the Church euen as articles of faith