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A16173 The second part of the reformation of a Catholike deformed by Master W. Perkins Bishop, William, 1554?-1624. 1607 (1607) STC 3097; ESTC S1509 252,809 248

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soueraigne authority for the very light of nature and common custome of all nations doth teach vs that he vvho succeedeth vnto another in any established estate and calling doth at his lawfull enstalement therein enter into ful possession of al the rights dignities and priuiledges therevnto belonging For example vvhen one is crowned King of any nation he presently there vpon is endowed with al the power and prerogatiues which his Predecessors in that Kingdome enjoyed before him And to speake of spirituall Prelates vvho doubteth but that assoone as any Ecclesiastical person is chosen confirmed for example Archbishop of Canterbury but that forth-with he is not only made gouernor of that Diocesse but also Metrapolitane and supreame Pastor of the Church of England his very succession in that Sea making him as it were inheritour vnto all the priuiledges and prerogatiues of his Predecessours in that seate Euen so the Bishops of Rome succeeding vnto S. Peter in that Apostolicall Sea doe inherite and succeede him in that supreme authority which Christ gaue vnto S. Peter for to be continued in his Church vntill the worldes end Now to auouch as some desperately doe that S. Peter did not die at Rome nor neuer was at Rome is so grosse and palpable an vntruth auerred by meere ghesse and phantasie contrary to the euident testimony of all auncient fathers and repugnant vnto the expresse and sensible monuments of the place of his execution of his reliques and Churches builded by Constantine the great to the perpetuall remembrance of them in the City of Rome yet to this day most famously knowne through the world this their assertion is I say so blockish and impudent that it were but lost time to stand about the proofe of it for he that is so sencelesse as to beleeue such a paradoxe deserueth small paynes for his recouery But for an vpshot of this question let vs heare the opinions of the principal Doctors of the East Church who of all men are most likely not to attribute any such supremacy vnto a Bishop of the West Church if they had thought it due vnto any Patriarke of theirs or if they had not judged it to be a cleare case in true Diuinity that such soueraigne authority was due vnto that one chiefe Pastor in Gods Church The first shall be one the auncientest of them that most worthy champion of Christ Athanasius who was also one of the chiefest Patriarkes of the East Church as being Bishop of Alexandria He in a speciall treatise of Dionysius one of his predecessours in that Sea sheweth howe he went to Rome to another Dionysius then Pope there to haue his cause heard and determined which he would not haue done if he had not acknowledged the Bishop of Rome for his superiour and one to whose finall sentence all of the East Church as vvell as of the West were bound to obey And in his Epistle vnto Pope Foelix he hath these wordes God hath therefore placed you and your predecessours Apostolicall Prelates in the tower of superiority and hath commanded you to take charge of all Churches that you may succour and helpe vs. This Epistle indeede of Athanasius M. PER. doth mislike but because he sheweth not vvherefore his authority vvill not serue to discred it it But he saith as much in another of his and of all the Bishops of Aegipt joyned with him to Pope Marke to wit That they al with al committed to their charge were and euer would be obedient vnto the Bishop of Rome Lib. 3. hist cap. 7. It is also recorded by the Ecclesiasticall Hystoriographer Zozemene howe that both Athanasius Patriarke of Alexandria and Paule Patriarke of Constantinople with diuers others of the Greeke Church being by the Arrians banished out of their owne Bishoprickes did flie vnto the Bishop of Rome for refuge Who as that authour witnesseth because the care of all did belong vnto him through the dignity of his place and seate did restore their Churches to euery of them Athanasius also in his second Apology hath recorded these words of the same most holy Pope Iulius to the Bishops of the East Are yee ignorant this to be the custome that first of all you must write vnto vs that from hence it may be defined what is just Wherefore if there had beene any such suspition against the Bishop you ought to haue related it to our Church of Rome thus much of S. Athanasius the first of the foure Greeke Doctors Nowe to the second S. Gregory Nazianzene who had beene also Patriarke of Constantinople In c●r●a de vita sua Epist 52. ad Athan. he saith That the Church of Rome had alwaies mainetayned the true faith and opinion of God as it became the City that was superiour to all the world His diuine companion S. Basil aduertiseth Athanasius That he thought it good to write vnto the Bishop of Rome to heare their matters and by the decree of his judgement to determine them and because it was hard to send from thence that the Pope would giue to certayne chosen men authority to compose their controuersies and to reuerse and make voide the actes of the Councell of Arimini See what soueraignety this learned auncient Father of the East Church doth attribute vnto the Church of Rome The very same doth that golden mouth and most learned and holy Doctor S. Chrysostome acknowledge vvriting vnto Innocentius the first Pope of Rome Epist 1. ad Innocentium Beseeching him that he would repeale and make voide the wicked fact of the Patriarke of Alexandria with a whole Councell of the East and lay the Ecclesiasticall censures and punishments vpon them vvhich euery man knoweth that he could not haue done if he had not power and jurisdiction ouer all the East Church Vnto these foure most firme pillars of the Greeke Church let vs joyne one neighbour of theirs little inferiour vnto them for either standing learning or authority I meane Theodorete a Bishop in Asia that had 800. Churches vnder him He notwithstanding his distance from Rome writeth thus vnto Leo the first Epist ad Leonem I doe expect the sentence of your Apostolicall Sea and in humble wise doe beseech your Holynesse that your just and right judgement may helpe me appealing vnto you and that you will command me to runne vnto you to verifie that my doctrine is consonant to the Apostles And in another Epistle to Renatus a Priest of Rome he writeth That the Heretikes had spoyled him of his Bishopricke and cast him out of the Cyties without any reuerence or respect of his gray-hayres wherefore saith he I request you that you will perswade the most holy Archbishop Leo that he will vse his Apostolicall authority and command vs to come to your Councell for that holy seate of Rome boldeth the stearne of gouerning all the Churches in the world Well then to conclude this long and intricate question seing the Bishops of Rome from all antiquity as is
Commandements For as all men skilfull in the true nature of lawes doe hold there can be no just lawe that is impossible to be kept by the greater part of them to whome the lawe is giuen because lawes are both to direct our actions and doe also bind euery man to obserue them Nowe what reasonable lawe-maker will beate his braine to direct a man to doe that which he knoweth before hand not to lie in the mans power to doe and as tyrannical should he be esteemed that would bind a man vnder a great penalty to doe that which he knewe to be impossible for him to doe Which two points S. Augustine doth in one sentence confirme saying De fid cōt Manich. cap. 9. Who doth not crie out that it is folly to giue him Commandements in whose power it is not to performe them and who doth not say that it is vnjust to condemne him for not doing just thinges when he could not doe them The Protestantes therefore affirming the Commandements not to be possible to be performed doe make them no lawes at all and so they at one blow doe beate downe al the tenne Commandements But let vs come to the particulers 1. The first Commandement as it forbiddeth vs to worship false Gods so doth it also include a commandement to worshippe a right the only true God which is done principally by Faith Hope Charity and Religion The Protestants by their peruerting of many articles of our beliefe as hath bin shewed haue lost the true faith and by their newe certainety of faith leaue no place for hope for they are past hope of saluation that make themselues so assured of it as they doe 1. Epist. 5. vers 3. And as for charity which S. Iohn defineth to be the keeping of Gods Commandements they must needes confesse themselues to be farre from it which hold that to be impossible and with the principall part of true religion which consisteth in offering a true reall and externall sacrifice vnto God as in that question hath beene proued they are at vtter defiance 2. Touching the second Commandement after our account as God is honoured by swearing in justice judgement and truth so is he also by vowes made vnto him of Godly and religious duties which the Prophet Dauid signifieth Psal 75. vers 13. when he saith vowe ye and render your vowes vnto the Lord your God Here-vpon many Catholikes haue and doe continually vowe perpetuall pouerty chastity and obedience the more fully and freely to serue God which holy vowes the Protestantes disalowe wholy neither doe they allowe of any other vowes for ought I haue heard they doe therefore diminish the seruice of God and pare away a part of that which is reduced to the second Commandement 3. And whereas in the third we are commanded to keepe holy the Sabaoth day which is principally performed by hearing attentiuely and deuoutly that diuine seruice which was instituted by Christ and deliuered by his Apostles which is the holy Masse they may not abide it but serue God after the inuētion of their owne braines with a mingle-mangle of some old some newe odly patched together 4. In the fourth we are commanded to obey our Princes as well as our parents and all other our Gouernours in all lawfull matters yet the Protestantes hold that our Princes lawes doe not bind vs in conscience 5. The fift Commandement teacheth that no man be killed by priuate authority yet Protestantes hold it lawfull to take armes euen against their lawfull Princes for the aduancement of their Gospell and haue in that quarrell killed and caused to be killed millions in Germany France Flanders and Scotland 6. The sixt forbiddeth adultery which is allowed of by Protestants in some case For they permit one party after diuorcement to marry againe the other yet liuing Mar. 10. vers 11. whereas our Sauiour saith Whosoeuer dimisseth his wife and marrieth another committeth adultery vpon her And if the wife dimisse her husband and marry another she committeth adultery Moreouer incest is also forbidden in this Commandement nowe by the Canons of the Catholike Church and the authority of the ancient Fathers it is incest for one Cosen germaine to marry with an other yet is it not seldome practised yea it is generally allowed of in the Church of England 7. The seauenth Commandement condemneth with theft vsury al withholding of our neighbours goodes which was gotten vnlawfully yet Protestantes commonly make no conscience to take tenne in the hundreth which is plaine vsury and as for restitution of euill gotten goodes it is cleane out of fashion among them 8. The eight probibiteth vs to beare false witnesse against our neighbour and yet doe Ministers the master Protestants in their pulpit where truth should only be taught most commonly beare such safe witnesse against Catholikes that the very stones may be astonished at their most impudent slanders to wit that Papists beleeue in stockes and stones that they will not be saued by Christ and his passion but by their owne workes that they robbe God of his honour and giue it to Saints and a hundreth such like most notorious and palpable lies Wherefore as they Preachers be guilty of bearing false witnesse so the auditors deserue to be seduced by them who hearing them to lie so shamelesly in some thinges will neuerthelesse beleeue them in others 9. and 10. Of the ninth and tenth I haue spoken already wherein they erre grieuously in teaching euery man to sinne damnably by hauing any euill motion cast into his minde by the Diuell albeit he resisteth it presently and forthwith chase it away In which conflict ouercomming of temptation the grace and power of God is perfited as S. Paul witnesseth and S. Iames calleth the allurement of concupiscence temptation only and then first sinne when it conceiueth that is getteth some liking of the party Nowe to conclude this passage if you please to heare to what height of perfect obseruance of the Commandements the Euangelicall preachers haue brought their followers in Germany vnto by teaching the Cōmandements to be impossible and that only faith justifieth that good workes haue no reward in heauen and such like Iacobus Andreas a famous Lutheran shall enforme you who writeth thus De Planetis That the whole world may see these men alienated from the Papacy and to put no confidence in workes therefore they doe no good worke at all In stead of fasting they feast and are drunken day and night in lieu of Almes they oppresse pil the poore they haue changed praying into cursing blaspheming the name of God so prophanely that no Turkes nor Saracens commit the like impiety against Christ for humility there raigneth pride disdaine cruelty and riotte in apparell c. and much more to the same purpose And that this truth may be cōfirmed by the testimony of two sound witnesses Musculus a man of no small account among them thus reporteth of his Bretheren in the Lord.