is altogether in question betwen vs. How then can that be a mark sufficient to shew an other thing to vs which it self is not sufficientlie knowen of vs All which reasons notwithstanding the confidence of our cause is such that I may graunt the woorde of God what soeuer it be to be a sufficient marke whereby Gods Churche may be knowen And then I say that euerie way Gods word standeth more on our syde then against vs. For yf you meane by God worde Gods vvoorde first vvith vs. the writen letter of the olde and of the newe Testament we are before you in that behalfe because you haue no assured Copies thereof which were not preserued by the former Christiās whome yee call Papists of thē you toke as your baptism so your Bible By them not only the old and the new testamēt but also the works of the auncient Fathers were copied out printed and layed vp in libraries ād in other places whence they came to your hands If then the hauing of Gods woorde proue a true Churche that is the more true Church which had it first specially seing we came not by it priuily or violently but receaued it euē at the Apostles hāds For after that day wherein S. Peter and S. Paule deliuered Gods word to the faithfull Romans the Church of Rome hath alwaies kept it safe without either leesing or corrupting it Again we beleue and acknowlege more of the Bible then you doe More of Gods vvoorde vvith vs. by the bookes of Toby of Iudith of Wisedom of Ecclesiasticus and of the Machabees All which we accompt for Gods own word according to the cōsent of many auucient †Aug. de doct Christia lib. 2. c. 8. Gelasius in Synode 70. episco Cōcil Florēt in fine-Trident Session 3. Fathers and councels whereas you call them Apocrypha and so make them vnable to decide any controuersie about religion Thirdly we doe not only graunt the Hebrew text of the old testament such as may appeare vncorrupted and the Greek text of the new testament to be Gods word but we also acknowlege with the aūciēt Fathers the †Iustin in Apol. 2. Ireneus li. 3. c. 25. Euseb de praeparat Euang. li. 8. c. 1. Aug. ep .8 Greek translatiō of the Septuagīts Moe copies of Gods vvord ād with the †Sessio 3. Tridentine Councel the cōmon Latin translation which so many hundred yeres hath bene diligentlie expounded and preserued in the Latin Churche to be of ful authority Where as you geue small credit to either of these translations except by your iudgement they agree with the first Hebrew and Greek copies We then haue Gods woorde in moe authentik tungs and copies then you haue Fourthly we preach expound interpret and translate Gods word in all maner of tungs Better vse of Gods vvord better then you because we doe these things not only by internal but also by such external vocation and commission as may be shewed to haue sprung from the Apostles by the lineal and ordinary succession of our bishops and priests Whereas you can fetch no higher commission then from the common weale which neuer receaued authority of Christ to make priests or to send preachers ād yet how shal they preache Rom. 10. if they be not sent Concerning that you reade Gods word to the people at you Church seruice tyme in the vulgar tungs Of Gods vvord in vulgare tungs it is no perfection at all on your syde For yee lack thereby the vse of the better tungs as of the Greek and Latin which were sanctified on Christes crosse Luc. 23. Ioan. 19. as for all other holy vses so most specially for to serue God withall at the tyme of Sacrifice wherein he requireth the very best in euery kind to be offered vnto Malac. 1. him as to our dreadful Lord and louing father And who douteth but that a lerned a holy and a common tung is more honorable then a barbarouse a prophane and a priuate tung In so much that in respect of the whole body of the Catholike Church wherewith we specially communicate in our seruice and praiers the vulgare tungs are much more to be accompted strange or vnknowen which strange tungs onely S. Paule doth least regard then the common tungs 1. Cor. 14. which were alone deliuered to the very first Christian Churche by the Apostles themselues in the East and west not regarding the infinite multitude of vulgare tungs which were in particular prouinces of the same countries the Greek and Latin Church For of the Greek tung vsed in the East Churches and of the Latin vsed in the west Churches it came to passe that it is al one to say the Greek or the east Church the Latin or the west Churche And surely seing Christ being vpō the Crosse whence the paterne of al◠prayer and oblations is to be taken sithens the Sacrifice which we offer◠saith Cyprian is the passion of our Lord whereas he knewe right well Li. 2. epi. 3 that the common people of the Iewes the pure Hebrew tongue being either lost or much decayed in cōmon speache euery daie more ād more after the captiuitie of Babylon could not vnderstand him Math. 27. Psal 21. did yet recite the beginning of the Psalme My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee in Hebrew and did not either by and by or at al interprete the same in the vulgar tongue need we to doubt but that after his example we may doe the like in those tongues at our seruice whiche Priests ād Clerks do vnderstād though the common people doe not vnderstand the same VVe vse also vulgar tungs in our seruice But lest there should be any one iote wherin to passe Gods Catholik Church we also haue in certaine countries the vse of vulgar tongues in the Churche seruice as in Dalmatia it is to be sene at this daie and the like is said to be in Assyria and in Aethiopia the Christians of which Countries doe acknowledge the Supreamacie of the Bisshoppe of Rome And although by this very meanes Vulgar tungs cause barbarousnes those Countries are become the more barbaous for thereby the Priestes and Preachers can not reade either the Greek or the Latin Doctours yet this good ariseth to the whole Churche of their losse that it both hath all degrees of tungs to wit both lerned and vulgar in her praiers and by the example of those barbarouse countries she warneth the other more ciuil parts to auoid that mischief whereby those other men fel into that reproche of barbarousnes Moreouer those Countries some of which neuer knew any better then their own natiue tung haue their seruice in the vulgar tungs by mere force and necessity Necessity forceth those coūtries to vse vulgar tūgs and that allowed by the good dispensation and toleration of the See Apostolike without breache of vnity whereas the Protestāts hauing once had
the Latin seruice are fallen from Latin to English that is to say froÌ„ the better to the worse and that also by making a schism Ioan. 19 and by diuiding the coate of Christ which was without any seame into many partes which thing the very vnfaithfull soldiours were afeard to doe Thus touching the writen woorde and the vse thereof there are many causes why we should be in better case then the Protestants but none at all why we should be in worse If not only the writen letter but also the plaine meaning of euery proposition be to be considered The meaning of Gods vvord Math. 26. we read it literally and plainly spoken this is my body and as the woords doe sound so doe we vnderstand them Why then is this which Christ pointeth vnto denied to be his body Iacob 2. A man is iustified of works and not of faith only Why then are good workes don in a right faith denied to iustifie or why is onely faith taught to iustifie Rom. 2. The doers of the law shal be iustified Why is the law then taught not to be able to be don or kept Rom. 5. By the obedience of one which is Christ many shal be made iust that is to say Constituentur iustice shal be wrought or setled in many Why theÌ„ is it denied that we are made really iust Or why is it taught that righteousnes is onely imputed to vs whereas S. Paul saith also Rom. 5. the charity or loue of God is spread in our harts by the holy ghost which is geueÌ„ vs. This spreading aÌ„d stablishing of charity in our harts is more then a bare imputing of charity to vs. Whose synnes soeuer yee forgeue they shal be forgeuen them Ioan. 20. Why are then the bishops and priests who succede the Apostles denied to forgeue synnes Luc. 22. He that is greater among you lette him be made as the yonger Why then deny you that one was greater among the Apostles or that one stil is greater among the bishops their successours Math. 16. Thow art Peter or a Rocke and vpon this Rock I wil build my Churche Why then is the militant Church denied to be built vpon Saint Peter and vppon his successours in that chair and office 2. Thes 2. Keepe the traditions which yee haue learned either by woorde or by our epistle Chrysost Hom. 69. ad Pop. Ant. Why then are traditions yea though they be Apostolike as the vse of praying for the dead is so despised that the very name of tradition vsed in the better part can not be suffered to be in the English Bible though it be both in the Greeke and in the Latin He that ioyneth his virgin in mariage doth wel 1. Cor. 7. and he that doth not ioyne her doeth better Why then is maryage made with you as good as the state of virginity whereas S. Paule maketh the state of virginity better Vowe yee Psal 75. and render your vowes vnto God If thow wilt be perfitte Math. 10. goe and sel all things which thou hast and geue them to the poore and follow mee There are eunuches who haue gelded them selues for the kingdom of heauen Obeie your rulers Heb. 13. and be subiectes vnto them Why then are the vowes of pouerty of chastitie and of obedience to all which the word of God exhorteth vs accompted vnlaufull Or why are men exhorted yea constrained not to perfoorm them Doe yee the worthy fruits of penance saith Saint Iohn Luc. 3. Why then is satisfaction and penance despised with you The husbands aÌ„d the wiues being two in one flesh Ephes 5. is a great Sacrament or mystery or a holy and secret signe in Christ and in the Churche Why then is the mariage of faithful persons denied to be a Sacrament Philip. 2. Work your saluation saith S. Paule with feare and trembling Why then are your so presumptuouse as euen by faith to assure your selues of your saluation Or how can he feare who is assured to be saued Rom. 11. Or how can the depe secrets of Gods predestinatioÌ„ be ordinarily knowen in this life Or is not faith an ordinary gift in the Churche Thus might I goe through al the articles in controuersie and in euery one I should find your syde to be the farther of and ours to be the nere to the plain literal meaning of Gods word The circunstaÌ„ce and conference If not only the plain vnderstanding of any one sentence but also the circunstance of the place and the conference of Gods word be necessary haue we not vsed it in euery question which hath ben hitherto handeled Here I must nedes referre the reader to my treatise of the Supper of our Lord In the x. and xii chapters namelie in the fourth booke and to my booke of Images in the v. and the xi chapters Item in this booke to the second and fourth chapters For in this preface it were ouer tedious to handle so long a matter If you say The best vse of Gods vvoorde suffiseth not alone I doe not conferre the places so as I ought to doe thereof riseth a new question wherein we must haue a new iudge For we beleue and vse the scriptures as wel as you and better to as I haue declared Item we alleage â—lain words we shew the circumstance to be for vs we conferre one place with an other If now all this will not â—nd the controuersie it is cleere that the only word of God be it neuer so wel handled is no sufficient mark to shew the truthe For this is al that can be dâ— about the word it self Seing then we must go farther I say the heads of the Church Iudges Aug. cont Iulianum lib. 2. the Councels the bishops and the auncient Fathers must be the Iudges whether we do wel applie the holy scriptures or no. For example Math. 16. M. Iewel saith S. Peter is not this rock whervpon Christ said he wold build his Church 〈◊〉 saie on the other syde In the 4. chap. that S. Peter is this rock And I shew it by the circumstance of the place and by the coÌ„ference of other holy scriptures M. Ieweâ— must needes say that I do not wel coÌ„feâ— the holy scriptures I take then for my Iudges aboue sixteÌ„ of the best doctors who expreslie stand on mie syde as 〈◊〉 wil shew in this present booke In the 4. chap. So thâ— this mark of the true Church also mâ—keth clerely for vs. And surely althougâ— the protestaÌ„ts in woords preteÌ„d to haâ—â— the coÌ„sent of the auÌ„cieÌ„t fathers yet thâ—â— in truthe it is not so this one thing mâ— sufficieieÌ„tly declare because wheÌ„soeueâ— â—anie occasioÌ„ neuer so far set maie serue thei do what thei can to reiect the Fathers partly by imputing errors to theÌ„ In his Reply P. 3. 49. P. 10. as M Iewel ordereth S Hilarie partly by
as you say by the Catholik church whence you are departed if then the mother not being able by faire meanes to reconcile the child to her again after loÌ„g and oft warnings doe pronouÌ„ce him a bastard member and a renegate child doth the mother in this case persecute her child or doth not the child rather persecute his mother Note vvel The child began the defection the mother defendeth her possession and inheritaÌ„ce and yet did we first persecute you Remember what S. Augustin writeth in this matter aÌ„d that not of himself but as taken out of S. Paule Sara with her son Isaac doth signifie the Churche Galat. 4. Agar with her son Ismael doth signifie carnall men as heretikes â—re Now wheras we reade that Agar â—he handmaiden and Ismael suffered greuous things at the haÌ„ds of Sara Genes 2â— yet S. Paule consydering that Agar was not persecuted of Sara before that she had through pride coÌ„temned her maistres doubted not to say that Isaac suffered ê‘secutioÌ„ of Ismael Galat. 4. As then saith S. Paule he that was according to the flesh Ismael did persecute him who was according to the spirit Isaac so is it now also vt qui possunt intelligant Aug. epis 48. to then they who are able may vnderstand saith S. Augustine that the Catholik Church suffereth persecution by the pride and wickednes of carnall meÌ„ whom she goeth about to ameÌ„d by teÌ„poral trobles aÌ„d terrors And much more followeth in S. Augustine writing against the Danatists who being departed from the Church then as you are now said then as you do now that the Catholikes did persecute theÌ„ and therefore that they were the true Church And surely if you can shew that we through pride departed froÌ„ the obedience which we once had oughed to you then in dede we might be saied to persecute you But seing certeinly you were al once vnder the obedieÌ„ce of our Pastours as Agar the handmaiden was vnder her maisters Sara and you through pride withdrew your selues froÌ„ vs Gene. 21. and made a new congregation of your own erecting doutlesse you are the Agarens and the Ismaelits but we being the childern of Sara are altogether persecuted of you and so that mark sheweth vs whome ye cal papists to be the true Churche Are there yet any moe markes of the true Churche behind Antiquity Yeas saith the Protestant For Antiquity is ours altogether Now you seme to say sumwhat But yf the Church of Christ be in all but one seing Antiquity is but the beginning or the auÌ„cient state of Christes Churche if the end of the same Church make for vs as your selues can not deny but that these nine hundred yeres we were more like to be that Church of Christ which must be spread through all nations then you it is not possible that the begiÌ„ning should make for you For Christes Church is euer like it self If you appeale to particular exaÌ„ples I say the Christians in the primatiue Churche communicated vnder one kind both at Emaus Luc. 24. August de consen Euangel li. 3. cap. 25. Theophil in 24. luce Euseb lib. 7. cap. 14. Math. 9. and at Ierusalem as the words of the holy scripture which the auncient Fathers testifie to appertein to the Sacrament of Christes supper doe import Item the Christians did then make and sette vp Images in the honour of Christ as the most famous history of the Woman cured of her bloody issue doth most euidently witnesse An. D. 50. Dionysius whom M. Iewel confesseth to be an auncieÌ„t writer as it may saith he many waies wel appere maketh mention of a De Eccl. Hiera c. 2 insufflation of holy oyle of b Cap. 3 altars inceÌ„se healthful sacrifice of c Cap. 4. holy Chrism and of holy d Cap. 5. orders of priesthood of the prosession of e Cap. 6. Munkes blessed with the signe of the crosse shoren and receauing a new garment of f Cap. 7. praying for the faithfull sowles of g In epist ad Demophilum confessing synnes to a priest All these thinges we haue but the Protestantes know them not An. D. 70. Ad Smyrnenses Ignatius speaking of such a Sacrifice as ought not to be offered without the Bisshoppe must nedes meane a publike and externall Sacrifice for the making whereof a speciall minister was ordered He woulde haue the Emperour to obey the bishop he speaketh of Virgins Ad Phila. which had consecrated them selues to God Ad Antiochum And commendeth a certaine appointed number of fasting dayes to witte fortie which fast we call the Lent Iustinus witnesseth An. Dom. 150. In Apologia 2. De coena water to haue bene mingled with the wine and the DeacoÌ„s to haue caried the coÌ„secrated mysteries as we also doe to them which were absent which thing Caluin reputeth an abuse Pius the first De cons distinct 3. Nosse vos Euseb li. 5. c. 23. et 24 Epiphan Haer. 50. Aug. 29. decreed Easter day to be kepte vnifoormlie of all men wherevpon Pope Victor excommunicated the bisshoppes of Asia for not obeying And those who continued in their stubburnesse were taken for heretikes both of the Greekes and Latins All doctrin is false and lying saith Tertullian which agreeth not with some Apostolike Churche An. D. 200 Our doctrine agreeth with the chiefe Apostolike Church of Rome yours with none at all that is now in the earth De Corona ad vxoreÌ„ It was the custom in those dayes to make oblations for the dead the twelue moneths day to goe vnto the Stations Euseb lib. 6. c. 7. Paula ad Marcel to 1. Hierom. to visit holy places and specially those of Ierusalem which custom dured froÌ„ Christes ascension vntil S. Hieroms tyme through all Christendom and yet is called Pilgrimage of vs. An. Dom. 250. De coena Do. Saint Cyprian confesseth the bread which our Lord gaue to his disciples being changed not in shape but in nature to haue bene made flesh CoÌ„fessioÌ„ to the priest Serm 5. de lapsis Item that euen the consent in hart to commit a great synne was to be confessed apud Sacerdotes Dei before the priests of God And that forgeuenes made by the priests is acceptable vnto God 2. Reg. 12. 2. Cor 2. Cyp. lib. 1. epist 2. Item that the temporal penance which is due to Gods iustice after the fault is forgeuen might for iust causes be forgeuen by the bishop Nicen. coÌ„ c. 11. which the Nicen councel doth also decree And that is it which we now call a pardon What should I here reherse the reuerence geueÌ„ in old tyme to a Euseb li. 7 c. 15. S. Iames chaier and to other Reliques the solemne dedicating of b Lib. 9. cap. 10. Churches the straight life of c Ruffinus lib. 11. c. 4. Eremits the d Theodor. lib. 5. c. 21. driuing away of diuels
by holy water the autority of e Basil de Spi. sancto c. 27. vnwriten traditions the vse of f Hom. in 40. Mart. praying to Saints the g Ambros de poenit lib. 1. c. 7. Sacrament of penance the h Epist 33. name sacrifice and i de Sacra lib. 4. c. 5. 6. Canon of the Masse the forgeuing of synnes by the priestes when they k Chryso lib. 3. de Sacerd. oynt the sick with oile in our Lords name the l Hieron contra Vigilantium lights burning whiles the Gospel was readen that a bishop can not m Lib. 1. contra Iouin begette childern in his bishoply vocation that a fixe or a certain n Ad Furiam nuÌ„ber of praiers is praiers is prescribed which serueth to coÌ„firm the vse of our beads that he can not be a priest who hath had o Ad Gerontiam two wiues that the p Ibidem bishop of Rome vsed to answer the consultations or relations directed to him from the Councels both of the East and of the West that the q Augusti in Psal 37 fyre of purgatorie is more greuouse then whatsoeuer a man may suffer in this life All these things were in the auncient Churche the same are in our Churche the same are not in the Protestants Churche How then can it be that Antiquity should either help the ProtestaÌ„ts or hiÌ„der vs As therfore we are assured of the mark of Antiquity so let vs go forward with certain other markes which are no lesse peculiar to vs. Among other things which staied S. Augustine in the right faith this was one The name of a Catholik Cont. epis fundae c. 4 because no heresie could obtein the name of the Catholike Churche although euery heresie did much desier to obtein it The reason is for that heresies be but parts and peculiar sects of some one country August de vnit eccles c. 1. or the doctrin of a smal tyme whereas the word Catholike doth betoken a certain vniuersall professioÌ„ during froÌ„ the beginniÌ„g to the ending and spread throughout Those therfore who begaÌ„ their doctrine after the Apostles tyme Heretiks were either named of their master as the ArriaÌ„s of Arrius the PelagiaÌ„s of Pelagius the Lutherans of Luther the Caluinists of Caluin or of some place where they liued as the heresy of the Phrygians or of the falsehod which they taught as Quartadecimani Anabaptistes Aquarij or of some like particular circumstance But they were only called Catholiks who kepte the vniuersall faith which the Apostles had first taught Catholike and which was continued alwaies in the whole Churche To our purpose I saie the Protestantes neuer hadde the name of Catholikes nor neuer shall haue it because they beganne after the Apostles tyme to wit within these fiftie yeres But we so had once the name of Catholiks that we shall neuer leese it I doe not onely report me to al kind of histories and writers who accompted for euer the flock and society of the RomaÌ„ church for Catholiks a De obitu fratris as S. Ambrose b In Apol. cont Ruffinum S. Hierome and all maner of other Fathers do witnesse but also I say our ennemies confesse this Marke to haue beÌ„ ours Reade the very title of M. Iewels Reply reade it I say aÌ„d see what God to his euerlasting damnatioÌ„ if he repent not caused him to write there The Title of M. Ievvels Reply A Reply saith he vnto M. Hardings answere by perusing wherof the discrete and diligent reader may easily see the weake and vnstable grounds of the RomaÌ„ religioÌ„ which of late hath ben accoÌ„pted Catholik By I. Iewelbishop of Sarisburie Heare you not what he saith The Romain religion of late hath ben accompted Catholike As men accompt a thing to bee so doe they name it those therefore who accompted the Romain Religion to be Catholike named it also the Catholike Religion But S. Augustine saith Cont. epis Manichai cap. 4. Tenet me in ecclesia Catholicae nomen quod noÌ„ sine causa inter tam multas haereses sic ista Ecclesia sola obtinuit cet The very name of the Catholik Church holdeth me in the Churche the which name this Church alone hath not without a cause so obteyned among so many heresies that whereas all heretiks couet to be called Catholiks yet yf any stranger ask where the Catholik communion is kept no heretike dare shew his own Churche or palace or house Behold the true Church alone hath obteined the name of the Catholike Church and no heresy could obtein the same But we that are nowe called Papists by Maister Iewels confession were of late accompted Catholikes therefore we are the true Churche and we are not heretikes at all This Mark then standeth also on our syde Beside the name of Catholikes we also haue the continuall succession of bishops and priests SuccessioÌ„ or vniuersality Ibidem ab ipsa sede Petri as S. Augustine speaketh vsque ad praesentem Episcopatum euen from the very See of Peter to the bisshoply office which now is Such a continual succession we shew from S. Peter himself vntil Pius the fifth who presently fitteth at Rome in Saint Peters chaire The same Marke as being one of the most euident of all others is approued by S. a li. 3. c. 3 Ireneus by b de praescript TertulliaÌ„ by c Lib. 2. de schism Optatus and d Contra Luciferia by S. Hierome The Protestantes on the other syde neither haue continual successioÌ„ of bishops nor yet of any preachers nor of â—ny peple that are knowen to haue professed their faith So that either no such â—ongregation was Math. 10. Rom. 1. 10. 1. Pet. 3. or they were al damâ—ed because they were ashamed to coÌ„fesse the Gospel of Christ by their word and conuersation before men Marke wel this point I can not see what caÌ„ be reasonably answered vnto it Consyder now good Reader the riches and preeminence of our cause aboue the Protestants 1. Al these Marks Thevv our Churche to be true We haue Gods woorde before them 2. We haue and beleue more of it then they 3. We haue moe authentike copies euen of those bookes which they together with vs doe receaue for Gods woorde 4. We haue a more certain commission to vse it in preaching or otherwise 5. We reade it in more holy and profitable tungs 6. We vse it also in vulgar tungs without breache of vnity 7. The plain meaning thereof maketh for vs 8. The circumstance and conference thereof sheweth our faith to be the truer 9. The auncieÌ„t Fathers verait agreeth with our doctrin 10 The tradition and practise aâ— only with vs. 11. Generall Councels are only with vs. 12. the vnity of one chiefâ— iudge is onely with vs. 13. The lawfulâ— preaching of Gods worde and the lawfull administration of the Sacraments is
Militant Church hath a certain primacie in consideration and respect of them ouer whome he is made Primate and chief gouernour albeit when we consider the maiestie of our Maister Christ the very Primate stil continueth altogether a suppliant and an huÌ„ble seruitour to him As for other who vnder the chief ruler haue the charge of particular parishes and Churches committed vnto them they haue also in the same degree and sort a certaine Superioritie which S. Hierom calleth Exortem quandaÌ„ eminentem potestatem In Dial. coÌ„tra Luciferanos a certaine perelesse and high power If he be a Parish Priest he is aboue any other in that parish If he be a Bishop he is aboue any other in that Diocese Of such Rulers S. Paul saith Obedite Prepositis vestris Obey them who are sette ouer you Now it is to be knowen that in any one parish or in any one diocese there neuer was but one ruler at once ordinarily For thence come heresies and schismes saith S. Cyprian because one Priest in the Church for the time Ad Cornel Ep. 3. Lib. 1. and one iudge in Christes stede is not thought to be If then the whole militant Church be also one certaine particular body of a certayne particular administration and condition in respecte of the triumphant Church which is otherwise guided in heauen it must nedes follow that ouer the whole militant house of God one only master and gouernour is set whom we al ought to obey as our chief ruler in earth And so by the superioritie which experience sheweth to belong to one in euerie parish we come by the force of the same reason to acknowledge one chief Postour in the great parish of this world of which kind S. Peter was whiles he liued And that may well be perceiued by the Gospell it selfe For seeing the Euangelist S. Mathew repeting the names of the twelue Apostles saith Primus Cap. 10. Simon qui dicitur Petrus the first is SimoÌ„ who is called Peter and afterwards reckoneth none neither second nor third nor fourth vndoubtedly by calling Peter Primum first he meaneth that he was the first in dignitie and the chiefest among the Apostles and that al the rest afterwardes were to be equallie estemed For to be first where none is put as Second or Third is to be first not by order of numbring but onely by dignitie and preeminence in somuch that the Auncient Fathers expresse the force of this woorde Primus First by calling S. Peter the Prince or chief of the Apostles And certes where there is any in the Church of God first in dignitie and chief in praeeminence there must needes be some primacie Besides if the Bishop of the old law was called in those daies Exod. 22. Princeps populi The Prince of the people and if S. Paul honoured Ananias with that name euen after the death of Christ saying Actor 23. It is written Thou shalt not curse or reuile the Prince of thy people how much more ought he both to be called and to be also beleued to be the chief gouernour and Prince of al Christian people whom Christ hath appointed and sette ouer his familie Ioan. 21. saying Feede my sheepe Onely he must be circumspect that he turne not his primacie into a tyrannie as the GeÌ„tiles and Princes of the world doe How be it this also is to be considered that neither the Prophets nor the Euangelists are wont to be so carefull of woordes as of the sense and things â—hemselues Wherby it commeth to passe sometimes that they geue the name of God to such meÌ„ as haue by participation any diuine or godly thing in them as to Iudges Exod. 22. Psal 81. Ioan. 10. and to whom God vouchsafeth to speake By like meanes it may be verified that some Ecclesiastical persons haue a certaine dominioÌ„ in that respect verely that by participation they receiue a diuine and heauenly thing that is to say that power which Christ their liege Lord and natural Soueraigne indued them withal when he made them gouernours of his familie For among the holy orders of Angels in like manner there is rekened one which is called of S. Paule Dominationes Dominations Coloss 1. not because they haue any dominion or soueraintie ouer other Angels as seruants in subiection vnto them because they reciue that vertue and power of God the onelie true Lord which it pleaseth his Maiestie to haue annexed to that order thereby to geue forth some token and shew of his infinite Lordship and power Wherefore if some man not thinking peraduenture of these controuersies nor weighing rather the thing then the bare word hath at any time expressed the primacy of the Church Dominus Lord staÌ„deth somtime for Sir with this worde Dominion or if any maÌ„ do cal a Bishop by the name of Lord we ought not for any such respect to make an hurly burly as though any proper or true dominioÌ„ were challenged in the Church of one towards an other For as touching that which is properly called DominioÌ„ we defend it not But that there is a primacie in the Church that is the thing which we defend The which Ecclesiastical primacie although it may euidently appere by that which is already said yet it shal not be out of the way to consider how one of those places which are alleaged of our Aduersaries as yf it did vtterly forbid 〈◊〉 Superioritie among the disciples Luc. 22. â—â—th cleerely stablish and confirme the â—â—me For whereas often times there â—ll a strife betweene the Disciples â—ho shoulde be the greater once 〈◊〉 the way to Capharnaum Marc. â— an other â—â—me when the Mother of the sonnes â—f Zebede desired that one of her chilâ—ren might sitte at Christes right and and the other at his left hand Marc. 10. And the third time Luc. 22. after his last â—upper albeit Christ always did dehort â—hem from expectation of that heatheâ—ish kind of dominioÌ„ which was vsed â—n the worlde and alwaies inuited â—hem to humilitie yet he neuer denied â—ut that there should be one in deede â—reater among them and he oftenâ—imes signified that the same should be â— Peter and that as wel when he chose â—im to be the first Apostle as when â—e said Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I wil build my Church and to thee I vvil geue the keiâ— of heauen Math. 16. 17. and paie for thee anâ— mee Yf then you demaund how it happened that this notwitstanding th'Apostles striued who should be greater 〈◊〉 that euen after supper wheÌ„ it had beâ— already said Vpon this rocke I vvâ—â— build my Church I answer that noâ—withstanding S. Peter was most like 〈◊〉 be preferred yet whiles Christ liued iâ— the earth it was in his free choise tâ— haue appointed it otherwise Anâ— when the Apostles saw either S. Peteâ— called Satanas Math. 16. Origen in Math. tractat 5. Ne maior noÌ„ esset
â—he one born of Sara the freewoman â—he other of Agar the handmaiden Which historie being true in very dede according as the words doe sound doth againe signifie vnto vs a more deepe mysterie The son of Sara doth betoken the new testament Galath 4. or the promise of God made to his true childern by adoption â–ª and Agar doth betoken the old testament no lesse then if it had ben so writen in expresse words Likewise wheras as Dauid saith that the sound of the heauens is gon foorth into all the earth Psal 18. meaning that al men may by the very order and course of the heauens see the glory of God S. Paul doubted not by the heauens to vnderstand the Apostles and Preachers Rom. 10. whose sound he teacheth to haue gon ouer al the earth So that the new testament was geuen and printed in the old not only according to the Prophecies there which are fulfilled here but also according to the figures there 1. Cor. 10. which are verified here And so the iustice of God is marueilouslie reuealed from faith to faith Rom. 1. from Patriarches and Prophets to the Apostles and their disciples froÌ„ the law to the Gospel Ioan. 1. from Moyses to Christ to th' end they should be inexâ—â—sable who beholding such a diuine â—nd of writing wherein things and â—eeds were ordeined to be as wordes â—nd letters vnto vs would yet remain 〈◊〉 their incredulitie If then out of one sentence diuerse â—â—ue meanings may be gathered we â—ust know farther that both those meâ—ings be not a like principal but one of â—hem is the foundation and ground of â—he other And therefore although â—oth be found as it were in one builâ—ing yet seing the one is before the oâ—her at the least in the order of place â—e must exactly know which is the first meaning of the twaine Els we can â—euer be sure of the secoÌ„d as the which â—acketh a sufficient grouÌ„d to staie vpon The first meaning is that Hieron in Amos. c. 4. which the holy Ghost vttereth according to the first sense of the woords the which is now called Literal because it ariseth of â—he writen letter rightly vnderstanded The other sense which is builded therevpon is called spiritual because it is knowen rather by the spirit of God then by the sound of the writer letter Now it skilleth so much to know which is the literal and which is the spiritual sense of holie scripture that the Literal sense is onely of force to conuince any aduersarie withal Augu. ad VincentiuÌ„ epist 48. who beleueth Gods word whereas the spiritual sense except it be reuealed by the holy Ghost is such as may be easilie denied because it hath no sufficient ground appering outwardly to man For there may be many spiritual senses geuen of some one sentence and it is euer vncertain which speciallie of them al is meant of God in that place The literal sense of holy scripture is that The literal sense which is first meant by the holie Ghost not alwaies according to the graÌ„matical sound but according to the most plaine meaning of the speaker For example when Christ saith vnto Peter To thee I wil giue the keies of â—he kingdom of heauen the literal â—eaning is not that Peter should reâ—eaue any material keyes of iron or of â—rasse Keyes Isai 22. Apoca. â— 3. But by the keyes according to the â—hrase of holy scripture is meant the â—ower authoritie aÌ„d right which Christ wil geue Peter in his Church For as â—hey who haue the keyes of a house may by right open or shut the dores of â—hat howse so Peter bath right and power to open or shutte the kingdom of heauen to vs. And as the deliuering of the keyes of a citie among men doth betokeÌ„ the geuing of the possession of that City to â—he gouerned by him who receiueth the keyes euen so Peter hath the militant Church as it were committed to his gouernment in this life by Christ So that the literal sense is I wil geue thee the power and autority to gouern my Church for the saluatioÌ„ of soules Likewise when it is said Math. 2â— thou art Peter I call not the literall sense thou art a rock or a graet stone but thou art that toward my Church which a stone is toward the house that is built vpon that stone It is farther to be considered that the literal sense being once agreed vpoÌ„ there lyeth hidden in that sense manie times an other more profouÌ„d sense also the which is not directly and plainly vttered but it is inferred and gathered by the force of argument God hath ben called of old tyme the God of Abraham Exod. 4. of Isaac and of Iacob Neither doth any man dout of the first meaning of those words which is that God acknowlegeth himself to haue chosen those three men to his seruants and doth witnesse that they did in deede serue him But that in these words there lyeth hidden a strong argument to proue the resurrectioÌ„ by that I say dependeth of the literal sense also but not such as is sene straight waies but onlie it is conceaued by discourse For God is not the God of dead things Math. 22. But he is God of Abraham therefore Abraham is not dead Abraham is a man consisting of body and sowle If Abraham then liue and yet his bodie be dead his bodie must rise againe to theÌ„d God maie iustly be called the God of whole Abraham ergo in that God is called the God of Abraham it is shewed by discourse that the bodies of men shal be reised to life againe After this sort the consubstantiality of Christ with God the Father maie be well proued out of the holie scriptures Ioan. 1. Lucae 1. Math. 26. Item the perpetual virginitie of our Ladie transubstantiation the sacrifice of the masse purgatorie and diuers other matters 1. Cor. 10. Math. 12. which be not distinctly named there At the length to come to our purpose there are found in the auncient fathers at the lest foure diuerse senses of these words vpon this rock I will build my Church of the which those onlie are of force to proue any thing by which are literal The first is that the Church is meaÌ„t to be built vpon Christ Retract lib 1. c. 21 And that S. Augustine doth follow as a probable sense but not as the only sense For that in dede but more also is meant in this place The second is that euery Disciple of Christ is the rock whervpoÌ„ the Church is built aÌ„d that being the sense of OrigeÌ„ Origenes in Math. is only spirituall and therefore of no great force to proue any thing by The third is that Peters faith or coÌ„fession is this rock whervpoÌ„ the Church is built Chrysost in Math. which is a true sense but it is not al the whole sense of those words The fourth and
fathers at once Concil Chalced. Act. 3. who in the fourth general Councel teache thus Petrus Apostolus est Petra crepido ecclesiae Catholicae Peter the Apostle is the Rocke and toppe of the Catholik Church What meant you then M. Iewel to say that the olde Catholique Fathers haue writen and pronounced not any mortal man as Peter was but Christ himselfe the Sonne of God to be this Rocke The old Fathers affirm both Christ and Peter to be the Rocke Christ by nature Peter by vocation and election Christ to be both the Rocke absolutelie and also by a consequent to be this Rocke wherupon the militant Church shal be built Peter to be this Rocke but not absolutely the Rocke But what did not M. Iewel know all this that surely is scant likelie sith these things are so riue in the old Fathers and so oft alleaged by the new writers Vnlesse perhaps M. Iewel readeth not the old Fathers and trusteth not the new writers aÌ„d so be ignoraÌ„t of these authorities For in dede id appeareth by his doings that either he neuer saw the originals whence he citeth his testimonies but onlie followeth blind note bookes made and collected by other his auncestours and masters in heresie or els he is one of the most manifest falsifiers that euer was in the Church For willinglie to belie so manie Fathers at once as he now hath done it is a malice not much lesse then Simon Magus or any scholar of his had I rather thinck he saw not the originals Howsoeuer it be he is an horrible instrument of perdition to the childern of perdition O syr Are Tertullian Origenes Cyprian Hilarie Basil Epiphanius Ambrose Hierom Augustine Chrysostome Cyrillus Damascenus Psellus Theodoretus Theophilactus Euthimius Prosper Leo Gregorius no auncient Fathers Al they teache a mortal maÌ„ as Peter was verily euen Peter him self by the gift of Christ to be this Rock whereof it is said vpon this rock I wil build my Church What a lyer now is he who saith they doe not so their bookes be foorth in print let them be sene If M. Iewel be an impudeÌ„t lier let him either openly recant or be auoided as a falsifier of Gods Gospel and of true religion yea as one more worthy of a whetstone then of a bishopricke But now lette vs consider also the reason why the fathers confesse the Church to haue ben built vpon S. Peter For euery thing is made the plainer and surer when the reason of it is knowen The diuerse reasons which the Fathers bring to declare why S. Peter was this rock doe euidently shew that he was most literally this Rocke whereupon Christ would build his Church The VI. Chap. HE that geueth a cause of a thing done or said sheweth himself to be most fully persuaded concerning the truthe of the thinge otherwise he would neuer indeuour to find out the reasons why that should be so doÌ„ or said which he thought not to be don or said at all Seing then the auncient Fathers do shew why and how S. Peter is this Rocke wherevpon the Church is built it is impossible that they should anything dout thereof and much lesse can they denie him to be this rocke wherevpon Christ said he would build his Church And yet M. Iewel hath said most falsely that they doe write and pronounce not any mortal man as Peter was to be this Rocke To beginne with S. Basil he saith Petrus Ecclesiae aedificationem in seipsum suscepit Aduersus EunomiuÌ„ lib. 2. Peter receaued the building of the Church vpon himself But why propter fidei excellentiam for the excellencie of his faith Behold his faith alone was not properlie the Rocke but Peter was the Rocke and that not onlie for his faith for then other faithful meÌ„ might haue ben the like rock but for the excellencie of his faith Two things then are necessarie for being this Rocke that he be Peter and that he haue an excellent faith to wit such as none other had as the which was promised most singularly and for the continuance whereof Christ himself hath praied And because this faith was most excellent Libr. 6. de Tainit Saint Hilarie teacheth farther that Supereminentem gloriam beatae fidei suae confessioâ—e promeruit Peter by the confessing of his blessed faith deserued a passing glorie Peters faith had not excelled yf anie man had ben like to him neither had Peters glorie passed for the confession of his faith yf any man had bene like to him in glorie His glorie was to receaue the building of the Church vppon him for the excellencie of his faith therefore the Churche was more singularlie built vppon him then vpon any other manels S. Cyprian writeth of S. Peter Ecclesia quae vna est super vnum Ad Iubaian qui claues eius accepit Domini voce fundata est The Church which is one is by the voice of our Lord fouÌ„ded vppon one who hath receaued the keies of it This reason can beare but one such Rocke at once as Peter was for els the Church as one is not founded vpon one if there are moe such rocks at once Otherwise what can be saied why if there be many such rocks there should not also be many Churches But the Churche beinge one is built vppon one therefore that one who is Peter hath no fellow in that behalf vntil after him an other doe succede in that one office Homil. de Pastor S. Augustine discoursing vpoÌ„ those wordes of Christ spoken to S. Peter Feed my sheep writeth thus Dominus in ipso Petro vnitatem coÌ„mendauit c. Our Lorde hath coÌ„mended vnitie in S. Peter himself Vni dicitur There were many Apostles aÌ„d it is said to one feed my shepe S. Augustin calleth the other Apostles also good shepherds but S. Peter he calleth the one good shephearde by whose one pastoral office vnitie is commended and set forth verely because it is meant that as many Pastours and particular flocks in this life are vnder Peter one chief pastour and in him â—hey al are one euen so all the states â—nd ages of the Church that euer haue â—en be or shal be are vnder one chief â—astour Iesus Christ and in him they â—al are one But as al the ages of faithful meÌ„ are one Church in Christ the chief pastour because he in deed and in truth conteineth them al vnder his vnitie right so Peter shuld not be the chief one Pastor of al the particular flocks in respect of the other Apostles except in deede he had power geuen him to feede them all within the compasse of his one folde S. Hierome hauing called S. Peter Lib. 1. aduers IouiÌ„ the Apostle of Christ and the Rock afterward confesseth to Iouinian who reioysed to see a maried man so honoured that Super Petrum fundatur Ecclesia The Church is built vpon Peter Adding therevnto Licet id ipsum in alio loco super omnes Apostolos fiat
is an Apostle but as he is the primate of the Apostles propter Apostolatus sui primatum for the primacie of his Apostleship If he be not Primate in deede he doth not signifie that which S. Augustine teacheth For all mystical significatioÌ„s in Gods word be built vpon a real truthe Gen. 8. Noë by offering cleane beasts vpon the altar did signifie the death of Christ Therefore in deede Noë did offer vppon the altar Let it be taught to be a feined thing that Noë did offer those beasts and that dede of his can not be a figure of Christes death For that which is not reallie true is the figure of nothing Therefore seing the primacie of Peter is the cause why he beareth the person of the Church and why he hath the Church built vpon him it is not only true that Peter is the primate of the Apostles and therby of the whole Church Note but also he is at the least in the order of nature first the primate before he doth beare the figure of the Church For as if a man do beare the person of Glocester in the Parleament because he is Burges of that Citie it is most necessarilie true that he is first Burges before he doe so beare that person euen so if Peter beare the figure of the Church because he is the primate he is surelie the primate before he beare the general person of the Church WheÌ„ I say he is primate before I meane not in time but in course and order of nature For first Peter is considered as made primate and then we afterward consider that vpoÌ„ his primacy the person of the Church is layed although both things be done at once Seing then Peter could not beare this general person but only for those whose officer and primate he was it is euident In Ioan. Tract 12â— that by this reason of S. Augustine Peter was the general officer of the whole militant Church euen of S. Iohn and of S. Iames also in such respect as he toke the keies for them Not yet the keies of their Apostleshippe which they tooke for them selues but the keies of the chiefe pastoral office Ion. 21. within which the Apostles also were coÌ„teined in that respect as they were shepe aÌ„d of that one flock in earth which was wholy committed to Peter Thus haue we many reasons whie S. Peter aboue al others was the rocke 1. the excellency of his faith 2 the excellency of his glorie 3. the vnity of the Church built vppon him being one 4. the signifying of Christ to be the one euerlasting shepherd 5. the eschuing of schismes 6. the receauing of Ecclesiastical power for the whole Church Which reasons if they be deepeâ— pondered 7. they proue not only that he was once the Rocke but that also an other like him must still be the Rocke whose excellent faith may direct the faithfull whose glorie maie cause the Churche to be gloriouse whose vnitie maie kepe the flocke one and kepe away schismes and signifie stil the vnitie of one euerlasting head and one mysticall bodie whose generall office may receaue power to be distributed to euerie other member in the outward ministerie of the Church as euery one hath neede thereof for the building vp of the Church of God Ephes 4. For the building of the Church vpoÌ„ this rock which S. Peter is goeth still â—â—rward as it once began sithens al the â—uilding is not yet ended but is euerie â—ay a working Endeuour once M. Ieâ—el to answer these reasons of the Fathers and the lack of reason in your syde shal straight appere Words you can â—atch together as other hereticks haue â—lon before you but the examining of â—n authority with the reason thereof doth straight confound you The Authorities alleaged by M. Iewel to proue that S. Peter was not this Rock proue against himself that S. Peter was this rock although they proue that there was an other kind of rock also besyde him which thing we deny not The VII Chap. Ievvel The old Catholike Fathers haue writen and pronounced not any mortal man as Peter was but Christ himself the Sonne of God to be this Rocke Sander There are two parts of this proposition the one that Christ is this Rock Which we graunt to be most true and how it is true we shall see hereafter The other part of M. Iewels assertion is that no mortal maÌ„ as Peter was is this rock This part I say he neither proueth nor is able to proue For I shewed before that aboue twenty auncient Fathers haue taught and haue confirmed it by reason that Peter was this rock But let vs heare M. Iewel speake for him self Ievvel In locis veteris Testam Gregorius Nyssenus saith Thou art Peter And vpon rhis Rock I wil build my Church He meaneth the confession of Christ For he had said before thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Sander It is not here said that Peter was not this Rocke which was the chiefe thing that M. Iewel ought to haue proued Yea I say farther it is not here said that Christ was this Rocke which was the other part of â— Iewels assertion But only Nysseâ—us saith that Christ meaneth to build â—is church vpoÌ„ the coÌ„fessioÌ„ which Peter â—ade of hiÌ„ And verely I beleue so to But Christ meaneth not to build his Church vpon the confession without al â—espect of S. Peter but vpon the conâ—ession which Peter had and alwaies should make whiles in feeding Christes flock he should alwaies teache theÌ„â—he true faith of Iesus Christ So that â—f the confession of S. Peter be this rock then S. Peter who maketh it is much more this rock For no mans act of confessing can be greater then himself is sithens it cometh from his soule aÌ„d hart as froÌ„ a certein spring or fouÌ„taine where God hath planted the grace thereof Such Arguments then M. Iewel bringeth to proue his fond assertion as if he should say there commeth Eloquence from the man but the man is not eloquent For he woulde proue that S. Peter who maketh the confession is not the Rock because his confession which commeth from him is the Rock Whereas it is no lesse true thâ— if Peters confession be the Rock Peter himselfe is also much more the Rocke then it is true that if a mans Oratiâ—â— be eloquent himself also is eloquent For the vertue which either the oration or the confession hath was before in the man himself and proceded from him Ievvel lib. 2. de Trinit So saith S. Hilarie Haec eâ— vna foelix fidei petra quam Petrus ore suo confessus est This is that only blessed Rock of faith that Peter confessed vvith his mouth Sander When shal we haue honest dealing in you M. Iewel Did you not promise to proue that the Rock spoken of in these words Vpon this Rock wil I build my Church was Christ and not Peter But S. Hilarie speaketh not
it will follow that the Apostles in their owne persons needed no head but that S. Peter was set ouer them to geue thereby a forme and a paterne that afterward when the personal priuilege of the Apostles shuld cease yet the rest who should be the successours of the Apostles might al obey one who shuld succede in Peters place Luc. 22. By whose assured faith because Christ prayed for it al they might be sure not to erre in the faith By this meanes it is easie to answere the obiections which are made against the supremacie of S. Peter For if S. Paul did aswel preache to the Gentils Galat. ◠as S. Peter did to the Iewes he did it by the office and nature of his Apostleship which was to goe into the whole worlde Matth. 28 and to preache to euery creature 2. Cor. 11. and to haue the care of al Churches lying vpon him And therfore S. Peter did also as wel before as afterward preache vnto the Gentils with no lesse power then S. Paule Act. 15. And S. Paule to the Iewes no lesse then S. Peter For the order power and grace of their Apostleship was equal as the degree and line of brethern is equall But as God preferred in old time the eldest sonne to the priesthood Genes 49 and to a greater power in gouernment not by the force of the brotherhed but by his own ordinance euen so whereas Peter and Paule were equal Apostles yet Peter by the appointment of Christ was the head not by force of the Apostleship but by the will of God to shew that his Church was one by hauing one pastour in it aboue the reast as a Kingdom is one by hauing one King in it or as a house is one by hauing one master in it Again if S. Paule did reproue S. Peter cōcerning circūcision as one that walked not accordīg to the truth of the Gospel in his behauior S. Paul might do it Galat. 2. both because they were fellowes and brethern in the Apostolike office and also for that he had the same holie Ghost which Peter had But we must consyder as Tertullian in his booke of prescriptions doth witnesse that no doctrine of S. Peters was then reproued as false Conuersationis fuit vitium nō praedicationis but onlie his behauiour concerning an outward fact of his in that he hauing freelie eaten before with the Gentills without respect of keeping the Law of Moyses wherein his deede was right good and did witnesse that he belieued the obseruances of the olde Lawe to bind noman yet at the comming of Iewes he did abstein and withdraw himselfe as perswaded that he should do more good to the Iewes if he forbare certain meats to winne his weake brethern Likewise S. Augustine writeth Neque enim negamus in hac sententia suisse iā Petrum Epist 19. ad Hieron in qua Paulus fuit Non itaque tunc eū quid in ea re verum esset docebat sed eius simulationem qua gentes iudaizare cogebantur arguebat Neither truly we do deny but that Peter was now in the same mind that Paul was Therefore he did not then teach Peter what was true in that cause but he reproued his dissembling whereby the Gentils were compelled to plaie the Iewes So that wheras S. Peter was no lesse perswaded then S. Paul that Circumcision ād the ceremonies of the Law must cease as S. Peter himself pronounced at Hierusalē And wheras S. Paul no lesse then hé Act. 15. had tolerated the obseruāces of the law for a time in circūciding Timotheus the question is not Act. 16. whether Circumcision ought to be abrogated nor yet whether it might be at al for a time permitted but whether it might be now any more winked at as hitherto it had bene For S. Paul beleuing the time to be now com that euery man ought to professe his faith openly concerning the abrogation of the old ceremonies did reproue S. Peters outward simulation as by his fact yelding lōger time to the Iewes then was profitable And herein surely S. Peter proued himself to be in deed the head of al the Apostles For whereas Christ had said he that is greater among you Luc. 22. let him be made as the yonger or lesser he in deed accomplisshed that precept and yelded vnto S. Pauls aduise as S. Cyprian S. Augustine and S. Gregorie doe testifie Nam nec Petrus Cyprian quem primum Dn̄s elegit in Epist ad Quintum supet quē aedificauit Ecclesiam suam cum secum Paulus de circumcisione disceptaret postmodum vendicauit sibi aliquid insolenter aut arroganter assumpsit vt diceret se primatū tenere obtemperari a nouellis posteris sibi potius debere nec de spexit Paulum quòd Ecclesiae prius persecutor fuisset sed consiliū veritatis admisit For Peter whom our Lord chose to be firste and vppon whom he did build his Church did not when Paul did striue with him about Circumcisiō afterward chalenge or attribute any thing to him self insolently or proudlie and saye that he had the primacy ād that he ought rather to be obeyed of Nouices and after commers neither did he despise Paul for that he was before a persecuter of the church but he did admit the counsail of truth By which wordes we perceiue that S. Cyprian did not iudge this reprouing of S. Peter to be any argument against his supremacie but only to be a witnesse of S. Peters humilitie and mekenesse But as it was in deed true that S. Paul had once persecuted the Church so was it also true that S. Peter held the Primacie although as S. Cyprian hath noted he did not then allege it S. Augustine likewise confesseth De baptis cont Donat lib. 2. cap. 1. In scripturis sanctis didicimus Apostolum Petrū in quo primatus Apostolorum tam excellenti gratia praeeminet aliter quam veritas postulabat de Circumcisione agere solitum à posteriore Apostolo Paulo esse correctum We haue learned in the holy scriptures that the Apostle Peter in whom the Primacie of the Apostles appeareth aboue the rest by so excellent and gratiouse fauour that he accustoming to doe otherwise concerning Circumcision then the truth did require was corrected of Paule who was admitted after him to be an Apostle S. Gregorie stablisheth S. Peters supremacy the more by the very same example of his humilitie in bearing gently the correction of his fellow Apostle Quatenus qui primus erat in Apostolatus culmine Gregorius in Ezech. Hom. 18. esset primus in humilitate That he who was chief in the top of th' Apostleship might also be chief in lowlinesse Ecce à minore suo reprehenditur reprehendi non dedignatur non ad memoriam reuocat quòd primus in Apostolatum vocatus sit Behold Peter is reproued of his inferiour and he disdaineth not to be
THE ROCKE OF THE CHVRCHE Wherein the Primacy of S. Peter and of his Successours the Bishops of Rome is proued out of Gods Worde By Nicolas Sander D. of diuinity The eternal Rock of the vniuersal Church Christ was the rock an other foundatiō no man is hable is put 1. Cor. 3. 10. The temporal Rock of the militant Church Thou art Peter and vppon this Rocke I wil build my Church Matth. 16. The continuance of this temporal Rocke In the Church of Rome the primacy of the Apostolike chaier hath alwaies florished August in Epist 162. Recken euen from the very seate of Peter and in that rew of Fathers consyder who succeded the other That is the rock which the proud gates of hel doe not ouercome In Psal cōt part Don. Tom. 7. LOVANII Apud Ioannem Foulerum Anno D. 1567. REgiae Maiestatis Priuilegio concessum est Nicolao Sandro Sacrae Theologiae Professori vt librum inscriptum The Rocke of the Church per Typographum aliquem iuratum imprimere ac impunè distrahere liceat Datum Bruxellis 27. Febr. 1566. Subsig Prats TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull M. Doctor Parker bearing the name of the Archbisshop of Canterbury and to al other protestants in the realme of England Nicolas Sander wissheth perfect faith and charity in our Lord declaring in this Preface that the Catholiks whom they cal Papists doe passe the Protestants in al manner of Signes or Marks of Christes true Church I Besech your worshippe not to mislike with me for omitting any parte of your accustomed title in this my letter sithēs I doe it not of any contempt but onely of conscience grounded vppon Gods worde as who am persuaded the religiō presently authorized in the realm and consequently your ministery therin to be so far of from Christes true religiō as it is far from Christ to haue his Church which after the publication of the Gospell ought Genes 22.26.28 Psal 2.44 75.88.144 Philip. 2. according to the prophecies to be openly spread through out the world and her Citizēs ought to shyne in the middest of the peruerse nation Isai 54.60 Math. 28. of infideles like starres and to remayn gloriouse for euer in many natiōs togeather now first after nine hūdred yeres oppression as your own brethern doe confesse to shewe it selfe abrode and openly to be professed So that although it could be shewed that your faith had bene alwaies in the world as it was not yet in that if at all it were it lay hydden Math. 5. it could not be the faith of Christes true Church which neuer ceased to be a City built vpon a hil which can not be hidden And he did sette his candel vpon a candelstick not only to geue light for a few hundred yeres but to geue light to all Luc. 8. that either should come into his house or tarie in his house And seing at al momentes men in diuerse countries came into Gods house by faith and baptisme Isai 2. 62. Math. 28. and seing likewise he is with his disciples al daies vntil the end of the world and not only liueth but reigneth for euer Luc. 1. regnabit that is to say abideth gloriously and roially in the house of Iacob which is the Church doutlesse his Church is for euer built vpon a hil and therefore it can not be hidden any one moment and his light neuer can cease to shyne to thend it may euer be true which Malachias the Prophet saied Malac. 1. From the rising of the sonne to his going downe my name is great among the gentils And yet seing Christes name is not great by them who beleue falselie for they must nedes also haue naughty woorkes and so the name of God Heb. 11. Isai 52. Rom. 2. as Saint Paule saith is rather blasphemed amonge the Gentiles then glorified by euil men it remaineth that Christes name must be great among the Gentills throughe a good faith openly geuing light by the good works of true Christians who may thereby cause Gods name to be glorified Math. 5. and by their good conuersation may cause the Infidels to be conuerted vnto Christ 1. Cor. 7. 2. Pet. 3. Now for asmuch as your faith was not openly alwaies professed in many nations together but was altogether hidden before these fifty yeres and so hidden A Church vnder a bushel that no history or Chronicle doth make mention of any congregatiō at all professing your faith from tyme to tyme in any Cities Townes Villages or priuate houses of diuerse prouinces and countries at once nothing can be iustly said or alleaged why you should not renounce this obscure religion of yours which is so slaunderouse to Gods gloriouse name and returne again to that our Churche A Church vpō a hil which stode for euer vpon the hil and whose light was neuer so dimmed or darkened but that the very Iewes Turks Saracēs Moores and Tartariās knewe where we dwelt and what we professed I chose at this tyme to intreat with al sober Protestants the rather by your person M. D. Parker because I haue heard of so much good nature in your worshippe that it was not vnlike but he woulde voutesafe to heare what so euer should be reasonably said specially touching Gods worde and the practise of the primatiue Churche of which pointes my chiefe talke shal be at this tyme. Many men haue laboured to geue diuerse Signes and Markes of the true Church to thintēt it being ones knowē al other controuersies may geue place to the pillor and sure stay of truth 1. Tim. 3. But that it may appear to them who do not willingly stop their eares against the truth what notable aduantage the Catholiks haue ouer and aboue the Protestants in this behalf I wil shew the truth of our Churche to be so safe and clere that hitherto it was not possible for the Protestants themselues to deuise any such marke or signe of a true Churche the which doth not much rather make for vs then for them Gods vvord is not a sufficient mark of the true Church They teach Gods word to be the chiefe mark whereby the true Church may be knowen which yet can not wel be so because the marke whereby an other thing is knowen ought it selfe to be most exactly knowen whereas we are not agreed what Gods woorde is For some call onely the writen letter and the meaning thereof Gods woorde others thinck many things to be Gods woorde which are not expresly writen but are reuealed from God to the Church by the tradition of the Apostles 2. Thess 2 Heb. 8. 10. 2. Cor. 3. and by the holy ghost who hath writen Gods lawes in our harts and there hath imprīted them Also we are not agreed vppon the writen woorde of God because the Protestantes doe not admitte so many bookes of the olde Testament as the Catholikes doe Thirdly the meaning of those bookes which we are agreed vppon
denying the work to be theirs as he saith of Dionysi the Ariopagite aÌ„d of S. ChrisostoÌ„â— Liturgy etâ—aet Another shift is â—o alleage the priuate opinion of some one agaiÌ„t the coÌ„sent of the rest or to say that the fathers liued when the tyme begaÌ„ to be corrupted and wheÌ„ al other thiÌ„gs faile their plain doctrin and assertioÌ„s of the faith are illuded with a like figuratiue speache If in dede the fathers made for theÌ„ they wold not thus shift their hands of the fathers but the moe they could haue and the better they agreed aÌ„d the plainer thei spake the better thei shuld be welcome Wel seiÌ„g the ProstestaÌ„ts although falslly yet coÌ„moÌ„ly doe alleage the old fathers The allegation of Fathers suffiseth not and we also do alleage them most plentifully hereof it wil follow that neither the only allegatioÌ„ of theÌ„ is so able to end a coÌ„trouersy that the simple and vnlerned may be sure of the truthe For which cause we must ioyne to the former marks TraditioÌ„ and practise the tradition and practise of Gods Churche which being in euery mans eyes and eares caÌ„ neuer deceaue him We thinck saith Chrysostome the tradition of the Churche to be worthy of belefe In 7. Thessalon Hom. 4. Is it a tradion Ask no farther This mark so euidently maketh for vs that the Protestants are constrayned vtterly to deny all credit vnto it for by this rule they are inexcusable who deny either the popes supremacy which euer was so vniuersally practised or the Sacrifice of the masse or any like matter which was and is generally receaued in the Church But because many questions arise in the Church TraditioÌ„ doth not suffise in cases rather depending of subtill points in diuinity then of euident custome and practise if sodainly some lerned men deny such An article of the faith which before was not commonly preached of as that the holy ghost proceedeth from the Son or any like seing here tradition faileth and the preachers are diuided Generall Councels Math. 18. Act. 15. the Church hath vsed the meane of Generall Councells wherein the bishops of many countries meeting together after sufficient debating do publish the one part to be reputed hereticall Whereby all men doe clerly know what to follow and what to auoide Such a Councel gathered together of late at TreÌ„t published that to be the true faith which we defend aÌ„d the contaary to be hereticall So that this marck is wholy ours But for as much as it is very hurtful Councels do not suffise for so many bishops to leaue their cures so oft as any such question is moued and also because their meeting is many tymes stayed by the occasion of battel or of pestilence or els for lacke of their safeconduct out of whose countries or by whose countries or into whose country thei shuld passe and specially because wheÌ„ they are come together force aÌ„d violeÌ„ce may be vsed as it was doÌ„ at the secoÌ„d Ephesine couÌ„cel Leo epist 24.25.26 and at AriminuÌ„ it is necessary to haue some other more spedy certain and profitable way in the Church wherby heresies may be soner staied and Gods people more quickly instructed in the truthe In respect of which consyderations Christ hath most notably prouided One high iudge that one chiefe pastour and high bishop S. Peter shuld be set by himself ouer the whole flock in earth to confirm his brethern Ioan. 21. Luc. 22. and to fede them Of whose faith by praying for it he hath assured vs. In S. Peters chaire the bishop of Rome sitteth who is wel knowen to haue geueÌ„ publike senteÌ„ce against the Protestants for our faith and Churche neither can the Protestants denie vs the assurance of this mark The which mark because it is of most weighty importance as being the easiest waie of al to find out the truthe and which serueth in all cases without any exception I haue made this treatise to declare that it is no lesse true euen according to Gods woorde then it is profitable and nedefull in all wise mens vnderstanding Here I might make an ende but that the Protestants affirme the lawfull preaching of Gods woorde and the lawfull administration of the SacrameÌ„ts to be the thing wherby they will be tried as though we nede not a new iudge to know what these terms doe meane For what call you lawful preaching or administring PreachiÌ„g and Sacraments That saie you which is according to Gods woorde Very well Are we not now come againe to the first beginning of our talk what call yee Gods woorde haue I not proued whatsoeuer it be that it is much more with vs then with you Adde hereunto seing those are most lawful preachers who are most like vnto the Apostles Psal 18. Rom. 10. whose sound went into al the earth and their words into the ends of the world wee are more like vnto theÌ„ who within these nine hundred yeeres by our preaching haue conuerted Bohem Saxonie Friseland Prussia Liuonia Denmark and diuerse other couÌ„tries then you who in the same tyme liued so vnder a bushel that noman aliue could heare you once pepe Again our Sacraments being moe in number by fiue then yours were administred in the face of the world euen as the Apostles did administer them in IerusaleÌ„ Corinth Rome and in such other cities and places whereas you hadde not one Church or knowen howse of praier in the whole earth Persecution The persecution say you of the Romish Antichrist oppressed vs which mark also you alleage for the truth of your congregation What masters Antichristes persecution shall dure but three yeres and a half Dan. 7. Apoc. 13. And is the Pope Antichrist whose persecution as you say hath dured these nine hundred yeres Math. 16. Hel gates shal not preuaile against the true Churche And yet is your congregation the true Churche against which you confesse Antichrist so to haue preuailed that for many huÌ„dred yeres no man could tel whether any such Church were in the earth or no Surely hel gates preuailed not against vs any one momeÌ„t Not to faile in persecution although our Church hath ben assalted with al kinds of trouble therefore this mark that is to say to stand safe and souÌ„d against hel gates is a token that ours is the true Churche For it is not persecution but the conquering and preuailing against persecution which is the true mark of Gods Churche But seing I promised to proue our Churche the more true Vve are persecuted euen by your own Marks let vs graunt that Church to be true which is persecuted yet I say that you rather haue persecuted vs theÌ„ we haue persecuted you For I pray you Syr when the child who liued in one howse with his louing mother as you did once in the same Catholik Churche with vs goeth afterward out of the house and saith his mother is a strong hoore
him alluding to his new name Ioan. 21. and shewing the reason thereof And I saye vnto thee that thou art Peter and vpon this rocke vvil I build my Church and the gates of hel shal not preuaile against it And to thee I wil geue the Keies of the kingdome of heauen And whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon the earth it shal be bound also in the heauens And vvhatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon the earth it shal s be loosed also in the heauens By these wordes both the promise of Christ was fufilled aÌ„d the reason of the promise was also declared concerning the new name which was before spoken of Neither do our aduersaries denie these points as I suppose But the Catholiques reason farther vpon this place in this wise The name of Peter which is deriued of a rock or of a stone was no soner geuen to Simon but also a new promise was made Math. 16. that vpoÌ„ this Rocke Christ would builde his Church Now the Catholikes doe say that Peter himself is here called this rock and that Christ promised to build his Church vpoÌ„ him And because the building of Christes church varieth not after his Gospel once planted but is alwaies like it self the Catholikes beleue and teach that when S. Peter died aâ— other did succeede in his place vpon whom Christes militant Church might be still so builded as it had been once builded vpoÌ„ S. Peter And for as much as the Bishop of Rome succedeth S. Peter the Catholikes most constantly affirme that the Bishop of Rome who liueth for the time is the rocke which coÌ„fesseth euermore Christes true faith vpon which confession of the See of Rome as vpoÌ„ a most sure Rock Christes Church is built The ProtestaÌ„ts being at a point to denie this later assertion must nedes affirme that Peter himselfe is not called this Rock but rather that either Christ alone or the faith which Peter confesseth is only called this rocke This seÌ„se is imperfit but not false So that they wil haue these wordes vpon this rocke I wil build my Church to be onely thus meant vpon this faith and confession of thine wherein thou hast said to mee thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God vpon this Rocke which I am or vpon this strong faith which is confessed of me I wil build my Church and whersoeuer this faith is there say thei is the rocke vpon which Christ buildeth his Church The Catholikes replie that although the faith and confessioÌ„ of Christes Godhead be in deede a most strong rocke whereupon the Church is built yet that is not al which Christ meaneth at this time For these wordes Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I wil build my Church haue a respect vnto three diuers times to the time past because they are spoken to him who was promised to be called Peter to the present time because they are spoken to him who now confesseth Christes Godhead to the time to come because they are spoken to him to whom Christ saith he wil geue the keies of the kingdome of heauen and vpon whom he wil hereafter build his Church which thing he performed when he said Peter louest thou me more theÌ„ these Ioan. 21. â—eede my sheep For Christes sheepe â—re Christes Church And to be made â—he shepheard of them is to haue Christes Church built vpon him And â—o be Peter is to be this Rocke Solemus videre pastores sedere â—upra petram inde commissa â—ibi pecora custodire We are woÌ„t saith S. Augustine to see shepheards sit vpon a rocke August in Io. tract 46. and theÌ„ce to keepe the sheepe commited to their charge Thus we see how wel the Metaphore of the Rocke dooth agree with the Metaphore of feeding sheepe Therefore these wordes vpon this rocke I vvil build my Church are perfectly fulfilled when it is saide to Peter who is this Roke feede my sheepe Now wheras this PropositioÌ„ Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will build my Church is thus qualified with the person to whom it is spokeÌ„ and with the diuersitie of three seueral times The sense of the protestaÌ„ts lacketh three coÌ„ditions of fovver to take one part of these foure away from all the other conditions whereunto it belongeth and to say that the confession of Peter alone is the rocke whereupon Christ wil build his church and thereby to denie Peter him selfe who maketh that confession to be this rocke and to diuide the confession from the promise going before which first of all wrought the effect thereof and from the last fulfilling which ensued after it is in deede a truthe for so muche as is affirmed therein but in respect of that which is denied it is a maine falshood The vvhole sense But the Catholiques geuing the whole sense of Christes woordes as they ought and not diminisshing any parte thereof doe teache that this Rocke vvhere vpon Christ built his Church is S. Peter not barely and nakedly considered but with â—spect of the promise past of the preâ—nt confession and of the auctoritie â—f feeding Christes sheepe which then â—as to come And so no maÌ„ be he neuer so faithâ—ul is this rocke whereupon Christ â—ath built his Church except he be â—awfully called to succede in the authoâ—itie and pastoral office of S. Peter This thing then remaineth to be proâ—ed in his due place The Catholiques teache also Ioan. 2â— that â—t was said to Peter alone feede my sheepe And seeing no particular â—locke was named it must needes be meant that the whole flocke which for the time liued on the earth was committed to Peter euen aboue all other according as he loued Christ more then other And for as much as the order of gouerning Christes Church which himself appoiÌ„ted may not afterward be changed by mans inuention it insueth that alwayes one chief shepheard must be made who may feede the whole militant flock of Christes sheepe in earth aboue al other pastours as Peter onâ—â— did feede them aboue al concerning the principal power which he receiued of Christ Hereunto the Protestantes replie that Peter alone was not made the shephead of Christes flocke aboue alâ— others but that in him Christ spake to al the Apostles The Catholiques demaund why theâ— Peter alone is spoken vnto and willed to feed Christes sheepe in the presence of certaine other Apostles to none of whom Christ speaketh any thing therof at this time The Protestants answere that euery Apostle was made a pastour no lesse theÌ„ Peter Caluin and Beza in Ioan. cap. 21. But that he was namely spoken vnto at this time as one who had lost his office of Apostleship by denying his Master and therefore as he denied thrise so he was commauÌ„ded thrise to â—â—d Christes sheep to th' end he should â—ow that his fault is now forgeuen and â—â—t he is restored to his Apostleship â—aine so that he may feede Christes â—â—eep as wel as Andrew or Iohn and
perfit sense is that Peter coÌ„cerning his office in Gods Churche Ioan 1. Math. 16. Ioan. 21. that is to say through the promise of Christ which is past and the faithful confession of his godhead which is presently made and the power of feediÌ„g his â—hepe which then was to come is this â—ock vpon which the Church is built The first sense can not be all the whole sense because then all the other three senses were void For if the Church be meant to be only built vpon Christ then is the Church built neither vpon the faith of Peter nor vpon Peter himself nor vpoÌ„ any disciple of Christ. Againe the word thou which goeth before doth not wel agree with Christ but only with Peter Neither doth the word I wil build aedificabo which folweth after well agree with Christ alone For it were not properly saied at Cesarea where Christ then was I will build my â—hurch vpon Christ vpoÌ„ whome it had ben alreadie built from the time of his incarnation Concerning the second sense no Disciple of Christ is there literallie either spoken vnto or spoken of beside Simon the Sonne of Iona. Therefore the sense of Origen hath no sufficient ground in the letter of Gods word Thirdlie the faith which Peter hath confessed is not the onlie rocke wherevpon the Church shal be built For theÌ„ it had ben built vpon the faith of Iohn Baptist before this tyme. Ioan. 1. Againe seing the said faith hath bene already confessed by Peter himself saying Thou art Christ the SoÌ„ne of the liuing God to what purpose is the building yet also differred Why is it said I will build my Church vpon this Rocke and not rather I haue built it or I do build it vpon this Rocke For if two things only are necessary the one which maie be the Rocke or foundation which is nowe said to be faith the other which is the building of the Church vpon that Kocke seing the foundation is alreadie laid in that the faith is confessed And seing the Church is present for Christ euen theÌ„ had a Church of his owne why is the building yet putte of vntill an other tyme but that there is an other thing besyde faith requisite to the same building But if as the very truth is Peter himselfe concerning his office be pronouÌ„ced this Rock and that not only in respect of his faith although it be a very principal point but also in respect both of the promise past wherein it was said thow shall be called Peter and of the authoritie of feeding Christes sheepe which is to come Ioan. 1. 21. then all absurdities are auoided and all the former truthes are perfitlie conteined in this last sense For if Peter be this rock then Christ who made Peter to be this Rocke is much more proued thereby to be the rock himself for the geuer of any heaueÌ„ly power hath much more that power in himselfe then he that receaueth it If Peter be this Rock in respect of his confession then his confession being in himself is also coÌ„curring as a certain rock for his part vnto the building of the Church If Peter be the Rock seing he was not only a Disciple but the captain Disciple of al that euer were al other Disciples which are coÌ„teined in him as in the chief may also be for their part this rocke wherevpon the Church shal be built Seing then this last sense is moste perfit and conteineth al the other senses not being it selfe fully conteined in any of them out of al controuersie none other is so literal so ful so true as this to witte that Peter confessing the true faith with respect of such autoritie as shal be afterward geuen to him is this Rocke wherevpon the Church shal be built I wisâ—h in the sight of God that malice being layd apart any reasonable man would nowe consider In his Replie 221. what M. Iewel and his adhearents haue done in this behalf He forsaking the most literal sense fall and minglng three opinions of â—hese foure in one not regarding to â—tte euerie thing in his proper place â—oth seeke to confouÌ„d the Reader with â—he multitude of words and with the â—ame of the Fathers whome he moste â—hamefully abuseth But if there be truth in M. Iewel or â—n his adhearents lette him or anie of â—hem descend particularlie to discusse â—he meaning of Christ with alcircumstances belonging thervnto as by Gods grace I wil do to my poore ability And that the discourse which foloweth may be the more easily perceaued this is the somme of it My intent is to proue that not only Christ nor onlie the faithful confession of Peter but Peter himselfe with respecte of his confession and of such other authoritie as God gaue him was this Rocke wherevpon Christ saied he would builde his Churche meanyng that part of his Church which wandereth in this life Christ promised Simon that he should be called Peter Ioan. 1. when he had not yet confessed to th end he might confesse the more stronglie as a rocke He named him Peter before he had confessed Marci 3. so that he was this farre forward in being the rocke before his confession When he had confessed Christ prououÌ„ced hiÌ„ not only a rock or a maÌ„ of the stedfastnes of the propriety of a rock in his faith Math. 16. Apoc. 21. but also such a rock wherevpoÌ„ he wold build his Church For euerie Apostle was a rock in his kind but none beside Peter and the Successours in his office was this kind of Rocke whereof Christ now speaketh That the confession of Peter might tarie immoueable after Christes ascension for the Church should alwaies neede a visible rock Christ praied for Peters faith Lucae 22. euen so farre that he was â—idde to strengthen his brethern â—fter his conuersion from the denial of â—hrist Last of all to shew what kind of â—rength Peter should geue to his breâ—hern Christ bad him feede his lambs The promise of the name of Peter was the first cause of Peters being the Rocke The geuing of the name was the â—erformance of the promise The confession of Christes godhead was the fruit of the gift and of the promise The promise to haue the Church built vpon that Rock was the reward of the confession The praier of Christ for Peters faith was the warrant of the perpetuitie of his strong confession The power to feede Christes sheepe was to make Peter such a rock Ioan. 21. Luc. 10. as should stay vp his Church by teaching and ruling the faithfull as whose voice the sheep should be bound to heare vnder paine of damnation Al these things concurring togeather cause Peter to be this rock whervpon the militaÌ„t Church is built Wherof I wil now intreat more at large The IIII. Chap. Diuerse reasons are alleaged to proue cheefely by the circumstance and coÌ„ference of holy scripture that these words thou art Peter and vpon this rock I
rock not in dede without the grace of coÌ„fessing but yet not any rather by the force of the confession then of the promise Ioan. 1. For S. Iohn Baptist coÌ„fessed also but because he confessed not as one that was ê“mised to be this rock the Church was not built vpoÌ„ him but to Peter the ê“mise was made before the coÌ„fessioÌ„ and it was the first cause of the coÌ„fessioÌ„ therfore the promise was the chief and first cause of buildiÌ„g the church vpoÌ„ this role If it were so then the whole meaning of these words The vvhole sense of Christes vvords vpon this Rock I will build my Church is this vpoÌ„ him who therefore stronglie and firmly confesseth my true faith because he was before promised to be called this Rocke or which is more vpon him who in part is alreadie this rock and promised to be called this rocke so confesseth my Godhead like a most sure Rocke vpon him I will build mie Church The which most true and certein sense standing the only confessioÌ„ of the faith maketh no man to be this Rocke whervpoÌ„ Christ will build his Church except it be a confession which is wrought by the force of a promise to be called and made a rock going before it The which promise of being assured to be called Peter for as much as it belonged literally to no Prophet to no disciple to no Apostle but only to Simon the son of Iona for that cause Ioan. 1. the whole militant Church is at this tyme promised to be built vpon none other mans faith or confession beside only vpon the confessioÌ„ of S. Peter himself and of those who succede in Peters chaire For as God willing I shal proue hereafter euery bishop of Rome is that for his time vnto the militant Church of Christ which Peter once was Christ then intending to confirme and to make perfit his promise wherein he had said thou shalt be called Peter asked his Apostles whom they thought or rather said and coÌ„fessed him to be S. Peter hauing a reuelation from God the father to thend Christes former promise might be throughly and perfitly verified saith thou art Christ the Son of the liuing God that is to say thou art not only a prophet or a SoÌ„ by adoption but thou art the natural Son of the only true God Here it is principally to be noted that when S. Peter coÌ„fessed Christ to be the Son of God Peter coÌ„fessed the rocke that then he coÌ„fessed the rock of rocks which only Christ is Neither doth any man deny but that these words thou art the Son of the liuing God appertein only to Iesus Christ But our questioÌ„ is not of these words but coÌ„cerning the words which Christ spake afterward vnto Peter For when Peter had confessed the chefe rock then that chefe rock shewed that Peter had played also the rock saying to him after this sort Hilarius de Trinit lib. 6. Simon the Son of Iona thou art happy as S. Peter said Christ to be the Son of God so Christ calleth S. Peter the Son of Iona therby declariÌ„g that as Peter was naturally the Son of Iohn his father so Christ is the natural son of God his father and as Peter speaketh oÌ„ly to Christ at this tyme and to none other person so doth Christ only speake to Peter and to none other person Christ after this meaniÌ„g is alone the son of God aÌ„d SimoÌ„ alone after this meaniÌ„g is Peter Christ goeth forward calliÌ„g Peter happy because flesh aÌ„d blud did not reueale Christes godhead vnto him but Christes father who is in heueÌ„ So that S. Peter oÌ„ly at this time had this high reuelatioÌ„ aÌ„d to hiÌ„ oÌ„ly Christ directeth his words And I say vnto thee that thou art Peter What was S. Iohn or S. Mathew the son of Iona no truly or had any other man in the earth this reuelatioÌ„ at this time beside SimoÌ„ the son of Iona no verely yf we consider the first and most literal sense Thou oÌ„ly art Peter Peter alone is this rock because thou alone both hadst this name ê“mised to the when Christ first sawe thee thou alone haddest it geueÌ„ thee when thou wast chosen an Apostle and thou alone hast now coÌ„fessed me to be God by nature aÌ„d to thee alone I say Thou art Peter It is otherwise most true that Christ is the rock incoÌ„parably aboue Peter Christ the rock and that the whole vniuersal church is built vpoÌ„ Christ far more excelleÌ„tly then any part thereof is built vpoÌ„ any mortal maÌ„ For yf we did not beleue so much of Christ we could not now beleue that he were able by his only word and promise to make Peter also to be a Rock in his kind The confession is a rock It is also true that the confessioÌ„ of S. Peter is a rock aÌ„d in respect also of that confession SimoÌ„ is called Peter And in respect of the same coÌ„fessioÌ„ the Church is built vpon Simon But as vpon one who confesseth because he had before the promise to be called Peter made to him and the name it self geuen him Al things which are true are not euery where principally meant or intended alone of the holy ghost We now seeke the literal and first maening of these words vpoÌ„ this rock I wil build my Church and not of these thou art Christ the son of the liuing God In his Reply fol. 221. And yet M. Iewel professing to dispute of these words vpoÌ„ this rock I wil build my Church priuily conueieth the disputation from them vnto those other Thou arte Christ the Sonne of God But I beseech the good Reader to marke the point and not to suffer him selfe to be deceiued in so weightie a mater At the length to gather al my reasons togeather I saie that the most literal sense of these wordes vpoÌ„ this rocke is to signifie that vpon S. Peter as vpon a man called by office to coÌ„fesse the true faith Christ wil build his Church First Vocaberis 1. because he alone is promised to be called Peter Secondly Imposuit nomen 2. because he alone at the choise of the twelue is named Peter Thirdly because Christ speaketh to Simon the sonne of Iona alone Tibi saying Et ego dico tibi and I say to thee Therby shewing that the words which follow belong to S. Peter alone Fourthly because Christ speaketh againe to him and of him alone saying Tu es Petrus Thou art Peter Tu es I suppose there is a difference betwene I am Peter and thou art Peter Most true it is that Christ is Peter that is to say a rocke And most true it is that Simon in confessing Christ to be the sonne of God confessed the principal and only natural rocke But now that truth is not first of al and chieflie vttered by Christ although it were before vttered by SimoÌ„ but of Christ it is now said most literally thou art
thou Isai art Peter Moreouer Thou and This doe answere one to the other Super hanc Both are Pronounes both shew a thing reallie present to the vnderstanding of the hearer As therefore Thou apperteineth most certainely to S. Peter so doth also the Pronoun this Thou art Peter and vpon this rock which thou art I wil build my Churh Petrus and Petra doe most literallie agree Petram in so much that in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which name Simon Peter is called doth signifie a Rock And in Latine Petrus is named of Petra as if a man said in English thou arte stonie or of the nature of a Rock and vpon this stone or rock I wil build my Church Who can denie but Thou and This stonie and stone â–ª be referred al to one person Hitherto I haue considered thou Conference this and rock seuerally Now let vs ioyne them altogether It is first sayed thou art Peter to the intent it might be knowen whereunto the word this rock belongeth For the nature of the Pronoun is The Pronoune most properly to declare a certainty either presently pointed vnto before the eye or next of al named and described Thou art stony and vpoÌ„ this stone Which this If not this which was last named For albeit Christ be aboue al things the rock aÌ„d corner stone 1. Cor. 10. Ephes 2. yet he was not at this time named so This rock doth refer it self to one certain rock which is poiÌ„ted vnto one way or other But no material rocke is pointed vnto naturally and in deede for no such was then present or minded therefore it is a Rocke by a Metaphore which is described He is a rock by a similitude And seing it is not only sayd I wil build vpon a rocke but also vpon this rocke that rock must be vnderstanded to be such a one as before was shewed But none was before shewed except he were named for at this time al that is shewed is shewed by words so that for as much as it was saied in wordes to S. Peter only Thou art Peter or a rocke when it foloweth vpoÌ„ this rocke it must needes be meant most literally Vpon thee vpon thee wil I build my Church Yet not absolutely vpon thee as thou art a bare maÌ„ but as thou art Peter and thou art Peter to th' end thou shouldest confesse mee to be the sonne of God And thou diddest confesse mee because I promised thee that thou shouldest be called Peter and because my father did reueale it to thee therefore vpon this rocke vvhich thou arte made by Grace I will build my Church It is said in the time to come Aedificabo In Cant. conticoruÌ„ expsello I wil build which declareth a building as yet not perfitly made but onely promised as also Theodoretus hath noted But the Church was built vpon Christ the great rocke concerning his diuine nature from the beginning and concerning his humaine nature from the first moment of his incarnation Wherfore that kind of building Gods Church vpon Christ was already past Likewise the confession of S. Peter was already made and past But the building whereof Christ speaketh is to come I will or shall build my Church vpon this Rocke Therefore this rocke is meant chiefly at this time S. Peter in such respect as he may no lesse hereafter confesse the true faith then he had done alreadie EcclesiaÌ„ meam Mark these wordes my Church It was Christes Church alreadie It was his when he spake the words and before also He therefore doth not now speak of planting or founding it vpon him self but of making one to be the Rock and Head thereof who hitherto was not the Rock and head but onely by promise and hope For whiles Christ was visible vpon the earth he gouerned al things not onely by his power but also by his visible presence by preaching and gouerning the flocke in his owne person being for the time the visible Rock and Head But when it pleased him to dedepart out of the world then he sayed to S. Peter Ioan. 21. Pasce agnos meos pasce oues meas Feede my lambes feede my sheepe At which time that power of being the head stone of Gods Militant Churche Holy scriptures are conferred nexte vnto Christe was moste perfectlye geuen which was before minded when â—t was said vpon this Rock I will â—uilo my Church For to be the Pastour and Gouernour of Christs flock and by the open confession of the faith to keepe it from straying into false doctrines and heresies that is to be the rock wherevpon Christ wil build his Church Who seeth not that so long as the chief shepherd is acknowleged and obeyed Cyp. ep 3. lib. 1. all Christendome must needes beleue and say one thing Now by beleuing and woorshipping one truth the Church is built vp from the lowest to the highâ—est from earth to heauen To shewe that this Rock is meant of S. Peter it foloweth Et tibi dabo and to thee I will geue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Behold if this Rock were not meant to be S. Peter Christ should in his wordes runne in and out speaking now to S. Peter and now to him selfe He beginneth with S. Peter saying thou art Peter he endeth with him saying and to thee wil I geue the keies betwen which two sayings these wordes vpon this rocke do stand Which being so reason would that we drawe not the middle wordes from the first and the last but that we saye S. Peter concerning his office wherby he beareth the keies to be this Rock wherevpon Christ promiseth to build his Church The property of a rocke is to withstand al tempestes of fluddes and winds Math. 7. and so neither to faile it selfe and to strengthen the house built vpoÌ„ it But Christ said in an other place to S. Peter Luc. 22. Ego rogaui pro te vt non deficiat fides tua et tu aliquaÌ„do conuersus confirma fratres tuos I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not and thou being once coÌ„uerted strengthen thy brethern Behold thou art Peter because of my promise Holy scriptures are coÌ„ferred and therby thou diddest receiue the gift of the right faith which thou hast coÌ„fessed of mée I haue prayed that thy faith may not faile yea it shal be so farre from failing that I bidde thée when thou art conuerted to stablish confirme and strengthen thy brethern For of all thy Brethern thou art the chief and the stroÌ„gest Rock through my prayer Yf then it be out of all question that S. Peters faith doth not faile and that he hath power to strengthen his brethern seeing these are the properties of a Rocke not to faile it selfe Math. 7. but to strengthen the whole howse built vppon it against raines fluddes and windes it is euident by the order of Christes wordes by Grammar by
reason and by conference of holie scriptures that S. Peter is called This Rocke when it is sayed to him Thou art Peter and vppon this Rock I wil build my Church It followeth And hel gates shal not preuaile against it Epiphan in Anchoratu Origenes in Matth. That is to say the power and strength of heresies shal preuaile neither against thée who art the Rock nor against my Church Not against thée being the Rock because I haue prayed for Peters faith not against my Church because so loÌ„g as the Rocke whervpon it is built is sure the Church it self which standeth vpoÌ„ the same Rock is sure also These words can not be wel referred to Christ only the chief Rock For it is Christ the chief Rocke who warranteth the assurance of the vnder Rocke And so it is Peter who is assured that hel gates shall not preuail against him nor against the Militant Church which is built vppon him Ioyne to these considerations the authoritie of Tertullian of Hippolytus of Origenes S. Cyprian S. Hilarie S. Basil S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Gregorie S. Hierom S. Leo S. Chrysostom S. Cyrillus Theodoretus Prosper Theophilact with a greate number of the Fathers of the fourth General CouÌ„cel who teach S. Peter to be this Rock as I wil shew anon Neither doe they onely speak it but they bring such reasons for S. Peters being the Rocke as can agree to no man els but to him and to his successours in the same office Ioyne the practise of fiftene huÌ„dred yeres in which the seat of S. Peter standeth in Rome aÌ„d florisheth like a most immoueable Rocke among so many tyraÌ„s heretikes and naughty Christians Ioyne so many General Councels as haue ben in Christendome which all haue so acknowleged this Rock Tripart lib. 4. c. 9. which S. Peter is that they were all either aucthorised by his Successours or els for lacke thereof disanulled as vnlawfull Adde to the former reasons that if the Churche were built onely or chiefllie vpon the confession alone it must needs haue been built vppon the confession of S. Iohn Baptist before it was built vppon the confession of Peter Ioan. 1. For Iohn Baptist confessed Christ to be the Lambe of God who tooke awaye the synnes of the worlde before S. Peter and in moe woordes then S. Peter did But the ground of Christes building is the Rocke which Peter is and S. Iohn Baptist is not that kinde of Rock And the Churche is now promised to be builte vppon his confession who is first made the Rock and who being the Rock doth strongly confesse Remember also that I shewed in the former Chapiter how al the foure senses which the Fathers geue of the foresaid wordes vpon this Rock I wil build my Church are perfitely conteined in this one sense wherein the church is promised to be built vppon Peter For so it is proued to be built vppon Christ because he is so vniuersall a Rocke of the whole Churche that he maketh Peter a particular Rocke of the Militant Church In Peter is the faith which he confessed in him are all faithful Disciples comprehended But in none other sense al the auncient Fathers interpretation can be saued vpright Moreouer seeing it is cleere that to be the Rock is to be a certain foundation of the Churche for Christe buildeth his house vppon a Rocke sith al the Apostles are certaine foundacions of Gods beautifull Citie Matth. 7. Apocalip 21. and thereby they are also certeine Rockes vppon whiche the Churche is built how can Peter be denyed to be a Rock and foundation of the Churche for his part Now that his parte doth passe all other mennes partes I proue it moste euidentlie because the names of things are tokens of the things them selues and that moste speciallie when God himselfe geueth the name as now he hath done For yf the thing were not so before as he nameth it at the least his naming it so maketh it to be that which he nameth it Therefore seing onely Peter after Christ beareth the name of a rocke it is out of all question that the said name is a signe of his being the rock in some such sort as none other Apostle is the rocke But the faithfull are built vpon the foundation of all the Apostles and Prophets as S. Paul saith and thei are the Church of Christ Ephes 1. therefore the Church of Christ is much more notably built vpon S. Peter aboue all others because he is the rocke and foundation aboue al others And whereas by the power Apostolike al the Apostles were equal certainly S. Peter is this rock Leo serm 2. de anniuers assumpt not only as an Apostle wherein he had manie fellowes but also as a chefe bishop and as the primate of all Bisshops and Priests wherin he was perelesse being the head and top of all others in that sense as I shal declare hereafter In the which highe priesthod only Peter hath a successour who sitteth in the See of Rome to continue a Rock for euer sith Christes militant Church needeth to be alwaies built vp by visible preaching and gouernment This my interpretation is not a litle fortified by the preuarication of our aduersaries For they being at a point to deny that Peter and his successours are this rock whereupoÌ„ the militaÌ„t Church is built are yet by no meanes agreed what chiefe sense these words vpon this rocke I wil build my Church ought to haue Ievvel in his Reply fol. â—21 But sometime they make Christ to be this rocke sometyme the confession of the faith sometyme euerie disciple not regarding what they graunt or hold so that the truth be denied But it were reason they told vs some one chefe literal sense wherevnto they wold stand Which if they did all the world should perceaue their vanitie For if all our reasons were not diuided to answere diuerse senses as now they are but were driuen al to one purpose that opinion of theirs should haue ben much more easily destroyed and vtterly vanquished which neuer the lesse is now sufficiently disproued by the circuÌ„stance and coÌ„ference of holy scripture It is proued out of the aunciene Fathers that S. Peter is this rock whereupon the Church was promised to be built otherwise then M. Iewel affirmeth The V. Chap. THE chiefe ground of our disputation are the words of Christ spoken to Simon his Apostle Matth. 16 wherin he said Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke I will build mie Church By the force of which words the Catholicks beleue and teache that S. Peter was made a rock wherevpon Christ would build his Church And because it appereth afterward that the building of Christes Churche vppon Saint Peter was the making of him to be the chiefe shepheard of Christes whole flock the Catholicks teache that who soeuer succedeth S. Peter in the office of the cheefe shepherd as the bisshop of Rome doth that he is also the rock
in ipio firmata est fides qui accepit clauem coeloruÌ„ Our Lord himself did constitute him chief of the Apostles a firme and sure Rock vpon which the Church of God is builte and the gates of hell shall not auaile against it for the gates of hel are heresies and the fouÌ„ders of heresies For by al meanes the faith is established in hiÌ„ who hath receiued the keies of heauen And in that I may goe forewarde with the GreciaÌ„s in Cyrillus we read In Ioan. lib. 2. c. 12. Nec Simon fore iam nomen sibi sed Petrus praedicit In eo In him vocabulo ipso commode significans quòd in eo tanque in petra lapidéque firmissimo suam esset aedificaturus ecclesiam Christ did foretel that his name shuld not now be Simon but Peter signifieng fitly by the very name that he would build his church in hiÌ„ as in a most sure stone aÌ„d rock And yet M. Iewel could see none of these testimonies Psellus is alleged of Theodoretus after this sort Theodoret in Cant. Canticet In Petro ApostoloruÌ„ priÌ„cipe Dominus in EuaÌ„gelijs se ecclesiaÌ„ suam aedificaturuÌ„ promisit Our Lord in the Gospels hath promised that he wil build his Church in Peter the prince of the Apostles In Peter Note that these wordes which do promise a building can not properly beloÌ„g first of all to Christ for vpon him the Church was already built In Iosaphat Barl. Damascene hath also this saying Princeps Apostolorum Petrus fidei petra Peter the prince or chief of the Apostles the rock of faith In Luc. 22 How plaine are these words of Theophilact which he speaketh in Christes name post me Ecclesiae petra es firmamentum Thou art the rock and staie of the Church after me In. Matt. 16. Euthymius fidei petra futurus es siue te ponaÌ„ fundameÌ„tuÌ„ credentiuÌ„ aedificabo super te EcclesiaÌ„ meam Thou shalt be the rock of faith or I wil make thee the foundation of the faithful vpon thée I will build my Church This much the Grecians Let vs now retourne to the Latins S. Augustin did euer accoÌ„pt it probable In Ioan. Tractat. 124. to say that the church was built vpoÌ„ Peter but he doubted sometime whether it were not safer to teach that it was built vpon Christ For whereas both opinions are true he knowing this later to be more true in it self because Christ is a surer Rock then Peter did vse commonly to applie that his moste sure doctrine vnto this place of the Gospel where yet S. Peter is more literally called this Rock Therefore on the other side when he considered that S. Ambrose made an Hymne wherin S. Peter was called the Rock of the Church then in those bookes of his Retractations which he wrote with most graue iudgemeÌ„t he allowed both senses for good and Catholike Retract lib. 1. c 21. coÌ„tra ep Donati Such humility was in that pillor of the church Dixi in quodaÌ„ loco de Apostolo Petro ê™ in eo tanquam in petra fundata sit Ecclesia Qui sensus etiaÌ„ cantatur ore multoruÌ„ in versibus beatissimi Ambrosii vbi de gallo gallinaceo ait hoc ipsa petra ecclesiae caneÌ„te culpaÌ„ diluit I said in a certain place of his book writeÌ„ against the Epistle of Donatus that the church is fouÌ„ded in Peter the Apostle The Church fouÌ„ded in Peter as in a rock The which sense is sung with the mouth of many men in the verses or Hymnes of the most blessed S. Ambrose where he saith of the Cock the very rock of the Church did wash away his fault The rock of the Church when the Cock did crow Thus both S. Ambrose and S. Augustine aÌ„d the faithful who vsed to sing those verses allow it for a right good sense which M. Iew. disalloweth that a mortal man as S. Peter was is this rock vpon which Christ built his Church And although S. Augustine had in many other places affirmed that the Church was meant in these words to haue ben built vpon Christ rather then vpon Peter which of it selfe is true though not first meant in this place yet he concludeth thus Retract lib. 1. c. 21. Harum duarum sententiarum quae sit probabilior eligat lector Let the Reader make his choise whether of these twoo meanings is the more probable Behold S. Augustine iudgeth it a probable sense that the Churche is built vppon Peter as also that it is built vpon Christe but whiche is the more probable thathe leaueth to be iudged of the Reader Why doth M. Iewel than without the assente of any old Father at al deny that sense whicb teacheth a mortal man as Peter was to be this Rocke sithens as all the other Fathers so S. Augustine doth not onely beleue it to be probable but he doubteth whether it be not more probable then the other And surely In the former Chap. as the circuÌ„stance of the woordes geue I haue shewed aboue twenty reasons why it is more probable that in those words Peter is first and most literally called this Rock and Christ is not so called there but onely by discourse and by the force of a necessarie consequent Prosper Aquitanicus affirmeth boldlie of S. Peter De vocation gen lib. 2. c. 28. in aeditione Louaniensi Haec fortissima petra ab illa principali petra communionem virtutis sumpfit nominis This most strong rocke did take the coÌ„mon enioying both of vertue and of name from that principal rock In anniuers Assump sermon 3. Leo agreeth with him who intreating vpoÌ„ these words thou art Peter saith Cùm ego fim inuiolabilis petra tameÌ„ tu quoque petra es quia mea virtute solidaris Wheras I am the rock which caÌ„ not be iÌ„iuried yet neuer the lesse thou art also a rock because thou art made firm by my streÌ„gth S. Gregorie could not disagree from so manie blessed Saints Epistol li. 6. epist 37 Quis nesciat sanctam Ecclesiam in ApostoloruÌ„ principis soliditate firmatam quia firmitatem mentis traxit in nomine vt Petrus à petra vocaretur Who doth not know that the holy Churche is established in the stedfastnes of the prince of the Apostles because he tooke stedfastnes of minde in his name in that he was called Peter of Petra a rock of a rocke When he saith the Church to haue ben stablished in the strength of the prince of the Apostles in that he declareth him to be this rock wherevpon the Church is promised to be built When he addeth that he was called Petrus of petra a rock of the rock he sheweth the reason how he came to be the rock verily because Christ the rock who gaue him his name gaue him the strength also which did belong to the name Lette vs conclude this matter at the last with the witnesse of six hundred
other Apostles standing by S. Peter alone is both shewed to haue loued Christ more then they and he is alone cōmaūded to feed Christes shepe Ioan. 21. August ibidem and to rule his lābs yea for somuch as it is said to Peter alone not ablie Extendes manus tuas and again tu me sequere Ioan. 21. thou shalt stretch foorth thy hands and follow thou mee so that his particular kind of death by stretching foorth his hands vpon the crosse was principally prophecied of by Christ himself Seing Peter answered alwaies for the Apostles Ioan. 6. Matth 16. as being the mouth of them al and seing after Christes ascension Act 1. Chrysost in Acta Hom. 3. Peter alone gaue sentēce vpon Iudas and pronounced him deposed from his Bisshoprike and that an other must be chosen in his place seing when the holy Ghost came downe Peter aboue al the rest first of al Act. 2. taught the faith Act. 2. ād the multitude being cōuerted said to Peter and to the other Apostles but to Peter by name what shal we doe Act. 2. Seing Peter made answere for al that they should repent and be baptized Act. 3. seing Peter did the first miracle after the comming of the holy Ghost Ambros serm 68. and first healed the feete of the lame because he being the Rocke shewed mysticallie that he stablissheth the feet of others seing Peter confessed Christ first Act. 4. not only before priuate men but olso at the seat of Iudgement seing Peter saw the secretes of hartes and whereas menne laied their goods at the other Apostles feet also Act. 5. yet Peter alone gaue with fulnesse of power sentence vppon Ananias and Saphyra cutting of their life with a word Gregor lib. 1. ep 24. and thereby shewing as S. Gregorie noteth Quanta potentia super caeteros excreuisset With how great power he had encreased aboue the rest seeing Act. 5. although al the Apostles did also miracles yet Feter was so famouse aboue the reast that men did putte the sicke and the weake in the streats to the end at the least the shadow of Peter might come ouer them which was the greatest miracle that euer is thought to haue bene done of man seeing Peter did excommunicate and enioyne penance to Simon Magus the first heretike Act. 8. Seeing he was the first after Christes Ascension who reised a dead person to life as he did Tabitha Seeing he had first by vision Act. 9. Act. 10. that the Gentils also were called to beleue in Christ and God chose that the Gentils shoulde first of al heare the vvorde of the Gospell by Peters mouth and should beleue Actor 15. Seeing when Peter was in the prison Act. 14. prayer was made in the Church for him with out intermission which thing we read to haue ben so earnestly done for none other Apostle albeit many were also in prison Seing when a sedition was among the Disciples Act. 15. Theod. in ep ad leonem in so much that Paul and Barnabas not for their own learning but to signifie what other Bishops should do afterward came to the Apostles to Ierusalē to set a solutiō frō Peter as Theodoretus noteth and told the controuersie in the Councell then Peter did not only speake first but also he gaue a determinate sentence Galat. 1. In cōment c. 1. ad gal that the Gentils should not be burthened with the law and the whole multitude held their peace for a time Chrysost in acta homil 21. Seing S. Paul himself came to Ierusalem to see Peter and that as S. Ambrose saith because he was Primus first or chiefe among the Apostles ad Solitar vit agent August de Sà nctis serm 27. Leo Serm. 1. in Natt Pet. Pau. to whom the Lord had committed the care of Churches seing Peter was either alone or first and chief in the greatest affaires as S. Chrysostom noteth most singularly seing he was sent to occupie with his chaire Rome the mother Church of the Romaine prouince as Athanasius calleth it and the head Citie of all the world Concil Chalced. act 3. and there to conquere all hereticks by vāquisshing Simon Magus the head of al Heretikes whom with his prayer he destroyed seing his Chayer and succession hath ben acknowleged of al the Aūcient Fathers Bernard epist 190. and hath florished there till this hower without interruption of that faith whiche S. Peter confessed and taught as the verie experience doth beare witnesse so many things so singularlie belonging to the gouernement of the whole Churche could neuer aboue al the other Apostles haue bene so speciallie done or spoken about Saint Peter alone if he bare not some other more excellent person then euerie of the other Apostles did For as Christ is proued by S. Paule to excell the Angels because God neuer saied to anye Angell as he saied to Christ Heb. 1. Thou art my Sonne this daie I haue begotten thee euen so seeing Christ neuer saied to anie other Apostle as he saied to Peter Thou shalt be called Peter or vpon this rock wil I build my church or Matth. 16 to thée I will geue the keies of the kingdome of heauen or paie for thee and me or I haue desiered for thee that thy faith faile not Luc. 22. Ioan. 21. or seed my sheepe and rule my lambes doubtlesse we may boldelie conclude therevppon that S. Peter in these praeeminences farre excelled any other Apostle For what so euer any other Apostle had whether it were by vocation Ioan. 1. Matth 10 18. 28 Ioan. 20. or election or authoritie to preache to binde to loose to baptise to be a Bisshoppe to make a Bisshoppe or to doe any thing els Serm. 3. in aniuers assumpt multa solus accepit Peter had al that as wel as any of them as also Leo the Great hath noted Seing then beside al that he had many things which none other had may they not seme to haue lost their cōmon senses who wil haue S. Peter to be no greater a prelate then any other Apostle was If any wrāgler not ioyning al these priuileges together but separating som one or two of thē frō the rest do scoffe at these proufs let hī know aforehād that albe it some few alone would not haue made a perfit proufe yet as they now are ioyned together they proue exactly that S. Peter had som greater dignity then any other Apostle had That the Apostles besyde the prerogatiue of their Apostleship had also the authoritie to be particular bishops which thing their name also did signifie in the old tyme. The X. Chap. FOR the better opening of that which followeth I must declare the double office which the first prelates had Marci 3. Lucae 9. Christ called twelue vnto him whome he made Apostles and he sent them to preache and gaue them power te heale
in al pointes equal with Peter If you say the word Primus first serueth only to kepe the order of nūbring and not any whit to prefer Peter before the rest I answere that whē Primus the first doth only stande to kepe the order of numbring sith the number at this time is twelue S. Mathew should haue gon forward with the second the third and the fourth vntil he had come to twelue But nowe seing he doth not so Primus is rather meant the first in dignitie then in order onely And surely it is worth the noting that where as S. Andrewe came to Christ before S. Peter Ioan. 1. and brought afterwarde his brother Simon to Christe yet S. Peter is set alwaies not onely before S. Andrew but before al the reast In so much that wheras the other Apostles are neuer named orderly but after diuerse sortes yet S. Peter keepeth alwaies the first place After Peter sometime Andrewe is placed next as in S. Matthew Math. 10. Marc. 3. Act. 1. sometime Iames as in S. Mark sometime Iohn as in the Actes of the Apostles And the Church as well in the Canon of the Masse as in the Litanies ād processions placeth S. Paule nexte vnto S. Peter But euermore in al these varieties howsoeuer the order of the other Apostles be changed seing S. Peter is without exception euery where preferred before them al certainely that his primacie cometh neither by chance nor by the choise of the writer but by the very councel and will of the holy Ghost who thereby sheweth S. Peter to haue bene absolutely the first and chiefe euen by the appointment of Christ himselfe which no Euangelist might alter or change Which to true the authoritie also of the auncient Fathers doth euidentlie conuince First because out of primus the first they haue deriued Primatus which signifieth the chiefe authoritie and not onlie the first place in order accordinglie as S. Augustine teacheth In Ioan. Tract 124 S. Peter to haue represented the whole Churche propter primatum Apostolatus for the primacie or chiefedom that I may so speake of the Apostleship Dionys c. 5. de Eccles Hierarc Cyrill lib. 12. in Ioan c. 64. Chrysost in Ioan. Hom. 87. Hierom. in lib. 1. ad Gal. ca. 2. Math. 10. And consequentlie therevnto they call S. Peter commonlie Principem Corypheū caput verticem ducē os Apostolorum the prince or chiefe of the Apostles the head the top the guide and the mouth By which words they declare themselues to take primus the first for princeps the chiefe and for maximus the greatest which word S. Hierom also vseth so that the meaning of S. Matthew is The chiefe is Simon who is called Peter Thus it is euident by the word of God that Peter being chefest al the Apostles be not equal with him except perhaps anie mā who is not chiefe can be equal with him who is chiefe If you aske The question wherein Peter was chiefe or what he could doe more then his followes I say that question also is curiouse It becometh him who will obey the Gospel to belieue that S. Peter is the first or chiefe as he readeth in the Gospel without demaunding why or how he should be chiefe But yf the questiō were demaunded humbly thus I would thincke it might be answered In the nature and order of the Apostleship The ansvvere euery Apostle was wholy equal with all the followes of his owne order The which is not only true in the Apostles but also in Bishops in priests in Kings in Dukes in Knightes or in any other state of men For there is a certain reason why a man is either an Apostle or a King or a duke the which reason must nedes be common to all that be of that degree and state But there may be an other thing coincident to some degree of men the which although it be not necessarie for their being yet it is necessarie for their well being And so whereas of twelue Apostles euery one is equal in that office with the other yet it was necessary for their good cōtinuance in peace and vnity Optatus lib. 2. de schis Donatist that one should be chiefe among them lest whiles euery one shuld draw a diuerse way the whole Church which ought to be but one body should be torne in pieces and be diuided into manie companies or bodies Thus whereas al the Apostles were equal by the nature of their vocation one was set ouer the rest by the prouidēce of God Matth. 10 and he was so set ouer thē that he was euen at the first choise though that wer not throughly percaeued vntil Christs resurrectiō made first of al and appointed for most of all that there might be no momēt in the which vnity should be missed in the Church This reason is allowed of S. Cyprian who hauing said cōcerning the nature of the Apostleship De vnitat Ecclesiae The rest of the Apostles wer the same thīg which Peter also was being all indued with equal fellowship of honour and power addeth immediatlie sed exordiū ab vnitate proficiscitur vt ecclesia vna mōstretur But the beginning procedeth from vnity to thēd the Church may be shewed one S. Hierom likewise hauing said Aduersus Iouin li. 1 albeit al the Apostles toke the keyes of the kingdom of heauen and the strēgth of the Church be fastened equally vpō thē al addeth īmediatly tamen propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio Yet therfore amōg the twelue one is chosen that a head being made the occasiō of schism may be taken away Lib. 2. de schism Donatist Optatus ys of the same iudgemēt affirming that there is one singular chair wherein Peter did sit that in it vnitie might be kept of al men lest the other Apostles might euerie man chalenge a Chaier to himself Epi. 82. ad Anastasiū Leo the great confesseth the same truthe saying that whereas the choise of al the Apostles was like yet is was geuen to one that he might be aboue the rest If then all were equal in office and yet one was set ouer them to kepe vnity he was not thereby an Apostle more then they but he was greater then they Not greater in his office or in his Apostolike power but greater in his prerogatiue of being head and of making all thē to be as one whiles they were all content to obey him alone rather then to make a schism But now let vs ad to their doctrine an other truthe which is that all the Apostles were so confirmed and stablished in grace by taking the first fruits of the holy Ghost Rom. 8. that it was not possible for them to erre in faith or to seduce others For Christ said vnto them Ye know the spirit of truthe Ioan. 14. because he shall tarie with you and he shal be in you Hereupon
reproued Neither dooth he call to mind that he first was called to the Apostleship Consider good Reader how far these Fathers were from this minde of the Protestants to witte that the reprouing of S. Peter by S. Paule did anie thing withstand his primacie whereas thereby they neuer doubting of his supremacie in power rather shew him to haue ben chiefe euery way as well in grace as in authoritie S. Peter is reproued of S. Paule and S. Peter praiseth the verye same Epistles of S. Paule 2. Pet. 3. in which he is reproued Didde euer Martin Luther Zuinglius or Iohn Caluin shewe any such lowlinesse towarde their Superiour as S. Peter shewed to his inferiour Zuinglius reproued Luther concerning his doctrine of the real presence But did Luther trow you praise Zuinglius for it Except he praise a man who doth excommunicate him and pronounce him a Sacramentarie and an heretike And yet they were both brethern and both apostles of this new Gospell But ô Lorde how farre of are they from the true Apostles Their primacie was liker to that of Diotrephes Epistola Ioan. 3. then to S. Peters humble gouernment There is in these men no humility but intollerable arrogancie no yelding of the one to the other but extrem defending of euery mans own phantasie And yet the Protestants bring this example of S. Peter and S. Paul to defend their heathenish and heretical debate Whereas the reproufe of S. Peter neither consisted in any false doctrine of his as theirs doth nor was defended stubbornly by him as these men defend their errours euen to death and so they make them neuer able to be recoÌ„ciled The dissensions of the Caholikes Matth. 5. In via On the other side although dissentions happen oftentimes among the Catholikes whiles they are in the waie yet they are like vnto the Apostles in prosecuting them For that alwaies they are ready to yelde one to the other euen in this life at the farthest when the high Iudge shall geue sentence for the one part Deut. 17. And they all confesse that there is a mean aÌ„d power in earth able to determine al controuersies in Religion But the dissentions of the Protestants are like to the dissentions of the life to come which are immortal nor neuer shal be reconciled because there can be no Iudge acknowleged in the way to bring them at one sithens they are at their waies end after which time there is no place of reconciliation left but the iudge deliuereth either the one partie Matth. 5. or both to be tormented for euer if the greatnesse of the faulte be such as betwen Luther and Zuinglius it is It is farther laid against the supremacy of S. Peter that the Apostles sent him to lay handes vppon those whome Philippus the Deacon had Baptized Act. 8. for by sending they wil conclude him to be onely equal with the Apostles as though the Canons of a Cathedrall Church may not choose their Deane or Bisshop to go about certaine busines of the Chapter whom therein they sende to doe those things not as their inferiour but when the common good is to be procured and no fault is to be punisshed euery man ought to yeld vp his superiority and to condescend to charity Lib. 7. epist 64. as S. Peter did For as Gregorie most wisely saith wheÌ„ no fault requireth the coÌ„trarie all bishops according to the respect of humblenes are equal Briefly th' Apostles were sent euery of them equally into the whole world but Peter beside that was made chiefe to th' end the vnitie of the Church might appeare in one chief Apostle and schismes might be auoided not so much among the Apostles where none could chance as among others afterwarde Leo epist â—2 who should haue lesse grace to kepe vnitie then the Apostles had But in case th' Apostles had ben so destitute of grace that any one might haue taught false doctrine and stubbornly haue defended the same doubtlesse S. Peter might no lesse haue deposed him Actor 1. then he did separate Iudas from the College of the Apostles euen after his death And that had bene alwaies the true Catholike Church which had followed S. Peters doctrine But now the priuilege of the other Apostles did nothing hinder S. Peters chiefe power who had sufficient autoritie to haue controlled them if they hadde lacked sufficient grace to haue taught onely true doctrine And although they had grace not to erre yet his power was not in deed the lesse therby but it had the lesse occasion to shew it selfe vpon the Apostles 1. Tim. 1. Lex iusto non est posita euen as the Law is not therefore the weaker because it can not be practised vppon the iust men That S. Peters prerogatiue aboue the other Apostles is most manifestly sene by his chief bishoplie power The XII Chap. IT is al ready shewed first that S. Peter passed the Apostles a great way in some kinde or other of Ecclesiastical power Secondlie that the Apostles had two kinds of power one proper to their Apostleship an other common to al Bisshops Thirdlie that in the Apostolike office all the Apostles were in all points equal with S. Peter sauing onlie that aboue and beside his office he was made by Christ the first and the chiefe of theÌ„ all to th end vnitie might be alwaies shewed and kept by one capitain Apostle being also able to haue strengthned theÌ„ but that they preuented with grace needed not his help Now theÌ„ it remainth to see how far S. Peter passed the other Apostles in the state and degree of their bishoply power Herein I say that whereas we may consider in a prelate either his order and office or els the authoritie and Iurisdiction of the same the order and office of bishoply power was equally coÌ„mon not only to all the Apostles but likewise to al other bishops For it is generally true which S. Hierom saith Ad Euagrium Vbicunque fuerit Episcopus siue Romae siue Eugubij eiusdem meriti eiusdem est Sacerdotij Whersoeuer a bishop be whether at Rome which is the head citie of the world or at Eugubium which is a small town he is of the same merit and of the same priesthod That is to say euerie Bisshop may as wel preache and minister the sacrament of confirmatioÌ„ or of priesthod and much more all the other Sacraments to his owne Citisens or doe any like matter belonging to his order as the highest bishop in the world may For the order is equallie common to them al. And that is it which S. Cyprian saith De vnitate Eccles Episcopatus vnus est cuius à singulis in soliduÌ„ pars tenetur The bishoplie office is one whereof euerie man holdeth a part for the whole that is to say euery maÌ„ doth partake the bishoplie office wholy and without diminution For as euery man hath for his part the whole nature of a
preaching of his own sensible doctrine according to his manhod euen after the same rate Deut. 18. as Moyses did whiles he liued Now in consyderation that Christ would forsake this world concerning his visible conuersation and that he would goe in his manhood to raigne in heauen gloriously ouer the glorious part of his Church he instituted an other particular Rock and shepheard Ioan. 21. who by the outward preaching and confessing of his faith might for his life tyme stay the militant Church of God in a right belefe as Abraham or Moyses had don whiles they liued Matth. 16 This particular militant Rocke was S. Peter for the tyme. But when he died he left behind him still a particular militant Church I call it particular in respect of the vniuersall Church which for euer was and shal be therfore some mortal man ought still to be in the earth who may so vphold the militant Church by the assurance of his faith and confessioÌ„ as S. Peter did once vphold the same who likewise may stil so confirm his brethern as S. Peter was once willed to confirm them Matth. 23. Al Christians are brethern among themselues but al bishops are brethern in a nigher degree of holy gouernment The Rocke therefore which shall strengthen both al the Christians and namely al the bishops must continew so long as there are either bishoppes or ChristiaÌ„s in the earth The same reason is also fouÌ„d in the name of a pastor For as the flocke of shepe continueth after S. Peters death euen so must such an other pastour as S. Peter was be made who may stil fede and rule the flock of Christ wherevpon S. Chrysostom saith Lib. 2. de Sacerdot Christus sanguinem fudit vt pecudes eas acquireret quarum curam tum Petro tum Petri Successoribus committebat Christ hath shed his blood to gette vnto him those shepe the cure of whome he did committe both to Peter Peters successours and to the successours of Peter In that verie place it was were S. Chrysostom said that Peter being indowed LoÌ„gè praecellere with authority passed the other Apostles a great waie As therefore Peter in the authoritie of feeding passed the other Apostles so must the successours of Peter passe a great way the successors of the other Apostles which are al Bisshops For now Chrysostome confesseth that the same care is committed to the successours of Peter which was committed to Peter himself Serm 2 in aniuers assumpt With S. Chrysostom Pope Leo agreeeth saying Soliditas illius fidei quae in ApostoloruÌ„ priÌ„cipe est laudata perpetua est Et sicut permanet ê™ in Christo Petrus credidit ita permanet quod in Petro Christus instituit The streÌ„gth of that faith which was praised in the prince of th' Apostles is euerlasting And as that remaineth which Peter beleued in Christ that is to say the Godhed of Christ so doth that remain which Christ instituted in Peter that is to say a sure rock which may alwaies coÌ„fesse the true faith of Christ. And Leo shewing afterward how that remaineth which was ordeined in S. Peter Ibidem he saith In sede Petri sua viuit potestas excellit authoritas In the seat of Peter his power liueth his authoritie exelleth Therefore the authoritie of S. Peter is an ordinarie power which hath an ordinary succession in Christes Church These reasons are so plaine so stroÌ„g so true so forceable that I muse what vnderstanding what wit or sense they haue who graunting Peter to haue ben the rock wherevpon the Churche was built for the time which thing they must needs graunt vnlesse they will denie the expresse word of God aÌ„d the perpetual consent of all the Fathers yet will not graunt that an other like Rocke shoulde be substituted after S. Peter Verely seing the reason of S. Peters confession Vbi eadem ratio ideÌ„ iuâ— and of his power is such as agreeth to an ordinary office of the Churche the office also of S. Peters being a rock of streÌ„gthning his brethren and of feediÌ„g Christes sheep is an ordinary office which hath aÌ„d must coÌ„tinue so loÌ„g as there is a Militant house of God in earth and so long as either any brethern are who may be confirmed or any shepe who nede to be fed And verily if S. Peter haue no successours in his pastorall office what meane a li. 3. c. 3. Irenaeus b lib. 2. de schismate Optatus and c Ep. 165. S. Augustine by name to reckon vp such successours of S. Peter as had liued til euery of their age and tyme. Moreouer whereas noman exceptiÌ„g the cases of necessity may rightly preache to them to whom he is not sent Rom. 10. if as euerie particular pastour hath as S. Cyprian teacheth a portion of the flocke assigned to his gouerment lib. 1. ep 3 for which he shal be accoÌ„ptable vnto our Lord so there be not some general pastour alwaies in the Churche who beside his particular charge may send others to preache vnto them which are not yet conuerted and who when they are conuerted may erect new Churches and plant new bishoprikes in those parties as S. Gregorie did in England if there be not some Beda li. 1. c. 23. 27. Tit. 1. who maie as Paule saieth correct the things which lack and also controll other Bisshoppes when they are negligent and who may excommunicate euen those Christians which liue in no particular diocese but being conuersant among the Iewes or painims do there teache false doctrine and thence do write hereticall bookes or treatises if I say there be not some general pastours who may sommon all other Bisshoppes to Generall or prouinciall Councels and maie change the former positiue lawes of the Churche when either necessititie or charitie requireth it and who maie either make two Bisshoppes where one was before or vnite two into one Greg. li. 2. epist 31. 35. or commit the cure of any See or chaire vacant to the next bishop and so in all cases may prouide for the benefite of Christes flock it will come to passe that the house of God shall not be so well prouided for as other meane States and coÌ„mon weales are But if there be a power in Gods Churche whereby all the former cases maie be well prouided for seing it is clere that the Apostolike power is ended it must nedes be the high pastoral power of S. Peter which shall procure these affaires And consequently the high pastoral office of S. Peter is an ordinary office which ceased not with his own death but is tranferred to his Successours as it shal farther appere in the next chapiter sauing one That the ordinarie authority of S. Peters primacy belongeâ—h to one Bisshop alone The XIIII Chap. SAint Peter had not only the same power of binding and loosing committed to him alone which was geuen in common to all the Apostles but also
he as the head of all Bishops had it specified to him before they had it For whereas their authority is shewed to haue ben geuen in the eighteÌ„th chapiter of S. Matthew Matth. 18. and in the twenteth of S. Ihon Ioan. 20. the authority of S. Peter is described and promised in the sixtenth of S. Matthew Matth. 16 and it depended of the promise of Christ wherin he said thou shalt be called Peter or the rock the which promise was made as it appereth in S. Ihon not only before the Apostles were chosen Ioan. 1. but also before they were called to be the Disciples of Christ Ad iubaianum In consideration whereof S. Cyprian might boldly say Petro primus Dominus super quem aedificauit Ecclesiam vnde vnitatis originem instituit ostendit potestatem istam dedit vt id solueretur in terris quod ille soluisset Our Lord did first geue vnto Peter vpon whome he built his Church and from whome he did institute and shew the original or beginning of vnity this power that what soeuer he did loose it should be loosed in the earth Notevvel When one hath first that right and power alone which afterward others haue if there be any ordinary power of that thing at al it must nedes be in him who hath it first Ordinary Order For whereas all ordinary power dependeth chefelie of order and whereas in order nothing can be before that which is first First one seing S. Peter had first of all the right of the keyes of the kingdom of heaueÌ„ in himself alone Matth. 16. and seing the power of the keyes that is to saie of forgeuing and of reteining synnes is ordinarily in the Church it caÌ„not be otherwise but that ordinary power was first in S. Peter alone Augustin in Ioan Tract 124. If the pordinary power of binding aÌ„d loosing be once in one pastour alone it must stil coÌ„tinue coÌ„cerniÌ„g that degree in one alone if it shal at the least remaine stil the same power For if it be geuen to many and be equal in them al it is not now the same which was promised and geuen first to Peter alone Monarchie aristocratie democratie but an other kinde of power euen as the gouernment of one prince differreth in kind froÌ„ the gouernment which is equally common either to manie or to the whole people Seing it is cleere that the Apostles had the same power ouer the sheep which S. Peter had coÌ„cerning the exercise of all manner of binding loosing Ioan. 20. preaching and baptising and yet their autoritie could not be the ordinarie power which is in the Church because they were manie wheras the ordinary power was ê“mised before to one alone it doth insue Mat. 16. that they had their authority delegated aÌ„d specially appointed to them extraordinarily The Apostles povver vvas delegated for their liues only Therefore although they fed the flock of Christ as wel as S. Peter yet they did it by delegatioÌ„ and by special coÌ„missioÌ„ wheras S. Peter alone was the ordinarie chiefe shepheard according to whose patern there must still be some one appointed to feed Christes whole flock No man is at this day that which the Apostles were No man is able to write vs an other Gospel or to increase the Canonical Epistles or to warrant that he receiued the first fruits of the holy Ghost Rom. 8. as the Apostles did That authority died with them and came to none other after them aÌ„d consequentlie it was not ordinarie but onely was committed to a few during their owne liues But the ordinary authoritie of this highe administration beganne in one alone and therefore it must continew still in one alone There must be still one Rock Matth. 16 beside and aboue all petite Rockes There must be still one shepheard Ioan. 21. besyde and aboue many petite shepheards There must be still one greater then other Luc. 22. who may be made as the yonger and for whose faith Christ hath prayed to the end he may strengthen his brethern And verily seing as S. Bernard saith there is most perfection in vnitie De consid lib. 2. and in al diuision some imperfection is included shal we thinck that Christ hath chosen to gouern his Churche in earth rather in an vnperfit then in a perfit sort Again sitheÌ„s the state of the new testament must needs be more perfit then the state of the Lawe which brought nothing to perfection Heb. 7. and yet seing in the Law the ordinary Pastour was one high Priest aÌ„d Bishop as Aaron and his sede after him hauing manie synagoges and Leuits vnder his supreme gouernmeÌ„t Num. 3. what reason can beare that the state of our visible Church should lacke also in earth one highe priest and bishop ouer manie particular parishes and dioceses Thus haue we both natural reason the exaÌ„ple of the Law and the institution of Christ for one cheefe Bishop And that this was the mind of all the auncient Fathers also it appeareth most euidentlie because they geue such a reason whie the Church was built vpon S. Peter the which reason without an extraordinarie appointement of God caÌ„ neuer agree but onlie to one shepheard who may be aboue the rest I say without an extraordinarie appointment of God for that the Apostles being manie vvhy tvvelue Apostles gouerned equally and being all equal did gouern the church in a maruelouse vnitie and concord as if thei had ben al but one man The which spirit of vnity Christ gaue them that his institution of twelue equall gouernours for the time might wel appere not to be slaunderouse or hurtful vnto his Churche For he would neuer haue sent manie with equal authoritie into the whole world except he had ben able to make them gouern with one minde spirit aÌ„d hart But seing it were stil a miraculouse thing to see twelue and much more to see manie thousand bisshops and rulers being al equal stil to gouern the whole Church in their equal authoritie without schisme as the Apostles did that Apostolike authority being only instituted for the better publishing of the faith doth now cease and one shepherd is ordinarily alone set ouer al by whose general power it may appere that Christes Churche is but one For that is the reason which S. Cyprian bringeth why Christ built his Churche vppon S. Peter Ecclesia quae vna est super vnuÌ„ qui claues eius accepit Ad Iubaianum voce DnÌ„i fundata est The church which is one was fouÌ„ded by our Lords voice vpon one who toke the keies therof De simplicitate praelatorum And againe QuaÌ„uis Apostolis omnibus c. tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem origineÌ„ ab vno incipienteÌ„ sua authoritate disposuit Although Christ after his resurrection geueth to al the Apostles like power and saith As my Father sent
S. Paul or said to sit in his chair but onely in the Chaire of Peter as the whole practise of the Church and all the writings of the Fathers doe witnesse Whereby we are infourmed that Rome is the place chosen by Christ him selfe where S. Peters Chaire shoulde reast Ambros lib. 5. post ep 32. In Pontificali For S. Peter retourninge to Rome vppon the former vision didde before his death consecrate S. Clement Bisshoppe cui Cathedram saieth Damasus vel Ecclesiam omnem commisit dicens To whome he committed also his chaire or al the Churche sayinge Sicut mihi gubernandi tradita est à Domino meo Iesu Christo potestas ligandi soluendique ita ego tibi committo c. As the power of gouerning of binding and loosing is committed to mée of my Lord Iesus Christ euen so I commit to thée also that thou maist ordein others by whom diuerse causes maie be disposed and such acts as be not meet for the Church may be repelled and thou must not be found geuen to the cares of this world but onely endeuour to geue most leisure to prayer and to preaching vnto the people Clemens in epist 1. The like report S. Clement himselfe maketh of this commission whiche S. Peter gaue to him whose Epistle Ruffinus turned into Latine aboue eleuen hundred yeres past Ruffinus in Praefatione Recognit and in the preface whiche he maketh to the Recognitions of S. Clement he so wel declareth that Epistle of S. Clement to haue bene of ful credit in his time and before that he answereth such obiections as might seme to make against that which is said in it Tertullian also coÌ„fesseth De praescript aduersus haeret that the Church of Rome doth shew euidence that S. Clement was ordeined of Peter And S. Hierom namely saith In Catalogo Plerique LatinoruÌ„ secunduÌ„ post PetruÌ„ ApostoluÌ„ putant fuisse ClemeÌ„tem The most part of the Latins think Clement to haue ben second or next after Peter the Apostle And in an other place he saith Aduersus Iouin Clemens successor Apostoli Petri scribit epistolas Clemens the successour of Peter the Apostle writeth Epistles Leo the second Marianus Scotus and diuers other are of the same iudgement Now wheras Linus and Cletus by the life time of S. Peter as Damasus and Ruffinus do witnesse did administer many things belonging to the Bisshoprike as being in the exterior matters coadiutours of S. Peter the Grecians who were farther absent Vbi supra and were lesse expert in the Romaine affaires supposed Linus to haue bene chosen next after S. Peter Whereas Clement was onely chosen but Clement as other think yelded to Linus for a time as to his elder Howsoeuer that be whether Linus or Clement practised that high autoritie once S. Peters Chaire was setled at Rome not without the special prouidence of Christ In so much that Athanasius writeth that S. Peter and Paule audieruÌ„t In Apologia de fuga sua oportere se Romae Martyrium subire heard that they must suffer martyrdom at Rome And what so euer hearing he meaneth surely he meaneth it of a hearing which came from God either by their owne vision or by some prophetical reuelation such as both they did wel beleue and we also ought to credite But to come neare to our present purpose S. Irenaeus speaking of the successions of Bisshoppes in those Churches whiche the Apostles had first instituted calleth the Church of Rome Maximam antiquissimam Lib. 3. aduersus hereses c. 3. omnibus cognitam à gloriosissimis duobus Apostolis Petro Paulo fundatam constitutam The greatest Churche and most aunciente and knowen to all menne being planted and setteled by twoo moste gloriouse Apostles Peter and Paule Ibidem Ad hanc Ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem conuenire Ecclesiam hoc est eos qui sunt vndique fideles To this Church for the mightier principalitie or authoritie of gouernement euery Churche that is to saie the faithful which are round about must needes come or agree Whereas then euerie Churche hath a certaine principalitie or authoritie of gouernemente committed to it by Christe throughe whiche principalitie it maie preache the faith Tit. 3. ouercom synnes and heresies and excommunicat open synners and hereticks The Church of Rome being founded and planted by the most gloriouse Apostles hath potentiorem principalitatem a mightier principalitie then any other Church For it is a wilfull ignorance whereas Ireneus speaketh only of the successours and traditions of faithfull Churches In his Reply 244. for M. Iewel to say as he hath don that the mightier principalty here mentioned is meant of the Ciuil DominioÌ„ and of the Roman Empire as though Ireneus had spoken any syllable in that place of the Roman Empire He spake of the Churches which the Apostles had founded and instituted The Churche of Rome is the greatest among which he calleth the Church of Rome maximaÌ„ the graetest Why so but because it was founded of the greatest Apostle aÌ„d how fouÌ„ded For if S. Peter had only made a bishop thereof as he did of diuerse other Churches surely therby it had not ben greater then the other But because he being the graetest of th' Apostles as a Hist lib. 2. cap. 14. Eusebiê° aÌ„d S. b In epist ad Galat. cap. 2. HieroÌ„ speake left in Rome a Successour in his own primacy that is to say a rock aÌ„d a chief shepherd as great as hiÌ„self had beÌ„ therfore it was the greatest Church in the worlde And thence cometh the priÌ„pality wherof this auÌ„cieÌ„t father speaketh Rome is the most auncient Churche S. Ireneus calleth the same Churche of Rome aÌ„tiquissimaÌ„ the most auÌ„cient Church how so was not IerusaleÌ„ and Antioche before it Yeas verily in time of hauiÌ„g a bishop aÌ„d of ê“fessing the faith but not in the ê‘petual honor aÌ„d resideÌ„ce of the chief bishop For Peter was the first aÌ„d chief bishop of the new testameÌ„t In him was the roote the fountain the head of al bishoply power De simplicitate praelatorum aÌ„d froÌ„ hiÌ„ as S Cyprian witnesseth priestly vnity toke his beginning touching the ministery of the new testament and for that cause his successors being reckoned as in deede they are one with him concerning his office of feeding Christes sheepe cause the Church of Rome stil to be the most auncient and the mother Church of the Romaine circuit Metropolis ad Solitariam vitam agent as also Athanasius doth name it For this cause the mightier principalitie is in the Church of Rome And for as much as the same succession of Peter is now at Rome which was in the tyme of Ireneus the same Church is still the greatest and the most auncient Church wherunto all other faithful meÌ„ ought to resort by reson of the mightier principality or preemineÌ„ce therof S.
Cyprian confesseth the chaire that is to say the authority of S. Peter to be at Rome For whereas certain factiouse hereticks sailed from Carthage to Rome as intending to complaine vpon S. Cyprian and the other bishops of Afrik to Pope Cornelius S. Cyprian writeth thus of that matter Audent ad Petri CathedraÌ„ atque Ecclesiam principalem Li. 1. epi. 3. vnde vnitas sacerdotalis exorta est à schismaticis prophanis literas ferre nec cogitare eos esse Romanos quorum fides Apostolo praedicante laudata est Rom. 1. ad quos perfidia habere non possit accessum They dare carie letters from scismatical and prophane meÌ„ to the chair of Peter Principal Church and principal Church whence the priestly vnity began Neither do they consider them to be Romans whose faith is praised by the report of the Apostle to whome infidelitie can not haue accesse In this sentence al the priuileges of S. Peters supremacy are acknowleged to be at Rome First there is S. Peters chaire to wit his ordinary power of teaching and of iudging ecclesiastical matters Again there is the priÌ„cipal church or flock of ChristiaÌ„s verily because they are gouerned by Cornelius the Bisshop of Rome who succedeth in the pastoral office of the prince of the Apostles For otherwise Ierusalem might haue seemed the mother Church to all Christians were it not that S. Peter committing IerusaleÌ„ to the gouernment of S. Iames caried his own autoritie with him and left it all at Rome Thirdly how is it said that the vnity of priests or of bishops for sacerdos coÌ„teineth both dignities begaÌ„ at the Church of Rome but because it hath the whol pastoral autority of Peter in whoÌ„ the beginniÌ„g of al ecclesiasticall pÌ„emineÌ„ce was Ioan. 1. Matth. 16 because he first was ê“mised to be called Peter that is to say the rock aÌ„d to haue the keies of the kiÌ„gdoÌ„ of heaueÌ„ geueÌ„ to hiÌ„ but take away S. Peters prerogatiue aÌ„d the Church of Rome is not the beginniÌ„g of priesthod but rather Ierusalem or Antioche Fourthly this word vnity doth import that as Peter alone had in him the whole power of the chief shepheard in earth which can be but one so Cornelius the successour of Peter hath in him the same power and so vnity coÌ„tinueth stil in the succession of Peter not euery vnity but priestly vnity because he sitteth in Rome by whom and in whoÌ„ al priestes aÌ„d bishops are one whiles they al concerning their gouernment and iurisdiction are ouerseen are coÌ„firmed and fed of him who is without fellowes in his supremacy Farthermore when S. Cyprian saith infidelity caÌ„ haue no accesse to the RomaÌ„s what other thing is that then to say Lucae 22 that in the church of Rome he ruleth for whose faith Christ praied For what flock caÌ„ be sure to be alwaies safe froÌ„ infidelity except it be warraÌ„ted by Iesus Christ the only safegard of his Church Adde hereunto that the same S. Cyprian calleth Rome Ecclesiae catholicae matriceÌ„ radiceÌ„ Lib. 4. epist 8. the mother and roote of the Catholik Church Verily because theÌ„ce al bishoply autority of feediÌ„g Christes flock did spriÌ„g first aÌ„d is coÌ„tinually nourished aÌ„d mainteined Did not S. Cyprian confesse Cornelius to haue receiued the appellation of Basilides lawfully out of Spaine Lib. 1. ep 4 albeit he shew also that Basilides for his part did vniustly appeal and did deceiue the Pope by false suggestion and euil report Last of al S. Cyprian requireth Stephanus the Pope lib. 3. ep 13 to depose Marcianus the Bisshop of Arles in Fraunce Whiche surely to doe in an other prouince is a signe that the Pope of Rome is aboue other Bisshops Thus did that holy Martyr defend both the right and the practise of the Church of Rome The which thing is the more notable in S. Cyprian Cyprianus contra epist Stephani because he otherwise dissenting from the opinioÌ„ of Pope Stephanus concerning the baptizing of such in the Catholike Churche as had ben baptized before of the heretiques did not yet for the gredy defense of his own opinion denie the prerogatiue of the Bisshop of Rome but therein shewed that not withstanding his priuate error he kept stil the vnitie of the Militant Church in acknowleging the visible head therof Nouatus taught falsely that those who had once denied Christe or had committed greate and mortall sinnes might not be admitted afterwarde by Christian Priestes or Bisshops to do penaunce nor to their old state of grace With which heresie a Christian Priest who was named Hippolytus Hyppolitus because he was torne in peeces with wild horses was for the time deceiued But for asmuch as the said Hippolytus did otherwise loue Christ so hartelie that he was coÌ„tent to die for his name that the said death might not be vnprofitable to him God of his great mercie reuealed to him the true Catholike faith and religion before his death The whiche true faith he did not keepe to him self but as wel for the recompense of his own euil example which he had geuen whiles he followed that heresie as also for the instruction of others he had grace to confesse the same For when he was now leaden to the place of his Martyrdom the Christian people came about him aÌ„d asked which was the better religioÌ„ whether the Catholike or els that of Nouatus to whom he answered thus as Prudentius doth recite Periste phanoÌ„ in passione Hippoliti Respondit fugite o miseri execranda Nouati Schismata Catholicis reddite vos populis Vna fides vigeat prisco quae condita templo est Quam Paulus retinet quamque Cathedra Petri His answere was O flee the schismes of cursed Nouats lore And to the Cath'like folk and flock Your selues againe restore Let only one faith rule and raine Kept in the Church of old Which faith both Paul doth stil retaine And Peters Chaire doth holde Marke these degrees auoid schismes and diuisions Before the time of Nouatus there was but one faith after him there began to be two faiths He then diuided the former faith Auoid ye the diuisioÌ„ aÌ„d restore your selues to the Catholik peple whiche were spread euery where before Nouatus was borne Let one faith preuail Which one That which is in the most auÌ„cient Church Which is that The which Paul aÌ„d the Chair of Peter kepeth What is the Chaire of Peter The Bisshop of Rome who sitteth in that Chaire So that he goeth from Schism to the Catholikes and he sheweth where the Catholikes are by one faith without diuision That one faith is sene in the auncient Churche And is kept by the Bisshops of Rome May we not now say according to the exaÌ„ple of Hippolitus to our Country meÌ„ auoid the Schismes May we not say restore your selues to the Catholike people Follow not the two faiths whiche are now stirring but let that one faith preuaile which is
preserued in the auncient Churche of Rome and kept there in the Chaire of Peter Doth any man doubt but that the Pope of Rome is elder then Luther then Wiclef then Berengarius Restore your self then to the old faith to the chaire of Peter therein you maie reast without al feare Let your Pastour S. Peter answere for you if that See can deceiue you yea let Christ answere for you if it be possible either the faith of Peter which he praied for to faile in it selfe Luc. 22. or not to strengthen others It is the Rocke planted by Christ build vpon it without feare and no fluddes or windes of heresie shall at anie time ouerthrowe your house Matth. 7. Athanasius the second Patriarch in all the world and in honour next vnto the Bisshoppe of Rome Paulus the Archbisshoppe of Constantinople whiche seate afterwarde came to be preferred before the Patriache of Alexandria Marcellus the Bisshoppe of Ancyra Asclepas the Bisshoppe of Gaza and Lucyanus the Bishoppe of Hadrianople being al Grecians all of the East Churche but so farre distant one from the other that there was no part of the East Churche whiche to some of them did not belong all these I saie being expelled not by one or two but by Councels of other Bisshoppes comming from diuerse quarters met together at Rome in the daies of Pope Iulius of whome Sozomenus him selfe also a Grecian writeth in this wise Athanasius relinquens Alexandriam Romam prosectus est Tripart lib. 4. c. 15 CoÌ„tigit autem eodeÌ„ tempore etiaÌ„ Pau luÌ„ CoÌ„stantinopolitanuÌ„ PoÌ„tificem illuc vna coÌ„currere Marcellum Ancyrae AsclepaÌ„que Gazae Quasi subuertisset altare Qui duÌ„ Arrianis esset aduersus caluÌ„niam passus ab his quasi subuertisset altare daÌ„natus est Quasi subuertisset altare Pro quo GazeoruÌ„ Ecclesia Quintiano coÌ„mittitur Lucianus autem Hadrianopoliteâ— Episcopus ob aliaÌ„ accusationeÌ„ ecclesia sua priuatê° degebat in vrbe Roma Cognoscens ergo Romanus Episcopus crimina singuloruÌ„ omnes Nicaeno Concilio concordare coÌ„periens Omnium curam gerens propter sedis propriae dignitatem eos in coÌ„munionem suscepit tanquaÌ„ omniuÌ„ curaÌ„ gerens propter sedis propriae dignitateÌ„ singulisque reddidit suas Ecclesias et orieÌ„talibê° scripsit Episcopis culpans ê™ noÌ„ rectè tractassent viros inculpabiles de suis Ecclesiis eos expellentes ê™ coÌ„stitutiones Niceni Concilij minime obseruareÌ„t Adesse praecepit QuoruÌ„ paucos ad certaÌ„ dieÌ„ fibimet adesse praecepit vt coraÌ„ eis osteÌ„deret iustuÌ„ se super illis protulisse decretuÌ„ Et deiÌ„ceps noÌ„ se passuruÌ„ interminatê° est nisi ab huiusmodi turbis nouitate cessarent Et ille quideÌ„ haec scripsit Athanasius auÌ„t Paulus epistolas Iulij orientalibus Episcopis miserunt singulà eoruÌ„ suas sedes adepti suÌ„t Athanasius leauing Alexandria weÌ„t vnto Rome It chauÌ„ced him eueÌ„ at the same time to meet there Paul Bishop of ConstaÌ„tinople and Marcellus of Ancyra and Asclepas of Gaza Which Asclepas being an aduersarie to the Arrians suffered iniurie of them aÌ„d vnder the preteÌ„ce It vvas a great falt in the primitiue Churche to ouerthrovv an Alter that he had ouerthroweÌ„ an Altar he was coÌ„demned In whose steed the church of Gaza is coÌ„mitted to Quintianus Also Lucianus the Bisshop of Hadrianople being depriued of his Church for an other accusation did remaine at Rome The Bisshop of Rome then discussing the crimes of euery one Note aÌ„d finding that they did al agree to the Nicene Councel The B. of Rome hath cure of al. for his ovvn seats sake did receiue them into the CoÌ„munion as one that had cure of al for the worthines of his own See aÌ„d did restore to euery of them their own Churches writing also to the bishops of the East and blaming theÌ„ for that they had not well handled men not worthy of blame in expelling them from their Churches and likewise blamed them in that they had not obserued the coÌ„stitutions of the Nicene CouÌ„cel of which Arrian bishops he commaunded a few to appere before him at a certain day to th end he might shew them that he had iustly geuen a decree or sentence vpon them And did threaten that he would not longer suffer it onlesse they would cease froÌ„ these trobles and nouelties And thus he wrote Nowe Athanasius and Paulus did send the letters to the bisshops of the East and euery of them receaued his owne See Note first that these were patriarches Archebishops and Bisshops Secondlie that they were Grecians Thirdly that the Bisshop of Rome did iudicially inquire what was laied â—gainst euery one Fourthlie that he did it tanquam omnium curam gerens as he that had the charge of all Fifthlie he had this charge not onlie by the way of loue and charity but propter sedis propriae dignitatem For the worthines of his own See Moreouer he restored to euery one his own Church aÌ„d bishoprik Yea he did it not in hucker mucker nor by bare word spoken only at his own howse or in his own citie but he wrote letters for execution thereof to the bishops of the East reprouing their sentence and iudgement concerning these vertuouse prelats Besides this he cited some of the Bisshops of the East to be present at Rome by a certain daie to see the equitie of his Decree Last of al his decree was obeyed and euery of the good Bishops sendiÌ„g Pope Iulius his letters to the other bisshops of the East receaued their bishopriks againe Note vvel If by the confession of the world the supremacy of Pope Iulius was not now acknowledged I can not tell what can make a man knowen to be the supreme head of the militant Church He iudged the highest patriarches next himself He meadled with matters as far distant in places and prouinces froÌ„ him as lightly could be He vndid the iudgement of prouincial Councels He did these things by the prerogatiue of his own See He was obeyed by the faithfull Christians and that euen whiles the Councell of Nice was yet fresh in euery mans remembrance so that no tyrannie or vsurping nede to be feared Anno D. 300. In Psalm 106. Arnobius geueth a marueilouse witnesse for the Church of Rome Petrus in deserto huius seculi perambulaÌ„s quousque perueniret ad Romam praedicauit baptismum Iesu Christi in quo vniuersa flumina benedicuntur vsque hodie à Petro. Ipse exitus aquaruÌ„ in sitim Vsque hodie Exire ab Ecclesiae Petri est perire ita vt qui exierit foras ab Ecclesia Petri siti pereat Peter wandering in the desert of this world preached the baptim of Iesus Christ vntil he came to Rome Rome in which baptism al fluds that is to say Churches are blessed of Peter euen til this day Til this daye He hiÌ„self hath made thirsty or dried vp
the time of the flud he shal perish I doe not know Vitalis I despise Miletius I haue no acquaintance with Paulinus Who so euer doth not gather with thée he doth scatter abrode that is he that is not of Christ is of Antichrist Who can denie but that when he faith he wil aske councel of S. Peters Chaire he meaneth that he wil aske Councel of Pope Damasus who sitteth in his Chaire Euerie Pope of Rome is Peters sucessour The which Pope he calleth the successor of the fissher and the Disciple of the Crosse that is to say the successour of S. Peter who was a fissher and who died vppon the Crosse When he saith he followeth none as first or chiefe but Christ he wel declareth Christ absolutely first what an infinite distāce is betwen Christ who is absolutelie first and chief and any other Pope or Bishop who is not absolutely firste but onely so first and chiefe as S. Peter was For we aske no more at anie time but that the Pope of Rome be confessed to be so great a Bisshoppe as Saint Peter was And as Peter was first after Christe so after the same Christe Saint Hierome placeth Damasus and ioyneth him selfe in Communion with Damasus That is to say as himself expoundeth it with the Chaire of Peter Note I pray you that Damasus the Pope and the chaire of Peter is alone And the Chaier of Peter is the Rocke saith S. Hierō whervpon the Church is built Cathedrae Petri cōiungor Super illam petrā aedificatā Ecclesiā scio I am ioyned with the Chair of Peter Scio. to wit of the Rock Vppō that Rock I knowe the Church to be built There was no doubt of the matter it was a knowledge Peters Chair is the Rock To what point are we now come Not only Peter but the Chair of Peter is taught to be the Rock whervpon the Church is built And by the Chaire the Bisshop of Rome is vnderstanded who sitteth in the Chaire as Damasus then did He is prophane saith S. Hierom who eateth the lamb without this house Exod. 12. That is to saie there is but one house in al Christendō and that house is there where this Churche is acknowleged Who so eateth the Paschal lambe that is to saie who so receiueth the Sacraments or is fedde by preaching without that house where the Pope is gouernour he is prophane he is an Heretike and a schismatike as Vitalis Meletius and Paulinus were The Chaire of Peter that is to saie the Church of Rome is the same to vs which the Ark of Noë was to him ād to his childern He that is not in this fellowship of Rome shall as surely perish at the daie of iudgement as they did perish in the flud who were without the Ark of Noë Gen 7. By these means S. Hierō sheweth what a necessary thing to saluation it is that a man should tarie in that fellowshippe of Christians who beleue and professe their belief as the Bishops of Rome doe It is not I that say it but S. Hierom. Who generally geueth this rule Whoso euer doth not gather with Damasus who was Pope of Rome he scatereth What is it to gather with Damasus He expoundeth that it is to be of Christe What is it to scatter To be of Antichriste What is Damasus The Chaire of Peter and the succession of the fissher Who is with that succession at this daie The Catholikes The Catholikes are vvith Peter called now Papistes who are all and continue still one flock vnder one chiefe shepheard They then are of Christe Who scatter from the succession of Peter The Protestantes scatter frō Peter The Protestants as who make moe heads and moe shepheards all of equall authoirtie without anie one visible chiefe shepheard and moe houses without anie one master They then are of Antichrist Epist 166. Saint Augustine geueth vs this rule Coelestis magister c. The heauenly maister maketh the people secure concerning euil ouerseers The Chaire of healthful doctrine lest for their sakes the chair of helthful doctrine should be forsaken in the whiche Chaire euill men are euen constrained-to saie good things For the thinges which they speake are not their owne but they are the things of God We haue then in the Church a chair of healthful doctrine Happy were they who finding that Chaire might at the lest be sure of the true doctrin of Christ You wil say perhaps it is euery Bishops Chaire If that were so euery Bishop should be cōstreined to speak good things How could then so many Bishops haue ben the inuentours of heresies as haue ben sith Christes time If euerie Bisshops Chaire haue not this priuilege to be constrained to speake the truthe and yet there be suche a healhful Chaire in the earth as really as euer the Chaire of Moyses was at Ierusalem the which example S. Augustine vseth oftētimes to proue Matth. 23 De Verb. Dom. serm 49. Ep. 166. Et homil de Pastor that such another Chair is in the Church S. Augustine might haue eased vs of muche paine if he would haue named vs the said Chaire But lette vs see whether we can not find it named in him It followeth Deus in Cathedra vnitatis Epist 166. doctrinā posuit veritatis God in the chaire of vnity hath placed the doctrine of verity This much then we haue won toward the finding out of that chaire whiche is constrained to teache the things of God Cathedra vnitatis it is the chair of vnity What is that to say Verily not only that it is one certain chaire which it selfe tarieth in vnity but also that it kepeth vnity in all the states of the Churche For if God hath made vs secure as S. Augustine signified before that we should not nede to forsake the chaire of the healthfull doctrine for the faults which are in the gouernours or teachers doutlesse he meaneth that to be the chaire of vnity which must not be forsaken but be followed and embraced So that the chaire of vnity is that chaire which causeth vnity not to be forsaken For when all other Chaires agree with one principall chaire and confoorm themselues to it that must nedes be the chaire of vnity and cōsequently therein is the doctrine of veritie Then the chaire of vnity is that wherin one pastour sitteth in whome all other pastours in the earth are one Inuenio omnes pastores bonos in vno pastore Homil. de pastoribus Non enim verè pastores boni desunt sed in vno sunt Multi sunt qui diuisi sunt hîc vnus praedicatur quia vnitas commendatur I find saith S. Augustine al good pastours in one pastour For truly good pastours do not lacke but they are in one Those are many who are diuided here one is praised because vnitie is commended Behold the one pastour is to be sought for in whom al other good pastours
Iam cùm ista scriberem Epist 94. cognoueramus in Ecclesia Carthaginensi aduersus eos Episcopalis Concilij conditum fuisse Decretum per epistolam sancto venerabili Papae Innocentio dirigendum nos de Concilio Numidiae ad eandem Apostolicam sedem iam similiter scripseramus Now whiles I wrote these things we vnderstode a Decree to haue bē made in the Church of Carthage by a Councel of bishops which was to be directed by an epistle vnto the holy and reuerend Pope Innocentius And we likewise had writen from the Councel of Numidia to the same Apostolike See It is then euident that these two Councels sent their Decrees to the See Apostolike as also all other Councels were wont to doe according to the most auncient tradition and that as wel because the See Apostolike was assured not to erre as being the Rocke of the faith which was prayed for by Christ himselfe as also to th' intent all Churches might receaue the soner that Decree which were deriued to them from the authority of their own head vnder Christ and of their chiefe shepheard and again because the heretiks and theier followers might the soner be either reconciled or kept downe when it were once knowen that the highest court in earth had condemned their opinions Wherupon the Fathers of the Mileuitan Councel say Epist 92. Arbitramus adiuuante misericordia Domini Dei nostri Iesu Christi qui te regere consulentem orantem exaudire dignatur auctoritati sanctitatis tuae de sanctarum scripturarū authoritate depromptae facilius eos qui tā peruersa perniciosa sentiunt esse cessuros We thinck these men who haue so euil and froward opinions the popes autority is taken out of the holy scriptures wil the soner yeld to the authority of your holinesse being takē out of the authority of the holy scriptures by the help of the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ who voutsafeth both to rule you whiles you consulte and to heare you when you pray Two things are specially to be noted in these words one that the authority of Pope Innocentius is taken out of the authoritie of the holy scriptures verily because it maie be proued by the woorde of God that the bishop of Rome who succedeth S. Peter is the highe shepheard whose voice al the faithful are boūd to heare The other point is in that these Fathers affirm that Christ ruleth the Pope at his consultatiō alluding therein to the faith of S. Peter which was praied for Luc. 22. to thend al his successours might not erre in consulting about matters of Religion To which epistle pope Innocentius made answer praising them because in doutfull matters they asked him what sentence or iudgement was to be followed Ep. 93. antiquae scilicet regulae formā secuti quam toto semper ab orbe mecum nostis esse seruatam Yee followed saith Innocentius the paterne of the auncient rule which ye know as wel as I Note vvel to haue ben alwaies kept of the whole world Marke that Innocentius douteth not to affirme that the Fathers of the Councell of Miliuite among whome Saint Augustine was did know that the whole worlde alwayes vsed to referre doutfull matters to the See Apostolike and that as it followeth praesertim quoties fidei ratio ventilatur specially so oft as the matter of faith is discussed If anie man saie that the Pope in dede wrote so but that he said not true lette him consyder that Saint Augustine doth also acknowledge and praise the Popes answer in these words Epist 106. Scripsimus ad B. memoriae Papam Innocentium c. We wrote to Pope Innocentius of blessed memorie Ad omnia ille nobis rescripsit eodem modo quo fas erat atque oportebat Apostolicae sedis Antistitem He wrote again to vs to euery point in such sort as it was right and as it became the Bisshop of the Apostolike See What can be now required more Saint Augustine acknowlegdeth the answere to haue ben mete for Saint Peters successour and yet shal the Protestants now a dayes be suffered to raile at that epistle which Saint Augustine estemed so much that he maketh mention thereof with great commendation Saint Augustine then doth confesse that from all quarters of the worlde the Pope of Rome was wont euē in the old tyme to be consulted as being the general pastour whose duty it was to prouide for the whole militant flocke the particular bishops them selues being comprised therein I haue ben somewhat long about S. Augustines doctrine partlie for the worthines of the man partly because I perceaue that our Aduersaries pretend to geue more credit to him then to any other Father But if S. Augustine be not cleere for the Supremacy of the bisshops of Rome ther was neuer nothing cleere in him Let this one place be added for a surpluse to the rest The bisshop of Carthage saith he needed not to care for the multitude of his ennemies for so much as he saw hīselfe to be ioyned in communion as wel with other countries whence the Gospel came to Afrike it self as also with the Church of Rome in qua semper Apostolicae Cathedrae viguit prīcipatus Epist 162. in the which Roman Church the principate or primacy of the Apostolike chaire hath alwaies florished not only the chair of the Apostle S. Peter but also the principal power of the Apostolik chaire did not only stand in the Roman Church but it florished there and that not only during S. Peters life or a litle after but semper alwaies Happy then are we who til this day cōmunicate in faith with that Apostolike chaire And wo to them that cal the Apostolik chaire the Seat of Antichrist To goe forward with some other holy Fathers In Lib. de ingratis Prosper the Bishop of Regium being of the same tyme though sumwhat yoūger then S. Augustine and speaking of the condemnation of the heretike Pelagius writeth thus touching the See of Rome Pestem subeuntem prima recidit Sedes Roma Petri quae pastoralis honoris facta caput mundo quicquid non possicet armis Religione tenet Rome the See of Peter did first cut of Pelagius being a pestilence which then began to crepe into the Churche The which Rome being made the head of pastoral honour vnto the world holdeth al that by religion what so euer it doth not possesse by the sword Rome then is the Seate of Peter the head of Bisshoplie honour or of Pastoral power the which reacheth farther and hath moe Christians subiect to it because the Vicare of Christe sitteth there then euer it had through the mightie Empire thereof The selfe same thing Prosper saith in an other place De vocat gentium lib. 2. c. 16 Roma per Apostolici sacerdotij principatum amplior facta est arce religionis quā solio potestatis Rome through the chiefedome or primacie of the
etiam vestrae innotescat sanctitati Caput quae caput est omnium sanctarum EcclesiaruÌ„ Neither doe we suffer anie thing that doth apperteine to the state of the Churches how manifest aÌ„d vndoubted so euer it be which is called in question but the same is also notified to your holines The Pope is head of all holie Churches who is the head of al holy Churches If the Pope be head of al holy Churches and therfore be made priuie to all ordinances aÌ„d lawes which apperteine to the state of Churches it must needes follow that the Church wherof a King or Emperour shal be suprem head is no holy Church but a profane Synagog aÌ„d a malignaÌ„t congregation such as those of the Arrians Donatists and Pelagians were who obeyed not the Bisshop of Rome nor suche bisshops as were of his fellowship Vvho vvas the supreme head of the Heretikes but either Iulianus the Renegate or Valens or the Kings of the Gothes and of the Vandals as the Histories of the Church doe witnesse Here the order and place requireth that I should declare also how Phocas the Emperour An. Dom. 609. in the time of Pope Bonifacius the third pronounced the See of Rome head of al churches but the Protestants not able to deny the storie sai that now first the See of Rome began to be accoÌ„pted the head of al Churches A false assertion Which thiÌ„g shal appere as true as the rest of their doctrine is For S. Gregorie being before Bonifacius An. Dom. 607. Lib. 11. epist 54. saith of the See of Rome Apostolica sedes omnium ecclesiarum caput est The Apostolike See is Head of all Churches Before him also the Bishop of Patara An. 538. being a Grecian said of Syluerius the Pope Ille Papa est super Ecclesiam muÌ„di totius He is Pope ouer the Church of the whole world An. 534. IustiniaÌ„ writing to Ioannes the Pope as I alleged before calleth his holines caput omnium Ecclesiarum Head of al Churches An. 486. Eugenius the Bishop of Carthage being an African had said before Iustinians time as Victor writeth Romana ecclesia caput eÌ„ omniuÌ„ ecclesiaruÌ„ Lib. 2. de persecut Vandal The Roman Churche is the head of all Churches Yea Prosper had writeÌ„ before Eugenius Sedes Roma Petri An. 460. De ingratis quae pastoralis honoris facta caput muÌ„do Rome the See of Peter which is made vnto the world An. 446. In natiuit Petri Paull the head of pastoral honour Leo the great being elder theÌ„ Prosper preached thus Roma per sacraÌ„ B. Petri sedeÌ„ caput orbis effecta Rome by the holy seat of Peter is made the head of the world â–ª and again ê‘quos vniuersalis ecclesiae cura ad vnaÌ„ b. Petri sedeÌ„ coÌ„fluit Ad Anastas ep 82 By whoÌ„ the cure of the vniuersal church floweth to the one See of Peter that nothiÌ„g might at any time dissent from his head Now the fourth general CouÌ„cel An. 456. albeit it was not elder in yeres then Leo yet coÌ„sisting of 630. Bisshops gathered out of the whol world it is worthy to be harkened vnto of al the ChristiaÌ„ flock as of most auÌ„cient and perelesse authoritie This great Councel making relatioÌ„ to Pope Leo of such things as had bene done there Act. 3. Sancta magna c. writeth to him Tu quidem sicut membris caput praeeras Thou wast ouer vs as the head is ouer his meÌ„bers And wheras the Church is coÌ„pared to a vineyard Isai 5. they there coÌ„fesse that vnto Pope Leo vineae custodia à Saluatore commissa est The keping of the vineyeard is committed of our Sauiour Note here gentle Readers that this famouse great and learned Councell referreth the matter to our Sauiour and not vnto Phocas or to any mortal man The keeping of the vineyard is committed to the Pope of Rome by our Sauiour himself An. D. 426 Lib. 12. in Ioan. c. 64 If we shal goe yet higher when Cyrillus confesseth S. Peter to haue ben caput Apostolorum the head of the Apostles doth he not confesse the successors of S. Peter who are the Bishops of Rome to be much more the heads of the successours of the Apostles which al bishops are Shall we goe from Cyrillus to S. Ambrose An. D. 308 who writing vpon S. Pauls epistle to Timothe In c. 3. 1. epistol ad Timoth. calleth Damasus the bisshop of Rome the ruler or gouernour of that Church in his tyme which Church is named of S. Paul the howse of God the pillour of truthe meaning that Pope Damasus was gouernour of the whole Militant Church and not only of any one parish or Diocese And what other thing is it to be a teÌ„poral ruler of Gods whole Church Tripar li. 4. c. 15. but to be the temporal head thereof Saith not Sozomenus that pope Iulius curaÌ„ gessit omniuÌ„ propter sedis propriae dignitatem He toke the cure of all for the worthinesse of his own See where al is comprised what can be excepted Optatus An. D 370 Lib. 2. de schism Donatist who proueth S. Peter to haue beÌ„ head because he was called of Christ Cephas a rock for the rock or foundation is that vnto the house which the head is to the body doth thereby refer the primacie of S. Peter and of his successours to Christ him selfe An. 300. If I shal goe now to the Councel of 300. Bisshops held at Sinuessa where although Marcellinus had confessed him selfe to haue done Idolatrie yet all the Bisshops answered Prima sedes non iudicabitur à quoquam Tom. 1. Concil the first See shal be iudged of no man wil it not therby appere that the See of Rome beig the first See was not preferred to that honor by any mortal maÌ„ otherwise he that had pÌ„ferred it might also haue iudged it but was made head of al churches by him who said to S. Peter vpon this rock I wil build my Churche Matt. 16. It is not therefore Phocas but Iesus Christ who making S. Peter the temporal fouÌ„dation and head Pastor of the church made the Bisshop of Rome his successour as I haue declared before Let vs now goe forward with other good Emperours aÌ„d KiÌ„gs shewing that not Phocas alone but others also after hiÌ„ honoured the See Apostolike as the highest power in the church of God ConstaÌ„tinus the fourth being a most Catholike Prince Beda de sex aetat mundi procured the sixth general Councel to be called aÌ„d therin coÌ„fessed himself to haue woÌ„dred at the relation of Pope Agatho as if it had beÌ„ the voice of Peter Act. 18. Synod 6. The same Emperor in the time of Benedictus the second Pope of that name decreed An 688. Platina in vita Benedict 2 vt deinceps queÌ„ clerus populus exercitusque Romanus in PontificeÌ„ delegisset
was called campus Martius And so by the changing of the place the Protestants haue lost their argument The pope also doth sitte for the most part on the other side of the riuer vppon the hilnamed Vatican hard by S. Peters Churche The seueÌ„ hils by whom he holdeth his chaire not at all deriuing his power from the seuen hils whereupon the seuen Kings dwelt or from the Roman Empire But in dede the seuen hils are well meant the fulnes of pride and vaine glorie which is in all the worlde and specially in secular princes Herof I shal speak in the next chapiter to whom yet the protestants committ the supreame gouernment of the Church being therby nere to the state of Antichrist then they are ware of But lette all our new brethern bring but one holy Father or auncient doctour who hath ben alwaies accompted Catholike who euer said that the bishop of Rome should be Antichrist or if none can be alleaged let this doctrine of theirs be accompted a ê“phane nouelty of words 1. Tim. 6. which S. Paule would haue to be auoided among good Christians Not the Pope of Rome but the Protestants themselues are the members of Antichrist by forsaking the Catholike Church by setting vp a new Church and by teaching false doctrine against the Gospel of Iesus Christ The XVIII chap. THis being once cleered that the Pope of Rome can not be that notable Antichrist who was so loÌ„g before prophecied of the next shift of the Protestants must be to say that the Pope is at the lest a forerunner of that principal Antichrist 1. Ioan. 2 Of which sort all such are as by teaching false doctrine do promote his kingdoÌ„ who is the head and capitaine of all errour and heresie I am not ignorant that if I should exactly handle this argument I should runne ouer all the articles which are at this day in controuersie For in euery of them he that holdeth the false part is a meÌ„ber of Antichrist aÌ„d he that defendeth the truthe is of Christ But for so much as that were an infinite labour it shall suffise by a few generall reasons to shew the way vnto him who list to prosecute the said argumeÌ„t more fully The first mark of an Antichristian SEing we now speak not of Panims or Iewes who are without the Church but of heretikes who were once of the Church the first way to know this kind of Antichristes is if we can shew that any man departed from the Catholike Churche For when Christ intreated of false Prophetes and erroneouse teachers he said to his faithfull Disciples nolite exire Matth. 24 goe ye not out As who should say you are at this tyme within If ye can tarrie where you are no daunger can come to you But al the peril is in going out after them who preache otherwise then the Church beleueth 1. Ioan. 2. Of them S. Iohn said exierunt ex nobis they went forth from vs. Act. 15. Likewise the Apostles coÌ„plain of them who went out from theÌ„ and preached the necessity of circumcision Homil. de Pastor And S. Augustine saith generally exire haereticorum est It is the point of heretiks to goe out Who then went from the Churche of these two Did the Pope go out of the true Church or did the Protestants If the Pope weÌ„t forth whoÌ„ did he leaue behind him where dwelt they whoÌ„ he forsoke Let the country the City the town the village the Church the chappel the cumpany of neuer so fewe men be named from whom being members of the true Churche the Pope went For he that goeth out goeth from some and leaueth some behiÌ„d him But it can neuer be named whom the pope left behind him in the true Church when he went out of the said Church because in deed he neuer went forth but dwelt in the middest of all faithfull Nations being their guide and Pastour Neither did he depart froÌ„ the Grecians but some of the GreciaÌ„s for a tyme departed from him vpon the quarel of the proceding of the holy Ghost from God the son Which truthe the Grecians vniustlie denied And therfore after a tyme vppon better aduise and confereÌ„ce some of them came into that Church againe An. Dom. 1440. where the Pope remained head as at the Councel of FloreÌ„ce And some other taried without stil and died in the schism But al this while the pope went not out of the Church On the otherside we can al tell wheÌ„ a An. Do. 1044. Berengarius b 1350. Wiclef c 1410. Hus d 1517. Luther e 1522. Zuinglius f 1540. Caluin and such others professed to goe out the Roman Church We know whom they left behind them within the Church verily they left all Italy al Fraunce al Spaine al Polonia all Hungary all England all Sicily and so much of Germany in the Church as went not out after them If now it be the point of an hereticall Antichrist to goe out of the faithfull company of Christ who is liker to be Antichrist the Pope who departed from no company of Christ or the Protestants who departed from so many Christian natioÌ„s as now I named and most of al the Sacramentaries who departed also both from the Pope and from the verie Lutherans themselues An obiection As for that vaine bragge wherein they are wont to say the pope departed froÌ„ the Apostles and prophets is it not as easie for vs to say the selfe same thing vnto them The anâ—vver when we speak of departing we speake of the departing from the vnity of such as once liued together with vs in one house of God For then some goe out and some tarrie within As Arrius and Eusebius of Nicomedia departed out and his bishop Alexander with good Athanasius taried stil in the Church Nouatus went out Cornelius taried within Pelagius wente out Saint Augustine and Saint Hierom followed him not but taried within Euen so Luther went out from the company with whom he once liued peaceably aÌ„d the pope taried stil within Therefore Luther and his adhearents are hereticks and the members of Antichrist If it be said here An other obiection ansvvered that the Apostles and disciples departed from the Chaire of Moyses and yet were not heretiks I answere that such examples make nothing for the departing of the Protestantes from vs except they can bring such prophecies and such euident miracles for their departing from vs as the Apostles brought aÌ„d wrought for their departing from the Iewes There should be but one suche change of Religion in all the world aÌ„d because it was so hard a matter to make men forsake their former trade of seruing God it was not done without the comming doune of the Sonne of God from heauen into the earth Luc. 24. who shewed by the Prophets and by his very workes that the same one change of the whole religion
should then only be made and neuer els If now Luther be the same to vndoe Matth. 5. or to fulfil Christes Lawe whiche Christ was in the dissoluing or rather in fulfilling Moyses Law then I haue done let Luther preuaile But if Luther may be an heretike wheras he can not be Christ surelie the Argument of his departure stil concludeth him and al his to be members of Antichrist Hitherto concerning the going out of the Churche The second mark of an Antichristian SEcondlie he that goeth out of one Church if he wil be in any Churche at all either he goeth into an other Church elder then that which he was in or he maketh a new Church of his owne The Pope is not without a Churche but rather he is in the Romaine Churche as who is head and pastour thereof But he could not goe into any other Church elder then his owne For S. Irenaeus coÌ„fesseth the RomaÌ„ churche to be antiquissimam Lib. 3. c. 3. the moste auncient Neither did he make a new Church of his own For then it must needs be knowen which Pope it was who erected this new Church And of the Pope it must haue taken a proper name as the Arrian Church was named of Arrius and the Churche of the Donatists was named of Donatus And the holy Martyr Iustinus fourtene huÌ„dred yeres past gaue this note that all new sects be named by their Authors Iustin in tryphone Exorientur multi pseudoc christi et pseudo apostoli multos seduceÌ„t ò fidelibus Et sunt inter nos distincti cognominibus Denominati à quibusdam viris vt quisque fuit author alicuiê° nouae doctrinae sententiae Auctor nouae doctrinae Ex ijs alij vocantur Marciani alij Basilidiani alij Saturniniani alij alio vocabulo quisque à primo inuentore sui dogmatis There shal arise manie false Christes False Christes and false Apostles aÌ„d they shal seduce many of the faithful And they are distincted among vs by their surnames taking their names of certaine men as euery one was author of any new doctrine and iudgement And of these some were called Marcianists others Basilidians others Saturninians and other some with an other name euerie one of the first inuentour of his opinion In Apolog. secunda To this rule Athanasius alludeth saying Meletius schisma fecit adeo vt illius sectatores etiam nunc pro Christianis Meletiani vocitentur Meletius made a schisme in so muche that euen at this time his followers are named Meletians Lib. 4. c. 30 De vera sapient in the steed of Christians Cum Marcionite aut Arriani nominantur Christiani esse desierunt When they are named Marcionits or Arrians they haue ceased to be Christians saith Lactantius Firmianus But now if al the Popes from S. Peter dounward should be named the Protestants were not hable to say that either Anacletus or Victor or Calixtus or Sozimus or Leo or Gregorius or Bonifacius or any other Pope beganne any new sect or left any disciples who might be named after his proper name And yet if the Popes did goe out of the Church it was some one or other who did lead the daunce He had a certaine name he had a time to do it in he had companions who folowed him otherwise there could be no suche going out if there were no circumstance thereof Seing then it is not possible to name anie Pope who first went out of the Churche and made the Schism nor to shew any name geuen to his Disciples it is cleere that it is only a vain fable and slaunder fained vpon the Popes without any truth at al. For no heresie began without an author Who if he were vnknoweÌ„ in some obscure sect yet at the least the heresie was straight named of the couÌ„trie or of the doctrine it self or of some other notable circumstance But when our ennemies studie to geue vs a name eight or nine hundred yeres after that we departed as they saie from the true Church what signe is that Verilie that they belie vs. Nowe they name vs Papists and Romanists and what they list But I pray you Masters was there any man called Papa by his proper name or anie called Romanus who was our Capitaine Shew the Historie and we beleue you Or did euer any heresie tarie in the Churche eight or nine hundred yeares wlthout a name geuen to it Naie I think it can not be shewed that euer any heresie taried eight or nine yeares without a name wherby al the church might learne to beware of it Al these vvrote against heresies I appeale herein to antiquitie to Philaster to Epiphanius to S. Augustine to Theodoretus Damascenus Euthimius who al writing against heresies neuer left any of them al without a pecular name And in deed how could they els describe the heresie vnto vs but by naming it And yet those who nowe firste after eight or nine huÌ„dred yeres begin to haue a name haue all this while remayned without anie proper name at al which might shew or describe anie sect or heresie of theirs and that because it was not possible to name that which was not For we in dede are and alwaies were Catholikes and nothing els what so euer spightfully maiâ— be inuented and fained vpon vs without cause or ground after so many hundred yeres whereas a newe sect hath straight a new name But is it so trow ye with the Lutherans the Zuinglians the Caluinists and the Suenck feldians Doe not their names shewe who instituted and inuented that sect Can we not tel in what yere euerie of them began How he went forward And who succeded in his Chair of Pestilence The Protestants therfore going out of our Catholik Church and leauing vs within did not goe to any elder Churche either of the GreciaÌ„s or of Aethiopians or any like but did sette vppe a new Synagoge whiche was named of them Wherefore they are heretikes and members of Antichrist An other obiection ansvvered Neither can they iustlie obiect as they doe folishlie endeuour that we haue also Benedictins Franciscans Dominicans Iesuits and such other for the rule of S. Iustinus then taketh place when as himselfe expreslie saith there is an author or a beginner nouae alicuius doctrinae sententiae of anie new doctrine or iudgemeÌ„t Beholde it is not onely a new name geuen of a special man which name sheweth an heresie but it is a name geuen by reason of a new doctrine and of a new iudgement or sentence in Gods religion Saint Benedict or Saint Francis A great heresie Matth. 19. taught none other thing but that it was good to forsake all that a man had and to follow Christe The whiche thing because it is not easie to doe perfectlie without a guide they declared what way seemed best vnto them to accomplish that Counsell of the Gospel And that their institution was not fulfilled by their aucthoritie
4. c. â— Choose such a bishop in Milan said the good Valentinian cui nos quoque Imperij moderatores nostra subdamus syncerè capita To whom we also being the gouernours of the Empire maie syncerlie submitte our heads And now such Antichristian bishoppes are chosen Suidas in vita Leontij as may make a lay man their supreame head When CoÌ„stantius was preferred before and aboue the bishoppes by flattering hereticall prelats then said Leontius most freely to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caet I woÌ„der that you being set to dispose aÌ„d gouern one thing do meddle with other things You are chiefe ruler in warlike and ciuil matters and you prescribe what bishops shal doe in matters which belong to Bishoppes alone When the capitain of the hereticall Emperor Valens required the priests and Deacons of Edessa to embrace the Emperours proceedings for it is a madnes saith he to resist so mighty a prince and Lord then Eulogius said mildly NuÌ„quid vnà cum Imperio Theod. lib. 4. c. 17. 1â— etiam ille Pontificatum est consecutus Whether hath Valens together with his Empire obteined also the office of a bishop Et pastorem habemus saith Eulogius nutus illius sequimur We both haue a pastour and his commandement we follow Our Lord graunt that our countrie men may remember that they haue pastours whose voice they ought to follow by Christes commandement euen in matters of their faith But Chris neuer commanded vs to follow any secular prince in our belefe and religion That precept remaineth for Antichrist who setteth the worlde aboue the Churche and the earthly power aboue the heauenly The seueÌ„th Mark of an Antichristian THE seuenth marke of the ministers of Antichrist is to withstand the externall and publike sacrifice of Christes Churche For as Antiochus the figure of Antichrist 〈◊〉 1. 4. caused the Iewish temple to be shut vp and no sacrifice to be made externally vnto God for the space of three yeres and as Antichrist for his part fulfilling the foresaid shadow shall cause the continuall sacrifice of the new testament to cease likewise for the space of three yeres and a half Daniel 12 so the forerunners of Antichrist doe shewe their masters badge as it were vppon their sleue by taking away the externall sacrifice of the new testament and by destroying holy altars dedicated vnto Christes name which haue ben erected and haue continued euen from the Apostles tyme till this day throughout all nations as the very forme of all manner of auncient Churches 1. Cor. 10 Heb. 12. Dionys de Eccle. biâ—rar c. 3. and as all holy writers doe declare Yea the prophet Malachie did so euidently foretell that in all nations a cleane externall and publicke sacrifice for thereof he spake should be made to Gods owne name that no man is hable to deny the plaine worde of God in that behalf except he take the impudency of Antichrist vpon him For wheras the priests of the Iewes had offered polluted bread vppon Gods holy table and altar which two names stand in Malachie to signifie one thing that is to say Malac. 1. the place wherevppon the sacrifice was offered and whereas the saied polluted offering of the Iewes was a dishonour to Gods name among men for otherwise God can not be dishonoured in himselfe the Prophet doth shew that this dishonour donne to God among the Iewes shal be recompensed and amended among the GeÌ„tils where Gods name shal be great and a cleane offering shal be made vnto him not in one temple only but in euery place Now let vs compare these things together The defects of the Iewes The perfectioÌ„ of the Gentils 1 Yee ô priests despise my name 1 My name is great among the Gentils 2 Yee offer vpon my altar which was only in Ierusalem 2 In euery place there is sacrifice made to mie name Yee offerre polluted bread or the blinde and lame 3 A cleane oblation is offered or a fine cake of meale for so the Hebrew word also doth signifie 4 Here lacked a cleane outward sacrifice wherof specially the prophet now speaketh 4 Here the body and blood of Christ is meaÌ„t the most cleane outward sacrifice that can be deuised 5 Here it is said I will not accept the gift or meat offering at your hand 5 It is meant on the otherside that he wil accept the cleane oblation or fine meate offering of the Gentils 6 The talke is not heere of their inward sacrifices For they are as acceptable among the Iewes as among the Gentils And are not knoweÌ„ to men 6 It is the outward sacrifice which at this tyme is both reiected among the Iewes and accepted among the Gentils as by which onelie Gods name is either despised or honoured amoÌ„g meÌ„ who see but the outward things 7 Among the Iewes the Altar or table is reiected with the meate vpon it 7 Among the Gentils the table of our Lord is willed to be regarded and the Altar whereof the Iewes can not eate 8 Here God hath no pleasure specially in the priests of the Iewes 8 Here on the otherside the priests of the GeÌ„tils are specially meant to be acceptable vnto God 9. That which lacketh in the Iewes concerning sacrifice 9 Is meaÌ„t to be supplieâ— among the Gentils concerning sacrifice 10 These haue both inward and outward sacrifices for there neuer lacked some iust men amoÌ„g them who might sacrifice inwardly 10 Here may be more lesse there can not be therefore here must bâ— outwarde sacrifice also least if these haue aniâ— thing lesse the word oâ— God be found false 11 These mens outward sacrifice was shut vp in one place but not their inward sacrifice which Daniel made euen at Babylon 11 Therefore these meÌ„ outward and not onlâ— their inward sacrificâ— is meant to be made in euerie place because Churches and Aultars are built vnto the namâ— of God in al nations 12 Here lacked not praiers also but they were not the kinde of sacrifice which is now reiected but they were ioyned with the chiefe â—crifice as well among â—he Iewes as the Genâ—ils 12 Neither among the gentils doe praierâ— lacke but neither they are the chiefe kinde oâ— cleane sacrifice which is prophecied of for they are no new kinde of sacrifice but are commoÌ„ to all that serue God 13 The proper sacrifice â—f the Iewes is reiected â—hich is made accordiÌ„g 〈◊〉 the law of Moyses and â—f the old testament 13 The proê‘ sacrifice of the Gentils is accepted which is made accoRdiÌ„g to the law of Christ and of the new testament â—4 It is a sacrifice coÌ„siâ—ting in fact and not in woord onely which is â—eere reiected 14 And here the sacrifice coÌ„sisteth in fact and not in woorde onely for Christ said hoc facite doe or make this thing â—5 The very fire which deuoured the sacrifice â—here is coÌ„temptible but â—et it did really deuoure â—he thinge that was â—hrought vnto the altar 15
The woorde of God which saith this is my body is the fire which deuoureth the earthlie substance of bread and wine brought vnto the altar the which word worketh that which it souÌ„deth aÌ„d is honorable 16 They are cursed who hauing a beast of the male kind doe not offer it but rather doe offer a spotted or weake one as the reiected Iewes did 16 We shuld likewise be cursed it hauiÌ„g Christes bodiwe shuld not offer it but rather should saâ— our own righteousnes 〈◊〉 be most principally thâ— cleane oblation wherâ— of the prophet speakeâ— â–ª Which yet the member of Antichrist doe say â–ª Read the prophet Malachie witâ— diligence and see whether the conference of the holy scripture doth not necessarily import this sense which 〈◊〉 haue now geuen And I haue geueÌ„ it according to the vniforme interpretatiâ— of the auncient fathers of whome noâ— one denyeth the body aÌ„d blood of Christ to be here meant albeit some of them expound some part of this chapiter of praiers and of inward righteousnes the which inward sacrifice is alwaies to be ioyned with the vnblodie outward sacrifice or consecration and oblation of Christes body and blood which is the new oblation of the new testament with a Lib. 4. cap. â— Ireneus with whome b DemoÌ„st euange li. 1. c. 10. Eusebiâ— c In Malach 1. S. Hierom d Orat. 2. aduersus Iudaeos S. Chrysostom e Lib. 4. c. 14. Daâ—ascene agree Neither doth this our vnbloody sacrifice derogate any iote to that one â—loody sacrifice of Christes crosse For we â—onour that one sacrifice so much that through the power of it we beleue the daily remembraunce thereof being made by the outward consecration of bread and wine into the same bodie and blood which was once offered vppon the crosse to be necessarily a publike sacrifice because it is not possible Note but that euery publicke and external fact which is made by Gods authority to put vs in minde of that great sacrifice once fulfilled on the crosse must also partake the nature of that sacrifice whereof it is the remembraunce For if euen the killing and burning of a calf was an external aÌ„d publike sacrifice because it signified that Christ should die for vs how infinitely more shal the body and blood of Christ being made of bread and wine to signifie his owne death be a publick and an external sacrifice And because in the saied body of Christ the whole merit of his priesthod and crosse is stil really conteined for he is a priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech whensoeuer that body is made present by consecration as it is alwaies at Masse then Heb. 7. seing that substance is made present which euen till this day whersoeuer it be 2. Ioan. 2. or in earth maketh God merciful to vs a propitiatory sacrifice in his kind is made hable to be applied to the vse of the liue and of the dead Which doctrine who so denieth vpoÌ„ pretence of a zeale to Christes death let him be wel assured he dishonoureth his death aboue measure if whereas euery signe externally made in calues or gotes which went before his death was therfore a publik external sacrifice he will now deny the same honour to a signe of the same deathe appointed to be made euen by Christes owne mouth and exaÌ„ple in the self same body which died for vs. I can not tarie any longer vpon this matter because it is not my principal purpose The eight mark of an Antichristian THE viij mark of the false prophets of Antichrist is to spoile Christ of his inheritaunce which God gaue him in all nations For so a Psal 2. Dauid b 60. 61 Isaias yea the c Luc. 14. Gospell doth teache Neither is it only meant that in diuerse natioÌ„s some or other shal some at one aÌ„d other at an other tyme priuily beleue in Christ but it is meant Isai 2. Psal 44. Malac. 1. that many nations together shal professe Christes religioÌ„ and name outwardly and openly for his name is great among the Gentils not in one nation only but among many nor surely by those who lie priuie but by those who are not ashamed to be knowen for Christians and for Catholikes For such only doe honour the name of God as be knowen to be of his Churche Math. 5. Isai 2. Hereof it is called a city which can not be hidden a hil built in the toppe of hils Psal 18. Matth. 5. a tabernacle sette in the son a candle being light and sette vppon the candlesticke the children of light Luc. 16. Matth. 13. the kingdom of Christ who reigneth in the house of the spiritual Iacob for euer Yea it is called the croune of glory in the hand of God Isai 62. and the pride or magnificent ioy of all ages from generation to generation Al which texts notwithstanding the protestants will make vs beleue that they are Christes Church whereas fifty yeres a goe there were not onlie not many nations of them which professed their faith openly so that Gods name might therby be great among the Gentils but there was not one nation no not one city not one towne not one whole village in al the wyde world where it may be shewed that they had one Church or chappel or howse of publike praier vnder the son And yet though they shewed half a dosen such it could not serue Is this the gloriouse kingdome and common weale which Christ doth inherit O vnspeakeable blasphemy vnto his gloriouse name Isai 54. Gal. 4. The Iewish synagoge was neuer half so base wheras Christes Churche among the Gentils was prophecied to passe it in nuÌ„ber and greatnes And yet this misery of the Church say they dured eight or nine huÌ„dred yeres Math. 16. Ergo so long hel gates preuailed against the Church of Christ But on the other side there can no moment of an hower be named in the which we are not ready to shew that many Note the true Churche yea very many natioÌ„s professed openly and outwardly practised Christes true religion together with the pope of Rome from S. Peters tyme to this hower O gloriouse City of God and a kingdoÌ„ prophecied of in all ages before Christ worthy of his Son Iesus ageinst which hel gates neuer did nor neuer shall preuaile To this City and kingdom yee must all resort who looke to inherit the kingdom of heauen The ninth Mark of an Antichristian THE ninth marke of Antichristes brotherhod is the intolerable pride whereby they make themselues onelie the supreame iudges of the right vnderstanding of Gods woorde yea of the text also and of the letter thereof For whereas it is not possible for any resonable man to cite with good conscience any one text of holy scripture for his purpose vnlesse he iudge first the same text to be conuenient and agreable to his intent and therefore whereas nothing
speaketh false Greeke or the words haue crept out of the margent into the text or if Iames be contrarie to Paul he must be reiected or the Machabees is no scripture with the Christians because it is not in the Canon of the Iewes but he keepeth all thing as he receaued them without any maner of change The tenth marck of an Antichristian WHat an infinite disputation would this be if I should shew particularly how the Protestants agree in doctrine with all the members of Antichrist Eunomius as s. Augustine witnesseth said Ad quod vult her 54. no synne should hurt a man if he were partaker of the faith which he taught And are not the Protestāts secure of their saluation whatsoeuer their works be if they haue that presumptuouse faith which Luther taught them We reade in the Tripartite history Lib. 2. c. 13 that Acesius the bisshops of the Nouatians affirmed that who so had synned mortally after baptism he might hot hoape for remision of his synnes by the priests De Poenit. lib. 1. ca. 7. but by God alone Against which heresie of the Nouatians S. Ambrose raesoneth shewīg that the priests haue no lesse right geuen them to remit synnes by penaūce then by baptism Vnū in vtorque mysterium there is one mystery or sacrament in both cases Doe not now all the Protestantes deny the priests to haue any right geuen them to forgeue synnes Panopl li. 2. tit 22 Euthymius writeth that the Massalians denied baptism to pluck vp the roote of synnes Is not the same the opinion of the Protestants Tawght not Aêrius that we must not pray for the dead nor kepe solemly the appointed fastings and that there is no difference betwen a priest and a Bisshop August ber 53. Epiphan haer 75. which things both Epiphanius and S. Augustine with the consent of al the Catholiks of their tyme and all that followed after witnesse to be hereticall And yet our Protestants teach the self same S. Augustine reckoneth it an heresie in Iouinian Her 22. because virginitatē sanctimonialium continentiam sexus virilis in sanctis eligentibus celibem vitam coniugiorum castorum atque fidelium meritis a daequabat Iouinian did make the virginity of Nunnes and the continence of men in those who chose to liue chast aequall with the merits of chast ād faith ful mariages wheras S. Augustine doth accompt virginity the higher state But our Protestants hold the same heresie word for word S. Hierom reputeth Vigilantius an heretik for denying praiers to Saints In lib. aduersus Vigilantium and the geuinge of honor to holy relikes Are not these men of the same minde with Vigilantius The Arrians would not beleue the consubstātiality of the son Hilar. de Synod aduersus Arrianos because that word was not written in Gods worde and how many things by the same pretense doe the Protestants deny Euseb lib. 6. cap. 33. It is recited for a heinouse impiety in Nouatus the heretik quòd Chrismatis signaculo non est consummatus Because he was not consummated with the seale or signe of Chrism doe not our Protestants abhor Chrism calling it greasing Ruffin lib. 11. cap. 3. Lucius the Arrian pesecuted the holy Monkes as our Protestants now doe Euseb lib. 5. cap. 16. Hieron The Montanistes blasphemed the whole Church throughout the world and the followers of Lucifer said there was a stues made of the Churche Is not this the talke of our Protestāts Aug. haer 69. The Donatists said the Church was lost from the whole world and preserued in Africk alone say not the Protestants worse that the Church was once lost form the open face of the world ād was not preserued but reised in Germany againe Neither wil their most absurd opinion be excused by saying that some in euery contrie were priuily of their opinion Rom. 10. For that is noe true Church of Christ which doth not so professe his faith that it may be knowen to be Christes Churche Rom. 1. for his Church is not a shamed of Christ and of his Gospel The heretiks called Seueriani vsed the Law the Prophets and the Gospels Euseb lib. 5. cap. 16. sed propria quadam interpretatione scripturarum sensum peruerterūt But they peruerted the sense of the scriptures by a certain peculiar interpretation The same doe the Protestants who wil neither admitte the practise of the Church nor the consent of the Fathers against their owne peculiar interpretation It hath ben alwaies a trick of Iewes and hereticks to be still in hand with translating the holy scriptures to th end by much changing Hieron in Catal. in verbo Origenes they might gette some apparence to haue the scriptures on their side Such were Theodotion Aquila Symachus all who forsoke the Catholike faith and translated the old bible vpon a stomak conceaued against the Churche of God ▪ and what end is there now of translating the scriptures into euery tonge Wherof although they that are learned take great profit as also S. Hierom and S. Augustine then did yet it bringeth the word of God into an vncertainty and to a confusion with them who not being lerned see so great changes that they know not what to take for the word of God Vvhy the Catholikes cōfirmed at Trent the olde latin trāslation Against which mischief the Catholiks iudged it necessary without preiudice to other copies either of Hebrew or of Greeke to confirm the translatiō which hath ben alwaies vsed in the Latin Church as wherof it self hath ben a most faithfull and diligent keper But whiles the Protestants pretend to appeale to the originals and by many translations make the meaning of the originals more doutfull daie by daie it must needes come shortly to passe that none of them all wil be hable to know how the woorde of God is either pointed or meant It were a thing without end thus to prosecute euerie particular agreance of our new Protestants with the old prophets of Antichrist But this one thing seemeth to gather all into one The eleuenth marck of an Antichristian SEing that Antichrist is contrary to Christ and Christ came to replenish men with grace geuing them diuerse gifts and spreading charitie in their harts Antichrist on the otherside must goe about and alwaies hath endeuoured by his members to deny to take away and to make voide the supernaturall graces which God hath geuen to his Church Christ came to build Tertull. de praescript aduersu◠haeret Antichrist to puldown Christ to gather into one Antichrist to scatter abrode Christ to enriche vs. Antichrist to rob and spoile vs of our heauenly treasures If then it appeare that the Protestants doe spoile Gods Church of certaine graces which the Pope doth diligently mainteine it must nedes be that the Protestantes are the members of Antichrist and that the Pope with his company is the flock of Christ. De