laid before the holy Fathers Est firmamentum columna Ecclesiae Evangelium It onely is infallible in it self all other Councils and Traditions may erre saith Tom. lib. 2. contra Donatistos cap. 3. And though an Angel from heaven teach another doctrine no faith is to be given thereunto Tertullian contra Hermogen pag. 373. I reverence saith he the fulness plenitude and perfection of Scriptures as that which shews to me both the Maker and the things which are made Austin confesseth the authority of Scripture to be above the authority of the Church in his Epistles contra Manich. tom 6. cap. 4. The consent of people and nations the authority of the Church begun by miracles nourished with hope increased with charity established with antiquity succession of Priests and the name of Catholike saith he are great motives to keep me in the unity of the Church but above these he prefers the truth of Scripture in regard whereof he promiseth Manicheus to give more credit to his doctrine then to the Church if he be able to prove it out of Scripture These and many more authorities in this point might be produced to manifest what credit and reverence the Fathers of the Primitive Church did attribute to the sacred Oracles of God Now what may we think of those that count them a bare letter Inkie Divinity a matter of strife and ground of Heresies And by the Doctor fol. 255 the light of the Gospel is termed Ignis fatuus because not borrowed from Rome's dark lanthorn Others affirming that if any contemn the authority of the Romane Church that he shall not be able to assure himself of Scripture any more then of a Robinhood-tale To which I answer The Council of Laodicea can 59. which Council was held long before ever Rome's Bishop claimed a Supremacie over other Churches hath declared which shall be taken and accepted for Canonical Scripture and hath decreed that none else should be read in the Churches besides them we according to that Canon accept and embrace them and according to the ancient copies doth our Clergie retain them in the Church nor are we altogether beholding to Rome for the Translations 'T is true she hath a glorious Library as many witness the onely ornament of her Vatican Hill And in some competent measure is our Oxford replenished with the ancient Manuscripts of the Primitive Fathers and of old approved Translations of the Scriptures both after the Hebrew Syriack Rome not the onely dispenser of the Scripture Chaldee Greek and Latine Translations which the Fathers and the Reverend Governours of the Primitive Churches have permitted to be transmitted to other parts and in these later days we have been beholding to Rome for some Translations But she was not the first that sent the Gospel hither as may appear by Eleutherius his Epistle to Lucius You have heretofore saith he received the law and faith of Christ ye have within your Realm both the parts of Scripture out of which by the counsel of your Realm take a law and by that law rule your kingdom for you be Gods Vicar within your own kingdom c. And in this particular I think Rome as well as we is beholding to other Churches why then should she boast that we know not what is Scripture but that which she has delivered Had not the Apostles equal authority to teach all nations Doth not Peter direct his Epistle to the Saints which are dwelling about Cappadocia Galatia Asia and Bithynia and S. James to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad and S. Jude to all which are sanctified and called of God And S. Paul writes as well to the Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians and Thessalonians as to the Romans wherefore how comes it that the Church of Rome should be the onely Monopolizer of Scripture Was not the holy Ghost given to them which Philip Paul and Barnabas did ordain as well as those Peter did ordain And admit that Peter was Bishop of Rome had not the rest of the Apostles received the holy Ghost as well as Peter did it not sit upon each of them like cloven tongues of fire And why should the Church of Rome boast her self to be onely and alone endowed with an onely spirit of interpretation Let none understand more then is meet to understand was S. Paul's instructions to the Romanes But such is the uncharitableness and presumption of the present Church of Rome that she accounts her self the onely wise interpreter and no other Church to have the spirit of discerning the Truth unless she have received that spirit mediately from her I must needs tell her that she has no warrant to arrogate this transcendency and super-excellencie in this point of wisdom from any divine precept it is but her own humane institution no other Church approving of it and so it is but the wisdom of this world which as S. Paul says 1 Cor. 1.20 is found foolishness before God and according to that saying of Solomon Prov. 12.15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes The treasure of the holy Writ is no common or ordinary bank That the Scripture contains things necessary to salvation but a precious store of eternal happiness in them is laid up life everlasting according to that of S. Paul Rom. 1.16 It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek and 2 Tim. 3.14 Timothy had known the Scriptures from a childe which were able to make him wise unto salvation It is profitable to teach to improve to correct to instruct in righteousness that a man of God may be absolute being made perfect to all good works Therefore are we bidden Joh. 4.39 to search the Scriptures for in them is eternal life and they are they which testifie of Christ It is true All things that Jesus did are not written saith S. John but saith he these things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and believing ye might have life through his Name Joh. 20.31 Cyril lib. 2. upon that place of S. John saith Non omnia quae Dominus facit transcripta sunt sed quae Scriptores tam ad mores quam ad dogmata sufficere putarunt ut recta fide operibus ad regnum coelorum perveniamus And Saint Austin likewise says that all things were not written but onely so much was written as was thought to be sufficient to the salvation of the faithful And whereas in the 20 of the Acts ver 27. it is said I have not spared to shew unto you the whole counsel of God Lyranus and Carthusianus expound it onely to be understood of things pertaining to our salvation which S. Austin lib. de doctr Christian 2. cap. 6. plainly affirms that all things necessary to our salvation are plainly contained in the written Word And Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 1. We know saith he
CATHOLIKE HISTORY Collected and gathered out of Scripture Councels Ancient Fathers and modern Authentick Writers both Ecclesiastical and Civil for the satisfaction of such as doubt and the confirmation of such as believe the Reformed Church of ENGLAND Occasioned by a Book written by Dr. Thomas Vane INTITULED The Lost sheep returned home By Edward Chisenhale Esquire Chrysost in Matth. Hom. 30. Christianus si malus evaserit pejor fit quam suisset Gentilis 2 Pet. 2.21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment given unto them London Printed by J.C. for Nath-Brooks at the signe of the Angel in Cornhil 1653. To the Right Reverend The LEGAL CLERGY OF The Reformed Protestant Church OF ENGLAND The Author Wishes many dayes of consolation here and eternal joy in the Holy Ghost THe Israelites lamented after the Lord when the Ark was removed and it pittyed the children of Sion to see her stones in the dust and how can any sing a song of the Lord in a strange Land For my own part many have been the troubles of my spirit Right Reverend for the desolations and miseries that have of late befallen our English Church and amongst the rest this has not been the least affliction of my soul to see her like Sennacherib murdered of her own sons to see her laid desolate whilst her enemies cry There there so would we have it When Ierusalem was destroyed she became an habitation unto strangers and our English Sion being now laid waste a Babylonish Tower of Rome would fain be built by the Enemy upon our holy Hill But that which most afflicted me was to see the sons of our Sion's Tower being compleatly furnished out of her spiritual Magazine and being harnessed and carrying bowes to resist the Darts of Satan should like the children of Ephraim turn their backs in the day of battel amongst whom I finde Doctor Vane the Author of a Book intituled The lost sheep returned home to be the Ring leader and chief of the Apostate-Tribe who had no fooner escaped out of our English sheep-fold but straightway he discovers the Muset thorow which he stole thinking thereby to decoy the rest of the flock into the Wilderness Now I seeing this injury done unto our English Vineyard though it was not proper to me to make up the fence did presume to lay these thorns in the breach whereby I might divert the Flock from straying after novelties and seeking after strange Pastours and in the interim blind the Wolves that they should not discover the breach that is made in our Pale Some I know will condemn me for presuming to treat upon this subject being a Theam too high for my reach and too sacred for my calling and with Socrates will condemn Lysia's Oration as not being suitable for him that was to pronounce it If there be any such amongst us I desire them to take notice That when the Temple was to be rebuilt all the people of Israel without exception contributed towards the work Ezra 11.5 6. The Priests and Levites and all the children of Israel c. and appointed the Levites to set forward the work Chap. 3.8 For my part I do not desire to transgress the bounds of a well-wishing Israelite I do not with Uzzah think to support the Ark with my own hand but humbly present to your judicious sense the sweet smelling flowers which grow in others Gardens and withal give your Reverendships a view of the wilde Thistles that bear no Figgs leaving it to your choyse to weed out the one and root up the other to whom the work more properly belongs For my part had I not perceived that the hearts of many of the Romish Faction were hardened through the deceitfulness of that Book insomuch that many began to triumph over the wounds therein given to our English Church as if the Protestant Religion were neckt in the sparring blowes And had I not been upbraided daily with the clamorous insultings of divers Papists that our Church wanting grounds of Replyes was the cause of her silence I had neither given them this occasion to censure me of presumption or busied my self either for their information or the Church of England's justification the one more properly belonging to anothers charge the other needless in respect the quarrel they have renewed is but with their own shadow all that ever they now pretend being heretofore fully answered the force of Divinity and weight of Reason adjudging the Garland to our English Church Nevertheless those answers being in several pieces and many not having the several Books and the Doctor having couched many subject matters in one Volume I thought it requisite that a Reply were composed in answer to his objections not the importance of his subject matter but the ease and convenience of the people to have him answered in one piece calling upon some to this work And I consulting with my self and imagining after so long a time of its not being answered that the more judicious amongst you might perhaps think it below them to make a reply to that which had already by others been most fully and plainly refuted answered did assume the boldness to re-capitulate this ensuing Treatise which together with my self I prostrate at your feet Amphion plaid ever best when he heard poor Ithoneus blow upon his Oaten Pipe and I could wish these rude Collections of mine might but serve as a Plain-song whereon your Reverendships might descant I did not intend that these loose pieces thrown into the Gap should stand for a sufficient Fence for our English Vine-yard onely I was something confident that they might be serviceable to you and be made use of in part as being Materials prepared for your use wherewith you might firmly repair the Breach which the Doctor has made which being set by your more Divine hands might become a growing Rampire against the Wolves and Foxes that would steal into your Vine-yard to pluck your Grapes and a standing Bulwark to keep her up maugre the engines of Hell and Satan I know it is you to whom the charge of the Plantation is committed it is you that are the proper Husband-men and know best how to fence her clusters you are the Levites must repair the breaches in our English Tabernacle I beseech you be not offended that I have taken notice of this Gap made in your Fence but rather let this my boldness finde pardon from your goodness and let this piece be acceptable to you as coming from one that in humility and love desires you to have an eye to this breach and if when you view the pieces I have thrown into the Gap you finde any that are proper for your Fence fix it down and throw the rest by or if in your judgements you think it need no further reparation yet vouchsafe to confirm it with your holy hand sith this bold
preached it to the people that within a short time the Sunshine thereof arose to such a latitude that it gave light to the before dark closets of the Kings heart who thereupon sent to Elutherius Bishop of Rome two of his best Divines to entreat assistance from him who sent some laborers into this harvest who for the better promulgating of the Faith and the winning of souls unto Christ and that all the people of the Isle might be instructed did divide themselves into severall circuits Lucius and his Nobles appointing three Superintendents instead of the three Arch-Flamins who formerly ruled in the time of Paganisme one at London another at York another at Carleon in Monmouthshire the Arch-Bishoprick of Carleon was after removed from thence to S. Davids from thence into Normandy London was in after times by Austin the Monk translated to Canterbury only York continues still a Metropolitan This Austin was sent by Gregory Bishop of Rome hither and did convert the South Saxons but the Britains had before his coming received the Faith and though expulsed from the body of the Land into the mountainous part thereof called Wales by the impetuous fury of the Heathen Saxons yet they still retained their faith and had a Monastery of Monks at Bangor in Caernarvanshire when Austin came to preach unto the Saxons and this tradition challenges any Christian man his belief as well as any Romish Tradition whatsoever There doth not from this story any thing at all arise which may conclude us to be beholden to the See of Rome for our faith though some say Philip was sent from Rome by Paul or if they will perswade the world that we received our faith from Rome I should not much stick to grant it for it then follows that if it came from the See of Rome that Paul was Bishop there and so they destroy their universality built upon Peter As for the Allegation of those who say we first received the faith from Eleutherius it is false and utterly against the current of all Antiquity as may appear by Eleutherius himself who writing to King Lucius an Epistle sayes Ye have received of late through Gods mercy in the realm of Britain the Law and Faith of Christ Ye have with you within the Realm both the parts of Scriptures out of that Law take ye a Law by Gods grace with the Councell of your Realm and by that Law through Gods sufferance rule ye your Kingdome of Britain for you be Gods Vicar in your Kingdome c. By this it appears that this Isle had received the faith before that and had the Scriptures with them before and therefore the Papists cannot brag that Rome is the only dispenser of those sacred Oracles of which in the eighth chapter We became Christians much what about that time Rome received the Faith and who was our first Planter it is not of necessity to be proved sith we claim no Jurisdiction but what is common to every Provinciall See to lay challenge unto Let Rome who builds upon Peter take heed to her succession precisely from him it shall suffice us that we received the faith before Eleutherius time and that we were acknowledged by him to have that faith and the holy Scriptures in our Isle before he writ to King Lucius and can produce a continued succession of Pastors if not governing Bishops from afore him For those two which were sent by Lucius to Eleutherius were Bishops Infra chap. 4. as Gildas and others testifie without a precise Catalogue of our first founders and that in respect the Church of Rome did confesse we had the true faith and the holy Scriptures which could not otherwise have come but by the Mission of some of the Apostles or by some ordained by them to that purpose of which more at large in the fourth chapter Reverend Bede seems to incline that we first received our faith from the East for that our Easter was kept almost a thousand years after Christ after the manner of the East in the full Moon what day soever it fell upon and not on the Sunday and not after the Romane custome The like doth Petrus Cluniacensis testifie of the Scots that they kept their Easter after the manner of the Greek Church and not after the Romane by which they collect that the first planters of the Faith here came from the East but I shall not much stand upon that for it makes nothing for the present point for whether we received the faith from the East or from Rome by the means of Paul I hope none will affirm but that we are of Apostolicall Plantation and having a Metropolitan of our own and being a distinct Province of it self have right to the provinciall Jurisdiction declared and confirmed by the first Councells which makes us so free of our selves and independent of Rome that we may justly deny her to be the universall Church And sith there is no expresse and positive proof that our first planter of the Faith was sent immediately from the East and sith the inducements to that belief are but bare conjecturalls I should hold it more proper to admit what is desired from the Church of Rome that she sent Joseph of A imathea hither or that he was sent by Philip who was sent from Paul and that because Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles to carry the Gospell unto them and would the Church of Rome not forsake such a Pastor to feign one by traditionall stories against that which the Scripture and Primitive Church teached we should willingly give her the right hand and honor her as our elder Sister and in order to the Western plantations from Paul and I believe the Churches of Germany France Denmark c. would do the like not that they prefer Paul before Peter but because Christ had ordained Paul a Minister over them and the Scriptures and Councells forbid any to intrude upon anothers plantation and especially Peter being reproved for that very thing he being appointed over them of the Circumcision and therefore unlesse Rome will lay claim to Paul for her Bishop they cannot allow her that primacy of order they heartily wish she were honored with but I much fear whilest the Ignatian tribe are suffered to put in practise the imperious Dictates of the Scarlet Conclave this will scarcely be embraced their whole study is to ascribe all pomp and power to the Papall throne being in hopes to be masters of that Seat e're they die it being by their new order of electing Popes not transferrable to any other and so to enjoy their long studied Dominion and having by a long expectation so sharpned their appetite and set it on so keen an edge they greedily gape after all honor and Soveraignty and think the world too narrow a Province for them to Lord it in whereas if primacy of order would serve their turn none of the Western world would deny it to them and as
but was reduced back and centred again in its own proper sphear and that not by any compulsive power but as if the succeeding Pope Adrian had felt som compunction of Spirit for detaining that which of Right belonged to the Civill Magistrate he did freely and by consent of a Councell at Lateran give power to Charles the Great to appoint the Bishop of Rome and to dispose of his See Apostolick which so remained in him and his Successours for a long time and since diverse Popes of Rome by vertue hereof have been deposed as Benedict 5th by Otho the first and Leo placed in his roome and Gelasius deposed by Hen. 5. and several others which came not in in right of the Emperours as may appear by the German and Italitan Histores wherefore the pretence of some Popes Parasite that Ludovious Pius successour to Charles the Great should release this priviledge of Collation back again is vain and utterly false as is evident by these transactions of succeeding Ages The Romans bound themselves to Henry 3d the Emperour by Oath not to meddle with the appointing the Emperour which after within four years when the Emperour was absent was violated the Clergy of Rome choosing Stephen 9th anno 1057. which being but an usurpation in the Clergy so to doe the Cardinalls thought they had as much right as those Clergy-men and therefore upon the Rule that one Thief may rob another did by the assistance of Pope Nicholas 2d and Hildebrand his Cardinal Chaplain take it to themselves so that whosoever is Pope by their Election hath no right to the Chair for that the Title of the Cardinalls is surreptitious and illegall in its Commencement Et quod ab initio valet in tractu Temporis non convaliscat For the Pope being a Spiritual man ought not to plead possession when as his claim is by Intrusion and prescribe he cannot for that these Records are extant to the contrary since therefore by primitive right and by reduction after a separation thereof and that made good by Authority of Pope and Councell and after by Oath confirmed it doth belong to the Emperour of the West or the King of France to appoint the Bishop of Rome Let the present Emperour look to his Right as he will be served and let him beware of too long a discontinuance of this priviledge for should the gnawing rusty teeth of time worm-eat and rase all his Records and Testimonies that prove him a right to this Collation he shall never repair his losse when as he may be sure the Vactitan Hill shall be stored with old and new additions to the Bishop of Rome a right to appoint Germany an Emperour And as the Emperour had right to Collate to the See of Rome so likewise had he the same right to other Metropolitan Sees of Germany till over looking his Right to Rome the rest fall from him according to the Rule Dato uno absurdo mille sequuntur But I return back to England and will shew what right the Civill Magistrate hath to appoint Bishops in England without consent of the Pope By the Antient Lawes and Constitutions of this Kingdome The Kings of England appoint Bishops without the Pope the King was Patrone of all the Bishopricks in the Land for the Rule is Patronum faciunt dos edificatio fundus they were all donative and of the Kings gift Per traditionem annuli Pastoralis baculi as appears by the Law-books 7 Edw. 4. Cook 10. Report 73. and Matthew Paris History fol. 62. The King by Edward the Confessours Lawes cap. 19. is declared to be Vicarius which was long before acknowledged by Eleutherius in his Epistle before recited summus persona mixta cum sacerdote Constitutus est ut Populum dominii super omnia ecclesiastica Regat By the Judges of old it was declared that Papa non potest mutare leges Angliae none can Found or Erect a Colledge Church Abbey c. without the Kings Warrant Dyer 271. the Priviledges of the Church were growing out of the Civil Magistrates power and therefore by the Articles Super clerum made 9 Edw. 2. no suite was to be before the Bishops for any matter whatsoever but a prohibition lay and there it is expressed in what cases it shall be allowed 16 Edw. 3. Excom 4. and 2 R. 3.22 Excom by the Pope is no disability of any suit within this Kingdome which resolutions are grounded upon the Common Law of this Kingdome which Common Law is but certain reasonable Customes and usages of the Land refined by the experience of succeeding Ages and drawn into forme by Edward the Confessor which gathered it out of Divine natural and moral principles and as I said the antient reasonable usages of the precedent Ages and that the King is by antient Custome Vicarius sumus and with the advice of his nobles did appoint Bishops is proved by Eleutherius who was the first Bishop of Rome that ever had any entercourse concerning Church affaires in this Land which was onely to assist and further the Ministry but in no means to take from the King what was his right or what formerly belonged to him nor was this Antient right ever invaded till Beckets businesse that I can find 't is true that some strangers were sent hither and recommended by the Bishop of Rome to be by him preferred to English Benefices which were out of courtesie accepted but this did not prove any right of Collation in the Bishop of Rome at all nor did ever he set up his pretence to that Right till Hen. 2. time Which quarrel the advantage of the troubled times did occasion not the Justice of the Popes Cause to spur him to clear his title thereto he knew well enough that the King had the sole Power and just Title without him to set up what Bishops he pleased And whereas it may be objected that the Bishops of England are elegible it is true they are so but that was by the consent of King John for before that they were not elegible but were made elegible by a Roll 15 Jan. 17. of K. John but notwithstanding that grant is so restrained that they cannot be elected without the Kings Writ of Conge Deslier As for the Pope excommunicating the King about Beckets quarrell Tho. Becket that doth not prove the Popes power so to do For to argue de facto ad jus brings with it an absurd consequence it pleased the King to submit to it not being able to oppose the Factions then stirred up against him Infra 90. 11 chap. But it cannot from thence be evinced that the Kings voluntary submission out of policy of State doth make the Popes claim to excercise that power in anothers Province lawfull I have more at large treated of this particular businesse in the 11 chapter to which I refer you But the main businesse insisted upon by the Papists is the grand contest between Innocent the third and
made use of to cheat King John out of his right served likewise to delude King Philip of his vain hopes which Instrument bringing so much honour and profit to the See of Rome was afterwards with great insultation and triumph glased in Gold and was called the Golden Bull and Pope Innocent the third having so good successe against these Kings he procured presently after in a Gouncell of Lâ—teran that the Popes should be declared above Kings as appears in the 14 chapter This is that Magna Charta by which his Holinesse claimes a superintendency in England who please duly to consider will find that it is a thing of scorn and mockery to Rome and of no dishonour or damage to the Crown of England For King John subscribing that Bull and making the Kingdome tributary was against the Law of the Land For the King cannot dispose of those things that are inherent in the Crown much lesse of the Crown it self to make it tributary and this Moore a great Roman Catholike confessed that unless it were by consent of the Nobles And the Commons of the Land it could not bind the successours of the King which is the true Rule of our Law and agreeable to the antient Constitutions of our Land and whereas Steph. Langton was confirmed Bishop that confirmation unlesse it had been by the Kings consent gave him no right to that place for the consent of the Monks to his election without a Conge deslier against the Kings consent who had sole right to collate to the See of Canterbury in respect that of that time the Bishops were not elegible did not at all help the matter for Stephen Langton was admitted anno 1205. and the Roll for making them elegible was not till the 17 of King John which was 12 years after his installment so that had it not been that the King consented to it and did repell his electing of Grey Langton had been an usurper notwithstanding the election of the Monks befides the Monks could not elect him nor any other without the Kings Writ of Conge Deslier This Langton as I have said before was a man so much qualified that he could not want his Holinesse favor for he was a second Hildebrand a meer State incendiary and knew how to trouble the clear waters and make them fit for his Holinesse to fish for gudgeons Pâ—â— Favors Railors And would the Doctor but conspire to plot some mischief against his mother Country no doubt he might be preferred as Allen was to the dignity of a Cardinall But I hear he is a man of another temper and therefore I much honour him and am sorry he hath betaken himself to the company of those whose respects towards him will grow cold for as he is a meek and sober man he is uselesse to his Holinesse and must never think to find any extraordinary favour or honour from him for it is a Papall maxime not to Canonize Innocents amongst Saints time hath made the Popes experienced and master builders of their Spiritual Babell they are grown Cunning architectors and know how to fit every piece serviceably in the rearing up of the Babilonish Tower The Doctour was presently discovered not to be fit for an ignation of whom it is required to be active stirring and turbulent But he would serve for a Carthusian who spend their time in more confined and retirednesse Ex quovis ligno non fit mercurius But this by the way I return to the Golden Bull. As the installing of Langton had been void notwithstanding the election had not the King consented to a new Conge Deflier so was the donation of that tribute to the Pope void and null notwithstanding the Golden Bull The Golden Bull. which Bull though it received so much honour as to be entombed in Gold and laid up for an everlasting Monument of Romes acquired wealth and dignity Yet in my judgement serves for no other use but to take up a room in the Treasury of their Superstitious Trumperies and instead of being consecrate to the memory of Pandulphus and serves to put posterity in mind of his course imployment to cheat Princes and the Popes wickedness to set him a work about unlawfull designes which when they were at chieved to their desire became of no validity and so this sacred Monument instead of Glory becomes a lasting Record of their shame and foolery I wonder in what forme this Magna Charta was enclosed when it received its Golden-outside The Golden Bull Anno 1217. sure it is was made like a Nut and did thereby Hierogliphick its short continuance for it was not long preserved it proved deaf presently after For that very year it was Sealed King John dyed and Hen. 3d his sonne succeeded him who sent Hugh Biggod a Noble man and others to the Generall Councell at Lyons in France to require that Bull to be Cancelled in respect that it passed not by consent of the Councell of the Realm which the Pope put off for that time under pretence of more weighty affairs and still keeps the same amongst his other Monumentall Trophies nor did England at any time since seek to have the Nut restoâ—ed but waves all interest to it and freely proclaims that any who please may crack it and take the Kernell for their pains By vertue of this grand Charter the Pope had in conceit under his jurisdiction the Kingdome of England but it was but in conceit for he regained no more benefits or vertuall prerogative from thence then the Turk doth who tacitely by his title of being Lord of Europe stiles himself Lord thereof Hen. 3d never paid any tribute nor acknowledged it due nor any of the three succeeding Edwards and Anno 6. R. 2. all the Kingdome willingly bound themselves by a Law to maintain the Crown of England against all Papall citation suspension excommunications and censures whatsoever which they judged free and subject to none save God The power of Magistracy being innate not affixed to England The next Argument the Papists make to prove the Popes Ecclesiastical power in England The King styled Defender of the Faith by the Pope is from Hen. 8. his accepting the style of Defender of the Faith as an honour proceeding from his Holinesse whereby they would perswade that the King is not to meddle with matters of Faith within his own Realms unlesse by deputation or consent of his Holinesse to which I answer I have proved that by the antient Lawes of the Kingdome the King is superintendent within his own Dominions as well in cases Ecclesiasticall as Civill in Scripture Kings are called Nursing Fathers of the Church Isai 49.23 and this right was in the Crown before ever Hen. 8. had it promulged by the Pope for R. 2. in a Commission granted by him used these words Nos zelo fides Catholicae cujus sumus esse volumus defensores in omnibus c. wherefore for the Pope to give this stile
was consecrated by the Imposition of Hands of Barlow Coverdale and Korey three of Queen Maries Bishops and two suffragan Bishops more as appears by the act of Consecration for that our succession was not totally interrupted or if it had I hold that succession of Bishops is no inseparable mark of a true Church for if so then where was the Church before Christ for he was not of Aarons succession Succession no inseparable mark of a true Church but after the order of Mesehisedeck and Peter was designed of Christ having none to go before him so that succession is no absolute mark of a true Church And whereas the Doctor objects that we are beholding to the Romish Bishops if our succession was not interrupted I have already proved that we had Sacramentall Orders at least if not governing Bishops before ever Eleutherius sent any Priests into England Ante 24.32 2 4 chap. our English writers say these two which were sent to Rome by Lucius were Bishops however they were in Holy Orders though I rather incline to think that none excercised any Episcopall Jurisdictions till by the Prince Christianity was publickly professed and being in Orders did consecrate others and there were others which had given to them the imposition of Hands from whom and not meerly from Rome we claim a succession of Pastors yet I might admit we had it from Rome and though all of the Romish Institution were extinct yet we continue a succession for that still we are pars ecclesiae though Hereticks But that 's but their begging of the question we appeal to the Scriptures primitive Councells and Fathers to Judge who are of us two the Scismaticks or Hereticks and I submit to the Judicious reader to censure or condemn us in the points here controverted whether Rome or we be in the Errour Thus briefly I have answered the Doctors condemning of us for want of Succession and have in some sort proved that the Church of Rome cannot properly be said a true Church in respect of her Succession Ante 9. Rome uncertain in her succession chap. 2 of which more in the next chapters for that she is uncertain in it and many of the Bishops of Rome usurpers in it so I will now proceed to examine the rest of his marks by which he hath distinguished her Truth and Catholickship and shall prove that she may not ascribe to her self the Title of the Catholick Church for and by reason of any of them CHAP. V. That the Church of Rome hath been and any particular Church may be Invisible THe first marks by which the Doctor hath laboured to prove Rome the true Church to wit Universality and Antiquity are already answered in that I have Proved others equall and some ancienter then the Church of Rome it now followes to look a little further after her whilst she may be found for shortly she shall be Invisible The Church Visible is a Company professing the Doctrine of the Law and the Gospell Visibility using the Sacraments according to Christs Institution in which company are many unregenerate as Hypothules as by the Parable of the seed and tares is manifest The Church Invisible is a company of those onely which are elect to Eternall life of whom it is said No man shall pluck my sheep out of my hands Joh. 10.28 is Universal or comprehensive of all the Elect which both now have heretofore living had one Faith The Church visible is Universall in respect of the dispersed Companies of those that professe one faith in Christ which must continue till the end of the world And the Visible Church is particular in respect of place and habitation and of diversity of Rites and Ceremonies as England Rome c. which particular Churches may becoming Invisible and particularly Rome hath been Invisible in respect of her Assemblies and is invisible in relation to the true Faith and Doctrine for though at present she hath companies of men which assemble to worship God and serve him in the Sacrament yet shee therein followes not Christs institution she is now invisible in respect of Faith and Doctrine and in respect of Men she cannot boast of this mark of Visibility but Tares grow as well as Wheat and as Rome hath been invisible in these respects so may any other particular Church be Invisible Elijah complained that he was left alone A particular Church may be Invisible and that the Prophets were slain that complaint of his saith the Doctor doth not prove that the true Church may be Invisible for saith he that complaint was uttered with relation to the Kingdome of Israel onely wherein Elijah then was and not with reference to the Kingdome of Judah where Elijah was not persecuted by Ahab and where the Church of God doth flourish This his Argument in my opinion proves what is objected against the Church of Rome It is true it is an Argument that the Church shall not be Universally Invisible but if by the true Church he mean the Church of Rome and I think he would not otherwise be understood it is no Argument but that it may be Invisible it is true at one instant of time the Church shall not be universally invisible God having promised his Spirit to be with the Apostles in their teaching of Nations to the worlds end but yet in any particular place it hath been and may be Invisible as he confesses himself he saith it was invisible in relation to the Kingdome of Israel and in Judah they knew not whether to resort when the Temple it self was defiled neither was there Place nor Sacrifice nor High Priest the Priest was wicked the Temple was defiled 2 King 19.2 and when the Doctor is charged with its being invisible in Judea he pleads it invisible in Ethiopia the Eunuch having received the Faith by Philip and so by these landskips he makes intervalls of darknesse proving that in particular places it was Invisible and if so then may not Rome being a particular Church boast of absolute truth by reason of this mark of Visibility we doe not go about to prove the Church universally invisible at one instant of time whilst we say that any particular Church as Rome may be Invisible but that no one particular Church but at some time may be Invisible Time was when both Rome and we agreed in the same Principles of Religion conform to the Rules of Scriptures Councels and Fathers but of later years Rome being grown above Apostolicall Orders abusing the indulgence of Christian Princes and other Churches towards her She hath turned the grace of God into wantonnesse converting Premacy into Supremacy and that Supremacy into Infallibility and so having acquired that uncontrolable Prerogative by the dull consent of some lame Princes and blind servile slavish People she became the onely evangellicall cradle accounting the Scriptures dead Letters and to receive articulate sense from her dictates and so for her own
incorporeal and infinite Isai 40.18 To whom shall we liken God or what similitude shall we set up unto him It is true that God of old represented himself in mans shape but we must not therefore think to make semblances of him it is lawful for him to do as he pleases but not for us to make such representations of him as are not commanded Besides those visible shapes by which he vouchsafed to appear had God after a special manner with them and in them present to command and hear them to whom he so manifested himself which cannot be ascribed to mens representations of him which are against Gods order he forbidding us to turn the glory of the incorruptible God into the similitude of a corruptible man Rom. 1.13 And though some urge that such semblances serve as Lay-mens books to teach them to know Christ yet that is no excuse for the use of such sith God hath ordained his Church to be taught by his Word and Sacraments and not by these And whereas the Doctor urges that they serve to stir up men to give honour to the thing signified by the signe that must be understood of a true signe ordained by him who hath authority to ordain it and the will of him that is honoured prescribing the honour to be given to the signe which neither he nor any else can prove that Christ should be honoured by such signes And as it is not lawful to make such representations of Him so neither of any creature to the end to give worship to the signes as significations of what they represent And yet I allow that the curious Draughts and Paintings of Ecclesiastical Stories and of other Portraictures set forth with art and skill may be used to adorn our Churches so that no adoration be given to any such signes Wisely therefore did the Council of Constantinople called by Constantinus Images are dangerous to the people in forbidding the use of Images in the Church and pernicious was the Decree of the second Council of Nice declaring the contrary which hereby gives occasion of idolatry to the weak And there being no ground for them in the Scriptures but rather against them it were more safe although to the more learned they be no occasion of offence to abolish them then to retain the use of them in the Church But I doubt his Holiness will not easily be induced hereunto in respect they are much instrumental by Oblations made to them to increase his book for he with the people of Zachan in China feeds the Idols onely with the smoak of the Offering himself faring deliciously by such libations And although these golden pieces which those wooden gods procure him be the offerings of sins and sacrificed to Idols yet by vertue of his holiness he can easily wash that iniquity from them and teach it for a truth that when once they are laid up in his Holiness Chests the squallid nature of their inquination is changed and by a wonderful metamorphosis they become pure Peter-pence and therefore he will not willingly part with such gainful and profitable instruments They are of double use to him for they do not onely serve for the ends of gain but likewise to win the people to obedience by the seeming-miraculous apparitions of them and therefore by no means must the use of them be laid aside Though of themselves they are but manimate blocks yet as Toys and Rattles please Babies these delude the ignorant vulgar striking them into admiration of them which is none of the least occasions of the Papists being trained up in ignorance And whilst his Holiness can by their means be enriched who can blame him for retaining them in the Church of Rome But I return to the other Point concerning Miracles and will shut up this Chapter touching both with this advertisement to those that believe the Miracles of Romes Church as done by the power of God Not to give themselves to such delusion The Doctor confesses fol. 253. that by the power of Antichrist wonders may be done and most of Romes Miracles are known to be Mountebank-juglings and the Doctor confesses some may not be true and yet she proclaims all for true Miracles as proceeding from the Spirit of God She doth not declare out of her Legends which are true and which are false But her Legends being filled with several bundles of them she delivers all for true miracles and therefore is credit to be given to none of them as done by the power of the Spirit of God for did they work by that Spirit they would not lye in any one of them CHAP. VIII That the Church of Rome is not the true Church because of her pretended marks of conversion of Kingdomes and Monarchs or because of her not having been separate from any Societies of Christians more ancient then her self IF the church of Rome have converted any Church since her declining the Apostles doctrine it is no more then what the Arrians did unto the Goths and so by the Doctors own rule fol. 256. she hath not whereof to boast and if other Nations have the Apostles doctrine the pure and primitive faith they now differing in material points from Rome it serves rather to condemn her Apostacie then to record her charity towards them in that if she gave them faith it was but such an one as she her self condemnes or if they have the pure faith the present Church of Rome having faln away from the the faith of those first plants may not properly be called their mother-Church But however I will argue de facto that this mark is not only proper to Rome Conversion of kingdoms may as well be applyed to the Church of England which hath planted the Gospel in several Northern parts of the late discovered world and although not in so large a measure as the Spaniards Westward and the Portugals Eastward yet it manifests that other Churches have a title to that mark and that Rome must not soley monopolize that to her self Besides I do not think that many of the Plantations in the West were by immediate Mission from Rome but that the Bishops of Spaine and Portugal sent Priests thither to Preach Christ unto them and they and not the Bishops which his holiness sent to rule and govern the Churches so planted are to be called the converters of the Nations and People and â—bough the Priests so sent by the Spaniards and Portugals be of the same faith with the Church of Rome yet they coming from distinct provinces and not from the peculiar See of Rome and those Bishops having power to ordaine those Ministers and they by the command of their Prince being recommended to his new Plantations I wonder why Rome should for this bragg and vainely arrogate to her self that she is the sole converter of these Nations and Monarchs The Spaniard and Portugal had the faith of Christ first preached to them by Saint Paul who was himself amonst
them and the Church of Rome claimes from Peter who had not commission to carry the light to the Gentiles and to Kings For that as I said in the second Chapter the general commission given to go and teach all Nations Ante 13. 2 Chap. was afterwards restrained as â—o the Gentiles Paul being a chosen vessel thereunto ordained by God himself Besides Spain as I said before is a distinct Province from Rome and has held several councels without the Bishop of Rome as the several councels of Toledo Cardubia c. Wherefore if his priests have planted the Gospel how comes this to denote the truth of Rome But so it is that the Pope has got such a hank upon the Spaniards that he as Superintendent lords it over all his provincial Sees and whatsoever is done or acted which may bring glory or honour to the Church or if any profit may redound from thence his holiness is ready to patrize the action not allowing a jot to any Spanish provincials it not being consistent with his universality and headship to have a partner or sharer in any his exploits But if any thing amiss or enormious arise in these planted Churches his holiness then disclaimes to own them as his and declares them to be members of the Spanish Sees so that it fares with the Spanish Plantation as once it did to the Temple in Rome dedicated to Castor and Pollux which presently after the building obtained a sole name of Castors Temple whereupon Bubulus who was fellow-Conful with Câ—sar and did expend more in the publique Trophies of the City and in that contributed more fâ—â—ely to grace the City then Cesar during his Consulship did and seeing for all that that Cesar had the name and carryed all the honor of those and other actions wherein Bubulus was equally concerned merrily said it fared with him as it did with Pollux who had lost his name in the Temple And thus may the Spaniard and Portugal say of their Westerne and Easterne Plantations that it is with them as with Pollux they must not so much as be named the planters of the Cospel in those parts but his holiness alone must be said the sole converter of those kingdoms as if his painted Sepulcher were not sufficiently notorious without the varnish of the counterfeit Plaister And I wonder the Spaniard and Portugals should suffer themselves to be despoiled of these glorious works of their and thus to suffer the Pope like Venus transformed waiting-maid to minks it and pride himself in this disguise unless it be that the grave Dons have a designe upon the Papacy and for some private ends forbear at present but purpose cre long to shew a mouse before the counterfeit that he may discover his false habit and prove himself not the only Catholique father in respect of his converting of those kingdomes and thereby at once to manifest the depth of their policy and the Popes foolishness and vaine glory Rome has separated from the Churches more ancient then her self And as the Church of Rome cannot alone be said a true Church in respect of her converting of Nations so may she in no sort lay any just claime to that denomination in respect of the other mark by which she desires to be distinguished viz. her non-separation from Churches more ancient then her self The Doctor confesses that Jerusalem Antioch and other Churches are of more antiquity But Rome cannot be said to have separated from them in respect they were of Romes faith To which I answer it were more proper to say that Rome is of their faith because he confesses her puisnee to them and they to have the faith when Rome had not and they may lay claime to the former mark of conversion in respect they extended the faith to Rome and if Rome have converted any the first foundation coming from the Easterne Churches Rome ought not to chalenge that attribute which belongs to them in that particular And as these Churches were more ancient and had the true faith it is manifest that Romes title to this mark is as improper as her claime to be sole owner of the other for that she has made a separation in forsaking the Primitive faith and publique Decrees of the ancient holy and Catholique Church on earth as may appear by every particular point in question in this Troatise and by some others of which the Doctor not having started the question and I not minding to make her gap of separation wider then the Doctor himself has done do forbear to mention them I do keep my self only to answer those points upon which the Doctor doth insist It is manifest that Rome has in fundamental points changed her faith and though as she inclined or declined she drew these parts being too much addicted to imitate her upon a bare score of the antiquity of Romes having the pure faith to pin their faith upon her sleeve yet all other parts of Apostolical Plantations did not forsake their first faith and turn after the Lateran weather-cock There was a remaining part of the Greeks Church which the black wings of Mahomatisme and Judaisme had not overspread and in Aethiopia the light of the Gospel did still continue to shine neither were all the Indies of Portugal Plantation and so Rome to be their founder in that she claims to convert Portugal Demetrius Bishop of Alexandria sent Pantenus to Preach to the Indies not long after Christ The East Indies not totally converted by the Potugal and when he came thither he found Saint Matthews Gospel writ in Hebrew and left there by Saint Bartholomew which the said Pâ—ntenus brought to Alexandria by which it appears that some part of the Indies received the faith not from Rome with the Westerne Churches Fox Mar. 48. Therefore may we not conclude Rome to be the true Church or else the true Church has been utterly extinguished nor that because it was not of late any where else but where she planted therefore she cannot err or the like We must not with the Doct. upon this score argue that Rome hath not forsaken her first faith he himself confesses fol. Ante 192. that the faith was in Aethiopia by the Plantation of Philip And by this it appears some part of the Indies retaine the faith from the Plantation of Bartholomew nor can the Church of Rome deny this in regard that then she makes the Church universally invisible which is absurd and contrary to Christs promise For in that she in many points maintaines contrary to the Apostles Doctrine contrary to the first councels and contray to her own modern constitutions as shall appear in this next Chapter she may not properly be said the true Catholique Church in respect of her non-separation from a society of Christians more ancient then her self CHAP. IX That any particular Church may err that the Church of Rome is not Infallible that she hath erred in matters of faith as
if it be hid it is hid unto them that are lost whom the God of this world hath blinded â—hat the light of the Gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ should not shine unto them 2 Cor. 4. For it is plain by the Scripture that Jesus was the Christ Acts 18.28 And Joh. 5. The Father hath sent the Son and his works bear witness of him and the Scriptures testifie of him God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost the Comforter his Passion Resurrection Ascension and the coming of the holy Ghost being so plainly preached and set down that a man may read them running and this Word endureth for ever and this Word is preached unto us 1 Pet. 1.25 And Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life and what need we any more This is eternal life to know the Father and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Joh. 17.3 He is the Way the Truth and the Life We believe that thou art Christ the Son of the ever-living God and thou hast the words of eeternal life Joh. 5.68 Hence S. Austin lib. de doctr Christianae cap. 9. did affirm that all things pertaining to mans salvation are plain and easie to be understood And Chrysostome upon 2 Thessal 2. Hom. 3. Omnia plana sunt sunt eÌ„x divinis Scripturis quaecunque necessaria sunt manifesta sunt It is not therefore an idle and presumptuous doctrine in the Church of England to maintain this since we have both authority of Scripture and the Fathers for the same Nor do we hereby rob the Church of her authority to judge of and determine controversies and those things that are doubtful in the Scriptures There are some things of Discipline and pertaining to Manners in which the Scriptures may be doubtful or not easie for every capacity to understand and for those it is fit the Church should determine them and having determined them to impose them by the Princes authority as Rules of faith upon the people and so teaches the Church of England in the twentieth Article Lay-men to read Scripture But the main things necessary to our salvation concerning our faith to be grounded upon Jesus the Son of the ever-living God the author and finisher of our faith those as I said before are clear and manifest and though Angels from heaven should teach any other doctrine they are to be accursed Gal. 1. Wherefore sith this is plain and manifest in Scripture that Jesus gave himself for our sins and whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life and for that this faith is given by the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 12. Phil. 1.29 2 Pet. 1.3 and Matth. 16.17 and is the gift of God and no man hath it of himself for flesh and blood doth not reveal it and for that Christ has prescribed the way how and by what means we shall obtain this gift even by searching the Scriptures Rom. 10 It must needs be a grievous and intolerable sin in the Church of Rome to debar the people of this means to attain this precious jewel the salvation of their souls Upon these grounds do we allow the Laytie to read the Scripture but we do not hereby give them liberty to interpret it according to their will and humour They may in them finde Jesus to be the life everlasting the Spirit giving them faith and therefore must not be debarred the means But they are not allowed in points of difficulties to be their own interpreter but to repair to the Fathers of the Church to declare the meaning of those Oracles of God to whom it is given by the power of the holy Ghost to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God Matth. 13.11 For which end Christ has commended the Scriptures to the Church that she may discern keep and publish them Christ opened the Scriptures to his disciples Luke 24. and they preached it to all nations The Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 3. calls the Truth the fountain of the Church and the Church the pillar of Truth as Solomon made his Chariots to have a golden axletree and pillars of silver understanding by the axletree says one sound doctrine by the pillars the faithful teachers of the same The Scripture is the truth of God and the Church the house of God the Scripture the foundation the Church the pillar and the foundation is not sustained by the pillar but the pillar supported of the foundation Truth makes the Church not the Church the Truth We are to observe the Scripture as it were the Candle the Church as the Candlestick according as S. Austin upon Gal. 1. says Church how to interpret The Scriptures are not true because the Church says they are the Word of God but the testimony of the Church is true because they are the Word of God Now as we ascribe to our Church this priviledge of interpretation of difficult and obscure places Scriptures above Councels â—nte Chap. 9. we do not either deprive Rome of her right or too much extol our own Church Nor do we hereby make void the Laytie's reading of Scripture The Laytie may read it because the main points are easie and it is the means to obtain faith as well as by hearing the Church in those points that are easie and it is the way enjoyned by God to attain faith as well as by preaching and he has promised his Spirit to those that seek him earnestly and with unfeigned lips And when it shall please God by their reading to give them of his holy Spirit that Spirit will guide them to come to the Church to be informed in those things they understand not or shall the Church understand that through weakness they misunderstand any point in those Scriptures and she shall reprove them the same Spirit guiding them into the way of Truth will lead them to hearken to the dispensers of the sacred Oracles And if the Church shall deliver any thing which to other Churches may seem strange and not satisfactory she as I said before in the precedent Chapter will call a Synod and if there the business receive not an absolute and satisfactory resolution to submit the business to a General Council rightly constituted and free in it self And in the mean time if our Church offend the Church of Rome for that she differs from her in any particular let her make her self capable to reform by a General Councel by taking off the slavery that lies upon it by the Popes Canonical Law and we shall submit our Church to the free debate in a perfect Council to decide the points wherein we differ otherwise the Church of Rome might seem to have just cause to accuse us for that we cast off the discipline of the Primitive Churches as to that particular but in the mean time upon the former recited texts of Scripture upon the authority of
and reflecting upon the curiosity of some who would be over-scrutinous to examine the points of this Commission by the rule of the holy Writ at last they concluded upon this result That it must be de fide received that his holiness is the only exposito◠and by the same rule of gradation an Evangelist to deliver new Scripture of the old and new Testaments The Pope abuses the Scriptures and having perswaded some and forced others into this opinion without care for the souls upon earth without respect of Saints and Angels in Glory and without all fear of the Almighty God of heaven he commands the holy writ which was the dictates of the holy Spirit of God to be blotted wrested mangled and tortured at his will and pleasure making no more account thereof then if it were but the Embryo of a Bear which by the licking of its dam were to receive shape and perfection And if there be any text which doth impugne this his usurped unlimited power it must not be suffered to pass the Press before first it be either rubbed over with his holiness index expurgatorius or else brushed with his Ghostly interpretation As for example Josh 1.18 the people professing an unlimited power to Joshua in all things to obey him The words in all things are expunged in the Rhemish translations for it stood not with his holiness interest and prerogative to let them be for a president For if the people of God were in all things to be obedient to their Prince this spoiles his holiness claime to command in temporalibus wherefore it was thought fit to send these words to the index expurgatorius Object The Doctor in his book fol. 59. argues the truth of Romes doctrine for that she has not corrupted or extinguished the text that being easier to do then to change her doctrine To which I answer Resp The Scriptures which Rome hath she received from other churches and those Churches from whom Rome received them sending aswell to other places as to Rome copies of those holy writs it would much ashame her to alter them in respect that true original Copies would be produced against her to her condemnation but the Bishop of Rome being to teach these Scriptures within his own precincts and territories he as times served to advantage himself might and has in many places strained courtesie to wrest the sense delivering to the people doctrines not warranted by this holy writ which he might with more confidence do in respect that no other Bishop was to meddle in his diocess and he by the favour of Princes being accounted summus pontifex wherefore reason tels that his doctrine and traditions are more questionable then his translations of the Scriptures for he needed not much to alter the Scriptures in respect it matters not what they say being but dead letters without the spirit of his holiness interpretation Yet so much did they dote upon the pomp and vainty of this world and upon that lordly height they have aspired to here upon earth that the divel did bewitch them to alter that text of Joshua which did directly gainesay such their dominion and power though by reason of their new preheminence they being above councels and the onely infallible expositors of the divine oracles they needed not so to have done or rather thus that corruption of Joshua was before the late councels of Lateran and Trent which made the Pope above councels and it behoved them to blot out such words as did impugne their other power of lording it over Kings and Princes but since these councels they may now put them in againe For it is no matter what the Scripture says for his holiness will give such an exposition as shall not destroy his own interest and since those councels such exposition though it be never so contradictory to the word of God it must de fide be received O tempora O mores Saint Basil saith they which have been brought up in Gods word will not suffer one syllable of her doctrine to be betrayed what then shall we think of the fathers of Rome's Church that practice as time serves these tricks upon those sacred letters These divine writs the dictates of Gods holy Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no marvel if they make bold with the fathers mis-translating and altering their writings and crying up their own traditions making their own mole-hills mountaines and making the fathers like unto Moles whose nature as Aristotle saith is never to open her eyes till she be dead and so they make the fathers being dead to witness things they never dreamed on or saw being living as I have shewed in the tenth Chapter If these divine oracles of God must not escape the venom of their claws if these must not be delivered to the people without corruption I know not how we may give faith or credit to her traditions the vanity of which I will briefly discover in this ensuing Chapter CHAP. XIII That because all things were not written the Church may deliver traditions such as she derives from the doctrine of the Apostles or ancient fathers That the Scriptures are to judge of those traditions That Rome is to be blamed for her traditions because they are against Scripture THe Jews say That when Moses was with God on the Mount and received the written law that he had unwritten law likewise delivered him by word of mouth for certainly say they God staid not fourty dayes and fourty nights on the mount to keep Geese nor needed he stay so long to interpret the law of the tables wherefore they conclude that Moses received traditional law which he taught Joshua Joshua the elders the elders the Prophets the Prophets taught the people Now because those their traditions were uncertaine the sects of the Pharisees sprung up and Essenes obtruding new traditions as simply necessary and a more perfect Rule of Sanctity then that that was writ whereupon our Saviour in the seventh of Mark reproves them saying They worship me in vaine teaching for doctrines the commandments of men and yet in the 23 of Mat. he hath commanded us saying All that they bid you observe that observe and do but after their works do not for they say and do not These two texts seem to impugne each other but the fathers of the premitive Church have resolved this knot and reconciled these texts by this exposition that all traditions agreeable and consonant to the holy word are to be observed but such traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees as were not agreeable to the holy word of God were to be rejected We confess that all things which Christ and his Apostles did No traditions but such as are agree able to the word of God are to be embraced were not written according as is expressed Joh. 21. vers ult And that the Apostles had order to teach the people whatsoever Christ had commanded them but as we allow this so by no meanes
skill in Appelles Art that he drew that exquisite picture of Christ which Rome has representing unto us his posture whilst the Jews whipt him I must confess that for these matters of importance we must submit to the traditions of Rome But all things touching God and the means to attaine faith in him are plentifully therein to be found Chrysostome sayes in his 41 Hom. upon the 22 of Matth. Quicquid queritur ad salutem totum eam ademptum est in Scripturis and upon the 95 Psalm Si quid dicatus absque Scriptura c. If any thing be spoken without the Scripture the cogitation of the Auditors faile but so soon as the Testimony of Gods voice is heard out of the Scripture it confirmeth both the word of the speaker and the mind of the hearer Saint Hierom upon the 9 of Jeremy Nec parentum ne majorum error sequendus est sed author it as Scripturarum Dei docenti imperium Saint Cyprian who writ almost 1400 yeers ago would not yeeld to Stephanus Bishop of Rome but reproved him for leaning to tradition and demanded of him by what Scripture he could prove his tradition Cyprian Epist ad Pompeium 74. So then if in his time it was not enough to alleadge tradition for the proof of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome much less is it lawful to follow the Popes definitive sentence in matters of faith and doctrine When the Arrians would not admit the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it could not be found in Scripture Athanasius did not plead tradition for it but said Although the express words be not found in the Scripture yet have the Scriptures that meaning and sense in them as every one that readeth the Scriptures may plainly understand and therefore by warrant thâ—eof that word might be maintained Saint Austine de unitat Eccl. cap. 10. Nemo mihi dicat quid dixit Donatus quid dixit Parmenianus quid Paulus aut quillibet illorum quid nec catholicis episcopis consentiendum est sicubi forte falluntur ut contra canonicas Dei Scriptures aliquid sentiant Methinks the very word Canonical which the Church of Rome having approved Canonical Scripture disprove â—raditiods what Scriptures shall be Canonical what not is sufficient of it self to prove this point for signifies a rule and thereupon those books are called Canonical because they are the rules of our faith and consequently whatsoever is not consonant to the Scripture ought to be rejected as pernicious and swerving from the rules of our faith For as whatsoever is not of faith is sin and as faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God therefore whatsoever is extra Scripturam cum ex fide non sit peccatum est This was the saying of Basil one of the Church of Rome's Saints in his Ethicks difinit ult prope finem And for my part I shall not be so harsh with her as this St. was I should be willing to allow of her traditions if they do not impugne the Scriptures and not to be so rigid against her traditional power as upon Basil's rule utterly to reject all if not expresly contained in Scripture I say for my part I should allow of such and approve of them as to be cerdited for the matter of fact but if she enjoyn them as doctrinal and to be rules of faith then â—ith Cyprian I desire to examine them by this Touchstone of truth the Scriptures For if once she propound traditions to be rules of faith then with Hierome Cyprian and Austin I must examine the truth of them by the rule of Scripture and with Saint Chrysostome in his 13 Hom. upon the 2 Cor. 7. do pray and beseech the Church of Rome to reject what this or that man says and search the truth out of the Scriptâ—re that learning true riches we may follow them and so attain life everlasting neither let any Church be wedded with her own traditions or give her self to believe the traditions of other Churches unless saith he she can bring authority from these truths to a warrant her doctrine and not to receive for doctrine the commandments of men and with Saint Cyprian examine from whence such tradition came whether it descended from authority of our Lord Jesus Christ or his Gospel or whether it came from the Mandates of the Apostles or their Epistles If so saith he let such divine and holy tradition be observed if no let it be rejected especially any tradition that shall contradict the written verities of God for such certainly proceed from spirits of error Here is a cloud of witnesses all agreeing in one that no traditions are to be embraced that have not warrant from the word of God so that for the Church of Rome to put her traditions upon the people for rules of faith upon that score that it is the power and authority of the Church that awarrants those traditions is vain and not binding to the conscience of men unless she can justifie and maintaine them warrantable by the word according to Saint Pauls saying to the Galat. 1.9 Though an Angel from heaven come and teach any other doctrine then what we have preached let him be accursed For the Testimony of no Church whatsoever is to be received if it be contrary to the Scripture Sâ—riptures above the Church Ante 73. Chapter 9. according to that of Saint Austin upon that text The Scriptures are not true because the Church sayes they are the word of God but the testimony of the Church is true because they are the word of God and should Rome or any other Church teach contrary to the holy Scripture it is to be rejected as that which hath nothing of verity in it Now sith the Scriptures are the onely rules of our faith The vanity and falseness of the traditions of the Church of Rome and do containe in themselves the necessary points of our faith what shall we think of the traditions of the Church of Rome which have no warrant from the holy Scriptures but many of them being repugnant and utterly contrary to those Scriptures which therefore by the rule of Christ himself in the 7 of Matthew and by the general consent of the fathers of the primitive Church are to be rejected yet notwithstanding are by her enjoyned upon her pretended authority of universality and infallibility to be rules of faith unto others And lest any should think me injurious to the Church of Rome in this particular I wiâ—l give you a smal taste for I delight not to lay open her infirmities thereby to draw a scandal upon her of such of her traditions as are not warranted by the holy word of God only maintained out of self interest and to warrant her claim of universal power Spiritual and Temporal by these ensuing examples and further refer you to the 7 Chapter The Church of Rome that she might perswade the world of Peters being Bishop of Rome by
superfluous as to the cup the Church of Rome administers in one kind as if nothing were perfect and to be received in the Catholick Church but what his Holiness please to teach and allow And their reasons are so weak they offer for such their alterations that any one may plainly discern it is Will not Reason brings her into such changes Who but knows that Christ as he was man and the Apostles likewise were obnoxious to the same inconveniences of spilling the Wine as the Doctor alledges or part sticking upon their beards as the people of these dayes are But they knowing that it was Christs order to separate the cup from the bread and give it to be divided amongst them thereby denoting to them how his blood should be separated from his flesh and by Christ left as a pattern for them to follow and to have continuance till his comming again they by eating the bread and drinking the cup shew the Lords death till he come and for that the same was to be continued in remembrance thereof and they being commanded likewise hereunto Drink ye all of this Let a man examine himself and let him eat and let him drink They would not and we dare not admit of Romes alteration but desire of God to hold fast this truth we have received and that it would please him to confirm us herein that we may be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus praying that all other Churches as in this so in all other points of faith and doctrine may be of one consent and firmly united together in one mind and one judgement that we may all proceed in one Rule and walk together as followers of Christ and his Apostles having them for an ensample to us that we may with one mind and one mouth praise God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen CHAP. XVII That the Lyturgie and private Prayers ought not to be in an unknown Language which the Congregation doth not understand WHereas Saint Paul in the 1 Cor. 14. is against giving of thanks or praying without understanding because the hearer is not edified nor can say Amen to he knows not what the Doctor to help the lame Dogg over the style and to clear his new step-mother the Church of Rome from the errors which other Churches lay to her charge for that she restrains her Prayers and her Lyturgy universally to the Latine tongue would needs have us to understand that S. Paul doth not hereby impugne the Lyturgie of the Church of Rome which sayes he was for the service and praise of God and he to whom it is directed understands any tongue but it is meant sayes he of Church-meetings which were onely for instruction and edification of the Auditors and not at all to be understood to gainsay the Lyturgie of Romes Church To which I answer 1. S. Paul's meaning is as well meant of the one as of the other for vers 26. When ye come says he together according as every one hath a tongue or hath interpretation let it be done to edifying By which it is plain that both praises and prayers Psalms as well as doctrine ought to be with understanding For vers 28. If any man hath an unknown tongue let him keep silence in the Church and speak to himself and to God That man that hath the spirit of Tongues may speak to God and himself but he must be silent to others unless they can understand him for how shall they say Amen to they know not what God requires from us the heart Give me thine heart David desired to praise the Lord in soul and spirit Praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name We must not think that a little lip-labour to say Amen to we know not what can be acceptable unto God 1 Sam. 1. Hannah prayed in her heart to the Lord. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall be saved Matth. 7. God doth not require lip-service he condemned the Scribes and Pharisees who drew neer unto him with their lips but their hearts were far off Matth. 15. We are commanded to serve God with all our heart and soul Josh 24. We must sing and make melody to the Lord in our hearts Ephes 5. We must approve that which is pleasing to the Lord vers 10. God is King of all the earth sing ye praises therefore with understanding By all which and many more places of Scripture it is plain that the service of the Congregation it must be with the heart that is with the understanding We must not think that God is well pleased with the peoples devotion that proceeds not from the heart I will for the better satisfaction of those that seem to be satisfied with the Doctor 's exposition of S. Paul offer these reasons to his consideration against those he has propounded to justifie the Romane Lyturgie universally Platina writes Laâ—ne service first set up that the first Latine Service that ever was at Constantinople was anno 687. whenas the sixth Councel there held was assembled for before that it was never had in the Latine but in the Greek or Hebrew Tongue But now was the Pope grown to be universal by the late donation of Phocas for countenancing his murder of Mauritius and it did not stand with his new-acquired honour and dignity that the Language of any other Church should be preferred before that of Rome and therefore at a General Councel the representative of the several Churches must the Language of the Romane See be preferred before any other For as the Pope was universal Head he must needs have an Universal Tongue otherwise his Universality were dumb And this was the true ground of composing the Latine Lyturgie and not as the Doctor would perswade us because it was the most general Tongue for whenas this was consented unto by many other Bishops to please the Lordly Pope the Emperours great favourite it gave occasion for the spreading of that Language because the Service began to be in many places in it not that it was so copious or known a Tongue before Nor doth the reason the Doctor brings justifie but rather condemn the Latine Lyturgie for saith he the Lyturgie of the Eastern Churches was used in Greek though all the Eastern parts spoke not that Language therefore why may not Rome prescribe a Lyturgie in Latine to the Western Churches To which I answer It was thought fit by the Fathers of the Primitive Church to have one uniform Lyturgie in all the Churches upon earth and â—o that end did those then-visible Churches use the Greek Tongue Why has the Church of Rome set up another form By this the Doctor contradicts her Antiquity and the other mark that she should never have separated from a Society more ancient then her self or else denâ—es her Universality in that she is but to prescribe a Latine Lyturgie to the Western Churcbes and so he makes those marks
and therefore I have adventured to lay open the Eâ—ors of his choyce which if he please to consider seriously I may win him again to his proper Sheepfold from whence he is gone astray how ever I hope I shall by the blessing of God hinder others from wandering after him and shall be a means to make up that gap which the Doctor hath made in the pale of our Church which whilest it lay open administred occasion for some to escape into the Wilderness Wherefore I will not hold the Reader longer in suspence with a dilatory Introduction but will briefly shew that the Doctor is not gone to the Catholique Church which is the main thing he perswades though it be obscurely wrapt in general terms in his first Chapter but that he has forsaken the faith once given to the Saints he has gone away from the puâ—e Fountain of Verity to the puddle of Error he has forsaken the living water and chosen the Romish cisterns digged by mens hands which hold no water CHAP. II. That the Roman Church is not the Catholique Church either in respect of the Vniversality of her Doctrine or any Jurisdiction she can claim from Peter or by the consent of the Primitive Churches and that the Pope is not the governing Head of the Catholique Church THe Church is called Catholique in several respects 1. In respect of places as being spread universally through the whole world and is not tyed to any place or Kingdom 2. In respect of Times because but one Church of all Times it having ever been from the beginning of the World and shall continue on Earth till the end thereof Isai 59.21 and Matth. 28. the Church of both Testaments being one and the same 3. In respect of the Collective Body thereof the Catholique Church being gathered of men of both Testaments and the Communion of Saints being the union and coherence of all the Saints in Christ their Head according to that of Paul Ephes 1.10 That he might gather together in one all things both which are in Heaven and which are in Earth even into Christ who is and ever shall be King and Head thereof And generally when we speak of the Catholique Church this Collective Church is to be understood which appellation Catholique was used by the Apostles before ever Rome was a Church So that neither in respect of Place Time or Catholiqueness may Rome justly challenge the onely Title of Catholique she being but a particular part or member of this Catholique Church we the Saints being the Body and Members for our part Eph. 1.22 But for the better illustration of this Point I will examine the Doctors Arguments in particular concerning Romes Catholiqueship and I shall in so doing more plainly disprove her Title thereunto The word Catholique as it is defined by the Doctor is not a word of Belief onely but of Communion also So that that Church which holds the same Belief with the ancient Church and yet doth not communicate with her may not rightly be called Catholique I shall retort this Argument which he intended against the Protestants and prove it to be their Justification and the Church of Romes own Condemnation Catholique as I said in a general sence comprehendeth all the Elect and is the full Body of Christ that filleth all things in all things Eph. 4. And when we in our Creed say We beleeve in the Holy Catholique Church it is understood of all the Elect of God which have been are or shall be of which the Church-Militant on Earth is but part But because I suppose the Doctor means onely of a Church upon Earth I will therefore insist upon his own definition and treat of the Church upon Earth which as it is universally spred over the Earth by the Apostles who had equal commission to teach all Nations no one particular Church can or ought to claim to be the Catholique or Universal Church upon Earth As for the Distinction which the Doctor makes betwixt Doctrine and Discipline thereby to excuse the unproper stile of Roman Catholique That is says he Catholique in respect of Doctrine Roman in respect of Discipline That will no ways strengthen her claim or clear her incongruous Title He doth but thereby shew the World how distinct her Discipline is from her Doctrine and thereby give occasion to the world to suspect both And upon this score may the Presbyterian Church of Geneva be called the Geneva Catholique Church that is Geneva for Discipline Catholique for Doctrine she professing the Catholique Faith of the holy and blessed Trinity and yet the Church of Rome I perswade my self would think much that such a glorious appellation should be given to such an upstart Youngling that wind-egg of a Tumult Geneva Church which being braddened under a Toad of France is become a staring Cockatrice and thinks to center the World within the compass of his contagious Den darting poyson upon whom he first espies as experience tells us how he glancing upon the poor Scot has given him such a deadly wound that he will scarce ever recover it teaching those that have escaped that plague with the Wesel each morning to bite on Rue which says Avicen secures her against the toxicating of that venomous Basilisk I say if the Church of Rome think much that the Geneva Church should arrogate such a glorious stile let her never stand upon her own Title which is equally weak to challenge the same The Doctor proceeds further upon Romes Tiâ—le to her Catholiqueship and gives a further explication of the same Catholique says the Doctor imports both the vast extention of Doctrine to Persons and Places and the union of all these places in communion It cannot be denyed but that there were other Churches of ancienter and more reverend setlement then the Church of Rome as the Churches in the East as Jerusalem Antioch Ephesus c. and in after-times the Gospel was to be carryed before Kings and to the Gentiles by S. Paul being by Jesus ordained a Minister and an Apostle of the Gentiles amongst whom Rome was then a chief City which as she received the Faith by S. Paul or S. Peter cannot properly be called a Mother Church but as a babe and suckling received the sincere milk of the Word She was one of the places to which the Doctrine of the Catholique Church of Christ was extended but no extender of that Doctrine So that by the Doctors own definition she cannot properly be called the Catholique Church she being in her Institution but a private particular Member of the Catholique Church as Englands or any other Church planted by the Embassadors of Christ And if since by the indulgent favors of her nursing Fathers the Christian Princes she has grown to that maturity that she has many Daughter Churches of her own plantation in the dark corners of the old known and the new discovered parts of the World yet she cannot by reason thereof assume to her self any
more super-intendency over them as their Mother then Jerusalem from whence Paul was sent after he had the laying on of hands or Antioch from whence it is pretended Peter to have came may by the same rule challenge over her and hers a Jurisdiction as Mother to her and them And as in respect of extention of Doctrine she may not assume the name of Catholique so neither can she claim that Title to her self in respect of her Communion with the Primitive Churches as every point of this ensuing Discourse will evidently shew So that unless the Universality of Power and Jurisdiction she claims from Peter will support this her Title and Dignity she is altogether at a loss and must henceforth discontinue her claim to be the onely Catholique Church It rests therefore to examine That 1. It may not be called Catholique in respect of Peters having been there Rome not Catholique â—n respect of Peter being there no more then the Church of Antioch of which he certainly was Bishop The power of planting the Gospel was given in charge to all the Apostles Go and teach all Nations And as the Doctor hath it in his Introduction they going forth preached every where And in the Acts it is said That the Apostles sent out Peter and John unto Samaria hearing that they had received the Word who layd hands on them If then Peter was subject to their mission how comes he to give unto Rome any power above other Churches of Apostolical Plantation and by the same mission that Peter was sent out to Samaria are elswhere planted Peter was as wel to observe the directions of the rest of the Apostles as to prescribe any Rules to them or others It is true Christ said to Peter Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church Saint Cyprian says Cypr. in Tract simp Praelat This was but to denote the Unity of the Church in that it was built upon one for the power of governing and instructing was alike given to all So that admit it was built upon Peter as the Doctor argues fol. 284. yet that gives nothing of superintendency to Rome for Christ after his Resurrection gave power alike to the rest the naming of him alone in that place was ut Ecclesia una monstretur not to take any power or honor from the rest For should it be granted that the Church was built upon Peter alone so that none else should plant or govern then it would follow that any Church planted by any other of the Apostles who received neither order nor power from Peter were not Apostolical or true Churches of Christ which S. Augustin de Doctrina Christiana lib. 2. cap. 8. plainly affirms to the contrary The Apoâ—tles Foundations of â—e Church We are built says S. Paul Ephes 2.20 upon the foundations of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the chief Corner-stone by which it appears that the rest of the Apostles were foundations as well as Peter and when there was a strife amongst them who should be greatest amongst them Mat. 20.26 sayes Christ Whosoever shall be greatest let him be your servant which is not to be understood that Christ did thereby reprove pride and haughtinesse only but was against superiority or preheminence amongst them It is true Christ was not against superiority utterly for he calls himself their Lord and Master John 13.10 and their head but this preheminence he did not delegate to any one amongst them for they were the foundations he the Corner-stone they the body he the Head they ministers he their Master they equall he their superior The Apostles power to plant the Gospell was equall The Apostles power equall and they dispersed themselves for the propagation of the Gospell not by any order received from Peter but by the Commission they received from Christ himself In the eighth chapter of the Acts it is said that Philip went towards the South and baptized the Eunuch the Queen of Ethiopia her chief Governour and to this day the Catholike Faith is professed in Ethiopia being there preached by the said Eunuch Nor doth the Pope exercise any jurisdiction there which he might as well as in any other Countries which received the Faith from some of the Apostles and not from the Bishop of Rome if Peter was chief Governour of the Church and he his successor Doth not the Scripture plainly affirm that the Holy Ghost came upon all Acts 2. and Gal. 2. James Peter and John gave Paul the right hand of fellowship When Christ instituted his Supper he said to them Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis datur hoc facite c. He gave to all a like power of administration And Joh. 20. As my Father sent me so send I you he speaks it to all the Disciples and not to Peter alone Nolite vocari Rabbi Mat. 23. unus enim magister est vester scilicet Jesus omnes autem vos fratres estis that is saith S. Austin you are all equall And S. Hierome in his Epistle to Evander Omnes Episcopi five Romae five alibie jusdem sacerdotii atque potestatis à Christo collationem habuerunt The Doctor cites Bellarmines argument that Christ is the invisible head but there must be a mysteriall and visible head to govern the whole and therefore when it is said 1 Cor. 12. that the head cannot say to the feet I have no need of you it must not be understood of Christ for he the eternall Word can say J have no need c. The Apostles are called skilfull master-builders 1 Cor. 3. Christ the Head of the Church but another foundation can no man lay then that which is laid Jesus Christ It cannot therefore be understood that Peter was the foundation and rock on which the Church was built Christ as he is head it is of the whole Catholike Church and therefore when Paul Ephes 1. calls him the head he brings in both men and Angells into the rank of members men ver 4. and Angells vers 21. But as touching the particular Churches upon earth they all are but as so many members of the head Christ Jesus and are built upon the Apostles as the Doctor confesses in his Introduction who as I said are called master-builders or the heads of those respective Churches but there was not one of them that was to bear rule over the rest Peter was primus in ordine not supremus in potestate you cannot have twelve without one but every one is as much one as another whether in respect of Power or Ordination as S. Cyprian de unitate Ecclesiae agrees some were ordained Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists for the work of the Ministery for the edification of the body of Christ and to every one of the Apostles was grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ by whom he ascended into heaven but those that were Apostles were aequales inte se and the
was like unto Rome which likewise proves the Bishop of Rome provinciall not universall The second generall Councell the first Councell of Constantinople the second Can. did appoint that the Bishops of the East were only to govern the Eastern Churches saving to Antioch metropolitan Jurisdiction the Asian Bishops to govern the Asian Churches Nec non Ponti episcopi eas quae sunt in Ponto Thraciarum quae in Thraciis sunt gubernent veruntamen propterea quod urbs ipsa sit junior Roma By which it appears that Romes primacy over Constantinople is in respect of the honor done to her City and seat of the precedent Emperors not in respect of any Jurisdiction she could claim from Peter which certainly if any such had been they could not be ignorant of it nor would either the Fathers of those Councells have preferred her for temporall respects if any divine right did lift up her head above her fellows nor the then Bishops of Rome have suffered themselves to be made equal with Alexandria if from Peter they had had any right of Universall Jurisdiction which Marsilius who was a Roman Catholique and writ 328. years since affirms to be the profession of those daies and the Bishops of Rome did stile themselves accordingly Romanae urbis Episcopi and after Silvester which was the first Bishop after the persecutions then they stiled themselves Archiepiscopi Nilus de primatu Romanae ecclesiae saies In respect that certain Countries were allotted to the Bishop of Rome and certain to the Bishop of Alexandria those under Alexandria are no more under the Bishop of Rome then these under Rome were under the Jurisdiction of Alexandria By these Constitutions of the first Councells it is plain that no universality will belong to Rome beyond her own Province all Churches in themselves as they are members of the Catholike Church being equall only for order sake and better Government the Fathers in those Councells appointing severall Metropolitans to whom others in point of order and discipline should within their proper Precincts be subordinate but for Rome to have universal jurisdiction over all that can never be evinced from those Councells and unlesse She will blot out those ancient records The Church of Rome blots out what makes against her Infra cap. 10. they stand in bar against any Plea she can make for it wherefore to make good her pretended title she flies to her index expurgatorius and as many as she meets with corrects or blots out what makes against her as witnesse S. Austin who in his book de doctrina Christiana lib. 2. c. 8. de civitat Dei lib. 15. cap. 23. speaking of such Scriptures as are to be taken for Canonicall sayes those which the most or greatest part of Christian Churches amongst the which those Churches be which deserve to have Apostolique Sees and to receive Epistles from the Apostles The Papists blot out these words Apostolique Sees and have put in these words Apostolique See meaning thereby the See of Rome and those Churches which deserve to receive Epistles from the same Church of Rome I must confesse by such sleights as these she may in time gain an opinion of Universality and so wrong posterity nor is she sparing of any costs to compasse those ancient Records that she may form them anew in her own forge and make them speak nothing but Universality of Rome wherefore to prevent the deceivings of some by these tricks of hers I will proceed to lay open some more Records of antiquity and credit which make against her in this point and which I hope will stand against her false suggestions to the contrary The third generall Councell the first of Ephesus called by Theodosius the younger Anno Christi 431. and the fourth generall Councell of Chalcedon gathered by Valentinian and Marcian Anno Christi 451. confirm the Canons of the former Councells and the 28. Can. of the Chalcedon Councell gives equall priviledge to new Rome that is Constantinople which is afterwards confirmed by the fifth generall Councel the second of Constantinople in the 36. Can. whereby it is evident that Constantinople had equall priviledge with Rome or any other Provinciall This I know will be an offensive History to the Papists that I should make Constantinople equall with Rome but sith it is the Authority of Councells guides me to it I may hope the moderate part of them will be satisfied as for the rest I care not such as will set all divines Rule aside to uphold the unlimited unwarwarrantable power of the late Popes I leave them to their own phansies hoping the more sober sort of them will hearken to instruction sith that which the others would draw them by to wit the Authority of Fathers and Councells calls them to take notice of this truth and to a sense of the high injuries and indignities offered to those sacred Decrees which are made every day speak new language such as their Fathers never knew to warrant Romes new inventions I desire the Jesuits if wil fully they have not sold themselves to work wickednesse with greedinesse to hearken to the Fathers of these Councâ—ls as for the seculars I hope they will not set so highly by them as to put them in the scale with new-found traditions or if others do it for them that they wil see fair play and then blind Justice will point our these more solid those more vain and ayrie The Fathers of those times searched with discerning eyâ— into the Mysteries of the Divine Writ and yet they could not from thence evince that Peter had any greater or better power given to him then to any of the other Apostles there was no more excellent or shining fiery Tongue sate upon him then did alight upon the rest nor did he arrogate at any time to be transcendent or superintendent over the rest he was subject to their Massion he likewise did submit to the Centurions power he came at his sending and gave an account of his fact and that without saving nay Acts 10.29 The Apostlâ—s were men full of the Holy Ghost and to them was given to know the mysteries of Christ and if by the words Thou art Peter in the 16. of Matthew or by the treble pasce in the 21. of John Peter had been made universall Bishop Peter had never been assigned only over the Circumcision Paul to the Gentiles or els it must follow that Peter did offend God so highly after that he had received Commission that it was afterwards cancelled and the charge of the Gentiles committed to Paul which is one estoppell to the Successor of Rome to derive a Jurisdiction from Peter Moreover Peter forbids Superiority in his first Epistle fifth Chapter he cals himself a fellow-Priest and in his second Epistle third Chapter he cals Paul his Brother and if a fellow Priest and Paul his Brother Par in parem non habet potestatem This likewise destroys his universal Jurisdiction but
Creed we whilst we say we believe the holy Catholique Church mean thereby the whole Elect of God as well Saints in heaven as the Church upon earth which is the full body of Christ Ephes 4. and Rom. 12. but they thereby will have Rome understood which as I said was not in being before the Creed was composed and it seems strange to some that the Church of Rome should admit of the following Article to wit the Communion of Saints to extend to the Saints in heaven and will exclude them from the Catholique Church but the reason 's plain for it stands not with the Majesty of the Pope for in admitting the first he loses his headship we being all members of the Catholike Church but by the other his honor is not diminished in respect none are to be reputed Saints but such as are of his own making But if the Doctor will not admit of our definition I hope he will not be against our embracing of his which is this A Church is a Society of those whom God hath called to salvation by the profession of the true Faith and sincere administration of the Sacraments and the adherence to lawful Pastors I wonder what the Doctor means by the society of those that God hath called to salvation by the profession of the true Faith sure he will not deny but that those Societies which were gathered by other Apostles were true Churches as well as those which were gathered by Peter He himself fol. 192. confesses the true Church visible in Ethiopia where the Eunuch which Philip baptized preached the Faith and it is hard he should dâ—ny this to his own mother County which he allowes to Ethiopians especially considering wee as is believed by some received the Faith by the same Apostle Philip. But 't is no great matter we need not stand to the Doctors courtesie herein we have a better warrant then his Concession Act. 20.28 the flocks whereof the holy Ghost made the Elders over-seers is called the Church of Gâ—d Paul ordained Elders and committed charge of Flocks unto them A Christian Society makes a Church c. That the distinct Societies of Christians are called Churches is likewise manifest by severall other places of Scripture 1 Cor. 1. Paul writ to the Church that was at Corinth and to all that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Gal. 1. to the Churches at Galatia Grace c. 1 Thes to the Church of the Thessalonians Col. 1.4 salute the brethren which are of Laodicea and Nymphas and the Church which is in his house Rev. 1.11 there were seven Churches in Asia Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos c. In the same manner Rome may be called a Church if she have a Sociâ—ty of the faithful calling upon the name of Christ Jesus wherefore Peter writing his Epistle from Babylon which the Papists interpret Rome sâ—â—es The Church that is at Bâ—bylon elected together with you saluteth you that is the Saints which dwell here and there dispersed through Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia the society of the Saints of Babylon saluteth the several societies of the Saints of those parts which were severall respective Churches members of the Catholike Church elected together in Christ Jesus So that from these places it is evident that the name of Church is applicable to all Christian Societies whether they be of Peters or any other of the Apostles gathering For the Apostles had equal commission from Christ for the gathering together of the Saints for the work of the Ministry and for the edification of the Body of Christ though in the Church were men of different Gifts as Apostles Teachers Evangelists c. yet the Apostles amongst themselves were equall and their severall plantations coordinate and equal as to any power or Jurisdiction If then we be in the faith of Jesus and have Societies of Christian believers in him we may properly be called a Church and that especially because we are of Apostolical plantation and are not beholding to Rome for that Plantation as coming from Eleutherius successour as they pretend to Peter But if we had our Faith from Rome it came by the means of Paul and certainly we had that Faith long before Eleutherius time as I have already proved in the precedent chapter wherefore we may properly both according to our own and the Doctors definition of a Church assume that title to our selves we being a Society of Christians calling upon the name of Jesus which is called a Church 1 Cor. 1.2 Rome a particular Church and for Rome or any other Church to arrogate more then to be a particular member of the Catholike Church whereof Christ is the Head and Hierusalem which is above free and the mother of us all is Antichristian and abominable especially for Rome that she should stile her self the onely Catholike Church when as Ephesus the See of John and John the surviving Apostle in whom alone survived the Apostleship calls that Church but one of the seven in Asia Rev. 1. Were John Peter or any of the Apostles alive to see to what a lofty pitch ambition has hurried the aspiring Prelates of Rome they would blush to behold such iniquity and reprove any that should call Rome the Catholike Church For alas The Pride of Rome how little doth she resemble Christs Spouse his Church Christs Church was planted in humility Romes Church lords it in Soveraignty Christs Church had her White vest of Innocency Romes Church is clad in her purple of bloud and cruelty how little doth the Scarlet tribe resemble the train of Christ were Peter or any of Christs disciples now at Rome and should see the Pope they would rather take him for Pilate an Officer or Judge of Cesars then for Peter a fisher-man and servant of Jesus and would think his Cardinalls to be rather the Embassadors of Bozra then the Messengers of the Gospel and servants of Christ and should any but assume that Christian boldnes to tel them that their Scarlet Robes did cover and make invisible the Seamlesse coat of Jesus he were in danger of a Councell To such a height of Majesty are they of late aspired that they exercise dominion without restraint little regarding Christs precept to his Apostles the Kings of the Gentiles bear Rule and exercise dominion Vos autem non sic And here by the way I will insert a story of Peter and Simon Magus incertainty of Peter being at Rome Aegesippus lib. 2. de excidio Hierusal cap. 2. reports that Peter came to Rome to withstand Simon Magus 44 Christi Eusebius says he was crucified 36 Christi others that Paul and he together others that Paul was crucified a yeer after and on the same day Prudentius that Paul followed Peter to Rome from which contradictions no certainty of his being there is to be concluded but I return to my story It is said that Simon Magus taking some offence with the Citizens threatned to leave
them and to flie away from them in their sight to fetch down vengeance from Heaven upon them and the day being appointed he began to take his flight in mount Capitolinus into the air and that Peter by the power of the Lord Jesus brought him down and broke his bones which act of Peters occasioned his persecution for that Simon Magus was beloved of Cesar this Story is in the Roman Legends I could wish the Pope to make this moral use of this story to wit to beware how he exalts Rome above the heavenly Hierusalem for if he continue to cuff the Heavens with his towring waxen pinions he must expect the divine majestick rayes of the heavenly Sun to melt his proud supporters into nothing he must not think to exalt himself against God and prosper Is it not enough for him to be primus Episcoporum ordine but he will contrary to Gods Word be Supremus Potestate c. God gives wings to the Ant. that she may destroy her self the sooner let Romes Bishop be content with his own Province for it is a rule that that State that goes beyond the lists of mediocrity passes the bounds of safety all Churches of Europe would honour her as a sister but 't is unnaturall to love a stepmother we are all fellow members of Christ let not Rome therefore despise her sister England Let us strive together in love and let the Church that is at Rome salute the Church that is in England and let us greet each other with an holy kisse she must not rob England of her name of a Church if she think not to bastard her self for we are all ingrafted in the same stock and baptized into one faith by the spirit of Jesus it is not for her to be busy in anothers diocess to judge of our matters of discipline or doctrin in that wherein we differ from her any further then that if she conceive we erre to give admonishment to those of her own Province they fall not into the like cōdemnation she must not upon this score deny the society of Christian believers the name of a church Admit the unfriendly appellations of Schismaticks and hereticks which they bestow upon us were deserved Haereticus est pars ecclesiae because we do not in all points agree and communicate w th Rome yet we must not therefore be denyed to be a church for this assertion I have the authority of the Councell of Trent I say which was wholly gathered of men against the reformed churches and men totally for the Popes supremacy yet they did not deny but that Schismatichs and Hereticks were in the Catholike Church and might confer orders administer and baptize and the councel of Florens agrees herewith sum Sacrament Rom. Ecclesiae Sect. 136.28 and therefore it is very harsh dealing in the Doctor to deny us this which their own Councels allow so that Saint Pauls saying is verified in him Heb. 12.15 when one falls away from the faith a root of bitternesse springs up in him and that 's the reason the Doctor is so harsh against the English Church The name Protestant The name Protestant and English Protestant which the Dr. so much spurns at doth not at all speak us members cut off from the old stock the Catholick Church for as the Doctor maintains that the name Romane Catholick is proper and significant language and sense so may we as well say English Protestant and with more reason for we will note by the Doctors distinction thereby the difference between our discipline doctrine only for our particular selv s assert the Catholick faith thereby to manifest the readinesse of us a particular member of the Catholick Church to give the head thereof our Master Christ for the word Protestant is comprehensive of Catholick and is no more but to assert the faith which faith is Catholick so that an English Protestant may be said truly to be he that will hold stick to and to his power maintain the Catholick faith taught and maintained in the English Church For the word Protestant though of a new addition proves not the Religion new or profession not agreeable to the Old Faith and profession of the Primitive Churches but being added with reference to their profession is an evidence of their zeal and affection to maintain and professe that ancient and Catholike truth For we do not professe our selves to have left the Catholike faith once preached and professed at Rome but that Rome has left of to be a Catholick Church bringing in strange delusions and perswading people to believe lies which especially since her pretence to universality has been much studied to make her new claims good whereas we desire only to impugne her late errors and to protest against them to maintain the ancient faith and though in this we may to some seem to set our selves against the Church of Rome to forfeit our interest in the Catholike Church because as they suppose we claimed our Religion from her yet there is nothing lesse for we are a Province and had a Metropolitane of our own and might call a Councell and reform things amisse by the authority Ecclesiasticall without appealing to Rome nor do we hereby forfeit the title of a Church But rather justifie the same in respect we differ in nothing but we would submit it to a free Generall Councel and though we were hereticall in some points yet having a society of believers in Jesus and having Apostolicall orders amongst us we still may without offence to any retain the name and appellation of a Church CHAP. IV. Of the right of Collation to Bishopricks and of the Ordination of Bishops of succession of Pastors and particularly of the Succession in England that the Pope ought not to intermedle in the appointing of Bishops in England THe Doctor has a great spleen towards our succession of Bishops in our Church and would fain perswade the world we are not of the Catholick Church for our defect therein It rests therefore that I clear our Church from that new devised scandall Ecclesia non consistit in hominibus ratione potestatis vel dignitatis Ecclesiasticae vel secularis quia multi Principes summi Pontifices inventi sunt qui à fide apostatasse propter quod ecclesia consistit in illis personis in quibus est notitia vera confessio fidei veritatis Could we not prove one line of succession it much matters not for we may notwithstanding lay claim to be of the Catholick Church and having a society of believers in Christ do notwithstanding make a Church If we agree with the Apostles and Fathers of the Primitive Church it is sufficient saith Tertullian to give us the name of Catholike Church Ecclesia quae licet nullum ex Apostolis authorem suum praeferant tamen in eadem fide conspirantes non minus Apostolicae reputantur pro consanguinitate doctrinae Though our first planter
Joseph of Arimathea is not certainly known to have come whether from Rome from Paul or from Philip out of France or immediately from the East it is no great matter for by the confession of the Church of Rome we had the true faith amongst us before Eleutherius time and had Pastors then and since have continued a lawfull succession of governing Bishops Succession of Bishops in England even to the last late reverend father William of Cant. and whereas the Dr. twits against our succession of Bishops that we cannot maintain it unlesse we fetch it from Rnme I answer that we being a distinct Province the Bishop of Rome hath no power of Ordination here for by the Councell of Nice the 22. Can. a Bishop is not to ordain in anothers Diocesse Et si quis tale facere tentaverit irrita sit ejus ordinatio and though we be different of late from Rome and that it were time we had our order of Episcopacie from thence yet the late Bishops which were so different from Rome might ordain others within their own Province though Hereticks for that as I said before Haereticus est pars Ecclesiae Moreover it is decreed in the Councell of Florens that ordo imprimit characterem indelebilem therefore children baptized by an heretick are not to be rebaptized which the Councell of Trent hath decreed against the opinion of Cyprian Nam licet male utuntur potestate ministri sibi tradita prosint aliis non sibi Sicut enim per asinam Balaam loquutus est Deus ita per malos ministros Sacramenta praestat And Sum. Sacr. Rom. eccl Sect. 136. Episcopi haeretici veros ordines conferent vera praestant Sacramenta So that by the rules of the Papists themselves we notwithstanding we be hereticks or Schismaticks yet having once lawfull orders which gave an indelible character and in that a power of conferring the same upon others as long as we remain Christians and believe in the holy and blessed Trinity though we differ in other points yet we remain still members in the Catholick Church and have a power of conferring orders and I much wonder the Doctour should be so harsh against our Hierarchy unlesse he sometimes made a bait to fly at a Bishoprick and being canvassed in Peters net it stirred up some atra bilis which since would never be allayed he is so much incensed against it that he utterly denyes our succession upon the interruption of Romane Bishops in H. 8. and Queen Eliz. time for my part his allegations against it do not much trouble me nor I hope will they find entertainment with many sith they carry with them no more weight then the bare opinion of himself he positively affirming upon his own authority that our ministers are not in legal Orders insomuch that if one of our Priests came to Rome he must be ordained a new which if it be true it is contrary to the decrees of Popish Councells and will be a sufficient testimony to the world to convince them of falshood and jugling with the world that they should profess one thing and practise another to declare in Councells that a Heretick confers true and perfect orders and yet will not in their practice allow of it however for them to affirm us Hereticks is to beg the question and therefore we may safely within our own province continue a succession of Orders without any approbation of theirs at all nor is this any more then of right is due to us as may appear by the 1 Councell of Nice Provincial Ordination of Bishops 4 Can. a Bishop ought to be ordained by the severall Bishops of the Province but if they cannot conviently all meet to this purpose then three shall serve to perform the ordination which is also confirmed by the Councell of Antioch 19 Can. and the Councell of Carthage 13 Can. and it is the opinion of some learned Divines that in case of necessity the Ministers may Ordain where Bishops are wanting for that the Presbytery or Ministry have right to impose hands and the Keyes are said to be Claves ecclesiae non claves episcoporum seu presbyterorum Infra 43.5 chap. yet God be blessed England was never put to this strait we still had a continuing succession of Bishops notwithstanding the deprivation of the Popish Prelates and so according to that Canon did ordain in our own Precincts which as it is of right our due and belonging to us so it is likewise practised and hath been the antient Custom of other Provinces as wel as this as the Eastern Provinces ordain without the assistance of Rome and in these Western parts even in France and Germany and other places which right of Ordination being thus by decrees of the Generall Councels annexed to distinct Provinces I much wonder the moderate Papists of France and Germany should suffer themselves to be trampled upon by the Ignatian tribe sworn Servants to the imperious Pope who dayly exercises strange dominion over them making no other use of them then the Turk doth of his slaves to wit to do his drudgery whilst he himself reaps the fruits of their labours It argues a cowardly spirit to be afraid to right themselves herein because some of their Princes have fallen in the attempt amongst whom the 4th Henries of both Countries were sacrificed to the ambition and rapine of the encroaching Popes such horrid attempts as these should rather stir up their noble spirits to a just revenge upon the bloudied conclave for putting into act such cursed designes then through the base treachery of an ignoble nature slavishly to submit themselves to the Antichristian yoke of Rome when as if they would noblely withstand his unjust intrusions upon them they might restore to themselves a Church free from such Babylonish bondage and in some commendable measure imitate the heavenly Hierusalem which is above free and the Mother of us all For though their Consciences be not convinced of Romes Errours yet they may having distinct Provinces within themselves hold Councels ordain Bishops and performe other ecclesiastical rights and duties without being appointed thereunto from Rome or being commanded to give an account thither of their proceedings therein The Bishop of Rome being onely equal to other Sees in a Pastorall institution and lockt up within certain provinciall precincts by decrees of the primitive Councels and let them be sure of this as long as they continue themselves Saints to the Church of Rome they shall be sure to be fed with step-mothers shives whereas if th y would put their Churches under natural and proper heads of their own they might be sure to find more indulgent cherishing and tender care whereby they would in the eyes of their husband look more comely and the French Lillies would more neerly represent Christ his Spouse But I return to the Doctor The Doctor urges that our succession of Bishops in England was last for that it was interrupted by
it was superfluous for expressio eorum quae tacite insunt nihil operatur It doth but argue he is covetous and ambitious covetous in that he hereby makes himself master of anothers Interest and ambitious in that he would be thought the Author of Princes dignities As for King Hen. 8. his adding that stile to his other distinguishments of Dignity it did not proceed from any conceit that he could not have stiled himself so had not the Pope saluted him with that courteous appellation But only in respect it was grown into fashion to adde to their temporall Styles some denotement of their ecclesiasticall power as the Emperour of Ethiopia stiles himself the Pillar of Faith without deriving that dignity from Rome It is true the French embrace the stile of Christian and the Spaniard of Catholick King from Rome yet I suppose they might without that be so dignified As for England it is plain that her King may without any donation thereof from Rome for that it is warranted by her antient Lawes and Eleutherius called Lucius Gods Vicar the King was stiled Persona mixta cum sacerdote which was many hundred years known before Hen. 8. Ante 37. Cap. 4. and therefore sith by the antient Lawes of the Land the King is Vicarius sūmus infra Regnas He must nominate or ought to Authorise some by vertue of his power all forrain provinciall Jurisdiction being lockt up by consent of Councels within its proper provinciall precincts to appoint Bishops this antient right being grounded upon Gods Word in that I have proved that the Temporall Magistrate did elect such as should be ordained and therefore for the Doctor to deny us to be a Church because we want succession of Bishops the new ones being appointed by the Temporall Magistrate when as they wanted nothing to compleat their Order seemes to me strange and unreasonall If the Doctor when he denies our succession of Bishops No discontinuance of Succession of Bishops in England when Queen Elizabeth turned out the old ones could prove that the new ones had no Imposition of Hands by Bishops then his Argument touched us something though it be not absolute necessary that Bishops ordain Bishops Ante 33.4 chap. For what if all the Bishops should die so neer at one time that none were left ordained by them shall not the Presbytery make Bishops they have right to the Keyes which are called Claves ecclesiae non episcoporum and they are the remaining Pillars of the Church and certainly may confer the Order of Bishop upon others and that the rather because the Councells forbid Bishops of another Province to ordain in a forrain Province and though it may seeme strange to some that Ministers which are subordinate should ordain Bishops and so confer Superiour Orders it is not if rightly examined contradictory to reason For in this first ordination of Priests and Deacons they are infra ordines majores which orders are called Holy and Sacramentall and are the Highest Orders witness Pope Vrban decret dist 60. sum Sacr. Ro. Eccl. 226. as for the Order of Bishops it is no more then a Priest as to the Holy and Sacramentall Order onely more excellent in respect of the Order of Governing which is rather of Humane then Divine right Priests ordain Bishops for as it is Divine it is no more then what every Priest hath by the Sacramentall order but as it is Humane it is transcendent in relation to Discipline Ante 33.4 chap. and therefore the Presbytery may agree to ordain one over them to govern them in ecclesiasticall Rites as the people may choose a Prince to Govern in civill affairs Hence it was that the Apostles sent John to Ephesus Peter to Antioch and appointed James over the Churches at Hierusalem which before such their Consignations were but equal with the other Apostles in every respect but after that if any other of the Apostles came where they had the over-sight they were observant of them Hence was it that James was prolocutor of the Councel at Hierusalem and not Peter because James was Bishop there I may from thence infer that if Peter came to Rome for the same reason he was observant of Paul and therefore it is conceived that in case of necessity Priests may ordain Bishops for that Bishops in relation to their Jurisdiction are not a Sacramentall Order but onely as they are Priests But if this opinion be by the learned condemned I shall submit and yet with confidence affirme that we may in England claim a Church notwithstanding For when Queen Elizabeth turned out some Popish Bishops those that were put into their roomes were ordained by the remaining part of the old Bishops For all the old Bishops were not turned out then nor in Hen. 8. his time For first in Hen 8. time the controversie was about Supremacy which question the Insolencies of the Pope occasioned though I doe not justifie that Prince for all he did and being once started it gave occasion of further scrutiny into the primitive Fathers and Councels Reformation of England Infra 55.5 chap. which did so far perswade the Consciences of the then Clergy that many of them did adhere to the Prince against the Pope and by that and other after inquisitions they found they had primitive right of calling Councels and reforming things amisse in their Church without appealing to Rome and thereupon having the authority of Scriptures Councells and Fathers they restored to themselves their just rights and shook off their servile obedience to the See of Rome which the Popes continued over them by keeping them up in ignorance not allowing them their own judgements and illumination ecclesiasticall to understand the plain letter of any thing be it never so far demonstrated to the easiest capacity without his Holinesse interpretation and having thus shaken off that slavish yoke of Rome the scales of blind obedience fell from their eyes and they clearly perceived the Popes false cunning and damnable abusings of Scriptures Fathers Councels and what not thorow his unjust usurpations of universality and infallibility whereby he became a new Legislator of Divine rules of Faith which had in them too much of grosse and fleshly compositions tending meerly to enslave Christendome and to set up the Popes triple Crown for all the people to worship thereby making them forsake Christ and his Truth for the fables and traditions of that abominable Idoll And as In Hen. 8. time all the Bishops were not turned out so neither at the coming of Queen Elizabeth to the Crown but continued in their Bishopricks excercising their function ordaining others as formerly onely the Archbishop of York the Bishops of Elie Lincoln Bath Worcester and Excester were outed and the Bishops of Saint Asaph Bangor London and Chester fled the rest continued and ordained others The Queen her self being Enaugurated by Bishop Oglethorp one of Queen Maries Bishops and Bishop of Carlisle and Parker the Arch-bishop
her Church be like the Temple of Venus in which there was a Lanthorn made of the stone A Beston whose nature as Isidore lib. 15. de Genuus saith is such that being once set on fire no wind nor rain can extinguish it which made the Heathen people Idolize it but she must not think so to delude us we know her Virgin Lamp is sunk in its sockets and that fuliginous liâ—â—k composed of adulterate combustibles which she hath set up in its room is but a thing of exhalation the heavenly Sun from whom she formerly borrowed light having withdrawn his shining beams from her terrestriall Orb and so she 's left in both internall and external darknesse her understanding being darkned in that whilst the truth is removed froÌ„ her she thinks others see it with her and that she neither hath been nor can be invisible the contrary whereof is plain by what I have already proved Romes Church hath been Invisible and by this that followes As the Church of Rome hath been and may be Invisible in respect of persecution so hath she been by reason of the vacation of her Head The Doctor in his 22 Chapter fol. 360. sayes the Church of Rome is the Catholick Church because her Bishop is the Head thereof and hath been so accounted through all Ages That he hath not been so reputed through all Ages appears by the testimony of the first Councels and if Rome be the Chatholick Church in respect that the Pope is the Head then it followes that the Catholick Church hath been Invisible because of the vacation of that Head for cessante causâ cessat effectus The light of the body is the Eye which is placed in the head and if the body be without the eye the whole body is in darknesse If then this Mark of Visibility be such an incident and inseparable token of her truth I would fain know where the Universall Head of the Church was whilst Rome had no Bishop for either they must confesse that the Univensall Church must be in darknesse for want of a Head and so they make Gods promise of none effect if the Church be universally hid or else they must confesse that Romes Church is but a particular Member of the Church and that then like the Church of the Israelites or the Church of Ephesus she is subject to be made invisible for a time and that she hath been invisible may appear by these enfuing proofs Two yeers together after Pope Nicholas the fourth no Pope was chosen and when after much dissention amongst the Cardinâ—ls Celestine was chosen Boniface the 8th murdering him was made Bishop in his stead where was the visible Head whilst Benedict the tenth and Nicholas the second both stand Popes at once The Clergy who then had the Election of the Popes not daring to proceed to a new Election to crosse Benedict who was very much beloved of the Citizens of Rome withdrew themselves to Sene and there elected Gerrardus Bishop of Florence by the name of Nicholus 2d who was the onely favouâ—â—ite of Hildebrand whom Hildebrand caused to be made Pope that he as then not ripe for the Seat might under him rule all for Pope Nicholas was but a dull fellow though proud and ambitious of Honour and be sure when he saw his own time to out him that he might succeed in the Chair and so it happened accordingly for Hildebrand succeeded Nicholas 2d two fit to go together the one bringing in at the Councel of Lateran the new Doctrine of Transubstantiation the other maintaining the then never heard of sin of the Popes power to depose Kings Where was the triple Crown when at once there was 3 Popes as Innocent 7th Gregory 12th and at the Councell of Pise Alexander 5th chosen I might adde more of this nature but I will reserve the rest of my arrows to shoot at his other Markes and shut up this point and conclude that the Church of Rome in respect of Persecution and vacancy of her Bishops cannot be the onely Chatholick Church and distinguished to be so by any certain Infallible rule of a constant Visibility CHAP. VI. That the Church of Rome cannot be reputed and taken for a true Church in respect of her Unity in Doctrine or Sanctity of Life onely CHrists Coat was seamlesse and the Souldiers cast Lots for it that Coat was to teach the Apostles unity and concord The Ministers of the old Temple were clad in White thereby to betoken their Innocency Let us look upon Romes present Church and see if her Pastors be not worse then the Souldiers in rending in pieces the one and like Baals Priests not having any right to the other And who please to examine their private practices how they agree with their publique Professions will find such a disproportion and dissonancy that it will be hard to judg whether his Holiness's Decrees as compendiums and true abstracts of the Cannons of Councels or his Pontificall Robe as the Conusance of Peters successour then with them lesse of agreeablenesse and representation the one privately thwarting the publick edicts of General Councels and the other publickly unsuitable and dissonant to a Minister of the Gospell so that a man cannot at any time judge by his outside what his inside should be nor prove by his inner closet that ever he was in the publick Halls so that I may return the Doctors saying against Beza Luther and others more properly and fitly to the Pope Vide uiram tunica filii tui sit vel non The Church of Rome would fain have us to believe that she is free from the blood of this and that Prince basely by her practices and instruments assassinated and barbarously despoiled of their Crownes and Scepters and if any question arise about such businesse she is ready to disavow all privity to the act though the scene was studied in her Cardinals Conclave and acted abroad by her own emissaries as who please to peruse the Anatomy of Popish Tyranny will find presidents enough of this nature but it makes not much to my present purpose I will forbear to trouble the Reader with them I will proceed to shew her discords and variances in point of Doctrine She professes to maintain the Councels of Nice Constantinople Ephesus Chalcedon and Carthage and the Councell of Constant hath appointed an Oath to be taken by the Pope at his installing to that purpose But how little he performes that Oath or observes the Rules of those Councels let what I have said in the 2d Chapter serve to witnesse The Church of Rome in this respect I mean the Pope enchathedrated who judicially declaring any thing as Pope is confessed by all to represent the Church may be compared to a Water-man who looks one way and rowes another She may have some land marks tokens to steer by but she quickly layes those observations and wanders into unknown latitudes one Pope this way another that the
third another way c. and so being meandred upon the waves of severall opinions it is by chance if any of them bottom upon mount Sion What good Christian of Apostolicall Faith looks upon Rome as she now is and hangs not his Harp upon the Willowes and with the children of Israel by the waters of Babylon sit down and weep to remember Sion Sion at unity within it self and Babylon full of strife envie Papists differ about the Keyes and debate Sanders maintains that S. Peter received both temporall and spirituall power by the Keyes not so saith another Jesuite affirming the power of the Keyes to be alia à civili potestate Baronius affirms that the Pope may positively dispose of Kingdomes Bellarmine not so but onely in ordine ad spiritualia Cauterenus saith that this power was given when Christ said to Peter Quaere Ante 2. Thou art Peter c. de sacra Christi lege lib. 3. Bellarmine de Rom. Pontif. lib. cap. 12. that it was not given untill the treble passe But of this more at large in the 9th chapter why should any be so lame as to allow to Rome this prerogative sith she cannot tell how to revive her Title to it I might instance in many more differences of this nature amongst the Papists themselves wherein they dissent one from another nor are these differences onely betwixt Cardinall and Cardinall Doctor and Doctor but the Church of Rome against the Church of Rome differing from the ancient Fathers and primitive Church nay point-blank contradicting their own modern Contestation of Popish Generall Councels as I shall shew in the ninth Chapter neither are the differences amongst them of small consequence but in the most concerning points of Religion as whether the holy Ghost proceed more principally from the Father or the Son about meritum congrui about the thing designed by the word hoc est Corpus about the conception of the Virgin and all high matters of Divinity and are not of any small importance For whereas the Doctor would perswade us fol. 236. that these are not differences in point of Faith the Church having not interposed her Decree and in the mean time without breach of Unity one Doctour may differ against another in point of Reason which is but to guide to a conclusive Faith so by the same reason no Church but is at Unity for in their Councells they may conclude points of Faith and in the intervals of Councels wrangle about the Reasons of those points and yet by the Doctors Logick are at unity because the reasonings of private men If they hold against their Decrees why doth she not punish them as Hereticks and if the points be of importance and the Church doth not interpose her Decree Infra 92.11 chap. she then suffers those contentions to be amongst her own Saints and then drawes on her a suspition of a false Church because she seeks not peace and truth to preserve the unity of spirit and bond of peace for discords are not musicall in the heavenly ear and if she be not afraid to loose a Faction by displeasing them should she interpose her Decree or else have some such like worldly end why doth she suffer those contentions daily to grow which whilst she doth not rectifie it administers just occasion to others to deny her to be a true Church in respect of her unity and they have very much reason to induce them thereunto as I shall shew anon in the nineth Chapter I am loath to rifle into this matter could I otherwise avoid it Sanctity of life no mark of the Church of Rome's truth I desire rather to lay open the errors of the Chair then to tax the persons possessing that Seat I would reprove the Heresie of Rome but not the Bishop I doe not maligne a Papist but only Popery And now that I must goe about to lay open the fulnesse of these men otherwise the Doctor will take it for granted that I subscribe to that mark of of Romes truth that she hath none but godly and sanctified Pastors it goes against my nature If I seem satyricall blame the Doctor who provoked me hereunto by this false position of his and by an unworthy upbrading of the Crown of England by his cutting Crosse capers upon the dust of one of our Royall Monarchs whereas he is forbid to speak evill of dignities Judge 8. the Prophets boldly reproved Princes 2 Kings 58. but it was to reclaim their Vices not to traduce their persons they may be reproved being alive when as by that means amendment may be wrought upon them or else by vexation they will be grieved Against Ruling Princes but these ends cannot be in any reproving of a person that is Dead Saint Paul withstood Peter to his face but backbiting defileth a mans own soul Eccles 21.28 yet the Doctor not caring for to follow these Presidents takes a liberty to himself to rake in the quiet Urn of a deceased Prince and with insultation to inscribe a new Epitaph Here lies no King The Doctor his injury to Henry 8. Kings being called Gods but such an one as the Poets fain Jupiter who was transformed into a Beast for the Love of Women which unworthy act of the Doctors gives me occasion to say of him as Saint Jude saith of false Prophets As beasts without reason they speak evill of these things they know not It is reported that when Silla set one on work to kill Marius when the Vassall came to put into execution that bloody command he beheld such Majesty in his face that his conscience presently was prict with the horrour of the act his heart failed him his flesh trembled and his hand knew not how to mannage that black instrument which should have pierced that noble Cask and let his Royall liquor to the ground And no lesse Majesty as our Stories mention dwelt in the Princely countenance of our noble Henry so that should the Doctor have appeared before him as a traducer of his worthy and noblenesse with one majestick frown he would have sent his Satyricall spirit to the infernall shades to study invectives Principem populi non maledices was Moses precept Exod. 22. and Saint Paul appears of that rule Acts 23.5 and by the 74 Cann of the Apostles a severe censure was to be against any that should be called Contumeliosus in Magistratum So that the Doctors reviling of Hen. 8. is on his part inexcusable now let me examine whether I may not incur the same censure by setting forth the Errours of the Romane Bishops and I conceive under favour I may not 1. Because I doe it not out of any malignity towards their persons but their Profession of Vice under the hood of godlinesse and infallibility 2. Because whilst she perswaded others of the truth of her Church for the mark of sanctity of life and yet her Bishop the visible Head of that Church is evill they hereby
draw people into mis-belief therefore for avoiding of this Errour and for reforming her evill wayes I may without the compass of censure justly reprove her Bishops whilest I doe not personally traduce the men but reprove the Errours of the Chair or if I personally touch any one it is not I but some one of their own Church that did it 3. I shall not speak evil of any lawful Magistrate that ought to bear Rule and excercise Dominion nor any to whose right of power I stand naturally obliged to respect and Reverence The Doctor would perswade us that the wickednesse of some Popes doth not blemish this Mark which is strange to me she will have it a blemish against the reformed Churches because Luther Beza c. are by Basseck termed with infamous conversations and shall it be a blemish to private Churches to have ungodly Bishops and not to Rome this is unequall dealing The Bishop of Rome is rather a blemish to the Church of Rome then any other Bishop is to a private Church if they both be wicked for the higher a man is lifted in honour and dignity as he is thereby made more neer the similitude of God who is above all so he ought to give a testimony of his good workes above others lest he deface that more noble Image by his unworthy acts besides the Bishops of Rome have of late declared to be above Councels and are in themselves representations of the Catholike Church wherefore for them to be wicked and dissolute must needs deface this Mark of sanctity As for the distinction between the Person of the Bishop Infra 70.9 chap. and his Power that is his judiciall Seat and so that he may erre as a Man not as a Bishop it is a meer juggle and that which savours of the Tenents of those they call Heretiques the Presbyterians who divide person from power Infra 130.14 chap. and it is rediculous and a meer evasion to escape this censure For if a man should affront Clemens Vrbam c. Bishop of Rome it would be construed an injury to the See and not that personall of which more in the 9 chap. I have a warrant from Saint Hierome Causa 11. Questio 3. if any believe that man to be holy that is not holy and joyne him to the company of God he doth villany to Christ whose members we are I say I have a warrant by this rule to lay open the Iniquities of the Bishops of Rome that men may no longer be drawn into the guilt of this injury by exalting hypocrites believing them to be true Apostolick teachers which indeed are ravening wolves not to feed but to destroy the flock of Christ wherefore take a view of some of her Bishops of Rome as I find them described by antient and modern writers Those Popes which were condemned and censured for their intollerable abuses towards Princes I reserve for another chapter take here onely a view of those that in other most loud and vile positions were most notoriously wicked Wernerus exclaimeth that anno 883. Holy men were perished from the earth and he writ to Martin 2d. So that in his time there was wickednesse amongst the pastours of Rome Wallerus Mapes writes of the Romane Clergy that they studdy villany envy reigneth and truth is buried amongst them Peter de Alcaco in lib. de reform eccl notes the luxuriousnesse avarice Idlenesse Blasphemies Magick Arts and other wickednesse of the Bishops of Rome John the 12th was a Dicer and a wicked fellow Gregory the 7th as Beno the Cardinall testifieth was a Magitian Hildebrand Infra 14. chap 142. and what stirs and commotions raised he about the elections of his predecessours Sigebert writes that he confessed when he felt himself at the point of death that he had raised many stirs by the perswasions of the Devil it is likewise recorded that Silvester 2d Gregory 6th Benedict 9th and Paul the third and divers others were Magitians John the 23d was condemned by the Councell of Constance for denying the resurrection of the dead and other points of Atheisme Sixtus the 4th builded the Stewes at Rome a godly foundation and well becoming so Holy a Father Alexander the 6th presently became his successour and much improved the revenues of that delightfull Corporation he was so bold and shamelesse in the sinne of whoredome That he openly acknowledged the Popes Nephews to be his Bastards as Guichard testifies and thus I have given you a brief of some wicked Popes of Rome before they were declared above Councels Wicked heads of the Church and now see what those are which are professed by the the late Latteran and Trent Councells to be above Councels and if so then their wickednesse utterly blots out this mark of Sanctity Leo the which was a Blasphemour insomuch that he was often heard â—ay Quantas nobis divitias Comparavit ista fabula Christi Luther his Reformation Ante 22 44 chap. 2. In his time it being high time to shake off such wicked Society did Luther reforme the Germane Churches Truth and Falshood Christ and Belial are incomparable either he or some one else must write against these damnable Doctours and their diabolicall practices otherwise the Kingdome of Anti-christ would have been universally spred over the face of the Earth and should none stop the furious course of these Cato demonaick Priests they would convert Tiber into Barathrum and plung the whole world into that bottomlesse Abisse mistake me not I doe not approve of all that Luther did onely this that he being of another distinct province apart from Rome and having Cure of Souls and seeing the Errours of Rome and his Flock addicted to follow after Rome for the honour and credit her antient truth drew from the hearts of many might lawfully admonish and was bound in Conscience to check Rome of her Errours now that she flew to so high a pitch of wickednesse and having no hopes of her self-reforming were she not admonished by some one of her faults might therefore take upon him to lay open before her eyes some of her Errors hoping thereby to reclaim her or at least to stay his own Flock from wandring after her by laying before them the present practices of Rome contrary to the antient Truth Luthers Reformation nor was this any more then formerly was practised by the Apostles and confirmed by Councels for Provincials to reforme Saint Paul Peter James and Saint John did write to severall Churches and admonish them and especially Jude sayes It was needfull to write to exhort the people of God earnestly to contend for the maintenance of the Faith which was once given unto the Saints for that there were certain men crept in which were afore ordained unto this condemnation ungodly men which turned the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God the onely Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ And if ever they must contend for the maintenance of the antient Faith
it was then the time when such a brutish Leo who was the head and reputed Oracle of the Church should belch forth such bold blasphemies thereby to bring in the doctrine of Divels and to obtrude upon the Consciences of men a new profession of a Stygian Creed Nor was this Leo the onely Blasphemour of the God of Heaven Wicked Popes of those that possessed the Romane Chair but to manifest to the world that these anti-christian aberrations from the Divine rules of Truth are common I much fear they are incident to the Popes of that See He hath both before him and after him Popes after his own heart Sixtus the 4th and Alexander the 6th his Predecessours the one denying there was a God Riserat ut vivens caelestia numina Sixtus sic Morceus nullos credidit esse Deos and the other saith Sanazer dissolved both Gods Lawes and mans Lawes and believed not that there was a God And Clement the seventh and Julius the third his Successours the one in heart doubting whether there was a Heaven though outwardly he taught both that Hell and Purgatory insomuch that when he drew towards his end he said to those that stood about him that he hoped shortly to be resolved of that he had so long doubted to wit whether there was a Heaven or Hell or no of whom this was said Contemptor divum scaelerum vir publicus hostis The other not inferiour to him in this height of wickednesse insomuch that the Papists themselves report divers speeches proceeding from him which savoured of Atheisme I might if I would have been very inquisitive have made a large muster-Role of these wicked Prelates but I rather weep then rejoyce that I should meet with any Records of this nature to refute the Doctour in this point of their pretended Sanctity nor is this their case onely I suspect that in most Churches have been many Ministers bad men according as our Saviour saith There must Tares grow up in the Corn till the end of the World According to the Proverb Christ cannot have his Church but the Devill will have his Chappell Satan is busie to cast his evill seed into the field and scarce any field so well manured and tilled having their stony hearts melted and their clods of flesh mollified with the beams of the Heavenly light that in some corner thereof hath not this Zizania growing and sprung up as high as the tops of the Corn thereby to teach us that in our best estate and condition we have not whereof to boast The Angels which are the Reapers and the labourers to be sent into the Harvest will find both Tares and Corn growing in the field they are called Labourers to gather the Elect and Reapers to throw the Tares into the fire but both must grow together till the end of the world but I hast to an end of this point The Doctor nor any other must not boast of the Truth of the Church of Rome in this respect for if they make this an absolute Signe then in respect their Popes the Head of that Church and declared it to be above Councels have been wicked it followes that she is not the true Church I must confesse that where this Mark is to be found it is demonstrative of a true Church it is a perswasive argument but no positive signe of a true Church In the twelve Apostles one was a Devil yet God made him the Instrument to bring to passe our Salvation the Devill confessed Christ we must not therefore deny him So then as the wicked practices of Pastors is no absolute condemnation of the truths they shall deliver to others so their uprightnesse of morall conversation is no positive rule to demonstrate the purity of their Faith For upon this Rule Christians Turks Jewes and Pagans may be all of a true Church which is absurd to hold therefore we must not absolutely conclude Rome the true Church upon the score of sanctity of life CHAP. VII That the Church of Rome cannot be reputed and taken for a true Church in respect of Miracles and of her abuse in maintaining Images in the Church THe Doctor is pleased to argue the truth of Romes Church from her miracles and he shewes that he has not travelled beyond Seas for nothing est natura hominum novitatis avida he has been peeping into her Legendary-stories that he might be furnished upon the authority of a traveller to send news to England For my own part I dare not give up my self to such delusions as it is wel known the Church of Rome uses towards the people to gaine their faith to believe in his Holiness the Pope as to credite the most scarce any of her miracles and that the rather for that it has been by experience found out especially in England that most of them were feigned and invented only to cheat the people into a blind obedience and I perswade my self if the Doctor had known as much as I do by the reading of histories in this point which histories may as well chalenge belief as the humane tradions of Rome he would never have insisted upon this mark but as it fares with men that are groping in the dark sometimes to run their heads against posts so the Doctor having forsook the light he was in and as yet being not well acquainted with the windings and stranges mazes that are in the dark cloisters to which he has betaken himself at unawares he dashes his head against the door of miracles which makes him recule with affront but I 'll so much be his friend that I 'll help him to revenge his quarrel I 'll pick the lock and furnish him out of her stores with miraculous knick-knacks It were to make this book swell with impossible trumperies Miracles to report the thousand part of her legendary stories as that Saint Dennis carryed his head in his hand after it was strucken off and of Saint Clement the first who being cast into the Sea with a milstone about his neck the sea forsook the shore three miles and there was found a Chappel ready built where his body was bestowed and many such like stories are to be found in Bozius de Saguius These fictious wonders fill the ears not the hearts of many therefore the Doctor might have done well to have followed Bozius example who finding his grand inventions meet with smal belief in these coasts he runs adrift till he came to Congo Colachina and Japonia and in his return tels of wonders done there and so gaines of some an opinion of belief who will rather seem for satisfaction to the reporter to lead credulous ears to history then upon an unknown score to censure him of falsity wherefore he goes on with their patience to tell them that in these forrain Indies he did but lay the Gospel upon a womans breast and the devil flew from her as if he had been shot out of a gun he but set up
the standard of the cross and an army of horsmen in glittering armor appeared whose harness did dazle the eyes and whose number struck terror into the hearts of the adverse party But here in England they could do no such feats It may be that where people give up themselves to believe in them deceivable wonders their priests as having a power from Hildebrand Gregory the sixth Silvester and the old Magician Popes may do strange wonders as the Doctor confesses folio 253. wonders may be done by the power of Antichrist but certainly such cannot before the eys of true believers in Christ shew any wonders at all And here I desire to remember a story of a Vestal Nun in Spaine which was cryed up for miracles insomuch that when the late King of England King Charles was there he was over-intreated by the Infanta to go to see her it was reported to the King that sometimes she would be lifted up in the aire and be as fresh as a Rose though she was furrowed with age The King came with the Infanta to her but she could not do any one feat before the King though she could never have shewen her miracles in a better time The King was of too strong a faith for her spirit to work upon and therefore could she shew none then crede quod habes habes All the answer I can give to the supposed mark of miracles is that no good Catholique can well deny to credit them for if he believe the Church of Rome to be the only Catholique Church and the Pope the head of the universal Church and sticks to believe these stories strives at a gnat and swallows a Camel let him never leap at blocks and stumble at strawes Yet lest the Doctor should think that I have given up my self to hardness of heart because I am so hard of belief in this point I will shew him my reasons for it I know many of her miracles are false and the Church of Rome hand over head has recorded the false ones with the true ones and as the proverb is We know not how to believe a lyar when he speaks truth The Doctor confesses fol. 253. that all her miracles are not true and if she have Cataloguised the false ones together with the true ones we know not how to distinguish them if I had not the Doctors own confession that some are false yet I should not seem rash to any indifferent man in that I taxe the Church of Rome of false miracles for that her teachery and cozenage in this point hath been detected in this particular it being but held forth to the blind people that they being struck into admiration of their wonderful power might with fear and reverence become devotaries to their miraculous instruments offering freely to those Antique Gods by which cheat the Clergy obtained no small riches Infra 13. ch 113. For proof hereof be pleased to take a veiw of her miraculous images here and hereafter in the chappel of Radcaeus There is a marble Image at the Castle of Saint Angelo in Rome Images to delude the people which when Gregory came in procession with the painted image of the Virgin Mary which he carryed in procession that marble image bowed it self to the image of the Virgin in the presence of the people sung out a loud Allelujah regina caeli letare and thereupon S. Infra 113.13 chap. Gregory made the prayer Ora pro nobis Deum allelujah c. For my part I believe this for belike that image was made like to the image of Saint Grimbald in the Abby of Boxley in Kent which was fastened to a pillar by a private pin and a man stood privately behind the pillar and by plucking out of the pin it might be lifted up by a boy which posture they exercised to any that freely offered and if one came niggardly offering it was immoveable by which trick the people were made believe when the Image would yeeld to be taken up that their sins was pardoned by reason of satisfaction made by their offering There was another Image in the said Abbey which is more neerly comparative with the marble Image of Saint Angelo which was made of such curious contrivings that by certaine wyers a man standing within it might make it frown simile bow nod the head c. by which postures those which came to offer knew when they had made satisfaction for their sin by the pleasantness and acceptance of that carved god or if they were penurious and sparing in their offerings that nimble contrivance of foolery gave them some denotement of his displeasure and the priests were ready to interpret heavy judgements to befall them or by the similes of that image which onely a golden Wyer procured to assure them of Gods mercy towards them and that God signified that to them by his Saint there standing by which Cheat they got no little advantage The like cheating and Idolatry was exercised by means of a Rood at Ashhyrst in Kent and in several other places of this Kingdom of England By which it is evident that the use of Images was not as the Doctor would perswade us onely to put us in mind of the things by them represented but rather to perswade the people they were the very immediat instruments of God to signifie his will unto us did thereby perswade the people into adoration of them And yet lest the Doctor 's Arguments for their retaining in the Church might seem with some to be unanswerable by me should I pass this point so slightly and overly condemning the use of them because they were abused and lest I should run into an errour with those which upon that score cry down Bishops which if as they ought to be are both a shelter and ornament to the Church and in my poor judgement they may as well deny the Apostleship because there was a Judas amongst them I will not therefore from the abuse of any thing utterly condemn all use thereof It rests therefore to examine how far the use of them may be lawful The Science of Painting and Carving is an Art profitable for mans life and is the gift of God Images how far lawful It is profitable to the memorial of things done and to that purpose have the Pictures and Monuments of Noble-men been used through all ages being a grateful memory of those they represent And this Art and Curiosity of Workmanship being an adorning and graceful beautifying of any buildings the Temples in old time were made sumptuous therewith which by the Heathen Persecutors were as the Psalmist witnesses broke down with axes and hammers by the enemies of the Church Yet that amongst those curious Pieces there were any representations of the Godhead it doth not appear but rather the contrary For it is impossible for humane flesh to draw any thing that shall represent God by any corporeal or finite image who is
well as in matters of fact I Know I shall incur the grand displeasure of his Holiness and his pontificial tribe and not altogether please the Doctor in truly laying open some errors of Rome The one will tell me some truths are censured for treason against the triple crown the other will say according to the Proverb Sooth seems not at all times I fear not the censure of the one for I shall as much please him as displease him if I break his head I shall make a plaister of his blood I may displease him in laying open his errors but I shall be his darling whilst in so doing I make his Church visible As for the Doctor I presume when he seriously considers how much we are concerned in this point to lay open Romes errors he will not altogether condemne me for should we in silence pass by and tacitely consent that the church of Rome is infallible in what she maintaines Then it follows we are Hereticks because she sayes so I have partly cleared our selves from this aspersion already it rests now that I prove Rome to have faln into errors and if so according to the Doctors rule folio 210. if sayes he she err in any one point she cannot be prudentially sure of the least tittle she affirmes Mercurius gave the Egyptians laws Je. chall received as he said of the God Mena Licurgus to the Lacedemonians from Apollo Velphicus and Lactantius lib. 1. cap. 15. divinar Institut Minus to the Cretians from Jupiter the Lady Pallas directed the Troâ—ans Caberius the Macedonians Vrania the Carthaginians Phaunus the Latines Juno the Samnites Venus the Paphites and all as they would make us believe proceed from some god or goddess The Turk affirms his Alcaron to have been received from heaven and the Ephesians de Diana sua cogitatarunt eam à Jove delapsam fore Even so doth Rome at this present boast of an infallible Church which to prove she must go to some Heathen Deity or other for as she is a Church militant here upon earth governed by humane flesh and blood and but a particular society or Church and so a member of the Catholique Church comprehensive of all the Elect and Saints of God which have been are or shall be and whereof Christ Jesus is the mystical head she is subject to fall into errors and though she were the See of Peter and that power which Peter received from Christ to be remaining with her which she would faine perswade the world to believe yet notwithstanding she may err For still she is but a particular Church and may err though the universal Church cannot err in respect of Christs Spirit given to her and his promise that she shall continue in her foundation till the end of the world Saint Peter did err after he had received the Holy Ghost Act. 10.34 Saint Peter did err he was of opinion that the Gospel pertained not at all unto the Gentiles untill he was informed by a vision that he should goe to Cornelius for saith he I perceive of a truth that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feares him whether Jew or Gentile and worketh righteousness is accepted with him so that there was a time whilst Peter was in error and Gal. 2.14 he walked not with a right foot according to the light of the Gospel Paul withstood him to his face and this was not for any smal fault or error of conversation as the Doct. would perswade us for Saint Austin against Saint Jerom doth Justifie the reprehension Besides to say it was an error of fact and not of faith were to charge Saint Peter with dissimulation either against his conscience or with it sure he did it not for any worldly respects against his conscience and if he did it because he thought it was his duty in so doing to bear with the weakness of the Jews and to think that a man may dissemble in such a case then it was matter of faith whether a man may in eo casu dissimulare or no therefore his error was a matter of faith not of fact only I need no other Argument to clear this then what the Doctor has himself framed against our proposed difference between fundamentals and not fundamentals in point of error for saith he fol. 88. There is no distinction of points of faith in regard of the object or motive for which we believe namely the truth of God revealed by his Church we being equally bound to believe all that is by her proposed to us whether the matter be great or small Upon this the Doctors argument I infer That the Church having proposed before That the Jews should not eat with the Gentiles Peter did offend against this injunction which he ought to have believed as the truth of God and therefore it was in him an error of faith Before the vision in the 10. of the Acts Peter was not to preach to the Gentiles he was not to communicate to the Gentiles and would not go to Cornelius before that and therefore in the 2 of the Acts when there were men of all Nations and strangers from Rome at Jerusalem and when they every one heard their own language and therefore mocked the Apostles saying They were full of new wine Peter lifted up his voice and corrected the men of Judea that was only them of the circumcision and did not intermeddle with the Gentiles they not belonging to his charge and therefore did Paul reprove him for eating with them Dissoluteness in manners argues unsoundness in opinion though it be in things wherein the Church has not interposed her decree But if she have injoyned a thing to be done or not done though it were indifferent in it self yet her command takes away the indifferency upon the Doctors own rule and therefore Peters offence against the Churches rule was error of faith Shall Peter the blessed Apostle of Jesus Christ be taxed of errors he being here by Saint Paul and in several other places of Scripture reprehended by our Saviour for his failings before he received the Holy Ghost shewing hereby he was a man and after he had received the Holy Ghost doubting to whom the Gospel was to be preached and offending against the injunctions of the Church shewing hereby he was no God and shall the wicked Popes of Rome think much to be taxed of their errors and daily failings I might easily be reprehended for injustice should I bury their errors in silence and publish to the world Saint Peters failings wherefore I must lay open their aberrations to the publique view In prosecution whereof I will not as a private man chalenge them of error but only put them in minde what councels the ancient fathers of the Church and their own latter writers have given them to understand What is the Pope The Pope may err he is no Samuel under the Ephod no Moses on the Mount no Aaron with
Churches and for that it is more probable that they shall decree according to the rule of Scripture which every private man in charity ought to think and therefore to incline himself to follow the rules she shall prepose I will shew how far a Council is Binding It doth not destroy the Church of Christ universally to say that a General Council may err For concerning the true faith of Christ it is already made known by the preaching of the Apostles to most parts of the known world which faith God will have in some part of the world till the dissolution thereof for as I have already said at one instant of time Christs Church shall not be universally invisible The Councils of Laterane By the erring of the General Councils the universal Church doth not err Trent Milan and Nice may err from the faith they had formerly received But this doth not prove a universal falling away and any other Councel that of latter times hath been cannot assure it self upon the promise of Christ's Spirit that it is infallible because not collective of all parts where the faith of Christ is preached which if it were so collective it argued infidelity of any private Church to distrust their rules For in such a condion as they are representive of the universal Church they have the same Spirit with them the Apostles had and though but men yet by vertue of that Spirit became infallible in their judicial decrees of Articles and Rules of faith But such a Council was never gathered since the Council of Jerusalem therefore the later Councils being but representive of particular Churches as those particular Churches may err so these Councils may err For as much as since the Apostles Councils Who shall tax the Councils of errors there was never any Council which was collective of the universal Church and so had the assurance of Christs Spirit It is requisite that every provincial who by suffragan vote is not represented there shall examine within his own jurisdiction how the rules of such Council agree to the Scriptures which he is already assured are of the Holy Ghost and in themselves prime verities and to walk according as Gods Spirit shal give him to understand those Scriptures he being within his own charge and territory made a dispensor of those sacred oracles and as for any private man he is to be guided by the rules of the particular Church of which he is a member without openly taxing his mother-Church of error I do not infer hereby that because there has not lately been How provincials are bound by a collective Councel or because that it is very difficult if not impossible to have a general Council collective of all Christian Churches that therefore every provincial Council has the same efficacy of decreeing that a General Council collective of many provinces hath For according to the Council of Antioch 14. Can. and Carthage 19. Can. I approve of provincials appealing one to another to decide controversies and to bring the the neighbor provinces into unity of faith that they may support one another by keeping the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of peace Ephes 4. and that it is convenient that such provincicals as are represented in such a Council should acquiesce in the result of that council so convened but not to conclude that such councils are infallible for that because they proceed upon humane judgements not being assured of the Holy Ghost by Christs promise to his Church in respect they are not a perfect representation of that Catholique Church and as the Scripture is to be the guide to any Council so more especially shall it be a rule to others by which the absent provincials are to examine the rules of that Council As for the several provincials and Sees then by suffragan vote represented I hold it fit for them to acquiesce in the result of such a collective Council wherefore for the further illustration of this point I hold it necessary to add a Chapter of the constitutions of Councils thereby the better to lay open this point of Romes errors in her ascribing to her See infallibility CHAP. X. Wherefore general Councils are called of their power that they are above the Pope and how they are of later times by the abuses of the Pope made of none effect I Look upon a general Council with that respect and reverence The conveniency of Ceneral Councils that I account her the Bulwark of Christian Churches the Tower of defence against the enemies thereof the hill whereon Christs City is built in whose heavenly top ariseth a fountain of unity which sends forth such irresistible streams that with the advantage of that Rise from whence they descend they beat back any muddy inundations of error which Satan the prince of the aire sends down to trouble her channels and notwithstanding any rubbish which by his industry shall be cast in their ways to dam and straiten their course they with the supplies they receive from this inexhaustible source beat down those malicious obstructions and in spight of all opposition of evil angels smoothly glide away unto the pacifick sea I look upon her as a bundle of arrows not easily broke from whose quiver the particular Churches are compleatly armed to resist the fiery darts of Satan In brief I honor respect love and in all humility reverence her and when I consider her in her right constitution I hold my self obliged in a tye of indispensible obedience to conform and submit to whatsoever rules of faith she shall constitute and appoint I account her the mother of the particular Churches there represented betwixt whom there is an harmonious intercourse of reciprocal love and duty she to acquit her obligations provides for her daughters their portions food raiment Heavenly Manna Christ's seamless coate and her daughters to discharge their duty return her a tribute of honor and obedience Thus and no otherwise do I look upon her These are her just and proper attributes and who without regret can consider that this beauteous Lady the mistris and mother of us all should through adulteries and her late Apostacies have dethroned her self from this her so glorious and Celestial estate she to forsake her husband Christ and to go a whoring after her own inventions by which she has contracted such black spots of lepresie upon her ruddy cheeks that she is no more white and ruddy the fairest of ten thousand she is no more the beloved of Christ and the fairest amongst women she with the Jews has chosen Barabbas and cast off her husband Christ her inner roomes are the chambers of death into which Solomon enters and commits fornication with her She has taken the divels counsel and thrown her self from off the Pinacles of the Temple and forsaking the house of the Lord she has erected a house which is the way unto the Grave her house tendeth to death and her paths unto
the dead and for this cause many of her former daughter-Churches are become strangers to their mothers womb and have withdrawn that tribute of honor and reverence which they formerly ascribed to her and give it to that Nurse and foster-mother who with indulgent care le ts her suck from her brests the sincere milke of the word humbly complaining unto the General Council Sal. Song 5.17 Oh thou fairest among women whither is thy well-beloved gone whither is thy well-beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee Return return O Shulamite return that we may behold thee Solomons Song 6.12 The unkindness of this our natural mother By whom Councels are to be called charmed my senses into stupefaction and made me dwell too long upon her admiring her unnaturalness of which I could wish I had no ground or proof But lest my bold assertions against this reverend Lady might with some finde no credit and with others be accounted the evaporations of a revengeful spirit I will lay open her digression and acquit my self from all aspersions of slander The stile of a General Council runs thus Jussu Imperatoris fraternitatis nostrae coetus est adventus as may appear by several records of ancient Councils and by what follows The Emperor in General Councils of the West and every prince respectively within his province and dominions is supream head of Ecclesiastical affaires as I have already proved in the fourth Chapter and has right to collate to Bishops to call Councils and to reform the Church c. I do not mean hereby that he should determine judicio definitivo to resolve what is sound divinity so to impose that upon men for faith which he defines to be so But the Civil Magistrate may Infra 142.14 chap. judicio exequutivo or by right of jurisdiction and ought to command the profession of faith determined and decreed by the Church he is supream and has the sword that he should not bear it in vaine and as the head in the body is reliquorum membrorum imperator so he is the guide and director of other members to enjoyn Church-officers and others the discharge of their several duties and to punish their negligence and contempt and to deny this to him is to make him no longer a nursing father but pinching suppressor at least a cold-hearted favorer of the Church As then the Civil Magistrate is supreme head and governor Infra 14. chap. 149. 10. chap 76. of which more at large in the 14 Chapter to him of right it belongs to call a Council for the correcting of sin and schisme otherwise to what purpose should there be any Council at all sith that nothing there decreed can be put into practice without the approbation and allowance of the Civil Magistrate who onely has the corrective power to enjoyn obedience to what shall be there decreed Saint Austin sayes that it is the duty of Kings to command not only in matters pertaining the state of men but the Religion of God also and Saint Ambrose though he was against the Emperor to allow him power as Judge of Doctrine by determining points of faith yet he did not intrench upon his other Civil power he being to have obedience performed him as well of the Temporal as Ecclesiastical persons and to punish the negligence of the Clergy if they shall make rules of faith and not themselves observe them the King or Civil Magistrate being hereunto ordained to punish the offences and miscarriages of his people and is therefore said supreme omnis sub ipso ipse subâ—nullo nisi tantuÌ„ sub Deo nor is he bound to give an account for his so doing saving to God alone by whom he decrees justice and this Saint Ambrose allowes in his Comment upon the 50 Psalme Against the O Lord onely have I offended said David Blind Homer in his Iliads could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and will not the holy father of Rome being full of visibility vouchsafe to reflect thus much upon Kings and Princes if he will not it behooves the Temporal powers which have the sword to look to their charge and by the examples of David Hezekiah and Josiah to punish wicked Priests and to let them know that their power is from God and let them withall take this caution to themselves as they have that power from God God will require an account from them how they use that power either through negligence or wilfully turning the power of justice into unequal tyranny But this by the way I return to the subject point in hand That the General Councils of the Western Empire were of Right to be called by the Emperor The Emperor or Civil Magistrate may of right summon a Councel Infra 10 chap. fol. 76. ante 36.4 chap. it doth plainly appear by these ensuing presidents The first Council of Nice was called by the Emperor Constantine as Marsilius dict 2. cap. 21. and Theodosius the Elder called the first Council of Constantinople The Ephesine Council was called by Theodosius the yonger at the earnest request of Celestine Bishop of Rome and Cyrill Bishop of Alexandria and the Council of Chalcedon ex decreto piissimorum imperatorum Valentiniain Marciani congregatus as the preface to that Council plainly witnesses and Marsilius in his 2. dict 20. cap. who wrote above 320 yeers since sayes that though the Popes then did call some General Councils it was not of right that the Pope with his Cardinals should do so It is true that for order sake and for honor to the City of Rome her Bishop is president in the Council he being by the Council of Constantinople made prime Bishop in honor to the City of Rome and in after times by Phocas was made universall yet for all that he never challenged any supremacy of power as to this point of calling Councils till long after onely hereby enjoyed a primacy of order which would it satisfie him I believe few would gainsay it But for the power and priviledge of summoning a General Council it still notwithstanding this remained unquestioned in the Civil Magistrate And whereas it is alleadged by a president of Saint Ambrose that the Bishop had power to convene a Council and not the Prince I shall cleer that objection and plainly prove that it makes nothing for the Bishops of Romes purpose Saint Ambrose denyed to dispute with Auxentius the Arrian before Valentinian in the Consistory Saint Ambrose denial to dispute before Valentinian proves not the power to call Councels to be in â—he Pope and shews his reasons for it he doth not positively deny but layes down his reasons why he cannot venissem imperator c. Epist lib. 5. he had come but for these reasons 1. Because the Emperor was a young man not then in the faith of the Trinity being brought up an Arrian and having made a law for the Arrian doctrine Tolle legem si vis esse certamen saith
which she would derive all her power and jurisdictions doth therefore teach the people this tradition under paine of Anathema That Jesus met Peter as he was going out of Rome and the steps of their feet as they two stood talking have left an impression in the place which remaines to this day Now let a man examine the Scriptures and he shall find Saint Peter himself witness against this tradition in the third of the Act. 21. where he says That Christ ascended and the heavens shall containe him till he come which coming is called his second coming to Judgement according to the Article of the Apostles Creed and therefore that he should be bodily there with Peter so bodily as to leave the impression of his footsteeps is against Saint Peters own saying against the whole current of the Scriptures and against the Apostles Creed So I referr this to the Reader whether to believe Saint Peter himself or his pretended successor in this point It may be that Peter might see Christ in a vision as Stephen did Act. 7. but not bodily for that he is there in heaven whom the heavens must containe till all things be dissolved Another tradition the church of Rome teaches How that in the Church of the Fryers minors at Rome is a picture of the Virgin Mary drawn by Saint Luke which Gregory carrying in procession in the time of a Plague the Plague ceased and they taught the people that it was by our Ladyes meanes for the honor done to her Image and so ascribe that to her which is due unto the Lord God he correcting by Judgements and out of his goodness extending his mercy as seems best to his divine wisdome and hereby they neglect that duty God has enjoyned them in that they did flye to the Lady Mary for succor in that day of their visitation whenas God has commanded them to call upon him in the day of trouble and he will hear them The Papists likewise teach that in the Church of Sebastian in Rome an Angel appeared to Saint Gregory as he was saying Mass at the Altar of Saint Sebastian and said to him these words In this place there is true remission of all sins brightness and light everlasting joy and gladness without end And this favours of Atheisme to affirme that on earth there can be light everlasting as if the world should never have an end which is contrary to Scripture for that they plainly affirm an utter dissolution of all things 2 Pet. 3. And Saint Matthew witnesses How that at the end of the world the Sun shall be turned into darkness and the Moon and the Stars shall lose their light the Stars shall fall from Heaven and the powers of the Heavens shall be shaken They likewise teach that in the Church of Calixius is the Altar whereon Saint Peter said Mass which is not probable in respect he never mentions it in Scripture nor Saint Luke that ever he used any such thing besides the sacrifice of the Altar is against the Scripture as may appear in the sixteenth Chapter The Church of Rome likewise teaches that in the Church of Saint Johns the Lateran in Rome is a Chappel called the Sacrists wherein is remission of all sins both à poena culpa and that not far from the same Chappel is an ascent of thirty two steps which were the same Christ went up when he went before Pilate and were brought from Hierusalem thither and that whosoever ascends those steps for every step he hath a hundred yeers of pardon which is contrary to the Scriptures Matth. 1.21 It is Jesus that must save his people from their sins and the whole Scriptures witness that by his stripes we are healed it is his blood that is shed for many for the remission of their 〈◊〉 It is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Joh. 1.29 Neither is there salvation in any other Act. 4.12 and through his name all that believe shall receive remission of sins Act. 10.43 he being for that end sent into the world 1 Tim. 1.29 which gave himself for our sins that he might redeem us out of this present evil woâ—ld Gal. 1. and is a reconciliation for our 〈◊〉 1 Joh. 4. without which we are not cleansed his blood onely being our remission Hebr. 9. Wherefore how â—bominable is this Romish tradition which is for no other end but to cozen people out of their money who for the pardon to be received by going up those steps must liberally disâ—urse to his holiness use who more thinks upon that private advantage then Christian-like considers how by â—hat tradition he makes the death of Christ in vaine With many such like traditional stories doth the Church of Rome delude her blind votaries which I blush to repeate and will rather send the Reader to her own Legends where he shall finde great store of these Papal knocks then that I should be the â—uthor to discover these her fopperies which I rather wish were not at all then to her shame to be remembered For my part I honour Rome as the metropolis of Europe and her Church as being at first of Apostolical faith and doctrine and do heartily wish that these late gross absurdities I finde repeated of her were not true that so we might embrace her as one sister and might together serve the true and everliving God who is a Spirit and will be worshiped in Spirit and in Truth and that we might together keep the unity of Spirit in the bond of Peace for GOD is not the Author of confusion but of Peace as we see in all the Churches of the Saints Thus Reader I have briefly run through most part of the Doctors book and though I have not observed the very same method the Doctor has followed yet many of his Chapters being to one and the same purpose as who please to peruse his book will finde it true I have couched an answer to most material parts thereof in what I have formerly writ and now I am come to his twentieth Chapter which is concerning the Popes headship Now for that I have given answer to this in the second Chapter in relation to his universality it may be thought by some needless to treat any further thereof in relation to his spiritual jurisdiction and for that the Doctor hath not at all treated of his Temporal power it may be others be thought extravagant in me to add a Chapter concerning that particular Yet because that the Pope is bolstered up in this point by vertue of his Spiritual headship by many who extend it generally as well over temporalties as spiritualties And for that the Doctor having formerly treated of Romes Catholickship and of her universality and of her being the onely Catholick Church yet notwithstanding adds this twenteth Chapter of the Popes headship and for that as I said this headship is by same extended unto Temporalties I crave pardon to add this ensuing Chapter
and that the rather because I will therein give a brief account of the state of the Popes and of the means and wayes by which they have grown to the present height of jurisdiction they now exercise as well over other Churches as over Princes and in that respect it may serve for an answer to the Doctors twentieth additional Chapter without incurring a just censure of an absolute digression from the subject matter of the Doctors discourse CHAP. XIV That the Pope hath no power to depose any Prince although an Heretick That Bishops are not equal with Kings and that the antient practice of Rome's church was against this neither claiming the same in Spiritual or Temporal capacities THe Pope of Rome claimes to be Peters successor and by vertue thereof to be Christs Vice-general universal father of the Church the onely dispensor of Apostolick Benedictions and supreme head of the Catholick Church these are the titles and appellations by which he desires to be distinguished that by these it may be known he is dignified above all the Clergy upon earth I have in the second Chapter given some satisfaction concerning the unjustness of this his claime yet I might admit him what he here desires to be thought to be and notwithstanding prove that that power of jurisdiction will not extend to a warrant his busie intermedling in temporal affaires much less be a sufficient warrant for his dethroning of any Prince or Potentate or disobliging his people and subjects from their obedience and duty to such civil Magistracy as is set over those people to rule and govern them In prosecution of this matter I will first treat of the power of Kings and Bishops in general then examine the Popes power in particular Kings are called sons of the most high Of the prerogative of Kings 2 Sam. 7.14 Gods on earth Psal 82.6 All people are to obey them in all they command Josh 1.28 They have their Commission from Almight God by me Kings reign Prov. 8.15 and Rom. 13. Their wrath is as the roaring of a Lyon Prov. 19.12 And if they transgress none is to question them Psal 51.4 Lyranus upon this Psalm says David had sinned against God alone as a Judge to punish him for being a King he had no superior to punish him and yet he had sinned against Vriah causing him to be murdered but as to be punished he crys out unto the Lord Against thee only have I done this evil And herewith agree Saint Ambrose de Apolog. David cap. 10. pag. 386. and Hugo Cardinalis upon that Psalm Kings shall bear rule and exercise dominion Luk. 22. He is the Minister of God to take vengeance on them that do evil The whole Scripture magnifies the majesty power and dominion of Kings which it witnesses to be given to those absolute Monarches and Kings mentioned in Scripture even by God himself that power which they had being of God Rom. 13. And none should say unto them What dost thou As for Priests it is plain by the Scripture that those under the Law were to offer sacrifice for the sins of the people Of the Office of Bishops 1 Chron. 9.2 Heb. 9.6 5.1 Gods Covenant with them was of life peace and that their lips should preserve knowledge Malach. 2.4 And the Priests under the Gospel are a holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2.5 they are commanded to pray for all men 1 Tim. 2. For Kings and all that be in authority and Peter the prime Apostle was commanded to follow Christ who left him an example of suffering and obedience which S. Peter himself witnesses to the world 1 Pet. 2.21 For hereunto are ye called for Christ also suffered for us leaving us an ensample that yee should follow his steps From all which places of Scripture may be deduced these conclusions Kings are representatives of God the Father to them is given all power and dominion to rule and command Priests are the lively Images of Christ to whom he has left his precept of humility to be obedient and serve To Kings is left authority to punish evil doers to Priests to pray for all men even their own oppressors not to recompence evil for evil Rom. 12.17 Kings are to use the material sword for vengeance Priests the spiritual sword the Word to make supplication for all Saints Eph. 6.18 Kings are not to be rebuked Priests are to suffer with patience Kings sit in Gods throne Priests serve at his Altar Kings are Angels of God 2 Sam. 14.20 Priests are the Embassadors of Christ beseeching us in Christs stead to be reconciled unto God Yet Kings though they be thus exalted and superintendent over all they have an especial charge to respect the Priests and hearken unto them Num. 27.21 And it is the duty of Priests to reverence them 2 Chro. 13. Priests pay their tribute of obedience and duty but Kings are to recompence it with respect and love The power of the Priest over the people ceased when Saul was King and yet Saul was to hearken to Samuel The Majesty of the one must not despise the humility of the other the King as I said is the Minister of Justice the Priests the Messengers of Mercy These two must not clash against each other but with Princely David ought with harmonious concurrence of spirit to sing of mercy and judgement mercy and truth to meet together righteousness and peace to kiss each other For as there is a Noli me tangere for the one Touch not mine anointed so there is a precept of preservation for the other Do my prophets no harm There is a general tye laid upon all Let every soul be subject to the higher powers wherein the Ministers of the Gospel are included and likewise there is a rule of obedience prescribed to all Heb. 13. Obey them that have the oversight of you for that they watch for your souls c. wherein Princes are not exempted Which shews that Princes are to hearken to their word and doctrine and to be courteous to them and not to grieve the holy Spirit of God Eph. 4. and they are to be obedient to Princes for that they bear not the sword in vain So that these two seem to have a mutual dependencie each on other the Priest must exhort with sound doctrine to which obedience must be given upon paine of damnation and the King may enjoyn the practice of that or any other rule of faith agreeable to the word of God which the Bishop likewise upon the same paine is bound to observe onely here is the difference in point of variance betwixt King and Priest the King is above the Priest to execute Judgement the Priest being bound to obey not to rule which is no confusion of the Ecclesiastical estate they being hereunto ordained to suffer for Christs sake when it shall please God for their sins or the sins of the people to
to the voice of his Priests calling unto him in truth and sincerity yet where he is an absolute Prince he is not to be called to an account by them or the people who have submitted themselves to be governed by him but in such a case Preces lachrymae sunt arma Ecclesiae according as S. Ambrose witnesses in his Orat. contr Auxent l. 5. And this was the practice of the Priests under the Law and according to Christ's own practice whilst he was upon the earth and according to the precepts he left to his Apostles for them to walk by and according to the Rules of those Apostles prescribed to others as examples for their imitation and according to the ancient practice of the Primitive Church So that for the Pope upon any pretence to dethrone Kings is not warrantable but utterly against all truth recommended unto us by these faithful witnesses Christ Jesus our Saviour the onely Son of the ever-living God King of heaven and Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek being both King Priest and Prophet denied all Kingship in this world Joh. 1â— 36 He was by the Jews called Jesus of Nazareth king of the Iews partly in scorn partly to justifie their putting him to death pretending he wronged Cesar and hereunto forging false witnesses Luk. 23. did give him that title But Christ in this was innocent he never wronged Cesar but commanded his Tribute and those things that belonged to Cesars to be given to Cesar Matth. 22. Shall Christ Jesus a Priest a King and a Prophet give tribute to Cesar and will not the Bishop of Rome allow it Shall the Jews be so tender of Cesars right though an Heathen and but the second over them and that by Conquest that they would not spare Christ himself upon pretence that he should call himself King and will not his Holiness vouchsafe that Christian Kings and Princes may enjoy their Rights and Prerogatives He may plead for his excuse herein the Heathens Apophthegm Si jus violandum est certe regnandi causa violandum est and by that Rule adorn his own Temples if his triple Turbant be not weight enough with all the Crowns upon earth But I am sure he cannot plead any Christian practice or president either out of the Old or New Testament to warrant his action He must not think that that late invention of the Jesuites forged upon the Anvile of their own brain to please their master his Holiness to wit That after a King is excommunicated he ceases to be a King and no subjects owe obedience to such an heretical Prince will be a sufficient excuse for his dethroning any such an one Aquinas Papists Objections for the Popes power to dethrone and a Councel of Laterane have adhered to this distinction and did to justifie their opinion cite for an evidence and proof the example of Hildebrand against H. 4. To which I answer De facto ad jus non valet consequentia Aquinas was 1200 yeers after Christ and was the Popes vassal and overtaken with the errors of his time and he did not alleadge any warrant from the Scripture for this his opinion and therefore being a thing of novelty upon the Papists own rules is to be rejected As for the Councel of Laterane Councel of Laterane call'd 1215 which set Popes above Kings it was called at the beck of Innocent the third he being at that time at odds with the Emperour Otho with John King of England with Peter King of Arragon the Earl of Tholouse and divers others and at that time this Juncto consisting of eight hundred Covent-Friars and their Vicars who ought not to have sate there to please their great master overcame four hundred Bishops not with strength of Reason but Voices where he likewise was with his Court to over-awe them And therefore when any thing of Papal interest is to be passed by Councel this place is ever pitched upon as most convenient for that his Holiness is at hand either with fair means to allure or with threats to force the opposers to condescend to his desires Hence was it that in a Councel here anno 1056 Pope Nicolas the second was not afraid to broach the doctrine of Transubstantiation And here Pope Innocent the third did ratifie that doctrine And here first was hatched that other tenent of the Popes Supremacie over Councels Wherefore this being a Laterane-Decree â—it ought to be of the less credit and that the rather because the thing in question was the Popes own parâ—cular case who being at that present in open defiance against those Princes it was for flattery to the Pope and for necessity of State thereby to divert many from joyning with those Princes against his Holiness who if the differences amongst them were not appeased were like to sit too heavie upon his Holiness skirts declared that his Holiness was above kings And for this they instance the president of Hildebrand's excommunicating H. 4. and his successor Paschalis deposing him Now these things considered I leave it to the Reader whether to give credit to that Councel or the Councel of Mentz which deposed all the Clergie which joyned with Hildebrand it being an unwarrantable act in Hildebrand to oppose the Emperour and was by Sigebert called Novellum Schisma and Sigebert wrote above five hundred yeers since and therefore according to the Papists rules that which is later is less to be credited in those points wherein it differs from the ancient profession And sith there is no warrant from Scripture for the decree of this Councel or the opinion of Aquinas I hope there is no judicious Christian but will adhere to that of Mentz and not in his judgement approve of the Laterane Councel which was of more puisne time and strave in all things to please the Pope and that the rather because Otho Frisigensis lib. 6. cap. 35. and Vincentius and divers others concurred with Sigebert and the Councel of Mentz in this opinion whose resolutions in this point are grounded on Gods Word but the Decree of Laterane on mans will and therefore none may submit his judgement to be deluded with the erroneous and unwarranted decrees thereof The Jesuites therefore thinking this too weak a prop to support so weighty a Potentate as they would fain make his Holiness to be Objections out of the Old Testament answered wave their confidence in this and flee to their last refuge to wrest and abuse the Scriptures under pretence of Ecclesiastick power of interpretation and therefore they cite some presidents out of the Old Testament which they mis-apply and would fain have them mis-understood As for example They would prove by the examples of Saul Jeroboam Joash Athaliah and Ahab being put from their kingdom by the High-Priests to be a warrant for the Popes dethroning of what Prince he pleaseth to account wicked Whenas those presidents rightly understood make nothing for the Popes pretended power herein but rather
significantly there present then they agree with us but if really in the bread then we do not concur in opinion with them for the reasons afore in pare rehearsed and for other reasons hereafter following I might instance many particular reasons against this Romish errour of Transubstantiation as that 1. Nothing was broken eaten drunken and chawed but the accidents of the body because they deny the bread and wine to be the visible elements which is against Reason and all authority or else if they will have a body there That it is without accidents and so they must either make accidents without substances or substances without accidents 2. When the bread mouldeth and turneth into worms or the wine sowreth or turneth into vinegar it is the bread mouldeth and the wine that sowreth Christ is the same yesterday to day and for ever Therefore are the bread and wine substantially there and if they were but accidents then no body could be made thereof as worms or material vinegar 3. Let a dog or cat c. eat of that bread and he is nourished thereby which could not be if the substance remained not 4. The Scripture calleth them bread and wine after consecration which are names of substance not of accidents which if substance remained not it were a meer illusion of our senses and so we with the Jews make Christ a Jugler making things appear to our outward senses which are not 5. The Sacrament had a beginning and hath an end put to it it is to be received in remembrance of Christs death till he come and then to cease Wherefore there can be no real transubstantiated presence of Christ for he is from eternity to eternity 6. If there be a transubstantiated body of Christ then is Christ every day new made and as many Wafers as many Christs which is impossible for his substantial body to be in several places either in the several Wafers or the several places of consecration at one and the same instant of time 7. This doctrine doth impugn the consent of the ancient Catholike Church which de fide professeth and believeth Christ to be made of the nature and substance of his blessed mother and therefore not every day to be made anew of the substance of bread and wine for if it were so then the same body that was crucified is not eaten or else that body which was crucified was made of bread and wine which is flat blasphemy against the holy Ghost by whose operation Christ was made and born of the flesh of his mother and suffered upon the Cross for the salvation of all believers Which Christ is no otherwise joyned to the elements in this Sacrament but Sacramentally as the holy Ghost in Baptism is joyned to the water not that the holy Spirit is made of the substance of the water or the water turned into the holy Ghost 8. It is against the express Scripture and Symbole of Faith grounded upon that Scripture which teaches that Christ concerning his body and humane nature is in heaven We believe that he was conceived of the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead buried that he descended into hell the third day he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father from whence he shall come to judge both quick and dead Christ said to his disciples I leave the world Joh. 16. and Mat. 26. Ye shall ever have poor folks with you but me ye shall not have always Mark 16. He was taken up into heaven and sits at the right hand of his Father Col. 1.3 Heb. 8. and Heb. 10. He sits continually at the right hand of God And Saint Peter Act. 3. faith that the heavens shall contain him until the time that all things shall be restored And Christ himself gave warning of this errour aforehand in Matth. 24. saying The time will come when there shall be many deceivers in the world which shall say Here is Christ and there is Christ but believe them not Thus the whole current of the Scripture makes against this Romish errour of Transubstantiation And because the Papists may not object against us that it is a novel interpretation or our mis-understanding of Scripture in this point I will make it manifest that the Primitive Church never taught this doctrine of Transubstantiation but were utterly against it as may appear by the testimony of these ancient Fathers Origen upon Matthew Tract 33. The Fathers against Transubstantiation saith Christ hath two natures God and Man as God he is with us always unto the end of the world as man he is not He is gone hence and absent in his Humanity but is always present in his Divinity S. Austin in his Epist 55. ad Dardanium Christ as concerning his Manhood is now there from whence he shall come to judge both quick and dead and as he ascended so shall he come in the self-same form and substance to the which he gave immortality but thereby did not change the nature Now saith he after this form we must not say that he is everywhere for we must take heed saith he that we do not so stablish his Divinity that we take away the verity of his body Cyril upon S. John lib. 6. cap. 14. Christ took away from hence the presence of his body but in the majesty of his Godhead he is everywhere he according to his promise is with his disciples even unto the end of the world S. Ambrose upon Luke lib. 10. cap. 24. We must not seek Christ upon earth but in heaven where he sits at the right hand of God And S. Gregory in Hom. Pasch saith Christ is not here in the presence of his flesh and yet as he is God he is absent nowhere by the presence of his majestie all unanimously and Apostolike being of one consent in this that Christ as touching his humanity is onely in heaven at the right hand of God And particularly these Fathers following are absolutely against this very point of Transubstantiation Justinus The Fathers against Transubstantiation an ancient Writer and holy Martyr who wrote about an hundred yeers after Christ in his second Apologie saith that the bread and wine in the Sacrament are not to be taken as other meats and drinks be they being purposely ordained to give thanks to God in and therefore be called Eucharistia and be called the body and blood of Christ and yet the same meat and drink be changed into our flesh and blood and nourish our bodies By which it is plain that the substance of the elements remain because saith he they are changed into flesh and blood and nourish our bodies Irenaeus contr Valent. lib. 1. c. 4. who wrote about 150 yeers after Christ and was a disciple of Polycarpus who was a disciple of John the Evangelist says The bread wherein we give thanks to God hath two things
the Evangelists who witness with one consent that Christ took the Bread and also or after the same manner he took the Cup we must not say that he took the Bread or the Cup for so we destroy the Sacrament as being of incertainty and having no certain ground either for its institution or the precept for the administring thereof Wherefore for the Doctor here to construe and or is to multiply contradictions and so his reason is become invalid in respect that the general scope of the Scripture is that this Sacrament is to be administred under both kinds therefore it is more safe to construe those few places where Sacramental Bread alone is mentioned without the Cup to be understood of the whole Sacrament rather then in many places to wrest and into or For the mentioning of Bread onely doth not exclude the Cup negatively but rather according to Cyprians speech by the naming of part of the action the whole is to be understood and herewith agreeth Saint Paul 1 Cor. 10.17 And we that are many are one bread and one body because we are all partakers of one bread We must not think that because here Saint Paul names bread onely that therefore the Corinthians did not communicate in the cup for that is against the precedent verse where he saies The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ and the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ Besides in the ensuing Chapter he enjoyns both to be received and that to the people so that where the breaking of Sacramental bread is onely mentioned we are not thereby to exclude the cup for the Hebrew phrase is under the breaking of bread to signifie the whole feast as in the Prophet Esay Frangere esurientis panem is as well to give drink as bread Besides should we admit of any other construction as that when bread is mentioned alone thereby to understand communion in one kind we should in that change Saint Luke in Act. 2. to teach contrary to the practice of Christ and the rest of the Apostles which did both receive and deliver to the people under both kinds which were an impious and presumptuous charge Wherefore let the Church of Rome for shame confess her errors herein and let her not longer wrest mangle and misconstrue Scripture contrary to Christs rules herein contrary to the sense of the Primitive Church and contrary to the judgement and practice of the antient Fathers and her own antient Bishops and that but for self-interest to maintain a new doctrine of her own framing taken up upon a light score and never heard of or believed in the Church for a thousand years after Christ and let her confess the truth with us herein by which means she shall neither alter the sense nor wrest any particular word to maintain her doctrine herein and if she will not for unitie sake and for communion with us yet for avoiding an absurdity against her own principles let her never construe that place of Luke to signifie an entire Sacrament for then she makes the whole Sacrament onely breaking of bread and destroyes Transubstantiation As for the Doctor if he be not herewith satisfied but that he will persist notwithstanding that it must be understood of communion in one kind and furthermore to maintain that opinion will here construe and for or I must tell him that he has hereby wiped off one error which he elswhere fol. 337. taxed our Translators with 1 Cor. 11.27 which if it be mis-translated it makes nothing for communion in one kind but whether we receive the one or the other that we should take heed to receive with due reverence so Heavenly a banquet and it doth further illustrate to us that though we receive the bread worthily yet if we receive the cup unworthily we are guilty of the body and blood which is an argument and indeed an absolute proof that they both make but a perfect Sacrament of the body and blood therefore I encline to think with the Doctor that it is a corruption in our printed Bibles rendring and for or I find it various from the old copies and I will not presume upon the Doctors rule to justifie it however it is something excusable for that in the very same Chapter 26 28 and 29. verses eating the bread and drinking the cup is expressed and not eating the bread or drinking the cup which upon the Doctors rule for avoiding contradiction should be construed or but whether it be taken or or and yet notwithstanding it makes nothing for the Popish communion in one kind The Doctor layes down for the Priests receiving in both kinds Of the sacrifice offered upon the Altar by the Priest because he offers up a sacrifice I will therefore a little consider of that I hope I shall give satisfaction to any reasonable soul that the Priest and the people offer up one and the same sacrifice and if so then by the Doctors rule they are to receive in both kinds because saith he Christs sacrifice upon the Cross is not perfectly represented but by both kinds as it was prefigured in Melchizedek's sacrifice of bread and wine For the better explaining of this point it is to be understood that there are two kinds of sacrifices one is a perpetual sacrifice pacifying Gods wrath whereby mercy and forgiveness of sins is obtained which is onely the death of Christ prefigured by the sacrifices under the Law The other is a sacrifice of laud and thanksgiving which doth not reconcile us unto God but is offered up of such as be already reconciled unto him by faith in him which is the reconciliation for our sins even Christ Jesus By the first Christ offered us unto the Father by the second we offer our selves and all that we have unto him and his Father according as David sayes Psal 50. A sacrifice to God is a contrite heart and Hebr. 13. Alwaies we offer up to God a sacrifice of laud and praise by Jesus Christ and Saint Peter saith of all people that they are A holy Priest-hood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ The Papists object that saying of Saint Paul Heb. 9. Every High-priest is ordained to offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins To prove thereby their sacrifice of the Altar offered up in their Mass which who please to read may plainly discover that that saying is meant of the Priests under the Law who did offer Bullocks and Goats for the sins of the people and therefore in the old Testament such sacrifices are sometimes called Propitiatory sacrifices being indeed but shaddows and types of Christs sacrifice which was to come which was the true and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world wherefore in the very same Chapter S. Paul saith it were impossible our sins should be taken away by the blood of Oxen and Goats verse 1â— By
in that service as it is made manifest in the ensuing Chapter The humble confession of all penitent hearts their acknowledging of Christs benefits their thanksgiving for the same their faith and consolation in Christ their humble submission to his will is a sacrifice of laud and prayse acceptable unto God no less then the sacrifice of the Priest Christ did not ordain this Sacrament that any one might receive it for another but that every one for himself is to be made partaker of this mystery of his salvation For as one may not be baptized for another for the Godfathers answering for the child say he hath faith because he hath the Sacrament of faith by the outward element of water which as it self cleanseth so the childe thereby is born again of water and of the Spirit to newness of life Baptism the infant spiritually receiving regeneration by the outward element of the water according to the effectual working of the holy Spirit unto newness of life the infant being thereby made a member of Christ by faith in Jesus given unto him in that Sacrament of Baptism So may not one receive this holy Sacrament for another Let every man be baptized Act. 2. here is spiritual regeneration to every man by himself And Mat. 26. Christ said to the multitude Take and eat and drink ye all of this and here is spiritual growth and living in Christ every man by himself and by this means we that are many branches become one Vine being baptized into one Spirit and all made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 Whereas the Doctor urges that those words Drink ye all of this were spoken to the Apostles and that therefore the cup is not to be given to the people He might as well conclude they shall not have the bread because Christ gave that to his Apostles whereas all Divines agree that what was spoken to them was thereby meant of the whole Church upon earth which are all the Saints of God upon earth of particular Churches whensoever assembled into a Society which is manifest by S. Paul who delivered to the Corinthians that which he had received formerly of the Lord Jesus to wit both the bread and the cup enjoyning every one to examine himself and so let him eat and so let him drink By which it is plain that it was to be delivered to the people in both kindes And if one kinde had been sufficiently significant of Christs flesh and blood offered by himself upon the Cross for our redemption sure Christ would never have added the cup as part of that Sacrament thereby to signifie his blood if already it had been sufficiently signified in the bread Wherefore unless the Papists will charge Christ to be superfluous in his institution of this Sacrament they must allow the cup unto the people as well as bread and both as well as one Lastly the Doctor would justifie the change of the Church of Rome in this particular upon the authority of the Church given by Christ to his Apostles so to do And for this he urges S. Austin who was dead five hundred and fifty yeers before ever this doctrine of Rome was heard of S. Austin stood much for the significancie of the bread and wine that this Sacrifice was but a representation of Christs Sacrifice and that which you see on the Altar or Table is the bread and the cup which your eyes shew you is the wine but saith he faith sheweth that that bread is the body and that cup is the blood of Jesus Christ It was the practice of the Church in his time to administer in both kindes he when he lived taught the necessity of wine against those that mingled water and so did Cyprian and others and now that they are dead the Doctor will have them teach another doctrine S. Austin might say that Christ left authority to his Apostles to make such appointments in what order this Sacrament should be received as whether sitting kneeling how often or the like but not that they should institute a new Sacrament Christ gave both Elements Saint Paul delivered both according as he had received and it was to be done in remembrance of Christ and they were commanded to be imitators of him Ephes 5.1 Christ left this as a Legacy to his Church and he made the Apostles Executors of this his last Will and Testament which they were to discharge by dispensing that Legacy to Christs faithful Saints and People Wherefore for them to withhold part of the thing bequeathed to wit the participation of the cup which is by S. Paul called The Communion of his blood is to forfeit that trust Christ has reposed in them and to forget his precept he enjoyned them commanding to teach all Nations whatsoever he had commanded them We are bound to hold fast the traditions we have learned If then the Scripture tell us that Christ with his Apostles did communicate in both kinds and Saint Paul administring to the Corinthians said Traditi vobis quod accepi a Domini how comes the Church of Rome to forsake this tradition which Christ himself taught and practised and the Primitive Church for a thousand yeers held for faith if it ought to be reduced to one kind how came it to pass to be let alone so long and by what Authority doth Rome claim this power sith the ancient Fathers and the Primitive Church did not onely use to administer to the people in both kinds but maintained and defended the necessity of Bread and Wine the outward elements of this Sacrament as may appear by the Testimony of the afore-cited Fathers and particularly it was the profession of the Church of Rome as Gelasius Bishop thereof witnesseth Shall but the Church of Rome prescribe any new rule of faith or manmers and shall any disobey he is straightwaies anathematized for casting off the Tradition of the Church and the Catholick Church upon earth communicated in both k nds and shall the late Popes of Rome alter this and escape the censures Were there nothing for it but the bare usage of the Primitive Churches it were enough to convince the Church of Rome but whenas there is Christs precept and institution for it how doth the Church of Rome justly incur the condemnation of the Pharisees teaching for doctrines the commandments of men and laying aside the commandments of God follow their own traditions Mark 7. But such was the transcendent wickedness of the Church of Rome in these dayes that scarce any Apostolick Rule but has suffered some alteration by his Holiness and his Legislative conclave of Cardinals who being soared to a height above Councels Princes and all other Powers on earth stick not to wrestle against these commandments of the God of Heaven witness their additions to the Baptisme as if the Baptisme wherewith Christ was Baptized were not sufficient without the Romish spittle and salt and as if this Sacrament of Bread and Wine were
as a matter of faith and that upon pain of damnation as witness this novel point and some others which are of later times crept into that Church And when any thing of Papal will and interest must be held forth to the other Churches then is the Lateran at Rome pitched upon Ante chap. 14. as I have formerly said as the onely convenient place to have the matter debated it being there likely to receive the least opposition by reason his Holiness is at hand to take notice of his enemies and to punish them and to flatter and promote such as stand for his Papal pleasure In this Councel of Laterane The Councel of Laterane chap. 17. likewise was hatched that other Cockatrice that strange brazen-fac'd and staring opinion of deposing Kings from which root of bitterness springs many tart branches of dangerous and poysonful Errours the nauseating juyce of whose sowre grapes being given to some other Churches to drink it hath intoxicated them making their Vertigious heads turn after the Laterane Weather-cock and in their brain-sick fit conceit that her high-reared Spire is the onely supporter of the heavenly Pole whilst the sober and discreet Christian knows that her proud top being exalted to that height is but so much the neereâ— the pattern of Babels Tower And whilst they think she is dignified before others her head being lifted above them others know she hath not whereof to boast unless in this That shee has the upper room in Satan 's airy principality which how much the higher she is lifted she is but thereby rendered more subject to be muffled with the black contractions of the Devil's Cimerian clouds of Errours And though the top thereof be forged out of that material Sword as is by the Romish Legends maintained which cut off Saint John Baptist's head it should not therefore arrogate to be the onely decolling instrument of Principality and Temporal power But I return to the subject matter of this Chapter That I may the further lay open the errours of the Church of Rome in this particular Miracles the cause of Transubstantiation and that the Papists shall not have whereof to boast in that I said they were induced by Miracles to maintain this doctrine should I pass those Miracles by in silence I will let the Reader know what they were It is reported that a Bishop of Canterbury about the time of this change did shew unto some for their conversion the Host turned into flesh and blood in outward appearance dropping into the Chalice and that thereupon they believed Transubstantiation Another is reported by Paschasius of one Plegildus a Priest of Almain who did see and handle visibly the shape of a childe upon the Altar and after it turned into bread and he was to receive it Another is reported of a Jew-boy who coming into the Church with another boy which was a Christian he saw upon the Altar a little childe torn in pieces and afterwards by portions distributed which he reporting was condemned to be burned but was after rescued from the flame by the Christians These Miracles were the onely arguments used against Berengarius and the convincing perswasions of the facile consciences of those days which how it stands with the doctrine of Christ Joh. 6.63 the practice of the Apostles the profession of the Primitive times and the faith and doctrine of the ancient Fathers let any judge S. Paul says 1 Cor. 11. That which he had received of the Lord Jesus that he delivered That as often as they did eat the bread and drink the cup they shewed the Lords death till he came Saint Paul calls it bread and the Evangelist wine and that after consecration and the Fathers of the Church taught that doctrine with them and Christ himself calls them bread and fruit of the vine and S. Paul The communion of the body And this being the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles though an Angel from heaven should come and teach any other doctrine let him be accursed Gal. 1. Wherefore these miraculous apparitions were no ground for Rome to change her faith in this point If these stories be true they ought to be considered as extraordinary apparitions like the light from heaven which shone about S. Paul These external miraculous apparitions were but to perswade the consciences of Infidels and Heathens to turn to the faith of Christ and to be perswaded of the truth of that Sacrament and not to make the true and already-grounded Christians to change the nature of their faith which is the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things which are not seen Heb. 11.1 This was to perswade the mis-believing Jew of Christ and of the truth of this blessed Sacrament whereby he was to be made partaker of the benefits of his precious death and passion not to teach the Christian any new doctrine concerning the same These miracles should rather confirm him in his faith received that it was a spiritual banquet in respect that after the apparition as the story runs at the receiving that which was received was become bread again and not to ensnare him into this novel errour which was contrary to Christs doctrine the Apostles preaching and the practice of the Primitive Church But I will no longer insist upon this point I submit to any good Christian whether it be safer to follow Christs explanation of this mystery to be spiritual with which S. Paul and the ancient Fathers do concur then to humour the times and to be observant to the late Popes which about the time of this change were grown great and since have by cunning practices enlarged that power insomuch that now they are declared above Councels and whatsoever they propound must de fide be received upon the score of their infallibility be it never so contrary to the truth of Gods Word And they by this doctrine receiving advantage by their Altar-Sacrifices will not easily be induced to renounce the errour thereof and though never so palpably against the Truth of God yet the Jesuites will maintain it for their Masters advantage this doctrine tending more to his avail then any good to the souls of his flock Wherefore the Church of England having a right to reform errours in her own Province has chosen to cast off this blinde tenent of the Pope and his Parasites and she having the warrant of Christ the rules of the Apostles the practice of the Primitive Church and the consent of the ancient Fathers for her doctrine in this point hath therefore made choice with them in unity of Spirit firmly to hold and maintain that Christ in his humanity is not really and corporally in the Sacrament but figuratively in the outward elements being thereby signified and is spiritually eaten and drunken of the worthy receiver CHAP. XVI Against Communion in one kinde That the Church of Rome's withholding the Cup from the Layty is a novelty against Christs precept and the ancient
practice of the Church That the Sacrifice upon the Altar is superstitious and The authority of the Church no excuse to change the administration of the Lords Supper into one kinde THe Church of Rome having thus gained a general consent though at first forced upon many by the power and domineering of the Popes to her doctrine of Transubstantiation she stuck not long in this station but partly to make good what she had introduced into the Church and partly to shew to the world the divine Legislative power of her Head she soared a pitch higher whereas before this she but maintained an opinion which but to some weak capacities did convince all not being satisfied with the sincerity of her doctrine concerning the nature and quality of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper which Christ himself instituted and by his last Will and Testament left it as a Legacie to his faithful servants her Popes now take upon them after their former opinion was confirmed by Councel and generally received and believed as an Article of Faith to dispense with that Sacrament of Christ Jesus and have in stead thereof instituted one of their own making administring in one kinde and denying the Cup to the Lay-people which is a novel trick of Papal invention and never practised in the Churches upon earth till they forced it upon some over which the Popes did without controul rule at will and pleasure Christ Jesus did institute this Sacrament in both kindes Paul enjoyns both the whole Church did administer in both and the Fathers teach that as well the wine as the bread is to be received and did think wine so necessary that it could not be administred in water much less in the cake alone in which there is no liquid element to represent the shedding of Christs blood for which end it was ordained Cyprian who wrote 260 yeers after Christ in his 3 Epist ad Cecilium lib. 2. Forasmuch saith he as Christ said I am the true vine and the Cup is his blood it cannot be thought that his blood is in the cup if wine be not in the cup whereby the blood is signified unto us Chrysost in Matth. cap. 26. Hom. 83. Christ used wine as well before his Resurrection as after S. Hierome in Sophon cap. 3. doth witness that in his time the Priest did administer the Eucharist and divide the blood unto the people In the Canon of Pope Gelasius and in the Popes Decrees de Consecrat a strict Injunction is laid that all receive in both kindes for that the dividing of that Sacrament is sacriledge I need not instance in this any more particulars in respect that none can deny but that anciently it was in both kindes administred I will therefore examine the reasons the Church of Rome gives for her alteration from this antient way and for administring in one kind and in so doing I shall plainly lay open her errors in this point The Councel of Constance held 1414. Councel of Constance Ses 13. decreed Quod nullus Presbyter sub conditione excommunicationis communicet populo sub utroque specie Panis Vini Which notwithstanding the Councel of Basil did after restore to the people again Anno 1431. So that in this new doctrine of hers Rome has met with much controversie even in her self Gelasius the Pope decreeing it to be sacrilegious to omit either kind by which it is evident that the Church of Rome has erred de fide For Gelasius taught that judicially as Pope and the Council of Constance was approved by Pope John 23. and this Councel of Basil by Eugenius the 4. Which proceedings wound the infallibility of the Church of Rome and spoiles her unity one Pope being against another and one Council against another To decide which strivings the late Prerogative Royal of the Popes being above Councels was therefore decreed which notwithstanding by that means the Church of Rome is made infallible yet it spoiles her of her marks of antiquity and constant visibility and therefore absolutely spoiles her for being taken to be the onely Catholick Church for if so then the Catholick Church was once utterly extinguished from off the earth which is against Gods promise and impious to imagine The Pope being thus grown above Councels he now as he pleases declares this Councel void the other to be of force and by vertue of this his Prerogative he has approved the Councel of Constance and yet but in part for he onely takes as much out of that Councel as makes for his turn he onely confirmes their Decree prohibiting the Cup to the Laity but their other Decree of the power of Councels to be above the Pope that 's abominable and his Holiness commands that Decree to be believed to be Heretical By this is to be noted that the Popish Religion is a nose of wax as pleaseth his Holiness to set it forth it must be received upon the score of his infallibility though it be never so destructive to former Christian principles to the ruine of Councels and overthrowing of the true antient Catholick Faith yet such is the condition of the Pope that his will can guide him into no tenent though never so contrary to truth but his faithful Papal servants the Jesuites will dawb over his rotten Doctrine with the smooth plaisters of humane reason and think with subtile Sophistry to beguile the simple the deluding of whom doth not in their uneven hands counterpoise the pleasing of their Master the Pope and therefore did they strive to varnish over this new point of Communion in one kind with some counterfeit Paint Will you please to take a view thereof and I hope I shall so far convince their reasons that the case will meerly stand upon the Popes will and if so I presume none will be so irreverent to their Master Christ to forsake his institution and to adhere to the Popes institution lest they may be said with the Jewes to reject Christ and chuse Barabbas The Doctor would perswade that it was no precept to receive in both kindes but onely being of institution and not precept the Church has power to alter it as occasion may serve To which I answer 2. It was christs precept to receive in both kinds It was injoyned us by way of command to receive in both kinds for Christ in the 6 of John v. 53 sayes Except ye eat the flesh 〈◊〉 â—rink the blood of the Son of man ye have no life in you Christ took the Bread and said Take eat And also he took the Cup and said Drink ye all of it Matth. 26. This is an absolute precept as well for the Cup as the Bread and Saint Paul delivered it so to the Corinthians according as he had received of the Lord he likewise enjoyning it to them as a precept probet seipsum let a man examine himself let him eat let him drink the Commandment extending to the one as well as to the other which
by which he would have her distinguished to be a true Church to become Brands and Stigmatizings of her errors and falling from the Primitive Church 3. Another reason the Doctor enforces is this that there are many words in peoples Languages which are hard to be understood and therefore they may as well have all in Latine for that the common people do not understand every word they speak This seems to me a very strange Argument whilst he thus strives to clear this point he doth more condemn it or obscure the truth for this is ignotum per ignotius because the common people do not understand all the words of their Language therefore they shall understand none at all he may perchance perswade some fool that is blind of the one eye to put out the other to make them both alike but he must bring stronger reasons and prove himself a better Scholar else it will be hard for him to turn our English into Latine and make the Lyturgie of other Churches to speak the Romane tongue When Vitalianus decreed the Latine service Greek was more generally known then the Latine insomuch that in several parts of Italy the Latine was not spoken as in Calabria the Greek was spoken in Itruria the Tuscan in Apulia the Mesapian tongue the Latine being onely the proper language of the territories of Latium in which Rome is situate neither was any thing generall wrote but in the Greek tongue so that if it was convenient to have the Lyturgie in one tongue universally the alteration from the Greek into Latine was at first unlawful in respect of the narrowness of the language in those daies it being done onely out of ostentation and for the glory of the Romane See to make others receive the Latine Lyturgie after she had surreptitiously acquired the title of Universality 4. Whereas the Doctor alledges If the Lyturgie should be in distinct proper languages of several people whether could the Church of Rome understand the errors therein nor they be sure there were none in it This argues Romes intolerable arrogancy as if none could be Christians which had not received the faith from her whenas the Apostles were sent to all Nations and preached the Gospel in their own languages and having received the faith by Apostolical plantation it is equally just with them to correct Rome as she to correct them both being herein bound to the Discipline of a general Councel sending thither some one or other which shall in some general language there make known their case Besides this argument of the Doctors has given Rome a most deadly blow for if Rome be the onely Catholick Church and her Bishop have all Apostolical power devolved upon her own head certainly she is either enabled to teach all Nations or else it will follow that those people which have not yet received the faith must still remain in darkness because Rome wants the gift of interpretation of tongues and knows not how to make them understand the Gospel of Jesus and for that faith comes by hearing not by dumb shewes unless Rome be able to make such people understand service and prayer they will think her Priests are mad It is not his praising God with an understanding heart that can edifie them though the Priest should praise the Lord upon the Harp they will but think as the Negroes did when they first heard Bag-pipes that they were living creatures and ascribe Deity to them and so instead of preaching Jesus or offering praise to him they would make the people commit Idolatry if the Priest knew not how to perswade them of their errors much less to make them sensible of the Church of Rome's prescribed rules and so by this means the Doctor has confessed the people to want Brains correspondent to his universal head And whereas the Doctor alledges The difference of languages that all Languages are not of equal extent and therefore incongruities would arise Besides sayes he the inconvenience of having it in Latine is but in part and that to the ignorant I conceive these reasons make rather against it then otherwise It is true all Languages are not of the same latitude in some Languages one word comprehending several word in another language God has given to every Nation several gifts of tongues Reason taught men to reduce out of confused and indictinct sounds articulate sillables and peculiar words to signifie their own meaning and time and Art hath perfected those beginnings so that now every Nation abounds in its own language the languages of the Nations being at first made different according to the different imaginations of several people at the first composing of such languages but yet nothing that is imaginable but they have or can give a name whereby to represent to their senses the nature of the thing or if they already have a name for any thing and do not know the reason of that denomination yet they rest satisfied with the articulate sound of the words which brings unto their mind the thing intended and meant Now because of those several Nations and people which at first invented several different languages insomuch that in the language of one Country one word may comprehend a parephrasis of another that therefore such a Countries language is too short it must not be imagined For though to strangers it seem imperfect yet amongst themselves it is sufficiently to describe the thing intended wherefore I should think that understanding the Doctors objection it were fit that every Nation had a Lyturgie in its own proper language it perchance may seem to some to breed incongruities but indeed it doth not it denotes the difference of languages in respect of latitude or extent but it retains a royal and concuring sense and understanding of the thing presented to their fancy without which the people must for ever remain in darkness and lockt up in ignorance which was not Gods will he commanded his Apostles to teach all Nations and sent them especially to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Matth. 10. God is light and Jesus is the tender day-spring from on high which hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet in the way of peace Wherefore for Rome to take away this light to let this inconvenience as the Doctor says to be upon the ignorant is not to discharge the office of Peter and Paul who were sent out to bring into light them that sit in darkness Matth. 4. To them that sate in darkness is light risen up Jesus came into the world a light says S. John John 12.46 that whosoever believeth in him should not abide in darkness Whether Jewes or Gentiles we are one sheep under one Shepherd Christ Jesus John 10.16 Wherefore for the Doctor to extenuate this error of Rome to say that the inconvenience is onely to the ignorant is to me a strange Divinity for The whole