him alluding to his new name Ioan. 21. and shewing the reason thereof And I saye vnto thee that thou art Peter and vpon this rocke vvil I build my Church and the gates of hel shal not preuaile against it And to thee I wil geue the Keies of the kingdome of heauen And whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon the earth it shal be bound also in the heauens And vvhatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon the earth it shal s be loosed also in the heauens By these wordes both the promise of Christ was fufilled aÌ„d the reason of the promise was also declared concerning the new name which was before spoken of Neither do our aduersaries denie these points as I suppose But the Catholiques reason farther vpon this place in this wise The name of Peter which is deriued of a rock or of a stone was no soner geuen to Simon but also a new promise was made Math. 16. that vpoÌ„ this Rocke Christ would builde his Church Now the Catholikes doe say that Peter himself is here called this rock and that Christ promised to build his Church vpoÌ„ him And because the building of Christes church varieth not after his Gospel once planted but is alwaies like it self the Catholikes beleue and teach that when S. Peter died aâ— other did succeede in his place vpon whom Christes militant Church might be still so builded as it had been once builded vpoÌ„ S. Peter And for as much as the Bishop of Rome succedeth S. Peter the Catholikes most constantly affirme that the Bishop of Rome who liueth for the time is the rocke which coÌ„fesseth euermore Christes true faith vpon which confession of the See of Rome as vpoÌ„ a most sure Rock Christes Church is built The ProtestaÌ„ts being at a point to denie this later assertion must nedes affirme that Peter himselfe is not called this Rock but rather that either Christ alone or the faith which Peter confesseth is only called this rocke This seÌ„se is imperfit but not false So that they wil haue these wordes vpon this rocke I wil build my Church to be onely thus meant vpon this faith and confession of thine wherein thou hast said to mee thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God vpon this Rocke which I am or vpon this strong faith which is confessed of me I wil build my Church and whersoeuer this faith is there say thei is the rocke vpon which Christ buildeth his Church The Catholikes replie that although the faith and confessioÌ„ of Christes Godhead be in deede a most strong rocke whereupon the Church is built yet that is not al which Christ meaneth at this time For these wordes Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I wil build my Church haue a respect vnto three diuers times to the time past because they are spoken to him who was promised to be called Peter to the present time because they are spoken to him who now confesseth Christes Godhead to the time to come because they are spoken to him to whom Christ saith he wil geue the keies of the kingdome of heauen and vpon whom he wil hereafter build his Church which thing he performed when he said Peter louest thou me more theÌ„ these Ioan. 21. â—eede my sheep For Christes sheepe â—re Christes Church And to be made â—he shepheard of them is to haue Christes Church built vpon him And â—o be Peter is to be this Rocke Solemus videre pastores sedere â—upra petram inde commissa â—ibi pecora custodire We are woÌ„t saith S. Augustine to see shepheards sit vpon a rocke August in Io. tract 46. and theÌ„ce to keepe the sheepe commited to their charge Thus we see how wel the Metaphore of the Rocke dooth agree with the Metaphore of feeding sheepe Therefore these wordes vpon this rocke I vvil build my Church are perfectly fulfilled when it is saide to Peter who is this Roke feede my sheepe Now wheras this PropositioÌ„ Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will build my Church is thus qualified with the person to whom it is spokeÌ„ and with the diuersitie of three seueral times The sense of the protestaÌ„ts lacketh three coÌ„ditions of fovver to take one part of these foure away from all the other conditions whereunto it belongeth and to say that the confession of Peter alone is the rocke whereupon Christ wil build his church and thereby to denie Peter him selfe who maketh that confession to be this rocke and to diuide the confession from the promise going before which first of all wrought the effect thereof and from the last fulfilling which ensued after it is in deede a truthe for so muche as is affirmed therein but in respect of that which is denied it is a maine falshood The vvhole sense But the Catholiques geuing the whole sense of Christes woordes as they ought and not diminisshing any parte thereof doe teache that this Rocke vvhere vpon Christ built his Church is S. Peter not barely and nakedly considered but with â—spect of the promise past of the preâ—nt confession and of the auctoritie â—f feeding Christes sheepe which then â—as to come And so no maÌ„ be he neuer so faithâ—ul is this rocke whereupon Christ â—ath built his Church except he be â—awfully called to succede in the authoâ—itie and pastoral office of S. Peter This thing then remaineth to be proâ—ed in his due place The Catholiques teache also Ioan. 2â— that â—t was said to Peter alone feede my sheepe And seeing no particular â—locke was named it must needes be meant that the whole flocke which for the time liued on the earth was committed to Peter euen aboue all other according as he loued Christ more then other And for as much as the order of gouerning Christes Church which himself appoiÌ„ted may not afterward be changed by mans inuention it insueth that alwayes one chief shepheard must be made who may feede the whole militant flock of Christes sheepe in earth aboue al other pastours as Peter onâ—â— did feede them aboue al concerning the principal power which he receiued of Christ Hereunto the Protestantes replie that Peter alone was not made the shephead of Christes flocke aboue alâ— others but that in him Christ spake to al the Apostles The Catholiques demaund why theâ— Peter alone is spoken vnto and willed to feed Christes sheepe in the presence of certaine other Apostles to none of whom Christ speaketh any thing therof at this time The Protestants answere that euery Apostle was made a pastour no lesse theÌ„ Peter Caluin and Beza in Ioan. cap. 21. But that he was namely spoken vnto at this time as one who had lost his office of Apostleship by denying his Master and therefore as he denied thrise so he was commauÌ„ded thrise to â—â—d Christes sheep to th' end he should â—ow that his fault is now forgeuen and â—â—t he is restored to his Apostleship â—aine so that he may feede Christes â—â—eep as wel as Andrew or Iohn and
â—he one born of Sara the freewoman â—he other of Agar the handmaiden Which historie being true in very dede according as the words doe sound doth againe signifie vnto vs a more deepe mysterie The son of Sara doth betoken the new testament Galath 4. or the promise of God made to his true childern by adoption â–ª and Agar doth betoken the old testament no lesse then if it had ben so writen in expresse words Likewise wheras as Dauid saith that the sound of the heauens is gon foorth into all the earth Psal 18. meaning that al men may by the very order and course of the heauens see the glory of God S. Paul doubted not by the heauens to vnderstand the Apostles and Preachers Rom. 10. whose sound he teacheth to haue gon ouer al the earth So that the new testament was geuen and printed in the old not only according to the Prophecies there which are fulfilled here but also according to the figures there 1. Cor. 10. which are verified here And so the iustice of God is marueilouslie reuealed from faith to faith Rom. 1. from Patriarches and Prophets to the Apostles and their disciples froÌ„ the law to the Gospel Ioan. 1. from Moyses to Christ to th' end they should be inexâ—â—sable who beholding such a diuine â—nd of writing wherein things and â—eeds were ordeined to be as wordes â—nd letters vnto vs would yet remain 〈◊〉 their incredulitie If then out of one sentence diuerse â—â—ue meanings may be gathered we â—ust know farther that both those meâ—ings be not a like principal but one of â—hem is the foundation and ground of â—he other And therefore although â—oth be found as it were in one builâ—ing yet seing the one is before the oâ—her at the least in the order of place â—e must exactly know which is the first meaning of the twaine Els we can â—euer be sure of the secoÌ„d as the which â—acketh a sufficient grouÌ„d to staie vpon The first meaning is that Hieron in Amos. c. 4. which the holy Ghost vttereth according to the first sense of the woords the which is now called Literal because it ariseth of â—he writen letter rightly vnderstanded The other sense which is builded therevpon is called spiritual because it is knowen rather by the spirit of God then by the sound of the writer letter Now it skilleth so much to know which is the literal and which is the spiritual sense of holie scripture that the Literal sense is onely of force to conuince any aduersarie withal Augu. ad VincentiuÌ„ epist 48. who beleueth Gods word whereas the spiritual sense except it be reuealed by the holy Ghost is such as may be easilie denied because it hath no sufficient ground appering outwardly to man For there may be many spiritual senses geuen of some one sentence and it is euer vncertain which speciallie of them al is meant of God in that place The literal sense of holy scripture is that The literal sense which is first meant by the holie Ghost not alwaies according to the graÌ„matical sound but according to the most plaine meaning of the speaker For example when Christ saith vnto Peter To thee I wil giue the keies of â—he kingdom of heauen the literal â—eaning is not that Peter should reâ—eaue any material keyes of iron or of â—rasse Keyes Isai 22. Apoca. â— 3. But by the keyes according to the â—hrase of holy scripture is meant the â—ower authoritie aÌ„d right which Christ wil geue Peter in his Church For as â—hey who haue the keyes of a house may by right open or shut the dores of â—hat howse so Peter bath right and power to open or shutte the kingdom of heauen to vs. And as the deliuering of the keyes of a citie among men doth betokeÌ„ the geuing of the possession of that City to â—he gouerned by him who receiueth the keyes euen so Peter hath the militant Church as it were committed to his gouernment in this life by Christ So that the literal sense is I wil geue thee the power and autority to gouern my Church for the saluatioÌ„ of soules Likewise when it is said Math. 2â— thou art Peter I call not the literall sense thou art a rock or a graet stone but thou art that toward my Church which a stone is toward the house that is built vpon that stone It is farther to be considered that the literal sense being once agreed vpoÌ„ there lyeth hidden in that sense manie times an other more profouÌ„d sense also the which is not directly and plainly vttered but it is inferred and gathered by the force of argument God hath ben called of old tyme the God of Abraham Exod. 4. of Isaac and of Iacob Neither doth any man dout of the first meaning of those words which is that God acknowlegeth himself to haue chosen those three men to his seruants and doth witnesse that they did in deede serue him But that in these words there lyeth hidden a strong argument to proue the resurrectioÌ„ by that I say dependeth of the literal sense also but not such as is sene straight waies but onlie it is conceaued by discourse For God is not the God of dead things Math. 22. But he is God of Abraham therefore Abraham is not dead Abraham is a man consisting of body and sowle If Abraham then liue and yet his bodie be dead his bodie must rise againe to theÌ„d God maie iustly be called the God of whole Abraham ergo in that God is called the God of Abraham it is shewed by discourse that the bodies of men shal be reised to life againe After this sort the consubstantiality of Christ with God the Father maie be well proued out of the holie scriptures Ioan. 1. Lucae 1. Math. 26. Item the perpetual virginitie of our Ladie transubstantiation the sacrifice of the masse purgatorie and diuers other matters 1. Cor. 10. Math. 12. which be not distinctly named there At the length to come to our purpose there are found in the auncient fathers at the lest foure diuerse senses of these words vpon this rock I will build my Church of the which those onlie are of force to proue any thing by which are literal The first is that the Church is meaÌ„t to be built vpon Christ Retract lib 1. c. 21 And that S. Augustine doth follow as a probable sense but not as the only sense For that in dede but more also is meant in this place The second is that euery Disciple of Christ is the rock whervpoÌ„ the Church is built aÌ„d that being the sense of OrigeÌ„ Origenes in Math. is only spirituall and therefore of no great force to proue any thing by The third is that Peters faith or coÌ„fession is this rock whervpoÌ„ the Church is built Chrysost in Math. which is a true sense but it is not al the whole sense of those words The fourth and
thou Isai art Peter Moreouer Thou and This doe answere one to the other Super hanc Both are Pronounes both shew a thing reallie present to the vnderstanding of the hearer As therefore Thou apperteineth most certainely to S. Peter so doth also the Pronoun this Thou art Peter and vpon this rock which thou art I wil build my Churh Petrus and Petra doe most literallie agree Petram in so much that in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which name Simon Peter is called doth signifie a Rock And in Latine Petrus is named of Petra as if a man said in English thou arte stonie or of the nature of a Rock and vpon this stone or rock I wil build my Church Who can denie but Thou and This stonie and stone â–ª be referred al to one person Hitherto I haue considered thou Conference this and rock seuerally Now let vs ioyne them altogether It is first sayed thou art Peter to the intent it might be knowen whereunto the word this rock belongeth For the nature of the Pronoun is The Pronoune most properly to declare a certainty either presently pointed vnto before the eye or next of al named and described Thou art stony and vpoÌ„ this stone Which this If not this which was last named For albeit Christ be aboue al things the rock aÌ„d corner stone 1. Cor. 10. Ephes 2. yet he was not at this time named so This rock doth refer it self to one certain rock which is poiÌ„ted vnto one way or other But no material rocke is pointed vnto naturally and in deede for no such was then present or minded therefore it is a Rocke by a Metaphore which is described He is a rock by a similitude And seing it is not only sayd I wil build vpon a rocke but also vpon this rocke that rock must be vnderstanded to be such a one as before was shewed But none was before shewed except he were named for at this time al that is shewed is shewed by words so that for as much as it was saied in wordes to S. Peter only Thou art Peter or a rocke when it foloweth vpoÌ„ this rocke it must needes be meant most literally Vpon thee vpon thee wil I build my Church Yet not absolutely vpon thee as thou art a bare maÌ„ but as thou art Peter and thou art Peter to th' end thou shouldest confesse mee to be the sonne of God And thou diddest confesse mee because I promised thee that thou shouldest be called Peter and because my father did reueale it to thee therefore vpon this rocke vvhich thou arte made by Grace I will build my Church It is said in the time to come Aedificabo In Cant. conticoruÌ„ expsello I wil build which declareth a building as yet not perfitly made but onely promised as also Theodoretus hath noted But the Church was built vpon Christ the great rocke concerning his diuine nature from the beginning and concerning his humaine nature from the first moment of his incarnation Wherfore that kind of building Gods Church vpon Christ was already past Likewise the confession of S. Peter was already made and past But the building whereof Christ speaketh is to come I will or shall build my Church vpon this Rocke Therefore this rocke is meant chiefly at this time S. Peter in such respect as he may no lesse hereafter confesse the true faith then he had done alreadie EcclesiaÌ„ meam Mark these wordes my Church It was Christes Church alreadie It was his when he spake the words and before also He therefore doth not now speak of planting or founding it vpon him self but of making one to be the Rock and Head thereof who hitherto was not the Rock and head but onely by promise and hope For whiles Christ was visible vpon the earth he gouerned al things not onely by his power but also by his visible presence by preaching and gouerning the flocke in his owne person being for the time the visible Rock and Head But when it pleased him to dedepart out of the world then he sayed to S. Peter Ioan. 21. Pasce agnos meos pasce oues meas Feede my lambes feede my sheepe At which time that power of being the head stone of Gods Militant Churche Holy scriptures are conferred nexte vnto Christe was moste perfectlye geuen which was before minded when â—t was said vpon this Rock I will â—uilo my Church For to be the Pastour and Gouernour of Christs flock and by the open confession of the faith to keepe it from straying into false doctrines and heresies that is to be the rock wherevpon Christ wil build his Church Who seeth not that so long as the chief shepherd is acknowleged and obeyed Cyp. ep 3. lib. 1. all Christendome must needes beleue and say one thing Now by beleuing and woorshipping one truth the Church is built vp from the lowest to the highâ—est from earth to heauen To shewe that this Rock is meant of S. Peter it foloweth Et tibi dabo and to thee I will geue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Behold if this Rock were not meant to be S. Peter Christ should in his wordes runne in and out speaking now to S. Peter and now to him selfe He beginneth with S. Peter saying thou art Peter he endeth with him saying and to thee wil I geue the keies betwen which two sayings these wordes vpon this rocke do stand Which being so reason would that we drawe not the middle wordes from the first and the last but that we saye S. Peter concerning his office wherby he beareth the keies to be this Rock wherevpon Christ promiseth to build his Church The property of a rocke is to withstand al tempestes of fluddes and winds Math. 7. and so neither to faile it selfe and to strengthen the house built vpoÌ„ it But Christ said in an other place to S. Peter Luc. 22. Ego rogaui pro te vt non deficiat fides tua et tu aliquaÌ„do conuersus confirma fratres tuos I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not and thou being once coÌ„uerted strengthen thy brethern Behold thou art Peter because of my promise Holy scriptures are coÌ„ferred and therby thou diddest receiue the gift of the right faith which thou hast coÌ„fessed of mée I haue prayed that thy faith may not faile yea it shal be so farre from failing that I bidde thée when thou art conuerted to stablish confirme and strengthen thy brethern For of all thy Brethern thou art the chief and the stroÌ„gest Rock through my prayer Yf then it be out of all question that S. Peters faith doth not faile and that he hath power to strengthen his brethern seeing these are the properties of a Rocke not to faile it selfe Math. 7. but to strengthen the whole howse built vppon it against raines fluddes and windes it is euident by the order of Christes wordes by Grammar by
Sander It is but reason trulie that Peter be builded vpon Christ and that we also beleue But for asmuch as we are in the metaphore of building doth not reason teache vs that when we haue layed in the foundation of a house a mightie great stone that the next which we laye vpon it should be also a verie great one yea after the lowest the very greatest of all Doth any wise man hauing laid in the foundation a stone of twentie cubittes place next vpon it a stone of one or two ynches If not so by all proportion the second stone shal be the greatest that can be gotten next vnto the first Dan. 7. Christ is so great a stone that he hath filled the whole earth I ask of M. Iewel who shal be next vnto Christ Mie verdit is that in respect of the militant Church which is dayly a building on the earth S. Peter is the next stone Because God who geueth his benefits most freelie voutsafed first of all men to graunt S. Peter this grace Ioan. 21. to be the Pastour of his flocke Matth. 10 and the porter of his kingdom next vnto himself Saint Peter being the next stone in building of the Church vnto Christ is therefore a Rocke because he is built immediatlie vppon the Rocke For in a bodie compacted together euerie thing partaketh most intierlie the nature of that wherevnto it is next ioyned Note good Reader that we speake 〈◊〉 the whole Church which hath 〈◊〉 the beginning of the worlde but onely of that portion which liueth on the earth for the time For thereof onely Peter and his successours are the Rocks whereas Christ is the Rocke of Rockes which vphouldeth the whole Church and al the rocks that euer haue ben or shal be in the Church from the beginning of the worlde to the ende thereof Ievvel Al these Fathers be plaine Sander Against you for as none of them denie Peter to be this Rocke which thing you haue denied so many affirme that the confession of S. Peter and his faith is the Rock whereof Christ spake And yet seeng the faith of S. Peter is no greater then himselfe is if his faith be the Rock him selfe is also the Rock Ievvel In 16. Matth. None is so plaine as Origen he is the Rock vvhosoeuer is the disciple of Christ Sander In the 3. Chap. This kind of sense is not literal as I shewed before But admit it were literal yet seeng S. Peter is the disciple yea the chef disciple of Christ as S. Mathew saith Primus SimoÌ„ qui dicitur Petrus Simon is the first Matth. 10 who is called Peter surely M. Iewel by your confession Peter next vnto Christ is the chief Rock A man would thinke you were frantike when you denying a mortal man as Peter was to be this Rock yet afterward proued that euery mortal man who is Christes Disciple is the Rocke Ievvel Vppon such a Rock al Ecclesiastical learning is built as Origen saith Sander But S. Peter is such a rock therefore vppon S. Peter al Ecclesiastical learning is built Who could wissh such an aduersarie as M. Iewel is who proueth altogether against himself Ievvel If thou think that the vvhol Church is built only vpoÌ„ Peter vvhat then vvilt thou say of Iohn the sonne of the thunder Metth. 1â— and of euery of the Apostles saith origen Sander Maister Iewel left out in his English this woorde illum Petrum A vvord left out If thou thincke the whole Churche to be onelie built vppon that Peter to witte that Rocke of stone what wilt thou saie of Iohn and of euerie of the Apostles Origen saith Peter is a Rocke which thing Maister Iewel denieth But he is not only a Rocke and that we graunt But Maister Iewel saith no mortal man but Christ himself is this rocke therefore I aske him what he saith of S. Iohn and of al the Apostles Was not Saint Iohn a mortal man wo to this cause M. Iewel whereof you are become the patrone God kepe me from such an aduocate who shall nede none other euidence against him to lese my cause withal besides his owne words You saie the old Fathers haue writen not anie mortal man but Christ himselfe the Sonne of God to be this Rock Ex ore tuo te iudico serue nequam But S. Iohn and S. Peter and euerie one of the Apostles is called here this rock whereof being named in the sixtenth of S. Matthew we dispute and yet no Apostle is Christ the Son of God therefore some mortal man is this Rocke besyde Christ the Sonne of God Ievvel Shall we dare to saie that the gates of hell shall not preuaile onlie against Peter or are the keyes of the kingdome of heauen geuen only vnto Peter saith Origen Sander It is inowgh that the gates of hell shall least of all preuaile against Peter And he hath chefelie the keyes of heauen For as S. Peter of all the Apostles first confessed in the name of the whole Churche August in Ioan. tractat 124. so al that confesse after him and by him for all were in him as in their primate and chiefe pastour enioye both his confession and his reward That as he was sette ouer al the Church for euer so others for their parte were called into parte of the care To conclude this matter M. Iewel should haue proued that S. Peter is not the Rocke wherevpon Christ promised to build his Churche But he hath not done it neither was he able to bring any one syllable out of the holie scriptures nor anie one saying out of the Doctours which denied Peter to be this Rocke But he only hath ministred matter to me for the prouf of the contrarie assertion The conclusion of the former discourse and the order of the other which followeth The VIII Chap. HItherto it hath bene proued by moste euident reasons of Gods promise of the circumstance and of the conference of the holy scriptures of the authoritie of the Fathers and of the special reasons which moued them to thinck and write so and last of all by the refutation of M. Iewels own words that Saint Peter with such qualities and conditions as Christ indued him withal is this rock wherevpon the Church was built And because looke what kinde of building the Churche was once ê“mised to haue that must still continue seing the Churche doth still tarie the same howse of God there must be alwaies some one mortal man like vnto Peter who being first made a rock by election may afterward by Gods reuelation stil confesse the faith for the whol Church when so euer he is demaunded or consulted what is to be thought and beleued in maters belonging to Christian religion If then there must be some one such Rock vpon whose authoritie the faithfull menne may grounde them selues it is not possible that it should be any other manne besides the Bisshoppe of Rome First because he
aboue al others is coÌ„fessed of al sides to haue ben the first aÌ„d chief in al assembles and meetings to whome by M. Iewels confession the prerogatiue of the first place did belong to directe and order Bisshops in their doings In his Replie 241. 242. Secondly because he onely sitteth in Saint Peters chaier and is his lawful successour Thirdly because the consent of the world hath taken it so aÌ„d so hath practised in deed for euer but euen by our Aduersaries confession froÌ„ the tyme of Pope Zosimus and Leo and so aboue a thousand yeares And although if I had no farther proufe this alone were neuer able to be auoided yet I haue so many other proufes that I am more troubled what to leaue vnsayed then I am to seeke what may be said I haue chosen to speak of that point speciallie whiche is of all other the moste hard For there is no greater obiection against Saint Peters Supremacie then to saye The obiection that all the Apostles vvere the same thinge which he vvas The same Rocke the same Pastour the same Confirmour of their brethern Whereby he may seeme to haue had no more then they had and consequentlie that all Bisshoppes are as good as the successour of S. Peter To which obiection if I should only answere The ansvvere by demaunding of the Protestantes in what Gospel or holy scripture it were writen that euery other Apostle was the same rock which S. Mathew testifieth S. Peter to haue bene seeing they haue bound themselues to beleue nothing which is not expreslie writen in the holy Scriptures Matth. 10 16. they were not able so to replie that their owne conscience might iustlie be quiet For if they brought me foorth S. Cyprian De vnit Eccles or S. Hierom it were sufficient for me to say that they were no Euangelists I shew it writen thou shalt be called Cephas and thou art Peter that is to say a rocke or of the qualitie of a rocke For as S. Hierom witnesseth Lib. 1. ad Gal. c. 2. that which the Greeks and Latins cal Petra the Hebrewes and Syrians cal Cephan Let them shew it writen where S. Mathew or S. Iohn is called such a Rock or is said to be of such a condition and qualitie that the Church shal be built vpon him How vnhappy are men now a daies that whereas they haue moste plaine scriptures in al pointes for the Catholike faith and none at al againste the same yet they pretend by the very scriptures to ouercomme the Catholikes And by the bare naming of Gods worde whiche they neither vnderstand nor loue they haue among pedlers won the spurs and amonge the ignorant haue gotteÌ„ the opinion of knouledge But seing there is an infinit treasure in Gods word to proue those things whereby the Catholike faith is fortified I wil take vpon me this one point for this time to shew by what meanes S. Peter exelled the other Apostles wherein I wil procede in this order It is certaine that S. Peter excelled the Apostles in some kind of honor and dignitie The Apostles had two kinds of dignitie The one proper to their Apostleship the other coÌ„mon with al Bishops How far S. Peter was aboue or equal with them in the Apostolike functioÌ„ That S. Peters great prerogatiue aboue the Apostles is most manifestlie knowen by his supremacie in the bishoplie power of gouerning the Churche of Christ That S. Peters bishoplie authoritie was an ordinarie power That it must continue in some one bisshop That it is the Bishop of Rome in whom S. Peters ordinarie power and supremacie resteth That S. Peter passeth far the other Apostles in some kinde of Ecclesiasticall dignitie The IX Chap. IF what soeuer authoritie any Apostle had concerning the gouernment of the Church S. Peter had the same and yet if besides he had verie manie things of greatest importance promised and geuen to him alone which no man els had it is out of all controuersie that S. Peter passed a great way the other Apostles in some kind of Ecclesiasticall dignitie Otherwise if he had no more authoritie then they or if his priuileges had bene only personal as the loue was which our Sauiour bore toward S. Iohn who laie vpon his brest at his last supper certeinlie S. Peter should either haue had nothing at all committed to him aboue and beside the reast of the Apostles Ioan. 13. or it should haue ben onlie some temporall priuilege and not any such function as had apperteined to the perpetual stablishment of Christes Church But now Matth. 10 for so much as he is not onelie first among the twelue but also he had the promise to be called Cephas or a Rocke Ioan 1. before the twelue were chosen and was really named Peter at the tyme of the choise Marc. 3. And for so much as although both S. Iohn Baptist had confessed Christes godhead before Ioan. 1. and Nathanael had said thou art the Son of God thou art the KiÌ„g of Israel yet only Peters confessioÌ„ being made long after was so highlie rewarded that Christ said to him alone thou art Peter Matth 16. and vpon this Rocke I will build my Church For so much as the keyes of the Kingdom of heauen are namely promised to Peter alone Matth. 16 And whereas the tribute of didrachma was due for the first begotten of euery familie Num. 3. Iosephus antiquit li. 13. c. 12 Chrysost in Matth. Hom. 59. Matth. 17 Yet Christ paid both for himself and for S. Peter also as being the vnderhead and first begotteÌ„ of his familie the Church And for so much as Christ although an other bote also were at hand yet he taught the people out of S. Peters bote to shew that in Peters chaire his doctrine shuld alwaies be stedily professed Luc. 5. Ambro. in 5. ca. Luc. And wheras al the Apostles were sure to be sifted of Sathan Lucae 22. yet the faith of Peter alone is praied for Leo serm 2. de â—at Petri Pauli that he being once conuerted might strenhgten his brethern And when word of Christes resurrectioÌ„ was sent to al the disciples for so much as Peter both entred first into the Sepulchre Luc. 24. and was not comprehended with the rest but was seuerallie named by himself Marci 16. whiles the Angel said tel his disciples and Peter In 24. ca. Lucae that he wil goe before you into Galilee and as S. Ambrose thincketh of men he was the first who saw Christ after his resurrection abeit some wemen had sene him before And whereas the other Apostles sailed in the sea within the cumpasse of a bote Ioan. 21. Bernard de consid lib. 2. yet S. Peter alone walked vpon the whole Sea without any particular bote betokenning that the whole world which is meant by the Sea was ordinarilie subiect vnto his iurisdictioÌ„ Farthermore for so much as some
other Apostles standing by S. Peter alone is both shewed to haue loued Christ more then they and he is alone cōmaūded to feed Christes shepe Ioan. 21. August ibidem and to rule his lābs yea for somuch as it is said to Peter alone not ablie Extendes manus tuas and again tu me sequere Ioan. 21. thou shalt stretch foorth thy hands and follow thou mee so that his particular kind of death by stretching foorth his hands vpon the crosse was principally prophecied of by Christ himself Seing Peter answered alwaies for the Apostles Ioan. 6. Matth 16. as being the mouth of them al and seing after Christes ascension Act 1. Chrysost in Acta Hom. 3. Peter alone gaue sentēce vpon Iudas and pronounced him deposed from his Bisshoprike and that an other must be chosen in his place seing when the holy Ghost came downe Peter aboue al the rest first of al Act. 2. taught the faith Act. 2. ād the multitude being cōuerted said to Peter and to the other Apostles but to Peter by name what shal we doe Act. 2. Seing Peter made answere for al that they should repent and be baptized Act. 3. seing Peter did the first miracle after the comming of the holy Ghost Ambros serm 68. and first healed the feete of the lame because he being the Rocke shewed mysticallie that he stablissheth the feet of others seing Peter confessed Christ first Act. 4. not only before priuate men but olso at the seat of Iudgement seing Peter saw the secretes of hartes and whereas menne laied their goods at the other Apostles feet also Act. 5. yet Peter alone gaue with fulnesse of power sentence vppon Ananias and Saphyra cutting of their life with a word Gregor lib. 1. ep 24. and thereby shewing as S. Gregorie noteth Quanta potentia super caeteros excreuisset With how great power he had encreased aboue the rest seeing Act. 5. although al the Apostles did also miracles yet Feter was so famouse aboue the reast that men did putte the sicke and the weake in the streats to the end at the least the shadow of Peter might come ouer them which was the greatest miracle that euer is thought to haue bene done of man seeing Peter did excommunicate and enioyne penance to Simon Magus the first heretike Act. 8. Seeing he was the first after Christes Ascension who reised a dead person to life as he did Tabitha Seeing he had first by vision Act. 9. Act. 10. that the Gentils also were called to beleue in Christ and God chose that the Gentils shoulde first of al heare the vvorde of the Gospell by Peters mouth and should beleue Actor 15. Seeing when Peter was in the prison Act. 14. prayer was made in the Church for him with out intermission which thing we read to haue ben so earnestly done for none other Apostle albeit many were also in prison Seing when a sedition was among the Disciples Act. 15. Theod. in ep ad leonem in so much that Paul and Barnabas not for their own learning but to signifie what other Bishops should do afterward came to the Apostles to Ierusalē to set a solutiō frō Peter as Theodoretus noteth and told the controuersie in the Councell then Peter did not only speake first but also he gaue a determinate sentence Galat. 1. In cōment c. 1. ad gal that the Gentils should not be burthened with the law and the whole multitude held their peace for a time Chrysost in acta homil 21. Seing S. Paul himself came to Ierusalem to see Peter and that as S. Ambrose saith because he was Primus first or chiefe among the Apostles ad Solitar vit agent August de Sà nctis serm 27. Leo Serm. 1. in Natt Pet. Pau. to whom the Lord had committed the care of Churches seing Peter was either alone or first and chief in the greatest affaires as S. Chrysostom noteth most singularly seing he was sent to occupie with his chaire Rome the mother Church of the Romaine prouince as Athanasius calleth it and the head Citie of all the world Concil Chalced. act 3. and there to conquere all hereticks by vāquisshing Simon Magus the head of al Heretikes whom with his prayer he destroyed seing his Chayer and succession hath ben acknowleged of al the Aūcient Fathers Bernard epist 190. and hath florished there till this hower without interruption of that faith whiche S. Peter confessed and taught as the verie experience doth beare witnesse so many things so singularlie belonging to the gouernement of the whole Churche could neuer aboue al the other Apostles haue bene so speciallie done or spoken about Saint Peter alone if he bare not some other more excellent person then euerie of the other Apostles did For as Christ is proued by S. Paule to excell the Angels because God neuer saied to anye Angell as he saied to Christ Heb. 1. Thou art my Sonne this daie I haue begotten thee euen so seeing Christ neuer saied to anie other Apostle as he saied to Peter Thou shalt be called Peter or vpon this rock wil I build my church or Matth. 16 to thée I will geue the keies of the kingdome of heauen or paie for thee and me or I haue desiered for thee that thy faith faile not Luc. 22. Ioan. 21. or seed my sheepe and rule my lambes doubtlesse we may boldelie conclude therevppon that S. Peter in these praeeminences farre excelled any other Apostle For what so euer any other Apostle had whether it were by vocation Ioan. 1. Matth 10 18. 28 Ioan. 20. or election or authoritie to preache to binde to loose to baptise to be a Bisshoppe to make a Bisshoppe or to doe any thing els Serm. 3. in aniuers assumpt multa solus accepit Peter had al that as wel as any of them as also Leo the Great hath noted Seing then beside al that he had many things which none other had may they not seme to haue lost their cōmon senses who wil haue S. Peter to be no greater a prelate then any other Apostle was If any wrāgler not ioyning al these priuileges together but separating som one or two of thē frō the rest do scoffe at these proufs let hī know aforehād that albe it some few alone would not haue made a perfit proufe yet as they now are ioyned together they proue exactly that S. Peter had som greater dignity then any other Apostle had That the Apostles besyde the prerogatiue of their Apostleship had also the authoritie to be particular bishops which thing their name also did signifie in the old tyme. The X. Chap. FOR the better opening of that which followeth I must declare the double office which the first prelates had Marci 3. Lucae 9. Christ called twelue vnto him whome he made Apostles and he sent them to preache and gaue them power te heale
he as the head of all Bishops had it specified to him before they had it For whereas their authority is shewed to haue ben geuen in the eighteÌ„th chapiter of S. Matthew Matth. 18. and in the twenteth of S. Ihon Ioan. 20. the authority of S. Peter is described and promised in the sixtenth of S. Matthew Matth. 16 and it depended of the promise of Christ wherin he said thou shalt be called Peter or the rock the which promise was made as it appereth in S. Ihon not only before the Apostles were chosen Ioan. 1. but also before they were called to be the Disciples of Christ Ad iubaianum In consideration whereof S. Cyprian might boldly say Petro primus Dominus super quem aedificauit Ecclesiam vnde vnitatis originem instituit ostendit potestatem istam dedit vt id solueretur in terris quod ille soluisset Our Lord did first geue vnto Peter vpon whome he built his Church and from whome he did institute and shew the original or beginning of vnity this power that what soeuer he did loose it should be loosed in the earth Notevvel When one hath first that right and power alone which afterward others haue if there be any ordinary power of that thing at al it must nedes be in him who hath it first Ordinary Order For whereas all ordinary power dependeth chefelie of order and whereas in order nothing can be before that which is first First one seing S. Peter had first of all the right of the keyes of the kingdom of heaueÌ„ in himself alone Matth. 16. and seing the power of the keyes that is to saie of forgeuing and of reteining synnes is ordinarily in the Church it caÌ„not be otherwise but that ordinary power was first in S. Peter alone Augustin in Ioan Tract 124. If the pordinary power of binding aÌ„d loosing be once in one pastour alone it must stil coÌ„tinue coÌ„cerniÌ„g that degree in one alone if it shal at the least remaine stil the same power For if it be geuen to many and be equal in them al it is not now the same which was promised and geuen first to Peter alone Monarchie aristocratie democratie but an other kinde of power euen as the gouernment of one prince differreth in kind froÌ„ the gouernment which is equally common either to manie or to the whole people Seing it is cleere that the Apostles had the same power ouer the sheep which S. Peter had coÌ„cerning the exercise of all manner of binding loosing Ioan. 20. preaching and baptising and yet their autoritie could not be the ordinarie power which is in the Church because they were manie wheras the ordinary power was ê“mised before to one alone it doth insue Mat. 16. that they had their authority delegated aÌ„d specially appointed to them extraordinarily The Apostles povver vvas delegated for their liues only Therefore although they fed the flock of Christ as wel as S. Peter yet they did it by delegatioÌ„ and by special coÌ„missioÌ„ wheras S. Peter alone was the ordinarie chiefe shepheard according to whose patern there must still be some one appointed to feed Christes whole flock No man is at this day that which the Apostles were No man is able to write vs an other Gospel or to increase the Canonical Epistles or to warrant that he receiued the first fruits of the holy Ghost Rom. 8. as the Apostles did That authority died with them and came to none other after them aÌ„d consequentlie it was not ordinarie but onely was committed to a few during their owne liues But the ordinary authoritie of this highe administration beganne in one alone and therefore it must continew still in one alone There must be still one Rock Matth. 16 beside and aboue all petite Rockes There must be still one shepheard Ioan. 21. besyde and aboue many petite shepheards There must be still one greater then other Luc. 22. who may be made as the yonger and for whose faith Christ hath prayed to the end he may strengthen his brethern And verily seing as S. Bernard saith there is most perfection in vnitie De consid lib. 2. and in al diuision some imperfection is included shal we thinck that Christ hath chosen to gouern his Churche in earth rather in an vnperfit then in a perfit sort Again sitheÌ„s the state of the new testament must needs be more perfit then the state of the Lawe which brought nothing to perfection Heb. 7. and yet seing in the Law the ordinary Pastour was one high Priest aÌ„d Bishop as Aaron and his sede after him hauing manie synagoges and Leuits vnder his supreme gouernmeÌ„t Num. 3. what reason can beare that the state of our visible Church should lacke also in earth one highe priest and bishop ouer manie particular parishes and dioceses Thus haue we both natural reason the exaÌ„ple of the Law and the institution of Christ for one cheefe Bishop And that this was the mind of all the auncient Fathers also it appeareth most euidentlie because they geue such a reason whie the Church was built vpon S. Peter the which reason without an extraordinarie appointement of God caÌ„ neuer agree but onlie to one shepheard who may be aboue the rest I say without an extraordinarie appointment of God for that the Apostles being manie vvhy tvvelue Apostles gouerned equally and being all equal did gouern the church in a maruelouse vnitie and concord as if thei had ben al but one man The which spirit of vnity Christ gaue them that his institution of twelue equall gouernours for the time might wel appere not to be slaunderouse or hurtful vnto his Churche For he would neuer haue sent manie with equal authoritie into the whole world except he had ben able to make them gouern with one minde spirit aÌ„d hart But seing it were stil a miraculouse thing to see twelue and much more to see manie thousand bisshops and rulers being al equal stil to gouern the whole Church in their equal authoritie without schisme as the Apostles did that Apostolike authority being only instituted for the better publishing of the faith doth now cease and one shepherd is ordinarily alone set ouer al by whose general power it may appere that Christes Churche is but one For that is the reason which S. Cyprian bringeth why Christ built his Churche vppon S. Peter Ecclesia quae vna est super vnuÌ„ qui claues eius accepit Ad Iubaianum voce DnÌ„i fundata est The church which is one was fouÌ„ded by our Lords voice vpon one who toke the keies therof De simplicitate praelatorum And againe QuaÌ„uis Apostolis omnibus c. tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem origineÌ„ ab vno incipienteÌ„ sua authoritate disposuit Although Christ after his resurrection geueth to al the Apostles like power and saith As my Father sent
Cyprian confesseth the chaire that is to say the authority of S. Peter to be at Rome For whereas certain factiouse hereticks sailed from Carthage to Rome as intending to complaine vpon S. Cyprian and the other bishops of Afrik to Pope Cornelius S. Cyprian writeth thus of that matter Audent ad Petri CathedraÌ„ atque Ecclesiam principalem Li. 1. epi. 3. vnde vnitas sacerdotalis exorta est à schismaticis prophanis literas ferre nec cogitare eos esse Romanos quorum fides Apostolo praedicante laudata est Rom. 1. ad quos perfidia habere non possit accessum They dare carie letters from scismatical and prophane meÌ„ to the chair of Peter Principal Church and principal Church whence the priestly vnity began Neither do they consider them to be Romans whose faith is praised by the report of the Apostle to whome infidelitie can not haue accesse In this sentence al the priuileges of S. Peters supremacy are acknowleged to be at Rome First there is S. Peters chaire to wit his ordinary power of teaching and of iudging ecclesiastical matters Again there is the priÌ„cipal church or flock of ChristiaÌ„s verily because they are gouerned by Cornelius the Bisshop of Rome who succedeth in the pastoral office of the prince of the Apostles For otherwise Ierusalem might haue seemed the mother Church to all Christians were it not that S. Peter committing IerusaleÌ„ to the gouernment of S. Iames caried his own autoritie with him and left it all at Rome Thirdly how is it said that the vnity of priests or of bishops for sacerdos coÌ„teineth both dignities begaÌ„ at the Church of Rome but because it hath the whol pastoral autority of Peter in whoÌ„ the beginniÌ„g of al ecclesiasticall pÌ„emineÌ„ce was Ioan. 1. Matth. 16 because he first was ê“mised to be called Peter that is to say the rock aÌ„d to haue the keies of the kiÌ„gdoÌ„ of heaueÌ„ geueÌ„ to hiÌ„ but take away S. Peters prerogatiue aÌ„d the Church of Rome is not the beginniÌ„g of priesthod but rather Ierusalem or Antioche Fourthly this word vnity doth import that as Peter alone had in him the whole power of the chief shepheard in earth which can be but one so Cornelius the successour of Peter hath in him the same power and so vnity coÌ„tinueth stil in the succession of Peter not euery vnity but priestly vnity because he sitteth in Rome by whom and in whoÌ„ al priestes aÌ„d bishops are one whiles they al concerning their gouernment and iurisdiction are ouerseen are coÌ„firmed and fed of him who is without fellowes in his supremacy Farthermore when S. Cyprian saith infidelity caÌ„ haue no accesse to the RomaÌ„s what other thing is that then to say Lucae 22 that in the church of Rome he ruleth for whose faith Christ praied For what flock caÌ„ be sure to be alwaies safe froÌ„ infidelity except it be warraÌ„ted by Iesus Christ the only safegard of his Church Adde hereunto that the same S. Cyprian calleth Rome Ecclesiae catholicae matriceÌ„ radiceÌ„ Lib. 4. epist 8. the mother and roote of the Catholik Church Verily because theÌ„ce al bishoply autority of feediÌ„g Christes flock did spriÌ„g first aÌ„d is coÌ„tinually nourished aÌ„d mainteined Did not S. Cyprian confesse Cornelius to haue receiued the appellation of Basilides lawfully out of Spaine Lib. 1. ep 4 albeit he shew also that Basilides for his part did vniustly appeal and did deceiue the Pope by false suggestion and euil report Last of al S. Cyprian requireth Stephanus the Pope lib. 3. ep 13 to depose Marcianus the Bisshop of Arles in Fraunce Whiche surely to doe in an other prouince is a signe that the Pope of Rome is aboue other Bisshops Thus did that holy Martyr defend both the right and the practise of the Church of Rome The which thing is the more notable in S. Cyprian Cyprianus contra epist Stephani because he otherwise dissenting from the opinioÌ„ of Pope Stephanus concerning the baptizing of such in the Catholike Churche as had ben baptized before of the heretiques did not yet for the gredy defense of his own opinion denie the prerogatiue of the Bisshop of Rome but therein shewed that not withstanding his priuate error he kept stil the vnitie of the Militant Church in acknowleging the visible head therof Nouatus taught falsely that those who had once denied Christe or had committed greate and mortall sinnes might not be admitted afterwarde by Christian Priestes or Bisshops to do penaunce nor to their old state of grace With which heresie a Christian Priest who was named Hippolytus Hyppolitus because he was torne in peeces with wild horses was for the time deceiued But for asmuch as the said Hippolytus did otherwise loue Christ so hartelie that he was coÌ„tent to die for his name that the said death might not be vnprofitable to him God of his great mercie reuealed to him the true Catholike faith and religion before his death The whiche true faith he did not keepe to him self but as wel for the recompense of his own euil example which he had geuen whiles he followed that heresie as also for the instruction of others he had grace to confesse the same For when he was now leaden to the place of his Martyrdom the Christian people came about him aÌ„d asked which was the better religioÌ„ whether the Catholike or els that of Nouatus to whom he answered thus as Prudentius doth recite Periste phanoÌ„ in passione Hippoliti Respondit fugite o miseri execranda Nouati Schismata Catholicis reddite vos populis Vna fides vigeat prisco quae condita templo est Quam Paulus retinet quamque Cathedra Petri His answere was O flee the schismes of cursed Nouats lore And to the Cath'like folk and flock Your selues againe restore Let only one faith rule and raine Kept in the Church of old Which faith both Paul doth stil retaine And Peters Chaire doth holde Marke these degrees auoid schismes and diuisions Before the time of Nouatus there was but one faith after him there began to be two faiths He then diuided the former faith Auoid ye the diuisioÌ„ aÌ„d restore your selues to the Catholik peple whiche were spread euery where before Nouatus was borne Let one faith preuail Which one That which is in the most auÌ„cient Church Which is that The which Paul aÌ„d the Chair of Peter kepeth What is the Chaire of Peter The Bisshop of Rome who sitteth in that Chaire So that he goeth from Schism to the Catholikes and he sheweth where the Catholikes are by one faith without diuision That one faith is sene in the auncient Churche And is kept by the Bisshops of Rome May we not now say according to the exaÌ„ple of Hippolitus to our Country meÌ„ auoid the Schismes May we not say restore your selues to the Catholike people Follow not the two faiths whiche are now stirring but let that one faith preuaile which is
with his own hands Exod. 28. 29. he erected an altar and offered publike sacrifice he did poure the bloud vpon the Altar and sprinckled the garment of Aaron with it And yet did he al these Priestlie offices being himself no Priest I marueile thatneither the letter of Gods word nor the reason and as it were the sowle thereof nor the authority of wise and lerned men can moue the Protestants to confesse that Moyses was in dede a priest and a sacrificer But if it be cleare that he was both a priest and a ciuil gouernour vsing the priestlie office in his own person and prescribing to others when thei shuld fight or punish malefactours much more in the tyme of the new TestameÌ„t Heb. 10. which must nedes be as perfit a state as the old law it is lawful for a bishop to haue the right of both offices in him gouerning the Ecclesiastical state by his own personal ministery aÌ„d the outward cares by the help of wise meÌ„ Gregorius l. 1. epi. 24 Quisquis regeÌ„dis fratribus praeest vacare funditus à curis exterioribus non potest sed tamen curandum magnopere est ne ab iis immoderatè deprimatur Who soeuer is set to rule his brethern he can not vtterly be uoide of â—xternal cares But it is diligently to be â—rouided that he be not ouer pressed with them But concerning the Ecclesiasticall state whereof I speake at this tyme the bishop of Rome neither condemneth any man for heresie or schisme to corporal death in his own person nor teacheth that any malefactours may be so condemned of any other ecclesiasticall person Which thing being not rightly vnderstood of the most part of meÌ„ hath made them affirme that the bishop of Rome in matters of faith persuadeth his religioÌ„ with fier and sworde 23. quaest 8. c. Sepe cuÌ„ sequeÌ„t Which to be farre otherwise both the whole body of the Canon law declareth and also experience testifieth To goe forward with our matter this is the greatest difference betwene the primacie of the Church and the dominion of wordlie princes that the teÌ„poral princes haue power only ouer the bodies whereas the rulers of the Church Math. 18. 1. Cor. 5. haue power vpon mens soules They geue the bodies of wicked men to corporal death these haue power to cleanse the soules and so to bring them to euerlasting saluation De Sacerdot lib. 3. Wherupon Saint Chrysostom saith Habent etiam terreni Principes vinculi potestatem verùm corporum solùm Id autem quod dico sacerdotum vinculum ipsam etiam animam contingit atque ad coelos vsque peruadit The earthlie princes haue power to bind also but only of the bodies But the baÌ„d of the priests whereof I speake doth touche the very sowle and reacheth euen to the heauens And not without a cause For our Lord said to Saint Peter Math. 16. To thee I will geue the keyes of the kingdom of heauen and whatsoeuer thow bindest vpon the earth shal be bound in the heauens and whatsoeuer thow loosest vpon the earth shal be loosed â—n the heauens To these words of Christ which â—re deriued to the Bisshop of Rome by â—eanes of the chaier of Saint Peter â—he said bishop referreth all his power â—nd exerciseth it vpon the soules of meÌ„â—oth in his own person and by others Leo. ep 82. who are called to susteine part of â—he Ecclesiasticall care and charge â—hat is committed chiefelie vnto him whereas nothwithstanding the Princes of the world appeale not â—o the lawe of the Gospell neither â—n getting nor in gouerning nor â—n establishing their Dominion and power Last of al this is to be inquired and coÌ„sidered whether the Bishop of Rome doth rule with such pietie lenitie affection and desire to helpe others and to bring them to Christ that he may seme to minister and to serue rather then to rule And in good sooth yf he doth it not as it is certain that he synneth greuouslie so for any such respect he leeseth not his primacie because the humilitie and mercie of the gouernour doth not so much appertaine to the substance of his authoritie Ioan. 11. Caiphas Pontifex as to the true perfection and merite of the man For like as they that preached Christ through enuie and emulatioÌ„ that they might raise aduersitie to S. Paule Philip. 1. who was in Prison were notwithstanding true preachers albeit they preached with an euill intent and minde so albeit the bishop of Rome did rule like a potentate and did seeke his own glorie and not the glorie of God yet thereof it can not be brought to passe that he is not a true ruler and gouernour of the Church But it wold wel follow that he were an euil ruler Of which sort of men our Lord hath said Do those things which they say Matth. 23. but doe not those things which they doe But what arrogant presumption is â—his to thinck that the Pope doth good â—eedes with an euill minde If he geue â—â—ntle answeres to them that in matâ—ers of dout aske his counsell if he send â—orth good decrees if he reconcile such â—s are at variaunce yf he prouide careâ—â—llie for the necessarie affaires of the â—hurch whie doe we iudge euil of that â—hich is well done Or yf he doth euill â—t any tyme what malice is it to scorne â—t his nakednesse Genes 9. and with lawghter â—o discouer his shame It is euident to all that will see that â—he bishop of Rome doth shew that humilitie and zeale which Christ requiâ—eth in the ruler of his Church He calleth vs nor bondslaues nor seruaunts nor subiects but all Princes he saluteth gentlie as sonnes and bishops as brethern And as for his owne person â—he writeth not himself neither Lord neither vniuersal bishop nor head of the Church but seruaunt of the seruaunts of God That euen by his name he may geue al men to vnderstand that he is that greatest and chefe ruler Luc. 22. who is as it were a minister and seruaunt And seing he doth and saith that which becometh the primate of the Church both to say and to doe it is our parte to iudge his well doing by that which is well said rather then to synne against the holie ghost whiles we desire to wrest that to an euill sense malitiouslie which was spoken and meant by him charitablie â—f the diuerse senses which are in the holy scripture and namely about these words vpon this rock I wil build my Church and which is the most literal and proper sense of them The third Chap. AMONG manie other things wherein Gods word passeth all other sciences one is most notaâ—le in that not only the syllables and words which are writen there doe â—xpresse the meaning of the holy Ghost â—ut also the things which are told and â—eported by those words doe againe signifie and meane an other thing We â—eade that Abraham had two sonnes
in ipio firmata est fides qui accepit clauem coeloruÌ„ Our Lord himself did constitute him chief of the Apostles a firme and sure Rock vpon which the Church of God is builte and the gates of hell shall not auaile against it for the gates of hel are heresies and the fouÌ„ders of heresies For by al meanes the faith is established in hiÌ„ who hath receiued the keies of heauen And in that I may goe forewarde with the GreciaÌ„s in Cyrillus we read In Ioan. lib. 2. c. 12. Nec Simon fore iam nomen sibi sed Petrus praedicit In eo In him vocabulo ipso commode significans quòd in eo tanque in petra lapidéque firmissimo suam esset aedificaturus ecclesiam Christ did foretel that his name shuld not now be Simon but Peter signifieng fitly by the very name that he would build his church in hiÌ„ as in a most sure stone aÌ„d rock And yet M. Iewel could see none of these testimonies Psellus is alleged of Theodoretus after this sort Theodoret in Cant. Canticet In Petro ApostoloruÌ„ priÌ„cipe Dominus in EuaÌ„gelijs se ecclesiaÌ„ suam aedificaturuÌ„ promisit Our Lord in the Gospels hath promised that he wil build his Church in Peter the prince of the Apostles In Peter Note that these wordes which do promise a building can not properly beloÌ„g first of all to Christ for vpon him the Church was already built In Iosaphat Barl. Damascene hath also this saying Princeps Apostolorum Petrus fidei petra Peter the prince or chief of the Apostles the rock of faith In Luc. 22 How plaine are these words of Theophilact which he speaketh in Christes name post me Ecclesiae petra es firmamentum Thou art the rock and staie of the Church after me In. Matt. 16. Euthymius fidei petra futurus es siue te ponaÌ„ fundameÌ„tuÌ„ credentiuÌ„ aedificabo super te EcclesiaÌ„ meam Thou shalt be the rock of faith or I wil make thee the foundation of the faithful vpon thée I will build my Church This much the Grecians Let vs now retourne to the Latins S. Augustin did euer accoÌ„pt it probable In Ioan. Tractat. 124. to say that the church was built vpoÌ„ Peter but he doubted sometime whether it were not safer to teach that it was built vpon Christ For whereas both opinions are true he knowing this later to be more true in it self because Christ is a surer Rock then Peter did vse commonly to applie that his moste sure doctrine vnto this place of the Gospel where yet S. Peter is more literally called this Rock Therefore on the other side when he considered that S. Ambrose made an Hymne wherin S. Peter was called the Rock of the Church then in those bookes of his Retractations which he wrote with most graue iudgemeÌ„t he allowed both senses for good and Catholike Retract lib. 1. c 21. coÌ„tra ep Donati Such humility was in that pillor of the church Dixi in quodaÌ„ loco de Apostolo Petro ê™ in eo tanquam in petra fundata sit Ecclesia Qui sensus etiaÌ„ cantatur ore multoruÌ„ in versibus beatissimi Ambrosii vbi de gallo gallinaceo ait hoc ipsa petra ecclesiae caneÌ„te culpaÌ„ diluit I said in a certain place of his book writeÌ„ against the Epistle of Donatus that the church is fouÌ„ded in Peter the Apostle The Church fouÌ„ded in Peter as in a rock The which sense is sung with the mouth of many men in the verses or Hymnes of the most blessed S. Ambrose where he saith of the Cock the very rock of the Church did wash away his fault The rock of the Church when the Cock did crow Thus both S. Ambrose and S. Augustine aÌ„d the faithful who vsed to sing those verses allow it for a right good sense which M. Iew. disalloweth that a mortal man as S. Peter was is this rock vpon which Christ built his Church And although S. Augustine had in many other places affirmed that the Church was meant in these words to haue ben built vpon Christ rather then vpon Peter which of it selfe is true though not first meant in this place yet he concludeth thus Retract lib. 1. c. 21. Harum duarum sententiarum quae sit probabilior eligat lector Let the Reader make his choise whether of these twoo meanings is the more probable Behold S. Augustine iudgeth it a probable sense that the Churche is built vppon Peter as also that it is built vpon Christe but whiche is the more probable thathe leaueth to be iudged of the Reader Why doth M. Iewel than without the assente of any old Father at al deny that sense whicb teacheth a mortal man as Peter was to be this Rocke sithens as all the other Fathers so S. Augustine doth not onely beleue it to be probable but he doubteth whether it be not more probable then the other And surely In the former Chap. as the circuÌ„stance of the woordes geue I haue shewed aboue twenty reasons why it is more probable that in those words Peter is first and most literally called this Rock and Christ is not so called there but onely by discourse and by the force of a necessarie consequent Prosper Aquitanicus affirmeth boldlie of S. Peter De vocation gen lib. 2. c. 28. in aeditione Louaniensi Haec fortissima petra ab illa principali petra communionem virtutis sumpfit nominis This most strong rocke did take the coÌ„mon enioying both of vertue and of name from that principal rock In anniuers Assump sermon 3. Leo agreeth with him who intreating vpoÌ„ these words thou art Peter saith Cùm ego fim inuiolabilis petra tameÌ„ tu quoque petra es quia mea virtute solidaris Wheras I am the rock which caÌ„ not be iÌ„iuried yet neuer the lesse thou art also a rock because thou art made firm by my streÌ„gth S. Gregorie could not disagree from so manie blessed Saints Epistol li. 6. epist 37 Quis nesciat sanctam Ecclesiam in ApostoloruÌ„ principis soliditate firmatam quia firmitatem mentis traxit in nomine vt Petrus à petra vocaretur Who doth not know that the holy Churche is established in the stedfastnes of the prince of the Apostles because he tooke stedfastnes of minde in his name in that he was called Peter of Petra a rock of a rocke When he saith the Church to haue ben stablished in the strength of the prince of the Apostles in that he declareth him to be this rock wherevpon the Church is promised to be built When he addeth that he was called Petrus of petra a rock of the rock he sheweth the reason how he came to be the rock verily because Christ the rock who gaue him his name gaue him the strength also which did belong to the name Lette vs conclude this matter at the last with the witnesse of six hundred
cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiaÌ„t ex aequo super eos Ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur tameÌ„ propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio Albeit the self same thing in an other place be done vpon al the Apostles and al doe receiue the keyes of the kingdom of heauen and the strength of the Church be fastened equally vpoÌ„ them yet therefore one is chosen among twelue that a head being made the occasion of schisme may be taken away Three things are to be noted in this sentence First that the Church is so built vpon Peter the Rocke that in the same place where it is built vpon Peter the like is not done vppon the other Apostles Secondly the Church is equally fouÌ„ded vpon al the Apostles in an other place Ioan. 20. to witte when they are sent of Christ as Christ was sent of his Father to bind or to loose and so foorth Ioan. 20. Thirdly one is chosen head of the twelue to th' intent schisme may be auoided A man may say if al be equal The obiection and ansvvere How is one head This shall be more fully answered hereafter I say for this time Al twelue as touching the office of the Apostlesship were equal and all were Rockes and heades of the whole Church But being considered as particular Bisshops and Pastours wherby they had particular authority to teach some here and some there as now Bisshops doe euery man in his own diocese so one was their head How can it els be that S. Hierome shuld agree with himself al be equal and one is the head Can the head be equal with the other meÌ„bers Or is it not highest of al aÌ„d chief of al We must theÌ„ say that alare equal in the office of theÌ„ apostleship but Peter was otherwise appointed the chief Apostle and head in the Bisshoplie power whiche euery Apostle had beside the Apostolike office as it shal appeare hereafter In the mean time it is certain that S. Hierom writeth Hieron aduersus Iouin li. 2 Propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis occasio tollatur Therefore among the twelue one is chosen to th' end a head being appointed the occasion of schism may be taken away And that there S. Hierome speaketh not of the Apostles owne choise but of Christes own choosing it appeareth euidentlie when he saith afterwarde that the good manâ—er Christ would not prefer S. Iohn before S. Peter Lib. 1. aduers leuiÌ„ least he should cause so yong a man to be enuied at Neither did it suffise that during the Apostles time onely such a Rocke and head should be appointed for so muche as the Churche of God neyther ended in their time And their successours in their Bisshoply autoritie hauing without al controuersie lesse assurance of grace then they had and being also farre more in nuÌ„ber had more need then the Apostles of a head and of a perpetual Rocke among them wherunto they might leane So that Leo the great hath most iust cause to say of S. Peter In Aniuers assumpt serm 3. Super hoc Saxum hanc soliditatem sortitudineÌ„ aeternuÌ„ construam teÌ„pluÌ„ Ecclesiae meae coelo inserenda sublimitas in huius firmitate consurget Vpon this stone this soundnes and strength I wil build an euerlasting temple and the heigth of my Church which is to be graffed in heauen shall rise in the strength of this Rock S. Augustine affirmeth in many places that S. Peter did represent the whole Churche according to whiche sense he writeth thus Epist 165. Petro totius Ecclesiae figuram gereÌ„ti Dominus ait super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam Our Lord sayth vnto Peter bearing the figure of the whole Churche Vppon this Rock I wil build my Churche So that he geueth this cause why this muche is sayed to Peter verely because Peter beareth the figure of the vvhole Church But how commeth it to passe that Peter doth bear the figure of the whole Churche Surely because he is the head and Rocke of the whole For euerie prince doth beare the figure and as it were the generall person of his subiectes and of them who are committed to his Charge For that they all are as it were gathered togeather and vnited in him alone And this to be the true meaning of S. Augustine In Ioan. tract 124 it appeareth euidentlie by his own wordes Ecclesiae Petrus Apostolus propter Apostolatus sui primatum gerebat figurata generalitate personaÌ„ Peter the Apostle by a generalitie which was figured did hear the person of the Church by reasoÌ„ of the primacy of his Apostleship Peter did beare the person of the Churche not as menne cary burthens on their backs but by a figured generalitie that is to say as a general officer For he doth beare their persons not naturallie but figuratiuely To witte by interpretation of the Law and not by real extension of his body to be made so big as to vphold al thir bodies Generalitas figurata S. Augustine calleth that a figured generalitie when it is not ordinarilie and naturallie made but when the lawe doth impute and take it so to be For the Lawe interpreteth and expoundeth the chiefe officer of a common weal to bear the person of the self coÌ„mon weal. And therupon the head being present for the coÌ„mon weals behalfe the law worketh as if the common weale it selfe were present when the head alone is present What was theÌ„ Peters office The primacy of the Apostleship He was first and chiefe propter Apostolatus sui primatum Propter and for the primacie of his Apostleship he signified all his flock in him self alone so that he tooke the keies for al and was the general Rocke for euery other particular Rocke and for that primacie of his he bare the figure of the Churche To shew yet farther the force of this reason the Reader must consyder that first Peter is said to be the Rocke and therein to beare the person of the Church figurata generalitate which is to say as if he were in deede the general or the whole mystical bodie of the Church which yet he is not but is only the officer thereof Secondarily a reason is geuen why Peter should signifie or beare the figure of the whole Church more then any other And the cause is propter Apostolatus sui primatum for the primacie of his Apostleship that is to say because he is chiefe If this cause were not found in S. Augustine the Protestants might haue some pretense to say as they doe verelie that Peter was not in deede the rock nor head but onlie that he is called so to signifie that the whole Church is built vpon Christ But now Peter doth not signifie the Church to be built vpon Christ as Peter is a man nor as he is a faithful maÌ„ nor as he
in al pointes equal with Peter If you say the word Primus first serueth only to kepe the order of nūbring and not any whit to prefer Peter before the rest I answere that whē Primus the first doth only stande to kepe the order of numbring sith the number at this time is twelue S. Mathew should haue gon forward with the second the third and the fourth vntil he had come to twelue But nowe seing he doth not so Primus is rather meant the first in dignitie then in order onely And surely it is worth the noting that where as S. Andrewe came to Christ before S. Peter Ioan. 1. and brought afterwarde his brother Simon to Christe yet S. Peter is set alwaies not onely before S. Andrew but before al the reast In so much that wheras the other Apostles are neuer named orderly but after diuerse sortes yet S. Peter keepeth alwaies the first place After Peter sometime Andrewe is placed next as in S. Matthew Math. 10. Marc. 3. Act. 1. sometime Iames as in S. Mark sometime Iohn as in the Actes of the Apostles And the Church as well in the Canon of the Masse as in the Litanies ād processions placeth S. Paule nexte vnto S. Peter But euermore in al these varieties howsoeuer the order of the other Apostles be changed seing S. Peter is without exception euery where preferred before them al certainely that his primacie cometh neither by chance nor by the choise of the writer but by the very councel and will of the holy Ghost who thereby sheweth S. Peter to haue bene absolutely the first and chiefe euen by the appointment of Christ himselfe which no Euangelist might alter or change Which to true the authoritie also of the auncient Fathers doth euidentlie conuince First because out of primus the first they haue deriued Primatus which signifieth the chiefe authoritie and not onlie the first place in order accordinglie as S. Augustine teacheth In Ioan. Tract 124 S. Peter to haue represented the whole Churche propter primatum Apostolatus for the primacie or chiefedom that I may so speake of the Apostleship Dionys c. 5. de Eccles Hierarc Cyrill lib. 12. in Ioan c. 64. Chrysost in Ioan. Hom. 87. Hierom. in lib. 1. ad Gal. ca. 2. Math. 10. And consequentlie therevnto they call S. Peter commonlie Principem Corypheū caput verticem ducē os Apostolorum the prince or chiefe of the Apostles the head the top the guide and the mouth By which words they declare themselues to take primus the first for princeps the chiefe and for maximus the greatest which word S. Hierom also vseth so that the meaning of S. Matthew is The chiefe is Simon who is called Peter Thus it is euident by the word of God that Peter being chefest al the Apostles be not equal with him except perhaps anie mā who is not chiefe can be equal with him who is chiefe If you aske The question wherein Peter was chiefe or what he could doe more then his followes I say that question also is curiouse It becometh him who will obey the Gospel to belieue that S. Peter is the first or chiefe as he readeth in the Gospel without demaunding why or how he should be chiefe But yf the questiō were demaunded humbly thus I would thincke it might be answered In the nature and order of the Apostleship The ansvvere euery Apostle was wholy equal with all the followes of his owne order The which is not only true in the Apostles but also in Bishops in priests in Kings in Dukes in Knightes or in any other state of men For there is a certain reason why a man is either an Apostle or a King or a duke the which reason must nedes be common to all that be of that degree and state But there may be an other thing coincident to some degree of men the which although it be not necessarie for their being yet it is necessarie for their well being And so whereas of twelue Apostles euery one is equal in that office with the other yet it was necessary for their good cōtinuance in peace and vnity Optatus lib. 2. de schis Donatist that one should be chiefe among them lest whiles euery one shuld draw a diuerse way the whole Church which ought to be but one body should be torne in pieces and be diuided into manie companies or bodies Thus whereas al the Apostles were equal by the nature of their vocation one was set ouer the rest by the prouidēce of God Matth. 10 and he was so set ouer thē that he was euen at the first choise though that wer not throughly percaeued vntil Christs resurrectiō made first of al and appointed for most of all that there might be no momēt in the which vnity should be missed in the Church This reason is allowed of S. Cyprian who hauing said cōcerning the nature of the Apostleship De vnitat Ecclesiae The rest of the Apostles wer the same thīg which Peter also was being all indued with equal fellowship of honour and power addeth immediatlie sed exordiū ab vnitate proficiscitur vt ecclesia vna mōstretur But the beginning procedeth from vnity to thēd the Church may be shewed one S. Hierom likewise hauing said Aduersus Iouin li. 1 albeit al the Apostles toke the keyes of the kingdom of heauen and the strēgth of the Church be fastened equally vpō thē al addeth īmediatly tamen propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio Yet therfore amōg the twelue one is chosen that a head being made the occasiō of schism may be taken away Lib. 2. de schism Donatist Optatus ys of the same iudgemēt affirming that there is one singular chair wherein Peter did sit that in it vnitie might be kept of al men lest the other Apostles might euerie man chalenge a Chaier to himself Epi. 82. ad Anastasiū Leo the great confesseth the same truthe saying that whereas the choise of al the Apostles was like yet is was geuen to one that he might be aboue the rest If then all were equal in office and yet one was set ouer them to kepe vnity he was not thereby an Apostle more then they but he was greater then they Not greater in his office or in his Apostolike power but greater in his prerogatiue of being head and of making all thē to be as one whiles they were all content to obey him alone rather then to make a schism But now let vs ad to their doctrine an other truthe which is that all the Apostles were so confirmed and stablished in grace by taking the first fruits of the holy Ghost Rom. 8. that it was not possible for them to erre in faith or to seduce others For Christ said vnto them Ye know the spirit of truthe Ioan. 14. because he shall tarie with you and he shal be in you Hereupon
verbo Domini Vnde probem quaeris Ex verbo Domini Cui enim noÌ„ dico Episcoporum sed etiaÌ„ ApostoloruÌ„ sic absolute indiscrete totae commissae sunt oues Si me amas Petre pasce oues meas Quas Illius aut illius populos ciuitatis aut regionis aut certi regni Oues meas inquit Cui non planuÌ„ non designasse aliquas sed assignasse omnes nihil excipitur vbi distinguitur nihil Other pastours haue flocks assigned to them euery pastour one flock to thee all are committed one flock to one shepheard And not only of the sheepe but also of the pastours thou alone art the pastour Doest thow aske how I proue it By the word of our Lord. Gods vvoord For to whome I say not onely of the Bisshops but also of the Apostles so absolutelie and without distinction are all the shepe committed If thou louest me Peter feede mie shepe Which shepe whether the people of this or of that citie or countrie or of a certaine kingdom He saieth mie shepe To whom is it not euident that Christ did not appoint out some but assigned all Nothing is excepted where nothing is distincted This place needeth no declaration it is so full in al points Wherefore I suppose it is by this time sufficiently proued that S. Peter did excell a great way euen his fellow Apostles in the pastoral authoritie of feeding Christes flock By which power S. Iames otherwise S. Peters equal yet after he was once bishop of Ierusalem was thereby of necessitie subiect vnto Peter as who could not feede a parte of that flocke which was wholie committed vnto Peter but by the acknowleging of Peter his general shepheard In signe whereof S. Peter being not readen himselfe to haue ben ordeined bishop of any other then of Christ did yet with two other Apostles orde in S. Iames Bishop of Ierusalem Euseb li. 2 cap. 1. as the Ecclesiastical historie doth witnesse In consideration of which S. Peters Bishoplie power Arnobius who would neuer haue called Peter the Apostle of the Apostles yet douted not to name him the Bisshop of Bishops and to confirme the same by this place of the Gospel where Peter alone is made the pastour whiles it is said to him feede my shepe And because his other woordes were alleaged before it maie suffise now to heare him saie this much onelie of S. Peter Arnobius in Psalm 138. Ecce Apostolo poenitenti succurritur qui est Episcoporum Episcopus Behold the Apostle who is the Bisshop of Bisshoppes being penitent findeth succour Could anie thing be spoken more plainlie But you will say In epist. â— ad IacobuÌ„ fra Dom. that S. Clement geueth the verie same title to S. Iames also As though Saint Iames being the Archbishop of IerusaleÌ„ had not diuers other bishops vnder hiÌ„ of which bishops he might wel be called the bishop But S. Peter being alone called the pastour as Arnobiê° shewed before aÌ„d so being a bishop as he was a pastour must be vnderstanded not onely to be a bishop of some bishops as euery Archebishop is but also a bishop of all bishops as noman at al is beside S. Peter and his successours But Peter being alone the pastour is alone the bishop of the very Apostles also in that behalf as they were bishops and not in that respect as they were Apostles Yea but here an other may bring forth S. Cyprian Ad Quintum de haeret baptizand who saith Neque quisquam nostrûm EpiscopuÌ„ episcoporum se esse constituit Neither doth any of vs make himself a bisshop of bishops I pray you sir what is this to the purpose Because no man maketh himself a bishop of bishops shall therefore Christ make no man a bishop of bishops S. Cyprian speaketh of his own dede and Arnobius speaketh of Christes dede But if Christ himself make noman a Bishop of bisshops how is then S. Iames called a bisshop of bishops Or was S. Iames that which S. Peter could not be Again Saint Cyprian meaneth that in matters which are yet in controuersie no man may plaie the bisshop of bisshoppes in iudging an other bishoppe Or in prescribing to him what he shall beleue in doutfull cases But S. Augustine expounding this verie place of S. Cyprian De baptis cont Donanist lib. 3. cap. 3. sheweth it to be otherwise in matters which are alreadie well knowen and throughly discussed in the Church Moreouer Ibidem Se in omnibus humilians Saint Cyprian in that place sheweth his humilitie and his loue of vnitie as Saint Augustine hath well noted in that he being in deede a Bishop of some Bisshoppes because he was an Archebisshop yet doth renounce to vse his authoritie whereas notwithstanding if he had not ben aboue other Bisshoppes he should not haue alwaies both sitten and spoken first in the prouincial CouÌ„cel as both he and his Auncestours also had done Last of al S. Cyprian doth most euidentlie confesse the Supremacie of S. Peter by that which he writeth of his principal Chaier and succession lib. i. ep 3. et de vnit Eccles as it shal appeare afterward At this time it suffiseth that S. Peter is taught by Arnobius to haue ben a Bishop of Bishops which thing no Catholike Father did at any time denie Lib. 7. de Schis Yea on the other side Optatus feared not to write thus of S. Peter Preferri apostolis omnibus meruit claues regni coelorum communicandas coeteris solus accepit Peter deserued to be preferred before al the Apostles and he alone toke the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to be communicated vnto others hovv the keies are coÌ„municated This preferment in taking the keies to be communicated with others is to be meante concerning that whiles S. Peter alone was made the high Pastor and Bisshop therby the keyes were coÌ„municated to the other Apostles in such sorte as they all were Bisshops and not so as though he communicated the keies to them in respecte that they were Apostles for the Apostles toke the keies belonging to their Apostolike office immediately of Christ and not by the mediation of S. Peter Accordingly as S. Paul teacheth him selfe to be an Apostle neither of men Galat. 1. nor by a man but by Iesus Christ Therefore when Peter alone is said to haue taken the keies it is meante that he alone as high Priest and chiefe Bisshop took the keies of his pastorall office to be coÌ„municated by him to particular Bisshops his inferiours For as Leo writeth of his christian brethern Petrum non solum Romanae sedis praesulem Leo. Ser. 2. in aniuers assumpt sed omnium Episcoporum nouerunt esse primatem They know Peter to be not only the Bishop of the See of Rome but also to be the Primate of al Bisshops This most plaine sentence I suppose nedeth no declaration But it sheweth S. Peter beside his Apostolike office to haue a
that which wee vse 14. Victory in persecution is ours 15. Yea we are persecuted of the ProtestaÌ„ts our childern as of whome they were baptized aÌ„d in whose vniuersities they were brought vp aÌ„d now thei turn the weapoÌ„s which we gaue theÌ„ against vs. 16. Antiquitie aÌ„d the practise of the primatiue Church is agreable to that of our tyme. 17. The name of Catholiks by their confession is ours 18. The continuall succession a bishops we doe shew and they can noâ— so much as pretend it Rom. 3. Generally what haue they which wâ— lack haue they a faith iustifiyng so haue we but not iustifiyng alone Galat. 5. Iacob 2. but iustifying with charity which is as it were â—he life of faith Ergo their iustificatioÌ„â—f faith alone is a deade righteousnes â—urs is it which quickeneth to life eâ—erlasting Haue they two SacrameÌ„ts We haue seuen 1. Pet. 2. Haue they an inwarde â—riesthod whereby Christ is offered in â—heir harts we haue an inward and â—n †Isai 61. 66. 1. Tim. 4. Heb. 10 outward whereby he is offered â—oth in our harts and in our hands Do â—hey beleue that Christ with one Saâ—rifice paid our rauÌ„som for euer Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 10. 11. We beâ—eue it and shew to the eye vnder the foorm of bread the self body sacrificed and by offering and eating it sacramenâ—ally with our mouth we are made partakers of the redeÌ„ption which is in it Is Christ with them the head and â—astour of his Church Ioan. 10. Ephes 1. We do not onely beleue so but we shew it to be so by the real figure of one chief head aÌ„d Pastour of his particular flock in earth Heb. 10. whereby the eternall thinges are liuely represented Doe lay men with them receaue the communion vnder both kinds euen so doe they with vs by dispensation of the See Apostolike in Austria and in diuerse other parts of Germany both without schism and also without iniury of an other truth which must confesse one kind to conteine as much as both and therefore to suffise alone And both kindes were instituted of Christ Math. 26. rather to shew by an vnbloody sacrifice the nature of Christes bloody sacrifice where his sowle and blood was a part from his body and fleshe then that any more is either conteined or distributed by both Ioan. 19. then by one alone Heb. 13. Haue you Mariage in great price Not in so great as we who teache it to be a Sacrament which by the outward and visible signe of mutuall consent in faithfull persons signifieth the gratious vnity of Christ and of his Churche and whiles it signifieth such a singular grace Ephes 5. it partaketh of the grace whereof it is the signe Yea but you allow Mariage in all kind of men what Euen in those Math. 19. who haue gelded them selues for the kingdom of heauen For they onely who make the vow of chastity can iustly be said to geld them selues for the kingdom of heauen Vvho geld theÌ„selues for the Kingdom of heauen For he that absteineth from Mariage without any vowe he is not yet gelded sithens he maie lawfullie marie But whoso hath gelded himself for the kingdom of heauen is meant to be no more hable to marie by the right of Gods law and in very conscience theÌ„ he is able by the course of nature to haue a child who either is borne or by force is made an Eunuche For these three kinds of Eunuches Christ doth compare together Math. 19. expresly geuing vs to vnderstand that it is both praise worthy to vow chastity and when it is once vowed that by Gods owne law there is no more possibilitie to return to the vse of mariage then it is possible for a gelded man to be restored again to that which he lacketh By these few examples it may appere that you haue no maner of thing praise worthy which we lack whereas we haue a great nuÌ„ber of things both good and laudable VVhat thiÌ„gs the protestaÌ„ts lack and many of them very necessary all which you lacke You haue no insufflations no exorcism no holy oyle in baptism no holy Chrism in bishopping no externall priesthood no publik sacrifice no altars no censing no lights at your seruice no Images in your Churches no adoration no reseruation of Christes body no Eremits no MuÌ„kâ— no virgins vealed and consecrated no vnwriten traditions no communion with Saints or with faithfull sowles by praying to the one or for the other no Stations no pilgrimages no confession of synnes to the priest no forgeuenes by the priest no temporall satisfaction inioyned nor the same remitted by pardon no holy water no holy vestments no Reliques of Martyrs no extreme vnction no place of purgatory where their synnes may be released after this life who died in charity but yet not without the det of temporall purgation You say falsely that all these thinges are naught Galat. 1. praeterquaÌ„ quod accepistis but once we receaued theÌ„ of our auncestours and we iustifie theÌ„ by Gods word and by the bookes of the auncient Fathers If we our selues had once had other things and so had cast away those other and taken these as you haue taken Note vppon your own heads naked tables in stede of adorned altars praying toward the south in stede of praying toward the East mariage of priestes in steade of chastity vulgar tungs in stede of holy and learned the sacrifice of praysing God by bare words in stede of Masse which praised him by the consecration of Christes owne body with other like matters then in dede there had ben cause why we might haue feared our owne dedes and inuentions But seing we made no new religioÌ„ but kepe the olde Philip 2. humilitie obedience and the keeping of vnity is our fault if we haue any Of such faults I beleue noman shall geue accompt but rather of pride Rom. 1. 2. Cor 3. Galat. 5. of disobedience of breakiÌ„g vnitie of makiÌ„g schismes and of troubling the Churche Neither can it be iustlie replied of you that you doe toward vs in changing our religion Dissimile as Christ and the Apostles did toward the Iewish synagoge For Christ changed his owne Religion whereof himself was Lorde and not onely theirs But Luther is not that toward Christ which Christ was toward Moyses neither hath Caluin that power to alter the state of Christes Churche which Christ had to alter the Law It must be vnderstanded that in all Religions there is a law which prescriâ—eth in what maner God shal be serued The chief point of Gods seruice coÌ„sisteth â—n publike Sacrifice The Sacrifice deâ—endeth of the Priesthod for of whatâ—oeuer order the priest is there after he maketh his sacrifice whervpon S. Paul said Heb. 7. The priesthod being transferâ—ed or changed it must nedes be â—hat the law be transferred or chaÌ„ged also Now from Adam til Christ â—here
Militant Church hath a certain primacie in consideration and respect of them ouer whome he is made Primate and chief gouernour albeit when we consider the maiestie of our Maister Christ the very Primate stil continueth altogether a suppliant and an huÌ„ble seruitour to him As for other who vnder the chief ruler haue the charge of particular parishes and Churches committed vnto them they haue also in the same degree and sort a certaine Superioritie which S. Hierom calleth Exortem quandaÌ„ eminentem potestatem In Dial. coÌ„tra Luciferanos a certaine perelesse and high power If he be a Parish Priest he is aboue any other in that parish If he be a Bishop he is aboue any other in that Diocese Of such Rulers S. Paul saith Obedite Prepositis vestris Obey them who are sette ouer you Now it is to be knowen that in any one parish or in any one diocese there neuer was but one ruler at once ordinarily For thence come heresies and schismes saith S. Cyprian because one Priest in the Church for the time Ad Cornel Ep. 3. Lib. 1. and one iudge in Christes stede is not thought to be If then the whole militant Church be also one certaine particular body of a certayne particular administration and condition in respecte of the triumphant Church which is otherwise guided in heauen it must nedes follow that ouer the whole militant house of God one only master and gouernour is set whom we al ought to obey as our chief ruler in earth And so by the superioritie which experience sheweth to belong to one in euerie parish we come by the force of the same reason to acknowledge one chief Postour in the great parish of this world of which kind S. Peter was whiles he liued And that may well be perceiued by the Gospell it selfe For seeing the Euangelist S. Mathew repeting the names of the twelue Apostles saith Primus Cap. 10. Simon qui dicitur Petrus the first is SimoÌ„ who is called Peter and afterwards reckoneth none neither second nor third nor fourth vndoubtedly by calling Peter Primum first he meaneth that he was the first in dignitie and the chiefest among the Apostles and that al the rest afterwardes were to be equallie estemed For to be first where none is put as Second or Third is to be first not by order of numbring but onely by dignitie and preeminence in somuch that the Auncient Fathers expresse the force of this woorde Primus First by calling S. Peter the Prince or chief of the Apostles And certes where there is any in the Church of God first in dignitie and chief in praeeminence there must needes be some primacie Besides if the Bishop of the old law was called in those daies Exod. 22. Princeps populi The Prince of the people and if S. Paul honoured Ananias with that name euen after the death of Christ saying Actor 23. It is written Thou shalt not curse or reuile the Prince of thy people how much more ought he both to be called and to be also beleued to be the chief gouernour and Prince of al Christian people whom Christ hath appointed and sette ouer his familie Ioan. 21. saying Feede my sheepe Onely he must be circumspect that he turne not his primacie into a tyrannie as the GeÌ„tiles and Princes of the world doe How be it this also is to be considered that neither the Prophets nor the Euangelists are wont to be so carefull of woordes as of the sense and things â—hemselues Wherby it commeth to passe sometimes that they geue the name of God to such meÌ„ as haue by participation any diuine or godly thing in them as to Iudges Exod. 22. Psal 81. Ioan. 10. and to whom God vouchsafeth to speake By like meanes it may be verified that some Ecclesiastical persons haue a certaine dominioÌ„ in that respect verely that by participation they receiue a diuine and heauenly thing that is to say that power which Christ their liege Lord and natural Soueraigne indued them withal when he made them gouernours of his familie For among the holy orders of Angels in like manner there is rekened one which is called of S. Paule Dominationes Dominations Coloss 1. not because they haue any dominion or soueraintie ouer other Angels as seruants in subiection vnto them because they reciue that vertue and power of God the onelie true Lord which it pleaseth his Maiestie to haue annexed to that order thereby to geue forth some token and shew of his infinite Lordship and power Wherefore if some man not thinking peraduenture of these controuersies nor weighing rather the thing then the bare word hath at any time expressed the primacy of the Church Dominus Lord staÌ„deth somtime for Sir with this worde Dominion or if any maÌ„ do cal a Bishop by the name of Lord we ought not for any such respect to make an hurly burly as though any proper or true dominioÌ„ were challenged in the Church of one towards an other For as touching that which is properly called DominioÌ„ we defend it not But that there is a primacie in the Church that is the thing which we defend The which Ecclesiastical primacie although it may euidently appere by that which is already said yet it shal not be out of the way to consider how one of those places which are alleaged of our Aduersaries as yf it did vtterly forbid 〈◊〉 Superioritie among the disciples Luc. 22. â—â—th cleerely stablish and confirme the â—â—me For whereas often times there â—ll a strife betweene the Disciples â—ho shoulde be the greater once 〈◊〉 the way to Capharnaum Marc. â— an other â—â—me when the Mother of the sonnes â—f Zebede desired that one of her chilâ—ren might sitte at Christes right and and the other at his left hand Marc. 10. And the third time Luc. 22. after his last â—upper albeit Christ always did dehort â—hem from expectation of that heatheâ—ish kind of dominioÌ„ which was vsed â—n the worlde and alwaies inuited â—hem to humilitie yet he neuer denied â—ut that there should be one in deede â—reater among them and he oftenâ—imes signified that the same should be â— Peter and that as wel when he chose â—im to be the first Apostle as when â—e said Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I wil build my Church and to thee I vvil geue the keiâ— of heauen Math. 16. 17. and paie for thee anâ— mee Yf then you demaund how it happened that this notwitstanding th'Apostles striued who should be greater 〈◊〉 that euen after supper wheÌ„ it had beâ— already said Vpon this rocke I vvâ—â— build my Church I answer that noâ—withstanding S. Peter was most like 〈◊〉 be preferred yet whiles Christ liued iâ— the earth it was in his free choise tâ— haue appointed it otherwise Anâ— when the Apostles saw either S. Peteâ— called Satanas Math. 16. Origen in Math. tractat 5. Ne maior noÌ„ esset
it is certaine that they striued not who shoulde be elder in yeares for that was out of their reach but they striued who should be greater and elder in power and Authoritie And Christ not denying at al that some one was greater but onely prescribing him how he should vse his greatnesse biddeth him be made as the yonger That is to say as the vnderling although in deed he be the elder By which name of yonger Christ alludeth to the custom of the childern of a Patriarch or of a high Priest among the Iewes Gen. 49. Where the elder brother was Prior in donis maior in imperio for most in gifts and greatest in rule And consequently the yonger brother was lesse then his elder brother Wherby we vnderstand that wheras the Disciples were all brethern there was among them as it were an elder brother who was greater in rule and formost in gifts who was S. Peter Math 10. as we read in S. Mathew Primus Simon qui dicitur Petrus The first is Simon who is called Peter To whom S. Ambrose saith in this wise Qui lapsus es antequam fleres In Lucae Cap 22. postquam fleuisti erectus es vt alios regeres quite ipsum antè non â—xeras Thou which diddest slide before thou didst weep after thou hast wept art set vpright that thou shouldest rule others who before hadst not ruled thy self Lo Peter did rule others and how could he doe that except he were set ouer them in such sort as a ruler is ouer them whom he ruleth For although th' end of the ruling were better then that which was vsed among the nations yet it was a true ruling and gouernement The fifth difference is that wheras in the other two Euangelists it is absolutely said let him be a minister and 〈◊〉 seruaunt in S. Luke it is said with a great moderation let him be made as the yonger and as he that ministreth So that the greatnes is absolute but the ministerie is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were a ministerie being in deed more truely a greatnesse concerning the power then a ministerie Because it is a greatnesse by the power and nature of his office but a ministerie by the good and humble vse of the same The which good vse if it lacke the power of the office is not the lesse but the merite of the person is the lesse How were it possible for the vse of a thing to be prescribed to him who had not the thing it self How can he that is greater be made as the yonger if in deede he be not greater It is vtterly to denie the expresse woorde of God if any man say that there was not one certain man greater amoÌ„g th' Apostles who might be made as the yonger It is I say the plaine contradictorie of â—hat which Christ speaketh and therfore the mainteiner of that opinion is â—n Antichrist Last of al the greater man whom S. Luke speaketh of is euidentlie naâ—ed a litle after For when Christ had brought an example of his owne humilitie as who had ministred to them sitting downe at the table and had shewed that because they had continued with him in his tentatioÌ„s thei should â—at and drinke at his table in heauen â—e said immediately vnto S. Peter Simon behold Satan hath desired to sift you as it were wheat but I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not And thou beeng once conuerted confirme thy brethreÌ„ What other thing is it for S. Peter to confirme his brethren but to practise and excercise his greatnes ouer them For he that doth confirme other is the greater and they who are confirmed are thereby inferiours to him who confirmeth them Thus we vnderstand that without al question S. Luke doth witnesse Christ to haue described one certaine man to be presently the greatest among the Disciples who is exhorted to be made as their minister and in the end by name is called Simon which was the forename of S. Peter And seeing the Bishoppes of Rome doe sitte in his chaire they are likewise the greatest among all their brethern and fellow Bishoppes and ought to be made aâ— ministers or yongers for the perfitt vse of their greatnesse which is before committed to them at their election to that office whether they doe afterward vse it wel or no. For the power which God geueth to man for the commoditie of the whole Church neuer dependeth vppon the good vse of that maÌ„ lest while he as a priuate maÌ„ doth misuse his dignity the whole Church which is of greater reâ—â—ect be depriued of her profit and vtiâ—â—tie Wherefore by al these reasons it â—ust needes follow that there is a Suâ—remacie among the Apostles themâ—elues as it shall be afterward more â—irectly proued and consequently â—uch more among their Successours who hauing lesse grace and humilitie would soner make schismes if one were â—ot set ouer them whom they might al â—cknowlege aÌ„d obei as their chief pastor In so much that S. Ambrose wriâ—ing vpoÌ„ this place of S. Luke In Cap. 22 Lucae generaly saith Caueamus ne in perditioneÌ„ aliqua inter nos de praelatione possit esse contentio Si enim coÌ„tendebant Apostoli non excusationi obtenditur sed cautioni proponitur Let vs beware lest any strife of preferment maie be among vs to our destruction For if the Apostles did striue it is not an excuse to be pretended for vs but it is set foorth to make vs beware et ideo vnadatur omnibus forma sententiae vâ— non de praelatione iactantia sit sed de humilitate contentio eô ê™ se Dominus proponit imitandum And therefore one fourme of senteÌ„ce is geueÌ„ to al that they should not boast of their preferment or prelateship but that they should striue to be humble Because our Lord hath sett foorth him self to be folowed Here S. Ambrose denieth not but that one is preferred before an other yea rather he confesseth it for he could not forbid any man to boast of his prelateship except he were a prelate Onely this is common to al that euen the Prelates ought to striue with their inferiours in lowlines because Christ who is Lord of al did minister to his own disciples ad became the lowest and most humble of al other S. Bede vpon this present place of S. Luke writeth thus In forma humilitatis obtinenda Maiores praecessores id est doctores Ecclesiae non minima discretione opus habeÌ„t vt bonis in nullo se praefe â—rant cùm prauorum culpa exigit potestatem protinus sui prioratus agnoscant ne enim presideÌ„tis animus ad elationem potestatis suae delectatione rapiatur rectè per quendam sapientem dicitur Ducem te constituerunt noli exâ—olli sed esto in illis quasi vnus ex â—llis In keping the fourme of lowlines the greater and more chief that is to say the Doctours and the teachers of the Church haue
nations but also in a fâ—â— more excellent kinde then the Christian Kings are For to what Christian King did Christ euer say Ioan. 20. As my father sent me I send thee Math. 16. or vpon this rock I will build miâ— Church Ioan. 21. or doest thow loue me more then these fede my shepe â–ª feede my lambs And yet is a King aboue priests â–ª yea aboue the high pastour of Christes flock he is so in dede with them who make lesse accompt of Christes heaueÌ„ly institution and Officer then of him that was first made either by the necessitie of wordly calamities to kepe away a greater euil from the common weale or els by the wanton and proud affection of earthly men ambitiously affecting tyrannical power Let no man thinck that I despise the authoritie of Kings God forbid but thei are a good thing brought in mercifully sumwhere to staye violent iniuries and robberies and other where permitted of God for our iust punishment 2. Cor. 5. and not any like thing to that diuine order of pastours which Christ ordeined purposely for our reconciliation to God the father and for the auoiding of al iust punishment otherwise deserued It was a King as Saint Gregorie In 1. Reg. lib. 4. c. 1 noteth who deuided the ten tribes from the Churche of God and made those by the iust punishment of God to be idolatours who so greedely preferred his gouernment before the gouerment of the priests And are not we now in the same case who for greedines to reiect the Vicar of Christ are come to preferre the secular and temporall power before the spirituall the body before the sowle and earth before heauen In 1. Reg. lib. 4. c. 1. Nonnulli saith Saint Gregory in tantum dementiae malum proficiunt vt commouere ipsum etiaÌ„ statum Ecclesiastici culminis non vereantur There are some who are come to so great madnes that they are not a feard to moue and trouble euen the state it self of the Ecclesiastical toppe or highest dignitie of the Churche And a little after His autem qui viuebant sub spiritali regimine Ibidem Regem petere quid aliud est quà m eandem spiritalem praelationem in seculaâ—m dominationem transferre geâ—re For those that did liue vnder the spiâ—â—tual gouernment to require a King â—hat other thyng is it then to goe aâ—out to transfer the same spiritual preâ—teship or gouernment into a tempoâ—al dominion Yf any man would deepely weigh with himself that God chose such a â—ecret and extraordinarie way to â—â—ue mankinde that no creature â—ould worck it beside his owne Almightie Sonne and that he comming â—nto the world was so farre from working his purpose by Kings and princes that whereas it was most easie for him to haue made manie Kings and Princes at the beginning to beleue in him 1. Cor. 1. he rather chose the weakest things of the world to confound the strong things and wrought the beginning and increase of his Church by the misbeliefe and persecâ—tion of princes if he would be thinâ— himself how farre the pouerty and hâ—militie of the Kingdome of heauen 〈◊〉 from the pompe and wordly distractiâ—â— of Kings Yea though thei be Christiaâ— and good also he wold much wondâ—â— what sense in holy matters thei haue who dare make that princely state sâ—preme head of the Church which of 〈◊〉 states came last to the faith and the pomp whereof is most contrary of aâ—â— other degrees to the profession of the same And yet what are they who persuade this matter The incoÌ„stancie of the protestants verely those who hauing iustly reproued some lewd and proud bishops for their wordly pompe afterward set vp Kings in the bishops places yea aboue them also as though any King had lesse wordly pompe then the bishops Yea they also doe it who protesting thei will beleue nothing but the expresse word of God yet beleue Kings to be the heads of the Church â—hich they not only can not find in â—ods word but thei rather finde there 1. Reg. â— â—at God was angrie when the â—ouernment of the highe priest â—as reiected and a kingly gouernment â—alled for Moreouer yf by this precept the â—ings of the nations haue domiâ—ion ouer them it shall not be so â—mong you not only all tyrannical or â—ordly power of life and death but also â—l spiritual primacie and superioritie be forbidden to the Apostles ouer the whole militant Church it is forbiddeÌ„â—ikewise that there should be any superiour in any one part of the Church For the parts accordiÌ„g to their degree are of the same nature whereof the whole is Therefore if the whole militant body may haue no one head much lesse any part thereof may haue a head If then no Apostle may be superiour or primate in any parte of the Church much lesse any other Christian maÌ„ wâ—â— is inferiour to an Apostle may be sâ—preme gouernour in any one part of thâ— same Church But euery King in thâ— behalf as he is a Christian is inferioâ—â— to the Apostles for he is both tawgâ—â— his faith of them Matth. 28 and baptized by them and in spiritual matters he must be guided by them therefore seing the King may not be supreame gouernour of any parte of Christes Church in that respect as he is a Christian maÌ„ if yet he shal be supreame head of his own Christian realme by any meane at all it must be by that power which he either had before his Christianity or beside it For by his christianity it is not possible that he shold haue any greater power then the Apostles had Ioan. 20 who were sent into the world with Christes authority If then a King be supreme gouernour of the Church where he is a King besides his christianity he is no otherwise supreame gouernour thereof then any Ethnik prince might haue beÌ„ And so it 〈◊〉 brought to passe by the doctrine of the â—rotestaÌ„ts that an infidel King hah suâ—reme power to visite to reforme to â—orrect and to depose any bishop â—ithin his own realm The which arâ—umeÌ„t wheÌ„ Antichrist or the great Turk shal make vnto the ProtestaÌ„ts â—hey must nedes yeld vnto it and grauÌ„t â—iÌ„ to be supreame head of their Church Be it so of their Church but the Caâ—holikes shal stil keepe them vnder the â—piritual gouernmeÌ„t of the bisshops and â—astours which Christ hath instituted To enter one degree farther in this matter let vs graunt that some King were so ê‘fit so poore in spirit so chast so liberal as euer any bishop or priest was required to be in Gods law VVhat things a King caÌ„ not doe caÌ„ he yet baptize caÌ„ he coÌ„secrate Christes body can he forgeue synnes can he preache can he excommunicate can he blesse the people can he iudge of doctrine by his kingly authority If he can not doe these things how can he be aboue theâ— coÌ„cerning these causes who haue receaued
rock not in dede without the grace of coÌ„fessing but yet not any rather by the force of the confession then of the promise Ioan. 1. For S. Iohn Baptist coÌ„fessed also but because he confessed not as one that was ê“mised to be this rock the Church was not built vpoÌ„ him but to Peter the ê“mise was made before the coÌ„fessioÌ„ and it was the first cause of the coÌ„fessioÌ„ therfore the promise was the chief and first cause of buildiÌ„g the church vpoÌ„ this role If it were so then the whole meaning of these words The vvhole sense of Christes vvords vpon this Rock I will build my Church is this vpoÌ„ him who therefore stronglie and firmly confesseth my true faith because he was before promised to be called this Rocke or which is more vpon him who in part is alreadie this rock and promised to be called this rocke so confesseth my Godhead like a most sure Rocke vpon him I will build mie Church The which most true and certein sense standing the only confessioÌ„ of the faith maketh no man to be this Rocke whervpoÌ„ Christ will build his Church except it be a confession which is wrought by the force of a promise to be called and made a rock going before it The which promise of being assured to be called Peter for as much as it belonged literally to no Prophet to no disciple to no Apostle but only to Simon the son of Iona for that cause Ioan. 1. the whole militant Church is at this tyme promised to be built vpon none other mans faith or confession beside only vpon the confessioÌ„ of S. Peter himself and of those who succede in Peters chaire For as God willing I shal proue hereafter euery bishop of Rome is that for his time vnto the militant Church of Christ which Peter once was Christ then intending to confirme and to make perfit his promise wherein he had said thou shalt be called Peter asked his Apostles whom they thought or rather said and coÌ„fessed him to be S. Peter hauing a reuelation from God the father to thend Christes former promise might be throughly and perfitly verified saith thou art Christ the Son of the liuing God that is to say thou art not only a prophet or a SoÌ„ by adoption but thou art the natural Son of the only true God Here it is principally to be noted that when S. Peter coÌ„fessed Christ to be the Son of God Peter coÌ„fessed the rocke that then he coÌ„fessed the rock of rocks which only Christ is Neither doth any man deny but that these words thou art the Son of the liuing God appertein only to Iesus Christ But our questioÌ„ is not of these words but coÌ„cerning the words which Christ spake afterward vnto Peter For when Peter had confessed the chefe rock then that chefe rock shewed that Peter had played also the rock saying to him after this sort Hilarius de Trinit lib. 6. Simon the Son of Iona thou art happy as S. Peter said Christ to be the Son of God so Christ calleth S. Peter the Son of Iona therby declariÌ„g that as Peter was naturally the Son of Iohn his father so Christ is the natural son of God his father and as Peter speaketh oÌ„ly to Christ at this tyme and to none other person so doth Christ only speake to Peter and to none other person Christ after this meaniÌ„g is alone the son of God aÌ„d SimoÌ„ alone after this meaniÌ„g is Peter Christ goeth forward calliÌ„g Peter happy because flesh aÌ„d blud did not reueale Christes godhead vnto him but Christes father who is in heueÌ„ So that S. Peter oÌ„ly at this time had this high reuelatioÌ„ aÌ„d to hiÌ„ oÌ„ly Christ directeth his words And I say vnto thee that thou art Peter What was S. Iohn or S. Mathew the son of Iona no truly or had any other man in the earth this reuelatioÌ„ at this time beside SimoÌ„ the son of Iona no verely yf we consider the first and most literal sense Thou oÌ„ly art Peter Peter alone is this rock because thou alone both hadst this name ê“mised to the when Christ first sawe thee thou alone haddest it geueÌ„ thee when thou wast chosen an Apostle and thou alone hast now coÌ„fessed me to be God by nature aÌ„d to thee alone I say Thou art Peter It is otherwise most true that Christ is the rock incoÌ„parably aboue Peter Christ the rock and that the whole vniuersal church is built vpoÌ„ Christ far more excelleÌ„tly then any part thereof is built vpoÌ„ any mortal maÌ„ For yf we did not beleue so much of Christ we could not now beleue that he were able by his only word and promise to make Peter also to be a Rock in his kind The confession is a rock It is also true that the confessioÌ„ of S. Peter is a rock aÌ„d in respect also of that confession SimoÌ„ is called Peter And in respect of the same coÌ„fessioÌ„ the Church is built vpon Simon But as vpon one who confesseth because he had before the promise to be called Peter made to him and the name it self geuen him Al things which are true are not euery where principally meant or intended alone of the holy ghost We now seeke the literal and first maening of these words vpoÌ„ this rock I wil build my Church and not of these thou art Christ the son of the liuing God In his Reply fol. 221. And yet M. Iewel professing to dispute of these words vpoÌ„ this rock I wil build my Church priuily conueieth the disputation from them vnto those other Thou arte Christ the Sonne of God But I beseech the good Reader to marke the point and not to suffer him selfe to be deceiued in so weightie a mater At the length to gather al my reasons togeather I saie that the most literal sense of these wordes vpoÌ„ this rocke is to signifie that vpon S. Peter as vpon a man called by office to coÌ„fesse the true faith Christ wil build his Church First Vocaberis 1. because he alone is promised to be called Peter Secondly Imposuit nomen 2. because he alone at the choise of the twelue is named Peter Thirdly because Christ speaketh to Simon the sonne of Iona alone Tibi saying Et ego dico tibi and I say to thee Therby shewing that the words which follow belong to S. Peter alone Fourthly because Christ speaketh againe to him and of him alone saying Tu es Petrus Thou art Peter Tu es I suppose there is a difference betwene I am Peter and thou art Peter Most true it is that Christ is Peter that is to say a rocke And most true it is that Simon in confessing Christ to be the sonne of God confessed the principal and only natural rocke But now that truth is not first of al and chieflie vttered by Christ although it were before vttered by SimoÌ„ but of Christ it is now said most literally thou art
man in himselfe so hath euery Bishop for his part the whole nature of a bisshop in hiÌ„self This equalitie of bishoply order and office notwithstanding the Apostles were in their bishoply prelateshippe and Iurisdiction a great way behiÌ„d S. Peter because he had a higher and larger power of gouerning geuen to him ouer Christes shepe then any of the other had in that behalfe Touching then the superiority of S. Peters iurisdiction for asmuch as all the power he had was either Apostolike or bishoply seing he could not easily haue more coÌ„mitted to hiÌ„ ouer the rest of the shepe by his Apostolike office Math. 2â— then the other Apostles had for ech of theÌ„ had charge ouer the whole Church and the gouerment of their owne persons excepted what greater power could S. Peter haue if this notwithstandig I proue euideÌ„tly that Christ committed to S. Peter more Ecclesiastical power eueÌ„ ouer his shepe then to anie other it must needes be rather meant of more bishoply then of more Apostolike power And so albeit the power and iurisdictioÌ„ of the Apostles ouer the rest of the shepe be equal yet the power of bishops euen ouer the same shepe is not equal How proue I theÌ„ that S. Peter had more coÌ„mitted to his charge theÌ„ the other Apostles Verily because Christ in the presence of S. Iohn S. Iames aÌ„d S. Thomas the Apostles aÌ„d of other three disciples said to Peter SimoÌ„ IoaÌ„nis diligis me plê° his Ioan. 21. Simon the son of Iohn doest thou loue me more then these And surely seing S. Iohn was among them who was so tenderly beloued of Christ that he was knowen by the name of the Disciple whom Iesus loued Ibidem when Peter is asked whether he loue more theÌ„ they he is in effect asked whether he loue more then any other Apostle or Disciple Neither doth our Lord demaunde this question as a thing whereof he doubted but to instruct vs that Peter loued him more then the other Wherevpon S. Augustine concludeth In Ioan. Tract 24. Sciebat igitur Dominus noÌ„ soluÌ„ quôd diligeret verumetiam quôd plus illis diligeret eum Petrus Therefore our Lord did know that Peter did not onely loue him but also that he loued him more then they And yet seing Peter could not loue Christ more then the other did except Christ had first loued Peter more then he loued the other for Peters excelleÌ„t loue towards Christ must nedes come of the former exceding loue of Christ toward Peter as the scripture it selfe doth teache vs it is out of all controuersie that Christ first loued S. Peter 1. Ioan. 4. Prior dilexit nos more then he loued any other man in the whole world What The question more then he loued S. Iohn Or more then he loued his own Mother I answere An exaÌ„ple that there are diuerse coÌ„siderations of loue Alexander the great had two frindes who loued him for diuerse respects The one called Craterus loued him as king and loked to his honour in matters belonging therevnto The other called Hephestion loued his ê‘son and diligently ê“cured his health aÌ„d priuate wel doing WhereupoÌ„ King Alexander was wont to saie that Craterus loued the King but Hephestion loued Alexander EueÌ„ so Christ loued his Morther aboue all creatures in the respect of that loue which it pleased him as her Sonne to owe vnto his Mother by the Law of nature Exod. 20. And therein he loued her almost incoÌ„parablie aboue S. Peter Likewise he loued personally S. Iohn the Euangelist August in Ioan. Tractat 124. and S. Iohn loued him more then other in that he was a virgin by Christes gift as who had dedicated his bodie and soule to Christ alone But in respect of Christes flock which was to be fed aÌ„d gouerned in the earth in that respect Christ loued S. Peter and S. Peter him more theÌ„ others The which distinction being kept we maie well say that our Lady loued Christ as the Sonne of God taking flesh of her own bodie more then any other and that S. Iohn loued Christ as the cause of his virginitie and the Athour of his chast loue more then any other and that S. Peter loued Christ as the prince of pastours more then anie other 1. Pet. 5. of which last kind of loue Christ now speaketh as it may wel appeare by his owne words For wheÌ„ S. Peter had answered yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus said to hiÌ„ fede my laÌ„bs As who should saie for asmuch as thou in respect of my pastoral power louest me more then these take more power then they to feede my lambs For now sith Peters loue is the cause why Christ geueth him power to feede his lambs according to the measure of the loue the measure of the feeding must be vnderstanded De temp serm 149. Dominus Iesus saith S. Augustine respondenti amoreÌ„ commendat agnos suos dicit pasce oues meas tanquam diceret quid retribues quia diliges me dilectionem ostende in omnibus To Peter answering that he loueth our Lord Iesus commendeth his lambs and saith Feede my shepe as if he should say what wilt thou render to me because thou louest me Shew thy loue toward the shepe The same verie sense S. Chrysostom geueth In Ioan. Hom. 87. Si amas me fratruÌ„ curaÌ„ susci pias If thou louest me or seing thou louest me take the care of thy brethern Yf then the authority of feeding be the reward of Peters loue for asmuch as accordiÌ„g to S. Augustines iudgemeÌ„t grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ the expresse word of God Peter loued more theÌ„ the other Peter is now bid to shew more loue in taking cure of his brethern then any other Which thing because he can not doe except he receiue more power and authoritie to feed his brethern Iacob 1. then other haue for Peter can doe no more in that behalfe then is from heaueÌ„ committed to him it doth inuinciblie follow that Christ at this time geueth to Peter alone more povver and authority to feede his sheepe then any other had or can haue For the literal meaning of Christes whole discourse is none other thing then to say for as muche as thou louest me more then these feede my sheepe In the cumpasse or meaning of which wordes it is not possible for any other Apostle to be comprehended aequallie with S. Peter Note this reason For if any other may feed aequallie with him by the force of this commission the same cause of feeding must be in him which is named in this commission That is to say More theÌ„ these he must loue more then these But if any other doe so then hath Peter no commission to feed Christes sheepe because he then doth not loue more then they seing they must loue more then he or els no coÌ„missioÌ„ of feeding is geueÌ„ theÌ„ Who so euer hath this commission to feed
Christes sheep he must first loue Christ the prince of Pastours more thē these as Peter now doth And by these I shewed before alth ' Apostles and disciples to be meant Therefore they are al excluded from this authoritie wherof Christ speaketh presentlie And yet seing the sheepe of the whole worlde are in other places committed to all Io◠7.20 the Apostles the which power concerning al other beside the Apostles them selues is so great that this cā be no greater if these things be wel conferred and weighed together Note we are forced to confesse that this commission whiche geueth more authoritie ouer the sheepe to one then to the reast is not proprely anie Apostolike power for then al the Apostles should haue it aequally but it is an other kind of power which being perhaps not much inferiour to the Apostolike authoritie must stil so remaine in one aboue others so long as the shepe of Christ doe remain as it is now geuen to one more then to other because he loueth more then the other This kind of power is now called the power of one chiefe Bisshop or pastour wherevpon S. Augustine saith cōcerning this very text of scripture and this one pastour S. Peter Dominus in ipso Petro vnitatem commendauit Multi erant Apostoli In hom de pastor c. 13. vni dicitur pasce oues meas Absit vt desint modò boni pastores sed omnes boni pastores in vno sunt vnum sunt Our Lord hath cōmended vnity in Peter himself There were many Apostles and it is said to one feed my shepe God forbid there shoulde lacke now good Pastours but al they are in one they are one S. Augustine manifestly declareth hereby that Saint Peter alone was spoken vnto among other causes for this also to signifie in him selfe being one Pastour the vnitie which al Pastours haue in Christ De sanctis serm 24 the Prince of Pastours In vno Petro figurabatur vnitas omniū Pastorū The vnity of al pastours was signified in Peter alone or in Peter being one Pastour But whereas the vnitie of all good Pastours in Ghrist alone is not literallie expressed in this place of the holy scripture but is onely builded mysticallie vpon the literal storie of Peter being made one shepheard that mystical and allegorical sense is void except this other literal sense be true 1. Cor. 10. Gal. 4. Heb. 9. For al maner allegories are grounded vpon some true and literal historie Therefore S. Peter is indeed made Pastour alone who may conteine al the Pastours of the earth in his vnitie to the ende he thereby may shew that al the good Pastours which haue ben be or shal be are one in Christ the prince of Pastours So that by S. Augustines discourse it is cleare two waies that Peter hath no fellow in this pastoral office whereof Christ now speaketh Both because he alone loueth more then other and he is one pastour in earth for the time to shew that Christ is one euerlasting pastour of his whole flock both in earth and in heauen From S. Augustine let vs passe ouer to S. Chrysostome who hauinge taught that Christe asketh whether Peter loueth him not to teache vs that S. Peter loued him but to informe vs Quantae sibi curae sit gregis huius praefectura how greate care he taketh of the gouernment of this flock concludeth in this wise lib. 2. de Sacerdoti◠Petrū Christus authoritate praeditum esse voluit acreliquos item Apostolos lōgè praecellere Christe would haue Peter to be indowed with authoritie and also to passe a great waie the other Apostles Marke first that it is praefectura gregis the rule and gouernement of the flocke which Christ intendeth Secondlie that Christe would haue Peter to be indowed not onely with grace and vertue but with such authoritie as did apperteine to the feeding of Christes sheep Thirdly that he would him to passe the Apostles and wherein I pray you but in authoritie For he passed them in that thinge wherewith he was indowed But Christ indowed him with authority therefore Peter passed the other Apostles in authoritie Fourthly he passed them longè a great way He passed the Apostles in al other power after some certain sort Hovv S. Peter passed the Apostles either because he had that power first which was geuen them afterward or els because he had that power ordinarily which was extraordinarily geuen them or els because whereas they were heads of the shepe together with him thorough their Apostleshippe he was also their head as being the prince and chefe of the Apostles But aboue all other respects he passed them longè a great way in the power of feeding the shepe as the chiefe bisshop In epist ad Episc per Viennēsem prouinc constitut So that Leo had iust cause to saye Cûm Petro prae caeteris soluendi ligandi sit tradita potestas pascendarum tn̄ ouiū cura specialius mandata est Whereas the power of bindīg and loosing is deliuered to Peter aboue others yet the care of feeding the shepe is more specially committed Will you see how much more specially Arnobius noteth none of the Apostles euer to haue had the name of a Pastour geuen to him by Christ beside S. Peter alone to whome it was said pasce oues meas feede mie sheepe That is to say be thou the pastour of my sheepe Arnobius in Psalm 138. Ioan. 10. Nullus Apostolorum nomen pastoris accepit Solus enim Dominus Iesus Christus dicebat Ego sum Pastor bonus iterum me inquit sequuntur oues meae Hoc ergo nomen sanctum ipsius nominis potestatem post resurrectionem suam Petro poenitenti concessit Ioan. 21. ter negatus negatori suo hāc quam solus habuit tribuit potestatem None of the Apostles hath receaued the name of a pastour Four our Lord Iesus Christ alone did saie I am a good pastour and againe he saith My shepe doe follow me But this holy name and the power thereof after his resurrection he graunted to Peter repenting and being thrise denied he did geue vnto him who denied him this power which he alone had Christ alone had the power to feede his owne flocke this power he gaue to Peter in such sort as none other Apostles had it For he gaue to Peter the name of a Pastour ipsius nominis potestatem and that power which the name did import But as Arnobius said before nullus Apostolorum nomen Pastoris accepit None of the Apostles toke the name of a pastour therefore none of them toke the power of feeding after such sort as the name and power thereof was now geuē to Peter And seing euery Apostle had authority before to feede all nations through his Apostleship this feeding which is now geuen to Peter alone and must be meāt of some other power beside the Apostolike function is doutlesse meant of Peters bishoply
power I beseche the discreete Reader neither to vse cauils himself nor to geue care to them who loue to wrāgle Here would M. Iewel straight way shew that Christ gaue manie pastours and teachers to his Church Ephes 4. 1. Pet. 5. and that euery Apostle did feede of which things I deny no one But I say there was beside the Apostleship a kind of feeding so peculiar to Peter that no Apostle toke so specially as S. Peter did either the name thereof or the thing meant by the name Which thing the holy scripture doth insinuate when it sheweth Peter to haue loued more then other and consequentlie according to the measure of his loue to haue taken the measure of feeding In which sense Saint Chrysostom S. Augustine Leo and Arnobius doe euidētly agree We must therfore confesse a supereminent power of the pastoral office in Peter that preeminence say I consisted in the ordinarie power of being the chief shepherd He that denieth my interpretation must bring a better which I marueile how he shall come by But lette vs also consyder the mind of S. Ambrose in this behalf Ambros in 24. ca. Lucae Who hauing said by S. Peter that he was vbique aut solus aut primus euery where either alone or chiefe at the last he cometh to speake of these woordes of Christ spoken to Peter amas me doest thou loue me Dominus interrogabat non vt disceret sed vt doceret quem eleuandus in coelum amoris sui nobis velut Vicarium relinquebat Sic enim habes Simon Ioannis diligis me vtique tu scis Domine quia amo te Dicit ei Iesus pasce agnos meos bene conscius sui nō ad tempus assumptum sed iamdudum Deo cognitum Petrus testificatur affectum Quis est enim alius qui de se hoc facilè profiteri possit Et ideo quia solus profitetur ex omnibus oībus antefertur Our Lord asked not to lerne but to teache him whō he being to be assumpted into heauen The Vicar of Christes loue did leaue to vs as the Vicar of his loue For so thou readest Simon the Son of Ion doest thou loue me Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus said to him feede mie lambs Peter being priuy of a good conscience doth testifie his own affection not taken for the time but already wel knowen to God For who els were able to professe this thing of himself And because he alone among all professeth he is preferred before all First note well that S. Ambrose compareth the loue with the feeding For he reasoneth alwaies from the one to the other Secondlie he saieth that Christ in consideration that he shoulde ascend into heauen Vicare taught him whome he left the Vicar of his loue Behold if Peter be the Vicar of Christ it is no wonder that the Pope sitting in Peters chaire is called also the Vicar of Christ. Yea but say you he is the Vicare of his loue and not of his pastoral office Yeas Syr of both For now S. Ambrose speaketh of that loue which consisted in hauing authority to fede the flock For it foloweth in S. Ambrose Sic enim habes for thus thou readest And immediatly he commeth to the power of feeding which Christ gaue vnto Peter in the highest degree of any mortall pastour because Peter loued more then other Christ left to vs a Vicar of his loue who was that Peter when was he leaft a Vicar When Christ said feede mie lambs The loue then left to vs was the power of feeding which Peter had ouer vs and the Vicar of Christes loue was the Vicare of Christes power which he had to feede vs. Although Christ our euerlasting meate fede vs alwayes by his mightie power Ioan. 6. yet when he should goe corporallie into heauen he leaft vs a Vicar of his corporall kinde of feeding His woordes doe not nowe sound in our eares as they did whiles he liued in preaching in teaching in administring the Sacraments in gouerning the Churche and in sending other to preache Christ hath a Vicar whome to that effect he loueth aboue all other and who loueth him aboue all other to that effect I saye of feeding his flocke Moreouer S. Ambrose noteth that Peter omnibus antefertur is preferred before al why so Quia solus profitetur ex omnibus Because he alone of them al doth professe But why saith S. Ambrose that he alone doth professe Might any other man professe when Peter alone was asked No verilie And so dooth S. Ambrose meane that Peter alone professeth his loue because he alone is asked whether he loued more thē these otherwise if S. Iohn who stoode by had ben asked I thinke he was not giltie of any lack of louing Christ But Christ intended to geue vnto Peter more loue then the other had euen for this purpose that he might receiue a higher power to feed then other had Last of al S. Ambrose noteth as it were three degrees in the commissiō of Peters autority of feeding and that accordīg to the power of feeding thrise repeated Agnus Iā non agnos vt primo quodam lacte vescendos Cuicula Ouis. nec ouiculas vt secundo sed oues pascere iubetur perfectiores vt perfectior gubernaret At the third time wherein our Lord said to Peter pasce feed he was not now bid to feede as it were with milke the lambes as at the first time nor the smaller sheep as at the second time but the sheep to th' end he being more perfit might gouern the more perfit It is now also to be noted that S. Ambrose putteth the worde gubernare to gouerne in steed of pascere to feed For in deed the shepheard hath authoritie to rule and gouerne his sheepe Peter then hath autority not only ouer the lambes which are as it were the childern and the vnlearned Christiās nor only ouer the smaller sheep which yet are elder then the lambes as the Christian lawyers the learned physicions the Iudges and Princes of Christendom but also he hath power to gouern euen the sheep which are of most perfit age Verely the ewes Oues the weathers yea the rams themselues which in diuers places are capitaines of diuers flocks So that parissh Priests Bisshops Archebisshoppes and Patriarches are committed to the gouernement of Peter alone He is the vicar of Christe in loue and power of feeding therefore as none was without the cumpasse of Christes folde no more may he be without the cumpasse of Peters fold who wil be reckened in Christes fold De consid ad Eugen. lib. 2. S. Bernard writing to Eugenius the Pope of Rome whose bookes he that readeth may wel perceue he spake it for no flatterie hath these wordes Alij Pastores habent sibi assignatos greges singuli singulos tibi vniuersi crediti vni vnus Nec modò ouium sed Pastorum tu vnus omnium pastor Ex
dubble power of gouerning the Church one particular in the Citie of Rome an other general ouer al Bisshoppes Now such a primate of al Bisshoppes S. Iames was not albeit he was a Bishop of some Bishops To end this mater let vs heare the iudgement of S. Gregorie Certè Petrus Apostolus primum membrū sanctae Lib 4. ep 38. vniuersalis Ecclesiae est Paulus Andreas Ioannes quid aliud quâm singularum sunt plebium capita Surely Peter the Apostle is the chiefe member of the holy and vniuersal Churche Paule Andrew Iohn what other thing are they then eche one the heades of particular Churches Here S. Gregory meaneth not to saie that Saint Paul or S. Andrew coulde not preache in all the worlde God forbid but onely that as Bisshoppes they coulde haue but this or that flocke vnder them In 1. Reg. lib. 4. c. 4. totius Ecclesiae principatū obtinuit whereas otherwise Sainte Gregorie him selfe confesseth that S. Paule obteined the chiefe gouernmēt of the whol Church And the like all the other Apostles obteined by their Apostleshippe without anye diuision of flockes or Churches assigned by Christe But Peter hadde the charge of the whole Churche not onely as an Apostle but also as a high Bisshop And therein onlie S. Gregorie meaneth that he passed Paule Andrew or Iohn This much I trust may suffise them who will be satisfied for proufe that whereas euery Apostle had in him the whole right of the Apostleshippe and also the right of being a particular Bissshoppe Saint Peter had not only those two Authorities but also he had the right of the highest Bisshoppe in respect of all other Bisshoppes He as a Bisshoppe vvas the chiefe member of the whole militant Church that is to saie to the head thereof as S. Gregorie teacheth a Lib. 4. ep 38. He was the bisshop of bisshops saith Arnobius b in Psal 138. and the Primate of al prelates saith Leo. c. serm 2. in aniuers d lib. 2. ad Eugen. the pastor of al pastors saith S. Bernard He alone by the iudgement of Arnobius was called of Christ a Pastor because there was none other aduaunced to that power of feedinge which he receiued He was preferred a greate way before the Apostles in authoritie lib. 2. de Sacerdotio saith d lib. 2. ad Eugen. S. Chrysostome In him being one Pastour vnitie was signified saith S. e in Psal 138. e Homil. de pastor Augustine He was the vicare of Christes loue in feeding vs as S. f in Lucae 24. Ambrose affirmed Cōcerning this primacie of his Bisshoply power in that sense he was much more properly the guide toppe mouth chief and head of the Apostles then in the Apostolike function For whereas they were chosen Apostles aequally with him he alone was chosen high Pastour aboue them Al these things haue ben proued out of Gods word and out of the holy Fathers Order now requireth that I should shew S. Peters prerogatiue also by the continuance of his authoritie That the pastoral or chiefe Bisshops authoritie of s Peter was an ordinary authoritie and therefore it must goe for euer vnto his successours whereas the Apostolike authoritie being extraordinarie hath no successours in it The Xiij THe Apostles were instituted for a certain purpose Matth. 23 Act. 1. verilie to publish the Gospel and to plant the faith of Christe in al nations with a most absolute power and with an autoritie which neuer should be controlled For seing S. Peter being one man alone was not able to preach the Gospel at once in al places nor by and by to gouern diuerse nations newly conuerted as whose commission from Christ was not as then sufficientlie knowen Christ gaue him twelue Companions with as full authoritie ouer the sheepe for the time as he had who hauing conuerted manie countries to the faith might commend them all as sheep to be fedde of many pastours vnder one perpetuall chiefe shepheard S. Peter Who knoweth not that it is muche easier for one mā to gouern al the faith full being once conuerted and wel instructed by the helpe of many inferiour officers then it is for him to subdue al those vnto the faith which being as yet infidels are also dispersed into diuerse quarters But when the Apostles had spread the faith into all partes of the world with the death of them the Apostolike authoritie likewise was at an end And that being confessed by our Aduersaries euen this last yere in a Confession printed at Zurich needeth no farther proufe An. 1566. tit 18. For they saie when the Churches wer now stablished the Apostles ceased to be But that S. Peter must haue successours not in his Apostleship but in his supremacie of being chiefe Bisshop aboue al Bisshops that now is to be declared Who so marketh the peculiar names of a Rock of a Pastour Matth. 16. Ioan. 21. Luc. 22. and of a Cōfirmer of his brethern whiche are geuen by Christ to S. Peter alone may wel perceiue that S. Peters supremacie being meant by those names must necessarilie continue for euer If a rock be laid in the foundation of the house to staie it vp out of al question the rock must not be taken awaie if we will haue the house to stand The Rocke wherevpon the whole Church is built from the beginning of the world to the end 1. Cor. 3. 10. Dan. 7. is Christ himself but not onlie the whole Churche but also that part which liueth in the earth for the tyme wherin vessels both of honour and of cōtumelie are which vessels of contumelie are not in heauē that part I 2. Tim. 2. 1. Tim. 3. say liuing on the earth is called the house of God as S. Paule teacheth Therefore it also must haue a rock of his own sort and nature to leane vnto For as Christ alone is the vniuersal Rocke of that vniuersal howse and the vniuersal shepheard of that great flocke so besyde him God alwaies erected some certain particular stones ād certain smal Rockes in the earth which might stay vp that part of his house which for the time wandered in this worlde Such were Adam Enos Henoch Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob Math. 23. Moyses Aaron and his successours who sate in the chaire of Moyses vntil the cōming of Christ For alwaies there was some visible Rocke of the Churche in this life Deut. 17. who might be so strongly fastened in the faith of Christ the great Rocke that he though not for his own yet for the Churches sake might be able to staie vp other small stones which leaned vnto him Christ at the length hauing taken flesh and walkīg visibly in this world ād preachīg in the lād of Iewrie did not only stay his vniuersal house vpon his Godhead as he had euer done before but nowe also he staied the militant Church vpon the visible example of his own life and vpon the
not of that King who is also a bishop is greater then a bishoppes power which is spiriritual and heauenly What is this to say but onlie that the bodie is aboue the sowle the ciuill pollicy aboue the Church of Christ and the temporal reigne aboue the Kingdom of heauen This is a vehement marck to betraie our new brethern by For we speake not now of workes or maners that is to say whether a man loue the world more then God or whether a pope be more gredy of his temporal iurisdistion then of his spirituall dutie We speake not I say of these abuses lette him that hath them yea though he be a pope looke well to himself in that behalf but we speake of doctrine at this tyme. The Pope teacheth that euery spiritual pastour is of a higher dignity theÌ„ any temporal officer whatsoeuer he be And that because he is instituted of Christ for to help vs toward life euerlasting The Protestantes teache Ephes 4. that a Christian Emperour or Kinge is aboue all spiritual pastours in his own realm and may depose them by his own power which is the very doctrine of Antichrist For the Emperours and Kinges though they be Christians may not yet in spiritual matters rule the bishoppes and pastours of Gods people VVhat povver the ChristiaÌ„ pricÌ„e hath but onely they may with their teÌ„poral lawes and power defend the lawes and ordinances which the bisshops haue already made as Theodosius and al other good Emperours vsed to doe But if they wil vse their princelie power to change the old lawes of the Church or to make new lawes in spiritual matters which were not before made by the priests or to depose the auÌ„cient bishops who haue cure of their sowles then they are the members of Antichrist as great Athanasius hath at large declared in describing the heinouse factes of the Arrians in his tyme In epist ad Solitar vi tam agentes who reporteth that when Constantius the Emperour called Paulinus the Bishop of Treuers Lucifer the bishop of Sardinia Eusebius the bishop of Marcels and Dionysius the bishop of Millan before him willing them to subscribe against Athanasius because it was his pleasure and his procedings those blessed bishoppes exhorted him ne ecclesiastica corrumperet neue Romanum imperium ecclesiasticis constitutionibus immisceret that he should not corrupt Church matters and that he should not mingle the Roman Empire with the Ecclesiastical ordinances Here you see that the RomaÌ„ empire is discharged froÌ„ meddling with Church matters It is not onely saied Arrians or heretiks but it is said the Roman Empire ought not to mingle it selfe with Ecclesiasticall causes Euen a Bishoppe being an heretike is remoued from Churche matters but an Emperour is not onelie remoued from them if he be an hereticke but also because he is an Emperour onelie and not a Bisshop Onely this hath bene alwaies the custom that Emperors shuld be careful to maintaine the former coÌ„stitutions of Bisshoppes and the ciuil peace of the Church For they being Christians ought to vse the sword whiche they beare by Gods appointment for the Churche But the outward and ciuil peace aÌ„d the Ecclesiastical constitutions which towche the belefe and the inward direction of the sowle are two things much different Apud Athan. ibidem in so much that Pope Liberiê° said to the messinger of the same Emperour Constantius as Athanasius also doth witnesse after this sort If the Emperour will needes interpose his care for the Ecclesiasticall peace Ecclesiastical peace lette an Ecclesiasticall synode be made longè à palatio vbi nec Imperator praesto est nec Comes se ingerit nec iudex minatur Ecclesiastical synod caet Let the Ecclesiasticall meeting be made a great way of from the palaice where neither an Emperour is at hand nor a County thrusteth in himself nor a iudge threateneth but where the only feare of God and the institution of the Apostles is sufficient Thus he said not that an Emperour might in no case be at a Councel of bishops but because he might not be there to vse his Emperial authority in iudging the bishops or in prescribing what the Church shall decree or beleue but onely in maynteining that which the bishops according to the Apostolike institution either haue or shall agree vpon That Reuerend Father Hosius who after that he had suffered persecution for Christes faith vnder Maximian liued threescore yeres in the Churche being tempted by the same Constantius to subscribe againste Athanasius In epi ad Solitar vit ageÌ„t asketh first of him by letters whether his brother Constans the good and Catholik Emperour did vse to banish bishops or no and then whether ConstaÌ„s his brother aliquando iudicijs Ecclesiasticis intersuit was at any tyme a medler with the Ecclesiasticall iudgements Ibidem Last of all he saith to him Ne te misceas Ecclesiasticis neque nobis in hoc genere praecipe sed potius ea à nobis disce Tibi Deus imperiuÌ„ commisit nobis quae sunt Ecclesiae coÌ„credidit quemad modum qui tuum etiam imperium malignis oculis carpit contradicit ordinationi diuinae ita tu caue ne quae sunt Ecclesiae ad te trahens magno crimini obnoxius fias Date scriptum est quae sunt Caesaris Caesari quae Dei Deo neque igitur fas est nobis in terris imperiuÌ„ tenere neque tu thymiamatum sacroruÌ„ potestateÌ„ habes Imperator Doe thou not intermedle with Ecclesiastical matters neither do thou coÌ„mauÌ„d what we shal doe in this kind of matters but rather lern theÌ„ of vs. God hath committed the Empire vnto thee aÌ„d he hath put vs in trust with â—hose things which concern the Church and like as he that malignly â—arpeth thy Empire doth gainesay the â—rdinaunce of God so doe thow take â—hede lest in takiÌ„g vnto thee those things which beloÌ„g to the Church thow be made gilty of a great crime It is writen Math. 22. geue vnto Caesar those things which are Cesars and vnto God those things that are Gods Therfore it is neither lauful for vs to haue the rule of the Empire in earth neither hast thou ô Emperour any power ouer the holy incense and sacrifices Mark that it is rehersed for a praise in the Catholike Emperour Constans not to haue medled with Ecclesiastical iudgements Also Athanasius himself saith thus for his own part In epist vt antè Si istud est iudicium Episcoporum quid commune cum eo habet Imperator caet quando iudicium Ecclesiae authoritatem suam ab Imperatore cepit caet Paulus Apostolus habebat amicos in Caesaris familia per eos in literis salutabat Philippenses Philip. 4. non tamen eos in iudidicio socios assumpsit If this be the iudgemeÌ„t of bishops what hath the Emperor to doe with it aÌ„d coÌ„trarywise if these iudgements are gathered by the
is so daily and howerly in practise as to iudge what vnderstanding the woorde of God must haue these men make no man in the earthe to be a good iudge of the saied woorde of God beside themselues And among themselues they make euery woman and childe a sufficient yea the supreame iudge in earthe of Gods owne woorde Was ther euer heard of anie such pride besides onely in the members of Antichrist Marke whether this be not true by this example 1. Cor. 7. It is writen in S. Paule Qui matrimonio iungit virginem suam bene facit qui non iungit melius facit He that ioyneth his virgen in mariage doth well but he that doth not ioyne her in mariage doth better Vppon this most plaine text we ground this doctrine that whereas both states are good and honest yet virginity is a better state and more acceptable vnto God then the state of mariage No saith the Protestant I take it no so and why Syr I pray you Is not facere melius to doe better and doth not he better please God who doth the better thing And is it not said of S. Paule to be the better thing not to ioyne his virgeÌ„ in Mariage Nay but saith the Protestant by this word better the Apostle meaneth not a thing better in the sight of God but a thing better in the sight of the world For he that is vnmaried hath lâ—sse worldly care and therefore he is in better case for an easie and pleasant life but not in a better state of a more vertuouse life I answere if melius be not meant better in the sight of God neither is bene meaÌ„t wel in the sight of Cod But if he that ioyneth his virgen in Mariage doth wel in the sight of God he that doth not ioyne her in mariage doth better in the sight of God Therefore my interpretation is the better No saith the Protestant Beza ibidem melius standeth for commodius this word better standeth for more commodious and none otherwise I say it standeth also for more vertuously and more godly And that is the playn sense of the word of God It is not so saith he Well what shall we doe I say it is so you say it is not so Will you take a iudge Yea quoth he if he iudge according to the word of God I pray you Syr what is Gods word concerning this point we now speake of Is not our question whether this woord better doth signifie better in the sight of God as I say or els better onely according to the world as you say Is this question defined in Gods woorde We must conferre Scriptures saieth he A Gods name The more ye coÌ„ferre the more playn it wil be that Christ chose virginity for himself not as for the better state according to the world who therein sought no ease but as better according to God Math. 3. as who fulfilled in himself all righteousnes He gaue the same state to his Mother not for the quieter for a sworde of sorow also went through her sowle Luc. 2. that is to say affliction and trauaile but surely for the purer state as being neere to the nature of Angels aÌ„d of the blessed soules in heaueÌ„ Matth. 22 where no mariage is exercised Also it is a meane to serue God with lesse distraction of the minde 1. Cor. 7. as also S. Paule doth teache Math. 29. Or how saith Christ there are eunuches who haue gelded themselues not for ease and wordly commodity Propter regnum coelorum as you say but for the kingdoÌ„ of heaueÌ„ if it be not better towards God to liue chaste then in mariage Thus if we went through the whole Bible you should neuer be hable to shew Heb. 13. that mariage is of aequall dignity with virginity thowgh it be honourable in all and an vnspotted bed and therefore be a right good state the which onely thing all the sciptures that you can bring doe proue What shall we then doe will our Protestant yeld to whome should I yeld saieth he At the least to Gods woorde say I. no saieth he you misvnderstand Gods woorde Are you content to be tried by the auncient Fathers If you be Hiero. aduer Iouin Saint Hierome wrote against Iouiniam who helde this verie errour to witte that mariage and virginitie were of aequall merit Saint Hierome saith he was to much affectionate to virginity And I dout not but that he woulde say the like of your affection toward mariage if he were aliue Whome then should we rather beleue you who may hap to be damned or him whom your self douteth not to be saued But goe to like you then S. Augustin he writeth thus Iouinianus ante paucos annos haereticus nouus virginitateÌ„ S. Mariae destruebat CoÌ„t duas epis Pela lib. 1. c. 2. virginitati sacrae nuptias fideliuÌ„ coaequabat Iouinian a new hereticke before a few yeres did destroy the virginity of our Lady S. Mary and made aequall the mariage of the faithfull with holy virginity What say we to S. Augustines iudgement He was a maÌ„ quoth he and he might erre I cry you mercy Syr are you a God Is it more like that he did erre then you What if I shew S. Chysostome to be of the same minde as vndoutedlie he is what yf I ioyne to them S. Athanasius S. Basil S. Gregory Nazianzen In Psalm 127. Gregory Nyssen S. Hilary S. Bernard and diuerse others who with one accord preferre the state of virginity euen in the sight of God and that in whole treatises made of that argument What if I shew that pope Siricius condemned Iouinian with his companions in publike consistorie Apud Ambros epist â—0 and that S. Ambrose praised him for it and also condemned the same Iouinian euen by the force of those words of S. Paule which affirm him to doe better 1. Cor. 7. who ioyneth not his virgeÌ„ in mariage What if I ioyne also the practise of the whole Church Vniuersal practise which in euery nation vnder heauen hath built monasteries for virgins and hath geuen the first place of honour and merit to the state of virginity wil you then yeld at the least to this vniuersall iudgement of most best graue and wise men who directed all their writings and doings according to Gods word No no he wil neuer yeld if he once haue the marke of Antichrist whatsoeuer be brought foorth to the contrary and that because he crediteth himself and his own proper iudgemeÌ„t more then al the worlde beside Is not this an vntolerable pride all this not withstanding to tarie stil in the former mind And the very same tyraÌ„ny doe they exercise in euery other questioÌ„ Say holy scripture what it wil say the Fathers say the Councels what they list howsoeuer the matter be practised if thei once iudge otherwise thei wil beleue theÌ„selues and remaine still supreame iudges
In deserto In penetralibus And then for the space of certain huÌ„dred yers together yee can not name what preachers or pastours your Churche had But thê° to flee into priui places aÌ„d to lack opeÌ„ preachers Math. 24 is directly against the word of God Prouer. 8. and expressely against the coÌ„maÌ„meÌ„t of our Sauiour Isai 62. whose wisdoÌ„ crieth in the tops of the waies and in the gates of the cities whose whatchmeÌ„â—ease not to speak both day and â—ight vpoÌ„ the wals of IerusaleÌ„ in whose house the caÌ„dle staÌ„deth vpoÌ„ the candlestick to geue light to al meÌ„ Math. 5. whose faith must be coÌ„fessed with the mouth Rom 10. 1. Philip. 2. Psal 44. whose gospel must not be blushed at whose seruants shine like stars whose spouse being most beawtiful through internal faith aÌ„d charity Circumamicta varietatibus is yet garnished about with variety of diuers tuÌ„gs which are daily heard to preache aÌ„d ceremonies which are daily sene in Gods seruice amoÌ„g the Catholiks Memor ero nominis Populi coÌ„fitebuntur in aeternuÌ„ Which spouse also hath promised to be mindful of the name of Christ from generatioÌ„ to generation in so much that many peple shall confesse and geue praise to God for euer age after age If such a gloriouse a manifest and a beautifull Churche must be beleued then must Wiclef Hus and their fellowes be avoided and our knowen manifest and in all generations most gloriouse Churche must be imbrace which neuer lacked a chiefe bishop iâ— S. Peters chaire with a number of bishops and faithful nations obeying hâ— doctrin and gouerment The truth 〈◊〉 which Catholik Church and chair thâ— I might the more effectally persuade The cause of this treatise 〈◊〉 haue taken in hand to proue the Sâ—premacy of the bishop of Rome according to the reason and meaning oâ— Gods word The which point alone if iâ— be graunted al other controuersies arâ— superfluous For all is concluded vnder one if one be appointed the chiefe shepheard by God ouer al sithens euery maÌ„ must heare aÌ„d obey the shepheards voice Ioan. 10. I request most humbly of your pacieÌ„ce to reade or to heare the whole treatise readen which is not long and not to condemne the matter before it be wel vnderstanded If my discourse be doutfull I am ready to make it plaine If it seme to faile in proof a charitable â—â—swere made vnto it shal shew by the â—ply how strong the Arguments geâ—erally be concerning the chief points Thus taking my leaue I wish as wel 〈◊〉 your worship as I do to my self beseâ—hing you not to miscontrue my doings â—ut to take them so charitably as they â—re meant For God is my witnesse the â—hing I seeke is as well the reducing of â—hem to their Mother Church who are â—on a stray as the staying of them who â—hrough mans frailty beginne to dout of their faith Which effects God grauÌ„t through Iesus Christ our Lord to his own glory Amen The Chapiters of the Treatise following 1 The state of the question fol. 1. 2 That there is a primacy of spiritual gouernment in the Church and how it differreth from secular gouerment 16. 3 Of the diuerse senses of these wordes vpon this rock I wil build my Church aÌ„d which is most literal 93. 4 These words thou art Peter and vpoÌ„ this rock I wil build my Church haue this literal meaning vppon the ô Peter being made a rock to th end thou shouldest stoutly confesse the faith I will build my Church 108. 5 The Fathers teache that S. Peter is this rock 136. 6 The reasons which the Fathers bring to declare why S. Peter was this rock 155 7 The authorities alleaged by M. Iewel to proue that S. Peter was not this rock proue against himself 171. 8 The conclusioÌ„ of the former discourse and the order of the other which followeth 189. 9 That S. Peter passeth far the other Apostles in some kinde of Ecclesiasticall dignity 194. 10 That the Apostles besyde the perogatiue of their Apostleship had also authority to be particular bishops 204. â—â— How far S. Peter did either excel or â—s equal with the Apostles in their Aâ—stolike office 2â—0 â—â— That S. Peters prerogatiue aboue the â—her Apostles is most manifestly sene by â—s chief bishoply power 232. â—â— That the Pastoral authority of S. Peâ—r was ordinary 267. â—â— That his ordinary authority belonâ—th to one bishop alone 279 â—â— That the bishop of Rome is that one â—dinary pastour who succedeth in S. â—eâ—rs chaire 305. â—â— That the good Emperours and prinâ—s did neuer think themselues supream â—eads of the Churche in spiritual causes 378. â—â— That the bishop of Rome is not Anâ—christ himself 421. â—8 That the bishop of Rome is not any â—ember of Antichrist concerning his â—octrine 464. THE STATE OF THE QVESTION CONCERning the Supremacie of S. Peter and of the Bishops of Rome after him The First Chapiter IN writing to and fro concerning the Supremacie of S. Peter and of the Bishops of Rome after him great controuersies are fallen out the which to th' end they may be the better opened I thought good to propose in order the chief points of the said question The Catholiques beleue that the Bishop of Rome sitting in S. Peters Chaier is by the appointment of Christ himself the chief Pastour of the whole militant Church whose voice euery sheepe ought to hearken vnto The Protestants on the other side denie not only the Supremacie of the Bishop of Rome nor onlie the Supremacie of S. Peter but also they affirme that there is no Primacie nor any one chief gouernment in the Church at al. Therefore the first Question must be whether it be against â—he Word of God or no that there shoulde be in his Church any Primacie or chief Authoritie The second is whether S. Peter had the said Primacie or no. The third whether the Bishop of Rome had it after S. Peter Concerning S. Peter we fal againe into diuers new questioÌ„s as it shal now appeare When Simon the sonne of Iona was first brought vnto Christ by his brother Andrew Iesus loking vpon him said Thou art Simon the sonne of Iona Ioan. 1. thou shalt be called Cephas the vvhich by interpretation is Peter that is to say a stone or a rocke Here is the promise made that Simon shal be called Peter which name is deriued of a rocke or stone Verelie because he shal occupie that place in vpholding the frame of Christes militant Church the which a stone occupieth in holding vp the house which is built vpon it And when it pleased Christ to chose vnto him his twelue Apostles then he gaue the said name vnto SimoÌ„ surnaming him Peter Thirdly Mar. 3. Luc. 6. when Simon hauing the Godhead of Christ reuealed to him from heaueÌ„ had confessed the same saying Math. 16. Thou art Christ the son of the liuing God then Iesus answering said vnto