the Scriptures in that they were with me we both celebrated the martyrs feastes in that they were with me we both frequented the solemnity of Easter in that they were with me but they were not with me in all things in schisme they were deuided from me in heresie they were deuided from me in manie things with me and in few deuided from me but because of these few thinges wherein they were deuided from me the manie things wherein they were with me profited them nothing And so it is vnprofitable to those societies whereof his Maiestie speaketh to obtaine the name of Churches that they be vnited in most pointes necessary for saluation if they be not vnited in all and particularly in the knowledge and acknowledgement of the true Catholicke Church and consequently not supposing her to be visible The fowrth battaile is that the vniuersall distinction of things necessarie or not necessarie to saluation cannot be assuredly made by the iudgement of euery particular person but it dependes of the iudgement of the Church For there is noe Sect but belieues that those thinges which they hold are only necessary to saluation and that all which others hold ouer and aboue are either pernicious or superfluous Pelagius and Celestius saith Saint AVG. desiring fraudulentlie to auoid the hatefull name of heresies affirme that the question of originall sinne may be disputed without danger of saith And Saint AVGVSTINE contrarywise cryes out that it belongs to the foundation of faith We may said he indure a disputant which 〈◊〉 in other questions not yet diligentlie examined not yet established by the whole authoritie of the Church theire errors may be borne with but it must not passe soe farr as to attempt to shake the foundation of the Church And Luther speakinge of the controuersies of the Reall presence vnder both kindes and of the orall manducation of the bodie of Christ in the Eucharist Zuinglius and Oecolampadius said he alleadge that the question betweene them and vs is a light matter and a little difference not worthie that by occasion thereof Christian charitie should be broken But LVTHER contrarywise cryes out Eternallie cursed be this concord and this charitie because it doth not only miserablie rend the Church but after the diuells fashion mockes her And againe I take to witnesse God and man that I agree not with the Sacramentaries that is with the Zuinglians and Caluinists nor euer did agree with them nor by the helpe of God 〈◊〉 will agree with them and that I desire my handes may be cleane from the bloud of all those whose soules by this poyson they haue turned from Christ and slaine And a little after We will auoid them we will resist and condemne them to the last breath as Idolators corrupters of Gods word blasphemers and seducers So that before we can be assured of entire vnitie in things necessarie to saluation we must heare the iudgement of the Church and consequently suppose her to be visible The fifth battaile is that it is not euough for the constitution of a Church that the persons where of it consistes should be vnited among themselues in matters necessarie to saluation if they be not also deuided from the externall communion of all other societies which holde things repugnant to saluation For it sufficeth that we be vnited with anie Congregation which belieueth anie one point repugnant to Saluation although we be well perswaded in all the rest nay and euen in that alsoe to be excluded from the participation of the Church for whosoeuer communicates in matter of Religion with anie Societie is answerable for all the pointes vnder the obligation whereof he receiueth men to his communion From whence it ariseth that a multitude of men of diuers externall communions such as his Maiestie hereafter propounds as a number of men of the Roman Communion a number of men of the Greeke communion and a number of men of the Ethiopian Communion cannot constitute a common Church for as much as though they are vnited in the beliefe of most things necessarie to saluation neuerthelesse there are things repugnant to saluation wherein some of them are vnited by the bond of theire externall Communions with the body of theire Sects which externall vnion though the internall went not with it is sufficient to depriue them from the participation of the Church The sixth battaile is that the vnitie of faith which enters into the essentiall definition of the Church is not simply the vnitie of internall faith but the vnitie of externall faith For the vnitie of faith which concurrs to the formall constitution of the Church is that which serues for a foundation to the commerce of Ecclesiasticall Charitie that is to saie by meanes whereof the members of the mysticall bodie of Christ may acknowledge and embrace one an other as brothers and members of one and the same bodie Now this is the vnitie of exteruall and professed faith and not that of hidden and internall which serues for nothing neither for 〈◊〉 nor for saluation if it be not made manifest and externall For our Lord cryes out Hee that will confesse me before men I will confesse him before God my Father And saint PAVL We make confession with our mouthes to saluation And saint AGVST We cannot be saued vnlesse labouring also for the saluation of others we professe with our mouthes the same faith which we be are in our hartēs And againe Peraduenture said he some one may saie there are other sheepe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I am not acquainted with but God hath care of them But he is too absurd in human sense that can imagine such thinges And finally the seuenth battaile is that the vnitie of faith euen externall and professed 〈◊〉 not for the constitution of the Church if the vnitie of the visible and Sacramentall Communion with the originall body of the Church and the vniuersall societie of the true pastors be not added to it You are with vs 〈◊〉 Saint AVGVSTINE to the Donatists in baptisme in 〈◊〉 Creede in the other Sacraments of our Lord but in the spirit of vnitie in the bond of peace and finally in the Catholicke Church you are not with vs. And Saint IEROM There is this difference betweene schisme and heresie that heresie holdes a false doctrine and schisme for Episcopall dissention equallie separates men from the Church Of other inuisible vnions CHAP. XI The continuance of the Kinges answere THey are vnited by the coniunction of spirits and by the offices of true Charitie and aboue all by that of mutuall prayers They are finally ioyned by the communion of one selfesame hope and by the expectation of one promised inheritance THE REPLIE NEITHER can there be a true Communion of Spirits where the visible and sacramentall Communiō of bodies is excluded that is to 〈◊〉 where the parties doe noe admitt one an other to the Communion and participation os the
causes of Bishops could not be determined till first the decision had bene made at Rome And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Sacerdot all lawe required that those things which were constituted without the Bishop of Romes sentence should be annulled Neuerthelesse for as much as Caluin obiectes that if this cause had belonged to the Popes Ordinary iurisdictiō he ought not to haue iudged it by the Emperors commission it is necessarie to cleere it To this obiection then before wee 〈◊〉 the matter to the bottom wee will answere in forme of a prologue fiue thinges first that it was not a commission except in regard of the three Assessors of the Gaules that the Emperor named to content the importunitie of the Donatists to the end that they might serue for 〈◊〉 warrants of the sinceritie of the proceedings of the Councell of Rome but a remittmēt as it appeares both by the Emperors confessiō who avowed that it belōged not to him to examin this cause by the electiō that the Pope made of fifteene other Bishops that he tooke for his assistāts besides those that the Emperor had nominated And therefore although S. AVG. in regard of the Donatists intētiō sometimes calls this remittmēta delegation neuerthelesse hee sheweth sufficientlie that it was rather a relegation then a delegation when he notes that the reason wherefore the Emperor did it was for as much as he durst not iudge the cause of a Bishop Your Superiors said he to the Donatists first brought the cause of Cecilianus to the Emperor Constantine And a little after But because 〈◊〉 durst not iudge the cause of a Bishop hee delegated the examination and 〈◊〉 thereof to Bishops I add that hee vsed this language by Synecdoche and referringe the word delegation to the Iudges of the Gaules onelie that were deputed to assist at the Councell of Rome and not to all the Councell of Rome as hee witnesseth elsewhere by these wordes The Emperor gaue to the Donatists the Iudges that themselues had demaunded that is to 〈◊〉 the Iudges of the Gaules And againe Donatus was heard at Rome by the Iudges that himself had demaunded For of the ninteene Bishops of the Councell of Rome there were but three of the qualitie of those that Donatus had demaunded Donatus had demaunded but three but saint AUSTIN extendes this clause by Synecdoche to all the Coūcell for as much as the three Iudges demaunded by Donatus had iudged in Common with all the Councell and were found soe conformable to the rest as the iudgement of the Councell which passed all with one voice and without anie diuersitie of opinions and theirs was one selfe same thing The second answere is that Constantine did not interpose his authoritie in this affaire as Maister by himself of the cause but as an Arbiter sought by the Donatists and assuringe himself as a Catholicke that he should be avowed by the Catholicks This Matter saith saint AVGVSTIN belonged greatly to the Emperors care whereof he ought to giue an accompt to God for the Donatists had made him arbiter and iudge of the cause of the tradition and of the Schisme From whence it appeares that the Emperors interposition in this cause was a matter of fact and not of right and whose example cannot be alleadged for a paterne of the ancient discipline of the Church The third that it was not a controuersie questioned amongst the Catholicks and according to the ordinarie lawes of the Church but a Sute commenced by the heretickes against the Catholicks and by waies extraordinarie to all the lawes and formes of the Church For the Donatists had alreadie broken the bond of vnitie and shaken off the yoake of the Churches authoritie They were saith saint AVGVSTIN alreadie culpable of the Schisme and alreadie stained with the horrible crime of the 〈◊〉 of Altar against Altar By meanes whereof there being noe iudge common betweene them and the Catholicks in the Church there remained nothing for them to doe but to haue recourse to the Arbitrements of the secular powers whose examples could noe more be drawne into consequence against the ordininarie authoritie of the Christian Church then the iudgment that Ptolomeus Philometor king of Egipt gaue betweene the Iewes and the Samaritans could forme a president against the ordinarie authoritie of the high priest and of the Sacerdotall colledge of the Iewish Church The fowrth that the cause questioned in this processe was not a cause of right and that should be proued by ecclesiasticall meanes such as the testimonies of Scripture or the traditions of the Apostles or the Custome of the Church or the sentences of the Fathers but a question of fact and whereof the hypothesis was mingled with accessories that belonged not to the causes of the Church and could not be examined by ecclesiasticall meanes onelie but must be iustified by human and secular meanes as the confronting of witnesses the acts of Notaries yea Pagan and heathen ones the Recordes of Clerkes and euen the applications of questions and corporall tortures For the accusation of the Donatists was principallie grounded vpon the framing of a false letter that they had forged against Felix Bishop of Aptunge for the examination whereof there must be a secular and proconsulary iudgement interposed betweene the ecclesiasticall iudgements that is to saie betweene the Councell of Rome and that of Arles to conuince the forgers of the falshood by the application of rackes and tortures Wee haue vndertaken saith saint AVSTIN the defence of the cause of Cecilianus although it belong not to the cause of the Churche that we may make their calumnies appeare euen in that And againe speaking of the torture which was offered to the scriuener Ingentius or Uigentius to make him confesse whether he had falsified the letter of the Aedile Alfius Cecilianus to Felix Bishop of Aptunge The Proconsull said hee amongst the fearefull cries of the vshers and the bloudy hands of the hangmen would not haue condemned a Colleague of his being absent And the fifth that all the actes that the Donatists extorted from the Emperor in this 〈◊〉 hee protested them to be soe manie irregularities and nullities and so manie vnlawfull enterprises vniust and extraordinarie wherein he suffered himself to be constrained against his will to giue waie to the passion and malice of the Donatists and in yeilding to them to assaie to reduce them to the peace and vnitie of the Church and he was soe 〈◊〉 from desiring to haue the example thereof serue for a lawe to the Bishops as contrarywise he promised to aske the Bishops pardon the historie is this The Donatists hauing accused Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage of treason or communication with traytors that is to saie with those that had deliuered the holie Bookes and the sacred Vessells to be put into the fier in the persecution tyme yea euen to haue bene ordained by a traytor soe did they intitle Felix
no more receiue those to the Communion that haue bene excommunicated by vs And a while after That so those that in their owne Prouince haue bene depriued of the Communion may not seeme to be rashlie and vnfitly restored to the Communion by your Holynesse And this request they propt vp with fiue reasons The first that the Councell of Nicea had forbidden that those which had bene excommunicated in one Prouince should be receaued to Communion in an 〈◊〉 Your Reuerence said they will easilie acknowledge that this hath bene so defined by the Councell of Nicea for although it seemes to restraine the caution to inferior Clerks and to lay men by how much strōger reason did they intend it allso to Bishops A thing that the heate of contention drew from their mouthes and which is directlie against S. AVGVSTINE who saith speaking of Cecilianus Archishop of Carthage who had bene deposed by a Councell of seauentie African Bishops assembled at Carthage Hee might contemme the conspiring multitude of his Enemies because he knew himselfe to be vnited by communicatorie letters to the Roman Church in which hath alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the sea Apostolick and from the other Countries from whence the Ghospell first came into Africa And against the Councell of Nicea it selfe which precisely limitts the words to Priests and Laymē which hauing bene excommunicated by their Bishop could not be receiued to Communion by anie of the other Bishops of the same Prouince For whereas the African Fathers inferr that if the Councell of Nicea spake these words of Priests and Laymen they must be much more intended of Bishops this is formally opposite to saint AVGVSTINES foundatiō who saith that Cecilianus tyme-fellowe with the Councell of Nicea might haue appealed beyond Sea because hee was not of the number of Priests and other inferior Clerkes but of the number of Bishops They did not handle the cause saith hee of Priests Deacons or other inferior Clerkes but of Bishops which might reserue their causes to the iudgement of the churches beyond Sea The second that the Councell of Nicea committs the causes as well of Bishops as of Priests to the Metropolitan which is true for the iudgement of Priests in the second instance and of Bishops in the first But not for the iudgment of Bishops in the last instance as appeares by the testimonie of saint ATHANASIVS who had assisted in person at the Councell of Nicea which alleadges for his defence an Epistle where Pope Julius writes that the Councell of Antioch and other Councells of the East could not depose ATHANASIVS from the Bishopricke of Alexandria without expecting the decision of the church of Rome Are you ignorant saith hee that the custome is that they should first write to vs and so from hence should proceede the iust decision of causes and therefore if there were anie suspition conceiued against the Bishop there that is to saie of Alexandria they must write to the Church heere that is to saie to the Church of Rome The third that the grace of the holy Ghost shall not be wanting to euery prouision or to euery Prouince to discerne the equitie of causes and that it is not credible that God should inspire the Justice of the triall to one only man what soeuer he be and denie it to an infinite number in a Councell A certaine proofe that they spake of the causes of equitie and iustice as well ciuill as criminall and not of causes of faith of which contrarywise they had written a yeare or two before to Pope Innocent vpon the subiect of Pelagius and Celestius his cause which was a cause of Faith Wee doubt not with the helpe of Gods mercie who will vouchsafe to heare thee praying and to guide thee consulting but those that hold these peruerse thinges will more easily yield to the authoritie of thy Holynesse deriued from the authoritie of holy Scriptures And Pope Innocent to themselues Alwaies and as often as matters of faith are handled I conceiue that all our Bretheren and colleagues can haue no reference but to Peter that is to saie to the author of their name and dignitie The fourth That it was very hard to assure beyond Sea iudgements because of the difficultie of causing witnesses to passe the seas How can said they the Iudgements beyond Sea be certaine wherein the necessarie persons of witnesses for the debilitie of sexe of age or manie other hindrances interuening cannot appeare An euident Argument that they spake of particular and personall causes And the fifth that it had neuer bene taken from the African Church by any decree of a Councell that Appeales should goe out of Africa and that to send Legats from Rome into Africa to iudge them vpon the place it was not constituted by any Councell A thing the ignorance whereof they might well excuse forasmuch as they had no more then in Africa the true copies of the Councell of Sardica but only as had bene aboue shewed those of the false Councell of Sardica composed by the Arrians and publisht by the Donatists which gaue ground to all this question The second request was that the Pope should no more grante them clerkes executioners so were certaine clerkes of the Roman Church called committees to cause to be executed with the helpe of secular power and of the imperiall forces that is to saie by the strength of Vshers Sergeants and Souldiers the iudgements of the Pope or of his Legats a thing which prouoked much murmure in Africa For although the malice of the African Poeple who after they were fastned in the hate of anie Ecclesiasticall person would hardlie lett goe their hold did sometymes make this remedie necessarie Neuerthelesse the abuse of those which did too violently applie it did often conuert it into a pretence and occasion of complaint as S. AVGVSINE testifies in an Epistle to the same pope Celestine when he saith speaking of Anthony Bishop of Fussala in Numidia who had appealed to the Pope from the iudgemēt which the inhabitantes of Fussala had caused to be giuen against him He threatens them saith hee with secular power and with the furie of souldiers as if they should come to execute the iudgements of the Sea apostolike in such sort as the miserable inhabitants being Christians and Catholiks feared more grieuous vsage from a Catholike Bishop then they did when they were hereticks from the lawes of the Emperors For these causes then the African Bishops besought the Pope to grant no more Clerkes executors to those which demanded them That you will not also said they send your clerks for executors to all those wich demaund them nor permitt that wee should seeme to introduce the typhe or smoky meteor of the age into the Church of Christ which propounds the light of simplicitie and the daie of humility to those that desire to see God Calling the force and military violence with which those executors did
Celestine make S. Cyrill Patriark of Alexandria his Vicar in the East to iudge the cause of Nestorius and appointed him to excommunicate Nestorius if within ten daies after the receipt of the letters from the Apostolicke Sea he did not anathematize his error The authoritie of our Sea said he being added to thee and vsing with power the representation of our place thou shalt execute exactly and seuerelie this sentence to wit that if within ten 〈◊〉 tolde aster signification made to him of this admonition Nestorius 〈◊〉 not his naughtie doctrines c. thy Holynesse prouiding without delaie for that 〈◊〉 shall declare him wholy cutt of from our bodie And Prosper touching the same history Celestine to cut of the Nestorian impietie ayded Cyrill the Bishop of Alexandria most glorious defendor of the faith with the Apostolicke sword And why then when S. Cyrill had receiued the Popes admonition did he send to signifie it to Nestorius and to the Constantinopolitans in these wordes 〈◊〉 are constrained to signifie to him by Synodic all letters that if verie speedily and within the tyme sett downe by the most holy Bishop of the Roman Church Celestine he renounce not his nouelties and anathematize them by writing c. he shall no more haue anie parte amongst the ministers of God And for what cause when Pope 〈◊〉 was come in the age following to Constantinople did the Religious men of Syria pray him to doe the same to Anthimus Archbishop of 〈◊〉 We pray you said they to doe to Anthimus as Celestine did to Nestorius assigning him a 〈◊〉 as Celestine did to Nestorius And why then when the Councell of Ephesus proceeded to the condemnation of Nestorius did they couch it in these termes Constrained necessarily by the 〈◊〉 of the Canons and by the letters of our most holie Father and fellowe minister 〈◊〉 we are come not without manie teares to pronounce this sad sentence against him And why then when the Legates of the Pope were arriued to the same Councell of Ephesus did they thanke the Bishops of the Councell for hauing shewed themselues true and holy members of the Pope We giue thankes said they to this reuerent Synod that the letters of our most holie and hlessed Pope hauing bene recited to you you haue by your holie and religious voyces shewed your-selues holie members to your holie head for your 〈◊〉 is not ignorant that saint Peter was the head of all the faith and of all the Apostles And againe none doubtes for it hath bene notorious in all ages that the holy and most blessed Peter Prince and head of the Apostles pillar of the faith foundation of the Catholicke Church did receiue from our Lord IESVS CHRIST the 〈◊〉 of the heauenly Kingdome and the power to binde and loose sinnes and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and decides causes yet vnto this daie and for all eternitie by his Successors of 〈◊〉 then the holy Successor and ordinarie Vicar and most blessed Pope and Bishop Celestine hath sent vs for him as his Lieutenant to this holie 〈◊〉 And why then when there was a question to passe from the cause of Nestorius to that of Iohn Patriark of Antioch did IVVENALL Bishop of 〈◊〉 say in presence of the whole Councell that the ancient custome and the Apostolicke tradition haue bene that the Church of 〈◊〉 was to be iudged by the Roman It is fitt said hee that the Right 〈◊〉 Bishop of Antioch Iohn honoring this great holy and 〈◊〉 all Councell should haue recourse hither to iustifie himselfe of what is obiected against him and that he should obey and honor the Apostolicke Throne of great Rome sittinge with vs and with the Apostolicke Throne of Ierusalem before which principallie it is accustomed by Apostolicke tradition and practice that the Seate of Antioch is to be ruled and iudged For that we must referr the laste clause of the period of IVVENALL to the Sea of Rome as 〈◊〉 hath done deceauing himselfe with this that the word to obey gouernes the datiue and not considering that the verbe to honor which is there added changeth the Rule it shall be shewed heereafter by seauē necessarie and vndoubted proofes And why then when the Councell proceeded indeede to the cause of IOHN Patriark of Antioch did they reserue the decision to the Pope Being moued writes the Councell to the Pope with the indignitie of the thing we would pronounce against him and the rest the same sentence that he had vnlawfullie pronounced against those which were conuinced of noe crime but to the end to conquerr his rashnesse with meekenesse although he had most iustlie deserued to suffer such a sentence yet we haue reserued him to the iudgement of thy pietie Which afterward the third oecumenicall Councell of Constantinople did imitate in the cause of Macarius Patriark of Antioch as the Emperor Constantine Pogonat reportes in these wordes Macarius Bishop of Antioch and his adherents haue bene deposed by the consent of the whole Councell and remitted to the discretion of the most holie Pope And why then when HILARIE Bishop of Arles vndertooke to ordaine Prelates in the prouince of Vienna without the Popes leaue did the Emperor Valentinian the third make a lawe which afterward the Emperor Theodosius the second inserted into his new constitutions vnder the title of the lawe of Theodosius and Valentinian by which he forbadd that anie inuocatiō should be made in the Church without the Popes licēce Whereas saith the lawe the merit of Peter who is the Prince of the Episcopall societie and the dignitie of the cittie of Rome and the authoritie of the sacred Synod haue soe establisht the primacie of the Apostolicke Sea as presumption should attempt nothing vnlawfull against the authoritie thereof for soe the peace of Churches shall be maintained by all if the vniuersalitie acknowledge her Rector And a little after Wee decree by a perpetuall ordinance that it shall not be lawfull either for the Bishops of the Gaules or those of other prouinces to attempt anie thing against the ancient custome without the authoritie of the Reuerend Pope of the eternall cittie but to them and to all those things shall be lawes which haue bene ordained or shall be ordained by the authoritie of the Apostolicke Sea in such sort as whatsoeuer Bishop being called to the iudgement of the Pope of Rome shall neglect to present himselfe he shall be constrained by the Gouernor of the prouince to appeare For to obiect that Prosper for all this attempt did call HILARIE Bishop of Arles a Saint it had bene somewhat if betweene HILARIES attempt and his death there had bene noe penance interposed but soe farr was HILARIE from persisting in this crime to the end of his daies that he went himselfe to make personall satisfaction to the Pope He vndertooke saith the author of his life reported by Cuias a iourney to ` Rome on foote and entred into the
their mouthes that think to call it in question And yet lesse will I stand to solue this that Iustinian in the lawe Constautinopolitana writes that the Church of Constantinople is the head of all the other Churches For it shall be shewed heereafter that he speakes of the other Churches of the iurisdiction of Constantinople which are treaetd of in the lawe and not of the other Patriarkall Churches amongst which Iustinian neuer attributed but the second ranke to the Church of Constantinople as it appeares by the Nouel 〈◊〉 where he saieth We ordaine following the definitions of the fower first Councells that the holy Pope of the ancient Rome is to be first of all Prelates and that the most Blessed Archbishop of Constantinople or new Rome shall haue the second place after the holy Sea Apostolicke of old Rome and shall be preferred before all the other Seas And why then when Epiphanius was dead and that Anthymus Bishop of Trebisond had bene made Patriark of Constantinople in his steede did Anthymus oblige himselfe by protestation written to all the other Patriarkes to obey the Pope Anthymus saith the Councell of Constantinople held vnder Menas promiseth to doe all that the Archbishop of the great Sea Apostolick should ordaine and writt to the most holy Patriarkes that hee would in all things followe the Sea Apostolike And why thē whē Pope Agapet was a while after arriued at Cōstantinople did he depose the same Anthymus Patriark of Constantinople and then euen in Constantinople and in the sight of the Emperor Iustinian that fauour'd him and excommunicated the Empresse Theodora his wife who did obstinately maintaine him and ordained Menas priest of Constantinople Patriarke in his steede Agapet saith Marcellinus Comes an author of the same tyme being come from Rome to Constantinople draue away Anthymus soone after his arriuall from the Church saying that according to the 〈◊〉 rule he was an adulterer because hee had left his Church and had vnlawfully procured another and ordained the priest Menas Bishop in his roome And Liberatus one likewise of the same tyme with Marcellinus Comes saith The Empresse in secret promising great presents to the Pope if he would leaue Anthymus in his 〈◊〉 and on the other side proouing him with threates the Pope persisted not to 〈◊〉 to her demaund And Anthymus seing he was cast out of his Seate gaue vp his Mantle to the Emperor and retired himselfe where the Empresse tooke him into her protection and then the Pope for the Emperors sake ordained Menas Bishop in his steede consecrating him with his owne hands And Victor of Tunes of the same tyme with Liberatus published by Ioseph Scaliger Agapet saith he Archbishop of Rome came to Constantinople and deposed Anthymus ` Bishop of Constantinople vsurper of the Church for it must be read peruasorem and not 〈◊〉 uersorem and enemy to the Councell of Chalcedon and excommunicated the Empresse Theodora his Patronesse and made at the same time Menas Bishop of the Church of Constantinople And the Emperor Iustinian himselfe We knowe saith hee that the like thing hath bene done in the case of Anthymus who was deposed from the Seate of this royall cittie by the most holy Bishop of the Ancient Rome Agapet of sacred and glorious memorie For those that from these insuing words of Iustinians but he hath bene also deposed and condemned first by the sentence of this Prelate of holy memorie and after of the sacred Synod heere celebrated doe inserre that the finall deposition of Anthymus was not made by the Pope but by the Councell of Constantinople doe not consider that the first clause of Iustinian speakes as shall appeare heereafter of the deposition of Anthymus from the Patriarkall Seate of Constantinople which was done and perfected by the Pope And the second speakes of the deposition of Anthymus from the Archbishopricke of Trebisond which was begun by the Pope but hauing bene tyed to certaine conditions which the continuance of the Popes life did not permitt him to cleere it was finished after his death by the Synod of Constantinople But tyme presseth vs lett vs hasten And why then when Menas Patriark of Constantinople gaue his voyce in the Councell of Constantinople vpon the second deposition of Anthymus that is to say vpon his deposition from the archbishopricke of Trebisond did he say we followe as you knowe the Sea Apostolicke and obey him and haue his communicants for ours and condemne those that are condemned by him And why then when the body of the Councell formed a sentence against the same Anthymus is it couched in these termes We ordaine following things well examined by the holy and blessed Pope c. that he shall be cutt of from the bodie of the holy Churches of God and cast out of the Archbishops Seate of Trebisond and depriued from all dignitie and Sacerdotall action and according to the sentence of the same holy Father stript from the title of Catholicke And why then when the Emperor Iustinian would at the instance of the Empresse Theodora his wise who was an Eutychian persecute Pope Siluerius Agapits Successor doth Liberatus Archdeacō of Carthage an Africā author and of the same tyme and that Hinemarus an ancient Archbishop of Rhemes cites vnder the title of a Saint say that the Bishop of Patara in 〈◊〉 one of the prouinces of Asia disswaded him from it by the remonstrance that he made him that there was noe temporall monarchie which was equall in extent to the spirituall authoritie of the Pope He represented to him said Liberatus the iudgement of God vppon the expulsion of the Bishop of soe great a Sea admonishing him that there were manie kings in the world but there was not one of them as the Pope who was ouer the Church of the whole world who had bene dispossessed of his seate And why then when the same Emperor Iustinian would erect the first Justinianea of Bulgaria the cittie where he was borne into the forme of a supernumerarie Patriarkship did he ground his ordinance vpon the Vicarship and concession of the Pope Wee ordaine said hee that the Bishop of the first Justinianea shall alwaies haue vnder his iurisdiction the Bishops of the Prouinces of the Mediterranean Dacia of Dacia Ripensis of Triballea of 〈◊〉 of the vpper Misia and of Pannonia c. and that in all prouinces subiect to him he shall holde the place of the sea Apostolicke of Rome according as things were defined by the most holy Pope Vigilius And why then when Rusticus deacon of Rome of the same tyme with Justinian writt his booke against the Ascephales did he make this graue exhortation to himselfe Remember that thou art a Christian and a Deacon and that of the most soueraigne Church of all the world And why then when the Bishops of France celebrated the second Councell of Tours 1048. yeares agoe did they say our Fathers
successor to Alexander Patriark of Alexandria in whose fauour and vpon whose particular the article had bene sett downe And how could Pope Julius haue reproched the Arrians that they had altered the decrees of the CouÌ„cell of Nicea if himself in restoring S. ATHANASIVS Patriark of Alexandria Paul Bishop of Constantinople Marcellus Primat of Ancyra in Galatia Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in Palestina Lucius Bishop of Andrinopolis in Thrace in disannulling the Councells of Tyre Antioch Constantinople which had bene holden against them had violated the canoÌ„ of the councell of Nicea And why did not the Arrians replie to him that it was himself that infringed the decrees of the Councell of Nicea if the intention of the Councell of Nicea had bene to restraine the Popes authoritie to the only limits of a particular Patriarkship as well as that of the other Patriarks And how had the Councell of Sardica wherein the Councell of Nicea was againe put to the triall which was holden twenty two yeares after the Councell of Nicea to defend the authoritie of the Councell of Nicea by many of the same Fathers that had assisted at the CouÌ„cell of Nicea reduced into a written lawe that Bishops deposed by the Councells of their prouinces might appeale from theÌ„ to the Pope declared that it was a very good fitt thing that froÌ„ all the prouinces the Bishops should referr the affaires to their head that is to saie to the Sea Apostlick of S. PETER if the intentioÌ„ of the CouÌ„cell of Nicea had bene to restraine the Popes authoritie into the onely limits of a particular Patriarkship as well as that of the other Patriarkes And how had the generall Councell of Ephesus reserued the cause of John Patriark of Antioch to the iudgmeÌ„t of the Pope And how had Flauianus Bishop of Constantinople after he had beeÌ„ deposed by Dioscorus Patriark of Alexandria by the second Councell of Ephesus appealed from them to the Pope and that saith the Emperor Valentinian the third according to the custome of the Councells And how finally had Theodoret one of the Bishops of the Patriarkship of Antioch hauing bene deposed in the same second Councell of Ephesus and hauing thence appealed to the Pope bene receiued into the Councell of Chalcedon because the Pope had restored him to his Bishopricke if the intention of the Councell of Nicea had bene not to propose the authoritie of the Pope in regard of the vniuersall Church for type and patterne of the authoritie of the other Patriarkes in regard of their Patriarkships but to restraine the Popes authority into the onely limits of a particular Patriarkship as well as that of the other Patriarkes It appeares in the fifth place by the title of vniuersall Patriarke and vniuersall Pope that the Churchmen of the other Patriarkships and particularly those of Alexandria who had more interest in the obseruation of the sixt Canon of the Councell of Nicea then anie other as hauing bene made in fauour of their Church yeilded to the Pope For when the Priests and deacons of the Patriarchall Church of Alexandria presented their requests to the Councell of Chalcedon from which the person of the Pope was as farre distant as it is betweene Rome and Asia they couched them in these termes To the most holie and most blessed vniuersall Patriark of great Rome 〈◊〉 and to the holie and vniuersall Councell And this they did all the Councell seeing and approuing it and ordayning that they should be inserted into the Acts and consequently not holding them for strange new and vnwonted things And when the Religious men of Antioch presented in Constantinople their requests to Pope Agapet they couched them and made them to be inserted into the Actes of the Councell of Constantinople holden against Anthymus and celebrated vnder the Emperor Iustinian in these wordes To our most holie and blessed Lord Agapet Archbishop of the ancient Rome and vniuersall Pairiark And when the great scourge of the Nouatians Eulogius Patriark of Alexandria and heire of the Rights conferred vpon the patriarkship of Alexandria by the Councell of Nicea sett hand to penn he did not onely saie disputing against the Nouaâ—ians that PETER onely had receiued the keys that is to saie originally but also writing to the Pope S. GREGORIE he called him vniuersall Pope Now how is this anie other thing then to protest that what the other Patriarkes were euerie one in the behalfe of his owne Patriarkship the Pope was the same in the behalfe of the world For as for the part that the Bishop of Constantinople challenged in this title afterward it shall be heereafter shewed that it was by vertue of the right of the Bishop of Rome that he pretended it to be communicated to him by the erection of Constantinople into the title of the second Rome And as for the refusall that the Pope S. GREGORIE made of the vse thereof it shall be answered in the same chapter It appeares in the sixth place by the proceeding of Theodosius the second Emperor of the East who resoluing at the instance of Atticus Bishop of Constantinople to make the cittie of Constantinople enioy the title of Patriarkship which he pretended had bene attributed to him in the Councell of Constantinople published a law which hath alwaies as shall heereafter appeare remained without effect by which he alleadged that Constantinople had the priuiledges of the ancient Rome and ordained that she should exercise them not only in all the prouinces of Pontus Asia minor and Thracia but also in all the prouinces of Illiria The one of the heades of this lawe we learne from Socrates who said the Bishop of Cyzica being dead Sisinnius Archbishop of Constantinople ordained Proclus Bishop of Cyzica but the Cyzicenians that is to saie the Bishop of the diuision of Cyzica seeing he went about it preuented him and ordained a religious mancalled Dalmatius and this they executed despising the law which forbad to ordaine Bishops without the sentence of the Bishop of Constantinople alleadging it had bene made onely for the person of 〈◊〉 And the other we learne from the lawe omni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a fragment of that where of Socrates makes mention which forbids that euen in all the prouinces of the Easterne Illyria any thing should 〈◊〉 but with the knowledg of the Bishop of Constantinople 〈◊〉 saith the lawe that all innouation ceasing so speakes the Emperor because 〈◊〉 abusing the simplicitie of his youth had ginen him to vnderstand falsely that the refusall that the Bishops of Illeria made to acknowledg him for Patriarke had begun but since the schisme of Arsacius his 〈◊〉 the antiquitie and the precedent Ecclesiasticall Canons which haue bene obserued hitherto he meanes the Canons of the Councell of Constantinople holden vnder Nectarius which had attributed to the Sea of Constantinople euen in spirituall causes the title of the second Rome and
called by him or at his instance but for 〈◊〉 much as that Councell which was a particular Councell had vndertaken as compounded of Arrian Bishops who violated all order and discipline to decide things that concerned the vniuersall Church ordayning in hate to saint ATHANASIVS That euery Bishop that after he had bene deposed by a Synod should continue still to performe episcopall functions without hauing bene first reestablisht by an other greater Synod should be incapable of restitution and that the lawes of the Church bore that there could noe decrees be made in the Churches that is to saie as Caluin himself interprets it for things regarding the vniuersall Church without the Sentence of the Bishop of Rome he reproacheth it to them that they had exceeded the power of a particular Councell That is to saie had decided the affaires which concerned the generall gouernement of the Church without hauing inuited him to assiste at it either by himself or by his Legats A thing that if we were stript of all other argumentes would sufficiently shewe the Popes authoritie for if the absence of the Pope alone and not of anie other Patriarke or Metropolitan were an impediment to the makeing of decrees to oblige the vniuersall Church how can it bee but the Pope must be head of the Church and Superior of the other Patriarkes To the third obiection which is that saint IEROM speaking of a certaine Councell holden amongst the Gaules cryes What Emperor hath commaunded this Synod to he assembled From whence they inferre that the Emperors onely called the generall Councells Wee answere it is a very Sophisme for the Councell whereof saint IEROM spake was not a generall Councell but a particular that Ruffinus pretends to haue bene holden in Gaule against saint HILLARY Nowe wee agree of all sides and Caluin himselfe confesses it that the Metropolitans Primates and Patriarkes called particular Councells And the Councells of the westerne Church holden at Rome by Pope DAMASVS in the tyme of the heresie of the Macedonians by Pope Celestine against the heresie of the Nestorians by Pope LEO against the heresie of the Eutychians by Pope Agatho against the heresie of the Monothelites inforced the most obstinate to confesse that the Pope if not as head of the vniuersall Church yet at least as Patriarke of the West called the Patriarchall Councells of the westerne Church and not onely called the Patriarchall Councells of the Westerne Church but alsoe when there was neede caused to be called extraordinarily the nationall or prouinciall Coūcells of such a Natiō or Prouince of the West as he thought to be necessarie as it appeares for Africa frō these wordos S. AVGVSTINE The Ecclesiasticall necessitie enioyned vs by the Reuerēd Pope Zosime Bishop of the Sea Apostolicke had drawne vs to Caesaria And for Macedonia Achaia and Thessalia from these of Pope LEO to Anastasius Bishop of Thessalonica his Legat in those prouinces If There be anie maior cause moued for which it shal be necessarie to cause an Episcopall assemblie to be called let it suffice thee to call two Bishops of euery Prouince such as the Metropolitans shall choose And for Spaine from these of the same LEO Wee haue sent letters to our bretheren and fellow Bishops of Arragon of Carthagena of Portugall and of Galitia and baue declared to them the assemblie of a generall Councell that is to saie generall for Spaine In which place they must not cauill vpon the word Councell and conuert it into Counsell For the first Councell of Bracara reporting the same historie saith By the commaundement of Leo the Bishops of Arragon Carthagena Portugall and Andaluzia held a Councell amongst them But besides the spirituall authoritie were it of Metropolitans Primates and Patriarkes for the calling of particular Councells be it of the Popes as wee pretend for the calling of generall Councells the temporall authoritie of the Emperors was alsoe requisite aswell to auoid state iealousies and hinder suspitions of conspiracies against the Empire as to take order for the Charge of transportations Staples and prouisions and to furnish the costes of the voyages which the Churches then newlie out of the persecution of the Pagans could yet hardlie beare And therefore when there was question of calling not onely generall Councells of all the Earth but alsoe the generall Councell of the Westerne Church the temporall authoritie of the Emperors concurred with the Spirituall authoritie of Popes for the execution of the conuocation The Emperor Valentinian saith Pope Sixtus the third tymefellowe to saint CYRILL hath commaunded by our authority that the Synod should be called And when there was question of calling Nationall Synods if it were within the countries of the Empire the authoritie of Emperors or of their lieuetenans was allso required and if it were within the ecclipsed countries or not depending from the Empire that of the Kings of the nations where it was to be celebrated must be ioyned thereto as when the first Councell of Bracara in Spaine was called it is said it was called by the commaundement of the glorious King Ariamira or according to others Theodomina And when the second Councell of Tours speakes of the first Councell of Orleans holden vnder Clouis it is said it was done at the request of the most inuincible king Clouis And when the second Councell of Mascon was holden vnder King Gontran it was ordained that the ordinarie Nationall Councells should be celebrated from three yeare to three yeare and that the care to cause them to be assembled appertained to the Bishop of Lion and the disposition to the most magnificent Prince Now if the temporall conuocation of Nationall Councells made by the Emperors or by the Princes of the Nations were 〈◊〉 impediment but that the spirituall conuocation of the same Councells might be due to the Primats of the Nations Why should the temporall conuocation of generall Councells made by the Emperor be an impediment why the authoritie to call them spiritually that is to saie in behalfe of spirituall and ecclesiasticall power might not belong to the Pope For that then as we haue newlie said the authoritie of Emperors was necessary and 〈◊〉 to make the decisions of Councells executorie by the Secular arme and by the ministers and officers of temporall iustice who otherwise would not haue labored to punish corporallie those that should contradict And that is the cause wherefore the Fathers of the Councells were soe carefull to sett this title in the forefront of their acts The most holie and generall Councell called by the authoritie of the most religious Emperor to the end to make their decrees executorie temporallie and by the ministrie of the Secular Tribunall but not to make them obligatorie in conscience and spirituallie For when was it saith saint ATHANASIVS that the iudgement of the Church hath euer taken authoritie from the Emperor And indeede who can doubt but that
if there had bene any generall Councell holden vnder the Pagan Emperors the Christians had bene obliged in conscience and to the spirituall Tribunall of the Church though it had not bene called by them And that if the Turke should euer make himselfe vniuersall monarch of the world and that there should be a generall Councell holden vnder 〈◊〉 Empire the Christians should be obliged in conscience and to the spirituall Tribunall of the Church though it were not called by him And then if the authoritie necessarie to make generall Councells obligatorie in conscience ought to be perpetuall and alwaies to haue place how can that be by imperiall authoritie which hath bene deuided into soe manie parcells as at this daie in a manner the least part of it belonges to the Empire For the conuocation of the pluralitie dispersed must depend from an vnitie and from an vnitie that hath authoritie ouer euerie indiuiduall of the pluralitie as the ancient Emperors themselues acknowledged that of the Pope to be when they ordayned That euery Bishop that being called to the Popes iudgment should 〈◊〉 to come should be constrained by the Gouernor of the Prouince to appeare And therefore as often as our aduersaries crie out such an Emperor called such or such a Councell so often they loose their tyme and their labour For wee are agreed that whilst the Emperors were Monarchs of the world or of the greater part of the world they called them all in regard of temporall authoritie but we saie besides the secular authoritie of the Emperor which was necessarie to make the conuocations of Councells authenticall temporally must an other authoritie interuene to witt a spirituall and ecclesiasticall authoritie to make it lawfull and authenticall spirituallle and to make that the Councells may be said to be called from God and obligatorie in conscience and to the Spirituall Tribunall of the Church Now that we maintaine to haue bene the authoritie of him who was the principle center of ecclesiasticall vnitie and the head of all the Bishops and without whose sentence it was vnlawfull to make definitiue lawes in the Church to witt the Pope whose authoritie for this regard ought to concurr with the authoritie of the Emperors either actuallie or virtuallie I said either actuallie or virtuallie for as much as it sufficed for the spirituall validitie of the conuocation of Councells that the Popes did either call them or cause them to be called or approued their conuocation For when the Emperors called them either at the Popes instance or with the consent and approbation of the Pope the spirituall conuocation of the Pope was alwaies reputed to interuene as also the Catholicke Emperors and which abstained from tyranizing ouer the Church neuer called them but whē the Pope required it of them or they required it of the Pope And when they were required by the Pope they were alwaies readie to call them although that for the places where they should be celebrated the Emperors because of the commodities or incommodities of the State reserued the election to themselues For whereas the Emperor Constantius refused Pope Liberius who demaunded of him that a generall Councell might be holden for saint ATHANASIVS cause it was the refusall of an Arrian Emperor noe lesse an enemie to the Sonn of God then to saint ATHANASIVS And whereas the Emperor Arcadius refused Pope Innocent who sent saith Sozomene fiue Bishops and two priests of the Roman Church to the Emperors to demaund of them a Councell for the cause of saint Chrisostome and sent saint CHRISOSTOME into a more remote banishment it wasatyrannicall act of an Emperor possest by the Enemies of this holy man For this then the temporall conuocation of the Emperors was necessary to wit that the ministers of the Empire who were obliged by the politicke and imperiall lawes not to suffer anie assemblies without the Emperors permission should not hinder them that the Estate should haue noe colour of iealousies and that the officers of the cittie should furnish the charges Staples and transportations of the Bishops and that the Councells should be kept at the expences of the imperiall Exchequer and that finallie the decrees of Councells might be obligatorie to the secular Tribunall and executory temporallie and by the Ministrie of the politicke Magistrate but not that the conuocation of the Emperors was of the essence of the Councell as that of the Popes was nor serued to make them obligatorie in conscience and to the spirituall Tribunall of the Church noe more then the Presidency of the same Emperors at the Councells either by themselues or their Officers was of the essence of the Councells as that of the Pope was but onely for comelynes and ornament and for keepeing order and temporall policie witnes this language of the Councell of 〈◊〉 to Pope LEO the first Thou didst preside by thy legates in the Councell as the head to the members and the Emperors presided there for seemelynesse and ornament striuing with thee as Zorobabel with Iesus to renew in doctrine the building the Ierusalem of the Church For what meanes this comparison of Pope LEO with Iesus high Priest of the Iewish lawe and of the Emperor Marcian with Zorobabel Prince of the Iewish people but that there was like analogie in Christian Religions betweene the Pope and the Emperor for the holding of Councells as there was in the Iewish Church betweene the high Priest which was Iesus and the Prince of the people which was Zorobabel for the building of the Temple that is to saie that the one to witt the Pope should concurr there as head of the Priesthood and spirituall iurisdiction and the other to witt the Emperor should concurr there as head of the politicke and temporall iurisdiction and therefore when there is question of the calling of Councells there must be a distinction betweene the spirituall calling of Councells and the temporall calling of Councells that is to saie betweene the conuocation necessarie to make their assemblie authenticall temporallie and the conuocation necessarie to make their assemblie authenticall in conscience and spirituallie In the first case there was nothing to be determined betweene the Popes and the Emperors for none doubtes but the authoritie necessarie to call generall Councells temporallie and to make them executory by the secular arme was the authoritie of the Emperors noe more then at this daye anie doubtes but the authority necessary to make the conuocation of Nationall Councells authenticall temporally must be that of the Kings or Princes within whose estates they are to be holden In the second case there was yet lesse for as much as it is euident that the authoritie necessarie to legitimate in conscience the conuocation of Councells and to make them obligatorie spirituallie must be a spirituall and ecclesiasticall authoritie a temporall Magistrate not being able to conferr anie spirituall authoritie to Councells And indeede when the Emperors haue pretended
to call generall Councells without being moued thereto or seconded by the iust ecclesiasticall authoritie those Councells haue bene declared illegitimate not onely by the finall issue of their iudgements but by the originall vice of their forme if the Popes confirmation did not come in to correct the defect For the Councell of Arimini which was compounded of fower hundred Bishops and which had bene called by the Emperor Constantius was declared inualid not onely for the issue of the iudgement but for this cause amongst others saith the Councell of those of the West reported by Theodoret That it had bene holden without the consent of the Bishop of Rome whose sentence should first of all haue bene attended And in the Councell of Chalcedon the first complaint that was made against the false Councell of Ephesus that the Emperor Theodosius the second surprized by the fraude of the Eutychians had called without the Popes authoritie although with a request to the Pope to assist at it or to send to it was That Dioscorus presumed to hold a Councell without the Bishop of Romes permission which had neuer bene lawfull or before done By meanes whereof all the question of the spirituall and ecclesiasticall authoritie necessary from the part of the conuocation to make Councells lawfull in conscience and obligatory to the internall Tribunall of the Church is betweene the Pope and the other Patriarkes and consistes in this to witt to whom either to the Pope or to the other Patriarkes it belonged to call Councells spiritually Now who doubtes but it must be to him of the Patriarkes that ought to preside there and the defect of whose presence either mediare or immediate rendred the Councells inualid And who sees not that euen if the Pope had not bene the direct Successor of saint PETER if he had not bene his Vicar in whose name all Councells ought to be called if he had not bene the center of the ecclesiasticall vnity and Communion if he had not bene the Bishop as saint CYPRIAN saith of the chaire of Peter and of the principall Church from whence the Sacerdotall vnitie proceeded and in breefe had he not bene superior in authoritie to the other Patriarkes but onely the first of them in order it belonged to him to call them as it did anciently to the Presidēt of the senate to call the Senate And therefore whē Pope Gelasius saith The Sea Apostolicke onely decreed that the Councell of Chalcedon should be holden It is not to the exclusion of the Emperor that he makes this restriction but to the exclusion of the other Patriarkes And when Pope Pelagius S. GREGORIES predecessor writes The authority to call generall Councells hath bene attributed by a singular priuiledge to the Sea Apostolicke of holie Peter It is not to the exclusion of the Emperors that he makes this limitation but to the exclusion of the other Patriarkes and particularly of the Bishop of Constantinople for the Bishop of Constantinople pretending by the creation of his cittie into the title of the second Rome to haue bene made equall to the Pope not in regard of the Pope as hath bene aboue said but in regard of the other Patriarkes had dared to presume to participate in the East in the title of vniuersall Patriark which title the Pope had receiued at the Councell of Chalcedon and in continuance of this presumption had endeuored to call a generall Councell that is to saie a generall Councell of the Empire of the East in the East To the end then to represse his arrogance the Pope put him in mynde that the power to call generall councells that is to saie the generall councells aswell of all the Empire as of the particular Empire of Constantinople as a ease exceeding the simple patriarchall authoritie belonged to the onely direct and absolute successor of S. PETER It hath bene reported to the Sea Apostolicke saith the same Pelagius writing to the Bishops of the East that Iohn Bishop of Constantinople hath intituled himselfe vniuersall and by vertue of this his presumption hath called you to a generall Councell he meanes the generall Councell of the East whereof Euagrius speakes called for the cause of Gregorie Patriarke of Antioch notwithstanding that the authoritie of calling generall Councells hath bene attributed by a singular priuiledge to the Sea Apostolicke of the holy Peter And a little after And therefore all that you haue decreed in this your not Councell but conuenticle I ordaine by the authoritie of holy PETER Prince of the Apostles c. that it be disanulled abrogated Which S. GREGORIE the great also reportes in these words Our predecessor Pelagius of happie memorie hath abrogated by a sentence intirely valid all the actes of this Synod except what concerned the affaire of Gregorie Bishop of Antioch of happie memorie Now doth not this alone suffice to decide the whole question For if the Bishop of Constantinople vnder pretence of the equalitie that he challenged to haue obtained with the Pope in superioritie ouer the other Patriarkes presumed to call the generall Councells of the East why is it not manifest that the authoritie to call generall Councells forasmuch as concernes spirituall and Ecclesiasticall power belonged to the Pope And if it were soe when the Emperors possest almost all the Regions of the Empire and when the Catholicke Church was spread almost ouer all the other patriarkships how much more nowe when that the Emperors hold but the least part of the Estates of the ancient Empire and that the Catholicke Church is almost reduced into the prouinces of the patriarkship of the Pope or to those that by the conuersion of countries newlie discouered haue drawne their mission and Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction from them But heere is enough of the calling of Councells lett vs goe forward to the other Articles CARD PERRONS REPLIE TO THE KING OF GREAT BRITAINE THE THIRD BOOKE Of Appeales CHAPT I. The continuance of the Kings Answere FOr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obseruation that is to saie of a contrary obseruation to 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 had said that those which vvere excommunicate by anie of the Churches vvere presently acknovvledged to be 〈◊〉 of through all the Catholicke Church it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE REPLIE AND what doth this then signifie that Theodoret speaking of the 〈◊〉 that the 〈◊〉 made of saint ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria at the tribunall of Pope Julius writeth Julius following the lawe of the Church commaunded them to come to Rome and cited the deuine 〈◊〉 in iudgement And what doth this then signifie that 〈◊〉 faith that after the same ATHANASIVS 〈◊〉 of Alexandria Paul Bishop of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marcellus Primat of 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in 〈◊〉 And Lucius Bishop of Andrinopolis in Thrace had bene deposed by diuers Councells of the 〈◊〉 of the East The Pope restored them euerie one to his Church because to him for the dignitie
of his Sea appertained the care of all things And what then doth this signifie that the Emperor Valentinian writ to the Emperor Theodosius that Flauianus Bishop of Constantinople deposed in the second Councell of Ephesus had according to the custome of Councells appealed to the Pope And what then doth this signifie that the senators of the Councell of Chalcedon saie in the restitution of Theodoret Bishop of Cyre 〈◊〉 a towne bordering vpon 〈◊〉 who had bene deposed in the same Synod of Ephesus and had appealed from it to Pope LEO Let the most religions Bishop Theodoret come in that he maie partake of the Councell for as much as the most holie Archbishop Leo hath restored him to his Bishopricke For as for the impertinent shift of those that answere that the restitution that the Pope makes of Bishops which had bene deposed by the Councells of their Prouinces was but a simple declaration that he was of opinion they ought to be restored and not a formall and iuridicall restitution And likewise that the deposition that he made of the Bishops or Priests of other Prouinces was but a declaration that his opinion was that they ought to be deposed and not a formall and iuridicall deposition what can there be imagined more vnapt and more ridiculous Is there soe young a Nouice in the lawes that knowes not how differing these things are to be of opinion that a man ought to be absolued and to absolue or to be of opinion that a man ought to be condemned and to condemne him And that if all the Parliaments of the world had pronounced that it was their opinion that a criminall person ought to be condemned he were not condemned thereby vnlesse they pronounced planelie wee haue condemned and doe condemne him for as much as the one is an act of science and the other is an acte of authoritie and that the least doctors can doe the one and onely Iudges the other But why said I soe younge a Nouice in the lawes Is there a man soe destitute of common sence as can not discerne that when the Pope restores anie one who had bene deposed by the Councell of his prouince if the Popes restitution were but a simple aduice that he ought to be restored he that had bene deposed had not more right to returne into his Bishopricke after the restitution then before And that his diocesans were noe more obliged in conscience to receiue him then they were before Moreouer if the Popes restitution were but simplie an aduise that he that was deposed ought to be restored what end would there be of Ecclesiasticall contentions for the Bishops that had deposed him being of opinion that he ought to bee deposed and the Pope being of opinion that he ought to bee restored if the Popes restitution were but a simple aduise that he ought to be restored to whose aduise should the restored person be obliged to yeild If to that which seemed most iust to him then it was he himselfe that was the iudge of his deposition or restitution if to that of the Pope then it were noe more an act of aduise and Councell but an act of iurisdiction and authoritie and not a simple act of iurisdiction and authoritie by which the Pope restored him for his part and as much as was in him but an act of iurisdiction and operatiue authoritie vpon the precedent sentence and abrogating the first iudgement O strange glosse to saie that when Pope Julius restored saint ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria Paule Bishop of Constantinople Marcellus Primate of Ancyra in Galatia Asclepas Bishop of Palestina or that when Pope LEO restored Theodoret Bishop of Cyre then liuing and Flauianus Patriarke of Constantinople after his death he did noe other thing then to declare that his opinion was that they ought to be restored Or to saie that when Pope Felix opposed Acacius 〈◊〉 of Constantinople or that when Pope Agapet deposed 〈◊〉 Patriarke of Constantinople he did 〈◊〉 other thing then to declare that his opinion was that he ought to be deposed And wherefore then to recapitulate what hath soe often bene alleadged when saint CYPRIAN solicites Pope 〈◊〉 to depose Marcian Bishop of Arles did he write to him Let there he letters from thee directed into the prouince and to the people 〈◊〉 at Arles by which Marcian being interdicted an other may be substituted in his steede And wherefore then when Theodoret speakes of the cause of saint ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria doth hee saie Iulius according to the Ecclesiasticall lawe commaunded the Eusebians to appeare at Rome and gaue a daie to the diuine Athanasius to appeare in iudgement And wherefore then when Sozomene speaketh of the restitution of the same saint ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria of Paule Bishop of Constantinople of Marcellus Primate of Ancyra in Galatia of Asclepas Bishop of Gaza in Palestina and of Lucius Bishop of Andrinople in Thrace doth he write Iulius Bishop of Rome restored each of them to his Church because to him for the dignitie of his Sea the care of all things appertained And for what doth he add that he commaunded those that had deposed them to appeare at a sett daie at Rome to yeild an accompt of their iudgement and threatned them not to let them scape vnpunished if they would not leaue to inouate And againe that in the pursuite of this restitution Athanasius Patriarke of Alexandria and Paul Bishop of Constantinople receuored their Seas And besides that the Courcell of Sardica answered that they could not abstaine from the Communion of ATHANASIVS Patriarke of Alexandria and Paul Bishop of Constantinople because Iulius Bishop of Rome hauing examined their cause had not condemned them For as for the rebellious and ontragious letters that the Bishops of the East that is to saie the Bishops of the Patriarkship of Antioch and their complices who were Arrians writ against this restitution it hath bene alreadie aboue spoken of and shall againe be treated of heereafter It sufficeth that the complaint which they made that the Pope had iniured their Councell and abrogated their sentence sheweth that the Popes action had not bene a simple aduise but a formall iudgement And wherefore then when the great Councell of Sardica for soe saint ATHANASIVS calleth it holden for the defence of the same saint ATHANASIVS and of the other Bishops that the Pope had restored would conuert the discipline of appeales into a written lawe did they ordaine that when a Bishop should be deposed by the Councell of his Nation and should appeale from it to the Pope they should not establishe a Successor in the place of the Bishop deposed till the Pope had iudged of the appeale If a Bishop saith the Canon hath bene deposed by the iudgement of the Bishops of the neighbour prouinces and pretends that he 〈◊〉 to be heard againe let 〈◊〉 other be suhstituted in his Sea till the Bishop of
saint AVGVSRINE to Pope Celestine where speaking of the Bishops of Africa that the Popes his Predecessors had restored whether by iudgement or by confirmation into their Seas he reckons amongst the rest Uictor one of the Bishops of Mauritania Cesarea who had bene restored conditionallie not to communicate but in his owne Diocesse And by the Epistle of Pope LEO the first to Anatolius Patriarke of Constantinople who ordained that the Bishops of the East who had sinned in the false Councell of Ephesus and desired to returne to the communiō of the Sea Apostolicke they should remaine till they had made sussicient satisfaction inclosed within the communion of their owne Diocesses onely and barred from communicating with other Catholicke Bishops From whence it appeares that the Pope had the Soueraigne iudgement aswell of the Bishops that ought to be admitted to the Catholicke commuuion as of those that ought to be admitted to the communion of their owne Diocesses For whereas Balsamon interpreting one of these Canons saith that it was a custome particular onely to Africa and that it was practised noe where els it was an ignorance of one that had learnt but halfe his lesson To the second example which is that Nicephorus saith that Pope Uigilius hauing excommunicated Menas Patriarke of Constantinople for fower Moneths and that within Constantinople itselfe Menas did the like in his behalfe And that the Emperor Iustinian angrie with Uigilius act sett men to apprehend him by meanes whereof he fledd into the Temple of saint SERGIVS where he stucke amongst the organ Pipes because of his grossenes Wee answere two things the one that Nicephorus is an author not onely remoued from Iustinians age more then seauen hundred yeares but a Schismaticke and often fabulous and soe dimsighted in the ecclesiasticall Chronologie of that age as he placeth a Pope called Agatho in the same Chapter and in the Chapters before betweene Agapet and 〈◊〉 and will haue it that this Agatho held a Councell at Constantinople after Agapets death and that he and Menas presided there against all historie which teacheth vs that there was neuer anie Pope called Agatho either that succeeded Agapet or was tyme-fellowe with Menas nor that euer was at Constantinople And that the first Pope that bore the name of Agatho was aboue an hundred and fiftie yeare after Agapetus and neuer sett foote in Constantinople And that if by Agatho Nicephorus meane Boniface the second who was created in Iustinians tyme and whose name seemes to haue some affinitie with the Greeke signification of the word Agatho neither was Boniface the second Successor but Predecessor to Agapetus nor euer sawe Constantinople And the other that this particular historie of Nicephorus is a fable as it appeares as well because neither Procopius nor Liberatus nor Victor Tunonensis nor Marcellinus Comes nor Euagrius some Grecians and some latines that haue written the historie of Iustinian and all either of the same tyme or of the same age with Iustinian saie nothing of it as because it is disproued by the dates of Chronologie For Nicephorus saith that Instinian repented this action because the Empresse Theodora interposed her intercession and obtayned that Iustinian should receiue Uigilius and Uigilius should admitt Menas to the communion and adds that this fell out the same yeare of the fifth generall Councell which was the twentie seauenth yeare of the Empire of Iustinian Now besides that the Empresse was not likely to solicit either for Uigilius who had excommunicated her because she would haue inforced him to haue receiued Anthymus Patriarke of Constantinople whose heresie she followed or for Menas who had bene established in steede of Anthymus Procopius and Uictor of Tunes Authors of the same tyme and Theophanes after them affirme that the Empresse Theodora was dead in the beginning of the two and twentith yeare of Iustinian that is to saie more then siue yeare before the fifth Councell of the same stampe it is that Anastasius Bibliothecary an Author noe lesse fabulous in things remote from this tyme and fower hundred yeare distant from the age of Iustinian saith that the Emperor in the beginning receiued Vigilius with great honor went to meete him the Clergie of Constantinople singing Beholde the Lord the Ruler cometh But that afterward the Empresse who was an Eutychian hauing wonn her husband to cause Anthymus to be restored the head of the Eutychian faction and Uigilius hauing called them Dioclesian Eleutherius one of the assistants strucke Vigilius vpon the face and said to him Manslayer knowest thou to whom thou speakest art thou ignorant that thou slewest Pope Siluerius By occasion whereof Uigilius being fledd into Chalcedon the Empresse made him be plucked out of the Temple of S. EVPHEMIA and made him be dragged with a cord about his necke through the streetes of Constantinople for first neither Procopius nor Victor of Tunes nor Liberatus nor Marcellinus Comes nor Euagrius reporte anie such thing And secondlie the same repugnancie as is in the fable of Nicephorus is in this alsoe to witt that the Empresse was then alreadie dead And it is not to be said that the acts that runn vnder Uigilius his name against Menas make mention of the euill entertainement that Uigilius receiued frō the Emperor For besides this that the date of the acts which is of the fiue twentith yeare of the Empire of Iustinian seemeth to be disproued by the acts of the sixth generall Councell where the legats of the Pope did proue that the writing which the Monothelites had supposed vnder this title A discourse of Menas to Vigilius in the fifth Councell was false for as much as the fifth Councell had bene 〈◊〉 the twentie seauenth yeare of the Empire of Iustinian and that Menas was dead the one and twentith If it be not so that in steede of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies one and twentith it should be read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies 〈◊〉 and twentith which were yet sufficient for the conclusion that the Popes legats would drawe from it to witt that Menas was dead before the fifth Councell Besides this I saie these acts speake not but of the flight of Uigilius to the Temples of S. PETER and of S. EVPHEMIA and affirme that it happened not for the quarrell of Anthimus and the Empresse but because Uigilius had condemned the Emperors Edict concerning the three chapters and they noted that the retreate of Uigilius into the Temple of S. EVPHEMIA was but the fiue and twentith yeare of the Empire of Iustinian more then three yeare before which tyme Theodora the Empresse was dead And thē suppose that Vigilius the memorie of whose intrusion made him the more apt to be dispised for as much as he got into the Papacie by the plott of the Empresse with 〈◊〉 simonicall couenants his predecessor Siluerius being still aliue and was become true Pope but
it is a comparitiue of positiue signification which hath noe other meaning but lesse then it should be that is to saie little or not great enough as when the same S. CYPRIAN writeh in the Epistle to Antonius If the number of Bishops resident in Africa seemed lesse sufficiēt that is to saie not enough sufficient And the other that if it were a comparison of the comparatiue signification it should noe more haue reference to the Roman Church but to these wordes paucis desperatis perditis interpreting them in the ablatiue and not in the datiue and translating the period in this sence If it be not peraduenture that the authoritie of the Bishops constituted in Asrica who had alreadie iudged of them be esteemed lesse then a small number of desperate and lost men it seemes that the continuance of the period doth afterward declare which compares the number of the Bishops of Africa who had iudged of Fortunatus with those that tooke part with Fortunatus and not with the Roman Church in these wordes If the number of those that iudged of them the yeare past comprehending the Priests and deacons be reckoned it will be found there were more assistants present at the iudgement and at the examination of the cause then of those that tooke Fortunatus part And indeede if saint CYPRIAN had intended this word in a comparatiue signification and in regard of the Roman Church how could he haue said three lines aboue they presumed to saile to the Roman Church which is the Chaire of Peter and the principall Church from whence the Sacerdot all vnitie hath proceeded And how coul Optatus Mileuitanus an African as well as hee saie At Rome hath bene constituted to Peter the chiefe the Episcopall Chaire that in this onely Chaire the vnitie of all might be preserued And howe could saint AVGVSTINE an 〈◊〉 as well as either of them say That Cecilianus might despise the conspiring multitude of his Enemies that is to saie of seauentie Bishops of Africa assembled in the Councell of Numidia with him For as much as he sawe himself vnited by letters communicatorie with the Roman Church in which had alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke and with the other Countries from whence the Ghospell came into Africa And againe That he doubted not but that Pelagius and Celestius who had bene iudged by two Councells of Africa whould more easilie yeild to the Popes authoritie drawne out of the authoritie of the holie Scriptures To the fifth head which is that the same S. CYPRIAN saith That there is but one Bishopricke whence euerie one holds his portion vndiuidedlie Wee answere hee vseth this language to insinuate that the Bishopricke cannot be possessed separatelie out of the vnitie and societie of the Episcopall Bodie but not to denie but that in the vnitie of this Episcopall Bodie the functions of Episcopall power are exercised in a more principall and eminent manner in the Roman Church then in the other Churches noe more then when wee saie that the soule is possessed by all the partes of the bodie inseparablie and vndiuidedly wee intend not to saie that for the exercise of her functions she resides not in a more principall and eminent fashion in the head then in the other partes otherwise why should hee call the Roman Church the Chaire of PETER and the principall Church and the originall of Sacerdot all vnitie To the sixth head which is that S. CYPRIAN saith in the Councell holden for the rebaptization of heretickes None of vs constitutes himself Bishop of Bishops Wee answere he speakes there onelie of the Bishops of Africa to whom hee directs his speach and whom hee exhorts to tell their opinion freelie in the Councell without being held backe by the respect of the authoritie that as Primate of Africa hee had ouer them And wee will add that if hee had holden this language euen to taxe and preuēt the Pope obliquely who afterward condemned him the matter would be of noe weight for as much as this Coūcell was an erroneous Coūcell where S. CYPRIAN cast the foundations of the Donatists heresie and that as such it was not onelie condemned by the Pope and by all the rest of the Church but euen by those that had adhered to saint CYPRIAN witnes these wordes of saint 〈◊〉 The Blessed Cyprian stroue to auoide the myrie lakes and not to drinke of the strainge waters and vpon this subiect addressed the Synod of Africa to Steuen Bishop of Rome who was the twentie sixth after saint PETER but his strife was in vaine And finallie those that had bene of the same opinion with Cyprian sett forth a newe decree saying What shall wee doe Soe hath it 〈◊〉 deliuered to them by their Ancestors and ours To the seauenth head which is of the inuectiues that S. CYP. suffered to slipp out of his mouth after the contention that hee had with Pope Steuen for the rebaptizatiō of hereticks taxing him of ignorance and presumption Wee answere it is impietie in Caluin to alleadge them since S. AVSTINE holds them vnworthy to be reported and couereth them with this excuse The things which Cyprian in anger hath spread against Steuen I will not fuffer them to passe vnder my penn And we adde the resistance that Pope Steuen made to the error of S. CYPRIAN was the safetie of the church as saint Uincent Lerin witnesseth in these wordes Then the Blessed Steuen resisted with but before his Colleagues iudginge it as I conceaue a thing worthie of him that he should surmount them as much in Faith as he did in the authoritie of his place Of the Commission of the Emperor Constantine the Great for the iudgement of Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage CHAPT IV. THe third instance of Caluin is taken from Optatus Mileuitanus and from saint AVGVSTINE who saie that the Donatists hauing accused Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage and Felix Bishop of Aptunge his Ordinator and besought the Emperor Constantine who thē was resident amongst the Gaules to giue them Iudges of the Gaules the Emperor gaue them three Bishops of the Gaules whom he sent to Rome to iudge the affaire with Pope Melchiades But whom doth this Instance combate against but those that alleadge it For the Emperor being constrained by the importunitie of the Donatists and that as himselfe protested against all Ecclesiasticall order to giue them Iudges and hauing giuen them according to their demaund Iudges of the Gaules what could he more expressely doe to testifie the Popes authoritie then to remitt them to Rome and to ordaine that the same Iudges of the Gaules that hee had giuen them should transporte themselues from the Gaules to Rome to the end the cause might be 〈◊〉 at the Popes Tribunall and vnder the presidencie and direction of the Pope Was there a Stronger meanes to proue what wee reade in S. ATHANASIVS That antient custome of the Church was that the
Bisop of Aptunge they first obtained a iudgement of seauentie Bishops in Africa against him Then discerning that Cecilianus dispised 〈◊〉 iudgement as well because it was giuen against an absent person as because as saint AVSTINE saith that he sawe himselfe vnited by communicatory letters with the Roman Church in the which adds the same saint AVGVSTINE hath alwaies flourisht the principalitie of the Sea Apostolicke and with the other Countries from whence the Ghospell came in to Africa they resolued to pursue beyond the seas a new iudgement Now they seared the Popes Tribunall both in generall because all Italie had bene trobled with persecutions vnder the Empire of Dioclesian by meanes whereof they figured to themselues that there would be manie Bishops that had bowed or bent and consequentlie would supporte the cause of Ceci 〈◊〉 and in particular if wee beleiue the Donatists in the conference of Carthage because the Pope Melchiades was suspected by them as a complice as they pretended of the same crime or one equiualent to that of him that ordained Cecilianus They began said saint AVGVSTINE speaking of the Donatists of the conference of Carthage to charge Melchiades of the crime of Treason and to 〈◊〉 that their superiors had shunned his iudgement because he was a Traytor For these causes then that is to saie be it for the suspition that they had in common against all Italie be it for that they had in particular against the Pope they addressed themselues to the Emperor Constantine who then was resident amongst the Gaules and besought him to giue them iudges from amongst the Gaules because in that prouince whereof his Father Constantius had had gouernment there had bene noe persecution which was to refuse in generall all the prouinces where Dioclesians persecution had taken place amongst which Italie was one of the principall Your Superior saith Optatus Mil. presented to the Emperor yet ignorant of the affaire the request which followes Wee beseeche thee ô excellent Emperor Constantine because thou art of a iust race whose father amongst all the Emperors neuer practised anie persecution and that the Gaules are freed from this crime for in Africa there are contententions amongst vs let there be giuen to vs Iudges from amongst the Gaules And what meruaile is it if they addressed themselues to Costantine since after they had recourse to the Emperor Iulian the Apostata a pagan and an infidell prince the Emperor Constantine amazed and angrie with this proceeding reproached it to the Donatists and obiected to them that they would receiue iudgement from him who himselfe did attend the iudgement of Christ. He durst not saith saint AVSTINE iudge the cause of a Bishop And Optatus Mileuitanus from whom S. AVGVSTINE borrowed this historie Hee answered them saith hee with a spirit full of indignation you aske of me iudgement in this world of me I saie that doe my self attend the iudgement of Christ that is to saie you would haue me constitute my self for a Iudge of the Ministers of Christ I that doe my self attend the iudgement of Christ. Which was the same protestation that he made afterward at the Coūcell of Nicea in these wordes repeated by our glorious CHARLEMAINE To me who am constituted in a lay condition it is not lawfull to iudge of Bishops And this the Emperor Ualentinian renewed in these wordes repeated by saint AMBROSE and by the same CHALEMAINE Your businesse ô Bishops is farr aboue vs and therefore treate amongst you of your causes And that S. ATHANASIVS remēbred to the Emperor Constatius in these termes What hath the Emperor in common with the iudgement of Bishops And againe when did the iudgements of the Church take their force from the Emperor And saint MARTIN to Maximus This is a new and neuer heard of impietie that a secular iudge should iudge a cause of the Church And this was the first protestation of irregularitie made by the Emperor Constantine against the Donatists to witt that leauing the waie and the ordinarie progresse of the iudgments of the Church they had recourse to him to obtaine Iudges and which hath bene alwaies followed since by the pious and religious Catholicke Emperors This request neuerthelesse of the Donatists that the Emperor reiected as a iudge he beleiued that hee ought not altogether to reiect as an arbiter and compounder of the busines but thought it to bee to purpose in some sorte to make vse of the arbiterment that the Donatists referred to him to assaie to reconcile them to the Catholickes whose communion he held and for that occasion assured himselfe that he ought to be auowed and agreed vnto by them And therefore desiring on the one side to preserue the forme of the ordinarie iudgements of the Church on the other side being constrained to giue some waie to the hardnes of those that he desired to bring backe by faire meanes he remitted them frō the Gaules to Rome to be iudged by the Pope Melchiades with the assistance of three Bishops of the Gaules that he caused to trauaile thither Maternus of Cologne Rheticius of Autun and Marinus of Arles that they might be wittnesses and warrants of the sinceritie of his proceedings I haue ordained saith the Emperor in his Epistle to Melchiades euill inscribed to Mechiades and to Marcus that Cecilianus with ten of his accusers and ten of his abetters that is to saie ten Africā Bishops which opposed him and ten of Africk Bishops which maintained him trauelled so farr as to Rome that in your presence ioyning with you Rheticius Maternus and 〈◊〉 your Colleagues whom for this effect I haue enioyned to trasport themselues to Rome he may be heard so as you shall know that it belonges to the most religious lawe I haue said in the Epistle euill inscribed to Melchiades and to Marcus for there it must be read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well because Marcus was not Bishop of Rome till after Siluester Successor to Melchiades as because if this Marcus had bene anie other then a Bishop the Emperor would not haue said ioyntlie with you your colleagues Rheticius Maternus and Marinus And if he had bene Bishop hee had not directed 〈◊〉 letter to Melchiades Bishop of Rome and to Marcus without adding to it the qualitie of Bishop These three Bishops of the Gaules then hauing bene vpon the nomination of the Emperor admitted by the Pope and called by him to the Councell of Rome became iudges of the right of the affaires Now to whom doth it not heereby appeare quite contrarie to that which the Caluenists pretended to inferr For first if the Emperor as he protests himselfe had noe right to iudge the causes of Bishops howe could hee in right giue them Iudges I saie in right and not in fact for as much as the Emperor could well giue them Iudges in fact and whose
it made the Emperors haire stand on end To this appeale saith Optatus Mileu the Emperor answered thus O madd impudence of furie they haue put in an appeale that is to saie a secular appeale to the imperiall Tribunall as in the causes of the Gentiles And the Emperor Constantine himselfe in the Epistle to the Catholicke Bishops What so great frensie saith hee perseuers in them as to perswade themselues with an incredible arrogance of things which are not permitted either to be spoken or heard And a litle after They seeke for secular iudgements and leaue those that are celestiall ô madd impudence of furie And againe What will these detractors you must reade detrectators saie of the law who refusing the heauenlie iudgement haue demaunded mine is this the account they make of Christ our Sauiour He was farr enough then from approuing the appeale from the Popes iudgement to his since he calls this Appeale a thing not fitt to be spoken or heard maddimpudence of surie a recourse from heauenlie to earthly iudgement and a contempt of Christs authoritie Neuertheles pressed by the Donatists importunitie he graunted them an other Councell at Arles not in the forme of a iudgement of appeale as the Donatists pretended but in the forme of a ciuill request and of a more ample review of the cause which the Donatists who complaining for the omission of Felix his crime said had not bene fullie heard And this againe irregularly that is to saie against the ordinarie course of the iudgements of the Church and to giue way to the Donatists fury He gaue them saith saint AVSTIN an other iudgement at Arles that is to saie of other Bishops not that it was necessarie but giuing waie to their peruersnesse At this Councell compounded of two hundred Bishops assisted the Popes legates as appeares by the Catalogue of the Bishops of the first Councell of Arles although confusedly and ill applied to the Canons of the the second And Marinus Rheticius and Maternus assistants at the first iudgment for that the Popes legates are not named in the Epistle from the Councell to the Pope it is because themselues were the Messengers that carryed them And the relation of the Councell was directed to Pope Siluester Successor to Melchiades in these wordes Being come to Arles by the will of the pious Emperor from thence most Religious Pope or according to other copies most glorious Pope we salute thee with all due reuerence And the Fathers of the Councell testified to the Pope in their Epistle a great griefe that he could not assist there in person and protested t hat if he had bene there present they would haue pronounced yet a more rigorous sentence against the slanderors But that said they could not be for as much as thou mightest not remoue from the place where the Apostles sitt continuallie and where their bloud without intermission giues testimonie to the glory of God And they sent their decrees to the Pope that he might spread them through all the partes of the world It hath pleased said they according to the ancient custome these things should be intimated to thee who holdest the maior administrations and by thee principallie to all For insteede of these maimed and corrupted words Placuit etiam antequam ante qui maiores Dioceses tenes per te potissimum omnibus insinuare You must restore 〈◊〉 etiam 〈◊〉 iuxta consuetudinem antiquam adte qui maiores dioceses or maiores Dioceseos tenes per te potissimum omnibus insinuari That is to saie It hath pleased according to ancient custome that these things should be insinuated to thee that holdest the maior administrations or the maioritie of the administration and by thee to all For the proper and originall signification of the word Diocese is to signifie administration From whence it is that Zonara speaking of the Empire of Constantine and Jerene say All the Diocese of the Empire meaning all the administration of the Empire From whence appeares Caluins extreame ignorance who saith that Marinus Bishop of Arles iudged by appeale of the sentence of Pope Melchiades and that Pope Melchiades indured it and neuer opposed himselfe against it For besides Melchiades was dead before the Councell of Arles which was holden vnder Siluester his successor was celebrated and had neede of a strainger miracle then that of Caluins to raise him vp againe if it had bene an appeale from the Pope the Popes Legates would not haue assisted there and would not haue iudged by appeale of their Maisters iudgement and the Councell would not haue addressed their relation to the Pope and would not haue bewailed the Popes absence and would not haue said that if the Pope had bene present they had pronunced a more heauie sentence against the delinquents And then how could Marinus Bishop of Arles who had bene one of Pope Melchiades assistants at the iudgement giuen at Rome haue iudged by appeale of the Councell of Rome And how could the other assistants of the Pope haue iudged by appeale of the Popes iudgement or rather of their owne For not onely the same Marinus Bishop of Arles who had bene one of the Popes assistants at the Councell of Rome assisted at the Councell of Arles but also the other Bishops who had acompanied the Pope at the iudgement of Rome as well those that the Emperors had nominated as Maternus Bishop of Cologna Rheticius Bishop of Autun Marinus Bishop of Arles as those that the Pope had associated there as Merocles of Milan Proterius of Capua and others were present voted and signed at the Councell of Arles And besides how could Marinus and all the Councell haue written to the Pope That he held the maior dioceses or the maior administrations a thing that whatsoeuer it signifie attributes to the Pope a prerogatiue that the Bishop of Arles and the other Bishops of the Councell had not if Marinus had bene iudge by appeale of the Popes iudgement for whereas some of Caluins disciples saie that is was not the same Marinus Bishop of Arles that was at the Councell of Rome who iudged of the Popes sentence but Martian Bishop of Arles his Successor this is an ignorance yet greater then the former for there is not so meane a Scholler but knowes that Martian Bishop of Arles was dead more then fiftie yeares before Marinus and before the Councell of Arles Ioyntlie that the Bishop of Arles and particularly Martian could not iudge of the Pope by appeale since the same Martian being fallen into the Sect of the Nouatians saint CYPRIAN had addressed himselfe in these words to Pope Cornelius to praie him to depose him Let there be letters written from thee into the prouince and to the people inhabiting Arles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being deposed another may be placed in his steede And indeede that which saint AVSTIN saith to the Donatists put case
please your charitie that we should honor the memorie of the Apostle Peter lett it be written to Iulius Bishop of Rome by the same Bishops that haue giuen the iudgemēt to the end that if it be needefull it may be renewed by the next Bishops and lett the Bishop of Rome giue the Judges but if the affaire be such as there is no neede of a new iudgement lett not the things once iudged be disabled but remaine firme The second was propounded by Gaudentius and authorized by all the Councell in these wordes If it seeme to you necessarie to add to this sentence full of sincere charitie that you haue propounded That if anie Bishop be deposed by the next Bishops and saie that his affaire ought to be iudged a new lett no other be installed in his sea till the Bishop of Rome haue pronounced vpon it with examinatiōs of the cause Which Canō was made as Balsamon notes to disanull the Canō that the Arriās had published in the Councell of Antioch against S. ATHAN which ordained that it should not be lawfull for a Bishop after he had bene deposed by all the votes of a Synod to exercise anie Episcopall functiō nor to hope for restitutiō and to condēne the intrusiō the Arians had made of Gregorie in steede of S. ATHAN without attending the reuiew of the processe And the third was againe propounded by Osius and confirmed by all the councell in these words It hath pleased that if a Bishop haue bene accused and that he haue recourse by waie of Appeale to the Blessed Bishop of the Roman Church and that he will heare him and doē esteeme it iust that the examinatiō of the affaire should be renewed let him vouchsafe to write to the Bishops neighbouring that prouince that they should carefullie and with diligence examine all things and iudge the affaire according to the creditt of the truth and if anie one demaund that his cause should be heard againe and seeme to moue the Bishop of Rome by his prayer that he should send Priests from his owne side it shall be in the power of the Bishops of Rome to doe what he shall think fit and if he conceiue that he should send to iudge with the Bishops persons hauing the authoritie of him that sends them lett it be so done and if he thinke it will suffice that those that are alreadie vpon the place should examine the affaire and the iudgment of the Bishop lett him doe what shall seeme best in his most wise iudgment Now these words do so dazle the eyes of the Popes aduersaries as they cannot supporte their light and therefore they attempt to resist and weaken them with seauen obiections The first that the Councell of Sardica propounds the ouerture of Appeales to the Pope not as a thing before practised but as put to deliberation and instituted at that present tyme and in words of the future tense from whence they inferr that the Right of Episcopall appeales was not from all Antiquitie yielded to the Pope but only since the Councell of Sardica and add that the Councell specifying the name of Pope Julius and say ing let it be written to Iulius Bishop of Rome shewes that this institūtion began only in the Papacie of Julius and had no place in his predecessors tymes To this obiection then wee saie that it is ordinary to antient Councells when they renew vnwritten customes yea euen the verie written lawes of the Church to propound them as if they did new institute them and to take the notes of the assistants to conclude them and to declare them by words of the future tense As in the same Councell of Sardica the prohibition to passe from one Cittie to an other renewed because of Eusebius of Nicomedia head of the Arrian faction who was past from the Bishoprik of Nicomedia to that of Constantinople and the prohibition to a Bishop to receaiue a Clerke from an other Bishop excommunicated by him and others the like were propounded in future words and with receauing the votes of the assistants although the custome were tyme out of mynde in the Church and that they had bene euen sett downe in writinge in the Councell of Nicea And Pope Julius after he had cited the Canon of the Councell of Nicea for the reuiew of the iudgements of Synods adds that this Canon had bene formerly practised by custome in the Church and after reduced into writing at the Councell of Nicea And the Councell of Constantinople writing to Pope Damasus Doth it not saie of the ordination of Bishops by the metropolitans It is as you know both 〈◊〉 grounded vpon ancient custome and decision of the Councell of Nicea For as for the name of Pope Iulius which is specified in the first of the three canons of the Councell of Sardica besides that it is not found in the ancient latine Editions which were produced in the Councell of Africa in saint AVGVSTINES tyme where the text saith simplie as in the other following canons The Bishop of Rome and not Iulius Bishop of Rome By meanes whereof there is a Ground for suspition that it is a quotation of the exemplifiers which is slipt out of the margent into the Text there can be nothing inferred from it but this that the Fathers of the Councell of Sardica inserted the name of Iulius there to shew that the Councell by this canon ratified not only in generall Appeales to the Pope but iustified and ratified in particular the restitution that Pope Iulius had made of saint ATHANASIVS Paule of Constantinople Marcellus of 〈◊〉 Asclepas of Gaza and other Bishops that the Arrians had deposed in their false Councells agreeably to the Answere that they had made to the Arrians that they could not reiect the comunion of Athanasius and the other Bishops deposed by the Councells of Tyre Antioch and Constantinople because Iulius Bishop of Rome hauing examined their cause had not condemned them And indeede if the Councell of Sardica had giuen beginning to the Right of Appeales how could Pope Iulius manie yeares before haue written to the Arrians Are you ignorant that it is the custome that wee be first written to that from hence may proceede the iust decision of things and therefore if there were anie suspition conceiued against the Bishop there that is to saie against the Bishop of Alexādria you should haue written to the church heere that is to saie to the church of Rome how could Socrates Sozomene haue said that Pope Iulius many yeares before the Coūcell of Sardica restored 〈◊〉 Patriarke of Alexandria Paule Bishop of Constantinople Marcellus Primat of Galatia and other Bishops deposed by the Councells of the East because to him for the diginty of his Sea the care of all things belonged The second obiectiō is that the Councell of Sardica grounds the canon of appeales to the Pope not vpō diuine right but vpon the
intended in deede and not in Right for we doe not denie but that the heretickes belong by right to the Church that is to saie that the Church hath to exercise her authority ouer them and to iudge censure and excommunicate them but wee saie that they belonge not in deede to the Catholick church that is to saie that they are not actually comprehended and contained in the catholicke Church and are not members and partes thereof And it is not wee that saie this but saint AVGVSTINE who writes it in these words And therefore neither the heretick belongs to the Catholick Church because she loues God nor the Schismatick because she loues her neighbour Of the proceeding of the other sects CHAP. XII The continuance of the Kings answere AND it is not you alone that attribute to yourselues this right others also doe the same for at this daie a word the king cannot speake without groaning there are manie particular Churches which beleeue themselues onelie to be the particular people that they call the Church if you giue them strength like the Romans they would alreadie haue done as that hath done and would iudge the rest no lesse seuerelie THE REPLIE WHAT those are wee are not to Answere let the dead bury their dead only wee maie saie their conclusion would be good if their hypothesis were true for if they were true churches euery Societie which should be excluded out of their communion should be excluded from the title of the Church and from the right of being able to call thēselues a part of the Catholick Church for as much as the Church as hath bene aboue said is either one or none Of the perswasion that the other sects pretend to haue of the truth of their Church by scriptures CHAP. XIII The Continuance of the Kings Answere WHAT shall I saie more that there are at this daie many sects which are celebrated the sectaries whereof are most stedfastlie persuaded that they alone see some thing into holie writt and as saieth the Poet that they alone are vnderstanding and that the rest hunt after a shaddowe THE REPLIE HARPASTE 〈◊〉 domestical foole hauing lost her sight would not beleeue it was she that was become blinde but perswaded herselfe that it was growne darke It is iust soe with all heretickes they thinke it is the Church that is become darke and full of obscuritie and not themselues which are become blinde To finde anie thing answered the Pelagians to saint AVGVSTINE when he alleadged the multitude of Authors for the Catholicke Church A multitude of blind persons serue to no vse And by that only his maiestie may iudge how necessarie it is not to abandon nor prostitute the exposition of the scripture to the iudgement of euery particular person since there is not that man that when he will make himselfe iudge of it doth not beleeue himselfe only cleere sighted and that the rest as Homer saith embrace nothing but darknes For the Scripture consisting according to saint HIEROME not in the reading but in the vnderstanding and men not being able to assure themselues of the vnderstanding of the Scripture by their particular Spirit for as much as saith saint PETER as the exposition of the Scripture is not made by priuate interpretation it is necessarie to determine the differences that are bredd by the interpretation of the Scripture to haue besides the Scripture a Iudge externall and interposed betweene that and vs who may secure vs of the true sence thereof and that this iudge should haue other markes and be notable by other externall meanes then by that of the doctrine contested since it is from that iudgement that wee ought to learne the decision of the true sence of Scripture in pointes disputable otherwise questions in Religion could neuer be determined no more then differences in ciuill controuersies if wee should leaue the deciding of the sence of the wordes of the lawe to the preoccupated vnderstanding of the Aduocates and parties that there were noe iudge ordained aboue them and sett betweene the lawe and them to interpret it Of the sence wherein hereticks haue disputed the word Catholicke CHAP. XIV The continuance of the Kinges answere IT is verie true that there hath bene noe age wherein there hath not bene conuenticles to raise Sectes parasynaxes which haue bragged of the name of the Catholicke Church and haue drawne ignorant persons to them by this allurement THE REPLIE THAT the ancient Sectes and Parasynaxes of heretickes haue effected the title of Catholicke it was not to pretend in good earnest that it belonged to them nor to drawe ignorant persons to them by that allurement but to dispute it with the catholicke Church and to hinder least by the possession of this name she should preserue her menbers from being defrauded and seduced by hereticks And euen so not to dispute it with her in that sence wherein she attributes it to herselfe to witt as an Epethete of communion but to dispute it in the qualitie of an Epithete of doctrine For heretickes haue alwaies sufficiently knowne that this taken in the true sence could neither be giuen nor maintained to their Sects And therefore they spake not of this word but either in seeming to mocke and scorne at it as when Sympronion saith to saint PACIAN that none vnder the Apostles were called Catholickes And when Fulgentius the Donatist said that the word Catholicke was an human fiction And that the Donatists according to the report of Vincentius Lirinensis cryed out to the Catholicks Come come o you miserable madd people commonlie called Catholicks or in disguising the sence of the word and applying it to signifie the qualitie of doctrine and not the communion of the Church as the Donatists which called themselues Bishops of the Catholicke truth and to whom S. AVGVSTINE said you are those that hold the Catholicke faith not from the communion of the whole world but from the integritie of the diuine Sacraments For when they suffered it to bee admitted in a true sēce they were as speedilie as shamefullie driuen from it I asked him saith S. AVGVSTINE speaking of Fortunatus the Donatist if hee could giue letters cōmunicatory which wee called formed whither I would c. But because the thinge was manifestly false they shifted from it by confusion of language And elsewhere Wee must saith hee hold the Christian Religion and the communion of that Church which is called Catholick not onlie by themselues but by their Enemies For whether the hereticks themselues and the foster children of schismes will or nil not when they speake not with those of their Sects but with others they call the Catholick Church noe otherwise then Catholick Neither could they be vnderstood if they did not discerne it by that name by which the whole world calls it And againe This Church alone amongst soe manie and soe great heresies hath so maintayned this name as when a
that Pope INNOCENT aduertised of his death excommunicated the Emperor 〈◊〉 and the Empresse Eudoxia in these wordes And therefore I the 〈◊〉 and a sinner as depositary or Keeper of the Throne of the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 off thee and her from the participation of the immaculate mysteries of Christ our God and ordaine that whtasoeuer Bishop or Clarke of the holy Church of God which shall presume to administer them to you after he hath read this 〈◊〉 shall be deposed For whereas Socrates and after him Prosper and 〈◊〉 Comes reckon the Death of the Empresse Eudoxia to be manie 〈◊〉 before the death of saint CHRISOSTOME which is peraduenture the cause that moued Photius to saie that this George mistakes himselfe in some places of the history this is an Error in Socrates a Nouatian author and an Enemie to saint CHRYSOSTOMES memorie who in steede of saying as Cedrenus Zonarus Nicephorus and all the later grecians saie that Eudoxia dyed three monthes after the death of saint Chrysostome and vnder the seauenth consulship of Honorius and the second of Theodosius hath said that she died three monthes after the exile of S. Chrysostome and vnder the consulship of Honorius and Aristenetus perchance deceiued by the ambiguity of the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies sometymes death sometymes goeinge out whereof it is credible they frō whom he tooke his history had made vse The proofe of the error is that Sozimus a pagan author who writt aboue 30. yeare before Socratcs and was eye witnesse of this history which Socrates was not extendes the life of Eudoxia many yeares beyond the banishment of S. Chrysostome For he saith plainely that the reuolt of the Isaureans was after the banishment of Iohn and that vpon the newes that came to Constantinople of their reuolt the Emperor sent Arzabacius with an armie into Pamphilia to suppresse them who hauing had many victories and prosperous successes against them might haue wholly rooted thē out had not Arzabacius degenerated from his first vigor and giuen himselfe vp to pleasures and couetousnesse for which cause he was called backe to Constantinople to vndergoe a capitall iudgement but being returned to the Court he gaue parte of his spoyles to the Empresse who saued him Nowe besides that it was impossible that all these things should happen in three monthes and moreouer that S. Chrysostome testifies that during his staie in Cucusus where he spent the first yeare of his exile the Isaurians had not yet bene suppressed by the Romans Marcellinus Comes setts downe precisely the departure of Arzabacius against the Isaurians to be the yeare after the cōsulship of Honorius and Aristenetus to witt vnder the cōsulship of Stilicon Anthemius a thing wholy incompatible with what Socrates and himselfe saie that the Empresse dyed the yeare of the consulship of Honorius and Aristenetus For how could the Empresse saue Arzabacius after his returne from the Isaurians warr begun vnder the consulship of Stilicon and Anthemius if she were dead in the consulship of Honorius and Aristenetus which was before that of Stilicō Anthemius And why did not S. Chrysostome himselfe in soe many letters as he writt in his fower yeares banishment make mentiō of the death of Eudoxia that was the cause of it if she were dead 3. monthes after his departure into banishment And how could Palladius who although he extēdes not his history to the tyme of Arcadius his excōmunication neuerthelesse he goes on with it to S. Chrysostoms death haue forgotten to put Eudoxia's death amongst the examples of the persons that dyed for hauing persecuted S. Chrysostom if she had bene dead when he writ his history therefore also the Emperor Leo surnamed the learned Cedrenus Zonarus Nicephorus Glicas all the other later Greekes haue rather chosen to followe Zozimus George of Alexādria their cōputation in Eudoxia's death then that of Socrates but this obseruation deserues a discourse of more leasure lett vs gett ground And why then when the tempest was appeased would the same Innocent neuer receiue Alexander Patriark of Antioch and Atticus Bishop of Constantinople into his communion till they had restored the name of saint Chrysostome into the recordes of their Churches I haue diligentlie inquired saith Pope Innocent writing to Alexander Patriark of Antioch whether the cause of the blessed Bishop Iohn hath bene fully satisfied in all conditions and being informed by those of your legation that all thinges haue bene fully performed according to our desire I haue giuing God thankes admitted the communion of your Church And a little after As for the letters of the Bishop Atticus because they were ioyned with yours I haue receiued them least the refusall of a man longe agoe suspended by vs might be an iniurie to you and yet we haue sussiciently and more then sussiciently ordained in the actes what ought to be obserued in his person And why doth THEODORET say Iohn being dead those of the west would neuer admitt the communion neither of the Egiptians nor of those of the East nor of the Bishops of Bosphorus and Thrace that is to saie of the iurisdictiō of Constantinople till they had inscribed the name of this admirable personage into the roll of the Bishops his predecessors and they esteemed Arsacius that succeeded him not worthie of a bare salutation And as for Atticus successor of Arsatius after manie legations and treaties for peace they finally receiued him but not vntill he had first added the name of Iohn to the other Bishops For that Theodoret saith this of those of the West and that saint Innocent recites it of himselfe are not thinges repugnant forasmuch that as the Greekes by the word Easterne meant the Patriark of Antioch and the Bishops of his Patriarkship and by the word Egiptians the Patriark of Alexandria and the Bishops of his Patriarkship soe by the word Westerne they vnderstood the Pope and the Bishops of his patriarkship because the Pope neuer decided matters of moment without some assembly either generall or particular of the Bishops of his patriarkship from whence it is that in the same letter of Innocent to Alexander it is added at the end that twenty 〈◊〉 Bishops of Italie haue subscribed to it And why then when the cause of Pelagius and Celestius had bene iudged both in the East where Pelagius was by the Synod of Palestine and in Africa where Celestius had bene by the Councells of Carthage and Mileuis did the Councell of Carthage write this to Pope Innocent This proceeding then our holie Lord and brother we conceiued we ought to represent to your charitie that to the statutes of our mediocritie there might be allso applied the authoritie of the Apostolicke Sea And againe We doubt not but your Reuerence when you shall haue seene the decrees of the Bishops which are said to be made vpon this occasion
in the East will frame such a iudgement where at we shall all reioyce in the 〈◊〉 of God And why doth the Mileuitan Councell to which S. AVSTIN was secretary write these wordes to Pope INNOCENT For as much as God by the guift of his principall grace hath placed you in the Apostolicke Sea and hath graunted you to be such in our daies as wee ought rather to feare that it should be imputed to vs for a crime of negligence if we should conceale from your Reuerence those things which for the Church ought to be represented to you then to imagine that you can receiue them disdainefully or negligentlie we beseeche you to applie your pastorall diligence to the great perills of the weake members of Christ And towardes the end But we belieue with the helpe of the mercie of our God JESVS CHRIST who vouchsafe to direct you consulting with him and to heart you praying to him that those that holde these opinions soe peruerse and pernicious will more casilie yeilde to the authoritie of your Holynesse drawne from the authoritie of the holie Scriptures And why then when the same Pope INNOCENT answered both the Councells did he testifie to them that they had behaued themselues toward him in the same manner as all the other prouinces had done to his predecessors It was not by human sentence but diuine said that great Pope in the answere to the Mileuitans Councell inserted amongst saint Austins Epistles and cited by saint Austine himselfe in his writinges against the Pelagians that the Fathers haue ordained that all things that are treated in prouinces distant and farr of should not be determined till first they were come to the knowledge of the Apostolicke Sea to the end that the sentence that should be found to be iust might the confirmed by the intire authority of the same Sea and that from thence the other Churches as Springes all proceeding from their mother source and running with the purity of their originall through the diuers Regions of the whole world might take what they ought to ordaine And in the answere to the Mileuitan Councell which is alsoe inserted amongst saint AVSTINS Epistles You prouide said he diligently and worthilie for the Apostolick honor for the honor I saie of him that besides assaultes from without sustaines the care of all the Churches following in the consultation of difficult things the forme of the ancient rule which you know hath alwaies bene practised by all the world with me And a while after princippally as often as there is question in pointes of faith I conceaue all our bretheren and Colleagues in the Bishops Sea ought not to referr what may profitt in common to all the Churches to anie but to Peter that is to saie to the author of their name and dignitie And why then to take away all occasion from replying that he spake in his owne cause doth saint AVSTIN soe highlie praise both these answeres Vpon this affaire saith saint AVSTINE were sent the relations of the two Councells of Carthage and Mileuis to the Apostobick Sea c. to all these things Pope INNOCENT answered vs as was conuenient and as the Prelate of the Apostolick Sea should answere vs. And in the epistle to Optatus Of this new heresie Pelagius and Celestius hauing bene authors or most violent and famous promoters they alsoe by the meanes of the vigilancie of two Episcopall Councells with the helpe of God who vndertakes the protection of his Church haue also bene condemned in the extent of the whole Christian world by the Reuerend Prelates of the Catholicke Sea yea euen by the number of two of them Pope INNOCENT and Pope ZOZIMVS if they correct not themselues and besides doe not penance And why then when the Africans had held their last Councell against Celestius did Prosper write vnder the twelfth cōsulship of Honorius Theodosius The decrees of the Councell of Carthage of 214-Bishops were carried to Pope ZOZIMVS which hauing bene approued the Pelagian heresie was condemned throughout the world And againe Pope ZOZIMVS of happie memory added the power of his sentence to the decrees of the African Councells and to cut of the wicked armed the right handes of all the Bishops with Peters sword And in an other place speaking of the Roman Church in generall The principallitie of the Apostolicall priesthood hath made Rome greater by the tribunall of Religion then by that of the Empire And why then when the Bishops of Africa were assembled at Cesarea in Mauritania doth saint AVSTIN saie The necessities of the Church enioyned to vs by the Reuerend Pope ZOZIMVS Bishop of the Apostolicke Sea had drawne vs to 〈◊〉 And why then when BRIXIVS Bishop of Tours had bene cast out of his Seat and IVSTINIAN created Bishop in his steede and Armenius after him had BRIXIVS recourse to Rome to the same Pope Zozimus that gaue him letters of re-establishment vpon which he was receiued and restored BRIXIVS saith saint GCEGORIE of Tours transporting himselfe to Rome related to the Pope all his sufferinges And a little after Returning then from Rome the seauenth 〈◊〉 with the authority of the Pope of the cittis he disposed his way to Tours And why then when Socrates a Greeke author of the same age with Zozimus produced examples of the translations of Bishops did he alleage in the head of all the other examples the translation of Perigenes Bishop of Patras one of the citties of Peloponesus that the Pope cōmaunded to be made Archbishop of Corinth And who alsoe in his qualitie assisted at the Councell of Ephesus Perigenes saith Socrates had bene ordained Bishop of Patras but because the cittizens of Patras had not receiued him the Bishop of Rome commaunded that he should be Bishop of the Metropolitā Church of Corinth the Bishop of that place being dead in which Church also he gouerned all the daies of his life And why then when Pope Boniface successor to Zozimus was raised to the Popedome did S. AVSTIN write to him Thou disdainest not to be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the humble though thou rulest more highlie And againe The pastorall watch is common to vs all that exercise the office of Bishops although thou art 〈◊〉 in a more high degree And why then when Pope CELESTINE had succeeded in the Pontificall dignitie to Pope BONIFACE did Prosper reporte that he sent GERMAN the Bishop of Auxerra into Great Brittanie and made him his legate there and instituted Palladius first Bishop of Scotland Pope Celestine said Prosper at the instance of Palladius sent German Bishop of Auxerra in his 〈◊〉 that casting out the heretickes he might addresse the Brittaines to the 〈◊〉 saith And againe Palladius was ordered and sent first Bishop by Pope Celestine to the Scotts belieuing in Christ. And why then when Nestorius Archbishop of Constantinople begā to trouble the Faith of the Easterne Church did the same Pope
in our owne wordes or in the wordes of her head our Lord Iesus Christ I thinke wee ought rather to seeke her in his word from him that is truth and well knowes his owne Bodie And a while after I would not haue the Church demonstrated by humane instructions but by diuine or acles And againe Let vs then seeke her in the canonicall scriptures He did not intend that to seeke the Church in the scriptures betweene the Catholicks and the Donatists was to seeke the doctrine of the Church in the scriptures that is to saie to examin by the scriptures the point of doctrine which was contested betweene the Church and the Donatists but to seeke the markes and externall and visible characters of the Church in the scriptures to the end that the Church being discerned by those markes the truth of the doctrine contested might be after knowne by the disposition of the Church For the vnderstanding whereof it must be noted that there were two questions betweene the Catholickes and the Donatistes the one of the Bodie of the Church to know on what party either of the Catholickes or of them the true societie of the Church resided The other of the doctrine of the Church to witt the which they or the Catholickes held the true doctrine concerning the Baptisme of heretickes The first question then which is of the Bodie of the Church saint AVGVSTINE wills it should be iudged by the scripture alone for as much as in the precise controuersie wherein the question was which of the two societies was the Church the voice of the true Church cannot be discerned But the second question which is that of the doctrine contested betweene the Catholicks and the Donatists he would haue it decided by the onlie deposition of the Church as a faith full guardian and depositarie of the Apostolicke tradition To seeke then according to saint AVGVSTINE betweene the Catholickes and the Donatists the Church in the Scriptures was not to search the doctrine of the Church in the contentious points of Faith in the Scripture but to seeke the visible markes and notes by which the Church ought to be exteriorly discerned in the Scripture For the Donatists to proue that their Church was the true Church and not the Catholicke Church alleadged human actes and human proofes to witt that the Catholicke Church had receaued into her communion without anie expiation and purgation of preceding pennance those that had deliured the holie Bookes to be burnt and had sacrificed to the false Gods in the time of persecution and therfore that she was polluted with their contagion and was perished And then that the onely faction of Donatus which had remained pure from this contagion was the true Church And saint AVGVSTINE contrariwise saith that against all these words which were human proofes and words for if he that ordained Cecilianus had deliuered vp the holy Bookes in persecution time it was a thing to be proued by human testimonies that is to saie by actes of notaries and clerkes euen prophane the Catholickes had the wordes of Christ wherein the workes of the Church were described to witt that she ought to be visible eminent vniuersall perpetuall and that to examin the Church according to these markes it was to seeke her in the words of Christ and to examine her according to the production of the Donatists it was to seeke her in humane wordes What are saith hee our words wherein wee must not seeke her c. All that wee obiect one against an other of the deliuerie of the holie Bookes of the sacrificing to Jdolls and of the persecutions those are our wordes And a while after I would not that the Church should be demonstrated by human instructions but by diuine oracles for if the holse Scriptures haue designed the Church to be in Africa alone and in a smalle number of Roman inhabitants making their conuenticles in Rockes and mount 〈◊〉 and in the howse and territorie of a certaine Spanish Ladie then whatsoeuer records can be produced there are none but the Donatists that haue the Church If the Scripture assigne it to a little number of Mauritanians in the 〈◊〉 prouince you must goe to the Rogatists If in a smalle troupe of Bizacenians and Tripolitans prouincialls the Maximinianists haue mett with her If those of the East alone wee must seeke her amongst the Arrians Macedonians Eunomians and others if there be others for who can number the heresies as proper and particular of euerie particular Prouince But if by the diuine and most certaine testimonies of the Canonicall scriptures she be designed in all nations whatsoeuer they produce and whensoeuer it be produced by those that saie there is Christ if wee be 〈◊〉 let vs 〈◊〉 heare the voice of our Shepheard saying beleeue them not For euerie one of those is not to be found but this which is ouer all is to bee found in the selfe same places where the others are And therefore lett vs seeke her in the holie Canonicall scriptures The places the of the scripture where S. AVGVSTINE would haue the Donatists to seeke the Church are these In thy seede all the nations vpon the earth shal be blessed The children of the forsaken shal be in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 number then those of her that hath a husband This Ghospell must be declared ouer the whole world and then the end shall bee I am with you to the consummation of ages And other such like And the arguments that he bringes to manifest the Church by the Scriptures are these The cittie of God saith he hath this for a certaine marke that she cannot be hidden she is thē knowne to all nations the sect of Donatus is vnknowne to manie nations then that is not shee Item You haue the Church which ought to be spread ouer all and to growe till the haruest You haue the Cittie whereof hee that built it hath said the Cittie built vpon the mountaine cannot be hidd It is she then that is most euident not in anie one part of the world but ouer all And other the like But as for the point of doctrine I saie againe and I saie it boldlie that saint AVGVSTINE neuer intended either that the question of the Church betweene the Catholiques and the Donatists should be tryed by the doctrine nor that the article of the doctrine contested betweene thē should be decided by scripture but that the point of the Church should be examined by the externall and visible markes that of the externall and visible markes by the Scripture and the difference of doctrine by the reporte of the Church that is to saie by the tradition of the Apostles is to denie that in disputatiōs against other heresies whē pointes are handled which are heere esteemed to be expresselie treated of by the canonicall Scriptures but that hee often called vpon their iudgment For who doubtes but that where the Scripture is cleere
expresse wee must haue recourse thereto But wee said that he neuer thought neither in generall that all things belonging to Religion were treated off in scripture nor in particular that the contention betweene the Catholickes and the Donatists concerning Baptisme was of that quality And wee maintaine that for soe manie yeares wherein hee combated with them about this article when there was quēstion of Searching the cause to the bottome hee neuer produced one proofe out of Canonicall scripture Indeede he hath often alleadged places of Scripture to make some approaches to it and to beate downe certaine defences to solue by scripture the arguments that the Donatists brought out of Scripture to maintaine that the custome of the Church in the point contested was according to Scripture in as much as According signifies not against the Scripture to establie generall theses and preparatiues to proue the propositions that had some simpathy and affinitie with that which hee disputed As for example he doth indeede proue by scripture that what is sound and intire amongst heretickes must not be repeated againe when they returne to the Church but that Baptisme is sound and intire amongst them he doth noe were proue by Scripture He proues indeede by Scripture that there may be ecclesiasticall thinges out of the Church but that Baptisme is of that number he nether doth nor can proue by Scripture He proues indeede by scripture that it is against the commaun dement of God if heretickes haue receaued the Baptisme of Christ in their owne partie to rebaptise them for wee also reade that our Lord answered Sainct PETER Hee that is wholie washt neede washe but his feete But that heretickes receiue the Baptisme of Christ in their Sects and not 〈◊〉 polluted and prophane washing which is all the knott of the question he noe were proues by scripture For as hee notes elsewhere Peter of whom this is written had not bene baptised by heretickes he prooues indeede by scripture that they who are out of the interior and Spirituall vnitie of the Church as Judas and wicked Catholickes doe not for that leaue to conferr true Baptisme but that they who are neither inwardlie nor outwardlie in the Church who are out of the vnitie of the profession of Faith and of the communion of the Sacraments of the ecclesiasticall bodie can conferr it he proues noe where by scripture And in Summe the thinges which belong to the Solutions of arguments to probable and coniecturall preparatiues to shewes of possibilitie and non repugnancie to soften and dispose the spiritt of the Readers he doth indeede prooue by scripture but the impression of the last forme the assumption and hypothesis of the sillogisme the proofe of this precise and speciall point that Baptisme whereof Sainct IOHN cryes None may receaue anie thinge except it be giuen him from heauen That Sainct PETER saith to be administred into remission of Sinnes That Sainct PAVL calls the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the holie Ghost and whereof hee writes One faith and one Baptisme And againe All they that are baptized haue put on Christ That this Sacrament I saie may be conferred out of the Church which is the fullnes of Christ which is the sealed Fountaine which is the only dwelling of the holie Ghost which is shee alone that hath receiued the keyes and the authoritie to remitt sinnes that this can subsist amongst hereticks who haue neither faith nor guift from heauen nor the holie Ghost you can neuer finde that in soe maine yeares as saint AVGVSTINE the principall opposite and ouerthrowe of this heresie hath contested her he hath neuer manifested nor could hee nor he hath not pretended to proue by anie passage of Scripture but by the only vnwritten traditions of the Apostles and the generall practise and vniuersall attestation of the Church Wee must saith hee obserue in these thinges what the Church of God obserues The question now betweene you and vs is which of yours or ours is the Church of God And againe Wherefore although in truth there be noe example to be produced of this out of the 〈◊〉 Scripture yet we leaue not to maintaine euen in this case the truth of the Scriptures when we obserue what hath bene approued by all that Church that the authoritie of the canonicall Scripture recommendeth And in an other place This is neither openlie nor euidentlie read neither by you nor by me c. But if anie one indued with wisdome and recommended by the testimonie of our Lord Iesus Christ were to be found in the world and that hee had bene consulted by vs vpon this question wee ought noe waie to doubt to doe what he should tell vs for feare of being iudged repugnant not so much to him as to our Lord Jesus Christ by whose testimonie hee had bene recommended Now he giues testimonie to his Church And in the worke of Baptisme against the same Donatists The Apostles saith hee haue prescribed nothing in this matter but this custome ought to be beleeued to haue taken the originall there of from their tradition as there are manie thinges which the vniuersall Church obserues and which are therefore not without cause beleeued to haue bene commaunded by the Apostles although they be not written From whence the contrarie appeares to what his maiestie pretends to inferr from this passage to witt that the scripture only destitute of the vnwritten Apostolicke tradition cannot decidè all pointes of Faith nor refute all heresies For the point in agitation betweene the Catholicks and the Donatists concerning the truth realitie of the baptisme giuen by hereticks was a point of faith and wherein obstinate error would make an heresie The proofe of this is first that the doctrine of Baptisme importes so much to the faith as where there is noe true baptisme there is noe true Church S PAVL teaching vs that God clenseth his Church through the washing of water in the word Now there where the Church is destroyed there is destroyed this article of the Faith of the Creede I beleeue the bolie Catholick Church And secondlie that the vnitie of Baptisme belonges so to faith as S. PAVL saith there is one faith and one Baptisme And that the creede of Cōstātinople setts amōgst the Articles of the Confession of the Faith We 〈◊〉 one baptisme in the remission of sinns in such sort as if the Donatists erred in disanulling the baptisme of heretickes and rebaptizing them they destroyed the faith of the vnitie of baptisme and anathematised the character of Christ which had alreadie bene imprinted in the baptized by baptisme And if the Catholicks erre in approuing the baptisme of heretickes and in not rebaptisinge them when they came to them they sinned against the Faith of the necessitie of Baptisme for the constitution of the Church and consequently had noe Church And neuerthelesse neither could this point of Faith be proued nor