this is as Bellarmine saith the cheife point of the Catholike faith and the cheife foundation of all religion Then Saturnine you doe too much restraine saith § 140 he Scripture alone hurtfull to the Romish Church Calander the Catholike faith if you keep it within the compasse of the Scripture For if you admit of Scripture onely it doth goe ill with the Catholike Church as Paul the fift did wisely answer the Venetian Ambassadour Yet I will doe as you will haue mee and I will comprehend these three together the primacy of Peter the succession and power of the Pope For the Church could not long stand without a Primate and Prince nor a Prince without a successour nor a successour without a supreme power I will giue you the keies Matth. 16. Whatsoeuer you binde or whatsoeuer you loose Feede my sheepe feede my Lambes Ioh. 21. What they meant by Popish keies What by feeding When Christ therefore promised the keies of the Kingdome of heauen to Peter alone that is to the Church hee promiseth the principallity When hee committed the power of binding and loosing to Peter alone hee committed the power of the keyes When hee gaue the charge to Peter alone to feede the whole flocke hee gaue him the principallity Therefore the primacy was there promised heere it was giuen For as he that receiues the keies of a city receiues the gouernment of the city so he that hath receiued the keyes of the Church hath receiued the gouernment of the Church And because to feede is the same which to gouerne and onely Peter is commanded to feede not some but all therefore onely Peter receiued the promise first in those words to gouerne the whole Church Wherein there is ioyned to the threefold confession of his loue What to loose bind a twofold confirmation of honour but those words of Christ ioyned to the primacie do prooue the power of excommunicating which was directed to Peter alone whatsoeuer you shall binde and whatsoeuer you shall loose And that twofold one of binding Kings the other of loosing subiects not onely from sinnes but from vowes lawes and oathes For in those words whose sinnes ye remit or the power of order is giuen to all Io. 20. limited ouer sinne But in those words whatsoeuer you shall binde and whatsoeuer you shall loose there is a power not limited and vniuersall giuen to Peter alone not restreyned to sinnes not to persons because he doth not say whomsoeuer but whatsoeuer Whence it followeth that Iames the King of Great Britanie doth either not belong at all to the sheepfold of Christ or that he is subiect to Peter and to his successor the Bishop of Rome the chiefe Pastor as well as the King of France and Spaine that as Kings catholike Kings very sawcily resembled to Rams and Wolues but euill as vnruly Rammes so hereticall Princes as rauening wolues are iustly to be driuen by him out of the fould depriued of all gouernment the Lords being bound that they rule no longer the subiects are loose that they obey no longer Here Patriot An egge saith he is not so like an § 141 egge as Saturnine to Bellarmine who as if he had distrusted that the primacie and principalitie of Peter could be proued out of one place huddled three together whereby he boasted in Tortus that it was most plainly founded Here before I weigh Saturnines argument I purpose to marke the popish Doctors wrangling among themselues by what Text of Scripture the supremacie of Peter is said to be giuen vnto him Cardinall Contarenus saith it was giuen Contar de Sacra Christ. leg l. 3. p. 203. Bellar de Rom. Pont. lib. 1. cap. 12. Câ—nterane and Bellarmine 2. Cardinals at a farre when Christ said to Peter I will giue thee the keyes Cardinall Bellarmine contradicteth Contarene and denieth that the keyes were then giuen but promised and that the gift of supremacie was graunted with the keyes Ioh 21. when Christ said to him Feed my sheepe as Saturnine obserued more subtilly than truly saith Contarene But there is no more promised to Peter Matt 16 than was giuen to all the Apostles Ioh 10 as Christ the best interpreter expounded that his whatsoeuer you shall loose spoken to Peter in those words whose sinnes soeuer you remit speaking to all his Apostle And taught that all this power of the keyes was both common to all the Apostles and directly restrained to sinnes as Ambrose Austin Theophylact and Bernard thought Therefore the supremacie of Peter was not founded vpon the keyes § 142 But marke I pray you the singular subtlety of Bellarmine in this place which Saturnine also vsed In the first words is vnderstood the vnlimited power of iurisdiction giuen to Peter alone not restreyned to sinnes or to persons because he saith not whomsoeuer but whatsoeuer in the second words the power of order limited ouer sinne communicated to all O admirable witty interpretation The Bishop therefore may set open any prison resolue any hard doubt for that generall word Whatsoeuer you shall loose doth plainly conteyne all these things vnder it The right interpretation of the keies Those things are knowne and common which the Fathers both old and new both the popish and our owne haue left written in their Commentaries of the proper and true sense of the keyes all of them did comprehend the right of the keyes and the power of binding and loosing within the remitting and reteyning of sinnes the key wherewith heauen is opened or shut they make to be the interpretation of the Law as Tertullian the knowledge of the Scriptures as Chrysostome appointed for sinnes not Seignories as Bernard giuen to all Ministers that they may binde and loose that they may reteyne or remit sinnes as out of Christ Ambrose Austin Theophylact that they might rightly out and diuide the word of wrath and the word of grace as St Paul that to the obstinate this to the penitent The key of knowledge doth direct the key of power .i. the force of doctrine the execution of discipline whereby the obstinate are shut out and the penitent are reconciled Two keyes of order and iurisdiction This is the force this is the vse of the keyes whereof the Fathers made two the one of Order the other of Iurisdiction The key of order the power of the Ministerie whereby they preach the Gospell administer the Sacraments and by the preaching of the Gospell remit or reteyne sinnes The key of Iurisdiction the power of restreyning sinners by excommunication that is by expelling the obstinate out of the Church and receiuing the penitent Concil Colo sub Herman Sacra confess Concil Colon. sub Adulpho as Gropper in his booke of the Councell of Coleyne vnder Hermannus and Adulphus who said that ech key did not belong to Peter alone but was transferd to all the Apostles and their successors And Cusanus long before that Nothing said he is spoken to
accompt either to a Priest or to the people but to God For he holds his Crowne by the right of blood and inheritance not by the virtue of invnction or consecration or of election and acceptation as you were wont to say that you may giue some authoritie of deposing and depriuing to a Priest whom you make to be the first mouer and some to the people whom you make the remouer So you make Kings hypotheticall and the people conditionall but Priest absolute and categoricall being herein very simple because that power which you say they haue receiued of God to depose Kings that was neuer brought into practise vnder the whole old Testament Your argument therefore from the stronger falls to ground and comes to nothing that if the priestly excommunication vnder the old Testament was of such force of how greater and larger force is it vnder the new But we haue euicted it that there was none at all vnder the old Popish blasphemie At last you returne backe againe and repeat that former blasphemous argument of yours that God was not prouident enough but left the Church in a miserable case like a widdow cleane forsaken if hee had not giuen the chiefe Priest to hir either as a Tutor forsooth or a Husband That is like as if the father husband of the Church were not aliue or tooke care of another daughter and wife or else would appoint in his place such a one to be a Tutor for his daughter whom he foretold to bee an aduersarie or prouide such an husband for his daughter who would proue an adulterer Lastly as if Peter and Paul had dissembled and had commanded obedience to bee shewed to Nero so long till Christians could make head and other Christian Bishops had so many ages consented to the like dissimulation you doe not blush to affirme that Bishops could of right excommunicate their Princes and depose them being excommunicate if the Church had then power to resist True sayd Saturnine for Christ his Preistly prerogatiue § 51 wherewith he was able to breake in peeces such kings as earthen vessels beeing granted by large and precise charter to the Bishop of Rome the chiefe Preist which reason brought by vs you past by as a man vnknowen gaue power to the first Bishops and right to the thing it selfe as the Lawyers speake to depose Kings excommunicate being infidels apostataes heretickes and tyrants but the Church did neuer practise that authority till she gathered strength in processe of time For that commandement of Christ alleadged by you Giue to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods doth he not submit Caesar to be kept vnder by the Vicar of God when hee denieth to God those those things which belong to God And whereas Christ did thâ—â—ce speake to Peter Feede my Lambes feede my sheepe feede my sheepe did he not commit all Christians little and great lambes and sheepe subiects and princes to be fed and ruled without exception to Peter and Peters successour And when as he had committed the keyes of heauen to Peter and Peters successour to let in and shut out doth he not shew that diuine and admirable power of excommunication which you forfooth would haue so weake and feeble for whereas you sayd that Prelates and Bishops ought to be subiect and obedient to Kings Heb. 13.17 I did much maruell that you were so forgetfull of another commandement no lesse Apostolicall whereby hee bound Kings as well as subiects to obey their Prelates and their Pastors and to submit themselues as to them by whom accompt is to be giuen to God for their soules wherein what Christian Prince can exempt himselfe if hee doe thinke that he haue a soule § 52 Then Patriotta I past by that your reason Saturuine of the prerogatiue of Christ communicated with the Bishop Christ ouer-ruling Kings not as a preist but as a king not as vnknowen but as very idle For that prerogatiue whereby Christ doth bruise and breake in peeces kings and kingdomes the Prophet shewes not to bee his Preistly but his Princely power I haue set my king saith God not therefore as a Preist but as a King he hath broken and beat in peeces wicked Kings with his iron Scepter As a Priest he beares the Crosse as a King he bears the Scepter as a Preist he offred vp himselfe vpon the crosse and suffered his blood to bee shed for the remission of sinnes as a King hee vanquished his enemies shed their blood weakned and ouercame their power with the sight of this so great glorie that resides in him so you went about to blind our eies while you did closely subiect the scepter of a King to be trampled on by the Popes feet § 53 For you say that this prerogatiue of Christ is communicated with the Pope What else And that with large and precise charter where be those words point at the place shew the charter where Christ imparted this his prerogatiue with the Bishop of Rome Heb. 7. v. 23.24.25.26 For there bee many others appointed Preists saith S. Paul who by reason of death cannot continue but this because hee abides for euer hath an immutable Preisthood whence he can perfectly saue those who come vnto God by him alwaies liuing to make intercession for vs. For such a Preist was fit for vs holy innocent immaculate separated from sinners made higher then the heauens who hath no neede euery day as the Preists of Leui to offer sacrifices first for their owne sinnes then for the sinnes of the people for that he did once when he offered vp himselfe the onely sacrifice for sinne that hee might obtaine for vs eternall redemption The Bishop of Rome let him packe and bee gone and let him bragge of Christs Preistly prerogatiues granted to him by a large charter that all men may spit in the blasphemous face of this impure wretch But if hee haue not all yet hee hath imparted with § 54 him some of his prerogatiues at the least Which I pray you the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to open shut heauen the power of binding and loosing the power of feeding and ruling by all which you doe more then insinuate that the Bishop can rightly by the power of excommunication wrest from Caesar his scepter his crowne sword subiects kingdome and life For these belong to Caesar Therfore when Christ spake to Peter feed my sheep he meant this depose Princes I will giue you the keies of the Kingdome of heauen that is I will giue you the thrones of earthly kings that you may let into the kingdome whom you will and whom you will exclude that you may loose subiects whom you please and whom you please binde that you may punish whom you will and may forgiue whom you will We must I thinke learne not onely a new Diuinity but a new Grammer and a Logicke also To feede Christs sheepe The popish
strange diuinity and to abandon Christian Princes are Synonamaes or all one with the Papists To binde Kings and to binde Scepters is all one To exclude a King out of the Temple and take from him his kingdome and life be Synonomaes with you O diuine and admirable power of excommunication which brought in not onely a new Grammer but a new Logicke also into Diuinity All Princes ought to bee taught of the high Preist therefore deposed They may be shut out of the kingdome of heauen therefore out of their earthly domimions Princes ought to obey the wholesome doctrine â—aught by their Pastors therefore if they refuse it they may rightly bee cast off by them The condition of Princes is very hard But what shall they doe excommunication can do thus much if we beleeue Saturnine But you haue other Catholike Doctors as I heare honester men a great deale who weaken and take away the edge of excommunication for bringing foorth such monstrous effects § 55 For that I may say nothing of Austin who thought that excommunication was very sparingly to bee vsed against Princes August cont Epist Parmen lib. 3. cap. 2. and when it were it was not to roote them vp but to correct them that we may omit Bernard De consid ad Eugen. lib. 2. who was not afraid to tell Pope Eugenius Therfore your power is ouer sinnes not ouer possessions because for them not for these you haue receiued the keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen Thomas Aquinas your Angelicall Doctor sayd that excommunication is one thing and rotting out is another which we finde written in an Epistle of Pope Vrbane recorded in the canon Law whereof hee alleadgeth a reason out of the Apostle who sayth that one excommunicate is to that end so dealt withall Decret 2. part caus 4 qu. 3. cap. 37. that his soule may be saued in the day of the Lord. It is vsed then for correction not for destruction for excommunication is discipline saith Pope Vrbane not a rooting vp Either of them both a Canonist and a Preist seemed to borrow the distinction out of Austin So hee writeth that excommunication is not the taking away anie mans priuate goods which the transgressour of the Law did formerly possesse but it was the taking away of the publike goods which he was to receiue from the Church and the receiuing of the Sacraments The force of excommunication Therefore excommunication is of force if you may beleeue your owne men to shut a King out of the Church not out of his Kingdome to depriue him of the Sacrament not his Scepter to seuer him from the Communion of the faithfull not from the obedience of his subiects to saue his soule not to destroy his body to remooue him from the confines of the Kingdome of Heauen till he repent not to driue him out of his territories or to loose the raines of obedience from subiects or free them from their sworne fealty As Ludonicus Richeomus hath it in his Apologeticke These agree with the canon Render saith Christ to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods Which bee Caesars his scepter crowne and sword which be Gods our faith worship inuocation and all our spirituall obedience Matth. 22. Christ therefore saith render to Caesar his scepter his crowne his sword what say you Saturnine let him take away from Caesar being excommunicate his scepter his crowne his sword bee these your Synonimaes to render and to take away Christ if he had pleased could thus haue excommucate Tiberius and obtained of his father an army of Angels to haue cast him out of his throne He would not for he came to giue an heauenly crowne not to take away an earthly crowne When a certaine man sayd to him Luc. 12. Master command my brother to diuide the inheritance with me the Lord answered who hath made mee a Iudge betweene you Christ thought that the power of diuiding a priuate inheritance belonged not to his vocation who therefore could appoint the Pope to be a Iudge Distributer of kings crownes Christ being demanded of Pilate what kingdome he layd claime to answered my kingdome is not of this world but you Saturnine with the turn of a key which others receiued as well as Peter haue deliuered all that belongs to Caesar to the Vicar of Christs disposition forsooth Therefore what Christ could not doe can the Vicar of Christ do That which the Lord himselfe would not vndertake shall a seruant take vpon him Peter was a simple scholler to Christ belike whom § 56 you doe make to be your founder What Peter did to Princes for hee did not cast Nero out of his throne with a thunder bolt of excommunication he did not forbid Christians from taking the Oath of Allegeance or free them when they had taken it he did not dispose of his kingdomes and dominions hee did not arme the seruants against their master or stirre vp other Princes against the Emperor Hee taught that the glory of Martyrdome was to bee sought after by suffering not the infamie of rebellion by resisting cheefely by Bishops to whom hee hath committed the power of perswading not enforcing the duties of teaching not of fighting the vse of prayers not of weapons Shall it bee lawfull for the Popes successour which was not lawfull for his founder did not Peter vnderstand what it was to feede sheepe did he not learne what it was to binde and to loose did he not know the power of the keyes Belike hee had not met with your dictionary He could with his word as well haue strucken Nero as he strucke Ananias but he following his masters steps yeelded simple obedience to Nero as he had yeelded to Tiberius § 57 Whose successours they were so farre from resisting the Emperours How Peters successorus vsed Princes the seruants their masters that for 300. yeers euen to Syluester they did patiently submit themselues to Pagans as Martyrs and for 300. yeeres to Boniface they did humbly obey both Christian Catholike and Hereticke Princes as beads-men and for 400. yeeres to Gregorie the 7. they did obey them euen in their absence somewhat tolerably as free-men For the times of the Empire were diuers as the times of the Church were as the qualities of Emperors were diuers so of Bishops while the Emperour was but one and present the Bishop was of small reputation but when hee was absent and diuided hee grew great the Imperiall spoiles being left in Italy whereby the master being somewhat weakned and cast off the seruant began to grow lustie and stout and I wish he would leaue off to continue so still Lest happily the King of birds doe come And take his feathers from this ietting Iay Whereat the rest may doe naught else but laugh To see stolne feathers taken thus away For surely it was not thus from the beginning that the staffe should resist the sword the crosier
Bishops vnlesse happily any other course seeme better to you Then Calander I promise you said he that nothing § 67 is more acceptable to vs that I may make answer for Argentine my friend I neuer doubted of ciuill obedience to be rightly performed to good Kings by Catholikes I thought to confesse the truth I was absolued from the oath of obedience to Heretikes and Tyrants after once they were denounced excommunicated by the Pope and now lawfully deposed from their kingdome Now seeing I perceiue that Christ Peter and Paul not only taught but shewed ciuill obedience to Tiberij and Neroes and to be so farre from taking from them with their diuine power as they might their scepter sword and Crowne that vnder them they laid downe their life to confirme their faith and obedience You haue said that which makes me begin to doubt of such force of excommunication and such power of the Pope For when I did diligently obserue euery passage of your disputation Patriotta out of that perspicuous and short exposition as it were consisting of those three texts I must needes confesse that the sparkes of this vnknowne and vnhard of truth did first cast them selues into mine eyes wherewith the authoritie of Aquinas Toletane and Laterane Councell for their power of excommunication and the authoritie of the Pope alleaged by Saturnine presently brought a mvst ouer them But light was brought out of the myst by Fristugensis Vrshergensis Sigebert and Vincentius and all the ancient and sincere Catholikes and graue witnesses of those times as I heare my Velbacellus affirme at what time Gregorie the 7. did first attempt to driue Henry the 4. Emperor by his excommunication out of his kingdome Here Saturnine being driuen from humane authorities betooke himselfe to diuine But whatsoeuer he tooke Patriotta straight-way caught it out of his hands where hee said that the Apostle forbad wee should not salute an heretike and commanded to auoide him after one or two admonitions Patriotta made answer that hee forbad voluntarie societie not necessarie subiection priuate familiaritie not publike obedience And when he prest that a gangrene was to be cut of he instantly replyed that it was not an heretike but heresie was compared to a gangrene and with a religious kinde of charitie as it seemde sparing the heretike thought good the heresie should be rooted out And from thence in my iudgement concluded not amisse when no heretike was to loose his inheritance or his life that a King much lesse was to be depriued either of his life or inheritance by reason of heresie Here Saturnine bent all the force of his wit and betaking himselfe into the fortifications of the old Testament from euery place gathering the forces of examples with arguments drawne from thence fought very valiantly so that when I heard him alone he made me consent almost vnto him But this heretike Patriott shrunke not a foote but presently buckled hand to hand He had said that Saul was deposed Patriot as the truth was distinguished that the person of Saul was not remoued from the possession of the kingdome but his of-spring from the succession But by whom euen from GOD not from Samuel whom hee proued to be not a Iudge but a messenger nor to haue inflicted the punishment of deposing but to haue published the decree and that not by the right of his generall vocation but by speciall instinct and reuelation from God not as Prophet but as a Prophet appointed to that end to annoint Dauid for the succession of the kingdome whom God had named with his owne mouth So that nothing can accrue to the Pope from hence vnlesse he can proue he haue receiued a reuelation to depose a Prince When hee contended that Ieroboam was cast aside § 68 by the Prophet he againe denied it confessing hee was greeuously reproued by the Prophet not violently remoued Saturnine assaults againe that Ozias a Leper was by force driuen out of the Temple by Azaria and 80. Priests and that he was separated from the societie of men and the gouernment committed to Iothan his Sonne Here Patriott a better Text-man as it seemeth denied that the King was put out of the Church forceably but being strooke with a leprosie was enforced by his owne accord to depart out of the Sanctuarie not out of the kingdome the right whereof hee reserued to himselfe to his dying day and put ouer the gouernment to his sonne as to his Vicegerent And that a Leper neuer lost his priuate inheritance much lesse his publike And when as heresie is a leprosie nor euer any was depriued of his kingdome for leprosie and therefore for heresie none was to be depriued Which reason must needs satisfie me in this businesse vnlesse it can be proued that the leprous Iewes lost their inheritance And when Saturnine affirmed that the lepers were separated from the company of men by the Priests Patriotta excepted against it that it was their duty to discerne the leprosie but the Magistrates were to put them apart So that the iudgement of the businesse belonged to the Preists the parting of the person to the Magistrate Whence he concluded and retorted it vpon Saturnine who sayd that heresie was a spirituall leprosie that it followed from this figure that the King ought rather to separate an hereticall Pope then the Pope an hereticall king So that this figure was more hurtfull to the Pope then to the King § 69 One thing there was which both Patriott did shrewdly re-enforce against you Saturnine and did likewise mightily offend vs all when you concluded out of Azarias example that it was lawfull for Preists to take armes to represse the wickednesse of Kings for the Preist resisted the King not with arms but with words vnlesse perhaps you will take a greeuous admonition reproofe and reprehension for armes Azarias did not cast the king out of the temple much lesse out of the kingdome And doe you thinke of corslets swords and lawnces wherewith a warlike Preist may remooue a King from his throne fie vpon this proud vanitie A Bishop ought not to bee a striker much lesse a warriour It was not lawfull for Dauid to build vp Gods materiall Temple because he was a man of bloud and will you build vp Gods spirituall Temple with bloudy hands But I referre you to the canons and goe forward For where you sayd that Athalia was lawfully deposed § 70 by Iehoida the Preist it was first answered that shee was neuer rightly created and crowned Againe that she was deposed by Iehoida not as hee was high Preist but cheife Prince of his tribe and next allie to the king nor by himselfe alone but ioyned with all the Nobles of the kingdome not with the authority of the Preist but by the authority of Ioash being first annoynted and crowned by him that whatsoeuer he did he seemed to doe by the power of the king with the common consent of the Peeres and Nobles against the wicked
it not by an immediate execution and committeth that to the Emperour by an vniuersall iurisdiction That the Romane Bishop is the cheefe father and man in the world and that all hang on him as on the cheife workeman he should haue sayd foundation otherwise if any should appoint an Emperour by himselfe I thinke he should say a substantiue in respect of his temporalties should make two principles which heresie that he might auoyd he makes the Emperour an adiectiue Isodor Mos pa. 22. de maiest mil. Eccles As another saith that the holie writer in the olde Law made the Priest-hood an adiectiue to the kingdome but that S. Peter made the kingdome an adiectiue to the Priesthood g Tho Boz de iure sta lib. 1. cap. 6. fol. 137. That kings are not immediately from God but by the interposing of the Church and the cheefe Preist thereof That there is a warlike and compulsiue power giuen to the Church aboue Kings and Princes that Constantine gaue nothing that was his owne but restored what was vniustly and tyrannously taken from the Bishops § 79 That Christ committed to Peter the key-keeper of eternall life Isido Mos de maiest pag. 27. the right of earthly and heauenly gouernment and that in his place the Pope is the vniuersall Iudge the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and therefore that hee is consecrated as a cheefe Bishop and crowned as a King Because hee hath each power that hee vseth that power either absolutely or ordinarily absolutely when he doth abrogate such lawes as he please ordinarily when hee vseth lawes When he will liue vnder lawes to vse the counsel of Cardinals when he will not to rule without counsell because his power is from God not from the Colledge of Cardinals I thinke not onely Asses but Lyons also That all the faithfull and the vnfaithfull and euery naturall creature for so he speaketh is subiect to the Popes gouernment and that therefore the Pope doth all men to worship him prostrate themselues before him and kisse his feete that the adoration of Dulia seruice is giuen to him as to Images and Saints in respect of his kingdome hee hath a crowne of his Preisthood a myter That Emperours and Kings may bee compelled to obserue their oathes taken at their coronations and confirmations because by the vertue of their oath they bee made the Popes vassals That by the Law of God and nature the Preâ—sthood is more eminent then the Empire That secular powers are not necessarie but that Princes should performe that by the terrour of discipline August triump apud Carer p. 130. 132. which a Preist cannot doe by vertue of his doctrine And if the Church could punish offenders the Imperiall and Kingly gouernment should not be necessary because potentially it is included in the Apostolicall gouernment Celsus Mancinê° ib 3. cap. 1. Et Care p. 133. That it may bee auowed of Christs Vicar by a certaine similitude which Plato in Time us spake of God for being demanded what God was answered he is not man he is not heauen nor good but somewhat that is better if a man shall demand whether the cheefe Bishop be a Duke a King or an Emperour Isodor Mosc pag. 80. hee shall answer warily if he shall affirme by denying that the Pope is something more excellent something more eminent That all temporall Iurisdiction is to bee exercised Fâ—e vpon flattery not at the Popes commandement but at his becke Princes will and command God the Lord doth all things with his becke agreeable to that He spake and with his becke made all Olympus quake And that Christ had all plenarie iurisdiction aboue all the § 80 world and all creatures and that therefore the Pope Christs Vicar hath it To what end I pray you to what end As they make Christ Leli Zeâ—h tract Theol. pag. 81. Franc. Bozius lib. 2 cap. 14. so they make the Pope the absolute Lord of the world out of those wordes Behold two swordes which signifie the power spirituall and temporall and from them I will giue you the keies The keyes of heauen are giuen therefore of the whole earth And from those wordes all power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth therefore the right both of the heauenly and earthly Empire is committed to the Pope who is Christs Vice gerent vpon earth To what end say I But that Christian Kings and Emperours should acknowledge that they hold their kingdomes and Empires of him forsooth and that as oft as they doe any great hurt to the Church they may be depriued by the Pope and the right of their kingdome may rightly be conueied ouer to others or if they doe not acknowledge it they may be constrained by armes either of their owne subiects or of outward Catholicke Princes if the Pope will haue it so to part with their kingdome and life § 81 Here Patriotta I beleeue truly said hee that your Doctours did striue among themselues by aduancing the dignitie of the Popes and suppressing Emperours and Kings whether of them with a more grosse or with a more spruisse kinde of flatterie might set foorth the pride of the Popes court But the very naked recitall of these toyes seemes to bee a sound refutation of them Then Velbacellus I doe said hee and haue much greiued that the withered and decayed opinion of the Canonists disproued long since and reiected of good Catholickes should bee now taken vp againe and brought in as a thing forlorne by so many excellent wittes the chiefe whereof both for place and learning was Cardinall Baronius who did very stubbornly and obstinately defend the direct ordinarie and inherent authoritie of the Pope whereby as a Lord of the world in temporall matters hee may at his pleasure depose Emperours and Princes Is it not necessarie to adde his many other reasons They are extant in his bookes that are in many mens hands there they may fetch them that will haue them There is sprung vp on the other side Cardinall Bellarmine § 82 a man of no lesse credite with our men Bellarmine and as well deseruing of the Church who did ouerthrow that ordinarie direct and inherent gouernment of the Pope in temporalties as left by Christ with so sound arguments of scripture that in my minde neither the aduersaries nor himselfe afterward could with his most exquisite skill of distinctions dissolue them But that hee may seeme somewhat to gratifie the Pope although saith he he be not the Lord of all temporalties directly neither hath inherent and ordinarie authoritie as hee is Pope to disthronize temporall Princes yet bee is Lord of the temporalties indirectly in order to the spiritualles as hee vsually speaketh and hath an extraordinarie and a borrowed authoritie as he is chiefe spirituall Prince to alter kingdomes to take them from one and giue them to another if it be necessarie to the saluation of soules i. in order
Peter that is not spoken to others for as it is said to Peter Cusan a Cardinall against Bellarmine whatsoeuer thou shalt binde so it is said to others whatsoeuer yee shall binde Here you haue Cusan opposite to Bellarmine a Cardinall to a Cardinall One Peter you will say receiued the keyes but he receiued them not as one man but as the vnitie of the Church as Pius the second said Pius 2. a Pope against Bellarmine Here you haue a Pope opposite to a Cardinall Peter receiued them not as in his owne person but as in the person of the Church For if this be said to Peter only I will giue thee the keyes the Church hath them not If the Church haue them Peter when he tooke the keyes signified the whole Church as Austin taught Tract 14. in Joh. Then Caietane the Cardinall when he could not rid himselfe out of these straites If we speake saith he formally and properly the keyes promised to Peter are aboue the keyes of order and iurisdiction But this saith Cardinall Bellarmine is not true for it was neuer heard of in the Church that there were more keyes in the Church then two which hee doth as well grant to all the Apostles as to Peter Whence I thus argue against Bellarmine Peter receiued no other power than that which was promised in the keyes as Bellarmine saith But the rest of the Apostles had all that power as the Fathers and the learneder Papists teach and Bellarmine whether he will or no doth confes Therefore Peter had no other power than the rest of the Apostles Yet Bellarmine hath a tricke how to scape hee saith § 143 that the keyes were giuen to Peter immediately to the rest mediately by Peter With hundred chaines binde fast the man And yet this flye ladd Proteus Will still escape doe what you can And yet he shall not escape for if the keyes were giuen mediately to the rest by Peter they should open and shut binde and loose not in Christs name but in Peters name Then how can that be true which Paul writeth of himselfe Paul the Apostle neither from men nor by man but by Iesus Christ For if we credit Bellarmine he came mediately either from the man Peter or by the man Peter How doth Paul affirme that he was not inferiour to the chiefe Apostles as who had receiued both his doctrine and his vocation immediately with them from Christ Will the Cardinall then father a lye vpon the Apostle and labour to proue that Paul did mediately receiue the keyes from Peter All the Apostles receiued the keyes from Christ the spirit descended vpon all the Apostles in fiery tongues All the Apostles receiued the keyes and fiery tongues from Christ All the Apostles are pillars All the Apostles are said to be the pillars of the Church as the Fathers obserued out of the Scripture What Did Bellarmine read that to Peter was giuen a greater and a better key than to the rest of the Apostles Hath he heard that a larger and a more shining fiery tongue than the rest sate vpon Paters head as the prince then vpon the other Apostles heads Hath he learn'd that of twelue pillars one was set more firme and surer than all the rest that the house might be more supported by that than by the rest which if Bellarmine knew not let him leaue of to play the foole and to tell vs that the power was giuen to Peter immediatly from Christ and to the rest mediately by Peter as it were by assignment Marke I beseech you Calander I cannot say whether more wicked or more ridiculous consequences follow necessarily out of this place of the keyes The keyes are promised to Peter § 144 Therefore to none but to Peter Wicked and ridiculous coÌ„clusions Two keyes were giuen as badges of the ministerie Therefore three Crownes as badges of the Empire For when Christ gaue the keyes he gaue principalitie as Bellarmine saith Peter receiued the keyes of the kingdom of heauen Therefore of earthly kingdomes Peter can exclude Kings hereticall out of heauen Therefore out of their thrones He can binde sinnes Therefore Scepters He can shew his power in offences Therefore in possessions He can release penitent men from their sinnes Therefore trayterous subiects from their oathes He hath a key wherewith he doth loose the sinnes of Kings Therefore he hath a club wherewith he may breake their heads So Bellarmine hath changed Peters key into Hercules club He can loose and binde any thing He can therefore as Oedipus loose any riddle he can binde Turkes and beares These consequences proue that a King is not to be depriued of his kingdom for heresie but that the Cardinall is depriued of his wit for phrensie Peters key is altogether the key of heauen whereby by the preaching of the eternall Gospell hee hath opened heauen to the faithfull and penitent and shut it to the vnfaithfull and impenitent which the Pope the counterfet successor of Peter doth vse otherwise as somtime an elegant Poet played vpon this princely porter I should not maruaile much Doctor Giles Fletcher If that the Popes good grace Did happily beare the key Of that darke stigian place For he enriched hath that place with many an elfe And opened wide hell gate And entred in himselfe But sith that heauen and hell Are set so far asunder That he should beare the key Of heauen it is a wonder But now t is none at all From heauen he all shuts out And â—pes the gate of hell And letteth in that rout As the falling starre in the prophecie of Iohn he hath changed the key of heauen into the key of the bottomles pit § 145 Bellarmine being driuen from the keyes must needs betake himselfe to that his hold Feede my sheepe Why then good Sir why do you vrge this place of the keyes any more for the supremacie whereby nothing was promised more to Peter than was granted to all the Apostles as the Fathers both old and new both strangers and your owne do apprarantly proue But in this place because to feed is the same with to rule and Peter alone is commanded to feed the sheep not some but all therefore to Peter alone is giuen the principalitie ouer the whole Church being armed with a double sword with a double power spirituall and temporall which the old man saw I beleeue as lunatike Pentheus by fitts saw Two seuerall Sunnes two seuerall Moones appeare which the Fathers both old and new being of a more setled wit Bellarmines pride in making a Cardinall equall to a King and sharper insight could neuer see But Bellarmine thinketh so gaily of the pastorall vocation that in respect thereof he preferreth a Bishop before a King as a sheepheard before a sheepe which perhaps he had well concluded if Christ had said to Peter Feed thy sheepe he said it not but feede my sheepe But he doth not only prefer a Bishop before
4. about the profession of the oath of orthodox faith annex to the Con Trent sub Innoc 3. a new Creede But shee was displeased with the foure Euangelists because they passed by their Pope as a vnknowne man And therefore she created a fift Euangelist who by the helpe of the Monkes might coyne a fift Gospell fitter for their purpose than the other They deemed the true Iesus the sonne of Marie crucified by Gods decree vpon Mount Caluarie for the saluation of men to be but halfe a Sauiour Therefore they deuised Francis Peter Barnardons sonne as if hee had beene pierced with the same wounds of Christ and in the same parts and consecrated him in the Laterane Councell to be the Typicall Iesus Shee thought the twelue articles of the faith gathered together by Christs 12. Apostles not to be sufficient for saluation And therefore published twelue new articles of the faith composed in the Councell of Trent and brought by Pope Pius the fourth into the forme of a Creede Paul the fift being the furtherer of it O holy mother the Church but ô father far more holy In the meane time she preached Christs great loue bounty toward the Pope and the Popes reuerence and obsequiousnes toward Christ But seing Babylon that old whore had learned to trimme and paint hir-selfe but to dissemble her inward affections and cunningly to cloake her hatred with loue and her loue with hatred euery wise-man is to forecast being taught by former hurt and mischiefe not any more what shee doth pretend but what shee doth intend Shee knoweth that the Scripture is a reuealer of her idolatrie luxurie couetousnes pride and crueltie Shee fretts and chafes that no portion of honour and gouernment but of labour and paines is allotted vnto the Pope by Christ his Testament Shee is greeued at the heart that shee is foretold by the Apostles to be mysticall Babylon and the Pope to be that Antichrist Shee abhorres the Scripture as a theefe doth the gallowes shee despiseth the Apostles as her accusers shee hates Christ as her Iudge but with a secret hatred as shee loueth Antichrist with a secret loue whose enemie shee doth earnestly counterfeit hir-selfe to be that shee may seeme to be at familiar enmitie with him So shee doth counterfeit hirselfe to be a most dutifull worshipper of the Scripture as of the former Councells and doth often alledge it as the Diuell doth turned to a contrary sense and doth alledge it but as a falsifier fraudulently corrupted and shee is inwardly vext that such a blow is giuen to her head by the Scriptures not as they be expounded by vs but as they be vnderstood by those Synodes But shee takes nothing more greeuously then that in the supremacie of her iurisdiction .i. in the chiefe article of her publike religion that two of their chiefest founders as shee calls them be so silent witnesses in this cause S. Peter 1 Pet 5. S. Paul S. Peter who did plainly forbid superioritie to any one Priest ouer the Clergie styled himself most truly most humbly not an Arch-priest but a fellow-priest S. Paul who when of purpose he sent an Epistle to the Romanes made no mention at all of the Pope and the prerogatiue of the Church of Rome nor of the after-borne articles of the faith which shee in great plenty brought in afterward And when as of set purpose he had reasoned of the perpetuall gouernment of the militant Church and had gathered together many vnities one God one faith one spirit one body one Lord hee ouer-past one visible head Ephes 4. being forgetfull of their Peter And no maruell when as Peter himselfe was forgetfull of himselfe He did rather diuide the gouernment of the Church among all the Bishops and would rather haue it an Aristocraticall gouernment with many vnder Christ than Monarchicall vnder one as the practise of the Church next following for many ages did approue For that the fiue Patriarches had equall authoritie both Balsamon doth witnes and the Councell of Neece doth confirme And Francis Duarene writes that Boniface the third Francis Duar. de sacris benef lib. 1. cap 10. not before the 607. yeares not without much adoe could obtayne of Phocas to be created the vniuersall Bishop The Pope then is indebted to a King-killer for all the glory of his kingdome and yet he seemeth to giue thanks to Christ as if by his word Feede my sheepe hee had ordeyned the Bishops of Rome in Peter as he writes himselfe a fellow-minister to be Kings so many ages before they were borne Cic. ad PetuÌ„ ep 9. â— 8. As Cicero when as a false decree of the Senate was brought into Armenia and Siria as made against his minde writes that thanks were giuen him from foraigne Kings because he had named them to be Kings by his consent whom he knew not that they were not onely named but not so much as to bee borne But the Nicene Councell doth greatly discontent the Romane Bishop whom he maketh but equall to the Bishop of Alexandria For therefore the Bishop had corrupted that Canon which had restreyned the supremacie of the Bishop of Rome nor being therewith content did adde many yeares after fifty false Canons to twentie true of the Nicene Councell that hee might make the whole world beleeue that his supremacie which was apparantly shortned by the Nycene Fathers being aliue were enlarged by them being dead As the same Cicero doth pleasantly sport himselfe with Antonie Philip 1. when as he had published certaine false decrees of Caesar that the Citizens that were sent into banishment of him aliue should be recalled being dead and that the Citie that was denyed them of him aliue should be granted being dead and that many immunities and priuiledges that were taken of him being aliue should bee sold of him being dead by which meanes Antonie did affect both an infinite and hurtfull power So the Pope doth publish many acts as proceeding from Christ as from the Apostles as from the Nicene Fathers whereby hee doth vsurpe most proud and cruell gouernment in the Church And he fetcheth them from the dead for they were neuer made by them when they were aliue In like manner hee bringeth in the Chalcedon Fathers being dead Coâ—up of a Can of Chalcedon denying that which they affirmed when they were aliue Iudging say the Fathers of Chalcedon that the See of Constantinople in matters Ecclesiasticall bee as well aduanced in matters ecclesiasticall as the Romane being the next vnto it Which words are falsly recited Distinct 22. Renovantes or rather filthily corrupted in the Canon Law while he addeth a negatiue to the last words which altereth the sense of the whole Canon into a cleane contrary yet notwithstanding let it not be aduanced in matters ecclesiasticall as shee but let her be the next vnto it What should I make many words The first six generall Councells which may be thought to
Church At the last he calleth Luther that falling starre That falling starre not Luther and the Lutheranes Heretikes and the Protestants Locusts whose armie he brought out of the bottomelesse pit when hee fell Of that anone now I demand how an abiect silly Fryer as they call him out of his cloyster that examineth all things by Scriptures can bee that starre falling from heauen not that great Lucifer much lesse that little Luther can be called the falling starre but some great Byshop as loftie as the starres Lucifers mate who a good while since hath forsaken heauenly doctrin and holy life and hath betaken himselfe to earthly businesses and wicked manners that is hath fallen from heauen to earth For then are Byshops said to stand in heauen What the fall of a star meaneth when they performe their duties and then fall to the earth when forsaking holy life and doctrin they seeke after worldly matters But this doth not agree with the Pope onely for many other starres hauing beene pulled downe by the Dragons taile are falne to the earth The Popes key and the effects of it True But none besides the Pope is of that power as holy Iohn ascribes vnto him For the key of the bottomlesse pit was giuen to this falling starre This great Byshoppe while he shined as a starre in the Church that is in heauen he vsed the key of heauen committed to him as he ought but after he fell from heauen he tooke to himselfe the key of the bottomlesse pit Therefore Antichrist the Angell of the bottomlesse pit is the key keeper of hell Apoc. 9.1 1. Tim. 4.1.3 Whereof blessed Paul giueth a double reason One that by that his key hee brought into the Church the doctrine of Diuells in forbidding meates and marriages Another that lifting vp himselfe aboue all that is called god that is aboue Kings and Emperours hee doth shut them out of their kingdomes and thereby hath brought the darkenesse of the bottomlesse pit into the common wealth Is not this the liuely image of the Pope who assoone as he left of to be a starre by his fall began afterward to be a foolish fire Ignis satuus Whose key is now no longer the key of heauen but of hell For his hatred to that doctrine and gouernment that proceede from God is a most certaine brand of Antichrist Of the key I shall speake more hereafter in the Creede CHAP. VI. Wherein Antichrist is proued an Apostata and vniuersall Bishop WHom Saint Iohn tearmeth a falling starre Saint Paul tearmeth an Apostata from the faith and makes him a Captaine not of a particular but an vniuersall Apostasie whom he so sets downe with his proper markes that he seemeth to haue pointed his finger at the Church of Rome to whom euery way they doe agree She forbiddeth marriages and meates not in open blasphemie as some old Heretickes did but in hidden hypocrisie as the forenamed Apostataes as the Apostle noteth Whence I inferre thus The head of the vniuersall and generall Apostasie is Antichrist The Pope is the head of the vniuersall and generall Apostasie Therefore the Pope is Antichrist Therefore Antichrist is not a Iew or head of the Iewes who cannot be said to haue departed from Christ before they came to him but an Apostaticall Christian Lib. 4. Epist 32.34.38 And as it is obserued by Gregorie the great A Bishoppe beleigerd with an armie of Priests not a Bishop onely but an vniuersall Bishop Not that hee alone for that cause did depose all other Bishops but that he aduanc'd himselfe before all others Whence againe I argue thus An Apostaticall Christian an vniuersall Bishop is Antichrist The Pope is an Apostaticall Christian and an vniuersall Bishoppe The Pope therefore is Antichrist And that title of vniuersall Bishop Pope Gregorie calleth wicked prophane sacrilegious Whereunto to consent is nothing else saith he but to lose the Faith As hee writ to Anianus and thereby to aduance himselfe in honour aboue the Empire as he writ to Mauritius which whosoeuer doth as Iohn Bishop of Constantinople did already and Ciricius did afterward he doth pronounce him confidently to be the follower of Lucifer and the fore-runner of Antichrist The Pope first vniuersall Bishop Pope Gregory was a true Prophet alas too too true a Prophet for within fiue yeers after that King of pride whom he foretolde to be so neere at hand with his army of priests did vsurpe that chaire from whence Gregory did deliuer that Oracle and hath held it now aboue 1000. yeeres being first called the vniuersall Bishop Then vniuersall Prince because he hath the iurisdiction ouer all Bishops As first Boniface that falling starre After that vniuersall Prince created out of himselfe because he had the soueraignty ouer all Kings and Emperours as Gregorie the seuenth So that the Bishop of Rome is by a Bishop of Rome prophetically concluded to bee for his treason Lucifer Lastly Lucifer and Antichrist for the losse of his faith Antichrist But the Bishop as themselues affirme cannot erre in his definitiue sentence for hee hath the Spirit assistant and tied to the Chaire The Bishop therefore is Antichrist for that I may cast vp all into a short summe Antichrist is a falling starre a degenerating shepheard a domineering Bishop CHAP. VII Antichrist within the Church in stead of God and how he lifts vp himselfe against God DOe you not behold your selfe in this Looking-glasse Paul the fift suffer not your selfe to bee deceiued by those men who imagine Antichrist to be an outward aduersarie whom the Apostle doth make an homebred stubborne Traytor for as he doth abuse the name of a King against a King so he doth oppugn Christ in the name of Christ Whom therefore Paul doth place within the Church not without it and sitting not in a bodily gesture but in a spirituall gouernement Besides that Theod. in 2. Thess 2. the thrones of Kings are called the seats of Bishops And he sitteth not in a materiall Temple for Temple is not any where so taken in the new Testament as Bellarmine confesseth therefore in the spirituall Church for the which the Temple of God is alwaies taken as the Fathers expound it Chrysostomus Oecumenius Hieronimus ad Algasium quae 11. who all affirm he shall sit in the Church not in the Temple of Ierusalem Antichrist hee sitteth in the Temple of God not in the Temple which hee shall re-edifie in Ierusalem as is imagined for that should not bee called the Temple of God but of the Diuell Againe he is said to sit against the Temple as Augustine did well translate it out of Greeke as if he were the Temple of God that is the Church Wherein the wretched man bearing rule doth not thinke himselfe to bee God much lesse God alone as Bellarmine dreameth Antichrist is not such a foole but in stead of God for he sitteth as God and taketh vpon him as he were God
hath said or any Father hath said The Apostle hath taught that that which hindred must be taken out of the way and remoued out of his place so farre forth as it hindred the reuelation and domination of Antichrist hee did not teach it should be abolished and ouerthrowne as they say so that he should lose his name for the remouing of the Empire is one thing the abolishing is another The Roman Empire is not dissolued but diuided into 10 Kings The Emperour is gone out of the Citie of Rome the Rom Empire is dissolued and diuided into ten Kings therefore Antichrist is now come This is therefore the conclusion of all those Fathers whom I mentioned before Hee that held is taken away sayth Hierome Ad Geront de Monoga and doe we not vnderstand that Antichrist is neere at hand for so S. Iohn sayth the ten hornes shall receiue the Kingdome together with the Beast that is with Antichrist and the ten Kings shall diuide the Romane Empire among themselues the number of ten is often taken indefinitely You haue heard the prophesie marke the euent The tenne hornes haue receiued the Kingdome and haue diuided the Romane Empire among themselues together with the Beast that is with Antichrist by the confession of Bellarmine Therefore Antichrist is now come But the name of the Romane Empire is not abolished Neither ought it to be abolished for S. Iohn hath taught that the sixt head of the Sea-Beast that is the Empire The sixt head of the Sea-beast after it was deadly wounded should bee cured and healed againe not therefore to bee vtterly taken away and finished as they say so that it retaine not the name of an Empire Againe hee sets out the cause why the second Beast that is Antichrist should renew the image of the former Beast that the whore might sit vpon her as I haue taught and bee sustained by her And therefore the former Beast was not cleane to be taken away lest the latter being depriued of her stay should fall to the ground But how doth S. Iohn and S. Paul then agree An obiection ansvvered S. Paul saith that the Emperour must be taken out of the way that he might leaue Rome empty for Antichrist as the Papists expound it Saint Iohn sayth that the whore sitteth vpon the Beasts backe that is the Emperour that she might be vpheld by him How doe you reconcile these will you say if you vnderstand S. Paul to speake of the olde and S. Iohn of the new Empire S. Paul speaketh of the Empire which hindred or detained and of that onely for so he saith He onely that now hindreth shall binder till it bee taken away The old Empire did hinder Antichrist not the new S. Paul therefore spake not of the new Empire but of the olde S. Iohn speaketh of the Empire that carrieth the Beast that is so farre off from hindring it that it doth rather vnderprop and vphold it And to that purpose was the Empire renewed in the West The Empire renewed in the West to vphold the Pope that it might hold vp the Church of Rome S. Iohn therefore doth not in this place speake of the olde Empire but of the new But the Popish sort who thinke that not the Maiestie onely but the name of the Empire is to bee extinguished before Antichrist come doe seeme by obscuring the prophesie with certaine contradictions to delude their Auditours They say that the Romane Empire which now is shall continue to the end of the world by the prophesie of Daniel and the same men say that it shall be dissolued and diuided into tenne Kings Very foolishly they say it notwithstanding before Antichrist come As though tenne very potent Kingdomes could consist of the naked name and vaine title of an Emperour or that that could bee said of them should be vtterly abolished before Antichrist came which by them is sayd shall continue till the end of the world Wherein in the one they seeme to follow the madnes of Epicurus who seemes to make the world of moates as these men make ten Kingdoms of words For what is now the Romane Empire but a meere word In the other they shew their brains to be crackt who say that the Romane Empire that now is shall continue to the worlds end and yet shall bee vtterly ouerthrowen before the comming of Antichrist whom they say shall raigne three yeeres and a halfe before the end of the world In them both they shew their notable impiety who while they wrape and infold a most waighty prophesie of Antichrist within their impossibilities contradictions they prophane Gods Word and deceiue Gods Church The summe of all is gathered by the Apostle that the olde Empire is to be taken away and to be dissolued and diuided into tenne Kingdomes before that Antichrist should come that the new was to be restored and repaired being the image of the olde vpon whose backe hee should sit and aduance himselfe when he came CHAP. XXV How the old Empire was taken away THe olde Empire therefore whereof S. Paul spake which hindred the reuealing of Antichrist let vs consider how it was taken out of the way whereof we put two degrees First when Constantine the Great did translate the seat of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople Two degrees of the falling of the Empire the second after the diuision of the Empire into the Easterne and Westerne which did presently weaken them both and afterward dissolued the Westerne which was properly the Romane Empire it was first depriued the Easterne I meane of all the title and interest to Rome and Italy The empty seat of the Empire the Maiesty thereof diuided and diminished then first in the West and after in the East put out and ouerthrowen wee say to bee the two degrees of the remoouing of that obstacle which hindred the reuealing of Antichrist and his dominion in the city of Rome I trip ouer the history briefely they that will set faster footing may fetch it out of the fountaines themselues if they please I doe likewise set downe two degrees of the Reuelation of Antichrist One wherein he beganne to raigne Two degrees of reuealing Antichrist the other wherein hee beganne to bee acknowledged I note also two degrees of the Kingdome when it tooke vpon it the cheefe gouernment of the vniuersall Church Anno 607. when he was called vniuersall Bishop by Phocas that King-killer at that very time when Mahomet beganne so that Phocas the murtherer When Mahomet began the Vniuersall Bishop and wicked Mahomet may seeme to bee of one birth The winde of false doctrine and of Church-ambition did by stealth creep into the minds of certaine Bishops Socrat. li. 7. c. 11 who as Socrates is witnesse lifting vp themselues aboue the limits of their Priesthood into strange gouernment did striue about the primacie and superiority ouer all Churches and to that purpose Zosimus and Celestinus did
foyst in a new deuised Canon of the counsell of Neece detected and reiected by the Bishops of Carthage But that small winde kept in I know not how in the heart of the Church it did not all breake out before Boniface the third had extorted that proud title from Phocas the Emperour by his importunate entreaty But yet Antichrist was but a Pupill as it were in his nonage not onely being subject to the Emperour for a time but the Emperours Vice Gerent in the gouernment of Rauenna by whom the election of the Pope first made by the Cleargie and people of Rome was necessarily confirmed vntill Benedict the second obtained this priuiledge of the Emperour Constantine the fourth Pogonotus that the Pope should be created without the confirmation of the Emperour And then Antichrist beganne to bee his owne man liuing after his owne law or rather without law as the Apostle speaks Not long after as Boniface the third did extoll himselfe aboue all Bishops so Gregorie the second vaunted that hee was aboue the Emperour Gregorie the third did spoyle Leo the third being first excommunicated by Gregory the second because hee went about to abolish images did spoyle I say him of all his reuenues in Italy and absolued his subiects from their oath of fealty And so took from him all the gouernment of the West as a Popish Authour doth testifie in his booke called The bundle of times Faesciculus tempâ—rum At last that we may not follow after the meane passages in the history seuerally Gregorie the seueuth like an Earth-quake brake out and shattered both the Church and the Empire For hee first settled the Popish gouernment as Auentinus doth witnesse which his successours continued 450. yeeres in despite of the Emperours so that they made the Emperour his vassall After that Antichrist was come to his height being reuealed by his two degrees and domineering in the Church first be began to be acknowledged of many holy and learned men in particular but from the time of Gregorie the seuenth to the happy age of Luther and then in generall Rome was acknowledged to be Babylon the Pope Antichrist in all the Reformed Churches I am not ignorant that this assertion of the Reformed Church of our owne men is thought doubtfull of yours madde and doting but if they doe seriously marke those conclusions following our men will feele that scruple taken from them and your men a sting fastened in them For thus I will dispute from all the premisses To whomsoeuer all those essentiall notes of Antichrist set downe by blessed Paul and Iohn do onely agree he is onely that great Antichrist But all those essentiall notes do agree to the Pope of Rome onely Therefore the Pope of Rome onely is that great Antichrist CHAP. XXVI A recapitulation of that which went before NOw that the assumption may plainely appeare we will set out as in one view all those propositions shortly which haue beene before more largely and soundly concluded I tolde you first what Antichrist was 1. Chap. 3. That Antichrist is not one singular and indiuiduall person but a state and a succession of persons 2. That hee is in a conterfeit shew Chap. 4. a Vicar or Vicegerent in presumption a fellow-mate in purpose an aduersary Afterward of what kinde Antichrist was Chap. 5. 3. That Antichrist is the head of a generall Apostasie from the faith Chap. 6. 4. That Antichrist is an Apostaticall Christian and an vniuersall Bishop 5. That Antichrist is not an outward and a professed but an homebred and hypocriticall aduersary 6. That Antichrist is subtill denying Christ indirectly Chap. 7. 7. Hee that sits in the Temple of God as God and makes a shew as if he were God the same is Antichrist 8. Hee that lifts vp himselfe aboue all that is called God or soueraignty aboue the Angels in Heauen aboue Princes on the earth aboue holy things in the Church the same is Antichrist Chap. 8. 9. 10. 9. He that taketh away the natures properties offices benefits of Christ by consequent and indirectly is Antichrist Chap. 11. I haue shewed what kinde of kingdome and attendance belongs to Antichrist 10. Antichrist is the key-keeper of hell 11. Antichrist is the head of that smoaky and dark kingdome Chap. 12. 13. 12. Abaddon or Apollyon is the King of the Locusts i. Antichrist is the eldest sonne of the Diuell Chap. 14. I shewed what the Beast doth that riseth out of the earth 13. That Antichrist is the sonne of the earth 14. That Antichrist hath two hornes of a Lambe but vttereth the voyce of the Dragon 15. He that sheweth all the power of the first Beast in his sight is Antichrist 16. The image of the first Beast is Antichrist 17. He that compelleth men to adore the image of the first Beast is Antichrist Chap. 15. 18. The restorer of the old Rom. Empire is Antichrist Chap. 16. 19. Hee that commeth with lying signes and wonders is Antichrist 20 The seauenth King of the Romaine or Latine Empire is Antichrist Chap. 17. 21 He that compelleth all vnder his rule to take on them the Character and name of the beast and the number of his name and the number of a man is Antichrist I haue shewed where he sits 22 Who so sitteth in that imperiall city scituated on 7. hills and 7. kingly formes of gouernment Chap. 19. neere to the bankes of Tyber and is a Latine Bishoppe and possesseth Peters chaire and is called most holy Pope is Antichrist 23 Whos 's seat is mysticall Babylon i Rome in name Christian and Bishoply the same is Antichrist 24 Who so sitteth vpon the whore that is blasphemous idolatrous lustfull proud selling soules bloody Chap. 20 and is the same in all things for wit and disposition is Antichrist I haue shewed at what time he is reuealed 26 He that after the fall of the Romane Empire and the departure of the Romane Emperour out of the city of Rome sitteth gouerning in the city of Rome being made the temple and the Church of God is Antichrist None of all these notes belong to Luther very few of them to the Turke But to the Pope of Rome both euery of them seuerally and all of them ioyntly and to him alone as it is euidently proued before Therefore the Pope of Rome only is that great Antichrist You haue Paul the fift a glasse wherein you may behold all your selfe but that you haue certaine about you more desirous of your momentany reputation then your eternall saluation who haue cast a certain mist vpon the Glasse that you might not know your selfe therein To whom I thinke good breefly to answere CHAP. XXVII Wherein is shewed what kinde of one Antichrist is not VVE haue shewed what kinde of one Antichrist is now what kinde of one he is not let vs likewise set downe Although that which is straight is the rule both of it selfe
it that it should raine whenas by the prayers of the Christian Legion the Armie of the Pagan Emperour being enuironed by the Quadi ☞ being presently like to perish for want of water obteyned a plentifull showre from heauen while the hoste of their enemies perished being stricken with thundring and lightning from heauen whereupon it was called the thundring Legion of the Christians And when as the witnesses of God being so vnworthily and cruelly dealt withall threaten eternall fire vpon the wicked Gentiles and did perhaps foretell that fire should come from heauen whereby Cities and Camps were deuoured may they not be said after a sort to cast out fire out of their mouthes to consume their enemies And when as Gods cruell enemies the Emperors did destroy one another by mutuall warre and committed such massacres by sea and land that they seemed to turne whole fields and riuers into blood might not God seeme according to the Prophecie most iustly to haue reuenged the wrongs of his witnesses especially when he raised other witnesses as Phenixes out of their ashes who should beare witnes to the truth and so Gods two witnesses in singular persons may seeme to rise againe in a succession And because not onely the triumphant Church but the militant also is often called heauen both in the Apocalyps The Church called heauen and in the Scripture elsewhere therefore when the witnesses of God had built againe the Temple of God out of these ruines and reliques so as the Prophet speaketh they seemed to ascend vp and to bee in beauen But if any thinke it conuenient to expound this place of the persecution of Antichrist which did liuely expresse the cruelty of the first Beast and of those Antichristians which did most cruelly persecute the Church in these latter ages for the space of 494. yeeres I will not greatly striue against them when as they did play the Gentiles vnder the name of Christ as Tertullian speaketh Onely I shew what other learned men haue probably thought without preiudice to them that thinke otherwise But all that I haue sayd is refuted of the Aduersaries in 3. words for thus they cry out Antichrist is not yet come and they call all things to question whether there be Antichrist which if you please we still discusse in the last place CHAP. XXIX Wherein it is disputed whether Antichrist be that is whether hee bee come THat Antichrist is foreshewed in the Scripture it is euident enough now whether he be to be shewed in the world it shall yet further appeare when wee shall haue discussed whether he be come or no. Of this comming Bellarmin giues sixe tokens Tow going before 1. The Preaching of the Gospell ouer the whole world 2. The subuersion and desolation of the Romane Empire so that the very name remaine not Two accompanying 3. The preaching of Enoch and Elias 4. The most greeuous and publike persecution of the Church which shall clean take away the publike worship of God Two following 5. The continuance of the Kingdome of Antichrist for three yeeres and an halfe 6. The destruction of the world 45. dayes after Out of the first token thus he disputeth If the Gospell be not as yet preached ouer the whole world Antichrist is not yet come The first is true Therefore the second is true The first note whether the Gospell haue bin preached The consequent of the proposition he prooueth out of the words of Christ Matth. 24. ver 14. The Gospell of the Kingdome shall bee preached in all the world that it may be a testimonie to all nations saith Christ but he saith not that then Antichrist shall come but then shall the end come that is either the end of the world as Bellarmine thinkes or the rasing of Ierusalem as wee haue euicted But grant that the end of the world is vnderstood by those words yet vnlesse Bellarmine will take that for granted which is in controuersie that Antichrist shall not come before the end of the world which we most stifly doe deny this exposition can help Bellarmine nothing at all But what if the place be to be vnderstood not of the end of the world The destruction of Ierusalem taken for the end of the world by Papists but of the destruction of Ierusalem it will auaile him much lesse Heere therefore first I oppose Chrysostome against Bellarmine which interprets the place not of the end of the world but of the destruction of Ierusalem which the context of the place doth conuince for first Christ answers to his Disciples to whom he had sayd The 24. of Matthew expounded Vers 2. it should come to passe that the city and the Temple should bee vtterly ouerthrowen so that a stone should not bee left vpon a stone First I say answers them about the ouerthrow of Ierusalem which they thought should haue stood for euer They asking him Vers 3. Tell vs when these things shall be that is when shall the Temple bee destroyed and afterward they aske him of the end of the world and of his comming to iudgement The parts of the question are therefore double first of the destruction of Ierusalem the second of the end of the world which they thought should not continue longer then Ierusalem To the first Christ answers first from ver 4. Vers 4. to 23. to the 23. To the second he answers from the 23. Ver. 23. to the 42. to the 42. And first Christ fore-sheweth the calamities which went before the destruction to the fifteenth verse in that verse hee expounds the destruction fore-tolde by Daniel But if any body thinke that the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place be to be taken by an anologie for the sitting of Antichrist in the Church I will not gaine say it but if hee expound it properly and to the lettter hee shall not haue onely Chrysostome and Luke but Christ himselfe gaine-saying him Among other calamities which were before the destruction of Ierusalem he fore-shewed two spirituall ones especially a seducing of false Prophets a defection of the people Christ doth therefore forewarne and comfort his Disciples hee forewarneth them that they beware of false Prophets hee comforts them with a double promise one of eternall saluation vers 13. Vers 13. if they shall hold out to the end another of a prosperous successe which their ministery by spreading the Gospell ouer all the world shall haue before Ierusalem be vtterly ouerthrowen That it might be a witnesse to euery nation that the Church shall endure when Ierusalem shall bee destroyed whose bounds the Apostles and their Disciples by the preaching of the Gospell before the destruction of Ierusalem had extended ouer all nations both Gentiles and Iewes Neither is it to bee thought that Christ had confounded all these prophesies in the handling of them that he might not nourish an errour which the Disciples had conceiued of the continuance of Ierusalem till the end
imputed I haue made an euerlasting couenant with you neuer to forsake you euer to blesse you and to send my feare into your hearts that you neuer forsake me The imputation of righteousnesse doth necessarily follow the forgiuenes of sinne the grant of life and that eternall life doth likewise follow imputation of righteousnes for he that beleeueth in the sonne of God shall neuer come into condemnation but shall go from death to life and let him surely perswade himselfe that being now iustified by me and now glorified by me that being saued by my grace he shall sit in heauenly places with me and enioy the reall possession of the highest heauens Your sanctification Sanctification is the second part of the new couenant the beginning of your glorification as your coronation hereafter is the full accomplishment For what is grace but glory begun ☜ and what is glory but grace perfected Eternall life therefore which is begun in this world and made perfect in the world to come doth not differ in kinde but in degree Therefore your sanctification is begun in this world so that the relikes of sinnes doe abide in the most holy but couered the inbred corruption did abide in Paul regenerated but weakned it remained in him to try him not to destroy him that corruption is remitted not finished the guilt is released but the act remaineth Sanctification is not therefore perfect but true which inlightneth your mindes to true knowledge and reformeth your wills to the sincere obedience of the Gospell and therefore doth change the whole man both the inward and the outward man into my likenes by the power of my spirit that beholding the same in the Gospell as in a glasse Glorification you may proceed from glory to glory that is from the glory of your sanctification here to the glory of your coronation hereafter And herein behold how ill the Pope and I agree How Christ Antichrist disagree I set before you free remission he a mercenarie I a categoricall and absolute he an imperfect and hypotheticall I an euerlasting he a temporarie I require a sincere sanctification of a sinner in this life but imperfect hee faines a perfect holinesse but a counterfeit Now your Christ Iesus as he is propounded in the free couenant and the new testament is appointed the only foundation of the Church by the Prophets and Apostles vpon whom they are taught to build their good workes as gold siluer and pretious stones as the superficies fit for that golden and pretious foundation but they denie good workes to be the foundation it selfe because your workes be they neuer so glorious cannot endure the weight and burthen of the kingdom of heauen They make Christ alone euen Christ alone apprehended by faith as it were that mightie Atlas that with his shoulders and his power can beare vp heauen being made of God for you wisdome iustice sanctification and redemption and therefore the foundation of the whole building Not that saluation is begun by him and made perfect by you for there is one great stone of the whole building as deepest in the foundation so chiefest in the corner as the ground and beginning so the roofe and accomplishment of saluation Which your Pope hath not only deformed with wood hay and chaffe built vpon it that is with foolish and absurd doctrines differing from the foundation but with wicked and pestilent doctrines ouerthrowing the foundation and by that meanes hath most wickedly taken away the beginning matter forme instrument and end of saluation The causes of saluation For whereas the holy Scripture doth appoint the free mercy of God the efficient cause of righteousnesse the meritorious my obedience both actiue and passiue the formall the imputation thereof by the Holy Ghost the instrumentall faith conceiued out of Gods word founded vpon a free promise the finall the glory of Gods diuine mercy and iustice when as the Pope doth ouerthrow all the foundations of saluation then doth hee take and stop from you all the meanes and lights of comfort While I set before you eternall life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a reward of grace he makes it a stipend for worke that I make a gift hee makes a debt that I make a patrimonie he makes a stipend what I make due to adoption he makes as paid for obedience Hee doth not say it to him that is obedient which is very true but for obedience which is very false that he forsooth might set my gifts to sale and by that meanes depriue me of glory and you of peace From whence it doth arise that the Romane Antichrist let him pretend what he will is a breaker of Gods couenant a corrupter of his will a subuerter of the foundation being full of Satan being busie about this one thing to bring destruction to my Churches and damnation to your soules Is it any maruaile then if he bring destruction to bodies and ouerthrow to Empires Papists as Doggs when as he secretly sends in his runnagate Priests into your Kingdomes who as mad dogs with their infamous libels may rent in sunder the good name and fame of Kings bring them into hatred contempt of others Who as subtle Foxes Foxes do with their cunning sleights alienate the Kings subiects from the faith of their obedience due by my commandement and to be performed by their oath Wolues And as cruell Wolues after they haue taken away the Kings good name by false calumniations and drawne away the Kings subiects from their fealtie and obedience doe spill the Kings blood by what meanes soeuer either by open rebellions or secret conspiracies and defend it to be a deed most lawfull and meritorious They shew their dogs tooth by rayling their fox-like subtletie by equiuocating and their woluish crueltie by conspiring They doe nothing else but deceiue the simple bite them that be sincere and deuoure those that be innocent They pretend faith but they teach periurie They say they reconcile men to Christ but in deed reconcile them to Antichrist in the meane while whom they get to adhere to the Pope they draw from the King For while they build vp spirituall obedience they cast downe the ciuill is not this the qualitie of a Fox They set vpon those that be weakest that they may ouercome the strongest as the Serpent seduced Eue that Eue might seduce Adam so these Serpents set vpon wiues that the wiues may deceiue their husbands they catch after women that they may entangle young men in whom is greater vigor and heat to commit any wicked enterprise So they haue a schoole full of masculine women and feminine men doth not here appeare to you the wilinesse of the serpent Now with what vilanous slanders these curres haue abused Princes both liuing and dead being the excellencies and glories of the earth witnes those infinite libels cast out against Elizabeth Queene of England and Iames King of Great
put beside her throne and put to death and did annoynt and crowne the true heire § 28 Who is ignorant how couragiously Elias answered being designed to death by Achab and Iezabel 5. Ahab who had cast downe the holy altars and had slaine the true worshippers of God That it was not hee and other men of God but Achab and his house that had troubled Israel and with what zeale hee slew Iezabels false Prophets restored the holy altars called for fire from heauen wherewith he did destroy Ochozias captaines and messengers and annointed Iehu king ouer Israel and cast Achab with all his posterity out of the Kingdome of whom it is sayd That he put downe and ouerthrew Kings and cast the mighty out of their seats Eccles 48. as God appointed Ieremy ouer kingdoms that he should plant and roote them vp build them vp and plucke them downe Which power of Christs Preisthood vnder the new Testament doth appeare to bee farre larger and more ample and is giuen to the chiefe Preist the Bishop of Rome that he may in the name of Christ break in peeces and beat to powder with his iron rod as if they were earthen vessels such kings as lift vp themselues against Christ his Church which is his spouse his kingdome For by those examples it is euident that Kings annointed and iustly created may of right bee deposed Secondly for what causes they may in fact bee depriued Lastly that in the inauguration and consecration of kings as also in their depriuation God did vse the ministery of Priests and Prophets either ordinarie or extraordinarie to that purpose that they might be not onely Iudges but correctours of kings For whereas kings doe holde their dignity and supreame authority from God and haue bound themselues with all their might to promote the true religion and worship of God and the honour of their highest King and Lord and to gouerne the people in the faith and fear of God the Priests and Prophets to whom the cheefe and principall care of religion and soules is committed and who haue beene set aboue Princes in spirituall matters did of right oppose themselues against them in those passages which brought dishonour to God ruine to the religion and damnation to the soules of subiects and did exercise iustice and iudgement against their Princes in the name of God who abused their gouernment to ouerthrow the true worship of God brought in and established idolatry heresie and other abominations § 29 For there was betweene God and the King a certaine compact as it were which had force euer after either openly or at lest secretly that none should draw away their subiects either by force or by any other meanes from the faith of their Ancestours and from the religion holy ceremonies of God deliuered receiued by the hands of Preists whereby God did insinuate that if they did obserue these precepts and conditions they should long raigne with their posterity otherwise it should come to passe as we taught before that as the Prophets and Preists did annoint kings on that condition onely that they should defend and maintaine the worship and honour of God so likewise they should depose kings when they broke the couenant of God and fell to strange gods and draue their people to Apostasie And thus it appeareth it was vnder the olde Testament And if God did furnish the Priests and Prophets of the olde Testament with such power of excommunication whereby they might depriue wicked and tyrannous kings cast out of their thrones and driuen from the companie of men not onely of life if they could and this common light that they might bring no damage to the Synagogue with how much greater authority hath he strengthned the high priest of the new testamēt the vicar of Christ that he might cast out expell from the Communion of the Church beeing so cast out depose from their kingdomes such Kings as are Infidels Apostataes Heretickes and Tyrants and that not onely but release their peoples oathes giuen to such kings who haue broken their owne oath made to the Priest in the name of God at their coronation vnlesse we thinke that God had lesse care of his Church then of his Synagogue or doth more beare with Kings in these dayes who be heads of Apostasie from God then he did with Kings of former times Both which bee it farre from Gods Iustice and prouidence Truely he had left a miserable and a wretched Church as desolate and forsaken if he had exposed it being bereft of the helpe of holy Preists to the lust of cruell Tyrants that they might tosse and turne it at their pleasure and alter the state of religion euery yeere For whereas heeretofore Christian Bishops did not depose Nero Dioclesian Iulian the Apostata Valens and the like it was because Christians wanted temporall strength for otherwise they might haue done it by right I say by right the Bishops might haue depriued the Pagan-Emperours Apostataes and Hereticks if the Church had had that force to resist as before and after getting force it did resist Then Patriotta while in your malice Saturnine you § 30 suffer your selfe to bee thus carried against Kings you belch out notable blasphemy against God for what is blasphemy if this bee not to accuse Gods prouidence against the Church vnles he giue power to holy Preists to depose wicked Kings you haue very vnaduisedly founded the depth of Gods counsell with the plummet of your shallow iudgement who hath neuer the lesse I cannot tell whether much the more prouided for his Church as well by trying her patience with aduersity as seeking after thankfulnesse with prosperity aswell when he consumed the sinnes of the Saints by the persecution of Princes as when hee satisfied their desires with the mercy of pious Princes aswell by spoiling his sonnes of earthly pleasures recompencing them with the rewards of the blessed as continuing them hee delighted them with the comforts of such as were miserable Which I doe not speake to that end that I may excuse the cruelty of Tyrants but that I may set foorth the mercy of God because those things which they intend to the Saints for their euill God turneth to their good But you went about to daily with the expresse commandements of Christ and the Apostles with a few examples of the Priests and the Prophets ill vnderstood and farre worse applyed to the Pope How did that vnbeseeme a Diuine let vs therefore if you please waigh them seuerally § 31 Samuel you say did excommunicate Saul and being excommunicate cast him out of his kingdome Samuel did not excommunicate or depose Saul therefore the Pope hath power to cast a Prince out of his Kingdome I denie first the Antecedent It was not the Prophet but God himselfe that cast off Saul for his wickednesse for it is Gods onely prerogatiue to depose the mighty out of their thrones to raise vp those that are
the order to the spiritualties as very learned and holy Catholicke fathers haue deliuered I am not ignorant what was attempted lately by George Blackwell the Archpriest with certaine answeres of his to weaken and cut in sunder all the sinewes of ecclesiasticall excommunication Neither that onely Blackwell accompted an Apostata but hath broken and cut off as it were the ioyntes of the Popes two armes not that of his supreame authoritie spirituall and ecclesiasticall but of his ciuill and imperiall power which the Romane Byshop hath receiued from Christ and hath exercised vpon the earth vnder Christ But the timerous old man and wretched Apostata did not so much hurt by his fact as by his example which gaue occasion of a very foule schisme to you the Catholicke laickes whose constancie the Christian world did much commend Heere Calander you are too testie said he Saturnine § 75 who strait-way call me a Renegate when I neuer fell from the Catholicke faith onely because I refused and reiected certaine false Catholicke errors brought in by a companie of factious fellowes certaine claubackes of the Pope But because your heate hath carried you so farre to accuse the reuerend old man George Blackwell as a wretched Apostata and a Captaine of schisme I will intreat Velbacellus that hee answere somewhat not for mee only but much more for our Archpriest his antient friend Then Velbacellus Truly said hee when I am vnwilling § 76 at any time to dissent from my brethren then neuer more vnwilling then at this time when ill happe hath made our aduersaries beholders of our disorders But because I thinke it not fit Calander to neglect your authoritie and withall haue purposed to satisfie both your conscience and mine in this worthy businesse of religion I will doe as you aduise me Two popish meanes to ouerthrow Princes These are as you say Saturnine the two ingines the Romane Byshoppes haue vsed to ouerthrow Princes the one ecclesiasticall excommunication the other ciuill and imperiall authoritie What was the force and nature of excommunication they were not Ignorant they knew it was giuen to binde sinnes not scepters as Patriotta did truely dispute out of our own men Which first when Gregorie the 7. was Pope as he did rightly obserue out of Frisingensis Sigebert and Vincentius all ours brought foorth those monstrous effectes the deposing of Kings the absoluing of subiectes and the styrring of them vp to take armes against their Prince with which this present Oath of allegeance doth meete Whose successours fearing that ecclesiasticall excommunication in processe of time would loose not that natiue and inherent power but that vnnaturall and borrowed in the opinion of men they assumed that ciuill as you call it and imperiall power giuen by the Canonists for the increase of their owne authoritie as if it had beene bestowed by Christ himselfe § 77 For the old Canonists did first make them Lords of all the temporalties and sayd that the supreame iurisdiction not in spirituall things onely but in temporall things also did belong to Peters successours whose worme eaten assertions and such as long agoe were hist out by the more sober Papists certaine men not vnlearned haue lately renued and haue set them out publikely in printed bookes for found and Catholike doctrine and haue very stoutly defended them Whereof some a Franci Bozius de temp eccles monarch lib. 1. cap. 3. fol. 98. as you say defend the Bishop of Rome to bee directly Lord of things temporall one and the same to bee the Ruler and Monarch of the world That b Baron annal tom 1. ann 57. pag. 423. 433. Christ as hee receiued all Iudiciall power from the Father and vnited it with his Preist-hood when he meant to settle a Kingly Preist-hood in the Church put it ouer to Peter and his successours and that as Christ was King of Kings and Lord of Lords so the Church ought to be Queene and Lady of all and if the husband must be Lord of all the temporalties the spouse must be Ladie of all likewise that all temporall Princely power did first reside in the soule of Christ then in the Church the Queene of the world and from thence it did flow to others that were faithfull or vnfaithfull as from a fountaine c Thom. Bozi de iure statu praefat ad Aldobran That this spouse of Christ Queene of the world as often as the order of the vniuersall doth require it can transferre the proper right of one to another as a secular Prince for the adorning of a city may plucke downe priuate mens houses and may doe it by Law although hee haue not erred by whom such rights were translated to others So the Pope gaue the Indies to the Spaniards d Isodor Mosco de maiest mili Eccles pag. 670 All dominion do hold of the Church and of the Pope the head of the Church And that authority is to be considered in the Pope power in Emperours and Kings for power doth depend of authority that true e Care de potest Rom. Pont. pag. 9. Difference betweene power and authority Idem pag. 111. iust and ordinate from God and meere dominion as well in spirituall things as in temporall is fetcht by Christ and the same is committed to S. Peter and his successours that Christ was Lord of all these inferiour things not onely as hee was God but also as he was man hauing at that time dominion in the earth and therefore as the dominion of the world both diuine and humane was then in Christ as man so now it is in the Pope the Vicar of Christ As God may be called by a secondary meanes the temporall Gouernour and Monarch of the world though in himselfe principally hee bee neither temporall nor of the world Idem pag. 112. so the Pope may bee sayd to bee the temporall Lord and Monarch although his power be a certaine spirituall thing That Christ when hee had performed the mysterie of our redemption as a King gaue Peter the gouernment of his kingdome and that holy Peter did vse that power against Ananias and Sapphira That Christ as he is directly the Lord of the world in temporall things and therefore that the Pope Christs Vicar is the like that hee set out an immutable truth by the sole comming of Peter to Christ vpon the water Pag. 151. and that the vniuersall gouernment which is signified by the sea was committed to Peter and his successors that diuers powers and authorities were giuen of God but that all did depend vpon the supreme authority of the Pope and that they take their light from thence as the starres doe from the Sunne § 78 And as God is the supreme Monarch of the world productiuely and gubernatiuely Pag. 145. although of himselfe he be neither of the world nor temporall so the Pope although originally and from himselfe hee haue dominion ouer all things temporall yet he hath
to the spirituals Carerius a Doctour of Padua Carerius against Bellarmine a sharpe witted and earnest fellow hee is of a contrarie opinion and doth not only striue with argument but laies a curse vpon the aduersaries sparing none no not Bellarmine himselfe whom he taking in hand of purpose to refell in a whole booke written as the Preface importes against the wicked Polititians and Heretickes of our time did a little too plainely touch the Cardinall So farre are they from agreeing in the manner of diriuing so great authoritie to the Pope from Christ Here Patriotta your Doctours saith hee § 83 seeme praeposterously to wrangle among themselues of the manner to deriue such authoritie from Christ when as yet it appeareth not that he hath any at all and in vaine do they argue whether the Pope receiued directly or indirectly such gouernment when it is doubtfull whether he receiued any or no. But I easily grant them by their dissenting about the manner to ouerthrow the thing it selfe that the confusion of tongues may againe seeme to happen in building their tower of Babel § 84 Then Velbacellus somewhat more gently I pray Patriotta Although that I ingenuously confesse while they thus egerly striue among themselues about the manner and ouerthrow their owne opinions with mutuall contradictions they seeme to leaue the Pope very small or no authoritie at all in temporalties For Carerius saith the Pope hath either ordinarie and direct authoritie to depose Kings as he is Pope or he hath no authority at all But he hath none direct and ordinarie as he is Pope by Bellarmines assumption Therefore hee hath none at all by Carerius conclusion It were long to set downe all the reasons drawne from Scripture whereby Bellarmine hath vtterly ouerthrowne the direct and ordinarie authoritie of the Byshoppe neither were it necessarie because they may bee had in his fift booke he set out so that men may thinke hee spake one thing and thought another Which when he might not touch openly for offending the Pope he did with sleights and deuises impugne that he might by any meanes deliuer the truth For he seemeth indirectly that I may vse his owne aduerbe to take away all power of the Pope of depriuing Princes For if the Pope as hee is Pope cannot directly and ordinarily depose Princes though the cause bee iust as Bellarmine saith and yet as hee is the chiefe spirituall Prince may dispose of kingdomes taking them from one and giuing them to another if it be necessarie for the sauing of soules that is indirectly in order to spiritualls as hee affirmeth what other thing did he closly insinuate but that the Pope had no power at all to displace Princes For Saint Peter neither did or could transfer any power but ordinarie Besides it is plaine that the Pope is no otherwise the chiefe spirituall Prince but as he is Pope so that what he cannot do as Pope he cannot do as he is the chiefe spirituall Prince Which Carerius concludeth against Bellarmine and doth vrge it with this grant that the Pope is properly called Gods Vicar Either he is not saith he the Vicar of Christ or else he deposeth inferiour powers as Pope But he deposeth them not as Pope by the witnesse of Bellarmine He is not therefore the Vicar of Christ by the conclusion of Carerius So Bellarmine gaue Christs Vicar so greiuous a wound if we beleeue Carerius that he could neuer cure with all the remedies of his distinctions And Carerius while he deckes him with strange fethers spoiled him of those were his owne Whom while hee ordeined Lord of the temporalties hardly left him Lord of the spiritualties In the mean time when neither the direct nor indirect power bee a matter of faith formally determined by the publicke sentence of the Church as Alanus and Couarruvias confesse there was no reason why Saturnine should call my friend Blackwell wretched Apostata who neuer swarued from the Catholick faith vnlesse by inueighing so bitterly against Blackewell he vaunt himselfe to be of the contrarie faction Then Patriotta I willingly behold Bellarmine and § 85 Carerius as Cadmeyes brethren or the Madianites cutting one anothers throate But I could more willingly behold the Pope as a iacke-daw dispoiled of his Egles and Doues feathers which he hath stolne which is of all his regall and Byshoply ornaments wherewith hee hath so long ietted so proudly and terribly vp down but I leaue this cause to God to be mended by him at his due time But truely Baronius and Carerius with all their faction doe flatter the Pope more grosly but Bellarmine with his cunning opposition flatters him more smoothly being the more dangerous enemie to Kings because the more cloase But that I often obserued the witty old fellow crossing of himselfe with his owne trickes and coyning those distinctions whereby hee vnweaued those things which he had weaued before O Penelopean skill of disputing But while he doth touch kings crownes indirectly and tels vs that it is all in the Pope so that he thinkes it meete to belong to a spirituall end he bewraieth lesse malice but greater craft Here Argentine who had kept silence from the beginning looking earnestly first on Saturnine then on Velbacellus Saturnine saith he seemes to me to bee more strickt in this matter then is requisite and Velbacel more loose and remisse because he gaue too much authority this none at all to our most holy father to suppresse Kings when neede requires This great Doctour of the Church therefore Bellarmine tooke a middle course who first ouerthrew that infinite power of ordinarie and inherent gouernment then retained that extraordinarie and borrowed authority in the Pope least Kings like vntamed coultes as it were not hauing bitte and bridle should waxe too lustie whom the most holy Pope might bring againe into the circle of religion and iustice if once they began to start out first with his counsell and after if that were relected with some other moderate chastisement Which would be the most safe course for Kings and very auaileable for subiectes § 87 Then Carolus Regius this moderate chastisement of Kings Argentine as you call it is their vtter ruine and rooting out if you vnderstand Bellarmine aright For there lurkes vnder those Aduerbes certaine deceites which subiectes haue found to be as damnable to them as Kings haue For he bringeth in your Pope whom one doth well tearme Satans Asse with this his extraordinarie and borrowed power which he bestowed vpon him curbing of Kings with a bridle when the raynes lay on his owne necke turning and ouerturning kingdomes at his pleasure taking them from one and giuing them to another Meanes of the Popes greatnesse when he thinketh good that it is for the order tending to spirituall good And by what counsells he alwaies vsed to take from Kings both their kingdomes and their liues all histories do shew them to haue beene by the emulation of
neighbour Princes the faction of subiectes the treason of the nobles and the superstition of the people And doe you call this a moderate chastisement And safe for kings and good for subiects Wherein as there are many thinges very vniust and vnworthy so those are most of all that hee tearmeth these wicked treacheries holy counsells and pretendes that they tend in order to a spirituall end And doe in that manner sowe the scruples of conscience mingled with the seedes of treacherie in the harts of men as if the graines of religion and rebellion had sprung out of one and the same blade So it comes to passe that the Romane faith at this day doth beget and nourish most dangerous faction both to Kings and subiectes which so long is very demure and humble till as a wise man obserues it hath found the keye of power and authoritie For as all faction which springs out of the heate of desire is dangerous so that is most dangerous which riseth out of the scruple of conscience For when it riseth from desire it is like fire that taketh hold of stubble which though presently it rise vp into a great flame yet soone being consumed is extinguished But when it ariseth from the conscience it is like fire that heates iron which getting his strength but slowly keepes it surely as a very worthy and a wise Senator left it in writing Wherefore that which Bellarmine said of the Oath of § 88 allegeance that it was not therefore lawfull because it was offered someway tempred and qualified that may more iustly be said of the Popes temporall dominion as it is qualified and tempered by Bellarmine knowe therefore Argentine that such qualifications are nothing else but Satans sleights and deceits wherewith the maiesty of Kings is either openly or closely assailed which Christ hath fortified plainely with his commandements That these vaine pretences of Aduerbes are Sathans ginnes and stratagems whereby vnder the colour of religion he bringeth vtter destruction both to your soules and bodies But because you will not giue as good credite to vs as to your owne men and I think it not meete to take vpon mee Velbacellus part I pray you Calander entreat your Confessour that hee would lay open and vnfold the subtill and hurtfull fleights deuises of this working braine Yeelde so much saith Calander to the Catholikes your friends Velbacellus yeelde it to the Catholike religion which is necessary to bee discerned from these false Catholike opinions as you call them lest the consciences of Catholikes be corrupted § 89 Then Velbacell I will doe saith hee as you require me in respect of my duty to the King not vnwillingly but against the Popes inhibition not so willingly howsoeuer it bee I answer for the satisfying of the conscience sincerely and for the Catholike religion not vnfitly The Oath of Allegeance and Supremacy confounded by Bellarmine And I maruell much that Bellarmine beeing a learned man and of great wit did confound the Oath of Allegeance with the Oath of Supremacy but I am greeued at the heart that the supremacy of the Pope which he doth of right enioy in spirituall and ecclesiasticall causes is so enfolded with the worldly gouernment which is in temporall and ciuill causes that hee brings his lawfull authority in hazard to be lost Adde thereto that when he had ouerthrowen the direct dominion of the Pope in all temporall matters with sound reasons hee did maintaine the indirect gouernment in order to the spirituall as hee speaketh with such slight flaggy arguments that with this his playing fast loose hee seemes to haue left him no authority at all Although other thinke otherwise and thinke that hee doth aswell submit Kings crownes to the Popes feete as Baronius doth But let it bee as euery man takes it Hee cannot directly take away the crownes from Kings What then but he can indirectly hee cannot as Pope ordinarily depose Kings but extraordinarily he can as hee is the cheife spirituall Prince Hee hath not inherent authority but that is fetcht else where much forsooth what matter is it with what authoritie Kings be cast off if they may be cast off by the Pope But they be worse then mad who subiect the crownes of Kings to schoole-distinctions Heere Saturnine But although sayd hee it please § 90 you to scoffe at the distinctions of Catholike Doctors yet I hope you will not deny that the Pope is Lord of all the temporaltyes which doth belong to the Bishopricke of Rome But that England Ireland are portions of Peters patrimony and the Bishop of Romes temporalties it is plaine by the articles of agreement betweene Alexander the third Pope of Rome and Henry the second King of England agreed on in the yeere of the Lord 1171. who when he was absolued by the Pope for the death of Thomas of Becket did couenant that none should afterward accept that Crowne of right or should be acknowledged for King till hee had his confirmation from the cheefe pastour of our soules Which couenant was renewed in the yeere 1210. by Iohn King of England who had confirmed the same by oath to Pandulphus the Popes Legate at the request of the Barons and Commons as a matter of great importance to preserue the common-weale to keepe it from the vniust vsurpation of Tyrants and to auoyd other mischeefes whereby before they had smarted and to preuent that they fall not into the like againe by the default of any wicked King thereafter Wherefore if it bee honourable and pious for the Bishop to dispose of the kingdome being made tributary why may hee not likewise depose a refractory and a disobedient Prince § 91 Then Velbacellus you alleadge saith hee a worme eaten and ridiculous charter whereby you make the King of England Tributarie to the Pope England not tributarie to the Pope neither can bee which was neuer done and if it were it neither could or ought binde the successours Kings of England For Rome neither can nor euer could at any time shew such a grāt as Thomas Moore that great Catholike doth argue and if it could it was to no great purpose for no King of England might at any time giue away England to the Pope or make his kingdome tributary though he were so disposed Therefore let vs passe by that counterfet compact and that friuolous deuise and let vs returne to the matter in hand The question is not Saturnine of the true temporalties of the patrimonie of Peter but of the true temporalties of the patrimony of Kings the soueraignty whereof either directly or indirectly is giuen to the Pope and it is giuen either by Law diuine or positiue and therefore the temporalties of Kings doe no more belong to the Pope then the temporalties of Peter belong to Kings And euery King may as well depriue a Pope as any Pope may depriue a King And an Emperour may aswell he called Lord of all the spiritualties as
that he commanded warre to be raised wherein hee might be slaine he answeres in Tortus How the Papists may kill a King how not that Bellarmine spake not of murther which may happen in battaile but of that murther which may be committed by a royster A very honest distinction As though hee bee not as well a murtherer who at the command of the Pope doth kill the King by open force Cardinall Comensis incited Parry to kill Q. Elizabeth as he that shall doe it by secret treacherie That this Cardinall threatning warres armes is no honester then Cardinall Comensis whose letters are extant wherein he encouraged Parry with promise of reward and pardon from the Pope that hee should bring to good effect the purpose of his good spirit those were his wordes that is that he should murther Queene Elizabeth with his dagger Bellarmine proued no better to our excellent King Iames but somewhat the closer Did Peter feede the Church after this manner This is not foode but poyson Did he so guide the flock of his Master as if the chiefe belweather of the flocke went astray he would take care that he should either closly or openly be slaine Giue a Shipheards crooke to a Shepheard What hath a Shipheard to doe with a sword Yes forsooth saith he when Christ made Peter a Pastor hee made him a Prince For when hee commanded him to feed he commanded him to rule And he gaue him not only a ministery but a magistracy But good Sir the inward and spirituall gouernment is one thing which Peter exercised ouer soules by the worde the Sacraments and the keies the earthly and outward gouernment is another thing which Paul the 5 doth practise by fraude and force against crownes I pray you tell mee Calander what difference you make betweene these two and the Commentaries of the Fathers and their owne popish writers Marke the consequencies depending on this interpretation partly foolish partly wicked Peter is commanded to feede the flocke of Christ § 150 Therefore none but Peter Vpon Peter is laide the charge of feeding and teaching Therefore the honour of ruling and reigning is bestowed on him Peters dutie is to teach Kings Therefore to depose Kings To instruct Kings therefore to destroy Kings To Peter is granted a spirituall regiment therefore an earthly gouernment Whether doth hee that knits together such consequences and these are necessarily gathered out of Bellarmines interpretation seeme to be sent to the schooles or to the Anticira for a purge Charge is laid Calander vpon all true Pastors in Peter to feede and rule the flocke of Christ committed to their charge but so that they feede them with the spirituall foode of wholesome doctrine and rule them with the staffe of wholesome discipline But if Paul the 5. doe not feede the flocke but feede vpon it and doe not order the steppes of his sheepe but breake their legges and their heades truly he doth giue food and vse his shepheardes staffe otherwise then Christ appointed Wherefore I thinke King Iames would rather fast then bee fed by such a Shepheard who feedeth to that end that hee may kill and eat What other Kings doe let themselues looke to it let them laugh in their sleeues as they please when they read these foolish quiddities of Schollers but let them take heede of such wicked baites of rebellion which lurke in Bellarmines new Dictionarie Wherein To feede and to rule are 〈◊〉 To teach a King and to depose a King all one The excommunication of a King and depriuation The absoluing of sinners from sâ—â—e is the absoluing subiects from their duty § 151 Doe they not perceiue that this is the Grammer of that proud and bloody Antichrist Therefore King Iames doth willingly forsake the popish flocke that hee may betake himselfe to Gods flocke which is knowne of Christ and followeth him and flieth from a stranger For he doth not regard these carnall Cardinalls so leaden-pated in their arguing Peter is the Porter of heauen Therefore the Lord of the world Peter is a Pastor therefore a Prince Peter is a Fisher of men therefore of kingdomes A net was giuen him wherewith he may take fishes as well great as little Therefore he hath gouernment aswell ouer Kings as subiects Peter is charged to feede the sheepe therefore he is charged to feede the rest of the Apostles He is twise charged to feede Lambes therefore the Iewes and Gentiles and by consequent all Christians Do not these hange together as a sickmans dreames Doth not Bellarmine seeme to expose the Scripture to mockery when he reasoneth after this fashion against Aquinas rule who doth plainely deny that symbolicall diuinitie Bellarmine buildeth his Church gouernment vppon tropes hath any force to argue whereon for all that hee hath built the whole supremacy and doth pronounce it to be a doctrine of the Catholicke faith most plainly founded vpon the Scriptures The Philosophers doe laugh at Epicure for making the world of moates And will not Diuines hisse out Bellarmine that frameth the ecclesiasticall gouernment of tropes For truely you shall assoone finde Moores Vtopia in the world as Peters Monarchy in the text Which Article notwithstanding is fained to bee the cheefe article of the Popes Creede wherein are contained many articles aswell of superstition and Idolatrie as of conspiracie and rebellion So that Poperie is nothing else but a plaine catechisme of false faith toward God and the King For that double power ecclesiasticall and temporall § 152 which you faine to bee so inwardly ioyned to the supremacy that it cannot be separated from it you haue erected as a double engine to ouerthrow the truth of diuinity and the Kings dignity For you haue translated each of them as it were from Peter to the Pope and the Popes successour which you assume and proue not Ecclesiasticall whereby by excommunication he may binde Kings and absolue subiects not only from sinnes but from vowes lawes and oathes So by excommunication the Pope stealeth away crownes from Kings and soules from subiects while he taketh away authority from the one and obedience from the other In both he breaketh Gods will wherby the ciuill power of the Prince though he be euill and the obedience of the subiect is soundly established as I haue fully and at large satisfied you in the former Dialogue and I haue no lesse infringed the Popes temporall iurisdiction where you alleadged it In the meane while there was no reason this insolent Cardinall should tearme Kings Catholike in the faith if once they began to bee wicked vnruly râ—mmes Bellarmines sawcinesse iustly reprooued and Protestant Kings and Princes rauenous wolues himselfe being a goate and a foxe he durst not I say call them so but that hee thinketh Kings to be very patient Who if they remembred themselues to bee Kings would teach this sawcy and busie Cardinall to follow his holy studie and not to trouble himselfe with Kings affaires Neither would they
iustification and of the saluation of the Elect by the grace of Christ before Peter gaue his sentence and that not sitting but arising and that very modestly and gently Afterward Iames did onely yeeld his opinion but pronounced and set downe in writing the decree it selfe which all the assembly of Apostles and Preists did follow It seemed good also not to Peter alone but to the Apostles and Preists with the whole Church to send certaine choice men to Antioch with the Apostle Paul and Barnabas and the Synodall Epistle did not beare the name of Peter but of all the Apostles Preists and Brethren And if Peter had receiued the primacy of iurisdiction from Christ the other Apostle had done him great wrong that suffered not Peter to bee President of the Councell that they sent Peter as inferior into Samaria that they took accompt of his doing that they met not together by his appointment that they suffered him not to sit aboue others to propound the decree to send Legates and to seale vp the Synodall Epistle in his owne name But the Apostles did no wrong to Peter It followeth then that Peter receiued no primacy of iurisdiction from Christ but was equall to the rest of the Apostles and inferiour to the whole Councell The Papists doe grant a double gouernment to Peter § 201 Peters double pretended gouernment Galat. 2. Paul nothing inferiour to Peter They make him Lord of the spirituals and temporals Therefore the Apostle Paul did ill bee it spoken with reuerence who made himselfe equall to Peter and gaue out that he was inferiour in nothing vnto Peter and which was more reprehended him sharpely to his face as his equall and fellow-seruant and that publikely when hee tooke him in a fault For the Gospell saith he was committed to me ouer the Gentiles as it was to Peter ouer the Iewes For hee that was powerfull through Peter in the Apostleship of the Iewes the same was powerfull in mee ouer the Gentiles And when as Iames Cephas and Iohn who seemed to bee pillers knew that grace was giuen me then they gaue the right hands of fellowship to me and Barnabas See Cephas doth acknowledge Paul his fellow hee had him not for a subiect neither did hee challenge to himselfe the highest top of gouernment but gaue the right hand of fellowship which was done by Peter not only in respect of humilitie of minde but for equalitie of office Farre be it from vs to thinke it was written by Paul for pride of minde but for the truth of the matter And if Christ had appointed Peter the vniuersall Bishop Prince of his Church how durst Peter and Paul couenant betweene them-selues in the 18. yeare after Christ his passion that Peter should exercise the Apostleship ouer the Iewes and Paul ouer the Gentiles not only but chiefly whereby Paul by the Antients is called the Prince of the Apostles as well as Peter But the equall hath no gouernment ouer his equall Peter would be are no rule ouer the clergie 1 Pet 5. Neither could Peter himselfe beare rule ouer the Clergie that he might not seem to permit that to other which he would not take to himselfe when hee called himselfe not a chiefe Priest but a fellow Priest Much lesse did he vse the sword and ciuill gouernment and iudge Caesar to be subiect vnto him but admonished himselfe with all other Christians to submit themselues to Caesar as to the most excellent and to other Magistrates as sent from him neither did at any time exercise ciuill gouernment He had it not therefore for that is not a power which is neuer brought into act Therefore Peter was no more ouer Kings than hee was ouer Apostles § 202 Nay Christ himselfe as a man was not aboue the Emperour Christ himselfe as man not aboue Emperors As he is God he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords as he was man he did not only submit himselfe to Tiberius but to Pilate Tiberius Deputie in Iurie You had no power said he ouer me if it were not giuen you from aboue Againe he saith that his kingdome was not of this world when he was demanded of Pilate what kingdome he laid claime vnto Whereby it appeareth that Christ was to haue not a temporall August in Psal 47. but a spirituall kingdome as Austin gathereth out of those words Harken to this ô yee Kings and enuy not Christ is a King after another fashion than you are who said my kingdome is not of this world Feare not therefore if the kingdome of this world be taken from you you shall haue another giuen vnto you and that a heauenly one whereof he is King If Christ had not a temporall kingdome was it for Peter to haue it what is this else but to make the seruant aboue his master and the embassador aboue him that sent him and if it did not belong neither to Christ nor to Peter do you thinke that not only the temporall kingdome but the chiefe gouernmēt ouer all temporal kingdoms was giuen to the Pope Christs supposed Vicar Peters counterfeit successor fie vpon such foolish pride fie vpon such loftie vanitie which Christ did reprehend in many places in the the Apostles when he said the Kings of the earth beare rule ouer them but you not so And as my father sent me so I send you And my kingdome is not of this world And yet Bellarmine dares to write Bellarmine contrary to Christ that the supreme temporall power was giuen to the chiefe Bishop which Christ himself by his owne confession did not exercise Christ saith the Kings of the earth beareth rule ouer them but you not so Bellarmine contrary but you so Christ as my Father sendeth me so I send you Bellarmine contrary not as my Father sendeth me do I send you The Father sent me in humilitie and ignominie I send you in pompe and maiestie Christ my kingdome is not of this world Bellarmine contrary yea it is of this world and of all this world So manifestly doth the Cardinall contradict Christ But although Christ as man did not exercise temporall § 203 power he might if he had so liked saith Bellarmine Here the question is not what Christ could haue done but what he did Neither is the authoritie of Peter to be grounded vpon that which Christ could haue done but vpon that which Christ did indeed Christ could if he had pleased haue made the world in an instant but he would not the Scripture witnesseth he would not because it is said that hee tooke to him six daies to bring forth that worke He could if he would haue redeemed the world with one drop of blood without death but he would not that hee would not the Scripture beareth witnes wherein it is said that he must die for vs. So he could if hee would as man exercise the dominion of temporall things but hee would not that hee would not truth it selfe
doth witnes which said my kingdom is not of this world From a possibilitie to a deed the argument is not of force in Christ much lesse in Peter O pleasant madnes of Bellarmine wherby he dreameth that the temporall power in possibilitie as hanging in the ayre is bestowed vpon his Bishop § 204 But marke the mans reason God hath appointed Christ to be heyre of all things How the temporall rule forsooth descendeth vpon the Pope Therfore if he would he could haue cast Tiberius out of his throne and Pilate out of his iudgement seate for he was the heyre of all things Peter could if hee would haue wrested Nero's scepter out of his hands for he was heyre to Christ And the Pope can if he will cast of the Crowne from the head of any King heretike or catholike if he begin to go astray for he is Peters heyre For all comes to this at last that the temporall dominion of the whole world descends from Christ to Peter from Peter to the Pope That the Pope forsooth might haue and exercise power ouer Kings which Christ had but vsed not but might haue vsed if hee had been so pleased A vant with all these foolish quiddities which inferre such dangerous consequences Austin and Maldonate against Bellarmine But if hee had consulted not only with Austin but also with Maldonat on of his owne side hee should haue vnderstood that that place was to be interpreted of the spirituall not temporall inheritance of the world granted to Christ by the Father For what he that refused the iudgement of diuiding a priuate inheritance would he take to him the publike inheritance of the whole world And he that willingly submitted himselfe to the authoritie of Pilate giuen from aboue euen to the death of the Crosse did hee shew himselfe a temporall Lord both ouer Tiberius and the whole world The power of Pilate saith Bellarmine was not ordeyned § 205 but permitted And this is the sense of the place that Pilate could do nothing against Christ if God had not permitted it As that place is also vnderstood this is your houre and power of darknesse Luc 22. but because S. Thomas saith he vpon the 13 to the Romanes vnderstandeth the place of the ordinarie power we do not disagree But that this power did extend it selfe to Christ we thinke that to be done out of Pilates ignorance who not knowing the worthines of Christ iudged him as some priuate Citizen of the country As if in our dayes a Clergie man were brought to the bar of a Secular Iudge vnder the name and habite of a Lay-man hee may be condemned by that power wherewith a Laicke may out of the ignorance of the Iudge yet it doth not follow thereby that Clarkes by law are subiect to the iudgement of Lay-men or that Christ was subiect to the iudgment of Pilate Thus far Bellarmine But Christ said that Pilates power was not permitted § 206 but giuen from aboue The permitted power was that power of darknes whereby God suffred that the Iewes should kill the Lord of Glory wherein they sinned most greiuously And therefore it is called the power of darknesse not giuen from aboue as was Pilates the Iudge which Austin called not an vsurped but an vniust power Which place saith he when I heard it to be expounded by S. Thomas of a lawfull power I do not withstand it Bellarmine contradicteth himselfe It is well that which before you did wickedly affirme being instructed by Thomas you honestly deny The man speakes out of a boate now enclining to this side now to that neither doth he somtime contradict others so much as himselfe But marke how by turning himselfe into all parts he hath found a starting hole to escape by Whereas Pilate did stretch out this power against Christ it was out of Pilates ignorance that knew not the worth of Christ As if a Clerke vnder the habite of a Lay man should bee brought before a lay-Iudge he might by the ignorance of the Iudge be condemned as a Lay-man which notwithstanding the Law doth not allow c. That which he imputes to the ignorance of Pilate Austin imputes it to his feare lest he should offend Caesar in loosing of Christ. But this may be ascribed to his ignorance that he beggeth the question Bellarmine begs the question For he takes it as granted which is in question that a Clerke may not by law be condemned by a secular Iudge though out of the Iudges ignorance he may being attired like a Layman As if he should say that Alexander the 3. being in his pontificalibus might not rightly be iudged by Fredericke the Emperor Alexander 3. but being in his cookes apparell he might by ignorance or that Bishop who bare armes against Richard the first King of England An English Bishop in K Richard the first dayes Odo brother to W. Conqueror could not be hanged in his Bishops attire but being found in a coat-armour hee might by ignorance Or that Odo the brother of William the first a very wicked traytor could not be committed to ward as Bishop of Bayon but as Earle of Kent Or that some trayterous Iesuite imagine some Garâ—et or Oldcorne could not bee hanged in his massing robes but might by ignorance being clad in a Courtiers attire I could wish rather that such Clerkes were vnknowne than knowne But he doth very vntowardly make Christ his innocencie a cloake for a harmefull Clerke that because Christ could not be rightly condemned by Pilate therefore euery Clerke is exempted from the iudgement of a secular Iudge It is as I said a manifest begging of the thing in question For I can better dispute after a contrary manner There was no exempting of the person of Christ from the iudgement of Pilate Therefore there is no exempting of Paul the fift from the iudgment of the Emperor For if Christ the chiefe Bishop was not exempted from the iudgment of the Emperor whose power was from aboue then certainely the Bishop of Rome ought not to be exempted from the iudgement of the Emperors power The actions of Christ are rules for the Pope the actions of Popes are not rules for Christ But whereas the Cardinall brings in his Clearke in § 207 a Lay-mans weede before a secular Iudge hee doth very ill apply it to his purpose For he hauing got this freedome or exemption as is taught he should not say to the Iudge that hee hath power from heauen against him but the contrary you haue no power against me froÌ„ aboue for I am a Clerke but when Christ said not this but the cleane contrary you haue power against me froÌ„ aboue he allowed not the exeÌ„pting of a Clerke vnles the prerogatiue of a Clerke be greater than the prerogatiue of Christ But you haue brought in a very dull-pated Clerke who being endowed with a priuiledge as you call it cannot vtter it that he may be safe from danger being
like to the Asse and her colt whence they are wont to draw another argument for the temporall gouernment of Christ An argument drawne from the Asse for the Popes power Hee sent his disciples that they should bring him the Asse and her colt whereon according to the prophecie the humble King might sit when hee entred into Ierusalem and commanded them to tell the owners of the Asses the Lord had neede of them whence they conclude that Christ was the temporall Lord of the whole world very foolishly for whereas hee borrowed the Asse it sheweth Christs pouertie and whereas hee rode on it when he went into Ierusalem it sheweth his humilitie and meeknes as the Fathers expound it Therefore they that gather from thence the dignitie and excellencie of a temporall Prince the Lord hath neede of them that I may not seeme to speake more sharply against them And if the authoritie of a Prince might haue beene gathered out of this place hee would not haue said the Lord had neede of them but the Lord commandes that you send them Whose humilite when Celestine the Byshoppe of Rome peruersly desiring to follow was caried through the Citie vpon an Asse The Asse sate vpon the Pope not the Pope vpon the Asse and enioyned his Cardinalles to doe the like was laught at by them who beleeued that the Asse rather sate vpon the Pope then the Pope vpon the Asse because when hee would resemble Christ his humilitie hee should haue cast off the Popes statelinesse And yet they are so blockish that they thinke that Christ when he rid into Ierusalem after his manner in triumph that hee exercised temporall power Did they then thinke this manner to bee scarce papall in Celestine doe they thinke it Regall in Christ And that which they thought vilde in Christ doe they thinke triumphant in him And that which they thought a signe of weakenesse in him doe they count it a shew of power in Christ Christ assuredly is the King of heauen and earth and he hath a kingdome both spirituall and eternall But his kingdome is not of this world though it be in this world as hee professed before Pilate How Christ stood before Pilate He stood therefore before Pilate both the Emperors Lord and Subiect afterward to iudge him now to be iudged of him God to be feared by his inuicible maiestie man to bee pittied by his visible humilitie in whose person the power of the spirit lay hid vnder the frailety of the flesh that he might teach Peter and in him the Pope to reioyce at heauenly graces not to waxe proude at earthly titles and euer to beare in minde the glory of a Kingdome not outward and decaying but inward and eternall § 209 But now let vs vrge the argument out of the scriptures aboue alleaged and let vs enforce it more closly out of the interpretations of the antient Fathers Christ had no kingdome of the world Therefore Peter had none vnlesse hee could giue that to Peter he had not himselfe The Pope decreaseth by the same degrees hee encreased Christ is the Emperours subiect as he is man how therefore can Peter be his Lord vnlesse the Disciple may be aboue his Master And if Peter be a subiect how can the Pope be a Lord Peter was not aboue the rest of the Apostles Therefore the Pope is not aboue other Byshoppes Peter was inferiour to the Councell Therefore the Pope is inferiour to the Councell By the same degrees that the Pope did increase by the same if you please let him decrease First he was aduanced aboue Byshoppes as Boniface the third afterward aboue Kings and Emperours as Gregorie the seuenth then hee tooke vpon him the imperiall and pontificall dignitie and that by the right of his Popedome as Boniface the 8. Last of all hee was lifted aboue all Councells that all the remedies for mischiefe might be taken away and that the Christian people might happily lament their miseries but not cure them But Peter was not aboue the rest of the Apostles Cyprian That were saith he the rest of the Apostles that Peter was endued with the same fellowship of honour and power There was a paritie of power among all the Apostles where was then the superiority of Peter The Carthaginian Fathers therefore decreed in the Councell that the Byshoppe of the first sea should not be called Prince of Priests or chiefe Priest Chap. 42. or haue any such title but onely the Byshoppe of the first sea where is then the spirituall principality of the Pope whereof Bellarmine dreameth Afterward Gregorie the first did not onely detest the title of vniuersall Byshoppe in Iohn of Constantinople Lib. 4. Epist. cap. 32. Gregorie the first did detest the title of the vniuersall Byshoppe but in himselfe and all others as new wicked a name of singularity to be a generall plague of the Church the corruption of faith against the Cannons against Peter the Apostle against the sense of the Gospell against all Churches against God himselfe That neuer any holy man vsed any such title Lib. 4. Epist 34 Epist 38 39. that none of his Predecessors did giue their consents it should be vsed and that whosoeuer did vse it hee was the Messenger and forerunner of Antichrist This is a notable title the vniuersall Byshoppe of the Church proper to the Byshoppe of Rome as Bellarmine saith Therefore new prophane wicked c. as Gregorie saith § 210 Lib. 2. de Rom. Pont. cap. 31. Bellarmines obiection against Pope Gregorie But here Bellarmine doth distinguish there is one sense of this title that he who is called the vniuersall Byshop of all Christian cities so that other be not Byshoppes but onely his Vicars and in this sense it is a prophane word as Gregorie speaketh So that according to blessed Gregories minde the vniuersall Byshoppe seemes to take authoritie from all other that an vniuersall Byshoppe be one and an only Byshoppe as Bellarmine doth expound in Tortus as if Gregorie had iudged that all other Byshoppes had beene put out of office by Iohn of Constantinople who would needes be stiled the vniuersall Byshop Bellarmine doth crosse the historie Wherein Bellarmine doth crosse the historie which sheweth that all the Greeke Byshoppes did consent to Iohn of Constantinople that hee should take to him the title of vniuersall Byshoppe which they would neuer haue done if by the grant of that title they had thought all Byshop like authoritie should haue been taken from them And Platina sheweth that Boniface the 3. tooke to him that place of preheminency which Iohn chalenged Bellarmine contradicteth himselfe Besides that in the very said place he doth contradict himselfe where he writeth that the Greeke Byshops would not onely preferre the Constantinopolitane sea before the sea of Alexandria and Antioch but make it also equall to Rome and vniuersall Which how can it agree with that which he said before for hee did
not preferre himselfe before the sea of Alexandria and Antioch but the sea of Constantinople tooke them both away and did not equall himselfe to the Romane but abolished the Romane for he was the vniuersall and onely Byshoppe and made the other not his fellow but his Vicar For other were not Byshoppes but his Vicars onely as hee imagineth Gregorie to haue thought Lib. 4. epist 36. Lib. 4. ep 34. For Gregorie thought by that title not to take away all Byshoppes but to diminish them or that other Patriarches had their honour abrogated but derogated nor that all other were put downe but that hee was set vp aboue all other neither did hee goe about that one thing that he alone should be but be alone in authoritie or that other should be no Byshoppes at all but that he should seeme a Byshoppe of better worth then the rest and that hee should ioyne them as parts to himselfe not cut them off and should bee among Byshoppes as Lucifer among the Angells who preferred himselfe before others tooke not others away So this vniuersall Byshoppe suffered other Byshoppes to bee but to be in subiection if wee beleeue Gregorie a better interpreter of his owne minde then Bellarmine And this did Boniface the third effect when Boniface tooke nothing to him by the grant of Phocas which Iohn did not claime by the grant of Mauritius That which Boniface tooke to himselfe Paul the 5. retaineth and that much more He doth retaine therefore a new prophane wicked § 111 blasphemous name c. as Gregorie thought while hee is called vniuersall Byshoppe It is well said and truely an euill head is a head of euills And euery euill as it is more generall is the worse And therefore an vniuersall euill is the greatest euill from whence all other euills are powred into the Church and Common-weale into the Church heresies into the Common-weale treasons while it vtterly lost the faith of Christ and trod vnderfoote the maiestie of the Emperour Lib. 4. Ep. 39. Gregorie foretould each of them For thus he said to Anianus to consent to this wicked name what is it else but to loose the faith And how much damage the faith hath sustained it shall appeare by those Articles of the faith which follow And to Mauritius he writ Epist 32. that who so delighteth in that name doth thereby set himselfe aboue the honour of the Emperour And how much damage the Empire hath sustained the lamentable endes of many emperours doth declare Regius our Councellor shall tell you who they were Gregorie as I said was a true alasse too true a Prophet And our learned interpreter of Gregorie the Byshoppe of Chicester said well that the vniuersall Byshop is for the Empire Lucifer for the Church Antichrist § 212 Yet Gregorie himselfe they say though hee liked not the vniuersall title he exercised the vniuersall iurisdiction Wherein they imagine Gregorie to be not truly holy but prophanely politicke like to Caesar who refused the name of a King as odious that hee might more cunningly exercise the authority of a King Therefore they counterfet a certaine Epistle of Gregorie thus indorst to Iohn Byshoppe of Siracuse To Iohn Byshoppe of Siracuse concerning the Byshoppe of Constantinople accused of a foule fault In the Epistle it selfe the Bizancen primate is said to haue beene accused of a certaine fault Gregor lib. 7. Epist 64. whom the most holy Emperour would haue iudged by vs according to the cononical decrees But the error of name Bizancene or Biazene deriued not from Bizantium the citie of Constantinople Glosse in Grati. edita à Greg 13 but from Bizatium a Prouince of Africa is amended in the glosse of the Cannon law which saith that Anselme and Gratian were deceiued in the inscription of the Epistle of Saint Gregorie An epistle suspected to be forged because Bizancene did not signifie the Patriarch of Constantinople but the Primate of Africa Which things giues vs iust cause to suspect that the Epistle is forged as another wherein they bring in Gregorie affirming that the Constantinopolitane Church is subiect to the Apostolick-sea Lib. 7. epi. 63. Lib. 2. de Rom. Pontific c. 14. as Eusebius the Byshoppe of the same sea doth confesse Which place Bellarmine citeth But in Gregories time none did sit in the sea of Constantinople but Iohn and Siricius who did vsurpe the title of vniuersall Byshoppe Nicephorus a witnesse in his tripartite historie Whereby it appeareth that a counterfeit Eusebius is brought in as a witnesse of the Romane prerogatiue A counterfet Eusebius and a bastardly Epistle deuised by some scribe who testified that Gregorie wrot that being dead which while he liued hee reprehended so earnestly not only in another but in himselfe When this deuise tooke no successe they tried another § 213 way Baronius Bellarmine That there were very many of Gregories Predecessors who did write themselues Byshoppes of the Catholicke Church that is of the vniuersall The vniuersall Byshoppe and Byshop of the vniuersall Church not all one And that it is all one to be called the vniuersall Byshoppe of the Church and Byshop of the vniuersall Church Wherein they haue not onely Costerus gaine-saying them in his Euchiridion and Lindane in his Panoplie in whose iudgement these differ the vniuersall Byshoppe and the Byshoppe of the vniuersall Church or that all ambiguitie may be taken away they deny it to bee one to be called the Byshoppe of the Catholicke Church that is vniuersall and Catholicke that is vniuersall Byshop of the Church And they will deny it Is it all one to say Tortus is a learned diuine of the schoole of Papia and a Diuine of the learned schoole of Papia Nothing lesse For in that proposition false praise is giuen to Tortus in this true to Papia So the Pope is the Catholicke Byshoppe of the Church is one thing and the Pope is the Byshoppe of the Catholike Church is another For in that proposition a counterfet title of the Pope in this the true name of the Church is expressed But Catholicke and Vniuersall are all one What then But these propositions be not all one The Pope of Rome is the Byshoppe of the catholicke Church i. of the vniuersall therefore the Byshoppe is vniuersall no more then these two propositions be all one The King of Spaine is the Catholike King therefore the vniuersall King Or thus The King of Spaine is the King of the Catholicke Church therfore he is King of the whole Christian world For the power ouer all Churches doth no no more belong to the Pope who is called Catholike then the power ouer all kingdomes belongeth to the King that is called Catholike § 214 Although this vniuersall Bishop challenge the cheife gouernment not onely ouer spirituall but ouer temporall causes also so that the power ouer all things is in the Pope the execution of that power is sayd to reside in Emperours and Kings which