man in himselfe so hath euery Bishop for his part the whole nature of a bisshop in hiÌ„self This equalitie of bishoply order and office notwithstanding the Apostles were in their bishoply prelateshippe and Iurisdiction a great way behiÌ„d S. Peter because he had a higher and larger power of gouerning geuen to him ouer Christes shepe then any of the other had in that behalfe Touching then the superiority of S. Peters iurisdiction for asmuch as all the power he had was either Apostolike or bishoply seing he could not easily haue more coÌ„mitted to hiÌ„ ouer the rest of the shepe by his Apostolike office Math. 2â— then the other Apostles had for ech of theÌ„ had charge ouer the whole Church and the gouerment of their owne persons excepted what greater power could S. Peter haue if this notwithstandig I proue euideÌ„tly that Christ committed to S. Peter more Ecclesiastical power eueÌ„ ouer his shepe then to anie other it must needes be rather meant of more bishoply then of more Apostolike power And so albeit the power and iurisdictioÌ„ of the Apostles ouer the rest of the shepe be equal yet the power of bishops euen ouer the same shepe is not equal How proue I theÌ„ that S. Peter had more coÌ„mitted to his charge theÌ„ the other Apostles Verily because Christ in the presence of S. Iohn S. Iames aÌ„d S. Thomas the Apostles aÌ„d of other three disciples said to Peter SimoÌ„ IoaÌ„nis diligis me plê° his Ioan. 21. Simon the son of Iohn doest thou loue me more then these And surely seing S. Iohn was among them who was so tenderly beloued of Christ that he was knowen by the name of the Disciple whom Iesus loued Ibidem when Peter is asked whether he loue more theÌ„ they he is in effect asked whether he loue more then any other Apostle or Disciple Neither doth our Lord demaunde this question as a thing whereof he doubted but to instruct vs that Peter loued him more then the other Wherevpon S. Augustine concludeth In Ioan. Tract 24. Sciebat igitur Dominus noÌ„ soluÌ„ quôd diligeret verumetiam quôd plus illis diligeret eum Petrus Therefore our Lord did know that Peter did not onely loue him but also that he loued him more then they And yet seing Peter could not loue Christ more then the other did except Christ had first loued Peter more then he loued the other for Peters excelleÌ„t loue towards Christ must nedes come of the former exceding loue of Christ toward Peter as the scripture it selfe doth teache vs it is out of all controuersie that Christ first loued S. Peter 1. Ioan. 4. Prior dilexit nos more then he loued any other man in the whole world What The question more then he loued S. Iohn Or more then he loued his own Mother I answere An exaÌ„ple that there are diuerse coÌ„siderations of loue Alexander the great had two frindes who loued him for diuerse respects The one called Craterus loued him as king and loked to his honour in matters belonging therevnto The other called Hephestion loued his ê‘son and diligently ê“cured his health aÌ„d priuate wel doing WhereupoÌ„ King Alexander was wont to saie that Craterus loued the King but Hephestion loued Alexander EueÌ„ so Christ loued his Morther aboue all creatures in the respect of that loue which it pleased him as her Sonne to owe vnto his Mother by the Law of nature Exod. 20. And therein he loued her almost incoÌ„parablie aboue S. Peter Likewise he loued personally S. Iohn the Euangelist August in Ioan. Tractat 124. and S. Iohn loued him more then other in that he was a virgin by Christes gift as who had dedicated his bodie and soule to Christ alone But in respect of Christes flock which was to be fed aÌ„d gouerned in the earth in that respect Christ loued S. Peter and S. Peter him more theÌ„ others The which distinction being kept we maie well say that our Lady loued Christ as the Sonne of God taking flesh of her own bodie more then any other and that S. Iohn loued Christ as the cause of his virginitie and the Athour of his chast loue more then any other and that S. Peter loued Christ as the prince of pastours more then anie other 1. Pet. 5. of which last kind of loue Christ now speaketh as it may wel appeare by his owne words For wheÌ„ S. Peter had answered yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus said to hiÌ„ fede my laÌ„bs As who should saie for asmuch as thou in respect of my pastoral power louest me more then these take more power then they to feede my lambs For now sith Peters loue is the cause why Christ geueth him power to feede his lambs according to the measure of the loue the measure of the feeding must be vnderstanded De temp serm 149. Dominus Iesus saith S. Augustine respondenti amoreÌ„ commendat agnos suos dicit pasce oues meas tanquam diceret quid retribues quia diliges me dilectionem ostende in omnibus To Peter answering that he loueth our Lord Iesus commendeth his lambs and saith Feede my shepe as if he should say what wilt thou render to me because thou louest me Shew thy loue toward the shepe The same verie sense S. Chrysostom geueth In Ioan. Hom. 87. Si amas me fratruÌ„ curaÌ„ susci pias If thou louest me or seing thou louest me take the care of thy brethern Yf then the authority of feeding be the reward of Peters loue for asmuch as accordiÌ„g to S. Augustines iudgemeÌ„t grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ the expresse word of God Peter loued more theÌ„ the other Peter is now bid to shew more loue in taking cure of his brethern then any other Which thing because he can not doe except he receiue more power and authoritie to feed his brethern Iacob 1. then other haue for Peter can doe no more in that behalfe then is from heaueÌ„ committed to him it doth inuinciblie follow that Christ at this time geueth to Peter alone more povver and authority to feede his sheepe then any other had or can haue For the literal meaning of Christes whole discourse is none other thing then to say for as muche as thou louest me more then these feede my sheepe In the cumpasse or meaning of which wordes it is not possible for any other Apostle to be comprehended aequallie with S. Peter Note this reason For if any other may feed aequallie with him by the force of this commission the same cause of feeding must be in him which is named in this commission That is to say More theÌ„ these he must loue more then these But if any other doe so then hath Peter no commission to feed Christes sheepe because he then doth not loue more then they seing they must loue more then he or els no coÌ„missioÌ„ of feeding is geueÌ„ theÌ„ Who so euer hath this commission to feed
power I beseche the discreete Reader neither to vse cauils himself nor to geue care to them who loue to wrāgle Here would M. Iewel straight way shew that Christ gaue manie pastours and teachers to his Church Ephes 4. 1. Pet. 5. and that euery Apostle did feede of which things I deny no one But I say there was beside the Apostleship a kind of feeding so peculiar to Peter that no Apostle toke so specially as S. Peter did either the name thereof or the thing meant by the name Which thing the holy scripture doth insinuate when it sheweth Peter to haue loued more then other and consequentlie according to the measure of his loue to haue taken the measure of feeding In which sense Saint Chrysostom S. Augustine Leo and Arnobius doe euidētly agree We must therfore confesse a supereminent power of the pastoral office in Peter that preeminence say I consisted in the ordinarie power of being the chief shepherd He that denieth my interpretation must bring a better which I marueile how he shall come by But lette vs also consyder the mind of S. Ambrose in this behalf Ambros in 24. ca. Lucae Who hauing said by S. Peter that he was vbique aut solus aut primus euery where either alone or chiefe at the last he cometh to speake of these woordes of Christ spoken to Peter amas me doest thou loue me Dominus interrogabat non vt disceret sed vt doceret quem eleuandus in coelum amoris sui nobis velut Vicarium relinquebat Sic enim habes Simon Ioannis diligis me vtique tu scis Domine quia amo te Dicit ei Iesus pasce agnos meos bene conscius sui nō ad tempus assumptum sed iamdudum Deo cognitum Petrus testificatur affectum Quis est enim alius qui de se hoc facilè profiteri possit Et ideo quia solus profitetur ex omnibus oībus antefertur Our Lord asked not to lerne but to teache him whō he being to be assumpted into heauen The Vicar of Christes loue did leaue to vs as the Vicar of his loue For so thou readest Simon the Son of Ion doest thou loue me Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus said to him feede mie lambs Peter being priuy of a good conscience doth testifie his own affection not taken for the time but already wel knowen to God For who els were able to professe this thing of himself And because he alone among all professeth he is preferred before all First note well that S. Ambrose compareth the loue with the feeding For he reasoneth alwaies from the one to the other Secondlie he saieth that Christ in consideration that he shoulde ascend into heauen Vicare taught him whome he left the Vicar of his loue Behold if Peter be the Vicar of Christ it is no wonder that the Pope sitting in Peters chaire is called also the Vicar of Christ. Yea but say you he is the Vicare of his loue and not of his pastoral office Yeas Syr of both For now S. Ambrose speaketh of that loue which consisted in hauing authority to fede the flock For it foloweth in S. Ambrose Sic enim habes for thus thou readest And immediatly he commeth to the power of feeding which Christ gaue vnto Peter in the highest degree of any mortall pastour because Peter loued more then other Christ left to vs a Vicar of his loue who was that Peter when was he leaft a Vicar When Christ said feede mie lambs The loue then left to vs was the power of feeding which Peter had ouer vs and the Vicar of Christes loue was the Vicare of Christes power which he had to feede vs. Although Christ our euerlasting meate fede vs alwayes by his mightie power Ioan. 6. yet when he should goe corporallie into heauen he leaft vs a Vicar of his corporall kinde of feeding His woordes doe not nowe sound in our eares as they did whiles he liued in preaching in teaching in administring the Sacraments in gouerning the Churche and in sending other to preache Christ hath a Vicar whome to that effect he loueth aboue all other and who loueth him aboue all other to that effect I saye of feeding his flocke Moreouer S. Ambrose noteth that Peter omnibus antefertur is preferred before al why so Quia solus profitetur ex omnibus Because he alone of them al doth professe But why saith S. Ambrose that he alone doth professe Might any other man professe when Peter alone was asked No verilie And so dooth S. Ambrose meane that Peter alone professeth his loue because he alone is asked whether he loued more thē these otherwise if S. Iohn who stoode by had ben asked I thinke he was not giltie of any lack of louing Christ But Christ intended to geue vnto Peter more loue then the other had euen for this purpose that he might receiue a higher power to feed then other had Last of al S. Ambrose noteth as it were three degrees in the commissiō of Peters autority of feeding and that accordīg to the power of feeding thrise repeated Agnus Iā non agnos vt primo quodam lacte vescendos Cuicula Ouis. nec ouiculas vt secundo sed oues pascere iubetur perfectiores vt perfectior gubernaret At the third time wherein our Lord said to Peter pasce feed he was not now bid to feede as it were with milke the lambes as at the first time nor the smaller sheep as at the second time but the sheep to th' end he being more perfit might gouern the more perfit It is now also to be noted that S. Ambrose putteth the worde gubernare to gouerne in steed of pascere to feed For in deed the shepheard hath authoritie to rule and gouerne his sheepe Peter then hath autority not only ouer the lambes which are as it were the childern and the vnlearned Christiās nor only ouer the smaller sheep which yet are elder then the lambes as the Christian lawyers the learned physicions the Iudges and Princes of Christendom but also he hath power to gouern euen the sheep which are of most perfit age Verely the ewes Oues the weathers yea the rams themselues which in diuers places are capitaines of diuers flocks So that parissh Priests Bisshops Archebisshoppes and Patriarches are committed to the gouernement of Peter alone He is the vicar of Christe in loue and power of feeding therefore as none was without the cumpasse of Christes folde no more may he be without the cumpasse of Peters fold who wil be reckened in Christes fold De consid ad Eugen. lib. 2. S. Bernard writing to Eugenius the Pope of Rome whose bookes he that readeth may wel perceue he spake it for no flatterie hath these wordes Alij Pastores habent sibi assignatos greges singuli singulos tibi vniuersi crediti vni vnus Nec modò ouium sed Pastorum tu vnus omnium pastor Ex
the old histories what prosperity these realmes haue alwaies had which keping them selues in the obediēce of the See of Rome kept also the faith which that Church professeth In so much that Afrike was inuincible vntil the Donatists and the Pelagians had withdrawen the obedience therof frō the See of Rome Neither was the Turke able to cōquer the Greciās either of Asia or of Thracia vntil after the coūcel of Florence against their consent there geuē they had again diuided themselues frō the society of the Pope I wil come nere home The English Saxons conquered the Britons for no cause rather then because the Britons began to forsake the old faith wherein Fugatius Damianus and Germanus all coming as Legates and preachers from the Pope had instructed them Beda hist Anglor li. 2. cap. 2. For as S. Bede testifieth the Britons now had left the keping and profession of Easter after the vse of the Church of Rome with whome the Catholike Church agreed therein and began to keepe it as the Iewes did Yea also they ministred the sacrament of Baptism otherwise then the Church of Rome did If then we continue again in this diuision and schism against the Church of Rome we haue to feare the like spoil and conquest or some worse and euen of temporal calamity beside the euerlasting damnatiō of those who die without the society of S. Peters See who was made of Christ and in his successours continueth stil the shepheard of the whole militāt flocke Their doctrine who teache the bishop of Rome to be Antichrist himself is confuted by the authority of Gods word and by the consent of the auncient Fathers The XVII Chap. ANtichrist doth signifie the aduersary or ennemy of Christ our Sauiour Aug. in c. 2. episto 1. Ioan. In which kinde of malice as Lucifer the capitaine of all cursed rebels was the first and chiefe so he was first named Satan which is to say an aduersary Satan For as the goodnes of God not being content to send his prophets and priests to guide men to life euerlasting at the last sent his owne sonne in mans flesh thereby to worke most effectuallie our saluation so on the other side Satan hauing procured as much as laie in him that men should not belieue in Christ nor follow his prophets shal at the lgenth attempt to possesse a certain accursed mā by whome he may worke his feates against Christ so muche the more hurtfullie how much the priuier he shal ly being couered ād hiddē both with mās flesh ād with the very name of Christ. As therefore the Deuil shall geue his strength and power most specially to that cursed man so the Deuils name is most speciallie geuen him also in the holie scripture Where he is called of S. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Thess 2 the Aduersary and S. Iohn sheweth whose aduersarie he is 1. Ioan. 2. by naming him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to saie that Antichrist who is most spitfully set against Christ and is most certeinely foretold to come and ought moste carefullie to be eschewed of all Christians For albeit euerie false teacher be a certaine Antichriste or ennemie of Christ and therefore as S. Iohn saith there are manie Antichristes 1. Ioan. 2. yet as there is one aboue other so he saith of hī 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you haue heard that the Antichrist cōmeth you haue heard not only that an Antichrist but that the same one most notable Antichrist cometh Now this singular Antichrist shal be suffered to come vvhy Antichrist is permited partlie for the trial and reuealing of the inuincible strēgth which God hath geuē to the elect partlie to shew howe inexcusable the stubborn Iewes are who pretending to beleue the old Prophets and to looke for the true Messias yet hauing repelled Iesus Christ who most euidently was described in the Lawe and Prophetes shal in the end imbrace the Diuel him selfe of whome all the Prophetes hath willed them to beware For S. Paule saith 2. Thess 2. Because they haue not receued the loue of truth that they might be saued therfore God shal send them the working of erroure that they may beleue lying To the end al men may be iudged who haue not beleued the truthe but haue consented to iniquitie Thus wheras there are three kinds of Antichrists first the Deuil who is only a spirit next false teachers thirdlie he that being possessed of the Deuil shal in the end oppugne Christes glory most of al in apparent shew and in outward working The question the question is not now of the two first kinds but ōly of the last to wit whether the Pope of Rome be this main and chief Antichrist vvho vvas prophecied of to appere so singularlie toward the end of the worlde For some Protestants are growen to that excessiue malice against the Churche of Christe that they doubt not to affirme to preache yea to sette foorth in print that the chiefe pastour of the whole Churche to whom Christ commended his sheep and Lambes is not onely an arme or hand of Antichriste but the verie head and capitaine Antichrist himselfe who shal be destroyed with the spirit of Christes mouth Isay 12. Among others Bullinger one Henrie Bullinger and an other as wise as he Gualter called Rodulph Gaulter ech of them Ministers of Zurich haue set this doctrine abrode in bookes whom I name the soner because their books are trāslated into the English tongue as a speciall treasure to enriche fooles withall where as in deed that blaspemouse doctrin is directly against the expresse word of God as I wil shew hereafter And verilie if God said generallie of all his elect people yea if it be said of the hard harted Iewes zacha 2. He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye if he said more speciallie concerning his Prophets and Priests Psal 104. touche not mine anointed if his Apostles were nere to him then any other Luc. 22 because they taried with him in his tentations if among all the Apostles S. Peter loued him best Ioan. 21. and was best beloued of him concerning the loue which belongeth to the chief shepherd and pastour of his flock if Christ prouided by singular prouidēce that S. Peter should glorifie him by suffering death vpon the Crosse in the Citie of Rome if Saint Peters Chaire and the succession in the chiefe Bisshoprike hath bene acknouledged in Rome with greate reuerence of a lib. 3. c. 3 S. Irenaeus of b lib. 1. ep 3 S. Cyprian of c De Antichristo Hippolytus the Martyr of d Tripart lib. 4. c. 15 in ep ad Solitar Athanasius the Patriarch of Alexandria ād likewise of Paulus the Archebisshoppe of Constantinople both being holy Cō essours if e In Psal 106. et 138 Arnobius f lib. 2. de schismat Optatus S. g ad
aboue al others is coÌ„fessed of al sides to haue ben the first aÌ„d chief in al assembles and meetings to whome by M. Iewels confession the prerogatiue of the first place did belong to directe and order Bisshops in their doings In his Replie 241. 242. Secondly because he onely sitteth in Saint Peters chaier and is his lawful successour Thirdly because the consent of the world hath taken it so aÌ„d so hath practised in deed for euer but euen by our Aduersaries confession froÌ„ the tyme of Pope Zosimus and Leo and so aboue a thousand yeares And although if I had no farther proufe this alone were neuer able to be auoided yet I haue so many other proufes that I am more troubled what to leaue vnsayed then I am to seeke what may be said I haue chosen to speak of that point speciallie whiche is of all other the moste hard For there is no greater obiection against Saint Peters Supremacie then to saye The obiection that all the Apostles vvere the same thinge which he vvas The same Rocke the same Pastour the same Confirmour of their brethern Whereby he may seeme to haue had no more then they had and consequentlie that all Bisshoppes are as good as the successour of S. Peter To which obiection if I should only answere The ansvvere by demaunding of the Protestantes in what Gospel or holy scripture it were writen that euery other Apostle was the same rock which S. Mathew testifieth S. Peter to haue bene seeing they haue bound themselues to beleue nothing which is not expreslie writen in the holy Scriptures Matth. 10 16. they were not able so to replie that their owne conscience might iustlie be quiet For if they brought me foorth S. Cyprian De vnit Eccles or S. Hierom it were sufficient for me to say that they were no Euangelists I shew it writen thou shalt be called Cephas and thou art Peter that is to say a rocke or of the qualitie of a rocke For as S. Hierom witnesseth Lib. 1. ad Gal. c. 2. that which the Greeks and Latins cal Petra the Hebrewes and Syrians cal Cephan Let them shew it writen where S. Mathew or S. Iohn is called such a Rock or is said to be of such a condition and qualitie that the Church shal be built vpon him How vnhappy are men now a daies that whereas they haue moste plaine scriptures in al pointes for the Catholike faith and none at al againste the same yet they pretend by the very scriptures to ouercomme the Catholikes And by the bare naming of Gods worde whiche they neither vnderstand nor loue they haue among pedlers won the spurs and amonge the ignorant haue gotteÌ„ the opinion of knouledge But seing there is an infinit treasure in Gods word to proue those things whereby the Catholike faith is fortified I wil take vpon me this one point for this time to shew by what meanes S. Peter exelled the other Apostles wherein I wil procede in this order It is certaine that S. Peter excelled the Apostles in some kind of honor and dignitie The Apostles had two kinds of dignitie The one proper to their Apostleship the other coÌ„mon with al Bishops How far S. Peter was aboue or equal with them in the Apostolike functioÌ„ That S. Peters great prerogatiue aboue the Apostles is most manifestlie knowen by his supremacie in the bishoplie power of gouerning the Churche of Christ That S. Peters bishoplie authoritie was an ordinarie power That it must continue in some one bisshop That it is the Bishop of Rome in whom S. Peters ordinarie power and supremacie resteth That S. Peter passeth far the other Apostles in some kinde of Ecclesiasticall dignitie The IX Chap. IF what soeuer authoritie any Apostle had concerning the gouernment of the Church S. Peter had the same and yet if besides he had verie manie things of greatest importance promised and geuen to him alone which no man els had it is out of all controuersie that S. Peter passed a great way the other Apostles in some kind of Ecclesiasticall dignitie Otherwise if he had no more authoritie then they or if his priuileges had bene only personal as the loue was which our Sauiour bore toward S. Iohn who laie vpon his brest at his last supper certeinlie S. Peter should either haue had nothing at all committed to him aboue and beside the reast of the Apostles Ioan. 13. or it should haue ben onlie some temporall priuilege and not any such function as had apperteined to the perpetual stablishment of Christes Church But now Matth. 10 for so much as he is not onelie first among the twelue but also he had the promise to be called Cephas or a Rocke Ioan 1. before the twelue were chosen and was really named Peter at the tyme of the choise Marc. 3. And for so much as although both S. Iohn Baptist had confessed Christes godhead before Ioan. 1. and Nathanael had said thou art the Son of God thou art the KiÌ„g of Israel yet only Peters confessioÌ„ being made long after was so highlie rewarded that Christ said to him alone thou art Peter Matth 16. and vpon this Rocke I will build my Church For so much as the keyes of the Kingdom of heauen are namely promised to Peter alone Matth. 16 And whereas the tribute of didrachma was due for the first begotten of euery familie Num. 3. Iosephus antiquit li. 13. c. 12 Chrysost in Matth. Hom. 59. Matth. 17 Yet Christ paid both for himself and for S. Peter also as being the vnderhead and first begotteÌ„ of his familie the Church And for so much as Christ although an other bote also were at hand yet he taught the people out of S. Peters bote to shew that in Peters chaire his doctrine shuld alwaies be stedily professed Luc. 5. Ambro. in 5. ca. Luc. And wheras al the Apostles were sure to be sifted of Sathan Lucae 22. yet the faith of Peter alone is praied for Leo serm 2. de â—at Petri Pauli that he being once conuerted might strenhgten his brethern And when word of Christes resurrectioÌ„ was sent to al the disciples for so much as Peter both entred first into the Sepulchre Luc. 24. and was not comprehended with the rest but was seuerallie named by himself Marci 16. whiles the Angel said tel his disciples and Peter In 24. ca. Lucae that he wil goe before you into Galilee and as S. Ambrose thincketh of men he was the first who saw Christ after his resurrection abeit some wemen had sene him before And whereas the other Apostles sailed in the sea within the cumpasse of a bote Ioan. 21. Bernard de consid lib. 2. yet S. Peter alone walked vpon the whole Sea without any particular bote betokenning that the whole world which is meant by the Sea was ordinarilie subiect vnto his iurisdictioÌ„ Farthermore for so much as some