who affirmed Christ to haue but one onely nature after the vnion hypostaticall albeit hee graunted him to haue had two natures before the sayde ineffable coniunction This to be so most renowmed Historiographers and Chronographers will testifie with me I say secondly at such times and in such places as they might safely and lawfully come togither because in these latter dayes neither can a plenarie and generall Councell meete togither with securitie neither will the late tyrannizing Bishops of Rome permit that freedome to be their vsed which hath beene graunted in former times Hereof none can stand in doubt that will seriously peruse my booke of Motiues The great pillar of Christs Church Saint Augustine confirmeth this whole discourse in these golden wordes Putemus illos Episcopos qui Romae iudicarunt non bonos iudices fuisse restabat adhuc plenarium Ecclesiae vuiuersale Concilium vbi etiam cum ipsis iudicibus causa possit agitari vt si malè iudicasse conuicti essent eorum sententiae soluerentur Let vs imagine that those Bishoppes which gaue sentence at Rome were not good Iudges there yet remained a plenarie vniuerfall Councell of the Church where both the cause might be examined and the Iudges also that there sentences might be disanulled if they were found to haue giuen euill iudgement The same Saint Austen sayeth againe in an other place that great Doctors of the Church thought diuersly of rebaptization and that without all preiudice of fayth vntill the question was decided in a plenarie generall Councell Loe a free and godly generall Councell was in Saint Austines time the ende of all controuersies in religion But now there remayneth a great and most important question to wit what remedie must bee sought to appease controuersies when a free godly and lawfull generall Councell can not bee had To which question aunswere shall bee made in the Paragraph next following The fourth Paragraph I haue proued at large in my booke of Motiues that the decrees of generall Councels in these latter dayes are nothing else but a meere mockerie and sophisticall subtiltie to deceyue and delude the Worlde To which booke I referre the reader that shall expect a larger discourse in this behalfe I say now for the present that seeing generall Councels cannot be gathered togither in such maner and with such freedome as they haue beene in former times of antiquity and seeing withall that some iudges must be designed of meere necessity to appease end and decide doubts difficulties and controuersies in religion least the Church should be vexed turmoiled and swallowed vp with schismes heresies and variety of opinions euerie Emperour and Empresse euery King and Queen and euery other ciuill Magistrate independent by what title or name soeuer he be called must before all things haue a vigilant Christian and religious care to settle establish and plant within their kingdomes Realmes Precinctes common weales territories and dominions where they haue the chiefe and independent soueraignty immediately vnder God the pure and sincere religion of Iesus Christ and to abandon extirpate and vtterly abolish all schismes heresies errors and superstitions whatsoeuer This hath euer beene the religious care of all godly and zealous Princes aswell before Christ in time of the olde testament as since Christ in time of the new testament Holy Moses tooke the molten Calfe which Aaron the High Priest to please the people had made burnt it in the fire bet it to powder strowed it in the water and made the people to drinke thereof He reproued Aaron for his offence who calling him Lord laboured with humble obeysance to excuse himselfe Iosue commanded the Priestes and Leuits to do all their ecclesiasticall functions to beare the Arke to carry trumpets to circumcise to set vp Altars to offer sacrifice and to reade the booke of the law to all the people yea the same Iosue was appointed to go out and in before the people and to leade them out and in least the congregation of the Lord should be as sheepe without a Pastor King David ordered disposed and reformed the Priestes and Leuits in their offices and functions ecclesiasticall He appointed how the Arke shoulde be borne hee ordained Psalmes Singers Instrumentes Officers and all other things for the setting forth of Gods true religion and seruice King Salomon appointed the Priestes to bring the Arke into the temple hee instituted the dedication of the temple hee offered sacrifice hee directed the Priestes Leuites and other Church officers as his father had done afore him He deposed Abiathar the hie Priest and placed Sadocke in his roome King Iosaphat appointed in Ierusalem Priestes and Leuits and Princes of the Families of Israell that they might iudge the iudgement and cause of the Lord to the inhabitantes of the land And he vsed these expresse wordes vnto them Sic agetis in timore Domini fideliter corde perfecto Thus shal yee doe in the feare of the Lord faithfully with a perfect heart King Ezechias tooke away the hie places brake the images cut downe the Groues and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had set vppe He purged the Temple reformed the Priestes and commanded them to doe their duties in cleansing themselues and in offering their sacrifices Hee renued the Passeouer Hee appointed the courses of the Priestes and Leuites by their turnes both for the burnt offeringes and peace offeringes to minister and to praise God in the Temple He also commanded that sufficient maintenance should be giuen to the Priestes that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord and not bee intangled with prouision of worldly thinges And which is to bee noted he called the Priestes and Leuites his sonnes in regard of his royall power and estate in which respect hee was the Father of all his people for otherwise hee was but a Child and for yeares might haue had many of thē to haue bin his father King Iosias brake the Altars of Baalim destroied the Groues burnt the bones of the idolatrous Priestes vpon their altars and purged Iuda and Ierusalem from idolatrie This religious care had the noble Emperour Constantine the Great who as reporteth Eusebius thought nothing to pertaine more to his royall charge then to plant true religion throughout his realmes and dominions S. Austen proueth the facts and examples of the Kinges of the old Testament to haue beene figures of the new Testament and consequently that it is the duty of all kinges in this time of grace to haue speciall regard to the seruice and true worship of God to abandon all false worshippe idolatrie errors heresies and superstition and to plant the Gospell of Christ Iesus in all the partes of their realmes and dominions The same S. Austen in an other place among many golden sentences which I now omit in regard of breuitie hath these expresse words In hoc ergo reges
came I will it not deny that the West and Occidentall Churches did so greatly reuerence the Church of Rome and many times to appease controuersies and dissentions had recourse to it as to the Mother Churche and auncient Nurse of the Faith But for all this they neuer ascribed this prerogatiue to the Bishoppe of Rome that hee could not erre neyther euer did they acknowledge him to be the sole and onely iudge in questions and controuersies of religion This to bee so one onely testimonie will suffice For S. Cyprian an auncient Father a very learned Bishoppe and blessed Martyr although hee greatly honoured the Church of Rome and the Bishoppes therof for respectes aboue mentioned yet was he so farre from acknowledging the supposed prerogatiue of the Bishoppe of Rome that his faith could not faile or that hee was the sole and only iudge in questions and controuersies of religion that hee flatly reiected his opinion contemned his definitiue sentence and derided his iudiciall decree calling him blinde bussarde and arrogant Prelate The controuersie was this whether they which were baptized of Heretiques ought to bee rebaptized or not The mater and Saint Cyprians words are set downe at large in my Booke of Motiues And the matter it selfe is partly already proued in the Chapters afore going and shall bee more fully confirmed in the Chapters following CAP. V. Shewing that Prouinciall Councels may erre THAT Prouinciall Councels may erre euen in matters of Faith it is so cleare and manifest that famous and verie learned Papistes affirme the same to witte Adrianus who was sometime Pope himselfe Iohannes-Gerson sometime Chauncellor of Paris Almainus and Alphonsus both of them renowmed Papistes For they all hold as the Iesuite Bellarmine graunteth that the infallibility of iudgement touching matters of faith resteth solely in the church and generall Councels this assertion being confessed by great learned Papistes were enough to satisfie the indifferent Reader if more could not be said Saint Cyprian assembled in councell togither with fourescore learned bishops defined against the truth that such as were baptized of Heretiques ought to be baptized againe This decree is extant in the first tome of Councels and is this day reputed for a grosse errour throughout the christian worlde The Prouinciall Councell holden at Iconium decreed with Saint Cyprian and his fellow Bishops that rebaptization was lawfully ministred to those that were baptized of Heretiques The Councell of Sardis erred grossely condemning two Catholike Bishops Iulius the Bishop of Rome and Athanasius the Bishop of Alexandria The third Councell of Carthage decreed the Apocryphall bookes of Tobias Iudith Baruch Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees to be Canonicall But the Councell of Laodicea which was confirmed in the sixt generall Councell condemned that decree long before it was made and denied the said bookes to be Canonicall The Councell of Varmes decreed that secret theft should be knowne and tried by the deliuerie and receyuing of the holy Eucharist Which is a notorious error and a wicked decree as the great papist Aquinas witnesseth in his Theologicall summe The Councell of Rome celebrated by Pope Stephanus disanulled all orders giuen by Pope Formosus and the Councell of Rauennas called by Pope Iohn disanulled the Actes of the Councell vnder Pope Stephanus In fine a Councell holden at Rome vnder Pope Nicholas decreed and enforced Berengarius to confesse the same that the true body of Christ was broken with the Priests hands and consumed with the teeth of the faithfull And yet is this a notorious error manifest to all the worlde Wherefore the Popish Glosse to saue the credite of the decree of the Pope and Councell if it would bee addeth these wordes for explication sake Nisi sanè intelligas verba Berengarii in maiorem incideshaeresim quam ipse habuit ideo omnia referas ad species ipsas Nam de Christi corpore partes non facimus Vnlesse thou vnderstande soundly the wordes of Berengarius thou wilt fall into a greater heresie then hee had and therefore thou must referre all things to the formes For of Christ bodie no partes are made Loe the Popish glosse saith plainly which is the truth in deed that Christ bodie cannot bee broken or diuided into partes And for all that the Pope with his popish Councell enforced Berengarius to beleeue the contrarie and to cōfesse the same The Apostles words are these Christ being raysed from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him But certes if the true bodie of Christ Iesus be broken in deede and torne in peeces with mans teeth then doubtlesse must it bee corrupted and Christ himselfe must die againe This veritie doth so gall the Papists that the Iesuite Bellarmine who is the mouth of all the Papists is inforced will he nill he to confesse the truth vnawares These are his owne wordes which I wish the Reader to marke attentiuely Certum est semper fuit Christi corpus incorruptibile nunc existens non posse frangi teri nisi in signo siue sacramento ita vt dicatur frangi ac teri cum signum eius id est species panis frangitur teritur Sequitur verum Christi corpus ibi praesens existens frangitur teritur non tamen inse sedin signo It is and euer was certaine and without doubt that Christs bodie now being incorruptible cannot bee broken and torne but in the signe or Sacrament So that it may be said to be broken and torne when the signe thereof that is to say the forme of bread is broken and torne The true bodie of Christ there present is broken and torne yet not in the bodie it selfe but in the signe thereof Thus writeth our Iesuite most Christanly but vnawares agaynst himselfe if his words be well obserued I therefore note first that by Bellarmines owne confession Christs bodie is now immortall and incorruptible I note secondly that Christs bodie can not now bee broken in deed but onely in the signe or Sacrament thereof I note thirdly that Christes bodie is truly said to be broken as our Iesuite affirmeth because the signe of his bodie is truly broken Out of whose wordes and graunt this proposition is inferred of necessity to wit that Christ bodie is truly said to be present to the faithfull and to be truly eaten of them when the signe of Christes bodie is truly present and truly eaten of them Againe it must needs follow vpon the Iesuites grant and exposition of the Romish faith which is a wōder to bee heard that when Christ vttered these wordes to his Apostles this is my bodie his meaning and the true sense of the wordes was this This is my bodie that is to say this is the signe and Sacrament of my bodie The reason hereof is euident because Christes naturall and true body can no more be truely eaten then it can be truely broken And
Chapter hoping by Gods grace to vse such perspicuitie in handling this difficult question as shal bee to the contentment of all indifferent Readers CAP. VIII Shewing who is the right Iudge of the holy Scripture and word of God ALbeit the holy Scripture be the infallible rule of Faith and the true Touchstone by which all doctrines are bee examined and tryed as is already proued yet will controuersies neuer haue a peaceable end vnles some speciall iudges bee appointed to decide and determine the same For as the old Prouerbe saith So many heads so many wittes Out of one and the selfe same Scripture one man gathereth one sense an other man an other sense For the perspicuous vnderstanding wherof I put downe these Paragraffes The first Paragraffe The examination of doctrine is of two sortes the one is priuate the other is publike Priuate examination is that vpon which euery man doth build and stablish his owne faith For as the Prophet sayeth The iust man shall liue by his faith And as the great Popish Doctor Aquinas writeth the former obiect of our faith or that which wee formally belieue is God himselfe or that which God hath reuealed to vs and not that which man telleth vs. For sayeth hee faith doth not yeelde assent to any thing but because it is reuealed of God The publike examination of doctrine pertayneth to the common consent of the Church for the peaceable gouernance thereof For GOD is not the Author of confusion but of peace The Second Paragraffe As the examination of doctrine is of two sorts so are the examiners and the iudges of two sortes also that is to say publike and priuate The Publike iudges are all the Ministers of the Church by what name or title soeuer they bee called The priuate Iudges are all the faithfull seuerally by themselues in all matters pertayning to Faith and the saluation of their owne soules That all the faithfull are priuate Iudges it may be easily proued by many textes of holy writte First by this text of S. Iohn beleeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits if they bee of God Secondly by this text of S. Paule trie all thinges and keepe that which is good Thirdly by this text of the same Apostle the spirituall man iudgeth all thinges These texts the two famous Papistes Nicholaus de Lyra and Dionysius Carthusianns expounde of thinges pertayning to saluation which say they all the faithfull are able to trie And which is to bee wondred at the Iesuite Bellarmine vnawares confesseth the same These are his expresse wordes Duo vel tres congregati in nomine Christi obtinent semper quod petunt a Deo nimirum sapientiam lumen quod sufficit eis ad cognoscenda ea quae ipsis necessaria sunt Sequitur itaque siue pauci siue multi siue priuati siue Episcopi congregentur in nomine Christi omnes habent Christum praesentem adiuuantem obtinent quod eis conuenit obtinere Two or three gathered together in the name of Christ do at all times obtaine that of God which they desire at his handes to witte Wisedome and vnderstanding which is sufficient for them to know those thinges which are necessarie for them Therefore whether fewe or many whether Priuate persons or Bishoppes bee gathered in the name of Christ they all haue Christes presence they all haue Christes helpe they all obtayne that which is meete and conuenient for them Thus sayeth our Iesuite And doubtlesse it is meete for euery one to know all thinges necessary for his saluation it can not be denied Out of these wordes I note first that whosoeuer are gathered together in Christes name they all obtayne of GOD so much vnderstanding and knowledge as is necessarie for Saluation I note secondly that God is as well present in the assemblie of priuate men as in the Synode of Bishoppes I note thirdly that God helpeth priuate men and is present with them at all times euen as hee is with Bishops Whereupon I must needes inferre that the thinges concluded by secular persons in their assemblies for matters pertayning to their soules health doe no lesse proceed from GOD then doe the Decrees of Bishoppes And consequently the Iesuite will hee nill hee must perforce confesse that priuate secular and meere Lay-men can and may iudge in matters of Religion in matters of Faith in matters concerning their own soules health And all this is nothing else in deed but euen that which Christ himselfe hath plainly taught vs. Where two or three sayth Christ are gathered togither in my name there am I'in the midst of them I proue the same doctrine because Christs sheepe as Christ the great sheepheard telleth vs know his voyce and follow him but will not follow a straunger This place doubtlesse doth conuince For if the sheepe know the voice of the sheepheard as Christ saith they do then must the sheepe perforce iudge of the voice of the sheepheard For otherwise it will follow that a man cannot discerne that which hee knoweth Melchior Canus faith plainly that the holy Ghost teacheth euery one all things necessarie to saluation This veritie is confirmed by an other testimonie of our Lord Iesus if any man sayth he will do his will the will of God hee shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe Loe the knowledge of Gods word proceedeth from the doing of his will But the doing of Gods will pertaineth to all both great and small as well to priuate lay-men as to ecclesiastical persons though they be the Bishops of Rome And for this cause sayth the great Papist Panormitan his words you may reade in the sixt chapter of this discourse that the iudgement of a meere lay-man must be preferred before the iudgement of the Pope if that priuate lay-man haue better reasons gathered out of the old and new Testament then are the reasons of the Pope See the aunswere to the Obiection in the fourth Paragraffe and note it will To conclude holy Writ telleth vs that the Bereans did search the Scriptures to see if they were according to Saint Paules doctrine And let this suffice for the iudgement of priuat persons and meerlay-men Now that all ministers Archbishops Bishops and other pastors of the Church may iudge of the sense of the holy Scripture it is a thing so cleare and manifest as little or nothing need be said thereof For Saint Paule saith that Bishops by which worde he vnderstandeth all the Ministers of the Church must haue great care that false doctrine be not taught This the Papists freely graunt of Bishops denying the same in other inferior ministers of the Church But I will proue the assertion to be verified of all ministers in generall First because Saint Paul committeth the gouernment of the church to al the ministers in differently calling them Bishops that is ouerseers of the
cōsequently as we are enforced to grant that when we say Christes bodie is broken then is but the signe of his bodie broken euen so likewise are we enforced to graunt that when Christ saide This is my body hee gaue onely the signe and sacrament of his bodie The reason is euident because his bodie can no otherwise be eaten then it is broken that is to say sacramentally or in a signe or if you will so say figuratiuely or spiritually which is all one Here then is no certaintie of iudgement to be found CAP. 6. Shewing that generall Councels may erre THat generall Councels may erre and de facto haue erred euen in matters of faith it is so plaine as nothing can be more plaine when the truth thereof shall betold as it is in deed In the great and generall Councell of the Iewes in which were present as Christes Gospel telleth vs all the Priests the Scribes the Elders togither with the hie Priest Christ Iesus was condemned to death because he named himself the sonne of God Yea Caiphas the high Priest with the consent and assent of the whole Councell pronounced openly that Christ blasphemed when he called himselfe the sonne of God And yet is it euident to all Christian people and all Papists will and must confesse the same that the hie Priest Caiphas erred perniciously and vttered most execrable blasphemie when hee denied Christ to be the sonne of God and true Messias of the world The great and famous Councell of Lateran holden vnder Innocentius the third in which were present the Patriarkes of Hierusalem and Constantinople Metropolitanes 70 Bishops 400 Abbots 12 Priors Conuentuals 800 the Legates of the Greeke and Romane Empire the Orators of the Kinges of Hierusalem France Spaine Englande and Cypres either erred notoriously aboute the creation of Angels or at least made it euident to all the worlde that the decree of generall Councels is not an infallible rule of faith I proue this to bee so by two important reasons First because the Councell hath these wordes Firmiter credimus simpliciter confitemur quod vnus est solus Deus verus creator omnium visibilium inuisilium spiritualium corporalium qui simul ab initio temporis vtranque de nihilo condidit creaturam spiritualem corporalem angelicam scilicet mundanam We firmely beleeue and simplie confesse that there is one onely true God the creator of all things visible and inuisible spirituall and corporall who from the beginning of time created of nothing both creatures togither the spirituall and the corporall that is to say the angelicall and the terrestriall Secondly because great learned men and most renowmed fathers Gregorius Nazianzenus Basilius Magnus Ambrosius Hieronimus Damascenus doe all holde constantly that albeit the Angels had a beginning yet were they before the world was made And this their opinion is deemed probable both to Saint Austen and to the great School-doctor Aquinas Which Aquinas liued after the said Councell of Lateran and had read the same had also written Commentaries vpon this very Canon and consequently he did not repute the decree of the sayde Councell to be an infallible rule of fayth Loe the generall Councell held constantly and firmely beleeued that the Angels were created at one and the same time with the world But the holy fathers and the great Papist Aquinas thought the contrary opinion to be probable notwithstanding the decree of the Councell Whervpon it followeth of necessity that that is not alway the vndoubted truth which is decreed by a generall Councell For which end and purpose Melchior Canus a lerned popish bishop hath written most excellently in these wordes Non satis est vt Conciliorum Pontificum iudicia firma esse credantur in diuino officio publicè à tota etiam Ecclesia celebrari It is not enough to make the iudgements of Councels and Popes firme so as wee may safely beleeue them to celebrate the same publiquely in diuine seruice throughout the whole Church of God These are golden wordes they may not bee passed ouer rawly and negligently but we must firmely imprint them in our hearts And in so doing wee doubtlesse shall reape commoditie more then a little For if we cannot safely giue credite to the Popish seruice which is publiquely done in their Churches how can they or how dare they auouch their doctrine to bee agreeable to Gods worde Nay it is a worlde to heare that the Pope is not ashamed to enforce the worlde as much as in him lyeth to embrace and beleeue that new no Religion lately start vp Popish doctrine whereof the best Popish writers can giue no better reasons The generall Councell of Constance decreed firmely that it was lawfull to debarre the lay-people from the one part of the Eucharist to wit the cuppe And the generall Councell of Basill affirmeth constantly that so to holde and doe is not agaynst the holy institution And yet is it vndoubtedly true that the lay-people ought by Christes institution to receyue both the kindes Saint Paule writing to the vnpriested Corinthians may bee a sufficient proofe hereof For hee telleth them that they ought according to the commaundement which hee receyued of the Lord to drinke of the cuppe as well as to eate of the bread The matter is so plaine as I deeme it a thing needlesse to stand long vpon the same The Councel of Trent a famous general councell by Popish iudgemēt hath flatly decreed that to bee no matrimonie which was euer approued matrimonie in the Catholique Church and is this day perfect matrimonie by Christes institution The wordes of the Councell are these Dubitandum non est clandestina matrimonia libero consensu facta rata vera esse matrimonia quamdiu ecclesia ea irrita non fecit There is no doubt but clandestine and secrete matrimonies made with free consent were perfect and true matrimonies so long as the Church did not disanull the same Yet so it is gentle reader that such secret matrimonies are this day to bee reputed no matrimonies at all Of which kinde of matrimonies I haue written more at large in my booke of motiues That generall Councels may erre the sole and onely testimony of Panormitanus is sufficient and of force enough against all papists because hee was their famous Canonist their most reuerend Archbishop their renowmed Cardinall His expresse words are these nam in concernentibus fidem etiā dictum vnius priuati esset preferendum dicto Papae si ille moueretur melioribus rationibus noui veteris testamenti quam Papae Nec obstat si dicatur quod concilium non potest errare quia Christus orauit pro ecclesia sua vt nō desiceret quia dico quod licet cōcilium generale representet totam ecclesiam vniuersalem tamen in veritate ibi non est vera ecclesia vniuersalis sed representatiuè quia vniuersalis
flocke or superintendents Take heed saith he to your selues and to all the flocke ouer the which the holy Ghost hath made you Bishops or ouerseers Lo he tearmeth the Ministers of the citie Ephesus Bishops For of one onely citie there could bee but one onely Bishop or chiefe Minister But let vs heare what a great popish Doctor telleth vs. Nicholaus de Lyra hath these expresse wordes Vos spiritus sanctus posuit Episcopos id est ministros Sub nomine enim Episcoporum intelliguntur alii Ecclesiae ministri Vnde Episcopus Gracè superintendens est Latinè The holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops that is to say Ministers For vnder the name of Bishops the other Ministers of the church are vnderstoode Wherefore a Bishop in Greeke is Superintendent in Latin Thus writeth Lyra the great papist whom sir Thomas Moore a famous popish so supposed Martyr tearmed a great Clearke and he was so in deed but our late Romish papists cannot abide that their Bishops be called Superintendents Secondly because Christ himselfe spoke the same wordes to all his Apostles in generall which he said to Peter in the person of all Hee made them all Apostles as well as Peter they had all equall power not onely of order but of iurisdiction also as well as Peter had the same This their owne great learned schoole-doctor Victoria affirmeth to be so These are his expresse wordes Apostoli omnes habuerunt aequalem potestatem cum Petro quam sic intelligo quod quilibet Apostolorum habuit potestatem Ecclesiasticam in toto orbe ad omnes actus ad quos Petrus habuit All the Apostles had equal power with Peter which I thus vnderstand that euerie one of the Apostles had power ecclesiasticall in the whole worlde and to all those acts to which Peter had the same Saint Cyprian hath these expresse wordes Hoc erant vtique caeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consortio praediti honoris potestatis sed exordium ab vnitate proficiscitur vt Ecclesia vna monstretur The same were the rest of the Apostles doubtlesse that Peter was endued with equall felowship both of honour and of power But the beginning proceedeth from vnitie to shew the Church to be one The Papists would wrest these wordes to be restrained onely to the power of consecration But hearken I pray you how the the same doctor confuteth them Nec audienda est glossa dicens hoc debere intelligi in ordine dignitate consecrationis non in potestatis plenitudine vt patere potest ipsam epistolam diui Cypriani legenti Neither must wee hearken to the Glosse which sayth that this to be vnderstoode in the order and dignitie of consecration not in the fulnesse of power as it is euident to him that shall read the epistle of S. Cyprian Couarruuias the Popes famous Canonist albeit he would very gladly defende the Popes pretensed power make only Peters power ordinary and independent yet can he not deny that our Lord Iesus gaue equall power to all his Apostles These are his expresse words Etenim iuxta Catholicorum virorum authoritates communem omnium traditionem Apostoli parem ab ipso Domino Iesu cum Petro potestatem ordinis iurisdictionis acceperunt ita quidem vt quilibet Apostolorum aequalem cum Petro habuerit potestatem ab ipso Deo in totum orbem in omnes actus quos Petrus agere poterat For according to the authorities of catholike Writers and the common traditions of all men the Apostles receyued from our Lord Iesus himselfe equall power with Peter both of order and iurisdiction insomuch doubtlesse as euery Apostle had equall power with Peter from God himselfe and that both ouer all the world and to all actions that Peter could do Out of these graue testimonies I note first that all the Apostles had equall authoritie with Peter I note secondly that all the Apostles had power ouer all the world euen as Peter had I note thirdly that what art soeuer Peter could do euery other Apostle could do the same I note fourthly that the iurisdiction of euerie Apostle did extend as farre as Peters did I note fiftly that Christs speaches to Peter in the singular number did argue no superioritie of iurisdiction but did onely signifie the vnitie of his Church I note sixtly that the late Bishops of Rome do falsely and insolently arrogate to themselues plenitudinem potestatis the fulnesse of power I note seuenthly that all this is cōnfirmed by the opinion of Catholique Writers and by tradition of all generally For all these seuen points are expressely contained if they bee well marked in the authorities alreadie alledged The selfe same doctrine is confirmed by the testimonie of Saint Austen in sundrie places of his workes In one place hee hath these wordes Clauses non vnus homo Petrus sed vnitas accepit Ecclesiae Not one onely man Peter receyued the Keyes but the vnitie of the Church In an other place hee writeth thus Ecclesiae Cutholicae personam sustinet Petrus cum ei dicitur adomnes dicitur amas me pasce oues meas Peter representeth the person of the Catholique Church and when it is sayde to him it is sayde to all Louest thou mee Feed my sheepe This poynt is prooued more at large in my booke of motiues The third Paragraph Although Councels both may erre and de facto haue erred as is alreadie proued yet to auoyd dissention and to establish peace in the Church free and godly generall Councels are and euer haue beene the ordinarie way and meane to condemne heresies errours and superstitions crept into the visible Church and to decide controuersies in Religion at such times and in such places as they could safely and lawfully be assembled brought together I say first free and godly generall Councels such as were the Councell of Nice the Councell of Ephesus the Councell of Constantinople and the Councell of Chalcedon which Councels the Church of Englande doth highly reuerence and christianly admit as agreeable to the holy Scriptures wishing that Councels might this day bee assembled with like freedome and called or summoned by the like authoritie For the Nicene Councell was appoynted by the authoritie of Constantinus surnamed the great to condemne Arrius who denied the consubstantialitie of our Lord Iesus the sonne of God affirming him to bee pure man Theodosius the younger called the Councell of Ephesus to confound the cursed heretique Nestorius who affirmed Christ to haue two persons and the blessed Virgin to bee onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of Christ but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of God The Councell of Constantinople was called by the authoritie of the Emperour Theodosius the elder to confounde Macedonius who denied the diuinitie of the holy Ghost And the Councell of Chalcedon was assembled at the commaunde of Martianus the Emperour to condemne Eutiches
seruiunt Domino in quantum reges sunt cum ea faciunt ad seruiendum illi quae non possunt facere nisi reges In this therefore do kinges serue God as they are kings when they do hold those things which none can doe but onelie kinges Where me must seriously obserue this reduplication of S. Austen kings as kings as a point of great importance For kinges as the same father teleth vs serue God two waies as they be men and as they be kings As men they serue God in liuing a Christian and godly life but as king they serue God in making godly lawes for the punishment of blasphemers idolaters heretiks and all kind of malefactors And this is that which S. Austen saith none can doe but kinges as rhey are kinges Yea this is that which the Prophet Esay telleth vs when he saith That kinges shall bee the nurcing Fathers of the Church and Queenes her nurces For albeit the Ministery of feeding of preaching the worde and administration of the Sacramēts pertaine onely to the ministers neyther may the meere ciuill Magistrate in any wise meddle therewith yet for all that it is most true that the prouision for the foode the ouersight that the children of God bee duely fed and that the Ministers doe exercise their functions in vigilant dutifull manner belongeth to the ciuill independent and absolute Princes For this respect is it that kinges and Queenes haue the name of Nurses not to nourish their children in ciuill matters and corporall foode onely but as in ciuill so also in spirituall that is In lacte verbi Dei in the milke of the worde of God For though the execution pertain to the ministers yet the prouision direction appointment care and ouersight which is the sepreme gouernment belongeth onely soly and wholy to the Prince as is already proued Now to the question proposed in the former Paragraffe vz. What remedie is to be had when a free and lawfull general Councell cannot be had To this question I answere that when any controuersies shall arise to the disturbance of the Peace of the church then euery absolute and independent ciuill Magistrate must commaund his Archbishop Bishoppe and other learned Ministers within his territories and dominions to come together and to celebrate a Nationall Councell or Synode and then and there to debate discusse and decide the controuersie in religion And he must charge them as did the religious kinges Dauid Salomon Iosaphat Ezechias Iosias and the rest of whom mention is already made to haue the fear of God before their eyes and carefully to examine all doubts difficulties contentions and controuersies in religion according to the infallible rule of the holy scripture This done the same ciuill independent magistrate must call together his wife and graue Counsellers and after mature deliberation had with thē confirme whatsoeuer shal tend to the aduancement of Gods glory and the peace of his church And withall he must publish sharpe penall statutes against all such as shal with disloyall contumacy violate and transgresse the same Thus did the good kings Reccaredus and Constantinus and this is this day most prudently and christianly obserued in the church of England God be thanked for it For first the Archbishops Byshops and other learned Ministers come all together in the Conuocation-house and there dispute discusse determine set down what they finde conuenient for the Peace of the Church and correspondent to the infallible rule of Gods word Secondly this done they present the same to her most excellent Maiesty most humbly crauing her royall assent for the confirmation therof Thirdly her Maiesty after consultation had with her graue Counsellers doth confirme and authorise by vertue of her royall and princely prerogatiue whatsoeuer seemeth expedient for the godly gouernment of her louing subiectes and withall enacteth necessary penall lawes against the insolent contumacy of seditious and disloyall people This godly and most christian maner of proceeding in religious causes is so liuely set downe before our eyes in the honourable fact of the Noble Spanish king Reccaredus as it is able to penetrate the very heart and throughly to perswade euery one that shall ponder the same seriously and in the feare of God This religious king Reccaredus in the year of our Lord 585. cōmāded al the Bishops with in his dominions of Spaine and Galicia to come together in his royall Citie of Toledo to confute and condemne the Arrian heresie When they were come thether the king sate downe in the middest of them and declared the cause that moued him to call them together After that hee enacted a publike Edict for the inuiolable obseruation of all the decrees of the counsell straitely charging aswell the Clergie as the Laitie to obeye and keepe the same Lastly hee subscribed his owne name and that before all the Bishoppes who in their due places subscribed after the king These are the expresse wordes of the king set down in the end of the said Edict Flauius Reccaredus rex hanc deliberationem quam cum sancta definiuimus Synodo confirmans subscripsi I Flauius Reccaredus the king confirming this consultation which wee haue defined with the holy Synode haue subscribed thereunto The next that subscribed after the king was Mausona the Metropolitane Bishoppe of the Prouince of Lusitania After him subscribed Euphemius the Archbishoppe of Toledo The residue followed in order as in the Councell is to be seen These particular subscriptions I note as a matter of great moment against the Papistes who will grant no prerogatiue or royall place to kinges in time of ecclesiastical Synodes Out of these wordes contayned in the kinges subscription I note first that the king confirmed the councell Secondly that the king subscribed to the Decrees of the Councel Thirdly that the king subscribed before all the Bishops Fourthly that the king decreed and defined the controuersies together with the Bishops To which I adde for the complement in the fift place that the councell was called and the Bishoppes assembled at the kinges commaundement For so saith the Councell Cum pro fidei suae synceritate idem gloriosissimus princeps omnes regiminis sui Pontifices in vnum conuenire mandasset c. When the same most glorious prince for the sincerity of his faith had commaunded all the Bishops within his dominions do come together to Toledo c. This was the practise of godly Princes aboue a thousand yeares ago when royall Prerogatiues were not brought into thraldome by popish tyranny An Obiection The councels which the Emperour called together were plenary and generall but those which you speake of are but Prouinciall or National The latter may erre the former are euer directed by the holy Ghost The Aunswere I say first that generall councels both may erre and de facto haue erred as is already proued I say secondly that the holy Ghost doth direct two or three gathered together in his
name aswell as he doth a generall councell which thing I haue already proued I say thirdly that the great popish Archbishops Panormitanus telleth vs as is alreadie proued that a priuate mans iudgement is better then the Popes To which I must needes add the wordes of doctor Gerson the Chancellor of Paris and a renowmed popish writer which are these Quilibet homo doctus potest debet toti concilio risistere si videat illud ex malitia vel ignorantia errare Euerie one that is learned may and ought to resist and stand against a whole Councell if hee perceiue that the Councell erreth either of ignorance or of malice Lo all that I say is true euen by the popish doctrine And so no Papist can with reason denie or gain-say the same For first you see by Gersons doctrine that a generall Councell may erre Secondly that a priuate man both may and ought to withstand the Councell when the generall Councell would decree agaynst the truth Thirdly that lay-men haue euer beene present in Councels and there deliuered freely their opinions Which freedome by late popish tyrannie is this day banished out of the Church I say fourthly that Melchior Canus a famous Schoole-doctor and popish Bishop shall conclude and knit vp this discourse These are his expresse words Praestanti quod in se est Deus fidem ad salutem necessariam non negat Sequitur nō n. vnctio quemcunque simpliciter docet de omnibus sed quemque de his quae sunt ei propria necessaria Sequitur concedimus liberaliter doctrinam cuique in sua vita statu necessariam illi fore prospectam cognitam qui fecerit voluntatem dei Sicut n. gustus bene affectus differentias saporum facile discernit sic animi optima affectio facit vt homo doctrinam Dei ad salutem necessariam discernat ab errore contrario qui ex Deo non est To the man that doeth what in him lieth God neuer denieth faith necessarie to saluation For the vnction doth not simply teach euerie one euerie thing but it teacheth euerie one so much as is proper and necessarie for him And we grant freely that doctrine necessarie for euery mans life and state is sufficiently knowne to him that doth the will of God For like as the well affected taste doth easily discerne the differences of sauours or tastes so doth the good affection of the minde bring to passe that a man may discerne the doctrine of God necessarie to saluation from contrarie error which is not of God Thus writeth the grauest and rarest Papist for learning in the vniuersall worlde and consequently it is and must be of great force against the Papist whatsoeuer hath passed from his penne And I protest vnto thee gentle Reader that nothing hath more estraunged me from poperie and set me at defiance with it then the cleare and perspicuous doctrine of the best learned and most renowmed Papists For whosoeuer will seriously peruse the bookes that I haue published to the view of the world shall therein find confirmed by the doctrine of the best approued Papists euery poynt of setled doctrine in the Church of England Out of these wordes of this learned Papist I note first that when S. Iohn saith the vnction teacheth vs all things he meaneth not the difficult questions in Religion but all such poyntes as are necessarie for euerie mans saluation In note secondly that no man wanteth this knowledge and iudgement of doctrine but he that is willingly ignorant and will not applie himselfe to attaine the said knowledge I note thirdly that euerie priuate man is able to-iudge and discerne true doctrine from falsehoode and error so farre forth as is requisite for his saluation as well as a sound and good taste is able to discerne the differences of tastes Hereupon I inferre this necessarie cōsequent of popish doctrine against the Pope himselfe vz. that many wise godly and learned Bishops with other ministers of the church assembled in a nationall Synode at the command of their naturall Soueraigne are able to discerne so much truth from falshoode and error as is necessarie ether for their owne soules health or for the publique peace of the Church God graunt that this doctrine may take deepe roote in the hearts of the readers to his glorie the good of their soules and the peace of the Church Amen FINIS A COVNTERBLAST AGAINST THE VAINE BLAST OF A MASKED Companion who termeth himselfe E. O. but thought to be ROBERT PARSONS that trayterous Iesuite LONDON Printed by Iohn VVindet for Richard Bankworth dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Sunne 1603. To the right worshipfull my approued good friend Maister John Bennet Doctor of the Ciuill law and one of her Maiesties Councell in the North partes of England IF I shoulde take vppon mee right worshipfull to discourse at large of the plots practises dealings and proceedings of our Iesuites and Iesuited persons time doubtles would sooner faile me then matter whereof to speake I haue verie lately published a discourse of this argument intituled The Anatomie of Popish tyrannie In it the Reader may view at large the doctrine the Religion the manners the natures the conuersation the practises and the whole proceedings of the English traiterous hispanized Iesuites So that now to recount the same were actum agere and a thing altogither needlesse One of these Iesuites hath lately published a most scandalous and rayling Libell against the reuerend and learned man of God master Doctor Sutcliffe as also agaynst master Willet In which Libell the said masked companion terming himselfe E. O. hath obiter disgorged some part of his bitter gall agaynst my selfe For the confirmation whereof that all the world may see his follie and consequently the follie of all the Iesuites who combine and conioyne in this affaire I haue addressed this Counterblast in which the indifferent Reader may plainly behold that the Iesuites and Seminaries can say nothing in deed to the doctrine contained in my Bookes howbeit they bestirre themselues with might and maine to dazell the eyes of the simple and sillie Papists that they shall not see the Sunne shining at noone tide The worke such as it is I dedicate vnto your worship in token of that gratitude which is due vnto you for your worships manifold kinde curtesies towardes mee Accept I pray you the present in good part not respecting so much the gift as the minde of the giuer The Almightie blesse your worship with manie happie yeares to his glorie the good of his Church and the benefite of your owne soule From my studie this 14. of Februarie 1602. Your worships most bounden THOMAS BELL. A COVNTERBLAST against the vaine blast of a masked Companion who termeth himselfe E. O. but thought to be Robert Parsons that trayterous Iesuite CAP. I. Of the manner of Iesuiticall Proceeding in all their seditious and scandalous libels THE Iesuites as the secular Priestes
will see what is best If it bee done it must be verie short and rather made to describe the man then to vnfold at large his doctrine For if it bee long neither the time nor commoditie of transporting vp and down nor the securitie of doing it can be correspondent That shall bee done on my part which may be This gentle Reader is there whole narration which for the exact examination and confutation thereof I will repeate by particular members one after an other euer adding a particular seuerall answer to the same The Iesuite Concerning the answere to the wrangler I am euen as I was before vncertaine what were expedient The Answere To these wordes I answere first that the Iesuites haue beene long buzzing about an answere to my bookes and haue vsed as great speede therein as hee that shoulde driue a snaile from Paris to Rome For after my bookes haue beene eight or nine yeares in their handes and vnder their malicious censure they are still at the same poynt where they began That is to say they neither haue made neither can they make any answere to my bookes I answere secondly that though the Papists be greatly troubled about my bookes and doe often consult among themselues how to frame some aunswere therevnto yet can they not this day tell what is expedient for them to doe in that behalfe But euery wise man can easily discerne that if the truth were on their side and that they could confute the doctrine laid downe in my bookes they would vndoubtedly performe the same The Iesuite The man desireth nothing but wrangling And besides that which I feare most is that which I haue seene by experience in other his writings that is exceeding and outragious choller The aunswere To these wordes I answere first that if I did but wrangle they might with facilitie haue aunswered me so many yeares ago Secondly that the Priestes and Iesuites are of a verie shallow iudgement and small reach if they can not tell in eight whole yeares what to answere to a wrangler or wrangling disputation Thirdly that the Iesuite as is confessed alreadie can not yet tell what is expedient to be done in that matter Whereupon it followeth of necessitie that it is a matter of great moment and of no smal importance For otherwise a man of rare wisedome and deepe iudgement such as our Iesuites vsually be especially those Iesuites who are elected to be prouincials and rulers of all others within a whole Prouince could not but know in much lesse time then 8 or 9. yeares what were fit meete expedient to be done concerning the answering of my bookes And yet as this great father of wisdom freely granteth he is still as vncertain as he was afore what aunswere were best to be made Fourthly that our father Iesuite lieth flatly vpon his head when he saith that hee feareth nothing more then my exceeding and outragious choller For first he and his brethren do not spare at all to write against their owne brethren the secular Priests who shew more choller in one leafe of paper then I haue done in all my Bookes Againe he and the other Iesuites doe disgorge more choller agaynst the Seculars in the least page they haue written then my selfe haue done in all my bookes Hereof none can be ignorant that shal seriously peruse my booke intituled the Anatomie of Popish tyrannie The Iesuite Whereby he will be moued to vtter not onely vll imperfections which he knoweth of our fellowes but also those things which ought to be most surely sealed vp The Answere I answere first that hereby euerie one may see that the Iesuites and their fellowes are full of notorious imperfections which they feare shall be made knowne vnto the world Secondly that if the Iesuites be guiltie in their own consciences of greater crimes offences then the secular Priests haue discouered to the world then certes they are so farre from being Saints that they are more like the Diuels of hell Thirdly that they haue damnable practises among them which must be sealed vp and not be made knowne vnto the world But hereof Watson the secular Priest seemeth to haue spoken sufficiently in his Quodlibets My book of Anatomie will tell them more Fourthly that the Iesuite doth vnawares confesse me to be an honest man For it must needes bee the part of an honest man to speake nothing of his enemie but onely that which he knoweth to be true The Iesuite The man being past all grace and shame The Answere I say first that it is no maruaile if this lewde Iesuite write thus of me to his felowes couertly seeing both hee and his fellowes write most bitterly and impudently against their owne brethren the secular Priests men of better deserts by many degrees then themselues Secondly they are arrant traitors cruell murderers impudent lyars notorious coozeners full of enuie pride malice and all vices vnder heauen as the secular Priests write of them and consequently this Iesuites tongue can not or at least ought not to be of credite against any man Thirdly all that this rayling impudent companion can truly say of me is nothing else in deede but that I haue renounced lately inuented popish Religion For the olde Roman religion practised in the primatiue church I allow and defend in al my bookes and will perseuere in the same God willing vnto my liues ende It is the superstition and Idolatrie of latter yeares crept into the Church of Rome by little and little the originall whereof I haue proued in my booke of Suruey agaynst which proofe this proude Iesuite can say nothing that I impugne condemne in all my writings Fourthly this rayling fellow hath graunted alreadie that I will vtter nothing of them but known truths consequently I must haue some grace and honestie left by his owne confession The Iesuite Neuerthelesse for this matter as ye shall all agree For I doubt not but so manie and such will see what is best The Answere Loe they that haue consulted how to answere my bookes are not onely many in number but also of the best iudgement and reputation among them For you heare his wordes so many and such will see what is best And yet these men so many and so worthie haue not in so many yeares found out any answere to my bookes But as he truly sayth they see what is the best to be done As if he should haue said the best is to passe ouer the matter with silence as wee haue done heretofore For his doctrine is sound grounded vpon the Scriptures Councels Fathers and the practise of the ancient Church and we are not able to gainsay the same It is better to sit still then to rise vp and fall The Iesuite If it be done it must be verie short and rather made to describe the man then to vnfold at large his doctrine For if it belong neither the time nor commoditie of transporting vp and downe nor the securitie