A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Chapter 13
The 13 Chapter.
THat the pastorall and chiefe Byshops authoritie of Saint Sander.Peter, was an ordinary authoritie, and there fore it must goe for euer vntounto his successors, where as the Apostolike authoritie beeing extraordinary hath no successors in it. The Church neuer lacked a visible rocke.
THat ye office of Apostles, which had general charge to preach ouer the whole world, is ceased with the Fulke.Apostles liues, it is in deede graunted of vsus: but that theyre Apostolike authoritie was extraordinary, or that all their authoritie is so determined, that it hath no successors in it, wee doe vtterly deny. For the same authoritie of preaching, of ministring the Sacraments, of binding and loosing, which the Apostles had is perpetuall in the Church, in the Byshops and elders, which are all successors of the Apostles. And if the Apostolike authoritie, hath no successors in it, what meaneth the Pope almoste in eueryevery Bul and decretall Epistle, to brag so much of the Apostolike authoritie, & to ground all things Apostolica Authoritate by the Apostolike authoritie. By which it is euident, that M. Sand. new distinction of Apostolike and Byshoplike authoritie in the Apostles, is not acknowledged by the Popes them selues, but inuēted lately by such as he is, to hauehave a starting hole, to seeme to auoid such arguments and authorites, as proue all the Apostles equall in authoritie.
But let vsus vsus see what reasons he hath to proue, that S. Peters Pastorall authoritie was ordinary, and muste goe to his successors, more then the Pastoral authoritie of eueryevery Apostle. First S. Peter being but one man was not able to preach to all men at once, nor to gouerne nations newely conuerted, the refore hee had twelue companions adioyned to him.
But the worlde beeing conuerted, it is easy for the Pope without such fellowes, to gouerne all the faythful, by helpe of many inferiour officers. As thoughe the Church had not inferior officers in the Apostles time. If S. Peter then was not able to rule, wc had such greate giftes muchlesse the Pope, which is nothing comparable with him in gifts, & is often a wicked man & an here tike is able to gouerne all the Church, for he hath not so great an helpe of the conuersion of the worlde, as he hath a want of Peters gracious giftes, meete for such a gouernment.
Secondly he would hauehave vsus mark, the peculiar names of a Rock, of a pastor, & of a confirmer of his brethren, which are giuē by Christ to S. Peter alone, which argue that Peters supremacy must necessarily continue for euer. But who will graunt to M. S. that Christe gaue these peculier names to Peter alone, indeed that which is mēt by the names is ordinary and perpetual in the Church. Peter was a Rock, not his person, but his doctrine that remaineth stil in the Church, he was a shephearde and confirmer of his brethren, and there bee nowe many shepheards and confirmers of their brethren.
Thirdly he sayth the Church neuer wanted a visible rock on the earth, beside the eternall Rock Christ: who in this life might bee so strongly fastened in the Faith of Christe the great Rocke, that he (though not for his owne sake, yet for the Churches sake) might be able to stay vppe all other small stones, which ioyned vntounto him, vntill Christ came in the fleshe, who likewise appoynted Saincte Peter and his successors to be this ordinary rock, as Adam Enos Henoch, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, Moyses, Aaron and his successors, who sate in the chaire of Moyses vntill the comming of Christ. Against this I say, that the church militant on earth, hath her foundation in heauen, and not on earth, therfore the churche hath not a visible rocke in earth. Againe it is not true, that some one, hath alwayes bene this visible rocke on earth. For who was greater Abraham or Melchisedech? out of all controuersie Melchisedech, then was not Abraham the onelyonly rocke. After the death of Iacob and the twelue Patriarkes, who was the visible rocke vntill Moyses was called. And yet had God a church among the Iewes all that time.
Thirdly who is so impudent to say, that all the successors of Aaron were so strongly fastened in the faith, that they were able to stay all the small stones that leaned vponupon them. Was not Vrias the high Priest an idolater? 2. Reg. 16.
What were Iason, Menclaus, Lysimachus by the reporte of the booke of Machabes? Was not Caiphas & Annas Sadducees by the testimonie of S. Luke Act. 5. and of Iosephus? Where is then the visible rocke, whose faith neuer failed &c? we see there was none suche before Christ, therefore there neede to be none suche after him.
His fourth reason is, of the name of a pastor, which signifieth an ordinarie office, for as the sheepe continue after S. Peters death, so must there be also a shepheard, as Peter was. But how proueth he that Peter was an only shepheard? forsooth Chrysostom sayth lib. 2. de sacerdotio. Christus sanguinem &c. Christ hath shedde his bloode to purchase those sheepe, the care of whom he did commit both to Peter & to Peters successors. But whom doth Chrysostom take for Peters successors? the Bishops of Rome only? No verily but all true pastors of the church as his wordes going before doe manifestly declare: Neque enim tum volebat testatum esse quantum à Petro amaretur, siquidem id multis nobis argument is constabat. Verum hoc ille sum agebat, vt & Petrum & caeteros nos edoceres, quanta beneuolentia ac charitate ergasuam ipse ecclesiam afficeretur, vt hac ratione & nos quoque eiusdem ecclesiae studium curamque toto animo susciperemus. For his purpose was not then to testifie vntounto vsus, howe muche he was beloued of Peter for that was euident vntounto vsus by many arguments. But this thing then he intended, that he might teache both Peter and all vsus, what beneuolence and louelove he beareth towarde his church that by this reason we also might take vponupon vsus with all our hart, the louelove & charge of the same church. This sentence sheweth that Chrysostome accounted him selfe & eueryevery true pastor of the church a successor of Peter and not the Bishop of Rome alone.
As for Leo a Bishop of Rome I hauehave often protested that he was more addicted to the dignitie of his see, then the Scripture would beare him, and therefore was ouerruled and resisted, in the generall councel of Chalcedon.
His fift argument is a rule of lawe, where the same reason is, the same right ought to be. The reason of Peters confession and power is such as agreeth to any ordinary office, of the church, therefore the office of Peter being a rock, of strengthening his brethren and feeding Christes sheepe, is an ordinarie office. But I say, that Peters confession made him not a rock, but declared him so to be, being appoynted of Christ for one of the twelue foundations of the churche, the office of strengthening and feeding as it was not singular in Peter, so it is not ordinarie that it should be singular in any man.
His sixt reason, Irenaeus, Optatus, and Augustine did recken vp such successors of Peter, as had liued till eu… rie of their ages or times. Therefore Peter had successors in his pastorall office. It is not denyed, but he had them, and other Bishoppes also successors in his pastorall office, at least the Bishoppes of Antioche, whereby your owne cofession he was Bishoppe, before he came to Rome. Therefore his succession was not singular to the Bishoppes of one see.
His seuenth reason, no man may preache to them to whom he is not sent, therefore there must be a generall pastor to sende other to preache, to them that are not conuerted, to plant newe Bishoprikes, to controll them that are negligent, to supplie the thinges that lacke: to excommunicate such as liue in no diocesse &c. For sending he quoteth Rom. 10. where mention is onelyonly of the sending of God, and of the sending by men. But all his questions and doubtes, may be aunswered. Either the whole church in generall councells, or euerie particular church in their synodes, as they shall see most expedient, may sende preachers as the Apostles and Elders sent Peter and Iohn into Samaria & order all such matters, as he imagineth must be done onelyonly by the Pope. But he asketh who shall summon all other Bishoppes to generall or prouinciall councells. And I aske him, who summoned, the foure great & principall generall councells? and so many prouinciall councels, but the Emperours and Princes in whose dominion they were gathered? So that here is no necessary affaires of the church that doth require one generall pastor or Pope of Rome when all thinges may and hauehave bene done best of all without him.
As for placing of Bishoppes, in sees vacant, vniting of two Bishoprikes in one, or diuiding one into two, may better be done by the auctoritie of those churches, with consent of their Princes, who seeth and knoweth what is needefull in those cases, then by one which sittinge in his chaire at Rome, requireth halfe a yeares trauell, from some parte of the worlde, to him, before he can be aduertised of the case, and yet must vnderstande it by heare saye, and therefore not able to see what is expedient, so well as they that are present, and see the state of the matter. Finally it is against all likelyhoode, that Christ woulde make suche a generall sheepehearde ouer all his flocke, as many thousande sheepe, which liue vnderunder the Sophi, the Cham, the Turke, can hauehave none accesse vntounto, for suche thinges as are supposed necessarie to be had and to be obteyned from him onelyonly. Wherefore if the Pope were heade of the churche, suche as by crueltie of tyrauntes are cut from him shoulde be cut from the bodie of the church. Yea if Hethenish tyrauntes coulde so much preuayle, as they do in hindring this gouernment of the Pope, (pretended to be so n…cessarie) the gates of hell might preuayle against the churche, contrarie to the promise of Christ.