Christianography, Conclusion – Letter 1
The Concluſion.
TO Conclude, in this little Treatiſe you may ſee the Church of God not to be in Rome onelyonly, but to bee Catholike, and diſperſed over the face of the whole Earth; Here is alſo ſet downe the large habitations, and dwellings of the Chriſtians not ſubject to the Pope; and how they doe agree with the Proteſtants in the mayne Points in difference, and the Harmony of the Proteſtants amongſt themſelves; with the differences in the Roman Church: Alſo the Antiquitie of ſome of theſe Churches, with a ſucceſſion of Biſhops in ſome of their Churches, not ſubject at all to the Pope, nor acknowledging the Papall Iuriſdiction.
And as theſe Churches agree with us, ſo you may ſee what Correſpondency they have with the Biſhops of Rome.
The Greeke Church excommunicateth yerely the Pope and his Church, for Schiſmatickes.
The Muſcovites account him an Hereticke.
The Chriſtians under the Patriarch of Muſall call the Pope, the reprobate Biſhop, as before.
The Churches of Aſia anſwered Pope Iohn the 23. who wrote to them, that hee was the alone Head of the Church, and Chriſts Vicar, after this manner: Wee firmely beleeve thy great authority over them that are ſubject to thee; we cannot indure thy great pride and ambition: we cannot ſatisfie thy great Covetouſneſse, &c.
And whereas Pope Gregory (as before) calleth him Antichrist, and Lucifer, who ſhall but in the pride of his heart, deſire to be called univerſall Biſhop; what would hee ſay, if hee lived now to ſee the Pope lifted up above Kings, and Emperors, and the whole Catholike Church.
To conclude; I wiſh every man that hath a care of his Soule, to follow the grave and divine inſtruction of that excellent Light of the Church, Saint Auguſtine, for eſtabliſhing of his Conſcience, to performe our Saviours Commandement, Search the Scriptures.
1. Now ſearch diligently, whether you can finde in holy Scripture; that Chriſt made Saint Peter and his Succeſſors, his alone Vicars
2. Or gave them dominion over the other Apoſtles.
3. Or gave them power to depoſe Kings.
4. Or to diſpence with oathes, made Sacred by Gods holy name.
5. Or to licenſe inceſtious marriages.
6. Or to give pardons for money.
7. Or to releaſe Soules out of Purgatory.
8. Or whether in holy Writt marriage is forbidden to Prieſts.
9. Or the reading of the Scriptures to the Laiety.
10. As alſo the Symbol of Chriſts blood in the holy Sacrament
11. Or power given to a Prieſt to make his Maker.
12. Or to Communicate alone.
And if thou canſt finde none of theſe things in holy Scripture; remember what Saint Paul ſaith, Gal. 1.9. if any man preach any other Goſpel unto you, then that you have received, let him be accurſed.
And whereas our Adverſaries boaſt, and make a great cry of the Catholike Church; here you may ſee how the Catholike Church of God agreeth with us.
Now to put an end to this Treatiſe, I thanke God for his truth revealed unto us, and his Church, and moſt humbly intreate his divine Majeſty, to open the eyes of them that erre, and have gone aſtray, that they may returne to the great Shepherd and Biſhop of their Soules; and for them that are in darkeneſſe, that they may alſo know the great Myſtery of Salvation in Ieſus Chriſt: Now to Him that is able to doe exceeding abundantly, above all that we can aske or thinke, to Him be Glory in the Church, by Ieſus Chriſt, throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.
Literae à Patriarcha Alexandrino ad Archiepiſcopum Cantuarienſem, ex Aegypto in Britaniam tranſmiſſae, ex autographo Cyrilli graeco in Latinum, juſſu Archiepiſcopi traductae à Daniele Featleyo, eidem Archiepiſcopo à ſacris.
Inſcriptio literarum.
Beatiſsimo & magnificentiſsimo Domino Archiepiſcopo Cantuarienſi, totius Angliae Primati, & Metropolitano, Georgio Abbati, mihi multis nominibus colendiſsimo, officioſe cum honore & debitâ reverentiâ in Britaniam tradantur iſtae.
Subſcriptio.
Cyrillus dei gratia Papa & Patriarcha magnae urbis Alexandriae, & Iudex oecumenicus.
Exemplar Literarum.
BEatiſsime & ampliſsime Archiepiſcope Cantuarienſis, totius Angliae Primas & Metropolitane, Domine Georgi, Domine & frater chariſsime.
Exopto amplitudini veſtrae proſperam valetudinem ademolumentum & coagmentationem concrediti tibi gregis. Cum jam Chriſti gratiâ Aegypto noſtrae redditi, pace fruamur Eccleſiaſticâ, res postulat, ut fidem per literas Beatit: veſtrae aſtrictam liberemus. Nuſquam ſiquidem magis, quam hac innoſtrâ Chriſtus Eccleſia altam agit pacem, nulla de fide lite aut contentione inter nos gliſcente, idque adeo inimicis Chriſtiani nominis acerrimis & infeſtiſsimis habenas moderantibus. A quibus etiamſi variis exagitemur exerceamur que modis, nobis tamen pro Chriſtinomine quem ſpiramus, cujuſque ſtygmata in corpore circumferimus, ab iſtiuſmodi hominibus perquam volupe eſt affligi, vexari, & ſineceſſe eſt, duriſsima atque ultima ſuſtinere, ut hac exploratione fides nostra magis magiſque ſplendeſcat, & Dei gloria illuſtretur. Ab his igitur nihil nobis timemus, ſed à canibus potius & operariis ſudolis, Hypocritis dico, quibus ſolenne eſt, aliud clauſum habere in pectore, aliud promptum in linguâ; qui deum ipſum projecta audacia impetere haud erubeſcunt, dummodo Romani pontificis tyrannidi quoquo modo velificentur: hi emiſſarij terrorem mirum in modum nobis incutiunt, noſtraeque imponunt ſimplicitati, cui mancipandae varias admovent machinas, maxime frcti eruditionis fuco, & ſpinoſarum diſputationum aculeis, cum nos intereà eruditorum penuriâ laboremus, qui cum ſciolis iſtis aequo marte congrediantur. Etenim propter peccata noſtra deſpicabiles factiſumus prae omnibus gentibus, & cum imperio artes quoque liberales amiſimus. Haec cum crebrò animum feriret cogitatio, negotium tandem cum charitate veſtra contulinus, veſtrumque conſilium, & auxilium imploravimus, Ac ex reſponſo vestrae Beatit; maximum cepimus ſolatium: quo (non ſine mandato principis) nobis authores fuiſtis, ut quendam è noſtratibus tranſmitteremus, qui ſedulam ſacro-ſanctae Theologiae apud vos navaret operam. En igitur hominem graecum, gradu presbyterum, graecis literis non leviter tinctum, Eccleſiae noſtrae Alexandrinae alumnum, haud obſcuro loco natum, ingenio ad reconditiorem eruditionem imbibendam probe comparato. Cujus progreſſus non poenitendes fore ſperamus, gratiae Divinae aurâ caelitus aſpirante, & Beatit: veſtra dextram auxiliatricem porrigente. Ac quia (utexte audio,) allubeſcit hoc conſilium nostrum ſereniſsime, & a Deo coronato regi Iacobo primo, gratiae debentur ipſius humanitati qua adcaeleſtis regis bonitatem & miſericordiam proxime accedit. A quo certe nec aliud expectari poterat, utpote cui Deus coelitus benedixerit, & uberrimis eum gratiae donis locupletaverit, & ex ſpeciali providentiâ tanti taliſque imperij gubernaculis admoverit. Quapropter prime a Beatit. veſtra petimus, ut nostro nomine, ſumma cum reverentiâ, & humillima corporis inclinatione, celſiſsimam ipſius majeſtatē venerabunde ſalutes, cui ex intimis nos ſenſibus vitam prolixam, & ſenectutem productam comprecamur. Deinde ab ipſius humanitate ſubmiſiſsime petimus, ut pro innatâ, & prope dixeram immenſâ, benignitate, ſcintillulam beneficentiae aliquam huic noſtro Metrophani jubeat affulgere. Ad extremum, ſi quid in hiſce literis noſtris, quod ad hunc hominem inſtruendum perpoliendumque pertinet, deſideretur; id omne tua facile aſſequetur, ſupplebitque prudentia, quem deus extulit, & tanquam facem clariſsimā in edito loco conſtituit, ut & aliis ſolatio eſſe poſsis, nec tuis tantum Britannis, ſed & Graecis noſtratibus lucem porrigas. Vale vir beatiſsime: largiatur tibi Dominus Deus, diuturnam & felicem vitam, unáque vires ſubminiſtret, quibus & regninegotijs, & Eccleſiae curis par ſis ſubeundus: ex Aegypto, calendis Martijs aerae Chriſtianae, Anno Milleſimo Sexcenteſimo decimo ſexto.