A Golden Chain, Section 18
The eighteenth point. Of the Supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall.
Our consent.
Touching the point of Supremacie Ecclesiasticall, I will set downe how neare we may come to the Romane Church in two conclusions. Conclus. I. For the founding of the primitiue Church, the ministerie of the word was distinguished by degrees not onelyonly of order but also of power, and Peter was called to the highest degree. Eph. 4.11. Christ ascended vp on high and gaue gifts vntounto men, for the good of his Church: as some to be Apostles, some Prophets, some Euangelists, some Pastours and Doctours. Now, howsoeuer one Apostle, be not aboue an other, or one Euangelist aboue an other, or one Pastour aboue an other: yet an Apostle was aboue an Euangelist: and an Euangelist aboue all pastours and teachers. And Peter was by calling an Apostle, and therefore aboue all Euangelists and Pastors; hauing the highest roome in the ministerie of the newe testament both for order and authoritie.
Conclus. II. Among the twelue Apostles Peter had a threefold priuiledge or prerogatiue. I. The prerogatiue of authoritie. II. Of primacie. III. Of principalitie. For the first, by the priuiledge of authoritie, I meane a preheminence in regard of estimation, wherby he was had in reuerence aboue the rest of the twelue Apostles, for Cephas with Iames and Iohn are called Pillars, & seemed to be great. Gal. 2.6.9. Againe hee had the preheminence of primacie, because he was the first named, as the foreman of the quest. Math. 10.2. The names of the twelue Apostles are these, the first is Simon called Peter. Thirdly hee had the preheminence of principality among the twelue, because in regard of the measure of grace, he excelled the rest: for when Christ asked his disciples whome they said he was; Peter as beeing of greatest abilitie and zeale answered for them all. Math. 16.16. I vse this clause, among the twelue, because Paul excelled Peter eueryevery way, in learning zeale, vnderstanding, as far as Peter excelled the rest. And thus neere we come to popish supremacie.
The difference.
The Church of Rome giues to Peter a supremacie vnderunder Christ aboue all causes and persons: that is, full power, to gouerne and order the Catholike Church vponupon the whole earth both for doctrine and regiment. This supremacie standes (as they teach) in a power, or, iudgement, to determine of the true sense of all places of Scripture: to determine all causes of faith: to assemble generall counsels: to ratifie the decrees of the said councels: to excommunicate any man vponupon earth, that liues within the Church, euen princes and nations: properly to absolue and forgiue sinnes: to decide causes brought to him by appeale from all the parts of the earth: lastly to make lawes that shall bind the conscience. This fulnes of power with one consent is ascribed to Peter, & the Bishops of Rome that followe him in a supposed succession. Nowe we holde on the contrarie, that neither Peter nor any Bishop of Rome hath any supremacie ouer the Catholike Church: but that al supremacie vnderunder Christ, is pertaining to kings and princes within their dominions. And that this our doctrine is good, and theirs false and forged, I will make it manifest by sundrie reasons.
I. Christ must be considered of vsus as a king two waies. First as he is God: and so is he an absolute king ouer all things in heauen and earth, with the Father and the Holy Ghost by the right of creation. Secondly he is a king as hee is a redeemer of mankind: and by the right of redemption he is a soueraigne king ouer the whole Church, and that in speciall manner. Nowe as Christ is God with the father and the holy ghost, hee hath his deputies on earth to gouerne the world: as namely kings and princes, who are therefore in Scriptures called Gods. But as Christ is Mediatour, and consequently a king ouer his redeemed ones, hee hath neither fellowe, nor deputie. No fellowe: for then hee should be an imperfect mediatour. No deputie: for no creature is capable of this office to doe in the roome and steade of Christ that which hee himselfe doth: because eueryevery work of the Mediatour is a compound worke, arising of the effects of two natures concurring in one and the same action, namely the godhead and the manhood: and therefore to the effecting of the said worke there is required an infinite power, which farre exceedes the strength of any created nature. Againe, Heb. 7.24. Christ is said to hauehave a priesthood which cannot passe from his person to any other: whence it followes, that neither his kingly nor his propheticall office can passe from him to any creature, either in whole or in part: because the three offices of mediatiō in this regard be equal. Nay, it is a needlesse thing for Christ to hauehave a deputie, to put in exequution any part of his mediatourship: considering a deputie onelyonly serueth to supply the absence of the principall: whereas Christ is alwaies present with his church by his word & spirit: for where two or three be gathered togither in his name: he is in the middest among them. It may be said that the ministers in the work of the ministerie are deputies of Christ. I answer, that they are no deputies but actiue instruments. For in the preaching of the worde there be two actions: the first is the vttering or propounding of it to the eare: the second is, the inward operation of the holy Ghost in the heart: which indeede is the principal and belongs to Christ alone: the action of speaking in the minister being only instrumental. Thus likewise the church of God in cutting off any member by excommunication, is no more but an instrument performing a ministerie in the name of Christ, & that is to testifie & pronounce whome Christ himselfe hath cut off from the kingdome of heauen: whome he also will hauehave for this cause, to be seuered from the company of his owne people till he repent. And so it is in all Ecclesiasticall actions. Christ hath no deputie, but onelyonly instruments: the whole entire action being personall in respect of Christ. This one conclusion ouerthrowes not only the Popes supremacie, but also: many other points of poperie.
Reason II. All the Apostles in regard of power & authoritie were equall: for the commission apostolicall both for right and exequution was giuen equally to them all, as the very words import. Math. 28.19. Goe teach all nations baptizing them, &c. and the promise, I will giuegive to thee the keies of the kingdome of heauen, is not priuate to Peter, but is made in his person to the rest, according as his confession was in the name of the rest. Thus saith Theophylact,in Mar. 16. They hauehave the power of committing and binding that receiue the gift of a bishop as Peter. And Ambr. saith, What is said to Peter, is said to the Apostles. in Psal. 38.Therefore Peter had no supremacy ouer the rest of the Apostles in respect of right to the commission: which they say belonged to him onelyonly, and the exequution thereof to the rest. But let all be granted, that Peter was in commission aboue the rest, for the time of his life: yet hence may not any superioritie be gathered for the Bishops of Rome: because the authoritie of the Apostles were personall, and consequently ceased with them: without beeing conueied to any other: because the Lord did not vouchsafe the like honour to any after them. For …irst of all, it was the priuiledge of the Apostles to bee called immediatly, and to see the Lord Iesus. Secondly, they had power to giuegive the gift of the holy Ghost by the imposition of handes. Thirdly, they had such a measure of the assistance of the spirit, that in their publike sermons & in writing of the word, they could not erre: and these writings were all denied to those that followed after them. And that their authority ceased in their persons, it stands with reason also, because it was giuen in so a…ple a manner for the founding of the church of the new testament: which beeing once founded, it was needfull only, that there should be pastours & teachers for the building of it vp vntounto the end of the world.
Reason III. When the sonnes of Zebedeus sued vntounto Christ for the greatest roomes of honour in his kingdome (deeming hee should bee an earthly king) Christ answers them againe, ye knowe that the Lords of the Gentiles hauehave dominion, and they that are great, exercise authoritie ouer them: but it shall not be so with you. De consider. ad Euge. l. 2.Bernard applieth these very wordes to Pope Eugenius on this manner. It is plaine, saith he, that here dominion is forbidden the Apostles. Goe to then: dare if you will, to take vponupon you ruling an Apostleship, or in your Apostleship rule or dominion: if you will hauehave both alike, you shall loose both. Otherwise you must not thinke your selfe exempted from the number of them, of whome the Lord complaineth thus: they hauehave raigned but not of me: they hauehave beene but I hauehave not knowne them.
Reason IV. Eph. 4. Mention is made of gifts which Christ gaue to his church after his ascension, wherby some were Apostles, some prophets, some Euangelists, some pastours and teachers. Nowe if there had beene an office in which men as deputies of Christ should hauehave gouerned the whole church to the ende of the world, the calling might here hauehave beene named fittely with a gift thereto pertaining: and Paul (no doubt) would not here hauehave concealed it, where he mentioneth callings of lesser importance.
Reason V. The Popes supremacie was iudged by sentences of scripture & condemned long before it was manifest in the worlde: the spirit of prophesie foreseeing and foretelling the state of things to come. 2. Thess. 2.3,4. The man of sinne (which is that Antichrist) shall exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God, &c. Nowe this whole chapter with all the circumstances thereof, most fitly agrees to the sea of Rome and the Head thereof: and the thing which then staied the reuealing of the man of sinne, v. 6. is of most expounded to be the Romane Emperour. I will alleadge one testimonie in the roome of many. Chrysostome saith on this place, As long as the Empire shall be had in awe, no man shal straitly submit himselfe to Antichrist: but after that the Empire shall be dissolued, Antichrist shall inuade the state of the Empire standing void, and shall labour to pul vntounto himselfe the Empire both of man and God. And this we find nowe in experience to be true: for the See of Rome neuer flourished, till the Empire decaied, and the seate thereof was remooued from the cittie of Rome. Againe Reu. 13. mentioned is made of two beasts, one comming out of the sea, whome the Papists confesse to be the heathenish Romane Emperour: the second comming out of the earth; which doth al that the first beast could doe before him: and this fitly agreeth to the popes of Rome, who do and hauehave done all things that the Emperour did or could doe, and that in his very sight.
Reason VI. The iudgement of the ancient Church. Cyprian saith,De simplicit. Praelat. Dou…tlesse the same were the rest of the Apostles that Peter was: indued with equall fellowshippe both of honour and of power: but a beginning is made of vnitie, that the Church may appeare to bee one. Gregorie saith,… Registro l. 6. c. 118. If one be called vniuersall Bishop, the vniuersall Church goeth to decaie. And chap. 144. I say boldely, that whosoeuer calleth or desireth to call himselfe vniuersall priest, in his pride is a forerunner of Antichrist. And,Lib. 7. c. 30. ad. Eugen. l. 3. beholde, in the preface of the Epistle which ye directed vntounto me, you caused to be set a proud title, calling me vniuersal Pope. Bernard. Consider that thou art not a Lord of Bishops, but one of them. Churches are maimed, in that the Romane bishop draweth all power to himselfe. Againe Gregorie himselfe beeing Pope saith to the Emperour, I which am subiect to your commandement —; hauehave eueryevery way discharged that which was due, in that I hauehave performed mine allegiance to the Emperour, and hauehave not concealed what I thought on Gods behalfe. And pope Leo the fourth after Gregorie 200. yeares, acknowledged the Emperour Lotharius for his soueraigne prince, C. de capitulis. dist. 10.and professed obedience without gainsaying to his imperiall commandements.
To conclude, whereas they say, that there is a donble head of the Church, one imperiall which is Christ alone, the other ministeriall, which is the pope, gouerning the whole Church vnderunder Christ, I answer, this distinction robbeth Christ of his honour, because in setting vp their ministeriall heade, they are faine to borrow of Christ things proper vntounto him, as the priuiledge to forgiue sinnes aAlen booke of priesthood.properly, and the power to gouerne the whole earth, by making of lawes that shall as truely bind conscience as the lawes of God, &c.