History of the First Ten Persecutions, History 3 · Chapter 3 · Treatise 3

History of the First Ten Persecutions · History 3 · Chapter 3 · Treatise 3

CENT. 3. A Treatise of the supremacie of the B. of Rome.

ALbeit that the Bishop of Rome was not openly proclaimed to be the heade of all Bishops, vntill the yeere of our Lord 607. by the Emperour PHOCAS, yet is this supremacie coloured with forged lies & appearance of greater antiquitie, & for refutatiō of alledged antiquitie I cast in this treatise in the third Centurie. And first of all let vsus consider the grounds of this alledged supremacie, next let vsus consider the steps of this ladder (not like to the ladder of IACOB leading vp to heauen, but like to the manifestation of the man of sinne) wherby the B. of Rome, by litle & litle climmed vp vntounto this soueraignitie, that in end he sat as a lawgiuer in the chaire of Christ. And thirdly God-willing we shal declare the tragical euent of this supremacie.

Now first the principall ground whereupon Papistes doe ground the supremacie of the Pope, is the supremacie of PETER Great busines to destroy Christ after he was borne as great businesse to aduance the Antichrist.aboue the rest of the Apostles, which if it were grantes they will inferre the superioritie of the Bishop of Rome, as his successour aboue all Bishops. In this argument I perceiue great businesse to aduance the Antichrist, and to set him vp into an eminent chair, like as when Christ was borne there was great businesse to make him out of the way, Mat. 2. but all in vaine, the crueltie and craft of HEROD, cannot vn doe the counsell of God: so great businesse is to aduance the Roman Antichrist, and to make vsus beleeue that Christ himselfe hath set him in his own chaire, & giuē vntounto him a soueraine gouernment ouer al his sheep, but al this trauel is also taken in vain: for the roome of Christ must not be filled vntill it be vacant, & the breath of Christs mouth destroying the man of sinne, will one day declare that Christ is liuing, sitting in his owne chaire, and mightie in operation to make his enemies his footstoole, Psal. 110,

Now to examine the parts of this argument, the first part is, PETER is the heade of the Apostles, and this they proue Christ instituted none of the Apostles to be supreme heade ouer the rest.by the words of Christ, I Will giuegive vntounto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, &c. Mat. 16. In the contrarie we affirme that if…in these wordes Christ had giuen any supremacie to PETER aboue the rest, then afterward when they stroue who should be greatest, Christ had not damned this fault in all his disciples, but he had only damned the eleuen disciples, for that they were not voluntarly subject to PETER whom he had alreadie made head of all the rest. But in so farre as striuing for superioritie is damned in them all, Mat. 18. it is certaine that Christ appointed none of the Apostles to be supreme head of all the rest. And CYPRI AN plainly affirmeth in his booke de simplicitate Praelatorum. Hoc erant utique … & cateri Apostoli quodfuit Petrus pari consortio praediti & honoris & potestatis. that is, Al the rest of the Apostles were that same thing that PETER was furnished with like fellowshippe and honour. The second part of the argument that the Bishop of Rome is the successour of PETER hath beene alreadie intreated in the head of succession.

Another argument proouing the supremacie of the Romaine The decretal epistles attributed to the Bishops of Rome of old are forged & false.Bishops is taken out of the decretall epistles attributed to the Bishoppes of Rome who liued in the second Centurie making mention of the superioritie of the Bishop of Rome aboue all other Bishoppes. To this I answere, that these epistles attributed vntounto them are supposititious and false, as hist. Magdeburg. clearly prooueth by many reasons, whereof I shall rehearse a fewe. First, the stile and 1.ditement of all these epistles declareth that one and the selfsame man hath endited them all.

Secondly the ineptitude and barbaritie of language, no wise agreeing with the tightnesse of the Latin tongue vsed in 2.this age.

Thirdly, these decretall epistles agree not with the estate of the Church at that time persecuted by Tyrants, troubled 3by Heretiques, & slandered by the world. If these forenamed Bishops had writtē epistles indeed they had cōtained exhortatiōs to patiēt suffring, apologies against slādrous mouths, refutatiō of Hereticks: but seing they soūd for the most part to the establishing of their own supremacy the very circumstāce of time declareth that they are supposititious & forged.

Fourthly the reasons whereby these epistles doe prooue the supremacie of the Romaine chaire, are foolish, ridiculous 4& vnworthie to be attributed to so worthie men. As namely, that PETER was called CEPHAS, that is an heade, for his supremacie. Likewise PETER and PAVL died at Rome, therefore the Romaine B. is head of all other Bishops. Also PAVL saide that hee had continuall remembrance of the Romans in his prayers. Rom. 1. therfore the Romaine Church must be head of all other Churches.

Fiftly, these decretal epistles were vnknown to IVSTINVS martyr, IRENEVS, CLEMENS ALEXANDRINVS who liued about 5.this time, as likewise to IEROME an accurat searcher of al an tiquities, for none of thē mak mētiō of these decretal epistles.

Sixtly, when the question of appellation to the Romaine Bishop, and the question of supremacie was reasoned in the 6.sixt Councill of Carthage, if such decretall epistles had bene then exstant the ambassadours of the Bishop of Rome had alledged them for corroboration of their cause, but they were not as yet fashioned and shaped.

Finally in these decretall epistles CLEMENS B. of Rome is broght in writing to IAMES surnamed IVSTVS after the death of PETER: & it is known by the history that IAMES surnamed IVSTVS was slain at the least 8. yeres before the martyrdome of PETER. For Iames was slaine before NERO entended his persecution, but PETER was martyred in the very furic of NEROES persecutiō, Ioseph antiq. I. 20. c. 8 Euseb. I. 2. c 23 & 25.

The 3. principall argument they vse is taken from the vtilitie of the Church of God whereinto vnitie is very requisit, Ioh. 17. & for keeping of vnitie one ministeriall head vnderunder Christ is necessarie, like as in the Church of the Iewes one high Priest, to whom all the people were subject in matters of religion, was a band of vnitie amongst the Iewes: euen so say they, one ministeriall head (viz. the B. of Rome) is necessary for keeping vnitie: peace & concord amongst Christians-To this I answere, that all things happened to them in figures, 1. Cor. 10. and like as the nation of the Iewes had one high Priest as a band of vnitie, so likewise they had one altar, & one citie of their conuentions, Isa. 33 & these also were bands of vnitie to keepe the nation of the Iewes into an holy fellowship: yet no man wil say that it is necessary to vsus in our dayes to resort thrise in the yere to any one citie for keeping the vnitie of Christ No more is it necessary in our dayes for keeping of vnitie to hauehave one high Priest vponupon whome we shall all depend, but rather this beeing a figure (as said is) teacheth vsus to depend vponupon Iesus Christ the great b…shop of our soules, because we are all members of his body, we are quickned with his spirit, wee hauehave one hope of calling, we hauehave one faith & one Baptisme, Eph. 4. These are the bands of our cōjunctiō both with Christ our head & with his mē bers: but the Apostle PAVL in reckoning out the bands of our conjunction with Christ and amongst our selues speaketh nothing of one ministeriall head vnderChrist: neither is it possible that there can be on… ministerial head in al the world, as there was one high Priest in one nation of the Iewes.

The second head of this treatise is to consider the steps & degrees wherby the B. of Rome was moūted vp in the chair of Christ. 1. The honorable stiles attributed by other churches The first step.vntounto the chair of Rome began to puft vp some of them into great cōceit of thēselues. The chaire of Rome was called the Apostolick chaire & the B. of Rome was called the vniuersal Bishop: such honourable stiles by hyperbolicall speaches giuen vntounto them should not hauehave puft them vp in pride to conceit supremacie ouer all other Bishops, because the like stiles of dignitie are attributed to other Bishops and other chaires who neuer vsurped superio…itie ouer all Churches, Nazianz. in laudem Cypriani saith that he was counted in his time not only a gouern our of the Church of Carthage and of all Africke & of all the regions of the West, but also of al the East & South & North. The like is written of ATHANASIVS, Nazian in laudē Athanas…. The like also the EmperorCONSTAN TINE spak of EVSEBIVS PAMPHILIB of Caesarea Palestinae whē he refused the bishoprick of Antiochia. In this (saith CONSTAN TINE to EVSEBIVS) thou art blessed that by the testimony of y^e world thou art thoght worthy to be B. of the whol church Euseb. invita Cōstantn. l. 3. c. 59 yet for al this neitherCYPRIAN nor ATHANASIVS nor EVSEBIVS were puft vp in pride to think more of themselues then became the humble dispensators of the mysteries of God. Here is to be noted that similitude of BASILIVS, that a good Christian should be like Simil.vntounto a straight line, that neither crooketh vpward nor downward: euē so a goodChristian should neither be dashed with infamy & trouble, nor puft vp with honor & prosperity.

The second step of this vnhappie supremacie was the appellations The second step.of Heretiques, and men liuing inordinatly from the discipline of their own Bishops vntounto the Bishops of Rome, whome they receiued vnderunder their shadowe, not so much for fauour to their vnhonest causes, as for desire of supremacie aboue all other Churches. For APIARIVS appealed to the B. of Rome, & EVTYCHES Abbot in Constantinople appealed frō his B. FLAVIANVS to LEO B. of Rome, to whose excommunication albeit in end LEO agreed in the Council of Chalcedon, yet it is certaine that the cause of the propagation of EVTYCHES error was the lingering of LEO B of Rome, who did not incontinent separat this pestilent Heretique frō his cōmunion: albeit FLAVIANVS B. of Constantinople had most justly excōmmunicat him. Likewise BASILIDES and MARTIALIS Bishops of Asturica & Emerita in Spaine who had sacrificed to idoles, and defended their apostasie in writtē bookes, after they were both excommunicate & deposed by the Bishops of Spaine, they had recourse to STEPHANVS B of Rome: whose false apologies were so much the more fauourably heard, that they sought refuge vnderunder his wings. But CYPRIAN gathered a Council in Africke, & absolutely damned these Apostats, Hist Magd. cent. 3, Cypr. lib. 1. epist. 4. And albeit the African Councils laboured to remead this insolencie in time by ordaining these persons to be excōmunicate who should appeale frō their own Bishops to any other beyond sea, yet it was hard to correct by reason or authority of Councils that errour which the Romaine Bishop (beeing once admitted to be called primaesedis Episcopus) did receiue and embrace. Yea the filthie dash the Romaine Bishoppes gote in the sixt Councill of Carthage, wherein the act of the Council of Nice alledged by them to proue the B. of Rome to be supreme Iudge of all appellations was found to be supposititious and false, this filthie dash (I say) did not correct their effrorr-Ited impudencie. And with that learned Moderne I. CALVIN I wonder what malice or ignorance moued GRATIANVS 2. Gratianus exception frō the councill of Carthage is foolish.quaest. 4. c. placuit. when he had mentioned the fore-said decrcet of the 6. Councill of Carthage, that these persons who should happen to appeale to bishops beyond sea should be excommunicat, he addeth this exception, vnlesse they appeale to the chaire of Rome. What shalbe done (saith he) to those beasts who are so void of common sense, that they except from the Law, that thing alanerlie for whose cause the Law was made and constitute, for it is euident that the foresaid constitution in damning those that made appellations to Bishops beyond sea, was expreslie made to inhibit men of Africk from appealing to the B. of Rome.

Also the defection and beastlie cowardlinesse of some Bishops The third stepdwelling in places where the pride of the Roman Bishops had bene chieflie abandoned, their defection (I say) from the footsteps and good decrees of their antecessours, gaue encouragement to the Roman B. to set forward his vsurped supremacie, as namely EVLALIVS B of Carthage, dam ned the decrees of the Councils of Carthage, and submitted himselfe to the chaire of Rome in the dayes of BONIFACIVS 2. promising to do all things according to his aduise and direction. Of the which victorie BONIFACIVS 2. rejoyced, and gloried, and wrote to the Bishop of Alexandria, that this promise of subjection which EVLALIVS made to the chaire of Rome, should be divulgat and notified vntounto other Churches. But the argument taken from the authoritie and example of EVLALIVS, is like vntounto himselfe. If he being weyed in a just ballance, will be found foolish vnconstant, timorous, rash & naughtie, what can we say of the argument taken from his authoritie and example but the like? Beside this from the 6. Councill of Carthage, vntill the dayes of BONIFACIVS, B. of Rome, and EVLALIVS B. of Carthage interveened 100 yeeres All this time the godly and learned fathers that were in the sixt Councill of Carthage (not AVGVSTINE himselfe except) were vnderunder the sentence of CELESTINVS cursing and yet we hope in the merciemercy of GOD, that AVRELIVS B. of Carthage, AVGVSTINE B. of Hippo, and the rest of the fathers whom he cursed, are reigning with Christ in heauen, notwithstanding of CELESTINVS foolish cursing & EVLALIVS more foolish repentance. This is wel noted by PHILIP MORNEY that Phoe nix of France. Lib. myster. iniquitatis.

The Roman Bishops hunting foral occasions of preferment were like to a wild halke in the morning, hungrie, and The fourth steppe.swiftly soaring in the aire, if he cannot catch a Partridge, he will make a Lauerock his prey: euen so the Bishops of Rome, taking their vantage by eueryevery light occasion, laboured to bring their brethren in subjection to their soueraignitie. In witnesse whereof ACACIVS B. of Constantinople, vsed the aduise and counsell of FELIX 3. B. of Rome, in disauthorizing and excommunicating PETRVS MOGGVS a fauourer of the Eutychian heresie. This thing ACACIVS did by no necessitie, but of good will, and as a brother seeking the aduise and support of another brother. After this PETRVS MOGGVS being both disauthorized & excommunicat, he repented, forsooke his errour, and offered his supplicant bill to ACACIVS crauing relaxation from that fearful sentence of excommunication. FELIX 3. on the other side, because his aduise was not craued in the relaxation aswell as in the excommunication, he cursed ACACIVS B. of Constantinople, and GELASIVS 1. his successor did the like. What meeting ACACIVS gaue to FELIX it is not needful to reherse, it is sufficiently known he was not behind with him. Here eueryevery man may see that the Rom an bishops made vantage of these who soght their counsell, as if it were necessarie that he who craueth our aduise in one thing should be bound to doe nothing without our aduise in any time to come.

Moreouer, the hearts of the Roman bishops being excessiuely bent to preferment, could not abstain from flattering of Emperours & Princes, thereby gaining vantage & prefer The fist step.ment, but lossing the fauour of God, and falling vnderunder that heauie sentence of the curse of God, spoken by ISAIAH the Prophet. Woe vntounto them which speak good of euill, and euill of good, which put darkenesse for light, and light for darknesse, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for sowre. Isa. 5. ver. 20. It is not known to the world that BONIFACIVS 3. flattered PHOCAS emperour, who by treason & vnspeakable cruelty, put out of the way MAVRITIVS him master, his wife and children: And for this cause he was aduanced to this honour to be called bishop of al bishops. But marke well by whom, by PHOCAS a tyrant, a traitor & a murtherer of his master MAVRITIVS. Yet the chair of Rome should had lesse rebuke, if this flatterie had begun at the person of BONIFACIVS 3. or yet ended in him, but before him GREGORIVS 1. of whom the Roman Church braggeth so much, he also in whose dayes that detestable fact was cō mitted, flattered the tyrant PHOCAS, abusing the celestial sōg of the Angels of God in the time of Christs nativity, Luc. 2. 13 14 This same holy song gloria in excelsis, GREGORIVS singeth rejoicing for the inauguratiō of this wicked emperor. Greg. lib. 2. epist. 36. And in epist, 48 anent the same purpose, Laetentur coeli, & exultet terra, & de vestris benignis actibus universae reipublicae populus htlarscat, that is to say, Let the heauens & earth rejoice, & let the whole multitud of the cōmonwelth rejoice for the bountifulnes of your actions. O flattring GREGORIVS coūted the worst among the best & the best amōg the worst, but a flatterer indeed from whom the tongue of DEMOSTHENES & CICERO both cānot rub away this foul spot of flattery SABINIANVS the successour of GREGORIVS 1. a Halke of the right nest continued but few months in his gouernmēt, ther fore I will not opē his graue, but I let himly stil. BONIFACIVS 3. barked not without a bone. BALAAM loued the wages of iniquity, but got thē not BONIFACIVS loued thē & got them but not in merciemercy, but in the wrath of God. What ZACHARIAS B. of Rome did afterward more prosperously thē devoutly in fauor of PIPINVS anno 750. hee is very ignorant of historie that misknoweth. CHILDERICVS the lawful heir of the kingdom at the commādemēt of ZACHARIAS was shauē, & thrust into a monasterie, & PIPINVS son of CAROLVS MARTELLVS, was made king. STEPHANVS 2. after ZACHARIAS walking on stil in the paths of flatterie, obtained from PIPINVS king of France, not only aid against AISTVLPHVS king of Lombar…'s but also the exarchat of Ravenna & Pentapolis. And to the end that this great territory pertaining justly to the emperour of Constātinople, should not returne back againto the righteous owners of it, what order was takē by PAVLVS 1. STEPHANVS 3. & ADRIAN 1 the changing of the Empire from the East to the West, and setting vp CAROLVS MAGNVS clearely declareth. So that the fift step of the Romane eminencie was falsehood and flatterie as hath bene declared.

Now if there be any interstice or intervall betweene the fift & sixt step, marueill not at it, because it is a great point, The sixt step.and he who was a let to the man of sin behoued to be made out of the way 2. Thess. 2. that is (as CHRYSOSTOME exponeth it) the Emperours power behooued to be vtterly trode vnderunder foot before the man of sin could vsurpe absolute authority, & sit as God in the Lords Temple, Chrysost. in 2. Thess. 2. homil. 4. Therfore the next attempt was the investiment of Bishops per baculum & annulū (as the custom then was) must be violētly extorted & wrung out of Emperors hands. This was hard to bring to passe in respect the Emperors had bin in so long possession of this right, but it was so necessarie a point that the absolut soueraignitie whereat they aimed of a long time, could no otherwise be obtained. Therfore the Bishops of Rome put on their armour, & batter at the authority of the Emperours with all their might, specially with the thunderbolts of their cursings, to hauehave the investiment of Bishops, per baculum & annulum giuen ouer into their hands. This bargaine began in the dayes of GREGORY the 7. and inthe dayes of HENRY 4. and lasted almost 200. yeeres, some call it bellum Pontificium. HENRY 4. was cursed by GREGORY 7. HENRY 5. by PASCHALIS. LOTHARIVS 2. was rather cōtent to giuegive ouer the investiment of Bishops, then to contend with INNOCENTIVS 2. and so escaped the sentence of cursing. CVNRADVS 3. was occupied in warrefare against the Saracens and was traiterously deceiued by EMANVEL Emperour of Constantinople: but if he had taried long at home, there was great appearance of a bargaine because hee receiued not his coronation from the B. of Rome. FRIDERICVS the first called BARBAROSSA was cursed by ALEXANDER the third, who also in VENICE, and in the porch of the Church of S. MARKE trampled vponupon his necke. HENRY 6. was cursed by CELESTINVS, who also when he repented and was crowned Emperour by him, he put on the crowne vponupon HENRYES head with his hand, and dang it off againe with his foot. PHILIP brother to HENRY 6 was cursed by INNOCENTIVS, OTTO 4. was cursed by INNOCENTIVS 3. FRIDERICK 2, by HONORIVS 3 GREGORIVS 9. and INNOCENTIVS 4. CVNRADINVS the nephew of FREDERICKE 2. in stead of cursing was beheaded by the speciall aduise of CLEMENS 4. such elemencie was in our holy fathers. This large historie I hauehave only touched in few words to let you vnderstand that the Bishops of Rome can be serious in maine points, whereinto the standing or falling of their supremacie doth cōsist. If the investiment of bishops be thrown out of the hands of the emperours, then will all bishops follow the bishop of Rome, and not their own soueraigne Lords, and therefore moe curses then euer were pronounced out of mount Eball. Deut. 27. were thundered out: but against whom I pray you? Against the anointed of the Lord, of whom it is said, Thou shalt not curse the Prince of thy people. Exod. 22. ver. 28. But wonder not good reader of the great difference betweene the curses pronounced out of mount Eball, and the curses pronounced out of mount Tarpeius. The curses from mount Eball were giuen out to bring the people vnderunder the obedience of God. but the curses pronounced out of mount Tarpeius, were set foorth to bring Princes vnderunder the soueraignitie of the Romane bishop.

The seuinth steppe is nothing else but an appendicle of the sixt, to wit after that the Bishops of Rome had obtained The s…uinth steppe.the right of investmēt not by reason but by force & might, then the ancient order must be inverted. Of old no man could be made bishop of Rome without the aduise of the Emperour. Now by the contrarie, no man must be Emperour without the Popes coronation. What is this but like a nauigation Simil.to the East Ind…? We lose the sight of the North pole, and find the degrees of the eleuation of the South pole. The authority of the Emperour is vtterly troden vnderunder foot, & what remaineth but to see that man of sinne and childe of perdition with absolut soueraignitie commanding al things at his pleasure?

One thing is yet inlacking to perfit this mystery of iniquity. The B. of Rome, must hauehave power also to convocate generall The eigh… steppe.coūcils: thēselues or else their substituts must be moderators in these Councils, and their determinations must hauehave equal authoritie with the written word of GOD. All these things were obtained, as it were, without stroke of sword, and without gainsaying & reluctation. For albeit Emperours were in continuall custome of appointing generall Councils, and the place of their meeting, and to point out the person, who should be moderator, yet after the investment of bishops was violently plucked out of the Emperours hands & the Emperours must receiue their coronation from the B. of Rome, all the courage of Emperours vtterly failed, and the B. of Rome, will needs convocat generall Councils, & will guide al at his owne appetite & pleasure. It is known that CONSTANTINE convocated the Councill of Nice, THEODOSIVS the Council of Constantinople. THEODOSIVS 2. and VALENTINIAN the Councill of Ephesus, MARTIANVS the Councill of Chalcedon. IVSTINIAN the fift generall Councill, CONSTANTINVS POGONATVS the sixt, CONSTANTINVS COPRONYMVS the seuinth BASILIVS emperour of Constantinople gathered the eight generall Councill. Hitherto the Emperours kept their right of convocating O Ecumenick Councils, neither was their right so much as once controlled. The main question between the Emperors & the bishops of Rome was de investitura as said is. This being once setled in the persons of the Bishops of Rome the question anent gathering generall Councils slept, from the eight generall Councill, till the Councill of Lateran, that is, about 400 yeeres. And then INNOCENTIVS 3. at his owne hand no man making opposition in the contrarie steppeth to the rudder, gathered the generall Councill of Lateran in Rome anno 1215 and the bishops following him did the like, no man making opposition in the contrarie, except in such Councils as were to be gathered for impairing the Emperours estate. And they gaue out to the world such lawes and ordinances as shall be declared hereafter Godwilling. GREGORIE 10. gathered a generall Councill at Lions in France, ann. 1273. CLEMENS 5. gathered a generall Councill at Uien anno 1311. Pope IOHN 23. gathered the Councill of Constance ann. 1414. with aduise of SIGISMVND the Emperour, but welcome God against your will. There were three Popes at one time contending for the Popedome, IOHN, GREGORIE, and BENEDICT: and Pope IOHN to obtain fauour at the Empesours hands, maketh him associat to himselfe in cōvocating the Councill of Constance, but sore against his heart vouchsaueth he vponupon the Emperour a lap of his own garment. EVGENIVS 4, gathered the Councill of Basil an. 1431. as likewise the Councill of Florence, an. 1439. And finally the Councill of Tr…nt was gathered by PAVLVS 3. an. 1546. Now we hauehave conveyed by historicall narration the B, of Rome to the top of the mast, Prov. 23. ver. 34. where we leaue him fast asleep, and the world also bewitched with his enchantments sleeping into a dead sleep, vntill it please the Lord with his terrible tempest to giuegive them both a wakening.

The last head of this treatise is to declare the tragicall euent of this supremacie of the Roman B. not like to the supremacie of AARON & his successours, which was a band of vnity amongst the nation of the Iewes: but like vntounto the supremacie of ABIMELECH, tending not onelyonly to the murthering of his brethren, but also to the vtter vndoing of the Sichemits who by vnlawfull meanes advanced him to that honour. Acomparison between Christ, and the Antichrist.Iudg. 9. But in the beginning of the last head before I say any further, in few words I wil institut a comparison between Christ & the Antichrist, as a Preface to the last head. Christ Iesus after his humiliation ascended vntounto heauen, led captivity captiue, & distributed good things to men, Eph. 4. ver. 8. Psal. 68. ver. 18. & the hier he ascended the greater benefite redounded to mankinde: the Apostles receiued the gift of tongues Act 2. & strength promised from aboue Act I & a sanctified memory to remember all things that Christ had taught his disciples. Iohn 14. And more then this, seeing he ascended to the heauens to sit at the right hand of his father Psal. 1 10. and to be our Advocat. 1. Iohn 2. it is certaine that not only the Apostles, but also all Christians hauehave a great & vnspeakable benefit by the ascēsion of Christ on high. Howbeit this ascension of Christ, and sitting at the right hand of his Father is not a new dignity that Christ had not before, but this excellent glory was something obscured foreign. Heb. 2. that is, through the suffering of death. But when he ascended to heauen, that mistie cloud was remoued, and the glory of Christ was clearely knowne.

But when the Antichrist ascended on hie, not by the decreet of the mercy of God appointing him to sit at the right hand of the father, ps 11…, but by such vnlawful means, as hauehave bin declared before, and by the operation of Satan, 2. Thess. 2. ver 9 and by the decreet of the justice of God punishing the world for the contempt of his trueth ibid. ver. 12. Then I say, gifts were not distributed to men, but the great Vials of the wrath of God were powred vponupon the earth, as shall clearely appeare by a particular declaration of the miseries that happened to the world by the aduancement of the B. of Rome to the supremacie foresaid. And aboue all other things when as he was not content to sit in the chaire of PETER, but also he would make himselfe a new law-giuer, not onelyonly equall to Christ, but also foreign an aduersarie to Christ, and exalting himselfe aboue Christ. 2. Thess. 2. ver, 4. Then I say, the fountaines of the great deep were broken vp and the windowes ofheauen were opened Gen. 7. not to bring down raine, as in the dayes of NOAH, but to reueil the wrath of God from heauen against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteoufnesse of men, who with-hold the truth into vnrighteousnesse. Rom. 1. ver. 18

Now to keep some order in this great Ocean, whereinto I am embarked, the principall Tragedies following the Romane supremacie I divide them in three. First the warre …alled bellam sacrum, that is the holy warre followed vponupon the necke of this supremacie. Secondly, the warre called Pontificium. Thirdly, lawes and constitutions since the 1215. yeere of our Lord, so flatly repugnant to the ordinances of Christ, that no man can be Christs seruant, except he shake off this vnhappie yocke of the ordinances of the Antichrist.

After GREGORIVS 7. and VICTOR 3, succeeded VRBANVS 2 The first Tragedie.This man gathered a Councill at Claremont in France, and incitat the Christian Princes to vndertake a most hazardous and dangerous warrefare for recouerie of Ierusalem, and the holy land out of the hands of the Turkes and Saracens, for both these people were massed together, as PLATINA granteth in vita Vibani 2, This warfare was vndertaken in the yere of our Lord 1084. Bullinger de Conciliis saith 1096. Three hun dreth thousand men marched to this warfare vnderunder the con duct of GODFREY Duke of LORAINE, and BALDVINE, and EVSTACE his brethren. ROBERT Duke of Normandie, and ROBERT earle of Flanders, HVGO brother to the king of France, BOEMIVS duke of Apulia, and TANCREDVS sonne to ROGERIVS BOEMVNDS brother. In the first entrie of this warfare at A…tiochia and at Ierusalem, such aboundance of blood was shed, as BVLLINGER by the testimony of VSPERGENSIS citeth that the horse dipped their legges in blood vntounto the knees. At Ascalon a cruell battell was foughten betwene the Christians & the Saracens, vnderunder the cōduct of the SVLTAN of Babylon, wherein an hundreth thousand men were slaine. Thus was Ierusalem recouered out of the hands of the Saracens with great effusion of blood, and GODFREY crowned king of Ierusalem. But it was so deare bought, and so soone lost againe (for this kingdome continued not 100. yeeres) that God gaue cleare testimonies to the world that he liked not that vnhappie Counci…l of Claremont… whereby the peace of the world was perturbed, and blood was shed aboundantly like water powred out vponupon the ground, the mindes of the infidels so exasperat against Christians, that albeit they hauehave payed vsus home againe with the conquest of Thracia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Gracia, Ploponesus, and a great part of Hungaria, and illyricum, yet are not their hearts satisfied, but set on edge through remembrance of the armie that came to besiege Ierusalem. I leaue off to speake of the vnprosperous successe of CONRADVS 3. and howe his armie besieging Iconium, was impoysoned by the falshood of EMANVEL Emperour of Constantinople: and the successe of LEWES king of France, and ROGERIVS duke of Sicil, to whome all things succeeded not to their contentment, as the siege of Damascus clearly declareth. No better successe had PHILIP king of France, and RICHARD king of England who enterprised likewise to recouer againe all that was lost but king RICHARDS shipwrack, captiuitie & ransome … that the voyages to the holy lande seldome had a good succ…sse. The calamitie of BARBAROSSA who seemed to prosper, but was pitifully drowned in the passage of a riuer: And finally the compelled returning of FRIDERICKE the 2. in the mids of his victories to saue his owne dominions from the outrage and oppression of the Pope: the bad successe, I say of all these expeditions and other moe declareth that God gaue not his blessing to the Councill of Claremont. So that in very deede the aduancement of the Bishop of Rome tendeth to the calamitie of the whole world.

The second tragedie that followed the high aduancement ofthe B of Rome was bellum pontificium, others call it The second Tragedie.bellum Imperatorium, a cruell and hatefull warfare betweene the Emperours and Bishops of Rome, wherein no sort of villanie, falshood & barbarous crueltie was left vnpractised against noble and worthy Emperours. GREGORIE 7 caused the Emperour HENRY 4. at Canusium in sharpe winter weather to stand barefooted, and to craue absolution from him. He vttered a false prophecie of the Emperours death within yeere and day: which when the issue declared to be a lying prophecie, he took him to his shifting mental meaning, that he spake of the spirituall death of the Emperours soule, and not ofhis bodily deathPope. PASCALIS 2. stirred vp HENRY 5. against his owne naturall father HENRY 4. and caused raise the body of the noble Emperour HENRY 4 out of his sepulchre, so that it remained 5. yeeres vnburied. Pope ADRIAN 4. was offended because the Emperour BARBAROSSA held his left stirrop in stead of the right stirrop when the Pope mounted vp vponupon his horse. Pope ALEXANDER3. trampled vponupon the same Emperours necke. Pope GREGORY 9. by his cursings compelled the Emperour FREDERICKE 2. to leade an armie to Asia against the Turkes and Saracens, and in his absence like vntounto a deceitfull traitor inuaded the kingdome of Naples, and the rest of the dominions which in heritage belonged to the Emperour. Thus we see clearly in this second tragedie that the B. of Rome was like vntounto the melt in the body, when it waxeth great by swelling and Simil.hardnesse, all the rest of the noble parts are lessened and become weake: euen so the excessiue preferment of the Bishoppes of Rome was the vndoing of the Emperours and princes of the earth.

The Bishops of Rome not contented with the two tragedies already mentioned, to wit, to hauehave filled the world The third Tragedte.with blood, and to hauehave trampled the Emperou…s & princes vnderunder foot, they added the third tragedie wo…st of all. They would be lawgiuers, sitting in the very chaire of Christ, and making of none effect the ordinances of Christ, to the ende that place might be giuen to their constitutions. INNOCENTIVS 3 in the Councill of Lateran confirmed the blasphemous doctrine of transubstantiation Ann. 1215. In the generall Councill holden by GREGORIE. 10. Ann. 1273. forgiuenes of sinnes was promised in most ample maner to those that would bee marked with the badge of the crosse, and would goe and fight against the Saracens. But Christ promiseth remission of sinnes to such onelyonly as repent their sinnes beleeue in him, & in token of true repentance to these who beare the easie yocke & light burden of Christ, Mat. 11. ver. 28 29. & 30. In the generall Council gathered by CLEMENS 5. in Vienne Ann. 1311. it was ordained that the Pope should not be subject to the Emperour, but rather the Emperor to the Pope, & that the Emperor shal giuegive his oth of alledgance to the Pope expresse contrary to the written word of God. Let eueryevery soule be subject vntounto the hier powers, Ro. 13 ver. 1. Ioh 23. with aduise of SIGISMVND gathered a generall Councill at Constance, Ann. 1414. wherein the very testamental legacie of Christ was altered and impaired by sacrilegious prelats in taking from the people the vse of the holy cup in the sacrament. And the clause, Non obstante set down in their act, made the whole people of Christendome to tremble that they durst not set their mouthes against the heauen and correct the ordinance of Christ, and that in such rude maner, that notwithstanding that Christ instituted this sacrament vnderunder formes both of bread & wine yet the church thought meete that the sacrament shal be giuen to laicke people vnderunder the forme of bread only. The late Councils of Basil & Florence are flat repugnant one to another in the head of supremacie. And last of all the Councill of Trent wherein some piece of reformation was expected made it knowne to the world, that the whore will neuer reforme the Borthell, and the Antichrist will not be consumed with the breath of his own mouth, but with the breath of the mouth of Christ, which thing the Lord performe in his owne time.

Amen.

FINIS.

A SHORT COMPEND OF THE HISTORIE OF THE FIRST TEN PERSECVTIONS MOVED AGAINST CHRISTIANS, DIVIDED INTO III. CENTVRIES.

WHEREVNTO ARE ADded in the end of eueryevery Centurie treatises arising vponupon occasion offered in the historie, clearely declaring the noveltie of Popish Religion, and that is neither flowed from the mouthes of Christs holy Apostles, neither was it confirmed by the blood of the holy Martyrs who died in these ten persecutions.

IEREM. 6. ver. 16.

Thus saith the Lord, Stand in the Wayes, and behold, and aske of the old Way, which is the good Way, and Walke therein, and ye shall find rest unto your soules: but they said, We will not walke therein.

LVC. 10. ver. 42.

Marie hath chosen the good part which shall not be taken a Way from her.

EDINBVRGH, Printed by Andro Hart, and are to be solde at his shop on the North side of the high streete a litle beneath the Crosse, ANNO DOM. 1613.

A SHORT COMPEND, OF THE ARRIAN and EVTYCHIAN PERSECVTIONS, Comprised in the IIII. V. and VI. CENTVRIES.

Whereunto is added, TREATISES, DECLARING THE noueltie of POPISH Religion.

EDINBURGH, PRINTED BY ANDRO HART, Anno Dom. 1615.