The Accomplishment of the Prophecies, Chapter 2 · Part 9
The first point.
That the Pope names himselfe God, and is so called by his favourites, this is a common thing, whereof the Popes Decrees, & the coūcels where he sat as chiefe, are full. The Canon. Satis, in the 96. Distinction, speakes thus. It is manifestly seene that the Pope can in no wise, neither be vnbound, nor bound by any secular power; who is knowne to hauehave bin called God, by the religious Prince Constantine before mentioned: now it is apparant, that God cannot be iudged by men. He excludes princes therefore from the title of God, that he may reserue it to himselfe; and approving of Constantines saying which calleth him God, thence inferreth that the Pope may not bee iudged by any person. Where we are to note by the way, that Constantine in the councell of Nice, speaking to al the bishops present, said vntounto them, Yee are Gods, but never spake this in particular to the bishop of Rome.
The glosse of the extrauagant, cum inter of Iohn the 22. hath these words. To thinke that our Lord God the Pope, the author of the aforesaid Decretall, and of this, had no power to decree as he hath decreed, would be iudged an heresie. Where we must note that the Cardinals, & Doctors appointed by Pope Gregory the 13. for the correcting of the Canons, Decretals, Clementines, and, Extravagants, having corrected many other glosses, do not touch this at all, and were willing to hauehave it remaine as it is.
In the last councell of Lateran, and 9. Session in the yeare 1514. one of the secretaries of the Popes chamber speakes thus to Leo the 10. The lookes of your divine maiestie, with the beame-darting splendor of which, my weake eies are dimmed, which was inserted in the councell, as good, and warrantable; For there must never any impieties bee put into councels, without being found fault with. Nay which is more, after that the said coūcel was written out, Pope Leo approved of it, and his approbation is set in the frontispice thereof: in the same *Pag. 510. edit. Colon. tom. 4.page the papall dignity, is called, Divinū imperium, the kingdome of God.
In the 2. book of holy ceremonies 7. section, & 6. chapter. There are these words, The seate of God, That is to say, the Apostolical seat. And Steuchus likewise the Popes library keeper, in his booke of the donation of Constantine, saith that Constantine held Pope Sylvester for a God (& adoravit vt Deum) and worshipped him as God.
In Italie vponupon the gate of Tolentū there is this inscriptiō. to Paul the 3. the most high and mighty God vponupon earth. VponUpon the triumphall arch, erected to Pope Sixtus the 4. as he entered in state into Rome, there was this written
Oraclo vocis mundi moderaris habenas
Et merito in terris crederis esse Deus.
This lower world thy sacred words do sway,
Stile thee an earthly God we rightly may.
Stapleton an English Iesuit in the preface of his booke, of the principles, of the doctrine of faith cals Gregory the 13. Supremum, plane supremum in terris numen. The supreame, the most absolute supreame God vponupon earth.
And Coeffeteau denieth not this, but saith that the Pope is God in the same sense that the scripture calleth kings, and other powers by the name of Gods: an idle excuse, and against the intent of his Holines For in the old testamēt, this word of Gods is indeed attributed to Princes in the plurall. But for a mans selfe to attribute the name of God vntounto himselfe in the singular; this is a thing which no christiā prince nor prelate ever did. The bishop of Rome is the first, who some ages since began to vsurpe this title.
We are also to note, that the word Iehovah in the old testament is never attributed to any creature: but well the worde of Elohim may in the plurall, which signifieth Gods, and Lords. As for the new testamēt, wherein the head-springs of all christiā religion are contained, & which should rule our fashion of speaking, yee shall never there finde the name of God in the singular attributed to any but God himselfe, or to Satan whom the Apostle calleth, The God of this world, because in this world hee seeks by al meanes to encroach vpō Gods right. Heathen Emperours also hauehave taken vponupon them the title of God, as Bassian Caracalla, & before him Domitian, whō *Sues. in Dom cap. 13 Mart. lib. 5. ep. 8.Sueton, and *Sues. in Dom cap. 13 Mart. lib. 5. ep. 8.Martiall call Dominus Deus noster, the Lord our God, which are the very same words with those which I hauehave formerly cited out of the glosse. But this name was ever reputed odious amongst the Christians, when it was once attributed to man, because they hauehave no more excellent or reverent name then this; not as the Hebrewes, who are of opinion that the name of Iehova is more holy and incommunicable.
But for to know in what sense the Pope is called God, the Pope himselfe can best resolue vsus. For out of this title, he gathereth by consequence that he should bee adored; The last councell of Lateran, in the 3. and 10. sessions saith. The Pope ought to be worshipped of all people, and is most like vntounto God: and that a man might not imagine that it speaketh of a civill kind of worship, it is there told vsus what manner of adoration this must be, wherwith he is to be adored; to wit, that it must bee with that kinde of adoration that is mentioned in the 72. Psalme. Adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae, All the kings of the earth shall worshippe him. Where by worship, the highest kinde of worshippe is meant, which is due to the son of God; as Tertullian teacheth vsus in his 5, booke 7. chap. against Marcion. So doth Mantuan vnderstande it, which speakes of the Pope:
Ense potens gemino, cuius vestigia adorāt
Caesar, & aurato vestiti murice reges,
He hath 2 swords within his power to draw,
Caesar adores him with an humble awe:
And kings with Caesar too in this do meete,
Bowing their necks down for to kisse his feet.
The histories of these last ages are ful with examples of this adoration of the Pope. In the 2. Tome of councels they doe highly magnifie Iustinian because hee did adore Pope Agapet…. But the most remarkable worship that is given him, is that which they do vntounto him within the conclaue, immediatly after his election. As soone as ever he is pronounced Pope by the Cardinals shut vp in the conclaue, they presently run vntounto him, and pulling of his owne apparell, put on other insteed thereof, redde hose, and red shooes with a crosse of gold, a red girdle with buckles of Gold, a red cap, and a rochet, and answerably fitting him with a red mantle, and a triple crowne glittering with Diamonds, they mount him vp vponupon their shoulders aloft, as it were some glorified body, and set him vponupon the Altar. This amongst the Italians is commonly called adoration: and is therefore the more worth the noting, because the Pope is set vponupon the Altar, which is a place where they set their Masse-god, and which is appointed for divine worship: so that this worship, cannot be taken for a civill worship. Herevnto adde that in civill affaires kings hauehave more authoritie then Popes, and should therefore by a consequent rather bee worshipt with civill honour. But they doe not only not worship Kings, but exact of kings themselues to worship the Popes. But if a King called himselfe God, he might seem to hauehave some shew for it, by alleaging the passage out of the old Testament wherein kings are said to be Gods, yet should a king so doe he would be thought by Christians to bee little lesse then a blasphemer, and I am perswaded that the Pope himselfe would not like it, being that hee vsurps the name of God excclusiuely from al other Princes vntounto himselfe, by reason that it is a holy word, and imports as much as adoration. Neither will hee bee woone to grant, that kings, because they are called Gods by David, should therefore deny to bee iudged; seeing that he takes vponupon him to bee their iudge. And yet we hauehave seene before, how the Pope out of this very saying of David, concludeth that no man may be his iudge, although in that place there bee no mention made of Bishops or Pastours, but of Princes: It is easie to bee knowne in what sense he calleth himselfe God, since hee vsually calls his decrees, and Canons by the name of *Extra. D… Mai…rit▪ & obed titulo. 33. cap. Perpetuas.Oracles. Now an oracle signifieth an heavenly answer, proceeding from the mouth of God. Rom. 3. verse 2. & chap. 11. v. 4. with the like modestie doth he call his decretall Epistles Canonical scriptures in the 19 Distinction, in the Canon In Canonicis, the inscription whereof is this. Inter Canonicas scripturas Decretales Epistolae connumerantur. The decretall Epistles are reckoned amongst the Canonicall scriptures. That is to say, that the Popes Decrees are equall to the holy scripture, and by a consequent are the word of God.
What can one say more of God then that which the aboue cited councell of Lateran, in the 9. & 10. Sessions speakes of the Pope, to wit, that hee hath all power aboue all powers, both of heaven and earth? And he himselfe speakes as much of himselfe in the 1. booke of holy ceremonies. 7. sect. 6. chap. where Pope Sixtus the 4. speakes thus. This Pontificall sword representeth the Soveraigne temporall power that Christ hath given the Pope his vicar vponupon earth, as it is written. All power is given mee both in heaven, and in earth, and *Ps. 72. v. 8.elsewhere. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, & from the river vntounto the ends of the land. Which power is also signified by the velvet cap which Popes weare. Of which power even over heaven it selfe, Innocent the 3. was bold to make vse in the bull▪ Ad liberandum: where he grants vntounto Pilgrims, that die in their pilgrimage, to enioy a greater degree of glory in Paradice aboue others.
Besides I say, that to call himselfe his Holines exclusiuely to al others, is to take a name vponupon him that is proper to God alone, who is not only the most holy Father, (a name which the Pope doth also assume) but Holinesse it selfe. As also for to attribute all power vntounto himselfe as Paule the 5. doth in this holy register, where he calls himselfe a Vice-God, the Monarch of the Christian world: the vpholder of the papall omnipotency.
Next in order comes our Saviour Iesus Christ, adorned with titles, names & qualities, all which the Pope applyeth vntounto himselfe. Hee calls himselfe at least a hundred times in his Canons and Decrees, The spowse of the vniversall Church; Bellarmine goeth yet farther, Etiam Christo secluso, (that is) that hee is so indeed, Christ being set apart, in the 9. Chapt. & 1. booke of the Pope; And although Christ were not excluded, yet so it is that in matter of marriage, men doe not lightly admit of a companion, much lesse will this bee endured in that holy coniunction with Christ, concerning which S. *2 Cor. 11. v. 2.Paule saith. I hauehave prepared you for one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. And that hee might leaue him nothing proper, Leo the 10. in the Councell of Lateran formerly cited, is called the Lion of the tribe of Iuda, the roote of David, the Saviour of Sion. And Bellarmine in the preface of his booke of the pope, calleth the pope the corner stone, a tryed stone, a pretious stone, whereof Esay speakes in his 28. Chap. 16. verse. Which is therefore the more to be noted, because the Apostle in the 9. Chap. of the Epistle to the Romans, saith, that none that belieue in this stone shall be put to confusion.
After that he hath once seized vponupon the names and titles of the Father, and of his sonne our Saviour, it is no wonder that he equalleth himselfe with the holy Ghost, saying in the 25 cause, 1. quest. that to violate his Canons & ordinances is to blaspheame against the holy Ghost, to the end we should know, that such an offence shal never be pardoned, neither in this world nor in the world to come.