The Anatomy of the Mass, Book 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Places wherin the Doctors and Councels of the Roman Church maintain, that the Pope and the Church of Rome are not ſubject to th… Scripture, and have greater authority than the Scripture, an… may make voide and aboliſh th… Commandements of God.
THe Romiſh Decree and its Gloſſe… are all ſtuffed with this brave maxime,*Can. Lect. Diſt. 34. in Gloſſ. Papa diſpenſat contra Apoſtolum. Innec. III. D…creta…le Conceſſione Prae…end. Tu. 8. c p. Propoſ…t. Secundum plenitudinē poteſtatis de jure poſſumus ſupra jus diſpenſare. El thi Gloſſa, Nam contra Apoſtolum diſpenſat. Itē contra vetus Teſtamentum. El Gloſſa Canonis ſut quidam, Cauſ. 25. quaeſt. 1. Papa diſpenſat in Evangelio interpretā do ipſum. that the Pope may diſpenſe againſt the Apoſtle, and againſt the Old Teſtament, and may diſpenſe with the Law, as being above the Law: And that he may diſpenſe againſt the Goſpel in giving interpretation to it.
In the firſt booke of the Decretals of Gregory the 9. Title 7. at the Chapter Quanto perſonam, the Pope Innocent the third ſaith, that the Pope, on earth, holdeth not the place of a meere man, but of a very God. And thereupon the Gloſſe of the Doctors ſaith: The Pope of nothing can make ſomething: And a ſentence that is of no value, he can make it to bee ſome thing: Becauſe in the thing that he willeth, his will ſtandes him in ſtead of reaſon: And no man ſaith to him, Wherefore doeſt thou doe that? For he may diſpenſe above the Law, and make of injuſtice Juſtice.
Thomas Aquinas, whom the Pope hath Sainted, ſaith:†Thom. 2.2 quaeſt. 1. art. 10. Ad ſolam authoritatem ſummi Pontificis pertinet nova editio Symboli. A new edition of a Creed, belongeth ſolely to the Popes authority. The ſame is defined by the Councell of Florence in the laſt Seſſion, to wit, that the Pope may adde to the Creed. That is one of the crimes for which Luther was anathematiſed by Pope Leo the tenth, viz. becauſe he had taught,*Bulla exurge Leonis X. ſubjecta Concilio Lateranenſi, inter errores Luther… h…oreſertur. Certum eſt in manu Eccleſiae aut Papae prorſus nō eſſe ſtatuere articulos ſidei. That it is not in the power of the Pope and of the Roman Church, to eſtabliſh any Articles of faith: as is to be ſeen in the Bull added to the laſt Councell of Lateran.
The Cardinall du Perron in his book againſt the King of Great Brittaine hath a chapter*2 Booke, Obſervat. 3 Cap. 3. whoſe title is ſuch Of the Churches authority, in changing … things contained in the Scriptures.
Vaſquez the Jeſuit in the third To… upon the third part of Thomas, Diſput… 216. ſpeaking of this Commandemen… of the Lord, Drinke yee all of it, ſaith*Vaſquez … 3. T…om. Tomo. 3. Diſput. 216 num. 60. Licet concederemus hoc ſuiſſe Apoſtolorū praeceptum, nihilominus Eccleſia & ſūmus Pontifex potuerunt illud juſtis de canſis abrogare, &c. Though even we ſhould grant that th… was a Commandement of the Apostles yet the Church and the ſoveraigne Biſh… might aboliſh it upon good grounds. … the Apoſtles power to make Lawes, was n… greater than the power of the Church an… of the Pope.
Salmeron the Jeſuite in the ſecond Prolegom.*Non mirū ſi Scriptura Eccleſiae dei quae ſpiriti… habet, ſubijcitur. It is no wonder if the Scripture be ſubject to the Church, which hath th… Spirit. The ſame man in the ninth Tome and 13 Treatiſe, * diſputing of the change and alteration in the forme of the Sacrament, ſpeakes thus: Wee are no wa… tyed to imitate Chriſt in all things, †§. Ad illud. Nequaquā aſtr…ng…mur in omnibus Chriſtum, imitari, n…ſi in honis moribus.except in good manners. By that, hee teachet… we are not bound to imitate Chriſt in the Sacraments, nor in the communion under one kind, nor in that he celebrated the holy Supper in a known tongue, nor in the doctrine of Pargatory, not In the Sacrifice of the Maſſe, &c. For theſe things concerne not manners.
The ſame, in the firſt Prolegom.aEccleſiae authoritas antiquior & dignior authoritate Scripturae. The Churches authority is more ancient and more worthy, than the authority of the Scriptures. That, truly, is to ſay that men are above God. For it is God that ſpeaketh in the holy Scriptures. Can a man ſay without impiety that the Church of Iſrael was above the Law, which God had written in two tables? Are Subjects above the Laws? Is not the Pope ſubject to the Law of God?
The ſame Jeſuite ſaith, that the bSalm. Tomo XIII. part 3. Diſp. 6. § Eſl ergò. Doctrina fidei admittit additionem in eſſent ialibus.Chriſtian Religion admitteth ſtill of ſome additions in things eſſentiall. Whence followeth that Chriſtian Religion is not yet perfect, ſince that eſſentiall Articles may be added thereunto.
John Almain, a Sorboniſt, in his Booke of the Eccleſiaſticall and Temporall power, chapter 12.cPapa poteſt d…ſpenſare in illis quae ſunt lege Dei prohibita. The Pope may diſpenſe in things that are forbidden by Gods Law: and alleadges thereupon Panormitanus and Angelus.
Andradius in the ſecond Booke of the Defenſe of the Tridentine Faith:dRomanos Pontifices multa deſini…ndo quae ante latit… bant, ſymbolum fidei augere conſuev…ſſe. The Roman Biſhops in defining many things that were bidden before, are accuſtomed to enlarge the Creed. And in the ſame place:aLiquet minime cos erraſſe qui dicunt Rom. Pontifices poſſe nonnunquam in legibus diſpenſare à Paulo & à quatuor primis Concilijs. It appeareth thoſe haven… erred which ſay that the Roman Biſhop may ſome times diſpenſe from obeying th… Lawes of the Apoſtle Saint Paul and th… foure firſt Councels. Item:bMinime vero majores noſtri relig one & pietate excellentes Apoſtolori… haec & quam plurim …alia decret a reſigere in animum induxiſſent, nifi intell…xiſſent, &c. Our Anceſ… ers, excellent men in Piety, have canceled and abrogated many of the Apoſtle Decrees.
Cardinall Bellarmin in the fourth Booke de Pontif. chapter 5. If the Pep… ſhould erre in commanding the vices, an forb…dding vertues, the Church were bou… to beleeve that vices be good, and vertues bad, unleſſe ſhe would ſinne againſt her own conſcience.
The ſame Cardinall in the 31 chapter againſt Barklay, In a good ſenſe Chriſ… gave to Peter (that is to ſay to the Pope) the power to doe that that which is ſinne be not ſinne, and that which is no… ſinne to be ſinne.
The Romiſh Decree in the fortieth Diſtinction, Canon Si Papa, hath theſe words:cSi Papa ſuae & fraternae ſalutis n…gligens deprehenditur, &c. nihilominus innumer abiles pes pulos caterva…m ſecum ducit prano mancipio gehennoe … ipſo plagis multis in aeternum vapulaturos. Hujus culpa …ſtic redarguere praeſu…t murtalium nullus, quia cuncto… …pſe judicaturus à nemiae eſt judicandus, niſi ſit à ſid… a…ius. If the Pope being careleſſe of his owne Salvation and of the Salvation of his brethren, leadeth by troopes with him, firſt ſlave of hell fire, innumerable peoples to be tormented with him with many plagues eternally, none dares reprove him of his faults. Becauſe that he that is to be Judge of all men, is to be judged of none: Except he doe ſwerve from the Faith.
Stapleton an Engliſh Doctor, in the ſecond Booke of the authority of the Scripture, chapter 11.*Dixi & dico non tā ipſius fidei regulam in ſe eſſe Scripturam, quā ipſarum Scripturarum regulā eſſe ſidem Eccleſiae. I have ſaid, and ſay ſtill, that the Church is the rule of the Scripture. By this reckoning, Sinners ſhall rule God, and ſhall be maſters of his word.
Lindan in the Index of the Chapters of the fifth Booke of his Panoplia: The Church by the will of God is not tyed to the Scriptures. For he, and the reſt with him, will have the Church bound to the Tradition of the Church, that is to ſay to the Lawes which ſhe giveth to her ſelfe. Now by the Church they underſtand alwayes the Roman Church, and by the Romane Church the Pope.
Coſterus the Jeſuite in his Enchiridion, Chapter 1. calleth the Tradition of the Romane Church a ſecond kinde of Scripture, and ſaith, that aHujus Scripturae praeſtant…a multis partibus ſuperat Scripturas quas nobis in membranis Apoſtol…re l…querunt.the excellencie of this Scripture goes fam… beyoud the Scriptures which the Apoſtles left unto us written in parchements.
Gregory de Valentia the Jeſuite, it the fourth Booke of his Analyſis, chapter 2.bScriptura ſacram non eſſe judicem omnium controverſiarum ſidei probatur. The Scripture is not the Judge if controverſies. And in the third Chapter.cProbatur ſecundo Scripturam non eſſe ſufficientem ſideiregulam. The Scripture is no ſufficient rule of Faith. And in the fourth Chapter.dScripturam ar…no De… judicio eſſe velut lapidem oſſenſionis, & in tentationem pedibus inſipientium, ut quive lint ea ſola niti, ſa…lime impingant & errent. The Scripture by the ſecret judgement of God, is … ſtumbling block, and a temptation to the fe… of fooles, to the end that thoſe which wil… rely upon it alone, may eaſily ſtumble and ſwerve from the way. Wherefore after he hath withdrawne us from the holy Scriptures, in the ſeventh Book he ſ…nds us back to the Pope, ſaying,ePont…fea Romanus ipſe eſt in quo authoritas illa reſidot quae in Eccleſia extal adjudicandum de omnibus omnino controverſi…s. The Roman Biſhop is he in whom reſideth that authority of judging wholly of all the controverſies of Faith. According as Andradius ſaith in the firſt booke of the Defenſe of the Tridentin Faith, Our faith is contained and ſub ſiſteth by the Popes faith, and all mens Salvation depends on his authority.
The ſame Jeſuite in his firſt booke of the Sacrifice of the Maſſe, Chapter forty, finding no proofes in the Scriptures whereon to ground the Sacrifice of the Maſſe, ſaith, thataSi maxime hic cultus non eſſe… inſtitutus à Deo, concluditamen abaſtis non poſſit allum non eſſe legit imum, cumid ad bon tatem cultus & ſacrificij minime requiratur. If this worſhip or Service were not inſtituted of God: Yet theſe men could not draw from thence this concluſion, that it is not lawfull. For that (viz. to be inſtituted by God) is in no wiſe required for to make a worſhip or a Sacrifice to be good. And in his ſecond booke:bAt ego ſuprà & alias ſaepius oſtendi praeceptum Dernon requir… ad honitatem cul…us. Here above and often elſewhere I have ſhewed, that for the goodneſſe of a worſhip or ſervice, Gods commandemem is not required.
For theſe cauſes, in the fourth Tome of his Commentaries, he affirmeth thatcGreg. de Val. Tomo IV. D…ſp. 6. qu. 8. Punct. 5. §. 10. Et certe quaedam poſterioribus temporibus rectius inſtituta eſſe, quam …tio ſe haberent. there are ſome things which in the latter times are better ordained than they were at the beginning. For he ſuppoſeth that the Church now is better inſtructed than it was in the Apoſtles time.
Of this power which the Roman Church taketh upon her ſelfe, to change, cancell, and make void the commandements of the Lord, we have a remarkable example in the Councell of Conſtance, kept in the yeare 1416. which is the firſt Councell that tooke away the Cup from the people. That Councell acknowledgeth in the 13 Seſſion, that Chriſt inſtituted the Euchariſt under both kinds, and that in the Primitive Church the people received the Cup. Yet withall it dare ſay,aCum in nonnull is mundi partibus quidam temerarie aſſerere praeſum…nt populum Chriſtia num debere Sacramentum Euchariſtie ſub utraqu panis & v…ni ſpec…e ſuſcipere. …an… concupiſ…entia quam aliquando Apoſtolus piccatum app…llat, ſ…n…a Sy … Cathal … …peccatum appellari quod … & prop… … p…c…u… ſit. that in ſom… parts of the World ſome dare affirme raſhly, that the Chriſtian people ought to take the Euchariſt under both kinds: as if it were a temerity to follow Chriſts example. And ordaining that henceforth the people ſhall receive the ſpecies of the bread onelyonly, will have this cuſtome to be held as a Law, which it is not lawfull to reprove or change. Finally this Councell concludeth, that thoſe which obſtinately affirme the contrary, …ught to be d…iven out as Hereticks, and grievouſly puniſhed.
With the like audacity the Councel of Trent in the 5 Seſſion b… ſpeaking of the concupiſeence forbidden in Gods Law, which Saint Paul in the ſeventh Chapter to the Romanes calleth ſinne, declareth and defineth that concupiſcence is no ſinne in thoſe that are regenerate, that is to ſay baptized: and that Saint Paul ſpake neither truly nor properly. Whence will follow that a baptiſed perſon may without ſinne cover his neighbours wife: but in an unbaptiſed perſon it is a ſin.
Now, let every unpartiall Reader judge, with what reaſon our Adverſaries call our Religion a new Religion, ſeeing they doe declare themſelves that they may change the Commandements of God, add to the Creed, and make a new Religion, and that in the Maſſe they are not tyed to the Lords Inſtitution.