The Novelty of Popery Discovered, Chapter 9
CHAPT. IX.
The Novelty of the Popes Supremacie, which hee claymeth over Princes, as well as Prelates, and in thinges temporall.
HEEREIN, in these two poynts the Novation standeth, made by the Bishops of Rome, 1. in subducing their neckes from that homage and subjection, which they yeelded of olde to the Emperours, as their dread Soveraygnes, and 2. in reducing them to such subjection vnderunder th…m, that they hauehave troden vponupon some of their neckes.
First, then, for witnessing of the Bishops of Rome, their homage and subj…ction, which from the beginning and of olde, they gaue to the Emperours,Bell. l. 1. de …. c 13. §. 4a. r…tio. Bell… mine himselfe will instruct vsus, speaking of that tyme, which was manie hundreth yeares after the Apostles, saying, At that tyme, al…ho the Bish…p of Rome in spirituall thinges was the head of all, even of Empe…res themselues, yet in temporall thinges hee was subject to the Emperoures, (sayeth hee) and because hee acknowledged the Emperour to bee his temporall Lord, therefore hee made supplication to him, that hee would command a Councell to bee conveaned.
Whence it is, that Cardinall Cusanu… declareth,Cusa cō …ord Cat… ▪ lib. 2… … …5. That the eyght first generall Councells, were convocate by the Emperoures, and no wayes by the Popes: in so much, that Pope Leo, with much intreat…e desired to Theodosius, that a Councell might bee celebrate in Italie, and yee could not obtayne it.
Gregorie …yke-wyse the great, everie where in his Epistles to the Emperour Mauritius, styleth him his supreame Lord & Soveraigne: and wryting vntounto him concerning his imperiall command, that hee should cause publish a certayne Law,Greg. …ib. 2 Epist. 61. which Gregorie thought vnjust, hee sayeth, I as the most vnworthie servand of your sacred Majestie, beeing subject to obey your command, I hauehave caused sende your Law which yee hauehave made, thorow sundrie parts to bee published; and because the same is nowayes agreeable to the Law of Almightie GOD, Beholde, I hauehave by my letter signified the same to my most excelle…t Lord: there-fore everie way I hauehave performed what I ought to doe, who hath both given …edience to the Emperour, and hauehave not beene silent, in that which I thought fit to speake for GOD.
And yet in a more humble manner doeth Agatho the first,Apud, Bin…ū. Tom. 3. Act, 4. in oecum Cōcil. 6. sub Agathone. Ep, 1. apud. Bin…ū t…m. 3 profesie his subjection to the Emperour, supplicating in th…se wordes, Bowing humblie the knees of the mynde, wee intreate your royall Clemencie. Where-with also Adrian the first, joyneth the prostration of the bodie, saying, Prost…ate vponupon the ground, and …alling downe grooflinges at the soles of your feete, doe I intreate your Majestie.
Thus wee see, that servitude and subjection, with prostration and humble supplicating, was the auncient practise and profession, of the Bishops of Rome, to the Romane Emperoures, manie hundreth yeares after CHRIST, till in place of humilitie, Luciferian pryde was installed in seat of Antichrist.
The next poynt of Innovation, is the reducing of Emperours and Kings, by the Bishops of Rome, vntounto their subjection, and dominiering so over them, as to inthrone or dethrone them, at their pleasure,Bell. I. 5. de p…ont. c. 8. as BELLARMINE de facto instanceth, to hauehave beene done to Emperoures and King's; and yet that the auncient Bishops of Rome, never vsurped such power, nor vsed such practises, agaynst eyther Hea…hen,Bell. I. 5. de pont. 6. 4. et 7. §. q…od si Hereticall, or Apostate Emperoures, Bellarmine himselfe clearlie acknowledgeth.
The particular tyme then, when the Noveltie of this vsurpation began to peepe out, their owne Charter Monke, author of that booke intituled,Fasc. temp. in vita Bonif. 2. Fascic…lus temporum, telleth vsus, That it was in the dayes of Boniface the second, Anno 523; for, remarke, (sayeth hee) that about this tyme, the Popes began to oppose themselues to the Emperoures, even in temporall thinges, farre more than of olde they were wont.
Thereafter,Otho lib. 20. Ch…ō. c. 35. their owne Bishop Otho Frigensis, condescendeth vponupon the verie tyme of putting this vsurpation first into practise, showing that Gregori…, the seaventh, was the first who deposed anie Emperour: so that till 1060 yeares after CHRIST, this bolde Noveltie began not to bee practised. Therefore sayeth their owne Barclay, Barclaius cont. Monarchoma chos l. 6▪ c▪ 26For the space of a thousand yeares aud more, altho the Church did flowrish with all wealth, and that there was also a great number of the wicked Princes and Tyrants, yet none of the auncient Fathers, or Orthodox w…yters in these tymes are found, (sayeth hee) who either by word or writ taught anie such thing.
And when it began to bee practised, Sigebert the Monke, who lived in the …leventh hundreth yeare of CHRIST,Sigeb. Chron 1088. p. 101 and tyme of Gregorie the seaventh, sayeth thereof, Let it bee spoken with leaue of all good men, (sayeth hee) that this NOVELTIE, I will not say Heresie, before this time was ever hatched, or peeped out in the world.
And last, to put on the kepstone of Antichristian pryde, and Tyran…ious vsurpation, the Author of Fasciculus Temporum, Fascic temp. in vita Bonif. 8.telleth vsus, that Beniface the eyght rose vp to that hight of pryde, (sayeth hee) that hee called himselfe Lord of the whole world, as well in temporall, as in spirituall things: as if Kings onelie did reygne by them, and with the Tempter, they might dispose of the Kingdomes of the Earth, to giuegive them to whom they will.
Who-so-ever, then, they bee, who may so clearlie see the Noveltie of this vsurpation, and yet so highlie advance the Bishop of Rome, as onelie, that they make him not GOD.Cassand. de officio pii viri. (sayeth their owne Cassander) and who extolleth his authoritie to bee not onelie aboue the whole Church, (as well in temporall, as spirituall thinges) but aboue the verie holie Scriptures, &c. I can not see, (say…th hee) why these men may not bee called false, or Pseudocotholickes.