The Novelty of Popery Discovered, Chapter 7
CHAPT. VII.
The Novelty of the Popes Supremacie, and first, The Noveltie of the stile of Vniversall Bishop, where-by hee claymeth the same.
THis poynt of Pap…l Supremacie, (the loftiest Towre of …abels prowde building.) Boneface the eyght declared to bee of such consequence, as all Christians are bound to bee subject there-to,Extra vag. comm…n. lib. 1. Tit. 8. c. 1. de major et obed. Bell. l. 2. d… pont. Rom. …. 31. and b…lieue the same, vnderunder payne of damnation, saying, More-over for all humane creatures to bee subject to the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, wee declare, affi…me, decree, and proclayme, that the same is altogether of the necessitie of salvation, Now, (sayth Bellarmine) one title amongst all others, out of which is collected the supremacie of the Bishop of Rome, is this, the title of Vniversall Bishop, of the antiquitie whereof, if wee inquyre wee shall finde.
The first who ever vsurped this title, (as all Histories record) to bee IOHN, Patriarch of Constantinople, who obtayned of the Emperour Mauric…us so to bee called, 600 yeares after CHRIST; and which style was stronglie opposed by Pope Gregorie the first,Cusan cōcord Eccles lib. 2. c. 34. Greg. Lib. 4. Epist. 38. in this sense as Cardinall Cusanus testifieth, to wit, as it imported one to bee so principall, as all others should bee subject to him, (as Boniface decreed) or as Gregori… himselfe sayeth, one to mount aboue others to such an hight of singularitie, as that hee would bee vnderunder none, but hee alone would bee abo…e all:Lib 4 Epist. 36. et Lib. 6. Epist. 30. and which style hee challengeth expreslie of NOVELTIE, calling it novum nomen & nova presumptio.
And lest this should hauehave beene thought a Noveltie, onelie in the Patriarch of Constantinople, vsurping agaynst Rome, and that Pope Gregorie had quarrelled it, onelie as an injurie done to himselfe, and to his Sea,Lib. 9. Epist. 32. therefore hee first cleareth himselfe thereof, saying to the Emperour, Doe I in this matter (most Religious Lord) defende anie cause of myne, or doe I challenge herein anie speciall wrong done to mee? And to cleare this the…more,Lib. 4 Epist. 36. hee sayeth, None of my predecessours would ever consent to vse such a prophanetitle, no, not Peter himselfe the first alleadged founder of that Sea, who altho hee was the chiefe of the Apostles, and according to his Apostolicall place, had the care of the whole Churches committed to him,2. Cor 11. 28 (as Paull also professeth) yet notwithstanding, (sayeth hee) hee is not called the Vniversall Apostle.
And as hee witnesseth this of his predecessoures,Lib. 4 Epist. 36. so hee showeth, that this title was offered to himselfe, and yet hee would nowayes accept of the same: therefore hee sayeth to Eul…gius, Bishop of Alexandria, and Anastaciu…, Bishop of Antioch, Seeing wee would not in anie case accept anie such honour, (sayeth hee) beeing offered vntounto vsus, consider how shamefull a thing it is, for anie man violentlie to vsurpe the same: wherefore let not your holinesse in your writings, ever style anie man whoso-ever hee bee, Vni…ersall Bishop.
And even when it was given to himselfe in a letter, written by Eulogius, Bishop of Alexandria, hee rejected the same as a title of damnable piyde, saying,Lib. … indict … Epist 30. Beholde in the preface of a letter which yee seat vntounto mee, who forebade anie such titles, you hauehave caused set downe the word of a prowd style, calling mee Vniversall Bishop. which I beseech your sweetest Holinesse, that you doe so no more.
Yea, hee showeth that this wicked style, imported no lesse pryde, than that of Lucifer himselfe,Lib. 4 Epist. 38. saying to Iohn of Constantinople, Who else, I pray thee, by such a wicked title is set before thee to imitate, but hee who despysing the Legions of Angels, who were in one societie joyned with him, attempted to mount aboue them to such a hight of singularitie, that hee would bee vnderunder none, (sayeth hee) but hee alone would bee aboue all others? And agayne, What else sayest thou heereby, but I will ascende to H…aven, and exalt my Throne aboue the S…arres, and b… lyke to the h…g…est? For what are thy brethren*Note that hee calleth all Bishops, Bishops of the Vaive… Call Church, but will hauehave none call…d Vniversall Bishop: this beeing the difference, (as their ow… Salm… ron sh…w…t…) that the one hath a care of … good of the whole Church, & vult om…ibus prodesse, the other will bee aboue the whole Church, & folus omnibus preesse. Salm… …on Tom. 12. Tract. 63. Bishops of the Catholicke Church, b…t the Starres of Heaven?
More-over, hee declareth this style to bee playne Antichristian, and consequentlie clearlie guiltie of Noveltie: for (sayeth hee) I confidentlie affirme, that who-so-ever hee bee that calleth himselfe Vni…ersall Bishop, or desireth so to bee called, he is the fore-runner of Antichrist, who by pryde extolleth himselfe aboue all others. And therefore beeing Antichristian, the same Gregorie telleth,Greg. Lib. 6 Epist. 30. l. 4 Epist. 39. that it is so farre from true Catholicke sayth, to assent thereto, as on the playne contrarie, this is to depart from the fayth, and make Apostasie to Antich…ists …. For to giuegive assent, o… acknowledge anie such style, what else is it, but to lose the sayth, and make ship-wracke there of, (sayeth hee?) Which thing made Cardinall Cusanus, Cusa…us cō …rd cathol l. 2. c. 13. in fine.to denye plainlie, that the Pope was Vniversall Bishop, but onelie the first Bishop, saying, And while wee defende this part, to wit, that the Pope is not Vniversall Bishop, but onelie the first aboue others, (to wit, in place) and while wee …ound the vigour and str…gth of holie Councells, not on the Pope, but vponupon the consent of all, because in so doing wee defende the trueth, (sayeth hee) and reserue vntounto everie one their owne honour, heereby wee reverence the Pope a-right.
The cause lykewyse, why the primitiue and godlie Bishops of Rome, never claymed anie such supremacie, quasi Episcopi vrbis potius quam orbis, (sayeth their owne Duaren) and would never vse or assume,Roffen cont. Lu. ther Veritas 8. (as Gregorie testifieth) anie such prowde title, their owne Bishop of Rochester clearlie setteth downe, saying, For that age (beeing neare to the Apostles tymes) did studie to modestie, and humilitie, for as yet the word of CHRIST was recent in their memories, (sayeth hee) which sayth, Except that ye be cō verted, and become as these little ones, yee can not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven. Wherefore they had a care to debarre from them these glorious titles, (sayeth hee) whereon the verie lightest occasion of pryde might aryse. Insinuating thereby evidentlie, not onlie the latter Noveltie of anie such loftie styles and supremacie, which the latter Bishops of Rome doe vsurpe; but also the ground wherefrae the same proceedeth, to wit, the want of that wonted modestie and humilitie of their predecessoures, and the oblivion of these words of CHRIST, which were ever recent in the memories of their auncient and godlie forebeares.