Institutes of the Christian Religion Abridged by Edmond Bunnie, Book · Book 4 · Chapter 6
Cap. 6. Of the Supremacie of the ſea of Rome.
WHat Supremacie the Pope challengeth to himſelfe.
2 The ſtate of the queſtion is, whether it be neceſſary for the true force of Eccleſiaſticall order that one ſea, be aboue the other bothe in dignitie and power, that it may bée head of ye whole body, that the high Prieſtes may proue this, they drawe an Argument from the high Prieſt with the Iewes: But it is weake two wayes, becauſe the Iewes were on eache ſide compaſſed with idolaters: yt they ſhould not be diuerſly drawne with varietie of religions. God appointed the place of worſhipping him in the middeſt part of the lande, wher he ordeined ouer them one head Biſhop, whome they all ſhoulde hauehave regard vntounto, that the better they might bee kept in vnitie. But nowe that religiō is ſpread into al the world, it were an abſurdity that the Eaſt and Weſt ſhoulde be geuen to another nation.Heb. 7.12 The Prieſthoode was a figure of Chriſt, but the Prieſthood being remoued, the right is alſo remoued, not to the Pope, but to Chriſt. 10.
Matth. 36.18 1. Pet. 5.23 Firſt he briefly confuteth thoſe places which they cite out of the new Teſtament, & that which Peter receiued of ye Lord, he giueth by way of exhortation to all other Prieſts, whereby wée may gather that either there was nothing giuen to Peter, more then to the reſt: or that Peter did egally communicate with other the power he had receiued, which may alſo appeare out of Chriſtes owne mouth, when he ſaith,Iohn. 20.2… That to binde and to loſe, is too retaine and forgiue ſinnes, which Paul alſo in an other place very well declareth, wher he ſaith That the Miniſters of the Goſpel hauehave commandemēt to reconcile men to God, 2. Cor. 5.18and power to puniſh thoſe that refuſe it.
4 Morouer he ouerturneth the fundation wherwith they chiefly labour, that is, that heauenly anſwer of Chriſt to Peter, firſt by his owne true and naturall expoſition, & alſo by the Fathers authoritie,Matth. 18.1. Iohn. 20.23 proouing that this was not only ſaide to Peter, but to others alſo for yt he gaue to Peter at one time, hée at al other time gaue to ye reſt. And Auguſtine ſaith,De ſimpli. cle…. That Chriſt did it not to preferre one man before another, but ſo to ſet out the vnitie of the church. In an other place hée ſaith, When they were all aſked, only Peter anſwered, Thou art Chriſt, and it is ſaide to him, I will giuegive thée the keies, as though he alone had receiued the power of binding and looſing, whereas both hée being one, ſaide the one for all, and hee receaued the other withall as bearing the perſon of vnitie.
Matth. 16.185. 6 Although it were ſpokē to Peter only, thou art Peter &c. yet it doth little help them: for that which Chriſte ſaide of Peter:Ephe. 2.20 1. Pet. 2.5 Paule and Peter ſpeketh of all Chriſtians: it may as well be ſaide, that Andrewe is ſupreme, becauſe he went before him in time, and brought him to Chriſt.Iohn. 1.40 Peter confeſſed in his owne and his brethrens name, that Chriſt is the Sonne of God,Matth. 16.16 vponupon this rocke, Chriſt buildeth his Church, becauſe it is the only fundation,1. Cor. 3.11 beſide which there can be laide none other.
7 This hée confirmeth by many plales of ſcripture which howe that Peter was nothing elſe then one of ye twelue, like fellowe with the reſt; not Lorde, hée propounded to the counſell,Acts. 15.5 if any thing bée to be doone, and geueth warning what is not to be doone, but there withall hée heareth other, hée commanded thē not by authoritie, but as his fellowes,1. Pet. 5.… when hée was accuſed hée anſwered for himſelf, when he was commanded by his felowes to goe to Samaria with Iohn, he went.
8 But although Peter excelled the other Apoſtles in dignitie, yet it maketh nothing for ſupremaſie in all the worlde.
1 But if this were graunted, that it is good and profitable that the whole world be held vnderunder Monarchia: Yet it may not therefore be graunted that the ſame ſhoulde take place in the gouernment of the Church, howſoeuer ye Pope challengeth nothing elſe for him ſelfe then that hée may be the Prieſtly head or chiefe vicar. But it is nothing, vnles they ſhewit was ordeined by Chriſt,Ep. 1.2… Col. 1.18 for ye Apoſtle teacheth yt the whole mininiſtration is diſperſed through the members, and that the power floweth from it heauenly.
10 Paul ſometimes depainteth vntounto vsus a liuely image of the Church,Ephe. 4.10 and commendeth the vnitie thereof, yet hée maketh no mention of one head, which if it had béene true, the place did greatly deſire.
11. 12. 13 Although we graunt them this alſo, that the Supremaſie of the Churche was ſo eſtabliſhed in Peter, that it ſhould alwaies remaine in perpetuall ſucceſſion, yet they can neuer winne this, that the Sea of Rome is ſo ſettled, that whoſoeuer is Biſhop of that Citie, ſhould beare authority ouer the whole worlde: although we graunt them this, that Peter was Biſhop there, as they ſay. Chriſt himſelfe the Prince of Paſtours, the ſoueraigne biſhop the head of the Church, while hée liued, exerciſed his Biſhoprike, and in dying, fulfilled the office of Prieſthood, at Hieruſalē, yet could he not purchaſe honour to the place, if Peter got ſupremaſie to Rome, becauſe he ſate there, why may not the Iſraelites ſet the ſeat of ſupremacie in the wildernes,Deut. 34.5 becauſe Moſes ſate there?
Gal. 1.814. 15 Much leſſe if we deny that Peter ſate at Rome, and that more then likely, for about 20. yéeres after Chriſtes death he was at Hieruſalem, and from thence, hée went to Antioch where he remained 7. yeeres as Gregory mentioneth: And Euſebius 25. yéeres. Nowe from the death of Chriſt to the end of Neroes Empire, in whoſe time they ſay he was ſlaine, ther is but 37. yéeres. Nowe if he ſate at Rome, it was a very litle while, as more plainely may appeare: For Paule writing to the Romans, as he iourneied to Hieruſalē, where he was taken & brought to Rome, wrote nothing of Peter, and yet is it likely that he wrote the Epiſtle foure yéeres before hée came to Rome,Rom. 15.15 neither doth he make mention of Peter when he rehearſeth a great number of the Godly.Rom. 10.4. Acts. 28.16 Now if Peter were at Rome, it were a foule ſhame …im for to forſ…ke the goſpel.
16 Although in old time the fathers hauehave geuen great honor to the Church of Rome, and hauehave reuerently ſpoken thereof, and that chiefly for thrée cauſes, yet they acknowledge no ſupremaſie.
17 The vnitie alſo which ſo oft they ſpeake of, as is méete, doth neuer tende to that ende.