The By-Way, Treatise · Section 19
SECT. XIX. The Church which our Aduerſaries ſo much magnifie amongst themſelues, is finally reſolued into the Pope, whom they make both the Husband and the Spouſe, the Head and the Body of the Church.
SAint Matthew tels vsus, that our Sauiour Chriſt gaue charge to Saint Peter, as well as to the reſt of his Diſciples, that if any diſſention did happen which they could not well reconcile among themſelues, they ſhould tell the Church. If Saint Peter himſelfe was commaunded to tell the Church, and the Pope bee St. Peters Succeſſor, it would ſomewhat trouble a doubtful Recuſant, how to vnderſtand and beleeue the Pope for the Church: for if Chriſt had taken Peter for the Church, it is not probable, hee would hauehave bid him tell the Church; for that had beene all one as to bid the Church, tell the Church: Yes,Poſtremò dicere Eccleſiae, id eſt, ſibi ipſi Bel. de Concil. author. lib. 2. cap. 19. (ſaith Bellarmine) the Pope ought to tell it to the Church, that is, to himſelfe. I take not vponupon me to anſwer this learned Cardinall, but I dare avowe, that this Expoſition of Scripture is not according to the Article of his faith, with the vniforme conſent of Fathers: Howbeit, by this ſolution of Dic Eccleſiae, wee are informed where, and in whom wee may finde the Romane Church.
Gretzerus the Ieſuite puts the queſtion touching the Pope, and returnes his anſwere in this manner:Ais tertio interpretátur Eccleſiam Papā non abnuo, quid tum? Gretz. def. c. 10. l. 31. de verbo Dei. Thou ſaieſt they interpret the Church (the Pope;) I graunt it, what then? yet wee may doubt of his ſentence: for how can wee bee certaine that he erres not? Yes (ſaith hee) from theſe ſayings, I will giuegive thee the keyes, &c. The gates of Hell ſhall not preuaile &c. Whatſoeuer thou bindest, ſhall bee bound, &c. But who ſhall iudge of the ſenſe of theſe places? How ſhall I know thoſe things are ſpoken of the Pope? From Eccleſiaſticall Tradition, from the conſent of our Elders, from the Suffrage of all Antiquitie, from the Text it ſelfe, if there bee brought no peruerſe or preiudicate opinion againſt it: to conclude, whether thou wilt or no (thou ſhalt beleeue it) from the Popes owne Sentence and determination. To this Church then lyeth an appeale from Scriptures, from Councels, from the Eſſentiall Church; and for that cauſe Cardinall Bellarmine proclaimes it as the Popes Champion,Bellar. de Concil. author lib. 2. cap. 17. Nos defendimus, Wee maintaine that the Pope is ſimply and abſolutely aboue the vniuerſall Church, and aboue Generall Councells: and as great men ſometimes louelove to bee ſoothed vp in their greatneſſe, and are led with opinion of their Paraſites, to beleeue that for a trueth, which is but a ſuggeſtion of falſehood: ſo it came to paſſe touching the Popes power in theſe latter dayes; they did ſo much atatribute to his Authoritie, and Infallibilitie deriued from Peter, that Cardinall Zabarella rightly obſerued, and ingenuouſly confeſſed; They hauehave made the Popes beleeue, Perſuaſerunt Pontificibus quod omnia poſſunt, & ſic qd facerent quicquid liberet etiam illicitet, & ſint pluſquā Deus. Zabarella.that they might doe all things whatſoeuer they liſted, yea notwithſtanding they were things vnlawfull: and thus, (ſaith he) they hauehave made him more then God. Biſhop Begnius in the laſt Councell of Lateran, ſpeaking to Pope Leo, cryes out in admiration of his Holineſſe. Ecce venit Leo: Behold, heere commeth a Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda, the Root of Dauid, Te Leo beatiſsime ſaluatorē expectauimus, apprehende ſcutum &c Concil. Later 5. Seſſ. 6. in orat. Begn. ad Leon. 10.behold hee hath raiſed vp a Sauiour, which ſhall deliuer the people of God from the hand of the deſtroyer. Thou art hee, O most bleſſed Leo, whom we hauehave expected as a Sauiour, take vp thy ſword and buckler, and ariſe in our defence. And thus by degrees, firſt Vox populi, the common people, by admiring his greatneſſe, then Biſhops & Cardinals by their flattering ſuggeſtions, hauehave at laſt aſcribed infallibilitie of Iudgement to his Authoritie, (which I am verily perſwaded neuer Pope did beleeue in himſelfe) and hereby they hauehave aduanced him aboue Fathers, aboue Coūcels, aboue the Church; and now at laſt made him the whole Church, in ſo much that ſome of his own ſide are not aſhamed to profeſſe,Beard. Mot. 6. vide in Iewel. p. 49. that the Pope may diſpenſe againſt the Apostles, yea, against the new Teſtament vponupon good cauſe, and alſo against all the precepts of the Old. Sylueſter Prierias, Maſter of the Popes palace goeth further, hee giues vsus to vnderſtand, that the authoritie of the Roman Church, Quicū que nō innititur doctrinae Romanae eccleſiae, ac Romani Pontificis, tanquā Regulae Dei infallibili, à quâ etiam ſacra Scriptura robur trahit et authoritatem, hereticꝰ eſt. Sylu. Prier. contra Luther.and of the Biſhop of Rome, is greater (then the authoritie of Gods Word) and therupon he concludes, Whoſoeuer leaneth not to the doctrine of the Roman Church, and of the Biſhop of Rome, as vntounto the infallible Rule of God, of which Doctrine the holy Scripture taketh force and authoritie, he is an heretike. And for a further confirmation of this beliefe, Gretzerus the Ieſuite makes this concluſion:Id ſolum pro verbo Dei veneramur ac ſuſcipimus, qd nobis Pontifex ex Cathedra Petri, &c. Def c. 1. l. 1. de Verbo Dei. p. 16. Wee doe receiue and reuerence that onelyonly for the Word of God, which the Pope as ſupreame Maſter of the Chriſtians, and Iudge of all controverſies, doth determine in the Chaire of Peter. Now if it happen that ſome Proſelyte of a tender conſcience, ſhould make ſome ſcruple, whether the Pope ought to be heard and obeyed, when hee is a murderer, a Sorcerer, and a wilfull ſubuerter of the truth, (as ſome Popes hauehave been) Hoſius their Doctour, wiſheth them not to trouble thēſelues with ſuch idle curioſities.Iudas ne ſit an Petrus, au Paulus Deus attē di non vult, ſed ſolū hoc qd ſedet in Cathedrâ Petri—de cuius ore legem requirere iuſsus eſt. Hoc ſolū ſpectari vult. Hoſ. in Confeſſ. Petricouien. ca. 29. God will neuer hauehave thee conſider (ſaith he) whether the Pope bee a Iudas, or a Peter, or a Paul; it is ſufficient onelyonly that he ſitteth in Peters chaire, that hee is an Apoſtle, that he is Chriſts Ambaſſadour, that he is the Angell of the Lord of Hoſtes, from whoſe mouth thou art commanded to require the Law. This thing onelyonly Christ would hauehave thee to conſider. Againe, admit a Councel, a whole congregation of men ſhould make a doubt whether the Pope may erre, and by reaſon of that ſcruple, would not readily obey him: Cardinall Bellarmine by way of preuention,Si autem Papa erraret, praecipiendo vitia vel prohibendo virtutes, teneretur Eccleſia credere vitia eſſe bona, et virtutes malas niſi vellet contra conſcientiā peccare Bell de Pont. li. 4. c. 5. giues them this leſſon: If the Pope ſhould ſo farre foorth erre, as to command vices, and forbid vertues, the Church were bound to beleeue that vices are good, and vertues are euill, vnleſſe ſhee will ſinne againſt her owne conſcience. Heere is an implicite faith commanded; let the Popes doctrine bee true or falſe, if the Romaniſts will reſigne vp their ſenſes and vnderſtanding to this Vertuall Church, (which is the Pope) they ſhall hauehave a Prieſt & Cardinall for their Tutors; but by their leaue, they may make ſhipwracke of their faith, by being their Diſciples. I proceed from an implicite faith to a blin… obedience; and therein I will giuegive you a remarkeable example from another Schooleman, who aboue all things doeth honour and commend a blinde obedience to the Church (that is, to the Pope.) Gregorie de Valentia tells vsus of an Italian Merchant of Placentia, who reaſoned and reſolued with himſelfe in this manner: I hold it is better to profeſſe the Romane Religion, Laurent. diſceptatio Theolog. pag. 5.then the Lutheran; Firſt, becauſe I can briefly learne the Roman faith: for if I ſay what the Pope ſayes, and deny what the Pope denies; and if he ſpeake, and I hearken vntounto him, this alone is ſufficient for mee: but if I ſhould bee a Lutheran, I must learne a Catechiſme, I muſt ſearch the Scriptures, which in trueth I cannot intend, when I muſt look after the Ships of Italy, and my Merchandiſe beyond the Seas. You hauehave heard the reaſon why this Layman did diſlike the Proteſtants Religion, and what was the rule of his Roman faith, now heare what iudgement this learned Schooleman giues concerning this Merchant; Deū nihil habiturum: God (ſaieth he) will hauehave nothing to lay to the charge of this man at the dreadfull day of Iudgement. To ſay nothing of this preſumption, I pray God that Pagans & Infidels who knew not Chriſt, ariſe not vp in Iudgment againſt them that teach ſuch doctrine: for whereas all men by the Apoſtles rule, ſhould be ready to giuegive an account of their Faith, and muſt bee iudged by the Word of God; this man by not knowing the Scriptures nor the articles of his faith, but onelyonly for intending his Merchandiſe, with a blinde obedience, and an implicite faith, ſhal be free both from guilt and puniſhment: and no doubt, from this general beliefe, of the Popes authoritie, and infallibilitie, the ſaying of Gregorie the 13. is verified:D. 40 Si Papa in Annot. Men doe with ſuch reuerence reſpest the Apoſtolicall See of Rome, that they rather deſire to know the ancient Inſtitution of Chriſtian Religion from the Popes owne mouth, then from the holy Scriptures; and they onelyonly inquire what is his pleaſure, and accordingly they order their life and converſation.
He therefore that will appeale to the Biſhop of Rome, to Rome let him goe; but woe to the Recuſants of England, & other countreys remote from Rome, which cannot heare the Church, being ſo farre diſtant from him: nay, woe to them at Rome, that liue in his Sea; for how can they heare him if hee neuer preacheth? But withall, moſt miſerable is the condition of the hearer, notwithſtanding he ſhould preach: for his owne Cardinall aſſures vsus, that if his Holineſſe teach not the whole Church,Bell lib. 4. de Rom. Pont. lib. 4. cap. 14. hee is in as much poſsibilitie to erre, as Innocent the eight was when hee permitted the Norwegians to celebrate the Euchariſt without wine. Thus from the multitude of beleeuers, which is the Eſſentiall Church, we are ſent to the Councell, from the Councell, which is the Repreſentatiue Church, wee are ſent to the Pope, which is the Virtuall, and now at length being arriued at the Pope Conſiſtory, his Cardinal giues vsus to vnderſtand, that a man may returne happily as wiſe as he went, but withall intimate… … vsus, that there are no… oracles, …o infallible doctrine to bee learned from his mouth, vnleſſe hee will firſt declare by publike decree, that hee intends to preach to the Vniuerſall Church, Beſides, how the Vicar of Chriſt ſhould bee the Spouſe of Chriſt, how a particular member of the Church ſhould become a Vniuerſall Head of the Church: how Papa, the Pope, anciently a Father, ſhould become the Church, which is alwayes a Mother, it is a myſterie vnſearchable, & paſt finding out: for ſure I am, if the Pope be the Church, let them pretend whomſoeuer they will for their Father, they can hauehave no Church except Pope Ioane for their Mother.
It remaineth then, that in the next place wee examine the certaintie of that faith, which muſt be learned from the Pope: for if the Pope hauehave not Infallibilitie of Iudgement, then is hee not that rule of faith, then is he not that Church, which is the pillar and ground of truth; and conſequently miſerable is the condition of thoſe poore Chriſtians, that relie vponupon his opinion, as vponupon the infallible Doctrine of the Church; and firſt I will proceed to the Popes Succeſſion in doctrine and perſon, & compare the doctrine of the ancient Biſhops of Rome with the Popes of theſe later times, that thereby wee may diſcerne, whether the Popes Infallibilitie bee priuiledged by his Chaire, or whether the ancient Roman faith bee ſucceſſiuely deriued from the ancient Biſhops of Rome, to the Popes of theſe latter ages.