An Antidote Against Popery, Treatise · Chapter 2
CHAPTER II. OF THE CHVRCH.
SECT. I. Of the perpetuall visibili… of the true CHVRCH: OR, to take away all ambigu… tie in wordes; Of the constant apparency a… conspicuousnesse thereof.
The state of the Question.
THE Question is not of t… perpetuitie and continuance… the visible Church, simplie and a… solutelie considered in the nature… it, as it is the visible Church; but the continuance of it, considered the perfection of the health therof, as beeing fullie orthodox in pr… fessing the Trueth in all poyntes of Doctrine. For we acknowledge the …ontinuance of the Church in the …irst sense, and the perpetuitie of the …isibilitie thereof: which is all that …he Argumentes adduced by the …oman…stes doe proue. But we flat…e denye the perpetuall continuance …hereof in the other sense: to wit, that the visible Church doeth ever …ublicklie before the worlde pro…esse the Trueth in all poyntes: and, …hat there is ever a societie of men …rofessing so, lyke a Kingdome, or …epublicke, conspicuous to the eyes …f all men. Which thing our Adver…ries are never able to proue. But, …n the contrarie, wee hauehave moste …rong and evident warrands in the Word, That the health and puri…e of the Church, is subject to al…eration, as the estate of the Iewish Church was of olde, and is cleare …ay these places following.
1. Authoritie of Scripture.
…. KING. 19.10. And Eliah sayde, I hauehave beene verie duplicate page duplicate page zealous for the LORD of hoste for the children of Israell ha… forsaken thy Covenant, throw… downe thyne Altars, and slay… thy Prophets; and I onelie a… left; and they seeke my lyfe.
I aske, then, Where was a vi… ble companie of true worshipp… in publicke at this tyme in Israe… And that the lyke estate of true P… fessoures was at one tyme both Israell and Iudah, is evident out 2. CHRON. 15.8. and 1. KING.… 9. The whole Kingdome of Iu… beeing idolatrous in Abijam's lat… raygne. And, at the same ty… whole Israell beeing idolatrous… der Ieroboam.
Agayne, 2. CHRON. 28.24. i… recorded, howe at once both Iu… was alltogether idolatrous vn… King Ahaz, and the LORD'S t… worship vtterlie abrogated; and the same tyme Israell was so vn… their kings,2. Kings 17.16 18. Pekah and Hoshea.
Of which tyme, it is sayde, T… Israell having all …ogether made… fection to idolatrie, there was none …eft but the Tribe of Iudah onelie, …nd Iudah also kept not the Com…andementes of the LORD their …OD, but walked also in the sta…utes of Israell which they made:Ezek. 23.13 & 16 50. also Ierm. 3.6. …nd so the LORD rejected all the …eede of Israell, complayning on …hem by His Prophet Ezekiell, That …hose two sisters, in their spirituall …horedomes, had both taken one …waye.
Note then: When both this peo…le (which onelie were then coun…ed GOD'S Church) made defe…tion with their kinges in common, …o the publicke practise of idolatrie …nelie, and abrogated the true wor…hip of the true GOD vtterlie, where was then the face of a visible Church of true Professours, having a publicke worship? Or were …hey not a fewe onelie, professing in secret, and lurking vnderunder persecution? Of whom…, therefore,Zephan. 3.12. the LORD speaketh to ELIAS, I hauehave left mee 7000 in Israell, who hauehave not bowed their knees to Baa…l: and saying to Hierusalem; I will lea…e in the duplicate page duplicate page midst of thee an afflicted and poore… ple, Ier. 5.1.that shall trust in the Name o… LORD.
Whence I inferre, What b… to the Church of GOD in this… at one tyme, may befall to the s… at another. But this befell to… Church of GOD at one tyme,… the true Prefessoures therein w… not conspicuouslie knowne,… lurked Therefore this may befa… another.
MATTH. 26.31. Then say JESƲS vntounto them, All yee s… bee offended because of mee… night: For it is written, I… smyte the Sheepheard, and… Sheepe of the flocke shall bee s… tered abroad.
This dispersion, or scatte… abroad, Lyra and Arboreus de… reth to bee the D…sciples flee from their Master, thorowe gr… nesse of feare; which made s… also, (as Peter) to denye Him.… aske, then: When this was fulfill… where was the visible true Chur… or multitude, professing CHRI… IESVS? seeing that sundrie Ro… …stes of great Note,Durand. rational. l. 6. rubric 7 quia de jejuniis as Durand, A…xander Halensis, and Turrecrema…, with others, affirme, That at …e tyme of CHRIST'S Passion, …e Profession or Faith of CHRIST …mayned onlie in the Virgine MA…IE; and in her person onelie did …e Church (as it were) at that …me consist.
REVEL. 12.14.Alex. Alenin 3 sent. in expositione symboli. Turre serem. summa de Eccclesia l. 3 c. 61. Ambrosius in apoc. Greg. 34. moral. c. 7. Ribera in Revel. 12.6. And to the Woman were given two winges of … great Eagle, that shee might flie …nto the Wildernesse, vntounto her …lace; where shee is nowrished for … tyme, and tymes, and halfe a …yme, from the face of the Serpent.
This Woman, the Rhemistes and Romanistes (as Lyra, Carthusian, and others, beside the Ancien…es) expound to bee the true CHVRCH of CHRIST; forced to flee, and …u…ke, from the tyrannie and persecution of Antichrist: where shee may eyther not bee inquired after, (sayeth the Iesuit Ribera) or else not found out, and yet, where she shall bee fedde with the Word GOD by her holie Bishops,… Preachers of the Trueth, (sa… hee) who shall …ee w…th her,… lurke also in secret, in which ty… of persecution,Pererius in Dan. l 15. in verbo veniet temp{us} p. 714 So Acosta. de tēpore Nov…ss l. 2. c. 15 Rh… m…st. on 2. Thess. 2. (sayeth the Ie… also Pererius) the Chu…ches wor… shall bee onelie private, and… in secret. And the externall sta… the Romane Church, (say the … mistes) and publicke intercour… the Faythfull, with the same,… ceasse, and their communion… onelie in heart with it, and the p… ctise thereof in secret, as it i… places where open intercours… forbidden.
By al whose speaches we may… such an invisibilitie of the Chu… granted by the Romanistes, as… doe affirme: and tho they say, t… their Church is never thus to… obscured, but in the raygne of A… christ; yet thereby they grant,… much as wee affirme; to wit, T… the Church sometymes maye… hid, and invisible: and then… applye, That all that tyme of… true Churches invisibilitie hee… tofore, was the tyme of Antichrist's …ne; who is alreadie com…▪Aug. de vnit. Eccl. c. 20. Aug. Epist. 80 ad Hesychrum also in Psal. 10. de baptismo contra Donat. l. 6. c. 4. Amb. l. 4. Hexā. c. 8. et 2. Athā. ad solit. vitam agentes. and … as they dream… with the Iewes …erning their Messias) as yet on…o come.
2. Witnessing of Antiquitie.
…Ometymes the Church is not …apparent, (sayeth Augustine) …en wicked Persecuters aboue …asure rage agaynst her. And com…ing her to Corne vnderunder the ground, … sayeth; Sometymes shee suffe…h stormes for a season; so that in …me places she is nowayes known, …t lurketh: but yet shee is infal…lie knowne to GOD, and shall …owe even to the Harvest. Yea, …metymes, (sayeth hee) lyke the …oone, shee may bee so hid and …scured, that the members there… shall not know one another.
In lyke manner: The Church, sayth Ambrose) looking foorth lyke …he Moone, hath often tymes her …ayninges, or eclipses. And shee …ath her owne tymes, (to wit, of …ersecution and peace.) For as the Moone, shee seemeth indeed so… tymes, not to bee at all; and yet hath not perished: for she may… bee eclipsed, or over-shado… but shee can not perish.
Athā. ad solet. vitam agentes.Which made holie Athanasia… complayne, saying; What Chu… now freelie doeth worship? see… if it bee Godlie, it is exposed dangers: and if in anie place th… bee the Go…lie and zealous serva… of CHRIST, lyke that great P… phet Elias, they are h…d in den… and caues of the earth, &c.
3. Confession of partie.
THE Church sometymes is… tossed,Greg. Val. an al. fid. l. 6 c 4. et comment. Theol. tom 3 p. 145 (sayeth Gregorie of V… lence) with the waue, of Errour… Schismes, and Persecutions, that… such as are vnskillfull, and doe n… discreetlie anough weygh the c… cumstances of tymes, & matters, s… shall bee verie hard to bee know… Which then specially fell out, wh… tyme the falsehood of the Arri… bare rule almost over all the wor… Therefore wee denye not, but th… it will bee harder to discerne the …urch at some tymes, than at …er some. Yet this wee avowe, …at it allwayes might bee discer…, by such as coulde wyselie …eme of thinges.
The Iesuit also Viegas, Virga in Revel. 12. Sect. 15.wryting on …xij of the Revelation, sayeth, That …the Woman flying to the Wil…nesse, is signified, That so great …ll bee the Persecution of Anti…st, agaynst the Christian Church, …t shee shall, for fleeing of esche…ng the same, depart into solitarie …ces; that so shee may lurke, and …de her selfe, the whole tyme of … raygne of Antichrist. And the …emistes themselues tell vsus, Rhem annot in 2 Thess. 2.3.That du…g that tyme, the externall state of …e Romane Church it selfe, and …e publicke intercourse of the …ythfull with it, is lyke (say they) …ceasse; and the communion of …hristians with the same, shall on… bee in heart, and their worship … private.
SECT. II. Of the Churches infalli… litie; and howe it endet… last in the Pope's infallib… tie; who pretendeth, tha… is head thereof.
The state of the Question
WHat is truelie to bee held… the Churches infallibiliti… generall,Turr. summa de Ecclesia l. 2 c. 91. their owne Cardinall … recremata, as one for all, declar… saying, What wee say, to wit,… the Church in Fayth and Manners,… not erre, is so to bee taken, that G… doeth so assist her, even to the cons… mation of the World, that there… ever some, albeit not all, who hauehave… fayth which worketh by charitie. … ordinarilie, the Romanists, w… they speake of the infallibilitie… the Church in foundamentall… ctrines, by [the Church] they… derstand not the vniversall Chu… of CHRIST, but the Romane or … sterne part thereof: which their o… Bis…op of Bit…nto in a publicke Ora…at the Councell of Trent, ac…wledged to bee but a Daughter …e Easterne and Greeke Church: …so but a part of the Catholicke, … which to call Vniversall and Ro…e, implyeth a contradiction.
…xt, they distinguish this their Ro…e Church, to which they ascrybe …llibilitie onlie, into the essentiall …rch,Bell. l. 4. de pont. 2. et 3 Suarez tract. de fide disp. 5 sect. 6. parag. 10. Valen. tom 3 in 2…. 2 a. disp. 1 q. 1. punct. 7. which is the whole num… of Believers; the representatiue, …ch is the Bishops and others …eaned into a generall Coun… and the virtuall, which is the …e himselfe.
…nd this infallibilitie which they …ne at first so much to attribute to … Church, they neither grāt to the …ntiall nor representiue Church, … to the Pope onelie: therefore …armine telleth vsus, (and with … Suarez, Valentia and others) …t this infallibilitie is not in a …ncell, (sayeth hee) but onlie …he Pope. So that albeit they …ake of the Church, as tho it …re of the whole Catholicke …urch of CHRIST, yet from the Catholicke in common,See also Cusanus conc. l 2. c. 3. they c… to the Romane Church in par… lar, and from the Romane Ch… to the B…shop of Rome onelie that in ende, the whole contra… sie endeth in the prerogatiu… one man onelie.
And this infallibilitie they n… to bee in his person onlie, as… cessour to Peter, altho they can… ther proue this by Scripture,Bell. l. 4. de pont. c. 12. § at vero, & § observandum est 30. … anie institution of CHRIST, (as … larmine granteth) to w t, that… the Bishop of Rome was or is P… successour in Rome at all, let… that hee succeedeth in particula… his infallibilitie, which was o… proper and personall to Peter h… selfe as an Apostle and Pen-ma… holie Scripture, and to all ot… onelie, that were Apostles… him. They stryving so much… this infallibilitie of the Bishop… Rome, for this ende, that hee… bee acknowledged the onelie… supreame Iudge in contravers… and so, that they may secure the… selues in their bad cause agay… all opponents, hee beeing b… judge and partie,Bell. l. 4. de pont. c 1. Itē. c. 3. et 5. fo… so sayeth Bel…mine. If wee can demonstrate …ayeth hee) that h… judgem nt of …e Pope is cert…yne and infallible, …en it will also bee seene, that the …ope is lyk…wyse the supreame …dge of the Chu…ch: as if it might …ee sayde of the Pope, that which …e Father from Heaven spak… of …is Sonne onelie, hunc audite, …eare him.
Now, because Bellarmine, to proue …he Popes infallibilitie, taketh his …rgument from the infallibilitie of …h… high Priest amongst the Iewes, … which wee hauehave answered in the …wne place heereafter) …herefore …giving, and not granting, that the Pope were the Christian high Priest (which hee is not) and had the …yke prerogatiue as the Iewi… had, yet wee will show by the ensewing argument tak…n from the Iewish high Priest, that the …ope who pretends to bee Christian h gh Priest, hath no infallibilitie at all.
1. Authoritie of Scriptur…
EXOD. 32.5. And wh… Aaron saw the Calfe, hee… an Alter before it, and A… made proclamation, and sayde … morrow is a Feast to the L…
VponUpon which Text (sayeth… dinall Cajetan) Aaron not be… wi ling to lose the high Pr… hood, hee buildeth an Altar b… the C…lfe, not tarrying till… were desired so to doe, but pr… lie how soone hee saw the C… hee first of all built an Altar to… fer vp sacrific… vntounto it, and ca… proclayme, saying, To morrow… Feast to the LORD, which Blasp… mie, of Aarons can not admit… excuse, but rath…r accusation, set… hee was more mad than anie,… respect that he attributed that in… fable and incommunicable Nam… IEHOVAH, vntounto an Idole, no… inst…gating him thereto: and wh… was worst of all, doing this (say… hee) by publicke proclamati… Wherevpon most justlie thereafter …se… accused him, saying, What …h this people done to thee, that thou …ldest hauehave brought vponupon them this …at sinne? Whence it app…areth …yeth Cajetan) that Moses knew …ll anough t… Aaron was the ve… cause o… suc… dolatrie, as this …s.
Where wee s e, tha… al…ho Aaron …as the fi…st legal high Pri…st, hee …as so farre from having infall…bi…ie, that hee was guiltie of Idola…e, and Blasphemie himselfe, and …as the verie cause of the Idolatrie …mmitted by others, by bringing …t great sinne vpō the people cō…itted to his charge. And therfore …om no infalli…litie of the Iewish …gh Priest, can Romanists a…gue (as …ey doe) to the infallibilitie of the …ope, as the Christian high Priest.
2. KINGS 16.11. And Urijah the Priest built an Altar, …ccording to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uri…ah the Priest made it, agaynst King Ahaz came from Damas…us, &c.
VponUpon which place Lyra saye… this high Priest, notwithstandi… his l…call in personal successio… that office, hee was jam cor… tus Idololatria, and having …e… ved the Lords Altar out of its p… hee erected another for Idola… & as it is said verse 16, did all w… soever that wicked and idolat… King Ahaz had commanded hi…
MATTH. 26.65. Then… high Priest rent his cloathes,… ing, Hee hath spoken blasphem…
Remarke then heere, tha… high P…iest sitting in Cathe… pronounceth judiciallie, tha… w… CHRIST most truelie had sp ke… HIS D…ie, to bee playne blas… mie, & so most grosselie erred i… maine doctrin of Ve…ity: Whe… … (sayeth Arboreus a Parisian Doct… that having heard CHRIST'S… swere, th… high Priest turn d n… and his furious madnesse made… to rent his clo…thes, and to say,… CHRIST had blasphemed,… partlie by Scriptures, and p… by Miracles done by His o… power, did proue Himselfe to bee … Sonne of GOD.
Whence it followeth, (as hath …ene sayd) that seeing the Iewish …gh-Priestes so grosslie erred, …th in deede and doctrine, or …t and fayth, (as wee say) there…e from the Infallibilitie of the …ish High-Priest, ex pacto, (as …y alleadge, MALACH. 2.7.) no …lid argument can be brought to …one the Pope's infallibilitie, as …e Christian High-Priest, ex aquo, … they pretend.
And as for their distinction, that …e may erre personallie, but … judiciallie, the same hath no …iditie: For suppose that some …ynt of Fayth, wherein the Pope …sonallie erreth, were by him at …e Churches intreatie, to bee de…mined judiciallie, I aske, whe…er his definitiue sentence would …e according to his owne private …dgement, or according to the …ueth? If the first, then hee …oulde erre judiciallie. If the …st, I aske, by what meanes is hee …rought to pronounce that judiciallie to bee trueth, which p… so…lli… … thin…h to be erro… If … they do th… … th… insti… of th… … then this we… to make he … to be t… author of a li…: so m…iri, is c… tra mentem ire; which …s a mo… impious absurditie. And if it b… replyed, Th…t when …t comme… to such a pinch. GOD then wo… derfullie, and suddenlie, illumin… teth the Pope's vnderstandin… that hee seeth his errour, a… changeth his mynde, and so pr… nounceth that which is trueth… deede; it will followe, That t… Pope beeing an Hereticke,See Bell. l. 2. de Pont. c. 30. § 3…. oug… not to be deposed by the Churc… as is evident by the judgeme… and practise of the eyght Cou… cell, that the same ought to b… done: as also by the Decrees… their Canon Lawe. For it is co… trarie to charitie and lenitie,… depose him for Heresie, who… so easie a way may bee reclaym… to the trueth.Distinct. 40. Si Papa. Neyther was it… good course, to confute Heresie… … convocating such Generall …ouncels, to the great paynes, …re travels, and great expenses, … so manie Bishops, when the …e sentence of decision might …ue beene had easier from the in…libilitie of one sitting in his …ayre.In tom 2. concil. in concilio 6. vnivers. act. 12 & 13. Synod Nican. 2. act. 3 & ult. Psellus de 7. Synod. Beda de 6. aetatibus. Anast. in pontif. in vita Leonis 2. Lyra in Matth. 16.
2. Witnessing of Antiquitie.
THE Sixt Generall Councell, hol… den at Constantinople, AN… 685, consisting of 289 Bishops, …demned Pope Honorius, according …his publicke person, for an Here…ke. As also the seaventh Generall …uncell, holden at Nice, ANNO …, accursed him as a Monothelite; … may bee seene in the Actes of those …uncels at large, and is witnessed by …sellus, Beda, and Anastasius.
3. Confession of partie.
FIrst in the generall: It is evident, … (sayeth Lyra) that the Chur…hes stabilitie consisteth not in …en, eyther in regard of their Ecclesiasticall or secular power an… … seeing mani… Princes an… …, as well as other infe… … found to hau… … from the Fayt… …: For it is … … fest,L… co… here… c. 4. Edit. Paris. 1534. Plat. in vita Liberii Tur. l. 2. de Eccl. c. 103. Cus. conc. l. 2. c. 5. … Castro … Pope Liber… … of one mynde w… … Platina) and so ma… … by them, (sayeth …rre…re… … and over-come whole with… Arrian H…si…, as Ierome testifiet… (sayeth Cusanus.) In lyke mann… that Anastasius the second wa… Nostorian, Alfonsus in the f…re-c… place witnesseth; as also Platina… his lyfe; who therefore was p… gued by GOD, by a sudden g… shing out of his bowels on… stoole. In lyke manner, as Maldon… the Iesuit, Mald. in Ioh. 6.53. & …spenc. l. 2. de ador. Euch. c. 11.and manie others testifi… Innocent the first held, that th…. E… charist was necessarie to Infant… vntounto their salvation, as well… Baptisme. Which errour infec… the whole Romane Church vn… him. For this errour (sayeth M… donate) bare sway in the Chu… …or the space of 600 years. Of the …ore-named Honorius also who was a …onothelite, Can. loc. Theol. l. 6. c. 8.sayeth their owne Ca…us: Howsoever other Popes …ight bee excused from Heresie, …et I see not how Honorius (sayeth …ne) can bee fred from this guilt, whom Psellus, Tharasius, Epipha…ius, Beda, Adrian, and Agatho, …both Popes) and the seaventh generall Councell, hath branded …ith the note of Heresie. Celesti…us also erred,Alf. l. 1. cont. her. c. 4. edit. Paris. 1560. (sayeth Alfonsus) in …he matter of Matrimonie. Ney…her was this errour of Celestinus …uch as ought to bee imputed on…ie to negligence. So that wee can …ay, that hee erred onelie as a pri…ate person, and not as Pope, …sayeth hee) because this definition of Celestinus was to bee had in the …olde Decretals,C. Laudabilē, & titulo, De conversione fidelium. Edit. Paris. 1534. which I my selfe both saw and read, (sayeth Alfonsus fore-sayde.) And to say, that when the Pope erreth obstinatelie …in the Fayth, that then hee ceasseth to bee Pope, and so the Pope can not bee an Hereticke, It is, (sayeth hee) in a serious matt… but to jest, or mocke.
SECT. III. Of the Pope's Supremacie.
The state of the Question.
THE Question is not of t… Primacie of Order, whi… Peter had amongst the Apostles,… also the Bishop of Rome had… olde amongst the foure Patriarc… of the Christian Church, whi… wee oppose not; but onelie of S… premacie of Power and Iurisd… ction, which the Romanistes a… leadge Peter alone had overall t… rest of the Apostles, and who… Church of CHRIST: and cons… quentlie which (they say) the Bi… shop of Rome onlie, as Peter's Su… cessour, hath, and justlie doet… clayme to hauehave, over the othe… Apostles Successoures, and who… Church in lyke manner, as sol… Monarch,Bellar. l. 2. de Pont. c. 31. Vniversall Bishop, Head… Husband, and Foundation of th… Church, (as Bellarmine callet… him) from whom all Ecclesiasticall power to others is onlie deryved, and to whom to bee subject, is to everie Christian of the necessitie of Salvation.
First then, wee denye that ever Peter had anie such Supremacie. And tho it were,Bell. l. 2. de Pont. c. 12. §. At vero, &c. Bellarmine granteth, that by no Scripture it can bee proven, that the Bishop of Rome is the Successour of Peter in particular at all: let be then in this pretended Prerogatiue.
Our Argumentes are these following.
1. Authoritie of Scripture.
ACTS 8.14. Now when the Apostles that were at Hierusalem heard that Samaria had receaved the Word of GOD, they sent vntounto them Peter and John.
Whence wee inferre onlie, That they who sent him, were equall with him; and, that hee had no supreame dominion over them. For albeeit that Mission import… not ever a subjection, or impar… of him who is sent, and of his s… der, (as in the sending of… Sonne, and holie Ghost) yet it… cludeth ever a domination,… majoritie in him who is sent, o… them who sende him. Theref… Peter heere pleadeth no exem… tion from going, in regard of… supremacie over the rest, as… Pope would doe in the lyke ca… and count it too bolde saucines… if anie presumed to sende him… lyke manner, to confirme nev… converts in anie forraygne Con… trey.
GALAT. 2.11. But wh… Peter was come to Antioch,… with-stood him to the face, (or… the face, as the Rhemists translat… because hee was to bee blamed.
VponUpon which wordes, sayeth th… ordinarie Glosse, and Lombard, M… ster of Sentences, hee resisted hi… as his equall; which hee would n… ver hauehave beene bolde to doe, e… cept that hee had knowne, that h… was no wayes inferiour, to wit,Cypr. lib. de nait. Eccles. in …risdiction, or power, as Cyprian …itnesseth, altho in primacie of …lace, as Junior, or the last called …postle. The lyke to doe to the …ope, no mortall man may doe, …y their Canon Lawe, altho hee …ade innumerable people to Hell …ith himselfe;Dist. … c. Si Pap… because he it judge …f all men, but to bee judged of …one, (sayeth the Canon Law.)
2. COR. 11.5. For I sup…ose, I was not a whit behinde the …erie chiefest Apostles. (Or, in …othing inferiour, as S. Ierome showeth.) Which the Rhemists trans…ate fraudulentlie, I hauehave done no…hing lesse.
VponUpon which wordes, S. Chryso…tome telleth vsus, that it was in par…icular with Peter, that hee made …his comparison, denying anie …nferioritie to him, in power …nd calling. Therefore, S. IEROME on GALAT 2. bringeth in S. Paull, comparing himselfe in this sorte with S. Peter; I …am nothing inferieur to him; for wee are established in the Ministerie… one, and the same GOD, (say… hee.) Which the Iesuit Iusti… also, in his Paraphrase, maket… bee the selfe same meaning.
So that first, then, if moe t… one were chiefe, then one was… the sole and onelie chiefest ab… all the rest. And next: If P… was in nothing inferiour to Pe… then Peter had no supremacie… power aboue Paull, nor ani… the rest.
EPHES. 5.23. For the h… band is the head of the wyfe, e… as CHRIST is the head of… Church: and He is the Savio… of the bodie.
Note, then, that as an husba… will bee onelie Head, and ha… no Substitute in his place, to b… with his wyfe vnderunder him; no mo… will CHRIST (who is a jealo… GOD) hauehave anie other Head… Husband over His Church,Aug. de agone Christiano, q. 20. vn… Himselfe, but Himselfe. Whe… fore also, (sayeth Augustine) if th… man bee the head of the Churc… …y whose taking of flesh vponupon …m. Hee was made the Word, …nd did dwell amongst vsus; then it …olloweth. That all the rest of the …aynctes, (none excepted) are but …nelie Members, by whome the Church is perfected, and accom…lished. Which thing moved Gre…orie to call that Title,Greg. l. 4. ep. 36. ad Eulog…u… [The head …f the Church] a moste bolde and …mbitious Title for anie Church…an to assume; saying vntounto Eulo…ius Bishop of Alexandria, concer…ing Iohn Patriarch of Constanti…ople, who would hauehave vsurped …he same: By the pryde of this am…itious Title, (sayeth hee) hee is …olde, to subject vntounto himselfe, all …he members, who coheare to one …nlie Head, to wit, CHRIST Himselfe.
EPHES. 1.22. And gaue him …o be Head over all thinges to the Church, which is his bodie.
And agayne, EPHES. 4.4.5. There is one bodie, — and one Lord, &c.
Remarke, then, that the Scr… ture borroweth this sim… from an humane bodie; therefo… in explication thereof, wee m… adheare therevnto. First, therfo… it will followe, That if anie oth… beside CHRIST may bee call… the head of the Church, the… should hauehave two heads at on… and so should bee a bodie mo… monstrous. Next: If anie m… bee called the head of this bod… then the Church may bee cal… the bodie of such an head; whi… were moste absurd, and blasph… mous. Last, in respect similitu… carry reciprocation, then it wo… follow, if the Church in this, b… lyke an humane bodie, then an h… mane bodie in this, may bee ly… the Church; and so should ad… two heads, one principall and pe… petuall, and another subalter… and temporarie; which were mo… absurd: as one kingdome to a… mit two kinges, and one ho… two masters; where as t… verie prime Apostles were one… Stewardes in CHRIST'S House;1. Cor. 4.1. … so they call themselues.
1. COR. 1.12. Everie one of …u sayeth, I am of Paull, and I … Apollo, and I of Cephas, and of CHRIST. Is CHRIST …yded? was Paull crucified for …u? or were yee baptized in …e name of Paull?
VponUpon which wordes sayeth …ope Gregorie to Iohn Patriarch of …ierusalem, Greg. ep. 18. ad …ohan. Constant.who would bee called …ead of the Church: Surelie the …postle Paull, when hee heard that …me sayde, I am Paull's, and I …pollo's, and I of Cephas, most ve…ementlie abhorring this renting …f our LORD'S Bodie, by which His Members did, in a manner, …ouple themselues to other heads, …ryed out, saying, Was Paull cru…fied for you? or were yee bap…ized in Paull's name? If there…ore hee eschewed, that the mem…ers of the LORD'S Bodie … sayeth hee) should particularlie …ee subjected vntounto certayne other …eads beside CHRIST, altho they were Apostles, what wilt thou… able to answere at the strayt try… of the last judgement, to CHRI… the Head of His Vniversal Chur… who preassest, by the Title of V… versall Bishop, to subject all th… His Members vntounto thee?
Note, then, that this Supre… cie was long agoe opposed by… primatiue Bishops of Rome, a… even by this Text: and neyt… Cephas, nor anie Apostle, claym… anie such thing, as to bee head… the Church: which none can b… but Hee that was crucified for H… Church; and so is the Saviour His Bodie:Ephes. 5.23. and in whose NAM… the Members thereof are bap… zed.
IOH. 3.29. Hee that ha… the Bryde, is the Brydegroom… and therefore I hauehave espous… you to one husband, that I m… present you as a chaste Virgine… CHRIST, sayeth the Apost… 2. COR. 11.2.
Note, then, that hee can n… bee called the Churches Bryd… groome, or husband, but hee that …weth Her, and hath right to Her …y His Blood; which is CHRIST …nlie. And therefore, beeing a …haste Virgine to one, shee hath …ot moe husbandes. Wherefore, …sayeth BERNARD to POPE …VGENIVS) call not His beloved …pouse, thyne, but His:Bern. epist. 237. thou chal… anging nothing as proper to thee …ver Her.Ferus in Ioh. 3.29. Therefore also sayeth …heir owne Ferus, of the Baptist: …therwyse, how ingrate shold Iohn …aue bene to such a Benefactour, …s to vsurpe Her as his, who was …spoused to another? Even the …oules of the Faythfull.
2. Witnessing of Antiquitie.
THE rest of the Apostles,Cyp. l. de unit. Eccles. were the selfe same that Peter was; …endewed (sayeth Cyprian) with …lyke fellowship,Greg. l. 4. ep. 36. See also concil. Carthag. 3. c. 16 both of Honour …nd Power. And it is Satanicall …ryde, (sayeth Gregorie) by an ar…ogant Title of HEAD, so to sub…ect all CHRIST'S Members to …ne man; which coheareth to one onelie H…,And Greg. in Iob. 38. c. 9 CHRIST I…SVS onelie
3. Confess…ion of partie.
Cusanus d… concordant. cathol. c. 13. l. 1. Cajet. comment. p. 278. cited by Catharius in indice errorum Cajet. Rhen. cited by Alf. de Castro, verbo, Papa.WEE knowe (sayeth Car… nall Cusan) that PET… receaved no more power fr… CHRIST, than he o… APOSTLES; and CHRIS… woulde not hauehave the rest of t… APOSTLES subject to PET… but to bee all alyke BRETHRE… (sayeth Cardinall Cajetane.) N… ther was the Bishop of Rome … poynted by GOD to bee abo… other Bishops. And this was T… tullian's opinion, (sayeth Bea… Rhenanus.)