III. schismati that it higher is this-Whatsoever doth leave "its proper place in the DISCOURSE body, either natural, or political, or ecclesiastical," to "usurp the Court the office of the Head," or to usurp a higher place in the of Rome body than belongs unto it, is the cause of "disorder, dis- causally turbance, confusion, and schism, among the members." cal; viz. My assumption is this-But the virtual Church of Rome, usurps a 239 that is, the Pope with his Court, being but a co-ordinate place in member of the Catholic Church, doth seek to " the body usurp the ecclesiasoffice of the Head;" being but a "branch," doth challenge tical than is its due. ] to himself the place of "the root;" being but a stone in the building, will needless be "an absolute foundation, for all persons, places, and times;" being but an eminent servant in the family, takes upon him to be the Master h. Church of Chris To the proposition he taketh no exception: and to the The assumption he confesseth, that the Church of Rome, in of Rome no right of the Pope, doth seek to be "Mistress of all other foundation Churches," and an "external subordinate foundation of all tians. Christians in all times and places i," which is no more than is contained in the new Creed of Pius the Fourth—“ I acknowledge the Roman Church to be the Mother and Mistress of all Churches; and I promise and swear true obedience to the Bishop of Rome as to the Vicar of Jesus Christ *." But all this he justifieth to be due to the Pope, and included in the supremacy of his pastoral office. But he saith, that it "is not the doctrine of the Universal Roman Church, that the Pope is the root of all spiritual jurisdiction." Though it be not the doctrine of the whole Roman Church, yet it is the doctrine of their principal writers at this day. It is that which the Popes and their courtiers do challenge; and we have seldom seen them fail, first or last, to get that settled which they desired. The Pope hath more benefices to bestow than a Council. If the Church of Rome be the "foundation of all Christians," then Linus and Cletus and Clemens were the foundations of St. John, who was one of the "twelve foundations" laid immediately by Christ. Rev.xxi.14. How can the Church of Rome be the "foundation of all Christians," when they do not agree among themselves, [Just Vindic., c. viii. vol. i. p. 247.] Bull. Pii IV. [in Act. Concil. Tri dent., ap. Labb., Concil., tom. xiv. p. 1 [Surv., c. viii. sect. 2, not paged.] 1. PART that the Chair of St. Peter is annexed to the see of Rome by Divine right m? How can the Church of Rome be the "foundation of all Christians at all times," when there was a time that there were Christians and no Bishop or Church at Rome? when it happens many times, as in this present vacancy", that there is no Bishop at Rome? St. Peter was Bishop of Antioch before he was Bishop of Rome; then there was a time when Antioch was the "mistress" and "foundation" of all other Churches, and not Rome. St. Peter might have continued Bishop of Antioch until his death, and then Antioch had still been the "mistress" and "foundation" of all other Churches. He might have been neither Bishop of Antioch nor Rome, and then the other Churches had wanted such a hereditary "mistress." All this is confessed by Bellarmine. Doth Paul the Ninth make us new articles of faith, of so great contingency, that were not of perpetual necessity? How can the Church of Rome be the "foundation of all Christians in all places," when there have been so many Christian Churches ever since the days of the Apostles, who never had any thing to do with Rome, nor scarcely ever heard of the name of Rome? If the Pope be the "Master of all Christians," he is but a young master; for we find no such expression in all the primitive times. Why were the ancient Bishops so grossly overseen to style him their "brother," their "colleague," their "fellow," who was their master? It might be modesty in the Pope to use such familiar expressions, as a general calls all his army fellowsoldiers; but it was never heard that a private colonel or captain did call his general fellow-soldier, or a servant call his master fellow-servant, or an ordinary clerk call his Bishop his 1 Pet. v. 1. brother. St. Peter writ himself a fellow-elder, not a master. If St. Paul had known, that the Roman Church had been the "mistress" and "foundation" of all other Churches, he would have given them their due title; and the whole Scripture had not been so silent in so necessary a point. m [See Bellarm., De Roman. Pontif., lib. iv. c. 4.] n [Viz. between Innocent X, who died Jan. 7. 1655, and Alexander VII, who was elected April 7. the same year.] • De Roman. Poutif., lib. ii. c. 12. [Op. tom. i. p. 743. C.] P [This must be a misprint for "Paul the Third," in whose Pontificate the Council of Trent commenced its sittings.] III. [The Papal But he saith, "The Pope's supremacy is neither against DISCOURSE the two Creeds, nor the first four general Councils," intimating thereby that it excludes none from salvation, and Supremacy consequently is no sufficient cause of separation. is a sufficient cause of separa tion.] I answer, first, that it is against the four first general tion Councils, if this were a proper place for the discussion of it. I answer, secondly, that though it were not opposite to the Creed or the first four general Councils, yet, if it be not virtually included in the Creed, being, as it is, by them obtruded upon all Christians as an article of Faith or a necessary part of saving truth, "extra quam non est salus". "without which there is no salvation "," it becomes a just and sufficient cause of separation to all those upon whom it is so obtruded. Of this more in the next argument. SECTION THE THIRD. thor's se ment; viz. Church new arti Faith, and nicateth for not re them. My second argument may be thus reduced;-That Court [The au240 which obtruded newly coined articles of Faith-such as the cond argudoctrine of the seven Sacraments, Transubstantiation, Pur- that] the gatory, invocation of saints, worshipping of images, in- of Rome dulgences, and especially the Pope's supremacy-upon the obtrudeth Christian world, as absolutely necessary to salvation and cles of necessary conditions of Catholic communion, and excom- excommumunicateth and anathematizeth above three parts of the Christian world for not admitting them, is fearfully schisma- ceiving tical; but the Court of Rome doth all this. That these are no old articles, appeareth by all the ancient Creeds of the Church; wherein they are neither explicitly nor virtually comprehended. That they are made new articles by the Court of Rome, appeareth by the Bull of Pius the Fourth; A. D. 1564. wherein they are added to the old Creed, "ut unius et ejusdem fidei professio uniformiter ab omnibus exhibeatur"—" that the profession of one and the same Faith may be declared uniformly by all, and one certain form thereof be made known to all'." And, lastly, that the Court of Rome hath solemnly I. PART excommunicated with the greater excommunication, and anathematized, and excluded (so far as lieth in their power) from the communion of Christ, all the Grecian, Russian, Armenian, Abyssene, and Reformed Churches, being three times more in number than themselves, for not receiving these new articles, or some of them, and especially for not acknowledging the sovereign power and jurisdiction of the Roman Bishop and his Court, appeareth undeniably by the A. D. 1569. famous Bull of Pius the Fifth", called " Bulla Cœnæ," because it is read in die Cœnæ Domini, or upon Thursday before Easter. In way of answer to this, he asketh, "how this was any cause of King Henry's revolt ?" 1. The Papacy a cause of separation. I reply, first, that though Henry the Eighth had not thought of this, and so it had not been 'causa procreans'—' a productive cause' of the separation, yet to us it is a most just cause to condemn them of schism. Secondly, the "revolt," or more truly the separation, of the Church of England from the Church of Rome, was not made by Henry the Eighth or the English Church, but by the Pope and Court of Rome, who excommunicated him and his kingdom for not enduring their encroachments and usurpations. He and his kingdom were passive in it; only the Court of Rome was doubly active; first, in "revolting" from the right discipline of their predecessors; and, secondly, in excluding the party wronged from their communion". But in the separation of England from the oppressions of the Court of Rome, I confess that Henry the Eighth and the kingdom were active. And this very ground-to avoid the tyranny, ambition, and avarice of the Roman Court-was the chief impulsive cause both to the English and Eastern Christians. For though the sovereignty of the Roman Bishop was not obtruded upon them in form of a Creed, yet it was obtruded upon them as a necessary point of Faith. If Henry the Eighth had any other private sinister grounds known only to himself, they do not render the Reformation one jod the worse in itself, but only prove that he proceeded not uprightly; which concerneth him, not us. u [i. e. Pius V. ordered its use " "through all Christendom," as well as at Rome] an. 156[8. See Fleury, Hist. Eccl. liv. clxxi. § 22.] X [Surv., c. viii. sect. 3. not paged.] y [See Just Vindic., c. iii. vol. i. pp. 128, 129.] [2. The Secondly, he answereth, that though they "profess that it DISCOURSE is necessary to salvation to be under the Pope as Vicar of Christ, yet they say not that it is necessary necessitate Papacy medii,' so as none can be saved who do not actually be- made by lieve it "." Romanists an essen tial article Catholic If all this were true, yet it were too much to oblige the of the whole Christian world to submit to the Pope as the Vicar of Faith.] Christ, by virtue of the commandment of God. But I fear that Pope Pius by his Bull, and all they by their swearing in obedience thereunto, do make it to be "necessary necessitate medii,' so as none can be saved who do not actually believe it." And then there was little hope of salvation throughout the whole Christian world in the times of the Councils of Constance and Basle, out of the Pope's own Court, which was then the only Noah's Ark. The words of their oath are these, "Hanc veram Catholicam fidem, extra quam nemo salvus esse potest," &c.-"This true Catholic Faith, without which no man can be saved, which I profess freely, and hold truly in present, I do promise, vow, and swear, by the help of God, to retain and confess, perfect and inviolated, most constantly, to my last gasp; and will take care (so far as in me lieth) to cause it to be taught and preached to all that shall be committed to my charge a." If it were not necessary'necessitate medii,' some might be saved without it, namely, all those who are invincibly ignorant of it; but they swear expressly that "no man can be saved without it:" and so make it to be an essential article of the Catholic Faith. Pope ex Eastern Thirdly, he answereth, that "the Roman Church" (he 3. The 241 should say the Roman Court) "doth not excommunicate all communithe Christians of Afric, Asia, Greece, and Russia, but only such cates the as do err vincibly or sinfully, such as are formal or obstinate Churches. heretics or schismatics: . . there are innumerable in those Churches who are but credentes hereticis et schismaticis,' because the Catholic Faith was never sufficiently preached to them; and these the Pope doth not excommunicate "." b I wish he did not; but his own Bull speaks the contrary,that he excommunicates them all solemnly, anniversarily, * [Surv., c. viii. sect. 3. not paged.] p. 946. B. C.] b • Bull. [Pii] IV. [as before quoted, [Surv., ibid. See above p. 205, noten.] |