"Ante clicm clauso componet vesper olympo," Virg. iEn. i. 378, than I could make an end of them. I have added this instance to the former, as knowing them to be the two great pillars on which
APOSTASY OF THE llOMISH CHURCH. 229
the tottering fabric of your churcli is raised, and which, if they were removed, the whole of it woukl quickly fall to the ground; and you see how long ago they were both publicly condemned.
3. Your papal oecumenical supremacy hath two main branches : — (1). Your pope's spiritual power over all persons and churches in the things of religion; (2.) His iwiver over emperors, kings, and protest- ants, in reference unto religion; or, as you speak, " in ordine ad spi- ritualia." The first your church stumbled into by many degrees, from the days of Victor, who made the first notable halt to this purpose ; the latter you stumbled into in the days of Gregory VII., or Hildebrand. It were endless to declare how this fall of your church hath been declared, written against, opposed, condemned by churches, councils, fathers, princes, and learned men in all ages. Some few evidences to this purpose, to satisfy your request, I shall direct you unto. It was written against and condemned by Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, and that in a council at Carthage, anno 258, upon an attempt made by Stephen, bishop of Rome, looking in some small degree towards that usurped supremacy which afterward was attained unto. You may, if you please, there see him rebuked, and the practice of your church condemned. The same Cyprian had done no less before, in reference unto some actings of Cornelius, the pre- decessor of Stephen, Epist. ad Cornel. Though the pretensions of Cornelius and Stephen were modest in comparison of your present vast claim, yet the churches of God in those days could not bear them. It is prejudged in the most famous council of Nice, which assigned bounds unto the jurisdiction of bishops, giving to several of them equal authority, can. 6. Ta a^yj/Jta [s()'/j] -/.paTiirM^ ra Iv A/yucrrw, xa} AiQv-/}, xai HivraToXii, coVrg rhv ' A7^B^avdpiiag E-riciKO'n'ov 'zdvruv to-jtcijv 'iyjiv TYiv s^ovelav, S'-TTiidrj Ttai ru) iv rri 'TuiiJjYi Ic/CxoVw tov-o cuvTjhg idriv' bfi^oiug bs y.ai %ara T-r^v ^ Avrioyiiav, xcci iv raT; ciXXaig l—apyjaig ra irpzcZua Guil^sGdai raTg sKxXriGiaig' — '"' Let the ancient customs be observed, that, as to Egypt, Libya, and PentapoHs, the bishops of Alexandria have power over them"' (or the churches in them), "for so is the custom of the bishop of Rome" (that is, to have power over the adjoining churches) ; " likewise about Antioch, and in other provinces, that the ancient rights of the churches be preserved." Your great pope, whom you so frequently call " the pastor of Christendom," was here but 6 h rfj 'Pw/z-jj s'TTiffzoTog, — " the bishop in the city or church of Rome," or of the church in the city of Rome. And bounds are assigned unto the authority which he claimed by custom, as to his of Alexandria and Antioch. It is true the church of Alexandria hath some power as- signed, ascribed, or granted unto it, above other churches of Egypt, Libya, and Pentapolis, for a warranty whereof the usage of the Ro- man church in reference unto her neighbour churches is made use of; which, to deal freely with you, and to teU you my private thoughts,
230 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX.
was a confirmation of a disorder by your example, which you were from that day forward seldom wanting to give plenty of. So to this purpose, Concil. Antioch. can. 13 and 15, anno 341; Concil. Con- stantinop. can. 2, anno 88] . But this canon of the Nicene fathers openly condemneth, and is perfectly destructive of, your present claimed supremacy. Three councils together in Africa, within the space of twenty years, warned your church of her fall into this he- resy, and opposed her attempts for the promotion of it : — The first at Carthage, anno 407, which forbids all appeals unto any beyond the sea; which Rome was to them in Africa no less than it is unto us in England. The next was the second Milevitan, anno 416, where the same prohibition is revived with express respect unto the see of Rome, as Binius acknowledgeth. The same order is again asserted by an- other council in Africa, wherein the pretensions of Boniface unto some kind of super intendency over other churches are sorely reproved, and his way of prosecuting his attempt, by pretended canons of the council of Nice, after great pains taken and charge disbursed in the discovery of the forgery, censured and condemned. All these testi- monies of the condemnation of this fall of yours, by fathers and coun- cils, you have gathered unto your hand in the Cod. Ca.n. Cone. Afric, and by Binius, with others. Also the substance of all these canons of provincial synods is confirmed in the fourth chapter of the decree of the third oecumenical council atEphesus,anno 431, can. 8 : y^jdo?' "eSo|s rr, ayia [raurj^] xai oiKov/Mvtxfi tfuvoSw, eoiZiSdai ixdsrri hirap-^ia xa&apa y.ai dQiaffra rd aurff iifoGmra di'xaia s^dp^T^g uvcfjhv, xard to vdXai xparriffav idog- — " It seemeth good to the holy and general council that every province retain its ..rights pure and inviolate, which, according unto ancient custom, it had from the beginning." The decree, I confess, was purposely framed against the bishop of Antioch, who had taken on him to ordain bishops in Cyprus, out of his province ; but it is built on that general reason which expressly condemns the Roman pre- tensions to an unlimited supremacy. The great and famous council of Chalcedon, anno 451, condemned the same heresy, and plainly overthrew the whole foundation of your papal plea, act. 15, can. 18, as the canons of that council are collected by Balsamon and Zonaras ; though some of them, with intolerable partiality, would separate this and some others from the body of the canons of that council, giving them a place by themselves, Tlie decree contains the reasons of the council's assigning privileges next unto, and equally with, the Roman, unto the Constantinopolitan church: TO) ^pov^tj, say they, rl^g 'rrpesQv- repag 'Vu/Lvig, did rh jSasiXsuiiv rrjv voXiv sxiivriv, o'l Tarspsg uxorug dTodi- duixaffi rd 'xpsaZs/a.- — " The fathers" (our predecessors) " granted pri- vileges to the see of ancient Rome, because that was the imperial city." Do you see from whence proceeded all the px'ivileges of the Roman throne? — merely from the grants and concessions of former