power and chief government were made ufe of, which do fig- ART. nify the fame thing.

The Queen did alfo by her Injunctions offer an explanation of this matter; for whereas it was given out by those who had complied with every thing that had been done both in her father and in her brother's time, but that refolved now to fet themselves in oppofition to her, that she was affuming a much greater authority than they had pretended to: the upon that ordered that explanation which is referred to in the Article, and is in these words: For certainly her Majesty neither doth nor ever will challenge any authority, other than that was challenged and lately used by the faid noble Kings of famous memory, King Henry the Eighth, and King Edward the Sixth, which is and was of ancient time due to the imperial crown of this realm; that is, under God to have the fovereignty and rule over all manner of perfons born within thefe her realms, dominions and countries, of what eftate, either ecclefiaftical or temporal, foever they be; fo as no other foreign power fhall or ought to have any fuperiority over them. And if any person that hath conceived any other fenfe of the faid oath, fhall accept the fame oath with this interpretation, fenfe, or meaning, her Majefty is well pleafed to accept every fuch in that behalf, as her good and obedient fubjects; and fhall acquit them of all manner of penalties contained in the faid act, against fuch as fhall peremptorily and obftinately refuse to take the Jame oath.

Thus this matter is opened, as it is both in the Article and in the Injunctions. In order to the treating regularly of this Article, it is, firft, to be proved, that the Pope hath no juris diction in these kingdoms. 2dly, That our Kings or Queens have it. And, 3dly, the nature and measures of this power and government are to be stated.

As for the Pope's authority, though it is now connected with infallibility, yet it was pretended to, and was advanced for many ages before infallibility was fo much as thought on. Nor was the doctrine of their infallibility ever fo univerfally received and submitted to in thefe western parts, as was that of their universal jurisdiction. They were in poffeffion of it: appeals were made to them, they fent legates and bulls every where: they granted exemptions from the ordinary jurifdiction; and took Bishops bound to them by oaths that were penned in the form of oaths of fealty or homage. This was the first point that our Reformers did begin with, both here and every where elfe; that fo they might remove that which was an infuperable obstruction, till it was firft taken out of the way, to every step that could be made toward a reformation. They laid down therefore this for their foundation, that all Bifhops were by their office and character equal; and that every one of them ii 2

had

XXXVII.

ART. had the fame authority that any other had, over that flock XXXVII. which was committed to his care: and therefore they faid, that

3

the Bishops of Rome had no authority, according to the conftitution in which the Churches were fettled by the Apostles, but over the city of Rome and that any further jurisdiction that any ancient Popes might have had, did arife from the dignity of the city, and the customs and laws of the empire. As for their deriving that authority from St. Peter, it is very plain, that the Apostles were all made equal to him; and that they never understood our Saviour's words to him, as importing any authority that was given to him over the reft; since they continued to the laft, while our Saviour was among them, difputing Matth. xx. which of them should be the greatest. The propofition that the 21, 24, 26. mother of James and John made, in which it is evident, that they likewise concurred with her, fhews that they did not apprehend that Chrift had made any declaration in favour of St. Peter, as by our Saviour's anfwer it appears that he had not done; otherwife he would have referred them to what he had already faid upon that occafion. By the whole hiftory of the Acts of the Apostles, it appears, that the Apostles acted and confulted in common, without confidering St. Peter as having any fuperiority over them. He was called to give an account of his baptizing Cornelius; and he delivered his opinion in the Acts xi. 2, council of Jerufalem, without any ftrain of authority over the reft. St. Paul does exprefsly deny, that the other Apoftles had any fuperiority or jurifdiction over him; and he fays in plain Gal. ii. 7, 8, words, that he was the Apostle of the uncircumcifion, as St. Peter was the Apostle of the circumcifion; and in that does rather claim an advantage over him; fince his was certainly the much wider province. He withstood St. Peter to his face, when he thought that he deferved to be blamed; and he speaks of his own line and share, as being fubordinate in it to none: and by his 2 Cor. x. faying, that he did not stretch himself beyond his own measure, he plainly infinuates, that within his own province he was only accountable to him that had called and fent him. This was alío the sense of the primitive Church, that all Bifhops were Brethren, Colleagues, and Fellow-Bishops and though the dignity of that city, which was the head of the empire, and the opinion of that Church's being founded by St. Peter and St. Paul, created a great refpect to the Bishops of that fee, which was fupported and increafed by the eminent worth, as well as the frequent martyrdoms of their Bishops; yet St. Cyprian in his time, as he was against the fuffering of any caufes to be carried in the way of a complaint for redrefs to Rome, fo he does in plain words fay, that all the Apostles were equal in power; and that all Bishops were also equal; fince the whole office and epifcopate was one entire thing, of which every Bishop had a

Acts xv. 7,

34, 19.

II.

14.

De Unit.
Ecclef.

complete

XXXVII.

complete and equal share. It is true, he fpeaks of the unity of ART. the Roman Church, and of the union of other Churches with it; but those words were occafioned by a fchifin that Novatian had made then at Rome; he being elected in oppofition to the rightful Bishop: fo that St. Cyprian does not infinuate any thing concerning an authority of the fee of Rome over other fees, but fpeaks only of their union under one Bishop; and of the other Churches holding a brotherly communion with that Bishop. Through his whole epiftles he treats the Bishops of Rome as his equals, with the titles of Brother and Colleague.

Nic. Can.

6.

Con. Sard.

In the firft General Council, the authority of the Bifhops of Conc. the great fees is ftated as equal The Bifhops of Alexandria and Antioch are declared to have, according to cuftom, the fame authority over the Churches fubordinate to them, that the Bishops of Rome had over those that lay about that city. This authority is pretended to be derived only from custom, and is confidered as under the limitations and decifions of a General Council. Soon after that, the Arian herefy was so spread over the Ep. 12. ad Eaft, that those who adhered to the Nicene faith, were not fafe Greg. in their numbers; and the western Churches being free from that contagion (though St. Bafil laments that they neither understood their matters, nor were much concerned about them, but were fwelled up with pride) Athanafius and other oppreffed Bishops fled to the Bifhops of Rome, as well as to the other Bishops of the Weft; it being natural for the oppressed to seek protection wherefoever they can find it: and fo a fort of appeals was begun, and they were authorized by the Council of Sardica. But the ill effects of this, if it fhould become a pre- Can. 3.&7. cedent, were apprehended by the fecond General Council; in con. Cinwhich it was decreed, that every province fhould be governed by itant. Can. its own fynod, and that all Bishops fhould be at first judged by 3. the Bishops of their own province; and from them an appeal was allowed to the Bifhops of the diocefe; whereas by the canons of Nice no appeal lay from the Bishops of the province. But though this canon of Conftantinople allows of an appeal to the Bishops of every fuch divifion of the Roman empire as was known by the name of diocefe; yet there is an exprefs prohibition of any other or further appeal; which is a plain repealing of the canon at Sardica. And in that fame Council it appears upon what the dignity of the fee of Rome was then believed to be founded: for Conftantinople being made the feat of the empire, and called new Rome, the Bishops of that see had the fame privileges given them, that the Bishops of old Rome had; except only the point of rank, which was preferved to old Rome, because of the dignity of the city. This was also confirmed at Con. ChalChalcedon in the middle of the fifth century. This fhews, ced. Can. that the authority and privileges of the Bishops of Rome were

Ii3

then

28.

ART. then confidered as arifing out of the dignity of that city, and XXXVII. that the order of them was subject to the authority of a General Council.

105.

Celeft.

Conc. Afric. The African Churches in that time knew nothing of any fuperiority that the Bifhops of Rome had over them: they conEpift. ad demned the making of appeals to them, and appointed that such Bonifac. & as made them should be excommunicated. The Popes, who laid that matter much to heart, did not pretend to an univerfal jurifdiction as St. Peter's fucceffors by a divine right; they only pleaded a canon of the Council of Nice; but the Africans had heard of no fuch canon, and fo they juftified their independence on the fee of Rome. Great fearch was made after this canon, and it was found to be an impofture. So early did the fee of Rome afpire to this univerfal authority, and did not stick at forgery in order to the compaffing of it. In the fixth century, when the Emperor Mauritius continued a practice begun by Greg. Ep. fome former Emperors, to give the Bishop of Conftantinople Lib. iv. Ep. the title of Univerfal Bifhop; Pelage, and after him Gregory 32, 34, 36, the Great, broke out into the moft pathetical expreffions that Lib. vi. Ep. could be invented against it; he compared it to the pride of

38, 39:

24, 28,

30, 31

Lib. vii,
Ep. 70.

Lucifer; and faid, that he who affumed it, was the forerunner of Antichrift; and as he renounced all claim to it, fo he affirmed, that none of his predeceffors had ever afpired to such a

power.

This is the more remarkable, because the Saxons being converted to the Chriftian religion under this Pope's direction, we have reafon to believe, that this doctrine was infused into this Church at the first converfion of the Saxons: yet Pope Gregory's fucceflor made no exceptions to the giving himself that title, against which his predeceffor had declaimed fo much but then the confufions of Italy gave the Popes great advantages to make all new invaders or pretenders enlarge their privileges; fince it was a great acceffion of ftrength to any party, to have them of their fide. The Kings of the Lombards began to lie heavy on them; but they called in the Kings of a new conquering family from France, who were ready enough to make new conquefts; and when the nomination of the Popes was given to the Kings of that race, it was natural for them to raise the greatness of one who was to be their creature; fo they promoted their authority; which was not a little confirmed by an impudent forgery of that time, of the Decretal Epifiles of the first Popes; in which they were reprefented as governing the world with an univerfal and unbounded authority. This book was a little difputed at first, but was quickly fubmitted to, and the Popes went on upon that foundation, still enlarging their pretenfions. Soon after that was fubmitted to, it quickly appeared, that the pretenfions of that fee were endless.

They

They went on to claim a power over Princes and their dominions; and that first with relation to spiritual matters. They depofed them, if they were either hereticks themselves, or if they favoured herefy, at leaft fo far as not to extirpate it. From depofing they went to difpofing of their dominions to others: and at laft Boniface the Eighth completed their claim; for he decreed, that it was necessary for every man to be fubject to the Pope's authority: and he afferted a direct dominion over Princes as to their temporals, that they were all fubject to him, and held their dominions under him, and at his courtesy. As for the jurifdiction that they claimed over the spiritualty, they exercised it with that rigour, with fuch heavy taxes and impofitions, fuch exemptions and difpenfations, and fuch a violation of all the ancient canons, that as it grew infupportably grievous, fo the management was grofsly fcandalous, for every thing was openly fet to fale. By thefe practices they difpofed the world to examine the grounds of that authority which was managed with fo much tyranny and corruption. It was fo ill founded, that it could not be defended but by force and artifices. Thus it appears, that there is no authority at all in the Scripture, for this extent of jurifdiction that the Popes affumed that it was not thought on in the first ages : that a vigorous oppofition was made to every step of the progress that it made and that forgery and violence were used to bring the world under it. So that there is no reason now to fubmit to it.

As for the patriarchal authority which that fee had over a great part of the Roman empire, that was only a regulation. made conform to the conftitution of that empire: fo that the empire being now diffolved into many different fovereignties, the new Princes are under no fort of obligation to have any regard to the Roman conftitution: nor does a nation's receiving the faith by the miniftry of men fent from any fee, fubject them to that fee; for then all must be subject to Jerufalem, fince the Gospel came to all the Churches from thence. There was a decifion made in the third General Council in the cafe of Cypriotick Churches, which pretended, that they had been always complete Churches within themselves, and independent; therefore they ftood upon this privilege, not to be subject to appeals to any patriarchal fee: the Council judged in their favour. So fince the Britannick Churches were converted long before they had any commerce with Rome, they were originally independent; which could not be loft by any thing that was afterwards done among the Saxons, by men fent over from Rome. This is enough to prove the first point, that the Bishops of Rome had no lawful jurifdiction here among us.

The fecond is, that Kings or Queens have an authority

114

Over

AR T.

XXXVII.