An ansvver to the calumnious letter and erroneous propositions of an apostat named M. Io. Hammiltoun. Composed by M. VVilliam Fouler

❧ THE. VII. PROPOSITIOVN. Among•• all Bysh••p•• the Byshop of Rome 〈…〉〈…〉 ••••toritie and iurisdictioun. 7

This propos••tioun verry of be ••odlie men hes bene discussit ••nd now l••••the by that singular leirnit man Maister THOMAS SMETOVN lear••itlie ref••ted: that to trauell in this treatise in the desoluing of the same, wald appeare almaist superflous, if his malicious mynde war satisfyit ••nd ••alumnies repressit. Quhilk althocht it be hard to do, seing by reasoun it can not be contentit: Ʒit ••a far as in writ, by sum obiections it is decla∣••it, with gritter modestie I wil answer, then he with iniurious words hes obiectit. Bot of a thing I wald admoi••she the ••e∣••er or I proceadit farther, seing the probations of this propo¦sitioun ar sa confus••••e patchit together, that scarcesi•• d••stinct∣lie they can be confuted, for tha pl••ces quhilk sould bene be∣fo••r, this apostat hes placit behind: and tha quhilk sould haue bene placit behind, ••r placit out of all ordonr b••foir: and ••a∣king th••t for the secound member of his probatioun, q••hilk is the next conclusioun follo••ing 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sal ind••uour my se••fe derectli•• to answer to all, and first vnto that place of the ••u••n∣gel misconstrued be him, and wrang ••itllie thrawin f••t the su∣premacy of P••ter. For Peter in that place confussed Christ to be the sonne of the leuing God,* 1.1 vnto •• home Christ promi∣sed that he was Peter, and vpon that rock q••hilk ••e confessit he wald buyld his Kirk. that is, that confessioun quhilk Peter

maid, or Christ be Peter confessed. was the onlie foundatioun▪ and sure rock quhali vpon the kirk suld be buyldit, as S Paul•• witnessech saying,* 1.2 na man can lay an vther fundatioun then that quhilk is alreddy ••aid, IESVS CHRIST. Vnto this expositioun the Ancient fathers nocht onlie accords, bot also they approue it vniformaly,* 1.3 Chrisost. Ambrois Hierom, and August. quha affirmis that Pet••r was callit from Petra the rok and nocht Petra from Pet••r; as Christ is not namit fra an chri¦stiane, bor an christiane from Christ, vnder the name of th•• Rock, Christ is signified: and vnder Peter, all christiane pepil▪ and mair planely this reuerend father wryts, that Christ wald say be tha words. I will build ʒou Peter vpon me, and not me vpon▪ ʒou. For if the kirk war buildit vpon Peter, it wald hau•• a waik fundatioun, and the ports of hel suld preuail against it. in respect the voyce of a woman maid him to abiure & deny Christ.

AD. Secoundly Christ promised at that tyme quhilk befoir was performit, bot th•• Kirk at that tyme, wa•• biggit vpon Christ him selfe. Heirfoir he meaneth, not the buyl∣ding of the Krik vpon him self bot vpon Peter and his successeur••.

AN. I regret mair thy ignorance, nor thy foolishe vanitie. for a thing that is performit, neids not againe after the perfor¦ming, to be promised. Bot when it is promisit, it is requiseit to be performit. Christ then Hammiltoun, performit rather that thing quhilk befor he had promisit, then promisit that quhilk before was performit.

AD. Thirdlie Christ•• promeis was that he sould confirme the rest of his breathere•• quh••n euer thay s••ld f••ll in ony doubt.

AN. Treuth it is, Christ commandit Peter to confirme his bretheren, and sa suld al trew pasteurs. Bot quhat of this? Na∣thing.

AD. Last of all it is ••otoriously k••awin to all q••ha r••i••s the E••an••elists, that Peter was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 first of the Apostles.

* 1.4AN. Asinus port••t misteria. & it is a grit pitie Hammiltoun thou want •• pulpet, hauing sa weil preachit ouer the Pot. I think this reason was maid in the MAR••ET ʒour head being weill a gait in the west. In the rehearsal of the Apostles namis beginning is maid from Peter. Ergo sayis our ••o. ʒeirs dialec∣ticiner.

Peter is the head of the Apostles, I ••ns••er that th•• consequēce is not good, quhairvpon sic vsur ped tyrannie suld be establishit. for the spreit of God is not scrupulus in placing of words before, or efter, seing the names of the Apostles ar rehearsit in Mark, & Luk, bot the saming ordour is not obser¦uit, And in the 2 chap. to the Galla. James is preponit before Peter, the sonne also b••fore the Father, Gal. 1. rather then it is ••o be estemit that as the Apostles war chosin & callit. Sua in the 10. chap. they ••ar rehearsit.

AD. The vther part is that the Byshop of Rome h•••• succedit with lyke a••toritie & Iurisdictioun a••one all Byshops becaus the orde•• that Christ institut s••uld remaine for ••uer.

AN, An perplex method and confused ordour in disput••∣tatioun, for this is nathing different from the nixt proposition to the quhilk mair conuenientlie I sall answer then I wald in this place.

Notes

• * 1.1

  M••••t. 1••
• * 1.2

  8. Co••. 1.
• * 1.3

  Chrisist. 55. s••p••r Hieto in Mar. •• Augu. tractat 12••, sup. Ioh••.
• * 1.4

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1••.