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

❧ THE VIII. PRO.* 1.1 The Pape of Rome in the primitiue Kirk hes euer sensyne exereysit his iurisdictiō abonet all vther Byshops.

AD. Vve proue this by Victor quha being neare the Apostils dayis excommunica ••he hail Kirks of Asi•• because they wald not agrie with the Kirk of Rome concerning ••he obseruatioun of ••asche day.

AN. Thou art far ouerschot in g••uing ouermekill credit to the reporte of vthers, or to muche libertie to thy a win iudge∣ment. for nathing is writtin of Pape Victor in Eusebius 4.5.6. or 7. chap. of his 5. buik, alwayes I with mair trauell and dili∣gence, hes searchit Eusebius volums and hes red in his 22. and 23. chap. of sum litill controuersie amangs the Kirks of Rome and Asia; bot so indifferent, that he testifies that by the discr••¦pant and various obseruation of the maner of fasting, the con∣cord of of the efficacie in profe••sing the Euangell, & the vni∣tie of faith, was verie mekil commendit. Bot Victor (sayis our apostat) excommunicat the haill Kirk of Asia? treuth. bot by quhat autoritie? for rather it was by proude ambicioun, then by laufull reasoun. For Policrates referrit the custome of th•• Apostles and Martyrs to quhome he succedeth anents the ob¦seruatioun

of ••asch day. And wald in n•• wayis sub••it him self to the Byshop of Rome; quhairfoir Victor mouit be an ambi∣tious spreit excommunicat him. Bot Eusebius Adionis verum ista ceteris omnibus p••rum placebant Episcopis. in sa fa•• that IRENEVS heuely inuehit against hi••.

* 1.2AD And b•• S. Cyp quha writs to Stephan••s Pap•• o•• Rome to depos•• Mar••ian•••• be∣cause h•• was au Nouatian.

AN. Ʒeschaw weil haith by th•• citatioun and euilgatheri•• sentēce that thou neuer saw S. Cip. work, for he in the 1••. epist. of his 3 buik wrytes to Steph. that he derect letters to the pro¦uince and people of Arles, desyring them to depose Martianus and place another in his roume. Quhairin he plainlie declairi•• that it perteins na mair to Stephanus nor to any vther Bysho•• saying, Si quis ex Collegio nostro heresin facere, et grege•• Christi lacerare et va; tare tentauerit: subuenié t ceteri, & quasi pastores v••iles, oues dominicas in gregē colligant. whairby w•• may pl••nie vndrstand y^t quhé an Minister of God dois fail, al the rest hes power to depose him,& to prouyde for that flock. This far faithfully of Cyprians letter, quhairin if thair be ani•• iurisdiction, rather it is Cyprian that vsurps the saming, cōman¦ding and inioyning to Stephanus to wryte, then Stepha. quha did obey. Moreouer it was not Cyprian nor Stepha∣nus quha did depose Martienus: bot the vther Byschops i•• th•• prouence, at thair requeist. Bot all is good aneugh that may•• serue for ʒour Papis power.

AD. And also by the Fathers of she 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Carthage and Mi••••eria••.

AN. In this confusd prositioun thou hes neuer ʒit broght •• richt autoritie for the confirmation yairof. & in this thou lyes impudentlie. for the councell of Carthage resisted oppinl••e to the Paps leigats,* 1.3quha affirmit that supreme iurisdictioun was grantit to the Pape of Rome by the Synod of Nic••. And pro∣ducit th•• acts thaiaof▪ quhilks war feinʒeit. the coucell resisted thair••o, thinking that the Pape of Rome suld not haue creden¦nce in his a win cause, quhairos they sent to Constantinopil and to vther Touns of Graecia, that they micht ••cquere mair veri∣tabil examples of sic priuilegis. In the quhilkes n•• vther thing

was fund, bot that quhilk did abrogat the hail autority of th•• Romaine by shop, quhairby he was deprehendit to haue lyi•• impudentlie, in supposing the councel of Sardice, for the con¦cel of Nice. Moreouer by that saming councell thay w••r ex∣communicat that appellit to the pape of Rome. For in th•• sixt canon of that samin councel is expreslie commandit: tha•• the Bxshop of Alexandria sal haue the reul ouer certen kirks ••nd the Byshop of Rome ouer certen, & the Byshop of An∣tiochia lykwayis ouer certen. And that it be not laufull ••o•• any one of them to inuaide anothers iurisdictioun: and if any an be not conté tit with his a win, craue dominion ouer vther•• he aucht of richt to be callit a bre••kar of the customes,& also of the haly canons. GREGORIE wil haue him repute to b•• the verry Antichrist, quha styles him self supreme pasteur of pasteurs,& vniuersal Byshop. saying▪ I speak it with baldne••, whosoeuer caleth him self the vniuersal Byshop,* 1.4 or desiris so to be called, he is in his pryde the forerunner of Antichrist: because in his pryde he setleth him self aboue vthers. And in ane vther epistle thus Way is wryting to Eulogius. Behold euin the tytle of ʒour letter. ʒe haue ••ritin the proud poesy, naming me the vniuarfall Pape,* 1.5 notwithstanding I haue for∣biddin it. I beseik ʒour halynes to do so na mair, for what soeuer is geuin to anie abone reasoun, the same is takin from ʒour selfes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Euse. lib. 5. cap. 4.
• * 1.2

  ••••p lib. •• ••pist. 1••
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 C••l. 4. b••ik 7 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.4

  ••reg. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his 4 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & 10.••••.
• * 1.5

  Greg. l•• his 7 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & 10 ••••.