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VAlentinian the Emperour commeth in good time. I meane, not to proue your Primacy, M. Horne, but quite to ouerthrowe the same. For this is he that made an expresse Lawe, that in Ecclesiastical matters, only Ecclesiasticall men should iudge. S. Ambrose witnesseth it
expressely in an epistle he wrote to younge Valentinian, this mans sonne. The forme of the law was this. In causa fi∣dei vel ecclesiastici alicutus ordinis eum iudicare debere,* 1.1 qui nec munere impar sit, nec iure dissimilis. Haec enim verba re∣scripti sunt, Hoc est sacerdotes de sacerdotibus voluit iudicare. That in the cause of faith, or of any ecclesiastical order, he should iudge, that was neither by office vnequall, neither in right vnlike. Those are the words of the Rescript. That is, he wil haue Priestes to iudge ouer Priestes. Thus S. Am∣brose plainely and expressely in one sentence quyte ouer∣turneth al M. Hornes supremacy.
Yea so farre was this Emperour from al gouernment ouer Priestes in matters ecclesiastical, that euen in matters ciuil or temporal, he woulde not suffer priestes to be cal∣led to the ciuil court. For thus it foloweth immediatlye in S. Ambrose. Quinetiam si aliâs quoque argueretur episco∣pus, & morum esset examinanda causa,* 1.2 etiam hanc voluit ad episcopale iudicium pertinere. Yea farder, if a bisshop were o∣therwise accused, and some matter of behauyour or out∣warde demeanor were to be examined, that matter also he would to belong to the iudgement of Bisshops. Beholde, gentle Reader, what a supreme gouernor in al causes both spiritual and temporal ouer priests and Bisshops M. Horne hath brought forth. Verily such a one, as in very ciuil causes refuseth gouernment ouer them.
But this is he that comm••unded Ambrose to be consecra∣ted bisshop of Millayn•• (saieth M. Horne) and in that election prescribed to the bisshops in a graue oration, what a qualified man a bisshop ought to be &c. What then M. Horne? was he therefore supreme gouernour in al causes ecclesiastical? Yea or in this very cause was he, thinke you, the supreme
gouernour? If you had tolde vs some parte of that graue oration, somewhat therein perhaps would haue appered either for your purpose, or against it. Now, a graue oratiō he made, you say, but what that graue talke was, or wherein it cōsisted, you tel vs not. Verily a graue oratiō it was in dede, ād such as with the grauity thereof, vtterly ouerbeareth the light presumption of your surmised supremacy. For this a∣mōg other thīgs he saied to those bisshops grauely in dede. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c.* 1.3 Such a mā therefore do you place in this bis∣shoply throne, that we also which direct the Empire, may glad∣ly submitte oure heads to him, and reuerence (as a medicinable remedy) the rebukes that he shall make ouer vs: for men we are, and must nedes falle somtyme. So, M. Horne, woulde this Emperour haue a bisshop qualified (and so was in dede this Ambrose then chosen passingly qualified) that he shoulde tel and admonish boldely the Prince of his faultes, and the Prince should as gladly and willingly obey him, yea and submit his head vnto hī, not be the supreme Head ouer hī: as you most miserable clawbackes (vnworthy of al priestly preeminēce) would force modest prīces vnto. This was the graue lessō he gaue to the bisshops (as Constantin before to the Fathers of Nice) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: as a natural louing child,* 1.4 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to the Priestes as to his Fathers: not to them as his seruauntes or subiectes in that respecte.
You say farder (but you say vntruly, to be alwaies like your selfe) that this Emperour confirmed the true faith (de∣creed in a Synod in Illyrico) by his royal assent. As though your Reader shoulde straight conceyue, that as the Quenes Maiesty confirmeth the Actes of parliament with her highnes royall assent, and is therefore in dede the Su∣preme and vndoubted Head ouer the whole parliament, so
this Emperour was ouer that Synod. But Theodoretus (your Author alleaged) saieth no such thīg. Only he saieth. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.* 1.5 Those thīgs that had ben decreed and established by the Bisshoppes, he sent abrode to those that doubted thereof. Other confirmatiō then this, is not in your Author or any otherwhere mētioned. And this was plain ministerial execution of the decrees, no royall confirmatiō of them.
Theodosius, vvas nothing inferiour to Constantine the great, neither in zeale, care, or furtherance, of Christes Religiō. He bent his vvhole povver, and authoritie, to the vtter ouerthrovve of superstition, and false Religion, somevvhat crept in againe, in the times of Iulianus, and Valēs, the vvic∣ked Emperours. And for the sure continuance of Religion refourmed, he made many godly Lavves, he defended the (.107)* 1.6 godly bishop of Antioche Fla∣uianus, against the bishop of Rome, and other bishoppes of the VVeste, vvho did (.108.)* 1.7 falsely accuse him of many crymes: and at the lēgthe, by his care∣ful endeuour in Churche matters, and his (.109.)* 1.8 Supreme authoritie there∣in, this moste faytful Emperour, sayeth Theodoretus, sette peace and qui∣etnes amongest the Bishoppes, and in the Churches. He called a conuocation of the Bishops, to the ende that by common consent, al should agree in vnytie of doctrine confessed by the Nicen councel, to reconcile the Macedonians vn∣to the catholique Churche, and to electe and order a Byshop in the sea of Cō∣stantinople, vvhiche vvas than vacant. VVhen the tvvoo fyrste pointes could not be brought to passe, as the Emperour vvished, they vvent in hande vvith the third, to consult amongest them selues touching a fitte Bisshop for Con∣stantinople. The Emperour, to vvhose iudgement many of the Synode con∣sented, thought Gregorie of Nazianzene, moste fitte to be Bisshop: but he did (.111.)* 1.9 vtterly refuse that that charge.* 1.10
Than the Emperour commaundeth them, to make diligēt inquisitiō for some godly man,* 1.11 that might be appointed to that rovvme. But vvhen the Bisshops could not agree, vppon any one, the Emperour commaundeth them to bring to him the names of al such, as euery one of them thought moste apt to be Bisshop, vvriten in a paper together. He reserued to him self (saith Sozome∣nus) to choose vvhome he liked best. VVhen he had redde ouer once or tvvyse, the sedule of names, vvhich vvas brought vnto him, after good deliberation had vvith him self, he chose Nectarius although as yet he vvas not christened: and the Bisshops maruailing at his iudgemēt in the choise, (.112.)* 1.12 could not remoue him. And so vvas Nectarius baptized, and made bisshop of Constā∣tinople: vvho proued so godly a bisshop, that all men deemed this election to be made by Themperour, not vvithout some miraculous inspiration of the ho∣ly ghost. This Emperour perceiuing, the Church had ben long tyme molested, and dravvē into partes by the Arianisme, and like to be more greuously torne in sonder vvith the heresy of Macedonius, a B. of Cōstātinople, and knovv¦ing that his supreme gouernmēt, and empire, vvas geuē him of God to main∣teine the common peace of the Church, and confirmation of the true faith, summoneth a Synode at Constantinople, in the thirde yeere of his reigne (vvhich is the second great and general councel of the fovver notable and fa¦mous oecumenical councels) and vvhen al the bisshops vvhome he had cited, vvere assembled, he cometh into the councell house amongest them, he made vnto them a graue exhortation, to consulte diligently, like graue Fathers of the matters propoūded vnto them. The Macedonians depart out of the Cytie, the Catholike Fathers agree, conclude a trueth, and send the canons of their conclusion to the Emperour (.113.)* 1.13 to be confirmed, vvriting vnto him in these vvords: The holy counsaile of bisshops assembled at Con∣stātinople to Theodosius Emperour, the most reuerent obser∣uer of Godlines, Religion, and loue towardes God: VVe geue God thankes, who hath appointed your Emperial gouernmēt for the common tranquility of his Churches, and to establishe the sounde faith. Sithe the tyme of our assembly at Constanti∣nople by your godly commaundement, we haue renewed cō∣corde amongest our selues, and haue prescribed certaine Ca∣nōs or rules, which we haue annexed vnto this our writing: we beseche therefore your clemency to commaunde the De∣cree
of the Counsaile to be stablished by the letters of your holines, and that ye wil confirme it, and as you haue honou∣red the Church by the letters wherewith you called vs toge∣ther: euen so, that you wil strengthen also the final conclusion of the Decrees with your own sentence and seale.
After this he calleth an other (.114.)* 1.14 Councel of bisshops to Constantino∣ple of vvhat Religion so euer,* 1.15 thinking that if they might assemble together in his presence, and before him conferre touching the matters of Religion, vvherein they disagreed, that they might be reconciled, and brought to vnity of Faith. He consulteth vvith Nectarius, and sitteth dovvn in the Coun∣cel house amongest them al, and examineth those that vvere in Heresie, in such sort, that the Heretikes vvere not onely asionied at his questions, but also beganne to fal out amongest themselues, some liking, some misliking the Emperours purpose▪ This done, he commaundeth eche sect,* 1.16 to declare their faieth in vvritinge, and to bringe it vnto him: he appointeth to them a daye, vvhereat they came as the Emperoure commaunded, and deliuered vnto him the fourmes of their faieth in vvritinge: vvhen the Emperoure had the sedules in his handes, he maketh an earneste praier vnto God, for the assistāce of his holy spirite, that he may discern the truth, and iudge right∣ly. And after he had redde them al, he condemneth the heresies of the Arians and Eunomians, renting their sedules in sundre, and alovveth only, and con∣firmeth the faith of the Homousians, and so the Heretiks departed ashamed and dasht out of countenance.
Ambr. lib. 5. epist. 32
Ibidem.
Theod. lib. 4. c. 5.
Theod. li. 1. cap. 7.
Theod. lib. 4. cap. 7.
The 107. vntruth. Flauianus in that matter betvvene the Em∣perour ād the bis∣shops of the vvest proued a periured person.
The 108. vntruthe mere slaū¦derous.
The 109. vntruth. There ap∣peared no such Su∣premacy ouer Churche matters in Theo∣sius.
The 111. vntruthe, For he vvas for a time the bisshop there, as shal appeare.
The 110. vntruthe. Al this vvas but one Councel, though they are tolde (to make a shevv of Supremacy in themperour) as if they vvere .3. seueral Councels.
Sozom. li. 7 c. 6.7.8
The 112. vntruth. The bis∣shoppes might (if they had listed) most law¦fully haue remoued him.
The 113. vntruth. For not to be so cōfirmed as M••••ior. fancieth. That is, by the vvaye of Supreme gouerne∣ment &c.
The 114. vntruth. This vvas no other, nor no Councel at al.
Sozom. li. 5. cap. 10.
The 115. vntruthe in reaso∣ning. For al this proueth no vvhit any spiri∣tual Su∣premacy in Theo∣dosius,