Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

Quest. 1. Whether the reformed Churches are legally excommunicated by the Pope.

The Bishop of Rome in regard of the separation made from him, by the professors of the religion called the Reformed, hath passed his sentence of excommunication, upon them as Heretical but unjustly. Fo••;

• 1 They are not Hereticks but Orthodox professors] they have left that upon which their souls could have no sure hold. There is no point that ever Christ taught, or the Apostles preched, or the primitive Church knew that is denied by the reformed.
• 2 He hath no power to exclude them out of the Church, who himself is scarce a member of it] he is in the Church only as Antichrist in the temple of God, and in as much as he exalts himself above all that is called God 2 Thes. 2.4. (viz. all Kings and ma••itrates) in which regard in some measure his Church∣ship might be denyed.
• 3 The Church of Rome her self is most hereticall] if that be Heresy, to preach down what God commands, to blot out what he hath written, to adde to what he hath spoken, and dispence with what he hath enjoyned, the Church of Rome can∣not

• be found, they ought first to cast the beame out of their own eyes, and then they can see the better to pull the mote out of ours.
• 4 The Pope or Bishop of Rome hath no authoritative power over the Churches of other countries] The power of excom∣munication ought to proceed from one who hath authority over that Church from which the party is excommunicated▪ now the Pope what ever power as another Bishop he hath in his own Diocesse, there is no power he can in the least lay claim to, over other places. They being by God put under the goverment of others over whom the Pope or Bishop of Rome hath no power, and therefore cannot excommunicate.