An answer to Doctor Piercie's sermon preached before His Majesty at White-Hall, Feb. 1, 1663 by J.S.

The seventh Demonstration.

Page 18.

51. If every Patriarch, and Bishop be appoint∣ed to be chief in his proper Diocesse, as the Bi∣shop of Rome is the chief in his; then the Pope cannot be chief, or Head of the whole Church.

But so it was appointed by the Canons of the two first General Councils, Nicè and Constan∣tinople.

Therefore the Bishop of Rome cannot be chief, or head of the whole Church.

The Minor is stoutly proved, first by the 6. Ni∣cene Canon, in which there is not a word of that sense. The Canon is this, Let the ancient custome held through Egypt, Lybia and Pentapolis that the

Bishop of Alexandria have power over those Pro∣vinces, because that also with the Bishop of Rome, this is usual or customary: that is, to allow that power in the Bishop of Alexandria: for if this be not the sence, how could the Judges in the Coun∣cil of Chalcedon inferre out of this Canon, Omnem primatum, all primacy in the See of Rome? as we shall presently see. The fifth Canon of the second Generall Council runs thus: The Bishop of Con∣stantinople must have the honour of Primacy af∣ter the Bishop of Rome, because it is new Rome. Doe not those words, after the Bishop of Rome, rather prove the absolute Primacy of the Roman See? Secondly in the Council of Chalcedon, which was the fourth Generall, Act. 16. the Judges having heard the recitall of those two Canons, concluded thus: By what hath been deposed of every one, we conceive that all Primacy and chief honour is reserved to the Arch-Bishop of old Rome. What Canons, I pray, but those of the two first Generall Councils, you have alledg'd? which are so far from equallizing the Roman Bishop with the rest, that they give him all Primacy: that is, both of Order and Jurisdiction. For Primacy of Order alone, is neither all Primacy, nor the chief Honour; Primacy of Jurisdiction exceeding it far. This Primacy is farther p•…•…oved, because the same Council pretending to grant the Bishop of Con∣stantinople a Primacy over the East after the Pope of Rome, according to the second Generall Coun∣cil, expressely addes, that he should have power to order the Metropolitans in the Diocesses of the

East: that the Bishops chosen by the Clergy, of whatsoever Metropolis of the East, be presented to the Arch-Bishop of Constantinople, that he might either confirm or reject them as he pleased. And both Theodorus Balsamon upon the Council of Sardica, cap. 3. & 5. and Nilus de Primatu Papae, cap. 7. from those two Canons of the second and fourth Generall Councils, endeavour to conclude a right in the Bishop of Constantinople to admit of appeales from all the East. Wherefore your expo∣sition out of Iustellus concerning primacy of Or∣der alone, is manifestly false, and against the Text. As therefore the primacy aimed at for the Bishop of Constantinople over the East (but never ob∣tained, because the Church of Rome alwayes re∣jected those two Canons, as derogatory to the pre∣cedence of Alexandria and Antioch, established by the first Council of Nice:) was both of Order, and Jurisdiction: so much more the acknowledged Primacy of the Pope over the whole Church. Whereupon the Fathers of that Council writing to Pope Leo, say, You presided in this Assembly as the Head to the Members. When therefore in the same Council of Chalcedon it is said: that the Fa∣thers of the Church had given those priviledges to the See of old Rome, because it was the Imperiall City: Their meaning is not, that the Cities great∣nesse was the immediate cause of the Primacy: For that was the being S. Peter's Successor, as ap∣peares by the Title they gave S. Leo's Epistle in their Speech to the Emperour, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the speech of Peter's Chayre: and having

read that Epistle, thus acclaymed, Peter spoke by the mouth of Leo: And in their relation given to Saint Leo, speaking of Dioscorus, who had dared to excommunicate the Pope in a false Coun∣cil, called without the Pope's consent, which never was lawfull: He shewed, say they, malice against him, to whom the custody of the Vineyard was com∣mitted. The Fathers therefore meant causam causae, the remote cause, to wit, the cause why St. Peter fixt his Seat at Rome, as being the head of the Roman Empire, to the end, saith S. Leo, that the light of truth, which was revealed for the Sal∣vation of all Nations, might from the head of the world, be communicated effectually to the whole Body. And so the Emperours Theodosius, and Va∣lentinian in a Law made six yeares before the Council of Chalcedon, comprehend all the causes: saying, that three things establisht the See Aposto∣lick: S. Peters merit, who is Prince of the Apo∣stolicall Colledge, the dignity of the City, and Sy∣nodicall authority: that is, Divine, Ecclesiasticall, and Civill right.

52. The strict injunction you mention of the second Generall Council laid upon Bishops, not to meddle but with their own Discesse: was not to hinder Hierarchy, but confusion: And so by set∣ting bounds to the other Patriarchs, and omitting the Roman, they shewed their respects to that See, as to the Head of all without limit. 'Tis also false, that the Council of Chalcedon decreed to the Bishop of Constantinople an equality of priviledges with the Church of Rome. For besides the nullity of that surreptitious Canon, evidently prov'd by Cardi∣nal

Peròn to in his reply to K. Iames, & wholy re∣jected by S. Leo, those Fathers meerly renew'd the fifth Decree of the second Generall Council, which, as we have seen above, intended onely the second place of dignity to the Bishop of Constantinople, as is insinuated in the Canon even as it lies, by the words immediately following, which you craftlly suppresse, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as being the second after the Roman. And Zonaras, though a Greek Schismatick, discoursing of the sense of these words, concludes thus: from hence it appeares ma∣nifestly, that the preposition, after, signifies sub∣mission and inferiority. Those words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, equall priviledges, were afterwards foisted into the Decree by the practice of Anatolius, to encrease his power. The Fathers of that Council never own'd them: for when they besought Pope Leo to confirm their Canon, they mentioned to him no equall priviledges, but onely said, We have con∣firmed the Rule of the 150 Fathers assembled at Constantinople, that after your Apostolicall See; that of Constaninople should have the second place. Meaning thereby, that as the Bishop of Rome had the Primacy, absolutely and without restraint over all Patriarchs, so the Bishop of Constantinople should have it next after him over all the Patri∣archs. Iustinian the Emperour, some seventy yeares after, gives the same sence to that Canon, saying, that as the holy Pope of old Rome is the first of all Prelacy, so the Arch-Bishop of Constanti∣nople, new Rome should have the second place after the See Apostolick of old Rome, and be preferred

before all the other Sees. Novell. 131. and long after Iustinian the Emperour, Basilius the younger, and Eustathius Patriarch of Constantinople, con∣sulting of a re-union with the Latines; desired, a that it might be lawfull for them to obtain with the consent of the Pope, that the Church of Con∣stantinople might be call'd Universal in the com∣pass thereof, as the Pope of Rome was in the com∣pass of the whole world. Finally Nilus writing a∣gainst the Roman Church confesseth: a We are not separated from peace for attributing to our selves the Primacy, or for refusing to hold the second place after the principality of Rome. For we never contested for Primacy with the Roman Church. Good Sir, where is now your equality of priviledges?

Notes

• Serm. 1. de Apost. Peer•…•… & Pa•…•…lo.
• In Concil. Constanti∣•…•…op. 1. Can. 3.
• item Anal. Tomo 3. in Valent•…•…nia: jun. & The∣•…•…dos. fol. 31.
• a

  Vt sibi li∣ceret cum consens•…•… Pae∣pae, u•…•… Eccle∣sia Constan∣tinopolis ha∣beretur & appellaretur universalis in suo orbe, sicut Ro•…•…∣na in orbe totius Mun∣di. Glaber Ro∣dulphus lib. 1. cap. 1.
• b De Prima∣tu Papae li. 1.