Certain general reasons, prouing the lawfulnesse of the Oath of allegiance, written by R.S. priest, to his priuat friend. Whereunto is added, the treatise of that learned man, M. William Barclay, concerning the temporall power of the pope. And with these is ioyned the sermon of M. Theophilus Higgons, preached at Pauls Crosse the third of March last, because it containeth something of like argument

CHAP. XXVI.

SEeing these matters stand thus, the way is made more easie for vs to refute those arguments which Bellarmin deduceth out of his former foundation, being now al∣ready opened by vs, and retorted backe vpon himselfe, for they fall to ground, partly thorow their owne fault and weaknesse, and partly because they are not wel set vpon the foundation, whereon they are built. For first out of that, that Power is necessary for the Pastor about the Woolues, that be may driue them away by any meane he can, he reasoneth in this manner.

Woolues which destroy the Church of God are Heretikes:

Ergo If any Prince of a Sheep or a Ram become a Wolfe, that is, of a Christian become an Heretike, the Pastor of the Church may driue him away by excommunication, and also command the People, that they doe not follow him, and therefore may depriue him of his gouernment ouer his sub∣iects.

But he is deceiued or doth deceiue vs, by shuffling toge∣ther true and false things into the same Conclusion. For in that he saith, that the Pastor of the Church may driue a∣way an Heretike Prince by excommunication, that is very true, and is deriued out of that principle by a necessary con∣secution. But that he may onely, marry that he ought not to do it, but at such times when as he may cōmodiously do it, without scandall and hurt to the Church, as I haue de∣declared before a. For where there is danger least the peace of the Church may be dissolued, and least The member of Christ be torne in peeces by sacrilegious schismes. the seuere mercy of the diuine discipline is necessary (that is to say, is who∣ly to be left to the iudgement and punishment of God) for Counsell of separation, (that is of excommunication) are both vaine, and hurtfull and Sacrilegious, because they become both

impious and preud, and doe more disturbe the weake good ones, then correct the s••urdy ill ones.

b This is the doctrine of S. Angustine, approoued by the common voice of the Church, whereby it is euident, how ras••ly and vnwisely, certaine Popes, haue separated from the Church by excommunication, most mighty Em∣perours and Kings, with the great scandall of the whole world, and dissolution of the peace of the Church, whom it had beene farre better to haue tolerated, and to haue dis∣couered their faults onely, and with mourning to haue be∣wailed them in the Church.

For the comparison of the Peace and Unity which was to be kept, and for the saluation of the weake brethren, and such as now were fed onely with milke, least the members of the body of Christ should be torne in peeces, by sacrilegious schismes d.

Therefore the Popes might doe this, but they ought not. Non omne quod licet, honestum est. Very well saith the Apostle e, omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expedi∣unt. Therefore the first part of the conclusion is true, that the Pastor of the Church, may driue away heretike Prin∣ces by excommunication.

But that which followeth, (and withall command the peo∣ple, that they follow him not) hath two eares to hold by, as I may say with Epictetus, the one sound, the other broken. I meane a twofold vnderstanding, the one true, the other faulty. For if he speake in this sense, that it is the duty of the Pope, to command the subiects, that they follow not an heretike Prince in his heresie, that they run not with him in his madnesse, nor admit and swallow downe his damnable errors; for that they suffer not themselues, to be infected and defiled with his filthy and corrupt man∣ners it is as true, and is deriued very truly out of the same principle and fountaine, and this is the best sense of those words. For there is nothing so conuenient and comely for the pontificall dignity, and the whole order Ecclesiastike, nothing so profitable and necessary for Christian people, as that according to the patterne of the ancient fathers of

the Church, the principall Bishop himselfe first, and the rest of his brethren, all of them, should preach the word, should be instant in season, and out of season, conuince, in∣treat, rebuke, in all patience and doctrine f. That like Faithfull witnesses and good seruants whom the Lord hath set ouer his family, they may so worke both by word and example, that the people follow not the errors of their King, nor either dissemble, nor forsake the Catholike faith, thorow any either threatnings or allurements of the King, which because most of them either do not all at this day, or at the least much more slackly then they ought, and that duty, which it becomes them to performe them∣selues, they put ouer to certaine begging Friers: what mar∣uell is it if many in our age, haue been caried away as it were with a whirle wind of errors from the Lords sheep∣folds, into the toiles of the diuell. This, as I haue said, is the best sense: But notwithstanding that Bellarmine doth not speake in this sense, both the cause, which he hath in hand, and this clause following, Ac proinde prinare eum do∣minio in subditos, doth plainly declare. Therefore he giues vs the broken care of the pot, I meane the corrupt, and the very worst sense of those words: forsooth, that the pastor of the Church may command the subiect, that they exe∣cute no commandement of such a Prince, and that by any meanes they yeeld him no reuerence, obedience, honor, in those matters which belong euen to a temporall and ciuill authority. And therefore depriue him of his dominion ouer his subiects. But this is false, and flat contrary to the law of God, and precepts of the Apostles. Feare the Lord, my sonne, and the King g: Admonish them to be subiect to Prin∣ces and powers, to obey their commandement h. Be subiect to euery creature for God, or to the King as soueraigne, feare God honor the King, and diuers of that kind, which things seeing they be spoken of wicked Kings and persecutors of the Church, (for at that time no other ruled in the world,) they can not but belong to the worst and vnworthiest kind of Kings. Therefore this is that which I said before, that

either he deceiues of purpose, or is deceiued, by shuffling together true and false points into the same conclusion. For it is true, that a Pastor of the Church, may driue away an heretike Prince by excommunication: but it is false that he may depriue him of his dominion ouer his sub∣iects. For obedience due to Kings and all superiors, is both by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of nature and of God: how then can the Pope by any meane dispense with people against the same?

For they that with more diligence, and exact care doe search the scriptures, doe obserue a too fold kind of the precepts of Paul: one is of those, by which he publisheth the law of God, which he was sent to preach, and doth both propound, and expound the will of God, compre∣hended in the old and new law. Of which precepts almost infinit his Epistles are full, wherein are these also which he deliuers touching obedience and reuerence to be giuen to Kings and Princes. And the other kind is of those things, which doe not depend of the law of nature or the expresse word of God, but which the Apostle himselfe of his pro∣per authority ordaineth by humane wisedome assisted by the grace of God, for the ordering and setling of the wor∣ship of God, as that a Bigamus or a quarreller, be not ad∣mitted to a Bishopricke k, that a widow vnder the age of 60. yeeres, be not chosen to the office of Deaconesse, and the like. And between these commandements the diffe∣rence is, that in those which be of the latter kind, the Pope may dispense for some cause: For he hath no lesse autho∣rity, then the Apostle himselfe, in the disposition and or∣dination of the Church: because the whole Church is committed to him, as to the Vicar of Christ and successor of Peter, and because he is not bound to the lawes of his predecessors. But in those matters which belong to the former kind, he hath no power at all to dispense , be∣cause Non est discipulus ••per Magistrum, ne{que} seruus supra Dominum n. The inferior may not breake the law of his superior: or qualifie the same to pleasure any. For which cause Speculator doth affirme that the Pope can not ab∣solue

any man from a lawfull oath, because the obligation of keeping an oath and performing it to God, is both by the law of nature, and of God: And others deny that the Pope can dispense with any witnesse, that he may be belee∣ued vnsworne in a iudgement p. And Innocentius III. Pope in his rescript witnesseth, that the Pope can not grant licence to a Monke, that either he may haue the pro∣perty of any goods, or haue a wife q.

I am not ignorant, with what a far fetcht and trifling explication, certaine Canonists interpreters, who submit all things to the power of the Pope, doe bend and wrest from the proper and natiue signification of the words, that same place of Innocentius, against the iudgement of the best sort of diuines. I am perswaded that it troubled them, which they had hearde, that Constantia the daughter of Rogerius Normannus, a Nunne, was by Clement the III. brought out of the Monastery of Panormus, to be maried to Henry the VI. sonne of Frederike Aenobarbus, of whom the Archbishop of ••lorence writeth, that when she was fifty yeeres of age, and had long professed a Monasticall reli∣gion, that she bare Frederike the II. And that she might take away all suspition of a supposite and foisted birth, that she was openly deliuered in the midle of a street in Panormus, vnder a sheet ouer spread: proclamation being made before, that it should be lawfull for all women to be present, who would come to see that spectacle. Therefore this Frederike was borne saith he, of a Nunne that was now fifty yeeres of age) and because they had heard also that an other Pope had granted a certaine King of Aragon an indulgence, that of a Monke he might bee a maried man. Wherefore these men I meane the Canonists, being beyond all measure addicted to the Popes, being loath to reprehend such manner of actions, least they should doe disgrace to their Popes, who were greedy of honor, and knowing that the words of the prescript set foorth by Innocent the III. did affirme the contrary, they laboured to helpe themselues

by such foolish interpretations, as it irketh me to report in this place, least I should intertaine the reader with toies. But it had been much easier for them, to maintaine the truth and the equity of the rescript, then to practise to make a certaine law of the singular, and vnlawfull actions of Popes, as though they were a rule to liue by Let vs su••ter the Popes to giue accompt of their actions to God, nei∣ther let vs imitate them in all things. But if any doe pro∣pound to vs for examples such actions of theirs, we will answer with Ioan de Tur. Crem, Siluester, Sotus, and other learned men: That these were deeds of Popes, but not decrees, and that the deeds of the Popes, doe not make an arti∣cle of the Christian saith, and that it is one thing, to commit any thing defacto, mother thing to determine what might be done de••ure. I my ••••e and Siluester, haue seen a Pope doe greater matters, with the canda•••• of whole Christianity: and Iohn de Tur. Crem. speaking of vnlawfull dispensations, saith, which if it shall so be at any time done by any Pope being either ignorant in the Scriptures, or blinded with desire of wealth, and mony, which is wont to be offered for such exorbitant dispensations, or that he might please any man, it doth not follow that he might iustly doe those things. The Church is gouerned or ought to be gouerned by Right and Lawes, not by such actions or Exam∣ples.

Notes

• a

  Cap. 9.
• b

  〈…〉〈…〉.
• d

  〈…〉〈…〉
• e

  1 Cor. 6. & 10.
• f

  .2 Timoth. 4.
• g

  Prou. 24.
• h

  Tit. 3.
• •• 1. Pet. 2.
• The Pope 〈…〉〈…〉 God.
• k

  1. Timoth. 5.
• I••an. de turre 〈…〉〈…〉. lector. dist. 34.
• n

  Math. 10.
• p

  Hi••polyt de Marsil. sing. 214.
• q

  Cap cum ad monasterium. de stat. mona∣chor.
• •• Part. 3. tit. 19. cap. 6.