The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.

Paragr. 12. Concerning the glosse of the Canon law, dist, 40. Cap. Non Nos: about the Popes deedes.

In the beginning of this Section the Popish Priest taxeth Maister White for implacable hatred against the Roman Church and Pope: but the matter which indeed offendeth him, is the discouery of the enormous wic∣kednesse of his holy seeming Father, made by M. White out of the Records and Stories of Papists.

And concerning this matter, let these things following be considered.

First, the crimes and enormous deedes, obiected by Protestants against the Popes and other Romists, are found in the publike Stories and Monuments of our Ad∣uersaries themselues: whereas on the contrarie they di∣staine the worthiest and most eminent persons of our state and Church, with horrible blasphemies and loude lyes, testified by no credible author or witnesse, but for∣ged and suggested by themseluesp.

Secondly, the Papists themselues giue occasion why we publish the vicious abhominations of their holy Fa∣thers, whilst partly by intollerable venditation of sancti∣ty, they endeuour to make the ignorant beleeue, that their thornes and thistles bring forth figges and grapes; and partly by calumnious reports, and the aggrauating of personall actions in some of our Religion, to the iniu∣ry and abuse of the whole Church, they extort from vs a true report of their Churches wickednesse: And speaking what they lust, they doe according to the law of like, heare what they lust notq.

T. W. I charge you M. White with much foule demei∣nor: first, because you cite that which is taken out of the glosse of Gratian, as if it were the Canon law, the same being of in∣comparable lesse authoritie: secondly, because that which is spoken of the Pope when the fact is doubtfull, in which case the glosse requires no more in the behalfe of the Pope, then which euery Christian in charitie is to performe to a common person; namely, to abstaine temerarious censure, and to inter∣prete doubfull actions in the better part: you apply to actions wherein both the fact and the right are manifest.

Answ. First, it is a veniall offence, to call the glosse which deliuers the sence and meaning of the law, and by your selues is printed with the textr, and whereby many weightie cases, both in matter of conscience and of strife are decideds and authorisedt, by the name of the Canon lawu. No small part of he Christian world was lately gouerned by the text and glosses of the Ca∣non law, and do you now cast them to the Moales and to the Batts? Esa. 2.20. A Foxe when he is hunted for∣sakes the wood, but yet comes backe againe thither, and makes it his chiefe harbor, &c.

Secondly, concerning the matter of the testimonie it selfe, your new glosse salueth not the old. Gratians text hath these wordsx: We may not doubt the Pope to bee holy, whom the height of so great dignitie doth extoll; in whom if meritorious deedes be wanting of his owne, yet those are sufficient which are imparted vnto him from the prede∣cessor of his Sea: According whereunto Pope Gregorie the seuenth in his Dictatesy, affirmes, that the Roman Pon∣tifex

canonically elected, is vndoubtedly sanctified by the me∣rits of blessed Peter. Iohn Teutonicus in his glosse, ex∣poundeth this assertion of Gratian, and desiring to main∣taine the sanctity and honour of the purpled priest: first, requires men to iudge charitably of the Popes deeds, and to presume the same holy so long as the case is doubtfull, (and heere indeed is your point) but then he proceedeth and solueth the doubt proposed, (which was, What if it be manifest concerning the Pope, that he hath committed a∣dulterie or homicidez?) saying, The Popes deeds are excused euen as the homicide of Sampson, the theft of the Hebrewes, and the Adulterie of Iacob: That is, they are excused by a speciall priuiledge or dispensation: and that this is his meaning, appeareth by the reference he maketh to a text in the Decretalles, where it is affirmed, touching Samp∣son, Iacob, and the Israelites, that they were allowed by diuine reuelation to perpetrate the things they did, and from hence I reason: The glosse affirmeth, that the Popes deeds are so excused, as the adulterie of Iacob, the mur∣der of Sampson, and the theft of the Israelites were ex∣cused.

But according to the Canon Law, all these were excu∣sed by an indulgence and priuiledge, granted by diuine reuelation, and not onely by the iudgement of charity, as this Popish Priest pretendeth.

Notes

• Papir. Masson. de episc. Vrb. l. 6 in Paul. 3. Quod si Pontifices no lunt turpia aut nefaria de se nar¦rari, nihil eius∣modi faciant: aut cum fece∣rint, non putent ea ipsa ita late∣re, vt & sciri, & posteris narrari nequeant.
• p

  Sander. de schism. Britan. Parsons Philo∣pater. Bosius de sig. eccles. l. 9. c. 3. & l. 12. c. 3. &c. 20. Stapl. prompt. Cath. in fest. Simon. & Iud. pag. 215. Lecta est in tribunali Londinensi scedula per quendam verbi ministrum, iudici regio, sed per errorem porrecta, &c. in qua quidem mulieri narrabat, quam ardenter in illam, dum concionaretur exarserit, quam li∣benter oculos ad eius formam adiecerit, quam illa venusta & altera Helena visa fuerit, & id ge∣nus amores suos, tali persona, loco, & spiritu dignos, multis verbis praedicabat atque ad libidinem prouocabat, &c.
• q

  Lingua abusus futili, inuitus audit, qui volens dixit male. Plutarch. l. de cap. ex hist. vtil. ex Sophocle.
• r

  Posseuin. Ap∣par. v. Glost. iuris Canon.
• s

  Iac Graph. de∣cis. aur. and o∣ther Casuists commonly re∣solue their de∣cisions into the Glosse. Gabr. 4. d. 16. q. 3. not. 6.
• t

  Bellar. Recog. de Po••tif. pa. 23. citeth the Glosse of the decretals for his famous distinction of direct and indi∣rect, in the que∣stion of the Popes temporal iurisdiction
• u

  Scot. 4. d. 17. q. 1.
• x

  D. 40. c. Non nos. Extr. Ioh. 22. c. sanct. Rom gloss.
• y

  Baron. annal to. 11. an. 1076. n. 33. Gers. p. 1. de potest. eccl. lect. 10. Abs{que} mendacio Papa nequis∣simus dici potest sanctissimus. Theoderic. Niem. de schism. pop. l. 2. ca. 9 & ca. 32. Papa non po∣test peccare simoniace, dicebant curiales.
• z

  Quid si de ip∣so constet, quod adulterium cō∣misit aut homi∣cidium? Turrecrem. sup. decret. par. 1. d. 40. dictio Quis raritatem notat, non impossibi∣litatem.
• Decretal. 4. tit. 19. de diuort. c. 8. Gaudemus, nec vlli vnquam licuit in simul plures vxores habere, nisi cui diuina reuelati∣one concessum: per quam sicut Iacob à men∣dacio, Israelitae à furto, & Sam∣pson ab homicidio, sic & Patriarchae, & alij viri iusti. &c.
• Grets. de potest. eccles. l. 12. Adulatio negat Papam simoniam posse committere. Theoderic. Niem. de schism. Papar. lib. 2. cap. 9. & cap. 32. Papa non potest peccare simoniace. dicebant Curiales.