A cleare, sincere, and modest confutation of the vnsound, fraudulent, and intemperate reply of T.F. who is knowne to be Mr. Thomas Fitzherbert now an English Iesuite. Wherein also are confuted the chiefest obiections which D. Schulckenius, who is commonly said to be Card. Bellarmine, hath made against Widdrintons [sic] Apologie for the right, or soueraigntie of temporall princes. By Roger Widdrington an English Catholike.

Chap. 2.

Wherein the argument of Card. Bel∣larmine taken from the authoritie of S. Paul Rom. 12. wee being many are one body in Christ, is exa∣mined.

1. ANd to begin first with the vnion; Card. Bel∣larmine bringeth two arguments to proue, that the ciuill and spirituall power doe make one bodie or common-wealth among Christians. The first is taken from the authoritie of S. Paul Rom: 12. and 1 Cor: 12. where hee affirmeth, that wee being many are one body in Christ: from whence Card: Bel∣larmine concludeth,a 1.1 that Kings and Bishops, Clerkes and Laikes doe not make two common-wealths, but one, to wit, the Church.

2 To this argument I answered in myb 1.2 Apologie, that the meaning of S. Paul in those places is, that all Christians, both Kings and Bishops, Clerkes and Laikes, as they are by Baptisme regenerate in Christ, doe truly, properly, and formally make one bodie, one house, one cittie, one communitie or common-wealth,

to wit, the spirituall kingdome, the mysticall body, or the Church of Christ, which Card. Bellar∣mine definethc 1.3 to be, a companie of men vnited together by the profession of the same Christian faith and Communi∣on of the same Sacraments vnder the gouernment of law∣full Pastours, and especially of one Romane Bishop Christ his Vicar in earth. But S. Paul doth not say, that the temporall and spirituall power doe make one onely bodie, communitie or common-wealth, and not also two, or that Kings and Bishops, Clerkes and Laikes, not considered as Christians or regenerate in Christ by baptisme, but as by their naturall birth or ciuil con∣uersation they are subiect to temporal Princes, which subiection Baptisme doth not take away, doe not also truely, properly and formally make also another po∣litike bodie, another citie, another communitie or common-wealth, to wit, the earthly Kingdomes of the Christian world.

3. Wherefore it is not true, that Kings and Bi∣shops, Clearkes and Laikes considered diuerse waies do not make diuerse kingdoms or common-wealths, but one onely, as Card. Bellarmine concludeth out of S. Paul? for as by Baptisme they are regenerate in Christ, and subiect in spirituals to Christ his vicege∣rent in earth, they make one body, or common-wealth, which is the spirituall kingdome and Church of Christ, and this onely doth signifie S. Paul by those words, we being many are one body in Christ, but S. Paul doth not denie, that all Christians, as by their natu∣rall birth or ciuill conuersation they are subiect to Se∣cular Princes in temporall causes, which subiection Baptisme doth not take away, doe also truely, pro∣perly and formally make another body or common-wealth, which are the earthly kingdomes of the Chri∣stian world. Cleargie men, saith Card. Bellarmine him∣selfe,d 1.4 besides that they are Cleargie men; are also citi∣zens and certaine parts of the ciuill common-wealth, and

againe,e 1.5 if one, saith he, consider the companie of Lay∣men, not as they are Christians, but as they are Citizens, or after any other manner, that companie cannot bee called the Church, and consequently they must bee another common-wealth, and therefore the ciuill and Eccle∣siasticall power, or Clerkes or Laikes, in whom the Ecclesiasticall and ciuill power doe reside, being con∣sidered diuerse waies, doe not truely, properly and formally make one only body, but two distinct & se∣uerall bodies or common-wealths, although materi∣ally and accidentally vnited in that maner as I de∣clared before,f 1.6 and presently will declare more at large.

4. And whereas Card. Bellarmine affirmeth, that although the temporall and spirituall power doe make two partiall common-wealths, yet they doe also make one entire and totall common-wealth, which is the Church of Christ, whereof the Pope is the supreme visible head, and to affirme the contrary, is, saith he, against the Catholike faith, hee doth heerein both speake contrarie to his owne prin∣ciples, and to that which hee knoweth to bee the Ca∣tholike faith, and hee must also of necessitie fall into the Canonists opinion, which he beforeg 1.7 pretended to confute concerning the Popes spirituall and temporall Monarchie ouer the whole Christian world. For if the Church of Christ be one totall body or common-wealth compounded of Ecclesiastical and ciuill pow∣er, as a man is compounded of soule and body (for this is that similitude which so much pleaseth Card. Bellarmine, and is therefore so often inculcated by him) it must necessarily follow, that the Pope as Pope, in whom, according to his other grounds, all the po∣wer of the Church doth reside, must haue truly, pro∣perly, and formally both temporall and Ecclesiasti∣call power, as a man who is compounded of soule and bodie, hath truely, properly and formally in him both the soule and bodie, and all the powers and fa∣culties

of them both: And what else is this, I pray you, then to maintaine with the Canonists, that the Pope as Pope is both a temporall and spirituall Mo∣narch, and that hee hath truely, properly and formal∣ly both ciuill and spirituall authority: And yet Card. Bellarmine in other places doth expressely affirme, that the Pope as Pope hath onely spirituall and not temporall power.

5 The Diuines, saith he,h 1.8 doe giue to the Pope tempo∣rall and spirituall power onely in the Dominions of the Church, which power in the patrimonie of S. Peter Pope Innocent in cap. per venerabilem doth call a full power; ouer other Christian Prouinces they doe giue to the Pope onely a spirituall power, which of it selfe and properly doth regard spirituall things, but temporall things it doth regard as they are subordained to spirituall. And therefore when we speake properly, we say that the Pope hath power in tem∣porals, but not that he hath temporall power, as he is Pope. Now how these two can stand together, that the spi∣rituall and temporall power among Christians doe make one entire and totall body, whereof the Pope is the supreme visible head, as the body and soule doe make one man, and yet that the Pope, as Pope, shall haue no temporall power, which in it selfe is tempo∣rall, but onely spirituall, athough in some cases ex∣tended to temporall things, seeing that these two powers doe truely compose the Church of Christ, and consequently both of them are truly and really in the Church which they compound, and so likewise in the Pope, in whom all the power of the Church doth re∣side, I remit to the iudgement of any sensible man.

5. Besides what a more flat contradiction can there be, then this, to say, that the ciuill and spirituall power among Christians doe compound indeede two parti∣all, but one entire and totall common-wealth, which is the Church of Christ, or Christian common-wealth, as hee heere affirmeth,i 1.9 and withall, that the Church of Christ

or the Christian common-wealth is compounded onely of spirituall authoritie, as a little beneath hee affirmeth in these words:d 1.10 That which my Aduersarie Widdring∣ton saith, that the mysticall bodie, Church, or Chri∣stian common-wealth is compounded of spirituall authority alone, is true in this sense, that to compound the Christian common-wealth there is not necessary a power, which is for∣mally ciuill, but yet there is necessarie a power, which is so formally spirituall, that it is also vertually ciuill &c. For how can the Church of Christ be compounded of ci∣uill and spirituall power, which are formally two di∣stinct powers, and yet the Church not haue power which is formally ciuill, but onely spirituall? Neuer∣thelesse I doe not intend to denie, that the spirituall or Ecclesiasticall power among Christians may in this sense be called vertually ciuill or temporall, because it may for the spirituall good command, and compell spiritually temporall Princes to vse their temporall po∣wer, for this were onely to contend about words, but that the Church of Christ, whereof the Pope is head, is truely, properly and formally compounded of ciuil and spiritualll power, this I say is both vntrue, and also flat contrarie to Card. Bellarmines own grounds; but whether the spiritual power of the church may be called vertually ciuill or temporal, for that it may also constraine and punish temporall Princes temporally, or vse temporall and ciuill authoritie, in case the temporall Prince for the spirituall good will not vse it, this is the maine question betwixt mee and Card. Bellarmine.

7. To conclude therefore, this answere I doe freely grant: that Kings and Bishops, Clearks and La∣icks, as by baptisme they are regenerate in Christ, doe truely, properly, and formally, make one entire and totall body, which is the spirituall kingdome, and Church of Christ, whereof the Pope is the supreme vi∣sible head: but I vtterly deny, that this spirituall

kingdome, or Church of Christ is compounded of spirituall and temporall, but onely of spirituall, or Ecclesiasticall power: or that Clearks and Laicks, as they are citizens, or by their naturall birth are subiect in temporall affaires to temporall Princes doe com∣pound this Church of Christ, but onely the earthly kingdomes of the Christian world, which are onely compounded of ciuill and temporall authority. In which Christian world, or Christian common-wealth, (taking them for an aggregatum per accidens, including both the spirituall kingdome of Christ, whereof the Pope is head, and also earthly kingdomes, whereof Christian Princes are the onely visible heads, for the Church of Christ is seldome times taken in this sense) there is but one totall or intire Catholike Church: yet there be many intire temporall kingdomes or com∣mon-wealths, as of English, French, Spanish, which haue their seuerall Princes, Lawes, and gouernments, and haue no other communion then in friendship and amitie: Yea, & the Catholike Church is one totall body, or common-wealth in Christian and Infidell kingdomes. And also in one particular Christian kingdome there be two distinct totall bodies, or com∣mon-wealths, to wit, the temporall, consisting of ci∣uill power, and the Ecclesiasticall, consisting of spi∣rituall: wherein as there bee two distinct communi∣ons, the one spirituall in things belonging to grace, and the other temporall in things belonging to na∣ture. So also their be two excommunications, the one in spirituals; wherein those that be excommunicated by the Church, doe not participate, and the other in temporalls; whereof those, who be excommuni∣cated, or made out-lawes by temporall Princes, are not partakers; in so much that they, who are depri∣ued of one of these communions, are not thereby depriued of the other, for an out-law may be a mem∣ber of the Church, and be partaker of spirituall com∣munion:

and he, who by Excommunication is de∣priued of Ecclesiasticall communion, may bee a member of the ciuill common-wealth, as Heathens and Publicans were, and not therefore to be excluded from ciuill societie and conuersation.

8. Wherefore although the temporall and spiri∣tuall power among Christians, as they are referred to the visible heads thereof, doe truely, properly, and formally make diuerse totall bodies, or common-wealths, which neuerthelesse ought both to conspire in league & friendship, to bring both Princes and sub∣iects to life euerlasting: yet they are not like to two confederate Cities or Kingdomes, which are onely vnited in league and amity, and haue no ciuill com∣munion one with the other, neither is the same man a citizen of both Cities, or a subiect of both King∣domes; but the temporall and spirituall power are so vnited among Christians, that the same man, who by ciuill conuersation, or naturall birth is a citizen, part, and member of the temporall City, Kingdome, or Common-wealth, and consequently subiect to her Lawes, is also by baptisme or spirituall regenera∣tion made a citizen, part, or member of the spiritu∣all Citie, Kingdome, or Cōmon-wealth, which is the Church of Christ, and consequently is also subiect to her Lawes. So that although the vnion, and com∣munion of earthly Kingdomes, and the spirituall kingdome of Christ bee greater among Christians, then of two confederate Cities or temporall king∣domes, yet this vnion and communion being onely material, accidentall, and in subiect (as Musicke and Physicke are vnited in one man, by reason whereof the same man is both a Musician and a Physician, and consequently subiect to the precepts and directi∣ons of either art) is not sufficient to cause them to make truely properly, and formally one totall body, kingdome, or common-wealth, whereof the Pope

is head: as neither the vnion of two accidents in one subiect is sufficient to cause them to make truely, pro∣perly, and formally, one entire & totall accidentall cōpound. Neuerthelesse I do not deny, as I obserued before but that the temporal & spiritual power, earth¦ly kingdomes, and the spiritual kingdome of Christ, as they are referred to Christ: who, at leastwise as God, is the head of them both, doe make one totall body, whereof Christ onely is the head, which may be called the Christian world, consisting of ciuill and spirituall power: but in this manner neither the Pope nor temporall Princes are the head, but onely parts and members of this totall body, as beneathl 1.11 I will declare more at large.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Lib. 5. de Rom. Pont: cap. 7.
• b 1.2

  Num: 83. 89. 165.
• c 1.3

  Lib. 3. de Ec∣clesia cap 2.
• d 1.4

  Lib. de Cle∣ricis cap. 28.
• e 1.5

  Ibid. cap. 30.
• f 1.6

  Cap. 1. nu. 3.
• g 1.7

  Lib. 5. de Ro. Pont. a cap. 2.
• h 1.8

  In his book against D. Barclay ca. 12. pag. 137.
• i 1.9

  In his Schulc∣kenius cap. 5. pag. 195.
• d 1.10

  In his Schulckenius cap 5. p. 203.
• l 1.11

  Cap. 1. nu. 4.