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. 3.

Wherein the authoritie of S. Gregorie Nazianzen, comparing the temporall and spirituall power to the body and soule in man, is declared.

1. THe second argument, which Card. Bellarmine bringeth to proue, that the ciuill and spiri∣tuall power among Christians doe make one totall body, or common-wealth, is taken from the autho∣rity of S. Gregory Nazianzene, who compareth the spirituall and temporall power among Christians to the soule and body of man. From which similitude Card. Bellarmine argueth in this mannera 1.1. These two powers in the Church, saith hee, are like to the spirit and body in a man. For the body & the spirit are as it were two common-wealths, which may be found diuided and vnited. The body is found without the spirit in beasts, the spirit is found without the body in Angels, the body and spirit are both vnited in man, and doe make one person. So likewise, the ciuill and spirituall power are somtimes found diuided, as long since in the Apostles time, somtimes vnited as now,

and when they are vnited they make one body, or com∣mon wealth.

2. To this argument I answered in my Apologieb 1.2, that from the words of S. Gregorie Nazianzene onely these two things can be gathered. The first, that the spirituall power is more worthy, and more noble then the temporall, and that therefore the temporall must in worthinesse yeeld and giue place to the spirituall. The second is, that Christian Princes, although in temporalls, and in things belonging to ciuill gouern∣ment they are supreme on earth, and therefore subiect to none, yet in that they are Christians, they are sub∣iect in spirituals, and in things belonging to Christian Religion to the command of spirituall Pastours of the flocke of Christ. For these bee the expresse wordes, which he vsed to the Christian President: For the law of Christ doth make you also subiect to my power and autho∣ritie, for we also haue authoritie to command, I add also, a more noble, and more perfect, vnlesse it be meete, that the spirit do submit her power to the flesh, and heauenly things doe giue place to earthly. From which words this onely can be inferred, that the spirituall power is more no∣ble, then the temporall, and that all Christian Princes and Magistrates, as they are the sheepe of Christ, are in spirituall things subiect to the spirituall Pastours of the Church, which all Catholikes will freely grant. But that the temporall and spirituall power among Christians, as they are referred to the supreme visible heads here on earth, do make one totall body or com∣mon wealth, as the soule and body do make one man, or that the temporall power among Christians, as it is temporall (for this much doth signifie the temporall and spirituall power taking them in abstracto) or which is all one, that temporall Princes are in meere tempo∣rall causes subiect to spirituall Pastours, cannot with any shew of probabilitie bee gathered out of those words of S. Gregorie Nazianzene.

3. Wherefore the vnion of the temporall and spi∣rituall power among Christians is nothing like to the vnion of the body and soule in man, for that the bo∣dy is a substantiall matter, and the soule a substantiall forme, and therefore being vnited they make one sub∣stantiall compound, which is called man; who there∣fore hath in him actually, properly, and formally both body and soule, as euery compound hath in him the parts, whereof it is compounded, but the ciuill and spirituall power are not among Christians vnited, as two parts, compounding really and actually one to∣tall body, which is the Church of Christ, whereof the Pope is head, for that, according to Card. Bellarmines owne doctrine, the Church of Christ, whereof the Pope is head, is compounded only of spirituall power, and not of ciuill power, as ciuill is distinguished from spirituall, but ciuill and spirituall power, ciuill power and spirituall subiection, ciuill subiection and spiritu∣all subiection, (to omit now spirituall power and ci∣uill subiection) are only vnited among Christians, as two accidents, for example, Musike and Phisike, are vnited in one man, which vnion, being only acciden∣tall, and in subiect, is not sufficient to cause the tem∣porall and spirituall power to make truely, properly and formally one body, whereof the Pope is bead, but only to make the same man, either to haue in him both temporall and spirituall power, or temporall power, and spirituall subiection, or both temporall subiection and spirituall subiection, (to omit now spi∣rituall power and temporall subiection) and conse∣quently, the same man to bee guided, directed, and gouerned in temporall things by the lawes, precepts and directions of the temporall power, and in spiritu∣all things by the lawes, precepts, and directions of the spirituall power: As the vnion of Musike and Phisike in one man, although it be only materiall, acciden∣tall, and in subiect, yet it maketh the same man to be

both a Musician, and a Physitian, and as he is a Mu∣sitian, to be guided and directed by the lawes and precepts of Musicke, and as a Phisitian by the rules & precepts of phisike, but it doth not make Musike to be guided and directed by Physike, or a Musicion, as he is a Musician, to be guided and directed by a Phy∣sition, as he is a Physitian: So likewise the aforesaid vnion of temporall and spirituall power, of temporall power and spirituall subiection &c. in one man, doth not make the temporall power to be subiect to the spi∣rituall, or a temporall Prince, as hee is a temporall Prince, or which is all one, in temporall causes, to bee guided, directed, and gouerned by the spirituall pow∣er, as it is spirituall: But of this similitude of the soule and body wee shall haue occasion to treat againe beneathc 1.3.

4. Pardon me, good Reader, that sometimes I re∣peate the same things somewhat often; it is not to make my booke the bigger, and to fill it vp with idle repetitions of the same things, as my Aduersaries, to disgrace me, are pleased to lay to my charge, not con∣sidering that they themselues do often times commit the like, but it is onely to cleere thy vnderstanding, and to make thee throughly comprehend the diffi∣cultie, and in what manner the temporall and spiritu∣all power are vnited and subordained among Christi∣ans, considering that my Aduersaries, to prooue the Popes power to depose Princes, to dispose of all tem∣poralls, and to punish temporally by way of con∣straint, doe so often inculcate this vnion and subordi∣nation, as a principall ground, whereon the Popes power in temporalls doth depend. And thus you haue seene, how weakely Card. Bellarmine, and disa∣greeably to his owne principles, hath laboured to proue, that the temporall and spirituall power among Christians doe make one totall body, or common wealth, whereof the Pope is head: now you shall see,

how weakely also, and not conformably to his owne doctrine, he endeauoureth to proue, that the tempo∣rall power among Christians is subiect and subordai∣ned to the spirituall.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Lib. 5. de Rom. Pont. c. 6.
• b 1.2

  num. 139. 140.
• c 1.3

  Cap. 8.