An apolagy of the Holy Sea apostolicks proceeding for the gouernment of the Catholics of England during the tyme of persecution VVith a defense of a religious state, vvritten by Daniel of Iesus reader of Diuinity.

M^r. Doctours suggestion implyeth danger of sinne. §. 1.

2. TO shew this, we must suppose three thinges, first that Catholiques being the sheepe of Christ as they are, readily to obey their lawfull Pastours that are gi∣uen them by Order, so they are bound to refuse such as come of themselues not being sent for that charge and office; our Sauiour in the 10. of S. Iohn doth distin∣guish a lawful Pastour from an vsurper, that the one doth enter by the doore into the sold, the other stealeth in by some other way, Qui non intrat per ostium in ouile ouium, sed ascendit aliunde, fur est & latro, qui intrat per ostium pastor est ouium; They enter in at the doore qui non sumunt sibi honorem, sed vocan∣tur à Deo tanquam Aaron, as saith S. Paul, they vsurpe not the office nor take the dignity vpon them, but are called of God as was Aaron. They steale in through a by way,* 1.1 qui missi non sunt (saith S. Augustine) sed sponte veniunt, who not being sent come of themselues pretending to be Pastours: hence our Sauiour shewinge the duty of good Catholiques saith, that his sheepe re∣ceaue the Pastour. Illum sequuntur, & vocem eius audiunt, they follow his direction and heare his voyce. But the Vsurper they do not ad∣mitt nor obey him, but fly from him, alie∣num

non sequuntur, sed fugiunt ab eo. Finally he giueth this vniuersal instruction, Omnes quotquot venerunt fures sunt, sed non audierunt eos oues; Al•• that haue come (to witt, of them¦selues, pretending to be Pastours and Bi∣shops not being sent by lawful authority) are theeues, but the sheepe heare them not; When you see our Sauiour amongst the markes, of his sheepe, that is of his elect, num∣breth the not admitting and flying from such, as intrude themselues into the office of Pastours, as S.a 1.2 Augustine, S. b 1.3 Hierom, S.c 1.4 Bede and other fathers ex∣pound; In the Apocalipse in like manner our Lord doth highly commend the An∣gel of Ephesus, that is not only the Bi∣shop but also the people of that Church as Peretius noteth, that they would not admitt of them that said they were Apo∣stles, and consequently their Pastours and Bishops, but examined them resisting their pretence til they were disclosed. Tentasti eos, qui dicun•• se Apostolos esse, & non sunt, & inuenisti eos mendaces.

* 1.53. Contrarywise the Corinthians when some came to them transfigurantes se in Apo∣stolos Christi, transforming themselues into Apostles of Christ pretending they were their Pastours, and consequently that the Corynthians were bound to maintaine them. and giue them allowance in recom∣pence of their charge and office repre∣hending

with much bitternes S. Paul, that he contrary to the practise of others, did gratis euangelizare, preach the Ghospel freely, without exacting or admittinge of any stipend as the requital of his labours. The Corynthians, I say, did willingly without more a doe or further examina∣tion admitte of them as their Pastours, gi∣ui••g them large maintenāce, enduring their arrogant commaunding and seuere exa∣cting vpon them, with great humility and patience. But was this their humility com∣mendable, did they by this patient suf∣fring win the deuine fauour? Certs S. Paul reprehends them sharply in this res∣pect, saying, Libenter suffertis insipentes cum sitis ipsi sapientes: sustinetis enim si quis in seruitu∣tem vos redigit, si quis deu••rat, si quis accipit, si quis extollitur, si quis in faciem vos caedit. You willingly endure the vnwise, though you your sel∣ues be wise, for you suffer if a man bring you into bondage, if a man deuoure you, if a man take of you, if a man extoll himselfe, if a man smite you on the face, that is, doe you open wrong, vsurping iurisdiction ouer you without any colour or title.

4. The thinge standing thus, M^r. Doctour can haue no iust cause to be greeted at our English Catholiques, though they do not presently yeeld to his suggestion, and elo∣quent vrging of them to receaue my Lord of Chalcedon, not as a Delegate from the

Pope, but as the Pastour whose flocke they are, placed in that office not by delegation from man, but by deuine ordinance, and by the holy Ghost. Will M^r. Doctour exact or expect to be in this point credited without any proofe vpon his bare auerring of a thing so strange neuer before heard of, that my Lord of Chalcedon is to gouerne the Catholiques of England, not as the Po∣pes delegate, but as head Pastour, as Prince, as their owne Bishop: If Catholiques should yeeld vnto t••is motion, how could they be excused from being worthy of the reprehension the Corynthians had of S. Paul; to wit, of hasty and indiscret putting themselues into subiection, of giuing away their temporal goods for which they may expect no reward of God, and as exerci∣sing humility, obedience, patience, vnto which no crowne of righteousnes is pre∣pared? yea they may by blind acceptance, expose themselues vnto manifest danger of falling into greeuous sinne and diuision from the successour of Peeter, by accepting of Pastours and gouernours against his order.

5. For secondly we must suppose as cer∣taine, that my Lord of Chalcedon by his Breue and commission from his Holinesse, is a delegate in respect of England, and consequently not Bishop being as M^r. Do∣ctour saith, p. 342. not the Popes delegate,

but a spiritual Prince. Hence M^r. Doctour in his exhortations to receaue his Lord∣ship as Bishop, producing al reasons he could deuise, yet doth he neuer so much as once vrge Catholiques vpon this pointe, that the sea Apostolique hath so ordained: wherof no doubt the cause is, that he knoweth very wel his Lordship by his Breue not to be Bishop in iurisdiction and office ouer English Catholiques; other∣wise why should he so perpetually preter∣mitte and neglect this reason of the Popes institution, in truth the only reason which alone might suffice, though other were wanting, without which to make Bishops is to run into danger of schisme. It is true that M^r. Doctour as I haue noted, doth much insinuat that Secular Priests in coun∣tryes by them cōuerted may place Bishops, as hauing authority so to doe immediatly of God.* 1.6 For he saith that they are by the deuine institution, Gouernours of the Church, of which gouernment, one part is to place Pa∣stours and Bishops where there are wan∣tinge.* 1.7 He doth defend that by deuine Or∣dinance they haue authority and right to conuert countryes, and consequently to go∣uerne countryes conuerted, prouiding them such Pastours as the deuine law requires they should haue. Finally his saying that Bishops and Priests at first preached the Ghospel, conuerted countryes,* 1.8 and

amongst the conuerted, placed Bishops to gouerne them, doth more then insinuate that he thinkes Secular Priests in coun∣tryes by them conuerted may place Bishops to gouerne. To this doctrine his practise is sutable, in that he vrgeth Catholiques to admitte my Lord of Chalcedon as their Bishop and head Pastour. For either they are to receaue him cominge to be Bishop of himselfe, which were a thing no wayes iusticeable, or els as being sent and ordained by Secular Priests, who are by the deuine institution gouernours of the Church, for he doth neuer so much as once affirme his holines appointed him to be head Pastour, and not delegate.

6. If this be M^r. Doctours opinion, although I will not preuent the holy sea by my censure therof, yet to preuent the deception of others, I wil affirme that it is most certaine Catholique doctrine, that no person vpon earth, besides the Pope, hath by deuine Ordinance the office to plant new Christianityes, erect new Bi∣shoprickes,* 1.9 and place Bishops in them. This is taught expresly by Bellarmine, and proued by these formal wordes. The ere∣cting of new Bishoprikes and Bishops cannot per∣taine to any, whose power is contained within compasse▪ such as the power of particular Bishops is; but only to him, who is gouernour of the whole Church, and to whom properly the charge

of propagating the Church doth belong, such as all the Apostles were. Peeter indeed by office, the rest by delegation, and whosoeuer doth other∣wise enter, he is not of the Apostolical Church, seing he cannot deduce his origen from the Apo∣stles. Notwithstanding we doe not deny also Pa∣triarches and Metropolitans may somtymes erect new Bishoprickes, as S. Athanasius did in the East, and S. Boniface in Germanie, so they haue faculty from the sea Apostolique so to doe. Thus Bellarmine, which doctrine no doubt is Catholique, now if it be Catholique do∣ctrine, that the charge of propagating the Church and religion doth by deuine Ordi∣nance and by office belong only to Peter and his successour, how dangerous a thinge it is to follow M^r. Doctour, affirminga 1.10 that Secular Bishops and Priests by deuine or¦dinance, haue authority and right to preach to Gentiles and to propagate the faith? and that not only Bishops but also priests did at first erect Bishoprickes and place Bishops?

7. To shew further the danger of sinne implyed in M^r. Doctours motiues, thirdly we must know that not only Bishops are to be appointed and confirmed by the holy sea, but also that a church is not to admitte nor obey any man as Bishop, without he sh••w in writinge the Popes letters of his ordina∣tion for such a Church. This is ordained by the Church in one of her Canonical insti∣tutions. Let not Bishops promoted by the holy sea

presume to goe to the Churches committed to their charge without the letters of the said sea,* 1.11 contai∣ning their graunt of their promotion, consecration, confirmation, and benediction, and let none with∣out the shewing of such letters either receaue, or obey or regard them. This constitution wil ha∣ue no man of what grauity or authority soeuer to be credited vpon his word, and on the testimony of his friends without letters patents that he is Bishop. The reason of this strictnes is deliuered in that constitution to be, propter grauia scandala & pericula quae pa∣rere posset eorum communicatio indiscussa, for feare of greeuous scandals and dangers that the admitting of them without discussion may breede. For on the one syde, if a man without being by the Pope ordained, should intrude himselfe into the office of Bishop, al the acts of Iurisdiction by him exercised should be voyde and of no force, Priests au∣thorized by him, should haue no power to absolue, absolutions giuen by them, should be of no effect, Confessions made to them were to be repeated vnder paine of damna∣tion, in a word, a world of confusion would therupon arise, to the losse of innumerable soules. On the other syde most insatiable is the cupidity of humane hart to be Bishop, and prone to entertaine the suggestion of any f••rgery and fraude that giue them fur∣therance therin.* 1.12 Not without cause doth S. Bernard tearme Ambition, subtile malum,

secretum virus, pestis occulta, doli artifex, mater Hypocrisis. A close mischeefe, a lurking poyson, a conceiled infection, the mistres∣se of fraud, the mother of Hypocrisy, against which no learning or sanctitie is sufficient armour of proofe, for it cree∣peth insensibly into the brests of men, that otherwise are of pure and irreprehen∣sible life, as S. Ambrose saith, Hoc pernicio∣sior Ambitio quod blanda quadam est concilia∣tricula dignitatum,* 1.13 vt saepe quos vitia nulla de∣flectunt, quos nulla potuit mouere luxuria, nulla auaritia subruere, faciat Ambitio criminosos. Ambition is the more pernicious in that it is a sweet winner of mans hart to seeke dignities, that oftentymes whom no vice could diuert, whom no pleasure could moue, whom no coue∣tousnes could ouercome, those Ambition maketh criminous. Wherfore seing good life by the secret enchauntments of Ambition to be Bishop, is so easily drawne into the crimes of fraud, great reason had the Church to ordaine that in a matter wheron so much doth depend, no seeming grauity or sanctity of men be credited on their word.

8. These thinges being proued, I need not add any word more to shew how bould an vndertaking M^r. Doctours may seeme, about my Lord of Chalcedon of a dele∣gate, to make him Bishop, and spiritual Prince, and how dangerous a thinge it we∣re for Catholiques to yeeld to his sug∣gestion,

to ioyne with him therin. Should one vndergoe to make the Deputy of Ire∣land Prince and King therof, though with subordination to his Maiesty, were not this a desperate venture? could he be excused from the crime of leze Maiesty, specially should he exhort the subiects of Ireland to receaue him, and lay on them the reproch of disloyal to their Prince, should they refuse?

Notes

• * 1.1

  l. 16. contr. faust. c. 12.
• a 1.2

  August. l. 2. cont ad∣uers. legis c. 4
• b 1.3

  Hierom. l. 2. aduers. Pelag. c. 23.
• c 1.4

  Beda in Ioannem. Apoc. c. 2. v. 4.
• * 1.5

  Cor. 11.
• * 1.6

  dedicatory. n. 12,
• * 1.7

  c. 9. n. 13. pag. 245.
• * 1.8

  p. 249. l. 8.
• * 1.9

  l. 4. de Eccles c. 8.
• a 1.10

  c. 9 n 14. pag. 249.
• * 1.11

  l. 1. Extra∣uag. commun cap. iniun∣ctae. de elect. c. 1. Nulli eos aebsque dictarum lit∣terarum ostentione recipiāt aut ••is pareant vel intendāt
• * 1.12

  serm. 10. in qui habitat.
• * 1.13

  l. 4. in l. c. 4.