Anti-Mortonus or An apology in defence of the Church of Rome. Against the grand imposture of Doctor Thomas Morton, Bishop of Durham. Whereto is added in the chapter XXXIII. An answere to his late sermon printed, and preached before His Maiesty in the cathedrall church of the same citty..

SECT II. S. Cyprian obiected by Doctor Morton.

TO proue that Cyprian belieued not any necessity of vnion with the Roman Church, you repeate here(t) what you had sayd before, of his being excommunicated by Pope Stephen, & contemning the excommunication: for which you bring no other proofe, then the testimony of Cassander, an heretike Primae classis, whose workes you know to be forbidden, and yet shame not to cite him as a Catholike author, that you may call his lies, Our confessions; for that they be lies, I haue already proued(u).

And so much the more reproueable you are, because S. Cyprians testimonies, which shew him to haue beleeued the Roman Church to be the Catholike Church, and all that are diuided from her, to be Schismatikes, you shift off(x), with an answeare of Goulartius, that Cyprian spake them of his owne only authority against Schismatikes▪ who troubled his iuris∣diction. Which to be a false, and vnconscionable answeare, you, and your Goulartius may learne from the Centurists, who reprehend S. Cyprian(y), for teaching, that our Lord hath built his Church vpon Peter; that one Chaire by our Lords voyce is built vpon Peter, as vpon a Rock; that there ought to be one Bishop in the Catholike Church; & for calling Peters chaire, the prin∣cipall Church, from whence Sacerdotall vnity is deriued; and for teaching, that the Roman Church ought to be acknowledged of all others, the Mother, and Roote of the Catholike Church. To these testimonies, acknowledged by the Centurists, I adde, that Cyprian(z) exhorteth Antonianus in time of Schisme, to adhere to the Pope, and hold fast his communion, that is (sayth he) the communion of the Catholike Church, and expres∣sly affirmeth(a), that, Who-euer resisteth the Chaire of Peter, nether holdeth the fayth, nor is in the Church. And speaking of some certayne heretikes, he obiecteth vnto them their great boldnesse, in presuming to saile to the chaire of Peter, and the prin∣cipall Church, from whence Sacerdotall vnity is deriued, not consi∣dering that the Romans are they▪ whose fayth was praised by the voice of the Apostle, and to whom perfidiousnesse can haue no accesse. To this you answeare(b): No Father of the primitiue times is more vrged by you, then S. Cyprian; no Epistle more insisted vpon, then this; no words more inculcated, then these; and (we may adde) no Father, no epistle, no sentence more egregiously abused and peruerted: for he speaketh not of perfidiousnesse in doctrine, but only in discipline, by the false and perfidious reportes of schismaticall fellowes &c. If this sentence of S. Cyprian be peruerted, not we, but you peruert it. And so it will appeare to any impartiall Iudge, that shall read the words, not cut short, as you rehearse thē (that the sense may not be vnderstood) but entire, as I haue set thē downe. The Nouatians were not only Schis∣matikes, but heretikes, as S. Cyprian in that epistle, & els

where often, calleth them. And in the words alleaged, when he opposeth their perfidiousnesse to the Roman fayth com∣mended by the Apostle, by perfidiousnesse he vnderstandeth error in doctrine, or misbeliefe, which is oposite to fayth, not perfidiousnesse in discipline, for that hath no opposition at all with fayth. Wherefore he reprehendeth the Nouatians, that hauing not only diuided themselues by schisme, from the chaire of S. Peter, which is the principall Church from whence sacerdotall vnity is deriued, but also forsaken the Roman fayth praysed by the mouth of the Apostle, they dare notwithstan∣ding presume to saile to Rome, in hope to deceaue that Church, and get their doctrine approued by her, not conside∣ring, that the Romans are they, whose fayth being praysed by the Apostle, misbeliefe can haue no accesse to them. Which doctrine S. Hierome seemeth to haue taken from this place of Cy∣prian, when speaking to Ruffinus, he saith(c): Know that the Roman fayth commended by the voice of the Apostle, admitteth no delusions, and that being fensed by S. Pauls authority, it cannot be altered &c.

Notes

• (t)

  Pag. 185.188.
• (u)

  Chap. 24.
• (x)

  Pag. 186.
• (y)

  Brerel. Protest. Apol. tract. 1. sect. 3. subdiu. 10.
• (z)

  L. 4. ep. 2.
• (a)

  L. de Vnit. Eccles.
• (b)

  Pag. 186.
• (c)

  Apol. ad∣uers. Ruffin. l. 1.