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. IV. The Aegyptians, Aethiopians, Armenians, Russians, Mel∣chites, Africans, and Asians which call themselues Christians and be not of the Roman Communion, are absolute Heretikes.

THe Aegyptians and Aethiopians, that are not of the Roman fayth, and communion, imbrace the Heresy of Eutyches, which holdeth but one nature, one will, and operation in Christ, and was for that cause anathematized, and cast out of the Church, by the holy Councell of Chal∣cedon, twelue hundred yeares since. And they, which are not of the Roman communion, still persist in the same er∣ror, in so much, that when of late yeares, Go••saluus Roderi∣cius of the Society of Iesus was sent into Aethiopia(g), to prepare the way for Ioannes Nunnez, whom the See Apo∣stolike had sent thither, honored with the title and dignity of Patriarke, Claudius then King of Aethiopia answeared, that he had no need of a Patriarke from Rome, hauing in his owne kingdome, men that were able to gouerne the Patriarkship of Rome it selfe: Moreouer that he would by no meanes approue the Councell of Chalcedon, nor allow of Leo Pope; and that Dioscorus had done well, in excommunicating him. Finally the obstinacy of the Aethiopians, and Aegyptians, in this particular error of Eutyches, is the sole cause of their continuance in schisme, and separation from the Roman Church: for as Cardinall Peron(h) answered our late Soueraigne K. Iames, they haue often offered, and are all ready at this day to acknow∣ledge the Pope, whom they confesse to be the Successor of S. Peter Prince of the Apostles, if they might be receaued into his communion, without obliging themselues to ana∣thematize Eutyches, and Dioscorus.

The Armenians which are not of the Roman fayth, & communion, are guilty of many heresies. They acknow∣ledge but one Nature in Christ with the Eutychians. They

deny his diuinity, with the Arians. They affirme the holy Ghost to proceed from the Father alone, with the Gre∣cians. They rebaptize them that haue bene baptized in the Roman Church, with the Donatists. And finally, they hold many other grosse and damnable heresies related by Pra∣teolus(i) out of Guido Carmelita, and Nicephorus Calix∣tus, who therfore rightly tearmeth them, A sinke of all here∣sies.

The Russians agree with the Grecians, in deniing the holy Ghost to proceed from the Sonne. So hath confessed your Minister Thomas Rogers(k). Moreouer they defend other hereticall Tenets, to the number of 40. related by Ioannes Sacranius(l), and Prateolus(m). Wherunto I adde, that Stanislaus Socolouius, in the attendance of the King of Polonia, whose Diuine he was, visiting those Nor∣therne countries, and coming to Leopolis, the Metropoli∣tan city of Russia, reporteth of it(n), that although it hath imbraced many other errors, yet it deserueth this singular praise, that by the speciall gift of God, it hath kept it selfe free from the heresies of this age, and with greatest care, & diligence made resistance vnto them.

And how farre the Russians, euen those which are not of the Roman communion, are from allowing your Pro∣testant doctrine, you may learne from M. Grimston, who in his Description of Countries(o), writeth that the Rus∣sians haue the Masse, that they pray to the Virgin Mary, & the Saints, and keep their Bodies with great reuerence; that they neuer passe by any Crosse, but they kneele downe, & pray; that they often blesse themselues with the signe of the Crosse; that they haue many Monasteries of Monkes of S. Basils Order, who in their quires in the night sing praises to God; that they vse the Sacrament of Confes∣sion, and receaue absolution, and pennance; that they keep the holy Sacrament in their Churches in one kind for the sicke, and in that kind alone administer it vnto them; that they say Masses for the faythfull deceased.

And not to conceale, what other Protestants write of the doctrine of the Russians, and all the other nations,

which you affirme to be of your beliefe, and communion, Osiander(p) speaking of all the Easterne Churches, inge∣nuously confesseth, that they haue not sincere Religion, but are in most part of their articles, Popish. Doctor Philippus Nicolai te∣stifieth(q), that not only the Greeke Churches, but also the Ruthens, Georgians, Armenians, Indians, Aethiopians that acknowledge Christ, hold the reall presence of his bo∣dy, and bloud in the Eucharist. And speaking of the Arme∣nians in particular, he reckoneth(r) among their errors, In∣uocation and intercession of Saints, and oblation of the Sacrament. Of the Indians, he sayth(s), that they offer the sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ, preparing them∣selues vnto it by confession of their sinnes; that at their en∣trance into the Church, they sprinkle themselues with ho∣ly water, as the Papists do; that they pray for their dead, & bury them with the same ceremonies the Papists vse; that their Priests shaue their Crownes; that they obserue strictly the fastes of the foure Ember weekes, as also of Aduent, & Lent; and that they haue Monkes and sacred Virgins re∣clused in seuerall Monasteries, where with great religion, they strictly obserue Abstinence, and Chastity.

These doctrines, though they be in themselues Ortho∣doxall, and Catholike, yet Protestants reiect them as false, and superstitious: and your selfe in particular censure the doctrine of the reall Presence and sacrifice of the Masse as idolatrous(t), not blushing to compare Christ in the Eucha∣rist, to the Idoll Moloch, and calling our adoration of him, The adoration of our Romish Moloch in the Masse. Wherby it appeares, that albeit you condemne these doctrines in vs, as hereti∣call, and Idolatrous; yet you are contented to allow them in the Russians, and other nations, which you claime to be of your Communion, and to canonize their blasphemous errors against Christ and the holy Ghost, with other their impious heresies, for Orthodoxe doctrines; and to tell your reader, that the Russians, Aethiopians, and other nations, which professe themselues to be Christians, & diffent from the Church of Rome, are truly professed Christians parts of the Catholike Church, in state of saluation, and in accordance of commu∣nion with Protestants.

Of the Melchites, your Historian M. Grimston in like manner reporteth(u), that they hold all the errors which were condemned in the Councell of Florence, and that there are also Nestorians among them. And this sheweth, how vntruly(x) you affirme, that the Asians, and Atricans are not guilty of fundamentall errors: for the Aegyptians, Aethiopians, Melchites, and Armenians, what are they but Asians, or Africans? And so likewise are the Iacobites, of whom M. Grimston reporteth(y), that they follow the heresy of Dioscorus, and Eutiches. Of the Persians he like∣wise writeth(z), that among them there are Nestorians. And of the Tartarians, that they follow the heresy of Ne∣storius, and hold him for a Saint, as also Paulus Samosate∣nus, Theodorus of Mopsuestia, and Diodorus Tharsensis; and that they condemne S. Cyril of Alexandria, and reiect the Councell of Ephesus: And yet neuerthelesse, all these are to you, good Christians, and members of your Prote∣stant Church.

But among all the vntruthes, which you haue vttered in your discourse of the Churches of remote Nations, there is none more remarkable, then that speaking of the Chri∣stians, which in those nations are not of the Roman Com∣munion, you say(a), that in our owne iudgments they are not he∣retikes, excepting for the denying of this false Romish article, Of ne∣cessary Subiection, and Vnion to the Church of Rome. And enlar∣ging this vntruth, you adde(b), that we dare not directly charge them with heresy, and that there are scarse any among them chargea∣ble for any fundament all heresy: for (to omit the error of the Grecians, denying the holy Ghost to proceed from the Sonne, which if you belieue the Creed of S. Athanasius makes them incapable of saluation) the heresies of Nesto∣rius, and Eutiches against Christ are against the most fun∣damentall doctrine of the Church of which S. Paul sayth,(c) None can lay any other foundation beside Christ. And S.(d) If any confesse not, that Iesus Christ income in flesh, he is a sedu∣cer, and Antichrist. And againe(e): If any one bring not this do∣ctrine, receaue him not into your houses, and say not to him, Well be it with thee: for whosoeuer sayth to him, Well be it with thee, commu∣nicats

in his wicked workes. I conclude therfore, that the here∣tikes of remote natios, of whom we haue spoken, erre fun∣damentally, if any error can be fundamentall: and that, as you, by professing your selfe to accorde in Communion with them, shew your selfe to be of their spirit, and to be out of the Church of Christ, as they are; so on the contrary, the Roman Church by excluding them, and you, from her communion, she weth herselfe to be the true Catholike Church, and of the same beliefe with the holy Councells of Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, in which those heretikes were anathematized, and condemned.

Notes

• (g)

  Pran. Sa∣chin. Hist. Soc. Iesu l. 1. n. 49.
• (h)

  Repliq. Chap. 63.
• (i)

  L. 1 tit. 67.
• (k)

  Art. 3. propos. 3. pag. 25.
• (l)

  Elucid. error. & rit. Rhuten.
• (m)

  L. 6. tit. 4.
• (n)

  Praefat. Censura O∣rient.
• (o)

  Pag. 697. 698.
• (p)

  Epit. Centur. 16. pag. 970.
• (q)

  L. 1. de regno Christ. pag. 22.
• (r)

  Pag. 35.
• (s)

  Ibid. pag. 45.46.
• (t)

  Pag. 403.
• (u)

  Pag. 1051.
• (x)

  Pag. 341.406.407.409.
• (y)

  Pag. 1052.
• (z)

  Pag. 797.
• (a)

  Pag. 336.
• (b)

  Pag. 340.341.
• (c)

  1. Cor. 3.10.
• (d)

  2. Ioan. 7.
• (e)

  Ibid. vers. 10. & 12.