The establish'd church, or, A subversion of all the Romanist's pleas for the Pope's supremacy in England together with a vindication of the present government of the Church of England, as allow'd by the laws of the land, against all fanatical exceptions, particularly of Mr. Hickeringill, in his scandalous pamphlet, stiled Naked truth, the 2d. part : in two books / by Fran. Fullwood ...

SECT. V.

Concil. Calcedon, Gen. 4. An, 451. S. W's Gloss.

THere is little hope that this Council should afford the Pope any advantage, seeing it begins (Canones &c.) with the confirmation of all the Canons made by the Fathers in every Synod before that time; and consequently of those that we have found in prejudice to his pretensi∣ons among the rest.

The Ninth Canon enjoyns upon differences* 1.1 betwixt Clerks, that the Cause be heard before the proper Bishop; betwixt a Bishop and a Clerk, before the Provincial Synod; betwixt a Bishop or Clerk and the Metropolitan, before 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or the See of the Royal City of Con∣stantinople. To the same effect we read Can. 17.* 1.2 Si quis a suo, &c. If any one be injured by his Bishop or Metropolitan, apud Exarchum seu Pri∣matem Dioceseos, vel Constantinopolitam sedem li∣tiget. But

Where is any provision made for Remedy at Rome? Indeed that could not consist with the sence of this Synod, who would not endure the Supremacy, or so much as the Superiority of Rome above Constantinople.

This is evident in Can. 28 the Fathers gave* 1.3 priviledge to the See of old Rome; Quod Ʋrbs illa imperaret, & eadem consideratione, saith the Canon, and for the same reason an hundred and fifty Bishops gave 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, equal Priviledges to the Seat of new Rome; recte judicantes, right∣ly

judging that that City that hath the Empire and the Senate, should enjoy equal Priviledges with old Royal Rome, etiam in rebus Ecclesiasticis non secus ac illa extolli ac magnifieri, secundam post illam existentem.

Now to what purpose doth S. W. (to Dr.* 1.4 Hammond) trifle on the Canon, and tell us that these Priviledges were only Honorary Pomps; when the Canon adds in Ecclesiastical matters, and names one, the Ordination of Bishops and Me∣tropolitans within themselves; as before was decla∣red by the divine Canons. We conclude that this Bar against the Popes universal Pastorship, will never be removed.

These are the four first general Councils, ho∣noured by Justinian as the four Gospels; to which he gave the Title and force of Laws. By which all Popes are bound (by solemn Oath) to Rule the Church: Yet we find not one word in any of them, for the Popes pretended universal Pastor∣ship: Yea in every one of them we have found so much and so directly against it; that as they give him no power to govern the whole Church; so by swearing to observe them in such govern∣ment as the Canons deny him; he swears to a con∣tradiction as well as to the ruine of his own preten∣sions.

We conclude from the premises, that now, [Argument.] seeing all future Councils seem to build upon the Nicene Canons; as that, upon the Apostles; if the Canons of Nice do indeed limit the power of the Bishop of Rome, or suppose it to have limits; if his cause be tried by the Councils, it must needs he desperate.

Now if those Canons suppose bounds to be∣long* 1.5 to every Patriarchate, they suppose the like to Rome: But 'tis plain, that the bounds are given by those Canons to the Bishop of Alexan∣dria; and the reason is, because this is also cu∣stomary to the Bishop of Rome. Now 'tis not reasonable to say, Alexandria must have limits because Rome hath, if Rome have no limits.

Pope Nicolas himself so understood it, what∣ever* 1.6 S. W. did: Nicena, &c. the Nicene Synod, saith he, conferred no increase on Rome, but ra∣ther took from Rome an example, particularly, what to give to the Church of Alexandria.

Whence Dr. Hammond strongly concludes, that if at the making of the Nicene Canons Rome had bounds; it must needs follow by the Ephesine Canon, that those bounds must be at all times observed in contradiction to the universal Pastor∣ship of that See.

The matter is ended, if we compare the o∣ther Latin Version of the Nicene Canon, with the Canon as before noted.

Antiqui moris est ut Ʋrbis Romae Episcopus habeat principatum, ut suburbicana loca, & omnem provin∣ciam suâ sollicitudine gubernet; q••e vero apud Ae∣gyptum sunt, Alexandrinae Episcopus omnem habeat sollicitudinem: Similiter autem & circa Antiochiam & in caeteris Provinciis privilegia propria serventur Metropolitanis Ecclesiis.

Whence it is evident, that the Bishop of Rome then had a distinct Patriarchate as the rest had; and that whatever Primacy might be al∣lowed him beyond his Province, it could not have any real power over the other Provinces of Alexandria, &c. And 'tis against the plain sence

of the Rule, that the Antiquus mos should signifie the custom of the Bishop of Rome's permission of Government to the other Patriarchs, as Bellar∣mine feigneth. This Edition we have in Chri∣stopher Justellus's Library; rhe Canon is in Voel. Biblioth. Jur. Cano. Tom. 1. p. 284.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Can. 9.
• * 1.2

  Can. 17.
• * 1.3

  Can. 28.
• * 1.4

  S. W.'s Gloss.
• * 1.5

  Minor.
• * 1.6

  I. E. Pis. 8.