ted that no goods of the church should be alienated vnder the payne leoninæ constitutionis, vnto thys Lotharius Frēch king and Emperour, MarginaliaClodouicus 11.Pope Leo the fourth writeth that Romana lex, that is, the Romane law (meaning the law of the French Emperours) as it hath hetherto stoode in force: Ita et nunc suum robur propriumque vigorem obtineat,
Ita et nunc suum robur propriumque vigorem obtineat:
so now it maye continue styll in hys vigor and strength.
nunc suum robur propriumque vigorem obtineat.
Accurate citation and translation.
The like also may be inferred and proued by the stories and examples of our Kynges here in England, as Kyng Offa, King Egbertus, Edgarus, Aluredus, Athelwoldus, Canutus, Edouardus, W. Conqueror, Wilhel. Rufus, Henricus þe fyrst, Henricus the second, tyll the tyme of Kyng Iohn and after. Whose dealyng as well in ecclesiaticall cases, as in temporall, is a sufficient demonstration to proue what iniurye the Popes, in these latter dayes, haue done vnto þe Emperours their lawfull gouernours and magistrates: in vsurping such fulnes of power and iurisdiction on them, to whom properly they owe subiection, contrarye to the steps and example of the old Romane Byshops their aunciters, and therfore haue incurred the daūger of a premunire, worthy to be depriued. Although it is not to be denyed, but that ecclesiasticall ministers and seruitures haue theyr power also committed vnto them, after theyr sort, of the Lord: yet it becommeth euery man to know hys owne place and standyng, and there to keepe hym, wherin hys owne precincte doth pale hym, and not rashlye to breake out into other mens walkes. As it is not lawfull for a ciuile magistrate to intermedle with a Byshoppes or a preachers function: so vnsemely and vnorderly it is agayne, that Boniface the. viij. shoulde haue borne before hym the temporall mase, and the naked sword of þe Emperour, or that any Pope should beare a triple crowne, or take vpon hym lyke a Lord and Kyng. Wherfore leteuery man considre the compasse and limitation of hys charge, and excede no farther. MarginaliaThe office of the ecclesiasticall minister.The office and charge of a Byshop or seruiture ecclesiasticall, was in the old law to offer sacrifyce, to burne incense, to pray for þe people, to expound the law, to minister in the tabernacle, with which office it was not lawfull for any prince or mā els to intermedle, as we read how Ozias was punished for offering incense, and an other for touchyng the Arke: so nowe the offyce of Christian ministers is to preach the word, to minister sacramentes, to pray, to binde & loose, where cause vrgently requyreth, to iudge in spirituall cases, to publyshe and denounce free reconciliation, and remission in the name of Christ, to erecte and comforte troubled consciences with the rych grace of the Gospell, to teache the people the true difference betwixt the lawe and the Gospell, wherof the one belongeth to such as bee not in Christ, & come not to hym: the other pertaineth to the true beleuers in the sonne of God, to admonish also the Magistrates erring or trāsgressing in their office. &c.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe office of ciuile rulers & magistrates.And as these properly belong to the function of the ecclesiasticall sort: so hath the ciuile gouernour or magistrate agayne his proper charge and office to him assigned, which is to see the administratiō of iustice & iudgement, to defend with power the ryght of the weake that suffer wronge, to defend frō oppression the poore oppressed, to minister with equalitie, that which is ryght and equall to euery man: to prouyde lawes good and godly, to see the execution of the same as cause moueth: especially to see þe law of God mainteined, to promote Christs glory and Gospell, in setting vp and sendyng out good preachers, in mainteining the same, in electing Bishops that be faythfull, in remouyng or els correcting the same being faultie or negligent, in congregatyng the clergye when nede is of any counsel, to heare theyr learning in causes propounded, and according to the truth learned, to dyrect hys iudgement, in disposing such rytes and ordinaunces for the church, as make to edification, not to the destruction thereof, in conseruyng the disciplyne of the church, and setting all thynges in a congrue order. Briefly, the office of the ciuile ruller and magistrate extendeth to minister iustice & iudgement in all courtes as well temporall, as ecclesiasticall: to haue correction ouer all transgressours, whether they bee laymen or persons ecclesiasticall. And fynally all such thynges as belong to the mouyng of the sword, what soeuer, that is to saye, all outward punyshment, is referred to the iurisdiction of þe seculare magistrate, vnder whose subiection the ordinaunce of God hath subiected all orders and states of men.
[Back to Top]Here we haue the witnesse also of Hormisda Bishop of Rome, which being well weyed, maketh the matter playne, that princes haue to deale in spiritual causes also, not onely in temporall: where the said Hormisda writeth to Ephiphanius, Patriarche of Constantine, in thys sort: Clara cœlestis misericordiæ demonstratio procedit, quando reges seculi causas de fide, cum gubernatione politiæ coniungunt. &c. ex Act. v. vniuers. concil. Constantin secundi. an. 528. And thus muche, and to muche peraduenture concernyng the matter of iurisdiction, in which poynt thys newe church of Rome hath swarued from the auncient church of Rome, which hath bene, as is sufficientlye proued.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe thirde poynt when in þe church of Rome is altered frō the churche of Rome.THe thyrd point wherin the church of Rome hath broken and is departed from the church of Rome, is the forme of stile and title annexed to the Byshop of that See. As where he is called Pope, most holy father, vicar generall, and vicar of Christ, successour of Peter, vniuersall Byshop, prynce of priestes, head of the church vniuersal, Summus orbis pontifex, Stupor mūdi, head bishop of the world, the admiration of the worlde, neyther God nor man, but a thyng betwene both, &c.for all these termes be geuen hym in popyshe bookes. MarginaliaThe titles and style of the Bishop of Rome.Albeit þe name
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