ferment was geuen vnto them somthing aboue the rest: yet neyther was it so geuen of all, nor of the most parte: secondly neither was it so geuen of them for any suche necessitie of Gods word, aut iure aliquo diuino, as which did so bind them therunto, MarginaliaCauses 13. of aduauncing the sea of Rome.nor yet so much for the respect of Peter, & his succession: as for certaine other causes, and respectes, as may be gathered to the number of. 13.

Marginalia1.Of whiche the first is the greatnes of the citie and monarchie of Rome.

Marginalia2.The second is the authority of the Emperour Cōstantine the great, first of the Emperours conuerted to the faith, and rulyng in the same citie, by whom the vniuersal liberty of the church was first promoted, & the causes of the bishops being then at variaunce, wer committed partlye to the bishop of Rome, partly to other bishops nereby to be decised, as appeareth Euseb. lib. 10. cap. 5.

Marginalia3.The thirde was the councell of Nice, whiche confirmed the preeminence of that churche to haue the ouersight of the churches borderyng about it.

Marginalia4.The fourth cause of aduaunsing the church of Rome was the vnquiet state of the Greke churche much troubled in those dayes with sectes, factions, and dissentions. wherof we may read, Socract. lib. 2. cap. 15. Sozom. lib. 3. cap. 8.

Marginalia5.The fifte, whan synodes were called by other Metropolitans, then if it chaunsed the bishops of Rome to be absent, and their sentence being absent to be required, by the occasion therof they began at length to take their sentence for a canon or rule ecclesiasticall, and therby to refuse other synodes, wher their decree or sentence was not required.

Marginalia6.An other cause was, that when any cōmon matter was in hand in other places, whatsoeuer was done, cōmonlye the maner was to write to the Romane bishop for his approbation in the same, for publique vnitie and consent to be had in Christs church: as appeareth lib. 10. epist. 78. Ambrosij ad Theophilum.

Marginalia7.Item, for that the testimonie somtimes of the Romane bishop was wont in those daies also to be desired, for admitting teachers and bishops in other churches, wherof we haue example in Socrat. lib. 4. cap. 37.

Marginalia8.Moreouer this was a great setting vp of that church, when as their sentence not only was required, but also receaued diuers times of other bishops. And when byshops of other prouinces were at any dissention among themselues, they of their owne accord, appealed to the bishop of Rome, desiringe him to cite vp both parties, & to haue the hearinge & decisinge of the cause, as did Macarius and Hesychius send to Iulius then bishoppe of Rome, &c.

Marginalia9.Item in that certain of the Arrianes, returning frō ther Arrianisme, offered vp & exhibited vnto þ^e bishops of Rome their libels of repentaunce, and were of them receyued again, as Vrsatius and Valens did to Iulius. Socrat. lib. 2. cap. 24.

Marginalia10.The tenth cause was also, for that Gratianus the Emperour made a law, that all men should reteine that religion, which Damasus bishop of Rome, and Peter B. of Alexandria dyd hold. Sozom. lib. 7. cap. 4.

Marginalia11.And also, if it happened the bishop of Rome to disalow the orderynge of any minister or ministers, the Pope perceyuinge how diligent and ready they were to seeke their fauour, and to send vp their messengers to Rome, for their purgation, toke therby no litle matter of exaltation. Theodoret. lib. 5. cap. 23.

Marginalia12.Besides these aforesaid, the bishops of Rome had also an other artificiall practise, that in sendinge out their letters abroad, as they did to many, in al their Epistles (if the Epistles be theirs, and not foreged) euer they wer harpynge of the greatnes of their name, and of their Apostolike see, and of the primacie of S. Peter, their predecessour and prince of al the Apostles &c. And this theyvsed in euery letter, when so euer they wrote to any, as appeareth in all their letters decretal, namely in the letters of Miltiades, Marcellus, and Marcus &c.

Marginalia13.Again if any of the East church directed any writing to them, wherin any signification was contayned of neuer so litle reuerence geuen vnto them (as learned mē commonly vse for modesties sake) that was taken by & by and construed for plain subiection, & dewe obedience, as declareth þ^e letter of Damasus, written to þ^e byshops of þ^e East church, beginning thus: Quod debita reuerētia &c.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Gregory the Great and his epistle: citation from Damasus Papa.

Foxe text Latin

Quod debita reuerētia &c.

Foxe text translation

but that your charitie yeldeth dew reuerence to the Apostolicall see, you in so doynge (dere children) do muche for your selues &c.

Actual text of Damasus in P.L. Vol. 13, Col. 0372B

Quod vestra charitas debitam sedi apostolicae reverentiam tribuit, filii honoratissimi, etc.

Comment

The Latin text has been severely truncated.

Thus haue ye the first and originall grounds, by the meanes wherof the Archbishops of the Romishe see haue achieued to this their great kyngdome & celsitude ouer Christs church, first beginning the mistery of their iniquitie, by that which was modestly and voluntarely geuen them. Afterwarde by vse and custome claymyng it ambitiously vnto them, of duetie & seruice, and lastly holdyng fast (as we see) that which once they haue gotten into their possession, so that now in no case they can abyde the birdes to cal home their fethers again, which they so long haue vsurped.

And thus much concerning the life, inrisdiction, and title of the Roman bishops: In all whiche (as is declared) they and not we, haue fallen from the churche of Rome. MarginaliaThe latter church of rome differing from the first church of Rome, in forme of gouernment.To these I might also ioyne the maner of gouernment, wherin the said Romishe bishoppes haue no lesse altered both from the rule of scripture, and frō the steppes of the true church of Rome, which gouernment as it hath ben, and ought to be onely spirituall: so hath the bishop of Rome vsed it of late yeares no otherwise, thē hath an earthly kyng or prince gouerned his realme and dominions, with riches, glory, power, terrour, outward strength, force, prison, death, execution, lawes, policies, promoting his frendes to dignities, reuengynge his affections, punishyng and correcting faultes against his person, more then other offences against God committed, vsing and abusing in all these things, the worde of God for his pretext and cloke to worke his wordly purpose with al: wheras in dede the word of God ministreth no such power to spiritual persons, but such as is spirituall: accordyng to the saying of the Apostle: firma militiæ nostræ non sunt carnalia, sed spiritualia &c. The armour and artillary, saith sainct Paule, of oure warfaire is not carnal, but spiritual: such as serue not against fleshe and bloud, nor against the weake person of man: but against Satan, againste the gates of hell. And the profoundities of wicked power. &c.

Which armour as it is all spirituall, so ought they, which haue the dealyng therof, to be likewise spiritual, well furnished with all suche gyftes and graces of the holy ghost, meete for the gouernance of his spirituall church: MarginaliaHow the church of christ ought to be gouerned.as with wisdom & knowledge in the scripture, to instruct the ignorant: with inward intelligence and foresight of the crafty cogitations & operations of Satan, with power of the spirite to resiste the same: with practise and experience of tentatons, to comfort such as be afflicted and oppressed of Satan: with heauenly discretion to discerne spirites, & truth fron vntrueth: with iudgement, knowledge of tonges and learnyng to conuict error: with zele of Gods glorye, with feruency of prayer, with pacience in persecution: with a minde contented with all cases and states incident, with teares and compassion on other mens greues: with stoutnes and courage against the proud and mightie: with humilitie toward the poore and miserable: with the counsail of the Lord Iesus by his word & spirit to directe him