登陆注册
15365600000170

第170章 OF POWER ECCLESIASTICAL(20)

Of five books he hath written of this subject,the first containeth three questions:one,which is simply the best government,monarchy,aristocracy,or democracy,and concludeth for neither,but for a government mixed of all three;another,which of these is the best government of the Church,and concludeth for the mixed,but which should most participate of monarchy;the third,whether in this mixed monarchy,St.Peter had the place of monarch.

Concerning his first conclusion,I have already sufficiently proved (Chapter eighteen)that all governments,which men are bound to obey,are simple and absolute.In monarchy there is but one man supreme,and all other men that have any kind of power in the state have it by his commission,during his pleasure,and execute it in his name;and in aristocracy and democracy,but one supreme assembly,with the same power that in monarchy belongeth to the monarch,which is not a mixed,but an absolute sovereignty.And of the three sorts,which is the best is not to be disputed where any one of them is already established;but the present ought always to be preferred,maintained,and accounted best,because it is against both the law of nature and the divine positive law to do anything tending to the subversion thereof.Besides,it maketh nothing to the power of any pastor (unless he have the civil sovereignty)what kind of government is the best,because their calling is not to govern men by commandment,but to teach them and persuade them by arguments,and leave it to them to consider whether they shall embrace or reject the doctrine taught.For monarchy,aristocracy,and democracy do mark out unto us three sorts of sovereigns,not of pastors;or,as we may say,three sorts of masters of families,not three sorts of schoolmasters for their children.

And therefore the second conclusion,concerning the best form of government of the Church,is nothing to the question of the Pope's power without his own dominions:for in all other Commonwealths his power,if he have any at all,is that of the schoolmaster only,and not of the master of the family.

For the third conclusion,which is that St.Peter was monarch of the Church,he bringeth for his chief argument the place of St.Matthew,"Thou art Peter,and upon this rock I will build my church,"etc."And I will give thee the keys of heaven;whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."Which place,well considered,proveth no more but that the Church of Christ hath for foundation one only article;namely,that which Peter,in the name of all the Apostles professing,gave occasion to our Saviour to speak the words here cited.Which that we may clearly understand,we are to consider,that our Saviour preached by himself,by John Baptist,and by his Apostles,nothing but this article of faith,"that he was the Christ";all other articles requiring faith no otherwise than as founded on that.John began first,preaching only this,"The kingdom of God is at hand."Then our Saviour himself preached the same:and to his twelve Apostles,when he gave them their commission,there is no mention of preaching any other article but that.This was the fundamental article,that is the foundation of the Church's faith.Afterwards the Apostles being returned to him,he asketh them all,not Peter only,who men said he was;and they answered that some said he was John the Baptist,some Elias,and others Jeremias,or one of the Prophets;then he asked them all again,not Peter only,"Whom say ye that I am?"Therefore St.

Peter answered for them all,"Thou art Christ,the Son of the living God";which I said is the foundation of the faith of the whole Church;from which our Saviour takes the occasion of saying,"upon this stone I will build my Church":by which it is manifest that by the foundation-stone of the Church was meant the fundamental article of the Church's faith.But why then,will some object,doth our Saviour interpose these words,"Thou art Peter"?If the original of this text had been rigidly the reason would easily have appeared.We are therefore to consider that the Apostle Simon was surnamed Stone (which is the signification of the Syriac word cephas,and of the Greek word petrus).Our Saviour therefore after the confession of that fundamental article,alluding to his name,said (as if it were in English)thus,"Thou art Stone,and upon this Stone I will build my Church":which is as much as to say,"This article,that I am the Christ,is the foundation of all the faith I require in those that are to be members my Church."Neither is this allusion to a name an unusual thing in common speech:but it had been a strange and obscure speech,if our Saviour,intending to build his Church on the person of St.Peter,had said,"Thou art a stone,and upon this stone I will build my Church,"when it was so obvious,without ambiguity,to have said,"I will build my Church on thee";and yet there had been still the same allusion to his name.

And for the following words,"I will give thee the keys of heaven,"etc.,it is no more than what our Saviour gave also to all the rest of his Disciples,"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.And whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."But howsoever this be interpreted,there is no doubt but the power here granted belongs to all supreme pastors;such as are all Christian civil sovereigns in their own dominions.

Insomuch as if St.Peter,or our Saviour himself,had converted any of them to believe him and to acknowledge his kingdom;yet because his kingdom is not of this world,he had left the supreme care of converting his subjects to none but him;or else he must have deprived him of the sovereignty to which the right of teaching is inseparably annexed.And thus much in refutation of his first book,wherein he would prove St.Peter to have been the monarch universal of the Church,that is to say,of all the Christians in the world.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 岁月的刻痕

    岁月的刻痕

    女孩是全球排名首位的千金还有别的身份,男孩是排名第二的大少爷,两个人开展了虐恋的故事。女孩回到中国进入艾斯顿学院念书,不巧碰到了她的前男友,开展了报复。后来她遇到了一个冷酷的少爷,便开始和他处处作对,两个人互相喜欢上了对方,她的前男友对他说如果你照顾不了她,我会不惜一切代价抢回她!这里面没有杀手啊,帮派的
  • 都市最强系统之称霸都市

    都市最强系统之称霸都市

    苏辰因为一次意外,被奸人陷害。为了家族荣誉,被赶出家族。平凡的他在绝望之际得到外星最强科技-最强系统。这是偶然还是必然?且看他如何步步崛起,称霸都市,站在世界之巅。。。。
  • 舞上海

    舞上海

    她是一只被关在笼子里的麻雀,却被主人称为史上最漂亮懂事的金丝雀。她替他做事,因为她爱他。她可以为了他死,因为他让她去死。后来她认识了另一个人,他让她去伤害的那个男人。那个男人笑的很好看,那个男人把他当做宝,那个男人说你可以当你自己的鸟儿随便飞,他会在她需要的时候出现。可是后来,一切都结束了。你死还是我死呢?或许是他……也可能是你吧。
  • 守护甜心之初心未来

    守护甜心之初心未来

    洒下的星星,在倾听……留下的故事,在呻吟……我们相遇在,两个世界分离在,同一个人生现在请你仔细看着,我的眼,我的脸记住,我指尖下的青春曾像烟花一样绚烂,像太阳一样夺目像花儿一样自由,像你我一样无奈
  • 你是我的软肋

    你是我的软肋

    一场意外,让柳元枫邂逅了,夏映秋和她相依为命的母亲。与江依白比起来,映秋显得平凡而带着淡淡的哀愁,但在柳元枫眼中,映秋的确隐含着动人的韵致。而身为富豪之子的元枫,他该如何让家人接受清寒家庭出身的映秋,并让大家坦然面对精神障碍的夏妈妈?
  • 名震九江

    名震九江

    有一个小孩,他生在一个十分偏僻的村庄里,家里没有电、没有灯,他不知道什么是梦想,他只知道,他要走出大山,走出这座妨碍他的大山。他家里因为困难,十几岁才走人学校的大门,他发誓,一定要好好学习,将来要考上一个好大学,这就是梦,一个很平常的梦,虽然到处是坎坷、泥泞,危险,甚至还有悬崖、峭壁、坐牢。他从来没想过这些,只是默默的为他知道的梦想而努力。
  • 仕商者

    仕商者

    不求封侯拜相,不求征战沙场,只想做一枚风流的仕商。仕商者,半仕半商也。推荐锤子已完本作品《抗战之钢铁风暴》,抗战类种田文推荐锤子新作《仙武神煌》修仙类种田文
  • 遍地妖邪

    遍地妖邪

    顾熙在一次拍照时不慎坠落山崖,醒来时竟发现自己掉进了一个妖邪横行的世界。狼兽,火焰鸟,还有不知是人是树的妖精……好不容易遇见个同类,神马?你是诛妖人?原来这个世界不会点灵法咒语都不好意思跟人打招呼。不止他,她,它……身后还有一大波精通各种灵法异术的奇形怪状正在快速靠近!额滴神啊,这个全体开挂的世界,让她一凡人该怎么混?----------------------------------一句话简介:穿越容易,混迹不易,且混且珍惜
  • 宝贝,我爱你!

    宝贝,我爱你!

    【甜宠文】“老公,你爱我有多深?”(男女身心干净,无失忆,无一夜情,温馨清水!)
  • 决战异界巅峰

    决战异界巅峰

    一枚戒指,造成了一名巅峰杀手的陨落。也造就了异世的一阵阵血雨腥风。见证了一名巅峰强者的诞生。却到头来才发现,一个布局万年的惊天大阴谋在等着他。我的女人,谁也不能染指我的霸业,谁也不能阻止神挡我必屠之佛挡我必灭之天挡我必踩之诸天神佛在我脚下