登陆注册
15365600000172

第172章 OF POWER ECCLESIASTICAL(22)

Hereupon they questioned which of them it should be;and withal,seeing the next Passover their master would celebrate should be when he was king,entered into a contention who should then be the greatest man.Our Saviour therefore told them that the kings of the nations had dominion over their subjects,and are called by a name in Hebrew that signifies bountiful;"but I cannot be so to you;you must endeavour to serve one another;I ordain you a kingdom,but it is such as my Father hath ordained me;a kingdom that I am now to purchase with my blood,and not to possess till my second coming;then ye shall eat and drink at my table,and sit on thrones,judging the twelve tribes of Israel."And then addressing himself to St.Peter,he saith,"Simon,Simon,Satan seeks,by suggesting a present domination,to weaken your faith of the future;but I have prayed for thee,that thy faith shall not fail;thou therefore note this:being converted,and understanding my kingdom as of another world,confirm the same faith in thy brethren."To which St.Peter answered (as one that no more expected any authority in this world),"Lord,I am ready to go with thee,not only to prison,but to death."Whereby it is manifest,St.Peter had not only no jurisdiction given him in this world,but a charge to teach all the other Apostles that they also should have none.And for the infallibility of St.Peter's sentence definitive in matter of faith,there is no more to be attributed to it out of this text than that Peter should continue in the belief of this point,namely,that Christ should come again and possess the kingdom at the day of judgement;which was not given by this text to all his successors;for we see they claim it in the world that now is.

The second place is that of Matthew 16.18,"Thou art Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church,and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."By which,as I have already shown in this chapter,is proved no more than that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the confession of Peter,which gave occasion to that speech;namely this,that Jesus is Christ the Son of God.

The third text is John,21.16,17,"Feed my sheep";which contains no more but a commission of teaching.And if we grant the rest of the Apostles to be contained in that name of sheep,then it is the supreme power of teaching:but it was only for the time that there were no Christian sovereigns already possessed of that supremacy.

But I have already proved that Christian sovereigns are in their own dominions the supreme pastors,and instituted thereto by virtue of their being baptized,though without other imposition of hands.For such imposition,being a ceremony of designing the person,is needless when he is already designed to the power of teaching what doctrine he will,by his institution to an absolute power over his subjects.

For as I have proved before,sovereigns are supreme teachers,in general,by their office,and therefore oblige themselves,by their baptism,to teach the doctrine of Christ:and when they suffer others to teach their people,they do it at the peril of their own souls;for it is at the hands of the heads of families that God will require the account of the instruction of His children and servants.

It is of Abraham himself,not of a hireling,that God saith,"I know him that he will command his children,and his household after him,that they keep the way of the Lord,and do justice and judgement."

The fourth place is that of Exodus,28.30,"Thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement,the Urim and the Thummim":which he saith is interpreted by the Septuagint,delosin kai aletheian,that is,evidence and truth:and thence concludeth,God hath given evidence and truth,which is almost infallibility,to the high priest.But be it evidence and truth itself that was given;or be it but admonition to the priest to endeavour to inform himself clearly,and give judgement uprightly;yet in that it was given to the high priest,it was given to the civil sovereign (for such next under God was the high priest in the Commonwealth of Israel),and is an argument for evidence and truth,that is,for the ecclesiastical supremacy of civil sovereigns over their own subjects,against the pretended power of the Pope.These are all the texts he bringeth for the infallibility of the judgement of the Pope,in point of faith.

For the infallibility of his judgement concerning manners,he bringeth one text,which is that of John,16.13,"When the Spirit of truth is come,he will lead you into all truth":where,saith he,by all truth is meant,at least,all truth necessary to salvation.But with this mitigation,he attributeth no more infallibility to the Pope than to any man that professeth Christianity,and is not to be damned:

for if any man err in any point,wherein not to err is necessary to salvation,it is impossible he should be saved;for that only is necessary to salvation without which to be saved is impossible.What points these are I shall declare out of the Scripture in the chapter following.In this place I say no more but that though it were granted the Pope could not possibly teach any error at all,yet doth not this entitle him to any jurisdiction in the dominions of another prince,unless we shall also say a man is obliged in conscience to set on work upon all occasions the best workman,even then also when he hath formerly promised his work to another.

Besides the text,he argueth from reason,thus.If the Pope could err in necessaries,then Christ hath not sufficiently provided for the Church's salvation,because he hath commanded her to follow the Pope's directions.But this reason is invalid,unless he show when and where Christ commanded that,or took at all any notice of a Pope.Nay,granting whatsoever was given to St.Peter was given to the Pope,yet seeing there is in the Scripture no command to any man to obeyeth him when his commands are contrary to those of his lawful sovereign.

同类推荐
  • Martin Eden

    Martin Eden

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 连城璧外编

    连城璧外编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 曹洞五位显诀

    曹洞五位显诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • The Call of the Wild

    The Call of the Wild

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 神仙传

    神仙传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 有生之年,我只恋你

    有生之年,我只恋你

    校园的爱恋到了结婚的时候,世界就发生了天翻地覆的变化,,五年的时间,她变了,只为那一场,还未结束的婚姻,带着孩子,找到了他,,,,,
  • 太子妃逃夫记

    太子妃逃夫记

    一穿越过来,就被打入天牢等待处死,好不容易逃出升天却再度被抓到。一个英武非凡智勇双全,一个如谪仙下凡温柔似水她讨厌宫中生活,可偏偏两人皆是一国太子,她该何去何从
  • 星辰大陆:谎言的牢笼

    星辰大陆:谎言的牢笼

    十六年,她被困于一个无形的谎言牢笼十六年。启程,寻找谎言的真相,一路上披荆斩棘谁又能给她温暖,给她依靠?打开谎言的牢笼,残酷的真相展现眼前,究竟是爱?还是恨?
  • 幸而我有你

    幸而我有你

    她因家族败落远走美国,骄傲回归只为和他相遇,他们数次撒手却究竟情归何处。他害她恨她,却又自寻死路,他们互不珍惜,到头来郁郁不得,却说:从没爱过。
  • 无悔的痴恋——初音miku

    无悔的痴恋——初音miku

    一个意外,让两人分道扬镳,深感自责的少年无声离开,只为不再伤害她......四年后,命运的齿轮让两人的命运再次交织......且看,世界第一的公主大人能否打破葱色少年的枷锁,书写一段葱色的无悔恋情......
  • 问世间情为何物:中国历代名人情感解读

    问世间情为何物:中国历代名人情感解读

    本书对中国历代近两百位各类名人隐秘、经典、曲折、具有代表性的情感历程与影响进行了真实、生动、细致的披露、展示和解读。君王们的纵情色、英杰们的豪情干云、文土们的旖旎多情、另一类的畸零私情——本书写尽了中国历史上的各种男女人,写尽了男女人之间的各种情感。本书故事精彩、人物鲜明、情感充沛、内容丰富、语言优美、表述通俗、富有哲理,从而具有有趣、博识、励志等功能。
  • 仙儒奇缘

    仙儒奇缘

    穷书生君思齐赴京赶考,路遇玄玉宗门人上官钰。从此,一个完全超乎他想象之外的另一个波澜壮阔,惊心动魄的修真世界,向他敞开了大门。穷书生的世界,从此变得丰富多彩,与众不同……
  • 月夜少年

    月夜少年

    ``喜欢月夜的凄美,沉寂而且冷漠的少年``!在他身上发生的一切`,没有任何人能预测`,那些事就象他喜欢月夜的凄美而凄惨美丽`!
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 误染豪门:总裁大人,要够没

    误染豪门:总裁大人,要够没

    “不,不要……停下……”正在动作的某人猛地一顿,紫色眸子在黑夜中尤为阴冷深邃,男人绝美的唇形勾起一抹邪肆的笑,“不要停下?”转而继续加快动作……某女心里怒吼:禽兽,简直是禽兽!!!………………三年后,她带球强势回归,某宝贝一脸傲娇的看着面前放大版的自己,“听说,你是我老子?”