formerly Their Information given they trust it and proceed upon it but yet very gingerly and abstractedly In common that Court sees that Mr White opposes their Paramount Authority by which they project the domineering over both Princes and Hierarchy this is enough to make them think fit to blemish him If then those good Divines tell them that he has Erroneous or Heretical Propositions in his Books and what will not they call so if against their Interest all the branding words shall in but you may sooner squeeze water out of a Flint than get these Divines determine which are erroneous only and which heretical for fear Mr White should prove the better Divine and justifie the points to be both Catholick and needful to be spoken which would quite spoil all SEVENTH DEMAND VVHether it argue not that the passion and Interest of these men is above their love of maintaining Catholick Religion to blast not only the name of an Author who has written so advantagiously and solidly for Faith but even those very Books which so incomparably defend Faith and its Rule Let Rushworths Dialogues Apology for Tradition and Controversie-Logick be examined to omit others and see whether ever the Heterodox party were either so solidly confuted or Faith so radically stated yet are these Books condemn'd too with the rest what more disgrace to our Cause could even a Prebyterians heart wish Consider how manfully the Catholick Controvertists who have followed those Principles have defended Faith and triumpht over opposite Errors and then judge whether it be consistent with these mens pretended zeal for Religion to sacrifice the best champion and strongest fortresses of our Faith as controverted to their politick Interest and to endeavour the overthrowing such rampires of the Popes Faith-taught ordinary and lawful power that they may flatteringly advance his opinionative unlawful and arbitrary one On the other side look on the pittiful Defences these men substitute in stead of those solid ones evidenc'd infallibility of Authority shall be beat down and all Faith finally resolved into a blind afflatus a hole as dark as the worst Fanaticks private spirit Solid reason shall be laid aside and aierie quibbling in a wordish Testimony taken up in its stead which can conclude nothing What miserable tossing of words too and fro to the extream prejudice of the Catholick cause is found in Schism unmaskt yet considering their way we have reason to beleeve that the nerves of their whole Body were all swelled by their most vigorous spirits to advance so feeble a stroke Nor can any see how we may expect better helps from their Principles which tend to the disgrace of Universal Tradition and fix their best hopes on personal Infallibilities Knots voluminous Encounter with Chilling-worth and Fishers with B. Land remain sad Instances of the Catholick cause left dangerously exposed not through want of grounds but by a voluntary desertion of Catholick Principles to follow those of Interest and Flattery EIGHTH DEMAND VVHat is to be said of those who when they list get any thing condemn'd at Rome to blast Catholike Writers that oppose their trampling down the Hierarchy then press that Condemnation hotly and advance it as highly as it were a young point of Faith and yet when it lights on themselves which happens sometimes though not so often as they deserve they slight and vilifie it as nothing worth Poza a Spanish Jesuite that fine fellow who made that excellent Creed printed before the Mystery of Jesuitism was commanded both by the Popes and his Generals Orders to appear at Rome which by the way Mr. White never was yet and legally cited too to answer there for some extravagant Tenets He flies for refuge to the Kings Council and got his cause already overthrown in the Roman Inquisition to be reveiwed by that of Madrid and there found Defence without either his or the State 's or the Madrids Inquisition scrupling at all to cast off the heavy burthen of obedience to the Roman Inquisition which the Jesuites when 't is for their turn use to lay upon other mens shoulders That abominable Apology for the Casuists set out by the Jesuites after it had been most deeply and particularly censur'd by almost each Bishop in France and his Diocesan Assembly was for fear of too manifest shame condemned at Rome and yet was printed by them afterwards and defended both in France and England Stubrochius the disguised Jesuite gives you the full allowance of the force such Decrees are to have in these words If nothing says he be particularly condemned but the Book only in general forbidden no wise man can deny but that the onely reason of its Prohibition is that it was publisht against the rules of the Council of Trent Si nihil prorsus in â—o singillatim configatur sed prohibeatur generatim nemo sapiens neget eo duntaxat nomine prohibitum fuisse quod contra Regulas à Concilio Tridentivo praescriptas editus sit which Rules though in themselves excellent are so unsuitable to the present circumstances of England that very few Catholick writers can observe them so that almost all the Catholick Books in English are subject to the censure of the Roman Inquisition as well as Mr. White 's were there any peevish Informer uncharitable enough to prosecute ' em But you must think it was the Jesuits own case else he had not been so candid so that you see they deal with their Believers as men do with little Babies or Jack-dawes they propose things for Bug-bears or Scare-crows which themselvs fear not at all but onely set up to fright others NINTH DEMAND VVHether to press the obligatorinesse of this Inquisition's Act be not Schismatical in those pressers For since where a legal order is not observ'd in sending accepting and enjoyning observance of Decrees 't is not to be expected all should act alike it will follow that the more zealous and credulous who think every foppery Faith will quickly take fire and accept it and discharge their zeal by spreading it to others and railing at the Authour and the Readers of his Books The more solid discerning and intelligent persons who know how to distinguish things will carry themselves as formerly towards both the Author and the Books Hence difference in actions and mutual animosities are apt to arise and fierce ones too in regard one party is made foolishly to believe all is Faith which their interessed Governours tell them the other party conceive as high an indignation to see the Sacredness of Faith made ridiculous by such a blundering and confounding zeal in the simple believers and paltry interest in the Teachers Now who sees not that the explication of this matter of Fact and it 's immediate consequences speak direct spiritual breach distance difference and disunion of minds affections words and actions which sound schismaticalness enough in all Conscience The Result of all hitherto is this that since this Condemnation is neither legally sent nor
the erring into a way of amendment What a disrespect then is it towards the Inquisition and the Pope in them who dare impute such an uncharitable procedure to those prudent personages After another fashion were the Jesuits Books and that in true Latin too lately condemn'd of which I doubt they speak very seldom and very gingerly to their Devotes several Lists of particular errors were collected out of their Authors and diligently conferr'd with the books themselvs and this in almost every Diocesse of France and at last the whole Apology written by the Jesuits in defence of those errours not onely condemn'd by the Bishops and Diocesan Clergy there but by the Roman Inquisition too notwithstanding all their power in that Court which they stretcht to the utmost Some few of these kind of Errours I have here onely to give a tast of the rest transcrib'd As That I may kill a man to prevent his giving me a box on the ear or a stroke with a staff and if he have struck me I may kill him though he fly from me That an Ecclesiastick or Religious man may kill him who shall attempt or but threaten to take away his honour by slanders or calumnies That 't is no Simony to give or take any thing for a Benefice if it be given or taken as a motive not as a price That an Astrologer if he have only consulted the stars is bound to restore the mony he has received but not if he have taken the pains to conjure and the thing be come to pass by the Devils Art That a man is neither by the Law of nature nor any positive Law oblig'd to restore what he has receiv'd to give an unjust sentence or to commit Murther or Adultery That to hear two halfs or four quarters of a Masse at once which is easie where many Masses are saying at the same time satisfies the Precept of the Church That he who keeps a Concubine is not to be deny'd Absolution though he will not put her away if he say he pretends not to sin with her and that the case be so that without her his life would be but melancholy That probably it is no mortal sin to impose on another a false crime indefence of one 's own honour which of all the rest is in my opinion the most horrible as stubbing up by the roots all charity and veracity out of the hearts of all the world These among many more of the same kind were particularly condemn'd and recondemn'd in France and lest you should doubt their Apologies being condemn'd at Rome too wherein all these are defended go on and read the Copy Thursday 21 August 1659. In the General Congregation of the Holy Roman and Vniversal Inquisition holden in the Apostolick Palace at St. Mary the Greater before his Holinesse Pope Alexander 7. and the most Eminent and most Reverend Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church deputed by the See Apostolick Inquisitors General against Heresy in the whole Christian Commonwealth His Holiness Pope Alexander 7. by this present Decree prohibits and condemns the Book entitled Apologie for the Casuists c. and wills that it be held for condemn'd and prohibited And his Holinesse farther commands that none of what degree or condition soever though dignifyed with special or even most special Qualfication keep or read the said book nor presume to print or cause to be printed as well under the Penalties and Censures contain'd in the Holy Council of Trent and in the Index of prohibited Books as others to be inflicted at the will of his Holyness But whoever now hath or shall hereafter at any time have the said Book shall under the same penalties be bound to deliver it up to the Ordinary or the Inquisitors And now what Substantial difference do you find betwixt this Censure and that against Mr White all I can see is only the precept to clear himself which for want of a particular charge seems to have little legal signification so that as to the general Censures of Rome the Jesuits have tasted of them as well as Mr. White and as to particular Ones of other places far more in the proportion that almost all France and Lovain exceed in Learning and Authority the single pitiful University of Doway which clearly argues Evidence against the Jesuits and against Mr. White My last exception and which makes me confident those words of accurate examination mentioned in that paper are either of course or falsifi'd and so not arguing an Act of the Inquisition is that I see plainly they were so far from accurately examining the Books that they never lookt so much as into the Titles but have most strangely mistaken and Condemned for a Book of Mr. White 's one that was writ against him by another Authour and hath Authore I. S. on the Title-page Mr. White writ Statera Morum Another writ against one part of it and entitled his book Statera Appensa Mr. White reply'd and call'd his Reply Staterae Aequilibrium Now these accurate Examiners which this paper tells us of examin'd so accurately that they mistook one Book for another nor onely disparate Books but opposite ones that is the Objection for the Answer nor needed they look far to have avoided the mistake had they but us'd the patience to have read quite thorough the Title-page before they condemn'd the whole Book it had been sufficient to have prevented their errour Is not this enough to disgrace the whole Processe and Pretence Nor can they shelter the mistake by Aequilibrium's being bound in the same with Appensa For had all the Treatises there been Mr. White 's or at least Mr. White 's the first which entituled the Book it had been some colour but when 't is known Appensa was writ by another Authour who shew'd it to divers Ecclesiasticks of credit in the first foul Copy constantly own'd it himself and sent one of his Copies to the Internunce of Brussels before it was printed and had the two first Letters of his name put in the Title-page challenging it which Letters were no way competent to Mr. White 't is too evident the accurate Examiners read not nor car'd to read the very Title-page thorough but condemn'd at a venture they knew not what And was it not think you a laudable piece of service in that zealous Promooter who thus misinform'd the Inquisition if this Censure truly proceeded from It Or if it be counterfeit is it not an intollerable impudence to father such grosse mistakes on so diliberate and prudent a Tribunal These are my Reasons why I conceive no true respecter of that Inquisition will blaze this Act for Theirs Other Exceptions too perhaps might be made but I desire to publish no more than I hear already reflected on I onely add this word and conclude were this truly the Roman Inquisition's Act were it legally sent legally receivved and promulgated here in England and binding according to it 's full Import when all 's done it can onely command those Books to be look't on as prohibited that is not to be read without Licence which who in England either needs or at least may not easily have nay to read even those written by profest Hereticks and that too against Catholicks Yet this is all the wool got by this great Cry FINIS 16 Ric. 2.
accepted nor yet acceptable as the case stands since it neither concerns Faith in the least nor ought to concern Englands since the thus pressing it is illegal breaking Order and so Seditious Schismatical and disgraceful to our Faith by rendring it ridiculous 't is evident that the pressers of it and according to the degree of their knowledg their Followers who accept it are neither good Christians loyal Subjects nor solidly Prudent Men But desperately pursuing their own ambition by flattering the Roman Courts in what ever precipices they engage themselves and others And if they be such and it be not like they will amend unless they and the world be told publickly they are such I know no reason why both Justice and Charity oblige me not to do it All hitherto is spoken in case the Condemnation has indeed issued from the Inquisition of Rome But what if any one should object that in all likelyhood it is none of Theirs or at least a Surreptitious one All I could say is I have yet heard it onely from private hands which though I am not bound to credit yet it breeds in me a suspition of some such thing As for the Terms of the Decree it self should any except against them that because the two Phrases Heretical and Erroneous in Faith signifie the same thing one of them must needs be superfluous and so not likely to proceed from that Court I could answer that as among Schollers Tautologies are blamable so among Lawyers such as the Cardinals for the most part are nothing more ordinary then Sinonama's and Repetitions Should he go on and object the inconveniences of a Dis-junctive censure as that it neither condemns nor absolves any point in particular and so the world is never the wiser for it I could reply that where the Judges have too much work as they must needs have who draw to their immediate cognisance almost all the spiritual business of the world it saves a great deal of labour to forbid a Book in general without undertaking the trouble of giving a particular reason for it and though it would be a great happiness to be determinately instructed in the points for which an Author is censured yet as to the common people it sufficeth their Governours say there are Erroneous Opinions in him and therefore unless you have permission to read prohibited Books let him alone Should he again insist That probably this Decree was not Authentick because in the Copie printed at Rome the Authors Name is mis-written as Blachei and Wilhi I could excuse it with saying Italians are not well acquainted with the hard names of us Tramontani Or should he urge the mis-spelling some Latine words as Quarela Bucins Aucthore Texerae I could think it might happen by the hastie zeal of the Sollicitor without imagining the barbarous Goths had sackt Rome again But should he say there 's false Latine in it and offer to prove it by citing these suspitious words Pâ—pe for Papa Institutiones for institutionum Joannem for Jona and then produce Authority that false Latine vitiates the Popes Letters Literas Papae invalidat falsa Latinitas De Rescript c. Ad audientians Quia per tot manus transâ—unt ut nullus in iis si sint verae debeat error superesse I should be apt I confess to follow this known Rule rather then an Extravagant Copie of an inquisitionary Sentence For though the Popes Letters and his Decrees in the Inquisition be not rigorously the same thing yet the same inconvenience rising from either that is a diminution of respect due to the Pope the same Law is to govern both Nothing being more common among the Canon Lawyers then ubi cadem ratio ibi idem jus In this mind therefore I shall presume to continue till the all knowing and all-commanding Society shall propose to the World as another new Article of Faith that the holy Inquisition where the Popesits and in a Chair too cannot err in points of Latin And yet all this is easyer to deal with than one untoward objection that stil remains For should any fall upon the last lines of the Decree and say It cannot be believ'd by any who respects the Roman Inquisition that it so threatningly should command a Man to clear himself and never tell him in particular what 's his fault I am sure I should be shrewdly put to it to find an answer And this is the clause I indeed fear may have been procur'd by the importunity of some busie Jesuite who should he meet with Mr. White would scarce perhaps be able to bridle his head-strong zeal from running full drive upon him and with open mouth cry out against him Mr. White you are accus'd and deeply censur'd and that by no less than the Roman Inquisition Clear your self why don't you clear your self Of what answers Mr. White I say clear your self says the Jesuite 't is sawciness to ask of what or to question Authority you 'l chop logick with the holy Inquisition will you No but I would gladly be told my fault replyes Mr. White that I may know how to mend and I hope you have so much charity as to wish it and to put me in a way to it Say you are sorry for your fault says the insulting Jesuit and believe us you are in fault This is our way of governing both our boyes and men too and 't is against the best vertue Obedience to demand more I but Sir sayes Mr. White by shewing me my fault I may come to be made see the hainousnesse of it and so be more heartily penitent The very Spirit of an Heretick cries the Jesuit amain this man will not think he is in fault except he be shown it Infallibility in matters of Faith and blind Obedience have no reverence with him Here now were Mr. White one of their Bigots hee might be sorry though he knew not for what But yet even that would not serve his turn or relieve his sad case a jot He is bid clear himself and heavily threatned if he do not Now since clearing is an Action and Actions use to light upon particulars for none can build an house or write a line in common and in our case this clearing must either be perform'd by denying the books to be his which were an open falsehood or by justifying or retracting those blameable Propositions both which are impossible without knowing first the particular Propositions to be so justified or retracted 't is manifest hee is commanded impossibles and yet he is threaten'd shrewdly unlesse he perform them The exacting brick without straw was mild to this That was possible to be perform'd by other combustible matter this impossible to any but a Conjurer The non-performance of that was threaten'd with onely temporal penalties this with spiritual That lighter coming from the hand of an Heathen and Tyrant this a thousand times heavier pretending to come from the Authority of Governours whose duty 't is to put