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A46798
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A letter concerning the Council of Trent
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Jenks, Sylvester, 1656?-1714.; N. N.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing J630C; ESTC R217051
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46,244
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121
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fit and not being fit the Bishop should depute a Substitute to perform the charge But for hereafter that the Benefice should not be conferred but upon a sufficient person That in the Cathedral Churches of populous Cities Collegiate Churches of great Castles where no such stipend is assign'd the first Prebend that falleth void should be applied to that use or a simple Benefice or a contribution of all Beneficed men to institute the Lecture And again concerning * p. 693. n. 18. the institution of Seminaries it was constituted that every Episcopal Church should have a certain number of boys brought up in a Colledge to learn among other things the Holy Scripture All this * Sess 5. c. 1. The Holy Synod ordereth decreeth least that heavenly Treasure of Sacred Books which the Holy Ghost has so liberally bestow'd upon mankind should lye neglected 2. Concerning Ecclesiasticks * p. 732. n. 1. The Decrees of Reformation did contain That whosoever have right in the Promotion shall be admonished that it is a mortal sin if they shall not use all diligence to promote the most worthy most profitable to the Church And it was added How necessary it is that the Pope in regard of his Duty should endeavour to assume Cardinals of most excellent worth to provide the Church of fit Pastors because if the flock should perish by the evil government of persons negligent forgetfull of their duty Christ will demand an account of his Holiness * p. 733. n. 3. That Patriarchs Primates Metropolitans Bishops shall be bound to visit their proper Diocess ... That the Visitor shall go with a modest train of men horses dispatching the Visitation as soon as may be and shall not receive any money or present whatsoever it be or in what manner soever it be offered but frugal moderate Diet ... * ibid. n. 4. That the Bishops shall be bound to preach in person or having a lawfull impediment by others And in case the Parish Priest be hindred that he cannot preach in his own Church he shall at his charge maintain another to do it deputed by the Bishops ... That the Bishop shall admonish every one that where it may conveniently be done he ought to go to his own Parish to hear the Sermon and that None either Secular or Regular even in the Churches of their own Order shall preach against the Bishop's will * p. 734 n. 10. That where Visitation or Correction of manners is in question no exemption or appeal though to the Apostolick See shall any way hinder or suspend the execution of that which is decreed or adjudged * p. 735. n 17. That no Ecclesiastical person though a Cardinal shall have more than one Benefice which not being able to maintain him another simple Benefice may be added so that they do not both require Residence which shall be understood of all Benefices of what title or quality soever though Commended And he that hath now more Benefices than one shall be bound to leave all but one within six months or if not they shall be all void * p. 753. n 1. The Reading of the General Reformation did follow which after an Exhortation to Bishops for exemplary life commandeth not only that they be content with modesty frugality of houshold-stuff table but also that in the rest of their way of living in their whole house nothing may appear but what bears the character of simplicity zeal contempt of Vanities And absolutely doth forbid them to enrich their friends or kindred with the revenues of the Church but if poor to allot them their distribution as to the rest of the poor What has been said of Bishops it Decreeth to be observed by all beneficed Eccleasticks either Secular or Regular and also by the Cardinals Here I have cited only eight points a very inconsiderable part of the whole Reformation which contains above a hundred forty chapters But for a man of your skill a pattern is enough to judge of the whole piece And besides all these Decrees there are also others of Doctrine forbidding condemning several abuses which are worth your taking notice of 1. Concerning Purgatory * p. 75â— The Synod teaches no more than that there is a Purgatory that the Souls detain'd in it are assisted by the suffrages of the faithfull the Sacrifice of the Mass Therefore it doth command Bishops to teach sound doctrine in this matter such as is deliver'd by the Holy Fathers Sacred Councils and cause it to be preached without handling subtil questions before the ignorant people nor suffering uncertain unlikely things to be published Prohibiting curiosities superstition unhonest gain 2. Concerning Masses * p. 537. A Decree was read concerning abuses to be corrected in the celebration of Masses And contain'd in substance that the Bishops ought to forbid all things brought in by Avarice Irreverence or Superstition 3. * p. 751. In matter of Saints it doth command Bishops all others who have the charge of teaching to instruct the people concerning the intercession invocation of them according to the ancient doctrine of the Church consent of Fathers decrees of Councils teaching that the Saints do pray for men that it is profitable to invocate them to have recourse to their prayers assistance to obtain benefits from God through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord who is our onely Saviour Redeemer Concerning Images that those of Christ the Saints ought to have due honour given them but that there is no divinity or virtue in them ... Afterwards it addeth that desiring to take away the abuses occasions of pernicious errors it doth Ordain ... that all Superstition in invocation of Saints in worship of Reliques in use of Images be taken away 4. Concerning Indulgences * p. 757. The Synod doth only anathematize those that shall say they are unprofitable that the Church hath not power to grant them It doth command that all those offices of Pardon-mongers be abolished And for the other abuses which have taken their rise from superstition ignorance irreverence or any other way Whereas they cannot conveniently be forbidden in particular by reason of the manifold corruptions of provinces places where they are committed it doth command the Bishops that every one shall collect all those of his own Church to propose them in the Provincial Synod * p. 733 n. 2. which shall be call'd by the Metropolitan or the most ancient Suffragan within one year at the most after the end of this Synod and afterwards every three years at least Tell me now your opinion concerning these matters All these points are they light and lightly handled Are they all nothing to the purpose Suppose the Vineyard had been a little neglected the Vines wanted pruning Will nothing else serve your turn but reducing them to their beginning
maintain'd the superiority of a General Council were zealous for this Title and the others constantly oppos'd it But both parties always agreed that the Council of Trent was as truly General as the first four Councils were or any have been since V. It was never receiv'd by the Protestants Nor by the French Catholicks A. 1. The Council of Nice was never receiv'd by the Arians 2. It was universally receiv'd by both Ecclesiastical Civil State of France in point of Doctrine 3. The Decrees of Reformation were approv'd by all the Catholick Clergy of that Kingdom In the Assembly at Blois in the year 1576. The Archbishop of Lions in the name of all the Ecclesiastical State of France begg'd the assistance of the King's Authority to put this Reformation in execution In the Assembly of Melun 1579. the Bishop of Bazas in their name made the same request to the King chiefly because they are tied bound to all Laws so made by the Catholick Church upon pain of being reputed Schismatical of incurring the curse of Eternal Damnation At Fontainebleau in the year 1582. The Archbishop of Bourges tells the King The stain reproach of Schism rests upon your Kingdom amongst other Countries And this is the cause why the Clergy doth now again most humbly desire c. In the General Assembly of the States at Paris in the year 1614. Cardinal Perron Cardinal Richelieu then Bishop of Luson prosecuted in vain the same request Thus you see the Catholick Clergy of France unanimously receiving approving the Council of Trent in matter of Discipline The Civil State as it has no share in the Votes of the Council so their non-approbation cannot diminish the Authority of it You may guess at the reasons of excepting against it by what the Queen Regent Catherine de Medicis was pleas'd to tell the Pope's Nuncio that the Council could not be admitted because by the Council's Decrees the King could not gratifie such Ministers of State as had done him singular service with the means of Religious Houses of Church-Benefices VI. Leo X. before the Convocation of the Council had declar'd that Luther his Adherents were Hereticks Being therefore already condemn'd why should they come to Council A. 1. Their Errors had been condemn'd in former General Councils and since it really was so Why might not the Pope say so 2. Because the Pope had condemn'd them therefore they * See Soave p. 11. appeal'd to a General Council and since they had appeal'd to it Why should they not go to it VII It was not a legal Council A. That is to say it was not such a one as they had a mind to Luther being question'd first made friends to be tried in Germany As soon as he was there condemn'd by Cajetan he appeal'd to the Pope Immediately after foreseeing his condemnation there he intercepted this appeal with * ibid. p. 8. another from the Pope to a General Council having ground to imagine He would never call one who was suppos'd to fear that it would severely reform him his Court. As soon as he saw that in good earnest a Bull was publisht in the year 1537. to call a Council at Vicenza he began presently to vilifie Councils put out a book De Conciliis to prove that they always did more harm than good not sparing so much as the first Councils of Nice or of the Apostles Then he appeal'd from Council to Scripture where He that makes himself supreme Judge of the Sense may easily maintain what absurdity he pleases Soave tells us he was * p. 17. used to say that he was so well assured of his Doctrine that it being Divine he would not submit it so much as to the judgment of Angels yea that with it he was to judge all both men Angels After this his Followers thought it more plausible not to shuffle so visibly but to admit a Council clog it with such conditions as would quite disarm it make it useless You may read them in Soave as follows * p. 600. 1. That it should be celebrated in Germany 2. That it should not be intimated by the Pope 3. That He should not preside but be part of the Council subject to the determinations of it 4. That the Bishops other Prelates should be freed from their Oath given to the Pope 5. That the Holy Scripture might be Judge in Council all Humane Authority excluded 6. That the Divines of the States of the Augustan Confession sent to the Council might not only have a consulting but a deciding voice 7. That the Decisions in Council should not be made as in Secular matters by plurality of voices but the more sound opinions preferr'd that is those which were regulated by the word of God You will not deny but that in England we have had some Kings whose title to the Crown has been unquestionable that some free legal Parliaments have been assembled during their reign Give me leave to put the case that two or three Counties had revolted protesting against all that would be done in such a Parliament refusing to send any Deputies to it but upon these conditions 1. that it be assembled in their Territory 2. that it be not call'd by the King 3. that his Majesty may be subject to it 4. that all the members of it be freed from their Oath of Allegeance 5. that all Humane Authority of former Parliaments may be excluded 6. that they may depute as many as they please with a decisive voice 7. that for fear of being over-voted the Decisions be not made as usually by plurality of voices but that the more sound opinions that is their own may be preferr'd What would you think of these Articles Would you conclude the Parliament was illegal if it did not submit to their demands I do not pretend here to make an exact parallel betwixt the Monarchy of the Church that of England yet however the parity is not so unequal but that it may help to open your eyes VIII The Parties concern'd were Judges in their own case A. No more than in the I. of Nice The world was then divided into Catholicks Arians as now into Catholicks Protestants And as the Catholicks had then a right to judge the one so now they had the very same right to judge the other If any part separate from the whole it does not therefore acquire a right of saying that the Whole from which they divide themselves is now a Party therefore must not judge them Pope Leo and Dioscorus Bishop of Alexandria counteraccus'd one another of Heresy and yet the Pope legally presided in the IV. General Council which condemn'd Dioscorus Neither was it ever thought a sufficient excuse for Dioscorus to say the Pope was a Party Judge in his own case Mr. Chilling worth confesses that in controversies of Religion it is in a manner impossible to