Hierarâ—hy for they are imployed therein â—y Councells by Popes by a world â—f Prelates yea and by the greatest â—art of Pastors themselues excepâ—ing onely some few who of late â—aue made noyse enough The Kings of France themselues haue commaunded this to bee obserued in their Dominions in such sort as that Saint Lewis layd a perpetuall sentence of banishment out of his Kingdome vpon that Doctor Gulielmus de Sancto Amore who alreadie had been condemned at Rome in full Consistory and whose booke was mis-liked and torne and yet worse vsed that booke which he had composed against the Cordeliers and the Iacobins and wherein he serued himselfe of the same Arguments in effect in the strength whereof men make such a hoo-bub in thesâ— dayes 13. But you will say perhaps thaâ— Pope Anicetus and others and thâ— Councells also and the Canons doâ— take that for the Hierarchy whicâ— Christ our Lord did first send namely his Apostles and then his Disciples by two and two whom thâ— Prelates and Pastors doe succeedâ— But it is one thing when they say that these latter succeede those former and another thing it is to affirme that none but they are in the Hierarchy of the Church For what will you say if other great Saintâ— make it good that you must ratherâ— take the Hierarchy by the Parable oâ— the Vine-yard which is the Churchâ— There indeede the first are my Lords the most reuerend Bishops and they who follow after are the venerable Pastors and Parsons and Curates but that they who are sent at the ninth â—d eleuenth houres are those Reâ—lars who are designed to Preach â—d receiue confessions c. as being â—me but towards the euening but â—ho yet neuerthelesse shall at the end 〈◊〉 the day bee passed for true labouâ—rs and shall also be well payd and â—ith the same coyne of those others â—hose eminent men to whom God â—ue his spirit for the assistance of â—oses and Aaron in their gouerneâ—ent of the people of Israel did â—ey trouble the Hierarchy Congrega Num. 11. â—ihi septuaginta viros de senibus Israâ— c. Et auferam de spiritu tuo traâ—mque eis vt sustentent tecum onus poâ—li 14. Let us yet come closer and â—y that since it belongeth to the â—icar of Christ our Lord to goâ—erne this Hierarchy and that hee 〈◊〉 the head thereof as that learned â—octor of the Sorbonne doth excellently De Monarchia prooue let vs see the motiuâ— which they aleadge when they senâ— the Regulars to know whether theâ— haue troubled the Hierarchy or elsâ— on the other side whether they hauâ— done it good and most faithfull seâ—uice I might cite a hundred Bullâ— but I will only choose three or fouâ— but yet such as shal be cleere strongâ— and which shall presse home and wiâ— haue great power vppon all theâ— mindes vpon whom truth and reâ—son will haue power as they are sure my Lords to haue vpon yours Pope Gregory the ninth in the Bulâ— Cum messis whereby hee giueth diuerse Priuiledges to the Minorite Fâ—ers and namely in the administraâ— of Sacraments hath three motiueâ— The first Cum messis multa sit operâ— rij verò pauci c. The second Quoâ— Ministerium vestrum diligentèr iâ—plentes vos operarios inconfusibileâ— exhibetis The third Vt qui spiritâ— â—uitis spiritu ambuletis de doctriâ— vestra conuersatione flores â—uctus proueniant gratiores Paul the third in the Bull Cum â—ter whereby hee granterh many â—riuiledges to the society of Iesus â—oth mention two motiues of that â—rant The first Ne gregi Dominico â—imarum cura de sit illum antiâ—us serpens indefensum inpraeparaâ—m inuadat The second attendentes â—d fructus vberes quos in domo Domiâ—i hactenus produxistis producere â—on de sinitis vestrae Religione integriâ—ate scientia doctrina moribus exâ—erientia c. Pius Quintus in the Bull Et si Menâ—icantium whereby hee confirmes all â—riuiledges of the Mendicant Fryers â—ayth Attendentes plerosque exveâ—erabilibus fratribus nostris Archiepisâ—opis Episcopis qui Ordines Menâ—icantium praecipuê tanquam fructiseâ—os in agro domini palmites colere adjuvare deberent non solumâ— exequi negligere vecumetiam Conâ— Tridentini decretis in pravum sensâ— retoris vos eorum quemlibit 〈◊〉 rijs afficere incommodis perturâ—tionibus eorumque Privilegijs 〈◊〉 modicum afferre gravamen conantâ— whereof hee recounteth diueâ— proptereá volentes praemissis acâ— similibus excessibus gravaminiâ— ex nostri Pastoralis Officij debito proâ—dere Attendentes etiam illos qui oâ—diei aestus tam in praedicatioâ—bus quam in caeteris spiritualibâ— muneribus quotidiè sustinent nisâ—tiam aliquantum piè subleventur facâ—fore ut oprressi à suis officijs omniâ— desistant ne in posterum â—is aliquoâ— inferatur gravamen c. omni sâ—gula Privilegia c. quomodo-libâ— concessa c. authoritate Apostoluâ— tenore praesentium perpetuò approbâ—mus confirmamus Alexander the fourth a long timâ— before this had the same motiue for â—he Cordeliers in the Bull of Nimis â—hereby hee protected them against â—he persecution of certaine Clarkes â—nd sayth thus Nimis iniqua vicisâ—itudine largitori bonorum omnium respondetur dum ij qui de patrimonio Christi impinguati luxuriant damnaâ—iliter in eodem Christum patenter â—nfamulis suis non verentur acsi faâ—tus sit impotens Dominum vltionum c. Cumquè non desint plerique tam Ecclesiarum Prelati quam alij qui â—aeca cupiditate traducti propriae aviâ—itati subtrahi reputantes quicquid vobis fidelium pietas elargitur quieâ—em vestram multipliciter inquietant contra vos molestiarum varias occasiones exquirentes Volunt namque c. where he recounteth al those wrongs which the sayd Cordeliers had received of the sayd Clarkes Nè hujus modi gravamina vobis ab eisdem Preâ—latis vel eorum subditis vlterius inferantur authoritate praesentiâ— districtius inhibemus c. Gregorie the 14th in his Bul Ecclesiâ— Catholicae had also the same motiuâ— for many Priviledges which he gavâ— or confirmed to the Society of Iesuâ— 15. If men desire to see generall Councells for making an end of this proofe they may be easily brought but you know them better then I and therefore it would bee a superfluous discourse for you know as I say what the Councels of Viena of Lateran and of Trent affirme If therefore to haue shed so mucâ— blood for the maintayning of thâ— Christian Faith and of the Churcâ— over the whole World if to hauâ— sweate blood and water If 〈◊〉 haue fought against Heresie and Errors and Schisme if to hauâ— couragiously defended the Catholique Church even to the last breath of life if to haue Preached writteâ— so many bookes laboured night and day both in Cities and Countries â—hrough whole ages to haue served â—he whole World to haue obliged â—en millions of soules to haue sacrifiâ—ed their
AN ANSWER TO THE DEMANDS of a great Prelate Touching the Hierarchy of the Church And the just defence of Priviledged and Religious men Permissu Superiorum Printed at ROAN M DC XXVI EMMANUEL 〈…〉 … ndijs 〈…〉 Patris Will. Sancâ— A.C. Câ—ll Emman Cantat AN ANSVVERE To the demaunds of a great Prelate touching the Hierachy of the Church and the just defence of Priviledged and Religious men MY LORD I Am not able to expresse the obligation which I haue to you by reason of the Commandement which you vouchsafed to lay vppon me which yet notwithstanding is both sweet and sharpe Sweete in regard that it comes from you whom I doe so highly honour as well in regard of the eminent quality which you hold in the Church of God as by reason of your rare vertues and besides for that you are pleased to loue me cordially and more then I shall euer be able to deserue But yet sharpe withall because it bringeth a complaynt with it and sheweth a most bitter roote which hath sprowted forth and produced in the heart of many some little aversion from Priviledged persons and Religious men and which hath filled the mindes of many with a kinde of sharpnesse and euen of contempt and hate against them Yea the matter is past on so farre that many of them haue armed themselues with a certayne fervour and zeale and haue put themselues into combate against those other as against the enemies of their persons or at least as against the enemies of their authoritie their power and their greatnesse And yet certainly it seemes it would haue beene more honourable euen to fight for them as for their Children to protect them as their Orphanes and Pupills to haue set vppon the Wolfe who threatned them being their sheepe rather then to haue beaten them themselues for hauing perhaps a little strayed from the rest of the flocke if yet indeede they haue strayed at all Alas it will not be vnfitly done to feare that the same Serm. 157. which the great Chrysologus sayth of St. Paul may also be sayd of many others Per zelum legis legem impugnabat in Deum Dej amore peccabat I pray God of his great goodnesse to defend vs from this great misery for it is one of the most permitious and irremediable michiefes of all others if a man perswading himselfe that he seeketh nothing but God doe yet indeede vnder that beleefe seeke himselfe and suffer himselfe to be transported by some passion for such a one is a kind of incorrigible man and whilst hee thinketh to merit much he looseth all Qui errat quo magis progreditur Sene. eó magis errat profectus ejus defectus est But now since it hath pleased you to tell me that many of our Lords the Prelates of France haue this firme beleefe that Priviledged and Religious men haue as it were conspired against their authority and desire to abase and weaken their power to rayse vp and strengthen their owne Priviledges vpon the diminution and ruyne of Episcopall powers I will not speake to you as to you but I will doe it to you as to them or rather if it please you I will doe it by you to them but yet with so great respect and by way of discourse so full of honour of candour and of truth that God willing no man shall haue just cause of complaint by it And to the end that this good fortune may happen to me and that God may inspire me with his grace I doe in mine owne heart desire your holy and paternall Benediction I demaund not of you for the particular which I haue in hand any grace or fauour nor the sweete effects of your friendship nor any thing indeede but meere justice yea and euen rigour if you will sauing that you being so good can hardly be rigorous to any and that you may make no account of my reasons but according to the true value of them and by the just weight of a minde which is not pre-occupated or possessed by any contrary opinion nor wrapped vp in certaine jealousies and vntrue reports nor inflamed with the false fire of passion which may be ouer-cast with zeale nor yet pricked on by any discontentments but of a minde intirely free from all these things and which weigheth reason by the ballance of the Sanctuary and judgeeth of the whole businesse as in the presence of God and as being to render an account to the Divine Majesty of all his actions for the true way of treating well the affaires of God is to treate them so as belongeth to such affaires and to banish from thence all kinde of humane interest and all that which may sauour any way of earth But now before I will plunge my selfe more deepely into this sea which is tossed by so many windes and into the handling of this truth which is opposed by so many men it commeth into my thought that I must here doe that which was anciently remarked by Tertullian to haue beene done by those Primitiue Christians when they were persecuted much for their enemies caused the God of the Christians to be painted after a very strange and barbarous manner for it was in the figure of a man appareled with a large loose garment full of Majestie vpon the toppe whereof as vpon the shoulders the head of an Asse was put with a booke in his hand The feete which did appeare vnder the fringe of his Robe had vppon them these Wordes which were written in letters of gold Deus Cadeaux Christianorum Ononychites Now vppon this ground the Pagans build strong discourses in prejudice of God and of truth and made the Church so ridiculous and did so disadvantage the faith of Christ that it was not possible to do it more Vidimus in foro sayth Tertullian risimus formam nomen Quod colimus nos Deus vnus est But yet me thinkes saith he it is but reason that it should first bee vnderstood whether indeede we doe adore that fantasticall thing or no and men should first be agreed vpon the matter in fact before they should put their wits into such a full carriere and giue themselues law and liberty to say that which is sayd and indeede all that to which they haue a minde tearing in peeces that white and innocent Robe of Truth It is greatly to be feared least the passion of some particuler men may haue chalked out and framed some very deformed face for the representing of this particular which we haue in hand and for the shewing it forth in ill posture and with an aspect of great disadvantage and setting it also in a false light They say that these Priviledged persons haue a minde to oppresse the authority of our Lords the Prelates that they destroy the Hierarchy of the Church that they invest the authority which was established by the Apostles that they are tyed too close vpon the Pope and of this
life to the glory of God â—nder the authority and by the â—ommandement of so many Popes and holy Prelates even of this Kingdome of France If this I say be to trouble the Hierarchy if this bee a mortall sinne if this be a Schisme wee cannot indeede deny but that by the space of so many Ages the Regulars haue committed these disorders and that so many holy and wise Prelates at whose feete they dyed in labour under them and for them throughout their Dioceses that these great Prelates I say haue committed a very grieuous fault But so also on the other-side if these proceedings doe merit any returne of friendship if any kinde of sweetenesse it seemes that it were more honourable for men to shewe some little good will to them who desirâ— to imploy their liues and their labours under the authority of my Lords the Prelates to liue and dyâ— at their feete for the glory of Godâ— and the good of soules which arâ— very glad to finde themselues assistedâ— and comforted by them and doe accept of the little services which they can doe 16. O how highly do I commendâ— that good and gallant Pastor in Paris who did so holily and so ingeniously say as followeth Let us doe better then the Regulars and let us not busie our selues with crying out Hierarchy Hierarchy for infallibly if wee doe better then they wee shall conserue our Hierarchy and wee shall neede to be in no feare least it diminish or that wee shal bee entred into by a breach or that it shall grow to bee dissipated But till such time as wee see our selues in that condition why shall wee not serue our selues of the holy labours of so many good servants of God who are withall of our owne flesh and bone and of our owne blood and our brethren and who might perhaps haue beene that which wee are and perhaps better then wee But for the loue of God they would not accept it If all the World heere had a heart and a tongue like that of this worthy personage the Gallican Church would be a Heauen upon earth but as soone as men permit the infernall Dragon to whisle there and that he promise certaine divinities and sublime greatnesses a thousand divisions and a thousand sorts of miseries enter in which God of his great goodnesse shall remooue if it pleaseth him as I beseech him with all the powers of my soule to doe As for that which one of the chiefe men of Paris sayd concerning proper interest the offerings the respects the honour the power and such other things as these I wil bee farre from objecting it and so doubtlesse these things would not be good for the Hierarchy and sure there is no such matter amongst them Besides that this is without the compasse of my designe and I haue somewhat else to doe then to touch those strings which sound not well and it would never become me well to doe it since it was so ill taken at the hands of that great person a Doctor of the Genebrard de Hierarchia facultie of Paris an Arch-bishop and a man of so great reputation I had rather make Saint Paul say this word which issued out of an Apostolicall and Seraphicall heart Noli frater cibo tuo perdere eum pro quo Christus mortuus est As if hee would say alas doe not amuse your selues about your owne commodities nor about your owne greatnesse doe not hinder the good â—nd comfort and perhaps the salvaâ—ion of those soules which are bathed â—n the blood of Christ our Lord. Though this should cost you somewhat it will never cost you so much as it cost him who imployed even to the last droppe of his blood upon it If the Regulars doe good to your flocke will you bee offended with them for that if they doe them no good the World indeed is much deceived which beleeues and daily sees the contrary Salus populi suprema lex esto The Law of Lawes is the safety of the people and the assistance of soules and it is evidently seene that both the people and God himselfe haue blessed and as it were canonized a million of innocent actions of good Religious men who haue assisted a World of persons If I durst descend deeply into this matter and shewe you the necessity which the Church conceiues it selfe to haue of this succor so faâ— of would it be from tearing this Hierarchy in peeces that you would evidently see that perhaps it would haue prooved a meere Anarchy aâ— was sayd by a great Arch-bishop of France if the goodnesse of God had not sent this helpe But I will not enter upon this Discourse nor giue any manner of offence to any it sufficeth for me to plead the cause of God and of his servants shewing the innocency of their proceeding and the purity of their intention THE THIRD REASON That Religious and Priviledged men do abase the authority of my Lords the Bishops and become as it were insolent by reason of that power which is imparted to them by their Priviledges THis is the source of all our great and most important difference There is nothing so insupportable as contempt â—specially when it growes upon any â—an from his inferiour contempt â—hether it be truely offered or but â—magined produceth most prejudiâ—iall effects If Regulars haue indeede â—oÌ„mitted this sin it is certainly worthy â—f blame and intolerable but so if it â—e not true without doubt they who â—ould needs suggest this to our Lords â—he Prelates and perswade them to beleeue it hath beene a little in thâ— wrong and to omit the speaking 〈◊〉 any thing which may offend them 〈◊〉 will onely say that their zeale haâ— had a little more of the smoake theâ— of the fire At the worst hand theâ— is no mischiefe without a remedyâ— and when the objection were truâ— men should rather apply a plaistâ— with some lenity then teare off thâ— arme which hath some little hurt 〈◊〉 it and which afterward might do good seruice being cured and restâ—red to former health 2. But I maintaine that this is 〈◊〉 meere and most ougly slander anâ— I hope that by the helpe of God I shall make the matter so cleare thâ— no man of a good minde wil bee â—ble to refuse me his beleefe nor euâ— contradict me with reason There hath not beene any timâ— when the Diuell hath not endeauorâ— to put jealousie into the mindes 〈◊〉 the greatest and to make Religious â—en who are his capitall and irreâ—onciliable enemies to be suspected Who would euer haue beleeved that â—n France there could haue bin found â—ny Prelate whom Saint Bernard â—ight put into jealousie and paine And yet the while Iosilinus the Biâ—hop of Soissons wrote backe to him Ep. 213. 〈◊〉 terrible letter whereof the title â—was this Bernardo Abbati salutem â—n Domino non spiritum blaspheâ—iae The poore Abbot being stroâ—en with this word as if it had beene 〈◊〉 pointed stone or