(m) Sess 11. which determins it necessary to Salvation for every human Creature to be subject to the Bishop of Rome and the Pope's Supremacy set so high that none might say unto him what dost thou It is true this Council was summon'd by Julius II upon pretence of reforming the Church but that which he really intended was to defeat the Reformation decreed by the Council of Pisa as Du Ranchin tells us (n) Review of the Council of Trent l. 4. c. 7. And that this was no uncharitable Surmise is sufficiently evident by the Event For what one Act can be mentioned of Julius during those five Sessions he lived that so much as look'd toward a Reformation And when after some Years Travel by the Midwifery of Pope Leo X something called a Reformation was brought forth what was it else but a Reformation from better to worse For as it takes no notice of any Corruption in Faith or Worship but supposes them entirely sound So 1. Not one in ten of those Abuses in other matters which were most complained of are so much as mentioned as will appear to any Man who will be at the pains to compare it with the Grievances which not long after were presented by the Princes of Germany to Pope Adrian VI (o) Fascit rerum expetiend ac fugierd fol. 177 178. and with the Articles of Reformation presented by the select Council to Paul III. (p) Richer l. 4. p. 136. and with other Catalogues of Abuses concerning Ecclesiastical Persons and Things published long before by Petrus de Alliaco Gerson and other Members of their own Church As for those Abuses which it meddles with what are they for the greater part but such as were in matters of small moment How triflng is all the Reformation that concern'd the Cardinals who above all others his Holiness only excepted stood in need of being reformed 2. Several of those Abuses it would seem to abolish it does it with such Reserves and Exceptions as do in truth give Protection to them For instance In the first Decree which is usher'd in with such a solemn Preface that if a Man read no further he will conclude that certainly some great Matter follows and so indeed it is as to the matter of the Decree but then an Exception is added which renders it utterly insignificant For the Decree is That Patriarchal Metropolitical and Cathedral-Churches and Monasteries shall be disposed not at the instance of any Person by way of Commendam but shall be provided with such Bishops and Abbots as are of suitable Age Learning and Gravity of Manners Hitherto well but see now the Exception Vnless it shall be thought good that with respect to the profit of the Churches they be conferred upon Men otherwise qualified upon the account of their Prudence Nobility Probity Experience or for that they have been Ancient Courtiers and deserved well of the Apostolick See (q) Nisi ratione utilitatis Ecclesiarum Prudentiae Nobilitatis Probitatis Experientiae atque curalitatis antiqae cum competenti literatura in sede Apostolica veritorum aliter visum fuerit faciendum Sess 9. in Decret Reformat Is not the Mockery now manifest Does not the Exception pull down as much as the Decree sets up Was not the Church notwithstanding this solemn Decree like to be provided with excellent Bishops Metropolitans and Patriarchs when it was sufficient qualification that they were Noblemen ancient Courtiers with a competency of Learning or such as had done the Pope good Service To as good purpose was it decreed That no Man should be dispensed with to hold more than two incompatible Benefices without a great and urgent Cause (r) Bulla Reformat Sess 9. For when the Pope has a mind to gratifie a Favourite will he not easily find such a Cause Beside That a manifest Abuse is hereby establish'd viz. Dispensations without any urgent Cause to as many as the Pope pleases to hold two such Benefices as are incompatible 3. Instead of the Removal some very pernicious Corruptions and Abuses were by express Law established I shall instance in one viz. The Exemption of Church-men both as to their Persons and Purses from the Jurisdiction of all Secular Powers (s) Reformat Curiae alior which is utterly inconsistent with Civil Government and hath been one main Cause of those numberless Treasons Seditions and Rebellions in which that Church hath the preeminence of others 4. As for some other Decrees which respect Manners and Discipline namely That Clergymen especially should live chastly and that they who live otherwise should be severely punished according to the Canons That the Constitutions of former Popes against Simonists should be renewed (t) Ibid. Could they be otherwise than insignificant as long as the causes of these Corruptions were still maintained and no provision made for putting the Canons in execution For the Pope to talk of reviving the ancient Canons without first reforming his own Court from whence the neglect and contempt of these Canons mainly proceeded was as absurd as to go about to cleanse the Stream while the Fountain remains polluted And that de facto the Censures decreed by this Council were for the most part never executed is confess'd even by the Bigot Carranza (u) Summa Concilior p. 897. I need say no more Nor was it indeed needful to say so much since I might have spared the pains of proving that which was so notorious by the event I appeal to the Romanists themselves whether Corruptions and Abuses did not more abound and whether Complaints against them were not more loud and clamorous after the celebration of this Council than before A worthy Reformation so palpable was the Cheat that divers of their own Church speak of it with Indignation and Abhorrency This says the Doctor frequently quoted is that excellent Reformation so earnestly desired by all Christian Nations for 200 years or to speak more truly this is the Cover and Daub for the Abuses of the Roman Court (w) Haec illa est eximia tantopere à Christianis Nationibus ducentis abhinc annis exoptatat Reformatio vel ut verius dicamus abusuum Curiae-Romanae incrustatio atque involutio Richer l. 4. p. 26. And speaking again of this Council he represents it as that which might make any Man despair of ever seeing a good Reformation For since says he Diseases Injuries and Corruptions flow thence from whence Medicine and wholsom Laws ought to proceed who would not abandon all hope of the publick Safety and of the Restauration of the Church to a better state (x) Cum igitur morbi injuriae atque corruptelae illinc unde medicina juraque salutaria debebant promonare scaturiunt quotusquisque de Ecclesiae in melius instauratione de publica salute spem omnem non merito abjiciat l. 4. p. 117 118. What those Diseases Injuries and Corruptions were which flowed from this Council and
(w) à nemine judicandus nisi deprehendatur à fide devius Distinct 40. c. 6. so Cardinal Bellarmine himself affirms That a Pope who is a manifest Heretick ceases to be Pope and Head of the Church as he ceases to be a Christian and a Member of the Body the Church (x) Est ergo quinta opinio vera Papam Hereticum manifestum per se definere esse Papam Caput sicut per se desinit esse Christianus membrum Corporis Ecclesiae Bell. de Rom. Pontif. l. 2. c. 30. And this he says is the judgment of all the Ancient Fathers and of the most learned Modern Writers II. As to the Council of Constance let these things be considered 1. That tho the Pisan Council had deposed Greg. XII and Benet XIII and put Alex. V into the Chair yet neither of the deposed Popes could be brought to submit to the Sentence of the Council When therefore the Council of Constance assembled so far was the Schism from being lessen'd that it was indeed increas'd into one branch more than it had before For whereas before two only laid claim to the Papacy there were now three y Revixit continuo Schisma quod extinctum putabatur imo vero non revixit neque enim erat extinctum sed cum in occulto flamma lateret repente majori impetu erupit majusque incendium excitavit Cum enim Gregorius Benedictus Synodo parere seque Pontificatu abdicare nollent statim illud in Controversiam venit num Synodus Pisana in illos animadvertere potuerit praesertim cum eorum alteruter verus esset Pontifex tametsi uter is esset non plane constaret Itaque cum hoc Schisma duo tantum capita haberet initio Synodusque utrumque abscindere vellet tria simul eodem tempore extitere c. Hist Concil Constantiens apud Bin. each of which had fair Arguments on his side and it was very difficult if not impossible for the Council to determine whose Right it was z Inchoato deinde Concilio tametsi eam ob causam potissimum erat coactum ut Schisma extingueretut nunquam tamen in eo elaborarunt Patres ut singulorum Pontificum jus perpenderent aut quis reliquis praeferendus esset rationibus argumentis exquirerent erat enim id difficillimum vixque unquam ad exitum fuisset causa perducta ibid. And therefore in this Case the Ties before-mentioned must be also loos'd Besides that the Roman Courtiers themselves grant as Richerius tells us that in case of Schism the Pope loses his Soveraignty and becomes subject to a Council a Hist Concil General l. 2. c. 3. §. 25. But 2. Let it be granted That John XXIII who succeeded Alex. V. was own'd by the Council for the true and lawful Pope as indeed he was by the major part yet he had forfeited his Title to the Papacy these two ways especially 1. By Heresy 'T is true that Heresy is not mention'd in the Sentence pass'd against him as that for which he was condemned yet 't is also true That as he was accused of Heresie so it was believed that he was guilty b Concil Const Sess 11. in Concilior Collect. Regia Gers Viag Reg. Rom. prima direct salut in via verit 2. By the most notorious enormous and incorrigible Scandal of which he was convicted in more than forty Articles prov'd against him c Concil Const Sess 11. Plat. in ejus vita Now the Gloss upon their Canon Law tells us That if the Pope's Crime be notorious and the Church be scandalized thereby and he incorrigible he may be accused and gives this Reason for it Because Contumacy is called Heresy d Certe credo quod si notorium est crimen ejus quandocunque inde scandalizatur Ecclesia incoâ—â—igibilis sit c. Gloss in Can. si Papa distinct 40. Vide Consil Decii apud Richer l. 4. part 1. p. 241 242 243. Yea that in this case he may be legally deposed the Romanists must grant if they consider That for this very cause John XII was deposed by a Council e Luit prand de rebus Imperat. Reg. l. 6. c. 7 8 9 10. the Legality of which hath been own'd and its Acts approved by the constant Tradition of the Roman Church and among others by three Cardinals who were vehement Assertors of the Popes Prerogatives as Launoy hath proved at large against Baronius and Binius f Launoii Epist parte quarta ad Lud. Maraesium The same is also confirmed by the concurrent Judgment of learned Divines of the Romish Church of which you may find a great number in the Epistle now quoted 3. Before the Council proceeded to accuse and condemn him the ancient Doctrine was establish'd as an Article of Faith namely That a General Council is above the Pope g Sess 4. I know Platina tells us That they first depos'd him and pass'd this Decree afterward in their own defence h Plat. in vita Johan But he that will take the pains to read the History of the Council will plainly see that Platina was mistaken For this Decree was made in the fourth Session whereas he was not depos'd before the twelfth it being then a point of Faith in this Council That the Bishops who in their single capacities are the Pope's Subjects when met in Council are raised to a Soveraignty over him that Oath which they had severally taken as his Subjects they concluded did now cease to oblige them when become his Soveraign As the Oath of Obedience which a Priest takes to his Bishop binds him as long as he remains a bare Priest but if he be once advanced to be the Bishop's Metropolitan is of no force 3. As to the Council of Basil omitting many others I shall propose these two things First That this Council depended on the Council of Constance as a River on its Fountain it being the Execution of the Decrees of the iv v xxxix xl xliv Sessions of that Council i Richer l. 3. c. 1. 2. In the Council of Basil the Bishops were set free from their Oaths of Subjection to the Pope by the Pope himself first by Martin V who had confirm'd those Decrees of the Council of Constance which made the Pope subject to a Gen. Council k Concil Const Sess 45. Rich. l. 2. c. 3. §. 23. Maimb Prerog of the Church of Rome c. 21. Secondly by Eugenius IV who ratified the same Decrees of the Council of Basil †Plat. in vit Eugenii and that before the Council had proceeded to any judicial Act against him ‖ Richer l. 3. c. 3. §. 1. Maimb Prerog of the Church of Rome c. 21. So that now the Bishops when met in a General Council representing the whole Church by the Pope's own Act were made his Superiours and therefore the Oath they had before taken of Subjection to him as single
which yet will not pass for much among many Men of his own Church But suppose they are is it a thing granted that all is true that is in the Vatican Manuscripts He frequently quotes the Acts of the Council the Vatican it seems is furnished with plenty of them the Acts of Paleottus of Mensottus of the Bishop of Salamanca c. O how thankful would many Men be to his Holiness would he bless the World with the sight of these Yea what would they not willingly give to purchase them If then they are such as will abide the Test why are they still kept under Lock and Key Is it not to be suspected that the Wares are adulterate when the Merchant will not be persuaded to bring them into the Light Is the Court of Rome so self-denying as not to publish those things which make for their advantage May we not then conclude That either they are such as will not endure the Trial or in case they will that besides what makes for them they contain those matters also which make more against them Besides It is a thing known to the World that the Legats in the Council had two sorts of Instructions one Letter was to be shew'd to give satisfaction to the Bishops and Ambassadors another ran counter to it and was to be concealed And may we not suppose that those Letters which the Cardinal so frequently cites were of that sort only which were to be communicated which were direct contrary to those that were concealed What credit then is to be given to his Proofs For these and many other Reasons which to avoid tediousness I omit the Cardinals Counter-History hath not met with that esteem among learned Men of the Church of Rome as was expected and instead of blasting the Reputation of Father Paul's History hath made it to be more highly valu'd by many Men than it was before CHAP. III. The Vanity of the pretended Reformation of the Council of TRENT HAving given Father Paul his due I shall now proceed to treat of the Reformation made by the Council I might premise several general Considerations by which all impartial Persons will be abundantly satisfied that no Reformation to purpose could be made by it viz. such as these 1. The Pope and his Court were very averse from such a Reformation 2. The Pope by his Legats presided in the Council 3. The proposal of all matters to be treated of was reserved to the Legats 4. The Legats in doubtful matters confulted the Pope before they proposed them to be discuss'd 5. After matters had been discuss'd in the Congregations before they were proposed in the Session the Legats sent to Rome to know the Pope's Pleasure 6. The Bishops of the Council were generally such as were addicted to the Pope either as they were Italians or as they were his Pensioners or both And therefore such as would not contradict him except in such rare Cases in which the Pope's Interest and their own could not be reconciled such as the Exemption of Regulars and the Divine Right of Episcopacy 7. When any considerable opposition was like to be made all Arts were used the most disingenuous not excepted to bring over the Dissenters to the Pope's Party 8. Nothing was proposed in the later Sessions to be defined till they were before secure of a Party to carry it that way which the Pope desired He that considers these things cannot expect any good from this Council But passing over all these I shall at present consider matter of Fact only what was done and what was not done by the Council which shall be reduc'd to these three general Heads 1. That in those matters in which a Reformation was most necessary not the least Reformation was made or so much as pretended 2. That in those matters in which a mighty Reformation was pretended little or rather none was really made 3. That instead of Reformation the Council produc'd a greater Deformation what it found bad it left in many respects worse SECT I. In those matters in which a Reformation was most necessary not the least Reformation was made or so much as pretended First That in those matters in which Reformation was most necessary not the least Reformation was made or so much as pretended And these things were of two sorts matters of Doctrine and matters of Worship In which I say Reformation was most necessary because Errors in these are of the most dangerous consequence First That the Romish Errors in Doctrine were numerous and many of them in points of the highest moment I have already shew'd (a) Part. 1. and therefore shall spare the labour of mentioning them here That the Protestants with one Mind and one Mouth demanded a Reformation of these especially as absolutely necessary I need not prove it being a thing notorious to all Men who have read but so much as the Ausburg Confession Yea That many Errors in Doctrine were so gross that those very Romanists who in compliance with their worldly Interest resolv'd not to reform them were not able to shut their Eyes so close as not to discern them we may conclude from that Counsel which the Bishops assembled at Bononia gave to Pope Julius III. for the establishment of the Roman Church viz. The Lutherans receive and confess all the Articles of the Athanasian Nicene and Apostles Creed The same Lutherans refuse to admit any Doctrine except that only which hath the Prophets Christ and his Apostles for its Authors and wish that we would imitate the ancient Churches and not think of receiving any Traditions which it is not more manifest than the Noon-day light were dictated and instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles But we on the contrary following the opinion of your Holiness will have all Traditions Constitutions Rules and Ceremonies which have heretofore either by the Fathers or Councils or even by any private Man with a good Zeal been introduc'd into the Church to be believ'd and accounted necessary to Salvation And particularly as to Tradition we intirely believe and confess as a true Article of Faith That which the Council of Trent hath determin'd in the Decree of the third Session And although we cannot prove this for we plainly confess between our selves that we cannot prove that which we hold and teach concerning Tradition yet we confess it to be true because the Roman Church holds it But that we may confess the Truth which must be kept as a secret in the time of the Apostles and for some Years after the Apostles there was no mention of the Papacy or the Cardinalship much less were there these Doctrines these Laws these Customs no nor the Empire over the Nations that we now obtain But all Ministers of all Churches of the Roman no less than of others did voluntarily obey Kings and Princes and Magistrates b Lutherani Symboli Apostolorum Nicaeni Athanasii Articulos omnes recipiunt c. Consil de
who could not be ignorant of such a Proposal if any such had been I mean the most Learned Men of that Church not those who were suspected to have too much kindness for Hereticks viz. Erasmus Cassander Wicelius c. but the stoutest Champions of the Papacy and those of highest Authority in that Church next to the Pope himself such as Cardinal Cajetan who not long before the Council taught things plainly contrary to divers of the Trent Decrees Or 5. As if the Ignorance of such Point before the Definition of a Council might not be some loss in order to our Salvation Some loss A man then it seems might have been saved who held the contrary yet so as by fire That Sin therefore which was but Venial before the Definition of the Council became Mortal after it Another new Article which the Council forgat to define But if not in this nor that nor t'other sense in what sense at last after all these Limitations and Exceptions are these Points made by the Councils defining them Articles of Faith Why in no sense for they were Articles of Faith before the only difference is that they were then less necessary now more necessary to be believed For by the Councils desining them they are made necessary to be believed in some degree of necessity wherein they were not before u R. H. S. 192. But till it be proved that they were necessary to be believed before by some better Argument than barely saying so we shall hardly be perswaded that they are more necessary to be believed since But how comes it to be more necessary now than formerly to believe these new old Articles By reason of a more evident Proposal of them when the Council whose Judgment we are bound to believe and submit to declares them to be Divine Truths w Ibid. But how come we to be bound to believe and submit to the Judgment of the Council of Trent Was it a Council of the Catholick Church No but of the Roman Church only Does the Church of England owe any Subjection to the Church of Rome No that Church had never any Dominion over her but what was Usurpt Had the Church of England any Representatives in the Council No in the Catalogue of the Bishops one British Bishop is mentioned viz. Tho. Goduclus Bishop of St. Asaph but he had no Commission from this Church Have the Decrees and Canons of the Council been since received by the Church of England No. Will it not then be a hard matter to prove that the Members of this Church are bound to submit to the Judgment of this Council And yet we shall readily submit to it First In case it be once proved which this Author supposes and takes for granted that this Council was Infallible Or 2 ly Supposing it hath err'd which is most notorious That it is our Duty to assent to its Errors as Divine Truths What he says afterward of the obligation that lies upon us from the Definition of the Church x R. H. S. 193. is the same thing repeated because by the Church he means no more than the Roman Church assembled at Trent And therefore the Church of England in not submitting to her is no way defective in her Duty of Obedience because she owes no obedience to her But are not the Points themselves defined such as require our acceptance Because they are such as are some way profitable to our Salvation some way advantageous to Gods Glory some way conducible to Christian Edification to the Peace of the Church c. y Ibid. I wish he had told us what way for it is hard to conceive that it is any way more profitable to our Salvation to believe with the Council of Trent that Concupiscence is not Sin than to believe with St. Paul that it is z Rom. 7. 7. That it is any way more advantageous to Gods Glory to believe with the Council that there is no Divine Precept for the Laity to receive the Eucharist in both Kinds a Sess 21. Cap. 1. than to believe with Pope Gelasius that it is Sacrilege to divide that Mystery b De Consecrat Dist 2. c. 12. That it is any way more conducible to Christian Edification to believe that the Books of Maccabees are Canonical than to believe with Pope Gregory the Great that they are not c Greg. Moral Expos in Job l. 19. c. 17. That it is any way more Subservient to the Peace of the Church to believe that the Church of Rome is the Mother of all Churches than to believe with the second General Council that Jerusalem is d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concil Constantinop ◠Epist Episcop I shall not insist upon the Bull of Pius IV. by which all men are excluded from Salvation who do not assent not only to all matters defined and declared by the Council of Trent but by other General Councils because what I undertook is already so fully proved that it needs no additional Evidence It may suffice to make three brief Remarks upon R. H's Discourse in Vindication of it in his four next Sections 1. In that he says The Clause haec est Fides Catholica extra quam nemo Salvus is a Declaration of the Pope and can have no more Authority than other Papal Decrees e S. 194. Thereby plainly intimating that a Papal Decree is of less Authority than that of a general Council What can be said more absurd when spoken with respect to the Council of Trent Since this Council did not only again and again expresly own the Pope for their Lord (f) Decrevit integrum negotium ad Sanctissimum Dominum nostrum esse referendum Decret Super Pet. Concess Calicis Sess 22. but did also humbly Petition him that he would vouchsafe to confirm their Decrees (g) In Decreto de fine Concilii Qua propter nos Johannes Cardinalis Moronus Ludovicus Cardinalis Simoneta humiliter petimus nomine dicti Concilii Oecumenici Tridentini ut sanctitas vestra dignetur confirmare omnia singula quae tam sub fel. rec Paulo iii. Julio iii. quam sub Sanctitate Vestra in eo decreta definita sunt Confirmat Concilii and many other ways acknowledge his Superiority over them as will afterward more fully appear 2. He says Whatever Profession of Faith is made in the Bull it concerneth not any Person save those who enter into Religious Orders or into some Ecclesiastical Benefice (h) c. 11. §. 194. It concerns not any save them to make this Profession but the Faith professed so far concerns all that if the Pope do not err no Man can be saved without it And one part of this Faith is an assent to all the Definitions of the Trent Council For the words are these All other things likewise do I undoubtedly receive and profess which are deliver'd defin'd and declared by the Sacred Canons and general Councils
Temporal Sword quite out of their Hands and tumble the Triple Crown from their Heads they must then quit claim to their Universal Empire and be content with their ancient Enclosure the Suburbicary Region Their Dispensations and Commutations their Pardons and Indulgences and a thousand Crafts more by which they get their Wealth would then be set at nought In brief they would then be divested of their usurped Power and Greatness and rendred as poor and despised as the Crow in the Fable when strip'd of those fine Feathers he had pluck'd from others And could it be supposed that his Holiness would consent to be so degraded that he would pull down with his own Hands that pompous Fabrick which for a thousand Years he had been raising When Satan casts out Satan we may then expect that the Pope will in good earnest endeavour a Reformation 5. The Reformation was yet more hopeless because the Bishops and the rest of the governing part of the Church-men were several ways engaged to submit themselves to and follow the Pope's Conduct So that supposing they had any good wishes for a Reformation themselves yet both their Tongues and their Hands were so tied up that they might neither speak nor act for the promoting of it without leave first obtained from his Holiness There was a two-fold Bond besides other which shall be afterward mentioned by which they were more especially enslav'd to the Pope's Pleasure the one of an Oath the other of Interest (l) Considerations touching the true way of suppressing Popery c. p. 138 139. 1. Every Popish Bishop at his Consecration had taken an Oath from that time forward to be faithful to St. Peter and to the Holy Roman Church and his Lord the Pope and his Successors canonically entring to help them to defend and to keep the Papacy and the Rules of the Fathers c. which Oath may be seen more at large in the Decretals (m) Decretal l. 2. Tit. 24. c. 4. And tho one would think this Oath were enough yet as if it had left them too much at liberty several Additions have been since made to it by which the Pope hath bound them more closely to their good Behaviour which render Reformation now more desperate The Rules of the Holy Fathers are changed into the Royalties of St. Peter (n) Regalia Sancti Petri. They Swear to be Obedient as well as Faithful (o) Fidelis obediens cro Dom. N. Papae c. not only to endeavour to preserve and defend the Rights Honours Privileges and Authorities of the Pope but to encrease and advance them (p) Jura Honores Privilegia Authoritatem Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Domini nostri Papae Successorum conservare defendere augere promovere curabo yea to the utmost of their Power to cause the Pope's Commands to be observ'd by others as well as to observe them themselves (q) Mandata Apostolica totis viribus observabo faciam ab aliis observari Pontifical Rom. de Consecrat Elect. in Episcop together with many other things not contained in the Oath of Greg. VII And is not this a strong tie to all those who make Conscience of an Oath that is to all those who say not in their Heart there is no God And 2. For those whose Consciences are so debauch'd that they despise an Oath the Pope hath them so much the more secured by their worldly Interest For what will not such Men do for Riches and Honours and from whom can they hope for these so soon as from his Holiness The Cardinals are all Creatures purely of his own making and no Man can be a Bishop or an Abbot but if he be not made he must at least be allow'd and confirm'd by him All the best Preferments do some way or other depend upon his Pleasure and whom should he rather promote to them than those who approve themselves his most obedient Servants This is the only Argument that prevails with many to be fast Friends to the Papacy It is Richerius his Note upon Cusan's Revolt from the Council of Basil and going over to the Pope's side By this saith he we know that many who defended the Truth while they were poor desert the same in hope of Dignities and a richer Fortune and especially moved with ambition of the Cardinal Purple (r) Ex quo datur cognosci permultos qui veritatem in statu paupertatis defenderunt eandem spe dignitatum atque pinguioris fortunae praesertim desiderio purpurae Cardinalitiae deseruisse l. 3. p. 479. And therefore John Major spake to the purpose when he said It ought not to seem strange to any Man that more teach that the Pope is above a Council than that a Council is above the Pope because the Pope gives Dignities and Ecclesiastical Benefices but a Council gives none Obj. It will perhaps be said That these Reasons can be of no force because they are contradicted by Experience For it is sufficiently known that in the Councils of Pisa Constance and Basil many of the Prelats ran Counter too and openly opposed the Pope Ans To which it is easily answered That this was an extraordinary Case such as considering all Circumstances never happened before or since and it is likely will never happen again as will soon appear by a short reflection upon each of these Councils I. As to the first Pisan Council as 't is usually reckoned let these things be considered 1. That the Pope's Title was then disputed For that Council was summoned by the Cardinals on purpose to extinguish the Schism that had been long before rais'd and was then continued by the two Anti-Popes Greg. XII and Benet XIII (t) Bin. Praefat. ad Concil Constant Richer Hist Concil General l. 2. c. 2. Nor was the Council able to determine which of the two was the rightful Pope Tho therefore the Bishops had sworn Obedience to the Pope yet in that case their Oath did not oblige them to obey one rather than the other that is to obey either of them And as they were loosed from the Bond of Conscience so neither could the Temptation from Interest then take place For as there was in effect no Pope since it could not be known who he was so it was uncertain who would in the end obtain the Popedom whether either of those who thought it his due or some other Person who did not yet pretend a Title to it And so indeed it happened for those who laid claim to it were by the Council both rejected and another chosen to whose lot the disposal of those Preferments fell which the Pope's Parasites gape after 2. The two Anti-Popes besides other enormous Crimes were both convicted of notorious Heresy (u) Sess 9 10 11 15. And therefore in case they had been duly elected had lost their Right to the Papacy For as their Canon Law expresly teaches that an Heretical Pope may be judged
stabiliend Rom. Eccles Vergerii Tom. 1. p. 95 96. And a little after he proceeds thus Certainly we scarce retain in our Churches so much as a shadow of the Doctrine and Discipline which flourish'd in the times of the Apostles but have brought in another quite different from it c Certe vix umbram quandam retinemus in nostris Ecclesiis ejus doctrinae disciplinae quae Apostolorum temporibus floruerunt prorsus aliam accersivimus p. 97. And in the conclusion they give the Pope this Counsel as the most weighty of all That he labour with all his might that as little as possible of the Gospel especially in the vulgar Tongue may be read in the Cities that are under his Dominion that that very little which is wont to be read in the Mass may be sufficient and that no mortal Man may be permitted to read more of it For as long say they as Men were contented with that little your affairs succeeded according to your wish which began to decline to the contrary as soon as Men took upon them to read more In brief this is the Book which hath raised the Tempests and Storms with which we are toss'd And the truth is if any Man shall diligently consider that Book and shall take a view of those things which are done in our Churches he will see that there is a vast disagreement between them and that our Doctrine is not only altogether different from that but which is more is often contrary to it d Denique quod inter omnia consilia quae nos dare hoc tempore Beatitudini tuae possumus omnium gravissimum ad extremum reservavimus oculi hic aperiendi sunt omnibus nervis adnitendum erit ut quam minimum Evangelii poterit praesertim lingua vulgari in iis legatur civitatibus quae sub tua ditione ac potestate sunt sufficiatque tantillum illud quod in Missi legi solet c. p. 102. 1. This was the Confession of Popish Bishops but made in the Pope's Ear and afterward divulged to the World by a great Bishop of that Church who a little before was so zealous an Advocate for the Romish Faith and so much the Popes Favorite that he made choice of him before all others for his Legate to reduce the Hereticks in Germany Forty years before this the Cardinals and Bishops in the Council of Pisa not only confess'd their Errors in Doctrine but decreed a Reformation in Faith as well as in Manners e Sess 3. Richer Hist Concil general l. 4. parte 1. p. 430. For though as I said before that Decree was made by them to serve a Design yet the serving of that Design was a plain Demonstration that such a Reformation was judged needful by many of the Roman Church Add to these the Emperor the King of France and the Duke of Bavaria who demanded such a Reformation from the Trent-Council as was in many points plainly repugnant to the received Doctrines of the Roman Church f Natalis Comes l. 14. Hist sui temp Soave l. 6. p. 513. p. 527. l. 7. 652. And was any thing done by the Council in compliance with these Confessions and Demands No not one of their Doctrines was so much as reflected upon much less condemn'd Yea so far was the Council from making any alteration in Doctrine that the Emperour with all his Authority could not obtain leave for the Protestants so much as to propose their Doctrine g Soave l. 4. p. 359. 360. Vergerii Secret Pontif. Actio 1. And to make all sure against any such kind of Reformation the Pope provided that his most learned Prelats might not come acquainted with any other Doctrine than what their Mother the Church had taught them For he prohibited not only the Bishops but the Cardinals too to look into the Books of the Lutherans h Verger secret Pontif. Act. 3. p. 77 78 82 83. And were not they think you likely to be equal Judges who were to condemn those Doctrines which they were not permitted to examine But 't is needless to shew that no Reformation was made in Doctrine since R. H. confesses That the Tridentine Fathers were unanimous in condemning the Protestant Tenets i Considerat on the Counc of Trent s 150. And that the Pope had no need of the Italian Bishops to that purpose because the whole Council did concurr in condemning them k S. 167. Nor did the Fathers so much as pretend to any such Reformation the very notion of Reformation being by them limited to so narrow a compass as not to reach it Nor could they extend it further without quitting their claim to Infallibility Secondly Nor was any the least Reformation made in matters of Divine Worship No not so much as in the Language in which it was celebrated though earnestly desired by the Emperor the King of France the King of Poland the Duke of Bavaria c. But notwithstanding the importunity of these great Catholick Princes back'd with the most persuasive Arguments in plain contradiction to Scripture and to the Practice of the ancient Church in defiance to Reason and the common sense of Mankind the Church-service was still continued in a Language not understood by those that heard it No nor many times by those that read it and an Anathema denounc'd against those who shall dare to say that Mass ought to be celebrated in the vulgar Tongue l Concil Trident. Sess 22. Can. 9. And could it be expected that they should reform any Abuse in the Object or matter of their Worship who would not remove that which defeats its very end and makes it instead of a reasonble a brutish Service especially considering that it might as one would think have been done without the least detriment to any of their worldly Interests I know that R. H. in his Catalogue of those Grievances which he says the Council took into consideration and rectified what they judg'd amiss so far as that iron Age would permit m Considerat on the Counc of Trent c. 12. s 209. mentions the withholding of the Cup as if this had been one of the Grievances rectified That the Council took this into Consideration is granted but 't is certain they did not rectifie it and therefore it seems judged nothing amiss in it for had they done so the obstinacy of the Age could not have hindred them from rectifying it for that Iron Age how stubborn soever in other matters as to this piece of Reformation was so flexible that excepting the Spaniards it generally inclined to it And yet after all the consideration the Council had about it they at length determined not to determine it but to refer it intirely to the Popes Judgment n Hoc decreto Sancta Synodus refert ad Pontificem Max. sententiam judicium integrum illorum duorum Articulorum quos antea propositos nondum discusscrat nimirum an Consuetudo Catholicae
Warfare should be no longer those carnal ones by which for many Ages he has been a Man of Blood and Slaughter but that he should be forc'd to live for the future a little more becoming the Vicar of the Prince of Peace Who could have imagin'd but that he had been forbidden under forfeiture of his Tripple Crown to share the Church Revenues between his Byblows and his Donnaes And to transfer the Government of the Universal Church from himself to a young Gallant call'd Cardinal Padrone And who would not have expected That some care should have been taken to remove those gross Superstitions and Abuses which they themselves acknowledged were too frequently practiced in the Worship of Images And to prevent those shameless Cheats that were put upon silly People by Counterfeit Reliques And that if not for Conscience yet for shame at least the Penitentiary Tax should have been utterly abolished and the yearly Kine turn'd out of their fat Pastures That mercenary Whores might no longer brave it in Palaces and mounted upon their Mules be attended at Noon-day by Nobles and Clergymen thorow the Streets of Rome An Abomination for which the Select Council of Paul III. could find no parallel in any other City of the World (k) In hac etiam urbe Meretrices ut Matronae incedunt per Urbem seu Mula vehuntur quas affectantur de media die nobiles Familiares Cardinalium Clericique Nulla in Urbe Videmus hanâ— Corruptionem praeterquam in hac omnium exemplari habitant etiam insignes aedes Concil delect Card. alior Praelat de emendanda Eccles An. 1538. These things are no more than what every sober Romanist would have expected should have been done and yet not only these but many more of great Importance were not so much as touch'd If then we suppose the best that can be viz. That the Council effectually provided for the Correction of those Abuses it thought good to Reflect upon yet since those which were much more mischeivous were wholly neglected must it not needs be a goodly Reformation That Physitian is likely to make an excellent Cure who in an Hectical Body applies himself only to the Killing of the Itch. Which was the Censure generally pass'd upon the great Reformation made in the 21. Session (l) Soav l. 6. p. 539. And yet 3. If we consider those Corruptions and Abuses the Council took notice of it will appear they were not in good earnest in that slight Reformation they would seem to make and that upon this twofold account 1. Because many of them it pass'd no Decrees to reform them but referr'd them to the Pope 2. For others concerning which it pass'd Decrees of Reformation many of the Decrees are meer Shams and Illusions First Several of those Abuses it took notice of it referr'd the Reformation of them to the Pope We have before heard that the Reformation of the Pope himself was left to himself and by consequence those Abuses which were the Source of all others We have likewise seen that the withholding of the Cup was remitted entirely to his Judgment To which I add the abuses of Indulgences which had given infinite Scandal and were a chief motive to the Reformation The Synod desiring that these might be corrected ordains in the general That all wicked gains for the obtaining of them be utterly abolishd But for other Abuses which proceed from Superstition Ignorance Irreverence or other occasions whatsoever seeing by reason of the manifold Corruptions of Places and Provinces in which they are committed they cannot be prohibited in particular It commands all Bishops that every one of them diligently collect the Abuses of his own Church and propose them in the first Provincial Synod to the end that being known by the other Bishops also they may forthwith be presented to the Pope by whose Authority and Prudence that may be determin'd which is expedient for the Vniversal Church (m) Abusus vero qui in his irrepserunt quorum occasione insigne hoc Indulgentiarum nomen ab Haereticis blasphematur emendatos correctos cupiens praesenti decreto generaliter statuit pravos quaestus omnes pro his consequendis unde plurima in Christiano populo abusuum causa fluxit omnino abolendos esse Caeteros vero qui ex superstitione ignorantia irreverentia aut aliunde quomodocunque provenerunt cum ob multiplices locorum provinciarum apud quas hi committuntur corruptelas commode nequeant specialiter prohiberi mandat omnibus Episcopis ut diligenter quisque hujusmodi abusus Ecclesiae suae colligat eosque in prima Synodo provinciali referat ut aliorum quoque Episcoporum sententia cogniti statim ad Summum Romanum Pontificem deferantur cujus auctoritate prudentia quod universali Ecclesiae expedit statuatur What a heap of Abuses is here at once remitted to his Holiness for indeed the whole matter of Indulgences as it is usually taught and practised in the Church of Rome is nothing else but Abuse 2. For other Abuses the Reformation of which the Synod took to themselves many of the Decrees by reason of some defect or excess for want of something that should make them effectual or by the addition of those Salvo's Exceptions and Limitations which defeat their force are but meer Shams and Illusions This is manifest in one Decree or other of almost every Session in which any thing is decreed concerning Reformation But it may suffice to give a few instances Sess 6. c. 1. The Synod ordains That if the Governor of a Patriarchal Metropolitic or Cathedral Church shall be absent six months together from his Diocess without a lawful impediment and just and reasonable causes he shall lose the fourth part of the revenue of one Year and if he continue absent six months more he shall lose another fourth part and the Contumacy encreasing he shall if a Suffragan Bishop by his Metropolitan if a Metropolitan by the Senior Suffragan within three months be delated to the Pope who by his supreme Authority may punish him and provide the Church of a more profitable Pastor (n) Si quis a Patriarchall Primatiali Metropolitana seu Cathedrali Ecclesia sibi quecunq titulo causa nomine seu jure commissa quacunque ille dignitate gradu praeeminentia praefulgeat legitimo impedimento seu justis rationabilibus causis cessantibus sex mensibus continuis extra suam Diocesin morando abfuerit c. Now who that hath but half an eye doth not see that this Decree is evacuated these three ways First by the exception of just and reasonable Causes For these will never be wanting when those are Judges whose Interest it is not to have Residence practiced (o) Soav p. 2â—9 Unless the Council had determin'd in particular what those just and reasonable causes were 2. In that wirhout any cause and without any forfeiture too he may be absent six months together saving a few days yea
eleven Months if two or three days of Residence be interposed in the right place viz. about the middle of the sixth Month for he loses nothing unless he be absent six Months together And 3. In case he continue contumacious what is to be done He is at last to be referr'd to the Pope And it might be presumed that his Holiness would be so kind as to grant a Dispensation upon reasonable terms for no Decree had yet pass'd for granting one gratis It will perhaps be said That what was wanting in this Decree was supply'd afterward Sess 23. c. 1. Where the Synod to prevent misinterpretation as if by Virtue of this Decree a Person might lawfully absent himself Five Months together Ordains That all that have Bishopricks Cardinals not excepted are oblig'd to Personal Residence nor may they be absent from their Churches except for causes there mention'd which are to be approved by the Pope or the Metropolitan And what are those Causes Not only Christian Charity urgent necessity and the evident profit of the Church or Commonwealth but due Obedience also (q) Nam cum Christiana Caritas urgens necessitas debita obidentia ac evidenâ— Ecclesiae vel Reipublicae utilitas aliquos nonnunquam abesse postulent exigant decernit eadem sacrosancta Synodus has legitimae absentiae causas a beatissimo Romano Pontificae aut a Metropolitano in Scriptis esse approbandaâ— So that when the Pope requires it Bishops not only may but are bound to be absent from their Churches by Virtue of that Obedience they owe to him And this is no more than what the Pope often requires of bare Bishops but of Cardinals usually by Virtue of their Office which is to be personally assistant to him So that a Cardinal who holds Five or Six Bishopricks may by Virtue of this Decree be oblig'd never to see one of them as long as he lives Sess 7. c. 6. The Decree to prevent and annul abusive Unions of Benefices is illusory For first it confirms all those Unions right or wrong that could plead Prescription but of Forty years yea but of Twenty eight For as the Congregation of Cardinals interpret that Decree the Forty years were to be reckon'd from the confirmation of the Decrees of the Council (r) Non datur potestas per Concilium Tridentinum examinandi revidendi Uniones quae per 40 annos ante Confirmationem Decretorum ejusdem Concilii factae fuerunt Uniones perpetuae a 40 annis a publicatione Concilii Tridentini computandae which was not till Twelve years after that Decree was made 2. As for other Unions which had been made within that time those which were obtain'd by false Information shall be declared Void those which have not taken effect and which shall hereafter be made if not made for reasonable Causes and with Citation of all that were interess'd before the Ordinary they shall be presumed to be surreptitiously obtain'd and therefore shall be of no force unless it shall be otherwise declared by the Apostolical See (s) Uniones perpetuae a quadraginta annis citra factae examinari ab Ordinariis tanquam a sede Apostolica legatis possint nisi aliter a sede Apostolica declaratum fuerit viribus omnino careant So that all Unions which had not yet taken effect and which should afterward be made without reasonable Causes or without Citation of those which were concern'd shall be Valid if it seem good to the Apostolick See to declare them so An excellent Piece of Reformation But to conceal the Knavery R. H. thought it adviseable not to make mention of the latter Exception (t) Considerat c. Cap. 12. S. 220. Sess 14. The Decrees Ch. 1 2 3. are all ineffective for want of express mentioning the Pope by whom the Licenses Priviledges and Faculties were granted the exercise of which is by those Decrees prohibited (u) Soav l. 4. p. 352. And Ch. 5. the exception in the conclusion is of larger extent than all the Remainder (w) p. 353. But because R. H. recommends to our consideration above all the rest the Decrees of the Twenty fourth Session (x) Considerat c. Cap. 12. S. 206. I shall proceed to them and for brevities sake passing over those which concern Matrimony shall in a word reflect upon some of the rest Chap. 8. To those which Sin publickly publick Penance is decreed But the Decree is void by what follows viz. Yet the Bishop may change this publick Penance into another secret when he shall judge it more expedient (y) Episcopus tamen publicae hoc poenitentiae genus in aliud secretum poterit commutare quando ita magis judicaverit expedire Chap. 17. Plurality of Benefices is straitly forbidden but the foregoing Decree Sess 7. Chap. 5. is not rescinded which renews the Constitution of Greg. X by which this Abuse is established (z) Decretal L. 6. Cap. 1. Tit. 16. Cap. Ordinarii The Decree of Cognition of Causes in the first instance Chap. 20. was quite destroy'd says Soave by the exception added i. e. Except those which the Pope will commit and reserve to himself For Causes were never taken from the lawful Tribunals but by Commission and Advocation of Popes and now the cause of the Disease was preserv'd and the Symptom only cured And however the adjunct for urgent and reasonable Causes did seem to moderate the matter well yet Men of Vnderstanding knew that it was as much as to say for any Arbitrary Cause (a) Soav l. 8. p. 792. And R. H. himself grants almost as much as this amounts to For in that he says A Rescript after the matter is particularly made known to the Pope and upon this his Hand and Seal obtain'd cannot be a thing so ordinarily happening as to overthrow the whole benefit of the Decree (b) Considerat c. Cap. 12. S. 212. He plainly intimates that it may so often happen as to overthrow the Benefit in a great measure But what a ridiculous Piece of Mockery was the Explication of the Clause proponentibus Legatis Chap. 21. The Emperor's and the Kings of Spain's Ambassadours had often declar'd against it as that which destroy'd the Liberty of the Council and earnestly demanded that it might be revoked but could by no means obtain it at length when they were now putting an end to the Council they declare That the meaning of the Synod was not to change in any part the usual manner of handling Matters in general Councils As if a Physician who could not be prevailed with to do any thing for his Patient while there was hope of Life should set himself to apply his Medicines just when his Patient was dying By what hath been said it is sufficiently manifest That many of the Decrees concerning matters to be reform'd were so framed as to defeat themselves 4. But let us now suppose That there had been no fraud in the
are made void (z) Rycaut in his Life And this no question was worthily executed by the same Innocent X. when a rate was set upon all Benefices great and small and they were sold as in a common Market by the Lady Olympia when Simony was become so common that for this cause People began to abhor Church-Men and to hate their Ministry (a) Id. And as tender was Clement X. of dispensing with it when the Cardinal Nephew would not suffer the Seals to pass for any Benefices without money paid in consideration thereof to himself tho it was a Living of but 10 Crowns a year when for better management of this Simoniacal Trade he appointed Brokers in the Palace to set up an Office and there publickly and without shame to bargain and contract for Offices and Benefices (b) Longe Major sane atque vigentior ratio postulare videtur ut ipse Romanus Pontifex quem tanquam lucernam ardentem super candelabrum in domo sua posuit Altissimus tam salubria Patrum Constituta retineat ut caeteris Antistibus ad illa Servanda exemplo praeluceat I shall mention one Decree more viz. That which prohibts all Bishops to enrich their kindred with the Goods of the Church because in the judgment of the present Pope the Pope himself is above all others bound to observe it For says he there is a much greater and stronger reason why the Roman high Priest himself should observe such wholesome Constitutions of the Fathers to the end that he may give an Example to other Prelates to observe them c But I appeal to all those who have made any enquiry into their Lives and Actions whether Greg. XIII Sixtus V. Paul V. Greg. XV. Vrban VIII Innocent X. Alexander VII and Clement X. did so observe this Decree as to shew that they consulted either their Conscience or their Honour (y) Sess 24. c. 14. 2. But suppose the Council had reserved no such power of dispensing to the Pope yet they put it into his hands to make void all their Decrees or to transform them as he pleased by leaving to him alone the power of interpreting them When the Council was now breaking up The declaration and resolution of all Doubts which should happen to arise about the sense of the Decrees was referr'd to his Holiness d Quod si in his recipiendis aliqua difficultas Oriatur aut aliqua inciderint quae declarationem aut definitionem postulent praeter alia remedia in hoc Concilio instituta confidit sancta Synodus Beatissimum Romanum Pontisicem curaturum ut vel evocatis ex illis praesertim provinciis unde difficultas orta fuerit ijs quos eidem negotio tractando viderit expedire vel etiam Concilij generalis eclebratione si necessarium judicaverit vel commodiore quacunque ratione ei visum fuerit Provinciarum necessitatibus pro Dei gloria Ecclesiae tranquillitate consulatur Sess 25. c. 5. And therefore in his Bull of Confirmation as the Bishop of Bestice advised he forbad by his Apostolical Authority all persons both Ecclesiastics and Laics of what quality or degree soever to publish any Commentaries Glosses Annotations or any sort of Interpretation of the Decrees and if any matter seem'd to any man obscure and to need any interpretation and decision commanded that he should have recourse to the Apostolic See the Mistris of all the Faithful As for Controversies and Difficulties if any arise from the Decrees we reserve them saith he to be declared and decided by our selves as the holy Synod hath decreed e Ad vitandam praeterea perversionem confusionem quae oriri posset si unicuique liceret prout ei liberet in decreta Concilij Commentarios interpretationes suas edere Apostolica auctoritate inhibemus omnibus tam Ecclesiasticis personis cujuscunque sint ordinis conditionum gradus quam Laicis quocunque honore ac potestate praeditis c. si cui vero in iis aliquid obscurius dictum statutum fuisse eamque ob causam interpretatione aut decisione aliqua egere visum fuerit ascendat ad locum quem Dominus elegit ad sedem Videlicet Apostolicam omnium Fidelium Magistram cujus auctoritatem etiam ipsa Sancta Synodus tam reverenter agnovit Nos enim difficultates controversias si quaeex iis decretis ortae fuerint nobis declarandas decidendas quemadmodum ipsa quoque Sancta Synodus decrevit reservamus Bulla Super. Confirmat Concilij Thus the meaning of the Decrees was by the Council reserved to the Pope and by the Pope assumed to himself in pursuance of which he forthwith constituted a particular Congregation of Cardinals not only for the Execution but for the Declaration of them Now how easie a matter is it by adding a little to or by paring away a little from by a Distinction a Limitation and I know not how many other Arts which the Pope and his Court are well acquainted with to make a Gloss that shall quite overthrow the Text. I shall produce one famous Instance of this kind The Council decreed That those who had many Bishopricks one of them which they chose being retain'd they should quit all the rest e Nemo quacunque etiam dignitate gradu aut praeeminentia praefulgens plures metropolitanas aut Cathedrales Ecclesias in titulum sive commendam aut alio quovis nomine contra Sacrorum Canonum instituta recipere simul retinere praesumat Qui autem plures Ecclesias contra praesentis Decreti tenorem nunc detinent una quam maluerint detenta reliquas intra sex menses si ad liberam sedis Apostolicae dispositionem pertineant alias infra annum dimittere teneantur alioquin Ecclesiae ipsae ultimo obtenta dumtaxat excepta eo ipso vacare censeantur S. 7. c. 2. Hear now Pope Paul III. his interpretation He shall quit the Rest but so as to Reserve the whole Profits to himself allowing such a Pittance to the person to whom he resigns as may serve in some sort to maintain his Dignity Yea and when the Church he quits happens to become void it shall return to him again that he may again resign it upon the same terms f Espens Comment in cap. 1. Epist ad Tit. Digress 2. Richer l. 4. par 2. Impudent Mockery Thus says Espensoeus one of the Cardinals who lately died reserved the Profits of five Bishopricks and as many Abbeys the fourth part of the Profits only being assign'd to the person to whom he resigned g Ibid. As Chymists in their analizing of Bodies by separating some parts and adding others by dissolving the former frame and producing new Coalitions are wont to extract those substances out of them that were never formally in them so while the Pope has the analizing of the Decrees 't is certain there will scarce ever any thing be found in them or extracted from them that is contrary to
Statues and Pictures that they are so changed that if the Ancients should return into the World they would not know them Therefore he concluded that to bind all to approve the Rites which the Church of Rome useth might be reprehended as a condemning of Antiquity w Soav 1. 6. p. 548 549. This Discourse displeas'd the Auditory but the Bishop of five Churches protected the Author of it and said that he had delivered nothing untruly and that he that would condemn the Fryar as scandalous or rash did first condemn himself as uncapable of Truth x Ibid. 15. That not only the Degrees of Consanguinity and Affinity expressed in the Book of Leviticus hinder or dissolve Marriage y Sess 24. Can. 3. 16. That Matrimony confirmed not consumnated is dissolv'd by the solemn Profession of Religion of either party z Can. 6. 17. That Matrimony contracted by Clergymen is made void by their Vow a Can. 9. 18. That the Roman Church is the Catholick Church b Bulla super forma Juramenti Profes Fidei This will perhaps be true when the part comes to be equal to the whole 19. That the Roman Church is the Mother of all Churches c Ibid. Sess 7. Can 3. Sess 14. de Sacramento Extr. Unct. c. 3. Sess 22. c. 8. Sess 25. in Decreto de libror. delectu If so the Daughter is the Mother and the Mother is the Daughter For they themselves acknowledg that St. Peter erected a Church at Antioch seven years before he went to Rome and this Church at Antioch was the Daughter of that at Jerusalem And therefore that at Jerusalem which is the Mother of all Churches is at least the Grandmother of the Church at Rome 20. That all things deliver'd defined and declared by the Sacred Canons by General Councils and especially by the Council of Trent are necessary to Salvation d The 12th Article of Pope Pius IV. Creed made in pursuance of a Decree of the Trent Council and comprehensive as R. H. grants of 1200 Articles c. 11. â— 194. So many Contradictions as are involved in this so many Falsities at least are contained in it And those are not a few since nothing is more easie than to produce Canons and Definitions of such Councils as the Romanists will have to be General which are manifestly repugnant not only to Scripture but one to another These are a few of those many new Definitions made by the Council of Trent The greater part of which are most palpable Falshoods The rest were not only disputable points in the Church of Rome before the Definitions of the Council but some of them are still disputed others of them stifly denied by learned men of that Church So that were the Propositions true yet the Articles of Faith are false 2. These Propositions the best of which are doubtful the rest manifestly false are made by the Council so necessary to be believed that whosoever does not assent to them is eo ipso branded for an Heretick and condemned to the portion of Reprobates This one would think were evident beyond all contradiction both by the Anathema affixed to every Canon and by the Declaration of Pope Pius IV. at the end of his new Creed viz. This is the Catholick Faith without which no man can be saved Part of which Catholick Faith is the belief of all the Decrees and Canons of the Trent Council But R. H. says That all the Canons in the Council that have Anathsma affixed do not enjoyn assent under Anathema to the contradictory Preposition nor make it an Article of Faith necessary to be believed under the penalty of being reputed an Heretick e S. 186. How then shall we know which do For our resolution he gives us these rules of Canus When the Decree to which such Canen relates binds to assent with a firma fide Credendum hoc est dogma fidei Catholicae Contrarium asserentes or tenentes judicentur pro Haereticis or some other equivalent expression Or when the Canon runs Siquis hoc senserit Anathema sit f Ibid. Since he hath referr'd us to Canus let Canus be Judge provided those other words and Rules in Canus which he hath unsaithfully omitted may be suppli'd And 1. The first Rule Canus gives by which we may know that a Decree is de side is this which he says is manifest If those who assert the contrary are judged to be Hereticks g Prima ea quidem manifesta si contrarium asserentes judicentur pro Haereticis Locor Theolog. l. 5. c. 5. qu. 4. Now in the close of the Doctrine of Penance and Extreme Unction the Synod for ever damns and Anathematizes those who assert the contrary h Asserentes contrarium perpetuo damnat Anthematizat Sess 14. that is judges them to be Hereticks And in the conclusion of the Doctrine concerning Matrimony the Synod decrees the following Anathematisms expresly against Hereticks i Hos in ipsos Haereticos eorumque errores decernens Anathematismos And therefore by this Rule the contradictory to every one of those Propositions which are anathematiz'd in the Thirteen Canons concerning Penitence the Four concerning Extream Unction and the Twelve concerning Matrimony is an Article of Faith necessary to be believed under the Penalty of being reputed an Heretick Such for instance are these That Penance Extream Vnction and Matrimony are truly and properly Sacraments That no Man can be saved who does not confess to a Priest those circumstances of Mortal Sin which change the kind That Matrimony consers Grace 2. It is a Decree of Faith when the Canon runs in this form If any Man thinks this or that let him be accursed k Siquis hoc aut illud senserit Anathema sit Canus ubi supra As by this Rule the far greater part of the Propositions defin'd by the Council are made no Articles of Faith so those which are made such are none of the unquestionable Verities but as much disputed as any For if I mistake not this word senserit is but twice used by the Council in this Matter viz. Sess 5. Chap. 5. This Concupiscence which the Apostle somtimes calls sin the holy Synod declares the Catholick Church hath never understood to be call'd Sin because it is truly and properly Sin in the Regenerate but because it proceeds from Sin and inclines to Sin But if any Man shall think the contrary let him be Anathema l Hanc Concupiscentiam quam aliquando Apostolus peccatum appellat sancta Synodus declarat Ecclesiam Catholicam nunquam intellexisse peccatum appellari quod vere proprie in renatis peccatum sit sed quia ex peccato est ad peccatum inclinat Siquis autem contrarium senserit anathema sit And Sess 25. after the Decrees concerning the Intercession and Invocation of Saints the Veneration of Images and of Reliques it is added If any Man shall teach or think
but it is needless in a matter so notorious The Bulla Coenoe Domini as it was published by Paul III. without those Additions which have been since made is it self alone an irrefragable Evidence of the Judgment of this Council as to the excommunicating of Kings For in that Bull all secular Powers are excommunicated who call any Ecclesiastical Persons to their Tribunals Courts c. (b) Bulla Pauli III. Idib Apr. 1536. Bullarii Rom Tom. 2. And this Bull was publish'd before the Convocation the Trent Council and twenty seven years before the Decree mentioned was made by the Council and therefore was confirmed by it And if any Prince stands a year excommunicated he is judged a Schismatick and Heretick and what punishment he is then liable to I need not tell you 4. Another gross Abuse confirm'd by this Council is giving the Pope the Election into Bishopricks in foreign Dominions As the form of Examination of Persons fit to govern the Churches in every Province is to be approved by the Pope so when the Examination is finish'd it is to be reduced into a publick Instrument and sent to him to be examined by four Cardinals and proposed in Consistory that his Holiness having full knowledg of the whole matter and of the Persons if by the Examination and Inquisition made they shall be found fit he may out of them profitably provide for the Churches (c) Sess 24. Cap 1. 5. The reserving of all such weighty criminal causes of Bishops as deserve Deposition and Deprivation to the Popes Cognizance and Decision And if the Cause be such as it must necessarily be tried out of the Court of Rome that it be committed to none except such Metropolitans and Bishops as the Pope shall chuse But that the Commission be special and sealed with the Popes own Seal and that he never give them any more Power than barely to take Instruction of matter of Fact and to make the Process which they shall forthwith send to the Pope the definitive Sentence being reserved to his Holiness (d) Sess 24. Cap. 5. Now as this and the Abuse next foregoing are both intolerable Usurpations upon the Rights of Princes so they make the Bishops in the whole Christian Church intirely dependent on the Pope He may set them up and pull them down at his Pleasure And is not the Universal Church like to be well governed when all the Bishops are at the Popes beck 6. The Exemptions of Monastick Orders from the Jurisdiction of Bishops This Abuse had been complain'd of long before as the great bane of Ecclesiastical Discipline and the chief cause of the lewd and scandalous Lives of the Monks and the Reformation of it was demanded of the Council by the Emperors Ambassadors (e) Soav p. 513. And what did the Council do in order to the removal of this grand Abuse Did they abolish all Exemptions already granted and forbid the granting of any more for the future No they ordained indeed That no Secular Clerk nor Regular dwelling out of his Monestry should be exempted if he offended from being visited punished and corrected by the Ordinary of the place As Delegate of the Apostolick See (f) Sess 6. cap. 3. That the Chapters of Cathedrals and other greater Churches by no Exemptions Customs Oaths or Agreements should be freed from being visited and corrected by their Bishops and other greater Prelats by Apostolical Authority (g) Sess 6. c. 4. That the Ordinary of the place shall every year by the Apostolical Authority visit all Churches however exempted (h) Sess 7. cap. 8. That all Secular Clerks notwithstanding any Exemptions Declarations Customs Oaths Agreements shall as oft as there is need be corrected and chastized for their Excesses and Faults by the Bishops resident in their Churches as Delegates of the Apostolick See i Sess 14. cap. 4. That the Monastries held in Commendam the Abbies Priories c. not tied to a Regular observance shall be visited by the Bishops as Delegates of the Apostolick See k Sess 21. cap. 8. But for those Monasteries and other Religious houses in which they are tied to Regular Observance the Bishops shall provide by Paternal Admonition that the Superiors observe their Regular Constitutions and cause them to be observed by those that are under them and if within six months after Admonition they do not visit and correct them then the Bishops as Delegates of the Apostolick See may proceed to Visitation and Correction This is as I take it the sum of what the Council hath decreed concerning Exemptions In which observe 1. That the Bishops have nothing to do with any Regulars of what Order soever who do not dwell out of their Religious houses in case their Superiors take care that they observe the Rules of their Order By which vast numbers of men are left at liberty to defie the Bishops and to create to them all manner of Molestation 2. In case their Superiors neglect their Duty the Bishops cannot proceed to visit till they have first paternally admonished them and their six months further neglect after such Admonition But 3. That which I chiefly observe is That not only no Monasteries whether Regular or not Regular but not so much as any Churches or Chapters are otherways subjected to the Bishops than as they are the Popes Delegates they act purely by a Power derived from him which he may therefore either revoke or contract at his Pleasure A fine Sham Are not the Bishops highly promoted They may now visit and correct Churches Chapters Colleges Monasteries Abbies Priories Provostships Yes so far and so often as the Pope gives them leave We have seen that the Trent Council was so far from making any real Reformation in Discipline that it not only took no effectual course for the removal of any Abuse but on the contrary confirmed many and those such as were of all others most pregnant with mischief And yet this is not the worst for as it confirmed the old so 2. It introduced many new Errors in matters of Discipline as well as Doctrine by which the Popes Tyranny was enlarged and advanced to a higher pitch than ever Several of which have been already mention'd and therefore I shall not now inlarge upon them As 1. The Decree of Proponentibus Legatis pass'd in the first Sesfion under Pius l Sess 17. That nothing should be proposed to be treated of in Council but by the Popes Legats A Priviledg never granted to any Pope by any foregoing Council 2. The making of all their Decrees with the Reservation of the Popes Authority m Sess 7. Sess 25. cap. 21. as has been before shew'd Another new Prerogative conferr'd on his Holiness 3. The giving the Pope a Power to expound their Decrees as we have also before heard in case any difficulty arise about the sense of them or a necessity of Declaration n Sess 25. which was never granted by any
former Council They might as well have left it to him to make them as they in effect did for nothing was decreed without first asking his leave 4. The imposing on Provincial and Diocesan Synods an Oath of true Obedience to the Pope o Sess 25. cap. 2. another new piece of Tyranny for tho the Bishops at their Consecration fomerly took an Oath of Fidelity to him yet never before was any Oath imposed upon them when met together in Provincial and Diocesan Synods 5. Usurping the Rights of Bishops by making them the Pope Delegates in matters which belong to their Ordinary Jurisdiction (p) Episcoporum potestas non solum non aucta sed ex ea multum delibatum est cum ea potestas quae ipsorum propria est ex Dei instituto iis attributa iis tanquam a sede Apostolica delegatis concedatur Thuan. l. 6. c. 2. Review of the Council of Trent l. 6. c. 2. Whereas anciently every Bishop governed his own Diocess without Dependence upon or Subordination to the Pope by the Laws of Trent they can do almost nothing unless by Delegation from him May Bishops provide Vicars to supply the room of such Clergymen as are dispensed with for non-residence and assign them a competent Salary out of the Fruits Not by their own Authority but as they are Delegates of the Apostolick See (q) Sess 6. cap. 2. May they depute Assistants to unlearned and ignorant Parish Priests They may as Delegates of the Apostolick See (r) Sess 21. cap. 6. May they take upon them to Examine a Notary and if they find him unfit forbid him the Exercise of his Office in Ecclesiastical matters Yes but as Delegates of the Apostolick See (s) Sess 22. cap. 10. But surely in matters which belong to Visitation and the Correction of Manners the Bishops may of themselves ordain and execute those things which they judg necessary for the good of their People and for the profit of the Church No but only as Delegates of the Apostolick See (t) Sess 24. cap. 10. This is the enlargement of the Bishops Power which R. H. so much boasts of (u) Considerat on the Council of Trent c. 12. § 211 Many more Instances of like nature might be produced but these may suffice to shew how palpably untrue that Assertion of Pallavicino's is viz. That there is not so much as one Syllable in this Council for any new Emolument to the Pope (w) In hoc Concilio ne una quidem conspicitur syllaba pro novo Pontificis Emolumento Apparat ad hist c. 10. n. 3. And how unjustly the same Cardinal charges Soave with falsity for saying That this Council hath so established the Popes Power that it was never so great nor so solidly founded (x) Ibid. And likewise that R. H. had as little reason to carp at a like passage of Dr. Stilling fleet 's viz. That which was intended to clip the Wings of the Court of Rome had confirmed and advanced the Interest of it (y) Considerat c. 12. § 103. For as all those Decrees that might otherwise have retrenched their Exorbitances were themselves so clipt by Exceptions or Restrictions or by some other Counter Decree that they could effect nothing so many other Decrees were made by which the Interest of the Pope and his Court were highly promoted particularly this last mention'd of deriving all Jurisdiction from the Pope by making all other Bishops his Vicars and Commissaries And therefore no wonder that his Holiness was transported with Joy and gave immortal Thanks that the Council had such an happy Issue (z) Pallav. l. 24. c. 9. n. 5. For to use the words of Du Ranchin you shall never read of any Council that was so much to the Popes Honour and good liking as this Amongst so many Bulls and Constitutions which have come forth since you shall scarce find any which doth not make mention of this Council which doth not name it with Honour which doth not express an earnest desire of the observation of it and which doth not in some sort confirm it Among all the Councils that ever were no compare with this for Reverence and Respect It hath quite defaced and extinguished the memory of all the rest It is their Minion their Favourite their Champion their Arsenal their Bulwark their Protector their Creature and good Reason why they should make so much of it (*) Review of the Council of Trent l. 1. c. 1. FINIS AN ADVERTISEMENT Of Books lately Printed for Richard Chiswell THe History of the Reformation of the Church of England by GILBERT BVRNET D. D. in two Volumes Folio The Moderation of the Church of England in her Reformation in Avoiding all undue compliances with Popery and other sorts of Fanaticisms c. by TIMOTHY PVLLER D. D. Octavo A Dissertation concerning the Government of the Ancient Church more particularly of the Encroachments of the Bishops of Rome upon other Sees by WILLIAM CAVE D. D. Octavo An Answer to Mr. Serjeants Sure Footing in Christianity concerning the Rule of Faith with some other Discourse by WILLIAM FALKNER D. D. Octavo A Vindication of the Ordinations of the Church of England against the Romanists by GILBERT BVRNET D. D Octavo The APOLOGY of the Church of England and an Epistle to one Signior Scipio a Venetian Gentleman concerning the Council of Trent Written both in Latin by the Right Reverend Father in God JOHN JEWEL Lord Bshop of Sarisbury Made English by a Person of Quality To which is added The Life of the said Bishop Collected and Written by the same Hand Octavo The LETTER writ by the last Assembly General of the Clergy of France to the Protestants inviting them to return to their Communion Together with the Methods proposed by them for their Conviction Translated into English and Examined by GILBERT BVRNET D D. Octavo The Life of WILLIAM BEDEL D. D. Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland Together with Certain Letters which passed betwixt him and James Waddesworth a late Pensioner of the Holy Inquisition in Sevil in matter of Religion concerning the General Motives to the Roman Obedience Quarto The Decree made at ROME the Second of March 1679. condemning some Opinions of the Jesuits and other Casuists Quarto A Discourse concerning the necessity of Reformation with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome Quarto First and Second parts A Discourse concerning the Celebration of Divine Service in an Unknown Tongue Quarto A PAPIST not Misrepresented by PROTESTANTS Being a Reply to the Reflections upon the Answer to A Papist Misrepresented and Represented Quarto An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England in the several Articles proposed by the late BISHOP of CONDOM in his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholick Church An Answer to THREE PAPERS lately printed concerning the Authority of the Catholick Church in matters of Faith and the Reformation of the Church of England Quarto A CATECHISM Explaining the Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome with an Answer thereunto by a Protestant of the Church of England Octavo
Persons was now out of doors But when the next Lateran Council came the case was quite alter'd the Pope was then mounted above a Council and his Supremacy and their Subjection owned by them and by the succeeding Council of Trent The sum of what hath been said may be reduced to these four Heads which quite evacuate the force of the Objection 1. That in the Councils of Pisa and Constance the case with respect to the Pope was as different from what it was and ever will be when there is a Pope whose Right is not disputed as the case of Subjects under a Prince whose Title is unquestionable from what it is under many Pretenders who are not able to make out their Claim The Subjects are oblig'd in Conscience and usually by Interest to obey the former but by neither to obey the latter 2. Suppose their Title was at first unquestionable yet they lost it by Heresy Schism and their prodigiously scandalous Vices 3. In the Councils of Constance and Basil it was reckon'd a Point of Faith That the Bishops change their place in relation to the Pope when united in a General Council and by consequence were no more bound by the Oath they had taken to the Pope than a Servant who swears Obedience to his Master is in case he cease to be his Servant and his Master become Servant to him And 4. In the Council of Basil the Pope himself had set the Bishops free from their Oath of Subjection to him by voluntarily subjecting himself to them By this time it is I think evident enough that notwithstanding this Exception in an extraordinary case the Reasons before mentioned stand good But what need I prove that the Sun is up at Noon The Reason the Sense and common Observation of Mankind do all tell us that as Men who have any Religion cannot but have a great Veneration for an Oath so on the other hand that they who have none cannot but be sway'd by their worldly Interests Where the Carcass is thither will the Eagles resort Since therefore the governing part of the Church of Rome were so miserably enslaved to the Roman Bishop could there be any hope of Reformation when there was no reason to hope that the Bishop of Rome would consent to it Obj. Some perhaps may say that I wrong the Popes in representing them as so obstinately set against Reformation For as many of them pretended a Zeal for it so 't is certain there was one at least viz. Adrian VI. who did himself earnestly endeavour it Ans But what kind of Reformation was it he endeavoured to make In matters of Faith and of the Sacraments he would allow no Man liberty so much as to dispute what had been once decreed by General Councils l Soave l. 1. p. 25. Sleid. Comment l. 4. that is by any of those Councils which he called General many of which were no more than Italian or Papal Councils Whosoever was so bold as to call any such thing in question he was to be dealt with as John Huss and Hierom of Prague m Soav ibid. so that if any Man denied the imaginary Fire of Purgatory he must presently be confuted by real Flames The Popes usurp'd Power and Greatness the source of numberless other Corruptions so far was he from retrenching that he rather endeavoured to set it higher The Princes of Germany were looked upon as too sawcy and thought to entrench upon his Prerogative for desiring only that a Council might be called with the Emperor's Consent n Soav l. 1. p. 28. What then was the Reformation Adrian aimed at Why the Church-men were in their Morals so monstrously degenerated that in almost all places they were become abominable The Abuses in Discipline were grown so intolerable that the Princes of the World were resolved no longer to endure them That therefore which he designed was to reduce the Clergy to somewhat better Manners and to correct some gross Enormities in Discipline which were most offensive This was all the Reformation he endeavoured for other Corruptions so far was it from his intention to reform them that he was resolved more firmly to establish them And yet this piece of Reformation he did not effect tho he much desired it Which leads me to another Consideration which further shews how hopeless the Reformation of the Church of Rome was For 6. Let us suppose That such a Man had been advanced to the Papacy who would have set himself in good earnest to make an impartial Reformation one of the most unlikely things in the World as the state of that Church then was and for a long time before had been he would have fail'd in his Attempt and not have been able to accomplish it And that for these two Reasons 1. Because he could have made no such Reformation unless he first made void those Obligations by which the governing part of that Church both in point of Conscience and of Interest were held in subjection to him 2. Because of that opposition which they being so let loose would for the generality have made against him 1. Because he could have made no such Reformation unless he first made void those Obligations by which the governing part of that Church both in point of Conscience and Interest were of held in subjection to him The great holds he had upon their Consciences proceeded from several corrupt Doctrines and those Practices of the Popes that were built upon them For instance That the Pope is by Divine Ordination Head of the Universal Church that all other Bishops are his Subjects and that he hath power to impose an Oath upon them as their Soveraign that he is the Supream Judg of Controversies and all Men oblig'd to stand to his Sentence These and several other Doctrines of a resembling nature have been defined by the Popes themselves and with great Zeal asserted as unquestionable Truths by their Flatterers and had been so far owned by the governing Clergy that they had bound themselves by solemn Oath has as been already shew'd to be obedient to him But now no Reformation to purpose could have been made but the Pope must condemn these Doctrines and divest himself of those Prerogatives which by virtue of them he lays claim to Because these are not only great Errors themselves but productive of all other the grossest Corruptions o Richer Hist Concil General l. 1. c. 13. Nor must he only loose the tie of Conscience but that of Interest too which with the generallity of Men is the stronger of the two He must no longer assume to himself the sole power of erecting and pulling down of Bishopricks of electing confirming deposing and restoring of Bishops of disposing of all the greater Dignities and Ecclesiastical Benefices of conferring those that are incompatible upon the same Person In a word of trampling upon all the ancient Canons And should the Pope have once parted with these Prerogatives together with