all these Books be sure not to miss in collecting all the Texts containing Doctrines necessary to his salvation 5. And likewise he must be assured by his own light that he conceives the true sence of all these Texts though he know that there are great quarrels among learned and pious men about the sense of those Texts 6. For he must be obliged to believe that there is not on earth any either Person or Society infallible to which he can be bound in Conscience to submit his judgment or commit the care of his Soul 7. Lastly He must have so firm a memory as to be able to reject Roman Doctrines because not contained in Scripture This is Dr. Stillingfleet's Church of England and so firm is the Rock upon which it is grounde 77. Now whether that Church of England wherein we were Christned and when we were Christned relied upon such a Foundation as this may quickly be discovered by reading only her Twentieth Article which begins thus The Church of England surely hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies and Authority in Controversies of Faith By the Church here she must needs mean the Governours or Pastours and authorized Teachers of the Church of England for none else meddle in prescribing Ceremonies or determining Controversies of Faith And these saith she have Authority that is no doubt in her meaning not an usurped but lawful Authority And if so then she intends that all her Subjects and Disciples should esteem themselves obliged in Conscience to submit to her Decisions both about Ceremonies and Controversies This submission if any of her Subjects interpret to be only external or to imply no more than not openly refusing Ceremonies or opposing Decisions she will not be contented with it This appears plainly in her Constitutions Established and Published by Regal Authority under the Great Seal of England For from the second Constitution to the tenth all Impugners of the King's Supremacy or that affirm that the Church of England is not a true and Apostolical Church Likewise all Impugners of her Articles of Religion of her Ceremonies of her Government by Bishops of the Form of Ordinations Moreover all Authors of Schisms and Maintainers of Schismaticks all these are denounced Excommunicated ipso facto from which Excommunication they cannot be absolved and restored till after they have repented and publickly revoked such their wicked Errours that is they must acknowledge themselves to have been in an Errour a wicked Errour of which they must repent and publickly revoke it 78. This Authority therefore challenged by the Church of England Established by Law â— is manifestly an Authority over the Souls the Judgment and Belief of her Subjects which Authority Dr. Stillingfleet's Church of England does expresly renounce Therefore his is a meer imaginary Church which has no subsistence but only in the fancies of a new brood of men which appeared not in England till Mr. Chillingworth's Book came forth And of such a Church Mr. Chilingworth stood in need because he thought he could with more ease to himself defend Dr. Potter against his Adversary F. Knott by depriving the Church of England of her Authority and laying new Principles of a Church the same which Dr. Stillingfleet has borrowed and artificially spread out and which are greedily embraced by our Young Divines because they reduce the main Dispute between Catholicks and Protestants to an exercise of wit and fancy about Adjectives and Participles ending in bilis and dus and ease them of the same tedious labour of reaâ—ing and citing Fathers and Councils which former learned Controvertists Bishops and Doctors thought necessary to undergo 79. Now the reason why the Church of England assumes an Authority obliging her Subjects to a submission of judgment as well as to external Conformity which other Sects cannot without a shameless impudence pretend to and yet do most tyrannically usurp seems to me to this Because she does not look upon her self to be a new-erected Church but as remaining still a Member of the Catholick Church govern'd by Pastours endowed with Authority received thence and continuing in a Lineal Succession from St. Peter And as supposed a true Member of the Catholick â—hurch her Clergy National or Provincial to have right according to frequent practise in the Ancient Church to call Synods and therein reform Discipline and extirpate such Doctrines as they judge erroneous how far spread soever they may be yet in doing this with the peaceable Spirit of St. Cyprian as to other Churches Neminem judicantes aut à jure Communionis aliquem si diversum senserit amoventes whereby they conclude themselves free from the guilt of Schism Neither yet do they assume to themselves an absolute Infallibility in their Ordinances and Decisions but as your self Sir have intimated in your second Question at the end of your Book assuring themselves that as long as they remain true Members of the Catholick Church they have this kind or degree of Infallibility that they cannot fall into Errours excluding Salvation and thereupon they judge they may oblige their Subjects to a submission of judgment and excommunicate Dissenters since no danger can follow in case it should happen to be an errour to the belief whereof they submit especially considering their constant Profession that they will all conform to the Determinations of a true free and legal General Councill 80. Such a Notion I conceive all English Protestants had of the Church of England and her Authority till Mr. Chillingworth published his Book Upon such grounds I am sure our late worthy and learned Friend Dr. Steward thought he could sufficiently justifie the Church of England against the Roman Catholick Church her imputing Heresie or Schism to Protestants And on the same grounds did the most learned among Protestant Bishops proceed in their Controversies for can you think Sir that Bishop Andrews Bilson Montague Laud Morton c. ever entertained a thought that all Christians whatsoever may with their own Light both find all points of necessary belief in the Scriptures and also comprehend the true sence of them and that not a Soul in England was obliged to believe a word of the Doctrine established 81. Dr. Stillingfleet's Church of England therefore seems to me so far from being that Church which has been Established by Law that it is the most irrational Church that ever was The Church of Geneva or Holland or other Calvinists though grounded on this most presumptuous Principle That they judge of Scripture and its sence only by an internal infallible Light of God's Spirit yet that being once supposed they proceed rationally thereon when they oblige all their Subjects to submit their judgments to the Teachings of those respective Churches or to their Synods of Gapâ— Dortâ— c. Whereas Dr. Stillingfleet exempting all persons from an Obligation of yielding an internal Assent to any Decisions made by Superiours dissolves the very nature of a Church and deposes all Superiours 82. But
then we all have in our whole body The Protector indeed was the great Apostle of the Kingdom but his Mission he must have receivâ—d from his Pupil both to preach a new Faith and to consummate former Sacriledge In the mean time the humble Archbishop remained in expectation what he was to believe and in an uncertainty whether his Ordination weâ—e valid or not I will end tâ—is matter with the Character of Cranmer given by Duditius an eminâ—nt Protestant Cranmâ—r â— says he seems to have been bâ—rn and framed for dissimulation which quality he made use of in all things through his whole life ¶ 10. Of the Re-Ordination imputed to Catholicks 96. THis word Ordination puts me in mind of a dangerous Question which you thought fit to propose How Mr. Cressy and the rest who have received Orders in the Church of England can justifie or excuse their being Re-ordained after they change their Religion since so many Councils have declared against it and no one for it and since the succession of Bishops is as plainly manifest in one Church as in the other And what difference can there be assigned why such as the Greek Church who come to them are not Re-ordained but thâ—se of the Church of England are compelled to be 87. Noble Sir for any thing that appears in your Animadversions you may be one of the honourable Iudges and perhaps possessed of the highest Office of Iudiâ—â—ture and therefore I humbly take leave in answering this Question to leave out Mr. Cressy's name since he is loth to write and publish any thing that may pass absolutely for an evidence under his own hand against his own life in case he be suspected to be concerned in this matter as you say absolutely he is Indefinitely speaking therefore and without a dangerous reflâ—ction on any one those of the English Clergy returning to the Catholick Church are not permitted to exercise the Sacerdotal Office without being â—as you stile it Re-ordained but in Catholick language simply Ordained and of this several reasons are given I will only name one but such an one against which I cannot imagine a possible Reply and that is a consideration how the Form of Ordination and Consecration was purposely and studiously changed by the Church of England to shew that she renounced that Function which by the Catholick Church yea by the Greekish and all ancient Churches was esteemed formally essential to Priesthood which is Confâ—cereâ— offerre Corpus Domini She will have Priests but she will have no Sacrifice which two I believeâ— have never been divided by any Christian Church before the last Aâ—e So that though the present new Form considered simply in it self did not invalidate Ordination for the Greek Church also Ordains in a Form different from the Roman yet the declaring such to have been the Motive and ground of the change most certainly does And that this was the Motive seems to me evidently collected from the 31. Article of the Church of England The words are these The Offering of Christ once madeâ— is that perfect Redemption Propiâ—iation and Satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world both original and actualâ— and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone Wherefore the Sacrifices of Masses in the which it was commonly said that the Priests did offer Christ for the quick and the dead to have remission of pain or guilt were blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits Hence it is plain that the Church of England renounces that Function which the Catholick Church esteems essential to Priesthood and consequently in England Priesthood seems to be a new quite different Order and far from being the same which is conâ—erred in and by the Roman Church Therefore I conceive Sir you had noâ— much cause to wonder or blame Catholick Churches for not admitting such persons to exercise the Functions of Priesthood since neither their Ordainers nor they themselves ever had nor intended to have such Functions or Faculties conferred on them but on the contrary esteemed them in a high measure injurious to our Saviour's Priesthood ¶ 11. Of several speculative Pâ—ints of Controverted Doctrines Of a State-Religion And of Professions of Loyalty â—8 THâ—se Noble Sir are the several Crimes laid to my charge I mean such as personally regard my self alone And thâ—se are my respective Answers There may possibly be some more besides these in your Animadversions which have escaped my Observation though I think there are none so considerable as would much oblige me to lengthen this Apology a work God willing which shall be the last of this nature There is another great Crime far more hainous than all thâ—se of which not my self alone but many others better than my self are eithâ—r accused by you or rendred shrewdly suspâ—cted which is a want or perhaps a disability of giving satisfaction to the State of our Fidelity to his Majesty This is in several places repeated by you and most accurately descanted on among your nine Questions near the conclusion of your Book 99. This is indeed a subject of great concern and therefore deserves a more serious application it being also the last ground of reprehension with an Answer whereto my purpose is to conclude this Apology For honoured Sir I beseech you not to take it ill or interpret it a neglect that I am silent with regard to several passages in your Animadversions since the whole design of this Apology is the endeavouring to qualifie the Indignation which you have conceived against me and I doubt imprinted in the minds of too many besides Whereas therefore you have inserted Reflections and Censures on several speculative Points of Catholick Doctrine I may justly be dispensed with for interesting my self in such a subject especially considering that I do not find that you have a purpose to make Controversie your serious employment It any professed Protestant Controvertist shall borrow from you any arguments against Catholick Tenents which he knew noâ— before as truly Doctor Stillingfleet may from your Discourse touching the nature of a Church which is far less irrational than his own he may then begin to speak de tribus Capellis 100. The sum of what you write Sir on this subject seems to me to be this 1. You lay a certain new ground of your Discourse which is that besides Christian Religion considered according to its essentials which are exceedingly few and which are absolutely unchangeable there ought to be acknowledged another Christian State-Religion containing other Doctrines not essential both regarding belief and discipline which may be altered approved or rejected by a National Church though never so far spread or never so long continued 2. In consequence hereunto you require me to explain what is the full intent of that spiritual Power which we acknowledge in the Pope over England and whether it be more than is granted by the Sovereign Power and Municipal Laws of the Kingdom 3. And from
he had been commissionated by my Lords the Bishops to defend the substantial Doctrine of the Church of England after so cruel a manner and to justifie that her discession from the Roman Church was of absolute necessity by reason of the manifold horrible Idolatries taught and practised in her which I am confident will never be averred by Protestants 16. For what the judgment of the Church of England is in this matter we may irrefragably collect from the Censures Synodically given by her in all those points of Roman Doctrine on which the Doctor grounds his charge of Idolatry against Catholicks to wit The worship of God by Images The formal Invocation of Saints and the Adoration forsooth of Bread in the Eucharist 17. Now as touching the two first of these pretended grounds I beseech you Sir to consider how the Church of England in her establisht Doctrine has express'd her sense in the 22. Article These are the words The Romish Doctrine concerning Purgatory Pardons Worshiping and Adoration as well of Images as of Relicks and also Invocation of Saints is a fond thing vainly invented and grounded on no warranty of Scrâ—pture but rather repugnant to the Word of God 18. And this observation your self has as becomâ—s an unpassionate English Protâ—stant made where speaking of Purgatory you ingenuously profess That if you thought your Prayers or any thing else you could do could be helpful to the souls of your friends or your enemies you would pour them out with all your heart and should not fear any reprehension from the Church of England which hath declared no judgment in the point except it be comprehended in the Article of Purgatory and then the censure is no more then that it is a fond thing which in that case you would be content to undergo This you declare and upon the same grounds since in the same Article no worse a Title and Character is given to other Romish Doctrines as Pardons Worshiping of Images and Relicks and also Invocation of Saints Therefore certainly you cannot approve the Doctors attributing Idolatry to such Doctrines or Practices 19. In the next place be pleased to observe what the Church of England declares touching that which Dr. Stillingflâ—et for an odious purpose terms The Adoration of Bread in the Eucharist in her 28th Article Transubstantiation or the change of the substance of Bread and Wine in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proved by holy writ but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament and hath given occasiâ—n to many superstitions The Body of Christ is given taken and eaten in the Supper only after an heavenly and spiritual manner And the means whereby the Body of â—hrist is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved car ried about lifted up or worshipped 20. You here see honoured Sir the Censure far unlike the Doctors which the Church of England has given of the Dâ—ctrines of the Roman Church touching the Holy Eucharist which Censure you likewise as before will not think fit to exceedâ— she terms them respectively fond vainly invented such as cannot be proved by Scripture but are rather repugnant to the same She doth not so much as stile any of them Superstitious but only giving occasion to many Superstitions Thus far and no farther does she condemn them and I suppose so many grave learned and wise Prelates as joyned in the compiling these Articles and many more who afterwards in several Synods reviewed and without any considerable change confirmed them were as quick sighted to discover faults and as able to proportionate a Censure of them as Dr. Stillingfleet who with all his skill is but a Neophyte in the English Church Therefore it is evident that it was not by the Church of England's warranty and also that it was not the dictamen of calm reason but an uncharitable passion against his neighbours and brethren who never had offended him that incited him so cruelly to expose them to the publick hatred and to the utmost effects of that hatred 21. Perhaps he will say that he is warranted to charge the Roman Catholick Church with Idolatry by the example of several other grave and learned Protestants members of the English Church though I believe he will scarce grant that any before him has prosecuted that charge with such a killing Rhetorick or in a time so seasonable for mischief 22. All this indeed he may truly say And among his Patterns he may if he please reckon some more than Members even Fathers Teachers and Governours of the English Church I mean Bishops and Archbishops who have done the like or in some respect worse for some of them not content to accuse the Catholick Church of Idolatry have written volumes to make the simple believe that the Chief Vniversal Pastor of the Catholick Church is God bless us the very Antichrist 23. This he may say But withal the most sober learned and judicious of the Church of England will tell him that the uncharitable Calvinistical spirit by which those Bishops and Archbishops were agitated did so bâ—ind them that they did not see or perhaps did not care what ruine they brought on their own Order Character and Chuâ—ch by such their intemperate writing and prâ—aching which to Catholicks seemed only noysome words but to the Church of England proved swords piercing into its very bowel For if the Roman Church both taught and practised horrible Idolatry and if the Pope were indeed Antichrist then the Hierarchy of England is ipso facto â— null or worse then the late rebellious Parliament had just reason to destroy them root and branch as persons who pretended a Mission and exercised a jurisdiction publickly acknowledged by themselves to have been received from abominable Idolaters yea even from Antichrist himself And certain it is that those few Presbyterian Bishops and Doctors gave both courage and weapons to the busie factious then call'd Puritan party to wound the Church of England more mortally than without such helps they possibly could have done 24. Methinks therefore honoured Sir my resentment of Dr. Stillingfleet's manner of proceeding in this point was not so criminal that it should so highly incense you as to excite you to a vindication of his honour with so much trouble to your self and so much danger to us since I can withal truly protest tht although you are pleased to stile me a Reviler of the Cburch of England it was a regard to her that hâ—d some influence on me to sharpen my stile And this the rather you may believe because as an English Catholick it concerns us both as to our quiet and safety to lie at the mercy of a Church orderly established and which acknowledges so merciful a King for Head rather than to be exposed to the fury of Calvinism 25. Moreover Dr. Stillingfleet has seemed not to content himself by
in opposition to this you say Sir That it is a proof that Dr. Stillingfleet ' s Principles are not destructive to the Authority of the Church of England because the Presbyterians Anabaptists or Independents those enemies of hers who have been so vigilant and industrious so many years to make her totter have not made use of the said Principles nor so much as taken notice of them Hereto I answer They have not made use of them against Dr. Stillingfleet's Church of England because they are not Fools For though they may seem to have a great advantage against him by saying besides their acknowledgement of the evidence of Scripture in necessaries That it would be madness in them to leave God's Spirit their own infallible Interpreter of Scripture in other points also for his fallible common Reason which is not able to give assurance even in natural things as whether the Earth move or stand still by which means they being now Spiritual Christians would become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 animal Men. And moreover that they interpreting Scripture by the Spirit may force men to submit their judgments to them Whereas it would be ridiculous to submit to a Church which allows every one to judge of the sence of Scripture by their corrupt private reason These sure are notable Advantages on a Spiritual Churches side Yet on the other side they foresee that by such opposition they shall sadly expose thâ—mselves to his deriding Rhetorick For his Reason will make their Spirit miserably ridiculous He will bid them to make proof to him that they interpret Scripture by the Spirit and to shew when and which way the Spirit left English Proâ—estants to agitate them and also by what marks they know that all of their own faction have the Spirit and they alone though other Sects dissenting and oppâ—sing them do ground their opposiâ—ion on the same Spirit Now it being impossible for any of them by the hâ—lp of their Spirit to answer a word of sâ—nce to his Reason they will lamentably remain at his mercy Therefore they will not meddle with him And moreover they foresee that the Church â—f England will not account her self touch'd in this Dispute For she will renounce both private Reason and private Spirit and tell them that they must receive the sence of Scripture from her Therefore very wiseâ—y they will pursue their old way against her and tell her that she has received her Authirity from Idolaters yea from the Pope whom her own Bishops call Antichrist And God forbid that they should submit to such an Authority And for her Excommunications they account them no better than bruta fulmina on condition that their Purses may not be touched 83. Having therefore in my own perswasion invincible Reasons to make this judgment of Dr. Stillingfleet's Church of England and moreover not having ever heard and being confident that I never shall hear that any one English Bishop did or will so far betray themselves as to allow the grounds on which Mr. Chillingworth and after him the Doctor proceeded can you Sir think it just to render me the Object of the general hatred of English Protestants by transferring as you have done on the Church of England all the sharp and scornful Invectives which I have made against Dr. Stillingfleet's Church It is not I assure you the Church of England that I taxed for want of Miracles which are not indeed at all necessary in case she be as she professes a true Member of the Catholick Church But it is Dr. Stillingfleet's Church from which Miracles are to be required since it is a new-fashioned Church the like whereof was never seen before the last Age. And it is only Dr. Stillingfleet's Church to which I upbraided the exâ—â—usion of a Religious Prâ—fession which was nevâ—r condemned by the Church of England And the like I affirm with regard to all other pâ—ssages in my Book which have raisâ—d such indignation in you against me Which indignation I hopâ— you will have the goodness to qualifie when you shall read this my Defence to which I add also once more that if there be any phrase in any Book written by me whicâ— may probably be esteemed a reproachful reviling of the Church or Clergy of England I do here revoke and ask pardon for it ¶ 7. Câ—ncerning my Lord Falkland and detraction from his memory imputed to me 84. I Will here in the next place in regard of the affinity of the Subject annex that special Head among your manifold Accusations against me which concern thâ— Vindication of the Honour and Esteem of my Noble dear Lord Falkland aspersed say you most ungratefully and falsly by me with the Character of a Socinian Truly Sir it was not without some contentment to me to see any one interesting himself in clearing the Reputation of that Noble Person the greatest Ornament to our Nâ—tion that the last Age produced and which certainly could never with justice be blasted by any English Pen or Tongue 85. I was I confess extreamly astonished to find my self called to the Bar upon that account and to see that the ground of my Inditement should be a double Narration in my Answer to Doctor Stillingâ—leet hoâ— I presented D'aille his Book du vray usage des Peres to my Lord Falkland â— which he gave to Mr. â—hillingworth and shortly after sent to me being then in Ireland a Letter of Thanks especially in Mr. Chillingworth's behalf because the said Book had saved him a tedious labour of reading most of the Greek and Latine Fathers to whose Doctrines he had engaged himself to conform his belief And further in pursuance of my Narration I added how Mr. Chillingwâ—rth thanks to D'aille being now become a Protestant and having an intention to defend Dr. Potter against his Adversary F. Knâ—tt was induced by occasion of a Socinian's Book which he had met withal to proceed in the Controversie against Cathâ—licks upon far different grounds from those which had been made use of by former learned Protestant Bishops and Doctors For in stead of appealing to Antiquity Councils or Fathers for the sence of Scripture he resolved to appeal to the Scripture alone and this interpreted by each one 's own Reason and Judgment since in all necessary Points it is so plain as he pretends that none can mistake the sence of it or be obliged to submit his Reason to any external Authority interpreting it and Errour in places difficult will easily find pardon 86. This is the sence of the double Narrative on which you ground your Accusation you are willing also to question the truth of the Narration and to make me pass for a wicked person guilty of forgery All I can say hereto is to protest here in the presence of God that I have not willingly failed in any one material circumstance of this short story and since I am sure that it is true it exceeds the bounds of Omnipâ—tence to cause that which
is to oblige even Ecclesiastical persons to perform their Duties yea even Bishops also to govern Christ â—s flock according to the Orders prescribed them and all their Subjects to live in all Christian Piety and Virtue We sincerely acknowledge all this and that in executing this they are God's Substitutes But we dare not acknowledge them to be the Successors of Christ's Apostles We receive Christian Doctrines and the Orthodox sence of Scripture not from Princes but from such Pastors and Teachers only as God has appointed by a Lineal Succession to continue in his Church to the end of the World for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ that we be not children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of men c. These divinely authorized Teachers and Pastors by the assistance of God's Spirit promised to them do preserve the Church one Body consisting of several distinct Members united in the same Catholick and Apostolick Faith and Charity which Faith is unalterable both as to the Foundation and Superstructure We do not understand your State-Religion We never till now heard of such a Position as this That all Churches in case they preserve entire only the Fundamental Articles of the Creed though the Supreme Power respectively in them took liberty to change any other Doctrines were sufficiently Orthodox And I confess when I had read such a Discourse in your Animadversions touching a State-Religion I then exceedingly wondred at the Approbation 107. But Sir does this concern only Roman Catholicks in England Are they the only persons obnoxious to a suspicion of Disloyalty and to all the most horrible punishments threatned in our Laws against Traytors because they dare not profess the State-Religion You seem to be perfectly acquainted with the State of France and you are well satisfied with the Profession of Fidelity made by the Hugonots But have they any reverence for the State-Religion there Do not they freely justifie their own Religion against it even that Religion the Profession whereof they extorted by shedding the blood of many Myriads of their Kings faithful Subjects Yet notwithstanding all this they are now in your opinion very faithful Subjects too and no man thinks of obliging them to the State Religion Doubtless also you know England better than France How many thousand Dissenters are there from the State Religion besides Roman Catholicks yet the terrible Laws are made only against Roman Catholicks From Roman Catholicks only care is taken of exacting Oaths both of Fidelity and Supremacy as being esteemed the only dangerous Subjects in the Kingdom and this for the Treasonable Actions or scarce one score of persons abhorred by all the rest For the discovery and prevention of such personal Treasons Thanksgivings must solemnly every year be paid to God and Devotion at such times is expressed by renewing malice against innocent persons Whereas a delivery of the whole Kingdom and Church from almost an Vniversal Rebellion designing the extinction of Monarchy and Prelacy both yea and executing the Murder of the lawful Sovereign is not esteemed a motive for a publick Engagement to pay thanks to God or to preserve in mens minds a memory of his wonderful Blessing to the Nation neither it seems is there at all a necessity of requiring from any a Retraction of the Principles of Rebellion or a promise that it shall never be renewed Noble Sir I beseech you not to interpret this to be spoken out of a malignant envy against any or a desire that others should share in our sufferings Perhaps there is a necessity considering the Constitution of the present Age that some party should remain for ever in a state of suffering And this being so it is certainly agreeable to Prudence that those should suffer whose Religion teaches them to suffer and who have been so long enured thereto who most certainly will meekly suffer without resisting and who do sincerely profess that according to their perswasion it is absolutely unlawful to defend their Religion persecuted by Sovereign Magistrates by any other way but suffering Notwithstanding it is probable that these Statesmen may find small cause to boast who have thought fit to continue the last Ages policy when for the gaining of a present advantage or preventing an inconsiderable incommodity it was judged expedient to have always in a readiness this mean of giving contentment to the Vulgar by complying with their clamours Christianâ—s ad Leâ—nes For they might have done well to have some apprehensions least those Lions after they had devoured their destined prey might perhaps next with more security and a fiâ—rcer appetite turn upon their Masters 108. It is now at length time to say something to your Principal Proposal in which I am most nearly concern'd which is your wish that English Catholicks ' would give an evidence and security of and for their Fidelity to His Majesty c. that so they may shew themselves as good Subject's as those of France who by occasion of a seditious Book have you say Sir in a Declaration of the Sorbon concerning the King's Independency thus certified their resolution in the year 1663. Quâ—d Subdâ—ri fidem c. That Subâ—ects do so entirely owe Faith and Obedience to their most Christian King that upon no pretext whatsoever they can be dispenced therefrom For this you commend the French But as for English Catholicks they in your judgment do depend on the Pope so entirely that they have a Religion quite different from that which is professed and established in any other Cathâ—lick Country in Europe 109. Honoured Sir it cannot indeed be denied but that English Catholicks I mean Ecclesiasticks have a peculiar dependance on the See of Rome more than Catholicks generally have in other Countries For without in Authority thence derived they cannot come into England to sacrifice their lives for the Spiritual assistance which Charity requires from them to their Brethren here But Sir it such a dependance be a crime to whom 〈◊〉 to be imputed It is câ—rtain they themselves would much rather live under such Orâ—inary Superiours as govern in all Catholick Countries But this will not be allowed them to their great griâ—f It cannot therefore be help'd but they must either râ—nounce Châ—istian Charity and suffer their poor Country-men to starve for want of Spiritual Nourishment or apply themselves to 〈◊〉 who alone as the case now stands can give them a Mission and Authority to die for Faith and Charity 110. But Sir I cannot conceive how such a special dependance as this should move you to think that we are of a Religion quite different from that of other Catholicks abroad For whatsoever Iurisdiction our Priests do exercise it is the very same which in case there were any Catholick Bishops in England would have been conferred by them No other Commission have they no particular engagement to