evangelicam fidem locutus est in tantum ad intelligentiam nostram sermones aptavit in quantum naturae nostrae ferret infirmitas non tamen ut quicquam minus dignum naturae suae majestate loqueretur The Lord hath express'd the Faith of the Gospel in the greatest Simplicity of Words he could and so far accommodated his Speech to our Understanding as the Weakness of our Nature would bear yet so as not to speak any thing unbecoming the Majesty of his Nature 6. He there also confirms the Fulness of Scripture after a most Authentick manner Lib. 8. de Trin. Non est humano aut seculi sensu in Dei rebus loquendum In the things of God we are not to speak according to a humane or worldly sense and meaning And a little after Quae scripta sunt legamus quae legerimus intelligamus tunc perfectae fidei officio fungemur Let us read what is written and understand what we read so shall we discharge the Duty of perfect Faith So likewise lib. 5. p. 46. Non est de Deo humanis Judiciis sentiendum neque in nobis ea natura est ut se in coelestem cognitionem suis viribus efferat à Deo discendum est quid ex Deo intelligendum sit quia non nisi se authore cognoscitur We must not think of God according to humane Judgment for neither is our Nature such to be able to raise it self by its own Strength to Heavenly Knowledg we must learn of God whatsoever is to be understood of him because he is not to be known any further than as he is the Author of our Knowledg And a little after Loquendum ergo non aliter de Deo est quam ut ipse ad intelligentiam nostram de se locutus est Wherefore we are no otherwise to speak of God than as he in Compliance with our Understanding hath spoke to us concerning himself 7. He owns no other Foundation of the Church besides the Confession of the Divinity of our Saviour made by St. Peter instead of referring it to the Person of St. Peter or to the Functions of his Apostleship lib. 2. Vnum igitur hoc est immobile fundamentum una haec est foelix fidei Petra Petri ore confessa Tu es filius Dei vivi This is the only immoveable Foundation this is the only happy Rock of Faith confess'd by the Mouth of Peter Thou art the Son of the living God And so likewise lib. 6. p. 77. Super hanc igitur Confessionis Petram Ecclesiae aedificatio est Wherefore upon the Rock of this Confession the Church is built 9. He overthrows all the Exceptions of the Church of Rome in favour of the Adoration of Angels by maintaining that the Angel who appeared to Abraham was Jesus Christ de Trin. lib. 4. lib. de Synodis contra Arianos 10. He was so little of the Belief that the Faith of the People depends upon that of their Pastors that he asserts and proves in his Book against the Arians or Auxentius that the People may continue Orthodox under Heretical Pastors 11. He overthrows all Worshipping of Creatures which is practised by the Church of Rome by maintaining that if any should worship Jesus Christ believing him to be a Creature he would be accursed Lib. 12. de Trinit 12. He dream'd so little of the Infallibility of the Pope which a great part of the Church of Rome owns as the greatest Article into which the Faith of all Christians must be resolved that he pronounces many Anathema's against Liberius because he had subscribed to an Arian Confession of Faith as may be seen in the Fragments of St. Hilary published by Pithaeus 13. He lays it down for a Maxim that Jesus Christ alone was without Sin in his Discourse upon Psalm 58 and 138. 14. He owns God only to have the Power of forgiving Sins Can. 8. in Matth. so far was he from attributing this Power to Ministers as the Church of Rome doth at this day 15. He formally asserts that the good Works of one Man are of no avail to deliver another from Punishment which overthrows the great Foundation of Satisfactions and Purgatory after the manner that the Church of Rome makes use of them Can. 27. in Matth. The wise Virgins tell the foolish that they cannot give to them of their Oil Quia non sit forte quod omnibus satis sit alienis scilicet operibus meritis neminem adjuvandum quia unicuique lampadi suae emere oleum sit necesse Lest perhaps there might not be enough for them all to intimate that no Body can be helped by the Works and Merits of another because it is necessary for every one to buy Oil for his own Lamp 16. He was so far from believing the Merit of Works as the Church of Rome at present doth that he discourseth thus upon Psal 118. lit Coph In operibus quidem Bonitatis totus perfectus est sed satis esse hoc sibi non putat ad salutem nisi secundum miserationem Dei judicia miserationem consequatur He is indeed wholly perfect in all the Works of Goodness but he doth not think this sufficient for his Salvation except according to the Mercy of God and his Judgments he obtain Mercy And it is the same Notion he gives us speaking of the Parable of the Labourers upon Psal 130. Mercedem non operis sed misericordiae undecimae horae operarii consequuntur 17. We cannot deny but that St. Hilary believed a Purgatory but yet in that Point he differed much from the Church of Rome He owns a Baptism of Fire after this Life but such a Baptism as was to be conferred at the last Day viz. the Day of Judgment Matth. Can. 2. And that which must needs greatly scandalize the Papists is that St. Hilary maintains that all Believers without excepting so much as the Blessed Virgin must endure the Fire which he expresly affirms on Psal 118. 18. If we have a Mind to know whether he allowed the Notion of the Church of Rome which believes that we can perfectly fulfil the Law of God we may easily be resolved by his manner of treating the young Man who boasted himself before Jesus Christ as if he had done it He accuses him of Insolence in several places of his Works for pretending to be justified by his Works De Trinit lib. 9. Can. 19. in Matth. Lib. de Patris Filii unitate 19. He overturns the common Notion of the Church of Rome which is that when Jesus Christ entred in to his Disciples the Doors being shut he had not lost the Solidity of his Body and consequently that there was a Penetration of Dimensions St. Hilary rejects this Notion as absurd accounting this Penetration of Dimensions impossible lib. 3. de Trinit 20. He asserts that the Eucharist is celebrated in breaking of Bread and that the Disciples of Jesus Christ did drink of the
Fruit of the Vine at the Lord's Supper and mentions not so much as one Word of Transubstantiation in a place where he particularly explains the Institution of the Eucharist Can. 30. in Matth. To speak the Truth how could he have any other Thoughts who maintains that Jesus Christ is no longer on the Earth in respect of his Body because it is impossible for a Body to be in more places than one Adest enim cum fideliter invocatur per naturam suam praesens est spiritus enim est omnia penetrans continens non enim secundum nos corporalis est ut cum alicubi adsit absit aliunde sed virtute praesenti se quâcunque est porrigenti cum replente omniae ejus spiritu in omnibus sit tamen ei qui in eum credat adsistit For he is present by his Nature when he is call'd upon with Faith he being a Spirit penetrating and containing all things for he is not like us corporeal so as that when he is in one place he should be absent from another but he is in all places by the Presence of his Power which extendeth it self where-ever he is and his Spirit that filleth all things yet he is in a more peculiar manner with him that believes in him 21. He was so far from approving the Romish Inquisition that he calls the Emperor Constantius Antichrist for persecuting those that were not of his Opinion lib. in Constant August Yea he judg'd all Force to be so contrary to the Spirit of the Christian Religion that he maintains that there can be no Religion where Force is made use of Lastly He was so far from believing that the Antichrist whereof St. John speaks was already come that he maintains that he would be revealed in the Churches that were then possessed by the Arians and that the Faith being thus attack'd the true Believers would be forced to look out for Shelter amongst the Mountains in Woods and Caves leaving the Antichrist Master of the publick Places consecrated to the Worship of God This is the Sum of what may be gathered from the Writings of St. Hilary I make no mention of some Errors of this great Man because Claudianus Mamertus having confuted them about the end of the fifth Century has made it appear that they were only some particular Opinions of this great Confessor and that we cannot look upon them as the common Faith of the Diocess where he was setled But the same cannot be said of the Articles I have noted Claudianus is so far from blaming them that he approves them by his Silence and shews that his Doctrine in this Respect was the Doctrine of the Church of Gaul We have nothing left us of the Works of Rhodanius Bishop of Tholouse who was contemporary with St. Hilary But it appears clear to us that this Holy Confessor having been sent into Banishment with St. Hilary after the Council of Beziers by the Cabal of Saturninus Bishop of Arles Favourer of the Arians we are to consider Rhodanius as a Defender of the same Faith and an illustrious Witness of the Belief of his Diocess And we ought to make the same Judgment of Phaebadius Bishop of Agen who was so much engaged in the same Quarrel and who acquired so great a Name by the vigorous Opposition he made against the Errors of Arius But Providence has preserved us none of his Works In effect this great Man who wrote in the Year 357. as appears by his Book against the Arians gives us sufficiently to understand what his Faith was in divers Articles and what was the Doctrine of the Diocess 1. He maintains that the Catholick Faith is found with those who speak according to the Holy Scripture and not amongst those who only make use of Prejudices After having quoted several places of Scripture to prove against the Arians the Eternity of the Son he concludes in this manner B. Patr. T. 4. p. 174. Volentes igitur à Patre Filium scindere infra Deum ponere de Evangelio praescribunt Those therefore who would rend the Father from the Son and place him below God give Law to the Gospel He expresseth himself yet more strongly to this purpose towards the end of his Book ib. p. 180. Hoc credimus hoc tenemus quia hoc accepimus à Prophetis hoc nobis Evangelia locuta sunt hoc Apostoli tradiderunt hoc Martyres in passione confessi sunt in hoc mentibus fidei etiam haeremus contra quod si Angelus de Coelo annuntiaverit Anathema sit Ergo ut supra diximus praejudicatae opinionis authoritas nihil valebit quia contra semetipsam ipsa consistit This we believe this we hold fast because 't is this we have received from the Prophets this the Gospels have declared to us this the Apostles have left us this the Martyrs in their Sufferings have confessed and to this we adhere with our Minds by Faith so that if an Angel from Heaven should preach contrary to this let him be accursed Wherefore as was said before the Authority of a prejudicate Opinion can be of no force because it stands against it self 2. He makes it appear that the Name of Catholick was not sufficient to be a true Christian when he represents that Arianism had so far seized the Minds of all the World that it was necessary to espouse the Arian Heresy to procure the Name of being Catholicks ib. p. 169. Sed quia aut Haeresis suscipienda est ut Catholici dicamur aut verè Catholici non futuri si Haeresin non repudiamus ad hanc tractatûs conditionem necessitate descendimus But because we are either to become Hereticks that we may be called Catholicks or cease to be Catholicks indeed by becoming Hereticks we are necessitated to write this Treatise 3. He asserts that the Revelation of Holy Scripture is so perfect with respect to the Divinity of our Saviour that Anathemas are to be pronounced against all those that advance any other Doctrine This appears from the great number of Passages which he quotes from thence p. 173 178. to which he joins the Anathema whereof I have already spoke before 4. He observes expresly that the same Honours rendred to Jesus Christ in the Liturgy as to God do demonstrate his Equality with God p. 174. Quod si ita est saith he quotidie blasphemamus in gratiarum actionibus oblationibus sacrificiorum communia haec Patri filio confitentes c. If it be so we blaspheme daily in our Thanksgivings and Offerings of Sacrifice in confessing these things common to Father and Son Thus doth he implicitly overthrow the first Principles of the Church of Rome viz. the Imperfection of the Holy Scripture in Matters of Faith the Authority and Necessity of Traditions which are the compleating of it and other such like Doctrines We should now proceed to examine what the State of these Diocesses was in the following Century
two things very clearly 1 st That at that time they kept the Bread of the Eucharist in a Casket or Coffer so far were they from making it an Object of their Adoration 2 d That the mingling only of the Bread that was consecrated before with the Wine that was not consecrated made them look upon the Wine though not consecrated by the Words of Jesus Christ as the Blood of Jesus Christ which is the most extravagant and sensless Notion in the World if we suppose that these Fathers were season'd with the Doctrine of Transubstantiation which attributes to the Words of Christ only the Virtue of changing the Substance of the Wine into the Substance of the Blood of Christ Allatius takes a great deal of pains to avoid this Argument which shews that the Greek Church that believes the same cannot be of the Faith of the Church of Rome In the mean time the thing is certain and Mabillon has ingenuously acknowledged that this is the true sense of that Canon And indeed there are many Proofs that make it evident that both the Greek and Latin Fathers were of this Opinion Salonius one of the most famous Bishops of Gallia Narbonensis owns no other Doctrine but that of the Old and New-Testament Drink Waters out of thine own Cistern and running Waters out of thine own Well S. By Cistern he means the Catholick Doctrine that is that of the Old and New-Testament and by the Well he understands the Depth and Height of the same Catholick Doctrine that is the various meanings of holy Scripture For in these Words he teacheth us to beware of the Doctrine of Hereticks and to attend to the reading of Holy Scripture He will have the Author 's Meaning and not Tradition to be the Explication of Scripture Do not remove the antient Land-marks or Bounds which thy Fathers have set S. By the antient Bounds he understands the Bounds of Truth and Faith which Catholick Doctors have plac'd from the beginning He would have no Man therefore receive the Truth of Holy Faith and Gospel-Doctrine any otherwise than it hath been handed down to them by the Holy Fathers and likewise commands that no Man interpret the Words of Holy Scripture otherwise than according to the Intention of each Writer He doth not own the Apocrypha How many Books did Solomon publish S. Three only according to the number of their Titles Proverbs Ecclesiastes and Canticles V. What doth Solomon say in the Proverbs or what doth he teach in Ecclesiastes and his Songs He assigns but two Places whither the Soul goes immediately For by the Tree Man is understood because every Man is as it were a Tree in the Wood of Mankind by the South which is a warm Wind is signified the Rest of Paradise and by the North which is cold is signified the Pain of Hell and the meaning of it is Wheresoever Man prepares a Place for his future abode if to the South when he falls that is dies he shall abide to all Eternity in the Rest of Paradise and the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven He makes it the greatest Absurdity that a Man should eat his own Flesh which yet follows from the Doctrine of Transubstantiation But that Expression He eats his own Flesh is spoke by an Hyperbole V. What is an Hyperbole S. When any thing is exprest that is incredible V. How is this exprest hyperbolically he eats his own Flesh S. Because it is incredible that any Man should eat his own Flesh but to aggravate the slothfulness of this Fool he saith that he eats his own Flesh to shew that a Fool rather desires his Flesh should waste by Hunger and be consumed by the Misery of Want than to support it by the labour of his Hands These are all Maxims concerning divers important Articles very different from the present Maxims of the Church of Rome I grant that Prosper who was a Native of Aquitain was no more than a Lay-man but he was in so great a Reputation that there were but few Bishops of his time that have shewn more Knowledg or exprest more Zeal for the defence of Truth than he did This Testimony is given of him by Cassiodorus Photius and Vasquez Wherefore his Testimony concerning the Faith of his Country must be of great weight with us Would we know the Opinion of the Church of this Diocess He tells us of a small part of the Body of Jesus Christ thereby meaning the Eucharist or the Sacrament which was given in little Bits And it is in the same sense that he speaks of a small part of the Sacrifice Expressions that are utterly inconsistent with the Notion of the Church of Rome concerning the carnal Presence And indeed it is plain in all his Writings that he follows the steps of St. Augustin in his Expressions and Judgments of things which are contrary to those of the Church of Rome This we may see in his Extract of the Sentences of St. Augustin where he repeats what that Father had said upon Psalm 33. upon occasion of these Words of the vulgar Version which says that David ferebatur in manibus suis in the presence of Achish Where it clearly appears that he understood those Words as well as St. Augustin did of the Sacrament of his Body which may be called his Body in some sense that is to say by way of Likeness as St. Augustin expresseth himself concerning it I cite nothing here from those other Works which are attributed to him because indeed they are none of his I shall only observe two things The first is that in his Epistle to Demetrius he plainly shews that he knew nothing of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning the Necessity of the Ministers Intention for the Validity of the Sacraments for there he attributes all to the Work of God and not to that of the Minister according to the Doctrine of St. Augustin upon the Question of the Validity of Baptism conferred by Hereticks The other is that as he follows St. Augustin in the Matter of Free Grace as one may see in his Poems gathered from the Opinions of St. Augustin and his Sentences so he rejects the Doctrine of Merit and Works as a pure Pelagian Doctrine in several Places of his Writings Lastly We must join with these Authors Arnobius the Rhetorician since it is very probable that he lived in Gallia Narbonensis because he has dedicated some of his Works to Leontius Bishop of Arles to the Bishop of Narbonne and Faustus Bishop of Riez who died about the year 485. Arnobius explains his Belief in the Matter of the Eucharist after this manner We have received saith he upon the 4 th Psalm Wheat in the Body Wine in the Blood and Oil in Chrisme So likewise on Psal 104. he saith of Jesus Christ that he administers not only the species of Bread but also of Wine and Oil. Thus it is he describes the Eucharist and
therein referred to his Bishoprick Testis est dies bodierna Beati Petri Cathedra Episcopatus exposita in qua fidei merito revelationis mysterium filium Dei confitendo Praelatus Apostolus ordinatur In cujus confessione est fundamentum Ecclesiae nec adversus hanc Petram portae inferi praevalent St. Peter's Episcopal Chair which is shewn to this Day can testify this wherein by reason of his Faith when he confessed that Mystery that was then revealed even the Son of God he was ordained a Bishop In whose Confession is the Foundation of the Church neither shall the Gates of Hell prevail against this Rock 6. We read there that the Gates of Hell do not signify Errors as the Church of Rome will have it but the State of the Dead from whence the Faith which St. Peter hath professed delivers those who imitate him Let us pray saith he that the Souls of the deceased being brought up out of Hell the infernal Gates may not prevail over the Dead because of their Crimes which the Church believes are overcome by the Faith of the Apostle 7. We find there as in the Romish Mass an high Abjuration of the Doctrine of the Merit of Works And though we find the Word Merit often used in it yet we also meet with those necessary Explications of it as are sufficient to hinder any wrong Impression that may be made by a Word of an ambiguous sense 8. I do own that we find in it the Prayer for the Dead but there are a hundred other Passages which speak them to be in Peace in the Peace of God that they are at rest and other Expressions which very plainly import that they had not received the Notion of Purgatory no more than the Authors of the Roman Liturgy had at that time I know there are some Passages in it which seem to suppose the Souls departed to be in a place of Torment but I have two things to say to this Point the one is that those Missals whose Stile comes near to the Belief of the Church of Rome are of a later Date the other is that the ordinary Article pro pausantibus for those who are at rest imports nothing like a place of Torment To these two Considerations we may add That what is ordinarily requested for them is either that they may have a part in the first that is to say a more early Resurrection which is the same with the Opinion of the Millennium or that they may be written in the Book of Life or carried into Abraham's Bosom which shews that the State of Souls after Death was not more certainly determined by those who governed these Churches at this time than by the Members of the Catholick Church any where else We read that there are divers Flocks whereof each Bishop is the Pastor as well St. Cyprian as Cornelius Indeed we find that to every Bishop is given the Title of summus Pontifex and summus Sacerdos Grant unto us Lord who this Day are celebrating the Anniversary of the Decease of thy high Priest and our Father Bishop Martin We see there the manner of administring Baptism with the Unction or anointing called the Chrismation but we do not find that they made two Sacraments of them as the Church of Rome has since done We find there also the Consecration of Wax Tapers but yet without ascribing to them all those Virtues which the Church of Rome attributes to her consecrated Tapers in the Roman Order But I go on to that which is most considerable in this Liturgy Mabillon who hath published it in France according to the Copy printed at Rome pretends that it expresly shews that the Churches which made use of this Liturgy held the Doctrine of the Real Presence If instead of some Passages that he quotes we could find there a precise Order for adoring the Sacrament after Consecration as being become the Body of Jesus Christ which we do not find in any part of it there would indeed be some ground for his Pretension but there is not so much as a Word to this purpose which makes it evident that in these Diocesses they had not received this Doctrine nor the natural Consequences of it any more than in any other part of the Catholick Church for we find that as soon as ever this Opinion was entertained it was immediately followed with supreme Adoration Neither do we find any thing therein of the Sacrifice of the Mass any more than of the Adoration of the Sacrament which is another Consequence of the Real Presence We do not find any Masses there without Communicants St. Caesarius whom I have already cited would have accounted them ridiculous and a mere Profanation Lastly We do not find that the Communion under one kind was there thought to be a Consequent as it hath been in the Church of Rome of the Real Presence And yet one would think that the Fear of prophaning the Blood of Jesus Christ as being very subject to be spilt ought to have obliged them to take the same Precautions as the Church of Rome has since done to prevent such dreadful and yet such common Inconveniencies If Mabillon had well considered these essential Defects which a Papist cannot but naturally meet with in this Gothick Liturgy in all Appearance he would not have been so lavish of his Judgment But without making use of these just Anticipations upon the matter in hand let us consider a little whether the attentive Examination of the Liturgy be not sufficient to clear these Prejudices and oblige him to put another sense upon the Words which he hath wrested to confirm his Assertion The Characters we meet with in this Liturgy are these 1. It makes a great Distinction between that which is taken with the Mouth and that which is received by the Heart Grant O Lord that what we have taken with our Mouths we may receive with our Minds and that the temporal Gift may be to us an eternal Remedy This Observation is decretory for the Transubstantiators own that both Good and Bad receive the Body of Christ Goffridus Vindocinensis expresly asserts it notwithstanding that St. Augustin has rejected it as a great Absurdity 2. It supposeth likewise that Jesus Christ is above the Heavens and that he is no otherwise near to us than by the Communion of our Nature which he hath taken to himself Vt qui te consortem in carnis propinquitate laetantur ad summorum Civium unitatem super quos corpus assumptum evexisti perducantur That they who rejoice to see thee their Brother in the Nearness of thy Flesh may be brought up to the Unity of those highest Citizens above whom thou hast carried up thy assumed Body 3. It supposeth the Sacrament to be only a Commemoration We remember thy Suffering and thy Body broken for the Remission of our Sins Which is a plain Allusion to the Words of St. Paul
your Country in Sheeps Clothing being indeed a ravenous Wolf But according to the Hint given by our Lord we know him by his Fruits The Churches are without People People without Priests Priests without due Reverence and lastly Christians without Christ The Churches of Christ are looked upon as Synagogues the Sanctuary of God is denied to be holy Sacraments are no longer esteemed sacred holy Feasts are deprived of festival Solemnities Men die in their Sins Souls are frequently snatch'd away to appear before the terrible Tribunal who are neither reconciled by Repentance nor armed with the sacred Communion The Life of Christ is denied to Christian Infants by refusing them the Grace of Baptism nor are they suffered to draw near unto Salvation though our Saviour tenderly cries on their Behalf Suffer little Children to come unto me This Man is not of God who acts and speaks things so contrary to God and yet alas he is listned to by many and has a People that believe him O most unhappy People at the Voice of an Heretick all the Voices of the Prophets and Apostles are silenced who from one Spirit of Truth have declared that the Church is to be called by the Faith of Christ out of all the Nations of the World So that the Divine Oracles have deceived us the Eyes and Souls of all Men are deluded who see the same thing fulfilled which they read before to have been foretold which Truth though it be most manifest to all he alone by an astonishing and altogether Judaical Blindness either sees not or else is sorry to see it fulfilled and at the same time by I know not what Diabolical Art perswades the foolish and senseless People not to believe their own Eyes in a thing that is so manifest and that those that went before have deceived those that come after have been deceived that the whole World even after the shedding of Christ's Blood shall be lost and that all the Riches of the Mercies of God and the Grace of the Universe are devoted upon those alone whom he deceives Pope Eugenius finding things in this Posture names Albericus Bishop of Ostia for his Legat to the People of Tholouse and to the Count of St. Gilles Baronius in his Annals gives us an Account of this Henry the Disciple of Peter de Bruys and his Death in the Year 1147 which seems to be very exact because St. Bernard writ to the Count of St. Gilles to exhort him to drive Henry out of his Country where he preached his Doctrine very freely But the Earl died in the Holy Land having been poisoned there as it was said by the Queen Wherefore in the Year 1147 Henry suffered Martyrdom at the Sollicitation of St. Bernard Abbot of Clairvaux by the Cruelty of Albericus Bishop of Ostia Cardinal and Legate of Pope Eugenius II at Tholouse where he caused him to be burnt after they had brought him thither loaden with Irons Baronius sets down with great Care whatever he thought might blemish the Reputation of the Martyr He relates all that St. Bernard wrote against him to Aldephonsus Earl of St. Gilles He quotes St. Bernard who calls Henry an Apostate Monk and accuseth him of having made use of the great Talents he had in Preaching as a means to get Money to spend at Gaming and upon his Lusts He says that Henry was a Man defiled with Adulteries who for his frequent Crimes durst not appear in several Parts of France and Germany and who by Consequence was not to be indured in the Territories of the Count of St. Gilles but yet he doth not lay any thing of Manicheism to his Charge no more than Peter de Clugny and St. Bernard Nay Baronius does more for he formally distinguisheth him from those Hereticks whom St. Bernard opposed under the Name of Apostolicks in his 66 th Homily upon the Canticles How then could the Bishop of Meaux make a Manichee of him Perhaps the loose Life whereof St. Bernard accuseth him may be a Character of it But not to undervalue the Vanity of this loose Accusation without any Proof and proceeding from a sworn and cruel Enemy which was quite overthrown by the couragious Martyrdom of Henry At this rate the Clergy of the Church of Rome who were so generally guilty of Sodomy that St. Peter Damian writ a Book intituled Gomorrhaeus must have been Manichees and upon the same Ground Johannes Cremensis a Cardinal the Pope's Legate in England for abolishing the Marriage of the Priests must likewise have been a Manichee for the English Historians say that this Holy Cardinal having assembled a Synod at Westminster wherein he represented to the Priests that it was the worst of Crimes to rise from a Whore to consecrate the Body of Jesus Christ was himself surprized in Bed with a common Whore the same Day that he had said Mass Upon this Account also the Legats of Anacletus the Competitor of Eugenius II must have been Manichees for they are taxed with carrying Women along with them in Mens Habits probably to avoid the Inconvenience that Johannes Cremensis fell into in England for want of taking this Care before-hand They charge Henry with the same Heresies which they attributed to Peter de Bruys so that what I have already said concerning the Heresies of the Petrobusians I need not repeat here Baronius adds I confess that Henry had superadded to these Heresies this Proposition Additis irrideri Deum Canticis Ecclesiasticis That the Singing in Churches was but a mocking of God And accordingly Peter de Clugny refutes this pretended Heresy with a great deal of Earnestness But if I may speak my Opinion in this matter neither did this Proposition contain any great Crime For 1 st Singing in general was owned by Isidore as an Innovation It was about 70 Years before that the Popes had abolished the ancient Liturgies to substitute the Roman Liturgy The Gothick Liturgy which was used in the Diocess of Languedock and other neighbouring Diocesses which at that time depended on the Kings of Spain had been suppressed because it was not over-favourable to the Opinions of the Church of Rome 2 dly They had at the same time introduced a sort of riming Verses which they call Proses so ridiculous so foolish and so full of Novelties both as to the Worship of Saints and as to the fabulous Stories they contained that it was very difficult for those who looked for Wisdom in their Prayers not to take them for Profanations The Hymn composed by King Robert in Honour of Queen Constantia may give us an hint what sort of things they were O Constantia Martyrum c. And now let any one judg whether Henry was a Manichee because he condemned this sort of Profanations This also is what hath been owned by Mezeray in his Chronological Abridgment of the History of France printed at Amsterdam in 1673 where upon the Year 1163 he saith That there were two sorts of Hereticks
though they be carnally joined and that every one must repent with his Mouth and Heart and be baptized in the Church by a Priest and that if they could show them more from the Gospels and Epistles they would believe and own it The said Bishop told them also That if they should swear they would be obliged to keep the Faith and if there were any thing else that they ought to confess it because before they had maintain'd wicked Opinions and had spoken ill They answered That they could not swear at all because in so doing they should sin against the Gospel and the Epistles Whereupon they produced against them Authorities out of the New Testament and after they had been cited and heard on both sides one of the Bishops standing up past his Judgment in this manner I Gozelin Bishop of Lodeve by permission and command of the Bishop of Alby and his Assessors do judg and declare openly That these Hereticks are in a wrong Opinion concerning the matter of Oaths they must swear if so be they desire to be received for in Matters of Faith Men ought to swear and forasmuch as they are infamous and stain'd with Heresy they must clear their Innocence and returning to the Unity of the Church they must confirm their Faith by an Oath as the Catholick Church holds and believes that so the weak ones that are in the Church be not corrupted and that the infected Sheep may not spoil the whole Flock Neither is this contrary to the Gospel or to the Epistles of St. Paul for though it be said in the Gospel Let your Communication be yea yea nay nay and thou shalt not swear neither by the Heaven nor by the Earth c. yet it is not forbidden to swear by God but only by the Creatures for the Heathens worshipped the Creature and if it were permitted to swear by Creatures we should give to the Creatures the Respect and Honour which is due to God alone and thus Idols and Creatures would be ador'd as God After several Arguments to prove the Lawfulness of Swearing he added Or it may be those Expressions in the Gospel and the Epistle of St. James are only by way of Advice and not by way of Precept because if Men did not swear they would not be forsworn and whatsoever is more than these cometh of Evil that is of Sin or of the Devil who persuades Men to swear by Creatures Finding therefore that they were convicted in this Point also they said that the Bishop of Alby had agreed with them that he would not force them to swear which the Bishop of Alby denied and standing up said I confirm the Sentence which Gozelin Bishop of Lodeve hath pronounced which was given by my Order and I give notice to the Militia of Lombez not to protect them This was sign'd by the nine Bishops Clerks Abbots and Laymen with this Conclusion We approve this Sentence and we know they are Hereticks and we reject their Opinion This is the Substance of what past at the Conference of Alby according to the Relation of Roger Hoveden One sees that he represents to us these three Things 1 st The Accusations laid to the charge of the Albigenses they are accused of several Articles which are pure Manicheism 2 dly The Arguments they brought to convict them 3 dly The Confession of Faith of the Albigenses in opposition to their Accusations As for their Accusations we are to observe that they are only Consequences of their being look'd upon as Hereticks such as they pretended had been long since condemned in the Councils held against the Manichees and accordingly they make a Recapitulation of the Errors either defended by the Cathari or commonly attributed to them and with these they charge the Albigenses without further Ceremony They produce indeed some Witnesses who accuse them and maintain That they have heard some of them maintain Manichean Propositions But the manner of their justifying themselves confounds this Accusation and these Witnesses 1. They declare That the Silence they kept was like that of Jesus Christ who sometimes held his Peace without answering the Questions of the Pharisees 2. They call'd the Persons appointed to confront them false Witnesses and Impostors in as handsom a Manner as could be shown to Persons of their Quality who appeared against them 3. They propound their Confession of Faith in Terms wholly Orthodox addressing themselves to the People who had been Witnesses of these horrid Accusations Probably some will say Here is a Company of Men actually accus'd of abominable Heresies and here are Persons produc'd to prove it really upon them To this I have three things to answer 1. That we have this Conference from the hand of their Enemies only 2. That what is insisted on concerning the Authority of their Witnesses is overthrown by a very natural Reflection which is That the Integrity of the Waldenses was so well known and their Adversaries so much noted for their Inclinations to Calumny that the Princes and all the People favoured them This is observed by Puylaurens in his Chronicle and it is taken notice of by Ribera in his Antiquities of Tholouse and yet their Enemies have still gone on to accuse them of Manicheism CHAP. XVI The Albigenses justified by a Conference whereof we have an Account written by Bernard of Foncaud WHat I have here represented in general might be sufficient to clear the Albigenses from the charge of Manicheism which the Bishop of Meaux after so many Ages hath improv'd against them but that we have something more to say This Bishop who makes the Waldenses only Schismaticks from the Church of Rome though he looks upon them as another sort of Schismaticks than the Donatists hath pretended to prove this business infallibly by the Conference whereof Bernard Abbot of Foncaud hath given us the Relation and which was held in Presence of Bernard Archbishop of Narbon He observes therefore that it appears from the said Conference that those against whom the Dispute was maintain'd differ'd from the Church of Rome only in the following Articles The Dispute saith he chiefly concern'd the Obedience that is due to Pastors which we find that the Waldenses denied and that notwithstanding all Prohibitions to the contrary they believ'd they had power to preach both Men and Women and since this their Disobedience could not be grounded but upon the Unworthiness of the Pastors the Catholicks in proving Obedience to be due unto them prove it to be due even to those that are wicked and that whatsoever the Channels be Believers do not fail of receiving Grace through them For the same reason they shew that this speaking against of their Pastors whence the pretence of disobeying them was taken is forbidden by the Law of God Afterwards they confute the Liberty that Lay-men took to themselves of Preaching without leave of their Pastors and indeed in opposition to their Prohibitions and they shew that this seditious kind of
and Pharisais not profyting the Christen People but disseyvyng them Item I have hold affermed taught and beleved that in the Sacramente of the Auter is not the very Body of Criste Farthermore shewing and seying that Pristis may bie xxx suche Goddis for one Peny and will not selle one of them but for two Penys Item I have misbeleved and to dyvers manyfestly shewed that Ymages of Seynts be not to be worshipped aftir the Doctrine of a Boke of Commandments which I have had in my keping wherein is wreten that no Man shall worship eny thing made or graven with mannys Hand attending the Words of the same litterally and not inclynyng to the sense of the same Item I have spoken and diverse tymes shewed that Pristis be the Enemies of Christe Item I have belevyd said and taught that St. Petir was never Priste but a little before his Deth Ferthermore shewing that Simeon Magos geve hym his Tonsure of Prysthode and in Spyte of hym Goddis Vicar contempnyng hys Power called hym a Panyer Maker Fyrst That I Herry Benett have hold and kepte this Opinion that Pilgremaggis be not to be made moeved for this Cause for only God is to be warsshyped and so not themmagis of Sayntis insomoch that I wold never goo a Pilgremage but onys and I have oftyn tymes reproved such as wold spend their Money in Pilgremage doyng seing thei myght better spend hit at home Item I have not belevyd stedfastly in the Sacrament of Thauter seying of hit this wise that if there were thre Hostys in one Pikkis one of theim consecrate and the odir not consecrate a Mowse woll as well ete that Hoste consecrate as the odir twayn unconsecrate the which he myght not if there were the very Body of Criste for if there were the Fadir Son and Holy Goste he myght not ete theym Fyrste That I William Brigger have erred and mysbeleved in the Sacramente of the Auter seyng and holdyng that there shuld not be the very Body of Criste so taught and enformed in this same grete Errour and Heresie by one Richard Sawyer late of Newbery Item I have spoke and hold ayenste the Sacramente of Pennance seing in this wise If I have take a Manis Goode or stole his Cowe and be sory in Harte I may as well be saved as though I were shreven thereof for it is inowe to be shryve to God Item I have held and seyde ayenste the Doctrine of Prystys affermyng of them that all Prystes techeth a false and a blynd way to bryng us all in to the Myer Ferthermore addyng herto and seyng howe may it be that blynde William Harper may lede anodir blynde Man to Newbery but both fall yn to the Dyche so dothe all thes Pristis to bryng us alle to Dampnacion Fyrste That I Richard Hignel have hold and mysbeleved of long tyme in the Sacramente of the Auter seyng that Christe offer'd to Simeon is the very Sacramente of Thauter so meanyng and belevyng in myn Opinion that the Sacramente in form of Brede shuld not be very Godde but only Criste hymselffe in Hevyn is the Sacramente and none odir and so I have mysbelevyd and continewed in this Errour and Heresie unto this tyme of Examnacion Item I have be adherente and associat with Hereticks abjured by whos Doctrine I have erred as I have afore spoken Fyrste That I William Priour have said and hold ayenst the Auctorite and Power of Pristis callyng theim Scribis Pharisies and thenmyes of Criste not teching but disseyving the Cristen People Item I have belevyd and divers tymes shewid that Ymagis of Seynts be not to be wurshyped nether Oblacions to be made unto theim seyng and holding no such thing to be wurshipped that is graven or made with manys Hande I Richard Goddard in long tyme here before have had grete dought howe God myght be in forme of Brede in Thauter amoste syn the Yeres of Discrecion and nowe in fewe Yeres thought and utterly beleved that inasmoch as God is in Hevyn he shuld not be in the Sacramente of Thauter and so in this Errour have continewed unto the tyme of this my present Abjuracion Thes Articules and every of them afore rehersed and to us Austyn Stere Herry Benet William Brigger Richard Hignell William Priour and Richard Goddard and to every of us severelly by you judicially objected we and every of us singulerly openly knowlege our selffe and confesse of our fre Wille to have hold lerned and belevyd and so have taught and affermyd to odir which Articules and every of theim as us concerneth severelly we and every of us understand and beleve Heresies and contrary to the commen Doctrine and Determination of the universalle Church of Criste and confesse us and every of us here to have be Heretikes Lerners and Techers of Heresies Errours Opinions and false Doctrines contrarie to the Cristen Feith And forasmoch as it is so that the Lawes of the Churche of Criste and Holy Canons of Saynts be grounded in Mercy and God wol not the Deth of a Synner but that he be converted and seve And also the Church closeth not her Lappe to him that woll retorne We therefor and every of us willing to be Partiners of this forseid Mercy forsake and renounce all thes Articules afore rehersed as us concerneth particularly and confesse theim to be Heresies Errours and prohibite Doctrine And nowe contrite and fully repentyng theim all and every of theim judicially and solemply theim forsake abjuxe and wilfully renownce for evermor and not only theim but all odir Heresies Errours and dampnable Doctrines contrary to the Determination of the universall Church of Criste Also that we and every of us shall never herafter be to eny such Persons or Persons Favorers Counselers Mainteners or of eny such prively or openly but if we or eny of us knowe eny such herafter we and every of us shall denownce and disclose theim to you Reverend Fadir in God your Successors or Officers of the same or els to such Persons of the Church as hath Jurisdiction on the Persons so fawty so help us God and all Holy Evangelis submyttyng us and every of us openly not coacte but of our fre Wille to the Payn Rigour and Sharpness of the Lawe that a Man relapsed owght to suffre in suche case if we or eny of us ever do or hold contrarie to this our presente Abjuracion in parte or the hole therof In witnesse whereof we all and every of us severally subscribe with our Hands makyng a Cross and requir all Cristen Men in generall her presente to record and witnes ayenst us and every of us and this our presente Confession and Abjuracion if we or eny of us from this Day forwards offende or do contrarie to the same and ye Masters her presente ....................... Lecta facta fuit ista Abjuracio coram Reverendo in Christo Patre Domino Thoma permissione divina Sarum Episcopo in Ecclesia parochiali Sancti
Power into Spain to examine those that were Hereticks and being found such to take away their Lives and Estates Neither was it to be doubted but that this Storm would have reach'd the greatest part of Believers because of the small Distinction made between them and the other for then they judged Persons only by the Eye esteeming them Hereticks from their pale Looks or Habit rather than by their Faith He afterwards shews the Horror that St. Martin had conceived against these kind of Proceedings There was nothing he was more concerned about Illa praecipua cura ne Tribuni cum jure gladiorum ad Hispanias mitterentur Than to prevent the Tribunes being sent into Spain with the Power of the Sword He renounced Communion with these sanguinary Bishops but not long after to avoid a greater Mischief he was obliged to give up that Point though he still refused to subscribe to the Condemnation of the Priscillianists Hujus diei communionem Martinus iniit satius aestimans ad horam cedere quam his non consulere quorum cervicibus gladius imminebat veruntamen summâ vi Episcopis nitentibus ut communionem illam subscriptione firmaret extorqueri non potuit Martin communicated with them at that time thinking it better for a while to give way to them than not to provide for their Safety who had the Sword hanging over them But yet though the Bishops used their utmost Endeavours to make him ratify his communicating with them by his Subscription they could never bring him to it If we consult Vincentius Lirinensis and Cassian they will afford us much Light as to the State of these Diocesses Vincentius a Priest of the Monastery of Lerins is one of those who can best inform us what was esteemed Orthodox in these Churches Indeed we find all the peculiar Doctrines of the Church of Rome are condemned in the Maxims that he solidly asserts in the 28 th Chapter of his Commonitorium where he maintains that the Church may every day make a further Progress in the Knowledg of Truth and all this without making any Innovation Crescat igitur oportet multum vehementerque proficiat tam singulorum quam omnium tam unius hominis quam totius Ecclesiae aetatum ac saeculorum gradibus intelligentia scientia sapientia sed in suo duntaxat genere in eodem se dogmate eodem sensu eademque sententia The Understanding Knowledg and Wisdom as well of every singular Person as of the whole Church ought to grow and greatly increase according to the several Degrees of Times and Ages but every one in his own way that is to say in the same Doctrine in the same Sense and the same Judgment 2. He in the same place exclaims against all new Doctrines and new Names and yet owns that the Church acquires daily more Light in matters of Religion Sed ita tamen ut vere profectus sit ille fidei non permutatio But yet so that this is really an Advancement not a Change of Faith 3. He reduces all that we ought to believe to the Rule of Faith and declares what is the true use and the true Authority of the Doctors of the Church Quae tamen antiqua sanctorum Patrum consensio non in omnibus divinae legis quaestiunculis sed solum certè praecipuè in fidei regula magno nobis studio investiganda est sequenda Quibus tamen Patribus hâc lege credendum est ut quicquid vel omnes vel plures uno eodemque sensu manifestè frequenter perseveranter velut quodam consentiente sibi magistrorum consilio accipiendo tenendo tradendo firmaverint id pro indubitato certo ratoque habeatur But yet this primitive Consent of the Holy Fathers is not to be inquired after and followed as to the lesser Questions of Divine Law alike but especially if not only in the Rule of Faith Which Fathers we may give full Credit to on this Condition that whatsoever all or the most of them do in the same sense manifestly frequently and constantly maintain as in a Council of Masters agreeing together by their receiving holding and delivering the same that ought to be esteemed unquestionable certain and firm 4. He lays down a Method how we may dispute with the Church of Rome about the Errors she has drawn from Antiquity by reducing the whole Dispute to the Scripture Atque ideo quascunque illas antiquiores vel Schismatum vel Haereseωn profanitates nullo modo nos oportet nisi aut sola si opus est Scripturarum authoritate convincere aut certe jam antiquitus universalibus Sacerdotum Catholicorum Conciliis convictas damnatasque vitare Wherefore we are no other way to convict all ancient Errors of Schism or Heresy but either if need be by the sole Authority of Scripture or else to avoid them as already condemned by the universal Councils of Catholick Priests 5. He excellently explains the Use of Tradition without derogating any thing from the Sufficiency of Scripture Diximus in superioribus hanc fuisse semper esse hodieque Catholicorum consuetudinem ut fidem veram duobus istis mediis adprobent primum Divini Canonis authoritate deinde Ecclesiae traditione non quia Canon solus non sibi ad universa sufficiat sed quia verba Divina pro suo plerique arbitratis interpretantes varias opiniones erroresque concipiant atque ideo necesse sit ut ad unam Ecclesiastici sensus regulam scripturae coelestis intelligentia dirigatur in iis duntaxat praecipuè quaestionibus quibus totius Catholici dogmatis fundamenta nituntur We have said before that this hath been and still is the Custom of Catholicks to prove the true Faith two ways 1 st by the Authority of the Divine Canon And 2 dly by the Churches Tradition not as if the Canon were not of it self sufficient but because most Men interpret Scripture according to their own private Fancy which has given occasion to various Opinions and Errors Wherefore it is needful that the Understanding of Holy Scripture be regulated by one single Determination of the Church and particularly in those Questions on which the Foundations of all Catholick Doctrine rest Lastly He desires that universal Consent may be taken only from such a Tradition as he authorizeth Item diximus in ipsa rursus Ecclesia universitatis pariter ac antiquitatis consensionem spectari oportere ne aut ab unitatis integritate in partem schismatis abrumpamur aut à vetustatis religione in Haereseωn novitates praecipitemur We have said also that in the Church we are to have an Eye to the Consent of Universality and Antiquity that wee be not rent from the entire Union into a Schism or be cast headlong from the Religion of the Ancients into the Novelties of Heresy There needs little more than these Maxims to secure a Church where they are taught from those Corruptions into which the Church of
Peter Waldo and that consequently they are to be look'd upon as a Colony of the Vaudois It is necessary that we prove both these Articles with the greatest clearness that may be as well on the one hand to make it appear that the Bishop of Meaux hath no ground to suppose that these Diocesses were peaceably united to the Church of Rome and in dependence upon it before the Albigenses appeared amongst them and on the other hand to disabuse some of our own People who too lightly have believed because the Albigenses are esteemed by some to be the same with the Vaudois that they borrowed their Light from Peter Waldo The first Article can be very solidly proved by an Argument which seems beyond all Exception I observe therefore that Radulphus Abbot of Tron about the year 1125 would not return from Italy through the Southern Parts of France Audiebat pollutam esse inveterata Haeresi de Corpore Sanguine Domini Because he heard they were polluted with an inveterate Heresy concerning the Body and Blood of our Lord. We see clearly that the Heresy that reigned in these Diocesses was that of Berengarius who had bestowed the Title of Mystical Babylon upon the Church of Rome and not that of the Manichees This Passage of Radulphus of Tron agrees perfectly with what Petrus Cluniacensis and Baronius after him tell us that Peter de Bruis had preached in the Diocess of Arles about the beginning of the 12 th Century Now it is ridiculous to suppose that one can declare a Country to be infected with an inveterate Heresy except there be great numbers of Men who publickly profess it True it is that they bestow the Name of Petrobusians upon the Disciples of Peter de Bruis as if he had been the Author of that Sect but this doth not overthrow what we have said and only shows that the Papists are usually ready to bestow upon the Disciples the Name of their Masters thereby to reflect upon them as Innovators Thus they called the Followers of Berengarius Berengarians as if he had been an Innovator who indeed took upon him the Defence of the old Notions against the Innovations of Paschasius Radbertus In like manner they called those Henricians who followed the Doctrine of Henry who yet followed and preached the Doctrine of Peter de Bruis and Berengarius so that it doth not follow from thence that Henry was the first that ever preached that Doctrine Thus afterwards they gave the Name of Esperonites to the Disciples of Esperonus as if he had been the first Author of that Sect. And is not this very conformable to that antient Method whereby Lindanus Bishop of Ruremonde made as many Heads of the Reformation as there were Men of note that had a hand in that great Work A different Method or the least Article wherein they did not agree with their Brethren serving him for a sufficient Pretence to make them so many different Heads of distinct Parties The Proofs I am about to produce in Confirmation of the second Article do no less show the Truth of what I have laid down that these Diocesses had a long time since a great number of People and Pastors who were of different Opinions from those of the Church of Rome I do acknowledg that towards the end of the 12 th Century there may have been some of the Disciples of Peter Waldo in these Diocesses of Aquitain and Narbon which has occasion'd that several Popish Writers have almost persuaded some Protestants that the Waldenses were the Authors of the Reformation amongst the Albigenses Perrin takes it for granted in the beginning of his History which he was the more easily persuaded to believe since he had observed that the Albigenses have maintained the same Faith with the Waldenses But it is not true that the Waldenses ever carried their Faith into these Countries but they found it there already established and they join'd themselves to those who defended the same before ever any of Waldo's Disciples came thither to seek refuge for themselves This is a Matter of Fact which it is easy to prove beyond controversy for seeing that St. Bernard was in that Country in the year 1147 to preach there and that he made but small progress in it so firmly were they grounded in their Faith we must necessarily infer from hence that they had for a long time been engaged in the same And indeed it appears from the manner of St. Bernard's expressing himself in his Sermons and in his Epistle to the Count of St. Gilles that these Opinions so opposite to those of the Church of Rome had of a long time been entertained in these Countries We have the 4 th Canon of the Council of Tours in the year 1163 which declares the Antiquity of this pretended Heresy in Gascoin and the Country about Tholouse and speaks of their Meetings which the Title of the Canon justly refers to the Albigenses in these Words In the Country about Tholouse there sprung up long ago a damnable Heresy which by little and little like a Cancer spreading it self to the neighbouring Places in Gascoin hath already infected many other Provinces which whilst like a Serpent it hid it self in its own Windings and Twinings crept on more secretly and threatned more Danger to the Simple and Unwary Wherefore we do command all Bishops and Priests dwelling in these Parts to keep a watchful Eye upon these Hereticks and under the pain of Excommunication to forbid all Persons as soon as these Hereticks are discover'd from presuming to afford them any Abode in their Country or to lend them any Assistance or to entertain any Commerce with them in Buying or Selling that so at least by the loss of the Advantages of human Society they may be compell'd to repent of the Error of their Life And if any Prince making himself Partaker of their Iniquity shall endeavour to oppose these Decrees let him be struck with the same Anathema And if they shall be seized by any Catholick Princes and cast into Prison let them be punish'd by Confiscation of all their Goods and because they frequently come together from divers Parts into one hiding-place and because they have no other ground for their dwelling together save only their Agreement and Consent in Error therefore we will that such their Conventicles be both diligently search'd after and when they are found that they be examined according to Canonical Severity This Canon expresly declares 1 st That this pretended Heresy had appeared a long time before 2 dly That it had infected several Provinces of these Diocesses 3 dly That most severe Methods were made use of to reduce them This appears by the Council of Lateran in the year 1179 in the last Chapter And it is plain also from the Letters of the Archbishop of Narbon to King Lewis VII My Lord the King we are extreamly pressed with many Calamities amongst which there is one that most
Nature from superfluous corporal Food 7. Concerning Monks and their Vows he speaks thus Friars studien to be rich they rob Men by begging Touch a great Cup of Gold or Silver but not a Penny or Farthing They magnify more Obedience to sinful Men than to Christ 8. He approved the Marriage of Priests 9. He disapproved the Practice of the Church of Rome in the Matter of Divorces To make Divorce common innumerable Subterfuges are invented 10. He blamed the Custom of the Church of Rome in granting Dispensations for marrying in case of Propinquity of Blood Such Dispensations as these bring Confusion into the Church 11. He condemned all Equivocation which so many Casuists of the Church of Rome pretend to justify 12. He maintains that the King ought not to be subject to any foreign Jurisdiction For otherwise saith he Kings would not be able fully to keep the Peace in their own Kingdoms 13. He blamed the too frequent Use of Excommunication 14. He maintained That a true Christian ought not to believe implicitly but with an explicit Faith that expresses the Particulars more or less according as they are more or less obliged by God and his Gifts and the Opportunity of time 15. He had no great Veneration for the Doctrine of Purgatory when he saith Whatsoever is said of Purgatory is only spoke threatningly as so many pious Lies Thus we see what was Wicklef's Faith and what his Judgment was concerning the Superstitions and Corruptions of the Church of Rome from whence we may gather that he came very near to the Belief of the Protestant Churches It was no difficult matter therefore for Dr. James to justify him against the horrid Calumnies of Walden by consulting his manuscript Works which are to be found in several Libraries in England 1. They objected against him that he taught that if a Priest or a Bishop ordains or consecrates the Sacrament of the Altar or administers Baptism whilst he is in mortal Sin it can do him no Service But the Falshood of this Objection appears from Wicklef's own Words which assure us of the contrary Except a Christian saith he be united to Christ by Grace he hath not Christ the Saviour nor without Falshood can he pronounce the Sacramental Words Tho they may do good to those who are capable of them for it behoves the Priest that consecrates to be a Member of Christ and as some holy Men express it to be in some sort Christ himself They objected against him that he had asserted that it was not lawful for any Ecclesiastical Person to have any temporal Râ—venue But nothing is more false for Wicklef only saith that the Goods of the Clergy are temporal Things what way soever they come by them and that the Possession of them is to be regulated by the Laws as well as the Estates of Laymen The Goods of spiritual Men saith he be temporal in what manner soever they come to them and must be ordered after the temporal Law as the Goods of temporal Men must be They said that it was his Opinion that no Prelate ought to excommunicate any Person whatsoever unless he knew that God himself had excommunicated him But Wicklef only speaks of those rash and precipitate Excommunications which never fail to produce bad Effects and which are only discharged from carnal Respects They like the High-Priests Scribes and Pharisees do not only eat the Flesh but the very Bones too they do not water what is dry with the Word of God but endeavour to cut and break what is fat and full of Marrow He saith also that Excommunications are the Fruit of Pride to terrify poor Laymen They accus'd him of teaching that a Man could not be either a Bishop or Priest as long as he continued in Mortal Sin But no such thing can be inferr'd from Wicklef's Words for he still aiming at the Reformation of the Clergy which was very corrupt in his time did not carry it too far when he said That it is not the Name that makes a Bishop but the Life Whosoever has only the Name of a Priest or Bishop and does not endeavour to add to that Name the reason of it he is in truth neither Bishop nor Priest They affirm'd that he had taught that Soveraigns might deprive the Clergy of their Possessions if they thought good as often as they committed any Fault But Wicklef never pretended that the Clergy ought to be deprived of the Goods they possessed for slight Faults True it is he did not think the Government was obliged to maintain so many useless Monks but as to the Bishops and Priests he never taught that they ought to be deprived of their Benefices except they made themselves unworthy of them by a perfectly scandalous Life He taught say they that Tithes were only Alms and that the Parishioners might keep them back and put them to what other Uses they pleased I own that Wicklef often said that Tithes were nothing else but meer Alms but it is false that ever he asserted that the Parishioners might keep them back on the contrary he saith It belongs to Parishioners for the good of their Souls to minister Tithes and Oblations to whom they are due The Priests of Christ ought to withdraw the Word of God from those who are not rightly dispos'd for it that is if the People should be so obstinate and disobedient to Holy-Mother the Church as either to forbid or not to minister the Necessaries of Life to him who preaches the Gospel to them They object against him that he despised temporal Things too much for the Love which he had for those that are eternal and that he join'd himself to the Mendicant-Friars approving their Poverty and commending their Perfection A strange Crime indeed It is a surprizing Thing to see them accuse Wicklef upon this account but it is no less astonishing to hear them assert that he had great inclination for the Begging-Friars to be convinc'd of the Falsity whereof we need only read the complaint he made to the Parliament and his Treatise against the Order of Begging-Friars He held say they that Church-men ought to beg Whereas on the contrary he maintained that God had condemned Beggary in the Old and New Testament See the fifth Chapter of his Book against the Order of Friars Mendic They accuse him for condemning lawful Oaths But this is for want of having read his Works for it appears by his Latin Exposition of the third Commandment and by his Book of the Truth of Scripture that he condemns all manner of Equivocations and ambiguous Expressions whether with Oaths or without He will not have any one to lie for a World or to save an infinite number of Souls and much less to swear falsly He taught say they that all Things come to pass by an absolute Necessity We may easily see what Wicklef believ'd concerning