was afterwards improved into that which all Bishops c. take at their Consecration § IX 1. The fourth Council of Lateran under Innocent the Third An. MCCXV is reckoned the twelfth General Council in order by Bellarmin Possevin c. Cardinal Pole with his Synod at Lambeth owns it for General they frequently mention it and never but under the Title of General though they do not put it in the same rank among the General Councils they profess however to receive and embrace the Faith of the Church of Rome according to the Decrees of the General Council of Lateran under Innocent the Third v Decret 2. The Council of Constance * Session 39. requires all Popes to make profession of the Faith established in the VIII Sacred General Councils whereof this is set down for one and the Council of Trent x Session 24. cap. 5. it self calls this a General Council The Great General Council of Lateran y Session 14. cap. 5. and makes use of its authority again z Session 21. cap. 9. and which is yet more to the purpose a Council of English Bishops held at Oxford a Conc. Tom. 11. Part. 1. A. MCCXXII cap. 24 28 29 33. not above seven years after acknowledge the Authority of this Council of Lateran and several times quote its Decrees In short as this is placed by Bellarmin among those Councils which are received with full approbation beyond all dispute by the Church of Rome so he looks upon it as no less than Heresie to deny the Authority of it and therefore when he has produced the third Canon of this Council in defence of the Deposing Doctrine against Barclay he cries out with great zeal and vehemence Quid hic Barclaius diceret si haec non est Ecclesiae Catholicae vox ubi obsecro eam inveniemus si est ut verissimè est qui eam audire contemnit ut Barclaius fecit annon ut Ethnicus Publicanus nullo mode Christianus pius habendus erit What can Barclay say to this if this be not the voice of the Catholick Church where I pray shall we find it and if it is as questionless it is he that despises to hear it as Barclay has done is he not to be look'd upon as an Heathen-man and a Publican and by no means a Christian or a pious Man This Widrington b Discussio Discuss Part. 1. § 2. p. 28. complains of as intolerably insulting others may rather think he speaks as a Cardinal when he was managing the Popes cause so victoriously from so infallible evidence For such is the authority and esteem in the Church of Rome of this Council that it is usually called The Great Council of Lateran either from the great number of Bishops in it or from the great importance of the matters decided or both The number of Bishops was no less than CCCCXII or in Bellarmin's reckoning CCCCLXXIII and among these were the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem and the Delegates of the other two Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch LXXVII Primates and Metropolitans besides DCCC Abbats and Priors these were all there in person and proxies were sent innumerable The Emperour likewise of Constantinople the King of Sicily Emperour of the Romans Elect the Kings of England France Hungary Jerusalem Cyprus Arragon and other Princes and Cities sent their Embassadours hither so that never was there such a show perhaps in the world again 2. The matters Determined both of Faith and of Discipline were extraordinary and of the greatest importance The Doctrines of Faith defined were Transubstantiation c Cap. 1. the Articles concerning the Holy Trinity asserted and vindicated from the errour of Abbat Joachim and those errours condemned and the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son declared d Cap. 2. The Deposing Doctrine established e Cap. 3. The Church of Rome declared to be the Mother and Mistress of all Christians universorum Christi fidelium and to have by God's appointment the Dominion over all other Churches of ordinary Authority by her extraordinary Prerogative f Cap. 5. 3. The Decrees in points of Discipline are in their kind no less considerable against the Incontinency of the Clergy g Cap. 14. against their Drunkenness h Cap. 15. against the Negligence and Debauchery of Prelates i Cap. 17. that no Clergy-man should give Sentence in Capital Causes k Cap. 18. Auricular Confession enjoyned once every year l Cap. 21. That no Clergy-man should take an Oath of Allegeance to any secular Persons unless he held some temporal Estate of them m Cap. 43. That no Clergy-man should be obliged to pay Taxes n Cap. 46. The manner of proceedings in Excommunications regulated o Cap. 47. The Prohibition of Marriages restrained to the fourth degree p Cap. 50. Clandestine Marriages forbidden and that Children of Parents married within the degrees prohibited declared illegitimate q Cap. 51. Against Simony r Cap. 63. and many other things of like nature which are of the highest consequence and fall under daily practice 4. All this one would think were sufficient to put the Authority of the fourth Council of Lateran beyond all contradiction or debate for who can imagine that a Council celebrated with so much solemnity which decided Controversies of so mighty concernment in the Church and determined things of continual use among all sorts and Orders of Men should not immediately meet with the most entire submission and always retain an undoubted Authority and veneration Thus much would have been due if it had not been infallible but being infallible what regard must every Age and every Nation and every Writer at least every Traditionary Christian pay to it yet this very Council so famous and so renowned in its Members so extraordinary in its Determinations and Decrees lay dormant unregarded and unknown till the year MDXXXVII that is till above CCC years after it was held 'T is very surprising that neither Innocent himself nor his Nephew and next Successour but one Gregory the Ninth who published his Uncle's Decretal Epistles and these very Decrees which now pass for the Decrees of this Council among the rest should put this forth among the other General Councils 't is strange that no other Pope or Bishop or at least some Canonist or other learned man should ever think of it but 't is yet more strange that Merlin in his Councils printed but three years before the fourth Council of Lateran was published should omit this though he sets down the Councils of Constance and Basil But when this Council did come to light with what Credentials did it come what evidence does it bring for its Authority is it printed from some ancient Manuscripts in the Vatican it might then be wondred how it should lie so long concealed never published never quoted nor mentioned but 't is a much greater
Provincial Synod However the constant Appeal now is from the Sentiments of Private Men and particular Synods to the Definitions of General Councils which are appealed to with as much confidence as if not one of them had ever been suspected or called in question but were all of undoubted Authority whereas there is indeed nothing more suspected than the credit of most of them and the chief Tenets of Popery will be found to have but little Authority from General Councils The Worship of Images will stand in great need of the second Council of Nice and Transubstantiation Auricular Confession c. will want support from the fourth of the Lateran and in short it will be almost as difficult to defend the Councils brought to authorize them as to defend the Doctrines themselves I think I have made it evident that this Argument from the Authority of Councils will be as unsuccessfull as all other Arguments have hitherto proved for it is a vain thing to attempt by any means the Defence of a Cause which will not be defended But in my Opinion the famous Mr. Schelstrate has gone the farthest towards the finding out an Expedient which may be of equal force in all Controversies For in the year MDCLXXXV he put out a Book intituled Dissertatio Apologetica de Disciplina Arcani against Ernestus Tentzelius a Lutheran Divine in defence of his Commentaries upon the second Canon of the Council of Antioch In this Book he shews that the Church concealed her Doctrines a long time and that the stream of Tradition like some Rivers ran for a great way under ground till at last it broke out and discovered it self in this Age or that Council If you enquire why we reade nothing of Transubstantiation in Ancient Authours The Answer is very easie and ready Disciplina Arcani p. 150 151. Why the Fathers did not assert the Worship of Images Disciplina Arcani p. 124. Why the Doctrine of the Trinity was not clearly taught before the Council of Nice Disciplina Arcani p. 10 17. Why we have no Accounts of the Seven Sacraments before the seventh Century Disciplina Arcani p. 104 106. Why the Writings of St. Denys the Areopagite lay so long concealed Disciplina Arcani p. 120. And so for any Novelty else Disciplina Arcani still returns upon you and it is so great a Charm that some would be almost afraid of it for it has a strange faculty of making every thing look aged that it can but come near This Disciplina Arcani is an occult Quality to salve all Difficulties by and say what you will prove what you will these two Emphatical Words shall bear down all before them And I am persuaded the following Considerations will stand out against any Attack but that of Disciplina Arcani A TABLE of the CONTENTS PART I. § THE False Dealing that has been used in publishing the Councils Page 1. § I. In putting out those which are forged ibid. § II. In suppressing those which are genuine 3. § III. In depraving those which are genuine which they have not wholly suppressed 5. 1. By Corrupting all the later Editions ibid. 2. By their Indices Expurgatorii ibid. 3. Instances of this in the four first General Councils 6. 4. Instances in the Councils of Basil and Trent 8. PART II. § I. PApists not agreed about the Number of General Councils 10. § II. Nor about their Authority the fifth Canon of the second General Council at Constantinople and the twenty eighth of the fourth General Council at Chalcedon have been thrown aside 12. § III. The fifth General Council at Constantinople was opposed by Pope Vigilius § IV. The sixth General Council contradicted as entirely forged or at least much corrupted 13. § V. The Council in Trullo is disputed about 14. § VI. 1. The second Council of Nice can scarcely be defended as general ibid. 2. The History of the Council 15. 3. Opposed by the Council of Frankford 17. 4. This farther proved 18. 5 6. The Objections against the Can. of the Council of Frankford which condemned Images answered 20 21 22. 7. The Council of Nice was not received for at least one Age in the Eastern or Western Churches 23. § VII 1. Papists cannot agree which is the eighth General Council 25. 2. The Pope's Legates were at the Council which restored Photius ibid. 3. And his Restoration was in effect approved on for some time after 26. 4. Though all is deny'd since with execrable Calumnies against Photius 27. 5. Which are sufficiently taken off by P. Nicholas and his Legates carriages and by Photius 's own Letters 28. 6. This is farther cleared 33. 7. It is no ways likely that Photius corrupted P. John the Eighth's Ep. Commonitorium in favour of himself 34. 8. Conclusion 35. § VIII Small proofs that the three first Councils of the Lateran were general 36. § IX 1. The fourth Lateran Council thought general by the Church of Rome 37. 2. Its Decrees in point of Doctrine 38. 3. in point of Discipline ibid. 4. Yet it lay unregarded for three hundred years 39. 5. Nothing decreed in this Council 40. 6 7. Papists shuffle about its Authority 42 43. § X. 1. The first Council of Lyons not thought general at first 46. 2. Omitted in the Venice Edition 47. 3. Its Decrees not much valued in France ibid. § XI Nothing in the second Council of Lyons to make it general 48. § XII The Council of Vienne was called onely upon a particular occasion 49. § XIII 1. Of the Council of Constance 50. 2. That Council above a Pope 51. 3. Not allowed by Martin the Fifth chosen by that Council 52. § XIV 1 2. Quarrels between Eugenius and the Council of Basil 53 54. 3. The Acts of this Council were ratified by Eugenius 54. § XV. 1. Causes of citing the Council of Florence 56. 2. The Gallican Church disown the principal Decree of this Council 57. § XVI 1. The French own the second Council of Pisa against the Fifth of the Lateran 58. 2. Though for politick Reasons Francis the First with his Clergy allowed the Fifth Lateran ibid. 3. And three years after they renounce it 59. 4. Even the highest Opposers of the Gallican Privileges speak doubtfully of it 60. 5. And it was onely a meeting of Sixty most Italian Bishops ibid. § XVII 1. The Council of Trent may be suspected by their own Concessions ibid. 2. Its Decrees about Discipline not received in France ib. 3. Which yet ought to be if it were received as general 61. 4. So that on both hands the Authority of the Council of Trent is rejected 62. § XVIII Modern Papists not agreed what Authority to give to Councils ibid. § XIX English Papists differ from all others in this Matter 63. § XX. Jesuits make the Pope infallible in Matters of Fact 64. § XXI 1. Herein contradicted by the French Clergy ibid. 2. Who in their Assembly censure the Arch-bishop of Gran for
distinguish betwixt Latria and Doulia as Bellarmin himself and then proves that neither of them may be given to Images That the Council of Frankford could be ignorant of the Doctrine established at Nice can seem probable to no man who considers that the Pope had caused the Canons of Nice to be translated into Latin that his Legates were present at Frankford and that they refused to consent to the Decree of that Council as Bellarmin and Baronius affirm To imply that the Bishops at Frankford did not understand Greek might pass well enough from Sirmondus but might have been spared by men of no greater accuracy in that Tongue than the two Cardinals if not one among them all were skilled in the Greek yet why could they not read the Translation why could they not consult the Legates The Cardinals perhaps might be sensible enough how liable men are to mistakes for want of a little Greek and Anastasius a Praefat. in septim Synod Concil Tom. 7. Col. 29. says the Translation was very perplext and hardly intelligible but I can never be persuaded that the Legates would stand by and deny their consent and yet not endeavour to undeceive the Council and at least advise them to send to Rome for Instructors Pope Adrian wrote himself in defence of the Synod of Nice which he had confirmed and so must be allowed to understand it and Greek could then be no very strange Language at Rome nor consequently at Frankford neither among three hundred Bishops gathered together from all parts of the West when the Pope had so lately renounced his Allegiance to the Greek Emperour and yet still a correspondence was held between Rome and C. P. by Adrian with Constantine and Irene and Tarasius b Concil Tom. 7. as appears by their Letters 5. But 't is in vain to argue from probabilities if the Canon it self as is pretended be grounded upon a mistake Allata est in medium quaestio de novâ Graecorum Synodo quam de adorandis Imaginibus Constantinopoli fecerunt in quâ scriptum habebatur ut qui imaginibus sanctorum ita ut Deifici Trinitati servitium aut adorationem non impenderet anathema judicaretur qui supra sanctissimi Patres nostri omnimodis orationem aut servitutem eis impendere renuentes contempserunt atque consentientes condemnaverunt The question about the new Greek Synods held at C. P. about Worshipping of Images was then debated therein it was written that whosoever should not pay that Service or Adoration to the Images of the Saints which he would pay to the B. Trinity should be anathematized whereupon our Holy Fathers by all means refusing to pray to them or pay them service despised and unanimously condemned it Here is first C. P. mistaken for Nice and then it is said that the same Worship is under Anathema commanded to be given to Images which is given to the blessed Trinity Sirmondus c Not. in Concil Francoford Conc. vol. 7. Col. 1066. is so ingenuous as to propose a way of reconciling the first mistake of C. P. for Nice by supposing that the Synod is said to have been at C. P. not that it was held in that City but because it was in the Constantinopolitane Empire and at the command of the Greek Emperour Constantine and his Mother Irene This I must confess seems to me strained but it were yet a grearer force upon the imagination to be told that Charles the Great with three hundred Bishops met together to condemn the Worship of Images decreed in a General Council about seven years before should yet not be certified where this Decree was made nor be able to distinguish Nice from C. P. and that the same Pope should send his Legates to both Synods and yet give them no better instructions than to suffer them to be ignorant in so late a matter of Fact which must be known all over Europe For when the Worship of Images which had undergone so much debate and had been the cause of so great Troubles and occasioned the calling divers Councils but had never the good luck to succeed was at last in a General Council enjoyned under Anathema and when the Popes Legates at their coming from the Council brought a Copy of it subscribed by Constantine and Irene which the same Pope that now sent his Legates to Frankford commanded to be translated into Latin and placed in his Library when the Pope himself had answered the objections propos'd by the Emperour against this very Council of Nice who can conceive that the whole Transaction should not be noised abroad and talked of in all places and among all persons and in all its circumstances so exactly known that it would have been impossible to have picked out three hundred men of any tolerable rank and conversation who could be ignorant that the General Council of Nice had at length decided the vexatious controversie about Images If its judgment had been acquiesced in as infallible or but of sufficient Authority to enforce any submission upon the conscience it certainly had been taken more notice of than to be unknown to any man of ordinary observation in its less material circumstances of time and place and number of Bishops the Doctrine however had been taught and practised every where among all sorts of People or if it had been rejected by some yet these would have found themselves obliged to give an account why they rejected it and so to enquire thorowly into it but to suppose so many Western Bishops with the Pope's Legates among the rest and the Emperour himself in the midst of them so grosly and even stupidly ignorant as to know neither the Doctrine it self nor the place where the Synod was held but seven years before is to cast too great a blemish upon the Western Church and would be apt to make men suspect that the Western Clergy at that time could make no pretence to the least share of infallibility either in a Council or out of it The Emperour's Book mentions the Greek Council as held in Bithynia and it were extreme weakness to imagine that Charles the Great after he had been at the pains to write a Book upon the subject or had ordered one to be written had not intelligence good enough to set the Synod right in the circumstance of place at least if any will be so free with him as to say he was rash enough to oppose he knew not what 6. But to free that wise and great Emperour and the whole Western Church from so stupid an absurdity It can be no wonder that the Decree concerning Image-worship should be related in the Council of Frankford as made at C. P. to him who remembers that the first meeting of the Nicene Fathers was at C. P. and that there first they began to Anathematize those who were against the worship of Images but finding C. P. too hot for them were forced to remove to Nice And this may give a