I know what the matter is when the fires were kindled over all France to burn them all alive Religion was then a case Royal. But when the question is about a necessary reformation of the Clergie or Monkery or sending Pastours home to their flocks this is a case Synodicall or Papall For as I remember I have heard some distinguish so and those eveâ—â—â—â—hops themselver As if Princes were no more but miâ—isters of another zeal ofttimes indiscreet and without knowledge that I say not executioners of cruelty and not rather Guardians Protectours and externall defendours of all the constitutions of the Church as her children 3 But let us here shew by good examples and sufficient testimonies in what fashion Secular Princes have medled with such things as concern the Church The first lesson which God gives the King which would bee established over his people is this It shall bee when he sitteth upon the throne of his Kingdome that hee shall write him a copy of this law in a booke out of that which is before the Priests and the Levits And it shall be with him and hee shall read therein all the dayes of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God to keepe all the words of this law and these Statutes to do them According hereunto the Lord speaks thus to Ioshua whom he had chosen to be the governour of his people after Moses This booke of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to doe according to all that is written therein 4 Let us now see how these Kings and Governours behaved themselves in the ancient Church and the power which they tooke upon them without rebuke or to speake more properly with approbation David gathered together all the Princes of Israel with the Priests and the Levits Of which twenty and foure thousand were chosen to set forward the worke of the house of the Lord and six thousand were Officers and Iudges Moreover foure thousand were Porters and foure thousand praised the Lord with instruments which hee made to praise therewith And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi. And a litle after And Aaron was separated that he should sanctifie the most holy things he and his sons for ever to burne incense before the Lord to minister unto him and to blesse his name for ever All this concernes the discipline of the Church and yet all was done by the conduct and command of David King Solomon built the Temple of the Lord in Ierusalem by the speciall appointment of God The son that shall bee borne to thee shall bee a man of rest Hee shall build an house for my name David would have built the temple himself but he was forbid by the Lord because he had shed bloud King Ioash repaired it afterwards And it came to passe after this that Ioash was aminded to repaire the house of the Lord. And he gathered together the Priests and the Levites and commanded them to goe out unto the Cities of Iudah and gather out of all Israel money to repaire the house of the Lord from year to year And when the Levites hastened not the King called for Iohoiadah the chief and said unto him Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring out of Iudah and out of Ierusalem the collection And at the Kings commandement they made a chest into which every man brought his share and portion that Moses had laid upon them This money was brought unto the King and distributed by him and the high Priest amongst those that wrought about the temple 5 The Emperour Charlemaigne who was as great in Ecclesiasticall policie as in feats of armes speaks on this wise to the Clergy of his Empire in the preface of his Capitulary We have sent our Deputies unto you to the intent that they by our authoritie may together with you correct what shall stand in need of correction We have also added certaine Chapters of Canonicall ordinances such as we thought to bee most necessarie for you Let no man I entreat you thinke or censure this pious admonition for presumptuous whereby wee force our selves to correct what is amisse to cut off what is superfluous and briefly to compact what is good But rather let everie man receive it with a well-willing minde of charitie For wee have read in the booke of Kings how Ioas endevoured to restore the Kingdome which God had given him 〈◊〉 â—he service of the true God by going about it by correcting and admonishing it 6 Wee have elsewhere said that he discoursed himselfe about points of divinitie at the Councel of Francfort Nor doe wee ever finde so many Synods holden as in his reigne and all by his command which is a faire prâ—siâ—ent for his successors By his command saith Regino there were Councels celebrated in all parts of France by the Bishops about the state of the Church One was held at Mentz another at Rhemes a third at Tours a fourth at Cavaillon a fift at Arles and the severall Constitutions which were made in every one of them were confirmed by the Emperour Besides these five which were held in the yeare 813 namely but one yeare before his decease hee called one at Worms the year 770. One at Valentia in 771. Another at Worms in 772. Another at Genes the yeare 773. Another at a place called Duria in 775. Another at Cullen 782. A third at Wormsâ— 787. Another at a place called Ingeluheym the yeare 788. And a Generall one consisting of all the Westerne Churches at Francfort the yeare 794. Besides others which may be observed out of histories 7 See now then how Kings have a commanding power over the Clergy how they make Ordinances about such things as concerne Ecclesiastical discipline how they ingage themselves in such matters above all others yet not so as to minister in the Church to offer incense or such like For this belongs properly to the Church and cannot bee taken from them This is the reason why King Hezekiah speaks thus to the Priests and Levites when hee exhorts them to doe their dutie My sons be not now negligent for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him to serve him and that you should minister unto him and burne incense Hee calls them sons or children that wee may observe so much by the way whereas our Canon law on the contrary saith that Bishops are the fathers and masters of Kings and Princes as wee have â—eene already It is not lawfull for Princes so much as to touch this mysterie and this is the reason why King Vzziah was smitten with a leprosie because hee had taken upon him to offer incense upon the altar and the Priests withstood him From whence our Popes make a wonderous â—â—range consequence when they concluâ—e from hence that Kings and Emperours cannot
Lewes the eleventh touching the defence of the Pragmatique Sanction hath inserted this Article Item it belongs to our Soveraigne Lord the King who is the principall founder guardian protectour and defendour of the liberties of this Church when she suffers in her liberties to assemble and call together the Prelates and other Clergie-men as well within this Realme as of Dauphiny and in the same assembly and congregation of the Gallicane Church so called together there to preside and provide a remedy against such attempts as may be prejudiciall to the said liberties as it shall be said hereafter 5 The three Estates assembled at Tours the yeare 1483 in their Remonstrance presented to the same King Lewes th' eleventh say thus That the king by reason of his crowne as well of common right as by the consultation and request of all the Church of France and Dauphinie is as the former Kings his predecessours were the protectour and defendour of the holy Decrees liberties and franchises of the Church of his Kingdome and Dauphinie 9 According hereunto every time and as often as there have been any troubles or disorders in the Church or when any question was about proceeding to some greater reformation the Emperours and Kings have put their hands unto it and have applyed the remedie either upon their owne meere motion or at the request of others Which is verified by the example of Kings Hezekias Who in the first year of his reigne in the first moneth opened the doores of the house of the Lord and repaired them and hee brought in the Priests and the Levites and commanded them to sanctifie the house of the Lord and carry forth the filthinesse out of the holy place and the Levites rose and they gathered their brethren and came according to the commandment of the King by the words of the Lord to cleanse the house of the Lord. The same Hezekiah cast out idolatry which by little and little had crept into the Temple of God He removed the high placesâ— and brake the images and cut downe the groves and breake in pieces the brason Serpent that Moses had made for untill those dayes the children of Israel did burne incense to it The book of the Law being found after it had beene a long time lost King Iosias commanded Hilkiah the High Priest and some others to goe to Huldah the Prophetesse to enquire concerning this booke Having heard their report after their returne he went up into the house of the Lord and all the men of Iudah and all the inhabitants of Ierusalem with him and the Priests and the Prophets and all the people both small and great and hee read in their eares all the words of the book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant before the Lord to walke after the Lord and to keepe his commandements and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart And he commanded Hilkiah the high Priest and the Priests of the second order and the keepers of the doore to bring forth out of the Temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal And he put downe the idolatrous Priests whom the Kings of Iudah had ordained to burne incense and destroyed their altars And did other such like things concerning the order and discipline of the Church 7 Let us prove this further by the example and â—estimonies of Popes The fourth Councell saith Zonaras was called by reason of thâ— instance which was made by Leo Pope of Rome and Anatolius Patriarâ—h of new Rome to the Emperour Martian that the opinions of Diosâ—oruâ—â—â—tâ—iaâ—ch â—â—tâ—iaâ—ch of Alexandria and Euâ—ychâ—s might not remaine unexamined and that the crime committed against St. Flavian might not bee slurred over under hand Pope Boniface the first intreats the Emperour Honorius in his letters to take order that they doe not proceed to the Creation of the Pope by corruption which gave him occasion to make a Decree thereupon Wee have related the passages of it in another place 8 Pope Gregory the first writ to Aldebert King of England in these termes Most glorious Sonne bee diligent to preserve that grace you have received from God make haste to extend the Christian faith over all people which are subject to you multiplie the zeal of your uprightâ—esse by their conversion take away the service of Idols pull down the eâ—ifices of their temples exhorting thereunto the minds of your subjects in great uprightnesse and purity of life edifie them by frighting by flatteringâ— by correcting them that so you may be rewarded in heaven by him whose name and knowledge you shall have to dilated upon earth The same St. Gregorie writ to Childebert King of France in this manner For as much as wee have beene informed of certaine things which doe highly offend Almighty God and doe greatly disgrace the honour and reverence of the Priesthood wee intreat you to take order that such things may be mended by the censure of your power And to King Theodebert thus This would be absolutely profitable for your Kingdome if that which is committed against God within your Dominions were corrected by such reformation as your excellence shall applie unto it 9 The Acts of a Synod holden at Rome in the year 876 about the Coronation of Charles the second son to Lewes the Gentle containes a certain proposition made by Pope Iohn the eight where amongst othâ—r things speaking of Charles the Great he saith of him That having raised all the Churches to a mighty greatnesse hee had alwaies this wish and desire of reforming aâ—d restoring the holy Roman Church to her first order and estate Hee addes presently after That hee learned the state of Religion out of holy writâ— which he found to be unhusbanded and overgrowne with the thornes of divers errours and abuses That he trim'd it up with knowledge both divine and humane purg'd it from errours and furnisht it with sure and certaine doctrines 10 Iohn of Paris a Fryer Predicant who lived about the year 1280 saith That it is lawfull for a Prince to repell the abuses of the spirituall sword in such sort as hee may proceed by the Materiall sword especially when the abuse of the spirituall sword turnes to the prejudice of the common-wealth the care whereof belongs unto the Kings otherwise hee should beare the sword in vaine 11 Claudius Espenseus a Doctour of the Sorbon in an epistle of his printed 1547 where he treats of the institution of a Prince teacheth that it belongs to a Prince to take upon him the reformation of the Church then especiallie when shee is full of so great abuses errours and heresies And upon the Epistle to Titus I will here adde one thing saith he for feare lest any bodie should thinke that it concernes Princes onely that prophane things succeed well and not sacred too as if they were only keepers of
in any sort meddle with any thing that concernes the Church save only so farre forth as they are commanded by them Pope Paul the third serves himselfe of this instance against the Emperour Charles the fift being vexed at some Decrees which were maâ—e concerning Protestants at the Imperiall Diet of Spire ann 1544. Vzziah saith hee was an excellent King and yet for all that became a leper God so punishing his presumption because hee would have burnt incense upon the Altar It is a worke well pleasing to God to have a care of his Churches but that is the Priests office not yours but it belongs especicially to mee to whom God hath given the power of binding and loosing The Kings of these daies must â—ot meddle with the administration of the Sacraments the performing of Ceremonies the preaching of the word nor other such Ecclesiasticall offices But for the ordaining and making of Ceremonies for the reformation of abuses the extirpation of schismes and heresies the politie of the Church and such like things they both may and must look to them and have alwaies done so either by having a hand in them themselves or commanding them to bee done or by confirming the lawes and statutes and ordinances concerning them 8 Wee will here observe by the way that the Emperour the Kings of England and France have a more particular right and priviledge in the Church than others by reason of their Vnction at least if wee take Balsamon the Patriarch of Antioch his words for it who commenting upon the 69 Chapter of the Councell in Trullo saith The Orthodox Emperours that promote the Patriarchs with invocation of the blessed Trinitie and are the anointed of the Lord goe in to the blessed altar when they please and offer incense and imprint the character with a triple wax aswel as Prelates doe yea they teach the people to instruct them And he afterwards adds Forasmuch as hee that is now Emperour is also the Lords anoynted by reason of the Chrisme that is of the unction of the Kingdome and that Christ our God is reckoned for a Priest aswell as others hee is also justly endowed with priestly graces Some are of opinion thâ—t this is the reason that our King of France receives the holy communion under both kinds that hee is served by those Clergy men which are most eminent in dignitie as the Archbishop Cardinals as when the kisse of peace is to bee given in the Church they must bring it him or for saying grace at his table and such like â—ut let us hold on our former course 9 One of the greatest arguments wee have to justifie this power is that Councels themselves have confessed it and have recommended such constitutions to our observation The sixt Generall Synod called in Trullo declares That they obseâ—ve the Canon which was made by their predecessours which sayes thus If any citie by the Emperours power have beene made anew or hereafter shall bee made let the order of things Ecclesiasticall conforme unto the order of Civill and Politique affaires Where Balsamon the Patriarch makes this exposition This present Canon doth ordaine that such cities as are preferr'd by the Imperiall power or hereafter shall bee preferred be honoured by the Churches in such sort as the Emperours commanâ— shall prescribe That is bee accounted Episcopall or Metropolitan Sees For it is fitting the Ecclesiasticall order follow the Civill command We say likewise that by this present Canon the Emperour hath power to erect new Bishopriques and preferre others to the dignitie of Metropolitans and set a forme for the election to them and other administration of them so as hee shall thinke good According hereunto the Primacy of the Church was conferr'd upon Boniface the fourth by the Emperour Phocas He obtained of the Emperour Phocas saith Martinus Polonus that the Church of the Apostle Saint Peter should be the head of all Churches because that of Constantinople did pretend to be the chiefe 10 The Popes have beene so well pleased to receive this Primacy at the hands of Princes that they have even made Constantine the Great speak of it in the fabulous instrument of his donation And giving over that they bragge That the Church of Rome erects Patriarchships Primacies of Metropolitans Bishops Seates and the dignities of all orders of Churches For these are Pope Nicholas the second his own words in his Epistle which he writ to the Milanois which is recorded in the great Decree Which the later Popes kâ—ew well how to practise insomuch that Pope Iohn the twenty second made horrible alterations in our France within a litle time For he erected the Church of Tholouse to an Archbishoprique divided the Diocese of Tholouse into six Bishopriques the Bishops whereof should bee Suffragans to the Archbishop of Tholouse and turned six Villages into Cities to wit Montauban Rieux Lombez Abbey St. Papoul Lavaur and Mirepoix lodging the Bishops in them and erecting the Episcopall Seats there assigning to every oâ—e his proper Diocese He created two Bishopriques within the Archbishoprique of Narbon the first at Limoux whose seat hee translated to Alet not â—â—ng after the second in the Abbey of Saint Pons setting out their Dioceses Hee divided also the Bishoprique of Alby into two and created one at Castres Hee erected divers others besides which are reckoned up in particular â—y the authour of the continuation to Martinus Polonus from whence I borrowed the former passage verbatim But let us returne to our former discourse 11 A certaine Councell of Paris holden under Lewes the Gentle saith that the Church approves and observes a constitution made by the Emperour Iustinian concerning excommunication As concerning unlawfull excoâ—munication saith it the law of the Catholique Emperour Iustinian which the Catholique Church doth observe and approve hath ordained that no Priest shall excommunicate any man till such time as the cause be proved for which the Ecclesiasticall Canons doe command it to bee inflicted This very constitution on Iustinian hath beene followed and allowed by our Popes as they themselves doe testifie in their Books and the addition made unto it by the Glosse is remarkable So for a long time about eight hundred yeares the Emperours made laws concerning Ecclesiasticall persons and affaires and the Church obeyed them This Glosse was afterwards put out because it told too much 12 At the Councell of Meaux held in the yeare 945 it is said That the Capitulary lawes concerning the Church which were made and set out by the great Emperour Charlâ—maine and by the Emperour Lewes be strictly observed as 't is knowne that lawes should bee observed The same Councell intreats King Charles the younger To grant the Bishops a freer libertie for the execution of their ministeries in their Parishes The same Charles the Great had ordained in his Capitulary That to every Church there should bee given onely one entire Manour without any other