For that the Crown of England is free and hath been free from Earthly Subjection at all times being immediately subject to God in all things touching the Regalities of the same and not subject to the Pope Moreover one following additional Clause deserves to be considered in the same Statute viz. To this all the Bishops present and all the Procurators of those who were absent unanimously assented protesting also against the Popes translating some Bishops c. This Act also was confirmed with the Protestation of the Lords and all the Liege Commons That they would stand with the King and His â—rown and His Regalities in the cases aforesaid and in all other Cases attempted against Him His Crown and Regality in all points to live and to die 115. Now after all this though I am obstinately resolved never to take on me to frame a Form of Profession of Loyalty nor without a publick Command to concur with others to the framing one yet since you are pleased Honoured Sir so earnestly to demand one and being also firmly perswaded that it is from a charitable and compassionate intention towards us that you demand it I cannot refuse so far to comply with your curiosiâ—y as to shew you a Form not made in or for England yet such an one as perhaps you will judge very easily applicable to our purpose and ratified by vâ—ry great Authority And this I conceive will be more proper and fit for your view because therein you will see what judgment a whole great Catholick Kingdom has of the Popes pretended Temporal Authority and how little prejudice comes to a Sovereign Monarch's Right by admitting the Spiritual Iurisdiction of the Supreme Pastor But before I set down the said Form give me leave to relate a short Story regarding it 116. You may doubtless remember Noble Sir that not many years since the Catholicks being put in hope that the Poenal Laws against them would probably be Repealed were advised by some worthy Friends to prepare a clear and candid Form of Profession of Fidelity in the framing of which notwithstanding for the causes before mentioned they found great difficulty Whilst Consulâ—ation was had about this master it hapned that in a Convâ—rsation with my Lord Aubigny I told him I believed I could propose a Fâ—rm against which no râ—â—sonable exception could be made on any side and accordingly I brought one to him with which he was very well satisfied I left him in a resolution to present the said Form â—o a Pâ—râ—on of Highest Eminence and Powâ—r in Publick Councils A few days after I â—ound that he had not exâ—cuted that resolutâ—on and truly I remained satiâ—fied that there was a just reason for it For the sâ—id Eminent Person though Hâ— was really desirous that favour should be extendâ—d to Cathâ—licks so far as that the Saâ—guinary Laws against them should be abrogated But in continuance of the ancient Pâ—liâ—y He thought fit that several other Paenal Laws should be only suspended to the end that upon certain occasions they might now and then be executed and this not upon the account of their Reâ—iâ—ion but a suspicion of their want of Fidelity to Hiâ— Majesty Which Fidelity was â—o bâ— supposed inconsistent with the Spiritual Iurisdiction which they acknowledged in the Pope Now in this said Form there were three great faults very prejudicial to such a design 〈◊〉 first no reasonable exception could be made against it as insufficient Again it was confidently believed that the Pope could never be induced to condemn it And thirdly it could not be doubted but that generally Catholicks would readily subscribe to it These things considered it was thought fit that the said Form should not be presented to the foresaid Great Person lest in stead of satisfying it should have incensed Him and rendred Him our Enemy After this Preface I will now subjoin the said Form of Profession of Fidelity 117. A certain scandalous and seditious Book being published Anno Domini 1626. the Faculty of Paris having appointed certain learned Doctors to peruse it they collected out of it these following Propositions 1. That the Pope may punish Kings and Princes with Temporal Punishment That he may depose them and deprive them of their Kingdoms and States for the Crime of Heresie and free their Subjects from their Obedience And that this hath been always the custom of the Church 2. That he may do the same for other sins if it be expedient if Princes are negligent if they be incapable or unprofitable 3. That the Pope hath Power over all things Spiritual and over all things Temporal And that he hath such Power by Divine Right 4. That we ought to believe that a Power hath been given to the Church and to her Sovereign Pastor to punish with Temporal Punishment Princes who sin against Divine and Humane Laws particularly iâ— their Crime be Heresie 5. That the Apostles were indeed de facto subject to Secular Powers but not de jure And as soon as the Pontifical Majesty became established all Princes became subject thereto 6. That those words of Jesus Christ to his Apostles Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven c. are to be understood not of a Spiritual Power only but also of a Temporal 118. Now the Censure given by the Faculty touching the Doctrine contained in these Propositions is That it is new false erroneous and contrary to the Word of God That it renders the Sovereign Pontifical Dignity odious and opens a way to Schism That it derogates from the Sovereign Authority of Kings which dâ—pends on God alone That it hinders the Conversion of Infidel and Heretical Princes That it troubles the Publick Peace and overthrows Kingdoms States and Republick In a word that it withdraws Subjects from the Obedience which they owe to their Sovâ—râ—igns and inducâ—s them to Factioâ—s Rebellions and Seditions and to attempt on the Lives of their Princes Moreover the like Censure was given by eight other Vniversâ—ties in France 119. Bâ— pleased now Hâ—noured Sir to judge in case a Subscription to this Censure were required from Catholicks and performed by them whether that would not be a testimony of their Fidelity far more full and satisfactory than can be given by taking the Oath of Allegiance The enormous Power which some Canonists and flattering Schoâ—l-men bestow on the Pope is far more distinctly declared and the renouncing of it in its whole Latitude more express and emphatical here is likewise among the Brands given to such detestable Doctrines not forgotten a term equivalent to what I am confident you mean by Heretical which is contrary to the Word of God yet such a Supererogation I doubt would not be accepted And moreover it is more than probable that scarce any Catholick in England would have a scruple to submit his own private judgment in case it were diâ—â—erent to a Decision made by the Flowâ—r of all the Learning of France to which
then we all have in our whole body The Protector indeed was the great Apostle of the Kingdom but his Mission he must have receivâ—d from his Pupil both to preach a new Faith and to consummate former Sacriledge In the mean time the humble Archbishop remained in expectation what he was to believe and in an uncertainty whether his Ordination weâ—e valid or not I will end tâ—is matter with the Character of Cranmer given by Duditius an eminâ—nt Protestant Cranmâ—r â— says he seems to have been bâ—rn and framed for dissimulation which quality he made use of in all things through his whole life ¶ 10. Of the Re-Ordination imputed to Catholicks 96. THis word Ordination puts me in mind of a dangerous Question which you thought fit to propose How Mr. Cressy and the rest who have received Orders in the Church of England can justifie or excuse their being Re-ordained after they change their Religion since so many Councils have declared against it and no one for it and since the succession of Bishops is as plainly manifest in one Church as in the other And what difference can there be assigned why such as the Greek Church who come to them are not Re-ordained but thâ—se of the Church of England are compelled to be 87. Noble Sir for any thing that appears in your Animadversions you may be one of the honourable Iudges and perhaps possessed of the highest Office of Iudiâ—â—ture and therefore I humbly take leave in answering this Question to leave out Mr. Cressy's name since he is loth to write and publish any thing that may pass absolutely for an evidence under his own hand against his own life in case he be suspected to be concerned in this matter as you say absolutely he is Indefinitely speaking therefore and without a dangerous reflâ—ction on any one those of the English Clergy returning to the Catholick Church are not permitted to exercise the Sacerdotal Office without being â—as you stile it Re-ordained but in Catholick language simply Ordained and of this several reasons are given I will only name one but such an one against which I cannot imagine a possible Reply and that is a consideration how the Form of Ordination and Consecration was purposely and studiously changed by the Church of England to shew that she renounced that Function which by the Catholick Church yea by the Greekish and all ancient Churches was esteemed formally essential to Priesthood which is Confâ—cereâ— offerre Corpus Domini She will have Priests but she will have no Sacrifice which two I believeâ— have never been divided by any Christian Church before the last Aâ—e So that though the present new Form considered simply in it self did not invalidate Ordination for the Greek Church also Ordains in a Form different from the Roman yet the declaring such to have been the Motive and ground of the change most certainly does And that this was the Motive seems to me evidently collected from the 31. Article of the Church of England The words are these The Offering of Christ once madeâ— is that perfect Redemption Propiâ—iation and Satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world both original and actualâ— and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone Wherefore the Sacrifices of Masses in the which it was commonly said that the Priests did offer Christ for the quick and the dead to have remission of pain or guilt were blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits Hence it is plain that the Church of England renounces that Function which the Catholick Church esteems essential to Priesthood and consequently in England Priesthood seems to be a new quite different Order and far from being the same which is conâ—erred in and by the Roman Church Therefore I conceive Sir you had noâ— much cause to wonder or blame Catholick Churches for not admitting such persons to exercise the Functions of Priesthood since neither their Ordainers nor they themselves ever had nor intended to have such Functions or Faculties conferred on them but on the contrary esteemed them in a high measure injurious to our Saviour's Priesthood ¶ 11. Of several speculative Pâ—ints of Controverted Doctrines Of a State-Religion And of Professions of Loyalty â—8 THâ—se Noble Sir are the several Crimes laid to my charge I mean such as personally regard my self alone And thâ—se are my respective Answers There may possibly be some more besides these in your Animadversions which have escaped my Observation though I think there are none so considerable as would much oblige me to lengthen this Apology a work God willing which shall be the last of this nature There is another great Crime far more hainous than all thâ—se of which not my self alone but many others better than my self are eithâ—r accused by you or rendred shrewdly suspâ—cted which is a want or perhaps a disability of giving satisfaction to the State of our Fidelity to his Majesty This is in several places repeated by you and most accurately descanted on among your nine Questions near the conclusion of your Book 99. This is indeed a subject of great concern and therefore deserves a more serious application it being also the last ground of reprehension with an Answer whereto my purpose is to conclude this Apology For honoured Sir I beseech you not to take it ill or interpret it a neglect that I am silent with regard to several passages in your Animadversions since the whole design of this Apology is the endeavouring to qualifie the Indignation which you have conceived against me and I doubt imprinted in the minds of too many besides Whereas therefore you have inserted Reflections and Censures on several speculative Points of Catholick Doctrine I may justly be dispensed with for interesting my self in such a subject especially considering that I do not find that you have a purpose to make Controversie your serious employment It any professed Protestant Controvertist shall borrow from you any arguments against Catholick Tenents which he knew noâ— before as truly Doctor Stillingfleet may from your Discourse touching the nature of a Church which is far less irrational than his own he may then begin to speak de tribus Capellis 100. The sum of what you write Sir on this subject seems to me to be this 1. You lay a certain new ground of your Discourse which is that besides Christian Religion considered according to its essentials which are exceedingly few and which are absolutely unchangeable there ought to be acknowledged another Christian State-Religion containing other Doctrines not essential both regarding belief and discipline which may be altered approved or rejected by a National Church though never so far spread or never so long continued 2. In consequence hereunto you require me to explain what is the full intent of that spiritual Power which we acknowledge in the Pope over England and whether it be more than is granted by the Sovereign Power and Municipal Laws of the Kingdom 3. And from
hence you being perswaded that it is more do wish that all English Catholicks who you think have a Religion different from that in other Catholick States would give an evidence and security of and for their Fidelity to his Majesty by disclaiming all kind of subjection to another Spiritual Sovereign as their fellow Subjects do yea as hath been done lately even by Catholick Subjects in France 101. These noble Sir are the Proposals at least as many of them as concern me at present which you have thought fit to make to the end to oblige me by my resolution of them to discover whether the suspicions you seem to have of the defect in Loyalty not of my self only but of my Superiours and Brethren also be not justly grounded I am willing to give you herein the best satisfactâ—on I am able And truly Sir were it not for the first Proposal I should heartily wish that as I do not at all doubt but that you are indeed a Person of Honour I could also be assured that you were of Great Authority in Publick Counsels for then I might hope that God would make an instrument of his great goodness to us such a Person who has generously in such circumstances as we are at the present declared his judgment that in case we could justifie our Loyalty we should not for our dissenting otherways from the Religion of the State be the only persons excluded from his Majesties gracious Indulgence and the rights of Free-born Subjects 102. In order now to the satisfaction I desire to give you Sir I will in the first place consider the first proposal which I conceive you intended for a foundation on which you build a perswasion that we ought to renounce an acknowledgment of any authority at all though purely spiritual assumed by the Pope over his Majesties Subjects 103. Hereto therefore I say that as to the distinction you have framed between a Religion of State and Christianity considered according to its essentials which last only you seem to affirm to be unalterable it being a distinction never before heard of by me and now aâ—so not perfectly understood I know not wâ—ll what Answer to make In discoursing on this subject you seem to make your State-Religion to regard external discipline Ceremonies Solemnities c. And for such matters it will be easily granted that the Sovereign Temporal Prince may if need be interpose himself in the ordering of them for the convenience of his people in case this may be done without endangering a Schism from the Body of Christianity But you extend your State-Religion yet farther so as to contain Doctrines also such as are not essential to a Christian Profession which you say may be altered by the Prince with Advice of his National Clergy and errors removed how long soever continued and how largely soever dispersed This may also pass upon condition first that neither the Prince nor his Clergy take upon them to judge those Doctrines to be errors which the Vniversal or Patriarchal Church of which they are subordinate members doth teach and hath Synodically established And next that they will submit their decisions to a future judgment of the Vniversal or Patriarchal Church For otherwise all Vnity all Authority Ecclesiastical and all Order in Gods Church will be utterly dissolved 104. And whereas you demand of Catholicks that they explain what is the full extent of that Spiritual Power which they acknowledge in the Pope over England c. you must permit me to say that to give an account exactly of all the several Acts of Spiritual Iurisdiction belonging to the Pope over all within his Patriarchate would require perhaps several months study But I suppose the intent of this demand may more easily be satisfied by saying in the first place That since even the greatest Princes are not Spiritual Pastors â— but subject as to their souls to the Iurisdiction of their lawful Pastors an exemption from which would not be a priviledge but a misery And again since the Pope considered but even as a Patriarch has of right belonging to him a Spiritual Iurisdiction and power to inflict Spiritual Censures on all persons subâ—ect to him even Princes also according to their demerits we therefore conceiving it an unquestionable Truth that England is comprehended within the Western Patriarchate must also affirm that the Pope's Spiritual Iurisdiction extends to us also But then in the next place we also confidently affirm that by Virtue of this Spiritual Iurisdiction inherent in the Pope the Temporal Rights and Power of the King or even of the meanest of his Subjects are not at all abridged or prejudiced This assertion Sir you cannot but know has always been maintaine in France the Pope not contradicting it Hence it follows that it is agreeable to Catholick Religion And why English Catholicks should be suspected not to be as tender of the just Rights and precious Lives also of their Sovereign as the Catholick Subjects of any other Kingdom and why they should be thought to be willing to acknowledge any Temporal power Direct or Indirect to be inherent in the Pope over the King or Kingdom to which not any Catholick Gentleman or Nobleman would submit I cannot imagine And truly Honoured Sir I do extremely wonder upon what grounds you should suspect any Catholicks disposed to betray the Rights and Honour of our Sovereign or our Ecclesiasticks unwilling to touch upon this Point concerning the Popes Temporal Power which you say is the Hinge upon which all other Controversies between Protestants and English Catholicks do so entirely hang and depend that if that only were taken off all the rest would quickly fall to the ground 105. Noble Sir if ever you read this Apology you will find that it is published permissu Superiorum and therefore what I shall now write on this special subject you may please to consider not as the inconsiderable opinion of one particular person only I do now therefore assure you that there is not any one Point of Controversie upon which we more earnestly desire to be summoned to give an account before equal Iudges than this But withal permit me I beseech you to say that though in many regards none could be more fit to sit on that Tribunal than your self yet one Principle you seem to have imbibed which would undo us all For you will not be content with our justifying our selves to be Loyal Subjects unless we will be Herodians also you will not be content that we should give to Caesar the things which belong to Caesar unless we give him those things which belong to God too We do willingly acknowledge that all Christian Kings not of England only have in some sense a kind of Spiritual Authority â— that they ought to be Nursing Fathers to God's Church that God expects from them that they should promote true Christian Doctrine both touching Faith and Manners that they should employ their Kingly Power when occasion