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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	authority_n	church_n	infallible_a	2,008	5	9.8493	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60933	The political mischiefs of popery, or, Arguments demonstrating I. that the romish religion ruines all those countries where 'tis establish'd II. that it occasions the loss of above 200 millions of livres ... to France in particular, III. that if popery were abolished in France, that kingdom would become incomparably more rich and populous ..., IV. that it is impossible that France should ever be re-established whilst popery is their national religion / by a person of quality.	Souligné, de.; Ridpath, George, d. 1726.	1698 (1698)	Wing S4719; ESTC R25778	81,776	162

this case Ambitious Persons would reason with themselves much after the same manner as he did formerly who said Si violandum est jus regnandi causa violandum est If it be lawful to break through Law in any case it is lawful to do it for a Crown and a Scepter The Heart of Man is universally and at all times the same Let us suppose that some Ambitious Prelate had Authority enough among the Pro●…estants to Form such Designs as were those of the Bishops of Rome to raise themselves in the first place above other Bishops and Priests and afterwards over Princes and People they would go near to make use of the same methods as the Popes and their Clergy did and as they should receive opposition from time to time from those that would endeavour to restrain and tie them up to the Laws of God and Men if they and their Successors should overcome those Oppositions they would by degrees suppress the Holy Scripture over●…throw all Morality and introduce an Universal dissoluteness of Manners so that the Protestant or Christian Religion without changing its Name for that to be sure they would not do should become in the first place like that of the Church of Rome in Government and Discipline and next in Doctrine and Worship that is to say a perfect Brigandage or Robbery and that Protes●…ant Pope should become a Tyrant over Protestant Princes and People by calling himself their Common Father and should likewise become Master of the States Honour and Repose of their Subjects without any hopes of Reformation but by a Miracle wrought by the Almighty They would also Establish an Inquisition and infinitely multiply the number of their Ecclesiasticks that is to say their Guard-men and would neither spare Perfidiousness nor Cruelty to accomplish their Designs and to maintain and augment their Authority They would pretend to Infallibility as well as the Pope and claim as much Right as he to change the Law of God and to make that sin which is no sin and sin to be accounted Duty They would pretend to all power in Heaven and Earth and would labour incessantly to divide Protestant Princes amongst themselves and with their Subjects weaken them by all means that they might keep a curb in their Jaws and hold them in dependance upon themselves They would raise wars for them without number massacre those that should oppose their Impieties and Ambition from time to time nor would they be wanting if they found it necessary to have Orders of Clergy-men resembling the Monks and Jesuites or worse than those if they could under other Names and would likewise Assemble Councils wherein they would Establish and Make Decrees like those of Constance Lateran and Trent Et totus Orbis Protestantium miraretur se esse Antichristianum so that the whole Protestant World should wonder at its being become Anti-christian So that while the Pope and the Romish Clergy are possessed of a power of Dominion and Rule and that they will always be unless God stir up some great and poten●… Prince to bring that rascally Crew to themselves as I hope he will but until that time they must always of necessity be cruel and perfidious by their Principles and Maxims and pretend to Infallibility in their Doctrine Worship and Moral●… because they have neither Titles nor Foundation for their Usurpations which are palpable and gross for if they had they could no more be charg'd with Usurpations and Injustice and if they were not Usurpers they would not maintain their own Rights nor Gods as they impiously pretend by committing so many Crimes and pretending to Infallibility with so much Impudence as they do when they find no other way to colour their Impieties There 's none but unjust and barbarous Usurpers who can make use of those pretences as they do The most clear sighted Protestants ordinarily look upon the Church of Rome in regard of its Doctrine as a Medly of Idolatries Heresies Superstitions Errors and Blasphemous Doctrines and in regard of their Morals as a Composition of Perfidiousness and Infideliy Cruelty Impurity and Pride and they Judge that all those together constitute and make up the es●…ential Form of that Church and they are not deceived But at the bottom it is Ambition alone as I have said which hath produc'd and maintains all those things and is the Soul of their Church One proof of this is that there 's no Men who do less believe their Doct●…ines than the Men of Parts amongst themselves who govern all but chiefly the Court of Rome In their Civil Conversation among other Men they don't appear much worse than they as has been said already and there 's no room to doubt but if the Pope and his Clergy could be assur'd by the Orthodox Church that in case they would embrace the pure Christian Religion of the Protestants they should have the same Dominion and Power over the Kings Princes and People of the Earth and the same Revenues Dignities and Means to advance all those who adhere to them there 's no doubt I say but they would prefer it how wicked so ever they may be because it is more conformable to Scripture Reason and the Natural Light of Conscience which oft pinches them notwithstanding their profound and inveterate Habits of Error and Crimes I confess that it were impossible for their Tyranny and Authority to subsist with that Religion which is pure Christianity and the only Religion becoming the Excellence of Man and therefore they were obliged to root it out of the Church of Rome that so they might reign in it But they have at least so much Equity that Men of Sense among them who would perswade others to embrace their Communion don't demand that they should believe their Doctrines which they have no esteem of themselves but only that they should go to their Church and for other things permit them to believe as they please It must then be purely and simply Ambition and a desire of Dominion which hath ruined the Church of Rome or the Clergy and which continues to ruin them still take but that Vice away from them their Tyranny will cease Christian Morality would reassume its place they would neither be Idolatrous Superstitious nor Heritical Cruel nor Perfidious Transubstantiation and the Infallibility of their Church and all other monstrous Opinions would fall their Discipline Observations Customs and Usages so pernicious to the Wel●…are of People and Countries should be abolish'd and we s●…ould see Industry Arts Manufactures Commerce Agriculture Sciences flourish every where and their Clergy themselves would become Christians upon the matter and honest Men. Though there never was any Religion in the World more contrary to the Gospel and Reason than that of the Pope in regard of Doctrine and Worship yet I will adventure to say that it is still more detestable in regard of the Tyranny which is exercised therein by the Pope and his Clergy For the better understanding

Another Reason which proves that Fornication is incomparably more mischievous in a Country than Drunkenness is this that it is a Crime common to both Sexes So that it is hard to say which of the two is most addicted to it whereas Drunkenness is more particularly the Vice of Men. Another reason is this that Whordom being contrary to Propagation as I have said already and corrupting all the Sources of Generation in a particular manner and ruining the Bodies of Men Women and Children as much and more than Drunkenness ruins those of Men It is certain that it is abundantly more pernicious than the other I could bring 30 more reasons to prove this if the place were proper This last Article concerning their Drunkenness makes it evident that this Crime does great prejudi●…e to a Country if it were no more but by the loss of the Wine Brandy Cider c. which they consume without necessity But besides this Vice ruins abundance of Families shortens the Days of abundance of Men as well as the other tho' in lesser number occasions the loss of a great deal of time with many Quarrels and Murders and makes people brutish and dull as well as Fornication But we will lay aside those two last Articles if the Reader pleases and count them as nothing tho' the prejudice they do goes farther than can be imagined for it's clear enough that the others which I have proposed already occasion above two hundred Millions loss per Annum throughout the Kingdom of France and they can be ascrib'd to nothing else but Popery whereas they may perhaps cavil at the two last and say that the Protestants are incontinent and likewise drunken as well as the Papists If it be well adverted to it will be found that four of the 18 Articles that I have propos'd do alone amount to above 200 Millions of Livres per Annum viz. those of their Holy-days the Estates of the Church that are in Mainmort Lent and other Fast-days and the few Taxes that the French Clergy pays in comparison of the rest of the people Popery occasions the same Mischiefs proportionably in all other Popish Countries and in some more as Spain and Portugal which it hath greatly dispeopled by the Incontinence and Celibacy of their Clergy and the Consequences of these Disorders by the great number of their Ecclesiasticks the Spirit of Persecution and the Perfidiousness of Popery in the Expulsion of the Moors and Jews and by their Inquisition c. But as Italy is nearest to the Court of Rome she hath thereby contracted greater Vices also than other Nations All Sins against Nature are in Vogue there and Poysoning Cozenage Imposture and a certain Effeminacy and Cowardliness which the Priests and Monks have introduc'd there with all Vices imaginable Whence it comes to pass that there is not the least spark of the Courage Greatness of Soul and Generosity of the Antient Romans to be seen and that there is no Country more easie to be conquered by a powerful Neighbour than that France is also owing to Popery and the Court of Rome for their having infected her in some measure with the Habits of diverse of those unnatural Crimes which are so common in Italy that the Spaniards say of the Italians that are infected therewith In Italia todos and of those Crimes the Religious Convents and Monastries the Monks Jesuites and their Scholars with some great Men in France are accused It is also well enough known that the Art of poysoning was brought into France from Italy by the Ecclesiasticks The Maltotes or the great Impositions is another Calamity introduc'd upon France by its Communion with the Court of Rome The Popes that are the greatest Tyrants of the World furnish'd Examples of it upon their own Subjects in Italy and the Romish Religion and the Confessors of Princes and of their Ministers have furnished them with Lessons of the same Equivocations Perfidiousness in all Treaties Ambig●…ous Expressions in all Transactions and Publick Acts have been Consecrated by the Example of Popish Councils especially that of Trent which form'd a great number of Decrees capable of diverse contrary Senses which have occasion'd Divisions among diverse Sects of their Monks and many of their Divines whereof that Infallible Tribunal as they call it of the Pope and his Cardinals would never determine the Sense for fear of disobliging some one of the Parties though they do it every day in the most Insolent and Impudent manner in regard to the Word of God to which they attribute the most absurd and extravagant Sence imaginable with a surprizing Impiety All Europe in general is oblig'd to the Court of Rome for the false and cursed Politicks that Reigns almost in all its Courts and hath banished thence Probi●…y Sincerity upright Intentions Fidelity Justice Truth Generosity so that they are n●…w fill'd with Cozenage Deceit and E●…eminacy The Court of Rome is moreover become a grand Pattern and Teacher of Irreligion and Prophanity now for several Ages It is from the Popes that Roman Catholick Princes have learned to profane the Christian Religion and to corrupt People daily by offers of temporal Rewards to abjure the Religion of Jesus Christ to follow theirs of which we see sad Examples every day as to the Church of Rome and even of some Sovereign Princes We have reason to say when we consider all those things well that the Papacy or the Pope deserves abundantly better the Title of Infidel or Hereditary Enemy of Christendom than the Turk tho' ●…e assumes to himself the Name of the Common Father of Christendom If any Opiniater will still take upon him to deny that Popery does not occasion the loss of 200 Millions per Annum through the Kingdom of France I am satisfied that he wont be accounted any great Master of Reason by such Judicious Persons as have read my Arguments But I say however that tho' it should not amount to above one half or one third of that Summ it would be an Argument cogent enough for the abolishing it and sufficient proof of the Falshood of that Pretended Religion Amongst those direful Effects which Popery occasions perpetually and necessarily in the Dominions that are thereunto Subject I have not taken any notice of those which may be call'd Passing and Accidental though they have also a determinate Cause and proceed from the same Original viz. the first Principles of Popery which we may call the Soul of it and constitute the essential Form of the Church of Rome viz. Ambition Pride and Avarice which have made and do make from time to time an horrible Ravage in Christian Countries nay through the whole World I am certain that if we should reckon up those accidental Mischiefs which Popery occasions from time to time in France the Sum would be much ●…bove 200 Millions per Annum How many Unjust Wars hath it kindled in France both Intestine and Foreign History tells us that the Ambition of the

Authority only being excepted Besides such an Inconsiderable Change as this the rest of the Popish Religion being continued would neither have been Advantagious for the Salvation of Men Glorious to the King nor Profitable to the State For Idolatry and the other Heresies remaining there would have always been an Impossibility of being saved in that Religion and the greatest part of the Oppression attending it being also continued the people would have had but little relief by it nor would the King of France have reap'd the fourth part of the Advantage which he might expect from a thorough Reformation Neither is it to be thought that so small a change could be solid and durable for at the bottom it 's certain that it 's the Popes who have made the Religion of the Church of Rome to be what it is either by corrupting the Doctrine of the Apostles or Adopting the Idolatry and Worship of the Pagans or by Forging now and then new Articles of Faith for their own private Interest and that of their Clergy And it is certain that their Religion is founded on no other Authority but that of the Pope and therefore Cardinal Pallavicini had reason to say in his History of the Council of Trent call'd by some his New Gospel Tutti gli Articoli della Religione unitamente considerati non hanno altra certezza prossima ed immediata che l'Autorita del summo Pontefice i. e. that all the Articles of their Religion considered together have no other certain and immediate foundation but the Authority of the Pope So that if we reason consequentially from this Principle the Popish Religion cannot be preserved but by the preservation of the Papal Authority from which it derives all the Authority that gives it any value in the eyes of the World It is also probable that if a greater Reformation were not made immediately upon the Creation of a Patriarch the Popes Authority would be again Re-established ●…or he should without doubt have always a great Party in the Kingdom under the ●…avour of that horrid Darkness which must have continued therein if it had been no other but for the Jesuites and Monks who would be constantly Jealous that the Patriarch would pair their Nails One Party of the Nation would always have entertained a Correspondence with the Popes Friends being united by their Communion in the same Religion excepting the Opinion of the Authority of the Pope tho'some would have made semblance of rejecting that too for fear of their King yet they would effectually endeavour the Re-establishment of the Papal Authority And so much the more that the Court of Rome would have been prodigal of their Treasures and have spar'd nothing on this occasion to maintain their Tyranny And moreover i●… the King who had created a Patriarch should come to have died before the Reformation should have been compleated and a Prince of less Authority had Succeeded there would have been an end of the Patriarchat This erecting of a Patriarch would not have pleased the Popish Princes neither so that they would have joyned with the Pope and the Party that adher'd to him in France and would either have stirr'd up Civil Wars there or have made War upon it themselves Nor could this imperfect Change have satisfied the Protestant Princes who would always have look'd upon France as Idolatrous and Heretical and ready to return again to wallow in that mire whence she had made some Effort to get out and begun to lift up her head so that they would never put any confidence in her It should happen to France in this case as it always happens to Neutral Princes in the quarrels of Neighbouring Potentates their Neutrality does not reconcile them with their Enemies nor yet procure ●…hem any Friends Neutralitas ne●… Amicos pari●… neque Inimicos tollit saith Tacitus In such cases we must be either t'one or t'other and avoid that which is call'd Consilia Media Such a faint Reformation would have serv'd for nought but to awake all the Malice of the Pope and the Mischievous Ecclesiasticks of the Kingdom who would have reap'd the same Advantage from this that a strong Man does from the Impotent Menaces of his Enemy which serve only to put him on his Guard and set him at Work to prevent the threatned Mischief according to the Italian Proverb Le Minaccie sono l'Armi del Minaccia●…o Threats sound an allarum to the threatned Man to take Arms either to de●…end himself or offend his Enemy as occasion requires Whereas if the King of France did not do things by halves but should together with his Subjects renounce all at once the false Doctrines Worship Superstition and Abuses of the Church of Rome and Free his Kingdom from that Tyranny by Establishing the light of the Gospel to enlighten his People amongst whom it is hid under a Candlestick he might assure himself that such an Evangelical Reformation would be followed by unexpressible Advantages to himself and his People both in regard of Temporal and Eternal Life Some may perhaps object that such a comple●…t and sudden Reformation must needs shake the Kingdom of France and that there 's no passing so suddenly from one Extream to another without danger that is to say from the thick darkness of Popery to the bright shining light of Christianity and therefore it mu●…t be done gradually as our Saviour did when he restored sight to the Blind they did not at first see all Objects dis●…inctly but Men walking like Trees and that God does not make us pass from the dark night to the bright day but by the dawning of the Morning and therefore according to that Wisdom it were proper first to Establish a Patriarchat in France before they endeavour a Gospel-Reformation To this I answer That as to the Authority of the Pope which the Creation of a Patriarch would have over-turn'd all the Parliaments of France and amongst others that of Paris all Persons of Learning Sense and Honesty ev'n amongst the Clergy themselves do not acknowledge that Authority in their heart nay they despise all other Doctrines contrary to those of the Protestants as being evidently false or unprofitable The Kings Authority and the Respect or Fear that they have for him are the only Ties which retain them lest he should destroy or ruine them if they did ●…urn Protestants They have had many Doctors of a long time who have opened their Eyes in regard of the Popes Authority and diverse other such Doctrines as the Chancellor Gerson and the Drs. Richer de Launoy the Author of the Book call'd Les Moyens Seurs Honnetes Sure and Honest Methods Elias Du Pin and many other without mentioning the Books of Protestants and besides the Jansenists the New Philosophy and the present Quietists do something of that Nature And there 's ground of hope that all the Nation will be moved at the infinite number of Mischiess which Popery occasions in the State when they are