in Ioan. The second is so tenaciously retained for what motiue I know not but leaue to them to declare that it workes commonly more violently controwles the loue of Truth althô it cannot quite banish it out of their Harts for this finds some occasions to make them giue Glory to God acknowledg the innocency of Catholicks which the other represents as the worst of men I will proue this out of this very pamphlet Page 9 10. I find these words Are they the Papists not men like the rest of Mankind Haue they not the same Passion Tempers the same Impulses of Tendernesses pity in their Nature with others of different Iudgments perswasions Take them out of that Character their Religion they are in all things like vnto the rest of their Fellow-Creatures Brethren their minds are Peaceable their Deportment affable Generous the Gros of their Tempers full of a sweet indearing Complacency Yet Page 17. you say Their Tempers are Fire Toe And in the very same place where you commend our natures Tempers so much you say Their Religion forces them to put off their Humanity makes them so bloody minded as therein to be farr worse then beasts that perish And a little after No Tygers are more fell savage then they in their Natures they could cut off the whole race of the â—an kind they could call downe fire from Heauen nay the very stames of Hell on all such as would not bend the knee to their BAAL adjust their Faith Consciences to the wild Caprichio of their Idolatrous Enthusiasmes How with Truth to reconcile these different chatacters of vs I cannot tell That our Minds should be Peaceable yet we be bloody minded we like the rest of Mankind yet haue put off our Humanity our Deportments affable generous yet we more fell sauage then the Tygers Our Tempers full of a sweete Indearing Complacency yet our Tempers should be fire toe In reality as these contradictions cannot stand together so they discouer clearly those two contrary Passions in your breast of loue to Truth hatred to Papists The first speakes aduantageously of vs the second blames vs this condemnes that absolues vs. The first is euidently true visible to all who conuerse with vs the second surmized only by the Ministers Just so the Pagans persecuted the Christians of their times Caius is a good man but his Religion spoyles all Titius is a Peaceable man but he is a Christian such such are ciuil honest good natured men but they deuour Children commit incest with their Mothers sisters c. Laudant quae sciunt sayd Tâ—rtul Apol. c. 3. vituperant quae ignorant id quod sciunt eo quod ignorant corrumpunt Cum sit iustius occulta de manifestis praeiudicare quam manifesta de occultis praedamnare They commend what they know certainly find by experience they blame what they surmize feigne of vs and they bereaue vs of the good name due to our known vertues by reproaching vnto vs such vnknown vices Whereas in Iustice they should rather iudge favourably of our known hidden actions by reason of our publick vertuous liues then condemne our vertues for faults only surmized Thus Tertullian Whence it appeares that in your calumnies you imitate the Pagans we follow the example of the Primitiue Christians in our Apologies You say we allow of Murther Treason we declare that we detest them we proue this detestation of them from our Diuine Humane Ciuil Ecclesiastical laws The command not to kill is extant in our Bibles our Canons our Codes we teach it to children in our Catechismes to Schollers in our lessons to all men in our Sermons The Catholick Church punish Murther with Irregularity Catholick States with Death Catholick Faith with Hell fire if it not be repented Nay voluntarily exposing a mans self to a probable danger of Murther in a Duel is Death without remission in France where Catholick Religion still preuailes Iesuits are to be found Lastly our English laws against Murther were made by our Catholick ancestors What greater euidence can you giue of a Detestation of Murther horrour of Bloud then we haue giuen do stillgiue You ground your accusation cheifly on the sayings of some writers whose sentiments shall be examined in the next Chapter where I doubt not to make it euident that you impose on them things which they neuer held Till then to shew how vnsufficient your proofes are I will gratis admit that they truly taught what you falsly say they did What is that to the English Catholicks whome you accuse I defend who neuer read their workes know nothing of their Doctrine probably neuer heard their names will you condemne all the Apostles for one Iudas all the Corinthians for one Incestuous man all the Deacons for one Nicolas all the neophits for one Simon all in the Ark for one Cham all men for one Cain all Angels for one Lucifer you can heare says S. Austin Epist 137. your Neighbour's wife hath broken her Faith to him without comdemning your Mothers or sisters maryed or turning your own wiues out of dores though your freind's son take bad courses yet you do not braine your own nor present them as Felons at the Assizes Why should then the English Catholiks be arraigned as holding Murther lawfull because Lessius at Louen or Amieus at Gretz taught it althô they neuer heard any thing of the Doctrine nor men nor townes where they resided You will say it may be they know approue it that is the most your can draw out of this argument I answer it may be certainly is most commonly so that they neither approued nor knew of it What ground here for arraignment In Treason the will is reputed for the Fact both punisht alike not so in Felony Would you haue Catholicks condemned on much lesse ground then a will to Murther for a thought of it nay for the possibility of a thought For all you can infer out of the sentiments of those Authours is that it is possible English Catholicks may haue the like sentiments Againe if there be such a communication of bad works amongst all Catholicks that each one must be answerable for all the faults of any other althô vnknown to him for this you must say if you say any thing why is there not a like communication of good Lessius say you allows Murther to saue a mans honour another condemnes this Why shall not this man's writing against it be as efficacious to absolue me as the others writing for it to condemne me when I neuer gaue you any cause to suspect I frame my conscience either in speculation or practice rather according to the allower then the condemner of Murther And which is yet more conuincing not only priuate Persons haue declared their dislike
A DEFENCE of the Innocency of the LIVES PRACTICE AND DOCTRINE of the ENGLISH PREISTS JESUITS and PAPISTS relating to the Crimes of MVRTHER and TREASON vnjustly charged on them by E. C. in his NARRATIVE Wherein are discouered His Grosse Mistakes His wilfull Falsifications His shamefull Falshoodes and His groundlesse vniust Accusations OF THE ENGLISH PAPISTS In malâ Causâ non possunt alìter sed quis coegit eos malam causam habere Agust A bad cause such is the charging Innocent Persons with greivous crimes cannot be better managed But what forced them to vndertake such a bad cause ANSWER Odio habuerunt me gratis Joan. 15.25 They hate the Mystical Body of CHRIST without any cause at all Permissu Superiorum 1680. THE PREFACE THE Narrative which I here examin in its design is like the rest of the Libells which haue of late appeared with that title but is far different in the meanes it makes vse of to compasse it All conspire to perswade the world that Catholicks are not fit to be permitted in any Government by reason of the Designs contrary to them which we drive on But the first Narratives differre from this that those alleadged several pretended Treasons of Papists them aliue either committed or designed in our days in the presence of those Informers and which might haue ruined Church and state had they not been prevented by the seasonable discouery of those villanies so they were made vp of personall Acts either done or designed as was pretended by Papists then aliue and which therefore were iustly charged on them if the Informations were tru But that plea being euidently baffled by the many contradictions and improbabilities it contained this Narratiue arraignes the English Catholicks in another way charging them with what its Authour thought blame-worthy in any Professor of the same Religion how distant soever he was from English Catholicks both in place where and time when he lived To this intent he takes the Liberty to range ouer all ages and Countries where Catholick Religion hath been profest and if in this or any former age in Spaine or Italy France Portugal or Germany he finds an indiscreet Schooleman a Cholerick Pope or a Passionat Prince Write Speake or Act reprehensibly all that is charged vpon the English Catholiks in this Libel So what the D. de Alva did in the Low-countries what Lewis VIII in Languedoc and what S. Gregory the greate writ aboue a thousand yeares agoe to Phocas the Emperour all these I say and many more serue to increase the indightment drawn vp against vs in this wise Narratiue Here we see this our Freind hath opened a way to find matter enough to charge vs with But with what colour of Iustice can any of thâ—se illegall actions suppose them such be charged on vs who haue no more hand in them then in the Actions of the Cham of Tartary or the Greate Mogul or those of Marius and Sylla seing these were dead befor we were borne so was Lewis VIII and S. Gregory and with the D. de Alua we had no more communication then with the great Mogul or the Cham With what Topicke then can we be made answearable for those faults of which we knew nothing vnlesse this worthy person thinks we could know before we had any Being What Innocency can be proof when it comes to be tryed as ours is We were first charged with personall Actions as actually and personnally plotting against his sacred Majesties life and government The falsity of this charge being made euident whereas we should be acquitted a new endightment is drawn vp against vs by E. C. containing all the faults he had read or feigned of the Catholicks of what soeuer country or age all which he hath deposed in this Naratiue Why so he considers all Catholicks that are or haue been as one Masse of perdition one Reprobate Person whereof each part is made answeareable for the bad Actions of the whole and of each other part of it How hard soeuer it be for any Innocency to stand such afiery Ordeale yet ours hath stood this and either the vertu of past and foreign Papists hath been so wonderfull or his Blindnesse so greate that all which Hystories of past times or remote partes afforded him could not satisfy his hatred of vs nor compleate his charge against vs without helping it out with new crimes of his owne feighning Witnesse what he cites page 6. out of Suarez that it is lawfull for any man to kill an excommunicated King Which he relates as Suarez his Doctrine whereas in Suarez after those words immediatly follows this censure vpon them This position is most false Haec Propositio falsissima est You see Suarez doth absolutely condemn that very Doctrine which he is accused to haue taught Againe page 9. he assures that none but monyed men can get absolution from their fins in the Roman Church Peccatorum venia non nisi nummatis impenditur A thing so false that I defie any man liuing to produce one single instance of a man who vpon score of Poverty was refused absolution And in all our Churches our Confession seats are as free and open to â—â—usâ— as to Craesus More examples of the sincerity of this tale teller wil occurre in the following Treatise These two will suffice for a shew of his Art Recrimination is a familiar ordinary and obuious Apology yet I think it the least satisfactory worst of all as being fitter to multiply the number of guilty Persons then proue the Innocency of any one For it doth not follow that M. Whitebreade was Innocent if it should be proued that Oates hath always had an aversion to the Royal family Or that the Papists are loyal subjects because the Wicleffists held seditious Doctrines Yet I haue been perswaded not to omit that way of answering too to obliege the Protestants if possible to combat wicked maximes in their own as well as in Papists to moue them to some compassion of humane frailties to which they are much more subject then we For two very material differences are observable betwixt the things they charge Papists with what the Protestants are accused off The first that those charged on vs are consistant with Authority For what bad effect could those words of a Pope Spoken in passion haue Either I will haue Philips Crown or he shall haue my Myter They forewarned the King of the danger by discouering such a bad talent in the Pope against him And moreouer probably the Pope himself hauing slept vpon it was ashamed of such a passionate expression so vnbeseeming his Dignity Whereas the Doctrines we charge on Protestants are setled seditious maximes which lay the Axe at the roote of all Authority Ciuil and Ecclesiastical For example that of the Wicleffists no man in state of mortal sin retaines any Authority What King can be sure of his crown what Bishop of his myter where this Doctrine prevailes Another difference is
Catholicks particularly Iesuits are ready to declare publickly when it shall be legally or by Publicke Authority required of them CHAPTER I. Reflections on the Preface Where of the pretended danger hanging over libellers against Catholicks E C Being very sensible how much this small treatise will expose me to the industrious malice hatred of all stiff positiue Papists _____ My cheife businesse was to find out one that would boldly stand vp with me in the same defence and be ready to iustify the truth honest sincerity of these following sheetes Answer Jt is a common Topick for all who accuse Catholecks to encrease the Odium against them recommend their own zeale for the common good to the Publicke benevolence by representing the dangers they expose themselues to by discouering the faults the conspiracies the murthers the Treasons of the Papists As if the Protection of the Law the security of the publick Peace the vigilancy of Magistrates the number of Libelling Ministers factious malicious scriblers were not a sufficient Protection against a few disarmed men for the most part Prisoners but either by Authority a gard must be appointed for euery libeller or else by their whining complaints of imaginary dangers they would engage others without Authority in any illegal Association for mutuall defence I leaue to our venerable Iudges to declare whither this stand with the law and his Majesty's most honourable priuy Council to consider whither it do not endanger the Publicke Peace Whence this Panick Feare of an inconsiderable number of men all disarmed most of them ether imprisoned or banisht From a bad conscience which in the midst of Peace the greatest security always thinks of dangers Cum Pax sit ipse semper insidias suspicatur Job 15.21 And the wicked fly when no body pursues them Prou. 28.1 This is the miserable condition of sinners says S. Chrisost Hom. 8. ad Pop. Antioch They suspect all things they feare shaddows they tremble at the least noyse no body whispers but they think it is against them no body moues but they surmise it is to attack them Such is the nature of sin it discouers itsself althô none else dreame of it arraignes the guilty person without any other witnesses condemnes him at the Tribunal of his owne conscience from which sentence there is no appeale Hence he flyes though no body pursues him thinking that euery man he sees or phansies is his Executioner Is not this a Picture of these Champions of the Protestant Church Accusers of Papists Is not this danger alleadged framed by their owne guilty conscience which accuses arraignes judges condemnes them then represents all men as designed to execute the sentence as Cain sayd all who find me will kill me Gen. 4.14 Yet you offer at a reason here it is E. C. The Doctrines of the Church of Rome are bloudy ones such as are directly contrary to the word of God the constant sense of the Church of all ages if blindly followed what can we euer expect but Rebellion Murther Bloud-shed all manner of confusion Answ It is easy to say Our Doctrines are contrary to those of the ancient Church but impossible to proue it because it is euidently false They are bloody ones say you I know no doctrines defended by the Church of Rome against Protestants but those contained in the Profession of Faith of Pius IIII. shew one bloody doctrine contained in it I will yeild the cause If you can shew none there this Assertion of yours is a greate slaunder You produce indeed some pieces out of priuate Authours with what sincerity we will hereafter exâ—min Now suppose what you say be true and they really held those Doctrines why should their singular sentiments be the Doctrine of the Church when others as learned pious as they say the contrary the cheife Prelates of the Church condemn those opinions Is there any law which makes each English Catholick answerable for euery Action or writing or word of euery Sicilian Spaniard Jf not we may be Innocent hate Murther abhor Treason althô some of those sayd the contrary if they did say so Of which hereafter E. C. As vncontroulable Dominion Rule is the ground bottom of all their Designs if euer they come to attaine it KING Lords Commons should be the meanest of their Subjects the whole Kingdome be as one general Flame Answ were this spoken in a Nation where Catholick Religion were vtterly vnknown you might hope to frighten People from it but to say it in England where during its preuailing there appeared no symptom of such dismall effects to English who know it still preuailes in their neighbouring countries without those mischeifs is impudent What Kings more absolute in their Dominions then the Most Christian Catholick Monarks what subjection are they and their Nobles Commons brought vnder And as for our own Kings when were they more honoured and obeyed and their subiects at home by loued by their Freinds Allyes feared by their ennemys abroad then when Papists Popery instructs all to giue to God what is Gods to Caesar what is his It traines vp her children in due obedience to spirituall temporal Magistrates Whereas your Reformation first quite cast off the yoake of the Ecclesiastical Superiour by degrees so weakned that of the Ciuil Authority by perpetual en croachments vpon its Prerogatiue that it broke it too And then you sent your King to the graue with the formalities of Iustice and pulled the Lords out of their seates into the lowest ranks of the People annulling all the Priuiledges of Peeres equalling them with the meanest of the Commons This done how mercifully you dealt with Lords Gentlemen Commons appeares by the hystory of those times many still aliue can witnesse Shew such an example of exorbitant Tyranny in any Catholick nation E. C. We must not say it is only the Duty of Kings Princes Governours but of euery particular man in his way measure to lend his helping hand to the furthering of so good a work to do what he can for the mantaining of that Religion worship of God in its Primitiue Purity which Christ his Apostles taught Answer your words here seeme as smooth as oyle yet they are Darts Darts shot at the very hart of Government for they encouraged and authorize each priuate man to meddle with the Church Discipline order euen the Altar according as he phansies the ancient worship of God in its Primitiue Purity to which People are prone enough of themselues Euery one is willing to deferr to the Physitian to the Lawyer euen to the smith or Cobler in their owne Art yet in matter of Church or state euery one thinks himself wiser then those who sit at the Helme sufficiently qualifyed to correct them being once imbued with this opinion that it
is the Duty of each Priuate man to lend a hand to further the worke of the Lord mantaine the Church in its Purity as establisht by Christ it necessarily follows that each one presume to direct his Superiour to what he likes take vpon him to gouerne whose rank is to be gouerned by that meanes he will breake the order establisht disorder the Counsils of the Magistrate hinder his Actings disturbe or dissolue the Gouernment No way more Innocent for subjects to represent their minds to superiours then by Petitions yet these are declared seditious by the Judges found such by Practice because the People are taught as the late King of Glorious memory sayd first to Petition then to Protest then to dictate at last to command ouer aye the Parliament all lawfull Authority To prevent which mischeifes to the Publick with great reason Petitious haue been of late forbidden by Proclamation How much more Peaceable are the ways of Catholiks who are taught to leaue the care of prouiding for publicke security in Church state to the lawfull superiours of both to obey them in all things where there appeares no sin E. C. My Lord of Shaftesbury your Pious Constant Zeale for the Protestant Religion hath euer been very remarkable it is so much the more improued now as your Lordship sees it in a most desperate languishing condition Ans what you meane by Protestant Religion I know not it is as hard to frame a Definition of it as to make a gowne for the moone in the Fable I beleiue you know as litle what has been or is that noble man's Faith or if he hath any By what I heare of his past life I dare say that if the English Protestant Bishops take strict informations of it they will scarce canonize him And why you should represent the Protestant Religion in such a gasping condition I know not Papists cannot haue reduced it so low who are by it reduced almost to nothing their Preists executed imprisoned or fled if any remaine to conceale themselues from your Argos eyes they are forced to ly hidden as the Primitiue Christians in dens caues woods their nobility imprisoned their gently banisht their houses ransacked their estates confiscated you poore remainder of them scarce secure of one day 's nay one hours liberty And what hurt can such a shattred defeated despicable body of men do to the Triumphant Protestant Church This representation of its dismal condition is but your old stratagem to stir vp the rabble to sedition to preuent its vtter ruin which by such tragicall bewaylings you effected in 42. now endeauour it againe For before you told your Reader that each priuate man is bound to lend a hand to hold vp the Arke when it is in danger of falling now you say it is in most imminent danger What follows but that at this time each priuate man is bound to fall to worke to protect Protestant Religion do what he can to mantaine it Which if it be not seditious I know not what is I obserue generally in all your Libels against Catholiks that in your Prefaces which are writ with most Art red with most Attention you always haue some desperate fling at the Present Gouernment as if your prime design were to ruin that which breares the first brunt in all you attacks I think without casting a figure we may guesse at your intentions E. C. I can no better acquit my selfe of my Duty to preserue the life of gasping Protentantisme then by pulling of the masque rectifying the Iudgments of those that are not too much bigotted to the Roman communion in convincing them of the cruelty Bloodiness of their Doctrines Principles Ans It seemes if others neglect theirs you will comply with your Duty here you giue vs a summary of your whole booke which containes a great charge against vs if true if false as great a charge against your self who publish such a calumny against your Church which approues applauds it I hope to make it euident that you pull no maske off of Papists but which you put on them which they detest as much as you or any Protestant E. C. I could wish that care might be taken that Papists children should not sucke in this so dangerous a Religion to the Peace of the state with their Milke but that they should be baptized after our way educated in the Principles of Protestantisme Ans here we see your own meekenesse whilest you reproach Cruelty to vs for althô the laws enacted against vs of late executed with such seuerity be sayd by strangers to be written like those of Draco with Bloud yet they do not satisfy you who require a further law to take away all our children to be bred vp in Protestantism A thing so contrary to the law of nature so barbarous that it neuer was practised not euen in Rome it self vpon the Iews Thus you inhance the Honour credit of your Religion which is made vp of Loue charity a sweete condescension Peaceablenesse of mind to all Men. Which are your words You affect the voice of Iacob but we seele the hands of Esau CHAPTER 2. English Catholicks do not hold Murther Lawfull E. C. I cannot but wonder they the Papists should be to far lost so all Humanity sense of Pity as to hold that most damnable Tenet of Murther Treason not only to be lawfull but in many if not most cases to be necessary commendable meritorious Now that they hold these four Points in Murther Treason I shall proue it palpably vpon them from the Testimony of their owne writings Answer you may with reason wonder at the Inhumamanity of English Papists if this charge be true we may wonder you should haue lost all shame of men if it be false The charge is generall involues all Catholicks so it must be false vnjust if any be innocent for two contradictions cannot be true viz All Papists hold Murther Treason lawfull necessary c. And some Papists haue no such opinions of Murther and Treason Yet both Propositions are your own the first in the words aboue cited the second page 5. where you haue these words I will not be so adventurous as to say or think there are none amongst them of a lesse savage Temper disposition Which are contradictory to the generall charge as owning some Papists to be free from those opinions of Murther Treason We seldome find any of the Protestant Ministers speake without contradictions when Papists or Popery is the subiect of their discourse because there are two contrary inclinations in their wills the one of loue to Truth the other of hatred to Popery Papists The first is so naturall to all men that they cannot totally free themselues from it Quid amplius desiderat anima quam veritatem Aug. tract 26.
Laws change Gouernments cut off Princes rightfull Monarks absolue subjects from their Natural allegiance c pag 7. he addes we are full out such constitutioned Persons as he hath described vs not a jot better nay if we proue not worse before he hath done with vs we shall be obliged to him for his Ciuility Moderation A formidable charge but if we do not tell him it is as great a lye himselfe as false an Informer as Oates he ought to thank vs for our Moderation for he brings not one word to proue his accusation out of any English Catholick nor of any other countries aliue nor any of the dead who speake home let vs see your proofes E. C. pag. 4. Peruse the canon c. Excommunicatorum 23. q. 5. we do not account them Murtherers who burning with the zeal of our Mother the Catholick Church shall happen to kill any of them And are not men of such wicked bloudy designs like the fatal Sirius or Dogstar Answ reade the Canon out you will find no subiect for this Tragical Exclamation for that very Canon declares that action killing an excommunicated Person to be a sin commands the Bishop of Lucia to impose vpon the homicide a seuere publick Pennance Ne eiusdem Ecclesiae Matres disciplina deseratur Poenitentiam eis indicito congruentem Least the Disciplin of our Mother the Church be abandoned oblige the sinners to a Pennance proportioned to their offence And is this to approue of those attempts I would willingly see your Bishops impose a Pennance on the Rebels who killed seuerall of their fellow subjects loyall to their King whither they call it Murther or no I shall not trouble them about the word E. C. pag. 5. Bellarmin l. 3. de Laicis c. 22. says If it were possible to root out the Hereticks not any in the world excepted whether KINGS or EMPEROURS c. without doubt they are to be cut off euery mothers child of them Is not here enough surely too much to euidence how lawfull they hold MVRTHER to be But if it cannot be done because they are too hard they must lye still Answer It is hard to heape together more malicious falsications in so few words Bellarmin in that place enquires whither those words of our Sauiour Mat. 13.30 Let the good seed the tares grow vntill the Haruest do not forbid the Execution of malefactors in general for he says that by the good seede are vnderstood all good men by tares all wicked men according to those words the good seede are the children of the Kingdome tares are the children of the wicked one versu 38. And he says that malefactors of what kind soeuer are to be punisht when it may be done without danger to the publick but when they are so numerous as to cope with the bulke of loyal subjects they ought to be spared to auoyde greater euil Which is so conformable to common sence that none but such a momus as E. C. could reprehend it it is practised in all states 1. If they can all crush a Rebellion in the egge by the Death of one or a few Traitors 2. Is it spread ouer a greate part of the Nation some few heads are punisht the rest are pardoned 3. some times propter bonum pacts the heads themselues are pardonned too Charles 1. designed the first when he sought the fiue members offred the third when he was a Prisoner And Charles 11. at his happy Restauration practised the second for he punisht his Father's judges pardonned the rest Now I come to score vp some of your Falsifications 1. That Bellarmin speakes only of Hereticks He speakes of all kinds of Malefacters Quaestio est vel de Haereticis vel de furibus vel de alijs malis an extirpandi sint The doubt is ether of Hereticks or Thieues or other Malefactors whither they be to be cut off 2. That he doth not except Kings or Emperours to make your Impertinence more obseruable you put these names in Capital letters Sir I neuer thought it necessary to except Kings when we speake of punishing Rogues theiues because no man in his wits will think them meant by those words I beleiue on the same score all our English laws may be arraigned for I do not think when they order a theif to be hanged a Knyght of the Post to loos his eares c. that they adde except he be a King or Emperour 3 That Bellarmin teaches by those words MURTHER to be lawfull Is the Execution of Felons by due course of law Murther of that Bellarmin speakes Gentle Reader I earnestly desire thee to haue some Christian compassion of the condition of Catholicks thy country-men neyghbours who vpon such malicious mis-representations of most innocent sayings are exposed to publick Hatred cruel Persecutions by a senselesse vnchristian disingenious sort of men whose minds are blacker then their coates who make as little bones of a lye swearing to it as drinking a glasse of smal bee when they are thirsty E. C. pag. 5. Their Religion tempts them to all Actions that are horrible against Protestants by giuing them their Lands Estates which assoone as they haue exterminated Hereticks they shall possesse without controul Concil Later sub Innoc. III. c. 3. Now Council's decrees are by Papists honoured as Oracles of the Holy Ghost Says Stapleton Answer No body is ignorant how variously that Canon is spoken of Platina says that Council made no decrees Others say Absolute Princes are not comprehended because not named as they ought to be by reason of their particular dignity in odiosis C. sedes Apostolica de Rescriptis jndeed the words seruato iure Domini principalis preseruing entire the right of the supreame Lord shews that the Canon speakes only of Vassals or subordinate Princes not of the Absolute as Kings Jt is also sayd that the Kings consented to the Law by their Ambassadors they may enact what pleased Lastly it is only a positiue law which may be repealed doth not oblige vntill it be receiued in the seuerall Catholick states As appeares by those of the Council of Trent which are vniuersally receiued no where As to Stapleton his words are nothing to the purpose seing he speakes only of conciliar Definitions in matter of Faith E. C. pag. 6. Whatsoeuer the Holy Father the Pope doth if it be Theft or any other thing which of it self is euil as for example MURTHER c. we must like wise impute that to the jnspiration of GODS spirit And you cite C. non nos D. 40. in Glossa Answer no greate wonder you Protestant Ministers should falsify glosses of Canons who build your Faith on falsifications of the scriptures Neither canon nor Glosse say what you produce them for both lay the quite contrary The title of the Canon is The Papal office doth not giue but takes a way the liberty to sin In