former Council They might as well have left it to him to make them as they in effect did for nothing was decreed without first asking his leave 4. The imposing on Provincial and Diocesan Synods an Oath of true Obedience to the Pope o Sess 25. cap. 2. another new piece of Tyranny for tho the Bishops at their Consecration fomerly took an Oath of Fidelity to him yet never before was any Oath imposed upon them when met together in Provincial and Diocesan Synods 5. Usurping the Rights of Bishops by making them the Pope Delegates in matters which belong to their Ordinary Jurisdiction (p) Episcoporum potestas non solum non aucta sed ex ea multum delibatum est cum ea potestas quae ipsorum propria est ex Dei instituto iis attributa iis tanquam a sede Apostolica delegatis concedatur Thuan. l. 6. c. 2. Review of the Council of Trent l. 6. c. 2. Whereas anciently every Bishop governed his own Diocess without Dependence upon or Subordination to the Pope by the Laws of Trent they can do almost nothing unless by Delegation from him May Bishops provide Vicars to supply the room of such Clergymen as are dispensed with for non-residence and assign them a competent Salary out of the Fruits Not by their own Authority but as they are Delegates of the Apostolick See (q) Sess 6. cap. 2. May they depute Assistants to unlearned and ignorant Parish Priests They may as Delegates of the Apostolick See (r) Sess 21. cap. 6. May they take upon them to Examine a Notary and if they find him unfit forbid him the Exercise of his Office in Ecclesiastical matters Yes but as Delegates of the Apostolick See (s) Sess 22. cap. 10. But surely in matters which belong to Visitation and the Correction of Manners the Bishops may of themselves ordain and execute those things which they judg necessary for the good of their People and for the profit of the Church No but only as Delegates of the Apostolick See (t) Sess 24. cap. 10. This is the enlargement of the Bishops Power which R. H. so much boasts of (u) Considerat on the Council of Trent c. 12. § 211 Many more Instances of like nature might be produced but these may suffice to shew how palpably untrue that Assertion of Pallavicino's is viz. That there is not so much as one Syllable in this Council for any new Emolument to the Pope (w) In hoc Concilio ne una quidem conspicitur syllaba pro novo Pontificis Emolumento Apparat ad hist c. 10. n. 3. And how unjustly the same Cardinal charges Soave with falsity for saying That this Council hath so established the Popes Power that it was never so great nor so solidly founded (x) Ibid. And likewise that R. H. had as little reason to carp at a like passage of Dr. Stilling fleet 's viz. That which was intended to clip the Wings of the Court of Rome had confirmed and advanced the Interest of it (y) Considerat c. 12. § 103. For as all those Decrees that might otherwise have retrenched their Exorbitances were themselves so clipt by Exceptions or Restrictions or by some other Counter Decree that they could effect nothing so many other Decrees were made by which the Interest of the Pope and his Court were highly promoted particularly this last mention'd of deriving all Jurisdiction from the Pope by making all other Bishops his Vicars and Commissaries And therefore no wonder that his Holiness was transported with Joy and gave immortal Thanks that the Council had such an happy Issue (z) Pallav. l. 24. c. 9. n. 5. For to use the words of Du Ranchin you shall never read of any Council that was so much to the Popes Honour and good liking as this Amongst so many Bulls and Constitutions which have come forth since you shall scarce find any which doth not make mention of this Council which doth not name it with Honour which doth not express an earnest desire of the observation of it and which doth not in some sort confirm it Among all the Councils that ever were no compare with this for Reverence and Respect It hath quite defaced and extinguished the memory of all the rest It is their Minion their Favourite their Champion their Arsenal their Bulwark their Protector their Creature and good Reason why they should make so much of it (*) Review of the Council of Trent l. 1. c. 1. FINIS AN ADVERTISEMENT Of Books lately Printed for Richard Chiswell THe History of the Reformation of the Church of England by GILBERT BVRNET D. D. in two Volumes Folio The Moderation of the Church of England in her Reformation in Avoiding all undue compliances with Popery and other sorts of Fanaticisms c. by TIMOTHY PVLLER D. D. Octavo A Dissertation concerning the Government of the Ancient Church more particularly of the Encroachments of the Bishops of Rome upon other Sees by WILLIAM CAVE D. D. Octavo An Answer to Mr. Serjeants Sure Footing in Christianity concerning the Rule of Faith with some other Discourse by WILLIAM FALKNER D. D. Octavo A Vindication of the Ordinations of the Church of England against the Romanists by GILBERT BVRNET D. D Octavo The APOLOGY of the Church of England and an Epistle to one Signior Scipio a Venetian Gentleman concerning the Council of Trent Written both in Latin by the Right Reverend Father in God JOHN JEWEL Lord Bshop of Sarisbury Made English by a Person of Quality To which is added The Life of the said Bishop Collected and Written by the same Hand Octavo The LETTER writ by the last Assembly General of the Clergy of France to the Protestants inviting them to return to their Communion Together with the Methods proposed by them for their Conviction Translated into English and Examined by GILBERT BVRNET D D. Octavo The Life of WILLIAM BEDEL D. D. Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland Together with Certain Letters which passed betwixt him and James Waddesworth a late Pensioner of the Holy Inquisition in Sevil in matter of Religion concerning the General Motives to the Roman Obedience Quarto The Decree made at ROME the Second of March 1679. condemning some Opinions of the Jesuits and other Casuists Quarto A Discourse concerning the necessity of Reformation with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome Quarto First and Second parts A Discourse concerning the Celebration of Divine Service in an Unknown Tongue Quarto A PAPIST not Misrepresented by PROTESTANTS Being a Reply to the Reflections upon the Answer to A Papist Misrepresented and Represented Quarto An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England in the several Articles proposed by the late BISHOP of CONDOM in his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholick Church An Answer to THREE PAPERS lately printed concerning the Authority of the Catholick Church in matters of Faith and the Reformation of the Church of England Quarto A CATECHISM Explaining the Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome with an Answer thereunto by a Protestant of the Church of England Octavo
THE Necessity of Reformation With respect to the Errors and Corruptions OF THE CHURCH of ROME The Second Part. Wherein is shewed The Vanity of the Pretended Reformation of the Council of Trent and of R. H's Vindication of it in his Fifth Discourse concerning the Guide in Controversies IMPRIMATUR Martii 6. 1685 6. Carolus Alston R. P. D. Hen. Episc Lond. Ã Sacris Domesticis LONDON Printed for Richard Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard 1686. The CONTENTS CHAP. I. NO hope of Reformation from the CHURCH of ROME 2 CHAP. II. The Authority of Father Paul's History of the Council of TRENT asserted 29 Sect. 1. The Author's Sufficiency for the Work and his Sincerity in performing it Ibid. Sect. 2. The Credit of this History so fan from being overthrown that it is rather established by those that endeavoured to destroy it 68 CHAP. III. The Vanity of the pretended Reformation of the Council of TRENT 61 Sect. 1. In those Matters in which a Reformation was most necessary not the least Reformation made or so much as pretended 62 Sect. 2. In those Matters in which a mighty Reformation was pretended little or rather none was really made 68 Sect. 3. Instead of Reformation the Council produced a greater Deformation What it found bad it left in many respects worse 91 ERRATA PAge 8. in Not. l. 1. read Fascic rerum expetend P. 9. Not. l. 2. r. Meritorum P. 10. Not. l. 2. r. exoptata P. 12. Not. l. 3. r. cognoscitur P. 16. l. 22. for too r. to P. 19. Not. l. 5. r. Luitprand P. 23. l. 10. blot out of l. 22. put as before has l. 30. r. generality P. 38. Not. l. 1. r. Not. P. 60. l. 18. r. Mufottus P. 64. l. 9. for he proceeds r. they proceed P. 69. in Not. l. 3. r. prurientes P. 70. l. 8. r. infallible P. 71. in Not. for at r. atque l. 4. r. Apostolicae P. 77. in Not. l. 1. â— obedientia P. 79. l. 22. r. King P. 80. l. 4. after composed add as P. 81. in Not. l. 1. r. egregium P. 83. l. 5. for z r. y l. 11. for a r. z l. 18. for b r. a l. 19. r. prohibits l. 26. for c r. b P. 100. l. 30. after As put in if and for Truths r. Truth The Necessity of Reformation with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome THIS will be manifest to all unprejudiced Persons by the proof of these Six PROPOSITIONS Prop. I. That the Church of Rome is not only fallible but had actually erred Prop. II. That her Errors were not slight and in Matters of small Moment but so gross and enormous when the Reformation was set on foot that there was a necessity of reforming them Prop. III. That no hope was left that the Church of Rome would either reform these Errors in her self or give consent to the Reformation of them in any other Church that communicated with her Prop. IV. That every Particular National Church had a Right to reform it self without her leave Prop. V. That this Right of the Church of England in particular was unquestionable And therefore as a necessary Conclusion from these Premisses Prop. VI. That the Church of England was indispensably obliged to reform her self The two first of which Propositions having been already proved in a foregoing Discourse the third comes next in order to be treated of CHAP. I. No hope of Reformation from the CHURCH of ROME PROP. III. That no hope was left that the Church of Rome would either reform these Errors in her self or give consent to the Reformation of them in any other Church that communicated with her therein Which tho it contains these two Propositions 1. That there was no hope that she would reform those Errors in her self 2. That there was no hope that she would consent to the Reformation of them in any other Church that communicated with here therein Yet because the latter of â—hese will plainly follow from the proof of the former I â—hall therefore insist upon that only Tho her Corruptions were numerous and many of them in their Nature and Consequence very dangerous yet if she could have been persuaded to purge them out and return to her Primitive Purity the Protestants would have accepted the Reformation from her Hands and have heartily thanked her for it But alas there was no hope left that she would ever be cleansed but the greatest reason to fear that She that was filthy would be filthy still As will be manifest by the following Considerations For 1. Could there be any just ground of hope that she would ever reform after she had obstinately refused and shewed her self incorrigible notwithstanding those frequent Complaints that for many Ages had been made against her Corruptions by many great Men both Ecclesiastical and Secular of her own Communion Passing over those that are more remote I shall take notice of the Complaints of later Ages only In the twelfth Century the Emperor Frederic I. (a) Naucleri Chronograph vol. 2. generat 39. p. 849. Sigon de Regno Ital. l. 14. Hen. II. King of England (b) Matth. Paris in Hen. II. An. 1164 67 68. And Lewis VII King of France (c) Matth. Paris ad Anno 1146. St. Bernard (d) Serm. 6. in Psal 90. Serm. 33. in Cantic Honorius of Austun (e) De Praedest lib. Arbit Dialog inter opera Cassand in Biblioth Patr. tom 15. John Sarisburiensis Bishop of Chartres (f) Policrat l. 6. c. 24. l. 8. c. 17. in aliis locis Petrus Blesensis Arch-deacon of Bath (g) Epist 5 8. in multis aliis Arnulphus a famous Preacher at Rome (h) Platin in Vita Honorii II. made grievous Complaints against the Tyrannies Usurpations and Abuses of the Pope and his Clergy In the 13th Century the same Complaints were continued and encreased by the Emperor Frederic II. (i) Aventin Annal. Bojor l. 7. p. 531 532 542. Bas 1580. Maenardus Count of Tirol (l) Avent Annal. Bojor l. 7. p. 577. Probus Bishop of Toul (m) l. 7. p. 572 573. Everhard Arch-bishop of Saltzburg (n) l. 7. p. 546. 547. Rob. Bishop of Lincoln (o) Matth. Paris in Hen. III. ad An. 1253 1254. And Peter Cassiodore (p) Epist de Tyrannide Pontif. Rom. apud Goldast vol. 1. In the 14th Century Ludovicus Bavarus the Emperor with the consent of the States of the Empire proclaimed the Pope to be the Arch-Heretick and the Antichrist which sat in the Temple of God (q) Aventin Annal. Bojor l. 7. p. 610 611 612. Edw. III. and Rich. II. Kings of England not only complained but made severe Laws against his Encroachments (r) 27. Edw. III. c. 1. 25. Edw. 3. 16. 16. Rich. 2. c. 5. 13. R. 2. c. 3. See Coke upon these Statutes Institut part 3. c. 54. And many of prime note among the
who could not be ignorant of such a Proposal if any such had been I mean the most Learned Men of that Church not those who were suspected to have too much kindness for Hereticks viz. Erasmus Cassander Wicelius c. but the stoutest Champions of the Papacy and those of highest Authority in that Church next to the Pope himself such as Cardinal Cajetan who not long before the Council taught things plainly contrary to divers of the Trent Decrees Or 5. As if the Ignorance of such Point before the Definition of a Council might not be some loss in order to our Salvation Some loss A man then it seems might have been saved who held the contrary yet so as by fire That Sin therefore which was but Venial before the Definition of the Council became Mortal after it Another new Article which the Council forgat to define But if not in this nor that nor t'other sense in what sense at last after all these Limitations and Exceptions are these Points made by the Councils defining them Articles of Faith Why in no sense for they were Articles of Faith before the only difference is that they were then less necessary now more necessary to be believed For by the Councils desining them they are made necessary to be believed in some degree of necessity wherein they were not before u R. H. S. 192. But till it be proved that they were necessary to be believed before by some better Argument than barely saying so we shall hardly be perswaded that they are more necessary to be believed since But how comes it to be more necessary now than formerly to believe these new old Articles By reason of a more evident Proposal of them when the Council whose Judgment we are bound to believe and submit to declares them to be Divine Truths w Ibid. But how come we to be bound to believe and submit to the Judgment of the Council of Trent Was it a Council of the Catholick Church No but of the Roman Church only Does the Church of England owe any Subjection to the Church of Rome No that Church had never any Dominion over her but what was Usurpt Had the Church of England any Representatives in the Council No in the Catalogue of the Bishops one British Bishop is mentioned viz. Tho. Goduclus Bishop of St. Asaph but he had no Commission from this Church Have the Decrees and Canons of the Council been since received by the Church of England No. Will it not then be a hard matter to prove that the Members of this Church are bound to submit to the Judgment of this Council And yet we shall readily submit to it First In case it be once proved which this Author supposes and takes for granted that this Council was Infallible Or 2 ly Supposing it hath err'd which is most notorious That it is our Duty to assent to its Errors as Divine Truths What he says afterward of the obligation that lies upon us from the Definition of the Church x R. H. S. 193. is the same thing repeated because by the Church he means no more than the Roman Church assembled at Trent And therefore the Church of England in not submitting to her is no way defective in her Duty of Obedience because she owes no obedience to her But are not the Points themselves defined such as require our acceptance Because they are such as are some way profitable to our Salvation some way advantageous to Gods Glory some way conducible to Christian Edification to the Peace of the Church c. y Ibid. I wish he had told us what way for it is hard to conceive that it is any way more profitable to our Salvation to believe with the Council of Trent that Concupiscence is not Sin than to believe with St. Paul that it is z Rom. 7. 7. That it is any way more advantageous to Gods Glory to believe with the Council that there is no Divine Precept for the Laity to receive the Eucharist in both Kinds a Sess 21. Cap. 1. than to believe with Pope Gelasius that it is Sacrilege to divide that Mystery b De Consecrat Dist 2. c. 12. That it is any way more conducible to Christian Edification to believe that the Books of Maccabees are Canonical than to believe with Pope Gregory the Great that they are not c Greg. Moral Expos in Job l. 19. c. 17. That it is any way more Subservient to the Peace of the Church to believe that the Church of Rome is the Mother of all Churches than to believe with the second General Council that Jerusalem is d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concil Constantinop ◠Epist Episcop I shall not insist upon the Bull of Pius IV. by which all men are excluded from Salvation who do not assent not only to all matters defined and declared by the Council of Trent but by other General Councils because what I undertook is already so fully proved that it needs no additional Evidence It may suffice to make three brief Remarks upon R. H's Discourse in Vindication of it in his four next Sections 1. In that he says The Clause haec est Fides Catholica extra quam nemo Salvus is a Declaration of the Pope and can have no more Authority than other Papal Decrees e S. 194. Thereby plainly intimating that a Papal Decree is of less Authority than that of a general Council What can be said more absurd when spoken with respect to the Council of Trent Since this Council did not only again and again expresly own the Pope for their Lord (f) Decrevit integrum negotium ad Sanctissimum Dominum nostrum esse referendum Decret Super Pet. Concess Calicis Sess 22. but did also humbly Petition him that he would vouchsafe to confirm their Decrees (g) In Decreto de fine Concilii Qua propter nos Johannes Cardinalis Moronus Ludovicus Cardinalis Simoneta humiliter petimus nomine dicti Concilii Oecumenici Tridentini ut sanctitas vestra dignetur confirmare omnia singula quae tam sub fel. rec Paulo iii. Julio iii. quam sub Sanctitate Vestra in eo decreta definita sunt Confirmat Concilii and many other ways acknowledge his Superiority over them as will afterward more fully appear 2. He says Whatever Profession of Faith is made in the Bull it concerneth not any Person save those who enter into Religious Orders or into some Ecclesiastical Benefice (h) c. 11. §. 194. It concerns not any save them to make this Profession but the Faith professed so far concerns all that if the Pope do not err no Man can be saved without it And one part of this Faith is an assent to all the Definitions of the Trent Council For the words are these All other things likewise do I undoubtedly receive and profess which are deliver'd defin'd and declared by the Sacred Canons and general Councils