Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A86151
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Articles proposed to the Catholiques of England, whereunto it was required that they should subscribe their negative answers, whereby it might be understood, they professe that there is nothing contained in these three articles which doth necessarily belong to the Catholique faith and religion ...
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T. H.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing H129A; Thomason E458_9; ESTC R205029
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4,479
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8
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whereunto you Priests and Religious did subscribe which was purposely made to secure the Lay-Gentlemen that supposing they might enjoy the freedome of their Religion they might lawfully renounce the practise of these Articles which makes the case far different both to the one and the other they conceived you intended to dâ—ny and destroy the probability of that opinion which they think it necessary for their ends to maintain And therefore to keep their hold and conserve their pretended right they framed this Decree in hugger mugger and kept it private Their chief motive is acknowledged in the Decree it self Least it should be said hereaâ—â—er that his Holinesse did approve or connive at the subscription to such Articles as were prejudiciall to his pontificiall Greatnesse The same was also expresly intimated to the Popes Nuntio here it being signified unto him there should be no legall publication of it no more then there had been at Rome nor consequently sure did they intend it should oblige Nay even they themselvs would esteem him a very fool that would loose his estate or venter his life for the maintenance of this opinion or decree Your negative answers to these Articles are to be understood according to your and the proposers intentions that is to renounce the practise of them and profeste them to be no part of your Faith and Religion which I believe the very Court of Rome doth not pretend witness Cardinal Peron who after he had often averred in his Oration to the Nobles of France in the year 1615. that the Doctrine of the Pope's power to depose heretical Kings and absolve their subjects from their obedience was only problematicall And in particular that the Catholiques of England were obliged to obey K. Iames then raigning In his other Oration to the third State who urged and pressed to have the contrary Doctrine received as a fundamentall Law of the Kingdome and as holy true and conformable to the Word of God having used all possible arguments to disswade them from this design and learnedly labouring to shew a greater probability for the affirmative part He concludes towards the end of his speech That the Pope doth tollerate and suffer the contrary opinion to be held so it be onely maintained as problematicall in matter of Faith that is saith he so it be not proposed as necessary to Faith nor the opposite declared as contrary to the VVord of God impious and deâ—estable Besides this Decree is given against thâ— negative subscribers to unpublished Articles without any information or knowledge of the original instrument wherunto you Priests did subscribe naywithout calling any of you to acount but only in the ayr against the negative subscription supposed to be done they know not where nor how contrary to the ordinary formes of our Law and Justice But every man who hath negociated in the Court of Rome can tell you that these Congregational Decrees are generally made by a few Cardinals and Prelates who to speak modestly little know upon what grounds and principles the abstruse sequels of Faith are to be resolved They say in this they have consulted Divines that is perhaps some few forraign Regulars whose interests lye wholly in that Court depending immediatly of it and exempted by his Holinesse from the ordinary and divine Hierarchichal Government of the Church who knowing nothing of the affairs nor of the circumstances of the question were not like to deliver any other opinion then what their great Patrons would have them I wish with all my heart that with the losse of my bloud I could blot out the beâ—â—efe of all experienced men that notning but interest and â—â—â—tion are prevalent in the Court of Rome It is now in every mans mouth that understands the affaires of the World that they seek their own ends not the publique good Finally I remark that they chiefly direct their Decree to the superiours of their exempted Emissaries no mention made of the Bishop or Clergy who are the only lawfull and canonical publishers with the permission and consent of the State or civill Magistrates of any true and authentical spiritual command Tiuly if such a Decree had been sent hither and so illegally proclaimed it would have bin presently condemned to be burnt by the hands of the Hangman In a word I see nothing capable to beget a scruple nor that ought to hinder any Catholique from subscribing to the Articles as you have done Nor shal I easily perswade my self that any wise and experienced man will shrink from so just an Act. If your State King or Parliament wil suffer and tolerate you to live quietly under them which I wonder such able men should boggle at I shal quickly provide and help you with such advise from the most learned and most vertuous Divines of Europe as wil make your Ecclesia stical Government an example to all other States and Kingdoms your Neâ—ghbours And stil conserving all due respect and spiritual obedience to the Sea of Rome you shall free your selves from all unnecessary and unfit dependance of the Roman Court wherein I shall furnish you with the resolutions of such questions as will open the eyes of all your unexperienced and tender conscienced Country-men who have not had perhaps the meanes to discern and distinguish their due and necessary obedience from a superfluous and unjust obsequiousnesse And which shall withall make appeare to all the Christian World the now wel neare fourscore yeares hard and unfatherly dealing of the Court of Rome over the poore persecuted and distressed Catholiques of England Let it therefore be your constant endeavour to give the King State or Parliament full satisfaction and assurance of yâ—ur fidelity to the civil and political government of your Kingdome whatsoever it shall be which may most certainly stand with the integrity of your Religion and Consciences for the rest fear nothing trust to the justice of your cause which you may assuredly believe will not want support For my particular according to my poor ability you shall ever find me Your most loving Brother in Christ and obedient Servant T. H. From Paris this 2. of April 1648. FINIS
ARTICLES PROPOSED To the Catholiques of England whereunto it was required they should subscribe their negative answers whereby it might be understood they professe that there is nothing contained in these three Articles which doth necessarily belong to the Catholique Faith and Religion insomuch that they may and will abjure if it be thought needfull the practise and execution of them all 1. THat the Pope or Church hath power to absolve any person or persons from their obedience to the civill and poâ—iticall Government established or to be established in this Nation in civill and politicall affairs 2. That by the command or dispensation of the Pope or Church it is lawfull to kill destroy or doe any injury to any person or persons living within the Kings Dominions because that such a person or persons are accused condemned censured or excommunicated for errour schisme or herefie 3. That it is lawfull in it self or by dispensation from the Pope to break promise or oath made to any of the aâ—oresaid persons under pretence that they are Herètiques Fifty English Catholique Gentlemen have subscribed negative answers to these three Articles upon certain conditions secretly agreed vpon for the good and freer exercise of the Catholique Religion they being assured by divers Priests both Seculars and Regulars under their hand writings that it was lawfull for them so to do Which since a Congregation in Rome hath ordained and decreed was not nor is not lawfull Whereupon a Priest writeth out of England to his friend a Doctor of Divinity of Paris and sends him a copy of this Congregationall Decree earnestly desiring him that he will let him freely know his sentiment and opinion in this businesse which Doctors answer to the question â—ere followeth Most dear Brother in Christ HAving seriously considered the three Articles you sent me with their little Preface which you say containes in brief the substance of what was intended both by the proposers and your selves I cannot refuse neither in charity nor friendship to give you my opinion concerning your subsâ—ription thereunto Yet being unwilling you should rely upon my private and particular judgment in a matter of such moment I have consulted with severall great and learned men of our Nation but especially some of the most ancient and learned Doctors of Divinity of our faculty here whose constant sentiments are that not only in their opinions your Act is lawfull just and true but that it is also the generall and universall belieâ—e of all the learned and judicious men of this Kingdome So that I see not upon what grounds you need seare or apprehend the cenâ—ures which the Decree of the Congregation in Rome pretends you have incurred Were your Kingdome or State setled and that your liberty depended only upon your giving assurance of your fidelity I should easily procure you such Soveraigne Antydotes against your timerous apprehensions and such publike Declarations of your duty in this kind as that none but either weakly scrupulous or busily factious would be any whit moved at the interressed proceedings of the Court of Rome Me thinks you should not be ignorant how such Decrees of those Congregations are slighted and rejected in the supream Courts of this Kingdom by the most learned and most vertuous secular Judges of the Christian World Even those who bear the most dutiful respect to his Holinesse as well Seculars as Regulars will openly profess that the cabals and interests of the Court of Rome are now so generally known that the Decrees of their Congregations are scarcely taken notice of out of the Popes Territories We had noâ— many months agâ—e such a Decree sent hither from Rome to the Pope's Nunâ—o against a late booke called Lâ—s granaeurs de L'â—gise Romaine which because the Popeâ— Nunâ—io would have published dispersed throughout the Kingdom having obtained license from the King to it The Kings Advocate General Mr. Talon a man worthy of his place made a learne speech in open Parliament without any relation or interest to the doctrine of the book against the admittance of such decrees wherein hee remarked very well the different nature and quality of these conâ—râ—gauonall Decrees which were never received nor acknowledged as legall and authenticall in France from the Buls of his Holinesse as head of the Church And this speech was immediatly confirmed and ratified by a judgment given by this renowned Senate and so the publication of the decree was hindered and suppressed There was likewise in the year 1625. a seditious book written by one Garasse a Jesuit but bearing no name entituled Admonitio ad Regem secretly dispersed up and down in this City which was condemned by a genera Synod of the Clergy of this Kingdom then assembled in this town wherein the indispensable duty and obedience of Catholique Subjects to an heretical and even to a persecuting King or State was particularly declared avouched You may see the words themselvs pag. 12. quare id ipsum c. Given ut Paris in the Generall Assembly of the Clergy the 13. of Decemb. 1625. Whereupon one Sanctarellus an Italian Jesuit was caused to write a book in approbation of the Pope's temporal authority to depose Kings and Princes and to absolve their Subjects from their obedience which was presently censured by our faculty of Divinity and the affirmative doctrine of your first article which is your chief difficulty and other such like positions were improved and condemned as new false erroneous contrary to the Word of God c. Given in the Sorâ—on the 1. of April 1626. Hereupon four of the most famous Jesuits of France then residing superiouâ—s in their Colledges here were sent to the Parliament and being demanded their opinions in this point they confirmed and ratified this censure under their hands professing farther that they did and would consent and adneer to what the Sorbon had or should declare in this or any other matter of Doctrine I could send you the particulars of these and many such like proceedings here being partly in print partly upon publike record but I conceive it need esse at least for the present However the Court of Rome's pretentions to secular and temporal power over Kings and Common-wealths are now grown out of date nor was it ever authorized but by the execution of it The origine of the Pope's authority in temporal affaires is well enough known the great piety ahd respect to the Sea of Rome of divers antient Emperours Kings and Princes have made them receive their Crownes and Diadems from his sacred hands and cast their Swords and Scepters at his Saintly feet Others have made use of the Pope's swaying power to settle themselves in their usurped Monarchies and Princedomes not any versed in Ecclesiastical History but knowes the particulars of these truths But to come back to your Decree I perceive that the Authors of it looking only upon the negative answers to the bare Articles without the preface or separated instrument