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tum, cujus partem Christus unicuique Episcopo in solidum reliquit, tantum non in solidum sibi soli vindicare; siquis ejus injustæ Tyrannidi sese opposuerit, cœlum ac terram in illius perniciem commovere. Hæc nec nos unquam ferre potuimus, nec vos debetis. In hoc pacis fundamento si inter nos semel conveniatur, in cæteris aut idem sentiemus omnes, aut facile alii aliis dissentiendi libertatem absque pacis jactura concedemús.

Sed abripit calamum meum nescio quis Evès, dum de vestris injuriis nimium sum sollicitus, et forte liberius quam par esset, de his rebus ad te scripsisse videbor.

Ego vero uti ea omnia, quæ tu in tuo Commonitorio exaraveris, etiam illa in quibus ab invicem dissentimus, grato animo accipio; ita ut aperte, ut candide et absque omni fuco porro ad me scribere pergas, eaque rapina qua amicum cum amico agere deceat, imprimis a te peto; eo te mihi amiciorem fore existimans, quo simplicius, quo planius, quicquid censeris, libere dixeris.

Nec de Commonitorio tuo amplius aliquid hoc tempore reponam; in quo cum plurima placeant, tum id imprimis, quod etiam tuo judicio, non adeo longe ab invicem distemus, quin si de fraterna unione ineunda publica aliquando authoritate deliberari contigerit, via facile inveniri poterit ad pacem inter nos stabiliendam, salva utrinque Ecclesiæ Catholicæ fide ac veritate.

Quod ad alteros tuos tractatus de Constitutione Episcoporum in Ecclesiis vacantibus, siquidem Papa legitime requisitus, facultatis suas personis a Rege nominatis obstinate pernegaverit; in iis sane reperio quod non tua eruditione et judicio sit. Quare ne prorsus rues discedam, ordinem tibi breviter delineabo constituendi Episcopos in hac Reformata nostra Ecclesia.

Tu judicabis, an aliquid magis canonice vel excogitari vel statui potuerit.

NO. VI.

A LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP WAKE TO DR. P. PIERS GIRARDIN, WRITTEN IN October, 1718.

Præstantissimo Viro, Consummatissimo Theologo, Dno. Patricio Piers de Girardin, Sacræ Facultatis Parisiensis Theologia Doctori.

Gul. Prov. div. Cant. Archs. Gratiam, Pacem, ac Salutem in Domino.

Post prolixiores epistolas eruditissimo confratri tuo Dno Dr Du Pin hoc ipso tempore exaratas; quasque ego paulo

minus tuas, quam illius existimari velim, facilius a te veniam impetrabo, vir spectatissime, si aliquanto brevius ad te rescribam; et in illis quidem animi mei vel amori vel indignationi libere indulsi; eaque simplicitate, qua decet Christianum et maxime Episcopum, quid vobis, mea saltem sententia, factu opus sit, aperte exposui. Siquid vel tuo vel illius judicio, asperius quam par esset, a me exciderit, cum vestri causa adeo commotus fuerim, facile id homini tam benevole erga vos animato, uti spero, condonabitis.; unaque reminiscemini, nullam unquam vobis stabilem inter vos pacem, aut Catholicam cum aliis unionem, haberi posse, dum aliquid ultra merum honoris primatum ac podpía Pontifici Romano tribuitis. Hoc nos per aliquot sæcula experti sumus; vos jam sentire debetis, qui, nescio quo insano ipsius beneficio, adeo commodam occasionem nacti estis, non tam ab illius decretis appellandi, quam ab ipsius dominio ac potestate vos penitus subducendi. Ipse vos pro Schismaticis habet; qualem vos eum censere debetis. Ipse a vestra communione se suosque separandos publice denunciat. Quid vobis in hoc casu faciendum? Liceat mihi veteris illius Cæsarea Episcopi Firmiliani verbis respondere; sic olim Stephanum Papam acriter quidem, sed non ideo minus juste, castigavit. "Vide qua imperitia reprehendere audeas eos qui contra mendacium pro veritate nituntur. Peccatum vero quam magnum tibi exaggerâsti, quando te a tot gregibus scidisti; excidisti enim te ipsum, noli te fallere. Siquidem ille est vere Schismaticus, qui se a communione ecclesiastica unitatis apostatam fecerit. Dum enim putas omnes a te abstineri posse, solum te ab omnibus abstinuisti." Cypr. Op. Epist. 75.

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Agite ergo, viri eruditi, et quo vos divina providentia vocat, libenter sequimini. Clemens Papa vos abdicavit ; a sua et suorum communione repulit, rejecit. Vos illius authoritati renuntiate. Cathedræ Petri, quæ in omnibus Catholicis Ecclesiis conservatur, adhærete. Etiam nos-. tram ne refugiatis communionem; quibuscum si non in omnibus omnino doctrinæ Christianæ captibus conveniatis, at in præcipuis, at in fundamentalibus, at in omnibus articulis fidei ad salutem necessariis plane consentitis; etiam in cæteris, uti speramus, brevi consensuri. Nobis certe eo minus vos vel Hæreticos vel Schismaticos fore confidite, quod a Papa ejecti pro Hæreticis et Schismaticis Romæ estimemini. Sed contrahenda vela, nec indulgendum

huic meo pro vobis zelo; etsi sit secundum scientiam. Prudentibus loquor; vos ipsi, quod dico, judicate.

Ad literas tuas, præstantissime Domine, redeo; in quibus uti tuum de mediocritate mea judicium, magis ex affectu erga me tuo, quam secundum merita mea prolatum, gratanter accipio, ita in eo te nunquam falli patiar, quod me pacis Ecclesiasticæ amantissimum credas; omniaque illi consequendæ danda putem, præter veritatem. Quantum ad illam promovendam tu jamjam contuleris, ex sex illis propositionibus quas tuis inseruisti literis, gratus agnosco; ac nisi ambitiose magis quam hominem privatum deceat, me facturum existimarem, etiam eruditissimis illis confratribus tuis Doctoribus Sorbonicis, quibus priores meas literas communicâsti, easdem per te gratias referrem. Sane Facultas vestrà Parisiensis, uti maximum in his rebus pondus merito habere debeat, sive numerum, sive dignitatem, sive denique eruditionem suorum membrorum, spectemus; ita a vobis exordium sumere debebit unio illa inter nos tantopere desiderata, siquidem eam aliquando iniri voluerit Deus.

Interim gratulor vobis post illustrissimum Card. Noaillium, alterum illum Ecclesiæ Gallicanæ, fidei Catholicæ Columnam et Ornamentum, procuratorem regium, D.D. De Joly de Fleury. Quem virum ego non jam primum ex tuis literis debito prosequi honore didici, verum etiam ob ea quæ vestri causa his proximis annis publice egerit, antea suspicere, et pene venerari, consueveram. Sub his ducibus, quid non sperandum in publicum vestrum ac Catholicæ Ecclesiæ commodum? Intonet de Vaticano Pontifex Rom. fremant inter vos ipsos conjurata turba, Romanæ curiæ servi magis quam suæ Galliæ fideles subditi. His præsidiis ab eorum injuriis tuti, vanas eorum iras contemnere valeatis.

Ego vero, uti omnia vobis publice fausta ac felicia precor, ita tibi, spectatissime vir, me semper addictissimum fore promitto. De quo quicquid alias senseris, id saltem ut de me credas jure postulo; me sincere veritatem Christi et amare et quærere; et, nisi omnino me fallat animus, etiam assecutum esse. Nulli Christiano inimicus antehac aut fui aut deinceps sum futurus; sic de erroribus eorum, qui a me dissident, judico, ut semper errantes Deo judicandos relinquam. Homo sum, errare possum ; sic vero animatus audacter dicam, Hæreticus esse nolo. Te vero,

siquidem id permittas, fratrem; sin id minus placeat, saltem id indulgebis, ut me vere et ex animo profitear, excellentissime Domine, tui amantissimum,

W. C.

NO. VII.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP WAKE TO MR. BEAUVOIR. Nov. 6, O. S. 1718.

YOUR last letter gives me some trouble, but more curiosity. I little thought, when I wrote to your two doctors, that my letters should have been read, much less copies of them given to any such great persons as you mention. I write in haste, as you know, and trust no amanuensis to copy for me, because I will not be liable to be betrayed. And upon a review of my foul and only copy of them, since I had your account from Paris, I find some things might have been more accurately expressed, had I taken more time to correct my style.. But I wish that be the worst exception against them. I fear the freedom I took in exhorting them to do somewhat in earnest, upon so fair a provocation, with regard to the papal authority, though excused as well as I could, will hardly go down so effectually as I could wish with them. This raises my curiosity, to know truly and expressly how that part of my letters operated on both your doctors; which, by a wary observation, you may in good measure gather from their discourse. I cannot tell whether they showed my letters to you If they did, I am sure you will think I did not mince the matter with them in that particular.

Of your two doctors, Dr. Piers seems the more polite; he writes elegantly both for style and matter; and has the freer air, even as to the business of an union. Yet I do not despair of Dr. Du Pin, whom, thirty years ago, in his collection of tracts relating to church discipline, I did not think far from the kingdom of God.

NO. VIII.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP WAKE TO MR. BEAUVOIR. Nov. 18, 1718.

At present, my more particular curiosity leads me to know the sentiments of the leading men in France with

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regard to the court of Rome; from which, if we could once divide the Gallican church, a reformation in other matters would follow of course. The scheme that seems to me most likely to prevail, is, to agree in the independence, as to all matters of authority, of every national church on any others; and in their right to determine all matters that arise within themselves; and for points of doctrine to agree, as far as possible, in all articles of any moment, as in effect we either already do, or easily may; and for other matters, to allow a difference, till God shall bring us to an union in those also. One only thing should be provided for, to purge out of the public offices of the church such things as hinder a perfect communion in the service of the church, that so whenever any come from us to them, or from them to us, we may all join together in prayers and the holy sacraments with each other. In our liturgy, there is nothing but what they allow of, save the single rubic relating to the Eucharist: in theirs nothing but what they agree may be laid aside, and yet the public offices be never the worse, or more imperfect for want of it. Such a scheme as this, I take to be a more proper ground of peace, at the beginning, than to go to more particulars; if in such a foundation we could once agree, the rest would more easily be built upon it. If If you find occasion, and that it may be of use, you may extract this project, and offer it to their consideration, as what you take to be my sense in the beginning of a treaty. Not that I think we shall stop here; but that, being thus far agreed, we shall the more easily go into a greater perfection hereafter. I desire you to observe as much as you can, when it is I may the most properly write to the doctors. I took the subject of the Pope's authority in my last, as arising naturally from the present state of their affairs, and as the first thing to be settled in order to an union. How my freedom in that respect has been received, I desire you freely to communicate.

NO. IX.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP WAKE TO MR. BEAUVOIR.

Dec. 2, O. S. 1718.

I AM glad the two doctors seem to receive my last letters so well. The truth is, that while they manage as they

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