sand persons are in their kingdoms, and yet subjects to a foreign power. But we need not trouble ourselves to reckon the evils consequent to this procedure; themselves have owned them, even the very worst of things, "The rebellion of a clergyman against his prince is not treason, because he is not his prince's subject:" It is expressly taught by Emanuel Sà; and because the Frenchmen, in zeal to their own king, could not endure this doctrine, these words were left out of the edition of Paris, but still remain in the editions of Antwerp and Colgne. But the thing is a general rule, "That all ecclesiastical persons are free from secular jurisdiction in causes criminal, whether civil or ecclesiastical: and this rule is so general, that it admits no exception: and so certain that it cannot be denied, unless you will contradict the principles of faith" so father Suarez. And this is pretended to be allowed by councils, sacred canons, and all the doctors of laws, human and Divine; for so Bellarmine affirms. Against which, since it is a matter of faith and doctrine which we now charge upon the church of Rome, as an enemy to public government, we shall think it sufficient to oppose against their pretension, the plain and easy words. of St. Paul, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers:"every soul,' that is, saith St. Chrysostom, whether he be a monk or an evangelist, a prophet or an apostle. Of the like iniquity, when it is extended to its utmost commentary, which the commenters of the church of Rome put upon it, is, the Divine right of the seal of confession; which they make so sacred, to serve such ends as they have chosen, that it may not be broken up to save the lives of princes, or of the whole republic, saith Toleti;—No, not to save all the world, said Henriquez *: — Not to save an innocent, not to keep the world from burning, or religion from perversion, or all the sacraments from demolition. Indeed it is lawful, saith Bellarmine', if a treason be known to a priest in confession, he may, in general words, give notice to a pious and catholic prince, but not to a heretic; and that d Aphor. verb. Clericus. f Apolog. p. 57. In hunc locum. * De Pœnit. lib. ii. c. 19. n. 5. e Defens. Fid. lib. iv. c. 15. sect. 1. i Instruct. Sacerd. lib. iii. c. 16. Apol. cont. Reg. M. Brit. c. 13. was acutely and prudently said by him, said father Suarez ". Father Binet is not so kind even to the catholic princes; for he says, that it is better that all the kings of the world should perish, than that the seal of confession should be so much as once broken; and this is the catholic doctrine, said Eudæmon Johannes", in his apology for Garnet; and for it he also quotes Suarez. But it is enough to have named this. How little care these men take of the lives of princes, and the public interest, which they so greatly undervalue to every trifling fancy of their own, is but too evident by these doctrines. SECTION III. THE last thing we shall remark for the instruction and caution of our charges, is not the least. The doctrines of the church of Rome are great enemies to the dignity and security, to the powers and lives of princes: and this we shall briefly prove by setting down the doctrines themselves, and their consequent practices. And here we observe, that not only the whole order of jesuits is a great enemy to monarchy, by subjecting the dignity of princes to the pope, by making the pope the supreme monarch of Christians; but they also teach, that it is a catholic doctrine, the doctrine of the church. The pope hath a supreme power of disposing the temporal things of all Christians in order to a spiritual good; saith Bellarmine. And Becanus discourses of this very largely in his book of the English controversy, printed by Albin at Mentz, 1612. But because this book was ordered to be purged (una litura potest'), we shall not insist upon it; but there is as bad, which was never censured. Bellarmine says, that the ecclesiastic republic can command and compel the temporal, which is indeed its subject, to change the administration, and to depose princes, and to appoint others, when it cannot otherwise defend the spiritual good: and father Suarez says the same. The power of the pope extends itself to the coercion of kings with temporal punishments, and depriving them of their kingdoms, when necessity requires; nay, this power is more necessary over princes than over subjects. The same also is taught by Santarel, in his book of heresy and schism, printed at Rome, 1626. But the mischief of this doctrine proceeds a little further. Cardinal Tolet affirms, and our countryman, father Bridgewater, commends the saying, "That when a prince is excommunicate, before the denunciation the subjects are not absolved from their oath of allegiance (as Cajetan says well); yet when it is denounced, they are not only absolved from their obedience, but are bound not to obey, unless the fear of death or loss of goods excuse them; which was the case of the English catholics in the time of Henry VIII." And father Creswell says, it is the sentence of all catholics, that subjects are bound to expel heretical princes if they have strength enough; and that to this they are tied by the commandment of God, the most strict tie of conscience, and the extreme danger of their souls.-Nay, even before the sentence is declared, though the subjects are not bound to it, yet lawfully they may deny obedience to an heretical prince, said Gregory de Valentia 1. It were an endless labour to transcribe the horrible doctrines, which are preached in the jesuits' school, to the shaking of the regal power of such princes which are not of the Roman communion. The whole economy of it is well. described by Bellarmine, who affirms, ""That it does not belong to monks, or other ecclesiastics, to commit murders, neither do the popes use to proceed that way. But their manner is, first, fatherly to correct princes, then, by ecclesiastical censures, to deprive them of the communion,— then to absolve their subjects from the oath of allegiance, and to deprive them of their kingly dignity. And what then? The execution belongs to others." This is the way of the popes, thus wisely and moderately to break kings in pieces. We delight not to aggravate evil things. We, therefore, forbear to set down those horrid things spoken by Sa, sect. 10, et sect. 18, et 20. e Defens. Fid. Cath. lib. iii. c. 23. e In Philopat. sect. 2. n. 160. et 162. * Cont. Barcl. c. 7. Mariana, Santarel, Carolus Scribanius, and some others. It is enough that Suarez says, "An excommunicate king may, with impunity, be deposed or killed by any one." This is the case of kings and princes by the sentence of the chiefest Roman doctors. And if it be objected, that we are commanded to obey kings, not to speak evil of them, not to curse them, no, not in our heart:' there is a way found out to answer these little things. For though the apostle commands that we should be subject to higher powers, and obey kings, and all that are in authority: it is true you must, and so you may well enough for all this; for the pope can make that he who is a king shall be no king, and then you are disobliged: so Bellarmine. And if, after all this, there remains any scruple of conscience, it ought to be remembered, that though even after a prince is excommunicated, it should be, of itself, a sin to depose or kill the prince; yet, if the pope commands you, it is no sin. "For if the pope should err by commanding sin, or forbidding virtues, yet the church were bound to believe that the vices were good, and the virtues evil; unless she would sin against her conscience." They are the very words of Bellarmine *. • The But they add more particulars of the same bran. sons of an heretical father are made' sui juris,' that is, free from their father's power. A catholic wife is not tied to pay her duty to an heretical husband; and the servants are not bound to do service to such masters.'-These are the doctrines of their great Azorius; and as for kings, he affirms they may be deposed for heresy. But all this is only in the case of heretical princes: but what for others? Even the Roman catholic princes are not free from this danger. All the world knows what the pope did to king Chilperick of France: he deposed him, and put Pepin in his place; and did what he could to have put Albert, king of the Romans, in the throne of Philip, surnamed the Fair. They were the popes of Rome who armed the son against the father, the emperor Henry IV., and the son fought against him, took him prisoner, shaved him, and thrust him into a monastery, where he died with grief and hunger. We will h Ubi supra, lib. vi. c. 6. sect. 24. S 1 Cont. Barc. c. 7. not speak of the emperor Frederick, Henry the VIth, emperor; the duke of Savoy, against whom he caused Charles the Vth, and Francis the Ist, of France, to take arms; nor of Francis Dandalus, duke of Venice, whom he bound with chains, and fed him as dogs are fed, with bones and scraps under his table: our own Henry the IId, and king John, were great instances of what princes, in their case, may expect from that religion. These were the piety of the father of christendom. But these were the product of the doctrine, which Clement the Vth vented in the council of Vienna. "Omne jus regum à se pendere:" "The rights of all kings depend upon the pope."-And, therefore, even their catholic princes are at their mercy, and they would, if they durst, use them accordingly: if they do but favour heretics or schismatics, receive them or defend them; if the emperor be perjured, if he rashly break a league made with the see apostolic, if he do not keep the peace promised to the church, if he be sacrilegious, if he dissipate the goods of the church,— the pope may depose him, said Azorius. And Santarel' says, he may do it, in case the prince or emperor be insufficient, if he be wicked, if he be unprofitable, if he does not defend the church. This is very much, but yet there is something more"; this may be done, if he impose new gabels or imposts upon his subjects, without the pope's leave; for if they do not pretend to this also, why does the pope, in Bulla Cœnæ Dominicæ,' excommunicate all princes that do it"? Now if it be inquired, by what authority the pope does these things? it is answered, that the pope hath a supreme and absolute authority; both the spiritual and the temporal power is in the pope as Christ's vicar, said Azorius and Santarel. The church hath the right of a superior lord over the rights of princes and their temporalities; and that by her jurisdiction she disposes of temporals, ut de suo peculio,' as of her own proper goods,' said our countryman Weston, rector of the college at Doway. Nay, the pope hath power, ' in omnia, per omnia, super omnia,'' in all things, through all things, and over all things;' and the "sublimity and Instit. Moral. part 2. lib. x. c. 9. ` See Mart. Vivaldus de bulla cœnæ Dominicæ. Ubi supra. |