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XVI.

ry [x], or cabinet for devotion, which St Philip CENT. Neri built at Florence for himself, and in which, szer. III. for many years, he held spiritual conferences with PARTI. his more intimate companions [y].

XIX. It is too evident to admit of the least dis- The state of pute, that all kinds of erudition, whether sacred learning. or profane, were held in much higher esteem in the western world since the time of Luther, than they had been before that auspicious period. The Jesuits, more especially, boast, and perhaps not without reason, that their society contributed more, at least in this century, to the culture of the languages, the improvement of the arts, and the advancement of true science, than all the rest of the religious orders. It is certain, that the schools and academies, either through indolence or design, persisted obstinately in their ancient method of teaching, though that method was intricate and disagreeable in many respects; nor would they suffer themselves to be better informed, or permit the least change in their uncouth and disgusting systems. The monks were not more remarkable for their docility than the schools; nor did they seem at all disposed to admit into the retreats of their gloomy cloisters, a more solid and elegant method of instruction than they had been formerly accustomed to. These facts furnish a rational account of the surprising variety that appears in the style and manner of the writers of this age, of whom several express their sentiments with elegance, perspicuity, and order, while the diction of a great part of their contem

poraries

[x] Helyot, Hist. des Ordres, &c. tom. viii, ch. iv. p. 12. [y] He was peculiarly assisted in these conferences by Baronius, author of the Ecclesiastical Annals, who also succeeded him as general of the order, and whose annals, on account of his imperfect knowledge of the Greek language, are so remarkably full of gross faults, misrepresentations, and blunders.

T.

CENT poraries is barbarous, perplexed, obscure, and

XVI.

SECT. III. insipid.

PART 1.

The state of

Cæsar Baronius, already mentioned, undertook to throw light on the history of religion by his annals of the Christian church; but this pretended light was scarcely any thing better than perplexity and darkness []. His example, however, excited many to enterprizes of the same nature. The attempts of the persons they called heretics, rendered indeed such enterprises necessary for these heretics, with the learned Flackius and Chemnitz at their head [a], demonstrated with the utmost evidence, that not only the declarations of holy scripture, but also the testimony of ancient history and the records of the primitive church, were in direct opposition both to the doctrines and pretensions of the church of Rome. This was wounding popery with its own arms, and attacking it in its pretended strong holds. It was, therefore, incumbent upon the friends of Rome to employ, while it was time, their most zealous efforts in maintaining the credit of those ancient fables, on which the greatest part of the papal authority reposed, as its only foundation and support.

XX. Several men of genius in France and Italy, philosophy. who have been already mentioned with the esteem that is due to their valuable labours [b], used

their

[*] The learned Isaac Casaubon undertook a refutation of the Annals of Baronius, in an excellent work, entitled, Exercitationes, &c. and though he carried it no farther down than the 34th year of the Christian æra, yet he pointed out a prodigious number of palpable, and (many of them) shameful errors, into which the Romish annalists has fallen during that short space. Even the Roman Catholic literati acknowledge the inaccuracies and faults of Baronius; hence many learned men, such as Pagi, Noris, and Tillemont, have been employed to correct them. And accordingly, a few years ago, a new edition of these Annals was published at Lucca, with the corrections of these reviewers at the foot of each page.

[a] The former in the Centuria Magdeburgenses; the latter in his Examen Concilii Tridentini.

[6] See above, Sect. II. VIII. and IX.

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XVI.

their most zealous endeavours to reform the bar. C E N T. barous philosophy of the times. But the exces- SECT. III. sive attachment of the scholastic doctors to the PARTI. Aristotelian philosophy on the one hand, and, on the other, the timorous prudence of many weak minds, who were apprehensive that the liberty of striking out new discoveries and ways of thinking might be prejudicial to the church, and open a new source of division and discord, crushed all these generous endeavours, and rendered them ineffectual. The throne of the subtile Stagirite remained therefore unshaken; and his philosophy, whose very obscurity afforded a certain gloomy kind of pleasure, and flattered the pride of those who were implicitly supposed to understand it, reigned unrivalled in the schools and monasteries. It even acquired new credit and authority from the Jesuits, who taught it in their colleges, and made use of it in their writings and disputes. By this, however, these artful ecclesiastics shewed evidently, that the captious jargon and subtilties. of that intricate philosophy were much more adapted to puzzle heretics, and to give the popish doctors at least the appearance of carrying on the controversy with success, than the plain and obvious method of disputing, which is pointed out by the genuine and unbiassed dictates of right reason.

ters.

of the Ro

XXI. The church of Rome produced, in this Theologicentury, a prodigious number of theological wri- cal writers The most eminent of these, both in point man per of a reputation and merit, are as follow: Thomas suasion. de Vio, otherwise named Cardinal Cajetan,-Eckius, Cochlæus,--Emser,-Surius,-Hosius, -Faber,--Sadolet,--Pighius,--Vatable,--Canus,----D'Espence,--Caranza---Maldonat,---

-

Turrianus,--Arias Montanus,--Catharinus,----
Reginald Pole,Sixtus Senensis,--Cassan-

der,

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SECT. 1.Others [c].

Roman Ca

d'Andrada,-Baius,-Pamelius, and

PART I XXII. The religion of Rome, which the ponThe princitifs are so desirous of imposing upon the faith of ples of the all that bear the Christian name, is derived, actholic faith. Cording to the unanimous accounts of its doctors, from two sources, the written word of God, and the unwritten; or, in other words, from scripture and tradition. But as the most eminent divines of that church are far from being agreed concerning the person or persons who are authorised to interpret the declarations of these two oracles, and to determine their sense; so it may be asserted, with truth, that there is, as yet, no possibility of knowing with certainty what are the real doctrines of the church of Rome, nor where, in that communion, the judge of religious controversies is to be found. It is true, in the court of Rome, and all those who favour the despotic pretensions of its pontif, maintain, that he alone, who governs the church as Christ's vicegerent, is entitled to explain and determine the sense of scripture and tradition in matters pertaining to salvation, and that, of consequence, a dévout and unlimited obedience is due to his decisions. To give weight to this opinion, Pius IV. formed the plan of a council, which was afterwards instituted and confirmed by Sixtus V. and called the Congregation for interpreting the decrees of the Council of Trent, This congregation was authorised to examine and decide, in the name of the pope, all matters of small moment relating to ecclesiastical discipline, while every debate of any consequence, and particularly all disquisitions concerning points of faith and doctrine, were left to the decision of the pontif alone,

[c] For an ample account of the literary character, rank, and writings of these learned men, and of several others whose names are here omitted, see Louis Ell. Du Pin, Dibabeque des Auteurs Ecclesiastique, tom. xiv. and xvi.

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XVI.

alone as the great oracle of the church [d]. But CENT. notwithstanding all this, it was impossible to per- s E c T. III. suade the wiser part of the Roman-catholic body PARTI. to acknowledge this exclusive authority in their head. And accordingly, the greatest part of the Gallican church, and a considerable number of very learned men of the popish religion in other countries, think very differently from the court of Rome on this subject. They maintain, that all bishops and doctors have a right to consult the sacred fountains of scripture and tradition, and to draw from thence the rules of faith and manners for themselves and their flock; and that all difficult points and debates of consequence are to be referred to the cognizance and decision of general councils. Such is the difference of opinion (with respect to the determination of doctrine and controversies) that still divides the church of Rome; and as no judge has been, nor perhaps can be, found to compose it, we may therefore reasonably despair of seeing the religion of Rome acquire a permanent, stable, and determined form.

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XXIII The council of Trent was assembled, The council as was pretended, to correct, illustrate, and fix of Trent. with perspicuity, the doctrine of the church, to restore the vigour of its discipline, and to reform the lives of its ministers. But in the opinion of those who examine things with impartiality, this assembly, instead of reforming ancient abuses, rather gave rise to new enormities; and many transactions of this council have excited the just complaints of the wisest men in both communions. Vol. IV. They

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[d] See Aymoe, Tableau de la Cour de Rome, part V. ch. iv. p. 282. Hence it was, that the approbation of Innocent XI. was refused to the artful and insidious work of Bos suet, bishop of Meaux, entitled, An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholic Church,' until the author had suppressed entirely the first edition of that work, and made corrections and alterations in the second.

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