1. In the absence of an express declaration of God's will, that the Ecclesiastical Monarchy should be immutable, the asser- tion of indefectibility derogates from the providence of God, which confers absolutely stable power on no person or place, 636. 2. Civil power, though divinely instituted, is liable to change and decay; and spiritual power, which has no special exemption from this law, may be conceived subject, and has, historically, been subject to the same contingencies as temporal 3. The reason and exigency of things would be sufficient ground for change, even if it could be shewn that God, for a time, had instated the presidency of the Church on one person, 4, 5. It is expedient that the external organization of the Church, especially if proved to be corrupt-which as a rule has followed the constitution of Civil Governments, should be modelled in compliance with the condition of Christendom now divided into distinct independent Sovereignties, 638–639. 6. Power is defectible, which sometimes fails: the Papal succession has often failed: the Papal succession is therefore 7. Papal pre-eminence should cease with the agencies which called it into existence; the dignity of Imperial Rome, and the 8. Papal supremacy, however and whencesoever derived, is liable to forfeiture by encroachment on the rights and liberties 9. The Pope, by departing from the faith and practice of St Peter, forfeits his title of successor of St Peter, and is to be disclaimed and rejected by Christians, 642–644. 10. The constitution of any spiritual office implies that the bearer of it, leading others into error and impiety, ceases to be 11. Pastors erring in faith may be rejected by their people: the Pope, who, according to Romanists, is Pastor of Pastors, may be deserted by Pastors, if he misguides or misgoverns 12, 13. Communion with the Pope may, according to Scripture which enjoins believers to shun false teachers, become 14. The Fathers, and even certain Popes, enjoin the neces- sity of separation from a sinful and erring Bishop, 647-650. 15. Separation from erring teachers, even superiors, was the common practice of the Church, 650-652. 16, 17. The Pope is not exempt from the operation of maxims and principles binding on other Bishops and Patriarchs, 18, 19. The pope, if heretical, is liable to judgment, even according to the Canon Law: and the condemnation of a Pope for heresy is exemplified in that of Pope Honorius for heresy, avowed by Pope Adrian II. in the VIIIth General Council, 653. Enumeration of heresies and perversions of Christian Truth, taught by A TREATISE OF THE POPE'S SUPREMACY. I. THE INTRODUCTION. HE Roman party doth much glory in unity and certainty of doctrine, as things peculiar to them, and which no other men have any means to attain yet about divers matters of notable consideration, in what they agree, or of what they are certain, it is hard to descry. They pretend it very needful, that controversies should be decided, and that they have a special knack of doing it: yet do many controversies of great weight and consequence stick on their hands unresolved, many points rest in great doubt and debate among them. The Kúpia doğa of the Roman sect (concerning doctrine, practice, laws and customs of discipline, rites and ceremonies) are of divers sorts, or built on divers grounds. I Some established by (pretended) general Synods. 2 Some founded on decrees of Popes. 3 Some entertained as upon tradition, custom, common agreement. 4 Some which their eminent Divines or Schoolmen do commonly embrace. 5 Some prevailing by the favour of the Roman court, and its zealous dependents. B. S. VOL. VIII. 1 Hence it is very difficult to know wherein their Religion consisteth: for those grounds divers times seem to clash, and accordingly their Divines (some building on these, some on others) disagree. This being so in many points of importance, is so particularly in this, for instance: The head of their Church (as they call it) is, one would think, a subject about which they should thoroughly consent, and which they, by this time, should have cleared from all disputes; so that (so far as their decisive faculty goeth) we might be assured wherein his authority consisteth, and how far it doth extend; seeing the resolution of that point so nearly toucheth the heart of Religion, the faith and practice of all Christians, the good of the Church, and peace of the world; seeing that no one question (perhaps not all questions together) hath created so many tragical disturbances in Christendom, as that concerning the bounds of papal authority. This disagreement of the Roman doctors about the nature and extent of papal authority is a shrewd prejudice against it. If a man should sue for a piece of land, and his advocates (the notablest could be had, and well paid) could not find where it lieth, how it is butted and bounded, from whom it was conveyed to him, one would be very apt to suspect his title. If God had instituted such an office, it is highly probable we might satisfactorily know what the nature and use of it Etenim de qua re agitur, cum de primatu Pontificis agitur? brevissime dicam, de summa rei Christianæ.-Bell. Præf. de S. Pontif. [§ 2.] Upon this one point the very sum and substance of Christianity depends. were: the patents and charters for it would declare it. Yet for resolution in this great case we are left to seek; they not having either the will, or the courage, or the power, to determine it. This insuperable problem hath baffled all their infallible methods of deciding controversies; their traditions blundering, their Synods clashing, their Divines wrangling endlessly about what kind of thing the Pope is, and what power he rightly may claim. There is (saith a great Divine among them) so much controversy about the plenitude of ecclesiastical power, and to what things it may extend itself, that few things in that matter are secure1....... This is a plain argument of the impotency of the Pope's power in judging and deciding controversies, or of his cause in this matter; that he cannot define a point so nearly concerning him, and which he so much desireth an agreement in; that he cannot settle his own claim out of doubt; that all his authority cannot secure itself from contest. So, indeed, it is, that no spells can allay some spirits; and where interests are irreconcileable, opinions will be so. Some points are so tough and so touchy, that nobody dare meddle with them, fearing that their resolution will fail of success and submission. Hence even the anathematizing definers of Trent (the boldest undertakers to decide controversies that ever were) did wave this point; the Legates of the Pope being enjoined to advertise, That b Tanta est inter doctores controversia de plenitudine hujus (ecclesiastica) potestatis, et ad quæ se extendat, ut pauca sint in ea materia secura.- -Almain. de Auct. Eccl. cap. iii. [inter Gersoni Opp. Tom. 11. p. 1, col. 981.] |