SESSION VI.

PREPARATIONS-SESSION.

Doctrine Justification - Reformation: Residence: Excesses of Clerics, Secular and Regular.

THE author of the Diary, immediately after mentioning the fifth session, relates, that the emperor, being informed how much the protestants were dissatisfied with the decrees which had been passed in the council, wrote to his ambassadors and prelates at Trent to urge by all means an attention to reform, and the postponement of doctrines, which, as they had been established, deterred the protestants from attending the council.

He then states, that the cardinal of Trent had arrived at Rome, and concluded a league with the pope against the protestants of Germany, because, having for a long time persisted in heresy, they refused to submit to a general council; and therefore it was resolved, that they should be compelled to obey by force. For this purpose the pope remitted to his ally 200,000 crowns, upon condition, that his majesty should not make peace with the protestants, and that, if any prince moved arms against Charles, the pope would stand engaged to defend him with both temporal and spiritual arms.—This is the chief pastor of the Catholic church!

The diary proceeds to relate, that his holiness wrote to the Swiss, entreating them to assist, stating the cause of the league, and inviting them to the council.

So much for the vile politics of these crowned conspirators, temporal and spiritual, against the cause of Christ, and against the persons of his most faithful disciples! So much for the councils of blood which they were driven to adopt, who were strangers to the councils of peace, religion and reason!

Returning to theological matters, the diarist writes, that on the following day, meaning after that of the session*, the

* Pallavicino, who is bound to quarrel with his predecessor as often as he can, whether with or without reason, affirms, that Fra Paolo is wrong in the

legate del Monte endeavoured to impress upon the meeting the duty of episcopal residence, representing how much evil ensued from their absence from their sees. It was replied, that residence was useless, owing to the exemptions and privileges of the chapters and regulars. There was likewise extended disputation on twenty-five articles of Luther on the subject of justification, importing, that every human act was a sin, but through faith alone remitted by God*.

The particularity of the summary instructs us, that after a general congregation on the 21st of June, which related exclusively to the case of the absent bishops, there were on the next day submitted to the congregation of theologians the following six heads, or interrogatories, on the article of justification.

1. What is justification, as to name and thing; and what is to be understood by the expression, that a man is justified? 2. What are the causes of justification, what does God effect, what is required on the part of man?

3. What is to be understood by a man's being justified by faith?

day for the transactions here recorded, being, as he says, not the 18th but the 21st, viii, ii; although he agrees with the MS which we are following, and is borne out by the representation of Raynaldus, as Courayer on his original, ii, lxxii, has shown. But there is something important in the Italian advocate, which deserves production. On the day, whichever it might be, he represents it as the true fact, that the second legate della Croce observed to the fathers, that the head of justification was rendered more 'obscure than that already defined of original sin, since upon the latter the antient scholastics had abundantly discoursed, but on the former they were very sparing, (parchissimi.) There were, however, very many Catholic authors of the last twenty years who in their writings against Luther had 'thrown great light upon it.' After Luther! This would not greatly help; for, after an oily speech of Cardinal Pole, another cardinal, Pacecco, declares, that on this subject, not only the antient scholastics, but the antient 'councils, likewise failed to give them support: the Tridentine was the first which undertook to do it,' (mancar non solo l'ajuto, &c.) The subject therefore was to be turned over to the theologians, which was accordingly done. Does it not from hence, as well as from other evidence, appear, that, on car. dinal points of theology, Rome was to seek for her own doctrine?

volendo, che ogn' atto humano fosse peccato, mà per la sola fede rimesso da Dio. lib. ii.

4. Whether, and how, do works, before or after, operate to justification?

5. What precedes, what accompanies, what follows, justification?

6. By what authorities of scripture, councils, or fathers, or of apostolic traditions, are the decisions to be made supported?? Eight spake upon the subject this day.

On the next, five; on the next but one, seven; on the next, the 26th, five, when three ambassadors of the king of France arrived in Trent; on the 27th, five; on the 28th, and finally, four. Their labours were applauded by the first president. It is added under the same day, that Cardinal' Pole went to Veletri* for his health.

On the 30th of June a general congregation had the justification of adults, in three supposed states, proposed to them :

1. As first coming to the faith, where is to be examined the whole progress of justification; how the merits of Christ are applied; what God, what man, does; whether, and how, works operate to justification; what is justification; and how is to be understood a man's being justified by faith; with other points.

2. How, when justified, a man can, and ought to, preserve received justification, and labour to advance in it; and how the renewed man may obtain final glory.

3. If a man fall by sin after justification, how is he to be restored, that he may be again justified, and the merits of Christ be again applied to him; and in what this justification differs from, and agrees with, the first †.

It is likewise to be examined, what on this subject is found in approved councils and fathers, to which the holy synod can appeal, and of which make use.

The errors arising from the doctrine were then read.

* Tresvillas.

These three points of inquiry are really given in a very different way by Pallavicino, Ist. viii. ii; and yet it is impossible to believe Massarelli's MS incorrect; at least to so great an extent as it then must be.

G

We may just observe, from the preceding, the manifest recognition of the doctrine of a two-fold, a first and a second, justification, so lightly adopted, and so ill supported, by the great and acknowledged learning of some speculative pro

testants.

The fathers had reason enough to inquire into their usual sources of authority on the subject of a doctrine, which, although obviously lying at the foundation of all human hope, was yet, and that confessedly, new to themselves and their church. There was among their doctors no clear and uniform statement of what scripture teaches respecting the justification of a sinner in the sight of God, and consequently of his own ultimate and eternal views, either of happiness or of misery, in the state after death.

On the 5th of July commenced three successive days of general congregations, on which the fathers, who are respectively named, delivered their opinions on the doctrine of justification.

On the 8th the French ambassadors were formally received; and one bishop spake on the subject then before the council.

On the 10th, and, Sunday intervening, the 12th, and 13th, and 14th, congregations were held, and opinions heard, to the same effect; and on the 15th, four fathers were deputed to draw up a decree on the doctrine: opinions likewise were heard on the second and third state in the inquiry above proposed. A congregation was held on the same points the next day.

Advice was received from Rome, the diarist informs us, that the pope on the 15th of July published a jubilee, and in a bull explained the cause to be, the obstinacy of the protestants; and therefore he had made a league with the emperor. The emperor, dissembling the motive of religion, published a ban against the elector of Saxony and the landgrave, declaring them rebels and traitors, and absolving their subjects from their oath of obedience. The emperor was displeased with the jubilee, and the pope with the ban.

They had each their own ends, the pope to disgust the protestants, and dissolve the council, the emperor to destroy the protestant princes, and to keep the council standing; and therefore he ordered his ambassador at Rome to provide, that Trent should be made secure for the council, and he would force the protestants by arms to attend it. About this time the protestant army approached the Tyrol, in which Trent was situated, and put the more timid of the fathers in alarm, which, however, was dissipated by the arrival of the papal troops.

On the 17th of July at a general congregation the occupations of the fathers were unseasonably, and not very decorously, interrupted by a corporal altercation between two of its most reverend members. At the close of the meeting the bishop of Chiron, approaching the bishop of Cava, told him, that he could not clear himself of great ignorance or great impudence in what he had advanced. Upon which the individual addressed, seizing the beard of the offender with both his hands, extracted some of the hair. It was necessary for the authorities to interfere in such a case of violence and indignity, and the over-hasty prelate was sentenced to incarceration in the monastery of St. Bernadino. He was shortly released, but forbidden to return to the council, and ordered to Rome to obtain absolution from the pontiff*.

At this date we are rejoined by the Legantine epistles, and the first of them is principally occupied with this unfor

tunate encounter.

On the 19th, 21st, 22d, and 23d, general congregations were employed upon the two states, which have appeared in discussion before. On the same day was announced the arrival of the cardinal Farnese: so that the ensuing letters are addressed to other individuals-he was on his way to Germany, but was detained at Rovereto by a fever. The object of his journey was, to join Ottavio Farnese, who had the command of the papal army destined to assist the emperor against the protestants. The cardinal wished to have

* Massarelli.