the Lent Sermons before his Affaffination of King Hen. IV. as the Ground and Encourage ment to that Execrable Fact. But after that Magnanimous Prince had thus fallen a Sá crifice to their Reftlefs furious Zeal, and his Son fucceeded Young and Fenceless to the Government then they fet up again the Depo fing Doctrine on High, because then they durft do it. With which our King James does juftly Upbraid them, particularly his Oppo+ nent the Cardinal of Perron, in the Preface to his Book quoted on the Margin. For it was but Five Years after the Murder of Henry IV. viz. An. 1615, that Cardinal Per ron in the Affembly of the Three Eftates of France, and in the Name of the First Eftate, that is of the Clergy, did Re-affert the Power of the Pope to Depofe Kings, with this Reafon, that otherwife, There had not been any Church for many Ages paft, and that indeed the Church (he meant of Rome) was the very Synagogue of Anti-chrift.

But to come to a frefh Inftance now on foot, the Pere Juvency a French Fefuit has: lately Printed a Book at Rome in Defence of the Pope's Power to Depofe Princes: And the Unwillingness and Shifts of the Jesuits at Paris to difown him in this, and to dif claim that Doctrine fairly and above Board, fhews that it is not yet quite extinguished in France, but kept in the Embers, as in the Reign of Henry IV. For all who Under stand that Order of the Jefuits, know full well

that

that none of them dare Print, efpecially upon fuch a Subject, without the Approbation of their Superiors. However it is Plain by this, that the Depofing Doctrine is ftill Countehanced at Rome. And that France is not intirely free from the Infection. And though the Vigor of the prefent King has depreffed it very much, we cannot fay it is totally extinguished, or that there is no Danger of a Relapfe, while the Authority of the Pope is fo Revered as Head of the Catholick Church, and this Council of Lateran is ftill owned as truly General and Infallible. And the Bishops of France ftill take an Oath of Fidelity and Obe dience to the Pope:

L. But that Oath is not Inconfiftent with their Fidelity to their King.

G. Pray, my Lord, let me afk you, is not an Oath to be taken in the known and declared Senfe of the Impofer, for whofe Security it is taken ?

L. Yes furely, for otherwise all fuch Oaths would be Equivocal, and no Security at all.

G. Then the Queftion will be, what the Pope means by the Regalia of St. Peter, and all the Rights, Prerogatives, &c. of the Apoftolick Chair, as he calls his own, to which thefe Bishops are Sworn, contra omnem homi nem, against every Man or Power in the. World. For it is the Pope who imposes this Qath, and it is taken for its Security. And has he not fufficiently declared what he means:

by

by it? Take it in the Words of the Proceedings of the Parliament of Paris, in the Appendix, p. 44. where they fay, That by this Decree (of the Bulla in Cana Domini) the Popes declare themSelves Soveraign Monarchs of the World. And this is no more than is given them at their Coronation, as you have it in the Roman Pontifical, where the Triple Crown is put upon the Pope's Head with thefe Words,

In

Receive this Diadem adorned bus Coronis ornatam: Accipe Thyaram Triwith three Crowns: And know Et fcias te effe Patrem Principum & Regum: your felf to be Father of Rectorem Orbis: Princes and Kings; Gover- Terra Vicarium Salva nor of the World: And Vicar toris noftri Jefu Chrifti. upon Earth of our Saviour Jefus Chrift. And must not this Governor of the World have Power to Dethrone all petty Kings and Princes that are under him? Elfe how can he Govern the World? And the Popes think that this their Soveraign Power of Depofing Princes is fully Recognized to them in the forefaid Canon of the Council of Lateran. And no Pope has ever yet been brought to difown this Power. So far from it, that the Pope who most of any other Afferted this Bulla in Cana, and fet it up on High, caufing it to be Affixed and Publifhed, not only at the Doors of the Churches in Rome, but in the Field of Flora, that all might take notice, as you find at the end of the Bull, p. 37. Appen. And who practifed his Depofing Power (the laft in England) upon Queen Elizabeth, Abfolving her Subjects from their Allegiance, and Commanding all

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the

the Gatholicks in England to pay her no more Obedience, nor Taxes, &c. I say this fame Pope has been pick'd out to be Canonized for a Saint, the very laft Summer, 1712, by the present Pope, with all the Solemnity and Requifites in the Church of Rome for making a Saint. And this prefent Pope, as well as his Predeceffors, does, every Year, Thunder out the Excommunications of this Bulla in Cana, by Bell, Book, and Candle, which, like Dracanfor, cuts down Friends and Foes; for there never was a Roman Catholick King in England, or in any other Kingdom, either before the Reformation or fince, but is Excommunicated by this Bull, and by the 24th Article, paft the Power even of the Pope to Abfolve him, unless he first Abrogate and Annul all the Laws of his Country which are contrary to the Tenor of this Bull. And this never yet was done, and I dare fay never will be done, in any Popish Country in Europe, and there is not, nor ever was any Popish Country in any other Part of the World, unless you will except the late Spanish Plantations in 4merica. And not only the Kings themselves, but all their Parliaments, Councellors, Judges, Officers, even to Printers or Publishers, or any whofoever that either directly or indirectly, tacitely or exprefly, Violate, Deprefs, or Reftrain the Ecclefiaftical Liberties or Rights of the Apoftolick See and holy Church of Rome, howsoever and whenfoever obtained, or to be obtained, are all here together Excommunicated, as likewife all Archbi Shops, Bishops, and Clergy, who shall do the

fame

fame, and all who fhall prefume to attempt any Oppofition or Contravention to any thing contained in this Bull, are left under the Difpleasure of Almighty God, and of His blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, which is the concluding Sanction of this Bull. And here Saints must be joined with God, left His Difpleasure should not be fufficient. By all this it appears, That there is hardly any Roman Catholick in the World above the Condition of a Plow-man, who is not Excommunicated by this Bull. And here you fee plainly the Pope affuming a Temporal or Civil Power over all Emperors, Kings, and Princes, Limiting them by Artic. 5. as to the raifing Taxes upon their own Subjects, without his exprefs License; and exempting all Ecclefiafticks from being any way Taxed by them. Artic. 18. Or being under their Power, even in Civil or Criminal Caufes, as by Artic. 19. though it were Treason, Murder, &c. for which noble Principle Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury was Canonized, for Maintaining the Liberties of Holy Church!

Now, My Lord, I leave it to your self, whether if you were a King, you would defire all the Bishops of your Kingdom to be under an Oath of Fidelity to another, who pretended an Absolute and Civil Power over you, with Authority to Depofe you, as he had done to feveral of your Predeceffors, and would by no means be brought to Disclaim fuch his Power, but on the contrary, made a fresh Claim of it every Year, and of his being the Soveraign F 2

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