The SENCE of the FRENCH CHURCH Concerning the Pope's INFALLIBILITY and POWER▪ Lately declared by Authority.
SInce the Bishop of Rome got so much Authority in the Catholick part of the World, as to be able by his Ministers and Negotiations to attempt to govern private Churches out of his own Metropolitan Diocesse, there has been wag'd a great War amongst Divines about the Quality of his Authority. And, as man's soul by her powers and operations is twofold, of Understanding and Will, speculation and practice; so the Divines questions. The Gates by which such tenets get entrance into the Church are two leav'd; the one opens to the Power the Pope has to command assent to his resolutions of speculative points; the other to what obedience is due to his commands. The party whose interest it is by application to the highest See to dilate their own priviledges and exemptions from the ordinary Government of the Church instituted by Christ, and received by continuall tradition to our dayes, have striven with all their might to possess the World, that both for assent to Christian Truths, and for regulating of Discipline, Christ had given all power to Saint Peter and his Successor; so that the whole Hierarchy in effect remain'd in him alone. The rest, as far as not infected by them, maintained constantly the contrary; and that, though the Pope was chief of Bishops, yet the Congregation of Bishops [Page 2] was the Court from whence final resolutions were to be expected. The former tenet had of late gotten a great strength through the most parts of Christendome; but the Divine Providence, when it found it fitting, raised the French Church, which at the present is very flourishing, to set a bar to their great advance, as may be seen by the Papers here inserted.
The substance of the Advocate General's Plea against a Thesis defended in Sorbon concerning the Pope's Infallibility.
I Doe (sayes he) acknowledge my carelesnesse in having suffered to scape unpunished those horrible blasphemies which the Iesuits vomited out against Iesus Christ, in a Thesis defended the last year in the Colledge of Clermont, which maintained that the Pope was as infallible in matters both of fact and right as Jesus Christ himself. Has a greater impiety been heard of! But it is ordinary with them to teach erroneous Doctrines. And I believe 'tis from the impunity of that Crime that the boldnesse has been taken to defend the like Errours in Sorbon, against her Statutes, the Doctrine of the Gallican Church, and the maxims of State and of this Court. How? That the Pope with five or six ignorant Divines with mercenary souls should be infallible to make Articles of Faith of whatsoever Passion, Interest, or Ambition shall suggest to him. Our Ancestors have seen the fatal consequences and effects of this pernicious doctrine. Wherefore, lest this poyson should spread it self farther, and this pernicious doctrine take root if it be left unpunished, I conclude the Thesis shall be struck out & blotted; the Defendant & President constrained to maintain the direct contrary, and the Syndic never to approve such like Theses under pain of being extraordinarily proceeded against. The Pope and Bishops are not Authors of our Faith, but faithfull Guardians, and irrefragable Witnesses of universal Tradition received from hand to hand, from Iesus Christ to us; according to Vincentius Lirinensis: Quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus creditum est, hoc de side est, &c.
Extracted out of a Letter written from France to a Person of Quality,
The Iesuits having defended formerly that the Pope hath the same Infallibility with Jesus Christ, Monsieur Talon the Advocate General complained of it publickly in Parliament; remonstrating that this was a most horrible impiety, and highly deserving open and corporal punishment. Whereupon the Court of the said Parliament has ordained, that the President, the Regent, and the Schollars which maintained it, should [Page 2] [...] [Page 3] [...] [Page 4] appear personally to receive a Reprehension for the first time, and a denouncing of corporal and publick punishment, intended and resolved to be inflicted, in case any of them should relapse into the like blasphemy hereafter.
Notes upon it.
The Thesis mentioned is that against which was divulged the Paper intituled, The Iesuits new Heresie: which insinuates, that the Tenet of the Popes Infallibility was their former Heresie; which is a gentle censure upon a doctrine able to introduce Heresies without number into the Church of God; as is evident to whosoever shall consider how easie it is for a dozen of Divines to be either corrupted or deceived: And yet our Faith by this position is made to depend on their science and integrity.
Note again, that the King's Advocate professeth, that the Tenet of the Popes Infallibility in matters of Fact, deserveth pablick and corporal punishment; which signifies no lesse than whipping, banishment, or some such like punishment: and that it is a crime deserving that the Civil Magistrate ought to take notice of it. This absurdity was invented by the Jesuits, in envy to the great Schollar Iansenius; to the end that people might be perswaded he held errours not visible in his Books; of the which they calumniated him, and would prove him guilty of them onely by the Pope's Infallible word defining him to be so; which mad prank of theirs has made such a pother in France of late yeares.
A Decree of the Court of Parliament against A Theological conclusion, intended to have been maintain'd the 19 of Ianuary 1662/3 by Monsieur Gabriel Droüet of Ville-nefue Batchelor. Given the 22 of Ianuary 1662/3 at Paris.
THis day the Court having deliberated upon what was by the Kings Council represented the 19. and 20. of this present Moneth, concerning a Thesis intended to have been maintain'd the said 19. day by Monsieur Gabriel Droüet of Ville nefue in Britany, Batchelor in Divinity, at the Act call'd▪ The great Ordinary of Sorbon, which contain'd in its second Position; Christus Sanctum Petrum ejusque Successores summá supra Ecclesiam Auctoritate donavit▪ Christ gave Saint Peter and his successors highest Authority over the Church. In its third, Romani Antistites Privilegia quibusdam Ecclesiis sicut Ecclesiae Gallicanae impertiunt. The Bishops of Rome bestow Priviledges upon certain Churches, as upon the French Church. In its eigth, Concilia Generalia ad extirpandas haereses, schismata, & alia tollenda incommoda admodum sunt utilia, non tamen absolutè necessaria. General Councils are very profitable to extirpate Heresies and Schisms, and to take away other inconveniencies, but not absolutely necessary; and many other propositions contrary to the Authority of the Church, to the Antient Doctrine always received and conserved in this Kingdome, to the holy Canons, to the Decrees of General Councils, and to the Liberties of the Gallican Church, tending also to exalt the power of the Pope above that of General Councils, and beyond the limits which have always been most Religiously conserved in the Church of France: Having heard the Syndic of the faculty of Theology, and Monsieur Vincent de Meurs, Doctor in the said Faculty, of the Colledge of [Page 6] Navar▪ who was to preside at the said dispute, and the said Droüet the Respondent, who had all been sent for in pursuance of the Decree of the 19. of this Moneth, as also having heard the King's Council in their Conclusions: The Court hath prohibited and forbidden, and doth prohibit and forbid the said Droüet to defend the said Thesis: Hath ordained, and doth ordain that it be supprest, together with all the rest that shall be found to contain such like propositions: Prohibits and forbids all Bachelors, Licenciats and Doctors and other persons to write, defend, and dispute, to read and teach directly or indirectly in the publick schooles or elsewhere any such like, or other propositions contrary to the ancient doctrine of the Church, to the holy Canons, Decrees of General Councils, to the Liberties of the Gallican Church, and to the Ancient Decrees of the Faculty of Theology of Paris; under pain to be proceeded against according to their demerits.
Prohibits the Syndic of the said Faculty, and the Doctors who shall there preside at the Acts, to suffer any such propositions to be inserted in any Thesis.
Ordains that this present Decree be read at the general Assembly of the said Faculty of Theology to be holden in Sorbon the first day which the Court shall command, in the presence of two Counsellors of the said Court; who, together with one of the Substitutes of the King's Atturney General, shall go thither expresly for that purpose. To which Assembly shall be summoned all the Doctors of the said Faculty, as also even the Batchelors of the first Licence. And this Decree shall be Registred in the Registers of the said Faculty, and signified to the Rectors, Deans, and Proctors of the other Faculties, there to be Read and Registred, and sent to other Ʋniversities, as also to the Bayliages and Stewardships of this Jurisdiction, there to be likewise Read, Publisht, and Registred by the procurement of the Substitutes of the King's Atturney General, who within one Moneth are to make Certificate thereof to the Court.
Notes upon it.
The errour of the first Proposition lies in the word supra, above; for the French Church holds the Pope to have the highest Authority in the Church; that is, over particular men, but not over the whole Church: for so it professed in the Council of Trent that it was the Faith of France received from the Councils of Constance and Basil, that a General Council is above the Pope, as also hath been practised by divers General Councils.
The errour of the second Proposition is, That the Priviledges of Ancient Churches (such as the French Church is) come from the Indulgence of the Pope, and not from the Succession to the Apostles and Apostolical Founders of them and their first institution. The form of which Churches is to be the Rule to all Christian Churches by whomsoever they are founded: nor is it lawfull to bring in new forms without violating Divine Right delivered in the constant Tradition of the Church.
The errour of the third Proposition consisteth in this, That it takes away the Practice of the Church, begun by the Apostles, and continued to the Council of Trent; is against manifest experience, and, in effect, takes away all efficacity of extinguishing Heresies and Shisms, reducing it to the weak principle of the Pope's Infallibility and extraordinary Power; of which enough is above delivered in proportion to these short Notes, to shew how dangerous the mentioned errours are, and how necessary to be condemned and avoided by all good Christians as pernicious both to Church and State.
Postscript.
Since the faregoing News, 'tis advertis'd that the contrary to the before condemned Theses hath been publickly defended by the Son of Monsieur Tallier, one of the chief Ministers of State; the Arch-Bishop of Paris himself presiding.
Notes upon it.
Those who are acquainted with the Government of France, understand that the Parliament of Paris is made of Members given to Learning and reading of Fathers, and to the skill of Languages, particularly Greek and Latine, and by consequence of Church Antiquities; and that the King's Advocate, who at this present is called Monsieur Talon, is ordinarily one of the most eminent; and that in matters of Divinity they are tenacious of the Decrees of the Sorbon, the greatest Catholick University in our parts of the World, and whose Doctrine passeth for the Doctrine of the Church of France, especially their Ancient Decrees.
It is again to be noted, that he saith that the Tenet of the Popes's Personal Infallibility in making Doctrines to be of new accepted for Articles of Faith, is against the maxims of the French Government; that is, that it toucheth upon Treason, which if it be true in France, it can be no lesse true in England: and he cannot be truly loyall to his Countrey, who obstinatetly maintaineth that Errour. The reason is clear: for, if that be true, the Pope may define and oblige Subjects to believe that he can depose a Prince, and bind his Subjects to take Armes against him, as was insinuated in a Letter confidently reported to have been lately written from Rome to Ireland, by a great man of that Court; though others say the Letter was counterfeited.