tinguish between those prejudices which mislead the judgment, and those evil passions which corrupt the heart.

There are however, I am persuaded, many worthy persons who would sincerely wish to extend to the Catholics, a real toleration, were they not apprehensive that certain tenets are held by them which would endanger the security of any Protestant state. These tenets which thus "scare the land from its propriety," I should have said these bugbears, were not a deference due even to the prejudices of the good, are the deposing and dispensing powers. It is contended that it is a part of the Catholic faith to believe that the Pope may depose Kings, absolve their subjects from their allegiance, and give away their Kingdoms, and that he may dispense with all engagements entered into with Heretics by members of his communion, though sanctioned by an oath. If these tenets were really held by Catholics, they would be undeserving of toleration at all. Such opinions would endanger the existence of any community, and every state would be justified, upon the principle of self-preservation, in driving them from its bosom. But they are not held by them, and accumulated evidence may be produced in proof of the assertion. In fact, such is the mass of authorities upon this subject, with which a very little enquiry has [furnished me, that I am perplexed which to chuse; at the same time I am almost tempted to lay down my pen in despair; for I can say nothing but what has been, without effect, said already, and I have neither space nor ability to say it so well. The charge of holding these opinions has been publicly and indignantly repelled by Catholic writers and Catholic ecclesiastical bodies for centuries, and yet their accusers are still found to persist in it against evidence, and without shame. The

The Deposing power is said to have been decreed by the fourth Council of Lateran, which assembled in the year 1215; and having been sanctioned by a body, possessed according to the Catholic belief, of infalli bility, it is contended that it must be of perpetual obligation in the Catholic Church. In reply to this, the Catholics urge, first, that Councils are infallible, as to points of faith and morals, but not as to other points.They contend that they are fallible even in matters of fact, and this is admitted by Bellarmine, although he was so zealous in the cause of his church. "A Council" says another eminent Catholic writer, "when it determines of faith, we are to reverence those determinations as coming from the Holy Ghost. Nevertheless its other constitutions, being but human laws, are changeable, and often times admit several exceptions; *** and speaking afterwards of the Council of Trent, he says "to the doctrinè whereof all Catholics whatsoever submit, though the rest of its decrees bind not in France, nor in any place elsewhere they are not received. "It were a mortal sin," says our author afterwards, “and I should presently incur ecclesiastical censure, if I did deny Transubstantiation, by reason it is an article of faith, and so declared by this

The Council of Trent was received without any restrictions by the kingdom of Portugal, the Venetians, and the Duke of Savoy. The Spaniards, the Flemings, Neapolitans, and Sicilians, caused it to be published with a caution as to any part of its discipline, which might be derogatory to the claims of their respective Sovereignties. It was never published in France, because some of its regulations are not conformable to the customs of that kingdom, and to what are termed the privileges of the Gallican church. But the doctrine is universally submitted to, and the Church of France has unanimously acknowledged in it, the ancient and unvaried faith of the Catholic Church." Life of Cardinal Pole, vol. i, p. 483.

very Lajeran Council; but as for the absolute power of deposing Kings, it is held by several as a mere opinion, and opposed by many as false, nor will divines say they are the worse Catholics for it."

And

These plain and unequivocal renunciations of the infallibility even of General Councils in matters not relating to faith, are not the result of modern illumination, nor are they now first advanced by Catholic writers, in order to sooth the prejudices against their religion. The work from which they are extracted was published in London in the year 1668. although some Protestant controversialists of that period have deduced consequences from these and other similar renunciations tending to shake the authority of the decisions of Councils altogether, they do not question the truth of the distinctions here laid down. The same sentiments are uniformly maintained by a host of later writers, but I wished to shew that the limitation of the infallibility of councils is not a modern opinion merely, and have therefore preferred selecting my quotations from older authors.

The extracts which I shall next lay before the reader are taken from a volume called the Papist represented and misrepresented, which was first published in 1665, and as it has, since that period, gone through twentytwo editions, it may fairly be presumed to be a work of authority and weight among the Catholic body. The sections of which this work is composed are printed in a double column, of which one. contains the accusation, the other the reply. The former charges the Catholic with believing that the Pope has the authority already alluded to, of absolving subjects from their allegiance, deposing Kings, and the like to this he makes, in the corresponding column, the following reply-" "Tis no part of his

Faith

Faith to believe, that the Pope has authority to dispense with his allegiance to his sovereign, or that he can depose Princes upon any account whatsoever; giving leave to their subjects to take up arms against them, and endeavour their ruin. He knows that the deposing and king-killing power have been maintained by some canonists and divines of his church, and that it is, in their opinion, lawful, and annexed to the Papal Chair. He knows likewise that some Popes have endeavoured to act according to this power. But that this doctrine appertains to the faith of his church, and is to be believed by all of that communion, is a malicious calumny, a downright falsity. And for the truth of this, it seems to him a sufficient argument, that for the few authors that are the abettors of this doctrine, there are of his communion three times the number, that publickly disown all such authority; besides several Universities and whole Bodies that have solemnly condemned it; without being in the least suspected of their religion, or of denying any article of their faith." "Why," he afterwards adds, "should the actions of some few Popes,*

* Protestants extend the Catholic dogma of the infallibility of the Pope, so much beyond what the Catholics do themselves, that it may be worth while to make some additional extracts from the work quoted in the text, to shew what the Catholic opinion really is. In a subsequent section in which his church is accused of wicked principles and practices, the writer opposes to the charge her "Councils, Catechisms, Pulpits and spiritual books of Direction, in which the main design is, to imprint in the hearts of the faithful, this comprehensive maxim of christianity; that they ought to love God above all things, with their whole heart and soul and their neighbour as themselves. And that none flatter themselves, with a confidence to be saved by faith alone without living soberly, justly and piously; as it is in the Council of Trent, sess. 6, cap. 11. So that he doubts not at all, d 2

but

and the private opinions of some speculative Doctors, be so often and vehemently urged for the just charging

but that as many as live according to the direction of his Church, and in observance of her doctrine, live holily in the service and fear of God, and with an humble confidence in the merits and passion of their Redeemer, may hope to be received, after this life, into eternal bliss. But that all in communion with his Church do not live thus holily, and in the fear of God, he knows it is too, too evident; there being many in all places, wholly forgetful of their duty, giving themselves up to all sorts of vice, and guilty of most horrid crimes. And he really thinks, that there have been men of his profession of every rank and degree, learned and unlearned, high and low, secular and ecclesiastick, that have been scandalous in their lives, wicked in their designs, without the fear of God in their hearts, or care of their own salvation. Let the character of the church be given according to what she teaches, and not according to the writings of every positive opiniator, and the practices of every wicked liver, and then there is no fear of its coming out so ugly and deformed. Neither let any one pretend to demonstrate the faith and principles of the Papists by the works of every Divine in that communion; or by the actions of every Bishop, Cardinal, or Pope; for they extend not their faith beyond the declarations of general councils; and standing fast to these, they yet own, that many of their writers are too loose in their opinions, that all Bishops and Cardinals are not so edifying as it becomes their state; and that Popes may have their failings too. A Pope is a temporal Priuce, keeps a court, has variety of officers about him. And if he has flatterers, and misinformers too, it is nothing but what all Princes are sensible of, but cannot remedy. And hence he doubts not, but it is possible that he may be engaged in unlawful undertakings, and invite others to the like.

So thought and so wrote a Catholic divine in the year 1665. Let us now see in what terms a Catholic clergyman in our own times, well known by his elegant writings, has drawn some features in the character of Pope Innocent III. "Ambition," says Mr. Berington, "was his ruling passion, to gratify which he overstepped the bounds of decency and justice, playing as wantonly with the solemn censures of the church, as if they had been instituted for the common purposes of wayward caprice or resentful vengeance. To look into him for the amiable virtues of life, or for those which should form the pastoral character, would be

loss