of this doctrine upon the Faith of the Church of Rome." In fact, those speculative Doctors who maintained these obnoxious opinions seem to have met with but little support. In Paris in the year 1626, the whole college of the Sorbonne solemnly condemned the following propositions of Sanctarellus, viz. that the Pope, for heresy and schism might depose Princes, and exempt subjects from their obedience: the same thing was done by the Universities of Caen, heims, Poictiers, Valence, Bordeaux, and Bourges. Mariana, a jesuit, who had discussed the king-killing doctrine hypothetically, was censured, and his book condemned to the flames by a provincial Council of his own order. Bellarmine, whom I have already quoted, and who is considered by many Catholics in the same light as some of the advocates of the High Church doctrines are by the more moderate members of the Establishment, although he stands up for the deposing power in the abstract, afterwards reduces it in fact within very narrow limits. In particular he expressly observes, that if the subjects of an heretical prince were all to become Catholics, and he would allow them "To loss of time. No tears were shed when Innocent fell, but those which Religion wept, too justly pained by the inordi nate exactions and wordly views of her first Minister." these disadvantages under which Christians then laboured" says the author of the life of Cardinal Pole, a zealous Catholic," the fifteenth century had likewise the misfortune to see some of the Popes altogether unworthy the supreme place they held; and their court, instead of giving that example which the world had a right to expect from it, was infected with vices, which like a torrent, spread themselves over all nations." If Catholic writers investigate with such freedom the characters of the heads of their church, surely the apprehensions entertained with respect to the boundless influence of the Pope over the minds of his flock, must be acknowledged to be unfounded and unreasonable. the the free use of their religion, he does not think that ke could be deposed. His words are" Si enim tales Principes non conantur fideles a fide avertere, non existimo posse eos privari suo dominio." rest. The plain fact appears to be, that in the dark ages, some of the Popes, who were not less ambitious than other potentates, intoxicated by their elevation, and dazzled by the flattering hope of extending their temporal power equally with their spiritual authority, advanced many arrogant and extravagant pretensions, and this power of disposing of thrones among the Their claims were assented to by their flatterers, and maintained by some speculators who wished to exalt the ecclesiastical authority above all others. In the dark ages they sometimes succeeded; nor is this wonderful, for despotism of every kind met with but little resistance. But a review of the history of Europe since the earliest dawn of illumination will shew us that these, and all other extravagant temporal claims were daily resisted by one or other of the Catholic potentates, and though the efforts of the Pontiffs sometimes succeeded, they were as frequently foiled. In cases, where like Innocent III, ecclesiastical censures were made the mere instruments of ambition, nations do not appear to have been slow in discovering the inconsistency; they treated them as bruta fulmina, and instead of patiently submitting to the correction, they made war against the Pope without ceremony, in order to compel him to take them off. Perhaps Spain would be one of the last nations in which an opposition to any Papal claim would be expected. Yet, even in the sixteenth century, when upon the death of Sebastian, 'king of Portugal, Philip king of Spain and several other princes, claimed the succession under different titles, and Pope Paul IVth endeavoured endeavoured to have the cause of the competition tried before himself, the king of Spain refused to submit; and having consulted the most famous divines of the kingdom, they declared that the Pope had no jurisdiction or authority in the decision of worldly possessions, because all power and jurisdiction concerning temporal affairs belong to the supreme civil authority. Without coming down lower than the sixteenth century, an examination of an interesting period in the history of our own country, will shew us what weight was attached to the temporal interference of the Roman Pontiff. I allude to the era of the Spanish Armada. In this case our country was threatened with invasion by a powerful Catholic confederacy, with the avowed object of restoring the Catholic faith. Their immense armaments were solemnly consecrated by the papal benediction, and were directed against a Princess who was under a sentence of excommunication. In addition to this we learn from Hume that the ambitious Pontiff had deposed her,* had absolved her subjects from their oath of allegiance, had published a crusade against England, and had granted "Pray reader before I end, let me mind you of this, that Popes never give away, as men call it, a Kingdom from a prince simply heretical, but from one that is apostate, and so revolted from the church. For we see that Henry 8th was condemned, and yet nothing was done to his son Edward 6th. And again though Queen Elizabeth (who went to mass in Queen Mary's time) was deprived of sovereignty by the bull of Sixtus the fifth, yet no censure past against King James, King Charles 1st. not his present Majesty (Charles 2) and the reason is because they always professed themselves Protestants, and never acknowledged his Holiness as their Bishop and Pastor. Therefore Protestant Magistrates have no reason to fear either Pope or Papist."Apology of the English Catholics. London, 1668. plenary 1 "dis un plenary indulgences to every one concerned in the pre- * Appendix to Dr. Butler's Sermon, preached at Cambridge, at the installation of the Duke of Glocester. The The second protests against all attempts to restore the Catholic religion by the sword, and binds them to reveal all conspiracies against the Queen, &c. The third article is as follows. 66 Thirdly, If upon any excommunication denounced or to be denounced against her Majesty, upon any such conspiracies, invasions, or forcible attempts to be made as before expressed, the Pope should also excomunicate every one born within her Majesty's dominions that would not forsake the aforesaid defence of her Majesty, and her realms, and take part with such conspirators or invaders in these and all other such like cases; we do think ourselves and all the lay Catholics born within her Majesty's dominions bound in conscience not to obey this or any such like censure; but will defend our prince, and country, accounting it our duty so to do; and, notwithstanding any autho rity or any excommunication whatsoever, either denounced or to be denounced, as is before said, to yield unto her Majesty all obedience in temporal causes." Such was the declaration of the English Roman Catholics in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and it would be easy to shew a recognition of the same principles in every succeeding reign." That the horrible plot of the 5th of November, was confined only to a few individuals of broken fortunes and desperate character, will scarcely be questioned in the present day by any candid investigator of the histories of that transaction. King James in his proclamation expressly clears the great body of Catholics from this atrocious charge. Yet as it did not answer the political ends of the predominant party to encourage its refutation, the calumny continued to circulate throughout the nation, "and is still" says the liberal and learned clergyman whom I have just |