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CHAP. XCII.
Of the Canon-Law.
FRom the Civil flow'd the Canon or Pontificial Law; which may to some seem a most holy Con∣stitution, so ingeniously does it hide and mask the precepts of Avarice, and rules of Rapine, under the pretences of Piety; though it contain very few Decrees that regard either Religion, the Worship of God, o• the Ceremonies of the Sacraments. I forbear to make it out, that some are altogether repugnant to the Word
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of God: all the rest are meer matters of Strife, Con∣tention, Pride, Pomp and Gain; and onely Edicts of the Popes, not contented with those already made by Ho∣ly men and Fathers, unless they may adde new Decrees, Chaffie extravagancies: so that there is no end or limit of their Canons, which onely proceed from the Pride and Ambition of the Popes, whose Arrogancie has grown so bold, as to command the Angels, to rob Hell, and lay violent hands upon the souls of the Dead: ty∣rannizing over the Law of God with their Interpreta∣tions, Declarations, and Disputations; left any thing should be wanting or diminisht from the fulness of their power. Did not Pope Clement in a Bull, which is kept to this day at Vienna and several other places, command the Angel to free the soul of one that was going to Rome for Indulgences, and dying by the way, immediately out of Purgatory, and carry him to Hea∣ven? adding, It is our pleasure that the pains of hell be no farther inflicted on him: granting also power to those that were signed with the Cross, at their own pleasures to take three or four souls out of Purgatory. Which erroneous and intolerable Boldness, if I may not call it Heresie, the Parisian School then utterly con∣demn'd and reprov'd; repenting perhaps that they did not report that hyperbolical Zeal of Clement as a Fable, that the Story might live rather than die; seeing that for all their affirming or denying, there is nothing of injury done to the Authority of the Pope, whose Canons and Decrees have so pinion'd Theologie, that the most Contentious Divine dares neither dispute or think con∣trary to the Popes Canons without leave and pardon▪ as Martial says of Rusus.
What Rusus says, Rusus has leave for all,
Although he laugh, weep, hold his tongue, or braul:
He sups, drinks, asks, denies; yet still the brute
Has your good leave; without your leave he's mute.
Page 322
Out of these Canons also and Decrees we finde the Patrimony of Christ to be Kingdoms, Donations, Foun∣dations, Wealth, and large Possessions; and that the Priesthood of Christ is Soveraign power and Com∣mand: that the Sword of Christ is Temporal Juris∣diction: that the Rock on which the Church is foun∣ded is the Pope; that the Bishops are not onely the Ministers, but Heads of the Church: that the Goods of the Church are not Evangelical Doctrine, Constancy of Faith, and contempt of the World, but Taxes, Tythes, Oblations, Collections, Purple, Mitres, Gold, Silver, Gems, Mannors, and Money. The power of the Pope is to wage War, dissolve Leagues, absolve Princes from their Oathes, Subjects from their Obedi∣ence, and to make the house of Prayer a den of Thieves. Well therefore may the Pope depose Bishops, who can give away other mens rights, commit Simony, dispense with his Oath, and no man be able to say to him, Why dost thou so? Well may he, for other weighty rea∣sons, dispense with all the New Testament, and send above a third part of the souls of the faithful to hell. But the Office of Bishops is not now-a-days to preach the Word, but to confer Orders, dedicate Temples, ba∣ptize Bells, consecrate Altars and Chalices, bless Vest∣ments and Images. But they who are more ambiti∣ous than these, if leaving those things to be performed by I know not what mean and titular Bishops, they can procure themselves to be sent Kings Ambassadours, to be their Chief Ministers of State, or to attend upon the Queen; such great causes may excuse um from serving God in the Temples, if they can serve the King well at Court. Out of the •me Fountains arise those Equi∣vocations and Shifts to avoid Simony in selling and buying Benefices, daily in use; or for whatever other Monopolies or Markets are made of Pardons, Indul∣gences, Dispensations, and the like, whereby they set a
Page 323
price upon remission of sins which God has so freely granted; and have found out a way to gain by the ve∣ry pains of Hell. From this Law they borrow that feigned Donation of Constantine, which is quite con∣trary to the Word of God, seeing that neither Caesar can give away his own Right, nor the Clergie usurp that which is Caesars. To these we may adde so many ra∣venous Decrees, under the known Titles of Indulgen∣cies, of Bulls, of Confessions, of Testaments, of Dispensa∣tions, of Priviledges, of Elections, of Dignities, of Pre∣bendaries, of Religious houses, of Sacred houses, of The place of Judicature, of Immunities, of Judgements, and the like. Lastly, the whole Canon-law is of all the most inconstant, more various than Proteus, more changeable than a Chameleon, more full of perplexity than the Gordian-knot. So that the Christian-Religi∣on, by the Institution of Christ intended to put an end to Ceremonies, is now more clogg'd with Ceremonies than the Jewish Religion of old: the weight whereof makes the easie and sweet Yoke of Christ more heavie and burthensome than that of the Law, while Christi∣ans are compell'd to live more according to the Pre∣scriptions of the Canon-law, than the Rules of the Go∣spel. To say truth, the Learning of both Laws is wholly busied about frail, empty, and prophane mat∣ters, Bargains, and Quarrels of the common people; about Murthers, Thefts, Robberies, Pyracies, Factions, Conspiracies, and Treasons, Perjuries, Knaveries of Scribes, Abuses of Lawyers, Corruptions of Judges; whereby Widows are ruin'd, Orphans destroyed, the Poor oppressed, the Innocent condemned, and, as it is said in Juvenal,
The Crows are pardon'd, and the Doves condemn'd.
Thus blinde men run themselves into mischiefs, which
Page 324
they thought to avoid by the assistance of the Canons and Pontifical Decretals; because they are no Laws or Canons ordained by God, or for the honour of God, but onely invented by the corrupt Wit of men, for Gain, and the supply of covetous desires.
Of the Canon-Law.
FRom the Civil flow'd the Canon or Pontificial Law; which may to some seem a most holy Con∣stitution, so ingeniously does it hide and mask the precepts of Avarice, and rules of Rapine, under the pretences of Piety; though it contain very few Decrees that regard either Religion, the Worship of God, o• the Ceremonies of the Sacraments. I forbear to make it out, that some are altogether repugnant to the Word
Page 321
of God: all the rest are meer matters of Strife, Con∣tention, Pride, Pomp and Gain; and onely Edicts of the Popes, not contented with those already made by Ho∣ly men and Fathers, unless they may adde new Decrees, Chaffie extravagancies: so that there is no end or limit of their Canons, which onely proceed from the Pride and Ambition of the Popes, whose Arrogancie has grown so bold, as to command the Angels, to rob Hell, and lay violent hands upon the souls of the Dead: ty∣rannizing over the Law of God with their Interpreta∣tions, Declarations, and Disputations; left any thing should be wanting or diminisht from the fulness of their power. Did not Pope Clement in a Bull, which is kept to this day at Vienna and several other places, command the Angel to free the soul of one that was going to Rome for Indulgences, and dying by the way, immediately out of Purgatory, and carry him to Hea∣ven? adding, It is our pleasure that the pains of hell be no farther inflicted on him: granting also power to those that were signed with the Cross, at their own pleasures to take three or four souls out of Purgatory. Which erroneous and intolerable Boldness, if I may not call it Heresie, the Parisian School then utterly con∣demn'd and reprov'd; repenting perhaps that they did not report that hyperbolical Zeal of Clement as a Fable, that the Story might live rather than die; seeing that for all their affirming or denying, there is nothing of injury done to the Authority of the Pope, whose Canons and Decrees have so pinion'd Theologie, that the most Contentious Divine dares neither dispute or think con∣trary to the Popes Canons without leave and pardon▪ as Martial says of Rusus.
What Rusus says, Rusus has leave for all,
Although he laugh, weep, hold his tongue, or braul:
He sups, drinks, asks, denies; yet still the brute
Has your good leave; without your leave he's mute.
Page 322
Out of these Canons also and Decrees we finde the Patrimony of Christ to be Kingdoms, Donations, Foun∣dations, Wealth, and large Possessions; and that the Priesthood of Christ is Soveraign power and Com∣mand: that the Sword of Christ is Temporal Juris∣diction: that the Rock on which the Church is foun∣ded is the Pope; that the Bishops are not onely the Ministers, but Heads of the Church: that the Goods of the Church are not Evangelical Doctrine, Constancy of Faith, and contempt of the World, but Taxes, Tythes, Oblations, Collections, Purple, Mitres, Gold, Silver, Gems, Mannors, and Money. The power of the Pope is to wage War, dissolve Leagues, absolve Princes from their Oathes, Subjects from their Obedi∣ence, and to make the house of Prayer a den of Thieves. Well therefore may the Pope depose Bishops, who can give away other mens rights, commit Simony, dispense with his Oath, and no man be able to say to him, Why dost thou so? Well may he, for other weighty rea∣sons, dispense with all the New Testament, and send above a third part of the souls of the faithful to hell. But the Office of Bishops is not now-a-days to preach the Word, but to confer Orders, dedicate Temples, ba∣ptize Bells, consecrate Altars and Chalices, bless Vest∣ments and Images. But they who are more ambiti∣ous than these, if leaving those things to be performed by I know not what mean and titular Bishops, they can procure themselves to be sent Kings Ambassadours, to be their Chief Ministers of State, or to attend upon the Queen; such great causes may excuse um from serving God in the Temples, if they can serve the King well at Court. Out of the •me Fountains arise those Equi∣vocations and Shifts to avoid Simony in selling and buying Benefices, daily in use; or for whatever other Monopolies or Markets are made of Pardons, Indul∣gences, Dispensations, and the like, whereby they set a
Page 323
price upon remission of sins which God has so freely granted; and have found out a way to gain by the ve∣ry pains of Hell. From this Law they borrow that feigned Donation of Constantine, which is quite con∣trary to the Word of God, seeing that neither Caesar can give away his own Right, nor the Clergie usurp that which is Caesars. To these we may adde so many ra∣venous Decrees, under the known Titles of Indulgen∣cies, of Bulls, of Confessions, of Testaments, of Dispensa∣tions, of Priviledges, of Elections, of Dignities, of Pre∣bendaries, of Religious houses, of Sacred houses, of The place of Judicature, of Immunities, of Judgements, and the like. Lastly, the whole Canon-law is of all the most inconstant, more various than Proteus, more changeable than a Chameleon, more full of perplexity than the Gordian-knot. So that the Christian-Religi∣on, by the Institution of Christ intended to put an end to Ceremonies, is now more clogg'd with Ceremonies than the Jewish Religion of old: the weight whereof makes the easie and sweet Yoke of Christ more heavie and burthensome than that of the Law, while Christi∣ans are compell'd to live more according to the Pre∣scriptions of the Canon-law, than the Rules of the Go∣spel. To say truth, the Learning of both Laws is wholly busied about frail, empty, and prophane mat∣ters, Bargains, and Quarrels of the common people; about Murthers, Thefts, Robberies, Pyracies, Factions, Conspiracies, and Treasons, Perjuries, Knaveries of Scribes, Abuses of Lawyers, Corruptions of Judges; whereby Widows are ruin'd, Orphans destroyed, the Poor oppressed, the Innocent condemned, and, as it is said in Juvenal,
The Crows are pardon'd, and the Doves condemn'd.
Thus blinde men run themselves into mischiefs, which
Page 324
they thought to avoid by the assistance of the Canons and Pontifical Decretals; because they are no Laws or Canons ordained by God, or for the honour of God, but onely invented by the corrupt Wit of men, for Gain, and the supply of covetous desires.