that he is afraid to ftand the teft of them, left they should discover the injuftice of his conduct, or else rob him of his pretended prerogatives. But we will now proceed to another article.

CHA P. IV.

Whether a Council, or the Pope, is Superior?

Fo

OR the clearer understanding of this question, 'tis neceffary first of all to define what a Council is; for when the effence of a thing is known, 'tis easy to discover its real virtue. There are three forts of Councils. 1. Diocefan; which is compos'd of a bishop and his clergy. 2. Provincial, confifting of a metropolitan, archbishop, primate or patriarch, and his Suffragans. 3. General, where the Pope appears in his own perfon, or by his legates, and all the archbishops, bishops, primates and patriarchs of chriftendom, befides all the prelates, who by privilege or custom have a vote in general Councils; for the bishops are allow'd their votes by law, the regular abbats by cufton, and the generals of the orders by privilege. To these three fome add a national Council; but this is not men

tion'd in the lift of legal Councils; because, were they to be admitted, a king, or other fecular prince, might affemble them at pleasure, which would involve him in the scandal of a schifmatic. Nevertheless, if the Pope should permit a nation to affemble in Council, this affembly would be legal, as well as whatever it fhould decide; but then fuch Council, and the canons which it might decree, would be only calculated for the faid nation, and not for the rest of christendom. To leave this long digreffion, and return to our fubject: I say then, that a Diocesan Council, or Synod, may be fummon'd

*Father Paul here falls in with the opinion of the court of Rome, that the Pope alone has a right of calling Councils, and feems to have forgot that this pretended right is a manifeft ufurpation, which has been a long while contested with the Popes by the emperors, who have the fole right of calling thofe facred affemblies; witness the firft Councils, which, by the confeffion of all faithful historians, were fummon'd by circular letters from the emperors. But they did not prefide therein any more than the Pope, who had his feat in common with the other prelates; the holy gofpels being placed upon a throne, to reprefent the Holy Ghoft, the head of the church. In after times, the emperors had so much authority in the Councils, that they not only called them without the Pope's advice, and fent circular letters to the bishops, fignifying what routs they fhould take, and where they should find carriages and provifions at the emperor's charge, Eufeb. hift. lib. 10. cap. 5. but also took cognizance of the things tranfacted there, prefcribed such and such points for their decifion, and reprimanded the Councils, tho' the bifhop of Rome was prefent, when they found them fall into the leaft caballing or diforder, Socrates, lib. 2. cap. 39 & 40. Idem, lib. 4. cap. 34. Befides, in thofe early Councils every thing was refolved upon, not in the name of the Pope, nor of the emperor, but in the name of the facred affembly.

mon'd by the bishop, and also that he is ob lig'd to affemble one every two Years, to remedy fmall abuses that may creep in among his Diocefans; I fay fmall abuses; for if they be of fome importance, he would be oblig'd to have recourse to the metropolitan, who in this case ought to affemble a provincial Council for remedy of such abuses; but in cases of the utmost importance, recourse must be had to the Pope himfelf. A provincial fynod may be fummon'd by the metropolitan, archbishop, primate or patriarch; but its decrees are only intended for their respective provinces. Indeed, in cafes where feveral provinces have been concern'd, the feveral metropolitans of fuch provinces have heretofore united towards forming a Council; but this is now difufed, recourfe being had, in fuch cases, directly to the holy See. Notwithstanding, as many metropolitans as pleas'd might lawfully hold a Council at this day, and their decrees would be binding to the refpective provinces for which they are concern'd.

An affembly of this kind might well pafs for a national Council, when all the metropolitans of a nation are met together. But as this would be impoffible, except for an affair of the last importance, fo the Pope's decifion would be abfolutely neceffary. Befides, for as much as fuch an affembly could not be held without the prince's confent, it would seem to carry in it a contempt of all recourse to the

Pope,

Pope, and be attended with the imputation of fchifm.

It must likewise be noted, that all the inferior Councils, as the court of Rome calls them, are only capable of remedying those disorders which are committed against positive law, and that when disputes arise concerning matters of faith, or divine right, there is an absolute neceffity of recurring to a universal Council, or elfe demanding a decree from the Pope. The reafon is plain, because it may happen that in matters of Church difcipline one province may spy a fault in another, and concur with it for a remedy; but as to opinions and articles of faith, all catholics ought to have the same belief, and to affent to the truth of whatsoever is propos'd to them with that character.

Therefore a general Council, affembled by the Pope's authority, is the fame thing with respect to the whole christian world, as the States General to the United Provinces, the parliament to England, the cortes to Spain, the diet of the empire to Germany, and the general diet to Poland; in a word, 'tis the very quintefcence of chriftianity; fo that whatever is determin'd in fuch an affembly may be regarded as the sense of the univerfal Church. The Pope fummons this affembly, not only because he is the first in dignity and authority in the christian republic, but also to the end that it may not be fummon'd without due examination of the causes for which it is defir'd, it

being

being not reasonable that paftors fhould leave their flocks for trifling matters, or only for private views, which would never want the fpecious name of the public good, if every one. was at liberty to call a Council. Be this ever fo true, 'tis no less certain, that when 'tis neceffary for the good of the Church to assemble a Council, and the Pope neglects to do it, or refuses it, if requir'd, the cardinals may lawfully call one, as they have pretended to do at other times. And where they are wanting in this point, the bifhops have the fame right, being equally concern'd to watch over the Lord's heritage; and finally, if the Pope, cardinals and bifhops are all afleep, it is the business of the * fecular princes to call one, viz. the emperors, as advocates of the Church, and kings and fovereign princes, as they are diftinguish'd members of the body of the Church, and conftituted by God's grace, as well as the prelates and Popes, to take care of Chrift's flock. Therefore we find in the cata

logue

*Father Paul continues in his ultramontane prejudices, fince it appears even by the infcription of the Council of Sirmium, which he quotes a little after, that the emperor alone order'd the affembly; and if he had but vouchfafed to read the infcription of former Councils, he would have there found the fame thing. In fine, the hiftory of France would have furnish'd him with inftances of feveral national Councils affembled by the authority of her kings, who for all that were never reckon'd heretics, Greg. de Tours bift. Hincmar Conçil. Gall. Therefore he should have said, that things are as he fays they are now, not thro' any right of the court of Rome, but thro' cuftom, establish'd by its ufurpations