fo to vifit and reform the others above-mention'd, elfe the exception would be needlefs. 2. That this conduct of the Council, in prefcribing to the Pope what he has to do, clearly fhews that they did not own him for a fupe-1 rior. What pafs'd in the 23d feffion on the queftion concerning the chalice, proves the truth of this; for the Council refers the decifion of it to the Pope, in these terms, decrevit integrum negotium ad fanétiffimum dominum no ftrum effe referendum; which formal delegation is a proof that the Council does not depend on the Pope; for the inferior does not delegate to the fuperior, because the latter has a natural right of judging, whereas it belongs to the former only by way of reference: To conclude, in the laft feffion 'tis faid that fome prelates were deputed, by order of Council, to form an index of prohibited books, and examine the catechifm, miffal, and Roman breviary, and to make a report thereof to the Council, which was to form a decree thereupon: *[and the Council being not able to give their judgment of all in a trice, because of their number, referr'd the whole to the judgment of the Pope.] This feems to me a plain

decla

*What is inferted betwixt the two crochets, is not exprefs'd in the Italian, but 'twas taken from the hiftory of the Council, and 'twas thought neceffary to place it here at length, because the confequence, which the author, draws from that refolution of the Council, is founded upon the lift words, referred the whole to the judgment of the Pope.

declaration, that the Council meant rather to give authority to, than receive it from the Pope, and that they only regarded him as their vicar, or fuffragan, whofe power was under their regulation. Tell me not of Pius IVth's bull of confirmation, in which are these words: Nobis adeo Concilii libertati faventibus, ut etiam de rebus fedi apoftolica proprie refervatis, liberum ipfi Concilio arbitrium per literas ad legatos noftros fcriptas ultro permiferimus; i.e. we have fuch a regard to the freedom of the Council, that, of our own accord, we have, by letters written to our legates, permitted them to judge arbitrarily, even of things properly referv'd to the apoftolical See. For this liberty is all mere delufion, if (as is pretended) 'tis abfolutely neceffary to defire the Pope's confirmation of what is concluded; because if he has a power to grant it, he has the fame power to refufe it; which at once deftroys this pretended freedom. I chofe to fingle out all these remarks from the Council of Trent; because, as that Council was moft partially zealous for the papal authority, I thought it would the better answer our end, viz. to establish the authority of a Council over the Pope.

In the catalogue of lawful Councils there is this note: Anno Domini 466, Romanum tertium provinciale fub Hilario Papa a quinquaginta epifcopis congregatum potiffimum ftatuentibus, ut canones Niceni Concilii & apoftolica

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fedis cuftodiantur; i. e. it was chiefly ordain'd by fifty bishops, affembled in the third provin cial Council at Rome under Pope Hilary, A.D.466, that the canons of the Nicene Council, and the apoftolical See, should be obferv'd. So that here is a fingle provincial Council commanding obedience to the decrees of another Council, and of the holy See. Another affembled at Worms, under Pope Leo III. and the emperor Charles the Great, exprefly orders, that no perfon be excommunicated for a trivial fault, that the minifters of God be fober, and the table of the bishops frugal. Another general Council, affembled at Vienna in 1311, approved the decrees of Pope Clement V. call'd Clement's conftitutions. But we'll go back ftill higher, not forgetting the principle I before laid down, that the Pope has undoubtedly, at this day, no more authority than St. Peter had. Now the first general Council, which was held at Jerufalem by St. Peter himself, by the apoftles and other difciples of the primitive Church, proves it to have been the opinion of those times, that a decree, made by all together, had more force than if made by St. Peter alone. The queftion debated in this Council was, whether circumcifion was neceffary any longer? Peter fays, Men and brethren, you know, how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth fhould hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who know

eth

eth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghoft, even as he did unto us. Hitherto Peter acknowledges that God had given all baptiz'd believers as great a portion of his grace and fpirit as to himself. After him, Barnabas and Paul spoke of the miracles which God had wrought among the Gentiles; and then James fays, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simon bath declar'd how God at the first did vifit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. After which he goes on thus: Wherefore my fentence is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turn'd to God, but that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, &c. Then it pleas'd the apostles and elders, with the whole Church, to fend chosen men out of their own company to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas firnamed Barlabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: And they wrote letters by them after this manner. The apostles, and elders, and brethren, &c.

We have therefore fent Judas and Silas, who fball alfo tell you the fame things by word of mouth; for it feemed good to the Holy Ghoft and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these neceflary things: That ye abstain from meats of fer'd to idols, and from blood, and from things Strangled, and from fornication: From which if you keep your felves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. 'Tis palpable from all the tranfac tions of this Council, that St. Peter did not pretend

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pretend to the leaft fuperiority over those who compos'd it, that they regarded him only as their colleague, and even embrac'd the opinion of St. James, who, after he had made the decree himself, put an end to the Council, in the name of the Holy Ghoft. In another part of the Acts of the Apostles, we find thefe words: When the apostles, who were at Jerufalem, heard that Samaria had receiv'd the word of God, they fent unto them Peter and John. Is it not evident from this circumftance that Peter valued himself upon obeying the apoftolical college, inftead of pretending to any fuperi ority over them? For the college fends Peter, and he forthwith obey'd. From that time to this I can't find any augmentation of authority ever granted to the holy See, except by tradition. When the Pharifees reproach'd Chrift, that his difciples tranfgreffed the tradition of the elders, because they did eat with unwashed hands laying afide the commandments of God, he tells them, that they (the Pharifees) who were fo zealous for the tradition of the elders, did there by tranfgrefs the commandment of God.

It may indeed be faid with too much juftice, that 'tis the conftant fate of the high priefts to be captivated by this paffionate thirst after worldly grandeur, tho' there's no crime in the whole gofpel against which Jefus Chrift has exprefs'd more refentment. St. John the evangelift tells us, in his 8th chapter, that Chrift, in a long difcourfe which he had one

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