Utrum horum, or, The nine and thirty articles of the Church of England, at large recited, and compared with the doctrines of those commonly called Presbyterians on the one side, and the tenets of the Church of Rome on the other both faithfully quoted from their own most approved authors / by Hen. Care.

The Papists

For the most part hold and maintain, That not only our Lord Jesus, but also that the Virgin Mary was without Sin, both Original and Actual; touching which, the Council of Trent thus expresses it self.

* 1.1This Holy Synod does declare, That in this Decree, wherein Original Sin is handled, it does not intend to compre∣hend the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of God; but that the Constitutions of Pope Sixtus the Fourth, of happy memory, shall be observ'd, under the Penalties therein express'd.

The better to understand this, The Reader must know, that about the year 1200, Peter Lombard the School∣man being very much at leisure, began to dispute, whether when the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost conceiv'd Christ, it might not come to pass, that she her self might then be cleansed and freed from all Sin, and even Original Corruption. Observe now how dan∣gerous 'tis,

and into what Absurdities they run, that without Scripture will with shew of good Intention, advance their own Conceits. This which Lombard only disputed, some of his Successors in the Schools went further, and in short time prest it as an Article of Faith to be believ'd of all Christians, That the Virgin Mary was Conceiv'd without Sin: And of this Opinion the Franciscans were stout Asserters, which was so far countenanc'd by the Pope, that by a Bull he caused a Feast to be Celebrated in Honour of such the Virgins Conception. But the Do∣minicans no less vigorously oppos'd this new Doctrine, and so all Christendom came into a slame about it, each Party charging the other with Heresie. To appease which, not daring to disoblige either Party, he did by another Bull leave it indifferent, making either side that should brand the others Noti∣on as Heretical, to be liable to Excom∣munication. Which two Orders are the Constitutions here referr'd unto, and for the Readers satisfaction, that he may see what kind of things they

are, that must be so observ'd, we shall here insert so much of them as is mate∣rial, faithfully translated, as follows.

Pope Sixtus's first Bull.

WHen with the search of a de∣vout Consideration, we in∣quire into and revolve in the secrets of our Breast, those high and lofty Titles of Merits, wherewith the Queen of Hea∣ven, the glorious Virgin-Mother of God, preferr'd above the Etherial Seats; shines as the morning Star, far more bright than any of the rest of the Ce∣lestial Constellations; That she being the Way of Mercy, the Mother of Grace, and the Friend of Piety, the Comfortress of Humane kind, the diligent and watch∣ful Oratress that with the King whom she brought forth, continually intercedes for the Salvation of the Faithful, who are oppress'd with the burden of Sins: We cannot but think it fit, nay, our Duty, That all the Faithful of Christ should give Thanks and Praises for the wonderful Conception of the said Imma∣culate Virgin, to Almighty God, (whose

Providence from Eternity regarding that Virgins Humility, for the reconci∣ling Mankind, obnoxious to Death, by the fall of their first Parent, again to its Author, constituted her by the pre∣paration of the Holy Spirit, the Ha∣bitation of his only begotten Son, who of her assumed the Flesh of our Mortality, for the Redemption of his People, and yet she after her Delive∣ry an Immaculate Virgin) to invite them by Indulgences and Remission of Sins, to say, and to be present at the Masses and other Divine Services ap∣pointed in the Church of God, That so by the Merits and Intercession of the said Virgin, they may be rendred more apt and fit for Divine Grace; where∣fore induc'd by this Consideration, con∣fiding in the Authority of the same Al∣mighty God, and of the Blessed Apo∣stles, Peter and Paul: We do by our Apostolical Authority, and this our Constitution, for ever to be in force; Appoint and Ordain, That all and sin∣gular Christians, of either Sex, who shall devoutly Celehrate, or say Mass and the Office of the Conception of the said

glorious Virgin, according to the Pious Devout and laudable Form and Institu∣tion of our beloved Son, Mr. Leonard de Nogarolis, Clerk of Verona, our Notary, and which is publisht by our Authority, or shall be present at the Canonical Hours on the day of the Feast of the said Virgin Maries Conception, and its Octaves; as often as they so do, shall altogether obtain the very same Indulgence and Remission of Sins, as those do, who according to the Consti∣tutions of Urban the 4th, approv'd in the Council of Vienna, and Martin the 5th, and others our Predecessors, Popes of Rome, Celebrate the Mass and Canonical hours on the Feast of the Body and Blood of our Lord, from the first Vespers, and during its Octaves. These Presents to be observed for ever.

Dated at St. Peters at Rome the third Calends of March, in the year of our Lord 1476, and of our Popedom the 6th.

The second Constitution.

TIS always very grievous and troublesome to us, when ill things are related to us of Persons Ec∣clesiastick. But so much the more sen∣sibly are we provok'd with the excesses committed in Preaching, by those who are deputed to Evangelize the Word of God; by how much it is more dange∣rous to suffer them to remain uncor∣rected, since those Errors are not easily to be blotted out, which by such publick Preaching are more spreadingly and daranably imprinted in the Hearts of Men. Whereas the Holy Roman Church does publickly and solemnly Ce∣lebrate the Festival of the Conception of the unspotted Mary, always a Vir∣gin, and hath ordain'd a proper Office for the same; There are yet, as we hear, some Preachers of several Orders, that in their Sermons to the People, pub∣lickly, in several Cities and Countries, have not blush'd to affirm, and yet cease not daily to Preach, That all those that hold or assert the said Glorious

and Immaculate Mother of God, to have been conceiv'd without any spot of Origi∣nal Sin, do mortally sin, or that those are Hereticks who Celebrate the Office of her Immaculate Conception: And that those sin grievously, who frequent their Sermons, who affirm her to be conceiv'd without Sin. And not content with such Preachings, they have also publisht Books to that purpose, whereby no small scandals are risen in the minds of the Faithful, and greater are every day feared. We therefore, willing as much as is granted us from on high, to obvi∣ate such rash boldness, and perverse and scandalous Assertions, which may thence arise in the Church of God, by our own motion, and not at the instance of any, but of our meer deliberation and certain Science, do by Apostolical Authority, and by the Tenour of these presents, Reprobate and Damn, as false, erroneous, and altogether void of Truth, the said such Assertions of Preachers, and all others who presume to affirm, That those that Believe, or hold the said Mother of God to have been preserv'd in her Conception from the stain of O∣riginal

Sin, are thereby polluted with any Heresie, or that thereby they Sin, or that those that Celebrate the said Office of her Conception, or hear the Sermons of those of that Opinion, do thereby incur any guilt of Sin; And all Books containing any such Assertions: And we do Command and Ordain, That the Preachers, or others, of whatever State, Degree, Order, or Condition soever, that shall henceforwards pre∣sume in Sermons, or in any other way, to maintain, That the Assertions by Ʋs so Condemned are true, or read any of these Books, shall ipso facto incur the sentence of Excommunication, from which they shall not be Absolved by any but the Bishop of Rome, ex∣cept at the point of Death. And by the like Authority, we do likewise subject to the same Censure and Penalty, all that shall assert the contrary Opinion, viz. That those that assert, That the Glorious Virgin Mary was conceiv'd with Original Sin, do thereby incur the Crime of Heresie, or mortal Sin, since the same is not yet decided by the Roman Church and Apostolical See.

Let it therefore not be lawful to any to infringe or act contrary to this our Act of Reprobation, Damnation, Statute, Ordinance, Will, and Decree: If any one shall presume so to do, Let him know, that he shall incur the Indignation of Al∣mighty God, and of the Blessed Peter and Paul his Apostles.

Given at Rome at St. Peters, in the Year of our Lords Incarnation 1483, and of our Popedom the 13th, Pridie Nonas Septembris.

Now, who would have thought, but the Pope, who pretends, or at least this Council, whom all Papists boast to have power to determine infallibly all Controversies, would rather have put an end to this dispute, than thus to continue the quarrel, and leave it still doubtful? But here lies the myste∣ry, The Trent Fathers resolv'd not to part with this Figment of the School∣men, which could not be casheir'd without reflecting upon Pope Sixtus, that thus ordain'd a Feast in memory of it; And yet in this Age of Light, were asham'd to define a thing so pal∣pably contrary to Scripture, and the

apprehension of all Antiquity, to be receiv'd as an Article of Faith, and so politickly left it undetermined, yet shew us which way they incline, by con∣tinuing the Celebration of that Festi∣val to this day.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Co••••••. Trent. Sess. 5.