Historia quinq-articularis exarticulata, or, Animadversions on Doctor Heylin's quintquarticular history by Henry Hickman.

Dr. H. Pag. 12.

In such condition, saith the Doctor, stood affairs in reference to the Doctrines of Predestination, Grace, Free Will, at the first sitting down of the Councel of Trent, in which those points be∣came the subject of many sad and serious debates amongst the Prelats and Divines th••n and there Assembled.

Which being so necessary to the understanding of the questions which we have before us. I shall not think my time ill spent in laying down the summe and abstract of the same, as I ••ind it di∣gested to my hand, by Padre Paulo.

Ans. 1. I shall shew that it need not much trouble a Chri∣stian mind what was determined at Trent.

2. I shall shew that nothing was determined at Trent, but what is consistent enough with the Calvinian Do∣ctrine, as touching Predestination, Free Will, Perse∣verance.

1. I say 'tis not greatly material what was determined at that meeting of Trent: for notwithstanding it is by Pa∣pists honoured with the name of a General, and Oecumenical Councel, yet all Protestants see that it was a Conventicle of a few men, wedded to the Popes wicked interest, and

resolved to make such determinations, not as were agree∣able to the truth, but as were consistent with the pomp and glory of the Roman See. To evince this, I had thought to present my Reader with a short History of this Councel, gathered out of Padre Paul the Servite, and Sleidan, but the Reverend and Learned Doctor Iohn Cosins hath happy∣ly saved me this labour, and done the work to my hand; His Collection I shall transcribe:

The calling of a Councel had been shifted off by Leo the X, Adrian the VI, Clement the VII; but Paul the III, fa∣mous for nothing more than dissimulation, condescended so far, that a Synod should be summoned at Mantua in Ita∣ly, and sent his Bull of Indiction May 27, Anno 1531: but his design not taking for that place, he sent out another Bull for a Councel to be held May the first 1538, at Vicen∣za, a City under the Dominion of the Venetians: this Indi∣ction meeting also with opposition, he sends forth a third Bull, which commanded all Bishops and Abbots with other priviledged persons, provided they had taken an Oath to be obedient to the Pope's See of Rome, to repair to Trent, on the Confines of Italy, there to attend the Legates for the celebration of a Councel, to be begun November the first, Anno 1542. Against this Councel, protestations were made by the Princes and all the Reformed Churches in Germany, as also by the Kingdoms of England and Denmark, and many other places besides, which brought it to no∣thing. Wherefore he se•• forth another Bull, and sent his Legates to Trent, to begin a Councel there, March 15, Anno 1545. The Legates being come to Trent, found no Prelate there but the Bishop of the place: Within a few days came three Italian Bishops, who, being dependants upon the Court of Rome, and Men very ready to promote the Popes service, had order from him to be there with the first; for his desire was that the Councel should begin with as few as might be, and that to regulate the rest that came after. In order where∣unto he sent his Brief, and gave his Legates a Faculty, ••o preside in the Councel under his Name and Authority; with special directions, not to suffer any thing to be pro∣posed or offered there to publick debate, which had not first been privately approved by themselves, or any th••ng to be put to the question and defined, which had not been

formerly sent to Rome, and assented to by him; and with power, if need were to do him service in it, either to break up the Councel for altogether, or to suspend and prorogue it from time to time, or to remove and translate it from one place to another, at their pleasure; which was a device whereby all attempts and motions that might be made a∣gainst the enormities of the Roman Court, should be sure to be defeated. For above all other things this was the prin∣cipal matter, which was given them in charge, that they should not in any case suffer the Authority and Power of the Pope to be questioned. There was a proviso in the first words of the Bull, that they should do nothing without the consent of the Councel, but afterwards that clause was thought needful to be altered, and the Legats had an abso∣lute power given them, independent of any but the Pope himself, whose service they only attended.

Two Months passed after their coming to Trent before they got twenty Prelates into their company, and because they were somewhat ashamed to begin their Oecumenical Councel (as they are not ashamed to call it) with so small a number, they perswaded the Pope to put it off for eight months longer; though much a do they had to perswade the Prelates to stay all that while with them. But by the Months of December and Ianuary following (having in the mean while contented the poorer sort of Bishops with a pen∣sion of fourty Ducats a piece, procured for them out of the Popes coffers,) they grew to somewhat a greater number. For, besides the Legates and the Cardinal Bishop of Trent, there were present four Archbishops; eight and twenty Bishops, three Abbots, and four Generals. And these three and fourty persons made the general Councel: Among whom two of the Archbishops were only Titular, being the Popes Pensioners at Rome, and now sent to Trent to increase the number, and to depend upon the Legats; but in those Churches whereof they bare the names, had they nothing to do, nor were they any lawful and true Bishops at all. The one of these was Olaus Magnus the Goth, who went for the Archbishop of Upsale in Swedland, and the other blind Sir Robert the Scot, who appeared for the Primat of Armagh in Ireland, and of whom it was then commonly said, that as pore-blind as he was, yet had he the commendation to ride

Post the best in the World. And with these men they began their Oecumenical Chapter at Trent.

Thus far the Learned Doctor, whose design was only to take notice of an Anathema, passed in the fourth Session of this Conventicle, by which all were cursed that did not re∣ceive the new Canon of Scripture, in such manner and form as was there first appointed; but that design lead him after∣wards to observe, that in this Trent Assembly, there were private Congregations, which were appointed to be kept twice a week at one of the Legats Houses, for the propo∣sing, debating, and framing of all their Decrees, before they were brought to be voted and defined abroad in any publick Session; for by this means the Legats would be sure, either to have every thing prepared to their own mind, and be able to number the Voices before hand, which way they would be given, or else not to suffer the matter to be brought to any open definition in their Councel at all. Fi∣nally, the foresaid Learned Doctor having given us the De∣cree concerning the new Canon, saith that it was passed but by a few; for of the Greek Church they had not one, un∣less it were some such as blind Sir Robert of Scotland was: of the English as few, (for the Bishop of Worcester, Richard Pates was not yet come among them, and when afterwards he came thither, he was there but in a private and per∣sonal capacity, having no employment given him by the Church of England;) of the Helvetian, German, and Northern Churches none; of the French Church scarce two; of the Spanish not many; all the rest were Italians, among whom divers were the Popes Pensioners, and sent thither to out∣ballance other mens voices, some of them Titular, and some Unlearned.

He that pleaseth may read the story of the remaining 21 Sessions in Padre Paul; and having so done, let him, if he be impartial, judge whether it be probable, that such a com∣pany of men should be blessed by God, to find out tru••h, and settle the peace of the Church? But let us suppose there had been at Trent a Meeting of the most Holy, Reverend, and Learned Divines that the Church of Christ then afford∣ed; Did they determine any thing either for, or against, the Calvinians in these five points? In no wise; debates indeed there were about the mysterious point of Praedestination,

in which those Popish Divines which went the way that Pe∣lagius did of old and Arminius of late, prevailed, whilest use was made only of corrupt carnal humane reason; but when the testimonies of Scripture came to be examined, they were manifest∣ly overcome, as Doctor Heylin himself tells us out of the in∣comparable Servits Hist. pag. 15. The same Doctor confes∣seth that the Decrees about this and the points connexed with it were so contrived, that every one might understand them in his own sense, so as to give no distast to the Dominican Fryars and their adherents, pag. 26. Indeed the ancienter Popes of Rome, (notwithstanding the great pretence they made to infalli∣bility,) were wiser than to take upon them, to determine the differences betwixt the Dominicans & Franciscans, which are almost the same with the differences betwixt the Contra-Re∣monstrant & Remonstrant. Micraelius in his Hetorodoxia Calvi∣niana disputatione quinta, shall be my witness for this; who af∣ter that he had told the World how much this question had vexed the Pontifician Schools, How God was not the cause of sin, seeing he was the cause of those actions, as to their substance, unto which moral pravity is conjoyned? thus expresseth him∣self, Parag. 6. Haec cum ita disceptabantur, factum est tandem Lovanii in Belgio, ut circa 86 annum superioris saeculi, gravis∣sim•• de Praedestinatione, inter Dominicanos & Iesuitas lites ex∣titerint, quas quidem Nuncius Apostolicus ad tempus composuit; sed postquam Iesuita Lud. Molina librum de concordia liberi ar∣bitrii & donorum gratiae evulgarat, res ad ipsum pontificem de∣lata est: qui tamen arbitrum se veritus est interponere, & suam cuique permisit sententiam. At which I do the less wonder, be∣cause I find that the Pope had used the same artifice in a controversie depending betwixt the Franciscans and Domi∣nicans, about the Virgin Maries being, or not being, concei∣ved free from Original sin: alledging the Spirit (of whose perpetual assistance Popes are wont so proudly to boast) nondum mysterii tanti penetralia Ecclesiae suae patefecisse. A brief, but accurate story of this transaction, is to be seen in the learned Apology of Dr. Andrew Rivet, for the most Holy Vir∣gin, l. 1. c. 6, 7, 8. Yea, something may be observed in the Councel of Trent, which makes not a little for the Calvi∣nists, viz. that not Calarinus (as the Doctor p. 15.) but Ca∣tharinus invented a middle way,

That God, of his good∣ness, had elected some few, whom he will save absolutely;

to whom he hath prepared most potent, effectual, and infallible means; and that of these, thus singularly privi∣ledged, all the places of Scripture, which do ascribe all to God and which shew infallibility, are to be understood; and that the number of these is certain with God. Yea, Balthasar Meisner in his Anthropologia Sacra, de gratia Dei & Praedestinatione disp. 11, yields, in the examples of Paul and Abram, a grace extraordinary, efficacious infallibly and al∣ways, which so calls a man that, as it were, by a necessary will and willing necessity, he is converted unto Faith and the Church, of which no cause can be assigned, but the will of God, the simple and absolute will of God, which cannot be hindred, is always most efficacious.

From these two mens acknowledgements and confessions I infer, that seeing some are absolutely elected and converted by an insuperable grace, therefore absolute election and grace insuperable are not contrary to Divine Wisdom or Goodness or Justice, do not destroy the Liberty of mans Will, and therefore are but weakly impugned when they are impugned by arguments drawn from these Topicks. But if that will do the Doctor any courtesie, or if he think it any credit to his cause, I will grant him, that tha•• part of the Papacy which is most Pa∣pal, doth favour his Arminianism: and not many years ago a Pope, as wicked as ever sate in the Chair, when he was come to his dotage, was prevailed with to make use of his infalli∣bility, and to condemn the Doctrine of Iansenius. A copy of his Anathemaes and condemnations I have thought meet to insert, as I find them in Maresius, the Professor of Gron∣ing, his Apology for the Iansenists.

Innocent, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God, to all faith∣ful people in Christ, Health, and Apostolical benediction.

Whereas upon occasion of publishing a Book Entituled, Augusti∣nus Cornelii Jansenii Episcopi Iprensis, amongst other opini∣ons of his, there did arise (especially in France) a controversie up∣on five of them, many of the Bishops of France did sollicite us, to consider those propositions presented to us, and to give our certain and definite sentences touching every one of them.

The Tenour of the said propositions is as followeth.

The first, Some precepts of God are impossible to just men, willing and endeavouring according to the present power which they have; Grace also is wanting to them, whereby they might be possible.

The second, In the state of lapsed nature, there is no re∣sistance made to interiour grace.

The third, To merit and demerit in the state of lapsed nature, there is not required in man liberty from necessity, but liberty from co-action is sufficient.

The fourth, The Semipelagians did admit the necessity of interiour preventing grace to every Act, even to the begin∣ning of Faith; and in this they were Hereticks, because they would have that grace to be such as the will of man might resist or obey.

The fifth, It is Semipelagianism to say; that Christ died or shed his blood, for all men without exception.

We, to whom among the manifold cares which dayly molest our mind, it lies chiefly upon our heart, that the Church of God com∣mitted unto us from above (the errours of wicked opinions being purged) may safely pass the warfare, and as it were a Ship in a calm Sea, the Waves and storms of all tempests being allayed, may safely sail and arrive unto the wished for Haven of salvation.

For the weightiness of these five Propositions tendred to us, as aforesaid, we have caused every of them to be diligently exami∣ned by divers Doctors in Divinity, before certain Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, and have maturely considered their suf∣frages, delivered both by voice and writing, and have heard the same Doctors, in several Congregations held before us, largely dis∣coursing upon them, and every of them. Whereas from the begin∣ning of this discussion, we enjoyned, both publickly and privately, the prayers of many faithful Christians to be made, for the ob∣taining of the Divine assistance; afterwards the same being more fervently renewed, and the assistance of the Holy Spirit by us care∣fully implored; at last by the Divine Majesty of God assisting, we proceeded to this under-written declaration and deter∣mination.

The first, of the aforesaid Propositions (Some precepts of God are impossible to just men, willing and endeavoring ac∣cording to the present power they have, they wanting grace by which they might be possible,) we declare to be temerari∣ous, impious, blasphemous, condemned under Anathema, and He∣retical, and we declare it to be such.

The second (That in the state of lapsed nature there is no resistance made to interiour grace,) we declare to be Here∣tical, and as such we condemn it.

The third, (That to merit and demerit in the state of lapsed nature there is not required in man liberty from ne∣cessity, but liberty from co-action is sufficient,) we declare to be Heretical, and we condemn it as such.

The fourth, (That the Semipelagians did admit the neces∣sity of interiour preventing grace to every Act, even to the beginning of Faith; and in this they were Hereticks, be∣cause they would have that grace to be such as the will of man might resist or obey,) we declare false and Heretical, and as such we condemn it.

The fifth, (That it is Semipelagianism to say, that Christ died, or shed his blood, for all men without exception,) we declare false, temerarious, scandalous, and (being understood in that sense, that Christ should have died only for the salvation of the Predestinated) impious, blasphemous, contumelious, deroga∣tory to Divine goodness and Heretical, and as such we con∣demn it.

We therefore command all faithful people in Christ of either Sex, that they do not presume to think, teach or preach other∣wise, of the said propositions, than is contained in this our pre∣sent Declaration and Determination, under the censures and pe∣nalties against Hereticks and their Favourers expressed in Law. We likewise command all Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries of Places, Inquisitors of Heretical pravities, that they repress and restrain all the Contradictors and Rebels whatsoever, by the censures and penalties aforesaid and all other opportune remedies, by Law, fact, and usage, the help also of se∣cular power being called in hereunto, if need be. We do not in∣tend nevertheless by this Declaration and Definition made upon the five Propositions aforesaid, any way to approve other opini∣ons which are contained in the aforesaid Book of Cornelius Jan∣senius. Given at Rome at St. Mary Major, in the year of the Incarnation of our Lord 1653. Kal. Jun. the ninth year of our Pontificat.

• Hi. Datarius.
• G. Gualterius.
• P. Ciampinus.

In the year of the Nativity of our Lord Iesus Christ 1653, the sixth indiction, the ninth year of the Pontificat of our most Holy Father in Christ, and our Lord Innocent, by the Divine Provi∣dence Pope X. the ninth day of the Month of June, the aforesaid constitution was affixed and published, in Eccles. Lateranens. ac Basilicae principis Apostolorum de urbe, necnon Cancellariae Apostolicae valvis, ac in acie campi Florae, per me Hierony∣mum Marcellum Sanctissimi D. N. Papae cursorem.

Pro D. Mag. Corsurum.

P. Paulus Desiderius Cursor.

A good part of this condemnation of Iansenius is men∣tioned by Arnoldus Poelenbergius, in an Epistle to Christia∣nus Hartsoeckerus, Epistolae Ecclesiasticae, pag. 845: in which he pretends (good man) to be grieved that the Pontifi∣cians, who do too often deviate from Scripture when they attribute too much to Tradition, should sometimes be more wise in Divine things than our Reformed Divines, who yet acknowledge Scripture alone to be the norma and regula of our faith. And that the poor Iansenists might have no starting hole, by slipping into which to a∣void the force of this condemnation, the Jesuit did put a new Article into his Creed the 12th. of December 1661, Datur in Ecclesia Romana controversiarum fidei index infalli∣bilis extra Concilium Generale, tam in quaestionibus juris quam facti. Unde post Innocentii X. Alex. VII. constitutiones, fide Divina credi potest, librum cui titulus est, Augustinus Jan∣senii, esse Haereticum, & quinque propositiones ex eo decerptas, esse Jansenii, & in sensu Jansenii damnatas.

Whether the Doctor hath so many and so firm Friends a∣mong the Protestants, must now be tried. But we shall not presently fall upon the Augustan Confession: It would be inju∣rious to the Evangelical Churches in the Valleys of Piedmont, if we should take no notice of their Confessions; Churches, of which Doctor Heylin was pleased, in a former Edition of his Geography, to say, That they did never bow the knee to

Baal: of which the Frier Rayneirius Saccon, writing against them Anno 1254, confesseth, That they continued from the times of the Apostles. In Mr. Moreland's History of these Churches, I find pag. 39, 40, A brief Confession of Faith, made with general consent, by the Ministers and Heads of Families of the Churches of the Valleys of Piedmont, assembled in An∣grogne Sept. 12. Anno 1532, but said to contain that Doctrine which was delivered to them by Tradition from their Fore-fathers. In that Confession these are three Ar∣ticles:

• ...

  1. All those that have been and shall be saved, have been elected of God before the foundation of the world.

• ...

  2. It is impossible that those that are appointed to sal∣vation, should not be saved.

• ...

  3. Whosoever upholdeth Free-will, denieth absolutely Predestination, and the Grace of God.

I find also page 61, &c. another Confession of the said Churches, which was published but in the year 1655, consisting of thirty three Articles; whereof the eleventh is this:

God saveth from Corruption and Condemnation, those whom he hath chosen from the foundation of the World, not for any Disposition, Faith, or Holiness that he saw in them, but of his meer Mercy in Jesus Christ his Son, pas∣sing by all the rest, according to the irreprehensible rea∣son of his Free-will and Justice.

The twenty sixth is as followeth:

The Church cannot erre, nor be annihilated, but must endure for ever; and all the Elect are upheld and pre∣served by the power of God in such sort, that they all persevere in Faith unto the end, and remain united in the holy Church as so many living members thereof.

In the close of this they protest, That they do agree in sound Doctrine with all th•• Reformed Churches of France, Great Brittain, the Low-Countries Germany, Switzerland, Bohe∣mia, Poland, Hungary, and others, (as it is represented by them in their Confessions;) as also we receive the Con∣session of Augsburg: Therefore certainly they did not ap∣prehend that their opinions about Predestination, Grace, Perseverance, had any thing in them contrary to either the

Articles of the Church of England, or to the Augustan Con∣fession; both which, it seems, are by Doctor Heylin thought to be Anti-Calvinistical, but without any reason, as shall (God willing) be made to appear.