The new politick lights of modern Romes church-government: or The new Gospel according to Cardinal Palavicini revealed by him in his history of the Council of Trent. Englished out of French.

ARTICLE II. The Church may be considered in two manners; according to the Flesh, and according to the Spirit; and so these are two sorts of Felicity or Welfare of the Church; Jesus Christ had them both in view.

TO comprehend perfectly the Mystery of this Religious Policy of the worldly wise, know ye that the Church may be considered in two manners, quoth Father Diego Lainez, Second General of the Jesuits; the first, according to the Flesh, the second according to the Spirit; secondo la Carne,* 1.1 secondo lo Spirito; according to the Spirit, quoth he, the Church is the Tem∣ple of Charity; Stanza di Carità; accor∣ding to the Flesh, she is the Fountain-head of all temporal profit, Fonte di utilità tem∣porale.

* 1.2So that according to these two Conside∣rations of the Church, a man may con∣ceive two sorts of common Good and Fe∣licity; the first according to the Spirit; the second, according to the Flesh: The Felicity after the Flesh, is that of the World, which consists in Riches, Ho∣nours, Pleasures, Glory, Splendor and carnal Delights; The Felicity after the

Spirit, is Divine,* 1.3 and works a supernatu∣ral course of Life. La vita supraumana. This Felicity is the Object of Heroick Vir∣tues; Vertù eroica.* 1.4 The Felicity accord∣ing to the Flesh, is humane, civil and tem∣poral; Felicità civile;* 1.5 l'umana felicità de fi∣deli che rendono felice la Republica interra, and the hope of this Felicity makes all ci∣vil and humane Virtues to bud and spring out; fa gergmogliare le insigni virtù,* 1.6 and renders man happy according to the Flesh in this world: Whereupon it follows that true Religious Policy ought also to be car∣nal, because it ought to have for Object, the making the Church happy, not only ac∣cording to the Spirit, but according to the Flesh, and to bestow on her a Felicity not only Divine, and of the other Life, but hu∣mane, temporal and earthly, in this world; now there be none that can better judge what that true Felicity is, than those that be Sages after the Flesh; that is to say, worldly wise; periti del mondo secondo la Carne; and so for to know well what is the true Policy of Jesus Christ, one needs but to know what that is of the People of the world, not of the Vulgar', but of the knowing and enlightned World, whose Maxims our Learned Cardinal goes on here to teach us.

Notes

• * 1.1

  l. 23. c. 3.
• * 1.2

  Ibid.
• * 1.3

  l. 8. c. 17.
• * 1.4

  l. 1. c. 25.
• * 1.5

  l. 24. c. 8, & 10. l. 1. c. 25. l. 8. c. 17.
• * 1.6

  Ibid.