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 III. Jesus Christ came to establish the most commodious kind of Government for the Humane and Temporal Felicity of the Believing; yea, and that is the most Religious which is the most Commodious.

LEt us suppose, quoth the Legate Alexan∣der, sent by Pope Leo the Xth, to the Diet at Worms, That Jesus Christ were rea∣dy to change the Government of the Church, and to fit it to our convenience, Fingiamo che Christo fia pronto di matar' la fua chiefa a commodo nostro, do ye think he should change it from that which we see it at present? Surely no: So then we ought to conclude, that Jesus Christ hath fitted his Church with such a Government that there can be none imagined more conform to humane Felicity after the wish of the worldly wise, and after the Flesh. Now it is certain, that the desire of all after the Flesh, is to be happy in this world as well as in the other; so then conformably to this Wish hath Jesus Christ formed his Church; Che Christo hà formata la sua Chie∣sa in quel modo eti' è più conforme eziandio all'umana felicità.* 1.1

Also the same Pope Leo, to extinguish

Luther's Heresie, gave in charge to his Nuncio's, to represent to the Emperour Charles V. That it was necessary to destroy that Heresie, for Three Reasons: First, In regard of the eternal Salvation of the Flock of Christ. There's the Divine Rea∣son that respects the Life to come. Per l'eterna salute del grege Christiano. The Se∣cond, For the Quiet of the Politick Go∣vernment. Per la Tranquilità del Governo Politico. There's the Humane Reason, and the Humane Interest of this Life. The Third, For the Preservation of the Apo∣stolical Principality.* 1.2 Per la Conservazione del Principato Apostolico. There's a midling Reason, betwixt Divine and Humane; for that the Pope is Mediator betwixt God and Man, betwixt Heaven and Earth; Il mezzano frà il Cielo & la Terra;* 1.3 that is to say, a Mediator that knows perfectly well how to make agree together the two Wisdoms, that of God, and that of the World, that which is spiritual, and that which is temporal; and 'tis even in this that the perfection of Religion consists, and which, by consequence, makes up the height or top of Religious Policy, which tends to make men happy in this World here, and in the other.

Notes

• * 1.1

  l. 1. c. 25.
• * 1.2

  l. 1. c. 23.
• * 1.3

  l. 1. c. 1.