prince's to whom he is fubject, and in whofe dominions he affumes that authority.

The Council declares in a hundred cafes, that when a bishop finds himself embaraffed, he ought to call for the affiftance of the fecular arm. Is it not the highest ingratitude then in the ecclefiaftical tribunal, to pretend to dispute the prerogatives of the temporal one, from which it receives protection and fuccour? I know they will tell me, that a prince, fuppofing he be an ecclefiaftic, would enjoy the fame privilege, but that while he is only temporal, he ought not to concern himself with perfons that are facred: To this I fhall repeat the fame. anfwer I have already given; that tho' the perfon of a delinquent be facred, the action is not fo, and fuch action makes him forfeit his quality and privilege of confecration. 'Tis remarkable that the very canon law excepts twelve moft flagrant. cafes, in which the fecular judge is fo far from being bound to regard ecclefiaftical immunities, that he may cause a criminal attainted of any, or either of those crimes, to be arrested in that very Church to which he flies for protection. Now ecclefiaftical liberties and ecclefiaftical immunities are but one and the fame, and only differ in this, that ecclefiaftical liberty is afcrib'd to perfons, and the other to places that are facred. Since therefore, by the confeffion of the Romifh cafuifts, the enormity of the crime juftifies the fecular judge in laying hands upon the criminal,

criminal, notwithstanding the facredness of the place, and tho' even the holy facrament be there, I would fain know why the fame enormity, when found in the perfon of an ecclefiaftic, does not authorize the prince to treat him in the fame manner. After this, 'tis no wonder if fome evil-minded perfons take the freedom to fay, that all this noife and jealoufy of the clergy is not for procuring refpect to the dignity, but to the man who is vefted with it; and that a multitude of worldly interefts and paffions are often cover'd under the cloak of religion. But we fhall now conclude this article, on which we have already faid more than enough to fatisfy thofe that are impartial, but fhall never be able to add what will convince thofe that are interested in the matter.

CHA P. XII.

Concerning the Pope's infallibility. While I was pondering upon this important

fubject, I call'd to mind the genealogy which Ariftotle has left us of natural philofophy. Its great grandfather, fays he, was ignorance, its grandfather admiration, and its mother doubt. The fight of those effects, the could not account for, gave birth to admiration, for we are apt to admire what we do not know;

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know; and admiration excited the underftanding to go in search of the why and wherefore of thefe effects, and from hence fprang doubt; and the difcuffion of things doubtful brought forth knowledge, wisdom, or rather true philofophy: David has recorded that every man is a liar; and St. Paul fays, let him who thinketh be ftandeth, take heed left he fall: And finally, the Council of Trent says, no perfon can be fure that he has obtain'd the grace of God. Yet we are told every now and then of a man who has eyes ftrong enough to look fteadily into the fun of truth without being dazled, who can flide upon the flippery ice of human weakness without falling, and who is confequently infallible in all his judgments.

At first, a man knows nothing at all of infallibility, then he admires it; and in the third place comes to doubt of it; but, at last, with the help of fome diftinctions, he comprehends it, and folves all his former doubtings. The champions of the court of Rome boaft that this point has been clearly decided by Christ himself in the affirmative. If fo, I defire no more; for Jefus Chrift being the truth itself, one fingle word of his proves more than all the demonftration which the wit of nian can invent; but if the principle, on which their demonstrations are founded, is falfe, they must be fo too; while, on the other hand, the word of our Lord Chrift is exempt from all manner of falfhood.

A certain king of Japan, having heard it afferted by the miffionaries, that if a christian had faith, he was able to remove mountains; he fent to acquaint their fuperior, that he intended in a few days to fee an experiment of the truth of their propofition, and that if they did not fucceed, he would punish him and all his countrymen as falfe prophets. This meffage was extremely mortifying to the fuperior, who very much doubted of fuccefs; for in all times there have been propofitions advanc'd in difpute, which could never be prov❜d, when brought to the teft. However, an honeft cobler apply'd to the miffionaries, and defir'd them to tell him fincerely, whether Jefus Chrift had really declar'd fo himfelf? and they affuring him that he had, he of fer'd himself to work the miracle, being thoroughly perfuaded, that if Chrift had faid it, he could not fail of fuccefs. I think my faith is as ftrong as the cobler's; and if they can fhew me that our faviour has any where promis'd this infallibility, I will inftantly believe it, for I know that 'tis he who hath made us; and as he has given us frail nature, which is fubject to err, he is alfo able to fortify us, and to fet our understandings above the reach of fallacy.

I have prayed for thee, Peter, that thy faith. fail not. This text is all the proof they bring for infallibility; which, as fhort as it is, might, however, ferve for a proof, if it was not fubject to a diftinction, for it must be confider'd, whether

whether this prayer of Chrift is confin'd only to faith, or whether it does not rather extend to all the benefits depending thereon, as doctrine, piety, miracles, and eternal falvation. If all thele graces had been promis'd by Jefus Chrift to Peter, he could never have been without them. 'Tis true, he had them all at one time or another; for, after his converfion, he was wholly endow'd with knowledge and the gift of miracles, and was the firft in the apoftolical college, as well as the chief of the faints in Paradife, but all these advantages were the fruits of his repentance, and he acquir'd thefe great prerogatives as a reward of his faith, for confeffing the name of Chrift; fo every one who has been baptiz'd may obtain all these rich gifts, as the price of that facrifice which we make of our felves for the name of Jesus; for the juftice of God does not deny the labourer his hire, but is rather lavish in its rewards, than fparing, as God himself has given us to understand in the parable of the vine dreffer.

All the controversy turns, in fhort, upon these two points: Firft, whether it was a pri vilege attached to the perfon of St. Peter, or to his dignity? thefe gifts were promis'd to Peter in confequence of his faith, yet all the apostles had them as well as he. The fecond, which of the two is perhaps the most difficult to answer, is whether this privilege be perfo

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nal,