Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
A Seasonable Caveat Against Popery (Author: William Penn)

Chapter 9

Of the Moral Law, of Obedience to Civil Magistrates.

Pap. We further do firmly believe, and highly Reverence the moral Law, being so solemnly delivered to Moses upon the Mount, so expresly confirm'd by our Saviour, in the Gospel, and containing in it self so perfect an Abridgment of our whole Duty both to God and Man.

Answ. We may take his Belief to be as hearty, as his Confessions are sincere; I know not what to say more truly, then that his whole Discourse is an Irony; we are to measure it by contraries, especially when the Fruits give the Tree the Lye.

How far the Roman-Catholicks reverence the moral Law, is best seen by considering, how many Laws they have made to destroy it.

1st, That of Images. For though God did espresly injoyn Moses, That the Israelites should not make to themselves, the likeness of anything in Heaven or in Earth (whence the primitive Christians abhorred painture) or when they had so done, that they should not bow down unto it: yet, how many Edicts are there in being, that require them to be set up in their Churches, as Laymens Calenders, to whom daily homage is performed; they are the Splendid Ensigns of Popish-Pageantry-Religion.

2d, In not only dispensing with disobedience in Children, but in exciting them to it, if they apprehend some service to their Church, be it to make a Fryer, &c.

3d, In those frequent Bulls for Massacres, that can no more be denied, then light at Noon-day, by which People have been stirred up, upon the promise of forgiveness of sins; redemption from Purgatory; and eternal Salvation; or dreadfull denounciation of eternal Damnation, to enterprize that work of murdering many hundred thousands of men, women; and Children, without any legal Presentment, Tryal or Conviction.


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{original page number 31} But the consideration of these things, is too much out of fashion in England; since many embrace them upon their present disguises, and not in their true sanguinary appearances.

4th, The breach of the moral Law is signally manifest in their dispensations of publick Stews, especially at Rome; where the Popes Revenue is not a little greatned by the ungodly Licenses. And it is too fatally known that by such immoral Courses, they have crept into the most Cabinet Counsels of Princes; and not only rendred themselves Masters of their secrets, but insinuated their projects by the force of effeminate temptations; which, if deny'd, might easily be prov'd in the case of Hen. the fourth of France, and others.

5th, That Religion hath proved the greatest Thief in nature: Its Popes, Cardinals, Arch-bishops, Bishops, Deans, Chapters, and whole Orders of Fryars, have near engrossed the greatest share of the Wealth of Europe, I mean of those Countries, where yet they are Regent. Before Constantine, how mean and meek were Christian Ministers? but in his time, and a few Ages after, to what a strange degree of exorbitant Pride and Avarice did the Clergy mount, when it could dare entitle Peters-Chair to the whole World; Kingdoms and Empires must be given and taken with a WE WILL, OR WE GRANT &c.

View those Countries, and the universal poverty of them impute to those Swarmes of Locusts and Caterpillars, who both corrupt and beggar them: This is a Theft, though less sharking, yet more Criminal.

6ly They notoriously break the Moral Law, in that great Command, Thou shalt not bear False-witness against thy Neighbour; which comprehend; all Truth-speaking.

For as no witness is bound to answer further then by Interrogatories he is provok'd, so is it utterly impossible, that ever Truth should be told, or men sin in Lying (whilst one of the greatest Sins) if the Romish Maxims were but once practiced: Some of which I shall touch upon in the Sequel of this Chapter.

As to that part of their Confession, which may relate to their Keeping of Promise, and Paying Subjection to the civil Magistrates of what Religion soever, and much more to those under whom they live: I purposely over lookt because it is well known, that they


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{original page number 32} have been so far from yielding obedience to the Magistrates of any Religion, that they have not stuck to Assassinate those of their own, to whose Power they owed their Civil and Religious Protection. And truly, if such Double Cords of Duty cannot tie the hands of men from Murdering their Natural and Religious Princes (as Henry the 3d and 4th of France, both Kings of their Country, and therein of their Religion; because a little refractory to the sinister designs of an insolent Clergy man or two) I think it needless to give their plainer English of Obedience, who so excellently render in the Paraphrase of their life.

I speak not of this to incense the Powers against them; for it is my real belief, that neither are all of them such, nor would I take the Burden off my own Shoulder, to lay it on theirs (being a profest Abettor of an universal Tolleration). But this being matter of fact, as they cannot deny it, so should I gladly hear of their confession of these impieties; and that they disown the like practices, not by fine gloffes, but an Amendment of life, and Reformation of Doctrine; which would really entitle them to that verity, they do but hitherto fictitiously attribute to themselves.

The Sense and Opinion of their own Authors.

First, Vasquez teacheth, that not only an Image of God, but any Creature in the World, reasonable or unreasonable, may without danger be worshipped with God, as his Image. That we ought to adore the Reliques of Saints, though under the form of Worms, De Adorat. lib, 3. disp. I. cap. 2.

Secondly, They teach, That Children may disobey their Parents, in being Nuns or Fryers: And this Girls may do at twelve, and Boys at fourteen years of Age. But the Council of Trent enlarged the Parents Authority to sixteen. This wretched Doctrine was taught and decreed by Pope Clement the third, Th. Aquin. and after him his Schollers taught the same, cap. cum virum de regular. Aquin. 2.2. qu. 88. art. 9. lib. I. cap. 101. also in case the Parents were Hereticks.


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Thirdly, If a Noble-Man be set upon (says Cardinal Tollet) and may escape by going away, he is not obliged to do it; but may kill him that intends to strike him with a stick, Instruct. Sacerd. Lib. 5. Cap. 6. Num. 15.

Fourthly, If a man be beastly drunk, and then commits Fornication, it is no sin, Lib. 14. Cap. 13. N. 4. Also, That a man may lie with women, to satisfie his carnal desire, or for his health sake, Lib. 5. Cap. 10, 13. A man may bed with his intended wife; nay, it is good to do so if the Marriage be deferred, says Emmanuel Sa. Aphor. tit. debitum conjugale 6.

Fifthly, They instrust how to be an honest Thief. It is lawfull to deceive or rob a Brother, when to do so is necessary, to preserve a good name. For no man is bound to restore stolen goods, thus Navar. Cardinal Cajetan, and Tolet; who further add, That this is a Doctrine taught by many, and which may be followed with a safe Conscience, Tolet. Instruct. Sacred. Lib. 5. Cap. 2. Manual. Cap. 18. N. 7.

Sixthly, How just they may be to their Promises, how subject to the Supream Magistracy, and of how eminent service to humane Societies, may best appear out of these following Maxims.

If a man swear he will take A. C. to wife, he may secretly mean (if hereafter she pleases me) Instruct. Sacred. lib. 4. cap. 21, 22.

If a man swear he will give a Thief twenty Crowns, he may secretly say, (if I please to do it) and then he is not bound. Of this rare invention Vasquez vaunts not a little, as being gathered out of August. and Aquin. In. 3. Tom. 4. qu. 93. art. 5. dub. 13.

There are two distinct Tribunals (says Becanus) and the Ecclesiastical is the Superiour: And therefore, if a secular Prince gives his Subjects a safe conduct; he cannot extend it to the Superiour Tribunal, nor by any security given, hinder the Bishop, or the Pope to exercise their Jurisdiction, Theol. Schola. That this is so, let us call to mind, that the Pope, and other of his Ecclesiasticks, did prevail at Constance, for the Burning of their Prisoners, J. Huss, &c. to whom safe conduct was given.

In short, If a man have taken an Oath of a thing lawfull and honest, and in his power; yet, if he hinders him from doing a greater good, the Pope can dispense with it, thus Canus Bishop of the Canaries, relict. de poenitent.


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The Popes Denunciation against an Excommunicated Prince, dis-ingages his Subjects from their Obedience; this was once our Case, as in Henry the eighth's time, Concer. Eccl. in Angl. fol. 336.

Nay, even before the Sentence be denounced, though the Subjects are not bound to it, yet lawfully they may deny obedience to an heretical Prince, thus Greg. de Valentia. Tom. 3. Disp. I. Qu. 12. punct. 2.

To conclude, the ingenuity of Panormitan and Mosconius out-does all.

The first affirming, That the Pope hath power to dispence in all the Laws of God, Cap. proposui de concess. prebende, N. 20.

The second, with as much zeal asserting, That the Pope can dispense above Law, and against Law; for the Popes Tribunal and Gods is but one: And I therefore every reasonable Creature is subject to the Popes Empire; as may be seen in his Discourse of the Majesty of the Church Militant, et in lib. I. de summo Pontif.