orderly, dutiful, and worthy members of Christ's Church, growing continually in grace, by the worthy participation of the holy sacraments, may obtain the end of our faith, the success of our prayers, the reward of our obedience, the continuance in that holy society, the perfect consummation of grace in the possession of eternal joy, glory, and bliss; which God in his infinite mercy grant to us, for our blessed Saviour's sake; to whom be all glory and praise for ever and ever. Amen.

A TREATISE

OF THE POPE'S SUPREMACY.

[BARROW's most important theological treatise was that upon the Pope's supremacy. To this work he devoted all his stores of learning and all the energy of his vigorous intellect. It was published after his death, with a preface by Archbishop Tillotson, and a dedication to the Earl of Nottingham, Lord High Chancellor of England. Tillotson says of it:

"This excellent and elaborate treatise of the Pope's supremacy, which I here present thee withal, the learned author of it upon his death-bed gave me particular permission to publish; with this modest character of it, that he hoped it was indifferent perfect, though not altogether as he intended it, if God had granted him longer life. He designed, indeed, to have transcribed it again, and to have filled up those many spaces which were purposely left in it for the further confirmation and illustration of several things by more testimonies and instances, which probably he had in his thoughts: and it would certainly have added much to the beauty and perfection of this work, had it pleased God that he had lived to finish it to his mind, and to have given it his last hand.

However, as it is, it is not only a just but an admirable discourse upon this subject; which many others have handled before, but he

hath exhausted it: insomuch that no argument of moment, nay, hardly any consideration properly belonging to it, hath escaped his large and comprehensive mind. He hath said enough to silence the controversy for ever, and to deter all wise men, of both sides, from meddling any further with it.

And I dare say that whoever shall carefully peruse this treatise will find that this point of the Pope's supremacy, upon which Bellarmine hath the confidence to say the whole of Christianity depends, is not only an indefensible, but an impudent cause, as ever was undertaken by learned pens. And nothing could have kept it so long from becoming ridiculous in the judgment of mankind, but its being so strongly supported by a worldly interest. For there is not one tolerable argument for it, and there are a thousand invincible reasons against it. There is neither from Scripture, nor reason, nor antiquity, any evidence of it; the past and the present state of Christendom, the histories and records of all ages, are a perpetual demonstration against it: and there is no other ground in the whole world for it, but that now of a long time it hath been by the Pope's janizaries boldly asserted, and stiffly contended for without reason. So that any one might with as much colour and evidence of truth maintain, that the grand seignior is of right, and for many ages hath been acknowledged sovereign of the whole world, as that the Bishop of Rome is of right, and in all ages from the beginning of Christianity hath been owned to be the universal Monarch and Head of the Christian Church.

This is all the advertisement I thought necessary.

J. TILLOTSON."

The treatise, in its complete form, extends to about 400 folio pages. The argument is singularly close and compact. There are no digressions, no episodes, and scarcely a superfluous word from beginning to end. It is far too long to give entire, as it would fill several volumes like the present. A complete, though condensed, analysis of the argument would demand far more space than we have at our disposal. Detached quotations would fail to afford any idea of the sustained and consecutive reasoning of the treatise. A brief summary of the argument of the earlier books, with illustrative quotations, is therefore given. Of the later

books the train of reasoning is rather indicated than traced out. In all cases the words of the original are, as far as possible, retained.]

INTRODUCTION.

THE Romanists glory in their pretended unity, certainty of doctrine, and authoritative decision of controversies. Yet it is hard to see upon what ground; seeing that many important and fundamental questions remain undecided; insomuch that it is very difficult to know wherein their religion consists, so various and discordant are their doctrines and the grounds thereof.

"For instance, the head of their Church, as they call it, is, one would think, a subject about which they should thoroughly consent, and which they by this time should have cleared from all disputes; so that, so far as their decisive faculty goeth, we might be assured wherein his authority consisteth, and how far it doth extend; seeing the resolution of that point so nearly toucheth the heart of religion, the faith and practice of all Christians, the good of the Church, and peace of the world; seeing that no one question (perhaps not all questions together) hath created so many tragical disturbances in Christendom, as that concerning the bounds of papal authority.

This disagreement of the Roman doctors about the nature and extent of papal authority is a shrewd prejudice against it. If a man should sue for a piece of land, and his advocates (the notablest could be had, and well payed) could not find where it lieth, how it is butted and bounded, from whom it was conveyed to him—one

If God had instituted such

would be very apt to suspect his title. an office, it is highly probable, we might satisfactorily know what the nature and use of it were: the patents and charters for it would declare it.

Yet for resolution in this great case we are left to seek; they not having either the will, or the courage, or the power to determine it. This insuperable problem hath baffled all their infallible methods of deciding controversies; their traditions blundering, their synods clashing, their divines wrangling endlessly about what kind of thing the Pope is, and what power he rightly may claim.

6

‘There is,' saith a great divine among them, so much controversy about the plenitude of ecclesiastical power, and to what things it may extend itself, that few things in that matter are secure.' i

This is a plain argument of the impotency of the Pope's power in judging and deciding controversies, or of his cause in this matter; that he cannot define a point so nearly concerning him, and which he so much desireth an agreement in; that he cannot settle his own claim out of doubt; that all his authority cannot secure itself from contest."

Some affirm that the Pope has power to depose princes and to compel their subjects to oppose them even to the death. Some ascribe to the Pope, as vicar of Christ, all the power which belongs to Christ himself. Many doctors of the Papal Church have ascribed to the popes a universal, absolute, boundless power over all persons and in all matters; and many of the popes have claimed it for themselves. Yet so loose and slippery are the principles of the Papacy that divers historians, lawyers, and divines condemn this opinion as a pernicious novelty and a pestilent heresy.

1 Almain. de Auct. Eccl. cap. 3.