SECTION II. THE PARTICULAR HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. PART I. THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT CHURCHES. CHAPTER I. THE HISTORY OF THE ROMISH OR LATIN CHURCH. § 1. The sovereign pontiffs of this century.-§ 2. Solicitude of the Romish church to oppress the Protestants.-§ 3. Commotions in Austria and Bohemia. -§ 4. The Bohemian war. Frederic V. defeated.—§ 5. Progress of the Bohemian German war.-§ 6. Gustavus Adolphus arrives. Termination of the thirty years' war.-§ 7. The peace of Westphalia.-§ 8. Injuries done to Protestants by the Romanists.-§ 9. The Moors driven out of Spain. Oppression of the Reformed in France.-§ 10. Attempts upon England fail.-§ 11. Milder measures of the papists to overcome the Protestants.—§ 12. Theological conferences attempted.—§ 13. The popish pacificators.—§ 14. Pacificators on the side of the Protestants.-§ 15. The popish Methodists.-§ 16. Protestant apostates. § 17. Losses of the Romish church in the east.-§ 18. Authority of the pontiffs gradually diminished.—§ 19. Controversy of Paul V. with the Venetians.-§ 20. War with the Portuguese.-§ 21. Contests of the French with the pontiffs.-§ 22. Lewis XIV. in particular.—§ 23. State of the Romish clergy.-§ 24. The monks.-§ 25. The Congregation of St. Maur. § 26. Port Royal. Reformed Bernardins de la Trappe.-§ 27. New sects of monks. § 28. The Jesuits.-§ 29. State of literature in the Romish church. § 30. Philosophy.-§ 31. Merits of the Jesuits, the Benedictines, the Fathers of the Oratory, and the Jansenists.—§ 32. The principal writers.—§ 33. The Romish religion corrupted still more.-§ 34. Morality subverted by the Jesuits.-§ 35. Condition of exegetic theology.-§ 36. Dogmatic, moral, and polemic theol gy.-§ 37. Contests of the Jesuits and Dominicans respecting the aids of grace, under Clement VIII.—§ 38. Its continuation under Paul V. and its issue.-§ 39, 40. Commencement of the Jansenists.-§ 41. Arguments and measures of both parties.—§ 42. Five propositions condemned by Innocent X.-§ 43. Bull of Alexander VII. against Jansenius.-§ 44. Peace of Clement IX. Subsequent events.-§ 45. Austere piety of the Jansenists. -§ 46. The Convent of Port Royal.-§ 47. Controversy respecting the immaculate conception of St. Mary.-§ 48. Quietistic controversy. Molinos.§ 9. His followers.—§ 50. Madam Guyon. Fénélon.—§ 51. La Peyrère, White, Sfondrati, and Borri.-§ 52. Canonizations. § 1. Ar the commencement of this century the Romish church was governed by Clement VIII., [a. D. 1592-1605,] whose former name was Aldobrandini, and who reigned in the close of the preceding century. That he possessed genius and cunning, and was very zealous for suppressing protestantism and extending the Romish church, all admit: but whether he had all the prudence necessary for a sovereign pontiff, many have questioned'. He was succeeded [during 27 days], in the year 1605, by Leo XI. of the family of Medicis; who died, at an advanced age, on the very year of his elevation, and left the Romish chair to Paul V. of the family of Borghese, [16051621,] a man of violent passions, and frequently a most insolent assertor of his prerogatives; as appears among other things, from his rash and not very successful war against the Venetians'. In Gregory XV. [1621-1623,] of the family of Ludovisi, who was elected in 1621, there was more moderation than in Paul V. but no more gentleness towards those who forsook the Romish church. This, however, is the common and almost necessary fault of all the Roman pontiffs, who, without it, could scarcely fulfil the high duties of their office. Urban VIII. of the family of Barberini [1623-1644,] whom the favour of the cardinals placed in the Romish chair in 1623, showed himself very favourable and liberal to learned and literary men, being himself well versed in literature, and an excellent writer both in prose and verse; but towards the protes 1 [He was born at Fano, in the beginning of 1536. His father, Salvestro Aldobrandini, was a doctor of laws at Florence, but of a distinguished family in that city. In politics he was a decided enemy to the Medicis, and on their complete success, in 1531, he was compelled to leave his paternal city and seek a living elsewhere. Hippolytus, the future pope, was his youngest son. He proved worthy of the pontifical throne, both as a man of business, and an ecclesiastic from whom much was justly expected in the way of example. Every morning he said mass in person, every evening the illustrious Baronius received his confession, every noon, in the earlier years of his reign, twelve poor persons ate with him in one of his apartments. Ranke. Fr. Transl. iii. 290. Ed.] 2 [Before his elevation to the pontificate, he had led a studious life, and came little before the world unless in employments of a legal character. He was thus unknown as a political partizan, and had fallen under none of those enmities which must be contracted by every such person. But an election, seemingly so little likely amid the strife of parties, surprised himself, and betrayed him into the weakness of considering it as an especial interposition of Providence. Thus regarding himself as an instrument divinelyraised-up for some particular purpose, being of an intractable temper, and having an intellect trained in the strict observance of legal sanctions, he filled the papal chair with intolerable arrogance, harshness, and inflexibility. Ibid. 395. Ed.] 3 See Leo Allatius, Apes Urbanæ : which little book was published by Jo. Alb. Fabricius at Hamburg. It is a full catalogue of the learned and excellent men, who adorned Rome, in the pontificate of Urban VIII. and who expe tants, he was extremely cruel and harsh. Yet Urban will appear kind and good, if compared with Innocent X. [16441655,] of the family of Pamphili, who succeeded him in 1644. For he was ignorant of every thing, of which the ignorance is least to be excused in heads of the church; and surrendered up himself, and all public affairs civil and sacred, to the control of Olympia, his kinswoman, a most vicious creature, avaricious, and insolent. His very zealous efforts to prevent the peace of Westphalia, I do not think, should be reckoned among his peculiar crimes; because, if I am not greatly mistaken, the best of pontiffs would have done the same. His successor, in 1655, Alexander VII., previously Fabius Chigi, [A. d. 1655— 1667,] is deserving of a little more commendation. Yet he was not lacking in any of those blemishes, which the pontiffs cannot wash out, and still preserve their rank and authority : and discerning and distinguished men, even of the Romish church, have described him as possessing slender talents, inadequate to the management of great affairs, an insidious temper, rienced the liberality of that pontiff. The neat and elegant Latin poems of this pontiff have been often printed. [These poems were written while he was a cardinal. Under him, nepotism greatly prevailed; and the political transactions of his court, are ascribable more to his nephews and family, than to him. He procured a very distinguished edition of the Romish Breviary; suppressed the order of female Jesuits; conferred the title of Eminence on the cardinals, and on all cardinal-legates, the three clerical German electors, and the grand master of the order of Malta. Schl.] 4 Mémoires du Cardinal de Retz, tom. iii. p. 102, &c. newest edition. Add vol. iv. p. 12. Respecting his contests with the French, see Bougeant's Histoire de la Paix de Westphalia, tom. iv. p. 56, &c. [Respecting Olympia, see La Vie d'Olympe Maldachini princesse Pamfili, trad. de l'Italien de l'Abbé Gualdi, avec des notes par M. I. Geneva (or rather, Paris), 1770. 12mo. The original was published in 1666. 12mo. Innocent, before his election, had lived in free commerce with Olympia: which was con tinued after his elevation, and was carried to such lengths, that the Donna, under the reign of her dear brother-inlaw, possessed all power, sold all offices and prebends, gathered money in a thousand ways, opened the dispatches of the envoys, and guided and controlled all state affairs. She suppressed near 2000 minor cloisters, and thereby obtained vast sums: and other cloisters, threatened with the same fate, had to purchase their freedom. She was, for some time, excluded from the palace, and removed from the court, by cardinal Pancirolla, and his creature, the pretended cardinal Pamphili, whose proper name was Astalli, and who had no connexion with the pope. But she soon after returned to her old place, and was the absolute mistress of the Vatican, where she at last took up her residence: indeed, the unfriendly chroniclers say, that one of her ear rings was found in the pope's bed. And such was the pontiff, who persuaded Ferdinand III. to hold the sword always drawn over the protestants, who condemned Jansenius, and who entered his dissent against the peace of Westphalia. Schl.] and very dishonourable fickleness'. The two Clements IX. and X. who were elected, the one in 1668, and the other in 1669, [1670-1676,] performed little worth recording for posterity. The former was of the family of Rospigliosi, and the latter of that of Altieri. Innocent XI. previously Benedict Odeschalcus, who ascended the papal throne in 1677, [1676— 1689,] acquired a high and permanent reputation, by the strictness of his morals, his uniformity and consistency, his abhorrence of gross superstition, his zeal to purge religion of fables, and to reform the clergy, and by other virtues. But his example most clearly shows, that much may be attempted and but little accomplished, by pontiffs who have sane views and upright intentions; and that the wisest regulations cannot long resist the machinations of such a multitude of persons, fostered and raised to power and influence, by licentiousness of morals, pious frauds, fables, errors, and worthless institutions". See the Mémoires du Card. de Retz, tom. iv. p. 16, &c. p. 77. who very sagaciously decides many points respecting him: also Mémoires de M. Joly, tom. ii. p. 186. 210. 237. who speaks equally ill of Alexander: and the celebrated Arkenholz, Mémoires de la Reine Christine, tom. ii. p. 125, &c. ["The craft and dissimulation attributed to this pontiff, really constituted an essential part of his character; but it is not strictly true, that he was a man of a mean genius, or unequal to great and difficult undertakings. He was a man of learning, and discovered very eminent abilities at the treaty of Munster, where he was sent in the character of nuncio. Some writers relate, that, while he was in Germany, he had formed the design of abjuring popery, and embracing the protestant religion; but was deterred from the execution of his purpose by the example of his cousin, count Pompey, who was poisoned at Lyons, on his way to Germany, after he had abjured the Romish faith. These writers add, that Chigi was confirmed in his religion by his elevation to the cardinalship. See Bayle, Nouvelles de la Repub. des Lettres, Octob. 1688." Macl.] Mémoires le la Reine Christine, tom. ii. p. 126. 131. [Clement IX. was a ruler fond of peace and splen dor, a foe to nepotism, and a beneficent friend to his subjects. Clement X. was no less fond of peace than his predecessor; but introduced a peculiar kind of nepotism, by adopting as his son the cardinal Paolucci. Yet his six years' reign exhibited nothing remarkable. Schl.] 7 See the Journal Universel, tom. i. p. 441, &c. tom. vi. p. 306. The present pontiff, Benedict XIV. attempted in the year 1743, to enrol Innocent XI. among the saints. But Louis XV. king of France, influenced, it is said, by the Jesuits, resisted the measure; because Louis XIV. had had much controversy with this pontiff; as we shall state hereafter. [It is a noticeable circumstance in his life, that in the thirty years' war, he served in Germany as a soldier: and there is still shown, at Wolfenbuttle, the house in which as an officer he is said to have resided. This circumstance, indeed, the count Turrezonico has called in question; in his work, de Supposititiis Stipendiis Militaribus Bened. Odeschalci, Como, 1742. folio. But Heumann has placed the fact beyond all doubt; in the Hannoverisch. Ñüzlichen Sammlungen, 1755. p. 1185; and in the Beyträge con alten u. neuen Theologischen Sachen, 1755. p. 882. He, however, afterwards, assumed the sacred office; and At least, nearly all the praise-worthy regulations and enactments of Innocent, fell to the ground, and were overthrown, by the indolence and the yielding temper of Alexander VIII. of the Ottoboni family, who was created pope in the year 1689, [A. D. 1689-1691,]. Innocent XII. of the family of Pigniatelli, a good man, and possessed of fine talents, who succeeded Alexander, in the year 1691 [a. D. 1691—1700,] wished to restore the regulations of Innocent XI. to their authority; and did partially restore them. But he, too, had to learn, that the wisest and most vigorous pontiffs are inadequate to cure the maladies of the court and church of Rome; nor did posterity long enjoy the benefits he provided for them. Quite at the end of the century 1699, [A.D. 1700-1721,] Clement XI. of the family of Albani, was placed at the head of the Romish church. He was clearly the most learned of the cardinals, and not inferior to any of the preceding pontiffs in wisdom, mildness, and desire to reign well. Yet he was so far from strenuously opposing the inveterate maladies and the unseemly regulations of the Romish church, that, indiscreetly, and as he supposed, for the glory and security of the church, i. e. of the head of the even on the papal throne, exhibited the virtues of a military commander, courage, strictness, and inflexibility of purpose. He sought to diminish the voluptuousness and splendid extravagance of his court, to correct all abuses among the clergy, and to extirpate nepotism. But he often went too far, and his reforming zeal frequently extended to things indifferent. For instance, he wished to prohibit the clergy from taking snuff, and the ladies from learning music; and the like. And in this way, he would have hindered the good effects of his zeal for reformation, if he had met with no obstructions to be overcome. nonization, and to the reading of the bull in Coena Domini, he was no friend. He actually canonized no one: and on Maunday Thursdays, on which this bull was to be read, he always gave out that he was sick. His Life was written by Philip Bonamici, the papal secretary of the Latin Briefs, with design, probably, to favour his canonization, in which business he was the To ca Postulator; and it was entitled Com- 8 [Alexander VIII. restored nepotism, condemned the Jesuitical error of philosophical sin, and benefitted the Vatican library, by purchasing the library of queen Christina. Schl.] 9 Cardinal Henry Noris says much respecting Innocent XII. his election, character and morals, in his Epistles; published in his Works, tom. v. p. 362. 365. 370. 373. 380. [His hostility to nepotism, and his inflexibility, his strictness, and his frugality, were as great as those of Innocent XI. His strictness he manifested, in particular, by forbidding the clergy to wear wigs, and by requiring the monks to live according to their rules. He was so little disposed to burn heretics, that the Inquisition began to doubt his orthodoxy; and when he wished to protect Molinos, they by commissioners put this question to him, What did Aloysius Pigniatelli believe ?-Schl.] |