of to break the measures and to control the power of their successors; to weaken their hands; to intimidate their people; to put it out of their power to protect their good subjects from rapine and oppression; or to force the disobedient to their duty: in short, to insult their authority, to render them little and contemptible, and to frustrate all the ends of government. And the mischievous effects of these changes, owing to the two preceding reigns, appeared so soon, that king Richard, the immediate successor to Henry the second, exceedingly lamented the state of the monarchy, and with the utmost mortification pronounced himself the shadow of a king. And he had but too much ground for that melancholy reflection; for the patronage of the crown was lost with the right of investitures; the power to convene national synods swallowed up by that of the papal legates; the supremacy in causes ecclesiastical was carried to Rome, by the concession which yielded up the right to appeals; the authority over the persons and the estates of the clergy and religious was given away, by that grant which discharged the clergy from the secular power; and the clergy was thereby rendered a body separate and independent upon the state, their interests distinguished and set at such a distance from one another, that the privileges and liberties of the church were numbered from the spoils of the civil government, and then only thought bright and shining, when they cast a shade upon the monarchy.

The crown of England was thus robbed of a great part of its wealth, its subjects, and its power, when it fell into the hands of king John; so that in truth there remained nothing more to consummate the dishonour of the kings of England, but to shift names, and give up their title in exchange for that of vassals. And there could be nothing more to engage the wishes, or to deserve the ambition of those prelates, who had already possessed themselves of the wealth and power of the clergy and religious, and of the supremacy in causes ecclesiastical, but to assume the title and the name of kings of England, and to take to themselves the remains of the royal power, which they had fettered and chained, and in many cases rendered incapable of serving the great ends of government. And the issue was such as might be expected: the court of Rome finished the usurpation which they had been labouring for in the preceding reigns, by forcing king John to resign his kingdoms, and to receive them again as a fee

a Gervas. Chron. ann. 1196. X. Script. col. 1595.

of the papacy, and of a free sovereign prince to take upon himself the title of a feudatory or a vassal to the bishop of Rome: and he did his homage accordingly, and consented to pay a yearly tribute for his own kingdoms. And lest the world should ever be induced to believe, that all this was owing to the personal failings of king John, his innocent son king Henry the third was forced to tread in the steps of his father, and to take his kingdoms as he had done before him, as a fee of the papacy; and he swore fealty and did homage accordingly to the bishop of Rome.

Such mighty changes did the compass of about one hundred and fifty years produce in these nations; and although some brave efforts were made by our succeeding kings to regain the rights and liberties of the church and of the crown; and the statutes of Mortmain', Provisors, and Præmunire, the remonstrances of our parliaments and synods, the struggles of some of our bishops and clergy, and the outcries of the whole nation against the tyranny and oppressions of the court of Rome, show us what sense our ancestors had of the papal usurpation, and put it beyond a doubt, that the use which was made thereof was every way answerable to the wicked practices by which it at first had been gained, and that our forefathers groaned under the yoke, and passionately desired to be delivered from it. Yet all was in vain, and without the prospect of a remedy; for God, who in his just displeasure had given up these nations to that infatuation and blindness which had brought all those mischiefs upon them, suffered our ancestors to languish under the miseries which they had drawn down upon themselves, and never entirely delivered them from the yoke of bondage, till in his great mercy he had opened their eyes, and by

'The statutes of Mortmain, &c.] See Kennett on Impropriations, p. 25. (Mortmain, Remonstrances, &c.); Twisden's Vindication, 62—4. (Provisors, &c.); 1 Fox's Acts, 548. edit. 1641 (Præmunire). See also Blackstone's Commentaries, bk. i. c. 18 (Mortmain), and bk. ii. c. 18. § 2. (ditto); also bk. iv. c. 8 (Præmunire).

In the statutes of Provisors (25 Edw. III. c. vi., 27 Edw. III. c. i. § 1. and 38 Edw. III. c. i. § 4., and c. ii. § 1—4.) it is enacted that the bishop of Rome shall not present or collate to any bishopric or ecclesiastical benefice in England; and that, whoever disturbs any patron in the presentation to a living, by virtue of a papal provision, such provisor shall pay fine and ransom to the king at his will; and be imprisoned till he renounces such provision. And the same punishment is enacted against such as cite the king, or any of his subjects, to answer in the court of Rome.-Blackstone's Commentaries, book iv. c. 8.

the reformation of religion had first made them sensible of the imposture which had thus fatally ensnared and betrayed them.

Thus did the all-wise providence of God unite the monarchy, the nation, the church and the religion of England, in the same sufferings and deliverance. They went hand in hand into vassalage. The same men and the very same arts which despoiled the monarchy, enslaved our country, corrupted our religion, and usurped the rights of the English church; and the same reformation which restored our religion to its ancient purity, restored the rights of the church and of the monarchy, and resettled the liberties of the English nation. These methods of the Divine providence seemed designed on purpose to endear our church and our country and the monarchy to each other, and to show us plainly that their interests are inseparable, and can never be safe but in conjunction; whilst at the same time they teach us by sad experience, that popery is the common enemy to every thing that is, or that ought to be, dear to the princes and to the people of England.

I have suffered myself to be led into this long and melancholy digression, that I might at once offer to the reader's view, the ancient and present state of the church and monarchy, together with the steps by which the changes were advanced, and the intolerable mischiefs which from thence ensued:--and having done this, I shall leave the reader to adore the goodness which so happily delivered the church and the nation, and which has hitherto preserved us from the snare; and conclude with beseeching God, that we may be all duly sensible of the mercies which we now enjoy under the best of churches and the best of governments, and know no more of those miseries which attended the PAPAL USURPATION, but from our by-past story.

INTRODUCTION.

DOCTRINAL CORRUPTIONS OF POPERY'.

We are now arrived at a full and adequate interpretation of our text. For we are not, as oi rolloi the many, the major part of the world; кaжηλɛÚOνтEÇ, which adulterate and negociate the word of God for our own lucre and advantage; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. And hereby we have made the nearer advances to a clear view and just character of popery: we will allow them to be the oi Tolol, the most of Christians; nor at present will contend with them about their boasted titles of catholic and universal: for it was never yet so well with mankind, that the major part was the better. And then for the other mark καπηλεύοντες, I shall now trace and expose their corruptions and cauponations of the gospel : that they are true Χριστέμποροι, real Χριστοκά Tλo; have perverted and abused the divine institution to the base ends of worldly profit and power; have consociated Jesus with Belial, Christianity with atheism every part of their system, which our pious reformers renounced and exploded, being founded upon mere politic; built up and supported by the known methods of subtlety and force.

And yet I would not be thought to charge every single member of that communion with this heavy imputation. I question not, but great numbers think and act in godly sincerity: every age

Of popery.] From "A Sermon upon Popery, preached before the University of Cambridge, Nov. 5, 1715, by Richard Bentley, D.D., Master of Trinity College, and Chaplain to His Majesty. 1715." 8vo. p. 9—28.

2 Our text.] 2 Cor. ii. 17.

has produced among them some, shining examples of piety and sanctity. We do not now consider individuals, but the collective body of popery; not private lives and secret opinions, but the public avowed doctrines, and the general practice of the managers. There was one pious family even in Sodom, and without doubt many wicked ones even in Jerusalem. Not every single person within the limits of the reformation is as good, as his profession requires; nor every papist as bad, as the popish system permits.

And now, τί πρῶτον, τί δ' ἔπειτα ; What can I better begin with, than what our text suggests; their enhancing the authority of the vulgar Latin above the Greek original? so that we must search for St. Paul's meaning here, not in the notion of кanAεúovres, but of adulterantes; not of oi woλλoì, but of multi without its article; an original defect in the Latin tongue. Now can anything be more absurd, more shocking to common sense, than that the stream should rise above the fountain? That a verbal translation, which, were the author of it inspired, must yet from the very nature of language have several defects and ambiguities; that such a translation, I say, by a private unknown person not pretending to inspiration, should be raised and advanced above the inspired Greek? Is it possible, those that enacted this, could believe it themselves? Nor could they suggest, that the first Greek exemplar had been more injured by the transcribers and notaries, than that of their version. More ancient manuscripts were preserved of this, than they could show for the Latin. There were more, and more learned commentators to guard it: no age of the eastern empire without eminent scholars; while the west lay sunk many centuries under ignorance and barbarity. And yet in defiance of all this, the Latin is to be the umpire and standard; and the apostles to speak more authentically in that conveyance, than in their own words. Nay, a particular edition shall be legitimated and consecrated, with condemnation of all various readings; and two popes, with equal pretence to infallibility, shall each sanctify a different copy with ten thousand variations. These things are unaccountable, in the way of sincerity: but if you view them on the foot of politic, as an acquist of power, authority, and pre-eminence ;-the council of Trent knew then what they did.

But though this itself is but a translation, yet no secondary translation must be made from it for the instruction of the people. They must hear the public liturgies in a language unknown to