Part 3. "tinguish both the name and dignity of their predecef"fors." And if fo, who can doubt, but that these Popes who made it their business to deftroy the very memory of their ancestors, would be very little careful to preserve the doctrine of forefathers. But what the care of those times was in this particular, may be conjectured from what Onuphrius fays, (in Platin.), by way of confutation of that paffage in Platina, concerning Pope Joan's reading publickly at Rome, at her first coming thither. "This (fays he) is utterly falfe; for there was "nothing that they were lefs folicitous about in those "times, than to furnish the city with any publick teach"ers." And the time which Onuphrius fpeaks of, was much about the beginning of the tenth century, Burgomenfis fays, (anno 906) " It happened in that age,

Phil.

through the flothfulness of men, that there was a ge"neral decay of virtue both in the head and members." Again, (anno 908), "Thefe times, through the ambiti

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on and cruel tyranny of the Popes, were extremely "unhappy for the Popes fetting afide the fear of God, "and his worship, fell into fuch enmities among them"felves as cruel tyrants exercise towards one another." Sabellicus fays, (Ennead. 9.1.1. anno 900), "It is won"derful to obferve what a ftrange forgetfulness of all arts did about this time feize upon men; infomuch "that neither the Popes, nor other princes, feemed to "have any fenfe or apprehenfion of any thing that might "be useful to human life. There were no wholfome "laws, no reparations of churches, no purfuit of liberal

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arts; but a kind of ftupidity and madnefs, and forgetfulness of manners, had poffeffed the minds of "men." And a little after: "I cannot (fays he) but "much wonder from whence thefe tragical examples of Popes fhould fpring; and how their minds fhould come to be fo devoid of all piety, as neither to regard "the perfon which they fuftained, nor the place they were in." Sigonius, (De regn. Ital. 1. 6.), fpeaking of these times, about the beginning of the tenth century, calls them" the fouleft and blackeft, both in refpect "of the wickedness of princes, and the madness of the

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people, that are to be found in all antiquity," Genebrard (Chron. 1. 4.) fpeaking of the fame time: "This

(fays

of

(fays he) is called the unhappy age; being deftitute "of men eminent for wit and learning, as alfo of famous princes and Popes. In this time there was "fcarce any thing done worthy to be remembered by pofterity." And he adds afterwards, "But chiefly "unhappy in this one thing, that, for almost an hun"dred and fifty years together, about fifty Popes did "utterly degenerate from the virtue of their ancestors." He fhould have added farther, but even to a miracle happy in another refpect, that, during this long and to-tal degeneracy from the piety and virtue of their anceftors, they did not in the leaft fwerve from them in matter of faith and doctrine: a thing incredible, were there not demonstration for it. Werner (Fafcic. tempor.) gives this character of that time : About the year our Lord one thoufand, there began an effeminate time, in which the Chriftian faith began to degene66 rate exceedingly, and to decline from its ancient vigour; infomuch that, in many countries of Chriftendom, neither facraments nor ecclefiaftical rites were "obferved:-and people were given to foothsaying and "witchcraft; and the priest was like the people.' feems, by this teftimony, that tradition did faulter a little in that age; elfe the Chriftian faith could not poffibly have degenerated and declined fo very much; and, which threatens Mr. S.'s demonstration most of all, that the practical tradition of facraments, and other ecclefiaftical obfervances, did fail in many Christian countries. Gerbert, who lived in that time, gives this fhort chara&ter of the Roman church, in an epiftle of his (ep. 40.) to Stephen, Deacon of that church, "The world stands "amazed at the manners of Rome." But most full is the complaint of a great prelate of the church concerning those times: "In the Weft, (fays he, Bell. Sacr. "/. I. c. 8.), and almoft all the world over, efpecially 66 among those who were called the faithful, faith failed, "and there was no fear of God among them." It seems the argument of fear had loft its force. "Justice was "perished from among men ; and violence prevailing againft equity, governed the nations. Fraud, deceit, "and the arts of cozenage, were grown univerfal. All "kind of virtue gave way as an ufelefs thing, and wie

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"kednefs

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"kedness fupplied its place. The world feemed to be declining apace towards its evening, and the fecond 66 coming of the Son of man to draw near: for love was grown cold, and faith was not found upon earth. "All things were in confufion, and the world looked as if it would return to its old chaos.-All forts of "fornication were committed with the fame freedom as "if they had been lawful actions: for men neither blush"ed at them, nor were punished for them. Nor did "the clergy live better than the people: for the Bishops were grown negligent of the duty of their place, &c. "In a word, men ran themselves headlong into all vice, "and all flesh had corrupted its way." And farther, to fhew the great neglect of priests and Bishops in the work of teaching and instructing, which is fo neceffary to the preferving of tradition inviolable, I will add the teftimony of one (Elfric. ferm. ad facerdot.) who lived in thofe times; who tells us, that "in those days the 66 priests and Bishops, who ought to have been the pil"lars of the church, were fo negligent, that they did 66 not mind the divine fcripture; nor take any care to "teach and inftruct fcholars that might fucceed them,

as we read holy men had ufed to do, who left many "scholars perfectly inftructed to be their fucceffors." If they had only neglected the fcriptures, all might have been well enough; but it seems they took no care to inftruct people in the way of oral tradition, nor to furnish the church with a new generation of able teachers, who might " deliver down from hand to hand the "fenfe and faith of forefathers." This laft teftimony the late learned Lord Primate of Ireland, Bishop Ufher, (in his book, De Chriftian. ecclef. fucceff. &c. c. 2. & 3. where feveral of the teftimonies I have produced, with many more to the fame purpose, may be feen), cites out of a MS. in Bennet college library in Cambridge; concerning the authority of which MS. there need be no dispute between Mr. S. and me; because the whole force and effect of this teftimony is fufficiently contained in those citations which I have brought out of publick and unquestionable books.

$4. All these teftimonies which I have produced, are, in general, and for the substance of them, confirmed by

two

two of the greatest props of the Romish church, Bellarmine and Baronius. Bellarmine (De Rom. Pontif. l. 4. c. 12.) fays of this tenth age, that "there was never a

ny either more unlearned or more unhappy." Baronius (Annal. tom. 10. ann. 900) speaks more particularly: "What was then the face of the Roman church? How "deformed? when whores, no less powerful than vile, "bore the chief fway at Rome; and, at their pleasure, "changed fees, appointed Bishops, and (which it is hor"rible to mention) did thrust into St. Peter's fee theirown "gallants, falfe Popes, who would not have been menti"oned in the catalogue of the Roman Popes, but only "for the more diftinct recording of fo long a fucceffion of times?" And a little after, "Chrift was then, "it feems, in a very deep fleep; and, which was worse, "when the Lord was thus afleep, there were no difci"ples to awaken him, being themselves all faft afleep. *What kind of Cardinals, Prefbyters, and Deacons, can we think were chofen by these monsters, when nothing is fo natural as for every one to propagate " his own likeness ?" It is very much, that these lewd women, and their favourite Popes, Cardinals, and Bifhops, who then fwayed the church, fhould, when they were fo careless of their own fouls, be fo tender of the falvation of posterity; and when they administered all other affairs of the church fo extravagantly, fhould be fo careful of the main chance, as to tranfmit the Christian doctrine entire and uncorrupted to fucceeding ages. Yet Mr. S. hath demonftrated this à pofteriori, which seems so very strange to a man that confiders things à priori.

$5. But it may be this difmal ftate of the Roman church lafted but a little while; and fhe did in the fame age, before tradition could be interrupted, recover herself out of this degenerate condition. I will therefore inquire a little into the state of fucceeding times. And I find, in the thirteenth century, St. Bernard (in converf. Sancti Pauli, ferm. 1.) complaining, that the degeneracy of the priests was in his days greater than ever : 66 We cannot (fays he) now fay, As is the "people, fo is the priest; for the people are not fo bad "as their priests." In the fifteenth century, Nic. dé Clemangiis,

Clemangiis, who lived in that time, wrote a book upon this argument, "Of the corrupt state of the church;" by which we may make fome judgment, whether in that age it was (as Mr. S. fays) impoffible, but that the Chriftian doctrine fhould be entirely preferved, and faithfully and diligently taught. He fays, c. 3. there was an univerfal degeneracy in the church, "from the

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very head of it to its loweft members." In the fame chapter he complains, "Who is there that preaches the goipel to the people? who fhews them the way to fal"vation, either by word or action?" It feems there was a great failure both of oral and practical tradition. Again, fpeaking of the Pope's taking to himself the collation of all vacant bishopricks and dignities, he says, c. 5. one might think the Pope did this, "that the church might be provided of worthier governors, both in refpect of their learning and their lives, did not the thing itself declare the contrary; and that ignorant "and ufelefs perfons, provided they had money, were "by fimony advanced to the highest degrees in the "church." And, speaking what a vast number of candidates there was ufually at Rome, from all parts, wait. ing for benefices and dignities, he tells us, c. 6. that many of thefe "did not come from their ftudies, or "from schools of learning, to govern parishes, but "from the plough, and from the meanest profeffions; "and that they understood Latin and Arabick much at "the fame rate; and many of them could not read at "all. But it may be (fays he) their manners were fuch " as might be fome excufe for their ignorance. No; "though their learning was but little, their virtue was

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lefs; for, being brought up in idlenefs, they followed "nothing but debauchery and fports, &c. Hence it comes to pass, that, in all places, there are so many wicked, and wretched, and ignorant priests.-Hence "it is, that priefts are fo contemned by the common "people.-Formerly the priesthood was highly honour"ed by the people, and nothing was more venerable "than that order of men; but now nothing is more "vile and despicable.""I make no doubt, but there 26 are now more thieves and robbers, than true pastors "in the church," c. 9.-" Why should any man now

"flatter