proof of the injustice of this charge. I deny, most positively, that any such opinion either is, or ever was, an article of faith in the Catholic Church; let those who persist in the charge, prove that I am mistaken, and I submit: but they must prove it, not from the conduct of any individual prince, or even bishop; from the supposed act of any single council; but by the rule of St. Vincent, and the cate-i chism, prayers and devotions of the Catholic religion. Do this, and I will be ready to add even this objection to many others which I have to the religion of Roman Catholics. Yet it is not even true that the Council of Constance ever decreed any such general principle as the notkeeping faith with heretics; but only that no safe-conduct granted by any temporal sovereign, should be allowed in stay of the proceedings or right of any council to condemn heretics. Let us, however, carefully and dispassionately examine the facts on which this extraordinary charge is founded. If it be true that the Roman Catholic Church have ever taught that no faith is to be kept with heretics, then I grant that persecution of the most hateful and diabolical nature is indeed a tenet of that religion; and that to grant power and toleration to people holding such a damnable doctrine, would be the height of folly and madness.* *Nothing, I am firmly persuaded, but the most deeply rooted mistake concerning the faith of Catholics in this par ticular, The council of Constance was called by the Emperor Sigismund, and Pope John XXIII., towards the close of the year 1414. The great objects for which this celebrated Council was called, have already been mentioned.* At this Council, the famous John Huss, and his friend and companion, Jerome of Prague, were tried and found guilty of heresy, and of several attempts to disturb the peace of the Church, and even to raise a general rebellion against the Court of Rome, and the temporal authority of the Pope. Several Bohemian students having been in England, for the advantage of learning at the University of Oxford, met with the writings of Wickliffe, and imbibed his principles, civil and religious. These opinions they carried back with them to Prague, as well as the books in which they were contained, which fell into the hands of John Huss, rector of the university of that city, and a man of great learning, ticular, could induce many persons who object to their claims to persist in that system of intolerance, which so much dishonours and scandalizes the Protestant name. I am far from wishing to join in the clamour against these persons, as if they were really friendly to persecution and bigotry, and that they take pleasure in opposing the just demands of the Catholics, merely because they do not like their religious opinions. The fear is natural; but the mistake that gives birth to it is unfounded. There is no illiberality in prudence and self-defence, but there is a want of candour in not patiently investigating the causes of prejudice. But, I fear, there are more political than religious objectors to emancipation. * Vide ante, Part I. iv. p. 78. eloquence, and enterprise. These notions were exactly suited to the disposition of Huss, and he did not hesitate to recommend them in the most public manner possible. The sanctity of his life, the purity of his morals, and the zeal and eloquence of his harangues, soon gained him numerous proselytes: among whom there was, particularly, a professor of divinity, though not in holy orders, named Jerome of Prague, a man of a warm and sanguine habit, pious, zealous, subtle in argument, and witty and satirical in disputation. The errors, real or supposed, which these persons disseminated, soon attracted the notice of the council of Constance, then assembled, and Huss was cited to appear before that assembly, to answer such interrogatories as might be put to him. This summons, with apparent willingness, he immediately obeyed, having first obtained a safe-conduct, or passport, from the Emperor Sigismund, confident that no heresy could be proved against him, and willing, should this be done, to retract his errors, or cheerfully yield to the sentence of his superiors, whose authority in spiritual matters he had never disputed, and whose leading and fundamental doctrines he had never denied. Most of the errors, charged against John Huss and his friend Jerome of Prague, were collected from the writings of Wickliffe; and it must be confessed, that many of the charges were of a serious and dangerous nature, affecting not merely the speculations of the fashionable religion of the time,* and the exorbitant power and luxury of the clergy; but even aiming a blow at the authority of the state, and the rights of all government. I am well aware how very common, and unjust, it is to brand every attempt at Reform as an attack on order and government; and thus to stifle and crush the wise and benevolent efforts of good and patriotic men. And this was, in many instances, the case with respect to the Lollards, as the disciples of Wickliffe were called.† * Doctor Heylin says, that " many of Wickliffe's opinions were so far from truth, so contrary to peace and civil order, so inconsistent with the government of the Church of Christ, as to be utterly unworthy of so great a character. But such is the humour of some men, as to call every separation from the Church of Rome the gospel, and the greater the separation, the more pure the gospel." Animadversions on Fuller, p. 65. The 8th session of this Council of Constance decreed, that the bones of Wickliffe should be taken up, as unworthy of the sacred ground in which they were quietly reposing, and the following articles, collected from his writings, were condemned as heretical and dangerous:-"1. That the substance material of bread and wine remain in the sacrament of the altar. 2. The accidents of bread remain not without the substance. 3. Christ is not identically and really in his proper bodily presence in the sacrament. 4. If a Bishop or Priest live in mortal sin, he ordaineth not, baptizeth not, consecrateth not. 5. The gospel saith not that Christ instituted the mass. 6. God ought to obey. the devil. 7. If a man be contrite aright, outward confession is The Rev. Mr. O'Leary, in his second Letter: addressed to the conductors of the FREE PRESS, is needless and unprofitable. 8. If the Pope be a reprobate, and wicked, and so a member of the devil, he hath no power over the faithful given him by any but Cæsar. 9. Since Urban the Sixth, none is to be taken for Pope, but we must live as the Greeks, under our own laws. 10. It is against scripture that churchmen have possessions. 11. No prelate should excommunicate any one, unless he know that God hath first excommunicated him: And he that so excommunicateth, is thereby a heretic or excommunicate. 12. A prelate that excommunicateth a clerk who appealed to the king, or to the council of the kingdome, is thereby a traytor to the king and kingdome. 13. They that give over preaching, or hearing God's word, for men's excommunication, are excommunicate, and in the day of judgment shall be judged traytors to Christ. 14. It is lawful for a deacon or presbyter to preach the word of God without the authority of the apostolic seal, or a Catholic bishop. 15. No one is a civil lord, or a prelate, or a bishop, while he liveth in mortal sin. 16. Temporal lords may take away temporal goods from the Church, from a possessor habitually criminal, and not only in act. 17. The people may correct their delinquent lords. 18. Tythes are meer alms, and the parishioners may take them away for their prelate's sins. 19. The special prayers applied by prelates and religious men to one person, profit him no more than the general ones. 20. He that giveth alms to fryars is thereby excommunicate. 21. He that enters the private religion, either of the possessing or the mendicant fryars, becomes less fit and able to keep the commandments of God. 22. Holy men that made private religions, thereby sinned. 23. The religious, living in private religion, are not of the Christian religion. 24. Fryars are bound to get their living by the labour of their hands, and not by begging. 25. They are simoniacal that bind themselves to pray for others for a temporal |