A Holy Commonwealth, Summary
Adam Contzen the Jesuites Directions for Preserving and Restoring Popery and Changing Religion in a Nation, before the People are awake: In his Politicks, Lib. 2. cap. 16, 17, 18.
CAP. XVI.
IS to shew that Princes must determine of nothing in Religion, as having Power to defend that which the Pope determineth of, but no power to appoint or change any thing themselves: or judge of Controversies, as pag. 673. The Church must Judge, and the Prince must Execute.
CAP. XVII.
Is to shew, That to preserve Religion, that is, Popery where it is, no other Religion should be permitted: and that Riches tend much to strengthen the Clergy and preserve Religion: And scorning the poverty of Protestant Ministers, saith, That after their first attempts, their Ministry declineth into meer contempt, and that poverty and necessity forceth them to please the people. Lastly, he perswadeth to speedy punishing of the erroneous, and cutting them off in the first appearance, and to prohibit their Books, and to take heed of Julian's device, of destroying Religion by Liberty for all Sects: (Thus they do in Spain, Italy, Austria, Bavaria, &c.)
CAP. XVIII.
The way to bring in Popery, and work out the Protestant Religion, he thus describeth:
1. That things be carried on by slow but sure proceedings, as a Musician tunes his Instrument by degrees: Lose no opportunity; but yet do not precipitate the work.
R. 2. Let no Prince that is willing despair: for it is an easie thing to change Religion. For when the common people are a while taken with Novelties and diversites of Religion, they will sit down and be aweary, and give up themselves to their Rulers wills.
R. 3. The Doctors and leading Pastors must be Put out: but if that may be all at once: but if that cannot be, let it be by slow degrees. When the Leaders are down all will submit.
Here he pretends the examples of some Princes that expelled Lutheranism, and giveth his advice under the cover of instances:
1. The purpose of changing Religion, and extirpating Lutheranism, must be concealed: Not but that some of the wiser sort may know it, but the People must not, lest it should move them.
2. Some must be suborned to beg importunately of the Prince for Liberty to exercise their Religion, and that with many and gentle words, that so the People may think the Prince is not enclined to Novelty, but only to Lenity, and to a tendernesse for tender consciences, and that he doth it not as from himself. For the Vulgar use to commend a Prince, that cannot deny the Subjects their desires, though they are such as were fit to be denied.
3. One or two Churches only must be desired at first, as being so small a matter, that the people will not much regard.
4. When the Zeal of Professours begins to rise against the change, they are to be pacified by admitting both parties to conference before the Governours.
5. Let there be a Decree for Pacification, that one party do not rail at the other, nor calumniate them. And so the errours that are to be brought in will have great advantage, when they are covered, and may not be contradicted, or so much as named: And so the Rulers will be thought to be onelyonly Lovers of Peace, and not to intend a change of Religion.
6. Next that let there be some publick Disputations between the Parties, but with some disadvantage to them that are to be outed.
7. Let all this be done but on pretence that the several Parties may be joyned lovingly together in Peace: And when the Ministers refuse this, let them be accused of unpeaceablenesse, and pride, and obstinacy, and disobedience against the Magistrate, and not for their Religion.
8. When it comes to the putting out of some Ministers, and the People begin to Petition for them, let the matter be carried silently; and in the mean time, let the People be told, that it is because those Ministers are heady, obstinate men; that the People may be perswaded that the Ministers are faulty, and have deserved it, and may be put onelyonly to desire Liberty for the more Peaceable men.
9. When thus the people are deluded, and there is no danger of a resistance, then turn the Ministers out of the Churches, and put in those that you would set up in their stead.
10. Then change the Universities, and tell all the Fellows and Scholars, that they shall hold their places if they will turn, else not, &c. many will change Religion with the Rulers.
11. Next he instanceth in Aasia where the Prince pretended, that all the Professors and Ministers places were void at the death of his Predecessor, and he had the disposall of them, by Law.
12. And the change was there made (as he pretends) by slow degrees, one or two Opinions only changed at the first, and not the whole controverted part of the Religion; and so the people will think it but as a small matter to yield in one or two Opinions, and be easily brought to obey.
13. Lastly, They fall to writing against each other; and those that have the Court-favour seem to carry it.
All this Advice is about the third Direction, that is, how to work out the Ministers safely, which he covers under pretended instances of such as have changed Religion in Germany.
4. The fourth Rule is, To put out of Honours, Dignities, and publique Offices, all those that are most adverse to Popery: It is but just that those that hinder the safety of the Commonwealth, should be deprived of the honours and Riches of the Commonwealth. If men are deposed for heynous Crimes, why not for Blasphemy and Contempt of Truth? (you must believe the Jesuite that this is the Protestant Case.) If those of a contrary Religion be left in honour and power, they will be able to cross the Prince in many things, and encourage the People of their own Religion.
5. The fifth Rule is, That when a Heresie (for so is the Protestant Religion to them) is wholly to be rooted out, and this must be done by degrees, and in a way of reason, and cannot be done by meer Command and Power, then you must first fall on those opinions that the Common People are most against, and which you can quickly make them think absurd: so he instanceth in some that would work out Lutheranism, that speak honourably of Luther, and fell on them only under the name of Flaccians: so the Arminians at Utrecht, when they would extirpate Calvinisme, made a Decree, that no man should Preach any thing, that seemed to make God the Author of sinne. Thus a Magistrate that would bring in Popery, must fall upon such heynous opinions, which the impudent themselves are half …hamed of; and bring these into the light that they may be odious, and so the Teachers will lose all their Authority, when the people see that they are taken in a manifest fault.
6. The sixth Rule to bring in Popery, and abolish the Protestants Religion, is, to make use of the Protestants Contentions. How easie is it (saith he) in England to bring the Puritans into Order, if they be forced to approve of Bishops? or to reduce the Puritans in the Low Countries, if the Prince adhere to the Arminians? For the Variety of Opinions makes them doubtfull, that before seemed certain; so that when the Magistrate joyneth with one side, he easily overturns the other, and leaves the whole obnoxious: As Paul did by the dissention between the Pharisees and Saduces, joyning to one side, he escaped. This (saith he) I would principally perswade an Orthodox Magistrate to (that is, a Papist.) For he may with as much advantage make use of the Protestants disagreements, as of the Papists Concord, to extirpate Protestants. As in Warres, it is not only the skill and strength of the Generall, but often also the Carelesnesse of the Enemy, or his Mistake that give very great advantages for successe. When rigid Calvinism was assaulted by the Lutherans in the heat of the Paroxysm, it was exasperated, and the suddain restraint did much hurt: But now the Arminians have of their own accord let go the hardest part of their rigor, and judg the Calvinists to be impious, and persecute them in the very University, and in other Towns they force them to banishment; and would venture to do more and Crueller things, if they were not afraid of the strength of the adverse Party. Verily if Prince Maurice alone did but stand for the Arminians, the rigor of the contra-remonstrants would flag, or be broken.
7. The seventh Rule is to forbid the Protestants privately or publiquely to Assemble together.
8. The eighth Degree must be to proceed to severity of Laws and punishments: Here he endeavours to prove this violence lawfull, (Fire and fagot, is reserved to the last.) But this violence though it must be for the change of all, need not be exercised on all. Cut off the Leaders, and the multitude will follow the Authority of the Rulers. Shame will retain some, and fear others, but a vain security will prevail with most, when they know not how to help it. Within these few years, (if he say true,) above an hundred thousand have been turned to Popery in France, and more in Germany. Not any of the Princes of Germany that did endeavour to draw ever his People to the Catholicks, did ever find any force or Resistance contrary to his Laws. Note this all you slanderous Papists that accuse Protestants so much of Reb…llion to hide your own: Here's a Jesuites Testimony on Record for our vindication.
His next Rule is, The good life of the Popish Magistrates and Clergy: (And that let them use as much as they will.)
Chap. 19. He commendeth many smaller helps: As 1. Muisck, to entise people by delight. 2. To cause all at their marriage to professe the Popish Religion, and so rather then go without a Wife or Husband they will do it. 3. So also to deny to Protestants Church-Priviledges, at Baptism, Buriall, &c.
Lastly he Concludes, That where the work must be secretly done by degrees, the Magistrate must keep the Institutions, Presentation, Confirmation, and Examination of Ministers in his own hand; and so (if he cannot cast them out at once) he must cast out the most dangerous, (that is, the ablest Protestant Pastours,) and put over the Churches, the Disagreeing, and those that do not mind matters of Controversie much, and those that are addicted to their own Domestick businesses (worldly men,) and such as are addicted to the Rulers: Let him coole the heat of Heresie, (he means true Religion;) and let him not put out the Unlearned: and so their Religion will grow into contempt.
Let the Magistrate cherish the Dissentions of the erring (he means the Protestant) Teachers: and let him procure them often to debate together, and reprove one another. For so when all men see that there is nothing certain among them, they will easily yield to the truth (he means Popery.) And this Discord is profitable to shew the manners of those wicked men. For he that will read the Contentious Writings of Lutherans against Calvinists, or Calvinists against Lutherans, will think he readeth, not the invectives of men against men, but the furies and roaring of Devils against Devils. A fair warning! But the Jesuite tells you not what is done at home.) From these things the Ruler may take occasion for a change: Let him enquire into the Original of these accusations: And if he find them true, he may punish the Guilty. If false, he may punish, (that is, cast out) the Accusers.
I have given you the summe, (not the literall translation) of this Jesuites Politicks, for the bringing in of Popery into a Nation: It all supposeth that the Rulers seem not to be Papists themselves, that they may do this in the dark.
The summe of Campanella's Counsell, for the promoting of the Spanish interest in England, in Queen Elizabeths daies: was, 1. Above all to breed dissentions and discords among our selves. 2. To have Seminaries in Flanders, that for the changing of our Religion, may first sow the seeds of Division in points of natural Sciences. 3. By suborned forreiners to promise great matters to the great ones here. 4. To promise to King James the help of Spain, so he would set up Popery, or at least not hinder the Indian Fleet. 5. At the same time to perswade the chief Parliament men, to turn England into the form of a Commonwealth; by telling them that the Scots will be cruell when they come to Rule them, &c. 6. To perswade Queen Elizabeth that King James would revenge his Mothers Blood, &c. 7. To exasperate the minds of the Bishops against King James, by perswading them that he was in heart a Papist, and would bring in Popery. And by these means the seeds of an inexplicable War will be sown between England and Scotland, so that no party will have leave to disturbe the Spaniard. Or if King James prevail, he will be a friend to Spain. Or if the Island be divided, or the Kingdom made Elective, we shall neither have mind nor Power to enlarge our Dominions: Or if the Island be turned into the form of a Commonwealth; it may keep continuall War with Scotland, and mannage all its affairs so slowly, as that they can little hurt the Spaniard. 8. The Catholicks here also are to be awaked and stirred up, that the Spaniard may take the first opportunity to enter upon England under pretence of helping them.
8. The Irish are perswaded to Rebellion. These (with the hiring of the Dutch to defend the Spanish plate-Fleets and fall out with us, that we may not hinder it) are the summe of this Fryars design against England.
Their Method to win particular persons, you may find in Costerus Praef. Encheirid. Thoma à Jesu de converse Gent. l. 8. par. 2. §. 2. p. 544, 545. Possevinus Lorichius, &c.
1. Be sure to keep the Respondents part, and not the Opponents. It's not so easie to prove, as to wrangle against Proofs.
2. Follow them with certain Questions, which the vulgar are not verst in. As 1. Where was your Church before Luther? or where hath it been visible in all ages?
Q. 2. How prove you that you have a true Scripture that is the Word of God among you?
Q. 3. What express Word of God do the Catholicks (the Papists) contradict?
Q. 4. How prove you that you have a truly called Ministry, that is to be heard and believed …y the people?
Q. 5. By what warrant did you separate from the Catholick Church, and condemn all your own Forefathers, and all the Christian world?
Q. 6. If you will separate from the Catholick Church, what reason have you to follow this Sect, rather than any one of all the rest?
Q. 7. What one man can you name from the beginning that was in all things of Luthers or Calvins Opinions?
Q. 8. Do you not see that God doth not bless the Labours of your Ministers, but people are as bad as they were before? what the better are you for hearing them?
Many more such silly Questions, they train up their Deceivers to propound and prosecute, which a knowing man discerneth easily to be transparent Cheats; but the Ignorant may be gravelled by them. And if I find it necessary, and have time, God willing I shall furnish the Ignorant with the true Resolutions.