THE FRENCH KING'S EDICT Upon the DECLARATION Made by the Clergy of FRANCE, Of their Opinion concerning the Ecclesiastical Power: Wherein is set forth,
- That the King is Independent in Things Temporal.
- That General Councils are above the Pope.
- That the Popes Power is to be limited by the Antient Canons.
- That the Popes Decisions are not Infallible without the Consent of the Church.
Together with the said, Declaration of the CLERGY, As they were Registred in the PARLIAMENT of PARIS, the 23 of March 1682.
EDINBƲRGH, Re-printed by the Heir of Andrew Anderson, Printer to His most Sacred Majesty, 1682.
The KING's Edict, upon the Declaration made by the Clergy of France, of their opinion concerning the Ecclesiastical Povver.
LOƲIS By the Grace of GOD, King of France and Navarre, To all present and to come, Greeting. Although it be a certain and uncontested Truth, Established upon the Words of Christ Himself, That Our Crown is Independent of any Power but that of GOD alone; We have however received with Satisfaction the Declaration which the Deputies of the Clergy of France, Assembled by Our Permission in our good City of Paris, have presented to Us containing their Opinion touching the Ecclesiastical Power: And We have so much the more willingly hearkned to the Request which the said Deputies have made to Us, to cause the said Declaration to be published, for that, it being made by an Assembly composed of so many persons equally recommendable for their Virtue and Learning, and who have with so much Zeal employed themselves in whatever may be of advantage to the Church, and Our Service, the Wisdom and Moderation with which they have expressed the Opinion that ought to be had on this Subject, may very much contribute to the confirming Our Subjects in the Respect, which they, as well as We, ought to have for the Authority which God has given to the Church, and to the taking away, at the same time from the Ministers of the pretended Reformed Religion the pretext they take, from the Books of some Authors, to render the power of the Visible head of the Church, and the Center of Ecclesiastical Unity, Odious. For these Causes, and other good and weighty Considerations, Us thereunto moving, after having caused the said Declaration to be examined in Our Council. We have by this Our present, perpetual, and irrevocable Edict, Said, Established and Ordained, do Say, Establish, and Ordain, We Will, and it pleaseth Us, That the said Declaration of the Opinion of the Clergy concerning the Ecclesiastical power, hereunto affixed, under the Seal of Our [Page 4]Chancery, be Registred in all Our Courts of Parliament, Bailliwicks, Senechalsies, Universities and Faculties of Divinity, and the Canon Law, in our Kingdom, Countries, Lands, and Siegneuries under our Obedience.
I.
WE forbid all our Subjects, and all Strangers being in our Kingdom, as well Seculars as Regulars, of what order, Congregation, or Society they are, to teach in their Houses, Colledges, or Seminaries, or to write any thing contrary to the Doctrine contained in the same.
II.
We Command that those which shall for the future be chosen to teach Divinity in the Colledges of every University, whether they be Seculars or Regulars, shall before they perform that Function in the Colledges or Houses Secular or Regular, subscribe the said Declaration in the Registries of the Faculties of Divinity, and promise to teach the Doctrine therein contained; and that the Syndics of the Faculties of Divinity shall present to the Ordinaries of the Places, and to the Atturnies General, Copies of the said Subscriptions, Signed by the Registers of the said Faculties.
III.
That in all the Colledges and Houses of the said Universities, where there shall be many Professors, whether Seculars or Regulars, One of them shall be oblieged every year to teach the Doctrine contained in the said Declaration; and in the Colledges where there shall be only one Professor, he shall be oblieged to teach the same every third year.
IV.
We Command the Syndics of the Faculty of Divinity to present every year, before the Opening of the Lectures, to the Archbishops or Bishops of the places where they are established, and to send to Our Atturnies General the Names of the Professors who shall have the charge of Teaching the said Doctrine; and We Command the said Professors to present to the saids Prelates, and to Our Atturnies General the Writings which they shall dictate to their Schollars, when they shall be by them thereto required.
V.
We will, That no Batchelor, whether Secular or Regular, shall for the future be Licensed in Divinity, or the Canon Law, nor received a Doctor, till he has maintained the said Doctrine in one of his Theses, which he shall make appear to those that have right of conferring the said Degrees in the Universities.
VI.
We Exhort, and also Enjoyn all Archbishops and Bishops of Our Kingdom, Countreys, Lands and Segneuries under Our Obedience, to employ their Authority in causing the Doctrine contained in the [Page 5]said Declaration of the said Deputies of the Clergy to be taught in their Diocesses.
VII.
We Command the Deans, and Syndics of the Faculties of Divinity, to take care of the Execution of these Presents, on pain of answering the contrary in their own and private Capacities.
So We give Charge to Our Well-beloved and Trusty holding Our Courts of Parliament, that they cause these Our present Letters, in form of an Edict, to be Read, Published, and Registred, together with the said Declaration of the Clergy, in the Registries of Our said Courts, Bailliwicks, Senechalsies, and Universities within their Jurisdiction, and that they see the same observed, without suffering any contravention therein directly or indirectly; and that they proceed against the Offenders in such manner as they shall think fit, according to the Exigency of the case; for such is Our pleasure. And that the same may remain firm and established for ever, We have caused Our Seal to be put to these Presents.
And lower, By the King, Colbert; Visa, le Tellier, and Sealed with the great Seal on Green-Wax.
Registred, The Atturney-General being heard, and requiring it, that they may be put in Execution, according to their Form and Tenor, pursuant to the Order of this Day.
The Declaration of the Clergy of France, concerning the Ecclesiastical Power.
MAny there are who endeavour to invade the Decrees and Liberties of the Gallican Church (with so much Zeal contended for by our Ancestors) and even to undermine the Foundation of them, which is Built upon the Holy Canons, and the Tradition of the Fathers; nor are those wanting, who under pretence of those Liberties, are not afraid to lessen the Supremacy of St. Peter, and his Successors, the Popes of Rome, Instituted by Christ, the obedience due [Page 6]to them from all Christians, and the Majesty of the Apostolick See (revered by all people) wherein the Faith is Preached, and the Unity of the Church preserved. Neither do the Hereticks omit any thing, whereby they may render the power, by which the peace of the Church is preserved, grievous and odious to Princes and their Subjects, and by these Frauds they withdraw the Simple from the Communion of their Mother the Church, and of Christ: To prevent which Evils, we the Archbishops, and Bishops, met at Paris, by the Kings Command, representing the Gallican Church, with other Ecclesiastical Persons, deputed together with us, have after Mature deliberation, thought fit that the following Articles should be established and declared.
I.
That the power of things Spiritual, and such as belong to our eternal Salvation, was given by God to St. Peter, and his Successors Christs Vicars, and to his Church, but not that of things Civil and Temporal: our Lord saying, My Kingdom is not of this World. And again, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, and unto God the things that are Gods. And this is meant by the Words of the Apostle, Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers; For all power is from God, and all powers are ordained by God: He therefore that resisteth, resisteth the Ordinance of God. That therefore Kings and Princes are not, by the Command of God, subject in things Temporal, to any Ecclesiastical Power, neither can they directly, or indirectly, be Deposed by the power of the Keys of the Church, nor their Subjects be freed from their Duty and Obedience, and Oath of Allegiance. And that this Opinion necessary for the publick Peace, and no less useful to the Church than the State, is to be Maintained as altogether agreeable to the Word of God, the Tradition of the Fathers, and the Examples of the Saints.
II.
But that this full Power of things Spiritual, is so in the Apostolical See, and St. Peters Successors, the Vicars of Christ, as that withal the Decreets of the Holy Oeconomical Council of Constans, made in the 4th and 5th Sessions, concerning th Authority of General Councils, which have been approved by the Apostolick See, and Confirmed by the practice of the Popes of Rome, and of the whole Church, and always Religiously observed by the Gallican Church, are in full Force, and continue unalterable. And that the Gallican Church condems those that would take from the force of those Decrees, as if their Authority was doubted, or less approved, or would apply them only to the times of Schisms.
III.
That therefore the use of this Apostolick power, is to be Moderated by the Canons, made by the Spirit of God, and Consecrated by the Reverence of the whole World. That likewise the Orders, Customes, [Page 7]and Statutes, received by the Crown and the Gallican Church, are of Force; and that the Bounds fixed by the Fathers, ought to remain unremoved; and that it concerns the Greatness of the Apostostolick See, that the Statutes and Customes, confirmed by the consent of so great a See, and of the whole Church, should be Established upon a firm Foundation.
IV.
That in Questions concerning Faith, the Pope has the chief part, and that all and singular Churches are concerned in his Decrees; But that however his Decisions are not unreformable without the consent of the Church.
V.
Which Doctrines we have received from the Fathers, do Decree to be sent to all the Gallican Churches, and to the Bishops by the Holy Spirit presiding over them, that we may all say the same thing, and be all of the same Mind.
- The Archbishop of Paris, President.
- The Archbishop of Rheims.
- Six other Archbishops.
- By 26 Bishops, and the rest of the Deputies of the Clergy.