- ?0 INTitODU*CT?O](. [Boo? I.
5. Such is the famous creed of Pope Plus IV., which comprises the whole faith of a Romanist, in addition to the twelve articles of the apesdes' creed. It is made the basis of several Catechisms. On its contents we will now remark,---1. It includes unequivocally the into- lera?t principles of the Church of Rome, viz., that of excluding a?l from salvation, except the members of their church. 2. It binds every Ro- man priest to believe both parts of a contradiction. He swears to believe all ?mt has been delivered by general councils, many of whose decrees, canons, and definitions are contradictory. How then can a man receive and obey them all without surrendering his reason ? 3. The Romanist professes neve? to receive or interpret the Holy Scriptures otherwise than according to the emam/mous cornsent of the fathers. Such a consent never existed; and when a priest swears that he will never receive them ot/?'w/?, it is the same u to swear he will never receive them at all. IlL EP!SC?)PAL OATH OF ALLEOIANC!I TO THE POPE. 1. This second juramentary obligation, entered into by the hierarchy, or whole ruling order of the Italian Church, is, in its form and origin, far more ancient than the creed and oath of Plus, by which also the same order are likewise required to bind themselveS. This oath, in its contents and object, is both temporal and spiritual, doctrinal and prac- tical; it is the ecclesiastico-political acknowledgment of sovereignty and supremacy in the person of the successor of St. Peter, the w/e/den- of t? two z, vords. The decree of Boniface VIII., t/?/t/s necessary to sa/vat/on that ev?'y o'eatu?/? subjea? to t/? Rooum pont/.?, is recog- nised and adopted by this oath. The f?au/a/e2tara?ter of it has been denied, but to no purpose. It is impossible for any one acquainted with feudal instruments not to be convinced of their virtual identity with the episcopal oath given below. It is the obligation of a vassal to his supreme lord. The annotator on this oath, in the pontifical, the learned Catalini, calls it, "not only a profession of eanouical obedience, but an oath of fealQ/, not unlike that which vassals took to their direct lord." This oath, in its original form, when it was first imposed in the eleventh century by Gregory VII., was about one fourth its present extent. It is to be found in Decret. Greg. IX., lib. ii, tit. 24, in any edition. It will be sufficient to transcribe it as it now stands, and we affix the original, as it is not of easy access to all. The oath is imposed not only on archbishops and bishops, but on all who receive any dignity from the pope. 2. The following is a literal translation of this oath :-- "I, N., elect of the church of N., from henceforward will be faith- ful and obedient to St. Peter the apestie, and to the holy Roman Church, and to our lord, the Lord N., Pope N., and to his successors canoni- cally entering, I will neither advise, consent, or do any thing that they may lose life or member, or that their persons may be seized, or hands in any wise laid upon them, or any injuries offered to them under any pretence whatever. The counsel with which they will intrust me by meis subditis, vel illis qummn curs mi me in munere meo spectubit, teneri, doce?, eL prmdican, quantum in me elit, curstumm, elm idem N. ,pondeo, vovoo, ac juro. Sic 1
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