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909, a council (5) was held at Trofly, a village near Soiffons in France: and haying made feveral wife and good regulations, they concluded with a profeffion of the things, which Christians ought to believe and practise: and in that profeffion are none of those things which conftitute the fum of popifh doctrin, nothing of the pope's being head of the church, nothing of the daily facrifice of the mafs, or of purgatory, or of the worship of creatures, or of commentitious facraments, or of confeffion to the priest, but of pure and fincere confeffion to God: fo much did this council differ from the spirit and principles of the council of Trent. Many churches (6) ftill retained the use of the fcriptures in the vulgar tongue: and in England (particularly Athelstan caused them to be translated into the Anglo-Saxon idiom. Great oppofition (7) was alfo inade in feveral countries to the celibacy of the clergy; and several councils were held upon the controverfy between the

(5) Tom. 3. Concil. Galliæ. Spanhem. ibid. Cap. 8. Sect. 3. Dupin. X. Siecle. Chap. 3.

(6) Spanhem. ibid. Cap. 6. Sect. 2 et 10. Scripturas divinas verti fecit in Anglo-Saxonicum idioma. Wilh. Malmes. et Balæus.

(7) Spanhem. ibid. Sect. 5.

monks

Spelmanni Concil. Brit. Vol. 1. Collier's Ecclef. Hift. B. 3. P. 199.

(8) Sigebert de Ecclefiaft. Script. Cap. 138. Uffer. ibid. Sect. 20. Spanhem. ibid. Cap.7. Sect. 3. Dupin. ibid. Chap. 4.

(9) Uffer. ibid. Se&t. 20, 21. Spanhem. ibid. Sect. 2. Dupin.

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PROPHECIES. monks and the fecular clergy, and particularly in England, where Elfere earl of Mercia expelled the monks out of the monafteries in that province, and introduced the clergy with their wives. Many too even in this age denied the doctrin of tranfubftantiation. Heriger abbat of Lobes near Liege (8) wrote exprefly against it; as did alfo (9) Alfric in England, whose homily for cafter used to be read publicly in the churches. His principal aim therein (1) is to prove, that we fpiritually tafte the body of * Chrift, and drink his blood, when with true faith we partake of that holy facrament; the bread and wine cannot by any benediction be changed into the body and blood of Christ, they are indeed the body and blood of Christ, yet not corporally, but fpiritually;' with much more to the fame purpose. He wrote also two epiftles, the one addreffed to Wulfin bishop of Shirburn, and the other to Wulfftan arhbishop of York, wherein he afferts the fame doctrin.

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In the former he thus (2) explains the doctrin of the facrament; The hoft is the body of Chrift, not corporally, but spiritually. Not ' the body in which he suffered; but the body of which he spake, when he confecrated the bread and wine the night preceding his paffion, and faid of the confecrated bread, This is my body, and again of the confecrated wine, This is my blood, which is fhed for many for the remiffion of fins. In the latter he hath thefe (3) memorable words, which fome papift of more zeal than knowlege attempted to erafe out of the manufcript Yet this facrifice is not made his body

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in which he fuffered for us, nor his blood which he poured out for us, but it is spiritual

ly made his body and blood; as the manna which rained from heaven, and the water which flowed from the rock, as Paul the apoftle faith.' The fynods and councils, which were held in this age by the authority of kings

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(2) Hoftia illa eft Chrifti corpus non corporaliter, fed fpiritualiter, Non corpus in quo paffus eft: fed corpus de quo locutus eft, quando panem & vinum, ea quæ paffionem anteceffit nocte, in hoftiam confecravit: et de facrato pane dixit, Hoc eft corpus meum; rurfumque de facro vino, Hic eft fanguis meus,

qui pro multis effunditur in remiffionem peccatorum. Apud Uffer. ibid. Se&t. 21.

(3) Non fit tamen hoc facrificium corpus ejus in quo paffus eft pro nobis, neque fanguis ejus quem pro nobis effudit, fed fpiritualiter corpus ejus efficitur et fanguis: ficut manna quod de cælo pluit, et aqua

quæ

kings and bishops, show evidently that the power of the pope had not yet extended over all. Nay there were kings and bifhops who oppofed the fupremacy of the pope; and none more than (4) the council of Rheims in the year 991, and Gerbert archbishop of Rheims, who declared that if the pope did amifs, he was liable to the cenfures of the church' and speaking of the pope then reigning John XV, . What, fays he, do you conceive this man, fitting ' on a lofty throne, glittering in purple clothing and in gold, what, I fay, do you conceive him to be? If he is deftitute of charity, and is puffed up by knowlege alone, he is Antichrift fitting in the temple of God, and thowing himself that he is God.' He was afterwards himself chofen pope under the name of Sylvefter II, and poffibly the change of his fituation might produce a change in his fentiments.

Much of the fame complexion with the tenth was the eleventh century, equally funk in

quæ de petra fluxit, ficut Paulus apoftolus ait. Apud Uffer. ibid. et Cave ibid.

(4) Spanhem. ex Baronio ad ann. 992. Num. 1o. &c. et ex Epift. Gerberti. Si peccaverit, fubeffe judicio ecclefiæ. Quid hunc, reverendi patres, in fublimi folio refidentem, vefte purpurea et auro radiantem, quid VOL. III.

M

profligacy,

hunc, inquam,cffe cenfetis? Nimirum fi charitate deftituiturs folaque fcientia inflatur et extollitur, Antichriftus eft in templo, Dei fedens, et fe oftendens tanquam fit Deus. Cap. 6. Sect. 3, &c. Dupin, ibid. Chap. 5. See alfo Allix's Remarks upon the ancient churches of the Albigenfes. Chap. 10. (5) Fidelitatem

profligacy, fuperftition, and ignorance, but yet not without fome fuperior fpirits to bear teftimony against it. The papal power was in this century carried beyond all bounds by the ambition and arrogance of the reigning popes, and particularly by the violence and haughtiness of Gregory VII, whofe former name was Hildebrand, or Hell-brand, as he hath often been deno-⚫ minated. But yet there were emperors and councils, who strenuously opposed the pretenfions and ufurpations of the fee of Rome; and thefe contests and struggles between the popes and emperors about the right of inveftitures and other articles make a principal part of the history of this age. Our English kings, devoted as they were to the religion, yet would not entirely fubmit to the authority of the bishop of Rome; but contradicted it in feveral inftances. When William I was required by the homage, he made (5) anfwer, To pay homage I have been unwilling, nor am I willing; for neither did I promife it, neither do I find that my predeceffors paid it to your predeceffors.' His fon William Rufus exerted fome

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(5) Fidelitatem facere nolui, nec volo; quia nec ego promifi, nec anteceffores meos antecefforibus tuis id feciffe comperio. Apud Baron. Ann.

pope to pay

him

1079. Sect. 25. Uffer. de Chrif tian. Ecclef. fucceffione et ftatu. Cap. 7. Sect. 9.

(6) Eadmer. Hift. Lib. z. Collier's

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