light, resembled, for a while, the smothering vapour which precedes the burst and the radiance of a clear and steady flame. Thousands were prepared, by these antecedent causes, to receive the truth in all its holy purity, and sacred influence. Already the rays of truth were emanating from the Sacred Volume in all directions; and men were beginning to start, as from the slumbers of a dream, or the reveries of a distempered imagination.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE GREAT SCHISM.

GREGORY XI., nephew to Pope Clement VI., succeeded to the vacant Chair in 1370. Though inferior to his predecessors in virtue, he, nevertheless, exceeded them in courage and assurance. In his time, Italy in general, and the city of Rome in particular, was distressed with the most outrageous and formidable tumults. The Florentines carried on successfully a terrible war against the ecclesiastical state; upon which, Gregory, in hopes of quieting the disorders of Italy, and also of

printing, writing, and reading, to dispel darkness by light, error by truth, ignorance by learning. Wherefore," he afterwards adds, "I suppose the Pope must abolish printing, or else, as this world standeth, printing doubtless will abolish him. Though he stopped the mouth of John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, and others, that they might not preach, thinking to make his kingdom sure; yet, in their stead, God hath found the press to preach, whose voice the Pope can never be able to stop, with all the power of his triple crown. By printing, as by the gift of tongues, and a special instrument of the Holy Ghost, the doctrine of the Gospel is sent to all nations and countries under heaven; and what God revealed to one man is dispersed to many; and what is open to one nation, is open to all."

recovering the cities and territories which had been taken from St. Peter's patrimony, transferred the Papal seat from Avignon to Rome, in the year 1376. To this, he was in a great measure determined by the advice of one Catharine, a virgin of Sens, who, in this credulous age, was thought to be inspired with the spirit of prophecy, and made a journey to Avignon, on purpose to persuade him to take this step. It was not, however, long before Gregory repented that he had followed her advice; for, by the long absence of the Popes from Italy, their authority was reduced to such a low ebb, that the Romans and Florentines made no scruple to insult him with the grossest abuse, which made him resolve to return to Avignon; but, before he could execute his determination, he was taken off by death, in the year 1378.

The Cardinals were assembled to consult about choosing a successor, when the people of Rome, unwilling that the vacant dignity should be conferred on a Frenchman, came in a tumultuous manner to the Conclave, and with clamors, accompanied with outrageous menaces, insisted that an Italian should be advanced to the Popedom. The Cardinals, terrified at this uproar, immediately proclaimed Bartholomew de Pregnans, who was a Neapolitan, and Archbishop of Bari, and assumed the name of Urban VI. This new Pontiff, by his impolitic behaviour, injudicious severity, and intolerable arrogance, had entailed upon himself the odium of people of all ranks, and especially of the leading Cardinals. These latter, therefore, tired of his insolence, withdrew from Rome to Anagni, and thence to Fondi, a city in the kingdom of Naples, where they elected to the Pontificate, Robert, Count of Geneva, who took the name of Clement VII., and declared at the same time, that the election of Urban was nothing more than a mere ceremony which they had found themselves obliged to perform, in order to calm the turbulent rage of the populace. Urban remained at Rome: Clement went to Avignon, in France. His cause was espoused by France and Spain, Scotland, Sicily, and Cyprus, while all the rest of Europe acknowledged Urban to be the true Vicar of Christ. Which of these two is to be considered as the true and lawful Pope, is, to this day, matter of

doubt, nor will the records and writings alleged by the contending parties enable us to adjust that point with any certainty.

Thus the union of the Latin Church under one head, was destroyed at the death of Gregory XI., and was succeeded by that memorable dissension, commonly known by the name of the great Western schism. This dissension was fomented with such dreadful success, and arose to such a shameful height, that, for the space of fifty years, the Church had two or three different heads at the same time; each of the contending Popes forming plots, and thundering out anathemas against their competitors. The distress and calamity of these times are beyond all power of description; for, not to insist upon the perpetual contentions and wars between the factions of the several Popes, by which multitudes lost their fortunes and lives, all sense of religion was extinguished in most places, and profligacy rose to a most scandalous excess. Nevertheless, these abuses were, by their consequences, greatly conducive both to the civil and religious interests of mankind; for, by these dissensions, the Papal power received an incurable wound; and Kings and Princes, who had formerly been the slaves of the lordly Pontiffs, now became their judges and masters. And many of the least stupid among the people had the courage to disregard and despise the Popes, on account of their odious disputes about dominion, to commit their salvation to God alone, and to admit it as a maxim, that the prosperity of the Church might be maintained, and the interests of religion secured and promoted, without a visible head, crowned with spiritual supremacy.*

*

When we read of aspiring Prelates assuming lofty titles, and surrendering themselves to the lust of empire; when we trace them through the labyrinths of fraud and treachery, by which, serpent-like, they insinuated themselves into seats of pride and power, we ask, Are these the ministers of Him who is "meek and lowly of heart?" When we read the story of bitter and sanguinary wars, of hollow truces, and wars again; when told of one Pope, that he clothed himself in armour, and carried war into the territory of his enemy; and of another, that he fled from the Vatican, in order to escape the fury of soldiers, who, though of the

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During these dissensions, the fires of persecution were not per mitted to die away. In England, Archbishop Arundel, at the instigation of the Popes, became both a persecutor and a traitor; he urged Henry IV., who had usurped the throne by the aid of the Clergy, to pass a statute, whereby all who propagated the doctrines of Wickliff, by preaching, writing, teaching, or discourse, were required to renounce their heresies, and deliver in all their heretical books, and submit themselves to the Church, on pain of being delivered over to the secular arm, and burnt alive. To give further efficacy to this bloody statute, Arundel set forth several provincial constitutions, whereby any

Romish faith, and serving a Popish Prince, were pillaging the city of Rome, we exclaim, Can this be the history of the Church of Christ? Impossible. Hear Christ himself, "If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight; but now is my kingdom not from hence." "If," says the Scripture, "if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his ;" and if any Church have not the spirit of Christ, that Church is none of his. The spirit of Christ is the spirit of humility and love; but in vain do we seek it in the community of which we now speak. While the Church of Rome has boasted her uniformity, the appearance of which she has not always been able to preserve, she has ever been essentially deficient of charity, the indispensable characteristic of the Church of Christ. Notwithstanding the efforts employed to present an exterior of uniformity and agreement, the intestine struggles which have continually agitated that Church, have very frequently caused the cloak to fly open, and the mask to fall from the face. The schisms and broils of the candidates for the Papacy, disfigure the very pages which record the history of the Popes; and time would absolutely fail, to enumerate the perpetual contentions which have endangered the very existence of their system. Including within its pale as many of the nations as possible, and receiving with pride, the homage of "the Princes of this world," the Members of this Church have been perpetually at war with each other, and Papists have been the most murderous enemies of Papists. Men sustaining spiritual titles have been found on the field of battle, clothed, but not " in the armour of God;" wielding, but not "the sword of the spirit ;" and dying their garments, not in their own blood by a holy martyrdom, but in the blood of their brethren, the members of the Church of Rome. It is impossible to discover in the whole history of its affairs, one exemplification of that saying of the Lord Jesus, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one towards another,"

persons preaching doctrines contrary to the determination of the Church, or calling in question what the Church had determined, were to be excommunicated, ipso facto, on the first offence, and declared heretics for the second. Whoever read the books of Wickliff or his disciples, without a license from one of the Universities, was to suffer as a promoter of heresy. The greater excommunication was to be incurred by advancing propositions, even in the schools, which tended to subvert the Catholic faith. It was declared heresy to dispute the utility of pilgrimages, or the adoration of Images, and of the Cross. The proceedings against offenders in this case, were to be as sum mary as in cases of treason. And because it was difficult to

retain the true sense of Scripture translations, whoever should translate it, or read such translations, particularly Wickliff's, without the approbation of his ordinary, or of a provincial Council, was to be punished as a promoter of heresy. That this statute was not suffered to become obsolete, may easily be imagined.

William Sautre, the parish Priest of St. Osithes, in London, was the first victim under its enactments, and the first martyr for the Reformation in England. On Saturday, Feb. 12, 1401, he was summoned to appear before the Archbishop of Canterbury, and accused of holding heretical opinions. The principal articles against him were, that he had said, he would not worship the cross on which Christ suffered, but only Christ, that suffered on the cross; that every Priest and Deacon is more bound to preach the word of God, than to say particular services at the Canonical hours; and that after the pronouncing of the sacramental words of the body of Christ, the bread remaineth of the same nature that it was before, neither doth it cease to be bread.

A few days were allowed him to answer these accusations : when he appeared and delivered his reply, in which he fully explained his views; and being required by the Archbishop to renounce his opinions, he refused to do so. He was then examined more particularly respecting the Sacrament of the altar; and continuing to defend the doctrines he had advanced on that subject, he was condemned as a heretic, and sentence pro