razens, fo as to be willing to fide with, and Countenance either fide as they judged them to be the most prevailing. Thus did these unfortunate Greeks and their Emperors, as if God had deliver'd them over to a reprobate Senfe, play faft and loofe, with the Popes, who in Charity and pure Pity to their Miferable State, fpared no Coft nor Pains, and condefcended to go all Lengths, that were confiftent with the Faith of Chrift, to unite effectually to the Head, that once flourishing Member of Chrift's Myftical Body. And thus did they bring down the Vengeance of Heaven upon their own Heads, (as the unfortunate Chriftians of the Orient and Egypt had done before, by their Herefie and Obftinacy) and filled up the Measure of their Iniquity, by their perfidious Back-fliding from the Promife and Faith, which both Emperor and Bishops folemnly plighted, and gave under their Hands in the Council of Florence in the Year 1439, before God and his Angels; and before fo Auguft an Affembly of Pope, Cardinals, Prelates, Doctors and People: For which God gave them up to the Inftruments of his Wrath the Turks, who in a few Years after, took their Capital City Conftantinople, flew their Emperor the fame that was in Florence, extinguifhed his Name and Family, and reduced the Greek Church to that miferable Servitude and Bondage under which it groans to this very Day.

To this Council of Florence, for by that Name it always went, (Tho' fome Seffions had been held at Ferrara;) because the main Bufinefs was there tranfacted; came the Greek Emp.ror himself Joannes Paleologus, the Patriarch.

of

of Conftantinople, the Deputies of the Patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerufalem, Sixteen Metropolitans or Arch-Bishops. And ten Abbots and Dignitaries, and a great many other Clergy-Men of an Inferior Rank.

This was the moft Famous Affembly that ever was seen in Europe. Here was displayed all the Art of Rhetorick, all the Subtility of Logick, and all the Erudition and Knowledge of the Scriptures and Fathers, that was to be expected from Men of the greatest Abilities. Here the Greeks made it appear, they had not forgot the Oratory and Eloquence they were once fo much celebrated for, and convinced the World, that it was not fo much to please their Emperor they undertook the Difpute, as to find out the Truth of the Matters in Debate; as may be seen by their learned ex Tempore Dif courfes, recorded in the Acts of this Council. On the other Hand, the Romans were no way fhort of them, in any of these Perfections. They had Truth, Scripture, and the Fathers on their Side; and they wanted neither Art or Eloquence to convince the Greeks of their Errors. In short, after a long Debate, in a Regular and Methodical Difpute, which lafted fome Months, they bore them down by the Force of Argument and Dint of Reafon, fo as to filence them, and bring them all over to their fide, except Marcus Ephefinus; and to acknowledge under their Hands, and Profefs to believe, as appears by the Letters of Union) "That the Holy Ghoft "proceeds from the Father and the Son, that "the Sacrament of the Altar may be validly "and lawfully made of either Leaven or un"leavened Bread, according to the Rites of

"each

"each Church. That the Souls of the Faithful, "who die Penitent, with the Love of God, and "have not by worthy Fruits of Penance, fatis"fied God's Juftice, are purged in Purgatory, "and that in order to be relieved from thence, "the fuffrages of the Faithful that are alive, "the Sacrifice of the Mafs, the Prayers, the "Alms, and other pious Offices of the Living, " do very much avail; That the Souls of those "who have contracted no Sin; as also the Souls "of those who have been purged of their Sins as "aforefaid, go ftrait to Heaven, and enjoy the "beatifick Vifion; That the Souls of thofe, who "die in actual Mortal Sin, or in original Sin, ແ go ftrait to Hell, but are differently punished; "That the Roman Pontiff has the Primacy in "all the Chriftian World," is the Succeffor of St. "Peter Vicar of Chrift, and Head of all the "Church. That the Patriarch of Conftantino

ple is to hold the fecond Place after the Pope, "the Patriarch of Alexandria the third, the "Patriarch of Antioch the fourth, and the Pa"triarch of Jerufalem the fifth."

This is the Substance of the Letters of Union, perfected in the Council of Florence as may be feen more at large in it's Acts; by which your Grace may fee, there was no mention made of Tranfubftantiation, Real Prefence, no Difpute about the Sacrifice of the Mafs, Invocation of Saints, Indulgences, or Prayers for the Dead; which furely wou'd have been all agitated in this famous Difpute, had there been any Difference between the Greeks and the Latins upon thefe Heads.

This Union was figned by the Emperor Paleologus, by all the Metropolitans, Bishops, Prelates,

lates and Dignitaries that attended him from Greece, except Marcus Ephefinus; and the venerable good Father Jofeph Lord Patriarch of Conftantinople, who died fome Days before the Articles of the Union were drawn up. But his Confent to, and Approbation of them all was found in his Clofet written with his own Hand; as the Acts of the Council declare, in these Words; cr Jofeph Miferatione Divina Con"ftantinoplis, & novæ Roma Archiepifcopus ac "Oecumenicus Patriarcha. Quoniam ad extre"mum Vitæ meæ perveni, idcirco pro meo "Munere dilectis Filijs Benignitate Dei meam "fententiam his Litteris palam Facio. Nam

quæ Domini Jefu Chrifti Catholica & Apofto"lica Ecclefia Roma veteris fentiat ac celebret; "omnia me quoque fentire, credereque profiteor, ac ipfis plurimùm acquiefco. Beatiffimum "autem Patrum Patrem fummum Pontificem, Romaque Veteris Papam Domini noftri Jefu "Chrifti Vicarium effe concedere, atque Ani"marum Purgatorium effe non inficior. Datum "Florentiæ Octava Menfis Junij 1439." I Jofeph by the Mercy of God Arch Bishop of Conftantinople new Rome, And Oecumenical Patriarch. For as much as I am come to the laft Period of my Life. Ido therefore, in difcharge of my Duty publish by thefe Letters my Sentence to my beloved Sons in God. For the Things which the Catholick and Apoftolick Church of our Lord Jefus Chrift, of old Rome doth think and Practice, all the fame Talfo profefs to think and believe, and altogether agree with them. And the most holy Father of Fathers, the chief Pontiff, and Pope of old Rome, I grant to be the Vicar of Jefus Christ, and deny

not

1

not that there is a Purgatory of Souls. Given, at Florence, the Eight Day of the Month of June

1439.

From the Acts of this Council we may, My Lord, borrow Matter enough for our moit ferious Confideration. Here are the three Patriarchs of the Eaft, in conjunction with the Greek Patriarch, with fo many Metropolitans, Bishops, Prelates, and Dignitaries of the Eastern Countries, concurring with the Patriarch of the Weft with the Pope, and with all the Primates, Metropolitans, Arch-Bishops, Bishops, Universities, Doctors, Religious-Houses, and Communities of all Europe, and agreeing in the fame Faith, even in the very Points which the Greeks, had for many Ages before, fometimes denied, and fometimes profeffed.

Here is as full a Reprefentative of the Church of Chrift, as any Man can in Reafon require, holding the fame Faith, believing the fame Faith, and profeffing the fame Faith. Surely then the Profeffors of this Faith did neceffarily, in thofe Days, make up the whole Catholick Church or there was no fuch Thing as Catholick Faith, or Catholick Church on Earth. And if fo then, it is evident the Profeffors of the fame Faith in our Days, muft make up the fame whole Catholick-Church, fince they neither added the leaft Iota to it, nor took away the leaft Tittle from it, to this very Day. And tho' the Generality of the Greek Bishops that were not in this Council, and even fome of those who had figned the Union, upon their Return, were fpirited up by the Fury and Rage of Marcus Ephefinus, to make a Schifm and Rupture from all the rest of the Orthodox Believers, without