PAPAL SUCCESSION OFTEN INTERRUPTED. 353 jurisdictions have been chopped and changed, enlarged or diminished, removed and extinguished, so might that of theRoman bishop. The pope cannot retain power in any state against the will of the prince; he is not bound to suffer correspondences with foreigners, especially such who apparently have interests contrary to his honour and the good of his people. 5. Especially that might be done, if the continuance of such a jurisdiction should prove abominably corrupt or intolerably grievous to the church. 6. That power is defectible which, according to the nature and course of things, sometimes fails. But the papal succession has often been interrupted by contin- gencies. (of sedition, schism, intrusion, simoniacal election, deposi- tion, &c., as before showed), and is often interrupted by vacancies from the death of the incumbents. 7. If, leaving their dubious and false suppositions concerning divine institution, succession to St Peter, &c., we consider the truth of the case, and indeed the more grounded plea of the pope, that papal pre-eminence was obtained by the wealth and dignity of the Roman city, and by the collation or countenance of the imperial authority, then, by the defect of such advantages, it may cease or be taken away; for when Rome has ceased to be the capital city, the pope may cease to be head of the church. When the civil powers, which have succeeded the imperial, each in its respective territory, are no less absolute than it, they may take it away if they judge it fit; for whatever power wasgranted by human authority, by the same may be revoked, and what the emperor could have done, each sovereign power nowmay do for itself. An indefectible power cannot be settled by man, because there is no power ever extant at one time greater than there is at another; so that whatever power one may raise, the other maydemolish, there being no bounds whereby the present time may bind all posterity. However, no human law can exempt any constitution from the providence of God, which at pleasure can dissolve whatever man has framed. And if the pope were divested of all adventitious power, obtained by human means, he would be left very bare, and hardly would take it worth his while to contend for jurisdiction. 8. However or whencesoever the pope had his authority, yet it may be forfeited by defects and defaults incurred by him. If the pope encroaches on the rightsand liberties of others, usurp- ing a lawless domination, beyond reason and measure, they may, in their own defence, be forced to reject him and shake off his yoke. If he will not be content to govern otherwise than by infringing the sacred laws, and trampling down the inviolable privileges of the VOL. L 23
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