Anon [Samuel Hill] - The Catholic Balance - 1687

Full title: The Catholic Balance: Or, a Discourse Determining the Controversies Concerning
I. The Tradition of Catholic Doctrines.
II. The Primacy of S. Peter and the Bishop of Rome.
III. The Subjection and Authority of the Church in a Christian State, According to the Suffrages of the primest Antiquity.
Written with most Impartial Sincerity at the Request of a private Gentleman.

First edition. Originally issued anonymously, bibliographical and biographical sources now attribute this to Samuel Hill (1648–1716).

Pamphlet, disbound. Title, preface, text in three sections (as per title) postscript. The title is nearly detached, the text is clean and crisp throughout. The text block has been cut at an angle to the base (not affecting text).

In this pamphlet, Hill argues that an Apostolic succession is essential for the continuance of Orthodox doctrine.

The book appeared in 1687, during the reign of James II, whose Catholicism had intensified English fears concerning the future of the established Church. The period was marked by disputes over religious toleration, the authority of the Crown, Protestant Dissent, and the possibility that Roman Catholic institutions might regain political influence.

In that context, a discussion of the Bishop of Rome could not be merely theological. Papal primacy was connected in Protestant polemic with broader questions of foreign jurisdiction, ecclesiastical independence, and the relationship between religious and civil authority. The third section of Hill’s book is consequently as important politically as the second is confessionally.

Wing H2006.

vi, 136 pp. 19.5 x 15.5 cm.