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A62186 A treatise of matters beneficiary by Fra Paolo Sarpi ... ; newly translated out of Italian according to the best and most perfect copy printed at Mirandola, Anno Dom. 1676, wherein is related with the ground of the history, how the almes of the faithful were distributed in the primitive church, the particulars whereof the table sheweth.; Trattato delle materie beneficiarie. English Sarpi, Paolo, 1552-1623. 1680 (1680) Wing S701; ESTC R9432 97,268 84

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made Collections for other poor Churches also For which cause St. James St. Peter and St. John when they acknowledged St. Paul and St. Barnabas for Consorts and Companions in the Gospel they recommended this Work unto them to Collect some Almes for the poor Church of Hierusalem for which St. Paul also mentions the having made a Collection in Macedonia in Achaia in Galatia and in Corinth and this Custom was observed not only during the Apostles Life times but also after their Death and in the Church of Rome where Riches were plenty the Offerings also were Abundant N. 12. for about the year 150 they not only served to Maintain the Clerks and poor Christians of that City but also to administer abundantly unto other Churches not only to the Neighbouring but also to those at a Distance giving Food in divers Provinces unto poor and miserable Christians Condemned to Prisons and to working in Mines and to shew the Abundance of the Oblations I shall only say this that Marcion about the year 170 Marcion Ao. 170. made an Oblation in the Church of Rome at one time of 5000 Crowns of Gold and because he had certain Opinions not Convenient in Matter of Faith he was expell'd from the Congregation and all the money restored to him that holy Church esteeming it self polluted in retaining the Goods of a Heretick Afterwards the Church of Rome encreased so in Treasures that after 220 years the Roman Emperors were desirous of them Ao. 220. Decius the Prince whereupon Prince Decius Arrested St. Lanrence a Roman Deacon to take the Ecclesiastical Treasures from him they being grown so Copious but that Prince was Mistaken N. 13. believing that the Treasures were Collected and preserved for that holy Deacon was aware of the Tyrants Greediness and foreseeing the imminent Persecution bestowed all at one time as they were wont to do in such like Dangers and the most part of the Persecutions made against the Church after the Death of Commodus were for that Cause that is because the Princes or the Governors finding themselves short of Money were willing to make themselves Masters of the Christian Churches Stock that way After the Churches were enriched the Clerks also began to live more at ease and some not being content with the ordinary daily food of the Church would live separately in their own Houses and receive from the Church their separate proportion in Money every Day or for a Month together and longer a thing which although it declined from the Primitive Perfection N. 14. was nevertheless tolerated by the Fathers Besides the disorders did not stand at this stay but the Bishops began to fail the Poor in their usual Almes and to keep for themselves that which ought to be distributed growing rich with the Common Goods of the Church dealing in usury for to encrease them and leaving off the care of teaching the Doctrine of Christ all busied themselves in Covetousness which things St. Cyprian laments that they were practised in his time and concludes that God to purge his Church of these Errors might permit that great Persecution which was under the Empire of Decius because his divine Majesty hath alwayes reformed his Church either mildly by the means of Lawful Magistrates or when the Excess is gone too far by the Instrument of Persecutions But although the Church possessed so much wealth No Stable Goods at first yet it had no setled or Stable Goods first N. 15. because they cared not for any upon the Reason abovesaid for they esteemed the End to be at hand and all Worldly things to be Transitory and of a great weight for one who tends towards Heaven and again because no Society Colledge Communalty nor Corporation according to the Roman Laws could be given to bequeathed or have left by Will any Goods immovable nor for any cause whatsoever could possess the same unless it were approved of by the Senate or by the Prince neither can this be doubted of although Some Epistles goe about under the Names of old Popes which give a Reason why the Apostles should sell their Possessions in Judea and the succeeding Christians should preserve them by saying that was because the Apostles foresaw that the Christian Church ought not to remain in Judea but indeed amongst the Gentiles as if in the Gospel the cause of selling were not expresly shewn when Christ said to his Church Fear not O little Flock N. 16. sell what ye possess and give Almes that although Hierusalem were destroyed at its Building again there might be an Abundance of Christians and yet have not been destroyed in the Cities where the Churches amongst the Gentiles had Possessions But labouring to shew this Falsehood is superfluous being a certain thing that these Epistles are Suppositious Ao. 800. and were framed about the year 800 by those who preferr'd as is still done at this present Riches and Pomps to the Apostolical Moderation Instituted and Commanded by Christ But the Confusion which was much continued in the Empire after the Imprisonment of Valerianus the Laws being but little observed chiefly in Africa in France and in Italy some left or gave Stable Goods to the Churches which in the year 302 were all confiscated by Diocletian and Maximian though in France the Emperors Decrees were not Executed by the Bounty of Constance Cloro Caesar who Governed it But these Princes having renounced the Empire eight years after Maxentius restored all the Possessions to the Church of Rome and a little after Constantine N. 17. and Licinius granted freedom of Religion to the Christians approved of the Ecclesiastical Colledges call'd Churches granted generally throughout the Empire that they might gain or acquire Stable Goods as well by Gift as by Testament exempting also the Clergy from personal publick Services Exemptions of Ecclesiasticks that they might attend the duties of Religion more Commodiously The Custome of our times of giving or of leaving ones Estate to the Church with a special obligation of some particular work as of Building of Marrying young Damsels of providing for Orphans or others neither with Obligation to Masses Anniversaries or to other Ecclesiastical Offices were not then in Account nor in Use for a long time after But Persons gave or bequeathed absolutely and the Gift or Legacy was incorporated into the Common Mass N. 18. which was the Stock for the Expences of all pious Works wherefore speaking of ancient Ecclesiastical Goods it is most true that they are not dedicated to any particular Work but it is not true that they may be laid out in what a man will but in the generality of Pious Works only The Exemptions which Princes granted unto Ecclesiastical Goods freeing them from publick Contributions was a great encrease to them Exemptions of Ecclesiastical Goods and it was formerly observed every where inviolably with great satisfaction to Princes and with the Approbation of the People N. 19.
given to the Portions of Ecclesiastical Estates or to the Right of Possessing them because they were given by the Prince as Bishopricks or by the Bishop of whose Consent and Concession other Livings are bestow'd and also because Clergy-men are Spiritual Souldiers keeping Guard and exercising a Sacred Warfare The Abbeys beyond the Alps were at last made more ample and more Rich Abbeys by reason the Masters of the Pallace assumed to themselves the Authority of making the Abbot Maestri di Palazzo and that with a reason apparent enough because the Monks then as hath been said were Laymen without any Ecclesiastical Ordination N. 46. It is true they did not alwayes give him to them but sometimes out of favour he granted the Monks leave to choose themselves one But in Italy the Monasteries being not very considerable in wealth Ao. 750. untill the year 750. the Kings of the Goths then the Emperors and the Kings of the Lombards made no great Accompt of them whereupon the Election was left to the Monks with the sole superintendency of the Bishop But the Bishops sometimes being intent to grow great they molested the Monasteries too much wherefore the Abbots and Monks desirous of freeing themselves from that subjection Exemption found a way by having Recourse to the Bishop of Rome that he might take them into his immediate Protection and exempt them from the Authority of the Bishop This was easily consented unto by the Popes making use of them as well to have other persons in Cities immediately depending on them as to amplifie their Power over the Bishops it being very important that a Corporation so Notable as were the Monks who in those times almost wholly attended on Learning N. 47. should depend totally on the See of Rome A Beginning being made of these Exemptions all the Monasteries in a very short time remained united to the See of Rome and separate from their Bishops In France the Bishops made by the King and much more those who were made by the Masters of the Pallace the Kings Authority being lessened betook themselves all to Temporal things which the Abbots did likewise who furnished the King with Souldiers and went to the Wars in Person not as Religious men to perform the Offices of Christs Ministers but Armed and fighting also with their own hands for which cause they were not content with the fourth part of the Goods but drew all to themselves Whereupon the poor Priests who Administred the Word of God and the Sacraments to the People in Churches remained without a livelyhood wherefore the People out of their Devotion Contributed unto them part of their own Estates which being done in some places more liberally N. 48. and in others more sparingly Querimonies or Complaints arose about it sometimes because when 't was often treated how much that should be which was to be given to the Vicars or Curates it went for a Common Opinion to be convenient after the Example of Gods Law in the old Testament to give the Tenth Tythes which being Commanded that people by God it was an easie thing to represent it under the Gospel of Christ as due also though indeed nothing else be said of it by our Lord and by St. Paul but that necessary maintenance is due from the People to the Minister and that the Minister or the Labourer is worthy of his hire and he that serves at the Altar ought to live by the Altar without prescribing any determinate quantity because that in some Cases the Tythe would be but little and in other Cases the hundreth part would suffice But because this is a clear thing and that hereafter we have need of handling it more diffusedly I 'le say no more now but that in those dayes and for an Age afterwards N. 49. the Sermons which were made in Churches excepting the Matters of Faith tended to nothing else but to Proofs and Exhortations to pay Tythes a thing which the Curates were forc'd to do both for need and for utility or profit and in the Amplifying as it behooved like an Orator they went often so far that they seemed to place all Christian Perfection in paying of Tythes of which not well Content and the Praedials not seeming sufficient for them they began to hold the Personals also for necessary that is what a man gains by his Labour and Industry of Hunting of all Arts and Handicrafts and also of the Military pay Of these Sermons many being found without the Authors Name some through Error or on purpose were attributed to St. Augustin and to other Antient writers But besides that the Stile shews they were made about the year 800. Histories are clear that neither in Africa nor in the East they never paid Tythes and that their Beginning N. 50. sprung up in France as hath been said I 'le pass unto Italy No man ordained without a Title where for several hundreds of years no man was ever Ordained to whom there was not appointed both his proper and special Office and Charge unless that some man famous in Doctrine or in Holyness who to attend on his Sacred Studies refused to be applyed to any particular Cure the Priest was Ordeined without giving him any proper Parish on which he might attend St. Hierolamo was Ordained Priest of Antioch and St. Paulinus at Barcelona and this occasion eccepted Olim no distinction between Ordination and Benefice Antiquity knew of no Distinction between Ordination and Benefice and Ordaining was then the same thing as to give an Office and the Right of having ones Livelyhood from the Common Goods of the Church But afterwards that in the Confusions which Wars had caused in States many worthy and good Clergy-men were driven from their Ministry they recover'd or had Recourse to some other Church where they were received and maintained as their own Clerks at the Common Charges N. 51. and sometimes some Minister of that Church happening to fail by Death or otherwise his Office was appointed him to be Minister therein and that Clerk was then said to be Incardinated whereas he who had first been exalted to an Office Cardinals Incardinato Cardinato was said to be Ordinated or Ordain'd thereunto but who being dispossessed of his own and provided with another was called Incardinated This manner began in Italy before the 600th year of Christs Birth when through the Incursions of the Lumbards many Bishops and other Clergy-men were driven from their Charges for which cause when such like Offices were vacant in other Churches they were Incardinated therein and the Bishops were call'd Episcopi Cardinales and the Priests Presbiteri Cardinales Those who were driven out from their own places having Recourse to the Churches of Rome and Ravenua which were the Chiefest and Richest in Offices and Ministeries N. 52. those Churches I say as most Rich and most abounding received most of those Strangers and therefore they had more Cardinals