A General DISCOURSE OF SIMONY BY JA. METFORD Rector of Bassingham in Lincolnshire Vbi aurum placet ibi vitium Greg. l. 9. ep 40. Isicio Epd. Hieros LONDON Printed for JOSEPH LAWSON in the Baile of Lincoln Bookseller and sold by R. CHISWEL at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard and T. SAWBRIDGE at the three Flower-de-luces in Little-Brittain 1682. TO The Right Reverend Father in God THOMAS Lord Bishop of Lincoln My Lord YOur incessant pains and sincere endeavours both by Counsel and Elaborate Tractates do sufficiently discover you a true English Prelate and able Patron of the Protestant Cause And your great vigilance and integrity in your high and holy Calling hath given you a just esteem in the hearts of good men and wrought a belief in your Diocess that things are well done if they gain your approbation Which forces me to give you the trouble of hearing that about a month before the death of the Learned and truly Reverend Dr. Michael Honywood late Dean and now the just grief of the Church of Lincoln he was pleased to inform me with some Resentment of the too great Progress of Simony in this Nation bewailing the fatal Consequences of it to the Church and commanding me to say something if possible to stop its growth To which I answer'd but with two sad assurance of truth that I had travail'd less in the search of that Subject than in most others that a Divine is obliged to know And besides was so valetudinary that in few days time I used to hear some soft Footsteps of approaching Mortality which though he knew to be true yet his warm heart would not retreat but permitted me only to be a little shorter Two days after I was advised to travail about sixty miles to a Spaw for health which I did and at my return was saluted with the most unwelcome News of the Deans death so that I was forced to share in the common sorrow Though not to dissemble 't was some ease to me that I was delivered from my promise to him But about five weeks since a common Friend conscious to my Obligation demanded an account of Simony as promised to the Deceased I answer'd that death had cut the Band of that Promise He replied that the Deans life or death was no condition of it and the reason of performing was the same now as before I submitted and do now humbly present these weak Lines to your Lordships view desiring if they are thought of any use they may pass your Diocess under your Protection I know the design is useful though the ill handling may offend If your Lordship think them useless be pleased to receive them to that sure Sanctuary of Secresy and Silence which will be most safe for Bass Dec. 2d 1681. Your Lordships most dutiful Petitioner and Servant Ja. Metford A General DISCOURSE OF SIMONY COnsidering the smart Reflections lately made by a very worthy Gentleman on a Practice but too common in this degenerate age of giving Bonds to Patrons for the Resignation of a Benefice at their pleasure and noting some Commotion in his mind I assured my self so strong and sound a judgment could not be rapt away by his well-commanded passions but upon the sharpest Spur of Provocation and therefore suspected some secret venom in that which seemed to once thinking men a harmless practice The deeper I did dig into it the stronger and ranker the stench sum'd up which at length convinc'd me that no less than a bottomless Pit of Mischief lay under it which I hope to discover by shewing both the nature of Simony in general and what share these Bonds for Resignation bear in that weighty guilt Simony is so called from Simon Magus that famous Samaritan born at Gitton mentioned in Acts 8 who came to Rome in the Reign of Claudius Caesar says Eusebius where he was worshipped in an Image says Just Martyr between the two Bridges of Tyber Hist l. 2. c. 12. apology 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 L. 1. adv har 10. Ephiph adv haer to 2. l. 1. haer 1. Aug. ad Quod. haer 1. with this Inscription Simoni Sancto Deo yea the Samaritans and many others also adored him saith Irenaeus The occasion of his giving the name to Simony is set down Act. 8.20 A Petro Spiritus Sancti gratiam mereari volebat unde vitio nomen dedit says Aquinas and many others Not but that the crime had got footing in the World long before and was known to the Jews by the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by the Arabians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Talm says Schindler and both from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fraudavit expilavit The Greeks knew it by the Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Latines by the word Ambitus Which I note to shew 't is a moral evil and was troublesome to all Nations and Religions But this bold Chapmans offer purchased not the grace of God but disgrace of turning his name into sin by which he will be justly infamous to the last gasp of time The nature of this sin is well discovered by them that call it Studiosam voluntatem Panorm nemo extra Aquinas Sa. c. nundinandi aliquid spirituale aut spirituali annexum for 't is a desire and endeavour to make Merchandise of things sacred Some add insecuto opere but the purpose of the heart is Simony though we can't accomplish it as Simon could not And 't is the heart Peter blames Thy heart is not right in the sight of God Acts 8.21 And again v. 22. if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee 'T is true in foro soli some overt Act must appear but in foro poli the design though frustrate is the crime Luke 3.2 'T is a crime that Stella charges for the teeming womb of infinite Evils that follow contrived by Herod to render the Jewish Church contemptible making the Priesthood annual as Joh. 11.49 shews that Caiaphas was High-Priest for that year only and Anâ—as soon after as Acts 4.6 evidently discovers Which says he forc't the High Priest to oppress the People for the raising such Simoniacal Sums And unworthy men thereby get into the greatest trusts in the Church which made the times Calamitosa Miseranda as also it doth ours But for the better displaying this growing sin we shall consider 1. Its species buying and selling things sacred 2. The things bought and sold 3. The means by which 't is done 1. The Species buying and selling which being Relative Acts will in their own nature be alike lawful or unlawful though accidental circumstances may make them more evil to one than another Like Judas selling and the Jews purchasing the Son of God The Scotch selling and the Rumpers buying Charles the first Or Didius Julianus buying and the Pretorian Cohorts selling the sacred Roman Empire Or Herod's selling and Caiaphas buying the holy Order of the Jewish
and to that end demands a Bond for Resignation at pleasure or when his Son or Friend comes to be sit This halter's Horses consciences without bogling He can't say the Patron hath a living to sell the word Sell would affront conscience and proclaims an open lie for the Patron presents a Minister not a Proctor to the Church not Parsonage Barn to the cure of Souls not of Tythes and accordingly the Bishop institutes The Parsonage is but a consequent provided by charitable Laws to support him in his Office and was never in the Patron For as the Digests affirm in their barbarous style v. l 1. tit 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacred things are of Divine Right and are holden of no Lord. The truth of which in our Law will be considered hereafter The Patron presents to the Church real rather than Metonymical that is to the Christians living in such a Parish to whom the Archdeacon by the Bishops mandate opens a Temple for publick worship Can the Agent say the party treated deserves not the whole profits this were to affront him and to shame his Matter that made so ill a choice Doth he say the Patron deserves a gratuity but then it must be free and may be done after without bargain Yet the very attempt to bargain shews the Patron unworthy by striving to betray his trust and to daub himself with the defilement of Simony and Sacrilege and to introduce a Priest by Perjury But what can the poor Priest reply to abate these high demands Is two hundred pound too much to purchase the Office of Christ's Ambassador that were to vilifie his Master and Calling Are not the souls of the people worth half the money What need is there then of any Pastor Is it a mean Office to be Priest of the most high God and a Saviour of himself and them that hear him what then is great O unfortunate Market where neither Buyer nor Seller can speak sense But you will say the Minister will transact this part by a friend true but this is to defile two conscience instead of one 2. The Clerick is the more guilty for doing by another what his own conscience is ashamed of 3. And the guilt no less for Proximus cujusque est quisque he knows well enough Qui facit per alium facit per se David was not excus'd for Uriah's Murder though slain by the Children of Ammon Nor Ahab o◠Naboths Murder though he lent not stone Nor St. Paul of devout Stephen Martyrdom though he lifted not singer against him Nay if done with out the Incumbents privily he is a Simonist in Law as will appear a non And an after discovery obliges him to grief as not called of Christ who calls none by sin As a Thief that came over the Wall as one that hath long lived upon the wages of unrighteousness And is bound to Resignation as Henry the 8th was to separation if the marriage were incestuous though not discovered till twenty years after 'T is no good Title to a stolen Horse that the Thief gave it to him though ignorant of the Thievery Accordingly the Novel Constitutions outed him Phot. Nom. Tit. 1. cap. 24. Schol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Transactor whom the imperial Law as well as the Canon calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c L. 3 Basil tit 1. c. 9. Phot. Nom. tit 1. c. 24. Schol. and the Latines call Interventorem Proxenctam c. is within the reach of justice too and punished in double the sum contracted for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and if he were a Clerick it was Degradation but to midwife this impure birth into the Church 2. Particularly the things Contracted for Which are as various as the subtil Serpents windings to elude the Laws and couzen the consciences of men which never appear long in any one shape So that the Schoolmen are fain to say Simony is committed not only by giving Money sed versatur in iis omnibus quae vel pecuniae aut pretio possunt aestimari and contains all valuable Conditions in order to a promotion to any spritual preferment Calv. Inst l. 4. c. 5. s 6. Calvin distinguishes them as many others before and since have done into munus a manu munus a linguâ and munus ab obsequio which different ages have differently explained 1. That a Manu intimates money or moneys worth whether Goods Cattle Bonds Covenants Leases or glebes or tythes at half rates or to debar tythes in some particular grounds or to perfect injurious practises ripening them into Customs but who can reckon all the strange turnings of this crooked Serpent It would affright an innocent conscience but to peep into these dark Cavern of iniquity 2. That a Linguâ is commonly understood to lie in flatteries but may extend to giving verbal Promises to offer intimations of willingness to renounce the Churches known rights or to acknowledge feigned Debts to be due to the Patron before such Negotiation Or to give leave to sel◠the Timber of the Glebes c. but who can account for the sacrilegious prodigality of the tongue 3. That ab obsequio when a man shall wait on the Patron gratis or submit to pay some of his debts or become his Steward or Bailiff for nothing or to entertain himself or Servants as oft as they come thither or to be Domestic Chaplain or to teach his children gratis Which is to pervert Gods Minister from the Altar to attend the Patrons drugery And to build up his own house with Gods Revenues Having considered the means let us now view 1. the greatness of this sin in general 2. The sad consequences that attend it 3. The severity of the Laws made against it 4. That of Bond Simony in particular 1. We may consider the greatness of this sin 1. In its original cause which is Avarice 'T is the viperous Spawn of that root of all evil and therefore is not only equal to but identical with Idolatry Eph. 5.5 Since the Selling of God in his gifts for Mony declares we value money above all The Pharisees thought Gold greater than the Altar but the Simonist worse than the vilest Pharisee thinks it greater than the Temple and its owner too Covetous Midas turned his food but this the bread of life into Gold The Golden Number with them is much before the Dominical Letter Both Buyer and Seller concluding that Money is a valuable consideration for all things concerning Religion They would be thought fine Gentlemen whom God brands with this mark of filthy lucre What will they answer when at the Judgment seat God shall deride them in the scornful words of the Prophet a goodly price that I was prized at of them Zech. 11.13 It seems then Judas is not the only men that sells nor the Jews the only men that buy their God And the great Iharasius saith Tolerabilior est Macedonii
haeresis that made the Spirit a Slave to God than the Simonist that makes him the Merchandize of men Dec. 1. q. 1. cos qui c. for when we sell him as our beast or our Slaves we declare him our Slave and that we have dominion over him No doubt these earthly souls count gain the greatest Godliness and with King John would sell their faith as well as Churches upon good Consideration Thus have we restored the Buyers and Sellers into the Temple whom Christ whipt out Per nummularios saith St. Hierom are meant beneficii ecclesiastici venditores Math. 21.12 Joh. 2.16 qui domum Dei faciunt speluncam latronum And Greg. Mag. explains L. 7. ep 110. Columbas vendere est de Spiritu Sancto quem sibi Deus per impositionem manuum hominibus tribuit commodum temporale percipere Upon this account the Church hath been oft branded for preferring Lucratinas artes loco Theologiae as Alliaco notes In. ep lib. de emendat eccles And the Germans sadly complain that their greatest Churches ob pecuniam infimis hominibus conferri V. 100. Grav Germ. were confer'd on the dregs of men for their Muck. And the flattering Canonists to ease the Popes and Cardinals Consciences in selling of benefices V. extra de ofsicii Judicis Deleg ex parte N. inglos cunningly distinguished between Simoniaca jure divino and jure positivo making the buying and selling Sacraments a thing seldom done and of little profit to be Simony by divine Law and selling benefices the greatest as well as wickedest trade driven in the Church to be Simony only by positive Law quo laxiores in peccando reddant conscientias says one And another of their own In aureo speculo crys out O Peter Peter what Troups of Souls hath this superstitious and damned Distinction sent and yet doth send headlong to hell It is the occasion says he and opens the way to their everlasting damnation Let greedy Patrons if they can shew any one title of divine Right or humane Law that favours so vile Oppression Or else let their Consciences acknowledge with the fathers Avaritiam Simoniae Matrem that it hath no other Womb but that of Avarice And then let them remember that old Verse Si vites mortem vites saligia mortis 2. From the villany it discovers that we have a very slight esteem of God and Religion What could discover the profaneness of Esau's mind Gen. 25.33.34 more than to sell his Fathers Blessing and Birthright which carried the Priesthood with it The Scripture saith when he had sold it Thus Esau despised his Birthright And thus was Jeroboam convicted of a false heart towards God in that he consecrated whosoever would purchase it to be a Priest to the Lord 1 King 13.33 even of the lowest of the people What is this but setting our Religion to sale And what can more evidence a carnal and worldly mind such a one is eased of all farther trouble of examining his heart and may take St. Peter's word for it as a case already judged that he is in the gall of bitterness Act. 8.23 and bond of iniquity Doth not he deal barbarously with God that will not let him have a Priest to serve at his Altar but at so dear a rate Had these Patrons liv'd in the time of Christ would they not have attempted to force a Fine from him for his high Priests Office Is not this making God a Merchant and retailing his Blessings for Money Had not Gehazi a sordid opinion of God's gift to Naaman that would value it at the rate of a Talent of Silver 2 King 5.20 How strangely would it look in Christ had he turned Stones into Bread and then set up a Bakers shop and sold Loaves for pence Or to have turn'd Water into Wine and then have retail'd it by Quarts for Money Or to cure the Sick Blind or Lame and then called for his Fee Or to catch Fish by miracle and then furnish the Shambles for Money By so doing he had shewed 't was Earth not Heaven 't was Gold not God that he valued Hoc enim est sub pretio redigere gratiam Can. siquis episc d. quest quae vendi non potest Says the Canon to set a rate upon grace that cannot be sold Apol. c. 39. For as Tert. well notes Neque enim pretio ulla res Dei constat nothing of God is saleable So that if the people sinfully pinch on the Parsons side the Patrons do more prophanely pinch on Gods side yea they sell their own Reputation for honesty and allow as many as know the contract the liberty to esteem them sacrilegious Atheists 3. From the inexcusableness of the Crime it being much more honest to die for want than live by robbery and sacrilege F. de offic praetor L. Barbaâ—â—â— colum 2. See what pains the fawning Canonists are at to excuse the Pope in this wicked practise Baldus holds he can't be a Simoniack though he take Money for Benefices and so says Bartol and Theodoric speaking of the schism between Urban and L. 1 c. 32. Clement gives the reason Quia Simonia excusatur per authoritatem ejus that is he is supreme and none can judge him for it but sure every Patron swells not to this Papal heighth The Summa Angelica saith that Simony is de jure positivo and the Pope can't be bound by his own constitutions De offic judicie deleg ex parte N. but sure the Laws against Simony are not the constitutions of private Patrons Felinus excuses him out of charity because of the Popes great profit Nam cessante tali redditu qui maximus est sedes apostolica contemneretur As if 't were lawful to live by unlawful means and cause enough to justify thievery that we are poor and that actions were then justifiable when profitable and the greatest Offenders were the least Criminals 'T is strangely bold to rob God to uphold our pomp and train But the Arch-deacon of Florence argues much better Papa est Dominus rerum temporalium by his Charter Tibi dabo claves and therefore may do what he will with his own But will our Patrons pretend to any such Dominion could all the wits of Rome have found any better excuses the Pope had not wanted them yet after all this adoe several of them stand infamed for this odious crime Langius charges Boniface the 9th with horrid Simonies Chr. ad an 2404. and Plutina many more Calvin cannot excuse one in a hundred and Marlarat condemns them all vix in toto Papatu reperiatur sacerdos qui non palam sit simoniacus and so says their own glosse Roma est caput avaritiae In Act. 8. ideo omnia ibi venduntur And 't was grown into a Proverb De modo celeb Conc. Tr. 20. Omnia Romae vaenalia Yea so common saith Durand as if it were indeed no