three of those Examiners which he will to ioyne with him in the Examination of a fit succeeding Incumbent And these examiners being men of qualitie shall sweare by the holy Euangelist that setting aside all humane affection they shall faithfully execute their Office And let them take heed that vpon the occasion of their Examination neither afore nor after they finger any fee least otherwise as well they the receiuers as their giuers incurre the sinne of Simonie from which they cannot be absolued vnlesse they forgoe all their Benefices vpon what condition soeuer formerly obtained and become incapable of any afterwards And at euery Prouinciall Synod they may bee called to account and if they be found faultie to bee punished as the Synod shall appoint Nâ—w vpon euery such foresaid Examination those whom the Examiners approue of most for their sufficiencie shall be commended to the Bishop and of those let the Bishop choose him whom hee shall iudge most fit and vpon him and none else shall the Patron conferre the Benefice All other formes of institution let them be holden for surreptitious notwithstanding any exemption or priuiledge heretofore to the cantrary whatsoeuer or to whomsoeuer Thus this Councell And although I confesse this Chapter as also the whole Councell containing the whole Mystery of iniquitie is very perplexedly compiled as if the Councell meant no such matter though so speciously pretended as the judicious Reader may easily discerne when hee reads the Chapter it selfe being full of reseruations and equiuocations yet the reading of this Riddle may open a way to stop and stay this fretting Gangrene the Pearles gathered out of this mud may serue to hold our Simoniacall Merchant from dealing in other merchandize A sword framed out of this Forge may cut off the head of Simonie and a line drawne from the windings of this Circle may regulate and confine all irregular and Simoniacall persons Yet after all these wayes which haply may proue either irksome to him that hath not gone them before as for the Patron to be put to the Oathor wearisome to make them passable there is a shorter cut I confesse to a more speedy reformation but that it is very hard to hit vpon It cannot better be described then by setting downe an example or two of those that haue gone this way And heere wee haue a noble Precedent in the Emperor Henry the Fourth It is recorded by the late reuerend Bishop of Winchester in his Booke of Christian subiection and Antichristian rebellion the third part and taken out of Lambertus Scafn in Anno 1075. that this Henry the Fourth in the vacancie of the Abby of Fuld being sollicited very ambitiously by sundry Monkes and Friars competitors for the place on the sudden as led by a diuine spirit chose one Ruzelin a good honest poore Monke that dreamt of no such matter The like also this Emperour did vpon the vacancie of the Abby of Loressan For conclusion it were to bee wished that for the more carefull cure of this cursed cankered sinne all not onely profest Recusants but Church-Papists such as will come to the Chuâ—ch but once a moneth at most may bee by Act actually and potentially depriued dispossessed of all presentatiue power whatsoeuer in disposing of any Church-liuing And that for the better discouery euery Patron presenting shall presently take oath not onely of Allegeance but of Supremacie this being the Lidius Lapis or touchstone to discerne a true Christian from a counterfeit Catholike and a good Patron from a craftie Romish Latron For can the flocke bee in safetie when the dog is of the wolfes prouiding And will not such a wolfe bee sure to prouide such a dog as the Holy Ghost speaketh of by his Prophet Esa. 56.10 11. either some dumbe dog or lazie and sleepy mungrell or ranging spaniell or rauenous hound Such as are muzzled either ignorant and cannot or can and will not or would but dare not barke at sinne and sinners Or whose mangie manners are enough to infect his whole flocke or whose rangeing Non-residence giues the wolfe leaue to prey the more securely or whose rapatious and rauenous auarice deuoureth no lesse then doth the wolfe or in one word all of these of necessitie some grand Simoniacke so deepely drenched and bemudded with Simonie that he is for euer after so vnspongiable is this pitchy sinne both a laughing stocke to the wolfe and a stumbling blocke to his owne flocke For a Simonist he must needs bee and that some vnlettered Capito whom Popish Patrons amongst vs preferre to their Benefices accounting such money well got which they bestow in tam pios vsus vpon such pious vses as the maintenance of their Masse-Priests So that by this meanes the wolfe must bee maintained by the Simoniacall Pastor The Corollary directed especially to all Lay-Patrons and Lay-Purchasers of the Sacred Portion NOw before I shut vp my little Treatise I intreate all Lay-persons especially Patrons of Benefices and also all such Fathers as make no difference betweene the purchase of a Benefice and of a Farme to leaue as a portion for their children that they would patiently peruse and wisely weigh these few lines which as they proceed from a heart inflamed with the zeale of Gods glory of the propagation of his Church and of the Soule-saluation of all those whom it especially concerneth So I desire they may be affectuously imbraced and effectually followed of all For sith I speake vnto wise men let me speake the more freely in few words but they are the words of our Lord Iesus Christ What shall it profit a man if he win the whole world and lose his owne soule Hereby the Lord implies that a mans soule is infinitely of more value then the whole world Now if it be so in the whole what is it in euery little part What shall it profit a man if he winne a little piece of the world and lose his owne soule What gained Esau for selling his birthright and typically his soule for a messe of broth or Achan for a wedge of gold or Iudas for selling both his soule and his Sauiour for thirtie pence or Gihezi for selling his Masters gift for two talents or Ananias and Saphira for detaining what was vowed and consecrate Now God is the same iealous God still that hee was from the beginning And the Apostle saith concerning sacrilegious persons Be not deceiued God is not mocked for whatsoeuer a man soweth the same shall hee also reape But wherefore all this First this concerneth all Patrons to looke vnto it such as account it no lesse lawfull to sell a Benefice or to vsurpe by strong hand or cunning either the whole or a part to his owne proper improper vse then to sell his horse or house Now to all Patrons is my speech chiefly addressed The Benefices in your Patronage are but a gage committed to you of trust And it is no small trust The soules of Gods people are
Temporalls Or he who saith Giue vnto Caesar the things that are Gods Let mee but a little shake Aarons Rod and Christs many-corded Whip at our indisciplined Simon to make him at least attentiue to what the Scripture saith Tythes I am sure were once Sacred and what God hath once Sacred call not thou Common But when Sacred When Why not when Adam was first Created When hee was endued with the ten Moralls of the Law And is it not more then probable that among the ten the Lord allotted a Tythe for the maintenance of his seruice Seeing among the ten hee appointed a time for his seruice euen the Sabbath Day the Sanctification whereof Tythes were properly to attend vpon Tythes then no doubt were sacred from the beginning of Adams creation For else when did Abraham learne to pay tythe of All to Melchisedech the Priest of the most high God Or what moued Iacob to vow the paying of Tythes Was it onely from the Example of his grandfather Or were his Tythes onely voluntary and arbitrary till by vow made necessary Why not then his other seruice which he then vowed which he was bound to performe though hee had not vowed it at all His vow was but a stronger Bond to hold and helpe him to the better performance of that dutie which notwithstanding was due without a vow As our solemne vow in Baptisme is but a stronger Bond to tye vs to that obedience to God which wee ought most carefully to performe no lesse then if wee had not vowed at all But if as yet you deny Tythes to bee Consecrate and Sacred by diuine instinct or institution as wanting expresse precept yet at least you your selfe cannot but confesse they began then to be sacred when God said Leuit. 27.30 All the Tythe of the Land both of the Seed of the ground and the fruit of the Trees is the Lords it is holy to the Lord. Yea so holy so sacred that as in the next Verse If any man shall redeeme any of his Tythe he shall adde the fifth part thereto And euery Tythe of Bullocke and of Sheep and of all that goeth vnder the Rod The tenth shall be holy vnto the Lord v. 32. Yea so holy as v. 33. He shall not looke if it be good or bad neither shall he change it else if he change it both it and that it was changed with all shall be holy and it shall not be redeemed Loe then how sacred Tythes bee ratified by a double Tense They are holy and They shall bee holy to the Lord As Iacob confirmed his sonnes blessing I haue blessed him and hee shall bee blessed And where it is said That the Tenth Is holy to the Lord a Learned and Reuerend Prelate of our Church in his Booke of Tythes hath out of the Present Tense drawne this obseruation That the Tenth began not now to bee sacred or consecrated but onely to bee appropriathe for the time to the Leuites concluding the Ordinance to be morally perpetuall from the Creation CHAP. IIII. Tythes in the New Testament proued to be equally Sacred with those in the Old against the Simonists obiection and consequently the definition of Simony concluded according to the former definitions of it by the Schooles and Canons YEa saith our Simon I deny not but that the tenth was holy and sacred during the time of the Old Testament but it ceaseth to be so now in the New O Heresie worthy of Simon himselfe O Folly well beseeming the Aramites who being alreadie ouercome in the Mountaines promised to themselues the Victorie in the Vally Saying The Lord is the God of the Mountaines and not God of the Vallyes And is the Lord the God of the Old Testament and not God of the New Yes euen of the New also For Marke The Tythes were not said to bee holy to the Leuites but to the Lord Nor that they were the Leuites but the Lords The Tythes is the Lords it is holy to the Lord Leuit 27.30 Therefore the Lord rebuking the Iewes for neglecting the payment of their Tythes hee takes the wrong as done to himselfe saying Yee haue robbed Mee Mal. 3.8 Hee saith not Yee haue spoyled the Leuite and the Priest but yee haue spoyled Mee Yf then the Lord himselfe and not the Leuite bee intitled and interessed in the proper right of Tythes then certainely they are as sacred now in the New Testament as euer they were in the Old The Tythes are holy to the Lord. Leuit. 27.28 and they shall bee holy to the Lord v. 32. They are holy it was said then to the Lord of the Old Testament and they shall bee holy to the Lord of the New Testament And to vs there is but one Lord. And tell mee foolish selfe deceiuing Simonist whosoeuer thou art tell me when and where Tythes ceased to be sacred and if thou canst not tell how darest thou call them Temporalls But let me tell thee by the Word of the Lord that Tythes are perpetually sacred Search the Scriptures Goe learne what that meaneth Abraham gaue Melchisedech Tythe of all If thou vnderstandest it not aske the Apostle and it is worth the consideration For Consider saith hee how great this man was vnto whom euen the Patriark Abraham gaue Tythe of the Spoyles Abraham the Father of all the Faithfull not of the Iewes onely but of vs Gentiles also payd Tythe of All. To whom To Melchisedeck And what was this Melchisedeck Priest of the most high God King of Righteousnesse King of Salem in all a perfect Type of Christ our eternall high Priest the Lord our righteousnesse Prince of Peace Did Abraham then the Father of the Faithfull yea the Type of Gods fathfull Church in the Loynes of whose faith as I may say were all the faithfull giue the Tythe of all to Melchisedeck the true Type of Christ our eternall high Priest and the Minister of a better Testament and shall wee doubt to tread in the steps of faithfull Abraham except wee will be Bastards and not Sonnes And if the Apostle vse it as an Argument to proue Christs Priesthood more excellent then Aarons inasmuch as euen Leui in the Loynes of Abraham paid Tythes to Melchisedeck How doe wee then vphold and maintaine this Prerogatiue of Christs Priesthood while wee either deny or diminish his right of Tythes in the Ministry of the New Testament Sith Aaron who was farre inferiour receiued Tythes in the Old yea rather if the Leuiticall Priesthood being inferiour receiued Tythes then the Euangelicall being superiour much more And why is Leui said in the Loynes of Abraham to haue paid Tythes to Melchisedeck but plainely to giue vs to vnderstand that this payment implied an acknowledgement of Christ their Souereigne Lord and true high Priest as in whose onely title and right they also receiued Tythes Hence is it that all the Leuites paid the tenth of their Tenths to Aaron the high Priest and to his Successors Hee being
their hospitall reliefe and goe sculke in some corner of the Citie or other and there thrust himselfe into some Lecture there hee gathers vp his crums againe And after some miserable difficultie recouering himselfe doth hee then retire home to feede his flocke Nothing lesse But as Issachar hee is like a strong Asse couching downe betweene two burthens he seeth that rest is good and the land pleasant and now begins he tooth and naile to gather another stocke to purchase another preferment and that done after awhile another and so the tyde at last comes in so fast vpon him as it beares vp his Barke now readie rigged for any Port of preferment or Prelacy like some trauailing heads who for gayne will hazard their life in some farre and dangerous voyage but herein vnlike Those goe with a minde and hope to returne home These seldome or neuer so much as once looke backe towardâ— their more homely home on the Playne fearing belike the punishment of Lots wife So eager they be with the wingâ— of Ambition to flie to the highest Mount of preferment aâ— if there were no safetie but there Those againe lay out one to receiue three or foure at their returne These will giue three for one if they neuer returne Whence what mischiefe to the Church What decay of Religion What coldnesse of deuotion What contempt of the sacred Calling What scandall to the Gospell What ignorance the mother of Popish deuotion indeede of all impietie and profanenesse of all heresie and superstition All threatning imminent and ineuitable danger if it bee not the sooner preuented by a happy reformation both to Church and Common-wealth It were endlesse to muster vp all the mischiefes which follow this one Generall Simonie A worthy Minister once of this Church said A Simonist is a perpetuall eare-boared bond-slaue to his Patron Hee hath no warrant to teach the people and commonly lesse successe Whereas if a man be sent of God to gouerne a people neuer so ignorant and fierce God will put his hand betweene and tame them According to that of the Prophet Ierem. 23.32 I sent not those Prophets nor commanded them therefore they shall not profit this people at all saith the Lord. I will conclude therefore with two or three zealous and pithy Admonitions of Gregorie to this purpose in his 64. Epistle to Queene Bruniâ—hilda hee instantly exhorteth her to roote out of her Kingdome this heresie of Simonie saying Prouidete animae vestrae c. Haue a care of your soule haue a care of your posteritie to whom you wish a happy raigne haue a care of your Prouinces and before our Creator put forth his hand to smite bethinke you most carefully of the correction of this sinne And in his 51. Epistle to Virgilius Bishop of Aâ—les Constat c. It is reported that in the prouinces of France and Germanie none is admitted to holy Orders without giuing a bribe if it be so I speake it with teares I denounce it with griefe that the Priestly order being decayed inwardly the outward state of it cannot stand And Epist. 54. Hee exhorteth Theodorick the French King to assemble a Synode V◠〈◊〉 c. That all euill conuersation of the Priests and Sâ—mâ—niacall heresie which first arose in the Church by impious ambition may by the definitiue Sentence of the Councell â—acked with the censure of your authoritie bee taken away and rent vp by the roâ—â—es Lest if gold be morâ— set by theâ— God Hee whose gentlenesse is now dispised in his precepts may afterwards cause â—ee wrath to be felt in reuenge And Epist. 57. to Queene Brunichilda Synodum c. Call a Synode and amongst other things carefully cause the heresie of Simonie to be abandoned out of your Kingdome For beleeue me as we haue learned by manifold experience That is to bee reckoned among our losses whatsoeuer is gayned by sinne If therefore you would bee defrauded of nothing vniustly bee carefull to possesse nothing vniustly For in earthly things alwayes the cause of damage is originally from sinne If therefore you would out-strip your aduerse Nations if by Gods assistance you desire the conquest of them intertaine with reuerence the Commandements of the same Almightie Lord that hee may vouchsafe to fight for you against your foes who â—ath in his holy Oracle promised saying The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace So this last good Bishop of Rome Now the Almightie Lord God giue grace to this Church and Common-wealth that for the still flourishing of his glorious Gospell amongst vs the good of our soules the welfare of our estates the settling of our peace the securing of our posteritie and the subduing of all our enemies there may be stirred vp in vs all a godly care and conscience to ioyne hearts and hands together to the vtter extirpation if possible of this mother sinne of Simonie CHAP. XVI Of the cutting off or curing of Simonie ALthough when the Article of Simonie among other enormities came to bee considered of in the Councell of Trent for reformation it was cautelously proposed that the abuse occurring in the collation of Benefices should not be mentioned as being an infirmitie not to be cured with any remedie but death Yet sith this Mâ—rbus Romanâ—-Catholicuâ— is not yet growne so epidemicall or inueterate in the maine branches of the true Catholicke Church but that there is some hope left of staying the further spreading and of allaying the fury of it My conclusion shall bee an humble supplication to the Almightie to whom nothing is impossible through the mediation of the great Shepheard to perswade and moue his Vice-gerent our gracious King and the most honourable and high Court of Parliament now assembled That for as much as Simonie is the very Masse of all mischiefe and misdemeanure both in Church and Common-wealth It would therefore please his Royall Maiestie and this Noble Assembly to adde some more cords to the whip of former Lawes and to make and take order that it bee more surely and seuerely inflicted vpon the transgressors in this kind True it is that we Ministers for our parts need not desire any other Lawes for the restraint of Simonie then the Oath it selfe which alone is sufficient if there were no other reason to make vs decline all the wayes of Simonie For how many thousands doth this Oath alone preuaile with Loth we are in the most opposite sense to become a spectacle to the world and to Angels and to men Wee will chuse rather with the Apostles of Christ to become spectacles for our pouertie and contempt which our very Calling suffereth of the vngratefull world Therefore as Ezra the Priest was ashamed to require of the King a Guard for his safe conduct hauing professed to the King and promised to himselfe that God would guard and defend them that seeke him in goodnesse So I confesse and that in the name of all
my reuerend Brethren I cannot but bee ashamed to request of my Soueraigne any other stronger guard to keepe off this dangerous way-laying enemy from assaulting Gods Ezraes his Priests and Ministers as they are going towards Hierusalem to the repairing of the Temple to the reedifying of the ruines of Gods Church in these last loosest times seeing we of all other professe our selues precedents of Vertue patters and patrons of the practise of Pietie of faith towards God of pure conscience amongst men and whom not direfull Oathes inuented by mans wit should constraine but the liuely Oracles of Gods Word should sweetly and graciously moue to come with pure hearts and cleane hands to beare yea to bee the holy vessels of the Lord in his Sanctuary But forasmuch as many doe take their first degree of Simonie before their commencement in the Vniuersitie and perhaps before they haue taken Orders in the Church as some prettie pregnant Pedant that hath learned to distinguish per se aut per alium to contract by precontract but ignorant of the nature of such bargaines fals vnwittingly into the snare and seeing also that if there were no sellers there would bee no buyers at all therefore for the preuention of much Simonie either betweene the Patron and his Schoole-master or between the Patron his neighbor too prouident for his sonnes preferment it were to bee wished that the Oath of Simonie might be ministred to the Patron presenting that so the wicket being stopt vp the path in time would be so ouergrowne as men would bee diuerted from euer seeking to enter at the broâ—d gates Though if some wily Chapman can with his Logicke or rather selfe-deceiuing sophistry find out euasions euen beyond Hercules pillars Directly and Indirectly beyond which there cannot bee plus vltrae will not the Merchant trow wee by some tricke or quillet in Law as easily waft himselfe out of that narrow mouthed strait Notwithstanding I say it were to bee wished that as well the Presenter as the Presenteâ— might take the Oath Howsoeuer I would to God that a seuere penaltie might bee indifferently imposed vpon both the Simoniacall parties and that the Patron peccant might not onely bee dispossessed of all present title of presentation but for â—uer afâ—er depriued and disabled of being capable of any presentatiue power And this stands with good reason and equitie seeing the sinne of the Seller except the condition of his person may somewhat extenuate it in comparison of the buyer if he be sacred is not inferiour to that of the buyer For as Gelasiuâ— saith Dantem paritâ—r accipientem damnatio Simoniâ— iâ—uâ—luiâ— The giuer together with the receiuer is inâ—olued in the same damnation of Simon And the buyer we know the Relatiue peccant is by ancient Canons depriued and dispossessed of all spirituall promotion and Ministeriall function both for the present and the future And if either shall be found periured let them vndergoe the penaltie of Periury Paulus Venâ—tus p. 2. to restraine the sinne of Simonie saith Cum detestabile Sceluâ— Simoniacâ— prauitatis tam Diuinorum quà m Sacrorum Canonum authoritas abhorreat atque damnet nos considerantes quod plures poenarum grauitas quam Dei Timor arcâ—re solet à voluntate peccandi ac sumâ—is defidâ—rijs affectantes vt horum pâ—steferum vitium non ex vsusolum sed etiam mentibus hominum saltem propter poenarum metum peâ—itus euellatur c. Seeing the authoritie as well of diuine as sacred Canons doth abhor and condemne the detestable sinne of Simoniacall prauitie wee considering that the greatnesse of punishments is commonly of more force to restraine most men from prâ—nenesse vnto sinne then the feare of God and earnestly desiring that the pestiferous vice of these men at least for the feare of penalties may bee altogether rooted out not onely from the vse but also from the mindes of men c. Hee includes and inuolues all of what degree or â—ignitie soeuer whether Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall giueâ—s or receiuers principalls or accessaries in the same penaltie of Simonie and that is suspension from the execution of their plaâ—â— and function and excommunication not to bee absolued but by the Pope himselfe except in the very point of death Extrau qoâ— li. 3. de Sim. ca. 2. And here let mee craue leaue to relate a passage in the Councell of Trent concerning this purpose which whether it may bee thought a good rule and law to vs for the better preâ—ention of Simonie I referre to grauer iudgements The Church of Rome being desperately and deadly sicke with infinite enormious diseases especially of her Clergie in whom that of Simony might challenge the precedencie This Councell pretending but neuer inâ—ending as the sequell proueth a reformation after much adoe and long debatemenâ— about the Care of such an inueterate and epidemicall disease at length the Romish Doctors hauing beaten their braines about it set downe their Recipe as an Antidote against Simonie at length I say after sore trauell posting to Rome and againe this Catholicke Mother brings forâ—h a faire and well featured Child to see to which if it had not proued abortiue in the birth might haue liued to haue wrought wonders in the coniuring downe of the spirit of Simonie which Simon the Sorcerer first coniured vp Wherefore finding this Infant lying all along dead and exposed in the eighteenth Chapter of the twentie foure Session of that Councell Let mee not with Gehezies staffe but with Elizeus his spirit proue if any life may be fetcht againe out of it Thus it lieth Expedit maximè animaerum saluti à dignis atque idoneis Parochis gubernari id vt diligentius ac rectius perficiatur statuit Sancta Synoduâ— c. Loe what a faire and well-fauoured face is here It is most behoouefull for the saluation of soules to bee gouerned by worthy and fit Pastors which that it may the more diligently and duely be effected the holy Synod doth decree that vpon the vacuation of any Benefice the Bishop should presently vpon the notice of it take order for a fit Incumbent Rector for which purpose the Bishop and the Patron within ten dayes or such a time limited by the Bishop shall nominate some fit Clerkes to gouerne the Church before the Examiners that are to be deputed and appointed Yea let it also bee free for others who shall kâ—ow any to be fit for that function to bring their names that a diligent inquiry may thereupon beâ— made of euery ones age manners and sufficiencie And if it seeme good to the Bishop or Prouinciall Synod let them also bee called by publike Edict as many as are willing to bee examined And to the end a fit choice may bee made let there be appointed at euery yeeres Diocesan Synod of the Bishop or his Deputie at the Visitation sixe Examiners approued of the whole Synod that at the Vacancy of any Church in the Diocesse the Bishop may choose