Selected quad for the lemma: order_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A50760
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A general discourse of simony by Ja. Metford.
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Metford, James.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing M1938; ESTC R1780
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70,265
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175
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be despised but virtue is cast off with it and by so doing men fit themselves for farther villanies Liberiùs peccant cum pudor omnis abest A blushful countenance is a kind of trash to an over fleet Villain A grave Philosopher asures us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. they have very impure souls that desire to be much spoken of for their great wickedness rather than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than abstaining from evil to live obscurely He must expect to be esteemed of no reputation that hath no other instruction for the Ministry but a Bag of Money under his arm 2. His Bonds given as his best qualification are suable at Law so that he must quit his Living compound with his Patron or pay it with charges Inst 3. f. 154. This was adjudged says Coke in the Common pleas Pasche Eliz. 40. rot 1745 in Gregory and Oldbury's case The Statute made nine years before doth not vacate the Bond unless he plead a Simoniacal Contract which is a very husbandly way to vacate the Living but doubtful whether it would void the Bond at last 3. It will blast his fortunes in marriage for who will bestow any thing better than an Abigail on him that is but Tenent by curtesie and is blown away by one breath of the Patrons mouth out of all he hath If the Incumbent conceals it when askt he cheats the Father-in-Law if he confess it the bargain is broken Nor is his credit better for who will lend him any considerable summ how importunate soever his necessities be that knows him indebted in a thousand Marks or out of his Living So that this kind of Simony is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 utter undoing Is his Purse so big as to talk of a Purchase but first says the Patron let him discharge my Bond and the fuller he is thought to be the greater is the Demand so that he hath the pains and the Patron the profit of his good husbandry And who will marry such an Incumbents Daughter whose Father may soon appear scandalous and so shame him and out of all and so lye upon him Our gentle Mother Academia blushes to see her Sons so bad Logicians as not to find this fallacy or distinguish themselves out of these Bonds But is it not better to have a Living in this manner Obj. than none at all 'T is better be idle than rob or steal Sol. and to follow no trade than a sinful one but much better with Marlorat to work with a Spade in a Town-Ditch than either 2. 'T is better to provide for the publick safety of the Church of Christ than our own Christ left Heaven to do it service and why can't we a Living All refusing these Simoniacal Contracts the Condition of all is better'd by it 3. You will lose nothing by it but appear the more conscientious and fitting man for the Ministry 4. The Money paid to enter by sin would maintain you till an entrance be offer'd without sin 5. 'T is better to have a bad Living with a good conscience than a good Living with a bad one 'T is more reasonable to believe the Lord hath no need of us than to intrude without a call Dec. de Sim. ◠q. 6. Greg. Mag. tells Siagrius Is qui invitatus renuet quaesitus refugit sacris altaribus est admovendus Qui ultro ambit vel importunè se ingerit est proculdubio repellendus This was the Primitive modesty some feigning themselves Fools some denying themselves to be Christians Others refusing to be baptized Others hiding themselves to avoid their Elections Greg. Nazianzen after he was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople equal then to the best preferment in the world by an Oecumenical Council observing some few Egyptian Bishops against him Hist eccl l. 7. c. 7. refused the Patriarchate as Sozomen and many others affirm Prisci viri sanctique homines difficilius ad Pontificatum vocabantur quam nunc ex alio amoventur Ae◠Sylv. ep 25. Cyp. to 1. ep 52. says Aeneas Sylvius And Holy Cyprian assures us Cornelius vim passus est ut episcopatum coactus exciperet Cornelius was forced into the Popedome by plain violence Eusebius Emissenus that great light of the Church was earnestly solicited to accept the Patriarchate of Alexandria by the Synod of Antioch or at least by Eusebius Patriarch of Constantinople Socrat. hist l. 2. c. 6. but he refused it as he had fled before to Alexandria from Antioch to avoid that Patriarchal See Pontius shews with what unwillingness holy Cyprian was call'd forth to the Primacy of Carthage Pontius in vit Cypr. Synesius that acute Divine and Philosopher declared in a Letter to his Brother that he believed not the Resurrection on purpose to avoid the Bishoprick of Cyrene which yet could not defend him Evagrius however took him at his word and hath left him on Record as an Infidel to the Resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Evagrius l. 1. c. 15. being in his opinion not so much as willing to seem to believe it So Eusebius Pamphili urged by the Common shout of the City of Antioch and solicited by Constantine's Letters upon the request of the Synod at Antioch yet constantly refused the Patriarchal See The Emperor hearing him alledge that it was against the Decree of the Fathers to remove from a less to a greater or other Diocess commended his self-denial Sozom. l. 2. c. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nyssen gives us a fair account of that man of wonders Gregorius Thaumaturgus Nyssen in vit Greg. Thaumat his flight into the Wilderness to escape the Chair of Naeo-Caesarea yet at length was strangely brought back to it by the prayers and contrivance of Phedimus Greg. Turon l. 10. c. 1. Jo. Diac. l. 1. c. 39 40. So Gregory the great after he was chosen by the Clergy and People of Rome to the Papal dignity wrote earnestly to Mauricius then Emperor to refuse his Confirmation of what the Electors had done that he might escape so weighty a charge as Gregory Turonensis and Joh. Diaconus report it The Rule then was Quaeratur Cogendus Epiph. ep ad Joh. Hieros his Neighbour Bishops oft caught ordained and restored several Presbyters that fled from him to escape cape holy Orders And this was the Imperial Decree that whoever was ambitious of holy Orders Col. l. 1. tit 3. de epis cler c. 31. should not be received This Sentence executed would abate the number of Simonists and make a thin Church amongst Conformists and Non-conformists too however it may serve to raise a shameful blush on the face of such as purchase their way of Entry 6. The world will conclude there is no merit where the entrance is attempted by Money 7. By such a Preferment you are more intangled than advanced and in a year or two when the Patrons will and pleasure is may be as far to seek as ever 8. By