for them in the Church and instead of the Prayers that are to be recited by them in the Evening they shall say Thirty-three Pater Nosters and as many Ave Maries with the Gloria Patri c. as in the Morning and when they are ended they shall say * Nine It would have been no true Roman Devotion had not the Ave Maries exceeded the Pater Nosters for one may speak within compass and say that the blessed Virgin has ten Prayers and an hundred Vows made to her in the Church of Rome where Christ has one made to him and of this the Tabulae Votivae in their Churches are a clear demonstration there being few or none of these Tables and there are vast numbers of them in several Churches but what are dedicated solely to the honour of the blessed Virgin nine Ave Maries to our Lady and one Pater Noster and one Ave Mary for the Pope and another for the Bishop as in the Morning provided that such as have Books shall recite by them and not by Beads and such as recite by Beads if they have said any of the Prayers either in the Morning or Evening at Church shall not be obliged to recite them again but shall only recite those which they may have omitted there Decree VI. THe Synod doth command the Creed of St. Athanasius Quicunque vult to be translated into Syrian and to be put into all the Breviaries and Books of Prayer of this Diocess and to be read every Sunday in the Church immediately after Morning Service desiring the Reverend Father Francisco Roz of the Society of Jesus to translate it and all the Curates and Clergy to learn the said Creed by Heart which is what the Holy Canons recommend to them for as much as that Creed contains in it summarily the chief Mysteries of our Faith and is used and sung in the Universal Church Decree VII THe Synod doth earnestly recommend it to all the Clergymen and Curates not to be absent from Church at the time of Divine Service Morning nor Evening and that none offer to talk or divert themselves there any other way as has been the Custom or to dispose themselves to sleep whilst others are reciting who are also to take notice that in reciting they ought not to begin a new Verse before the Congregation has done with the former and that tho' it has hitherto been the custom for the oldest Clergyman that was present at Divine Service to give the Casture that from henceforward the true Vicar of the Church being present shall in every thing be preferr'd to all others as he is the particular Pastor of the Church Decree VIII THere being no reason why they that do not minister in the Church should be equally rewarded with those that do it seems just to the Synod that the Curates and other Clergymen that are absent either from Morning or Evening Service or from the Mass of the day on Sundays and Holydays be marked by the Vicar or the oldest Clergyman in his absence that when the Dividend comes to be made for every time they have been absent so much may be deducted from their share as they that make the distribution shall think fit in proportion to the quantity of the Dividend which shall be done only when they are not hindred by some lawful Impediment as Sickness or are not otherwise employed in the Service of the Church or by the Prelate in all which cases they are to be excused and the Sconses shall be equally divided among the rest Decree IX THe Synod being informed that great numbers of Clergy-men do use superstitious and Heathen Exorcisms taking words out of an impious and prohibited Book called Parisman for the casting out of Devils doth command in virtue of Holy Obedience that none presume to use any other exorcisms to that effect but such as the Roman Church makes use of and have been approved of by the Holy Fathers which are to be bound up with the Offices of the Administration of the Sacraments and all Clergymen that shall be found to use any other or to use any unknown superstitious words or Ceremonies with such as are possessed shall be suspended from their Office and Benefice for a Year and be subject to what other penalties the Prelate shall be pleased to lay upon them according to the quality of the Superstitions they have made use of and in case they shall after they have been admonished and censured persist therein they shall then be Excommunicated and when it shall appear that any have acted thus upon any compact or contract with the Devil which God forbid as it is said some do they shall be declared Excommunicate until they have done the condign Penance which the Prelate shall have imposed upon them and shall be moreover suspended from their Office and Benefice during their Lives without any hopes of a dispensation and shall be yet further punished as the Law requires they should be who are guilty of such Crimes and are convicted of having had a compact with the Devil Decree X. WHereas there are several Clergymen who according to the superstitious Custom of the Heathens do give good days for Marriages and do several other things at the request of Christians for the Heathens and for that end keep an account of the lucky and unlucky days of the Gentiles in their Books and do use some of their Prayers and do make Schemes after the manner of Astrologers as appears from several even of their Church-books the Synod doth command in virtue of Holy Obedience and upon pain of the greater Excommunication that no Ecclesiastical or Secular or Cassanar shall dare to give good or bad days for Marriages or on any other occasion or to draw any thing out of a Book of Lots and namely out of that which is generally bound up with the Book called Parisman or out of any other place or by whomsoever invented and whosoever shall transgress herein shall be declared excommunicate and shall be suspended from their Office for a Year and six Months from their Benefice it being the duty of the Priests rather to admonish the People to avoid all Heathen Superstitions and to chuse the solemn days of the Church or the Saints days who may intreat God for them for the celebration of their Marriages or any other days they please all days being good to those that do good upon them being all equally the work of Gods hands Those only which are spent in the greatest works and the higher celebration of the Divine Mysteries being the days that are to be most reverenced Decree XI WHereas it is decent that Priests being the Masters from whom the People are to learn good Manners should themselves give good example the Synod is therefore much concerned for the scandal some give by their being disorderly in their eating and drinking to the great disgrace of the Sacerdotal Office among so many Infidels and does recommend Moderation
when they shall be called to administer the Sacrament of Vnction and whensoever they are carried to Church for Baptism or are carried to the Sick they shall be always carried by a Priest if it is possible but at least by one in Holy Orders and upon Holy Thursday they shall either burn all the Oils that remain of that Year in the Lamps of the Church or pour them into the Font so as after that day not to make use of any Oils but such as are new which after Easter they shall either go or send to the Prelate for or to the place where he has ordered them to be distributed and in case the See be vacant they shall then by order from the Governour of the Diocess have recourse to the Bishop of Cochim and the Vicars that shall neglect to go or send for the said Holy Oils for the use of their Churches so as not to have them within a month after Easter shall be suspended by the Prelate who is desired to be very watchful in this matter from his Office and Benefice for six months and be obliged to fetch them and the Children that shall be baptized during that time shall be anointed with the Holy Oils of Baptism when they come neither shall the Vicars depart from hence until they are fully instructed in the use of the Oils by Persons appointed by the Synod to teach them that so they may not be mistaken in the administration of the Holy Sacraments Decree IX THere being a great Confusion in this Bishoprick as to the Holy days that are to be kept under the Obligation of a Mortal Sin as well as to the hearing of Mass as to the doing of Work wherefore the Synod doth declare that they are these following to wit all the Sundays in the Year In January the first day being the Circumcision of our Lord and the sixth being the Feast of the Epiphany In February the second day being the Purification of our Lady and the twenty fourth being the Feast of the Apostle St. Matthew which in the Bissextile is to be celebrated on the twenty fifth In March the twenty fifth day being the Anunciation of our Lady In April the twenty third being the Feast of St. George the Martyr according to the custom of this Bishoprick In May the first being the Feast of the Apostles St. Philip and St. James In June the twenty fourth being the Feast of St. John the Baptist and the twenty ninth being the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul In July the second being the Visitation of our Lady and the third being the Feast of the glorious Apostle St. Thomas which by some is said to be the day of his Translation by others of his arrival in these parts and which has by ancient custom been still kept in this Bishoprick and the twenty fifth being the Feast of the Apostle St. James In August the sixth being the Tranfiguration of our Lord according to the custom of this Bishoprick the fifteenth the Assumption of our Lady and the twenty fourth the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle In September the eighth being the Nativity of our Lady the fourteenth the Feast of the Holy Cross according to the custom of this Bishoprick The twenty first the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle the twenty ninth the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel In October the twenty seventh being the Feast of the Apostles St. Simon and St. Jude In November the first being the Feast of All Saints the thirtieth of St. Andrew the Apostle In December the eighth being the Conception of our Lady the eighteenth being the day whereon the * Holy Cross The stone Cross that was found under ground at Maliapor with the Blood of St. Thomas and Sword wherewith he was Marry'd by Gabriel de Ataide a Portugueze Priest as he was digging a Foundation for a Church about the Year 1547. is reported to have sweat at a most prodigious rate upon the day of our Ladies Expectation being the 18th of December in the Year 1557. and to have continued always to sweat upon the same Festivity until the Year 1566. to which pious Fraud for that is the best that can be said of it the Archbishop and Synod it seems gave so much credit as to dedicate the 18th of December to the Memory thereof Holy Cross of the Apostle St. Thomas did sweat the twenty first being the Feast of the same Holy Apostle St. Thomas the twenty fifth the Feast of the Nativity the twenty sixth the Feast of St. Stephen the Protomartyr the twenty seventh of St. John the Evangelist the twenty eighth of the Innocents The Thursday of our Lord's Supper from the time the Offices are begun in the Church until midnight according to the custom of the Church Easter and the three days following notwithstanding they may have hitherto observed only two days The day of our Lord's Ascension the most Holy Feast of Pentecost with the two following days The most Holy Feast of the Body of God or of the most Holy Sacrament which according to the custom of these parts they celebrate on the Thursday after Easter Also the days of the Consecration of their Churches and the Feasts of the Saints to whom they were Dedicated in their own Parishes only The Synod doth furthermore declare That the Fridays from Christmas to Lent which use to be observed in some Parts shall not be kept hereafter the Saints that were Celebrated on some of them having their particular Feasts and others of them being Dedicated to Hereticks as is above observed whose Memories ought not to be Celebrated and the Vicars shall not fail on Sundays at Mass to warn the People of all the Holy-days of the Week that so they may be advertised to keep them Decree X. NOt only what Holy-days were to be kept were uncertain and not uniformly observed in this Bishoprick but the same also happened to the Fasting-days which Christians are under an obligation to keep wherefore the Synod doth declare that the Fasting-days as well the Ancient ones as those that are now commanded are these following The Holy and Solemn Fast of Lent which according to the Custom of this Bishoprick begins upon the Monday after Quinquagesima The Holy Fast of Advent which is kept in this Bishoprick with great rigor from the Sunday that is next to the first of December until Christmas The first day of February being the Vigil of the Purification of our Lady the 23d being the Vigil of St. Matthias the Apostle The 23d of June being the Vigil of St. John the Baptist and the 28th of St. Peter and St. Paul The 24th of July being the Vigil of St. James the Apostle The 12th of August being the Vigil of the Assumption of our Lady and the 23d of St. Bartholomew the Apostle The 7th of September being the Vigil of our Lady's Nativity the 13th of the Holy Cross The 27th of October being the Vigil of St. Simon and Jude
to Instruct Sick Persons in the Use of Extream Vnction p. 286 Dec. III. The Manner in which the Extream Vnction is to be administred p. 287 ACTION VII Of the Sacraments of Order and Matrimony p. 288 Of the Doctrine of the Sacrament of Order p. 288 Dec. I. Ordains who are fit for Orders p. 291 Dec. II. Such as have been Simonaically ordained dispensed with p. 293 Dec. III. None to celebrate that have the Leprosie p. 293 Dec. IV. Such as live in Malice not capable of the Casture or Blessing c. p. 294 Dec. V. Directions for saying the Divine Offices declared a Mortal Sin not to recite the whole p. 295 Dec. VI. Commands the Athanasian Creed to be translated into Syrian and the Clergy to get it by heart p. 297 Dec. VII Exhorts Clergymen not to be absent at Divine Service with directions for their Behaviour thereat c. p. 297 Dec. VIII Clergymen to be deducted in their part of the Dividend for every time of absence except in case of lawful Impediment p. 298 Dec. IX Commands that no Exorcisms be used save those of the Church of Rome p. 299 Dec. X. Forbids under pain of the Greater Excommunication all Superstitions Heathenish Customs of foretelling lucky and unlucky Days for Marriage c. p. 300 Dec. XI Priests not to Eat or Drink with Infidels or in a Tavern or Publick Eating House upon pain of Suspension and why p. 301 Dec. XII Commands the Clergy to wear a distinct Habit from the Laity with other directions for their Behaviour p. 302 Dec. XIII Clergy not to meddle in Secular Affairs p. 303 Dec. XIV Commands all the Clergy to wear the Habit Tonsure and Shaven Crown p. 304 Dec. XV. No Ecclesiastick to receive pay from any King as a Soldier p. 304 Dec. XVI No Clerk in Orders to Marry upon pain of Excommunication p. 305 Dec. XVII Suffers such as have been married and turn away their Wives to exercise their Function p. 308 Dec. XVIII Wives of Priests called Catatiara's to be degraded from their Honour in the Church and benefit in the Profits unless they leave their Husbands p. 309 Dec. XIX Declares how far this Synod is to be guided by the Trent Council p. 310 Dec. XX. Forbids Simony p. 311 Dec. XXI Provides Means for the preventing of Simony p. 314 Dec. XXII Provides further for the prevention of Simony p. 314 Dec. XXIII None to be put in Orders during the Vacancy of the See and why p. 316 The Doctrine of the Sacrament of Matrimony p. 317 Dec. I. Marriage to be celebrated according to the directions of the Council of Trent p. 320 Dec. II. None to be Married without present Consent together with the Marriage Form and the manner of Consenting p. 321 Dec. III. Banns to be published according to the Council of Trent how p. 323 Dec. IV. Orders a Register for Marriages as also a Method for registring them p. 324 Dec. V. Marriages to be celebrabrated in the Church and the Parties to be Married to Confess and receive the Eucharist before they can be Married p. 325 Dec. VI. Degrees of Kindred where Marriage is prohibited p. 326. Dec. VII Spiritual Kindred prohibited what p. 328 Dec. VIII The Metropolitan to dispence with such Marriages both past present and to come c. p. 329 Dec. IX Unlicensed times for Marrying which p. 331 Dec. X. Ordains what Age Parties to be Married shall be of p. 331 Dec. XI Separations in this Matter forbid p. 332 Dec. XII Declares all Marriages void that are not performed according to the Form of the Council of Trent p. 333 Dec. XIII Forbids Polygamy p. p. 334 Dec. XIV Consulting of Wizzards and using Heathenish Superstitious Ceremonies for success in Marriage prohibited p. p. 335 Dec. XV. Against Heathenish Ceremonies in Marriage Contracts p. 336 Dec. XVI Against a Judaical Ceremony used by Married People p. 337 ACTION VIII Of the Reformation of Church-Affairs p. 338 Dec. I. For dividing the Diocess into Parishes and appointing Ministers c. p. 338 Dec. II. Division and Vniting of Parishes belongs to the Prelate c. p. 340 Dec. III. Pluralities condemned p. 341 Dec. IV. No Parochial Church to be without a Curate p 342 Dec. V. The disuse of Christianity ordered to be enquired into p. 343 Dec. VI. Orders the Church of Travancor to be rebuilt and a Vicar Collated to the place p. 344 Dec. VII Orders Preachers to be sent to Tadamalla and why p. 344 Dec. VIII Three Vessels of Oil to be kept in the Church p. 345 Dec. IX Holy Days or Feasts of the Church on what days to be kept p. 347 Dec. X. Fasts upon what days to be kept p. 350 Dec. XI The Malavar Christians Custom of Keeping Lent approved of p. 353 Dec. XII How far Fasting obligatory p. 354 Dec. XIII Some Heathenish Washings condemned p. 355 Dec. XIV The Use of Consecrated Ashes p. 356. Dec. XV. No Flesh to be Eat upon Saturdays but in some cases permitted on Wednesdays p. 357 Dec. XVI The Obligation of not eating Flesh lasts from Midnight to Midnight c. p. 357 Dec. XVII Water to be blessed by throwing holy Salt into it how to be used p. 358 Dec. XVIII Boys and Girls to be instructed in the Doctrines of the Church of Rome p. 360 Dec. XIX Directions for saying the Ave mary p. 362 Dec. XX. Commands Bowing at at the Name of Jesus p. 362 Dec. XXI Mattins and Processions order'd on Christmas Eve p. 363 Dec. XXII Surplice and Stole ordered to be used in the Administration of Sacraments p. 365 Dec. XXIII Candles to be blessed when p. 366 Dec. XXIV Commanding an Universal Cessation from Work on the Sabbath Day p. 367 Dec. XXV Churches formerly dedicated to Marxobro and Marphrod to be dedicated to All Saints c. p. 368 Dec. XXVI The Poors Box to be kept in the Overseers House and why and how p. 372 Dec. XXVII Capiars appointed to keep the Churches clean p. 373 Dec. XXVIII Cupboards and Chests ordered to be kept in the Vestries and why p. 374 Dec. XXIX Images to be set up in Churches p. 374 Dec. XXX Churches to be re-consecrated for what p. 376 Dec. XXXI Sick Persons prohibited to lie in the Church p. 377 Dec. XXXII All dead Corps to to be buried in Holy Ground and by a Priest p. 378 Dec. XXXIII Orders for the Burying such as die of the Small-Pox p. 379 Dec. XXXIV No Church to change the Name by which it was consecrated p. 379 Dec. XXXV Gentle Methods recommended for the reducing of Infidels to the Church p. 381 Dec. XXXVI Orders all Poor People that desire to turn Christians to be received to Baptism 382 Dec. XXXVII Commands that all be taught to Cross themselves from the Left to the Right p. 383 Dec. XXXVIII Execution of Wills declared to belong to the Bishops p. 384 Dec. XXXIX The Office of Burial to be performed for all except such as die under Excommunication
to be made speedily by the most Illustrious Metropolitan in the Churches of this Bishoprick all Men and Women that are above seven years old do come to be Christen'd or Confirmed those only excepted who were confirmed by the said Lord in his former Visitation or at some other or on some other occasion by some other Bishop this Sacrament as well as that of Baptism being never to be repeated in so much that all that receive it a second time wittingly are guilty of a great piece of Sacrilege besides that they receive no Sacrament thereby But in case any are doubtful whether they have ever been confirmed or not or should not remember that they were ever they shall declare so much to the said Lord or to the Bishop that is to confirm them that they may order the matter according to the merit of their doubts But if any which God forbid should sacrilegiously and obstinately despise the said Sacrament it being proved upon them they shall be declared Excommunicate until such time as they have done condign Penance and shall be punished at the pleasure of the Prelate Decree II. THe Synod to its great sorrow having been informed that some ignorant Persons in Sacred Matters and the Doctrine of the Holy Sacraments of the Church being instigated by the Devil to persist in their cursed Schism did in several places resist the most Illustrious Metropolitan in his former Visitation of these Churches so far as not only to refuse to receive the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation from him but did also oppose him publickly in the Churches and that many did absent themselves some whereof excused themselves by pretending that it was an unnecessary thing and that they had never seen nor heard of it before and others that they should be affronted by the Holy Ceremony of the Prelates touching their Cheek scurrilously upbraiding those that had received it with base provoking words telling them that they had suffer'd themselves to be affronted and buffeted with other such Sacrilegious Expressions full of Infidelity and Heresy arising from the Schism wherein they have been brought up Whole Towns conspiring together so far in this Mutiny that the despising or receiving this Holy Sacrament became the Test of their obedience or disobedience to the said Metropolitan doth therefore notwithstanding it knows they have all in common and every one in particular repented of this and being sensible of the greatness of the error they committed therein have beg'd pardon for it and upon their having confess'd their Ignorance have been graciously received by the said Lord Metropolitan and having submitted themselves to the obedience of the Holy Roman Church are ready to do all that shall be enjoyned them to prevent the life however that none for the time coming may commit the like faults or Sacrileges command That if any which God forbid shall dare to do or say any such thing against this Sacrament or the Holy Ceremonies and Rites wherewith it is administred to the Faithful that they be declared Excommunicate and be separated from the Church and the Communion of the Faithful until such time as they have undergone condign Penance at the pleasure of the Prelate and shall demonstrate their due subjection to the obedience of the Holy Church and have taken the Oath of the Faith contained in this Synod and declared that all that reject and despise the Rites and Ceremonies approved of and received in the Church in the solemn administration of this and the other Sacraments are Hereticks and Apostates from our Holy Catholick Faith as was determin'd in the Holy Council of Trent and ought to be proceeded against and punished as such according to the Sacred Canons Decree III. THe Synod doth declare That in the Sacrament of Confirmation or Chrism there must be a Godfather and Godmother as well as in Baptism to present such as are to be Confirmed according to the ancient Custom of Holy Mother Church but there shall be but only one Godfather and Godmother who must themselves have been Confirmed it being very indecent that any Person should present one to have that done to him which they have not had done to themselves and that the Man shall be above 14 and the Woman above 12 Years Old or one of them at least shall be of that Age and in this Case the Godfathers and Godmothers do contract the same Spiritual Affinities and the same Impediments that the others do in Baptism the said Spiritual Affinity being equally contracted in both these Sacraments ACTION V. Of the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass The Doctrine of the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist THe third Sacrament in the Order of the Spiritual Life is the Holy Eucharist tho' in Veneration Sanctity and Dignity it is the first and most excellent for containing in it the true real and substantial Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God true God and true Man our Saviour and Redeemer which was instituted by him the day before he suffer'd for us as the most sweet Remate or Conclusion of all his Works and a Memorial of his Passion the fulfilling of all the ancient Figures the greatest of all the Miracles that ever he wrought and for the singular Consolation of the Faithful in his absence The Matter of this Sacrament is Bread of Wheat and Wine of the Grape only so that all that Consecrate in Bread made of Rice or of any thing else but the Flower of Wheat or of Wine that was not pressed out of the ripe Grape of the Vine do not make the Sacrament there must also be Water mixed with the Wine before it is Consecrated but in a much smaller quantity than the Wine that so it may easily * Turn For Water to turn it self into Wine is as great a Miracle as for the Priest to turn Wine into Blood turn it self into Wine before the Consecration which mixture is therefore made because from the Testimony of Holy Fathers Holy Mother Church believes that our Lord Christ himself did so whose having mixed Water with the Wine that he Consecrated makes it a great Sin to omit to do it It is also agreeable to the representation of the Mystery of what passed on the Cross and of our Lord Christ out of whose precious Side flowed Water and Blood as also to signifie the Effect of this Sacrament which is the Vnion of the Faithful with Christ the Water signifying the Faithful and the Wine our Lord Christ and the conversion of the Water into the Wine the Union of our Souls with Christ by means of this Divine Sacrament according to what our Lord said He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him The Form of this Sacrament is the words of our Saviour by which the Sacrament is made for tho' the Priest pronounceth many and divers words in the Mass and