reign with Christ in the Heavens are to be venerated and invok'd by the Faithful desiring of God a Remedy for our wants through their Intercession and of them that they would intercede for us which they do daily by offering up our Prayers and Petitions to God That the Bodies and Reliques of Saints ought to be had in veneration in being carefully kept kissed and adored by the Faithful and placed under the Holy Altars and other consecrated places upon the account of their having been lively Members of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit and because they are to be raised again at the day of Judgment and and clothed with Eternal Glory in Heaven and God vouchsafes many Blessings upon Earth by them CHAP. XI FUrthermore That the Images of our Lord Christ and of our Lady the Glorious Virgin Mary and of the Holy Angels that are painted after our manner and of other Saints which the Church believes to be in Heaven ought to be kept and used in all decent places not only in the houses of the Faithful but chiefly in Churches and Altars and to be reverenced and adored with due veneration and with the same that is due to the Persons they represent not that we believe that there is any thing of Divinity or * Virtue If there is nothing of Virtue in one Image more than another why do People go so many hundred miles to pray to some particular Images of the Virgin Mary when there is scarce a Church or Chappel in their way wherein there is not an Image of her Virtue in them for which they ought to be honoured or that we put our Hope and Confidence in them as the * Heathens The Learned Heathens made the very same declaration concerning their worshipping of Images Heathens did in their Idols but because the Honour which we pay to them referrs to what they represent so that in prostrating our selves before their Images we adore Christ and reverence the Saints whose Images they are In like manner we adore the sign of the Cross with the Worship of †Latria The saying that this Latria or Supream worship is only Relative cannot excuse it from being Idolatrous without excusing the grossest Worship among the Heathen it being impossible in Nature to give any other Worship than what is relative to an Image when worshipped as such Martinus Peresius Aila Bishop of Guidez in Spain in the third part of his Book of Traditions p. 223. passeth a severe but just censure upon the Worship here established Cujus doctrinae nullum quod ego viderim afferunt validum fundamentum quod possit fideles ad id quod docent obligari Nam neque Scripturam neque Tracitionem Ecclesiae neque communem sensum sanctorum neque Concilii Generalis determinationem aliquam nec etiam rationem quâ hoc efficaciter suaderi possit adducunt Et p. 226. Certe haud dissimile imò fortè majâ—s scandalum infirmis paratur qui has distinctiones prorsus ignorant nec possunt nisi errando intelligere ut ego ipse in multis simplicibus experimento deprehendi cum ab eis sciscitarer quid de hac re sentirent in eo quod dicitur eâdem adoratione adorandum esse Imaginem quâ rem cujus est Nam cum videant simulachrum operosè sculptum affabrè expolitum in eminenti loco templi positum ipsumque à multitudine veneratum super haec audiant quòd eodem honore debeat honorari quo res cujus est colitur certè in multis simplicibus periculosissimus erroris affectus facilè potest adgenerari quo putent aliquid Numinis latere in imagine sic quoque rei repraesentatae tum nomen tum gloriam ad imaginem facilè possunt transferre quod maximè periculosum esse judico Latria which is due only to God because it is a sign representing the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross and which he himself hath told us will be the sign of the Son of Man in the Day of Judgment and with the same Worship of Latria we adore the Images of our Lord Jesus Christ because they represent him CHAP. XII FUrthermore the Church professeth that every Person as soon as he is born hath a Guardian Angel given him whose business it is to excite People to what is good and to deliver them from many evils which they would otherwise have fallen into which Angel protects and accompanies People through their whole lives doing all it can to keep them from Sin and all other Evils that so it may bring them to Eternal Life and is always suggesting good things to their Free Will from which we receive many Blessings as well Spiritual as Temporal notwithstanding we neither see them nor understand how they do it and these we call our Guardian Angels CHAP. XIII FUrthermore That the Catholick Church is one and the same all over the World having for its Pastor the chief Bishop of Rome Successor in the Chair of the Blessed Prince of the Apostles St. Peter to whom and by him to his Successors our Lord Jesus Christ delivered the full power of ruling and governing his whole Church from whence it is that the Roman Church is the Head of the whole Church and the Father Master and Doctor of all Christians and the Prelate of all in common and of all Priests Bishops Archbishops Primates and Patriarchs of whatsoever Church they are as also the Pastor of all Emperors Kings Princes and Lords In a word of all that are Christians and of all the Faithful People Hence it is that all that are not under the Obedience of the said Roman Bishop the Vicar of Christ upon Earth are out of a state of Salvation and shall be condemned to Hell as Hereticks and Schismaticks for their Disobedience to the Commands of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Order that he left in his Church CHAP. XIV FUrthermore that One and the same God is the Author of the New and Old Testament of the Prophets and the Gospels the Saints of both those Testaments being inspired in the Writing of them with the same Holy Spirit and so the Catholick Church receives all the Canonical Books of both Testaments which contain in them nothing but what is infallibly true and was dictated by the Holy Spirit To wit of the Old Testament the five Books of Moses Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy as also Joshua the two Books of Judges Ruth the four Books of Kings the two Books of Chronicles the first Book of Esdras the second which is called Nehemias Tobit Judith Esther Job the Psalms of David being 150 the Proverbs Ecclesiastes the Song of Songs the Book of Wisdom Ecclesiasticus the four greater Prophets viz. Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel the twelve lesser viz. Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi and the first and second of Maccabees and of the New Testament St. Matthew
all that are subject to her are immediately under Christ without owing any reverence to the Roman Bishop they say likewise That the Roman Church is fallen from the Faith having perverted the Canons of the Apostles by the force of Heretical Emperors Arms and that the Romans are Hereticks for not celebrating in leavened Bread which has been the inviolable Custom of the Church derived from our Saviour and his Holy Apostles that all the Bishops that followed Nestorius ought to be much esteemed and when named to be stiled Saints and to have their Reliques reverenced That Matrimony is not a Sacrament that it may be dissolved for the bad conditions of the Parties That Vsury is Lawful and there is no Sin in it Also the Book of Timothy the Patriarch where in three Chapters The most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is blasphemed it being impiously asserted in them That the true Body of our Lord Christ is not there but only the Figure thereof Also the Letter which they pretend came down from Heaven called the Letter of the Lord's day wherein the Roman Church is accused of having fallen from the Faith and having violated the Domingo or Lord's-day Letter Also the Book called Maclamatas wherein the distinction of two Persons in Christ and the accedental Union of the Incarnation are pretended to be proved at large and are confirmed with several false and Blasphemous Similitudes Also the Book intituled Vguarda or the Rose wherein it is said That there are two Persons in Christ that the Union of the Incarnation was Accidental that our Lady brought forth with Pain and the Sons of Joseph which he had by his other Wife being in company went for a Midwife to her with other Blasphemies Also the Book intituled Camiz wherein it is said That the Divine Word and the Son of the Virgin are not the same and that our Lady brought forth with Pain Also the Book intituled Menra wherein it is said That our Lord Christ is only the Image of the Word that the Substance of God dwelt in Christ as in a Temple that Christ is next to the Divinity that Christ was made the Companion of God Also the Book of Orders wherein it is said That the Form and not the Matter is necessary to Orders and the Forms therein are likewise Erroneous that there are only two Orders Diaconate and Priesthood that Altars of Wood and not of Stone are to be Consecrated there are also Prayers in it for those that are converted from any other Sect to Nestorianism in form of an Absolution from the Excommunication they had incurred for not having followed Nestorius and of a reconciliation to the Church Also the Book of Homilies wherein it is said That the Holy Eucharist is only the Image of Christ and is distinguished from him as an Image is from a true Man and that the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ is not there nor no where else but in Heaven That the whole Trinity was Incarnate that Christ is only the Temple of the Divinity and God only by Representation that the Soul of Christ descended not into Hell but was carried to the Paradise of Eden that whosoever affirms the contrary errs and that we therefore err in our Creed There are therein likewise some Letters of some Heretical Synods in which it is said That the Patriarch of Babylon is not subject to the Roman Bishop with an Oath to be taken to the said Patriarch as the Head of the Church wherein People Swear to obey him and him only and not the Bishop of Rome Also a Book intituled An Exposition of the Gospels wherein it is every where pretended to be proved That there are two Persons in Christ and that Christ as a pure Creature was obliged to adore God and stood in need of Prayer that he was the Temple of the most Holy Trinity that Christ's Soul when he died descended not into Hell but was carried to the Paradise of Eden which was the place he promised to the Thief on the Cross That our Lady the Virgin deserved to be reproved for having vainly imagined that she was Mother to one that was to be a great King looking upon Christ as no other than a pure Man and presuming that he was to have a Temporal Empire as well as the resâ— of the Jews That the Evangelists did not Record all Christ's Actions in Truth as they were they not having been present at several of them which was the reason why they differed from one another so much That the Wise Men that came from the East received no favour from God for the Journey they took neither did they believe in Christ that Christ was the adopted Son of God it being as impossible that he should be Gods Natural Son as it is that Just Men should be so that he received new Grace in Baptism which he had not before that he is only the Image of the Word and the pure Temple of the Holy Spirit that the Holy Eucharist is only the Image of the Body of Christ which is only in Heaven at the right hand of the Father and not here on Earth That Christ as pure Man did not know when the day of Judgment was to be That when St. Thomas put his Hand into Christ's Side and said My Lord and my God! he did not speak to Christ for that he that was raised was not God but it was only an Exclamation made to God upon his beholding such a Miracle That the Authority that Christ gave to St. Peter over the Church was the same that he gave to other Priests so that his Successors have no more Power or Jurisdiction than other Bishops That our Lady the Virgin is not the Mother of God That the first Epistle of St. John and that of St. James are not the Writings of thole Holy Apostles but of some other Persons of the same Name and therefore are not Canonical Also the Book of Hormisda Raban who is stiled a Saint wherein it is said That Nestorius was a Saint and Martyr and suffered for the Truth and that St. Cyril who persecuted him was the Priest and Minister of the Devil and is now in Hell That Images are filthy and abominable Idols and ought not to be adored and that St. Cyril as a Heretick invented and introduced them There are also many false Miracles Recorded in this Book which are said to have been wrought by Hormisda in confirmation of the Nestorian Doctrine with an Account of what he suffered from the Catholicks for being obstinate in his Heresy Also the Book of Lots into which they put that they call the Ring of Solomon with a great many more Superstitions for the choice of good Days to Marry upon and for several other uses wherein are contained many Blasphemies and Heathenish Observances as also all other Books of Lots and for chusing of Days the Synod prohibits under the same Censure Also the Book written after the manner of â€
better observed by all We do therefore under the same Precept and Censure command all Christians in all Towns and Villages of this Bishoprick and where there are no Villages all that use to assemble together at any Church as belonging to it immediately upon this our Pleasure being intimated to them to chuse Four of the most Honourable Conscientious and Experienced Persons among them to come in their Name at the said time to the said Synod with sufficient Powers to Approve Sign Confirm and Consult in their Name so as to oblige themselves thereby to comply with whatsoever shall be determined in the Synod And that these Commissioners may demand or propose whatsoever they shall judge to be of Importance to the Synod and for the Spiritual or Temporal Good of their People We do grant free Liberty to all in this Diocess as well Ecclesiasticks as Laicks that have any Complaints Grievances or Controversies about any such Matters as are decidable by the Prelate or other Christians to represent the same to the Synod where they shall be heard with Patience and have Justice done them according to the Sacred Canons Customs and lawful Vsages of the Country And whereas we are informed that there are several things in this Bishoprick which are the Causes of great Contentions we do therefore not only give leave but do also admonish and command all that are concerned in any such Matters that forbearing all other ways that are prejudicial to Christianity they do now make use of this just and holy way of putting an end to all their Debates And since to bring all these things to a good issue the favour and assistance of God is necessary from whom all good things do proceed and without whom we can do nothing wherefore to engage the Divine Clemency by Prayer to be favourable to us following the laudable Custom of the Holy Fathers and Ancient Councils we do Admonish and in the Name of God earnestly request all the faithful Christians of this Bishoprick from this time forward until the end of the Synod to exercise themselves with a pure and clean heart in Fasting Alms Prayer and other works of Piety instantly beseeching God to enlighten the Vnderstandings of all that shall meet together and so to enflame our Wills with Divine Love that we may determine nothing but what is right and may observe and comply with whatsoever shall be Decreed taking for our Intercessor our Lady the most Holy Virgin Mary of whose Praise and Honour we are to Treat particularly as also the Glorious Apostle St. Thomas the Master Patron and Protector of this Church and all the other Saints in Heaven that so this Synod may begin and proceed in Peace and universal Concord and may end to the Praise Honour and Glory of God our Lord for ever And that this our Publication of a Diocesan Synod may come to the knowledge of all that are concerned we Will and Command it to be Read in all the Churches of this Bishoprick to the People on the Sunday next after the intimation thereof to the Curates and after that to be fixed to the Gates of the Church Dated from Chanotta the 14th of May under our Seal and the Great Seal of our Chancery and Written by Andre Cerqueira Secretary to the most Illustrious Archbishop and Primate in the Year 1599. Frey Aleixo Arcebispo Primas THE ACTS and DECREES OF THE SYNOD of Diamper ACTION I. IN the Name of the most Holy and undivided Trinity the Father Son and Holy Ghost in the Year of our Lord 1599 on the 20th of June being the third Sunday after Whitsuntide in the seventh Year of the Pontificate of our most holy Lord Clement VIII the Supreme Roman Bishop and in the first Year of the Reign of the Catholick King Philip the Second King of Portugal and Algarves and of Malucco the Illustrious Lord Dom Francisco da Gama Conde de Vidigeyra Admiral of the Indies being Vice-roy in the Town of Diamper subject to the King of Cochim an Infidel and Heathen in the Church of All-Saints in the Bishoprick of Angamale of the Christians of St. Thomas in the Serra of Malabar the See being vacant by the death of the Arch-Bishop Mar-Abraham there assembled in a Diocesan Synod according to the Holy Canons the most Illustrious and most Reverend Lord Dom Frey Aleixo de Menezes Arch-Bishop Metropolitan of Goa Primate of the Indies and the Oriental Parts together with all the Priests and Curates of the said Bishoprick and the Procurators of all the Towns and Corporations in the same with great Numbers of other Persons belonging to the said Church and called to the said Synod by the most Reverend Metropolitan Where after having given Thanks to God for his having extinguished and composed all the Alterations and Commotions by which Satan the Enemy to all that is Good had endeavoured to hinder the assembling of this Synod and being all filled with Joy to see themselves met together to Treat of things pertaining to the Service of God the Purity of the Faith and the Good of Christianity and their own Souls the most Illustrious Metropolitan did celebrate the Solemn Mass for the removing of Schism as it is in the Roman Missal and having preached to the People to the same purpose the Mass being ended he re-invested himself in his Pontifical Robes and read the Office for the beginning of a Synod as it is in the Roman Pontifical which being over and the Metropolitan seated in his Chair with all the Ecclesiasticks and Secular Procurators about him in their order he told them That he celebrated this Holy Synod by Virtue of two Briefs of the Holy Father our Lord Pope Clement VIII in which his Holiness had recommended to him the Government of that Church after the death of the Arch-Bishop Marabran until such time as it should be provided of a Pastor and Prelate besides that the same belonged to him as the Metropolitan thereof and Primate of the Indies and all the Oriental Parts by the Canons the See thereof being vacant and it having no Chapter to take care of it during the vacancy which Briefs being faithfully translated into the Malabar Tongue were immediately read and received with that Reverence and Obedience that was due to them After which the Lord Metropolitan told them That seeing he had but little knowledge of the Malabar Tongue it was necessary for him to have some faithful Person and that was well versed in Ecclesiastical Affairs to relate truly in the Congregations what he should say or what should be spoke to him Whereupon upon Jacob a Priest and Curate of the Church of Pallurte in the said Bishoprick a Person well skilled both in the Portugueze and Malabar Languages was presently pitched upon by common Consent who being called by the Lord Metropolitan was charged by him with the Office of Interpreter to himself and the Holy Synod giving him an Oath at the same time upon the Holy Gospels
desired may be handled publickly and in the Congregation those Meetings only excepted which are kept by the People in order to their proposing of Matters to be consulted about according to ancient Custom and the Order of the said Metropolitan ACTION II. ON the second Day after the singing of the Antiphony Psalm Prayers and Hymn as they are in the Roman Pontifical the most Reverend Metropolitan being seated in his Chair said Venerable and Beloved Brethren the Priests and you my dearest Sons in Christ the Procurators and Representatives of the People We having done little more Yesterday than celebrate the Divine Offices and Preach to the People it is fit we should begin to Day to Treat of Matters appertaining to the Synod In the first place of those that belong to the Integrity and Truth of our Holy Catholick Faith and the Profession of the same which before we go about I do again admonish you in our Lord Jesus Christ that all such things as you shall judge to stand in need of Reformation in this Bishoprick or any part thereof may be signified to us or to the Congregation that so with the Divine favour and assistance all things by your Diligence and Charity may be brought into so good Estate as is desired for the praise of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ Decree II. THat this Synod may in all things Govern it self according to the Directions of the Holy Canons and tread in the Footsteps of the Holy General Councils and particularly of the Holy Council of Trent upon the knowledge it has of the Necessities of this Church and of the diversity of Opinions that have been hitherto therein concerning Matters of our Holy Catholick Faith and of the Errors contrary thereunto which have been sowed in this Diocess by Hereticks and Schismaticks it doth command all Persons Ecclesiasticks and Seculars called hither either in their own Name or in the Name of others Ecclesiasticks or Laicks of this Bishoprick to make Profession and Oath of the following Faith in the hands of the most Illustrious Metropolitan President of this Synod And for the more effectual execution of this Decree and to provoke others by his own Example the most Illustrious Metropolitan having robed himself in his Pontificals but without his Mitre kneeling down before the Altar and having laid his hands upon a Cross that was upon a Book of the Gospels did in his own Name as the present Prelate and Metropolitan of the Diocess and in the Name of all the Christians belonging to the same and every Person thereof Secular and Ecclesiastick make Profession and Oath of the Faith following which was immediately declared to all that were present The Profession and Oath of the Faith IN the Name of the most Holy and undivided Trinity the Father Son and Holy Ghost one only true God in the Year of our Lord 1599 in the Seventh Year of the Pontificate of our most Holy Lord Clement VIII Bishop of Rome in the Town of Diamper in the Kingdom of Malabar in the East-Indies in the Church of All Saints on the 21st of June in a Diocesan Synod of the Bishoprick of Serra Assembled by the most Illustrious and Reverend Lord Dom Frey Aleixo de Menezes Arch-Bishop Metropolitan of Goa and the Oriental Parts and the See being vacant of the said Bishoprick I N. do of my own free Will without any manner of force and constraint for the Salvation of my Soul believing it in my heart protest that with a firm Faith I do believe and confess all and every one of the Articles contained in the Symbol of Faith which is used in Holy Mother Roman Church I believe in one God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible And in one Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God begotten of his Father before all Worlds God of God Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made Who for us Men and for our Salvation came down from Heaven and was Incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made Man and was Crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate He suffered and was buried and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father and he shall come again with Glory to Judge both the Quick and the Dead whose Kingdom shall have no end And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord and giver of Life who proceedeth from the Father and the Son who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified who spake by the Prophets And I believe one Catholick and Apostolick Church I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of Sins and I look for the Resurrection of the Dead and the Life of the World to come I do firmly receive and embrace all Apostolical and Ecclesiastical Traditions and all the Observances and Constitutions of the said Church I admit the Holy Scriptures in that sence wherein it has ever been and is still held by Mother Church to whom it belongeth to judge of the true Sence and Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures neither will I either receive or interpret it but according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers I do confess likewise that there are Seven true and proper Sacraments of the New Testament instituted by Christ our Lord which are all necessary to the health of Mankind tho' not to every particular Person they are Baptism Confirmation the Eucharist Order Penance Matrimony and Extream Unction which do all conferr Grace on those that receive them worthily and of these seven Sacraments that Baptism Confirmation and Orders are to be received but once neither can they be repeated without great Sacrilege I admit and receive all the Customs Rites and Ceremonies received and approved of in the Roman Church in the solemn Administration of the said seven Sacraments and do also receive and embrace all in general and every thing in particular that has been defined and declared concerning Original Sin and Justification in the Holy Council of Trent I do likewise confess that in the Mass there is offer'd to God a true and proper Sacrifice of Pardon both for the Quick and the Dead and that in the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist there is the true real and substantial Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and that the whole substance of the Bread is by Consecration turned into the Body of Christ and the whole substance of the Wine into his Blood which Conversion the Catholick Church calls Transubstantiation Moreover I do confess that under each Species Christ is entire and the true Sacrament is received I do constantly hold and confess that there is a * Purgatory John Fisher Bishop of Rochester in his 18th Article against Luther does acknowledge the Doctrine
Form of a Servant does not diminish the Form of God because he who is true God is also true Man God because in the beginning he was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word Man because the Word was made Flesh and died among us God because by his own Power he satisfied five Thousand Men with five Loaves and promised the Water of Eternal Life to the Samaritan Woman and raised Lazarus from the Grave when he had been dead four days and gave sight to the Blind cured the Sick and commanded the Winds and the Seas Man because he suffered Hunger and Thirst was weary in the Way was fastned with Nails to the Cross and died thereon Equal to the Eternal Father as to the Divinity and Inferior to the Father as to the Humanity and Mortal and Passible CHAP. III. FUrthermore That the same Son of God that was Incarnate was truly born of the Virgin Mary and had his Sacred Body formed of the pure Blood of the same most Blessed Virgin and is truly her Son for which reason we confess her to be truly the Mother of God and that she ought to be so called and invocated by the whole Catholick Church for that she really and truly brought forth according to the Flesh tho' without any Pain or Passion the true Son of God made Man and that the said Son of God Incarnate truly suffered for us and was truly dead and buried and in his Soul truly descended into Hell or Limbo to redeem the Souls of the Holy Fathers which were therein and did truly rise again from the dead the third day and afterwards for forty days taught his Disciples speaking with them of the Kingdom of Heaven and immediately by his own Power ascended into the Heavens where he sits at the right hand of the Majesty Glory and Power of the Father from whence he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead and to give to every one according to their Works CHAP. IV. FUrthermore That none that are descended from Adam ever were or can be saved by any other means than by Faith in the Mediator betwixt God and Man our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who by his Blood and Death reconciled us to the Eternal Father by having satisfied him for our Debts the Faith before our Saviour appeared in the World being to believe in him who was to come as after his appearance to believe in him who is come and by his Blood and Death has saved us CHAP. V. FUrthermore That all we who are born of Adam by the way of Natural Generation are born Children of Wrath with the guilt of Original Sin incurred by the disobedience of Adam in whom we all sinned and which we all committed in him for which sin Adam lost for himself and us Holiness and Righteousness and so that guilt of sin is derived to all of us by Generation we having all sinned in him as the Apostle St. Paul tells us that by one Man Sin entred into the World and by Sin Death and so Death passed upon all Men all having sinned in him but notwithstanding this guilt is derived to us by Generation nevertheless our Souls are not derived by Generation as our Bodies are but are created by God of nothing and by the Divine Ordination infused into our Bodies at the time when they are perfectly formed and organized and in the instant in which they are infused into our Bodies they contract the guilt of Original Sin which we committed in Adam and for which we were all expelled the Kingdom of Heaven and deprived of God for ever but which is now pardoned by Holy Baptism by which our Souls are cleansed from the guilt of that sin and of Children of Wrath and Aliens from Glory we are made the blessed Sons of God and Heirs of Heaven wherein likewise all our other sins and actual transgressions where there are any together with all the punishments due to the same are forgiven CHAP. VI. FUrthermore That the Souls of all those that have committed no sin after Baptism and of those who having committed sins have done condign Penance and have made an entire and equal satisfaction for them are carried immediately into Heaven where they behold God Three and One as he is and do partake of the Divine Vision in proportion to the diversity of their Merits some more perfectly than others and in the same manner they who die in any Actual Mortal sin without having done condign punishment for it or only in Original sin do go straightway down into Hell there to be tormented with Eternal punishments though unequal according to the measure of their guilt CHAP. VII FUrthermore That all Christians departing this life in Charity and having truly repented of the sins they have committed before they have made full satisfaction to the Divine Justice for the same are at their death carried into Purgatory where their guilt is purged away by Fire and other punishments in such a space of time as by the Divine Ordination is suitable to their Quality or until they have entirely satisfied for them after which they are carried up into Glory there to enjoy God and that in Purgatory the Prayers Alms and other Works of Piety that are performed by the Faithful that are alive for the Faithful that are dead are profitable to them but above all the holy Sacrifice of the Mass for their being relaxed from the punishments that they suffer and for the shortning of their banishment from Heaven CHAP. VIII FUrthermore That at the day of Judgment our Bodies tho' crumbled into dust and ashes shall be raised up the same that they were in this Life and be reunited to their Souls those of the Righteous to be cloathed with Glory and to reign with Christ for ever in the Heavens and those of the Wicked to be together with their souls tormented for ever in the Company of Devils in the Eternal and real Fire of Hell CHAP. IX FUrthermore That in the beginning and in Time God created all things Visible and Invisible Corporeal and Spiritual and the Empyrean Heavens full of Angels of whom those that continued subject to God were confirmed in Grace enjoying God with all the perfections and Gifts wherewith they were created as those who disobeyed him fell into Hell which God so soon as they sinned made for them where they are tormented for ever with the rigour of Justice not only with punishments of loss in being Eternally deprived of the Divine Vision which they were created to have enjoyed but with real Fire and other Eternal Torments also and do tempt men endeavouring to do them all the mischief they are able out of envy for the Blessings that are reserved for the Just and which they have forfeited by their sins and out of hatred they have for God and his Works and that intrinsical Malice they are hardned in CHAP. X. FUrthermore That the Blessed Angels and Saints that
nor no need of any created assistance to help her to bring forth or afterwards there being nothing in her but what was pure the Eternal Word made Flesh springing out of her Womb the Claustrum of her pure Virginity being shut when the time determined in the Consistory of the Holy Trinity was come to the great Spiritual Joy and satisfaction of the said Blessed Virgin for which reason she ought truly to be stiled the Mother of God and not only the Mother of Christ and that when she departed this Life she was immediately carried up into Heaven where by a particular privilege due to her Merits she enjoys God both in Body and Soul without waiting for the general Resurrection there being no reason why that Body out of which there was most Holy Flesh formed for the Son of God made Man should as other Bodies be dissolved into Dust and Ashes but that it should be immediately exalted and glorified and placed high above all the Quires of Angels as Holy Mother Church sings and confesseth concerning the whole of which matter the Impious Nestorian Hereticks have spoke and writ even in the Breviaries used in this Bishoprick a great many Blasphemies and Heresies Decree VII THe Synod is with great sorrow sensible of that Heresy and perverse Error sown by the Schismaticks in this Diocess to the great prejudice of Souls which is That there was one Law of St. Thomas and another of St. Peter which made * Two different By all this which the Synod calls Two Laws the Christians of St. Thomas meant only That the Churches planted by the Apostles in divers Regions had nothing of Superiority or Jurisdiction over one another which is a most certain and ancient truth two different and distinct Churches and both immediately from Christ and that the one had nothing to do with the other neither did the Prelate of the one owe any obedience to the Prelate of the other and that they who had followed the Law of St. Peter had endeavoured to destroy the Law of St. Thomas for which they had been punished by him all which is a manifest Error Schism and Heresy there being but one Law to all Christians which is that which was given and declared by Jesus Christ the Son of God and preached by the Holy Apostles all over the World as one Faith one Baptism there being but one Lord of all and one Catholick and Apostolick Church of which our Lord Christ God and Man who Founded it is the only Spouse and one only Universal Pastor to whom all other Prelates owe obedience the Pope and Bishop of Rome Successor in the Chair of St. Peter the Prince of the Apostles to whom our Lord Jesus Christ bequeathed that Supream Authority and by him to his Successors which Catholick Doctrine is necessary to Eternal Life Wherefore the Synod doth command all Parish Priests and Preachers to Treat often of this matter by reason of the great need there is of having this Bishoprick well instructed therein Decree VIII FOr that till the very time of the most Illustrious Metropolitan entring into this Diocess there was a certain Heresy twice repeated in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and twice more in the Divine Office in calling the Patriarch of Babylon the Universal Pastor and Head of the Catholick Church in all places and as often as they happen to name him a Title that is due only to the most Holy Father the Bishop of Rome Successor of the Prince of the Apostles St. Peter and Vicar of Christ on Earth the Synod doth therefore command in virtue of Obedience and upon pain of Excommunication to be ipso facto incurred that no Person of this Bishoprick Secular or Ecclesiastical shall from henceforward presume by Word or Writing either in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in the Divine Office or in any other occasion to bestow that Title on the said Patriarch of Babylon or on any other Prelate besides our Lord the Bishop of Rome and whosoever shall dare to contravene this Order shall be declared Excommunicate and held for a Schismatick and Heretick and shall be punished as such according to the Holy Canons And whereas the Patriarchs of Babylon to whom this Church was subject are Nestorians the Heads of that cursed Sect and Schismaticks out of the Obedience of the Holy Roman Church and Aliens from our Holy Catholick Faith and are for that reason Excommunicate and accursed and it not being lawful to joyn with such in the Church in publick as stand Excommunicate Wherefore this Bishoprick upon its having now yielded a perfect Obedience to the most Holy Father the Pope Christ's Vicar upon Earth to which it was obliged by Divine Authority and upon pain of Damnation shall not from henceforward have any manner of dependance upon the said Patriarch of Babylon and the present Synod does under the said precept of Obedience and upon pain of Excommunication to be ipso facto incurred prohibit all Priests and Curates from henceforward to name the said Patriarch of Babylon in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in any other Divine Office in the Prayers of the Church even without the false Title of Universal Pastor but instead thereof shall name our Lord the Pope who is our true Pastor as also of the whole Church and after him the Lord Bishop of the Diocess for the time being and whosoever shall maliciously and knowingly act the contrary shall be declared Excommunicate and otherwise punish'd at the pleasure of his Prelate according to his contumacy Decree IX WHereas all the Breviaries used in this Church are Nestorian and by the commands of Prelates of the same Sect on a certain day the impious and false Heretick Nestorius is Commemorated in this Bishoprick and a Day is kept to his Honour and at other times Theodorus Diodorus Abbaratho Abraham Narsai Barchauma Johanan Hormisda and Michael who are also Nestorian Hereticks were likewise Commemorated Nestorius Theodorus and Diodorus being commemorated on the Friday after the Nativity and on the seventh Friday after that Abraham and Narsai and all the above-named and all of them on every Thursday in the Year in the said Nestorian Office and every day in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Divine Office and notwithstanding in some places they have not of late named Nestorius Theodorus and Diodorus but do still continue to name Abraham Narsai Abba Barchauma Johanan Hormisda and Michael in the Blessing that the Priest gives to the People at the end of the Mass wherein they desire Hormisda to deliver them from evil being his Disciples as also on all Fridays in the Year they commemorate as Saints the said Hormisda Joseph Michael Johanan Barchauma Barianda Rabba Hedsa Machai Hixoiau Caurixo Avahixo Lixo Xaulixo Barmun Lixo Metidor Cohada Israel Ezekiah Lixo David Lixo Barai Israel Julianus Haudixo c. who were all Nestorian Hereticks and as is evident from the said Masses and from their Lives Commemorations
Priests and faithful People of this Diocess doth embrace all the Holy General Councils received by Holy Mother Church believing and confessing all that was determined in them anathematizing rejecting and condemning all that they have rejected and condemned but especially it doth with great Veneration receive and embrace the first Holy Council of Ephesus consisting of 200 Fathers firmly believing all that was therein determined and rejecting and condemning whatsoever it condemned but above all the Diabolical Heresy of the Nestorians which has been for many Years preached and believed in this Diocess which together with its Author Nestorius and all his Followers the said Council did reject and anathematize who being taught by the Devil held that there were Two Persons in our Lord Christ affirming also that the Divine Word did not take Flesh into the Unity of its Person but only for an Habitation or Holy Dwelling as a Temple and that it ought not to be said that God was Incarnate or that he Died nor that our Lady the Glorious Virgin was the Mother of God but only the Mother of Christ with other Diabolical Heresies all which this Synod does condemn reject and anathematize embracing the Holy Catholick Faith in that purity and integrity that it is believed and professed in by the Holy Mother Roman Church the Mistress of all Churches to which in all things it submits it self according to the profession it has made Furthermore this Synod does acknowledge the Glorious Cyril Archbishop and Patriarch of Alexandria who by Order of the Bishop of Rome †Presided St. Cyril presided in the Ephesan Council in his own right being the only Patriarch that was present at it presided in the Holy Ephesan Council to be a Blessed Saint at this time enjoying God in Heaven and that his Doctrine in the said Council against the Nestorians is Holy and universally received in the Catholick Church professing all that reject it to be Excommunicated Hereticks Decree XXI FUrthermore This present Synod with all the Priests and faithful People of this Diocess doth embrace the last * Holy Council of Trent Justinianus a Noble Venetian in the 15th Book of his History of Venice gives the following account of the Holiness of the Trent Council Religionis causa in Tridentino Concilio parum prosperos successus habebat ob dissentientes animos coecamque Praelatorum ambitionem Solus autem Cardinalis Lothoringius Vir pietatis Studio dicendi arte clarus que ad Dei honorem veram Ecclesiae reformationem essent fuadebat cui plerique ex Concilii Patribus humanarum potius rerum quà m divinarum curam habentes refragabantur variisque opinionibus Sanctâ Synodâ— dissidente nil quod rectum sanctum piúmque foret decerni potuit omniaque confusione coecitate plena erant tantaque Praelatos ambitio coeperat ut nulla apud eos fidei Religionisque pro verâ Ecclesiae reformatione ratio haberetur Holy and Sacred Council of Trent and does not only believe and confess all that was determined and approved of therein and reject and anathematize all that that Council rejected and condemned but doth moreover receive and embrace the said Council as to all matters therein determined relating to the reformation of the Church and all Christian People promising and swearing to Govern it self according to the Rules thereof and to observe the same Forms that are observed in the Catholick Church and as are observed in this Province of the Indies and in all the other Provinces and Suffragans to the Metropolis of Goa in order to the removing of all Abuses and Customs that are contrary to the Decrees of the said Council of Trent by which only it is resolved to Govern it self as to all matters relating to the Government of the Church and the Reformation of the Manners of this faithful and Catholick People any Customs tho' immemorial in this Bishoprick to the contrary notwithstanding Decree XXII THis present Synod together with all the Priests and faithful People of this Diocess doth with great submission and reverence submit it self to the Holy Upright Just and Necessary Court of the Holy Office of the †Inquisition This agrees with what Paul the IIId said of â—he Inquisition upon his Death-â—ed that it was the Pillar of the Church of Rome if he had been in his Chair he could not have delivered a greater truth A Heathen Roman Synod would never have been guilty of calling that an Upright and Just Court which neither suffers its Prisoners to know the particular Crime whereof they are accused nor the Persons that accuse them nor the Witnesses that depose against them Acts 25. ver 16. I referr those that have a mind to be satisfied of the Justice of this Court to the History of the Inquisition of Goa which was the Inquisition this Synod put the Church of Malabar under published by a French Papist who was himself a Prisoner in it tho' I must tell them that as bad as his Treatment was therein that it was but Play to what it would have been had he profess'd himself a Protestant or not to have been of the Roman Communion tho' he had once been of it Bulenger tho' otherwise a fierce Papist gives this following account of this Holy Office Inter haec actum à Pontifice cum Hâ—spaniae Rege ut Inquisitio Hispanica Mediolanum inserretur quod tam acerbè tulêre Insubres ut defectionis consilia inierint Ea quaestio in Hispaniâ Mauris deprehendendis instituta est per cujâ—â— causam nomen crebrò innocentes ac sceleris integri custodiae mancipaâ—tur opibus evertuntur vitâ dignitate falsis criminibus circumventi spoliantur Si vocula fortè à Delatoribus excepta est Majestatis illicò postulantur in ultimae sortâ—â— hominibus crimina praetentata mâ—â— in Viros Principes districta sunt Jacent plerumque tres annos in fitâ— paedore carceris priusquam libeâ—â—â— aut noto crimine arcessantur alâ—â— nullius criminis comperti judicio affliguntur quidam in squalore carcerâ— ignorati contabescunt Auricularii frumentarii quadruplatores subdâ—â—â— grassantur qui rei faciendae Stâ—dâ—â— in Divitum capità involant 〈◊〉 tam crimina judicio qùam objectâ— menta jurgio prolata quaerunt Sermones inter familiares habitos in reâ— non modo seriam sed capitalem ducuâ— And Mazeray a Papist too 〈◊〉 the Life of Henry II. calls the Inquisition a Dreadful Monster Inquisition in these Parts Established and being sensible how much the Integrity of the Faith depends upon that Tribunal it does promise and swear to be obedient to all its Commands in all things thereunto pertaining being after the Example of all other Bishopricks in this Province willing that all matters of Faith should be judged of by the same Court or by such Persons as it shall depute And notwithstanding the said Holy Office has not hitherto by reason of this Church's having been separated and had little or no
Ecclesiam non Communicant What the Cardinal saith here of these two Practices makes almost the whole Roman Worship at this time to be a meer Novelty the whole of that Worship consisting almost now in Peoples going o Mass upon Sundays and Holy-days which the Church obliges them to not obliging them at the same time to communicate above once a Year and in adoring the Host when the Priest elevates it As to the Priest's putting the Sacrament into the mouth of the Communicants the same Cardinal in the 17th Chap. of his second Book saith Sacra Communio antiquo ritu non ore excipi solebat ut hodiè fit sed manu quam qui susceperat Ori reverenter admovebat As to the Priest's speaking the words of Consecration so low that no body can hear him in his 12th Chap. of the same Book he saith Graeci alii Orientales verba consecrationis elatâ voce pronunciant populus respondet Amen Eundem morem servabat olim Ecclesia Occidentalis omnes enim audiebant verba consecrationis postea statutum est ut Canon submissa voce recitaretur sic desiit ea consuetudo seculo decimo ut conjicio As to the usage of her denying the Cup to the People in the 18th Chap. of his second Book he saith Semper enim ubique ab Ecclesiae primordiis usque ad saeculum duodecimum sub specie panis Vini in Ecclesiis communicârunt fideles coepitque paulatim ejus saeculi initio usus calicis obsolescere plerisque Episcopis eum populo interdicentibus sic paulatim introducta est Communio sub solâ specie panis quod à nullo negari potest qui vel levissimâ rerum Ecclesiasticarum notitiâ imbutus est And as to her making use of Unleavened Bread in the 23d Chap. of his first Book he saith Quod si Veteres Patres percurrere omnem evolvere antiquitatem libeat inveniemus proculdubio sic à tempore Apostolorum de inceps de pane Eucharistico omnes loqui ut non nisi de communi fermentato commodè intelligi explicari queant As to her giving the Sacrament in Wafers in the 23d Chap. of the same Book he saith Vivente Humberto qui floruit Anno 1245. panis consecrandus in Eucharistiâ tantae magnitudinis erat ut ex eo consecratae tot particulae frangi possent quot erant necessariae ad populum communicandum panis qui tradebatur talis fuit ut deglutiri non posset nisi dentibus comminutus And as to her keeping the consecrated Bread or Hosts as she calls them after the Communion is over he saith in the same Book Ne reliquiae Sacramenti superessent saepe decretum est ut tot particulae consecrarentur quot erant parati ad communionem si quid residuum foret à sacerdete seu Ministris commederetur quod si contigerit ut Ministrorum incuria putrescerent statuit Concilium Arelatense apud Joan. X. 2. Cap. 56. ut igne comburatur cinis juxta Altare sepeliatur idque in usu fuisse docet Algerus Lib. 2. Cap. 1. Now I take this acknowledged change of Rites in the Administration of the Eucharist to be a very great Evidence that there has been a Change of belief about it and indeed to have been the Natural Consequence of such a Change and so I believe will any body else that shall consider it impartially changed for others without a great Sin notwithstanding they do not appertain to the Integrity or Essence of the Sacraments there are three that imprint a Spiritual sign on the Soul that can never be blotted out it is called a Character which is the reason why those Sacraments are never to be repeated they are Baptism Confirmation and Orders the other four that is Penitence the Eucharist Extream Vnction and Matrimony imprint no Spiritual Sign in the Soul and so may be repeated with due Order but tho' these seven Sacraments are all Divine and do contain Grace and dispense it to their worthy Receivers deserving our most profound Reverence and Adoration on the account of the Majesty of their Institutor who was our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God as also for the assistance of the Holy Spirit who operates in conjunction with them and for the virtue that is in them for the curing of Souls the Treasure of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ being deposited in them and dispensed to us by their means Nevertheless this does not hinder but that in some respects some of them may be more worthy than others and may deserve a greater reverence and veneration These Sacraments were all instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ before his Ascention into Heaven that so by their means he might communicate Grace and other Spiritual Benefits he had merited for us by his Death on the Cross confirming them to the faithful by his Word and Promises that so by using them lawfully and with due dispositions we might be ascertained of his communicating himself and all the fruits of his Passion to us in every one of them in such a manner as he represents himself in them The Doctrine of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism THe first of all the Sacraments is that of Baptism which is the Gate of the Spiritual Life and that whereby we are made capable of the other Sacraments of which without it we are no ways capable for as a Man must first be born before he can enjoy the good things of the Natural Life so Men before they are born again in Baptism are not capable of enjoying the heavenly advantages of a Spiritual Life it being by Baptism that we are made Members of Christ and are incorporated into the Christian Common-wealth and the Mystical Body of the Church for as by the first man Death came upon all for the Sin of Disobedience committed by him and us for which Sin we were excluded the Kingdom of Heaven and were born Children of Wrath and separated from God so that without being born again of Water and the Spirit we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven as Christ himself has taught us so that as we were born Children of Wrath by Baptism we return to be Children of Grace and as we were born in sin the Sons of Men in Baptism we are born the Sons of God all that are baptized in Christ as St. Paul hath it having put on Christ The Matter of this Sacrament is true natural and common Water as of the Sea Rivers Fountains Lakes or Rain and no other tho' never so pure and clean all others being Liquors and not natural Water The Form is I Baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost The Minister of this Sacrament is a Priest to whom it belongs by virtue of his Office but in case of necessity not only a Priest or Deacon but a Lay-man or Woman nay an Infidel a Mahometan a Heretick or Jew
and Heretical wherefore the Synod doth command That since there are no such Prayers used in the Church nor any such Petitions made to God in behalf of the Saints notwithstanding they are said in the Revelation to make them for themselves that those words be blotted out and what follows be joined with what went before saying Confessores hujus loci omnium Regionum oremus inquam ut det nobis ut efficiamur socii eorum c. leaving out the fore-mentioned words and at the end of the Prayer where it is said per gratiam Christi it shall be said Per gratiam Dei Domini nostri Jesu Christi Furthermore where the Priest begins Confitemur laudamus Domine Deus noster where he saith below Dignos nos fecisti dispensatione sacramentorum sanctorum corporis sanguinis Christi tui it shall be said Christi filii tui as also before where the Priest speaketh to those on the right side of the Altar and they answer with the Deacon Christus exaudiat orationes tuas hoc sacrificium quod tu offers pro te pro nobis pro toto orbe à minimo usque ad maximum the last words pro toto orbe à minimo usque ad maximum must be left out for the Mass being a publick Prayer of the Church Infidels Schismaticks and Hereticks are not to be prayed for therein but only Catholicks and such as are united to the Church wherefore instead thereof it shall be said quod tu offers pro te pro nobis pro universâ Ecclesiâ Catholicâ omnibus orthodoxis atque Apostolicae Catholicae fidei cultoribus Furthermore where the Priest begins Etiam Domine Deus Exercituum where he saith pro Sacerdotibus Regibus Principibus it shall be said pro Regibus Principibus Catholicis the Christians of this Church being subject to Infidel Princes and a little lower where the Priest begins Tu Domine cui propter c. where he saith recordatione corporis sanguinis it shall be said Christi filii tui and a little lower in the same Prayer near the end it shall be said sanguine Christi filii tui redempta Furthermore where the Deacon and Clergy praying do say Et pro omnibus Patriarchis Episcopis Presbyteris c. it shall be said pro beatissimo Papâ nostro naming him pro omnibus Patriarchis Episcopis Furthermore in the Hymn said by the Clergy and the Deacon alternatim after the elevation of the most Holy Sacrament in the Verse where the Priest saith Quando ad sanctum altare ingreditur manus suas purè protendit in coelum invitat spiritum qui de superis descendit consecrat corpus sanguinem Christi in which words the Priest seems to call upon the Holy Ghost to come down from Heaven to consecrate the Body of Christ as if it were not the Priest that consecrated it whereas in truth it is the Priest that does it tho' not in his own words but the words of Christ wherefore that no colour may be given to such an error it shall be said manus suas purè protendit in coelum consecrat corpus sanguinem Christi leaving out the words of invitat spiritum qui de superis descendit c. and the following words à saeculo usque in saeculum Furthermore in the Prayer said by the Deacon which begins Omnes timore pariter amore accedamus where it is said unigenitus Dei mortale corpus spiritualem rationalem immortalemque animam ex filiis hominum suscepit that there may be no countenance given to an error held by some and followed by several Nestorians that the Soul as well as the Body is ex traduce or derived from the Parents whereas in truth it is created by God out of nothing and infused into the Body when it is perfectly formed it shall therefore be said unigenitus Dei mortale corpus ex filiis hominum spiritualem rationalem immortalemque animam suscepit As also where the Deacon after the Communion of the Priest inviting the People to communicate saith fratres mei suscipite corpus ipsius filii he shall say ipsius filii Dei Furthermore in the first word of the Benediction of the People where he saith Ille qui benedicit nos in coelis per filium Humanitatis he shall say Per filium suum and in the first Blessing which the Priest gives to the People at the end of the Mass where he saith Cathedra gloriosa Catholicorum orientalium meaning Schismatical Babylon he shall say benedicatur Cathedra gloriosa Romana and in the following verse of the same Blessing where speaking of the Bishop of the Diocess he saith Dominus totius gregis episcopus plenus sobrietate custodiatur à malo c. he shall name our Lord the Pope saying Dominius totius gregis catholici Papa N. plenus sobrietate custodiatur à malo una cum bono Doctore Episcopo nostro N. naming him by his Name And a little after in the same Blessing where he saith Illustris in congregatione Sanctorum religiosus Hormisda sanctitas sanctitatum c. the name of Hormisda who as has been observed was a Nestorian Heretick shall be left out and instead thereof he shall say Illustris in congregatione Sanctorum S. Apostolus Thomas c. all that follows agreeing very well with that glorious Apostle who first taught the Faith in these parts and not to that false Heretick Furthermore in the first Verse of the Blessing of the Solemn Days where it is said of the Divine Word Qui factus est homo operuit speciem suam in filio hominis for fear of the Nestorian Doctrine it shall be said Qui factus est homo operuit Divinitatem suam humilitate nostrâ and a little lower where it is said Benedic Ecclesiam tuam quae patitur in ovili pessimi Daemonis ecce comprehenditur it shall be said Quae patitur infestationes a pessimo Daemone libera illam c. for the Catholick Church tho' it be infested and persecuted by the Devil is not held nor overcome by him our Saviour having promised that all the Powers of Hell shall never prevail against her And afterwards where it is said Benedic dextrâtuâ Christe congregationem hanc it shall be said Benedic dextrâ tuâ Jesu Christe c. and in the same Blessing where it is said Salva Reges nostros Duces nostros it shall be said Salva Reges nostros Duces nostros Catholicos all the Kings and Princes of this Church being Infidels and so ought not to be prayed for in the publick Prayers of the Mass and a little after where it is said Sicut decet coram ipso Jesu Salvatore it shall be said Coram ipso Jesu Deo Salvatore because of the Nestorian error and in the last Verse but one of that Blessing where it
them And as to Venial Sins which we frequently fall into and for which we are not excluded from the Grace of God tho' the confessing of and being absolved from them is very profitable to the Soul yet we are not under any such precise obligation of confessing them there being other ways by which they may be pardoned so that it is no sin not to discover them The third part of Penitence is Satisfaction for Sins according to the judgment of the Confessor which satisfaction is chiefly performed by Prayer Fasting and Alms the Penitent being obliged to comply with the Penance imposed upon him by the Priest who being as a Judge in the place of God ought to impose what he thinks to be necessary not only with respect to the amendment of Sin for the future but chiefly with respect to the Satisfaction and Penance of past Sins The Form of this Sacrament is I absolve thee to which necessary words the Church has thought fit to add the words following from all thy Sins in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost There are also some Prayers which the Priest saith immediately after over the Penitent which tho' they are not essential to the form yet are very profitable and healthful for the Penitent Now by pronouncing the form not only all the Sins that are confessed but all those likewise which after a due diligence and Examination of the Conscience do not occurr to the Memory so as to be discovered all such being included in the said Confession are all pardoned tho' with an obligation of confessing them if they should ever after come to be remembred sins being as it were chains to the Soul from which it is delivered by the absolution of the Priest which is applicable to such as by virtue of contrition joyned with a desire of confessing have obtained pardon of God for their Sins which they were under an obligation to have confessed as also to those Sins which were never confessed because not remembred after a due diligence and to those likewise which having been once lawfully confessed and truly pardoned are by the Penitent of his own accord and for the greater Penance confessed and submitted to the Keys several times The Minister of this Sacrament is a Priest who hath Authority to absolve and is either the Ordinary as the Prelates or such as are commissioned and approved of by them The effect of this Sacrament is The absolution and pardon of Sins and for that reason it is by the Doctors properly called the Table after Shipwrack because the Grace which was given to us in Baptism being lost by the commission of Mortal Sin by which we make Shipwrack thereof and of all the other Vertues and Gifts which together therewith were poured down upon us there remains no other remedy or means whereby we can be saved but only by the plank of Penance or the Sacrament of Confession for that without this either actually received or firmly purposed according to the command of Holy Mother Church with contrition wherein such a purpose is always included we cannot be saved nor enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for which reason this Sacrament ought to be much reverenced and frequented as the only remedy that sinners have for all their evils Decree I. WHereas an entire Sacramental Confession is of Divine right and necessary to all those who after Baptism fall into any Mortal Sin and Holy Mother Church doth command all faithful Christians who are come to the use of Reason upon pain of Mortal Sin to confess at least once a Year in the time of Lent or at Easter when all that are capable are bound likewise to receive the most holy Sacrament of the Altar declaring all that neglect to do it to be excommunicate and notwithstanding this Precept has not hitherto been in use in this Bishoprick in which no Christian has ever confessed upon Obligation and a great many not at all which was occasioned through their ignorance of this healthful precept and of the necessity of this Divine Sacrament this Church having been governed by Schismatical Chaldaeans and Nestorian Hereticks the particular Enemies of this Sacrament being the cause of their being totally unacquainted with the Virtue Efficacy and Necessity thereof Some not using it all others being perswaded by the Devil into a vain and superstitious Opinion That if they should confess themselves they should die immediately all which having been made known to the most Illustrious Metropolitan in his first Visitation of these Churches he at that time perswaded a great many that had never done it before to confess themselves having undeceived them as to the unreasonable and pernicious mistakes which they lay under therefore the Synod the more to further this doth declare that it is the Duty of every faithful Christian upon penalty of Mortal Sin to observe the precept of the Church concerning Confession at the time by her determined and founded on the Divine precept of Confession for all such as are fallen from Grace by the Commission of any Mortal Sin and doth command all faithful Christians Men and Women that are arrived at the Years of Discretion to confess themselves to their own Vicar or to such Priests as are licensed by the Prelate to hear Confessions at the time of Lent or against Easter and that whosoever shall not have complyed with this Precept or is not confessed sometime betwixt the beginning of Lent and the second Sunday after Easter shall be in the Church declared Excommunicate by the Vicar without waiting for any order from the Prelate to do it until he has effectually confessed himself and has undergone the punishment due to his Rebellion and if the Vicar shall for some just reason think fit to wait any longer for some that have been negligent and who being busie have desired to be dispensed with till Whitsuntide it shall be in their power to bear with them according to what is determined in the 2d Decree of the 5th Action of the Sacrament of the Eucharist having first admonished those that live in the Heaths or are at Sea or engaged in Business in such places where there are no Churches to confess in that when they return home they are bound to do it within a month And that the whole of this may be executed with the more ease and be performed as is reasonable the Vicars of the Churches shall be obliged a month or more before Lent if it be necessary to go to all the Houses of their Parishes belonging to Christians however remote in the Heaths either in Person or by some other Clergyman whom in Conscience they can trust with such a business and taking the Names of all the Christians even to the very Slaves in every Family that are nine Years old and upward and of those too that are abroad observing whether they do return home after the time of the Obligation and having made a Roll of Parchment of