Lewis the 3d King of France, he protests be knew no Kinfman nor Friend, and he only confidered the Life, Learning, and other good Qualities necessary to the facred Miniftry. Those Ages were very corrupt, fo that the great Advantages that the Popes had, in the Dif putes concerning the Inveftitures into Benefices, were taken from this, that fervile Obfequiousness and Flatteries were the Methods used in procuring them; of which it were easy to bring a great and copious Proof, but that it is needlefs. I fhall only name two Provifions made against all these finiftrous Practices: One Sefs. 12. was among us in a Council at Exeter, in Synod Exon which this Charge is given, Let all Men 1287. 8. look into their own Confciences, and examine themselves with what Design they aspire to Orders; if it is that they may ferve God more virtuously and more acceptably, or if it is for the Temporals, and that they may extort Benefices from those who ordain them, for we look on fuch as Simoniacks. In the Council of Bafil, in which they attempted the reftoring the freedom of Elections, as a Mean to raise the Reputation of the Sacred Function, they appointed that an Oath fhould be taken by all Electors, That they should not give their Voice for any who bad, as they were credibly informed, endeavoured to procure it to themselves either by Promifing or Giving any tempo Q4 temporal Thing for it, or by any Prayer or Petition either by themselves, or by the Interpofition of any other, or by any other Way whatsoever directly or indirectly. This would go as far, as those who took it confidered themselves bound by an Oath, to fecure Elections from Corruption or Practice. I will go no further to prove that both Fathers and Councils, in their Provifions against Simony, confidered the Practices of Application, Importunity, Solicitations and Flatteries, as of the fame Nature with Simony: And therefore, tho' our Law confiders only Simony, as it is a Bargain in the which Money or the Equivalent is given or promised, yet the Senfe of the Church went much further on this Head, even in the moft corrupt Ages. The Canon Law does very often mention Simony in its threefold Distinction, Manus, Linguæ, & Obfequii; it being still reckoned a Duty both in the Giver and Receiver, that the Gift fhould be free and voluntary. In the Church of Rome a Right of Patronage is, according to their Superftition, a Matter of great Value; for in every Mafs the Patron is to be remembred by a special. Collect, fo that it faves them a great Charge in a daily Mafs faid for them. To us this Effect ceafes; but ftill it is a noble Piece of Property, fince a Patron has the Nomination I nation of him that has a Care of Souls It is all one what the Confideration is on which it is bestowed, if Regard is not in the first Place had to the Worth of the Perfon fo nominated; and if he is not judged fit and proper to undertake the Cure of Souls For with Relation to the Account that is to be given to the great Bishop of Souls, it is all one whether Money, Friendship, Kindred, or any carnal Regard, was the chief Motive to the Nomination. I know it may be faid, no Man but one in holy Orders is capable of being poffeffed of a Benefice, and in order to that he is to be examined by the Bishop, tho' already ordained, before he can be poffeffed of it: But the Sin is not the less, because others come in to be Partakers of it. Still a Patron must answer to God for his Share, if he has nominated a Perfon without due Care, and without confidering whether he thinks him a proper Perfon for undertaking 24 24 2.4/ fo great a Trust. will not carry this Matter fo far as to fay, fay, that a Patron is bound to chufe the fittest and most deferving Perfons he can find out; that may put him under great Scruples, and there being a great Diversity in the Nature of Parishes, and in the several AbiJities neceffary for the proper Duties of the Paftoral Care, it may be too great a Load to lay on a Man's Confcience an Obligation to distinguish who may be the fittest Perfon. But this is very evident, that a Patron is bound to name no Perfon to fo important a Care, as the Charge of Souls, of whom he has not at least a probable Reason to believe that he has the due Qualifications, and will discharge the Truft committed to him. Some Motives may be baser than others; but even the Confideration of a Child to be provided for, by a Cure of Souls, when the main Requifites are wanting, is in the Sight of God no better than Simony. For in the Nature of Things it is all one, if one fells a Benefice, that by the Sale he may provide for a Child, and if he bestows it on a Child, only out of na| tural Affection, without considering his Son's Fitnefs to manage fo great a Trust. Perpetual Advowfons, which are kept in Families as a Provifion for a, Child, who must be put in Orders whatever his Averfion to it, or Unfitness for it may be, bring a Proftitution on holy Things. And Pa rents rents who present their undeferving Children, have this Aggravation of their Guilt, that they are not fo apt to be deceived in this Cafe, as they may be when they prefent a Stranger. Concerning these they may be imposed on by the Teftimony of those whom they do not fufpect; but they must be fuppofed to be better informed as Zight to their own Children. It is also certain, that Orders are not given by all Bishps, with that Anxiety of Caution that the Importance of the Matter requires. And if a Perfon is in Orders, perhaps qualified for a lower Station, yet he may want many Qualifications neceffary for a greater Cure: And the Grounds on which a Presentation can be denied, are fo narrow, that a Bishop may be under great Difficulties, who yet knows he cannot stand the Suit, to which he lies open, when he refuses to comply with the Patron's Nomination. The Sum of all this is, That Patrons ought to look on themselves as bound to have a facred Regard to this Trust that is vested in them, and to confider very carefully what the Nature of the Benefice that they give is, and what are the Qualifications of the Perfon they present to it; otherwise the Souls that may be loft by a bad Nomination, whatsoever may have been |
