Thomas, and another Law of St. Peter, and that they are fo different as not to have any thing to do with one another; as also all other Herefies and Errors condemned by Holy Mother Church. This true and Catholick Faith, out of which there is no Salvation, and which at prefent I do of my own free Will, profess and truly hold and believe, I fhall with the help of God endeavour to keep entire, and undefiled to my last breath; and conftantly to hold and profefs, and to procure its being held, profeffed, preached, and taught by all that are fubject to me, or that fhall be any ways under my care. IN. do promise and vow to God, and Swear to this Holy Crofs of our Lord Chrift: So help me God, and the Contents of this Gospel *.

I do alfo Promise, Vow and Swear to God, this Crofs, and thefe Holy Gospels, never to receive into this Church and Bishoprick of the Serra, any Bishop, Archbishop, Prelate, Pastor or Governour whatsoever, but what fhall be imme

*Pagninus Gaudentius,a Learned Papift, in his 2d. Book De Vira Chriftianorum, makes this Judicious reflection upon the Church of Rome's long Creed. Mirabitur aliquis, cum tam latè pateant limi. tes Theologie Chriftiana, Scriptores Vetuftiffimos, quique floruerunt ante Constantinum, brevi admodum ratione, non multisque effatis completli pracipua Capita Chriftiana Religioni, Summamque Myfteriorum que tradita funt ab Apoftolis: Lege Ju

flinum, Tertullianum & obferva quàm parci funt, dum referunt quid divinâ fide fentiant Chriftiani: Sed fubfecuta fecula tam multa defi merunt, & addiderunt, ut ingentia Volumina nunc noftram comple&tantur. Theologiam ei ergo, qui de vita Chriftianorum ante tempora Conftantini agit, danda opera eft, ut exponat incrementum Dogmatum Catholicorum ; quod tamen nefcia annon offenfurum fet aures noftras.

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diately

1

diately appointed by the Holy Apoftolical See, and the Bishop of Rome, and that whomsoever he fhall appoint, I will receive and obey as my true Pastor, without expecting any Meflage, or having any further dependance upon the Patriarch of Babylon, whom I condemn, reject and anathematize, as being a Neftorian Heretick and Schifmatick,, and out of the Obedience of the Holy Roman Church, and for that reafon out of a state of Salvation: And I do fwear and promife, never to obey him any more, nor to communicate with him in any Matter: All this that I have profeffed and declared, I do promife, vow and swear to Almighty God, and this Holy Cross of Chrift: So help me God, and the Contents of thefe Gofpels. Amen.

The moft Reverend Metropolitan, after having made this Proteftation and Confeffion of Faith, rofe up, and seating himself in his Chair, with his Mitre on his Head, and the Holy Gofpels, with a Crofs upon them in his hands; the Reverend George, Archdeacon of the faid Bifhoprick of the Serra, kneeling down before him, made the fame Profeflion of Faith, with a loud and intelligible Voice, in the Malabar Tongue, taking an Oath in the hands of the Lord Metropolitan, and after him all the Priefts, Deacons, Subdeacons, and other Ecclefiafticks that were prefent, being upon their Knees, Jacob, Curate of Pallarty, and Interpreter to the Synod, read the faid Profeflion in Malabar, all of them fay

ing it along with him, which being ended, they all took the Oath in the hands of the Lord Metropolitan, who asked them one by one in particular, Whether they did firmly believe all that was contained in the Profeffion; as alfo whether they did believe and confefs all that is believed' and profefled by the Holy Mother Church of Rome, and did reject all that the rejects, and if they did anathematize the curfed Herefie of the Neftorians, with all its falfities, and all the Authors and Cherifhers of the fame; Namely, the perverfe Neftorius, Theodorus, and Diodorus, together with all their Followers; and whether they did acknowledge the Holy Roman Church to be the Mother,and Miftrefs*,and Head of all the Churches in the World, and confess that all that ·

*There is no Chriftian Church befides the Roman, and a handful of Maronites, who put together, are not the fourth part of Chrifendom, but what deny this Supremacy, and do with Pope Great gery I. condemn is as an Antichriftian and Heretical Ufurpati on. It is nothing fo much as this Magifterial Pride of the Roman Church that makes the Papifts to be by much the most generally hated Set of People in the whole World; for not to fpeak of the Jews, Mahometans and Heathens, who hate them infinitely beyond all other Sects of Religion, the, Greek and Alexandrian Chriftians have them in fuch deteftation, as

to reckon an Altar defiled by Roman Prieft's having celebrated thereon: And for the Mufcovites, Poffevinus cells us, their greatft imprecation is, I hope, to live to fee thee fo far abandoned, as to turn Papift. The Abbffin Chriflaps, as Godinus tells us, do not only condemn the Romanifts as Hereticks, but do affem, chap they are worfe than Mobynetans, and in the 28th. Chap. of the first Book of Archbishop Menezes's Vi fitation, it is faid that the Chaldaan and Malabar Chriftians did fo abhorr the Pope, that they could not endure to much as g hear him named.

were not obedient to her, were out of a state of Salvation; and if they did promife and fwear true Obedience and fubjection to the most Holy Father the Pope and Bishop of Rome, as Univerfal Paftor of the Church, and Succeffor of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and Vicir of Chrift upon Earth, without any manner of dependance upon the Schifmatical Patriarch of Babylon, to whom tho' contrary to Justice, they had hitherto been fubject; and if they did promise never to receive any other Bishop into this Diocefs, but what shall be sent by the Holy Ro man Church, by the appointment of our Lord the Pope, and that whomsoever he fhall ordain, they will acknowledge and obey for their Prelate, as becomes true Catholicks, and Sons of the Church, anathematizing the Patriarch of Babylon, as a Neftorian Heretick, out of the Obedience of the Holy Roman Church, and promifing and fwearing never to obey him more in any matter, nor to have any further Commerce or Communion with him in things appertaining to the Church.

To all which, and every particular, they did all, and every one of them for themselves with their hands upon the Crofs and the Gospel, fwear and protest to God by the Holy Gospel, and the Crofs of Chrift. After the Ecclefiafticks had made this Profeffion and Oath, the Procurators and Representatives of the People, by virtue of the Powers they had, made the fame in their own Name, and in the Name of the People of

the Bifhroprick, as did alfo all the other Chriftians that were prefent.

TH

Decree III.

'He Synod doth command all Priefts, Deacons, and Sub-Deacons, of this Bishoprick, that were not prefent at this Solemnity, to make the forefaid Oath and profeffion of Faith in the hands of the most Illustrious Metropolitan, at the Vifitation of their Churches, which he intends to make speedily, or in the hands of fuch as he shall depute for those that shall be abfent at the time of the Visitation; that fo there may be none in Holy Orders in this Bishoprick but what has made this Profeffion in the manner aforefaid. The Synod doth likewife declare, That hereafter none fhall be capable of undertaking any Vicaridge, or Cure of a Church, until they have made the faid Profeffion, in the hands of their Prelate, or of fome Commiffionated by him for that purpose; as alfo,that all that take Holy Orders, do firft make the faid Profeflion in the fame manner; and if any of the forementioned, which God forbid, fhall refufe to do it, that they shall thereupon be declared Excommunicate, until they comply, and withal be vehemently fufpected of Herefy, and be punished according to the Sacred Canons.