lick Faith, and are for that reafon Excommuni. cate and accurfed; and it not being lawful to joyn with fuch 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, Chrift'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 faid Patriarch of Babylon; and the prefent Synod,does under the faid precept of Obedience, and upon pain of Excommunication to be ipfo facto incurred, prohibit all Priests, and Curates, from henceforward to name the faid 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 falfe Title of Univerfal Paftor; but instead thereof, shall name our Lord the Pope, who is our true Paftor, as alfo of the whole Church, and after him, the Lord Bishop of the Diocefs, for the time being; and whofoever fhall maliciously and knowingly act the contrary, fhall be declared Excommunicate, and otherwife punish'd at the pleasure of his Prelate, according to his contumacy. Decree IX. Whereas all the Breviaries used in this Church are Neftorian, and by the commands of Prelates of the fame Sect, on a certain day the impious and falfe Heretick Neftorius is Commcmorated in this Bishoprick, and a Day is kept to his Honour, and at other times, Theodorus, Diodorus, Abbaratho, Abraham, Narfai, Barchauma, Johanan, Hormifda, and Michael, who are alfo Neftorian Hereticks, were likewise Commemorated; Neftorius, Theodorus, and Diodorus, being commemorated on the Friday after the Nativity; and on the seventh Friday after that, Abraham, and Narfai, and all the above-named; and all of them on every Thursday in the Year, in the faid Neftorian Office, and every day in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mafs, and the Divine Office; and notwithstanding in fome places they have not of late named Neftorius, Theodorus, and Diodorus, but do ftill continue to name Abraham, Narfai, Abba Barchauma, Johanan, Hormifda, and Michael, in the Bleffing that the Prieft gives to the People at the end of the Mafs; wherein they defire Hormifla to deliver them from evil, being his Difciples; as alfo on all Fridays in the Year they commemorate as Saints, the faid Hormifda, Jofeph, Michael, Johanan, Barchauma, Ďarianda, Rabba Hedfa, Machai, Hixoiau, Caurixo, Avahixo, Lixo, Xaulixo, Barmun Lixo, Metidor, Cohada Ifrael, Ezekiah Lixo, David Lixo, Barai Ifrael, Julianus Haudixo, &c. who were all Neftorian Hereticks, and as is evident from the faid Maffes, and from their Lives, Commemorations, and Praises, bestowed upon them, the Heads of the faid Sect. Therefore the Synod in Virtue of Holy Obedience, and upon pain of Excommunication to be ipfo facto incurred, doth prohibit all Priests, and Curates, and all other Perfons, as well Secular, cular, as Ecclefiafticks, in this Diocess at any time, either in common, or in particular, to commemorate any of the forefaid Hereticks, or to keep a day to them, or to celebrate their Festivities, with any Solemnity, or to make any mention of them in the Divine Offices, or in the Mass or any where else, or to direct any Prayers to them, either in common, or particular, or to make any Vows, Promifes, Offerings, or any Nercha's to them; or to have their Images either in the Churches, or in their Houses; and in no wife to give them that Worship, and Veneration, which is due to Saints; and that they raze their Names out of their Books, Calendars, and Offices; and that their Maffes be cut out of their Breviaries, and Miflals, and burnt, and their Commemorations extinguished, that so their Memory may perish among the faithful, all of them having been curfed and excommunicate Hereticks, and condemned by Holy Mother Church, and are at this time burning in the torments of * At this time burning] This rafh Judgment brings to my mind what the Conde de Ereicera, in his Hiftory printed about fourteen years ago at Lisbon, faid of King Charles having spent fome time in Devotion upon the Scaffold, that feeing he died a Heretick, that Devotion was of no other benefit to him, but as it prolonged his life a few minutes: But tho' our Princes, for I have reason to believe they heard of it,did not think fit to refent this Saucinefs, as well as Impiety, fo far as to have the Author questioned for it; yec it would feem that God would not fuffer it to go long unpunished; who a few years after,suffered that great Minifter to go out of the World after fuch a manner, that they must have a great deal of Charity indeed, that can think well of the future ftate of his Soul; for the unhappy Man Murthered himfelf; which is a thing that very feldom happens in Portugal, Hell, for their Crimes and Herefies, and for their having been the † followers of fuch a curfed Sect; the Synod doth furthermore command, that instead of them, on the Friday next after the Nativity, St. Athanafius, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Bafil, St. John Chryfoftom, and St. Cyril Followers of fuch] The Church of Rome is not without Hereticks in her Martyrologies, and Calendars; for, not to fpeak of Eufebius Cefarienfis, St. George, Lucifer Calaritanus, Barfanuphius, and others; the Learned Valefius, in his Tract of the Roman Marty. rology, gives the following Account of Theodotus Bifhop of Laodicea: Jam vero illa que in aito Martyrologio, Adonis fe. Rofwedi, leguntur fecundo die Noven.bris. Laodicea Theodoti Epifcopi, qui arte Medicus fuit, defcripta funt ex Ruffini, lib 7. cap ult. Sed CompiLator ifte non animadvertit Theodorum hunc Laodinea Epifcopum, cujus eo loce laudationem intexuit Eufebius Arianarum partium præcipuum fautorem fuiffe, quippe qui & ab initio Arianum dogma tutatus eft, & poft Nicanum Concilium, confpiratione cum Arianis falta, Euftathium de Antiochena fede dejecerit, ut fcribit Theodoretus lib. 1. bift. cap. 24. Hic eft Theodotus cui Eufebius libros Juos de Preparatione Evangelicâ nuncupavit; & cujus meminit Suidas in voce, 'Arcurde. Idem quoque Error irrepfit in Martyrologium Romanum, quod Patrum memoria, juffu Sixti quinti editum, & Baronii notationibus illuflratum eft; nec fatis mirari poffum quonam modo id Baronii diligentiam fugerit. Furthermore, The Church of Rome has several Saints in her prefent Calendars, and Martyrologies, that were never in being, or were never of humane race; and here not to mention St. Almanakius, or St. Al manak, upon the ft. of January; nor St. Zinoris, on the 24th. of the fame Month; on the 24th. of July, in the prefent Reformed Roman Martyrology, it is faid, Amiterni in veftinu Paffio Sandorum Militum Olloginta trium; among whom (as Baronius learnedly obferves) Florentinus and Fœlix were two of the moft Eminent. Now in the ancient Martyrology publifhed by Maria Florentinus, it is faid upon the fame day; In Amiternina civitate Miliario 83°. ab urbe Romanâ via Salutaria natalis Sandi Victorini; and in another ancient one, called Martinianum, it is writ, In Amiterninâ civitate Mil. 83 ab urbe Romana via Salutaria San Victurini; and in the Queen of Sweden's Martyrology, is writ, In Amiterna civitate Mil. 83 ab urbe Roma Santi Vi&turini; and in the Corbey Martyrology, thus; In Amiternina civitate Miliario Octogefimo tertio ab urbe Roma via Salutaria natalis Sarēti Villorini Martyris. So that here we have of of Alexandria, fhall be Commemorated; and on the feventh Friday following, St. Austin, St. Ambrofe, St. Gregory, and St. Ephrem, who was mentioned by them among the Hereticks, and on Wednesdays, All Saints and Confeffors together; and in the Commemorations of the Divine Offices, and Mafs, they fhall Commemorate all the forenamed Saints, in the place of the above-mentioned Hereticks; neither fhall any one that thall prefume to do the contrary, be abfolved from the Cenfures he has incurred, until he hath undergone a condign Penance, or fuch a one as his Prelate fhall think fit to impofe upon him, and fhall thereupon be obliged to curfe all the faid Hereticks, and their damnable Sect, and to make Oath of the Faith publickly, and to submit to all other punishments that his Rebellion fhall deferve, and if he is an Ecclefiaftick, he fhall moreover be fufpended from his Orders, and Benefices, and punished according to the Holy Canons. Eighty-three Italian Miles Cano- Again, On the 16th. of Feb, in the prefent Reformed Roman Martyrology, it is faid; In Ægypto Sandhi Juliani Martyris, cum aliis quinque Millibus: Now if this is the Julianus that was Pamphilius's Companion,as doubtless it is, they muft then have encreased his Company mightily, for they were but five that fered with him in Egypt, who it is probable were Souldiers; and fo the contracted word Mill, came to be taken for Mille: This makes me fufpec that there may be fome fuch miftake in St. fula's Army of Eleven thousand Virgins. For fome of her Sints who were Heathens, fee the Remarks upon 25 Decree, At 8. L 3 Decree |
