Imatges de pàgina
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fet your Foot, or fo much as caft your Eye upon it. The Hiftorian who relates this, tho' a Portugueze, makes this reflection upon it, Thus we lofe Places by our Infolencies, which we gained by our Valour.

When Mar Abraham returned to Goa over Land, by the way of Ormus, and found Mar Jofeph Shipped off for Portugal, thereupon he flattered himself with the hopes of meeting with nothing to moleft him in the Poffeffion of his Bishoprick; but he quickly found himself deceived, for having prefented the Pope's Briefs, and other Papers he brought along with him to the Arch-Bishop, the Portuguezes not having the fame reason to permit him to return to the Serra, as they had when they permitted Mar Jofeph, which, as Í have observed, was done on purpose to give rife to a Schifm, he was told, that before they would put him in Poffeffion of his Bishoprick, they must first have both the Briefs and his Informations ftrictly examined, that so they might be fatisfied he had not impofed upon his Holiness.

Wherefore, tho' refolved whatever came on't, never to let Mar Abraham go out of their hands, yet that they might not feem to refuse to pay a due refpect to the Pope's Briefs; the Arch-Bishop and others, after having examined all his Papers, found feveral flaws in them, which were declared to be fufficient to justifie their detaining of him: This is no more than what the Canonifts can do, and do daily in the cleareft cafes, it being impoffible to have any Matrimonial or other caufe drawn up, or worded fo accurately, that the Canonifts,

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the Church of MALABAR.

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and especially if the Pope defire it, will not find feveral Nullities in. Upon the publication of the nullity of the Pope's Briefs, as having been obtained by mifinformation, poor Mar Abraham, instead of being fent back in Triumph to his Bishoprick, as he expected, was, after all the Pains he had been at, confined to the Dominican Convent at Goa, there to remain till fuch time as the Pope's Answer came to the Arch-Bishop's Information of his Cafe.

Mar Abraham, being fenfible that to be confined till that came, was the fame thing as to be condemned to be a Prifoner for Life, refolved, let what would be the Iffue, to try to make his escape, which, after feveral unfuccessful Attempts, he did, at laft, upon an Holy Thursday at Night, while the Friars were all imployed in the Chapel, and having gotten over to the Continent, he pofted away to Malabar, where he was received with great Joy and Festivity by all the Christians, who having two of their Arch-Bishops Prisoners among the Portuguezes, defpaired of ever seeing another Babylonish Bishop among them.

The Viceroy and Arch-Bishop were much troubled at Mar Abraham's having made his escape thus,and writ straightways to the Bishop of Cochim, and all the Governours upon the Coast of Malabar, to have him apprehended if he was above Ground; but Mar Abraham knowing how it would be, took care to keep himself, as far as he could, out of their reach, never adventuring to vifit any of the Churches that were in the Neigh

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bourhood of Cochim, or of any other Portugueże Garrison.

But tho' after this Mar Abraham is faid, in all his Letters to the Portuguezes to have full profeffed himself a Romanist, and not only fo, but to have re-ordained all that had been ordained by him formerly; yet it is certain, that in all things else he acted quite otherwise in his Diocess, where he continued not only to preach his old Doctrines, but in his Prayers ftill named the Bifhop of Babylon as his Patriarch.

Gregory XIII. being informed of this by the Arch-Bishop of Goa, and other Prelates of the Indies, iffued forth a Brief, bearing date the 28th. of November, 1578. directing it to Mar Abraham, and commanding him therein to repair to the next Provincial Council that fhould be Affembled at Goa, to affift at it, and to obferve all the Decrees that should be made therein, relating to his Bishoprick, and that he might not excufe his not obeying this Brief, by pretending that he could not do it with fafety; the Pope likewife fent him Letters of fafe Conduct, to go and come without being any ways moletted.

In pursuance whereof Dom Vicente da Fonseca, a Friar, of the Order of St. Dominick, and Arch-Bishop of Goa, having called a Provincial Council, which was the third of Goa, ordered the forementioned Brief to be intimated to Mar Abraham, and together with the Pope's, his own, and the Viceroy's Letters of fafe Conduct,to be fent to him.

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Mar Abraham, having well confidered the matter, and perceiving how difficult it would be for him to escape being Dragoon'd by the Portuguezes, whofe power increased daily in those Parts, if he should disobey this Summons, determined, whatever came on it, to repair to the Council, at which he affifted, and was obliged once more to Abjure, and make a profeffion of the Roman Faith, promifing withal, to see all the Decrees made in that Synod, in relation to his Bishoprick, punctually executed, and to fend in all the Heretick Books in his Diocefs to be burned or amended; and having confeffed, that in the Ordination of Priests there was no Wine in the Cup, which he delivered into their hands, together with the Hoft, he was commanded to Ordain all that he had Ordained before overagain.

Now if this, of there being no Wine in the Cup, which was delivered into the hands of those who were Ordained Priests, was the only ground whereon the Romanifts founded the invalidity of the Chaldean Orders, as it is the only thing they have been pleased to inftance in, what a ftretch was this to invalidate the Orders of a whole Church by? But for Canonifts and Schoolmen by Subtilties invented on purpose to fupport a late Error, or to ferve a prefent turn, to wound Christianity in its very Vitals, is a practice too common to be wondred at. I am fure the Church of Rome has much more reason to apprehend that the Sacrilege of denying the Cup to the Laity

in the Sacrament, may make her Communion imperfect and ineffectual, than that this alone should make Ordinations fo.

But after all this ftir, the Doctrine of the delivering the Bread and Cup into the hands of those who are to be ordained Priests, being ef fential to Orders, is fo far from being true, that it is owned to be a Novelty by all the Modern Learned Divines of the Church of Rome, and is moreover contradicted by her daily Practice, who, as all the World knows, allows the Greek Orders to be good, in the Collation whereof she knows, the Bread and Cup is not put into the hands of those who are ordained Priests.

It is true, the Council of Florence, in her Inftructions to the Armenians, feems to have doted into the fame Error with this of the Portuguezes, in making that new Ceremony effential to Orders. But let that be as it will, it is certain that both the prefent practice of the Roman Church, and all her truly Learned Sons, the Modern Schoolmen not excepted, do condemn it as an Error; for which I fhall only quote two of her moft eminent Schoolmen, and one of her ablest Criticks.

Cardinal Lugo, in his 2 Difp. de Sacramentis, faith as followeth, Aliunde autem habemus, non porrectionem panis & vini determinatè requiri ex divinâ inftitutione, cum Græci abfque illa porrecti one ordinentur; ergo fatendum eft Chriftum folum voluiffe pro materiâ aliquod fignum proportionatum boc vel illud.

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