A Censure of Simony, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Simonists conuicted by the vniuersall voyce of common Fame.
IF Gods Word were altogether silent in the Law of Tythes, leauing them as a thing indifferent to bee paid or not, according to mens fancies and wills; and that the Scriptures had consequently no show of arguments to conuince Simonists, as wee hauehave heard: yet euen the generall voyce of common fame (mee thinkes) should bee sufficient to cry downe Simonie, and to present it in the Spirituall Court, or to procure a Decre…e against it in the high Court of Conscience. And here before the Barre of this vnpartiall Court, let mee by Writ Summon the Simonist to appeare. Thou hast bought some Benefice; or other Ecclesiasticall preferment in the Church▪ but hast so carried and conuei…d the matter, as the world cannot bee witnesse how much thou hast giuen: yet so, and so much thou hast giuen, as by some circumstance or other, generall notice is taken of it (for such corruption will soone cast abroad a sauour) whereupon a common fame is raised vponupon thee, that thou art a Simonist. So that if thou wilt be tried by God and the Countrey, thou art sure to bee condemned for a Simonist. For vox popidi, v…x Dei, euerie one saith thou art a Simonist; therefore thou art one. Euen as an intemperate or incontinent person in a Parish; the one is commonly drunke, the other followeth harlots, euerie boy in the street points at them; There goes a Drunkard▪ There goes a Whoore-master; But yet for all this, neither will the one confesse himselfe a Drunkard, because hee keepes his feet; he wallowes not in the kennell, hee can vse his tongue, and the like; Nor the other will bee an Adulterer, because hee thankes God, hee medleth not with other mens wiues, but vseth onelyonly for recreation to meete with merrie companie, although in suspected places, to see their fashions, and to learne rather to hate women, then to louelove them.Maturè vt cum cognorint, perpetuò oderint▪ Terent. And if hee enter into more familiaritie with them, it is but simple fornication at the worst, and (according to Romane-Catholike Doctrine) a Veniall sin, which his nature is now and then necessitated vntounto, for his healths sake: Iust so, is our common Simonist. Hee hath deuoured pluralities of preferments, as so many full cups; hee hath deflowred so many, once Virgin Churches, the Patron perhaps, or some for him being the Pandor; so that euerie one can point with the finger, There goes one who paid so much for such a Benefice, such a D. such a B. Yet for all this hee will bee no Simonist, because, forsooth, hee hath not bought the Holy Ghost; nor by way of Lapse entred vponupon anothers Liuing, as is were, another mans wife, which some flaw in this wife, not fault in the Incumbent, hath brought into the lapse, and so now free for any to sue out a Diuorce, and marry her, though so, as he commits adulterie with her.
But thou wilt say, It is one thing to bee called, and another thing to be; Though the ignorant vulgar call mee so, yet it therefore followeth not, that I am so. Things are to be measured not by report, but by reason; and the vulgar can giuegive no other reason of calling me a Simonist, but onelyonly because Simon bought the gifts of the holy Ghost, and I onelyonly buy the corporall commodities of the Church. Well, yet if there were no other respect, but this, how ought eueryevery Minister especially to bee carefull of preseruing the credite of his holy calling and profession: As Saint Hierome writing,Hieron ad Nepotiani…, Epist. 2. De vita Clericorum & Sacerdotum, saith. Caueto omnes, suspitiones, & quicquid probabiliter fingipotest, ne fingatur, ante deuita. Auoid all suspitions, and whatsoeuer may bee probably forged, preuent it first, that it may not bee forged. For as eueryevery good Christian ought not onelyonly to abhorre Adulterie and all vncleane Acts; but also to direct his conuersation so, as he may preserue his good name from the least suspition of lightnesse and dishonestie: so euerie good Minister of Christ should so much detest the sinne of Simon himselfe, as to decline whatsoeuer hath any similitude or affinitie therewith. Abstaine (saith the Apostle) from all appearance of euill.…. Thess. 5.22.
And if there were no other reason to ground common fame vponupon, but this, that merchandizing of Church-liuings is called Simonie, because Simons sinne in offering to buy the gifts of the holy Ghost, is truly called Simonie: it were euen proofe good enough. As Theopompus called a drunken murther, Cilicismus, of the barbarous manners of the Cilicians: and lasciuious lust, Canobismus, of the filthy Canobites. Coelius Rhod. lect. antiq. li. 8. cap. 3.
So Iudas is called a Deuill, for being like him. Herod, a Fox, for his craft; The Church of Antichrist, a Whoore, for her whoorish conditions; and many a man is called a Simonist, for resembling Simon. As Saint Augustine marshalleth Simon, and all Ecclesiasticall Merchants in the same ranke together: Simon erat de talibus, qui in Templum intrant ad emendum & vendendum; Simon is one of those, that enter into the Temple, Aug. in Ps. 130.to buy and sell. In Ps. 130. And see what a similitude there is betweene Simon, and the Simonist. Simon would hauehave bought the gifts of the Holy Ghost, this man buyeth the goods of the Holy Ghost, which are the gifts of God to his Ministers. Simon offered money, not so much for the gift, as for the *Lyra. Zanch. August.gaine; this Man, not onelyonly offereth, but giueth his mony, not perhaps for his Ordination, not for that most carefull Cure of Soules, not for that most watchfull and weightie (Angelorum humeris tremendum Onu…) office of an Antistes: I dare say; what then? if neither, to make himselfe the more rich & honorable in the world, and consequently the more capable of a greater preferment… all probable coniecture were at a stand. Blame not then euen the common vulgar, for calling thee a Simonist after the name of Simon, whom thou dost so neerely resemble in thy manners, and which thou hast so deerely purchased with thy monies.
Againe, They that hauehave but in a mediocritie attained the grounds of their Catechisme (whereof there are enow to make vp a common fame) are able thus to conclude against common Simonie. The Commandement saith, Thou shalt not Kill. Is therefore onelyonly the Act of Murther here forbidden? Is not also the enuious, the back-bi…er, the hater of his brother, a Murtherer? Hee that hateth his brother is a Manslayer. The Commandement saith,1. Iohn 3.15. Thou shalt not commit Adulterie; Is onelyonly the Act forbidden? Is not also the affection? the lust? the looke? Hee that looketh on a woman, and lusteth after her, hath committed Adultery with her a…readie in his heart. Euen so, Thou shalt not commit Simonie: Matth. 5.28.Therefore is only the buying and selling of the most proper gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost so hainous, as to deserue that odious name of Simonie: and shall not the buying and sel…ling of Church preferments (being also the Holy Ghosts gifts, but of an inferiour nature) (that which Simon himselfe had most respect vntounto, when he offered his money) deserue also the name of Simonie? And why should not the buying and selling of Church liuings be called Simonie: as well as a lustfull looke be called Adulterie? For he that vseth lustfull lookes, and wanton gestures, is not onelyonly an Adulterer in his heart, but the likelier and neerer to commit it in the act: So he that will not sticke to buy a Benefice, bee it but an Aduowson, before hee hauehave taken some Orders, is hee not the likelier to buy his Orders too, especially being some rusticke Pedanticke, that so hee may enioy his former bargaine? For euerie one that buyeth a preferment of this nature, doth vndoubtly preferre it before the honour of his Calling (for he that truely honoureth this holy Calling, is of that holy mind, as to despise all base meanes to aduance himselfe in this calling) and consequently will make small conscience to buy holy Orders, which hee accounts but as accessories, when as he hath made shipwrack of conscience alreadie in purchasing the profits, which he deemeth as the Principall. And vponupon these reasons, not onelyonly the Common fame of this our Church, and of the present time, but of the whole Catholike Church from time to time, is grounded. So that the verie fame of it being so vniuersall, if there were no other reason, mee thinkes it should make any common Christian both ashamed, and afraid to oppose either his priuate opinion, or practise, against such a streame and cloud of witnesses.