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V.

SESSION days and saints-days, to receive the most holy sacrament at those times, and on the festivity of our Lord Christ, our Lady, and the Holy Apostles, all the Chamazes, or clergy that are in the church; of which the vicars ought to take special care, and the prelate in his visitations is to make diligent inquiry, how these things are observed.

The Doctrine of the Sacrifice of the Mass.

The great love of God to mankind, does not only appear in the institution of the holy sacrament of the eucharist, and in the putting of his divine body and blood under the sacramental species, to be the heavenly food of our souls, by which the spiritual life is maintained and preserved, but in his having likewise so instituted it, that the catholic church militant might have a perpetual and visible sacrifice for the purging away of our sins, and for turning the wrath of our heavenly Father, who is many times offended with our wickedness, into mercy, and the rigour of his just punishment into clemency: so in the mass there is offered unto God a true and proper sacrifice, for the pardon both of the living and of the dead, by the offering of the which sacrifice the Lord is so far appeased as to give grace, and the gift of repentance to sinners, and by means thereof does forgive men their sins and offences, though never so enormous; the host that is offered by the ministry of the priest on the altar of the church, being one and the same that was offered for us on the cross, with no other difference besides that of the reason of their being offered: and so it is not only offered for the sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities of the faithful that are living, but also for the dead, departed in Christ, and that are in the torments of purgatory, being not as yet fully purged by reason of their not having made a complete satisfaction for the punishments due to their sins, it being but just and reasonable, that all should be benefitted by a sacrifice, which was instituted for the remedy and health of all mankind; which oblation is of that purity, that no indignity or wickedness in the offerers is able to defile it so that as to the substance, value, and acceptation, it is the same when offered by a wicked and unclean sinner, as when by a pure and holy priest, because it does not derive its dignity from the offerer, but from the majesty and excellency of what is offered, neither does the eternal Father accept thereof for the merits and virtue of the priest that offers it, but for the value of the sacrifice itself, and the infinite merits of Christ, who is offered therein; so that our Saviour being about to offer himself to God the Father on the altar of the cross,

could not possibly have given us a greater expression of his immense love for us, than by leaving us this visible sacrifice in his church, in which the blood which was presently to be once offered upon the altar of the cross, was to be renewed every day upon the altar of the church, and the memory thereof to our great profit, was to be adored every where in the church until the end of the world; which divine sacrifice is offered to God only, notwithstanding it is sometimes celebrated in memory and honour of the martyrs and other saints in bliss; it not being offered to them but to God only, who has been pleased to crown them with immortal honour, rendering him thereby our bounden thanks for the notable victory of the martyrs, and the public mercies and blessings, he has vouchsafed to other saints, and for the victories which by these means they obtained over the world, the flesh, and the devil; beseeching the said saints to be pleased to intercede for us in Heaven, whose memories we celebrate on earth: and though the divine eucharist does still continue to be a sacrament, yet it is never a sacrifice, but as it is offered in the

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DECREE I.

DIRECTIONS FOR SAYING MASS: AND THE SYRIAN MISSALS TO BE
ALTERED IN CONFORMITY TO THE DOCTRINES OF ROME.

Forasmuch as it is of great moment, that all things belonging to the sacrifice of the mass, should be preserved pure and undefiled, and whereas this church has been for 1200 years from under the obedience of the holy Roman Church, the mistress of all the other churches, and from whence all good government and true doctrines do come, all the bishops that came hither from Babylon having been schismatics and Nestorian heretics, who have added to, and taken from the mass at their pleasure without any order; from whence it has come to pass, that several things are foisted into the Syrian mass which is said in this diocese, without any consideration, and such things too as may give occasion to many impious and heretical errors: for which, if due order were observed, all the missals of this bishopric ought to be burned, as also for their having been of Nestorian use, and compiled by Nestorian heretics; but being there are no other at present, they are tolerated, until such time as our lord the Pope shall take some order therein, and there shall be missals sent by him printed in the Chaldee tongue, which is what this Synod humbly and earnestly desires may be done and in the mean time it doth command, that the missals now in use be purged and

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SESSION reformed as to all the following matters, and that till such time as they are so purged, which the most illustrious metropolitan, with the assistance of some persons well versed in the Chaldee tongue will see done the next visitation, no priest shall presume to make use of them any more.

Whereas from the above declared doctrine of this sacrament it is evident, that the priest does not consecrate with his own words, but with those of our Lord Christ, the author and institutor of the said divine sacrament; it is not therefore lawful to add any clause, how good soever in itself to the form of consecration, or to what our Lord Christ said therein; in which we do not comprehend the word Enim, which the church of Rome adds to the consecration of the body and blood; for besides that, there is the tradition of the holy Apostles, for our Lord Christ having used it in the consecration of the body; and that St. Matthew also relates it in the consecration of the cup, it is no clause or distinct sentence, but a conjunction to a sentence of the words of Christ which immediately follow. As also the word æterni in the consecration of the cup; and the words mysterium fidei,' which though not mentioned by the evangelists, yet as it is proved by apostolical tradition, were used by our Lord Christ in the consecration of the cup, and for that reason the holy church continues to use them in the same; but as for the words added to the consecration of the cup in the Syrian missal, et hoc erit vobis pignus in sæcula sæculorum,' they being no where in any of the four evangelists, nor in any book of the New Testament; and it not appearing to the church by apostolical tradition, that Christ used them in that consecration, the Synod doth prohibit them to be used therein any more; but the words in themselves being good and holy, and agreeable to what holy church singeth of this divine sacrament, that it is the pledge of the glory that we expect, that we may keep to the old missal so far as the sincerity of the faith, and the purity of this divine sacrifice will permit, the priest shall say them after the elevation of the cup, where making a profound reverence, he shall begin the following prayers with them, only changing the word vobis, which was used as spoke by Christ, for nobis, as spoke by himself, saying, Hoc erit nobis pignus' and for the words, in sæcula sæculorum,' which follow, they being commonly said in the church of such matters only as are to last for ever, or are wished to be eternal, seeing the use of this divine sacrament as well as of the rest, is to continue but to the end of the world, (they having been instituted only as a remedy for our spiritual necessities in this life, for in the other we are to see our Lord no more under sacramental species, but clearly as he is, neither shall we in heaven eat

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this divine bread of angels sacramentally, but shall eat as the SESSION angels do in the vision of the divine word.) The words 'in sæcula sæculorum' shall be therefore left out, and instead thereof shall be put usque ad consummationem sæculi,' saying, hoc erit nobis pignus usque ad consummationem sæculi,' the sacrament being a pledge only for so long as we do not see the glory that we hope for, but is and ever will be such a pledge in this life, Christ having promised to his church, that he will be with her to the end of the world;' so that the divine sacraments, which were instituted for our benefit, can never fail till then; after these words the priest shall go on with what immediately follows in the mass, Gloria tibi, Domine, gloria tibi,' and so on.

Furthermore, in the consecration of the cup, there is added to the words of Christ, novi testamenti qui pro vobis, &c. novi et æterni testamenti mysterium fidei, qui pro vobis et pro multis,' &c. Therefore the Synod doth command, That the words of consecration of the body and blood be reformed, and put in all their missals, according to the canon of the Roman missal used in the universal church without the least addition or diminution, and with the same adorations, inclinations, and ceremonies as are in the Roman missal.

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Furthermore, where the priest saith Dominus Deus noster quando spirabit in nobis odor suavissimus,' it is said in the same prayer, 'et cum animæ nostræ veritatis tuæ scientia fuerint illustratæ, tunc occurremus dilecto filio tuo,' &c., speaking of the day of judgment, it shall be said, Cum corpora nostra veritatis tuæ splendore fuerint illustrata, tunc occurremus dilecto filio tuo,' the souls of the just being illuminated and glorified in Heaven before the day of judgment, which is the time when the bodies receive their glory; this passage seeming to allude to the Nestorian heresy, which teacheth that the souls of the just do not see God, nor are glorified, nor are in bliss, before the day of judgment.

Furthermore, where the deacon saith, Orando pro sanctis patribus nostris patriarchâ nostro pastore universalis totius ecclesiæ catholicæ,' meaning the schismatic of Babylon, et episcopo hujus metropolis;' it shall be said, 'pro sanctis patribus nostris, beatissimo papâ nostro totius ecclesiæ catholicæ pastore,' naming him by his name, et episcopo hujus metropolis,' naming him also, et ministris ipsorum;' and a little lower where the deacon praying, saith, præcipuè nos oportet orare pro incolumitate patrum nostrorum sanctorum, domini patriarchæ totius ecclesiæ catholicæ pastoris,' naming the patriarch of Babylon by name, instead thereof he shall say, Præcipuè oportet nos orare pro incolumitate patrum nostrorum Domini

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SESSION Papæ,' naming him also, et episcopi hujus metropolis,' naming him also.

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Furthermore, when the deacon a little before saith, 'commemoramus autem beatissimam Mariam, virginem matrem Christi et salvatoris,' it shall be said, Sanctam matrem Dei vivi, et salvatoris, et redemptoris nostri,' &c, because the perverse Nestorians do impiously deny the Blessed Virgin to be the mother of God, as has been observed.

Furthermore, when the deacon a little lower saith, Commemoramus quoque patres nostros sanctos et veritatis doctores Dominum et sanctum Nestorium,' &c. all which is heretical, it being an impious thing sacrilegiously to pray to God to preserve the doctrine of Nestorius, and of other heretics his followers in the church, all the fore-mentioned having been such except St. Ephraim; wherefore instead of them he shall say, Commemoramus quoque patres nostros sanctos veritatis doctores S. Cyrillum,' &c. And though in some missals the names of Nestorius, Theodorus, and Diodorus are already left out, yet they do still remain in some, and the names of Abraham and Narcissus, two of the ringleaders of that cursed sect are in all of them. Wherefore there must be care taken to have them also left out.

Furthermore, in the beginning of the prayer wherein the deacon saith, Oportet nos orare et exaltare unum Deum patrem Dominum omnium adoratione dignissimum, qui per Christum fecit nobis bonam spem,' it shall be said, Qui per Jesum Christum filium suum Dominum nostrum fecit nobis bonam spem.

Furthermore, where the priest pouring the wine into the cup, saith, Misceatur pretiosus sanguis in calice Domini nostri Jesu Christi,' it shall be said, Misceatur vinum in calice Domini nostri,' that no occasion may be given to the error of calling the wine before it is consecrated, the precious blood of Christ, alluding to the condemned custom of the Greeks, who as they offer the bread and wine before they are consecrated, so they adore them too, saying they do it for what they are to be; and presently after where the priest saith, Expectans expectavi Dominum, Corpus Christi et sanguinem ejus pretiosum super sanctum altare offeramus,' it shall be said for the same reason, Panem sanctum et calicem pretiosum offeramus; and immmediately after where the deacon saith, Edent pauperes et saturabuntur, Corpus Christi et sanguinem ejus pretiosum super sanctum altare offeramus,' he shall say for the same reason, Edent pauperes et saturabuntur, panem sanctum, et calicem pretiosum,' &c.

Furthermore, where the priest with a low voice in the

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