lest God should have no service at all, nor show of it, in public or private, on those days which alone are set apart for that purpose? no,(c)) if they neglect Mass, either upon reasonable or damnable occasions (to wit, if they spend the time when they should be at it, in any other wickedness); yet are they not obliged to Prayer, or any other act of Worship, on those days afterwards. This is the Doctrine not only of their famous Navarre, ⟨p. 226⟩but of Pope Adrian, and their Saint Antoninus, with others: Yea after all other holy Exercises are cashiered as needless on any of their holy times; the Mass it self may be dismissed too for company. And because all their Religion necessary for the people, consists in this, at all times, when any thing religious is by their Doctrine needful for them; it will not be amiss, to observe, how easily they may be excused from this: thereby we may discern, of what moment it is in their account, to have nothing at all of Religion amongst them. Cardinal Cajetan will satisfy us herein; he determines, that (d)it is no mortal sin, to neglect the Mass on a reasonable occasion, though it be but such an occasion as is not urgent. Yea, he says, (e)It is but a Venial fault to omit it, upon no sufficient reason, and universally it is no great fault to neglect it, if a man thinks really he may be excused from hearing i•, or if besides his intention, out of some negligence it be omitted. Yea, they may be excused by custom; for so he says (f)Maids are excused from hearing Mass, till they be married, (and their Mothers too who are obliged to stay at home with them) because so is the custom. If so were the custom, it seems, all the rest might be excused. So many ways at least, may these Catholics be excused from all their Religion: by custom, or necessity, or opinion, or (which alone may suffice) by an insufficient reason; it will but be a Venial fault at most, together with all religious Exercises, to omit the Mass too; and that at those ⟨p. 227⟩times, when alone (if ever) they are obliged to them. Such being their Doctrine, we need not wonder, if Religion be starved to death among them, the life of it cannot be sustained (no more than God can be honoured by man-kind) without some acts of Worship and religious Exercises in ordinary practice: their Teachers assure them, that they are not ordinarily obliged to any of these, on common days;
lest God should have no service at all, nor shew of it, in publick or private, on those dayes which alone are set apart for that purpose? no,(c)) if they neglect Mass, either upon reasonable or damnable occasions (to wit, if they spend the time when they should be at it, in any other wickedness); yet are they not obliged to Prayer, or any other act of Worship, on those days afterwards. This is the Doctrine not only of their famous Navar, ⟨p. 226⟩but of Pope Adrian, and their Saint Antoninus, with others: Yea after all other holy Exercises are cashiered as needless on any of their holy times; the Mass it self may be dismissed too for company. And because all their Religion necessary for the people, consists in this, at all times, when any thing religious is by their Doctrine needful for them; it will not be amiss, to observe, how easily they may be excused from this: thereby we may discern, of what moment it is in their account, to have nothing at all of Religion amongst them. Cardinal Cajetan will satisfie us herein; he determines, that (d)it is no mortal sin, to neglect the Mass on a reasonable occasion, though it be but such an occasion as is not urgent. Yea, he says, (e)It is but a Venial fault to omit it, upon no sufficient reason, and universally it is no great fault to neglect it, if a man thinks really he may be excused from hearing i•, or if besides his intention, out of some negligence it be omitted. Yea, they may be excused by custome; for so he says (f)Maids are excused from hearing Mass, till they be married, (and their Mothers too who are obliged to stay at home with them) because so is the custome. If so were the custome, it seems, all the rest might be excused. So many ways at least, may these Catholicks be excused from all their Religion: by custome, or necessity, or opinion, or (which alone may suffice) by an insufficient reason; it will but be a Venial fault at most, together with all religious Exercises, to omit the Mass too; and that at those ⟨p. 227⟩times, when alone (if ever) they are obliged to them. Such being their Doctrine, we need not wonder, if Religion be starv'd to death among them, the life of it cannot be sustained (no more than God can be honoured by man-kind) without some acts of Worship and religious Exercises in ordinary practice: their Teachers assure them, that they are not ordinarily obliged to any of these, on common days;
- (c)Qui absque excusatione, ut peccando mortaliter, omisit sacrum, non tenetur eodem •i• aliis actibus colere & orare Deum; ergo multo minùs tenebitur qui excusatur: est […] optimum consilium, nullum tamen est latum ea de re praeceptum, & latius docent, Navar. cum Antonine, Adriano, & aliis, Suarez. Tom. disp. 88. sect. 6. p. ult.Qui absque excusatione, ut peccando mortaliter, omisit sacrum, non tenetur eodem •i• aliis actibus colere & orare Deum; ergo multo minùs tenebitur qui excusatur: est 〈…〉 optimum consilium, nullum tamen est latum ea de re praeceptum, & latius docent, Navar. cum Antonine, Adriano, & aliis, Suarez. Tom. disp. 88. sect. 6. p. ult.
- (d)Quia sola missa communiter est in praecepto, ideo sine rationabili causa, omitt• missam in festo, peccatum mortale reputatur. Et hîc esto prudens, admittendo pro • tiona•ili ca•sa omne motivum rationi humanae consentaneum, etiamsi non fuerit urg•. Ibid. p. 304. Angelus v. Feria, n. 42. Citans Richardum, quodl. 1. q. 19. negat omissionem missae in die festo esse peccatu• mortale, nisi ex contemptu formali vel virtuali fiat, quod etiam affirmavit Sum. Rosellae. v. miss. & Turrecremata, Suar. ibid. sect. 1. initio. Sequitur posse Pontificem in hoc praecepto (de missa audienda) dispensare, e• Ecclesiasticum sit, only to dispense with one, that he should not all his life hear Mass, when no reasonable occasion hinders him, is not expedient. Idem ibid. i• fine, vid. Bonacin. infra.Quia sola missa communiter est in praecepto, ideo sine rationabili causa, omitt• missam in festo, peccatum mortale reputatur. Et hîc esto prudens, admittendo pro • tiona•ili ca•sa omne motivum rationi humanae consentaneum, etiamsi non fuerit urg•. Ibid. p. 304. Angelus v. Feria, n. 42. Citans Richardum, quodl. 1. q. 19. negat omissionem missae in die festo esse peccatu mortale, nisi ex contemptu formali vel virtuali fiat, quod etiam affirmavit Sum. Rosellae. v. miss. & Turrecremata, Suar. ibid. sect. 1. initio. Sequitur posse Pontificem in hoc praecepto (de missa audienda) dispensare, e Ecclesiasticum sit, only to dispence with one, that he should not all his life hear Mass, when no reasonable occasion hinders him, is not expedient. Idem ibid. i fine, vid. Bonacin. infra.
