But the Priest, who celebrates, seems to pray, though the people at at Mass do not. He seems so, but the Church of Rome obliges not him to pray, unless he can be said to pray, who only reads the words of a form, without minding any thing else which they must necessarily be concerned in who pray indeed. Of the several sorts of attention, requisite in prayer, none, with them, is necessary, but that which respects the pronouncing of the words right. If the Priest mind but this only, so as to read the words right, it is sufficient, he does all the Church requires, and fully satisfies the Precept of saying Mass; this is their common doctrine. So that unless he can be said to pray, who neither minds the God he should pray to, nor the things to be prayed for, no nor the sense of the words he uses; their Church requires not the Priests to pray, even when they are saying their Mass-Prayers. Nor is it more needful on the same account, in the Canonical hours, as we ⟨p. 400⟩have seen before. So that praying indeed is not necessary for Priest or people, in all the public Service of the Romish Church, much less is it (x)needful in their private devotions, which are not enjoined; for there they declare it Lawful to be more neglectful of all the necessary concerns of prayer, than in public. Now that they who mind nothing but the bare saying the words of a prayer, do not pray indeed; they themselves will acknowledge, in their lucid intervals. Cajetan tells us, (y)that if one be corporally present at Mass, but lets his mind considerately wander after other things, he satisfies not the Precept, because he is but so there, as if he voluntarily slept at it; for to be far from the Mass by voluntary sleeping, and by voluntary wandering, are both alike. Hence it is clear, that Priest or people, whose minds voluntarily wander at Mass, do no more pray there than if they were voluntarily asleep; and consequently, if they wander carelessly, without observing it, they pray no more than if they were carelessly asleep: Yet many of them think the Church forbids not voluntary wanderings; he himself thinks, she forbids not careless wanderings; therefore all of them must believe that she thinks it sufficient to pray as they may do, who are fast asleep, one way or other: And yet none that are awake can well count sleeping to be praying.
But the Priest, who celebrates, seems to pray, though the people at at Mass do not. He seems so, but the Church of Rome obliges not him to pray, unless he can be said to pray, who only reads the words of a form, without minding any thing else which they must necessarily be concerned in who pray indeed. Of the several sorts of attention, requisite in prayer, none, with them, is necessary, but that which respects the pronouncing of the words right. If the Priest mind but this only, so as to read the words right, it is sufficient, he does all the Church requires, and fully satisfies the Precept of saying Mass; this is their common doctrine. So that unless he can be said to pray, who neither minds the God he should pray to, nor the things to be prayed for, no nor the sense of the words he uses; their Church requires not the Priests to pray, even when they are saying their Mass-Prayers. Nor is it more needful on the same account, in the Canonical hours, as we ⟨p. 400⟩have seen before. So that praying indeed is not necessary for Priest or people, in all the publick Service of the Romish Church, much less is it (x)needful in their private devotions, which are not injoyned; for there they declare it Lawful to be more neglectful of all the necessary concerns of prayer, than in publick. Now that they who mind nothing but the bare saying the words of a prayer, do not pray indeed; they themselves will acknowledge, in their lucid intervals. Cajetan tells us, (y)that if one be corporally present at Mass, but lets his mind considerately wander after other things, he satisfies not the Precept, because he is but so there, as if he voluntarily slept at it; for to be far from the Mass by voluntary sleeping, and by voluntary wandring, are both alike. Hence it is clear, that Priest or people, whose minds voluntarily wander at Mass, do no more pray there than if they were voluntarily asleep; and consequently, if they wander carelesly, without observing it, they pray no more than if they were carelesly asleep: Yet many of them think the Church forbids not voluntary wandrings; he himself thinks, she forbids not careless wandrings; therefore all of them must believe that she thinks it sufficient to pray as they may do, who are fast asleep, one way or other: And yet none that are awake can well count sleeping to be praying.
- (x)Ubi autem libere & eitra obligationem oratur; sola est culpa venialis indecenter orare: quare destractio, etiam meditata, nisi contemptio adsit, nunquam erit mortalis, Soto de just. & jur. l. 10. q. 5. art. 5. p. 341. fine. vid. Angel. Sum. v. horae. n. 27. Gabriel de Can. Miss. Lect. 22. Graft. l. 2. cap. 51. n. 11.Ubi autem libere & eitra obligationem oratur; sola est culpa venialis indecenter orare: quare destractio, etiam meditata, nisi contemptio adsit, nunquam erit mortalis, Soto de just. & jur. l. 10. q. 5. art. 5. p. 341. fine. vid. Angel. Sum. v. horae. n. 27. Gabriel de Can. Miss. Lect. 22. Graff. l. 2. cap. 51. n. 11.
- (y)Si quis corporaliter praesens sit missae, sed mentem advertenter a missa divertat ad al•a, non satisfacit praecepto missae: quoniam ita ibi est, ac si voluntarie ibi dormiret, paria namque sunt longe a missa fieri per voluntarium somnum, & per voluntariam diversionem mentis ad alia. Sum. v. fest. p. 305.
