for the Example of those Vertues which were fo Illuftrious in his Holy Paffion, and the hatred of Sin, for which he suffer'd so much, and the fear of the Divine Juftice which he fo rigorously fatisfied, and the confidence of our Salvation by fuch a plenteous Redemption; and the use of the Sacraments, to which he applyed the virtue of his Holy Paffion, and other infinite benefits which are derived from thence to our Souls, which Error included another no less prejudicial, and which is alfo common among the Neftorians; the condemning of Holy Images for that if it were an Impiety to think of the Paffion of our Lord Chrift, it must follow that all those things are unlawful, that move or contribute thereunto; as, the Sign of the Holy Crofs; and all Images of the Holy Paffion; all which is a grofs and manifest Herefy: Wherefore the Synod doth recommend it to all Preachers, Confeffors, and Rectors of Churches, frequently to perfwade their People to the confideration of those Divine Mysteries; and to that end, they fhall advife them to the Devotion of the Rofary of our Lady the most Bleffed Virgin Mary; wherein are contained all the principal Mysteries of the Life of our Lord Chrift, with profitable Meditations upon them.

Decree VI.

Among the many Errors fown in this Diocefs,

and left in the Books thereof, by the perfidious Neftorian Hereticks, there being feveral against our Lady, the most Bleffed Virgin Mary,

the

the Mother of God, the only Remedy of Chriftians, the Mother of Mercy, and the Advocate of Sinners, the Queen of Angels. The Synod doth therefore declare, That it is the Doctrine of the Catholick Faith, that the Holy Virgin was never at any time stained with the guilt of any actual fin; and that it is Pious to believe, that fhe was alfo Conceived without Original Sin; it seeming to be most agreeable to the Dignity of the Mother of God, that it fhould be fo; tho it is true, that Holy Mother Church † has not as yet determined any thing about that matter. Furthermore, the Catholick Faith teacheth, that she was always, before, in, and after Child-birth, a most pure Virgin, and that she brought forth the Son of God, made Man, without any Pain, or Paffion; having none of those things which are common to other Women after Child-birth, nor no need of any created affistance to help her to bring forth, or afterwards, there being nothing in her but what was pure, the Eternal Word, made Flesh, fpringing out of her Womb, the Clauftrum of her pure Virginity being shut, thas not as yet determined] It is much fhe has not,fince the Invention of the Holy Reliques in the Mountains of Granada, among which there was a Book in Arabick of S. Cecilius, who was confecrated Bishop of Eliberis by St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome, with this Title, De Dono Gloria & Dono Tormenti; in which there is the following Definition of the Immaculate Conception made by all the Apoftles, being met together to Solemnize the Exequies of the Befled Virgin:

Illa Virgo Maria, Illa Sanita, Illa eleita à primo, Originarioque peccato præfervata fuit, & ab omni culpå libera; atque hac veritas Apoftolorum Concilium eft, quam qui negaverit, maledi&tus excommunicatus erit, & falutem non confequetur, fed in æternum damnabitur : All which Reliques, and this Book among the reft, were after a fevere and impartial Examination, approved of, and received as genuine, by a late Provincial Synod in Spain.

when

when the time, determined in the Confiftory of the Holy Trinity was come, to the great Spiritual Joy and fatisfaction of the faid Blessed Virgin; for which reafon fhe ought truly to be stiled the Mother of God, and not only the Mother of Chrift; and that when the departed this Life, fhe was immediately carried up into Heaven, where by a particular privilege due to her Merits, the enjoys God both in Body and Soul, without waiting for the general Refurrection; there being no reason why that Body, out of which there was most Holy Flesh formed, for the Son of God made Man, should as other Bodies be diffolved into Duft and Afhes, but that it fhould be immediately exalted and glorified, and placed high above all the Quires of Angels, as Holy Mother Church fings and confeffeth; concerning the whole of which matter, the Impious Neftorian Hereticks have fpoke, and writ, even in the Breviaries used in this Bishoprick, a great many Blafphemies and Herefies.

TH

Decree VII.

He Synod is with great forrow fenfible of that Herefy, and perverfe Error, fown by the Schifmaticks in this Diocefs, to the great prejudice of Souls; which is, That there was one Law of St. Thomas, and another of St. Peter, which made two different and diftin&t Churches, and *Two different.] By all this had nothing of Superiority or which the Synod calls Two Laws, Jurifdiction over one another; the Chriftians of St. Thomas meant which is a moft certain and ancient only, That the Churches planted truth. by the Apoftles in divers Regions,

both

both immediately from Chrift; and that the one had nothing to do with the other; neither did the Prelate of the one owe any obedience to the Prelate of the other; and that they who had followed the Law of St. Peter, had endeavoured to destroy the Law of St. Thomas, for which they had been punished by him; all which is a manifeft Error, Schifm, and Herefy, there being but one Law to all Chriftians, which is that which was given and declared by Jefus Chrift the Son of God, and preached by the Holy Apostles all over the World, as one Faith, one Baptifm, there being but one Lord of all, and one Catholick and Apoftolick Church, of which our Lord Chrift, God and Man, who Founded it, is the only Spouse; and one only Univerfal Paftor, to whom all other Prelates owe obedience, the Pope and Bishop of Rome, Succeffor in the Chair of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apoftles; to whom our Lord Jefus Chrift bequeathed that Supream Authority, and by him to his Succeffors; which Catholick Doctrine is neceflary to Eternal Life: Wherefore the Synod doth command all Parish Priests, and Preachers, to Treat often of this matter, by reafon of the great need there is of having this Bishoprick well instructed therein.

Decree

Decree VIII.

For Or that, till the very time of the most Illu ftrious Metropolitan entring into this Diocefs, there was. a certain Herefy twice repeated in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and twice more in the Divine Office, in calling the Patriarch of Babylon, the Universal Paftor, and Head of the Catholick Church, in all places, and as often as they happen to name him; a Title that is due only to the moft Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, Succeffor of the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter, and Vicar of Christ on Earth: the Synod doth therefore command in virtue of Obedience, and upon pain of Excommunication to be ipfo facto incurred, that no Perfon of this Bifhoprick, Secular or Ecclefiaftical, fhall from henceforward prefume, by Word or Writing, either in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mafs, or in the Divine Office, or in any other occafion, to bestow that Title on the faid Patriarch of Babylon, or on any other Prelate, befides our Lord, the Bishop of Rome; and whofoever shall dare to contravene this Order, fhall be declared Excommunicate, and held for a Schifmatick and Heretick, and shall be punished as fuch, according to the Holy Canons: And whereas the Patriarchs of Babylon, to whom this Church was fubje&, are Neftorians, the Heads of that curfed Sect, and Schifmaticks out of the Obedience of the Holy Roman Church, and Aliens from our Holy Catho