Case of Conscience Concerning Advowsons

Of course advowsons are sold. It is effectively a claim on real property. Real property is sold all the time. The Church of England likes to buy advowsons so that it can better control appointments to benefices.

 

Objection: "Of course advowsons are sold. It is effectively a claim on real property. Real property is sold all the time. The Church of England likes to buy advowsons so that it can better control appointments to benefices."

Answer: Ken, Thomas, 1637-1711, "Ichabod: or, Five groans of the church: Prudently foreseeing, and passionately bewailing her second fall: Threatened by these five dangerous, though undiscerned, miscarriages that caused her first: Viz. [bracket] 1. Undue ordination, 2. Loose prophaness, 3. Unconscionable symony, 4. Careless non-residence, 5. Encroaching pluralities. Humbly presented to her supreme head and governour, the kings most excellent majesty, and his great council, the Parliament of England." See also: Ichabod, by Thomas Ken (anglicanhistory.org).

Taken from Chapter 3: "... Unconscionable simony."

"Object. I onely bought an Advowson. [In modern English: "I only bought an advowson!"]

Sol. If you cannot buy a Living when it is void, how can you buy it over another mans head when it is not? What do you aim at in the Advowson? Do you aim at the good of souls? those souls are provided for alreadie. Do you aim at the benefit of the place? O unworthie man! What, embrace the present world! is the Tythe a Ministers? what need you buy it aforehand? Is it the peoples? why do you take it at all?" OBJECTION OVERRULED.

I would advise you all to read Chapter 3 called "... Unconscionable simony." I hold that the power by which the patron acts in practicing his advowson by nominating the candidate to the office or ecclesiastical preferment is a spiritual and ecclesiastical power, to which women are ineligible according to the divine order of Creation of the Sexes (1 Cor. 14:34/35, 1 Timothy 2:11-15).