In the last years of the eighteenth century there was a sudden awakening among the bishops to the growing abuse of non-residence and pluralities on the part of the clergy.
If, in the matter of reform, a stricter discipline was enforced upon the inferior clergy, and the abuse of pluralities was checked, nothing was done to touch the prerogatives of the Pope, or of the cardinals.
In fairness to our own age we must say that the instances of those abuses which still remain, even those which remained in the last generation, are trifles compared with the pluralities and non-residence of the Middle Ages.
What hindered this goodly scheme from being carried out for any length of time, what probably hindered it from being ever in its fulness carried out at all, was the vice of the age, the inveterate tendency to pluralities and non-residence.
The system of pluralities carried with it, as a necessary consequence, systematic non-residence on the part of many incumbents, and delegation of their spiritual duties in respect of their cures of souls to assistant curates.
The extent to which this system of Pluralities was carried in the Middle Ages seems almost incredible; we even read of one man having from four to five hundred benefices.
Another of his quarrels is against pluralities and non-residence: As to the former, it is a word of ill name, but not well understood.
Pluralities and non-residence being thus so common among the very men whose special duty it was to prevent them, one can hardly wonder that the evil prevailed to a sad extent among the lower clergy.
Pluralities are necessary in many cases, highly expedient in others; nor could the Church well subsist without them.
Again: "Pluralities are the stale topic of every ignorant creature who hates the Church.
And forpluralities of benefices and for residence.
The law against pluralities was limited as against existing holders, each of whom, for their natural lives, might continue to hold as many as four benefices.
Pluralities were not to be permitted with benefices above the yearly value of eight pounds, and residence was made obligatory under penalty in cases of absence without special reason, of ten pounds for each month of such absence.
Pluralities are still the great abuse of the church of England; and the rules on this head are so complicated and unreasonable that scarce any one can remember them.
It would be difficult to prove that, with a view to the interests of religion among the people, or of the clergy themselves, taken as a body, any pluralities of benefices with cure of souls ought to remain, except of small contiguous parishes.
In the meantime the lords had been proceeding with the bill regarding pluralities and non-residence.
A third measure was likewise brought into the house of lords by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to carry into effect the recommendations of the commissioners regardingpluralities and non-residence.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "pluralities" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
