none mainteined in schisme their owne Churches which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ except they were as all false Churches are of a succession inuisible The Waldenses beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Waldo an ignorant lay man in the city of Lyons aboue eleauen hundred yeares after that the faith of Christ had flourished in the world who disobeying the authority of Alexander 3. Pope and of the fathers of a General Councell held at Rome beganne a new Church against all saying we must obey God rather then men And Iohn Hus was proceeded against as an haeretike for mainteining with obstinacy his doctrine The Church of the Lutherans beganne in the disobedience of Martin Luther a Fryar of the holy order of S. Augustine about fifteene hundred yeares after the first establishing of the Church of Christ who disobeying the authority of the head and pastors of the Church that then were to wit of Pope Leo and the pastors of his Communion broke his vowes of pouerty chastity and obedience and hauing gotten some to follow him he beganne with them a new Church which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ nor from any Church except it were a succession inuisible The Zinglians beganne in the disobedience of Vlricus Zuinglius a Canon of Constance who seeing the people of Germany soe greedily to swallow downe the liberty of Luthers doctrine and noueltys disobeying the authority of Pope Clement and of the pastors of his Communion would beginne also a new Church contrary both to the Church of Rome and of Luther denying the reall presence of the body of our Lord in the holy Eucharist The Church of the Caluinists beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Caluin Priest of Noyon who following the example of Luther and Zuinglius brokeforth after them out of the sheepefold of Christ and disobeying the authority of Paulus 3. then Bishop of Rome and of the pastors of his Communion beganne a new Church according to his owne words separating themselues from the whole world Resp ad versip The Church of England which is the newest of them all beganne in the disobedience of king Henry the eight who hauing first obtained of Pope Leo the glorious title of Defendour of the faith for his good seruice done to the Church of God especially in oppugning of Luthers heresy became afterwards soe blinded with carnality that desiring of Pope Clement a diuorcement from his lawfull wife and not obtaining it he denyed his authority forbadde in his dominions all commerce with the court of Rome and caused himselfe to be proclaimed The supreme head of the English Church vpon earth putting to death Bishop Fisher Sr Thomas Moore and others for denying his supremacy By all which it appeareth that the words of S. Iohn may well be applyed to all these sects when to discouer the false Churches of schismatiks and heretiks which he speaketh of by the name of Antichrist he giueth them this marke They went out from vs. Io. 1.2 Soe may we say of all the sects of schismes and haeretiks that are in the world they beganne at some time in disobedience to the Romane Church the beginners of them were once Romane Catholiks but they were the chaffe of the Catholike Church which being puffed vp with pride and obstinacy went out from vs and beganne new Churches which were not then at all in the world You haue seene now the supreme authority of the Bishop of Rome to haue bene first acknowledged and obeyed by the primitiue Church and consequently all other Churches of christians whatsoeuer without naming of any haue at some time goneforth of that Church and begunne in disobedience to that Bishop and to the pastors of his Communion and you haue seene also in particular the cheife and most notable and one may say all other Churches for that the rest of the petty sects haue begunne indisobedience to some of these and goneforth of them you haue seene I say in particular the rest of the Churches that now are to haue begunne in disobedience to that authority which was first obeyed by the primitiue Church of Christ and was then obeyed in the world and euen by themselues vntill they tooke vpon them to disobey it Wherefor I conclude with this that the true Church is that which continueth allwais obedient to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion and they are all false Churches that haue begunne in disobedience to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion but there is none but the bishop of Rome that can with any reason pretende to be the true head of the Church nor any pastors that can pretende to be in Communion with the true head of the Church but those that are in Communion with him therefore that is the true Church which hath continued all wais in obedience to the Bishop of Rome and his pastors and they are all false Churches that haue begunne at any time and continue still in disobedience to him and them There remaineth now onely to see what they can say for themselues and to shew the vanity of their pretences First if they deny that the Romane Bishop had supreme authority in the primitiue Church it is to confound as I haue said the knowledge of all thinges past I haue shewed that the holy fathers of those times haue interpreted the scriptures for the Bishop of Rome his supremacy and I haue shewed by their plane sentences and expresse words that the Romane Church hath obtained from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches that holy seate being the hinge and head of all Churches that in all controuersys we ought to haue recourse vnto it that the Bishop of Rome is the highest Priest and Bishop of bishops that all schismes and heresys haue sprung from the disobedience to that chaire that they are Schismatiks and Praeuaricators that set vp another chaire contrary to it that they belong to Antichrist that are not of that Communion I haue shewed also that the Bishop of Rome his supremacy was acknowledged by Generall Councels that his legates praesided in them that he protected the good and corrected the â—ad both of the Clergy and of the Laity of other Dioceses euen the cheife persons of the world as vnder his charge and that there is noe other bishop that by any title can iustly pretende to haue had that authority in the primitiue times And therfor it is most senselesse to deny his supremacy which the world hath soe long confessed And if they shall still oppose it Sap. 5. the round world shall fight with him against the senslesse who are soe bold as to hazard their soules against the whole world and against soe many worlds as I haue shewed gathered together in General Councels who haue submitted to the Bishop of Rome as to their supreme pastour They will grant then perhaps that the Bishop of
repeateth and inculcateth ouer againe the necessity of instruction also in that particular point that it is a thinge very remarkeable to see the great zeale of this holy Councell in soe often commending and recommending to Pastors the instruction of their people In the explication of the Sacraments beginning to speake of Baptisme it sayth that Pastors should neuer thinke that they had said enough in declaration of that Sacrament and exhorteth them that not onely on the Eues of Easter and whitsunday when it is administred with greater solemnity but also at other times that they take occasion when they see a good number of people together at the baptizing of any to say something if not of all the cheife parts of it at least of some one or other point of it as opportunity shall permitte And in another place as I remember it exhorteth them to haue certaine commune places in their memory for the explicating of any part of the Christian doctrine as neede shall requite This was the first thinge which I could not but obserue in the Romane Catechisme and which ought to be a great incitement especially to the Pastoral Clergy to whom it was directed and who haue by office the charge of soules to attende earnestly to doctrine And indeede he that before God hath vndertaken this charge and considereth on one side the dignity and necessity of the Christian Doctrine in it selfe and on the other side the ignorance of many and the stupid neglect of their soules which is caused by it will easily see what obligation he hath to vse his vtmost endeauours by all methods and wayes possible to attende to it but especially in that which by the sanctity wisdome and autority of a Generall Councell is commended I will not here omitte to propose the Clergy of France for an example and especially those about Paris in all Ecclesiasticall perfections the glory of Christendome who considering the Christian Doctrine to be the first ground of spirituality haue sett themselues soe earnestly to instruct in it as though the words of the Apostle were allwais in their eares Attende to thy selfe and to doctrine be earnest in them c. Tim. 1.4 And the sentence of God menacing Ezec. 34. Woe to the pastors of Israel which fedd themselues c. But my flocke you fedd not How many seuerall institutions haue of late yeares bene there erected for this purpose How many congregations of Priests are now established in the Parish Churches of the citty for education of the Pastoral Clergy and with speciall care to the Christian doctrine What methods haue they deuised what a number of books haue they settforth How many litle papers haue they dispersed amongst the people and what extreme and continuall paines doe they take to inculcate that by word of mouth which they deliuer in writing It is an admirable thinge and full of aedification to see the sweat and toile which I haue seene in those graue and excellent men Nay that nothing might be left vnessayed by them they haue caused the cheife points of the Christian doctrine to be put into verse for the easyer learning of it without booke But that which is yet of more moment and most worthy to be practised all ouer the Catholike Church is an exercise confirmed by authority as I perceiue all ouer France which they call the Prone or Pronaum as being deliuered in the Naue or open of the Church in which euery Sunday at High Masse the Creede being ended the Celebrant or some other for him ascendeth the pulpit and ioyning prayer with the people for the necessitys of the Catholike Church for the Popes Holinesse the soules in Purgatory and particular affaires that occurre the Christian doctrine is then read to them and a speech or Sermon is commonly made vpon some part of it Is not this a zeale worthy of Catholike Priests of the soules of Christians which they must answere for of the dignity of that doctrine which they professe Why doe not all then imitate this zeale in them That which they doe in this Prone is but in prosecution of the Councell of Trents desire and that which I here labour for For what is my Summe of the Christian doctrine but the Creede Sacraments Praecepts of the Church and the other most necessary points which first they reade and what my Discourses but as theirs vpon some of them Truely it was noe small satisfaction to mee when comming into France I saw that which for some yeares I had practised in priuate to be see publikely and generally there professed allthough vnknowne to mee And besides the profit which I had experienced in it and the authority of the Romane Catechisme their example did not a litle encourage mee to publish it and to commende the like practise to our countrey which standeth much more neede of it then they And yet for all this care and paines which they take I haue heard them sometimes complaine to their people that many of them were ignorant euen in the first principles and most necessary points of doctrine and I know by some experience that it was not alltogether without cause But if in France and about Paris where such care is taken and where the common people generally are to be thought more knowing then in any place of the Christian world there was reason to complaine what shall we say of other places where that care is wanting and where those methods of Catechizing are not soe much as thought of By all which we may see the dignity and necessity of Catechizing in the iudgment of the wise and how great a falt it is in some of the weaker sort of Christians who sleight it as a thinge for children onely and when themselues perhaps remaine in damnable ignorance The Christian doctrine is the ground and foundation of religion and the Catholike Church continueth allwais in the world by continuall instructing in it Christ the Sonne of God laid that foundation the Apostles after him buildded vpon it the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholike Church from time to time haue raised vp the structure and by their preachings and writings mainteined it and for all that they haue said and written there will still remaine for others to write vntill it come to that perfection to which God hath ordained it in this world This is that doctrine which plane humble and outwardly despicable but grounded vpon the promises of Iesus-Christ auncient Philosophy could not withstande it This doctrine deliuereth the principles of diuinity it hath beaten downe infidelity dispersed haeresys like smoke it abolisheth sinne and inflameth vnto vertue the harts of those that faithfully imbrace it Finally this is the knowledge of saluation in which the Orient from on high hath visited vs. And it should suffize to say that it is the knowledge of saluation What esteeme then ought all to haue of it with what dilligēce to study it and to be perfect in it And therefor
obligation which they haue to learne the christian doctrine And that I may speake to the honour of God and that all may receiue that benefit which I wish them we will say the Haile Mary for our blessed Ladyes intercession Haile Mary c. The Holy Ghost hauing to describe the life of Iob à man fearing God and departing from euill Education of children and to propose him as it were vpon a stage as à true example for all laymen and married folkes to behold and to learne at the many vertues with which he was endowed he would beginne his commendations with the care which he had of his children and therefor he first bringeth him forth rising vp early in the morning to sanctify them and to offer holocausts for euery one of them speaking these words Iob 1. least perhaps my sonnes haue sinned and blessed God in there harts This was the first thing which the holy ghost would commende in Iob and which may well be the first commendation of a married man that hath children For as marriage was first instituted for the orderly propagation of mankind and this propagation finally ordained to the multiplying of soules in the seruice of God soe the first and cheife end which married folkes ought to haue in marriage is to haue children to serue God and there prime commendation is to see that their children be brought vp in the feare of him and know how to worship and serue him as they ought This obligation of the education and instruction of children is not onely natural in christian parents but it is also accessory vnto them by the Sacrament of Baptisme for the Apostles as the general Pastors of the world being bounde to prouide sufficiently for the instruction of all and being themselues more necessarily imployed in planting of the ghospell of Christ and conuerting of soules placed others as their substitutes who should vndertake that charge and performe it for them and therefor they instituted this order in the Church that Godfathers should be chozen at the baptizing of all christians to supply the place of Pastors who as spiritual parents were to see them instructed in those thinges which were necessary for them to know that none might want sufficient instruction S. Dion Eccl. Hierar c. 7. par 11. Denis who liued in the Apostles times speaking of the institution of Godfathers saith that as masters they were to instruct in diuine thinges Now these Godfathers hauing many times noe conuenience themselues to performe in this their obligation ouer children and being sometimes farre distant in place and perhaps dead when the child groweth capable of instruction they commende and as it were remitte their charge to the parents of the children as hauing better meanes to performe it and then there rests à double obligation vpon them both as they are natural and also spiritual parents in the Godfathers place It is then à great shame and as it were à double sinne in them to be negligent in their childrens education and instruction S. Iohn Chrysostome lib. 3. Aduersus vituperatores vitae monasticae hath much to this purpose where reproouing the negligence of parents in it he calleth it the spring and fountaine of all euills amongst men that children are not well taught and brought vp and on the contrary commending of holy Abraham for his care of his children he maketh it the cause and meanes of soe many and great blessings as he obtained Gen. 18. For I know saith holy scripture that he will commande his children and house after him that they keepe the way of the Lord. And hauing produced some other examples of this a litle after he relateth as large à passage which I will breifly rehearse There was saith he in the city à youth richly appointed to study the Greeke and Latine tongues and had à tutour who as I perceiued had followed a monastical institute I meeting one day by chance with him asked him the cause why he would change the pleasure and quietnesse of that course of life for the vnquietnesse and trouble of à tutors place He beganne then to tell mee how that the father of that youth being à man addicted to the glory of the world had intended his sonne for à souldiers life but his mother à pious woman disliking of that course sent said he for mee to conferre with her and when I came she taking her sonne by the right hand offered him to mee I knowing nothing of her minde meruailed at first what she meant to doe My onely care said she is for this child and I feare much the euill company which he is like to fall into if you assist mee not but if you will be pleased to take the charge of him and carry him away with you I shall be out of feare of him and would perswade my husband that nothing should be wanting for his allowance and good education I desire you therefor to take him to your charge and I referre him wholly to be directed by you But if you deny mee this request then I call God to witnesse that I haue done my part and I cleere my selfe from the blood of my child which shal be required at your hands And this she said with soe many teares that I could not deny to vndertake the charge ouer him Which was saith S. Iohn Chrysostome to good effect in the youth his life afterwards proouing answerable to his education This would the holy Doctour insert into his works to propose this carefull mother as an example to parents O that her example were followed now à dayes when there neuer was soe much neede of it what would this mother haue done if she had liued in these times of ours in this kingdome in these varietys of manners and of religion what would she not haue done for his good instruction and to haue secured his education in the Catholike faith When Dunaam à Iew reigned in Arabia about eleauen hundred yeares since Sur. to 5.14 Octob. it was then à time of persecution of the Catholike Church there as it is now here and we haue in Surius an example of those times which may serue for our Catholiks of England to teach them to beginne by times to instruct their children and especially in places of persecution to grounde and confirme them well in the Catholike faith A christian woman was then apprehended and commanded to be burnt for hauing sprinkled herselfe and her child with the blood of martyrs When she was tyed to the stake her child which was but fiue yeares old ranne vp and downe asking for his mother and came pittifully lamenting to the place where the king sate to behold her execution The king tooke him to him and told him that he would be better then his mother to him and that he should stay with him but the child still cryed for his mother and desired to be with her The king perswaded him by faire meanes offering him giftes
they adhaere vnto the diuine autority and are grounded vpon a sure and immoueable rocke I haue said now all that I haue to say of faith I haue shewed in the first title that it is a supernatural light and gift of God and therfor it is most vaine and dangerous to seeke by natural reason into the mysterys of faith euen as though one should thinke to fly and should steppe downe from some high precipice or from the toppe of a house Secondly I haue shewed that the inspiracion of God to the true faith is allwais to the obedience of the Church And lastly I haue shewed how this diuine inspiration is to be sought for and obtained by those that haue it not In the following discourses I shall declace the particular mysterys of faith and points of the christian doctrine I wil adde onely a word or two to apply all to the greater honour of God and your profit that Christ hauing giuen sentence saying Marc. 16. Heb. 11. He that beleeueth not shall be condemned and the Apostle hauing declared that without faith it is impossible to please God those that feare the damnation of their soules and desire to please God wil aboue all things in the world esteeme of the true Catholike faith as a pretious iewell and rich treasure vpon which the loue of God and their saluation dependeth and will not permitte themselues for any hopes or ioyes of this passing life to be depriued of it It is a supernaturall light and gift of God intrusted to thee that art a Catholike by thy obedience at all times to the continuall Church of Christ and they haue miserably lost that treasure that through pride and peruersednes haue inuented singularitys of their owne or mainteined the singularitys of others against that authority O wicked pride O diabolicall peruersednes Lucifer was an archhaeretike amongst the Angells by not standing in verity but resisting the power of God And archhaeretiks are Lucifers amongst men by defending new doctrines against the authority of the Church which is the supreme power of God vpon earth Lucifer beganne the disorder of the damned and confusion of hell where noe order but eternall horrour dwells they beginne a disorder in the Church by drawing others into contempt of their superiours to mainteine their obstinacy against all authority How highly doe these wretches displease God without faith How deepely are these misbeleeuers condemned charged with the losse of soe many soules as follow them This is all that can be said for their comfort that the disorder wich they make and confusion amongst men is but a hell vpon earth out of which they may be freed if they will forsake those singularitys which without authority they defended and defende that authority which at first they forsooke And this is the comfort which now I would giue them that they seeke againe for the treasure which they haue lost Consider then the state that you are in the greeuousnesse of your sinne and the losse which you susteine soe much to be deplored It is God which you haue lost not a God of syluar as that which Michas ranne weeping and wailing for Iudg 18. but it is the foundation of all true Godlinesse the Catholike faith which Iesus Christ preached and established in his Church and that Church neuer to be interrupted at any time nor to stande in neede of reformation from errors That Church you must seeke for there you shall finde the faith which you desire if you desire indeede the true Catholike faith and with syncere harts pray to God for it But you preferre perhaps the temporall goods of this world before the blesse of heauen you feare the losse of riches of pleasures of dignitys and perhaps of life and you feare nor to offende him in whose onely power these things are and besides all that can destroy both soule and body into hell How many are there in the Catholike Church rich enough Matt. 10. honorable enough and healthfull enough allthough they hazard all this to defende the faith of Christ This aduātage we haue of thee that our sufferings for Christs sake shall be rewarded in heauen and for that which thou sufferest thou shalt haue noe reward Were it not better allthough with hazard of persecution to saue thy soule then to loose thy soule and to be in danger of miserys here also Christ gaue his life for the loue of thee when he needed not and dost thou repine to giue thy life for thy owne soule God can giue comfort in the midst of persecution that noe threats of our enemys shall affright vs but that we shall be contented with them and reioyce in his grace and diuine assistance which then he wil giue and which we must rely vpon before hand and then we shall not feare We deceiue ourselues in that naturall feare For nature hath noe power in that conflict but supernaturall grace which God will then giue to those that desire it But you ô Catholike souldiers that defende this treasure how honorable is the cause which you defende in it how powerfull and ready is your captaine to defende you and how rich and liberall to rewarde you in the end you defende that faith which Christ deposited with his Apostles which they deliuered to their successors and which descended from them by Pastors to Pastors and from people to people through all ages and times into your hands Keepe faithfully the depositum thus giuen to you and auoide all those noueltys which men take vp of themselues and are not giuen by authority to them Trust in Iesus Christ and he will comfort you soe that neither shame nor paine shall trouble your mindes in time of persecution Tim. 1.6 Fight the good fight of faith apprehende eternall life where in you are called by patience to possesse your soules There are noe greater riches noe more ample possessions Serm. de verbis Dom. cap. 4. nor honours more excellent saith S. Augustine then the Catholike faith in defence of which three hundred thousand martyrs by computation of authors haue suffered onely at Rome twenty seauen of them hauing bene without interruption the bishops of that place Blessed be God that enabled them to it Cor. 1.10 and who will make with temptation issue in vs with constancy to follow their glorious example Matt 10. He that shall perseuer vnto the end shall be saued Grant vs ô Lord perseueran◠in faith and good life to the saluation of our soules Amen THE THIRD DISCOVRSE OF THE SIGNE OF THE CROS I INTENDE now to declare vnto you the signe of the Cros. Which as it is a deuotion vpon all occasions soe much frequented in the Catholike Church it is very fitting that all Catholiks should vnderstande it and know the mysterys that are conteined in it But first we will salute the blessed virgin and require her intercession Haile Mary c. HOVV THE SIGNE OF THE Cros is to be made Quest Let
vs make the signe of the Cros. Ans In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen Allwais when you make the signe of the Cros say the words leasurely and destinctly and make a plane and destinct Cros not hudling it ouer hastily without deuotion but doe it soe that you may shew yourselues to honour the mysterys which are contained in it As for the placing of the words some say and of the Holy Ghost vpon the left shoulder and leaue nothing but Amen for the right others say Holy vpon the left shoulder and Ghost vpon the right and say Amen after that the whole Cros is made and because I haue bene often asked concerning this I would seeke into authors for their satisfaction Mich. Bauld Manual carem p. 3. c 3. but of a long time I could not meete with any that soe muâ—h as mentioneth how the words are to be applyed vntill at last I founde in a very learned and exact master of caeremonys where he expresseth that In the Name of the Father is to be said at the forehead Aâ—d of the Sonne vnder the breast and of the Holy vpon the left shoulder and Ghost vpon the right and Amen to be said after that the whole Cros is made Which manner I should rather approoue of First for his autority Secondly because otherwise if all those words And of the Holy Ghost were to be applyed to the left shoulder the Persons of the B Trinity should not make a complete and perfect Cros but onely three corners of it which is not fitting nor suetable to the perfection of that mystery Thirdly The Holy Ghost passing from one shoulder to the other betwixt the Father and the Sonne participating of both doth in some sort adumbrate the manner of his procession by that mutuall loue which is betwixt the Father and the Sonne Finally howsoeuer the words be applyed the same mysterys are intended by them and the substance of their signification is more to be regarded then the manner of their representation We will therefor declare in substance VVHAT IS SIGNIFYED BY the signe of the Cros. Quest What is the signe of the Cros Answ The signe of the Cros is a profession of the christian faith The signe of the Cros is sometimes called by authors a short Creede because it breifly compriseth the cheife mysterys of the Creede The Creede is an abbreuiation of the cheife points of the christian faith and the signe of the Cros is an abbreuiation of the Creede professing more breifly the mysterys which are principally conteined in it Quest How is the signe of the Cros a profession of the christian faith Answ Because in the signe of the Cros we professe the mystery of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation which are the two cheife mysterys of the christian faith Quest What is the blessed trinity Answ The blessed Trinity is God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost one and the same God in three different Persons Quest What meane you by the mystery of the Incarnation Answ We meane that the Sonne of God was incarnated that is became man to redeeme vs. We professe in the words the mystery of the blessed Trinity when we say In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost We say In the name and not in the names to shew the vnity of nature in the Persons of the blessed Trinity all which agree in the name and nature of one eternal and omnipotent God euery one hauing the same essence and nature the very same power wisdome and goodnes all and infinite perfections being included in all and euery one of them and yet we name three to wit the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost to shew the Trinity of Persons really destinct and different from one another This we intende to professe in the words Then in the action we professe the mystery of the Incarnation in that we make a Cros to shew that we beleeue in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated redeeming vs by giuing his life on the Cros for vs and these are the cheife mysterys and propper onely to the christian faith for that none but christians beleeue them Soe that the signe of the Cros may well be called a profession of the christian faith for by professing of that which is conteined in it the people of Christ are destinguished from all other professions of people which are in the world and therefor the holy fathers of the primitiue Church commende very much the vse of it as you shall presently see and we haue great reason to esteeme of it as the most propper and particular glory of christians signifying those blessed mysterys which we must allwais defende against the enemys of Christ If then you are christians honour Christ in his Cros and neuer be ashamed of that blessed signe It is the glory of Christ and of all christians Frequent it therefor with much reuerence and if any one aske you why you doe soe tell him that you professe your selfe a christian by it and that you will neuer be ashamed of that profession Remember then that in the words of the Cros we professe the mystery of the B. Trinity and in the action of making a Cros we intende to professe the mystery of the Incarnation and of our Redemption in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated who redeemed vs on the Cros. Now we will explicate that which is necessary of these mysterys The mystery of the blessed Tilnity is one of those in which our faith is most of all exercized and by which euery one may see his owne weakenes and the neede which he hath of supernatural light and grace from God to eleuate his vnderstanding and to excite his will to acts of diuine faith For it is a mystery which surpasseth the natural vnderstanding both of men and angels and which teacheth vs by experience not to search into the mysterys of faith but that we are to rely in them vpon a surer ground then our owne vnderstandings are S. Paul writing to the Romanes warneth them not to be too wise Rom. 12. but to be wise vnto sobriety Those that would be satisfyed in any points haue the priests their Pastors to goe vnto for satisfaction for the words of S. Peter concerne them most when he admonisheth Be ye ready alâ—waâ—s to satisfy euery one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you Pet. 1.3 Priests must be able to satisfy others Priests must enable themselues to giue satisfaction to the people in all those thinges which they are bounde to know and if they be defectiue in this which is but a small knowledge God will reiect them from him as vnworthy of priesthood Ose 4. Because thou hast repelled knowledge I will repell thee that thou doe not the function of priesthood vnto mee The Prophet Malachy spoke very propperly to this when he
was strucken of God with a suddaine leprosy which then in the sight of all broke forth of his forhead soe that for his prowde aspiring to the dignity and office of Priests he was then for his leprosy to be excluded euen from the people And Saul for offering of holocaust being a king onely and noe Priest although compelled as he thought by necessity vnto it lost notwithstanding his kingdome from himselfe and from his posterity for euer Some times Emperours and Prince are present at General Councells to grace and protect them from turbulent men but they giue not their voices in any thinge Soe Constantine the first christian Emperour was present in the first General Councell of Nyce but how he came in the last of all and hauing a litle low seate sette for him he satte not downe vntill the bishops made him a signe to sitt downe And as for the decrees of the Councell we reade that three hundred and eightteene bishops subscribed to them but not that Constantine euer subscribed Soe also men of more sanctity of life and eminent in abilitys although not bishops are sometimes called to assist in General Councels but not to giue sentence or to subscribe to the decrees by their owne authority The gouernment therefor which Christ ordained in his Church was by S. Peter and the Apostles that is to say by one head or cheife bishop and by inferiour bishops vnder him And their authority is most full and obliging when it speaketh by a General Councell Then the head of the Church exercizeth more fully his supreme authority calling together the pastors of the world and assigning to them the place of their meeting The bishops and others who for sanctity wisdome and learning are in reason to be thought the best deseruing of the whole world are present at them Being come together solemne dayes of prayer are instituted for the inuocation of the Holy Ghost Euery one of this absolute company hath then liberty to speake his minde freely and by the grounds of his owne religion is bounde not to dissemble but to speake the truth according to his conscience they being for the most part meere strangers to one another All things being well examined they subscribe in order first the head bishop and then the rest after him according to their dignity This is the harmony which Christ hath composed in his Church of people concording with their pastors and of pastors with their supreme head Now what more satisfaction can our soules desire then from such an assembly of soe many holy and learned men who haue the voyce of the whole Catholike Church and the assistance of Christ and of the Holy Ghost Let any christian speake truely and he must needes confesse that it would be a horrour to his conscience and that his owne thoughts would condemne him of errour if he were condemned by such an authority And therfor S. Paul might well say that the haretical man is condemned by his owne iudgment Tit. 3. Because he seeing his doctrine to be publikely condemned by the general sentence of the whole Catholike Church that then is in the world can not but see his owne peruersed obstinacy in still mainteining it and that he breaketh the concord of people with their pastors confoundeth all order of gouernment in the Church destroyeth the certaine ground of all diuine veritys and maketh the Creede scriptures and all principles of faith to become subiect to the censure of euery priuate man Wherefor the Apostle biddeth vs to take heed of such men and our blessed Sauiour himselfe hath commanded vs to regard them noe otherwise then as Heathens and Publicans Victor an auncient and graue authour Vis l. 2. de pâ—rses Vandal who liued in the age of S. Augustine about twelue hundred yeares since relateth a passage worthy to be remembred to shew the comfort and confidence which Catholikes haue in General Councells and how that haeretiks are affrayed and dare not stande to them Hunnericus king of the Vandals persecuting the Church summoned the Catholiks of his dominions to come to Carthage to a publike disputation with his Arian bishops Bishop Eugenius in the name of the Catholikes answered in this manner Let the kingknow that trusting in God we are ready and very glad to haue a publike triall of our cause but we desire that all the world may be present at it for we will not take vpon vs to decide the generall cause by our particular votes Let therfor all those beyond the seas know that the vniuersall cause is here to be treated and not onely the cause of the Affrican Prouinces for we will be tryed by the vniuersal authority and consent of all And when the king returned answere by his Prefident that he would grant him his desire if he would bring all the world vnder his power Eugenius replyed againe Thou shouldest not desire that request of mee which is not in my power to performe That which I say to the king is that if his maiesty desire indeede to be sdtisfyed in our religion which onely hath the true faith let him sende vnto his friends and I will sende vnto my fellow bishops and especially to the Romane Church which is the head of all Churches The bishop suspecting the intention of the king denyed to come to his city and wisely appealed to the generall authority and especially to the bishop of Rome but noe haeretike will euery yeeld to that appeale where the question is to be tryed by the vniuersal authority of the whole Church but as owles and battes fly from the sunshine soe doe they from such a glorious tryall and as they beganne in the disobedience of a few obstinate persons or of some one silly man soe they are affrayed to be tryed by the vniuersal Church which is at all times and was then when their disobedience beganne Disp Lyps Luther was contented to haue a tryall of his doctrine by single disputation and when that worthy man Dâ— Eckius the glory of Swedland publikely confuted and shamed him he broke forth into blasphemous words vnworthy to be repeated But he durst not come to the Councell of Trent which he needed not to hâ—ue feared if he would haue submitted to the authority of the vniuersall Church as all good Christians ought to doe Now let vs see WHICH IS THE CATHOLIKE Church Quest Giue mee a difference betwixt the true and all salse Churches Ans The true Charch continueth allwais in vnion and obedience to its head pastors all false Churches beginne in dissentions and disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church Thus S. Cyprian S. Hierome and others alleadged S. Peter being constituted of Christ as the head and supreme pastour of the Church as I haue shewed and is confirmed by all that which I haue to say of his successour the Bishop of Rome and that authority being necessary to remaine allwais after him we must see at all times and in all
controneâ—sys what the successour of S. Peter and the pastors that ioyne with him determine and we must adhaere to them as to the true and lawfull authority of the Church This as I shall â—hew is the bishop of Rome and the pastors of his Communion and therefor those that obey him and them obey the lawfull authority and are the true Church and they are all false Churches that disobey them Because the authority of the whole Church residing in the head and Pastors of it disobedience to them is disobedience to the whole Church and all false Churches of christians being either of Schismatiks or haeretiks and they beginning allwais in disobedience to the Church it followeth that those who continue allwais obedient to him that is then the head of the Church and to the pastors of his Communion are the true Church and the company of them altogether is the whole Catholike Church and those that refuse to obey their authority are false Churches of Scismatiks or haeretiks And this disobedience is not onely the original cause of all false Churches and a destinctiue signe to discerne them by but it is the very essential forme which constituteth them in the nature of false Churches and maketh them to be such For noe man can be a member of a false Church for false doctrine onely except it be ioyned with obstinacy and disobedience to the Church A good Catholike may hold or reach false doctrine of ignorance or mindelesnesse but he is not a Catholike if he mainteine any thinge obstinatly against the authority of the Church In points which are disputed by Philosophers and Catholike diuines affirmed by some and denyed by others a falsehood is taught on one side but noe errour in faith is committed nor the sinne of schisme or haeresy is incurred because the head and pastors of the Church hauing declared nothing in those points there is noe disobedience to the Church by them S. Cyprian and the bishops of Affrica erred in doctrine and opinion when they thought that the baptisme of haeretiks was not valid but they erred not in faith because the Church had then declared nothing of it and therefor it was noe formal errour or heresy because there was noe disobedience to the Church I may erre say the fathers commonly alleadged but I will neuer be an haeretike Errour is of the minde and vnderstanding but heresy is the defect of the will to be allwais free from errour we can not but from schisme and heresy we may if we will It is then willfull disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church that constituteth all false Churches and it is obedience to the head and pastors of the Church that conserueth vs in the true Church The true Church is a congregation of people vnited together with his lâ—wfull head and pastors all false Churches are congregations of people diuided from and disobedient to the head and pastors of the Church S. Paul warneth the Romanes to remember this marke saying Rom. 16. I desire you brethren to marke them that make dissentions and scandals contrary to the doctrine which you haue learned and anoide them If all christians had remembred these words and at all times had obserued them there had neuer bene any false Church of christians And if all would here after obserue them in the beginning of heresys the arch haeretike might despaire of his worke and would not gett soe much as one follower after him he would discouer himselfe by the propper marke of an haeretike which is not onely to hold false doctrines but also to make dissension in the Church by teaching new doctrines and by standing obstinate in them If therefor you see any one to beginne some singularity of doctrine contrary to that which is taught in the Church suspect presently such a man as tainted at least with a dangerous humour of pride if not with inward heresy but iudge him not an haeretike vntill his errour be made manifest by the authority of the Church and he stande obâ—â—inate against that authority Which if he doe then he maketh dissention and scandall and we may then and must iudge him to be an haeretike and auoide him We should pitty such a man with all our harts and pray for him as for our brother but we ought to auoide his conuersation as the breath of one infected with the plague But if you see that he gette followers to ioyne with him and to mainteine his disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church you haue then in them a false Church and those that mainteine their disobedience though neuer soe long after are all members of the same false Church and those that keepe in vnion and obedience to their head and pastors are the true Catholike Church Now christians you haue for ener a preuention against all schismes and heresys that may hereafter arize you shall presently destinguish the true Church from the false by this noble cognizant to wit obedience to the head and pastors of the Church and the false you shall discerne it by the infamous brand of pride and disobedience to them Keepe your selues in vnion and obedience to that authority which is and allwais must be in the Church of God and you are grounded vpon a sure rocke I would that these words were written in the doores of euery Church and engrauen in the walls in stones of flint THE TRVE CHVRCH CONTINVETH ALLWAIS IN VNION AND OBEDIENCE TO ITS HEAD AND PASTORS ALL FALSE CHVRCHES BEGINNE BY DISOBâ— DIENCE TO THE HEAD AND PASTORS OF THE CHVRCH that all by often beholding them might remember their due obedience to the Catholike Church And this marke is not onely sufficient to discouer for the future and to preuent the rizing of false Churches here after but also to shew which of all christian Churches that are now extant in the world is the true Catholike Church for Christ hauing instituted the gouernment of his Church to be by one head and supreme pastour and by other bishops as inferiour pastors in Communion with him and the gouernment which Christ instituted being allwais to be obserued and obeyed by vs there needeth noe more to shew which is the true Church but to shew who is the true head of the Church by succession from S. Peter and by the lawfull possession of his chaire and power For he and the pastors of his Communion are to be obeyed as deriuing their authority from Christ himselfe and as hauing from him the authority of the whole Church This argument is often vsed by S. Cyprian who biddeth vs in the beginning of all heresys and for the deciding of all controuersys allwais to looke vp to the head of the Church and to seeke to him and tractatu de simplicitate praelatorum siue de vnit Eccles he maketh this the cause of all heresys as you haue heard Because saith he we haue not recourse vnto the ormen nor seeke vnto the head and then he
that there might be seuerall sorts of Christians all of them beleeuing in Iesus Christ yet all could not haue the true faith of Christ as being opposite in doctrine and disobedient to each others Churches therefor it was further necessary that the Apostles should declare which of all Christian Churches that were then or might be afterwards was the true Church of Christ This they did in the ninth article when hauing professed the cheife things that concerned the B. Trinity and the mystery of the Incarnation in the next place they added I beleeue the Catholike Church Here noy all controuersys of faith should haue an end we being allwais bounde to beleeue the Church and in all points to referre our selues with obedience to it And if this article had bene allwais truely obserued there neuer could haue bene any haeresys nor false Churches of Christians in the world For if all Christians had allwais kept themselues constant to the doctrine of the Church and continued obedient submitting allwais to it noe false Churches of Christians could at first haue risen all of them first rising in the breach of this atticle for that they will not beleeue the Catholike Church which is then and must be at all times extant for the gouernment of the world in the true worship of God but will follow the conceipts of some priuate men and beginne new Churches which then are not in any place And if we rightly consider this article we shall finde it sufficient to destinguish amongst all Christian people that now are which of them is for the present the true Church of Christ For as at first the true Church of Christ was planted Catholike that is to say a people all ouer and vniuersally agreeing in the same faith and doctrine and those that beganne false Churches of Christians were first of it and went forth to beginne a new Church in disobedience to it soe if amongst all the Churches of Christians that are now in the world we finde one out of which they haue all gone forth all the rest that haue gone forth of it are false Churches and that out of which they haue all gone forth must haue the true faith of Christ and be that first Church which the Apostles planted and called The Catholike Church This argument of the Apostles take to prosecute and to prooue more at large that which they in the Creede haue but briefly professed First in the first article against atheists that there is a God Secondly in the same article against Pagans that there is but one God Thirdly in the second article against Iewes and Turks and all that deny Christ I prooue the Christian faith Fourthly in the ninth article I shew how that amongst all the Christian Churches that are in the world there is none but the Romane which is commonly called Catholike that is indeede the true Catholike Church for that all other Christian Churches that are in the world went first out of it and beganne at some time in disobedience to that Church And to shew this I willingly vse the Popes autority that the enemys of the Catholike Church may see the truth and lay a side their auersion from that holy seate which to the ruine of their soules they labour to disgrace This manner of inducing the verity of the Romane Catholike faith is as you see both according to the Apostles method and by it the verity of all and euery particular point of that faith is inferred For that being once prooued to be the true Church there needeth noe further proofe of any particular point which it teacheth the true Church not being subiect to teach falsehood in particular doctrines but all whatsoeuer is taught by it is to be receiued for the authority of God soe speaking and we are allwais to say I beleeue the Catholike Church Yet in the other parts of the Christian doctrine when any points of controuersy in religion occurre I giue satisfaction briefly in them also as the Romane Catechisme doth but that which I desire most to satisfy in is the authority of the Romane Catholike Church prooued out of the first second and ninth article of the Creede and which may be vnderstoode by reading the ninth onely The third thinge which I labour for in Catechizing is edificatioÌ„ to good life Esa 27. for this is the end and fruite of all to take away sinne We lay the foundation when we instruct in the Christian doctrine and we build vpon it when we exhort to good life this being the hight and perfection of our labors Wherefor that you may not onely know speculatiuely what to beleeue but also how to apply practically that knowledge to the honour of God and your aduancement in his grace I haue annexed many things both out of the Romane Catechisme and other authors as also some examples of my owne certaine knowledge which tende onely to deuotion Thus I follow that methode which the Councell of Trent hath giuen vs to follow in the Discourses of the Romane Catechisme adding onely the Haile Mary in the beginning of euery Discourse as a pious deuotion to implore the assistance of our B. Lady before any good exercise But because the Discourses of the Romane Catechisme were but few as treating onely of fower subiects besides the praeamble which it hath of faith to wit of the Creede of the Sacraments of the Commandements and of the Pater Noster and those also somethinge obscure as not being intended by the Councell of Trent as a Catechisme immediatly to the people but to pastors to giue them examples how to Catechize and were therefor deliuered as intire speeches without titles vntill Andreas Fabritius for more cleernesse added titles vnto them therefor I haue treated of more subiects as first of the Obligation which all haue to learne the Christian Doctrine of the Signe of the Cros of the Masse of the Aue Maria of the Rosary of the Praecepts of the Church and of Sinne. And I haue destinguished the points which are treated in them by titles sufficiently connecting the former sense with that which followeth soe that I hope you will haue here the substance of the Romane Catechisme with that cleernes which Fabritius added vnto it and also some other subiects in the same manner handled soe requisite for all to know that this will appeare not onely a good but a necessary booke As for the stile of Catechizing if it be plane and easy it is propper and as it ought to be and for this I haue laboured all that I could euen to the repearing of the same words often ouer of purpose for more cleernesse That which I feare most is a weake and cold spirit which will appeare in many places of this booke but this must be supplyed by your more feruerous desire and endeauour of profiting your selfe by it yet the iudicious will coÌ„sider that tendernes of deuotion is not much obe expected where instruction is deliuered much â—sse where controuersys
and arguments in religion occurre Yet these by the method of the Romane Catechisme could not be quite omitted and the publike necessity of England did require that they should come forth more at large then was necessary onely for Catholike assemblys Therfor for this booke to be more beneficiall euery thinge is to be sought for in its propper place and nature Instruction and Exhortation where and as intended to wit onely for Catholiks and as for confirming the Catholike faith he into whose hands it shall come of whatsoeuer religion he be if he desire indeede to serue God and will pray to him I hope he shall haue sufficient satisfaction Thus much for your direction in this worke which at first I beganne without the least thought of publishing any thinge but onely to discharge my obligation which vntill then I had not soe well reflected vpon but beginning to obscrue a great ignorance in some and obseruing it still more and more and considering with my selfe how pertinent the words of the Apostle are How shall they beleeue him whom they haue not heard Rom. 10 and how shall they heare without a preacher I conceiued this the best and most profitable manner of preaching and applyed my selfe most to the practise of it And hauing vsed it for some yeares I founde it soe efficacious to that which I desired that some of their owne accorde acknowledged to mee the benefit which they had receiued by it and desiring mee to publish somethinge of it which they might haue to reade I brought this booke to the perfection which it hath and was many wayes encouraged to grant their desires especially by the aduice of a graue and learned Prelate who first to approoue of my designe told mee that if he himselfe were in England he would apply himselfe most to Catechizing and hauing afterwards pervsed a great part of the Discourses gaue mee most satisfaction in it Finally for the right vnderstanding of all I declare here that it is not my intention to giue examples vnto others how to Catechize For that the Romane Catechisme hath done allready neither would I vndertake soe much although for my Summe of the Christian doctrine I would willingly commende the vse of such an one gotten without booke and expounded as a foresaid My first intention is to instruct the ignorant and for that I made choice of that forme which the Councell of Trent hath deliuered and which was the sole scope and marke which it aimed at by the Romane Catechisme to wit that Pastors should vse such Catechisticall sermons as might be both a Catechizing for instruction an exhortation to vertue and in times of heresys might confute them and confirme the Catholike faith Which if it were practised as frequently as the holy Councell desired and as other preachings are which are much lesse necessary for the people exceeding great profit and a generall good might be expected by it That Catholike is very carelesse of himselfe who with all this labour doth not learne and know that which is fitting or at least necessary to be knowne And that Catholike who knoweâ—h his duety to God and hath it thus beaten into his minde yet liueth as it were contemning of God and of all remedys for his soule that hauing sinned doth not endeauour to rise againe and to aime at a new and vertuous life but will continue in sinne and resolue still to sinne he deserueth not at all the name of a Catholike And that Christian that professeth himselfe to beleeue in God and to worship him in that faith and religion which Christ left to his Apostles and was allwais according to the ninth article of the Creede to be in the Catholike Church yet will beginne a religion contrary to all the Christian Churches in the world or beleeue in a religion which soe beganne he deserueth not the name of a Christian And that man that being sufficiently satisfyed of the true religion and Marke that I say sufficiently satisfyed for euidence of reason is not to be relyed vpon in any religion yet will not professe it for temporall respects but goeth on with a guilty conscience in the profession of a false religion or rather liueth like an Atheist or beast without any religion at all that man I know not how to call him A miserable wretch he is and of all creatures out of hell the most miserable who to feede vpon the dung of the earth sinneth against the Holy Ghost hardening his hart willfully against all heauenly inspirations For Atheists and all false religions I haue said enough in the Creede but for him that is neither in profession an Atheist nor yet hath indeede any religion I know what to say but to wish him to consider with himselfe of the power and goodnes of God and of the euills of sinne that depriueth vs of him and let him reade the last Discourse where I treate somethinge of that subiect If God of his mercy visit these men with some heauy Crosses and great afflictions necessary to draw them to his seruice it is indeede a singular mercy by which sometimes they are brought to repentance But in the meane time I warne these hard harted men that they praesume not too farre but that they thinke of their soules and of death which in the end shall surprise them And I will tell them one thinge which they thinke not of that is that they are in danger of suddaine death not onely as all men are but in particular more then others and that God hath shewed this by many examples in which such kind of men haue bene so punished The example of Pharao and of thousands of the Aegyptians were enough to prooue this who hauing hardened their harts against the manifest light of God were suddainly ouerwhelmed in the sea and miserably perished The like examples we haue in our Kingdome but ouer many of the suddaine deaths of those who against their consciences haue professed a false religion I mention onely two which happened lately in two neere neighbors to the place where I haue liued for dinerse yeares They had both bene Catholiks and for plane loosnesse and liberty of life had forsaken the Catholike Church and gone to the Protestant Churches manifesting by many expressions the guilt of their owne consciences to their intimate freinds but continuing still dissembling in religion the one of them as he was hunting fell from his horse and died presently the other who had engaged himselfe further against the Catholike Church and would take noe warning by his neighbors example within a few yeares after hauing bene drinking about three or fower miles from home in his returne was suddainly strucke with the paines of death fell downe and was carried away dead It is ill dallying with God Know thou and see Hier. 2. that it is an euill and bitter thinge for thee to haue forsaken the Lord thy God and that my feare is not with thee saith the Lord of hosts
And in another place Slacke not to be conuerted to our Lord and differre not from day to day Eccl. 5. For his wrath shall come suddainly and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee Let bold praesumptuous men remember these words and learne to feare God Deere Reader whosoeuer thou art as thou hast a soule which must last for euer apply this booke to the good of thy soule so as shall most concerne it for a happy eternity I excuse noe falts my goodwill shall mende all God can and I hope will honour himselfe euen in my falts Combine thou with mee that we may honour him for euer and euer Amen I submitte all that is conteined in this booke and all whatsoeuer I shall saâ—â—r thinke as long as I liue to the authority of the Holy Catholike Church A SVMME OF THE CHRISTIAN Doctrine expounded in the follovving Discourses QVAESTION What obligation haue Christians to learnâ— the Christian Doctrine Answer Euery Christian is bounde vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the Christian faith 7. Q. What is faith A. Faith is a supernaturall light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhare to the Doctrine of the Church 11. Q. Make the Signe of the Cros. A. In the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Gâ—ost Amen 49. Q. What is the Signe of the Cros A. The Signe of the Crâ—â— is a profession of the Christian faith 51. Q. How is the Signe of the Cros a profession of the Christian faith 51 A. Because in the Signe of the Cros we professe the mystery of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnaâ—iâ—n which are the two cheife mysterys of the Châ—stian faith 51 Q. What is the B. Trinity A. The B. Trinity is God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost One and the same God in three distinct Persons 51 Q. What meane you by the mystery of the Incarnation A. We meane that the Sonne of God was incarnated that is became man to redeeme vs. 52 Q. Say the Creede A. I beleeue in God the Father Allmighty Maker of heauen and earth And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord Who was conceiued by the Holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucifyed dead and buried He desâ—enâ—ed into hell the third day he arose againe from death He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father allmighty From thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead I beleeue in the Holy Ghost The holy Catholike Curch the Communion of Saints The forgiuenesse of sinnes The Resurrection of the flesh Life euerlasting Amen 76. Q Who is Christ A. Christ is the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true Man Our Redeemer Iudge and Glorifyer 109. Q. What doe we gett by Christ redeeming vs A. We gett the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works by the merits of Christs passion applyed vnto vs in the Catholike Church 156. Q. What is the Chatholike Church A. The Catholike Church is the Congregation of all faithfull people and Pastors vnited together as a body with its head 176. Q. Giue mee a difference betwixt the true and all false Churches A. The true Church keepeth allwais in vnion and obedience to its Head and Pastors all false Churches beginne in dissentions and disobedience to the Head and Pastors of the Church 214. Q. Say the seauen Sacraments A. Baptisme Confirmation Eucharist Pennance Extreme Vnction Holy Orders Matrimony 281. Q What is a Sacrament A. A Sacrament is an outward signe which causeth grace in vs. 266. Q. What is Grace A Grace is a supernaturall gift which maketh vs gratefull and acceptable to God 268. Q. What is the Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist A. The Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord vnder the signes of bread and wine 298. Q. It shere any bread or wine in the Eucharist A. Noe it seems but soe The bread and wine are conuerted at the words of consecration into the true body and blood of our Lord. 305. Q. What is the Sacrament of Pennance A. The Sacrament of Pennance is that by which we receiue the forgiuenesse of sinnes in Confession 322. Q. Say the tenn Commandements A. Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee Thou shalt not take the name of God in vaine Remember thou keepe holy the Sabaoth day Honour thy Father and Mother Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour Thou shalt not desire thy neighbors wife Thou shalt not couet thy neighbors goods 378 Q. Say the Pater Noster A. Our Father which art in heauen Hallowed bâ— thy name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Giue vs this day our daily bread And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them their trespasses against vs. And lead vs not into temptation But deliuer vs from euill Amen 449. Q. Say the Haile Mary A. Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among woemen Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Iesus Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of of our death Amen 509. Q. What is the Masse A. The Masse is the continuall Sacrifice of the Law of Christ in which his true body and blood is offered vnder the signes of bread and wine 576. Q. Say the fiue cheife Precepts of the church A. To fast fasting dayes To keepe holy dayes To confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue at least once a yeare To receiue the Eucharist at Easter time To pay tithes 640. Q. How doe the Precepts of the church oblige A. The Praecepts of the church oblige vnder a Mortal sinne 641. Q. What is sinne A. Sinne is that by which we depart from the diuine Law and are separated from God 673. Q. Ho many kindes of sinne are there A. There are two kindes of sinne Original and Actual sinne 715. Q. What is the difference betwixt Original and Actuall sinne A. Original sinne is that which we are borne in Actuall sinne is that which â—e committe 615. Q. How many kinds of sinne doe we committe A. We committee two kindes of sinnes Mortal sinne and venial sinne 717 Q. What is the difference betwixt Mortal and venial sinne A. Mortal sinne quite depriueth vs of Gods grace venial sinne onely lesseneth and deminisheth the feruour of the loue of God in vs. 717. THE FIRST DISCOVRSE Of the education and instruction of children and of the obligation which all haue to learne the christian doctrine I INTENDE now to speake of two thinges First vnto all those who haue charge ouer children and especially to parents to commende vnto them the care which they ought to haue of their good education and instruction Secondly to declare vnto all the
to intice him but all was in vaine he told him that his mother had vsed to exhort him to martyrdome and that he would be with her The king asked him what it was to be à martyr The child answered marke this answere that to be à martyr was to suffer death for Iesus Christ and to liue for euer after The king asked him who Christ was He told him that he might see Christ in the Church meaning as à child the pictures and Crucifixes of Christ which were then to be seene in Catholike Churches and looking downe and getting à sight of his mother as she was tyed to the stake he cryed out let mee goe let mee goe to my mother and when the king hindered him he told him he thought he was à Iew and bate him by the thigh to gette away from him at which the king in a fury pushed him away commanding one of his senators to take him to bring vp in the Iewish sect But as he was carried away he gotte from him and running into the fireto his mother he had his desire which was to dy à martyr This child if he were not capable of much of the christian doctrine at that age yet his good mother had à care to ingraft in him at least such à zeale and soe much knowledge of the faith of Christ that it was admirable to heare à child of siue yeares old to giue such an answer to the question of martyrdome in which he publikely professed the faith of Iesus Christ and the assurance of eternall life by suffering death for it Our children are as this was then an innocent by baptisme But our parents are not as the mother of this child soe careful to instruct their children and therefor are there soe many weake and feeble Catholikes amongst vs because we want instruction in our youth and we want it soe much that many who are past children know not the cheife principles of the christian faith nor thinke that they haue any obligation to learne them which is the ground and cause of all their ignorance The first thing therefor and most necessary for euery christian to know is the obligation which he hath to learne the christian doctrine Tell mee then Question What obligation haue christians to learne the christian doctrine Answer Euery christian is bound vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the christian faith This is an obligation vnder à mortal sinne that is to say à deadly sinne à sinne by which our soules incurre death as great an obligation as can be The reason is because all that are come to the vse of reason are bounde not onely to an habitual faith such as children haue but also to an actual faith that is to produce acts of faith and actual faith supposeth some knowledge of what is to be beleeued and therefor euery one must haue some knowledge of those thinges which he is to beleeue Children before they come to the vse of reason haue onely the habit of faith which is giuen them in baptisme and this is sufficient to saue them that can haue noe more but when they come to the vse of reason then they come to the vse of their faith and are bounde to conuert themselues to à supernatural end by producing acts of faith and of the loue of God which they can not doe except they know something of him and therefor S. Ep. 119. Augustin sayth that knowledge is the engine by which the building of charity is raised vp to endure for euer Euery tradesman must know the trade which he professeth or els he cannot expect to haue by right the wages due to his trade The trade which we professe is the true worship of God in the christian faith we are therefor boūd to know what belōgeth to that profession otherwise we cānot expact the reward of good christians We deserue not indeede the honour of that name if we know not what is professed by it Eccl. 5. Be stedfast in the way of our Lord and in the truth of thy vnderstanding and in knowledge Saith holy Ecclesiasticus Cor. 1.14 and the Apostle saith that if any man know not he shall not be knowne Now to say in particular how much of the christian doctrine euery one is bounde to know and which are these cheife points of obligation to be learned can not be done in general termes to all alike for this obligation is to be measured according to the difference of capacitys and other circumstances which are to be considered in seueral callings of persons ◠Tho see ◠q. 1. art 5. S. Thomas and the common opinion of authors holdeth it absolutely necessary to saluation in euery one to haue an explicite faith that is expresly to beleeue the mysterys of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation and the twelue articles of the Creede and that it is à mortal sinne to be ignorant in the substance of those mysterys I should thinke it a very grosse ignorance in any Catholike not to know all these points to wit the mystery of the blessed Trinity in one God and three persons the mystery of the Incarnation in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true man that redeemed vs shall iudge vs and giue glory to the good What the Catholike Church is that the Sacraments of the Catholike Church giue grace to sanctify vs what it is that he receiueth in the Eucharist what he cometh to confession for what the Masse is whatmortal sinne is and that the Praecepts of the Church oblige vnder à mortal sinne This is as litle as can well be expected of all christians And this is conteined in the Summe of the christian doctrine which I haue deliuered to be gotten without booke the vnderstanding of which is sufficient to discharge the obligation which euery one hath to learne the christian doctrine I doe not say that it is absolutely necessary for euery one to vnderstande it all much lesse to gette it all without booke But I say that it is absolutly necessary for saluation to vnderstande the cheife points of it and that to be sure it were good to vnderstande it all and to gette it all without booke But it shall suffice for the present for all to know that they are bounde vnder à mortal sinne to know the head points and principal parts of the christian doctrine Let all then remember this obligatiō and those that haue bene negligent in performing it let them confesse their negligence and learne better hereafter For if any man know not he shall not be knowne Cor. 1.14 THE SECOND DISCOVRSE OF FAITH I INTENDE now to say something of faith in general à subiect necessary to be spoken of but it is hard to speake well and cleerely that which is necessary and sufficient to be spoken of it Prou. 25. Thou hast found honey eate that which sufficeth thee least perhaps being filled thou vomit it vp
confiding in the iustice and truth of his cause which giueth aduantage enough against all infidelity riseth vp against him At which some laughing others fearing his weaknes at length giuing him leaue to speake he beganne In the name of Iesus Christ attende O Philosopher what I say to thee There is one God the Creatour of heauen and earth and of all thinges â—isible and inuisible He made all by vertue of his Word and by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost he established them This Word which we call the Sonne of God taking pitty vpon mankind would be borne of a virgin conuerse amongst men and dy for them and he shall come againe and shall giue sentence vpon euery one according to their work That this is true we dispute not but we beleeue it Doe not therefore loose thy labour curiously to refute that which by faith onely is to be vnderstâ—ode Seeke not hâ—w this or that can be true in faith but if thou doest be leeue tell mee At which the Philosopher answered presently Credo I doe beleeue And giuing thanks to the bishop he perswaded the rest to beleeue with him protestâ—ng by oth that it was the power of God that had changed him and that by an inward and secret vertue he felt himselfe conuerted to the Christian faith Here this Philosopher confirmed what the bishop said and what we are saying that to dispute with curisity of matters of faith is to destroy faith which to be certaine must be grounded vpon the autority of God and not vpon the witts and disputations of men Out of all that which hath bene said we may gather two principal thinges Scruples of faith are but obscuritys of reason The first is for Catholikes that they cannot with reason trouble themselues with any scruples and doubts of faith for that those are but obscuritys and vncertaintys of our owne reason and not of the thinge it selfe which is beleued which is infallibly and infinitly certaine as proceeding from a supernatural light and gift of God by which we beleue the diuine authoritority And therefor if we perceiue our selues at any time to be ledde by the weaknesse of our reason into scruples and feares concerning any point of faith all of which haue the very same certainty let vs presently checke our selues and bring backe our thoughts to God againe to rely vpon him My soule what are we doeing whither doe we goe this is not the way to the blessed sight of God We must not thinke but beleeue we must not goe by thoughts but by certaintys noe wise man durst euer goe by this way which we are in we shall confounde and loose ourselues Let vs keepe the plane and common tracke which all haue gone which God hath commanded which our blessed Sauiour hath taught which his Apostles haue followed and all true beleeuers after them and that was to beleue by faith which is a supernatural light If thou doest beleeue in God rely vpon him and vpon the Catholike Church guided by him and not vpon thy owne witts And presently in all temptations let vs professe this beleefe saying I beleeue the holy Catholike Church and that not for my owne reason but for the authority of God Hoâ— 2. de Symb. Euseb Emissenus The faith of the Catholike religion is the light of the soule the doore of life the foundation of eternal saluation Whosoeuer shall forsake it followeth the euill guide of his owne vnderstanding Whosoeuer thinketh by his owne wisdome to attaine to the secrets of heauenly mysterys doth as one that will build without à foundation or that wil not enter at the doore but at the toppe of the house if in the night time he goe on without light he falleth downe to the bottome The second is for those that are not in the Catholike Church that they following a religion which beganne in priuate mens witts haue not the true faith nor shall euer come to haue it as long as they seeke it by their owne witts onely and by euidence of reason which some of them seeme to expect and stay for for this is to stande watching for larcks when the sky falls which shall neuer be yet shall as soone come to passe as that they shall come to haue the true faith without supernatural light and diuine inspiration therefor they ought to seeke for this and to haue recourse vnto God humbly beseeching him that he will enlighten and inspire them to the true faith And this by Gods grace I shall shew them how to haue recourse vnto God for soe as to obtaine it All points of faith according to reason But we are here to obserue that although faith be supernatural and natural reason be not sufficient to resolue vs finally in matters of faith nor to be relyed vpon in them yet all which we beleeue is according to reason and although all the mysterys of faith be not to be comprehended by vs yet we haue allwais reason soe to beleeue For God gouerneth this world wisely and sweetly according to the natures of his creatures and hauing giuen vnto man a reasonable nature by reason he bringeth him to that faith which he will haue him to beleeue giuing him rational and prudential motius to thinke in reason that that is the true faith First because as by reason we are brought to beleeue in God soe also for the certainty of all which we beleeue by reason we ground ourselues vpon the diuine autority Secondly reason also telleth vs that God gouerneth vs not by ourselues without dependâ—nce of and submission vnto any superiour authority vpon earth in points of religion but that he allwais inspireth vs to the obedience of the Church as in the next title I shall shew Thirdly we haue motiues credible enough to induce an vnderstanding and prudent man to beleeue that which is indeede thâ— true Church and to be gouerned by it and soe we haue all the reason in the world to beleeue the christian faith and the Romane Catholike Church the ignorant because they see in it all that they can desire to see or can see in the true Church to wit externally a most holy and wise gouernement learned men giuing their liues and holy men working of miracles and those as plane as miracles can be and soe frequent that euery ignorant man may either see them or heare of them soe certainely that he cannot in reason doubt of them all Then for the learneder sort they see that the faith of Christ by the most authentical writings that are in all the world is deduced euer from the beginning of the world vntil the comming of Christ and euer since his comming it is deduced vnto vs in none but in the Church of Rome and all other Churches of christians hauing goneforth of it they must either be haeretical or schismatical Churches or els there can be noe haeretical nor schismatical Churches in the world These are sufficient motius to an vnderstanding
be decided by their owne reasons but who shall be the iudge betwixt them it must not be the determination of any particular man for that is as subiect to errour as they are and besides this question being concerning the spirit of God it cannot be decided by any authority lesse then diuine least otherwise the true spirit were reiected for false as possibly it might be by any inferiour authority Shall it be decided by force of armes That is soe absurde that it needeth noe refuting although perhaps Ioannes de Zischa was of that opinion for what absurdity will not an haeretike mainteine How then shall they be tryed bring them to the Church and see whether they will heare it But they will not be soe tryed How then there is now noe other way left to try them by They must then goe without any tryal at all to say what they list and soe they shall both prooue false spirits as being contrary to S. Iohn that sendeth vs to try our spirits and as being contrary to the scriptures which commande vs to heare the Church Maâ—t 8. Therefor the spirit of God is allwais with obedience to the Church and the final resolution of faith is reduced to the word of God speaking to our harts and interpreted by the Church For there is noe way to try spirits and to declare certainely who are rightly inspired but by the authority of God speaking by it and by submitting our selues to the obedience of it Luâ— 10. as to the voice of God He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee Saith Christ to the Pastors of the Church who haue the authority of the whole Church Mat. 18. And in another place If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican Aug. tract 109. in Io S. Augustine the word of faith and the word of the Apostles to beleeue God and to beleeue the Church is the very same thinge Secondly the true faith hath bene often prooued and false doctrines confuted by miracles and these miracles haue planely conuinced for the obedience to that Church whose faith was soe confirmed Elias prooued by miracles the true faith of the Israëlits and confounded the Idolatrous Gentils Soe did Christ and his Apostles by many miracles prooue the christian faith against both Iewes and Gentils And these miracles obliged all whom inuincible ignorance excused not vnto the obedience of the Church of Christ and shewed planely that the spirit of God was to the obedience of that Church but noe miracle was euer wrought to shew that men should obey noe Church but that they might liue after their owne liking and beleeue what they would without obedience to any authority vpon earth Neither can there be any miracles wrought for any such manner of liuing for miracles being done in confirmation of the true faith oblige others to imbrace that faith which is soe confirmed by miracles and soe men come to an vnity of faith and make a Church that is to say a people vnited together in faith and religion But if men might for all those miracles which they see still follow their owne priuate spirits and not vnite themselues in obedience to that company whose faith is soe confirmed by miracles but might disobey it in matters of faith then they might disobey the authority of God and miracles were to noe purpose Therefor the very being of true miracles in confirmation of faith prooueth the being of a Church to which our spirits must allwais obey Moreouer if euery man were to be guided by his owne priuate spirit without obeying any Church there should be noe neede at all of miracles for the spirit is an inward and miracles are an outward testimony of the truth of any thinge to draw others vnto it but if all were to follow the inward testimony of their owne spirit without submitting vnto any external power then were they not to regard the outward testimony nor to be drawne by it And indeede to say that euery one is to follow his owne priuate spirit without being bounde to the obedience of any external power is as much as to say that euery one hath the true spirit of God and then what neede were there of miracles All which is contrary to the words of Christ and of the Apostles and contrary to the examples of the scriptures and to reason and experience by which we see soe many spirits of errors and of sinne in prowde and euill men Miracles may be and haue bene wrought to prooue the true faith but such miracles prooue that the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church therefor the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church Thirdly God hath ordained an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship and all order includeth subordination of inferiours to superiour powers and leaueth vs not to ourselues alone subiect to noe authority in points of religion and the same natural reason that bringeth vs to rely vpon the diuine autority in matters of faith telleth vs also that it is a more reasonable way for God to inspire vs to the obedience of the Church and to guide it with his sure and infallible assistance then to guide euery man by himselfe and his owne priuate spirit without being subiect to any autority or acknowledging of any superiour for this were to take away all order and to bring such a confusion into the world by making euery man his owne iudge as would by consequence destroy the world which without order can not subsist For if there were not allwais vpon earth some power authorized of God to prooue and approoue of the spirits of men what errors would be broched and what villanys committed and mainteined by wicked men vnder pretence of diuine inspiration God inspireth men to an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship therefor the diuine light and inspiration of faith in allwais to the obedience of the Church Soe that we may well say that faith is a supernatural light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhaere to the doctrine of the Church God giueth vs supernatural light to enlighten our vnderstandings and by his holy inspiration moueth our wills to submitte ourselues and to beleeue in all thinges according to the doctrine of the Church we cooperating with that light and inspiration of God submitte ourselues to the obedience of the true Church and then we haue actually true faith And whosoeuer he be that pretendeth himselfe to haue the spirit of God yet will not submitte himselfe to any Church but beginneth a new religion contrary to all the Churches then in the world or will mainteine a religion which soe beganne certainely that man hath not the true faith nor is the spirit of God in him But he sayth that he hath prayed to God for his spirit and Christ hath said that our father will giue the good spirit to those that
that by his holy light and inspiration he will bring thee to see whether thy Church erre or noe and if it doe to forsake it and to obey the true Church And this I will shew thee how thou shalt require it of him I said before that the spirit of God is denyed to none that rightly aske it To obtaine then the diuine inspiration inspiring vs to the obedience of the true Church we neede noe more but rightly to aske it He therefor that beleening in a Church which may erre is resolued with himselfe to vse all possible meanes to know whether it erre or noe and to be inspired vnto the true Church let him take a time of purpose to thinke of this important businesse and to commende it seriously to God and then the first thinge which he must doe is to prepare himselfe with a calme and quiet minde and ready promptitude to performe that which God shall inspire him firmely purposing that nothing in the world shall hinder him to follow that which he shall thinke to be the true way of saluation Prou. 16. soe that he may truely say My hart is ready ô Lord my hart is ready It perteineth to man saith the holy proue be to prepare his hart and againe the hart of man disposeth his way Hauing thus prepared his hart with an earnest desire of the diuine inspiration and with à full purpose of obeying it then let him make his prayer to God not in extrauagant words as some doe with the Pharisee but with all the humility and feruour of minde that he can possibly stirre vp in himselfe beseeching his diuine and infinite goodnes that he will not permitte his soule to perish in a false religion but that he will enlighten him to see which is the true Church and efficaciously inspire him to the obedience of it Hauing made his prayer let him then consider quietly with himselfe some grounds of religion as for example the necessity of a continual visible Church declared by holy scriptures and by natural reason for the gouernment of the world in the true worship of God and therefor that must be the true Church of Christ which hath continued at all times for the saluation of soules and that all those Churches which haue begunne at any time to oppose the setled Church of Christ which was then in the world are false Churches as being in their beginning guilty of the greeuous sinne of disobedience to the continual Church which God hath ordained at all times for the gouernment of the world in his true worship And if he be a Protestant he may thinke with himselfe how that at that time when Luther begâ—nne to oppose the Romane Catholike Church he submitted himselfe to noe Church then extant in all the world but beganne to teach a doctrine which all people in the world reiected for false and did many thinges which noe Church that was then would iustify for lawfull but gotte onely some priuate men to ioyne with him against all Churches that then were pretending that there was noe Church which they could lawfully ioyne themselues vnto and that he was sent of God to reforme the errors of the Church Buecer Ep. ad Episc Hâ—reford termeth him the first Epistle of the reformed doctrine Fox act pag. 400 416. that God sent Luther and gaue him his mighty spirit to reforme religion and that he was à conductour and chariot of Israel to be reuerenced next vnto Christ and S. Paul aboue all the saints VVâ—iâ—â—k resp ad Edmund Camp ration 8. we reuerence Luther as a father and imbrace the Lutherans and Zuinglâ—ans is very deere brethren Thus Protestants themselues confesse that Luther was the beginner of the reformed doctrine which they professe And thus did all the seueral Churches of Christians but the Romane Catholike Church beginne disobeying of it and obeying and vniting themselues to noe Church then extant in the world Hauing quietly with himselfe considered some such reason noe doubt but God will illuminate him to thinke and to see that this is not the Catholike Church and inspire him with pious affections of his will to the obedience of the Romane Catholike Church out of which all others went-forth and had their beginnings in disobedience to it And being thus moued and inspired of God to the obedience of that Church which he then thinketh in his hart to be the true Church that inspiration must be followed as the will of God and presently without delay he must gette himselfe vnited to that Church He is therfor first to prepare his hart with an indifferency and willingnes to doe that which God shall inspire to him secondly to pray earnestly and humbly to God to inspire him to the true Church thirdly with a quiet and calme minde to weigh with himselfe some reasons and grounds of religion according to his capacity and lastly to choose and to resolue with himselfe according to that which God then speaketh to his conscience and to goe about presently to performe it This is a thinge easy to be done by them and a thinge which as I haue shewed all those that are not Catholiks euen according to their owne grounds ought in all reason to doe if they will haue à care of their saluation And hauing done all this on their parts they haue done what in nature they could doe and relying for the rest vpon God for his helpe it is then most congruous and agreeable to the diuine goodnes to enlighten them and to shew them the truth which they desire and pray for And if afterwards they follow it not it is not for any defect of his assistance who by reasons sufficiently conuincing drew them at that time vnto him and offered them his diuine grace to become actually members of the true Church but it is of their owne wills and stubborne mindes that will not make vse of those helps and good motions which were abundantly sufficient for their conuersion This is the way which I direct vnto all such trauelers as are out of their way or vncertaine of their way as all those confesse themselues to be who beleeue in a fallible Church Let them haue recourse vnto God and see what he speaketh to their harts let them open their vnderstandings to his diuine light and let them prepare their wills to receiue those inspirations with which he moueth them to acknowledge his autority in the true Church and they shall finde comfort in him By this light and inspiration of God to obey his Church all are conuerted that are truely conuerted in this consisteth the security of all constant Catholiks who not by their owne reasons but by the diuine autority and inspiration are resolued in all points of faith and that inspiration finally tryed not by their owne iudgments but approoued of by the continual Church by which the true faith and worship of God is allwais conserued in the world and beleeuing and adhaering vnto that Church
called priests Angels saying The lipps of the priest shall keepe knowledge and from his mouth thou shalt require the law Mal. 2. because he is the angell of our Lord of hosts The angels are the treasurers of the diuine mysterys who open them in their messages to mankind as God will haue them to be imparted vnto vs soe priests haue the keeping of the diuine mysterys and must deliuer them to the people as they neede them and therefor the people must aske of them and adhaere to the doctrine of the Church when it is deliuered by them Yet the mystery of the blessed Trinity is a mystery which is kept euen from the knowledge of priests although angels witnes S. Augustine who was a priest and one of the cheife of the Angelical Hierarchy of Priests B. Trin. for he was a bishop yet he relateth of himselfe how that being on a time walking on the sea shore studying vpon the mystery of the blessed Trinity he saw a child who hauing made a litle pitte in the sand was lauing with a spoone the water of the sea into Aug. ad volus that litle pitte S. Augustine earnestly obseruing him asked him what he meant did he thinke to empty the maine ocean into that litle pitte yes replyed the child as soone will I bring the ocean into this compasse as thou with thy vnderstanding shalt comprehende the mystery of the blessed Trinity By which he vnderstoode that it was a messenger of God sent vnto him to humble him and to let him know that the mystery of the blessed Trinity is aboue humane vnderstanding We see by reason that God the Creatour of all thinges must needs be aboue all thinges incomprehensible infinite in power wisdome and goodnes and therefor for men to thinke to comprehende God is to contradict the first principle of reason and aboue Lucifers pride to thinke to be equall with him It is enough for vs to thinke that God is God that is to say the supreme and infinite perfection which putts bounds and limits to the perfections of all other thinges who as he hath sette a terme of time to our liues soe hath he also limited our vnderstandings and we can noe more by our owne power exceede those limits then we can by our owne power escape death Great is our Lord great is his strength Psa 146. and of his Wisdome there is noe number If we will build vpon a sure ground let vs cleaue to that rocke which Christ hath left and say as our Creede teacheth vs I beleeue the holy Catholik Church In the law of Moyses the mystery of the blessed Trinity was beleeued as authors commonly shew by diuerse places in the old Testament although the Prophets haue deliuered it for the most part in obscure termes to the Israëlits least they who liued amongst idolatrous nations and were of themselues prone to idolaâ—ry should take occasion by the Trinity of Persons to beleeue in many Gods But idolatry being to be soe much subuerted by the faith of Christ and buâ— litle or noe danger of it amongst christians the mystery of the blessed Trinity is deliuered to vâ— planely and more expresly in the new Testament our Lord and Sauiour at his last departure from his Disciples commanding the expresse profession of it to be made in baptisme when we are made christians Mat. 28. Going therefor teach ye all nationâ— baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Io. 1.5 and againe There be three that giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost And these three be one Genebrard sheweth by diuerse places out of the auncient â—hilosophers that the Gentils by their familiarity and commerce with the Iewes came to heare and to write of the B Trinity But the moderne Iewes which now are earnestly oppose it being fallen in this point as they are also in the mystery of the Incarnation from the true faith which their forefathers professed That which we beleeue of this mystery is to acknowledge an vnity of Godhead essence and nature in the Trinity of Perfons God the Father is the same God as God the Sonne God the Sonne is the same God as God the Holy Ghost and they are not three Gods but one onely God The Person of the Father is not the person of the Sonne nor is the Person of the Sonne the Person of the Holy Ghost but they are three really destinct and different Persons This we intende to professe when we say in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost We also paofesse in the signe of the Cros the mystery of the Incarnation in that we make a Cros to remember and acknowledge the loue of God with which he soe loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne to become man Ioan. 3. and to redeeme vs on the Cros. God had created man in a happy state in Paradise as it were in the way to heauen enuironed on all sides with vnspeakeable pleasures and in that pleasant way was conducting him to the heauenly glory But man sinning lost the fauour of God was debarred of that blessed state which he should haue obtained and being then out of the state of grace he could sinne still more and more buâ— he could doe noe good worke sufficient to satisfy for his sinnes and to be restored againe to the diuine grace by it God of his iustice requireth satisfaction but noe man not creature being able and of sufficient worth to make it and the diuine nature not being subiect to make sarisfaction in in it selfe it was the goodnes of God to vnite our weakenes to his power and our nature to his diuine nature in the incarnation of his sonne that the nature of man being vnited to his diuine person might by that person be soe dignifyed that it could make worthy satisfaction for the sinnes of all men that should apply vnto themselues the merits of his passion This is the mystery which was reuealed vnto Abraham and the holy Patriarks which many kings and Prophets desired to see and which filled the hart of Abraham soe full of comfort that he laughed for ioy to heare and thinke of it By this the seed of the Patriarks was multiplyed like the starres of heauen and like the dust of the earth which is not to be numbred and all kindreds were blessed in it to wit as Christ came of their seede by the merits of whose passion heauen is replenished with saints more glorious than the starres and the Catholike Church of all faithfull christians haue sprung from him dilâ—â—ed to the west and to the East and to the North and to the south not to be numbred all whosoeuer are saued being saued by Christ our Sauiour We can neuer sufficiently acknowledge the loue of God in this mystery by it man was soe exalted as to become the diuine Spouse by
the mysterious vnion of our nature vnto God in Christ that the Apostle might wel say we are made the consorts of the diuine nature for as man and woman are made consorts by holy marriage Petr 2 1. their mindes bodys and temporal riches becomming common and as it were all one betwixt them soe the Sonne of God vniting mans nature vnto his they were then two natures in one person and man was made coÌ„sort to the diuine nature and endowed withall the titles and riches of God that according to S. Athâ—nasius his Creede as man consisteth of a spiritual and corporal nature soe that of soule and body is constituted an intire man soe doth Christ consist of two natures diuine and humane There is noe good thinge which we can desire but we haue it in this mystery For our soules being sanctifyed by the passion of Christ they are made also the consorts of the diuine nature by grace and God comming to them as to his spouses bringeth with him all good thinges to them and in the end will carry them into his glorious kingdome These two mysterys of the Blessed Trinity and and of the Incarnation are as I haue said the two cheife mysterys of the christian faith propper onely to christians and destinguishing them from all other people and therefor the signe of the Cros which conteineth them is vsed in the Catholike Church as a breife and ready profession of the faith of Christ that as nations commonwealths and noble familys haue their armes and cognisants by which they are knowne and destinguished and in which they honour themselues soe christians haue the signe of the Cros as their propper armes by which they are knowne and professe themselues to be the children and disciples of Christ and therefor we haue great reason to glory in it and to thinke it our cheife honour and security to haue the armes of such a king and father Hauing declared the sense and signification of the figne of the Cros now we wil speake OF THE WORSHIP WHICH good Christians ought to giue to the Cros of Christ BY that which hath bene said it doth easily appeare that all Christians haue reason to honour the Cros. Infidels Iewes and Turks haue allwais opposed the honour of it pulling downe breaking and defacing of crosses pretending that which is true indeede that the dishonour which they doe to the Cros is done to Christ whose enemys they professe themselues to be Heretiks agree with Infidels Iewes and Turks when they pull downe chrosses and yet wil pretende themselues to be the freinds of Christ and his faithfull seruants hauing wilfully blinded themselues not to see that which the others by nature see that the iniurys which are done vnto the Cros fall voon Christ for whose sake we honour it Heretiks as you see agree here in their actions with Infidels Iewes and Turks and differ onely in pretence from them and natural reason sheweth that Infidels Iewes and Turks say truely in that which they pretende and that such haeretiks haue both euill actions and af alse pretence also and soe they haue in this lesse verity then the former But the Catholike Church hath neuer consented to the iniurys of the Cros because we know that such iniurys fall vpon Christ crucyfied and therefor as fast as they pull downe crosses we labour to set them vp and as they striue to dishonour the Cros we striue against them to honour it We blesse ourselues with the signe of the Cros bow to Crosses kisse and reuerence them we institute holy dayes in honour of it and in all thinges we glory in the Cros of our Lord Iesus Christ as the cheife instrument of his passion and therefor we thinke it a sitte signe to putte vs in minde of it and that we may aptly vnderstande his passion by it Thus hath the Church of God in the Apostles times and euer since vsed the Cros to signify the passion of Christ and honored it in that signification Thus did S. Phil. 3. Paul vnderstande by the enemys of the Cros the enemys of Christs Passion and thus doe Infidels Iewes and Turkes thinke that shewing themselues to be enemys of Crosses they shew themselues to be enemys of the Passion of Christ and haeretiks who professe themselues the Disciples of Christ should by reason conceiue as without doubt they doe a feare and horrour when they abuse Crosses and cannot by reason but thinke themselues enemys of the Passion of Christ when reason telleth them the relation which Crosses haue to it and therefor we rightly honour and worship them What did S. Paul but that which we doe when he said God forbidde that I should glory sauing in the Cros of our Lord Iesus Christ Gal 6. did not he vse here the Cros to signify the Passion of Christ and honour it in that signification in the very same sense doth the Catholike Church vse it and doth nothing but that which S. Paul here did and we may very well make this argument S. Paul vsed the Cros to signify the Passion of Christ and then honoured it in that signification therefor we may lawfully doe soe he gloried inwardly in his hart in the Cros and his tongue and lipps moued corporally in honour of it meaning still to honour the Passion of Christ by it and this is that which good Catholikes doe honouring with their harts and their whole bodys mouing in honour of the Cros vnderstanding by it the Passion of Christ Aug. tract 43. in lo. S. Augustine sayeth that Christ choosing the death of the Cros hath fixed the signe of the Cros in our foreheades that we might say God forbidde that I should glory sauing in the Cros of our Lord Iesus Christ The Cros is the cheife instrument and weapon with which our Sauiour fought and obtained that glorious victory by which he saued vs and therefor we ought to glory in it and to keepe it in great reuerence Dauid fighting for the people of God ouercame the Philistaean gyant and with a sword cut of his head and it pleased God that his sword should afterwards be honored by the people being carefully lapt vp and kept in the temple as a memoriall of their champions victory This is very propper to our purpose Dauid may represent Christ who is our champion but infinitly more glorious and therefor more worthy to be honored by vs. But as the sword was to Dauid soe was the Cros in respect of Christ the instrument of his victory and if it were the will of God to haue Dauid honored afterwards in his sword because the honour of it redounded to him shall not we honour Christ in his Cros and thinke that the honour of the Cros redoundeth vnto Christ If some euill minded man had entred into the Temple and taking downe king Dauids sword from behind the Ephod had abused and broken it would not this man haue bene iust y thought to haue dishonored king Dauid himselfe and
to haue committed in this a hainous contempt against him yes certainely because the dishonour which was done would haue bene conceiued as done to his person the sword being honored onely in relation to him soe the iniurys which are done and honour which is giuen to the Cros redounde vnto Christ for whose onely sake we honour it S. Ignatius who liued in the Apostles times The power of the signe of the Cros. Ig. Ep. ad Phil. and died à martyr doth testify the esteeme and worship of the Cros in those dayes calling it hâ—erophy of christians against the deuils power wh sayth he abhorreth the very sight of it Tert l. de â—or mil. c. 3. Tertullian liued not long after those times and he sheweth thâ—t the same deuotion continued still in the Church by these words wheâ— wâ— first set forward Cyrill Cateâ—â— si 13. and S. Hierome Ep. 2â— haâ—e the like words whâ—â— we goe forth or come in whâ—â— we put on our cloths or shoes wh n we wâ—â—h our hands or lâ—â—h acondle in all exercises wâ— weare one foreheades with th signe of the Cros. Soe much was the signe of the Cros vpon all occasions then frequented by christians that this authour would make soe remarkeable an expression of it as though they had euen worne it into their foreheades by often making it Not long after Tertullian came Constantine the Emperour who in his deuotion to the Cros may well be called Great for where as other Emperors commonly aspire to greatnes by enlarging their dominions and by raising of great monuments to continue their memory in the world it seemeth that he had noe greater ambition then to raise and aduance the glory of the Cros. He vndertooke for this purpose a hard taske in those times and that was by his imperiall autority to honour the Cros soe much as to make those ensigues of the Romane Eagles with which they had conquered the world to be come inferiour to the Cros and to raise it more glorious then they in his cheife banner This he wndertooke and notwithstanding all the opposition which he might expect from the senate and people of Rome who were then Pagans with gods assistance he encompassed it Of this banner much mention is made in Authors Eusebius who had seene it hath giuen this description of it Euseb l. 1. de vita Constâ—n A high speare was â—â—acted set about wâ—th gold which had a corner made a thwart after the manner of a Cros. On the toppe of it a crowne was placed wrought with gold and pretious stone Vnder it there was a symbole of the soueraigne name The name of Christ was represented in the first letters of two verses the lettâ—r P standing vacant in the mi st which the Emperour in later times vsed to weare in his helmet Vpon the thwart corner which was fied on the speare a veile hung downe of royall purple which with variety of pretious stones matching one anotheri with the splendour of there shining and with the abundance of gold that couered them gaue an vnspeakeable lustre to the beholder Thus did this good Emperour honour the Cros. And the same authour saith that this banner was soe good a safeguard to Constantins army and to him that carried it Euseb hiâ— l. 9. c. 9. that which way soeuer it was carried in that place they allwais gotte victory and that the bearer of it was neuer hurt as long as he kept with it but that one time for feare forsaking it he was slaine And he saith also that after that Constantine had gotten that memorable victory ouer Maxentius L 1. dâ— vita Constan in which the Cros miraculously appeared in the ayre to him he set vp a Cros with these words This is a souueraigne signe And that in the hand of his owne image he caused a Cros to be put with these words La. de vita Constan. with this signe of true fortitude I haue freed your city And that he vsed often to signe his face with the signe of the Cros. And that in his picture ouer the gates of his imperiall pallace the signe of the Cros was painted ouer his head and a vanquiâ—hed dragon vnder his feete All this deuotion did this great Emperour vse to the signe of the Cros and neuer was condemned for it by any but such as were themselues condemned for haeretiks Afterwards the Emperour Theodosius of reuerence to the Cros prohibited it to be made on the ground Were it not an imposture worthy of an haeretike to leaue out on the ground and to say onely that Theodosius prohibited it to be made as though he had intended to take it away yet D Kellison hath obserued out of Alanus Copus that some haeretiks haue done soe Kâ—lliâ—in tertiom part Orat. 1. 〈◊〉 Iul. S. Gregory Nazianzen who flourished a litle after those times relateth how that the wicked Emperour Iulian hauing once apostatized from the faith of Christ and become an idolatrous Infidel amongst the many vices to which he prostituted his soule he gaue himselfe to the study of necromancy and being affrighted at the first sight which he had of the deuils he made on a suddaine the signe of the Cros as he had done when he was a christian and that the euill spirits fled then presently away from him And that to satisfy him his master magitian told him that the spirits did not feare but hated the Cros and that if he would be their Disciple he must leaue it of And in the same place he relateth how that Iulian being on a certaine time with his Southsayers looking into the entrailes of beasts they found a Cros in them and inquiring the presage of it they told him that by this it was portended that Iulian with all his power should neuer be able to roote out the faith of Christ but that it should last for euer S. Hiero. ad Eust Hierome was somethinge later then S. Gregory Nazianzen he writing to the Lady Eustochium his deuout penitent exhorteth her to frequent the signe of the Cros. Aug to 5. l. 22. c. 8. deciu. Dei S. Augustine came a litle after him and relateth this miracle wrought by it There was saith he in Carthage a woman by name Innocentia vexed with a Canker in her breast who hauing vsed all the remedys which the physitians could praescribe and at last meeting with one who told her planely that there was noe remedy for it but that she must haue patience with it and lett it alone for that according to Hypocrates such cankers are worse for being tampered with She being then out of hopes by any naturall meanes betooke herselfe to the authour of nature who can cure without them And it pleased God to send her a vision in which she was admonished to goe to the Church when baptisme was administred and to procure the first that she mette with of the newly baptized christians to make the
to vse their owne wills and to fullfill their desires vpon them by what torments they would rather then to forsake the faith of Iesus Christ and thousands of thousands of faithfull christians gathered together in the Catholike Church are now ready with them in the same manner to professe it But we will honour Christ and comfort good christians by declaring the testimonys which God hath giuen of him We haue of Christ two kindes of diuine testimonys First by diuine scriptures and secondly by his miraculous works We will heare first what the scriptures testify of him When the mystery of the Incarnation was fullfilled and Christ came into the world there were then in all the world but two onely religions or diuine worships professed to wit the religion of the Iewes who worshipped one eternall and omnipotent God and the religion of the Gentils or Pagans adoring many Gods And the worship of one God being in the first article setled for true and the worship of many Gods reiected by the Apostles for false it followeth that the people of the Iewes were then the people of God whom he had chosen to be truely honored amongst Secondly it followeth that the Iewes hauing then the true faith and diuine worship whatsoeuer they then beleeued was true and that they then beleeuing in Christ as to come he was then indeede to come and whatsoeuer they beleeued of him then as future the same we are to beleeue of him as past and whatsoeuer the scriptures receiued by them which are the old Testament haue declared of him that is allwais to be beleeued as of diuine authority and as spoken by the word of God who dictated those scriptures for the gouernment of the world in the true worship of him Now the holy scriptures of the old testament deliuer soe planely the comming of a Messias or which is all one a Christ to redeeme the world that all whosoeuer receiue those scriptures doe still confesse it For it is the maine butte and prime scope of the old Testament to shew that Christ was promised from the beginning to the Patriarks and reuealed from time to time to the Prophets that the world might expect him then to come as it is the butte and scope of the new Testament to declare him to the world to be allready come And as the new Testament describeth all ouer the ioy of the faithfull in enioying him soe did the old testament comfort the faithfull then with the expectation and hopes of him First his comming was signifyed euen at first in paradise in terrour to the serpent who had caused our sinne when our Lord threatening him with an enemy that should come against him said I will put enmitys betâ—ixt thee and the woman Gen. 3. and thy seede and the seede of her she shall bruize thy head in peeces and thou shalt ly in waite of her heele Christ was by this mysteriously denoted God then declaring that the enmity of mankind with the serpent was to be especially betwixt him and the seede of a woman by which it is signifyed that Christ the Redeemer of the world and the serpents greatest enemy should be particularly the seede of a woman and is not there said to be of the seede of a man because he was to be conceiued and borne of a Virgin mother without the helpe of man And this was the prerogatiue of the Sauiour of the world that the sinne of mankind being first occasioned by a woman he that was to be the death and destruction of sinne should be by the power of God of womans seede onely without man The same was deliuered by reuelation to the Patriarks and Prophets afterwards and they did not onely declare it to posterity but also described the manner of the accomplishment of it Esa 9. A litle child is borne to vs and a sonne is giuen to vs and principality is made vpon his shoulder and his name shall be called Meruelous Counseller God Strong Father of the world to come The Prince of peace And in another place the same Prophet describeth the circumstances of his comming among the Iewes Arize be illuminated Hierusalem Esa 60. because thy light is come c. vpon thee shall our Lord arize and his glory shall be seene vpon thee And the Gentils shall walke in thy light and kings in the brightnesse of thy rizing Lift vp thine eyes round about and see all these are gathered together to thee Thy sonnes shall come from a farre and thy daughters shall rize from the side Then shalt thou see and abounde and thy hart shall meruaile and shall be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be conuerted to thee the strength of Gentils shall come to thee Here it is foretold that the Messias should come amongst the Iewes vnder the dominion and commande of Hierusalem the comming of kings to acknowledge his power and the conuersion of the Gentiles who by multitudes farre and neere should receiue the light of his doctrine and obey him our Lord. But I neede not stande to alledge scriptures for the comming of the Messias for it is inferred by that which I haue said allready that the Iewes who had then the true worship of God beleued it and it shall appeare by many places of the scriptures which I shall afterwards alledge Neither is there any difference betwixt that which the people of God beleeued of him by those scriptures before his comming and that which the faithfull now beleeue of him since his comming but onely in the diuersity of times they being before and we after him they beleeuing in him as to come and expecting of him we hauing receiued the ioy of his comming They were not then called Christians although they beleeued in Christ because they were but one nation and people of the Israëlits consisting of diuerse tribes and tooke their denomination of Ieâ—â—es from the â—ribe of Iuda which was the cheife tribe and of which it was foretold that the Messias should come But after his comming when the true faith and diuine worship was not confined to one onely nation but was enlarged vnto other nations and made common to all then all truâ— beleeuers beganne to be called by the Apostles Christians Act. 11. as by a name which abstracted from all nations to those who beleeued in Iesus Christ the true Messias and Redeemer of the wâ—rld Soe thâ—â— all true beleeuers haue allwâ—is beleeued in Christ as the Israëlits or People of the Iewes did immediatly before his comming and as now we doe But when Iesus Christ our Sauiour came into the world and preached his heauenly doctrine amongst the sewes a People wholy drowned in sinne and giuen to pride and desires of this world he abstaining from their euill wayes rebuking their vices and exhorting them to vertue and contempt of the world without giuing any hopes of temporall riches and glory but onely of spirituall blessings and such felicitys as were to be
works which he hath done and suffered noe doubt but they shall see and confesse that which his very enemys confessed who hauing seene the passages of his death went away Mat. 27. saying Indeede this was the Sonne of God Let them beleeue and professe this in the true Church of Christ and let neither life nor death nor the loue of any creature euer be able to separate them from it But there remaineth yet to shew which of all christian Churches is the true Church of Christ This by Gods grace I shall shew in the exposition of the ninth article where I shall destinguish the Catholike Church from all false Churches Now we will goe on to THE THIRD ARTICLE WHO was conceiued by the Holy Ghost The attributes of the B. Trinity borne of the Virgin Mary Although the mystery of the Incarnation be attributed here onely to the Holy Ghost as though Christ were conceiued by his onely power yet we are not to thinke that it was done by him onely without the Father and the Sonne For this is a rule without exception in the mystery of the blessed Trinity that all the externall works of God to wit those which he doth in respect of creatures are done indiuisibly by all the Persons of the B. Trinity because their power is all one indiuisible power in them and soe the Conception of our Sauiour was done by the same power of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost And to say here that Christ was conceiued by the Holy Ghost is the same as to say that his conception was by the power and speciall gift of God after a supernaturall and not after a natural manner It is here attributed particularly to the holy ghost by reason of the great loue and bounty of God which he shewed in it For although all the diuine perfections be equally commune to all the Persons of the B. Trinity yet some certaine titles or attributes there are which are vsed as propper and particular to them seuerally Soe we attribute power to God the Father because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him We attribute wisdome to the Sonne because he proceedeth from the Father by way of vnderstanding We attribute goodnesse loue bounty and the like to the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by the operation of the will which loueth nothing but that which either is good or at least is apprehended then as good And soe those works of God in which his power is most manifested are attributed to the Father those which declare most his wisdome are attributed to the Sonne and those which shew most his goodnes loue bounty and the like are attributed to the Holy Ghost Neither was it an inuention of men by these termes and attributes to destinguish the diuine Persons but it was an inuention of God himselfe The Apostles were inspired to attribute power particularly to the Father saying I beleeue in God the Father Almighty S. Iohn was inspired to attribute wisdome to the Sonne calling him the Word of God which was from the beginning And Christ himselfe attributed goodnes in particular to the Holy Ghost Luc. 11. saying your father from heauen will giue the Good Spirit to those that aske him Soe although all the diuine persons be equall in power wisdome goodnes and in all perfections the same according to S. Iohn These three be one and soe all of them concurre equally to the Conception of Christ yet here it is attributed particularly to the Holy Ghost because the loue of God is soe eminently manifested in it For the same reason we paint the Father as an auncient man because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him we paint the Sonne in humane nature an intellectuall creature because his procession is by way of vnderstanding we paint the Holy Ghost as a done because the done is a bird that sheweth most loue and loue as I haue said is the property of the Holy Ghost Neither can it be displeasing to God that we expresse him by these corporal shapes and species of visible things which are naturall and necessary for our vnderstandings And to shew this he would expresse himselfe soe appearing in those very shapes by which we expresse him He appeared vnto Daniel like an old man Dan. 7. I beheld saith he till the thrones were set and the auncient of dayes sate his vesture white as now and the haire of his head life cleane wooll The Second Person was not onely made into the similitude of men but appeared in the true nature of man in Iesus Christ our Sauiour Phil. 2. The Holy Ghost at the baptisme of Christ was seene as a done ouer him S. Iohn testifying I saw the Spirit descending as a done from heauen Io. 1. and he remained vpon him Thus would God represent himselfe to vs and we can not represent him better then as he hath represented himselfe Borne of the Virgin Mary By this article the Apostles professe the procession of Christ according to his humane nature For hauing in the first article professed the Father who is the first Person and in the second the Second Person in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne now they goe on to speake of him as man according to the nature which he assumed of the Virgin Mary his mother For where as other children proceede both of father and mother he by the operation of the Holy Ghost was conceiued of his mothers nature onely she remaining allwais a Virgin S. Ioseph as the husband of our blessed lady was taken for the father of Christ And when they heard him with that knowledge and wisdome disputing in the temple Mat. 13. admiring they said is not this the carpenters sonne noe he was the sonne of the blessed Virgin and assumed humane nature of her nature and of her Virginal body but of noe man And this was a mystery which God would reueale and foretell by his Prophet long before Esa 7. saying behold a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne For as soone as the Angel had deliuered his message to her and she had answered Behold the handmaid of our Lord Luc. 1. be it done to mee according to thy word consenting to the mystery propounded by him the sacred body of our Lord was of the Virgins body presently formed and his soule was infused into it and they being vnited to the diuine Person there was then in one person the vnion of two natures and Christ who was the eternall sonne of God was also the sonne of man as he proceeded of the Virgin Mary both natures in that admirable coniunction keeping their perfections that as S. Leo saith the glorification neither consuming the inferiour nor the assumption deminishing from the superiour This is a mystery incomprehensible by vs and therefor the omnipotency of God was propounded by the Angell to our blessed lady as to be considered
long as they liue soe the damned are setled in that state of desperation rage and horrible torment to endure it and to endure it still and can neuer change or alter from it In all thy works remember thy latter ends Eccli 7. and thou wilt not sinne for euer This is the last thinge which the Apostles would mention of Christ in the Creede and which ought to leaue a great feare and vehement horrour in the mindes of the wicked to whom he shall come as to his enemys that can expect noe fauour from him And therfor this day is called the day of our Lord. Because Christ shall come as a terrible Lord to them and shall call them to a strict account for the neglect of their seruice to him and they hauing receiued good thinges in this life but wickedly imployed them haue then euill to receiue but the iust who haue serued God duely and haue not sought after the pleasures and goods of this world but haue then good thinges to receiue haue reason to reioyce and to be comforted at the thought of this day and therefor at the departure of Christ in his Ascension from the Apostles the Angels were sent to comfort them with the remembrace of his second comming saying Ye men of Galilee why doe you stande looking into heauen Act. 1. this Iesus which is assumpted from you into heauen shall soe come as you haue seene him going into heauen He commeth as a spouse full of ioy to the iust and blesseth them with euerlasting blessings because they haue prouided the light of good works Let vs doe soe and we shall be admitted into his ioyfull nuptials and receiue blessings of him Thus you vnderstande what is meant by the quicke and the dead to wit the state of the good and of the euill the one of them liuing spiritually with the life of grace the other being dead in sinne But perhaps it may be vnderstoode also of corporal life with which some shall be then liuing on earth when Christ shall come and shall be iudged with those that were dead before that day And who knoweth but he himselfe may liue to see the terrible appearence of Christ comming to iudge him and that presently dying he shall rize againe to receiue the sentence of his iudgment for Christ himselfe hath said that of that day or hower noe man knoweth Mar. 13. neither the Angels in heauen How much then ought we to feare and preuent it and not to remaine one day noe nor one hower in mortall sinne THE EIGHT ARTICLE I Beleeue in the Holy Ghost Hitherto the Apostles in all the former articles haue deliuered those thinges which concerne the first and second person of the B. Trinity the Father and the Sonne now they professe the third Person in the Holy Ghost S. Act. 19. Paul comming to Ephesus found certaine disciples soe ignorant that asking them if they had receiued the Holy Ghost they answered that they had not soe much as heard that there was a Holy Ghost This had bene indeede a very great ignorance in them if they had bene Christians which they were not and the mystery of the blessed Trinity was to be but obscurely deliuered to the Iewes as I haue shewed in another place treating of it They were the Disciples of S. Iohn Baptist baptized by his baptisme which could not giue the Holy Ghost and were not as yet baptized with christian baptisme in which the Holy Ghost is giuen and therfor it was a lesse ignorance in them But for any of vs not to know what the Holy Ghost is were an extreame ignorance And therefor we will first declare who the Holy Ghost is and why he is soe called The Holy Ghost is the third Person of the B. Trinity and is as much as to say The holy spirit And although the Father and the Sonne and the holy Angels are holy spirits yet they are not The Holy Ghost of whom we are speaking When therefor we say the Holy Ghost we meane the diuine Person of the Holy Ghost as when Christ commanded baptisme in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost The first Person of the blessed Trinity is called The Father because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him The second Person is called The Sonne because he proceedeth as sonne from the Father The third Person is called the Holy Ghost or holy spirit because he proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by way of mutuall inspiration The Holy Ghost is true God omnipotent eternall and infinite in all perfections the very same in essence and nature with the Father and the Sonne And therefor S. Peter threatening Ananias for his deceit and ly which he had told said Ananias why hath Satan tempted thy hart Act. 5. that thou shouldst ly to the Holy Ghost tâ—ou hast lyed to God And therefor in the words of baptisme he is commanded to be named as the same in Godhead with the Father and the Sonne and S. Iohn saith There be three which giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word Io. 1.5 and the Holy Ghost And these three be one Three in destinction of Persons one in the vnity of nature and essence And because the Holy Ghost proceedeth both from the Father and the Sonne therefor he is sometimes said in the Scriptures to be the spirit of the Father and sometimes the spirit of the Sonne THE NINTH ARTICLE THe holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints The Apostles hauing professed their beleefe in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord borne and crucifyed in the nature of man and their beleefe in the Holy Ghost they had giuen vs in breife the mysterys of the B. Trinity and of the Incarnation The next thinge which they minded was to make an article of beleeuing the Catholike Church Which article was noe lesse necessary then any of the former nay in this it was the most necessary of all that by beleeuing the Church we come to haue the truth of the former and to vnderstande rightly all the articles of the christian faith And therefor as S. Augustine hath obserued the Prophets haue spoken planelyer of the Church then they haue done of Christ himselfe Aug. in Is 30. because the authority of the Church is the rule and guide by which we are to be directed in all thinges which we beleeue of him and all true beleeuers are kept in the vnity of true faith and that faith which was founded by him continueth allwais inuiolated by continuall obedience to the Church This then being the end and intention of this article let vs now come to the declaration of it Quest What is the Catholike Church Answ The Catholike Church is the congregation of all faithfull Pastors and people vnited together as a body with its head S. Augustine defineth the Church to be the congregation of all
the faithfull dispersed ouer the world Which is in substance the same that is here answered for euery one that hath the true faith and is in vnion with the head and Pastors of the Church by obeying them is a member of the true Châ—â—ch and all these put together make the whole Church But because Schismatiks although they beleeue in all points yet are out of the Church as diuiding themselues from it by disobedience to the head and Pastors theirof therefor to be a member of the Church we require vnion with the rest of the members vnder one head to wit the Pope who is for the time the successor of S. Peter the Vicar of Christ and the Head of the Church Now for the explication of this article In the first place the Church is said to be holy Holy It is holy in diuerse respects First in respect of the eminent holines of Iesus Christ the cheife head of it Secondly for the holy gouernment which Christ instituted and allwais conserueth in it Thirdly it is holy in respect of the holy sacrifice which it hath of his most sacred body and in respect of the holy Sacraments and obseruances that are in it Fourthly in respect of the Vicarhead Pastors and people whose holinesse it includeth Christ ascending into heauen made S. Peter the head of all the Apostles and of the whole Church to remaine as Vicar to himselfe vpon earth commending particularly to him the charge of his sheepe that is of all faithfull christians that are in the Church as in his sheepfold This charge was performed by him whilst he liued and after his death by men of great holines who succeeded him ioyning their blood vnto his as it were in a continuall streame of martyrdome for almost three hundred yeares after the Ascension of Christ After them those who haue succeeded in that chaire and office haue bene for the most part men of great holinesse as they haue great meanes to be and as it is fitting they should be in that holy office The Church is also holy in many other inferiour Pastors and people of all sorts and callings of Martyrs Confessors and Virgins who haue illustrated it with their holy liues and haue rendred it a deere and amiable spouse to Christ Lastly the Church is holy as being by its authority the ground of all holines there being none at all but in it For there can be noe holinesse in this world if not grounded vpon true faith Heb. 11. without which it is impossible to please God And being there can be noe faith that can please God but in the Catholike Church all holinesse that is amongst men is in the holy Catholike Church The Church is called by the Apostles Catholike Catholike which is as much as to say vniuersal to destinguish the true Church of Christ from all false Churches of christians which they saw might rize vp in following times and did euen then beginne to rize in their times None of which can be said to be Catholike or vniuersal but priuate and particular Churches which beginne by opposing of the Catholike and vniuersal Church then extant when those new sects beginne First the Church is vniuersal in doctrine for that it teacheth all ouer the same doctrine and yeeldeth obedience to the same gouernment vnder one head and soe the Church of Rome is Catholike and the Church of Protestants is not Catholike for that protestants agree in name onely and nor in doctrine and also because some of them acknowledging a head vpon earth as the English Protestants did and some of them acknowledging noe head vpon earth they haue not all obedience to the same authority which obedience must necessarily be had to be the same Church and to be the true Catholike Church For the Apostles made this article to keepe vs allwais in the odedience of the true Church and that those might be knowne to haue the true faith of Christ who retaining the doctrine which is professed by the whole Church which then is and obeying the authority of it submitte in all controuersys to that which it teacheth and say with the Apostles I beleeue the Catholike Church and therefor two Churches that obey two different authoritys can not both of them be vniuersal and Catholike Secondly the true Church is vniuersall in times for that it must be at all times and neuer soe vanished out of the world that there should neede any to restore it againe for God doth not soe vnequally destribute his graces as to leaue the the world at any time without meanes of saluation which cannot be without a true and lawfull Church Besides the Apostles Creede is to be said at all times and soe we are allwais to say I beleeue the Catholike Church which we could not allwais say if at some time there were noe true Catholike Church in the world Thirdly the Church is vniuersal in place for if S. Paul could with truth apply those words of the psalme their sounde hath gone forth vnto all the earth Ps 18. and vnto the ends of the â—ound world the words of them to the Church of Christ in the Apostles times when it was nothing soe much dilated as now God be thanked it is we may now with good reason call it Catholike in respect of all places when the sounde of the Apostles doctrine is soe much enlarged that there is hardly any place of the world whither the Catholike Church doth not send her subiects to preach Out of this vniuersality of the Church it followeth One that there is but one true Church in which saluation may be had for vniuersality importeth vnity and if there be vnity in the Church and that this vnity be necessarily required and included in the word Catholike or vniuersal which signifye hâ— many agreeing in the same thinge then two Churches which are not vnited in the same Communion and obedience to the same authority can not both of them haue meanes of saluation for if they could both haue meanes of saluatioÌ„ and yet might lawfully disobey each others authority then we should not be bounde to obey it nor could it lawfully require obedience to it which is contrary to the words of Christ binding vs to the obedience of the Church and contrary to this article and to all reason and gouernment S. Augustine There is nothing which a christian ought soe much to feare as to be separated from the body of Christ Aug. tract 27. which is for certaine the one Catholike Church For if he be separated from the body of Christ he is not a member of him If he be not a member of him he is not nourished with his spirit By which it is plane in the doctrine of this saint that it can not be a true Church which is separated from the true Church and by consequence two Churches which separate from each other can not both be true Therefor let those take head that hearken
scriptures and that in innumerable places which for breuity I omitte and will mention onely the words of our Sauiour which he spoke to his disciples at his last farewell from them Christ in his Ascension being to leaue his Apostles with a hard taske and difficult worke which they were to performe in founding of the Catholike Church amongst soe many enemys he told them for their comfort Mat. 2â— Behold I am with you aâ—l dayes euen to the consummation of the world He spoke then to the Apostles and would not onely comfort them but all others who were to haue the gouernment of the Church for euer after promising to be with them as long as the world should endure As long then as Christ was to be with them their doctrine was for euer to be true and their authority diuine and he being to be with them vnto the consummation of the world their doctrine was to be true and their authority diuine vnto the consummation of the world as the doctrine and authority of Christ who promised allwais to assist them in their worke and soe their worke was his worke and their doctrine and authority were his Christ therfor is allwais with the Pastors of the Church when they represent and haue the authority of the whole Church not with euery one of them particularly but with all of them together and therefor although any one particular bishop as he is onely a particular member of the Church may erre yet all bishops cannot possibly erre at any time because Christ hath promised to be with them all dayes It is not needfull to produce the sentences of fathers for the diuine authority of the Church both because these words of the Creede made by the Apostles and at all times consented vnto by the fathers I beleeue the Catholike Church may stande for their sentences and also because their sentences to this purpose will frequently occurre in that which I haue to say of the Church Scriptures and fathers are easily misconstrued by haeretiks who make them to speake as they will vnderstande them or if they be too plane against them they discarde the sentence or the whole booke For those that are soe bold as to contradict the whole Church haue lost their shame and neede regard noe authority at all But because they pretende reason as building all their doctrines vpon their owne witts and because this point is soe necessary for the deciding of all controuersys and to the true and lawfull condemnation of all haeresys we will make it euident by plane and easy reasons which all may vnderstande To thinke to haue religion without the diuine authority of an infallible Church is to thinke to build without a foundation or as we commonly say to build castles in the ayre the foundation of all true religion being the authority of the Church which professeth it Grant once that a Church may erre as it may if it be not supported by the diuine authority and we can not be certaine of any doctrine which it teacheth and being vncertaine of the truth of its doctrine we are not bound to beleeue vncertaintys and it can not be the true religion if it be professed by a Church which we are not bounde to beleeue And therefor the first thinge which is to be established as the foundation of true religion is the infallible and consequently diuine authority of the Church that professeth it Take once away the authority of the Church and absolue men from the obedience of it and you make euery man his owne master and leauing him to himselfe to beleeue what he listeth all is brought into vncertainty and confusion for there is noe point of faith soe certaine nor any thinge soe cleere but by prowde and contentious men it might be brought into question This is declared by particular instances If the Church of Christ were not of diuine authority and infallible certainty in all which it teacheth we could not be certaine either of the Creede or of the scriptures or of the sense of either of them or of any article of faith whatsoeuer nay the very foundation of all religion would be destroyed the diuine existence becomming also vncertaine to vs and insteede of gouernment vnion and order in the worship of God we should haue noe diuine worship nor God at all but a horrible confusion and more then hellish disorder would dwell vpon earth First the Creede is not receiued but for the authority of the Church We beleeue that euery article of the Creede was made by diuine inspiration and authority and as such we will defende them with our liues yet this we know not but by the Church for of our selues we could not certainely know it nor should we beleeue it of the Creede more then of other writings which we receiue not as of faith but that the Church commandeth vs soe to beleeue of it and not of them Againe we doe not know the sense of any article of the Creede but by the authority of the Church take away this and we had the sense of them to seeke we knew not where euery one might follow his owne sense and we should be certaine of nothing but of vncertainty and confusion Take away the diuine and infallible authority of the Church in the Apostles times and you bring all into vncertainty whatsoeuer they taught and ruine the foundation of the whole christian faith and it had bene noe matter what they had deliuered in the Creede or whether they had made any Creede at all Take away that authority from the Church of Christ that is at all times and it is noe matter what Creede it deliuer or what sense of the Creede seeing it may erre in that which it sayeth and those thinges may be false which it deliuereth for true The same appeareth in the scriptures We beleeue that such and such scriptures were written by some that had the spirit of God to write nothing but truth in them that all those bookes which we receiue were written with that spirit and that all those bookes passing through soe many hands and handwritings as must necessarily haue bene before printing was inuented haue remained vncorrupted vntill our times How doe we know all this to be soe but by the authority of the Church deny this as all haeretiks doe to follow their owne phansys and you may admitte of what Scriptures you will or if you will you may deny all scriptures And this we see by experience to be true that haeretiks reiecting the authority of the Church and disobeying it reiect also the scriptures and receiue but what they will The Carpocratites Seuerians and Manichees reiected all the old Testament and all the foure ghospels of the new except that of S. Luke Cerdon and Cerinthus reiected S. Luke The Seuerians reiected the acts of the Apostles and all the Epistles of S. Paul Luther and some Protestants reiect the Epistle of S. Iames. The Alogians and some Protestants reiect
beginneth to deriue that authority from Christ vnto S. Peter that by one head and supreme pastour vnity might be preserued in the Church And sayth againe that Heresys haue sprung and Schismes haue bene bred by noe other cause Cyp. l. 1. ep 13. 55. but for that the Priest of God is not obeyed nor one iudge considered to be for the time in the Church of God Soe that to shew who is the true head of the Church will sufficiently destinguish the true Church for the pastors that communicate with him are the true pastors and the people of that Communion are the true people of God and that whole congregation of pastors and people being taken alltogether is the whole Catholike Church Now to shew who is the true head of the Church we must secke into antiquity and see what bishop did aunciently in the first Church of the Apostles and in the primitiue times after them beare that authority and was then acknowledged for the head and supreme pastour of the Church For as truth which was eternally in God was before falsehood which came afterwards by creatures and as true and lawfull power was first in the true Church of Christ and false vsurped power was afterwards begunne by disobeving it soe he that was first acknowledged in the primitiue times of the Church as the head and supreme pastour he and his successors are all wais to be acknowledged after him and they are false Churches that haue begunne at any time in disobedience to him and to the pastors of his Communion Now let vs see what bishop was acknowledged in the primitiue times and was first obeyed as the head and supreme pastour and which of all Churches that how are retaine still their obedience to him These are either all or the cheife christian Churches that are now in the world The Romane Church which is truely Catholike and Vniuersal ouer the whole world the Greeke Churches which are not Catholike nor vniuersall in the world although some of them be much spred The Church of the Georgians of the Armenians of the Aethiopians of the Arians of the Nestorians of the Waldenses of the Lutherans of the Zuinglians if any of them be yet extant destinct from the Caluinists the Church of the Caluinists and the Church of England which is the latest and newest of them all If there be any more besides these as we see petty sects daily to arize out of the later and to beginne in disobedience to them as all of them once did to the Romane Church both they and all the rest beside the Romane Church shall appeare to be false Churches and it onely to be the true Catholike Church for that it onely is in vnion and holdeth obedience to the true and lawfull head of the vniuersall Church and to the pastors of his Communion all the rest disobeying that authority But first it is to be obserued that the word Church being a word of Communion siguifying a company of people communicating together in the same faith and vnder the same authority it can not be the same Church and a lawfull Church if it haue not the same and that a lawfull authority Secondly some of these acknowledge a head and supreme pastour of the Church vpon earth and others of them will acknowledge none The Romane Church all ouer the world acknowledgeth the bishop of Rome to be vpon earth the head and supreme pastour of the Church The Graecians Armenians Georgians Aethiopians and Churches of the east haue some of them the Parriarke of Constanâ—inople others the Patriarke of Alexandria or a parricular and propper pastour to themselues whom they acknowledge for the supreme head of their Church and the Church of England vntill within these tenne or dozen yeares acknowledged their temporal prince man woman or child that was for the time to be the head of that Church Others there are who are headlesse acknowledging noe supreme head vpon earth in any spirituall power as the Lutherans Caluinists c. these are but few and inconsiderable in comparison of those that submitte vnto a head and supreme authority And I shall shew that both they and all others beside the Romane Church are false Churches for that they stande disobedient to him and to the pastors of his Communion who is indeede the true head of the Church I haue shewed before that the gouernment which Christ instituted in his Church was by S. Peter as the head and cheife pastour of it Now I shew that that supreme authority of S. Peter was acknowledged by the primitiue Church to descende vpon the bishop of Rome as successour to him and that there is none but he that can with reason pretende to haue had that authority This is prooued first by the manifest testimonys of those auncient writers that then liued Secondly by the practise of those times for that the bishop of Rome exercized in fact that supreme authority and the faithfull of those times obeyed it Thirdly for that there is none els that can pretende to haue bene at any time aboue all other bishops as the cheife pastour and gouernour of the Church First then I produce soe many The Bishop of Rome is acknowledged by the primitiue fathers to be the head of the Church and such testimonys of auncient writers as shall be sufficient to satisfy him that regardeth the safety of his soule And to beginne euen from the Apostles times the scriptures which they wrote declare soe farre for the supremacy of the bishops of Rome that they are alleadged to that purpose by holy and auncient authors as will appeare by their following citations who seeing the supreme pastorship to haue bene promised by Christ vnto S. Peter Mat. 16. and to haue bene giuen him Io. 21. when he commended soe particularly the feeding of his sheepe to him and considering him to haue died at Rome bishop of that place and a successour in his authority to be allwais necessary for the gouernment of the Church without any more argument they grounded themselues vpon these scriptures and commonly alleadged them for the supremacy not onely of S. Peter but also of the bishop of Rome The same they inferre out of S. Paul to the Romanes where he sayth your faith is renowmed in the whole world Rom. 1. gathering by these words the supremacy of the Romane chaire S. Epis 55. Cyprian speaking against some of those times sayeth They are soe bold as to carry letters from prophane schismatiks to the Chaire of Peter Nu. 6. and the principall Church whence priestly vnity arose not considering the Romanes to be them whose faith the Apostle being the commender was praised to whom misbelcefe can not haue accesse And S. Hierome know ye that the faith of the Romanes will receiue noe such deceits Adner Ruffin l. 3. c. 4. to 2. nor can possibly be changed though an Angell taught otherwise being fensed by S. Cyp. ep 52. and Anronian Amb
must prooue it by extraordinary fignes and miracles such as are propper to God onely and proportionable to that kind of commission Soe did Moyses prooue by miracles that he was sent of God soe did Christ prooue his authority by miracles But if they haue neither miracles to prooue extraordinary nor succession of lawfull pastors for ordinary commission but vpon their owne bare word onely will draw men from obedience to their lawfull pastors we must take them for such as Core Dathan and Abiron were who disobeying their pastors and hauing noe commission from God to shew for it they and their followers sunke downe visibly into hell Now for miracles to iustify their disobedience to the Church they neither haue nor can possibly haue for that God will not approoue of any such disobedience but hauing ordained the gouernment of the Church to be by S. Peter as supreme head and by 〈◊〉 Apostles as pastors vnder him and Christ â—auing promised to be with them all dayes to the consummation of the world we must at all times looke vnto the successors of S. Peter and his pastors as to the lawfull authority of the Church of Christ and allwais obey them and we must take those for false Churches that disobey their authority And therfor S. Cyprian solidly rebuketh Nouatus the â—aeretike for separating himselfe from the Communion of Cornelius then Bishop of Rome and concludeth that the Church of Christ being but one and not conteining both those that are with in and those that are out of it those onely saith he are in the Church Cyp. l. 4. op c. who are in the COmmunion of Cornelius successour to Fabianus But that they may not thinke to excuse their disobedience by any pretences I stoppe all pretences whatsoeuer and preuent all answeres that can possibly be deuised by that which followeth They can not deny but there haue bene and are false Churches of christians in the world but there neuer was nor now is any false Church of christians but it might haue if it would the same pretences and haue the same ground for them that any of these haue they being commune to all disobedient and obstinate persons that will stande out against the Church therefor all which any of them can pretende for themselues are but vaine pretences and if euer there were any false Church of christians in the world they are all false Churches As for the first S. Paul saith that there must be heresys Cor. 1.11 Which being held by a Communion of many there is then a false Church He that readeth D Prateolus of the beginnings of heresys and seeeth the absurditys which they haue obstinatly mainteined will easily grant that there haue bene false Churches of Christians in the world He shall finde some against the whole B. Trinity some against one of the Persons some against another some against the diuinity some against the humanity of Iesus Christ some against the blessed Virgin some against the Angels some against the Saints one saith that Christ is the sunne which we see to shine another saith that himselfe is Christ another maketh himselfe to be the Holy Ghost some will haue all to marry some will haue none to marry some soe affected to sobriety that they held wine vnlawfull to be drunke euen to the consecrating of water insteede of it some are running naked others are foming quaking and changing gastly countenances as a signe and point of perfection another cryeth downe learning and will haue noe triall of the truth but by force of armes commanding for that purpose his disciples at his death to make a drumme of his skinne All which I mention in relation to the Apostles words and to my first proposition that there haue bene false Churches in the world and withall to obserue what absurde errors men would runne into if there were not at all times an authority of visible pastors guided by the Holy Ghost to gouerne the Church and all were bounde to be gouerned by them Now if any of these were a false Church it was for their obstinacy in those errors and for their disobedience to those pastors which the primitiue Church acknowledged to haue by succession from S. Peter the supreme authority and to the pastors of their Communion as hauing at all times the lawfull authority of the whole Church And these were as I haue shewed the Bishops of Rome and the pastors that were in Communion with them none els hauing any pretence vnto that succession Then for the second proposition I aske any one of those sects that are now out of the Catholike Romane Church what pretence can they haue which is not common to all the rest and which all the false Churches that are or euer were and which they confesse to be false Churches might not if they would haue alleadged for themselues as well as they to excuse there disobedience If they pretende errors in the doctrine of their pastors or if they alleadge priuate spirit or if they pretende authority from the true Church but inuisible or if they say that they were thrusten out of the Church against their wills or if they pretende immediat commission from God to disobey all authority vpon earth in religion who doth not see that all these are but vaine pretences common to all that will vse them and which if they were to be allowed of a gappe were opened for all turbulent and disobedient persons to runne out of the Church vnder some of these pretences at any time when they would themselues Neither is there any thinge which any of them can pretende but that which all the rest may as well take for pretence and all the false Churches that euer were whom they confesse to be false Churches may as well pretende as they And if this be not soe I desire and challenge any wise and learned man of whatsoeuer sect out of the Romane Church to study and to thinke with himselfe of any lawfull pretence and excuse for their disobedience to the Romane Church and then to take some other which he holdeth to be a false Church and conferring them together to propose to his owne conscience whether that pretence agree not as well to the other as to his owne And if he can deuise none which is propper to his owne Church more then to false Churches then I warne and charge him to returne againe to the obedience of that authority which the primitiue Church first obeyed and which the Romane Church hath allwais obeyed and which his Church and all others haue at some time goneforth of and disobeyed and this was as I haue shewed the authority of the bishop of Rome and his pastors All those Churches that are now extant out of the Romane Church went first out of it by disobedience to the head and pastors of the Romane Church and as for Protestants they confesse that they went forth and separated themselues from it Aug. l. 2. cont Crescon c.
33. l. 3. c. 43.44 l 2. cont Gauden c. 3 l. de vntco bap â—â—s c 15. ep 48. L. 2. cont Petâ—lâ— c. 19. as may be seene in The Authour of the Protestant Religion l. 2. c. 11. They must therefor shew some iust cause why they went forth and separated themselues For as S. Augustine alluding to the holy Prouerbe c. 30. often obiecteth against the Donatists The euill child calleth himselfe iust but he can not excuse his going forth And in another place You must come and giue an account of your separation But none of them haue a iuster cause nor can giue a better account of their separation then those whom they confesse to be false Churches therefor they are all false Churches I haue now sufficiently performed one thinge which I promised in the title of this booke The verity of the Roma â—e Cathelike faith is demonstrated by industion from aâ—l other religions to wit to demonstrate by induction from all the religions that are in the world the verity of the Romane Catholike faith As for the atheist he ought indeede to be excluded from all speech of religion for that he hath none yet his prophanesse is disprooued in the first article of the Creede in which the Apostles laid the foundation of religion saying I beleeue in God The Pagans religion is disprooued in the same article in that he beleeueth not in one God the maker of heauen and eaâ—th The Iewish and Turkish sects are disprooued in the second article for that they beleeue not in Iesus Christ the onely Sonne of God All sects of Christians that are out of the Romane Church are disprooued in that they haue broken this ninth article of the Creede I beleeue the Cathâ—like Church disobeying its authority in the lawfull head and pastors of it Let them harken to the words of the Holy Ghost Deut 17. If thou perceiue that the iudgment with thee be hard and doubtfull c. Thou shalt come to the Priests of the Leuitical stocke and to the iudge that shall be at that time and thou shalt doe whatsoeuer they that are presidents of the place which our Lord shall choose shall say and teach thee according to his law and thou shalt follow their sentence neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand But he that shall be prowde refusing to obey the commandement of the priest which at that time ministreth to our Lord thy God and the decree of the iudge that man shall dy Here now I cry to all those christians that are out of the Romane Church Graecians Arians c. and to all the seueral Churches of Protestants and especially to you my very deere Countreymen for whose soules I haue long hazarded my corporall life You haue contemned this great authority or rather a greater then it was You haue refused to obey the commandement of the priest and priests not of the Leuitical stocke but of the institution of Christ to wit the Successour of S. Peter and his pastors that is to say the Bishop of Rome and his pastors who gouerned the primitiue Church of Christ and were then actually gouerning it when your Churches beganne These you know you haue disobeyed and stande still disobedient vnto General Councels haue declared against you all and especially against the seueral sects of Protestants the Councell of Trent consisting of two hundred and fifty fiue fathers besides the most eminent doctors of the Catholike Church All Romane Catholiks obey this Councell in all points of faith and you disobey it Disobedience to the Leuitical priest and priests by the law of Moyses was punished with death and your disobedience I am sorry with all my hart but I haue noe scruple to speake it shall without doubt if you repent not be punished with eternal death Therefor I coniure you by the sweet merites of Iesus Christ in whom you beleeue and whom you expect to be your iudge to reflect ypon your soules and vpon true religion Call to minde how your Churches beganne and how schismes and heresys beginne and if you finde as you shall easily finde that you haue begunne after the very same manner as they in disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church and to all but your owne wills your beginners were as Core Nu. 16. Dathan and Abiron that beganne diuisions in the Church of God their followers that liued with them were as the followers of the former whom God destroyed also with them and you rising vp to mainteine their disobedience when they are dead and gone are like to those who after their deaths rose vp to iustify their cause and were therefor by the iudgment of God consumed with fire Forsake their company desert that vnlawfull cause and returne againe into the sheepfold of Christ if you desire to be saued THE TENTH ARTICLE FOrgiuenesse of sinnes None can rightly consider these words as made by the Apostles to be an article of the Creede but he must needs conceiue some greater mystery to be conteined in them them onely to professe that God can or doth forgiue sinnes Neither can he in reason vnderstande any other thinge then that there is power of forgiuing sinnes in that Church which they had newly professed This was indeede a gift and priueledge worthy to be mentioned in the publike Creede Christ after his resurrection before he ascended into heauen appeared to his Apostles and breathing vpon them said Io. 20. Receiue ye the Holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen and whose you shall retaine they are retained This was a mystery which the Church of God had great reason to remember and often to inculcate vnto her people and therefor the Apostles hauing professed their beleefe in the Catholike Church in the next place would commemorate this gift and power which the Catholike Church hath of the forgiuenesse of sinnes that with gratitude we might remember it and make good vse of it It is a greater worke saith S. Aug. tract 52. Augustine to make an euill man good then to make the world of nothing Yet it is giuen vnto man to doe this great worke It is giuen I say vnto man for it is not of his owne power but of the gift of God God onely of his owne natural power can forgiue sinnes Esa 43. I am he that taketh cleane away thine iniquitys but he can if he will giue that power vnto men The Apostles had that power by the gift of God as they had of him to worke many miracles which were as hard and vnpossible to nature as to forgiue sinnes Iudges of themselues haue not power to iudge but when the king maketh them iudges and giueth them power then they haue power and may exercize it and the exercize of it is good and valid because the king who gaue them that power setteth them in his owne place giueth them to represent his owne person and ratifyeth the
soe doe haeretiks deride the caeremonys of the Church but we haue an answere for them in Dauids words I will humble my selfe both in soule and body to God and will serue him with all my might spiritually and corporally This is a sufficient answere to all obiections against caeremonys There are two kinds of caeremonys Two kindes of caeremonys the one hath a direct and immediate relation to God without representing any particular mystery as kneeling at our prayers or to the B. Sacrament holding vp our hands adorning of Churches and the like The other is of caeremonys which represent some particular mystery as the signe of the Cros in relation to the Passion of Christ and the caeremonys of the masse and of the Sacraments which for the most part signify somethinge of his life or death By the first we humble our selues to God in the condition of our nature the same we doe also by the second and furthermore by them we remember and honour the mysterys which they represent All the caeremonys of the Church are in the same nature as corporal sacrifices Sacraments and vocal prayers outward expressions of our inward affection Neither can there be any thinge obiected against the nature of caeremonys but it hath the same force against them This is sufficient for caeremonys in general Now for the particular caeremonys of baptisme we neede but to shew that they haue holy significations The font consecrated First then the font is consecrated with holy oyle to signify the inward vnction of the Holy Ghost by the grace of baptisme Oyle is a liquor which spreadeth it selfe mollifyeth that which is hard and cureth wounds And therefor may well signify grace which diffused in our harts dilateth it selfe by good works softeneth and tendereth them to the loue of God and cureth vs from deadly sinne and therfor oile is often vsed in the Sacraments and caeremonys of the Church and was vsed in the law of Moyses Exod. 29. Exod 40. by the expresse commande of God in the consecration of Priests and of things that belonged to the Church The tabernacle and vessell theirof the altare of holocaust and the vessell theirof the lauer with the fâ—ote their of all shalt thou consecrate with the oile of vnction that it may be most holy The font being consecrated the child is brought to the doore and stayeth there to signify that we must first lay downe our burden of sinne and ease ourselues of it if we will enter into the house of our Lord. He is instructed in the christian doctrine by the Pater Noster and Creede c. Those that are baptized at yeares of discretion answere for themselues those that can not answere for themselues haue their God fathers to see them instructed in the duetys of a christian God fathers It was the Apostles care as they were pastors ouer all to prouide spirituall foode of instruction both for great and litle and therefor they instituted Godfathers in Baptisme who as nurses might feede yong christians and strengthen them in the doctrine of the Catholike Church That great Philosopher of Athens who liued in Christs time and was conuerted by the preaching of S. Paul was chosen of God for the recorder of the Church in those times and he as an eye witnesse hath declared the vse of Godfathers in these words Dionys part 3. c. 3. Ecclefiashier It hath seemed good to our captaines to receiue infants after that manner that the natural parents of the child should deliuer him to some man learned in diuine things whom as vnder a master or diuine father he leadeth the rest of his life Him whom S. Denis calleth there Diuine father we keeping the very same terme call him Godfather and this office was as you see by institution of the Apostles who were our captaines or els of Christ himselfe He further declareth in what words the Godfather vsed to vndertake his charge saying Ipromise to bring this child to the knowledge of holy thinges that by my serious admonitions he renounce the contrary and performe what he hath promised S. Augustine in a Sermon of Baptisme which he made after easter when it vsed to be more solemnely administred declareth in what things they ought to instruct their Godchildren Teach them saith he to obserue chastity to loue iustice to conserue charity and aboue all teach them the Pater Noster Crede and ten Commandements and the first rudiments of the christian religion This institution of Godfathers was very much to the aduancement of christian piety in all those that were to be baptized who although they were at yeares of discretion yet as yong christians were to be instructed in religion and deuotion Prou. 22. A yong man according to his way when he is old will not departe from it I haue somethinge of this disc 1. treating of instruction The Councell of Trent to auoide confusion in the office of Godfathers hath commanded that there shall be but one either a Godfather or a Godmother or at most both a Godfather and a Godmother Exorcismes are vsed to expell the deuils if they haue gotten any power ouer or about the party and that they may not hinder the due administring of the Sacrament In these exorcismes that power is exercized which Christ promised and gaue to his Apostles ouer vncleane spirits that they should cast them out Mat. 10. The signe of the Cros is often made in remembrance of Christs Passion and to signify that this as all other Sacraments hath its power and vertue from it Imposition of hands is vsed to signify the spiritual cure which is then done Christ declaring to his Apostles that they should cure by imposition of hands Spitle Spitle is put vpon the eares nose and mouth and the word Epheta is said in imitation of the same caeremonys of our Sauiour when he restored the impotent man of the ghospelâ— and to shew the custody Salt which we ought to haue of our senses against temptations Salt is put into the mouth to commende vnto vs wisdome in speech and actions salt signifying wisdome for as it is the seasoning of meates Col. 4. soe is wisdome and discretion the seasoning of our words and deeds Your talke allwais with grace let it be seasoned with salt saith the Apostle And because it is hard to speake much with discretion and without sinne therefor silence is often seasonable and much talke vnseasonable The Creede is said to professe the faith of Christ and the Pater Noster to signify our hopes in his merits which are then applyed The annointing signifyeth our spiritual warrfarre that as wrestlers aunciantly annointed themselues to become more actiue against their enemys soe we against the spirituals of wickednesse Godfathers in behalfe of their children renounce the deuils power and aske baptisme in their name that they may come as volunteers and not forced souldiers into the wartfare of Christ Baptisme is then giuen
it as not to be done is most insolent madnes Epist 118. To question that which the whole Church obserueth or curiously to dispute of it is full of danger and presumption but soe as to disallow of it and to condemne it is absolute madnes and the propper madnes of heresy Now as you haue seene the power of granting indulgences to be deriued from Christ soe you shall see the practise of it to haue bene in the primitiue Church Although then they were neither soe commune nor solemne as now a dayes First because in those times of persecution christians could not soe frequently meete together Secondly because the graces and gifts of the Apostles and their successors were then greater and aequiualent to the benefit of indulgences Thirdly the feruour and deuotion of those christians was also greater the blood of Christ being yet warme and as S. Hierome saith boyling in them That they neither stoode soe much neede of indulgences nor were their punishments often remitted Yet S. Paul exercized this power when in the person of Christ he gaue indulgence or pardon as he termeth it to the sinfull Corinthian least he should haue bene swallowed vp with sorrow at the greatnes of his punishment Cor. 2.2 And whom you haue pardoned any thinge I also For my selfe also that which I pardoned if I pardoned any thinge for you in the person of Christ Thus S. Paul pardoned him and not onely in the sight of the Church but also in the sight of God for otherwise this pardon had been to his hurt and he had not pardoned in the person of Christ who hurteth not by his pardons Tertullian lib. ad martyres c. 1. and S. Cyprian l. 3. c. 15. ser de laps affirme that it was then the custome of bishops at the intreaty of those who were designed to martyrdome to grant pardons to offenders from the penaltys of the Church That which S. Paul and these bishops did was the very same which the Catholike Church now doth in giuing of indulgences for they are nothing els but the releasing of punishments in the sight of God Diuerse examples and canons of the Church for this are to be seene in authors which for breuity I omitte Indulgences vpon a iust cause and for a good end may sometimes be granted without the enioyning of any penalty As those were which primitiuely were granted at the intercession of martyrs and those which are now granted to some at their deaths for some great deserts and good seruice allready done to the Church But ordinarily some pious worke is praescribed and soe a greater punishment is changed into a lesse That which is required to be done ought to be performed with much deuotion and to gaine the indulgence it must be done in state of grace and therfor Confession and Contrition are for the most part expresly required in euery indulgence Indulgences which are granted to the soules in purgatory are applyed vnto them onely by way of suffrage that is by a pious offering of ours to pay their debt and not by applying any power or iurisdiction of the Church ouer them For the pastors of the Church haue power and iurisdiction ouer the militant Church onely ouer which they can visibly exercize their power of gouernment By indulgences we are not to vnderstande that soe many yeares or dayes of purgatory are remitted but that soe much punishment is pardoned as soe many yeares or dayes pennance should haue satisfyed for according to the pennances of the primitiue Church A plenary indulgence is a full and totall pardon of all punishment in the sight of God A Quarentine is as much as to say an indulgence corresponding to the pennance of forty dayes which aunciently was a time of prayer fasting and other austeritys in those times often vsed and was called Quadragena a Quarentin and when it was with bread and water onely it was called Carentia an abstaining from meates A Iubily is a more solemne kind of indulgence It is is an hedrew word signifying ioy or reioycing The Israëlits euery fiftith yeare had a Iubily yeare which was soe solemne that they absteined from tillage in it Lands that were sold returned to their owner slaues were enfranchized banished men restored debtors set at liberty All but in figure of the spirituall ioy and liberty which we obtaine in Christ And therefor we haue now a yeare of iubily which at first was kept euery hundreth yeare then euery fiftith now euery twenty fift The faithfull being piously inuited to Rome a place allwais frequented for indulgences and where Saints haue soe much desired to liue that S. Catherine of Siena vsed to say I treade vpon the blood of martyrs at Rome There doth the holy Vicar of Christ himselfe entertaine his people wash their feete make exhortations to them and spareth nothing to promote the loue and seruice of God in them Thus much as to the declaration of satisfaction which is the third part of the Sacrament of pennance Hauing Confessed our sinnes and receiued our pennance and absolution from the priest we must remember well the aduises which were giuen vs and purpose to keepe them and performe our pennance presently least we should forgette it or any part of it It is a signe of loue and reuerence to God when we goe willingly and readily to pay that which we owe him I haue now but one word more to say of this Sacrament and that is to exhort all to frequent it and to coniure him vehemently that is fallen into any greater sinne presently to seeke out a priest and to gette his conscience cleered by Confession and if he hath not then the opportunity of a priest to fly instantly to an act of Contrition and to make it with all the feruour and humility that possibly he can and in the meane time to slippe noe occasion of Confession Truely I thinke I may say that amongst soe many good remedys as spiritual men haue praescribed for particular sinnes it is the best and most general against all sinnes whatsoeuer to repent presently by a good Confession of them For as great wounds are easily cured when they are brought presently into the surgeons hands and by differring and not applying remedy in time they become vncurable and without remedy soe the longer we differre our Confession the harder we make our Conuersion and if we stay long in sinne we harden our harts still more and more vntill we come in the end to the vtter contempt of God and of our owne soules And therefor I exhort all from this very instant to purpose with themselues that if they chance at any time through frailty to fall into some great sinne they will seeke presently to Confession after it O thou that fearest not to be in mortal sinne if thou didst but vnderstande the heinous condition in which thou art that thou standest then face to face at defyance with God who with one word of his will can strike
thee downe instantly into hell and what it is to want the mediation of Christ of our B. Lady thy good Angell thy patrone and of all the Saints and the suffrages of the Church thou wouldst not remaine one moment in that state It is a humane thinge saith S. Gregory to erre but diabolical to perseuer in it If we fall into sinne we doe but like men if we rize againe we doe as the Saints haue done but if we perseuer in sinne we are like the deuil who must remaine in sinne for euer OF EXTREME-VNCTION THIS Sacrament hath for its propper effect to giue grace and strength against temptations at our death For the hopes of our enemy being then at the last he striueth all he can against vs. Apoc. 12. The deuill is descended to you hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a litle time Said the heauenly voice which S. Iohn heard Some he tempteth to presumption others to dispaire some by too much loue to their freinds and family some thinke of nothing but the riches which they leaue some by too much desire of life that they will not apprehende nor prepare themselues for death and generally as we draw neerer to our ends we grow more subiect to extremitys of passions all which the deuill knoweth how to make vse of to our hurt But his commune temptation is to terrify sinners with greeuous feare and affrightments at their sinnes past Sap. 4. They shall come fearefull in cogitation of their sinnes and their iniquitys on the contrary shall conuince them Saith holy wisdome Neither shall their naturall courage and strength then auaile them any thinge though neuer soe bold and bragging in time of health Great Saints haue shewed much feare at their death S. Hilarion whose perfection S. vita Hilar. Hierome describing saith that great concourse of bishops priests Clergymen and monks sought to him the temptation of christian matrons followed him multitudes of the common people potentates and iudges came to receiue holy bread and oile of him and yet his minde continued fixed on solitude yet for all this when he came to dy he was oppressed with such a feare and horrour of death that to encourage his soule he said Goe forth what dost thou feare goe forth my soule what dost thou doubt of thou hast serued Christ now almost seuenty yeares and dost thou feare death If Saints at their death haue bene thus terrifyed what may they expect who haue committed many sinnes and perhaps but lately repented for them and perhaps but sleightly and haue but few good works then for their comfort Therefor our Sauiour hath prouided this Sacrament as an armour for vs against that time S. Iames Iam. 5. is any man sicke among you let him bring in the priests of the Church and let them pray ouer him anoiling him with oile in the name of our Lord. And the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and our Lord shall lift him vp and if he be in sinnes they shall be remitted him By which words we haue the practise of the Catholike Church well prooued and Etreme Vnction declared to be a Sacrament that is an outward signe that sanctifyeth vs. There is an outward signe in the external rite of anoiling and in the forme of words signifyed by prayer And that this outward signe causeth grace vnto sanctification the words following doe declare in that sinnes are remitted which can not be but by grace being receiued And it followeth hence that Christ instituted it For the Apostles had not the power of instituting such signes neither could S. Iames haue promised remission of sinnes by it if Christ had not instituted it Luth. Praef. ad nou Test and giuen it that power It is true Luther reiects this Epistle of S. Iames denying it to be canonical and calling it an Epistle of straw but the authority of the whole Church hath declared it for canonical And if the whole Church be not sufficient for Luther we will put Caluin into the ballance against him an authour at least of equall grauity with him Caluin l. 3. Instit. c. 17. and Caluin holdeth it for canonical S. Bernard in vita Malach. relateth of S. Malachy that he assisting with a sicke woman and not thinking her to be in such danger as to require the Sacrament of Extreme-Vnction departed from her without ministring it but she dying in his absence he returned againe full of sorrow and pittying that she should want the benefit of it he fell to his prayers restored her to life againe And then saith S. Bern he anoiled her knowing that by this Sacrament sinnes are remitted and that the prayer of faith saueth the sicke The holy oile is then applyed as a spiritual salue to the senses because by occasion of our senses we committe sinne But beside the spiritual remedy which our soules gaine by it it hath also a corporal effect of giuing health to the body as the Apostle declareth the sicke being saued and alleuiated by it By reason of which effect this Sacrament is not giuen in danger of death by warre or otherwise but onely by sicknes OF THE SACRAMENT of Orders THE Sacrament of Orders is that which Priests Deacons Subdeacons and others receiue when they are ordained by which they receiue spiritual power for the gouernment of the Church Tim. 1.4 That it is a Sacrament it appeareth by the words of S. Paul to Timothy Neglect not the grace which is giuen thee by prophecy with imposition of the hands of the priesthood By this it hath all which is conteined in the nature of a Sacrament the imposition of hands and the words that are said which are there signifyed by Prophecy being an external signe Amb. in Tim. by which grace in giuen Vpon which words S. Ambrose saith that Timothy by the imposition of the hands of priesthood was designed to the worke ard receiued authority that he durst offer sacrifice to God in our Lords steede The same power is expressed by the words of the bishop when heordaineth priests saying Receiue thou authority to offer for the liuing and the dead in the name of our Lord. To offer there is to offer sacrifice as S. Ambrose also expresseth it and to offer sacrifice is the most propper office of priests priest and sacrifice going allwais together soe that there can be noe priest but he must haue power to offer sacrifice The propper and peculiar effect of this Sacrament is to giue grace to exercize worthily Ecclesiastical functions Which power and grace as it is in the Church of Christ is most high and eminent aboue all dignitys For what can be compared to the dignity of christian priests Both in respect of their power of Orders by which they consecrate the most blesed host and also in respect of their power of iurisdiction by which they remitte sinnes Neither of which is within the Angels power And therefor priesthood is not obtained in
and cheerfully a change when he shall send it and God will send a good change if they expect his time But the remedy of remedys and the prime remedy for all inconueniences should haue bene to haue foreseene and preuented them before marriage by considering well whether they were called of God or noe to that state of life And this I will tell them how they shall examine it First let them resolue that in this busines which concerneth them for all their life after they will doe nothing rashly but will take time to consider of it and to commende it well to God and hauing had the Councell of their ghostly father and his prayers and confessed and communicated for that end let them then take a time to consider of it First let them offer themselues vpon their knees to God firmely purposing to serue him all their life time in whatsoeuer state he shall call them to Hauing made that firme purpose let them then pray to him to enlighten them and to our B. Lady their good Angell and their particular patrone to assist them in that worke that they may know and follow the will of God in it Then they may examine their natural inclinations and complexion and other circumstances how they sute with this or that state And it will not be amisse to thinke that if they were then at the hower of their death what they would wish to haue chosen Hauing weighed well all things that which with most peace and quietnes offereth it selfe as best for them that they may resolue vpon and follow it as the calling of God and can haue noâ— iust cause to repent it afterwards Finally I commende againe much loue to married folkes but it must be a spiritual and supernatural loue such as Bishops Sales in his Introduction to a deuout life commendeth to them such as is betwixt Christ and the Church Introd par 3. c. 37. for Gods sake Beasts and birdes loue their mates with a natural loue onely Heathens loue their wiues and husbands with a natural and rational loue but Christians being contracted by a Sacrament must haue a higher loue to wit sacramental and gracious for the loue of God because it is his will otherwise it is but beastly or at most a humane loue such as heathens haue and will not last in them Those that are to marry must declare in three things First whether they haue made any vow inconsistent with marriage Secondly whether they be not allready contracted with some other Thirdly whether their marriage be with their parents consent for they ought to haue at least their interpretatiue consent as yong Toby had when by the Angels directions he was married without the knowledge of his parents but not without their probable good liking of it And as children in this owe a duety to their parents soe it is fitting that parents should haue some respect to the affection and liking of their children and not to force them to marriages which they can not affect for as marriages without consent of parents soe forced marriages haue seldome good successe The Romane Catechisme aduiseth here to warne the married that vpon festiual dayes and in times of pennance they absteine from the acts of matrimony This is to be vnderstoode by way of Councell not of obligation Yet it is a Councell to be noted and followed as rendring matrimony more honourable betwixt them when it is vsed in due circumstances I haue said now all that I haue to say of the Sacraments You haue seene in generall of them all that they haue their power and effect through the merits of Christ as issuing out of his blessed side vpon the Cros and as the onely meanes of our sanctification With what deuotion then ought we to come to them Thinke with thy selfe when thou goest to receiue any of the seauen Sacraments that thou carriest then thy soule vnto Iesus Christ to be washed in his blood and although it were neuer soe sicke lame or wounded yet if thou commest worthily to any Sacrament he will turne vnto it take it into his hands and cure it Nay if the damned soules could possibly receiue any Sacrament worthily they should be freed out of hell by it because the merits of Christs Passion are infallibly applyed by any Sacrament worthily receiued And in this consisteth the horrour of the damned that they are not in state nor euer shall be worthy to receiue the Sacraments of the Catholike Church And this is our happines in this life that allthough our sinnes be neuer soe great yet as long as we haue time to receiue the Sacraments or onely to desire them for the loue of God we may be freed from sinne and sanctifyed by them But without them at least in desire we cannot be freed from mortall sinne For although by contrition sinnes may be forgiuen yet that contrition includeth desire of the Sacraments Besides that contrition is hard to be obtained For the sinner wounded by sinne and vnder the feete of his enemy held downe by his power and by his owne euill inclinations is easily kept in subiection and hardly rizeth to that perfect loue of God which contrition requireth and therefor we haue the Sacraments to helpe our weakenesse in that case that if they haue but the feare of damnation and the loue of glory and will apply a Sacrament to that feare and loue it conteineth the vertue of Christs passion and will soe cherish and strengthen them that allthough they were dead it would reuiue them to life And therefor our blessed Sauiour breathing vpon his disciples said receiue ye the holy ghost to shew the power of the Sacraments in forgiuing of sinnes And at the reuiuing of Lazarus he weeped groned in spirit troubled himselfe prayed for him and called vpon him with a lowd voice to shew the horrible state of men in mortall sinne signifyed by Lazarus that was dead and that soe we might esteeme more of the Sacraments by which they are not onely reuiued againe but soe highly honored as to become his beloued spouses euen as though some poore handmaid were taken out of slauery and brought to the kings pallace to be made his wife If thou dost remember these things when thou goest to the Sacraments that thou goest then to be clensed with the blood of Christ and to be made the spouse of God thou wilt detest thy sinnes with thy whole hart and prepare thy selfe with much loue and deuotion to thy heauenly spouse And we must neuer come to the Sacraments vntill we haue this preparation in our selues THE SIXT DISCOVRSE OF THE COMMANDEMENTS Question Say the tenne Commandements Answ Exod. 20. Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine Remember thou sanctify the Sabaoth day Honour thy father and thy mother Thou shalt not committe adultery Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not beare false witnes against thy neihhbour Thou
haue noe correspondence from beyond the seas promising that if they would take this oth they should haue their Churches deliuered to them The first thinge which the Catholike Bishops did was to make a resolute and vnanimous profession of their faith They sent therefor to the king in these words We haue allwais said and now say and will allwais say we are bishops we are christians we all hold one true and Apostolical faith But as for the oth some of them were of minde to take it hauing a scruple of their Churches being otherwise detained from them others fearing some deceit in the busines excused themselues with the words of Christ I say to you not to sweare at all But in fine they were all to be banished those that would take the oth as men of noe conscience that would sweare to any thinge and those that would not because they loued not the king Such is the performance of haeretiks promises It is not onely vnlawfull to take the name of God in vaine but also to sweare by his creatures For as the power and goodnes of God is resplendent in them he that abuseth them abuseth God It is then an euil custome that which some haue of swearing by this light by this fire and the like oths Mat. 5. by which this Commandement is broken and therefor Christ I say to you not to sweare at all neither by heauen because it is the throne of God neither by the earth because it is the footstoole of his feet This Commandement is broken by vaine oths vaine promises by breaking of vowes by prophaning of Scriptures applying them to idle and iâ—reuerent purposes by blaspheming and cursing c. It is an vnworthy thinge to see the irreuerence of some to this Commandement and to the most sacred name of God which vpon euery occasion they abuse powring forth oths vpon oths as water vpon the face of the earth Base minded men who because they see the patience of God with sinners that presently he striketh them not they contemne him and where as they flatter men and giue faire words to their enemys for feare they rize vp against God with oths curses and blasphemys as though they would fight and be reuenged of him Those that haue this euill custome may be thought to haue committed a mortal sinne when they first gott it and although they can not on a suddaine quite leaue it of yet they are bounde vnder a mortal sinne to endeauour against it That which is propper to this sinne is to harden the hart more then other sinnes doe and to dispose those that vse it to all other sinnes for as it hath a vaine and seeming brauery in the opinion of foolish men soe they take more complacence and continuelonger in it euen to the hardening of their harts soe that they haue almost noe feeling of the offence of God And therefor the Holy Ghost hath said Aman that sweareth much shall he filled with iniquity Eccl. 23. L. 4. Dial. â— 18. And then presently he addeth and plague shall not depart from his house For it is obserued of swearing that beside the punishment of the next world it is often exemplarly punished in this S. Gregory relateth of a child that was visibly taken away from his father by the deuils for cursing and swearing Which was such an example as perhaps the like is hardly read of in punishment of any other sinne For that child was but fiue yeares old and I know not whether he were capable of sinne or noe But whether he sinned or were earried away to preuent his sinne it was a manifest plague of God vpon that house for swearing and by this and the words alleadged we may well thinke that many houses are plagued for it The remedy is to consider the infinite maiesty of God Romedyâ— against swearing The courtiers of heauen are allwais in his presence praising him and shall I stande before his face cursing and swearing by his blessed name what hurt hath the Creatour of the world done to mee that I should soe dishonour him to his creatures It is also a good practical remedy to gette a custome when any thinge troubleth vs to say some good words as God be blessed Blessed be the name of God or the like and often to vse them as readiest with vs. The words of S. Paul are very literal for this saying Rom. 12. blesse and curse not Iob soe holy a man and soe great in the world disdained not this easy but efficacious remedy who when all those calamitys came soe thicke vpon him he broke not out into oths and curses but had ready to say blesseâ— be the name of God and soe gotte victory and a duble reward euen in this world Let vs gette a custome of such words It is a custome easy to gette THE THIRD COMMANDEMENT REMEMBER thou sanctify the Sabaoth day The word Sabaoth signifyeth Rest and soe the Sabaoth day is as much as to say a day of rest in which we are to rest from labour Here then we are commanded to sanctify to God a day of rest that absteining from corporal works we attende vnto acts of religion and diuine worship This is an obligation which all haue by nature that as all times were created and ordained for the seruice of God soe some dayes should be particularly obserued in honour of him But we are not by nature bounde to obserue any one day more then another for that was to be determined by the Church which is directed by the Holy Ghost to order all according to conuenient circumstances And soe the Church of the Israelits was commanded to obserue the seauenth day on which God rested from the creation of the world and the Church of Christ is directed to keepe the next day after it in remembrance of the resurrection of our sauiour and of the comming of the Holy Ghost both which mysterys happened on the next day after the Iewish Sabaoth and on that day which we call Sunday and which the Scriptures call the Dominical day that is to say Our Lords day Thus the Sabaoth day was transferred vnto the next day by the same authority that first commanded it and was kept by the Apostles on the same day on which we keepe it as appeareth by S. Cor. 1.16 Paul commanding the gatherings to be made In the first of the Sabaoth That was on the first day after their Sabaoth in which the people of Christ mette together to celebrate our Lords day And S. Iohn sayth Apoc. 7. J was in spirit on the Dominical day that was on our Lords day to destinguish it fom the Iewish Sabaoth By the Sabaoth all holy dayes are here vnderstoode In the law of Moyses diuerse other solemnitys beside the Sabaoth were commanded and obserued some with more and some with lesse solemnity according to the more or lesse remarkable mysterys which they represented The feast of Azyme or Pasch was
passion worke but litle to their amendment Parents must also prouide for their children with a moderate care and not as some doe who vnder pretence of proulding for them neuer thinke themselues rich enough These ought to consider that their children are the children of God and he will prouide for them if they serue him and the best foundation of riches and of a long and prosperous race is to bring vp their children in the knowledge and feare of him for if God build with them their houses will stande Many poore children who haue bene left without parents haue prospered better with the blessing of God then others haue done with large reuenewes left them Finally parents must be most of all carefull that they giue noe ill example to their children this being that vpon which the good or euill of the whole world very much dependeth euen as the goodnes of the branches dependeth of the roote and bole of the tree Otherwise occasion is giuen for children to learne their parents vices and to teach them to their children againe and soe vice goeth from generation to generation by the ill example of parents and as the links of a chaine are drawne by one another and fall one after another soe fathers draw their children downe into sinne after them that for many generations they come in the end to meete all in hell I et parents and children often reade the booke of Toby they haue there an example of a good father and of a good sonne and God blessing them both THE FIFT COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not kill By which we see that this as all other places of scripture hath its propper sense For as S. Aug. de ciu c. 20. sayth we are not forbidden here to kill meate for our sustenance nor to kill men in our owne defence as in a iust warre or for execution of iustice vpon malefactors Because nature allowing and requiring these things God doth not disallow of them Some also by particular inspiration of God haue lawfully killed as Moyses who although he were the mildest man in the world yet when he saw an infidel heathen beating one of the people of God moued with a holy zeale he killed him and buried him in the sand This was lawfull as being by diuine inspiration in signe of future mysterys Exod. 32. Soe when he saw the people committing of idolatry he ioyned vnto him those that were of our Lord the Leuites and sent them to kill the idolatrous people and they returning with the slaughter of about three thousand men he commended them saying you haue consecrated your hands this day to our Lord that blessing may begiuen to you Phinees also moued with the like zeale Nu. 5. killed the two fornicators in their wicked act and auerted the wrath of God by it God the authour of the Commandements dispensed then in the keeping of them and soe they were not formally broken That which is forbidden here is to kill vpon priuate authority and not onely to kill Anger but also all actions of anger by which the peaceable conuersation of men is disturbed Mat. 5. You haue heard saith Christ how it was said of old thou shalt not kill and who soe killeth shall be in danger of iudgement but I say to you that whosoeuer is angry with his brother shall be in danger of iudgment and whosoeuer shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of Councell And whosoeuer shall say thou foole shall be guilty of the hell of fire By which we are taught the right vnderstanding of this Commandement to be not onely to prohibite killing but also to be inwardly angry or to make outward shewes or to giue words of anger Of all the sinnes which are committed by men none are soe horrible to nature as the sinnes of blood Is 8. and to shew how great a sinne it is to kill Christ would call the deuill a mankiller from the beginning because the malice and euill of murder could not be better expressed then by putting it and the deuill together and making him the authour of it Cain was the first mankiller amongst men who inticeing his brother into the fields roze vp against him and killed him And presently he was strucke with such a horrour at his crime that he despaired of mercy and like a desperate reprobate went hanging downe his head thinking that euery one that saw him would kill him and cried Gen. 4. Loe now thou dost cast mee out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face I shall be hid and I shall be a vagabonde and fugitiue vpon earth euery one therefor that findeth mee shall kill mee And God to increase this horrour of murder in vs both in the law of nature and of Moyses prohibited the eating of blood Lou. 17. Nay they were not soe much as to let blood to ly open vpon the ground but to couer it And euen dumbe beasts that could not sinne were to loose their liues if they killed any man All this was that men should abhorre the sinne of murder and not be ouer bloody then when the true worship of God was mainteined rather by force and by shedding of their enemys blood then propagated by patience as now it is in the faith of Christ Here enter those ignominious single combats of which the Councell of Trent hath these words That the detestable vse of Duells contriued by the deuill to a bloody death of the body and destruction of the soule may be quite banished out of the Christian world In which yong men who vnderstande not what belongeth to wisdome and true glory meete in the field to wound teare and kill one another like madd doggs And after their miserable deaths they become infamous to posterity purt out of the Communion of Saints both of the militant and triumphant Church of God and depriued of christian buriall to ly like doggs in the fields That the words of the Apocal. 22. are fully verifyed in them Without are doggs sorcerers and murderers There is a booke here newly published called LA DESTRVCTION DE DVEL in which is shewed how contrary to reason and true christian honour Dâ—â—els are and in which is declared how that the Marshals of France and diuerse Gentlemen of quality haue protested against them and promised that they will neuer regard any challenge nor fight a duell vpon any occasion of iniury whatsoeuer An heroicall and christian like minde guided by vertue and discretion will make iniurys honorable through patience which is the most propper vertue and honour of christians Christ was borne patient liued a patient life and at his death his patience was most eminently great more then we can vnderstande He founded his Church first in his owne sufferings and then in those of his Apostles after him and after them he enlarged it by the patience of many martyrs and soe he still continueth and preserueth it And therefor christians
thoughts and bringforth good works by them Such obiects are all the ceremonys of the Church the saying of the Rosary the signe of the Cros often repeated the Auâ— Mary bell and the like And those that would take away those holy obiects from before vs would take away a great meanes of the good liues of christians But because we haue made mention of the Aut Mary bell Of the Aue Mary bell we will make a litle digression to declare in a word or two the meaning of it The Aue Mary bell ringeth thrice euery day to put vs in minde of three holy mysterys In the morning in honour of Christs Resurrection which was in the morning time at noone in honour of his crucifying and death which was about noone time at night in honour of the Incarnation which is thought to haue bene fullfilled about midnight At the ringing of this bell all Catholikes where soeuer they be in their houses in the streets or fieldes say the Angelical Salutation as they know and the prayer after it in honour of those mysterys In which the Catholike Church sheweth the care which she hath ouer her people instituting this short but most profitable deuotion to call them thrice on the day to the seruice of God and to keepe their harts from time to time in a continuall tendernes towards him Thus much for the Aue Mary bell There are dinerse other wayes of saying the Rosary beside that which I haue declared Sometimes we say sixty tenns and three haile Marys that is sixty three haile Marys in honour of the sixty three yeares of our B. Ladys life S. L. 2. virg Ambrose faith that her life is a patterne of all vertues which if it be it is good to kepe it before our eyes at our prayers This deuotion is called a Rosary or the Beades It is called a Rosary because those prayers ascende as a sweet odour of roses to God as when S. Apoc. 8. Iohn saw the prayers of the faithfull to ascende as the odour of incense We call it the Beades meaning the instrument which we vse when we say those prayers and improperly we terme it the saying of our beades for the saying of our prayers on them or by them to remember them the better But if the number of those prayers be in it selfe lawfull the instrument which we vse but for memorys sake can not with reason be disallowed of Sozomen relateth of S. Paul the Ermite that he vsed euery day to say three hundred prayers and at the end of euery one to set downe a litle stone for his memory sake Soe we vse beades which signify in English any litle peeces of stone bone wood or other substance to remember our prayers by them And here it may be obserued that it is not likely that S. Paul said euery day three hundred seueral prayers but that he said some one prayer soe many times ouer for if they had bene different prayers they would haue destinguished themselues and he should not haue needed stones to destinguish them Nay if we consider it rightly we shall finde that the letting downe of a beade or stone at euery seuerall prayer would rather haue hindered and confounded his memory for soe he must both remember to set downe a stone to signify the number and must haue allwais the same prayer corresponding to that number and remember which prayer that was and therefor he would not haue vsed stones but to remember how often he had said the same prayer Hier. ep ad Fur. S. Hierome aduiseth his freind to select a certaine number of verses out of the scriptures and to say them as a daily taske offered vp to God Now if S. Hierome had aduised his freind to say those verses often ouer and to vse peeces of stone bone wood or the like as a memorial to remember them by what hurt had he done he had done that which the Catholike Church doth that is he had aduised to a pious exercise and to a good meanes to helpe their memory But the enemys of the Catholike Church haue some thing to obiect against the Rosary by which the solidity of it will appeare more First they say that the words of the Angell Haile full of grace c. And the words of S. Elizabeth are not prayers for they aske nothing therefor they are not to be vsed as prayers Here we haue that the words of the Rosary are Angelicall taken our of the holy Scriptures and we inferre therefor they are good to be vsed in our prayers The lepar said to Christ If thou wilt thou canst make mcâ— cleane Mat. 8. In which words he formally and expresly asked nothing Yet they were well vsed of him to procure health of Christ For although formally and expresly such words aske not yet vertually and effectually they are prayers that is they haue the vertue and effect of prayers with God who granteth our desires for the reuerence and humility which we shew by such words and soe the leprous man vertually and effectually asked by those words and obtained his desire Soe when Lazarus was sicke his sistars Martha and Mary sent vnto Christ saying onely Lord behold he whom thou louest is sicke Io. 11. in which words they did not formally and expresly desire Christ to come to heale him but vertually they did and by them they implyed as much as to say we beseech thee to heale him S. Augustine They did not say come and cure him Tract 49 in lo. it was enough to say he whom thou louest is sicke for of those whom thou louest thou deseâ—test none They well knew that Christ was not a desertour of his freinds and therefor they expresly asked not but onely told him the condition of his freind and this had the effect of prayer with him Soe the words of the haile Mary as they are termes of reuerence and humility to our B. Lady haue the effect of prayer although expresly they aske nothing Secondly they obiect the words of the Haile Mary are the words of the Angell as by office therefor he that vseth them taketh vpon him the Angells office It was indeede the Angells office in the sonne of God his Incarnation to say the words of the Rosary and to say Glory in the highest to God in his natiuity and in both sentences we reuerence those mysterys and giue glory to God by rehearsing them S. Athanasius reioyceth that all the quires of the coelestial Hierarchys are iucessantly singing that glorious and ample hymne to wit Haile full of grace and that we the terrestrial hierarchy of men repeate it although the Angel Gabriel was first appointed to say it S. Athanasius made a good argument but it was quite contrary to this This was his argument The words of the Haile Mary are holy and mysterious words spoken by an Angell to honour the B. Virgin therefor it is sitting that all Angels and men should incessantly
it must of necessity be subiect to all those alterations and corruptions which all vulgar tongues are subiect vnto and which the Latine tongue was subiect vnto as long as it was vulgarly spoken vntill in the end it banished it selfe quite out of the world and was left as the common speech of noe place and then was kept in its integrity and auncient purity by being kept from the vulgar and cheifly as we may well thinke by hauing the Masse soe continually said in Laaine Where as our aduersarys obiect the authority of S. Paul Cor. 1.14 who seemeth as they pretende to require that the Church seruice be in euery commune tongue that all the people vnderstanding it may answere Amen the Apostle neuer soe much as mentioneth the Church seruice in that place nor medleth with the language of it but speaketh there of quite another thinge to wit the gift of strange tongues and of the interpreting of them which interpretation was a different gift and which the speaker himselfe sometimes had not These and other like graces being giuen to some in those times the people mette together to heare them exercised But by litle and litle they beganne to be abused and fell into disorders in soe much that some would speake that which could be interpreted by none soe that it had noe sense that could require Amen to be answered to but was as not spoken at all none being inspired to interprete it Now what connexion hath this with the publike seruice of the Church which is without any disorder at all and in noe such strange tongue but in a knowne and the most honored of all tongues which is intelligible in it selfe and most vniuersally vnderstood and interpreted by thousands and which hath not onely the authority of the Church allowing of it but also commanding it and therfor with all reason shall be answered with Amen Which the other being fallen into disorders could not in reason be answered with it being to the edification of none as being vnderstoode by none when the miracle should haue consisted in vnderstanding and interpreting of it I haue heard of some who haue bene soe bold as to say that the Priest praying in a tongue which the people vnderstande not may curse them for any thinge they know as well as blesse them But this is a bold and irreuerent speech For if it were an irreuerence to the Law and to lawyers to talke of their cursing of their ignorant clients when they pleade for them in termes which they vnderstande not much more is it an irreuerence to the Law of God and to Priests that haue the keeping of it to talke of their cursing of the people when they pray for them in the language of the Church Besides it is a very weake speech and vnworthy of a wise man for it is impossible to accommodate euery word to the vnderstanding of all men And what should they say when they vnderstoode not and what should deafe men say that heard nor it were to banish all order quite out of the world and the being of a Church to make it subiect to euery particular mans censure The Priest if he change nothing but sayeth what the Church commandeth can enrse none and we cannot in reason and charity suspect him of changing any thinge except he be such an one as Luther or Caluin that durst take vpon them to change what they listed in the Church and to beginne new Churches Besiâ—â—â—s it is not such a rare thinge in Catholike countreys as it is here for lay people to vnderstande Latine I remember that I haue mette with a plowman holding his plow who directed mee in my way describing it in very elegant Latine and with poore beggars who haue bene very ready in the Latine tongue Mechanike men in some places vnderstande it soe frequently that Masse can hardly be said amongst an indifferent number of people but some that are present will vnderstande Latine Finally experience will answere all obiections in that the Masse being as it is in a high and honorable language and with those deuout caeremonys is full of edification and much more mouing to deuotion then any thinge which our enemys haue This those that are conuerted to the Catholike faith doe presently finde in themselues and those that are peruerted from it commonly shew in the loosnesse of their liues that there is noe comparison betwixt the deuotion and edification of the Masse and the prayers of Protestants but onely such as is betwixt true and painted fire the one of which warmeth indeede the other warmeth not at all but rather cooleth as one should grow colder by holding his hands to a painted fire Now it is fitting that we speake a word or two OF THE FRVITS AND BENEFITS which are gained by the denout hearing of Masse THERE is not any meanes in the world soe efficacious for the obtaining of benefits at the hands of God as the Masse is both as it is a Sacrifice the highest act of worship that can be giuen to God and also as it is a Sacrifice soe eminent and excelling all other Sacrifices that the dignity efficacy and value of it can not be expressed all benefits being infinitly more worthy to be granted for it then for any thinge that we can doe But to speake more in particular first our faith is confirmed and our mindes are eleuated to a feruerous zeale of that which all Christians professe when we commemorate the Passion of Christ in that deuout and mysterious manner as by the principall and most expresse commemoration which the Church hath of it And we are excited to a firme and constant beleefe of that sacred verity which the Catholike Church hath allwais beleeued of the true reall and substantiall presence of the sacred body and blood of our Lord and of his whole humane nature vnited to the diuine word in the B. Sacrament of Eucharist Which as it is a mystery aboue the vnderstanding of man and not effected by any power of nature but by the omnipotency of God soe by it we yeeld our vnderstandings captius as we ought vnto the diuine power to the word of God and to the doctrine of the Church And by hearing of Masse we are not onely confirmed in this mystery but in all other points of the Christian faith For what is the whole Masse but a daily exercizing and training vp of christians in the mysterys of Christ and in all those things which he did and suffered for vs there is nothing there to be seene or heard but the cheife mysterys of our faith represented the diuine praises celebrated his benefits acknowledged and his goodnes and mercy deuoutly implored all with relation to some passage of his life or death Secondly at Masse we are comforted and encouraged to hope confiding in God that hauing left vnto the world soe deere a pledge as his onely Sonne he will grant vs the remission of our sinnes and will giue vs in
the Church hath not forbidden to drinke but it hath forbidden to eate all kind of meate and therefore apleâ— and fruit are not to be eaten out of mailes Fasting dayes beginne at twelue a clocke in the morning and end at twelue a clocke at night conteining fower and twenty houres Aunciently they fasted from supper time on the day before till supper time againe on the next day without eating of any thing but mens complexions growing weaker and weaker and perhaps their deuotions also they beganne to take their suppers sooner on fasting dayes vntill by litle and litle they brought supper to noone time and custome hath now preuailed to take a litle collation at night as is obserued in the Church So that the maile which we haue on fasting dayes is not properly a dinner but a supper and therfore it may lawfully be differred as late as we will but it may not be taken before the time allowed of by custome Which is at soonest about noone time Finally Scandall for the manner of fasting the customes of places are to be obscrued and we must be very carefull that we giue noe scandall to others especially to the enemys of the Catholike Church who make allways the worst of our actions and therefore many things which are lawfull are not allways expedient to be done It was in it selfe lawfull for saint Paul to eate flesh and of that flesh which was immolated to Idols for the flesh was no worse yet he would rather neuer eate flesh at all Cor. 1. â— then scandalize any by â—ating of it If meale saith he scandalize my brother It ill neuer eate flesh least I scandalize my brother THE SECOND PRAECEPT TO keepe Holy dayes In the Law of Moyses diuerse holy dayes were commanded to be kept Ioan. 10. and were then obserued by praecept of the Church Apoc. 1. and our blessed Sauiour hath allowed of them honoâ—ing their solemnitys by his owne presence at them as he did the feast of the Dedication of the Temple instituted by the Church in the time of Iudas Machabaeus The Scriptures make mention of the Domâ—nicall day that is to say our Lords day or our Sunday to haue bene kept in the Apostles times The Church then tooke away the Saturday Sabaoth which God first commanded in remembrance of the creation of the world and instituted Sundays Sabaoth or rather transferred Saturdays Sabâ—oth vnto Sundayes Sabaoth in honour of the Redemption of the world as à greater mystery and I doe not heare of any Heretiks now in the world that refuse to keepe Sunday for Sabaoth with what consequence then can they refuse to keepe the other holy dayes or any other praecept of the Church they all hauing the same authority that Sundayihath and the same obligation Yet Protestants allow the obligation of Sundayes solemnity and durst neuer attempt to alter it or to deny the obligation of it hauing no other warrant for it but the authority of the Church which then gouerned the Christian world and hauing the same for other holy dayes they reiect them The truth is that they haue forsaken the Church that was allayes in the world to beginne a Church which then was not at all in the world and therefore the holy Ghost hath forsaken them and left them to such inconsequences of their owne wits Clem. l. 8. Apost constit Saint Clement who liued in the Apostles times and was disciple vnto Saint Peter and Coadiutor to Saint Paul and who wrote as an eyewitnesse of those things which were then obserued in the Catholike Church deliuereth that the Apostles gaue order for the obseruing of the Feasts of their fellow Apostles and in particular of Saint Steuen as also of some other Martyrs Epiph. haer 75. Saint Epiphanius denounceth Aërius for an Haeretike in that he reiected the holy dayes of the Church By all which it appeareth how weake that obiection of Protestants is which Aërius also obiected out of the Apostles words Gal. 4. Yoü obserue dayes months times and yeares Where the Apostle speaketh against the superstitious obseruations of Heathens from which yong Christians at their first conuersions were hardly weaned in those times and therefore he rebuketh them but I haue said enough for this and all other Praecepts of the Church when I shewed that they are the Precepts of God and haue divine authority This Praecept includeth two things to wit to absteine from seruil works and to heate Masse for it is not sufficient not to worke corporall works on holy dayes but we must also sanctify them with some speciall good works as dayes particularly dedicated to the seruice and honour of God and Masse being the cheife highest and most eminent worship which can be giuen to him as his onely true Sacrifice therefore the Church hath commanded that euery one be present to offer vp at least one Masse euery holy day And this is as great an obligation as to obserue Lent or any other Praecept of the Church obliging vnder a mortall sinne S. 2. Par. Chron. tit 9. c. 10 §. 2. Anthony Archbishop of Florence relateth of two men who going out to fowle vpon a holy day they heard a voice that cryed strike him strike him and the one of them that had not heard Masse was presently strucke dead with a thunder bolt and his astonished companion hearing the voyce to continue still was comforted with another which answered I can not strike him for that he hath heard Verbum caro factum est intimating that he had heard an intire Masse to the end Amongst Holydayes those are obserued as most solemne in the Church that haue more immediate relation to God himselfe We keepe also the feasts of our blessed Lady and of the Angels and Saints to honour God by them that as they help vs and reioyce at our good soe we may praise their vertues and reioyce in their glory Besides by celebrating their feasts we are incited to the imitation of their liues and to aspire to that state of blesse which they enioy THE THIRD PRAECEPT TO Confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue at least once a yeare By Praecept of the Church we are boundnoe oftener to confession then once in the yeare but many circumstances may occurre in which by diuine Praecept we are bounde to confesse oftener First in all dangers of life as when we are dangerously siâ—ke and as those that are condemned to dy Souldiers also tradesmen and trauelers when they are to goe vpon any dangerous attempt or iourneys finally in all perils of life we are bounde to prepare our selues for death and if â—e be conscious of any mortal sinne in such dangers we are bounde to goe to confession as the ordinary meanes which God hath instituted for the remissioÌ„ of sinnes We are bound also to goe to coÌ„fession allwais before we receiue any of theseauen SacrameÌ„ts if we be guilty of mortal sinne because
mortall sinne is as opposite to the diuine grace as poyson wounds and sicknesse are to health and as darknes is to light which can not be both together and therefor he that knoweth himselfe to be in mortall sinne and cleereth not his conscience before he receiueth any Sacrament doth as a sicke man that should desire health and yet willfully keepe poyson at his hart or as one that should shutte vp the windows to let in light and doth not onely hinder the effect and fruit of the Sacrament which he receiueth but committeth also a new mortall sinne in soe receiuing and there for we are bounde to cleere ourselues by a good confession from mortall sinne before we receiue either the Eucharist Extreme-Vnction Holy Orders or any other Sacrament baptisme onely excepted because by it we must be made christians before we can receiue any of the christian Sacraments if we did but consider the benefits which we gette by the Sacrament of Pennance we should not neede to be commanded to it First we â—ette the forgiuenesse of our sinnes by which we are as it were in a moment freed from the most painfull and lothsome sicknes that can be We gette the diuine grace the least degree of which is better then all this visible world we gett pardon from a horrible and euerlasting â—ame for the future we gett ourselues admitted into the Communion of Saints and to the fellowship of the blessed soe as to haue then a condignity through the merits of Christ to their euerlasting reward Lastly we exhilarate and make glad the whole court of heauen and we contristate and make sad the spirits of hell with our conuersion to God We are commanded to confesse to our ordinary Pastour and that with good reason that our Pastors who haue the particular charge of vs may haue a more destinct and particular knowledge of the state of our consciences And this is intimated in the words of Christ when he said that the good Pastour calleth his sheepe by name and leadeth them forth that is knoweth them all in particular and hath a care of euery one of them Besides Pastors and people are thuâ— â—ngaged to each other to be good Pastors and good people But because Pastors in their parishes haue many imployments and can not allwais attende to hearing of confessions therefor the Church licenceth other Priests and religious men who are not ordinary Pastors to heare confessions and to such we may lawfully confesse because our Pastors licence is supposed to confesse to them THE FOVRTH PRAECEPT TO receiue the Eucharist at Easter time I haue shâ—wed in its propper place how oftne of deuotion we may receiue this the most blessed of all Sacraments But that none may be depriued of the benefits and graces of it the Catholike Church hath commanded that all should receiue once euery yeare and that about Easter time because it was then instituted and bequeathed as a legacy to the Apostles to be deliuered by them to the christian world and to remaine as an euerlasting testimony of the loue of Christ towards vs and as a memoriall of the worke of our redemption And therefor it is sitting that euery christian should commemorate the mystery of it about that time by humbly and thankefully receiuing it We are bounde also to receiue it against our deaths because it is the most comfortable Vyande and strengthening bread which God hath prouided against that last and irreuocable voyage Of which we haue a figure in the third booke of Kings When Iesabel persecuted the Church and killed soe many Prophets that Elias in Israel was as it were left alone and he also was threatened by a messenger that the next day his soule should follow them he fledd into the desert committing himselfe to the diuine prouidence in that barren and solitary place And God who neuer faileth to prouide for his freinds prouided for him sending him bread by an Angell who badde him eate for that he had a great way to goe Reg. 3.19 And eating of the Angels bread he walked in the strength of that meate forty dayes and forty nights vnto the mount of God Horeb. The Angels bread was the blessed Sacrament in mystery the Angell that brought it signifyeth the Priest tho great way which Elias had to goe is the iourney of death which all haue to goe Horeb the mount of God representeth heauen and thither we artaine by vertue and strength of this comfortable bread We are bound then to receiue the Eucharist at Easter time and at our deaths THE FIFT PRAECEPT TO pay tithes This Praecept obligeth partly by Law of nature and partly by the authority of the Church By the Law of nature we are bound to allow a maintenance for our spirituall Pastors and the Church hath determined that this allowance should be the tithes In the holy Law of Moyses God chose to himselfe the tribe of Leui to attende vpon his sâ—ruice and to labour for the spirituall good of the people and being soe imployed in that charge that they could not attende to tilling of Land nor to worke for their owne maintenance he ordained that the people whom they susteined spiritually should susteine them corporally and should pay to them the rithes of the fruits of the earth as a competent allowance for them By the same â—ty of God and of nature we are bounde as they were to mainteine our spirituall Pastors and Christ not hauing specifyed any allowance in particular but hauing left it to the determination of the Church what could the Church of Christ more reasonably determine then that which God had determined before in the same case to wit the tithes aâ— a competent maintenance for Pastours Saint Paul indeede would receiue nothing of the Corinthians but would worke with his hands on the night time to maintaine his labour on the day rather then he would be burder some to them But although he would doe this with the Corinthians yet with others he did not soe but receiued a liuelyhood of those to whom he preached and of the Corinthians also he challenged it as due although for some reasons he would take nothing of them Luc. 10. Our Sauiour instructed his Apostles to take their maintenance of the people and declared it as due to them as wages are to workemen For the workman saith he is worthy of his hyre Tim. 1.5 And Saint Paul alleadging this sentence to that purpose hath assured vs of the sense of it and of the authority of Christ in that sense The same Apostle speaking of it saith Whoeuer playeth the souldier at his owne charges in the law of Moyses those that serued the Altare participated of the Altare And so also our Lord ordained in the Law of grace for them that preach the Ghospell to liue of the Ghospell Thus doth S. Paul discourse vpon thâ— By all which it doth appeare that the tithes being appointed by the Church for the labors of the Clergy
they are as due to them as wages are to workemen And we may speake by experience to them that know not the truth that our labour is without comparison greater then the labour of day tale workmen I haue no more to say of the Praecepts of the Church You haue seene first the authority of the Church to be diuine and her Praecepts to oblige vnder amortall sin Secondly you haue in particular the declaration of them Let vs keep them with deuotion and zeale of the honour of the Church that coÌ„mandeth them She is the immaculate spouse and glorious Bride of God She is our mother and neuer was there any mother so disirous of her childreÌ„s good nor so efficaciously procuring their true prefermeÌ„t as the Catholik Church doth ours The mother of the Zebedoes was sollicitous for her sonnes with Christ asking to haue them neere him in his Kingdome but she knew not what she asked The Catholike Church asketh nothing for her children but that which God will haue her to aske and which he inspireth her how to procure and which they if they will obey her are sure to obtaine and that is the highest honour and greatest felicity of all honours and felicitys to be made indeede the courtiers and fauorits of Christ in his euerlasting Kingdome Let vs then obey her Eccli 3. As he that gathereth treasure soe he that honoreth his mother And then a little after he is cursed of God that doth exasperate his mother How much then ought we to honour the whole Catholike Church and with what reuerence to receiue her Precepts THE TVVELFTH DISCOVRSE OF SINNE I Haue now a most hidous and fearefull monster to set before your eyes I meane to describe vnto you the euill of sinne which is indeede the most hideous monster of the world so deformed that neither men nor Angels can comprehende the deformity of it none but God can rightly vnderstande it and he vnderstanding it is moued with infinite detestation and auersion from it as from that which is most opposite of all things to his goodnesse and most hurtfull to his creatures I would stire vp in your hearts a vehement abhorring and vtter renouncing of sinne This is all the fruite saith the Prophet that sinne be taken away Esa 27. and this is all the fruit which I desire and labour for in you and which you ought to labour for in your selues to haue your sinnes taken away fot this we preach catechise and exhort that we may detest all sinne and fly it as the most dreadfull monster in the world We may conceiue somethinge of the power and malice of sinne by the vision which Saint Iohn had in the twelfth of the Apocalipse Apoc. 12. First he saw a very glorious woman soe glorious that she was clothed with the Sunne and had the Moone vnder her feete and vpon her head a crowne of twelue starres Then there appeared another signe in the Heauens a great dragon with seauen heads and tenne hornes and seauen diademes on his head And this dragon was soe strong and powerfull that he drew downe from Heauen the third part of the starres and cast them to the earth and assalting the glorious woman for all her glory he put her to flight and although she had giuen her the wings of an Eagle to fly into the desert yet the dragon sending forth of his mouth a flood of waters ouertooke her with them and had swallowed her vp if she had not gotten helpe By this dragon we may vnderstande something of the power and malice of sinne Sinne is the enemy of all glory it ascended into the Heauens and threw downe from thence the celestiall Angels and made them who were as the starres of Heauen in naturall beauty to wander now vpon the earth and vnder it full of shame and paine The Church farre more glorious in the sanctity of soules then the Sunne is in corporall brightnesse and which may well be signifyed by the glorious woman iâ— sometimes so persecuted by the sinnes of Infidels and euill Catholiks that although the true worship of God be neuer quite banished out of the world yet in some places it is so obscured that the Church in those places is driuen into corners as it were into the desert Sinne is that monster which brought the flood of all humane miserys and a reall flood of waters vpon the Church in the deluge and had quite swallowed her vp if God had not miraculously saued her Sinne hath brought plagues vpon houses citys and Kingdomes and taged in the end so violently destroying of soules that the Sonne of God was incarnated to destroy it It made the Sunne to be eclipsed with a horrible darkenesse the roofe of the Temple of Hierusalem and the rocks there abouts to be rent in peeces the ground to tremble graues to open and dead bodys to rise againe at the destruction of it It made our Saviour to weepe vpon Hierusalem and it made HierusaleÌ„ within a while to be as a stinking graue that swelled vp to an incredible hight with the multitude of dead carcases which were in it It made thousands of that people to languish away with famine and hundreds of thousands to come into their enemys hands and to become subiect to their slauery and torments Sinne hath brought haeresys into the Church of Christ and by them cruell blood â—hed amongst ChristiaÌ„s It is the cause of all dissentions and all the euills that euer were were caused by sinne It maketh the prowde to be contemned the enuious to be enuyed the contentious to be killed the couetous to be full of perplexity the luxurious to dispaire and all sinners to detest that in the end which once they loved and to be full of horrour when they come to dy Wise and holy men haue liued hard and austere liues to keepe themselues cleare from sinne and haue chosen to submitte themselues rather to the cruellest deaths that sinners could devise to inflict then to be sinners with them These are the effects of sinne what monster could euer doe the like if those tall and strong men that terrifyed the Israelites were called monsters for their extraordinary strength and tallnesse why may not we call sinne a monster which hath such power Num. 13. and if excesse or defects or disorders of members make monsters How monstruous is sinne that is the originall cause of all the excesses defects and disorders that euer were it peruerteth the order of all our actions it corrupteth our nature and euen as poyson put into wine intoxicateth it quite and changeth it all into poyson so sinne corrupteth all that is good in our soules and all our good workes being poysoned with one mortall sinne goe downe with it into hell What reason then haue we to abhorre and to fly from sinne If we looked behinde vs and saw a Lyon Beere or terrible Serpent pursueing vs at our heeles our harts would faint presently our whole bodys would
freely cooperate with it For as God would make vse of Moyses his rodde to the working of miracles saying Exod. 4. What is it that thou holdest in thy hand and then beganne to worke miracles by it and as Elizeus asked the widdow what hast that in thy house Reg. 4.4 and vsed her oile to the enriching of her Io. 1. and as Christ would vse water to the procuring of wine soe God vseth vs as instruments to the effecting of good works and therefor in the Scriptures they are attributed sometimes to God and sometimes to ourselues To God as to the principall and cheife cause to vs as to an inferiour and instrumentall cause Exod. 31. As I am the Lord that sanctify you To wit cheefly and principally and man also is said to sanctify himselfe as in S. Io. 1. Iohn euery one that hath this hope sanctifyeth himselfe That is instrumentally and after an inferiour manner by cooperating with Gods grace Ezech 36 Ezech 8 Cor. 1.5 Soe also Ezech. I will giue you a new hart And in another place make to your selues a new hart And therefor S. Paul saith we are Gods Coadiutors but if we had not freewill the goodnes of the worke were by noe meanes to be attributed to vs and we could not be said to sanctify ourselues nor to make to ourselues new harts Furthermore we see that we can deliberate and consult of our actioÌ„s but we can deliberate and coÌ„sult of nothing but that which we haue freedome to doe or not to doe therefor our actions are free in vs. When an enemy pursueth vs we deliberate not whether we shall fly in the ayre or noe because it is not in our freedome Lawes are commanded vs rewards and punishments are proposed to vs we exhort to good works and praise and honour those that doe well which we would not doe if they did soe of necessity and had not freedome to the contrary Clem. Alex. l. 1. strom Neither praise nor dispraise nor honours nor punishments were iust if man had not freewill And this which is soe manifest to reason is as planely declared in the Scriptures Eccli 15. God from the beginning made man and left him in the hands of his owne counsaile Holy Iosue at his death exhorting the Israelites and drawing neere to the end of his speech to engage them the more to the seruice of God he biddeth them to choose what they would doe Ios 24. Now therefor feare our Lord and serue him with a perfect and very true hart But if it like you not to serue our Lord choice is giuen you Choose this day that which pleaseth you Soe that it is in our choice to doe well or ill But I end this and all controuersys of religion in this booke with the authority of the Church This was the doctrine of the Catholike Church aboue a thousand and foure hundred yeares since when Manes beganne to oppose it and he was then and hath euer since bene esteemed an haeretike for opposing it there being then noe Church of Christians in all the world that denyed it therefor this is the true Catholike doctrine This was the doctrine of the Church a few yeares since when Luther beganne to oppose it Ses 7. c. 16. can 14. and the Councell of Trent of aboue two hundred and fifty prelates with the authority of the supreme pastour that then was of the Church declared for this doctrine therefor this is the true Catholike doctrine Let now the enemys of the Catholike Church obiect what they can either out of Scriptures or reason against it all is in vaine the Church is to iudge of the sense of Scriptures and of reason and not euery priuate man to vnderstande them as he will and to get followers to himselfe against the Church Whatsoeuer is obiected contrary to the authority of the vniuersall Church allthough it seeme neuer soe plane is wrong and falsly applyed and we must take them for haeretikes that will stande obstinate in any such doctrine S. Augustine must that which is cleere be denyed Aug. l. de nat grat c. 38 because that which is done can not be vnderstoode and what is soe cleere as that which is once declared by all the Doctors of the Catholike Church We may dispute about the sense of Scriptures or any point of doctrine vntill the Church haue declared concerning it as Lawyers dispute about applying the sense of the Law to particular cases vntill the iudge giue sentence in it but when that is done then all argument must cease because then it is cleere and soe cleere that it can be noe cleerer then to be declared viua voce with the liuely voice of the iudge who hath lawfull authority Soe that which the Church hath once declared is soe cleere that it can be noe cleerer because it is declared by the liuely voice of all the Pastors of the Church all who must either haue lawfull authority to decide all controuersys concerning Scriptures and all other points of faith or els there is noe lawfull authority in the world to decide them but euery man might hold and teach what he listed which were to destroy the world Therefore we neede noe more for the proofe of freewill but the authority of the Church and all arguments that can be obiected against it are but delusions Yet the true sense of those places which they obiect may be vnderstoode by that which hath bene said I know Lord that mans way is not his owne Ier. 10. neither is it in a man to walke and to direct his stepps It is not in man by himselfe without the grace of God But with it it is Io. 6. Noe man can come to mee vnles the father that sent mee draw him God draweth not by force necessitating whether we will or noe but as the spouse said draw mee Can. 1. we will runne after thee in the odour of thine ointments that is sweetly and by faire meanes mouing and exciting our wills Nay although he had said vnles my father compell them we might haue vnderstoode it of a sweet kind of violence by which God inuiteth vs to him as the master in the ghospell seeing the slownes of those that were inuited in comming to him sent to bid others saying Compell them to enter which was noe more Luc. 14. but earnestly to intreat and inuite them Such is the loue of God to vs and his desire of our saluation and soe powerfull is the grace by which he inuiteth and exciteth vs to vertue that he may very well be said to draw vs as a very louing father doth his children vnto goodnes Will you see this planely Apoc. 3. Behold I stande at the doore and knock If any man shall heare my voice and open the gate I will enâ—er into him and suppe with him and he with mee See here O Christian the loue of God towards thee what he doth for
subiecteth vs as lyable to some punishment soe euery good worke which we doe in the state of grace aduanceth vs in the diuine grace and taketh away some of our due punishment But allthough Veniall sinnes depriue vs noâ— of the diuine grace nor make vs as the enemys of God guilty of eternall damnation yet we ought to beware of them and to be carefull especially that we gett noe euill habite nor affection to any Veniall sinne for that is very dangerous and if we gett not also a habit of repenting presently for it it will without doubt draw vs in the end into some Mortall sinne And in this sense we may say of Veniall sinnes that they depriue vs of Gods grace and euen kill our soules dispositiuely that is they dispose vs to Mortall sinnes bâ— which our soules are immediatly killed euen as a litle hole or leck in a shippe neglected causeth a greater breach by which she is suddenly ouer charged and sinketh downe to the bottome soe litle falts neglected bring great sinnes and are sometimes bewailed with euerlasting teares in hell And therfor to preuent great sinnes we must haue an eye ouer our lesser falts to mende them by times Besides a good and louing seruant will feare to offende in any thinge least by committing that by which his masters affection should bellessened towards him he might come in the end quite to loose his fauour This is that saith S. Hiero to 7. instrueÌ„s amicum quemdam Hierome which the Apocalypse reprooueth in the bishop of Ephesus who is called an Angell for that he had in his conscience the merits of many good works much labour and sufferings for Christs sake But because the edge of his former piety was somethinge dulled and the heate of his loue beganne to abate he is called and stirred vp to repentance Apoc. 2. I know thy works and labour and patience that thou canst not beare euill men and hast tryed them that say themselues to be Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars And thou hast borne for my name and hast not sainted But I haue against thee a few things because thou hast left thy first charity Be mindfull therefor from whence thou art fallen and doe pennance And what pennance may we read that the Saints of God haue done euen for litle Veniaâ—â— sinnes because they knew that by all such sinnes the grace of God was endangered and that the least degree of his grace was better to them and in it selfe more pretious then all this world S. Theresa conceiued soe greatly against the least oâ— her sinnes that she spoke of them as heinous offences and if it happened that in singing in the quire she missed in any thinge presently in the sighâ— of all she prostrated her selfe to the ground with such true shame and sorrow that the rest of thâ— Nunnes were interrupted from singing and could not goe on for teares Grant vs O Lord by the merits of thy Passion and by the prayers of thy blessed Mother and of the whole court of heauen that we may neuer loose thy grace by mortall sinne and may allwais feare to offende by veniall I haue done now my deere Reader that which I intended in this booke I haue giuen thee for thy instruction a breife Summe of the whole Christian Doctrine in a few short answeres to be gotten without booke and the declaration of them at large in their propper places I haue sett before thee in the Apostles Creede one supreme eternall and omnipotent Power God the beginner and conseruer of all creatures to be worshipped by thee And for thy comfort and Confirmation in the Catholike faith I haue shewed that there is noe true worship of God but in the Catholike Church of Christ The Catholike Church reacheth that an eternall retribution ofteward or punishment remaineth according to our works good or euill Good works by Gods grace are in our owne hands if we will What now remaineth but to excite our wills This also I haue done according to my ability exhorting thee to vertue and holinesse of life And now at last I intreate and coniure thee by the omnipotent power and infinite goodnesse of God that made thee by his iustice and mercy which one day thou must try by the torments of the damned and ioyes of the blessed soules by all which thou canst imagine to be feared or desired that thou feare 〈…〉 loue him Looke downe to hell and feare him in that horrible eternity Looke vp to heauen and loue him seeke him and enioy him in that happy state Resolue from this very instant vpon a vertuous life Beginne now a new and perseuer to the gaining of that euerlasting life which is the end of the Creede and of all Instruction Live sweet Iesu King of eternall glory Liue Liue and reigne in our soules here and in heauen for euer and euer Amen Laus Deo Dei genitrici Virgini Maria. A TABLE A ACTVALL sinne 715 Altare 603. Altares towards the east 603. Almes deeds 473 Amen 505 Angell Gabriel 510. 532. The time and place of the Angell Gabriel his apparition to the blessed Virgin 533. c. Anger 415. Remedys against anger 420 The Apostles preaching 137 The Ascension of our Sauiour 164 Atheisme and Atheists 78. 79. 80. c. Attributes of the diuine Persons in the Blessed Trinity 142 B BAptisme The necessity of Baptisme 283. Baptisme a Sacrament 284 The effect of Baptisme 285. The Baptisme of S. Iohn 286. The caeremonys of Baptisme 287 Beades 555. blessings of Beades 572 Aue Mary Bell. 564 Bloody sinnes horrible to nature 416 C CArnall sinnes 412. seuerely punished of God 422. the causes and rootes of Carnality 428. Remedys against Carnall sinnes 428 The Catholike Church prooued by induction from all other religions that are in the world 250. Catholikes according to their grounds can not with reason seeke vnto any other Church not doubt of their faith but all other Churches euen according to their owne grounds ought to doubt allwais and can neuer be satisfyed till they come to the Catholike Church 35. Character Vide Sacraments 275 Charity towards God and our neighbour 409.491 amongst the primitiue Christians 418 Ceremonys 287.598 Two kinds of Ceremonys 290. Childrens education 1 Christ 109. The faith of Christ euer from the beginning of the world 113. Christ the Messias was to be true God 120. Iesus Christ our Sauiour was the true Messias foretold by the Prophets 122. Christianity demonstrated by holy Scriptures and miracles 113. vnto 140. Christ was more sensible of paine then others 151. Christ prophecyed of his Passion 153. Christs Passion was voluntary 154. Christ the annointed as he was Prophet Priest and King 112. Christmas day 148 Church The Church must try the priuate spirits of all men 24.184.641 Noe order in religion but by the authority of the Church ibid. The Church can not erre 35. The authority of the Church 184.641 The Church is holy 177. It
is Catholike 178. It is One 180. The honorable titles of the Church 181. The Church Triumphant and Militant 181. The gouernment of the Church 195. S. Peter was the head of the Church by the institution of Christ 196. c. The true Catholike Church is destinguished from all false Churches 214. The beginning of all false Churches 215.235 The Church proposeth pious obiects to our mindes to moue vs to pious considerations 564. The Church must decide all controuersys in religion 184.641.711 Commandements The ten Commandements oblige by the Law of nature 379. God the authour of the ten Commandements 381. Priests must see that the Commandements be kept 379. The Commandements possible to be kept 383. How the Commandements are to be diuided 387 Communion of Saints 182. Of deuout Communion 308. Vnder one kind 316. Communion at Easter time 664 Concupiscence 441. Degrees of Concupiscence 442. Confession 253.322 662. of intire confessions 337. Cleerenes in confession 344. Confession once a yeare and in diuerse circumstances is of obligation 662. The benefits of confession 663 Confirmation 296. The ceremonys of Confirmation 297. The effect of Confirmation 297 Conscience Sinnes against Conscience 674. Remorse and terrour of Conscience 695. Examine of Conscience 329. c. Continuance in sinne 359. 696 Contrition 329 Couetousnes 443. Remedys against Couetousnes 445. Councells Generall Councells 205. Generall Councells consist of bishops 209 Counsaile Good to aske Counsaile 674 Creede The authority of the Apostles Creede 76 Cros. The signe of the Cros. 49. How the signe of the Cros is to be made 4â— What is signifyed in the signe of the Cros. 51. The Cros is to be honored and worshipped by Christians 60. The power and vertue of the Cros. 63 Crownes shauen 368 Curiosity in points of faith is dangerous and groundlesse 10.16.17.18 c. Customes of the Church 64â— D DEtraction 434. Remedys against Detraction 439 Deuill The deuill is bounde in the Law of Christ 498 Distractions in prayer 473.506 Doctrine Obligation to learne the christian Doctrine 7 Duell 417 E. EAst Altares towards the East 603 Education of children 1 Ember dayes 654 Eucharist 298. 664. The Eucharist excelleth all the Sacraments 299. What is conteined in the Eucharist â—00 c The Eucharist a Sacrament 305. The effects of the Eucharist 321 Examine of conscience 329 Exorcismes 139.293.364.534 Extreme-Vnction 360. Extreme-Vnction a Sacrament 361. The effect of Extreme-Vnction 361. F FAith is supernaturall and therefor not to be sought into by naturall reason 12.13 c. 19. Faith accordeth with reason 21. Faith is allwais with obedience to the Church 25. How the true faith in the obedience to the true Church is to be prayed for 34. c. Faith alone iustifyeth not 482 Fasting commended in the Scriptures 646. Fasting includeth two things 657. Fasting dayes are to be obserued according to the intention of the Church 656 Father vide Parents God a Father 77.477 Font consecrated 291 Freewill 673.708 Frydayes fast 655 G GHost The Holy Ghost 56.142.173 Glory The state of glory 259. 480.481 God a Father 77.477 Plenty to the seruants of God 487. Angells and men giue testimony of God 84. Naturall feeling of God 91. Naturall reason doth demonstrate the supreme power of God 96. Creatures sometimes called Gods in the Scriptures 108. God in all places but especially in heauen 479. God not the authour of sinne 704. God the supreme and principall we the inferiour and instrumentall causes of our owne good 710. God a spirituall substance infinite in perfection 105.108.675 God fathers 3.292 Gouernment of the Church 195 Grace What Grace is 268 H HEauen Vide Glory Hell 160.682 c. Head The Head of the Church 196.215 c. Noe Secular Prince as such is the head of the Church of Christ 234 Haile Mary c. 508. The Haile Mary next vnto the Pater Noster is the best of all prayers 555 Hardnes of hart by much sinning 696. c. Heresy leadeth to atheisme 79.80.81 c. Heresy is a peruersednes and obstinacy of minde by which one will mainteine some doctrine contrary to the whole Church 216. c. Heretiks make the grounds of diuine faith to be as vncertaine as the grounds of Philosophy 705 Holydayes 404.659 Holy bread 656.625 Holy Ghost 56.142.173 Holy water 624 Honour The Honour of God first to be sought and prayed for 479.503 The honour of this world is vaine and vncertaine lost by sinne 687.690 I IESVS 111 Ignorance inuincible 674 Images to be worshipped 389. c. Immortality of the soule and the Resurrection of the body vnderstoode sometimes as the same thinge 257 Incarnation 57.142.532.556 The mystery of the Incarnation often commemorated in the Catholike Church 150 Iniurys to be pardoned 420.490 c. Inuocation of Saints 460. c. Iudaisme and Turcisme reiected 112.113 c. 250 Iudgment 169 K KIngdome of heauen 480. vid. Glory The Kingdome of God diuersly vnderstoode 482. Knowledge Too much desire of knowledge 10.53 Knowledge of the christian doctrine necessary to be had by all 7 L LAdy The Angelicall Salutation of our blessed Lady 509. c Our blessed â—ady was full of grace 510.515 The promises made vnto the Patriarks of Christs coming of their seede were fullfilled in our blessed Lady 513. The auncient fathers of the Catholike Church sing the praises of out blessed Lady 517. Protestants dishonour our blessed Lady 524. The Assumption of our blessed Lady 518. The summe of our blessed Ladys prayses out of the fathers 529. Our blessed Lady blessed among woemen 530.531 Our blessed Lady the Mother of God and to be honoured as such 538. c. It was meete and conuenient that our blessed Lady should excell all creatures in sanctity 541. The power of our blessed Lady in fauour of her freinds 544. c. and against her enemys 548. Our blessed Lady present at our deaths 553 Latine tongue vsed in the Church seruice 627 Lent 651 Luxury vid. Carnal M MArke S. Marks solemnity 655 Mary vid. Lady Masse 575. The Masse is the Christian Sacrifice 576. c. 582. The Sacrifice of Masse continueth for euer 584. Masse a commemoratiue sacrifice yet a true sacrifice 594. The caeremonys of the Masse 598. The diuision of the Masse 604. Meditations vpon the Masse 622. The authour of the Masse 621. Masse in Latine 626. The fruits and benefits of the Masse 633. And those not onely spirituall but also temporall 637. A commendable deuotion to heare Masse euery day 638. All are bound to heare Masse on holydayes 660 Matter the Matter and forme of the Sacraments and intention of him that administreth them 27â— Matrimony a Sacrament 369. The loue and duety of married folkes 369. c. The tribulations of marriage must be considered before hand 373. c. Those that marry must declare concerning three things 374 The vse of matrimony not conuenient at all times 375. Marriage forbidden to be celebrated in some times 640. Merits The Merits of Christ must be applyed
vnto vs by ourselues 155.156 c. 593 Messias 111 Christ the Messias true God 116.121 c. Iesus Christ the true Messias 122. c. Miracles prooue obedience to that Church in which they are wrought 28. The faith of Christ confirmed by miracles 130 Moderate affection of parents towards their children 411 Mortall sinne 717 N NAme The Name of God 398. Phantasticall Names reprooued in baptisme 295 Neighbour Who is our Neighbour 409. Charity towards our Neighbour v. Charity O OYle vsed in the consecration of holy things 291.603 Order 30.79.644.609 Orders a Sacrament 663 Seuerall degrees of orders in the Church 364 Originall sinne 715 Oths require three conditions to be lawfull 398 Oths imposed vpon Catholikes by Haereticks or any Infidels are allwais to be suspected 399 P PAganisme refuted 117. The Pagan Philosophers confounded themselues 15. They were replenished with sinne 697 Parents to be honored and obeyed 409. Parents must loue their children and prouide for them yet with discretion and moderation 411. c. Superiors are Parents 410. The good example of parents to their children 414. Parents haue a double obligation to instruct their children 2 Pastour The Pastours of the Church gathered together haue the authority of the whole Church and all false Churches beginne by disobedience to them 205.215 Patience the proper vertue of Christians 418 Pennance a Sacrament 322. The essentiall parts of Pennance 328. The effect of Pennance 328 Pleasure in sinne is false base and short 690 Poore The Poore to be releeued 473 Prayer The fruit and force of prayer 450. Preparation to prayer 455. What we are to pray for 457. Prayer to Saints 459. c. Prayer to particular Saints for particular benefits 470. Hinderances of obtaining our prayers 471. Attention in prayer 473. Prayer and good life must goe together 479. Sentences of holy Scriptures vertually Prayers 567. Perseuerance in Prayer 569 Praecepts of the Church 640. They oblige vnder a mortall sinne 641 Praesumption of Gods mercy 699 Pretences All Pretences of haeretiks obstructed 247. c. Priests must be called of God 210.367 Seuerall degrees of Priests 366. Chastity annexed to Priesthood 367. Priests Iudges 254. And they doe not onely declare sinnes to be forgiuen but doe truely forgiue sinnes 324. Priests must be able to giue satisfaction to the people in things necessary for them to know 54. The office of Priests to instruct and to see that the Commandements of God be kept 378 Purgatory 349. c. R REcreation Lawfull and modest Recreations are to be allowed of in seasonable times 406. Reliques and holy things to be worshipped 396 Remission of sinnes in confession 253.323 c. Remorse of conscience 495.695 Restitution 430.432 Resurrection of Christ 131. c. 162. The Resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soule were aunciently vnderstoode as the same 257 Reuerence to the Sacraments 277. to holy thinges vide Images Rogation dayes 654 Romane The Romane Church prooued by induction from all other religions in the world 250 Rosary vid. Beades S SAbaoth vide Holydayes Sacrament What a Sacrament is 266. The difference betwixt our Sacraments in the Law of grace and all former Sacraments 267. The necessity of Sacraments 271. The authour of the Sacraments 272. The Matter and forme of the Sacraments 272. The minister of the Sacraments 274. The Character of the Sacraments 275. Reuerence to the Sacraments 277 The number of the Sacraments 280 Sacrifice v. Masse Saints to be prayed vnto 459. c. Saints are present in spirit at our prayers 467.568 Satisfaction 346 Scandall 658 Sinne. The euills of sinne 495.675 c. None free from sinne 490. Sinne a monster 669. Sinnes by ignorance and sinnes against conscience 674. The miserable condition of sinners as slaues 679. Sinne the cause of temporall afflictions 684. Sinne punished in the freinds and allyance of sinners 688. The authour and cause of sinne 704. Diuerse kindes of sinne 715. Sinne by thought 441 Scruples in faith proceede from the weakenes of our reason 20 Soule two powers Superiour and Inferiour 152 Spirit The Spirit of God inspiring to the true faith is allwais with obedience to the Church 24.25 c. Not euery spirit is to be beleeued 25.26.27 c. Not euery one that prayeth hath the true spirit 31. How the good spirit is to be prayed for 34.35 c. 40 Superstition Noe Superstition to obserue a certaine number of prayers in relation to some pious mystery 571 Sweare vid. Oth. T TEmporall prosperity proceedeth from God and is lost by sinne 414.684 Temptations commune to all 497. How God is said to Tempt 498 Theft Diuerse kindes of Theft 430 Thought Sinne by Thought 441 Traditions 73.74 c. Transubstantiation 305 Trinity The blessed Trinity 53.142.174 The B. Trinity hath appeared in corporall shapes 144. V VEniall sinne 721 Vertue yeeldeth satiety of true pleasures and of temporall felicitys 480 Some prayers aske nothing expresly but they aske Vertually and in effect 567 Vigils 654 Vyande or Voyage bread the Eucharist 664 W WAges 4â—1 Will. Our owne Wills are our greatest enemys 483. Conformity to the Will of God 484 Witnesse False Witnesse 434 Worldly care in excesse 444.