Pope said Such a thing as that could not be forasmuch as whoever will enjoy an Indulgence they must by all means merit or obtain this by giving at least some Alms. This is well said and and opens all the Trick and Cheat of Indulgences The Pope asked further How many Years he desir'd this Indulgence should extend to St. Francis answer'd I intreat that your Holiness will be pleas'd to grant That all they who with Penitence come into this Church and confess themselves and have receiv'd Absolution may be absolv'd both in Heaven and Earth from all Guilt and Punishment from the time of their Baptism to the time that they come into this Church As the Pope made a Difficulty to grant this St. Francis said My Lord I seek this Indulgence not of my self but in the Name of Christ who hath sent me Then did the Pope give his Consent but through the Instigation of some Cardinals he order'd that this Indulgence should indeed be continued for ever but that it should not be obtain'd on more than one day in a Year Upon which St. Francis with great Reverence taking his leave the Pope call'd to him and said Well Brother Simplicity and what Security have you now for your Indulgence St. Francis said My Lord your Word is enough for me for God shall further his own Work and I desire no other Bull for our good Lady shall be the Paper Christ the Notary and the Angels the Witnesses And doubtless it was very proper that all these should be thus concern'd about so precious and important a matter And this matter was very wisely manag'd all this while or at least very sillily devis'd for they go on and say It was now two Years that St. Francis had obtain'd this divine Indulgence but there was yet no day settled whereon the World should obtain it St. Francis expecting that God who had granted the same should also reveal the Day the which came to pass in the Month of January of the Year 1223. in the following manner for this Circumstance was omitted purposely before for a pretence to bring in more ridiculous and lying Wonders to recommend St. Francis and his Indulgence As St. Francis at Midnight was praying in his Cell the Enemy came to him with the pretence of Friendship saying Francis wherefore will you destory your self before your time Why do you so mortifie your self with Watching Know you not that Sleep is the principal Cherisher of Life and very necessary and profitable for a young Person The holy Father observing the Artifice of the Devil threw off his upper Cloathing and having nothing on but his Drawers in fervour of Spirit run out of his Cell and creeping through a thick Thorn-Hedge he forc'd his way into a neighbouring Wood where he tumbl'd his Body among the Briars and Thorns till it was all over bloody saying to himself 'T is much better that I by suffering this do fill up the Sufferings of Christ than that I should suffer my self to be prevail'd upon by the Enemy The Enemy being thus drove away a great Light shin'd round about him And altho' this was in the middle of Winter nevertheless he saw about him red and white Roses in abundance At length a multitude of Angels came about him and said Francis get up quickly and go into the Church for Christ and his Mother wait for you there He standing up seem'd to himself to have upon him a miraâ—ulous bright and white Garment and having gather'd Twelve white and Twelve red Roses he went into the Church but a civil Saint would not have staid to do this when such Persons were waiting for him All the way as he went seem'd to him to be spread with Silken and Purple Tapestry Being then with great Reverence come into the Church he saw there the Lord Jesus Christ with his blessed Mother and a great multitude of Angels he thereupon falling to his Prayers said Our most holy Father Lord of Heaven and Earth and Saviour of the Generations of Men may it please you of your great mercy to appoint a particular Day for the Indulgence you have granted to this place Then the holy Mother of God praying also for him Christ said I will that the particular Day shall be that on which my Apostle Peter was loosed from his Bonds beginning from the second Vespers of that day and continuing to the Vespers of the day following including also the Night between both within which time all that come into this Church shall enjoy the Indulgence Then the Angels set up a singing the Te Deum with a great deal of Reason certainly for so great a Benefit granted to the World Many silly and riculous Circumstances more are mention'd in the Story but to be short He went to the Pope show'd his fine flourishing Roses in Winter and by Virtue of them obtain'd this Indulgence as the particular Order and Pleasure of Jesus Christ through the Intercession of his most holy Mother the whole Grant they state thus That all who from the Vespers of the first Day of August to the Vespers of the following Day shall come into the Church of our Lady of the Angels shall obtain full Remission of all their Sins committed from their Baptism to the Hour that they come into that Church having confess'd with Repentance and receiv'd Absolution of the Priest This Indulgence was a long time to be obtain'd only in this little Church call'd Portiuncula but perilous Times succeeding and it becoming very troublesom and difficult for those especially in Foreign Countries to come hiâ—â—or for it at length his Holiness Pope Gregory the Tenth in the Year 1622. upon the 4th day of July granted That the same Indulgence should be obtain'd by all Christians in all and every the Churches of the Minor Brothers Order through the whole World as fully as if they came to the Church Portiuncula it self That is to say the Order encreased and several Families of them came to be spread about in several Countries and this is one of the Tricks to maintain them by and therefore every House of them must be furnish'd with this gainful Privilege for we are not to forget that an Indulgence is not to be had without leaving some Offering of Alms as 't is call'd where that is obtain'd that is to say it is not to be had without Money Thus we see what Foundation they have for the Devotions of this great Festival and this is as good as that of many others Upon the Credit of this foolish absurd and impious Story do thousands of People run on this day to the Churches of these Monks to have their Sins pardon'd Princes Statesmen Physicians Lawyers Divines leave their important Business to attend the Devotions of this day especially those who are joyn'd to these Monks by being of the Brotherhood of the Cord of St. Francis Certainly the Doctrine of Implicite Faith and Blind Obedience must be very necessary to this
some therefore belong to the Parish-Churches where are the Chappels which they frequent and some belong to the Religious Orders so that some of them are call'd the Jesuits Queasils and it was said There is one Jesuit in the House at Antwerp that had made Threescore Queasils some again are call'd Minorite Queasils c. They say they wear some Garment under their outermost Cloaths which is in the Shape of the Habit of the Order they belong to 't is suppos'd the Monks to whom they belong and who are their Directors look to it that they do so for this among other things they oblige themselves to do They do not solemnly vow a single Life as Nuns do but they pretend to purpose it so that tho' some of them do marry 't is reckon'd scandalous to do so and is very seldom done They live about in the City in their own Houses and are in Trades some of them are Servant-Maids They pay all their Devotionsin the Chappels of the Order they belong to ordinarily They make frequent Presents to that Order and sometimes considerable ones at their Death which makes the Jesuits industriously wheedle to themselves the richest One of their Queasils died a few Years ago and left them a good Estate near the City with a noble Seat upon it about which are all the Pleasures of Gardens this is their Countrey-house to and from which one shall often see them passing Their outward Habit is Black with a broad Cambrick Band round their Shoulders and a black Peak on their Forehead so that they are dress'd as in Mourning and as Widows The Church of St. Andrew is another of the five Parochial ones It is a handsom Church has the Altars rich and well adorn'd on high Days In the Windows there is some Painting and it seems to be some of the best of the kind I ever saw tho' I have seen those at Goude in Holland Another of the Parochial Churches and one of the finest in the City is that of St. James standing between the Kip-dorp-street and the long new Street It is a very lofty and magnificent Building There is a Beginning of a Steeple already advanc'd to a good height and design'd to have been much higher but the Design and Work has been laid aside for some time It is a Collegiate Church and is built in the Form of a Cathedral Over the Western Door on the outside one may read these Words which are set under an Image of St. James Apostolus Divus Jacobus Major gratus hujus Patronus Over the Portal which is supported with vast Marble Pillars there are these Words in Golden Letters written Divo Jacobo sacrum Certainly these Words signifie something more than that they only apply to St. James for the Assistance of his Intercession with the same Spirit of Charity with which we desire our Friends on Earth to pray for us which is the Interpretation that the Bishop of Meaux puts upon their Invocations of the Saints The Erecting and Dedicating a Church to the Honour of a Saint wherein he is to be invocated and applied to with Offices of Worship does not certainly look so much like an Exercise of Charity as of Devotion The Heathens thought this a Divine Honour and such without doubt the People of the Church of Rome take it to be Certainly none of us pay an Honour like this to any the best of our Friends on Earth when we desire to be remembred in their Prayers In this Inscription the Saint is mention'd alone as if the Church were intirely dedicated to him Sometimes in an Inscription over the Door of a Church or over an Altar they have so much the Remembrance of Almighty God as to mention him together with the Saint as at a Chapel of the Jesuits in their Countrey-house abovemention'd near Antwerp there are these Words over the Door Deo O. M. Sancto Ignatio sacrum But whether the Invocation of the Saints in the Church of Rome be done with the Spirit of Charity or Devotion and whether the Honours paid them are divine or not will best appear by a true Representation of their Practice in such Particulars as I have observ'd and seen and by the Devotions which attend the Festivals of the Saints The Account of these I shall give from themselves in some Instances as I have learnt them by the following means They have so many Holidays in the Church of Rome observ'd by some or other among them that they find it necessary to publish and give notice of them some Days before by printed Papers posted up about the Cities which are chiefly set at the Doors of Churches or Religious Houses And these like our Play-house-Bills give an Account what Devotions are to be perform'd on those Days and what Indulgences are granted to encourage them and where these are to be obtain'd Having had the Curiosity to collect a number of these Papers I shall translate and insert some of them in proper places in this Relation Since we are now at St. James's Church I shall insert here the Publication of his Festival as it is celebrated in this Church which is as follows Plenary Indulgence To be obtain'd in the Collegiate and Parochial Church of St. James upon the Feast-day of the same Saint and glorious Apostle James particular Patron and Protector of the Kingdom of Spain Upon the 25th of this Month being the Feast-day of the holy and glorious Apostle James hath our Holy Father Innocent XI Pope of Rome granted a Plenary Indulgence beginning from the first Vespers that is at the Vespers of the day before to all faithful Christians who with sincere Repentance being confess'd and having receiv'd the holy Sacrament of the Altar shall upon the feast-Feast-day of the H. Apostle James visit his Church and pray for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresie and the Advancement of our Mother the H. Church To this end in the Morning before Mattins shall the holy Sacrament of the Altar be expos'd in the higâ— Quire and shall continue so the whole day At Eight a Clock shall be preached the ordinary Sermon by the Reverend the Pleban and Canon of the same Church At Nine a Clock a very solemn Mass in Musick shall be perform'd At half an hour after Ten shall the Sermon be preach'd after which at half an hour after Eleven there shall be a solemn Mass in Musick provided by the Captain of the Militia of this City Afternoon at Two a Clock shall be perform'd the solemn Vespers at Three a Clock a Sermon at Four a solemn Laud in the high Quire and then this Plenary Indulgence shall be concluded with the Benediction of the high and holy Sacrament of the Altar Lastly it is desir'd of the good People and Parishioners of St. James's that they would earnestly pray through the Intercession of their Patron that they may also be preserv'd from violent and hasty Sicknesses and all Misfortunes All this is to be
done in Honour of this Saint and to obtain his Intercession and the People are encourag'd by the Pope himself to attend these Devotions by a Plenary Indulgence Is this to be parallel'd then with our desiring our Friends on Earth to pray for us Has the Saint so little Charity and is he so backward to intercede that without all this ado he will not open his Mouth for them This is much that is to be done on this Occasion and yet is little to what is done to the Virgin Mary who has a great many Festivals in a Year and they attended with whole Octaves on which particular and extraordinary Devotions are paid to her The true meaning of all is plainly this Mankind has been always taught and have believ'd the necessity of a Mediator and that a Divine Person must be our Mediator and Divine Honours are due and may be paid to whomsoever is so since this appears in the whole Theology of the Heathens and is so agreeable to the Truths which are taught us in the Gospel we have reason to believe they deriv'd this Knowledge from the Fathers of the World by Tradition to whom it had been reveal'd by God himself But the Heathens having only Tradition to guide them corrupted this Doctrine by bringing in a Multitude of Mediators whereas the Gospel according to the truth of the matter teaches us that there is but one Mediator between God and Man and that is Christ Jesus This Corruption is reviv'd in the Church of Rome who has many Mediators and adores them all and pays them Divine Honours as the Heathens did More of this we shall see in the following Relation Over the high Altar in this Church of St. James in the Quire is a very costly large and beautiful piece of Architecture all of Marble The Pillars on the sides are some of them white Marble some black the white wreath'd theblack smooth and strait and they are intermix'd with curious Art the whole is certainly a Work very admirable Instead of a Picture for an Altar-piece there is an Image of St. James bigger than the common Size of Men which is of white Marble He is represented as looking upwards and pointing downwards to the People below Over his Head in the Arch of the Marble-work about him and towards which he directs his Face there is carv'd the impious and idolatrous Representation of the holy Trinity which is very common in the Churches of the Roman Communion There is Image of the Holy Trinity the Figure of an Old Man sitting in the Clouds with a Triple Crown on his Head and of a Young Man by him holding a Cross with one Hand and between them both is a Pidgeon hovering with his Wings spread and Rays about him I do not doubt but it is lawful to represent the humane Body of Jesus Christ our blessed Saviour in any of the Circumstances of his Life or Death on Earth either by Pictures or by Images But certainly as it is the Glory of the Divine Nature to be invisible in it self so it ought not to be represented by any visible thing God himself adds an express Prohibition of making any visible Representation of himself as an Explication of the second Commandment And the Apostle Paul judges it an impious profanation to do so and calls it a Changing the Glory of the invisible God into the meanness of that thing which the Image made to represent him does more truly represent He says therefore of the Heathens Rom. 1. that while they made the Images of of Men or Birds c. to represent the Deity by they chang'd the Glory of God into an Image made like to corruptible Man and to Birds c. What does the practice of the Church of Rome in this case differ from theirs 'T is true the Gospel tells us when Jesus was baptized and came out of the Water the Spirit of God did with a visible Representation descend upon him whereby the Man Jesus became the Christ of God A visible Glory descended like the hovering of a Dove and lighted upon him to be a sensible Token and Demonstration to the Spectators that he was anointed by the Holy Ghost and was to be reckon'd by them the true Messiah or Christ But this does not at all allow or conclude for the representing the holy infinite Spirit himself by a Pidgeon The Shechinah or Pillar of a Glory in the Wilderness was a Token of God's special presence among the people of Israel there but was not a fit Representation of the infinitely glorious God himself nor was it design'd to be so but only for a sensible Token and Assurance of a peculiar divine presence The Church of Rome when press'd with things of this Nature endeavours to evade the Argument by blaming the Liberty of Carvers and Painters but there is no room at all to do it in this case For this is a thing done by publick Allowance and encourag'd by the Authority of the Church as we shall be convinc'd in the Sequel of this Relation At present I shall add to this purpose what is further to be observ'd in this same Church In the passage round the Quire on the outside where are several very neat Chapels to particular Saints enclos'd with partitions of Marble Pillars or Rails there is set up against the Wall in a Frame a printed Representation of the holy Trinity contriv'd after the same manner with the former and under it there is printed in Dutch this Grant Whosoever shall say here Five Pater Nosters and Five Ave-Marys shall enjoy Forty Days Indulgence this granted by the Bishop of Antwerp The Quire is part of it compass'd with beautiful Marble-pillars there is a great deal of good Painting and abundance of Marble about the whole Church In this Church by the entrance of the North Door on the Left-hand is a large Chappel which they call The Chappel of the Dead The Altar-piece represents our Saviour as dead and taking down from the Cross and lying in the Lap of the Virgin Mary who sits in a very sorrowful posture contemplating upon the matter On the out-side of the partition upon a pillar there hangs in a Frame written in Dutch a new Grant in Favour of this Chapel It signifies That all those of the Brotherhood of the Dead who shall come to hear Mass in this Chapel and any Priest that shall say Mass here on all Mondays of the Year and on every All-Souls Day or any of the Days of the Octave the privilege of Redeeming one Soul out of Purgatory And this is said to be granted by Innocent XII the present Pope out of the Treasury of the Church and is to continue in force for Seven Years They may perhaps by that time get Money enough to renew and continue the Lease The Fraternity or Brotherhood of the Dead are a company of people that write their Names in a Book whereby they are admitted into the Society this is commonly
l'Eglise The Church believes that she was after her death receiv'd into Heaven both in Body and Soul but he brings no Testimony for it He acknowledges that the little Treatise concerning the Assumption of the Virgin Mary among the Works of St. Jerom is none of that Father's Writings and that the Homilies on this Festival among the Works of St. Augustin are none of his He destroys too the pretended Testimony of Denis the Areopagite and so leaves the Story rather confuted than confirm'd Dupin Nouvelle Bibliotheque speaks of that Treatise among the Works of St. Jerome what is worth observing here The 10th Letter says he on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is written by some Latin Author who liv'd when the East was infected with the Errour of the Eutychians who would acknowledge but one Nature in Jesus Christ as he observes himself and this was what came to pass long after the death of St. Jerom. He that wrote it says he set it out under the name of St. Jerome that what he says of the Blessed Virgin might be the more valued And the better to colour the Cheat he pretends to direct it to Paula and Eustochium persons to whom St. Jerome did truly write Altho ' he enlarges upon the Commendations and Prerogatives of the Virgin yet he says it was not certain whether she was risen from the Dead and her Body carried up into Heaven or not This Treatise says he further tho' supposititious was inserted into the Office of the Church by Paulus Diaconus and Alcuinus in Charlemaign's time And since that it has made up part of the Lessons for the Feast of the Assumption in the Old Breviaries of France and Italy Thus speaks Dupin of this matter But notwithstanding the uncertainty of this Fact the Church of Rome celebrates a Day to commemorate this to her Honour which is the 15th of August and a Plenary Indulgence is granted to encourage the Devotions of this Solemnity in this Church the form of the Publication of which in the Year 1696 was as follows Plenary Indulgence Upon the feast-Feast-day of the glorious Assumption of the H. Mother of God Mary in the Cathedral Church of this City of Antwerp granted to all Faithful Christians by Innocent the 11 th Upon such a day the 15th of August being the feast-Feast-day of the Glorious Assumption of the H. Maid and Mother of God Mary there is to be obtain'd Plenary Indulgence not only for those who are entred or shall enter themselves in the Brotherhood of the same Mother of God foremention'd but also for all other Believers in Christ who having true Repentance being confess'd and nourish'd by the Holy Communion shall visit the Cathedral Church and the Holy Maid in her Chappel there and there piously pray for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresies and the Advancement of our Mother the Holy Church Which Indulgence shall begin from the first Vespers and continue to the Sun-setting of the feast-Feast-day it self Upon the feast-Feast-day it self at Eight a Clock in the Morning shall a Sermon be preach'd by the Reverend Chanoine and Pleban of the same Church At half an hour after 10 shall the Solemn Mass be said in the aforesaid Chappel by Afternoon at two a Clock shall be the solemn Vespers at 4 a Clock the Sermon by of the Order of the Reverend Fathers the Brothers of our Lady After the Lauds of the most Reverend and H. Sacrament shall follow the solemn Laud to the Honour of the Holy Virgin and Mother of God Mary with extraordinary Musick Through the whole Octave and the followin Week shall the Service be perform'd as follows At 7 a Clock in the Morning shall be the solemn Mass At 8 upon working-working-days the Sermon shall be preach ' by c. Every Evening the solemn Laud shall begin at half an hour after 5 so that upon the Thursdays in the two Weeks the Laud of the Venerable shall be perform'd at 5 Clock and during the second Week the Church shall be kept open till Ten a Clock for the convenience of the devout Souls who shall walk the accustomed course to the Honour of the Holy Mother of God Recommending it to all devout persons that they would be found in this service Upon Sunday being the 19th day at 8 a Clock shall preach Upon Sunday the 26th shall the solemn Mass be said at 7 a Clock by the Illustrious and most Reverend the Bishop of Antwerp At 8 a Clock shall again preach the Reverend Chanoine and Pleban of the same Church and in the Evening after the Laud shall the Benediction be given by the same Reverend Person And the more to excite the Devotion of the Christian Catholicks his Reverence John Ferdinand Bishop of Antwerp hath granted to all Faithful Christians who shall upon the Feast of the Glorious Assumption and every day of the whole Octave with devotion of Heart hear the solemn Mass or to the Honour of the Virgin shall walk the way of the general Procession praying to Almighty God for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresies and the Advancement of our Mother the H. Church 40 days of Indulgence and that repeated for so many times as they shall have done what is aforesaid Upon Monday the 27th shall be perform'd in the same Chappel at 8 a Clock in the Morning a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving for all the Benefactors of the aforesaid Chappel of the H. Mother of God Note If any person whether Man or Woman shall have the Devotion to enter themselves in the Ancient and Renown'd Brotherhood of the Holy Maid the Masters of the said Chappel shall be at all times sitting ready to receive them in their usual place Upon which day of their entrance they obtain a Plenary Indulgence and Acquittance from all their Sins if having true Repentance and being confess'd they shall receive the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar Moreover Plenary Indulgences are there to be obtain'd also upon particular Feast Days of the Holy Mother granted by his Holiness Pope Innocent the 11th as also on all Saturdays to every Priest that says the Mass for the Souls departed is the priviledge granted for relieving and delivering out of Purgatory one-Soul of those who were entred in the aforesaid Brotherhood All to the greater Glory of God and his most Holy Mother Mary Thus is it confess'd that all this elaborate Devotion is design'd as well to the Honour of the Virgin Mary as of God And is all this no more than with the Spirit of Charity to desire her Prayers As much as this comes to is repeated 8 or 10 times a Year upon the several Festivals they assign to her Is all this necessary to engage her Assistance Are not here Divine Honours in the most solemn manner paid to her when all this is done for her Honour as well as for God's and even that which done as is pretended for God's Honour But let them know that
upon the 2d Sunday at Loven Antwerp c. upon the 3d Sunday At Boils le duc and Maesyck upon the 4th Sunday And thus are considerable portions of God's peculiar time applyed to the Honour of this pretended Saint Plenary Indulgence for those that say or hear the Mass of the Immaculate Conception which Chimera the Followers of this Francis are great sticklers for they praying for the Pope of Rome Plenary Indulgence for those that read the Rosary of our Lady namely 72 Ave Maries and 7 Pater Nosters with a Pater Noster and Ave Mary for his Holiness Leo the Tenth has granted 30 days Indulgence for those who visit the Churches of the minor Brothers an hundred days to those that hear Mass there or any Divine Service Eighteen Years and 323 Days of Indulgence for those that hear Sermon And those who in any other Church shall go to hear a minor Brother preach shall enjoy an Indulgence of eighteen Years 222 Days Plenary Indulgence for all those who at their Death desire out of Devotion to be buried in the Habit of the minor Brothers being Men or if Women in that of the Clarisses Plenary Indulgence for the Parents who have Children in the Order of the minor Brothers being in the state of Grace and that for so many times as they have Sons in that Order which Indulgence the Children may apply to their Parents when dead by saying a Mass near their Graves To this purpose they will be induced to order themselves to be buried in their Churches and without doubt good Presents and Legacies are usually made to these good Brothers both for the Habit and for the Burying-place A multitude of Lying Wonders are produc'd to recommend this blessed Cord which the Inventors of them deserve to have about their Necks for their pains I shall only tell one Story which is a little diverting though it has enough the Air of Falshood and Folly For by this wondrous Cord a Saint of the Order cheated the grand Deceiver and made a meer Ass of the Devil O fine the truth on 't is the old Fellow does so often cheat us all that one would be pleased to understand that He should ever be put upon himself The Story runs thus The good Father Martinus Ruis not being able to pass the River Guadarrama as he stood careful upon the Brink about the matter there comes down to the Water near him an Ass The good Man knew by an Inspiration that this was the Devil and that he roguishly intended if the good Man should offer to mount him to carry him into the midst of the River and there throw him off and drown him nevertheless he goes to the Ass nimbly slips the Cord of St. Francis about his Neck and then he had him secure and a mighty thing I assure you it was that a Man could make any good of the Devil yet he did for he mounted and the Devil carried him safely through the River he kept him in servitude still rid him to Toledo forced him to drudge there in carrying Stones and heavy Burdens to serve the Repair of the Cloister 'T is well we have it once acknowldg'd that the Devil was serviceable to the erecting of any of those pretended Religious Houses But the good Man gave a Charge that no one should ever take off this Cord and so the poor Devil wore it and continued in the shape and slavery of an Ass many Years At length as he stood bound to a Crib while two Fathers of the Order look'd on who were strangers to this Convent and to the Matter he made shew to them of entangling himself with his Cord and to be in danger of being strangled by it upon which the good Fathers ran to relieve him and slipt the Cord off from him That was it the Devil wanted and away he vanish'd immediately with loud outcries and howlings and left a most fearful stink behind him And so much for that Let us observe in the last place some of the Rules and Constitutions of the Brotherhood Every one that will become a Brother must enter his Name in the Book of the Archbrotherhood They must receive the Cord being blessed from the Hands of a Superiour of the minor Brothers must gird themselves daily with the same wearing it either above or under their Cloaths They may put it off at Night going to Bed and put it on again in the Morning when they rise If the Cord be lost or when 't is worn out they may ask for another consecrated one or provide it themselves and carry it to be blest They must read commonly every Day 5 Pater Nosters and 5 Ave Maries with the 5 Salutations of the 5 Wounds to the Honour of the 5 Wounds of our Saviour All the Brothers must come to a Monthly Assembly at some time and place convenient At which time one of these Fathers shall make an Exhortation to them Without doubt to be true to the Cord that they may go to Heaven in a String and he will tell them many a fine story of the Virtues of the Cord. The Devotions in these Assemblies are to begin with the Ancient and Venerable Hymn Veni Creator which is worthy of a much better Office and must end with the Litany of St. Francis or of our good Lady A number of the Brothers call'd out by the Servant of the Brotherhood shall honour with a Light the H. Sacrament of the Altar in the monthly Procession as also in the Procession of Portiuncula c. to which end a number of Flambeau's or Wax-Candles shall be kept to which the Brothers shall be pleas'd to contribute As any one of the Brothers comes to be sick the Father shall be told of it who shall take care that he be provided of the Holy Sacrament and be visited by other Brothers according to Quality and Opportunity And the Servant of the Brotherhood shall desire all the Brothers in the Town or that inhabit near it to attend the Sacrament to the sick person and honour it with the Flambeau's of the Brotherhood When any Brother dies Brothers are to be invited to attend the Funeral the Mass of Requiem shall according to order be sung in the Convent to which all Brothers shall be invited as also the same Mass shall be said in the Octave of St. Francis for all those who are departed of this Fraternity When they put on the Cord in the Morning they are to say this Prayer following Vouchsafe O Lord to gird me with the Girdle of Purity that the Virtue of Chastity may always abide in me and I may wear this Penitential Cord for the forgiveness of my Sins through the Merit of the Cords and Sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ And what need is there I wonder of wearing this Cord in order to obtain the forgiveness of Sin by the Sufferings of Jesus Christ Will it be said the Merit of these are not sufficient unless a
Man do hereby apply or tie to himself the Merits of St. Francis and his Order And is it not plain they reckon this addition at least very useful and so rely upon the Merits of this pretended Saint as well as upon those of Christ and give him a part in this Honour of a Mediator But to crown all let us observe the Prayer and Protestation which they must use at the entring themselves into this Brotherhood which is as follows I N. N. take for my particular Mediation with Almighty God the most Holy Maid and Mother of God Mary the H. Father Franciscus with all the Saints of his Order the which I shall never forsake and against the Honour of whom I shall never do any thing nor will I suffer that any under my Authority shall by my consent or connivance do any such thing In all things I resign my self to the Obedience of the Holy Roman Church I beseech you then O most H. Maid and Mother Mary and you O Holy Father Francis with your holy Company that you will be pleased to receive me for your Servant and stand by me in all my Works and Necessities that I may follow your good Examples and through a saving Death may be partaker with you of everlasting Glory And will not this solemn Protestation and Prayer allow'd in the Church of Rome and encourag'd by Popes and Indulgencies go for an Address to the Saints for their immediate help when the B. Virgin and Francis are desir'd to stand by them Is it only the Spirit of Charity that makes them devote themselves thus to these persons in postures and forms of Worship and to say to them Receive me for your Servant And when in this Form there is no mention at all of the Mediation of Jesus Christ but a choice is made of others by Name for this purpose and a Protestation solemnly pronounced of relying and trusting to their Mediation may we not suspect that of our Saviour is forgotten for the present However do they not herein advance these Saints to the Honour of Mediators together with him at least when they sometimes betake themselves to their Mediation without Him If one would interpret this practice to the worst Sence it can bear it might be said they herein preferr these Saints before our most Blessed Saviour and chuse these for their peculiar and chief Mediators or instead of Jesus Christ But I would wrong no body and would exercise Charity to all men therefore I would not impute this to them These good Fathers the Brethren and Followerâ— of the pretended St. Francis are as hath been said great sticklers for the immaculate Conception of the B. Virgin They will have it that she was born without Original Sin or Pollution but others of the Church of Rome are positive against this We shall have occasion to speak of this Controversie hereafter At present I shall observe that altho' the Controversie cannot be decided or ended by the Infallible Judge at Rome yet a solemn Festival is appointed to be observ'd in Commemoration of it which is celebrated with many tasks of Devotion through a whole Octave I shall give the Reader an Account of this as it was published by these good Fathers in the Year 1696. Plenary Indulgence With Prayers of 40 Hours at the Minor Brothers upon the Feast-day of the Immaculate Conception of the most pure Maid and Mother of God Mary On Friday upon the Eve of the Feast-day shall the solemn Vespers be perform'd at 3 a Clock after that shall follow the Complin with the Laud Aster that shall be sung the Mattins concluding the same with the Benediction of the Venerable Sacrament of the Altar In the ensuing Night shall begin the Prayer of 40 Hours Saturday following being the Eighth of December shall be solemnly celebrated in the Church of the minor Brothers the feast-Feast-day of the Immaculate Conception of the most pure Virgin and Mother of God Maria chosen Patroness of the Seraphick Order of the Holy Father Francis Upon which Day a Plenary Indulgence shall be obtain'd by all Faithful Christians who having confess'd and receiv'd the Communion shall visit the said Church and there pray for the Advancement of our Mother the Holy Church the Extirpation of Heresies and the Uniting of Christian Princes On the Feast day in the Morning shall be sung the solemn High Mass in Musick by the Reverend Abbot of St. Michael Superiour of the Norbertines After-noon at 3 a Clock shall be solemnly sung the Vespers with the Complin Then the Reverend Ordinary Preacher of the aforesaid Abby shall preach After which will be the Lauds And the Feast-day shall be concluded with the Benediction of the Venerable and most Holy Sacrament of the Altar Upon the Sunday following and during the Prayer of the 40 Hours there is a Plenary Indulgence to be obtain'd On this Day the High Mass shall be sung at Ten a Clock After Noon at two a Clock shall the Vespers be sung which shall be follow'd with a Sermon and this with the Complin and Laud and the Prayer of 40 Hours shall be concluded with the Benediction of the Venerable and Holy Sacrament of the Altar On Monday and the following days of the Octave at 7 a Clock in the Morning the high Mass shall be sung in the middle of the Church with the exposing of the Venerable Afternoon at 4 a Clock shall be Vespers After which on every Day there shall be an Exhortation perform'd by several Preachers of the Order of the minor Brothers After the Exhortation the Hymn of the Immaculate Conception shall be sung and that shall be follow'd with the Benediction of the Venerable and Holy Sacrament of the Altar All this is done in pretence to praise God and honour the B. Virgin for that which is undoubtedly false and which the Church of Rome it self cannot agree to be true The Carmelites call'd Onse lieve Vrouw Broeders Carmes the Brothers of the V. Mary that is the Brothers of our Lady by whom they mean no less person than the Virgin Mary have also a large and lofty Church and a good large House They are a great Company go with bare Legs but with Sandals on their Feet too and look well They are belonging to them among other Wheedles to draw Trade and Custom the Fraternity of the Scapulary or Shoulder-cloathing a part of their Habit which Scapulary they say was given to the blessed Simon Stock a Saint of their Order by the Virgin Mary her self And there are large Indulgences granted to this Fraternity in the Chappels of this Order Something more particularly of this matter will come in when we are at Aix la Chappelle where we shall meet with the Festival that commemorates this great thing But the Jesuites envious at the esteem which they have among the People and at the Trade they draw set themselves to disparage or call in question this and some other pretences upon which they
or Penalty to be suffered by our selves Or else he could establish a Commutation of a greater Pain for a lesser That is to say He could excuse us from the Eternal Pain due to our Sins and leave us bound to some Temporal Pains and this is that which he has done with relation to those who fall into Sin after their Baptism They must suffer some Temporal Pain tho the Eternal be remitted to them And it is not to be concluded thence saies he that Jesus Christ has not entirely satisfied for us but on the contrary that he having acquir'd an absolute Right or Propreity over us by the infinite Price he has given for our Salvation he granâ—s us our Pardon upon such a Condition or such a Law and with such a Reserve as he pleases It is therefore to satisfie this Obligation that we are subject to some Penalty which we ought to accomplish in the Spirit of Humility and Repentance And it was the necessity of these satisfactory Works which oblig'd the Ancient Church to impose upon Penitents the Penalties which are call'd Canonical When therefore the Church imposes upon Sinners the Works that are penal and laborious and it is so that they submit to them with Humility this is called Satisfaction and when having regard to the Fervour of the Penitents or to other good Works which she has prescrib'd to them she relaxes some part of the Pain that was due this is call'd Indulgence Those that go out of this Life with Grace and Charity but are nevertheless still indebted for some Pains which the divine Justice has reserv'd must suffer them in another Life that is in Purgatory This Purgatory Purgatory they make as frightful as they can devise to do they say the Pains are the same with those in Hell they set the place of it as it were on the Suburbs of Hell and represent it as incomparably more intollerable than all that can be endur'd in this World insomuch that if we might believe the Stories which they have of the Apparitions and Complaints of Souls tortur'd there it were more eligible and better to be endur'd to live quite through an ordinary Life on Earth under the most wracking and tormenting Disease than to lie but for a day in Purgatory But these miserable Wretches who are there have this Relief as the Bishop of Meaux says That God has so establish'd the Advantages of brotherly Charity and the Communion of Saints that oftentimes he receives the Satisfactions which we offer for one another So the Souls in Purgatory they pretend may be reliev'd and either eased there or deliver'd from thence by the Satisfactions of their Friends for them who are living on Earth These Satisfactions their living Friends must give for them either by doing some laborious Works or by suffering many hard and voluntary Penances themselves or else they must purchase a good parcel of Satisfactions for them out of the Treasury of the Church which the Pope at Rome and the Bishops in their respective Diocesses have as they pretend the Power to dispence and to communicate or apply them to whom they please This Treasure of the Church as they pretend is made up of the infinite Satisfactions of Jesus Christ and the Satisfactions of the Saints The Bishop of Meaux says He mentions those of the Saints because the Goodness of God is such that he is willing out of Favour to the more pious of his Servants to suffer himself to be for their sakes the more gentle and easie to others This saies he is the Foundation of Indulgences They are establish'd to relax the Rigour of the temporal Pains due to sin They are not design'd he says to discharge us from the Obligations we lie under to satisfie God our selves but because we have always Reason to fear that we are far from having satisfied occording to our Obligations we should be Enemies to our selves if we should not have recourse to the Favours and Indulgences of the Church which are design'd to aid those who have a good Will and do endeavour to satisfie for themselves to quit their Score and to supply their Infirmities Now these Satisfactions of the Saints which make up the Fund of Indulgences and the Treasure of the Church are reckon'd to be increas'd to a mighty Sum and Heap tho' an invisible one by any Works especially of Supererogation And so the vows of the Religious Orders of Poverty Chastity and Obedience to such and such austere Rules of living are things accounted mightily meritorious And then if the Treasure of the Church be mightily furnish'd from the meritorious and satisfactory Fopperies of the Religious Orders it is but reasonable that the Pope should grant Indulgences that is Communications of these Merits and Satisfactions to be obtain'd at their Altars and Chappels But methinks too it seems not a little hard or perhaps unjust that every Order should not have the keeping and dispensing of their own Merits and Satisfactions that they must depend upon the Pope for the Disposal of what is their own or work to enlarge his Treasure and have none of their own to dispose of without his leave Sic vos non vobis fertis aratra boves We shall observe in the following Relation that the Extent or Duration of the Indulgences granted to several Performances is very different some being granted for a certain number of Days more or less some again are called Plenary Indulgences the Explication of this matter I shall give here once for all in their own Words Through an Indulgence of forty days say they men obtain the Forgiveness of the Penalty due for their Sins all at once as if they had truly done the Penance of forty days according to the ancient Usage of the holy Church An Indulgence for a Year is a Forgiveness of Penalty so great as a Man could merit by doing penance for a whole Year A Plenary Indulgence is the Forgiveness of all Penalty that a Man owes for his Sins so that he who hath obtain'd a Plenary Indulgence if it were so that he should immediately die before he fall again into Sin he should go straight to Heaven without being oblig'd to suffer in the Fire of Purgatory Let us now observe how the Cheat of all this may be discern'd and upon a little Examination of the matter we shall find that this whole Frame of Stuff is a politick Engine to keep the People in Awe and Subjection to the Pope and to hold the several numerous Orders or rather Regiments of superfluous Priests in good pay and to pay them too with other Peoples Money In the first place we may observe 't is well known to those who are acquainted with the History and Discipline of the primitive Church that they did indeed injoyn publick Penance for those who were guilty of publick and notorious Crimes which they oblig'd them to endure and fulfil before they would admit them after such Faults to partake of
seeking of their Intercession particularly to obtain thereby a happy Death and the Graces thereto necessary And there is this Prayer fram'd which all the Brothers and Sisters of the Society are oblig'd to say at their entring themselves into this Society Holy Mary Mother of God and Virgin I chuse you and your good Bridegroom St. Joseph this Day for my Patrons and Advocates and I steadily purpose that I will never forsake you that I will never do or say any thing against you nor will I ever suffer that any under my Authority shall act any thing contrary to your Honour Therefore I pray you receive me to be your perpetual Servant Assist me in all my Works and forsake me not in the Hour of my Death This sure is enough in all Conscience to the Honour of these Saints and it cannot I think well be imagin'd how more than this could be said to Jesus Christ himself Certainly the Honour of Mediatours to the highest degree is given to them they are particularly chosen for this the person devotes himself to their Service promises solemnly never to forsake it seeks their Assistance in all he does particularly at his Death Thus is most evidently the Honour due to God alone given to Creatures I mean that which is due to God the Mediator And who can be perswaded that this Prayer is made only with the Spirit of Charity as we desire our Brethren on Earth to pray for us Another Fraternity is erected to this purpose also which belongs to the Jesuits Colledge at Ghent under the Name of the Brotherhood of the holy Death-pangs of our Lord Jesus Christ dying on the Cross and of his most holy Mother suffering together with him under the Cross in order to obtain a happy and saving Death There is also erected at Antwerp and belonging to the Cathedral Church there a Fraternity under the Name of the Brotherhood of the Dead who are to take especial care for the relief of the Dead and this is honour'd with many choice Indulgences The whole Company bind themselves to perform some private Devotions in behalf of the Dead but especially they are directed-to attend on certain Days at the Masses which are said for them to obtain those Indulgences either for themselves or to the advantage of their dead Friends to whose advantage such things redound they cannot well tell how but pretty well agree to express it in these words per modum suffragii that is in the manner of a Vote or Wish However a superfluous number of Priests must be maintain'd and that they may seem to do something for their living a multitude of Masses and other Services must be perform'd in publick and the People must be wheedled to attend them and drop their Alms as 't is call'd to enjoy these Indulgences I shall incert the publication of a Plenary Indulgence granted to this Royal Archbrotherhood as it is call'd with the Devotions to be perform'd on All-Souls day and the Octave for the relief of the Dead as it was fram'd in the Year 1696 which was as follows A solemn Octave with Plenary Indulgence Granted to the Royal Brotherhood of Faithful Souls in the Cathedral Church of our good Lady Friday next being the 2d of November and the Day of the Commemoration of the Faithful departed there shall begin in the Cathedral Church a solemn Devotion of Eight Days for the said Faithful who are dead with a Plenary Indulgence Upon which Day beside the ordinary Service of the Quire there shall at 7 a Clock on the account of the Brotherhood be sung the solemn Mass by his Illuâ—â—riouâ— Excellency Johannes Ferdananâ—â— â—â—shop of Antwerp At 8 a Clock shall a Sermon be preach'd by the very Reverend Through the whole Octave in the Chappel of the Circumcision where the Altar is particularly privileg'd for the departed Souls on â—very Day through the whole Year there shall several Masses be read for their Refreshment and Relief After-noon at half an Hour after 4 a Clock shall be the Lauds of our good Lady which shall be follow'd with a Sermon preach'd by Then the solemn Laud of the Faithful Souls by the very Reverend who shall close the Devotion of the first Day with the Benediction and solemn Reduction of the Venerable Holy Sacrament On Saturday as also upon the following Days of of the Octave shall the solemn Mass of Requiem be perform'd at 7 a Clock In the Evening after the Lauds shall be a Sermon preach'd by The Devotion shall be concluded by the solemn Laud and Benediction of the most holy Sacrament On Sunday shall be the solemn Mass at 7 a Clock At 8 shall be the Ordinary Sermon by c. Afternoon after the usual Lauds shall be a Sermon for the Faithful Souls then the solemn Laud with the Benediction On Friday being the Conclusion of the Octave at 7 a Clock in the Morning shall be sung the solemn Mass by the Reverend the Quire-Deacon of the said Cathedral At half an Hour past Ten shall be a Sermon and in the Evening at the Hour beformention'd a Sermon also after which this devout Octave shall be concluded by his Illustrious Reverence aforemention'd with the solemn Laud Reduction and Benediction of the Venerable H. Sacrament His Holiness Innocent the 11th has towards furthering the Devotion of the Faithful Souls granted a Plenary Indulgence and forgiveness of all their Sins to all those that enter themselves in this Brotherhood as well upon the Feast of All-Saints as also upon any of the Eight following Days who with sincere Repentance having confess'd and receiv'd the Communion shall devoutly visit the Chappel of the Circumcision and there pray for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresies the Advancement of our Mother the Holy Church and to the Refreshment of the Faithful Souls Upon all-souls-All-Souls-day the Plenary Indulgence is not only for the Brothers and Sisters of this Society but also for all Faithful Christians who shall visit the Cathedral Church and there pray as is above directed Besides these Plenary Indulgences for all the Days of the Octave his aforesaid Holiness has granted yet several as well Plenary as other Indulgences which are more particularly related in the new printed little Book of this Brotherhood This Book I have by me but do not think it worth while to enlarge upon this matter beyond the Paper which I am now rendring Each person is intreated by the meriting of these Indulgences and by the other Devotions to help the poor afflicted suffering Souls Requiescant in Pace Amen Here is very much to be done in this busie Octave of Devotion and all in pretence to relieve the poor distressed Souls in Purgatory and at this time a dismaâ—â—â—cture is set up representing a Company of People in Flames a Chappel is hung all with Mourning and other Intrigues are made use of to affect the Vulgar who come in mighty numbers to these Devotions mightily concern'd to relieve Relations or
with Linen which covers all the top of the Table and hangs down at the two ends to the Ground sometimes at the end of that Linen they will have a deep rich Lace but these are some rich Silks and the like stretch'd upon a Frame of a convenient Size and set close before the Altar so as to seem of a piece with it and the Figures upon them are sometimes suited to the Holiday they celebrate so they have several of these things for several Days There were in this great Box or Press I believe about thirty of these things and all different in some respects from one another some of them were Cloth of Silver or Silver mixed with Gold some were Velvet or Sattiâ— or other Silks of Scarlet Purple and other Colours Many of them had large Flowers of Silver some were full of broad Flowers of Gold some had a broad Flanders-Lace or a Point laid round at the Edge of them on three sides that is along the top and down at the ends some had laid across them a deep Gold-Fringe which run from the one end to the other at the distance of about a Foot from the top some were richly embroider'd with Gold and Silver in the place of Lace Some were all over embroider'd with Silver and Gold and some with Silk and the Stalks of the Embroidery I think of more than one were set with a multitude of Pearls one was of flower'd Silk with a great many small Flowers in it and the Eye of every Flower was a small Ruby there must be a great many scores of Rubies in the whole piece One had a great deal of curious Needle-work of divers Colours in Silk and in a large Oval in the middle of it was a small Picture of an handsome Lady at full length whom the Jesuit that show'd these things call'd the Lady of Princen-Land her self and I suppose he told some of their Religion whom he spoke softly to that she had presented this To provide and maintain all this Pomp and Riches this Church of theirs is endow'd as we may say for these things are in the nature and have the effect of Revenues with a multitude of Plenary and other Indulgences to be obtain'd throughout the whole Year They have Indulgences to be obtain'd on the Festivals of several pretended Saints of their own Order besides what they have on the days of other Saints I shall give an Account of the Publications of some of these Gaudy Days as they are celebrated by these good Fathers in which we shall see some of the greatest Extravagancies that the Church of Rome is run into in the Worship and Honour of the Saints Plenary Indulgence Upon the feast-Feast-day of Franciscus Borgia First Duke of Gandia and afterwards Third General of the Society of Jesus in the Church of the Profession-house of the Society of Jesus On Wednesday next being the 10th of October shall be celebrated in the Church of the Profession-house of the Society of Jesus the Feast-day of the holy Franciscus Borgia First Duke of Gandia c. Clemens the 10th has granted to all Believers in Christ who with upright Repentance being confess'd and having receiv'd the most holy Sacrament of the Altar shall there pray for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresies and Advancement of our Mother the Holy Church which Indulgence begins from the first Vespers on the Day before and continues till the Sun-setting on the Feast-day of the Holy Franciscus Borgia which follows On Tuesday it being the Eve of the Feast-Day there shall be perform'd a solemn Laud with the Benediction of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar On Wednesday being the Feast-day of the Saint aforesaid shall be sung at 10 a Clock a solemn Mass Afternoon at 5 a Clock shall be a Sermon after which shall be perform'd a solemn Laud with the Benediction of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar On the Evening of the feast-Feast-day after the Service and during the Octave every Morning for the furthering of the Devotion and Comfort of each person shall the holy Relicks be offer'd to be kiss'd To the greater Glory of God and of the Holy Franciscus Borgia 1696. They have a Plenary Indulgence also for the Feast day of Xaverius whom they call Apostle of the Indies and of Japan which is to be obtain'd in this same Church The Publication of which after the mention of several Devotions to be perform'd promises a Plenary Indulgence to those who within such a time shall come to that Church and pray there for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresies and Advancement of our Mother Holy Church and then concludes That all this is to be done To the greater Glory of God and of St. Franciscus Xaverius An Indulgence of 40 Days is granted to this Church by the present Bishop of Antwerp upon the Day of our Saviour's Ascension and some following Days The Publication of which for the extravagant and impious Form of it is very observable It runs thus The Expectation of the Holy Ghost Through the Intercession of the most holy Maid and Mother of God Mary and of all the Saints in the Church of the Profession-house of the Society of Jesus with Prayer for the Preservation of this City and Indulgence of 40 Days This 40 days of Indulgence is to be obtain'd by those who shall be once present at the Devotions of this time and if they come to them more than once as often as they come so often shall the 40 days of Indulgence be multiplied to them Here we see the Mediation of the Virgin Mary applied to for the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Spirit and they profess to expect the obtaining of these thereby and that at a time when the Christian Church has been wont to celebrate the Ascension of our blessed Saviour into Heaven who promised upon his Ascension to send the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles and Followers So that as true Christian Religion would much more properly and justly direct us at this time to pray for that promise of our Saviour to be fulfill'd upon us in such a measure as may be necessary to our Salvation and to betake our selves to the Intercession of Jesus who ever lives to make Intercession for us This Marian Religion diverts its miserable deluded Votaries from him and teaches them to pray for these greatest Blessings and to expect them through the Mediation of the Virgin Mary Besides this their very fine Church the Jesuits Chappel of the Sodality have here belonging to this Colledge another which they call the Chappel of the Sodality where the Fraternities that are wheedled to joyn themselves and belong to them do perform their foolish Devotions upon their solemn Days Of these we must give some Account They have joyn'd to them a Sodality or Brotherhood of the Virgin Mary which is honour'd as they say with many Indulgences and Favours Particularly the Popes have granted to
this Fraternity all the Indulgences belonging to the Stations at Rome the which all of the Sodality may enjoy for the Reading seven Pater Nosters and seven Ave Mary's in the Church of the Society or in the Chappel of the Sodality upon particular days of every Month which are specified in the Book of the Ordinances of this Sodality with the Indulgences that are thus to be obtain'd on those Days Every Month of the Year has several of them and one sees on many Days a Plenary Indulgence promised on others a thousand Years of Indulgence on others forty thousand years c. These are mighty Encouragements to be of this Sodality and to come to these places to perform this Devotion and to be sure which is the chief End of all to drop here their Offerings without which it is a Maxim no Indulgence may be obtain'd The Prayer which they teach the People to make when they enter themselves into this Fraternity after the usual manner runs thus Holy Mary Mother of God and Virgin I N. N. chuse you for a Lady Patroness and Mediatouress And I stedfastly purpose never to forsake you never to say or do any thing against you nor yet to permit that any one subject to my Authority shall ever do any thing contrary to your Honourâ— I beseech you therefore receive me to be your perpetual Servant assist me in all my Works and forsake me not in the Hour of my Death The Company present as receiving the Person entring shall say Amen Thus we see 't is a very common and usual thing with the wretched People in the Church of Rome to dedicate and devote themselves solemnly to serve and honour their Fellow-creatures that is to give God's Incommunicable Glory to others than himself And these are not Excesses of Devotion which the ignorant People do of themselves run into but they are things which they are led and exhorted and urg'd to do by their Guides and which are encourag'd and recommended by Bishops and Popes by the Indulgences which they savour these Fraternities with Let us hear what the Archbishop of Mechlin thinks fit to say of these matters in his Circular Letter The Sodalities or Fraternities says he which are erected to her Honour meaning the Virgin Mary I will and recommend to be applauded together with the Privileges and Immunities granted them by the Favour of Popes and Bishops and that the People be invited who have not yet done it to give their Names to them that new Sodalities be erected and those that are fallen be restor'd He that touches these let him know that he touches the Apple of our Eye This I easily believe for these are things which serve to confirm the People in their Errors to continue their Slavery and to provide for a number of idle useless Priests perhaps beyond any other Intrigues whatever But I shall go on to represent a little of their Management of the Sodalities which belong to this House of Jesuits as it may be seen in the Publications of the Plenary Indulgences following being resolv'd to keep strictly through this whole Relation to the publick and authentick Accounts which they give of themselves and their abominable Practices Plenary Indulgence Upon the Feast-day of the Holy Virgin Rosalia Patroness against the Pestilence Small Pox and all acute Diseases above in the Sodality of the Youth at the Profession-house of the Society On Sunday next being the second of September shall be solemnly celebrated above in the Sodality of the Youth the Feast of the Holy Virgin Rosalia Patroness against the Pestilence from which she has sometime deliver'd the Kingdom of Sicily and wonderfully helped our City of Antwerp also against the Small Pox and all feavourish and acute Diseases With Plenary Indulgence there to be obtain'd by all Believers who having confess'd and receiv'd the Communion shall pray according to the Intention of his Holiness above in the aforesaid Sodality of the Youth under the Title of the Nativity of the Mother of God where her Holy Relicks rest and are honour'd Beginning from the first Vespers and continuing to the going down of the Sun on the Feast-day To this end on Saturday about the Evening shall be read the Litany of the Mother of God and of all Saints together with the Prayer of the holy Rosalia Also the Benediction with the most holy Sacrament of the Altar shall be given and the aforesaid holy Relicks shall be offer'd to the devout Kisses of the People On Sunday being the feast-Feast-day shall be sung there at half an hour after Eight precisely a solemn Mass in Musick after which shall follow the Sermon to the Honour of the Holy Virgin Rosalia and certain Masses will be read Afternoon at three a Clock and after the Sermon in the Church shall be the Procession with her Image going out from the aforesaid Sodality to the Church with Indulgence of forty Days granted by his Reverence our Bishop for those who shall go along with it from whence again after the Lauds and Motet of the Holy Rosalia and the Benediction of the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar the same Procession shall pass along such and such Streets mention'd returning again to the Sodality of the Youth and there after a short Musick shall be given the Benediction with the Venerable Sacrament of the Altar and to the Comfort and Assistance of each person the Relicks of the Holy Rosalia shall be offer'd to be kissâ—d Further in the same Sodality of the Youth Plenary Indulgence Upon the solemn Feast-day of the Nativity of the most Holy Maid and Mother of God Mary On the Saturday following being the Eighth of September shall in like manner be celebrated above in the aforesaid Sodality of the Youth under the Title of Our good Lady's Nativity this her Feast-day with Plenary Indulgence for all the Believers in Christ who shall visit that Sodality and there pray to the Intention of his In the Morning at half an Hour after Eight shall be sung a solemn Mass in Musick during which the Sodales or Members of the Brotherhood shall according to Custom communicate and by saying the Prayer of the Sodality before-mention'd shall renew the Dedication of themselves to the Service of the Mother of God Afternoon at about half an Hour after Five shall be preach'd a short Sermon there after which the holy Sacrament shall be carried in Procession to the Church where after the Collation shall be sung a solemn Laud and the Feast-day shall be concluded with the Benediction of the most holy Sacrament To the greater Glory of God of the most holy Virgin Mary and of the holy Rosalia Anno 1696. This Order is every where with the most extravagant in the Worship and Honour of the Virgin Mary and have helped to advance that Devotion to the excesses 't is grown to And they very punctually observe all her Festivals which are as many as those of our Saviour if not more and they
have gotten rich Indulgences to allure People to the Devotions of those times in their Church the better to maintain those needless and impious Devotions and to inable them to perform them with agreat deal of worldly Pomp and Splendour which upon all occasions they mightily affect I shall here insert their Publication of the Festival of her Presentation in the Temple which tho' a Fable of Romish Invention as well as her Assumption is celebrated in the Church of Rome every where on the 21st of November and by these People with a great deal of Ceremony and Superstition The Publication of this as done in the Year 1695 take as follows A Solemn Octave Of the Presentation of the most holy Maid and Mother of God Mary with Plenary Indulgence granted by Innocent the 12th upon the feast-Feast-Day And A Solemn Procession Of the most holy Sacrament and the Image of the Miraculous Wood of Scherpen-Heuvel on the Day being Sunday in the Church of the Profession-house of the Society of Jesus As a common Refuge in all Spiritual and Temporal Necessities To which all persons are invited particularly all young Persons to whom this Feast is appropriate and also all Religious Parents that they may bring and devote their Chilto God from their Youth following therein the Example of the holy Joachim and Anna. Sunday being the 20th of November and the Day before the Presentation of our good Lady this Solemnity shall begin with a solemn Procession which shall go out in the Morning after Nine a Clock from the Sodality thro' the New Street c. In which Procession the Venerable and Holy Sacrament of the Altar shall be attended with Lights by the Youth and the Image of the most Holy Maid and Mother of God Mary of the miraculous Wood of Scherpon-Heuvell shall be carried by them and also be brought back again with all Solemnity with an Indulgence of Fifty Days for all those who shall be present in that Procession After the return shall be sung the solemn High Mass Afternoon shall the ordinary Sunday Service be perform'd with a Laud after the Collation On Monday the 21st of November being the solemn Feast-day of the Presentation of our good Lady and of the Plenary Indulgence beginning from the first Vespers on the Day before there shall after Ten a Clock be sung the solemn High Mass After which as also during the Octave after all the Masses with Musick in the which upon several days several Sodalities shall be present the Benediction shall be given with the most Holy Sacrament After-noon at 5 a Clock shall be preach'd a Sermon which shall be follow'd with the solemn Laud and a Procession about the Church and the Benediction of the the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar which also shall be perform'd on the other Days of the Octave This day shall be celebrated by the Youth of the Sodality under the Title of the Assumption On Tuesday at Ten a Clock precisely shall be read a Mass with Musick After-noon at Five a Clock shall be the Sermon which shall be follow'd with the Laud and the Benedictiof the most holy Sacrament This day shall be solemniz'd by the married men under the Title of the Annunciation On Wednesday at Eleven a Clock precisely shall a read Mass with Musick be perform'd and this day shall be celebrated by the Gentlemen of the Latin Sodality On Thursday also shall the aforesaid Mass in Musick be perform'd and After-noon at Five a Clock shall be preach'd the Sermon in French which shall be follow'd with the Laud and the Benediction of the most holy Sacrament This day shall be celebrated by the National Sodality under the Title of the Immaculate Conception On Friday precisely at Eleven a Clock shall be perform'd a read Mass with Musick Afternoon at Five a Clock shall be the Sermon after which shall follow the Laud with the Benediction of the most H. Sacrament This day shall be celebrated by the Sodality of the Youth under the Title of Purification On Saturday at Eleven a Clock precisely shall be perform'd a read Mass with Musick Afternoon at Three a Clock shall be a Sermon which shall be follow'd with the Laud and the Benediction of the most holy Sacrament This day shall be celebrated by the Students of the Latin School of the Colledge of the Society of Jesus In the Evening at 6 a Clock the Benediction shall be given after a short Laud. On Sunday After-noon at Two a Clock there shall be a Sermon which shall be follow'd by a Laud. At Five a Clock shall be perform'd the Collation after which shall be perform'd yet another Laud concluding with the Benediction as before On Monday being the Octave the foremention'd Mass with Musick shall be perform'd at Eleven a Clock with the Benediction of the most Venerable and Holy Sacrament Afternoon at five a Clock shall be preach'd the last Sermon which shall be follow'd with a solemn Laud during which the Image of our good Lady shall be carried in Procession about the Church and be settled again in its place by the Fathers of the Society of Jesus and by the Youth of the Sodality under the Title of Our good Ladies Nativity who shall celebrate the last day and the Solemnity shall be concluded with the Benediction of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar Moreover the Catechis'd Youth who are instructed in the aforesaid Church and the several Chappels upon certain Days of the Octave shall come and perform their Devotions at Two a Clock Afternoon and there hear a Spiritual Exhortation to wit With a short Musick and the Benediction of the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar On Tuesday the Tuesdays Catechism of the Society of Jesus The Sundays Catechisms once on Wednesdays and once on Thursdays On Friday the Thursdays Catechism of the same Church of the Society of Jesus His Reverence grants forty days of Indulgence not only to all those who are present in the solemn Procession but also in the particular Services of the Octave To the greater Glory of God and the most Holy Virgin and Mother of God Mary The Jesuits have in this House a very good Library considering that it belongs but to a private Colledge It consists of three Rooms not very small and which are well fill'd with chosen Books and they are in a good order and condition In this House is the Acta Sanctorum a framing which is already very famous and in likelihood will become more so If they really mean well in it let us wish them good speed and here take leave of them and of Antwerp too Passage from Antwerp to Brussels TWO Boats in a Day at several times from Antwerp to Brussels with Passengers They go off at the time of Flowing-Water because they must for a good way up this River and into the Rupell be assisted by the Tide in going and returning therefore they regulate the times of both according to the Tide This serv'd
Yard broad and tâ—us they say it resembles a Cross This must never be of Silk or any other matter but Sheeps Wool only and it must be of a brown Colour that so they who wear it may in some measure imitate the Holy Mother of God to whose Honour they say this Garment if it may be so call'd is worn For 't is said her Garments were always of the coâ—rsesâ— Wool The first of these which any Person puts on upon entring into this Brotherhood must be consecrated but when that is worn out he may provide himself of another and put that on without Consecration The use of this thing they say is very old in the Order of our Good Lady of Mount Carmel as they call themselves Even from the time of Elias it has been used who first wore it himself and after his Example his Disciples and Followers have done the same The Devil has always greatly fear'd this Garment but the Power of it has been very much encreas'd since it has been consecrated by our Good Lady and made a Token of a Covenant between her and those who shall devoutly wear it How the Virgin Mary came to Honour it thus they give this Account When this Good Order were driven out of Palestine by the Turks and forced to fly into several Parts of Europe and were there in great Distress not being very well entertain'd where they came they betook themselves for Refuge to God and the Holy Maid Mary their particular Patroness And the Holy Simon Stock being then Prior-General of the Order he took the matter to Heart more than any Body besides praying this Gracious Mother with great Humility and Zeal to come to their Assistance and that through her Merits some Privilege and Advantage to their Order might be obtain'd the which was now so low and oppress'd And very often to please her he read the Hymn Flos Carmeli c. to her Honour The Holy Maid and Mother of Mercy listening to the Prayers of her Children appear'd to this Saint attended with a multitude of Angels in a mighty Glory and gave him the Scapulary as a Token of her particular Friendship and her Protection and Defence of his Order and of all those who shall devoutly wear the same saying to him these remarkable Words My beloved Son receive this Scapulary of your Order a Token of my Brotherhood and a Privilege for you and all Carmelites Whoevâ—r do die in this Habit they shall never suffer the Eternal Fire Behold this is a Token of Salvation a Safeguard in Danger a Covenant of Peace and of Everlasting Agreement These are very high Recommendations indeed of this matter and cannot chuse but be mightily regarded when these People say that the Blessed Simon Stock said that the Virgin Mary her self said such things of it when she deliver'd it to him To advance this Habit they extravagantly advance the Blessed Virgin and tell us that she is exalted in Merit and Glory and Excellency above all Mankind and above all the Quires of Angels I know not whence they learn this So that she is to be serv'd with an Honour and Veneration beyond all Creatures nam'd Hyperdulia And she is honour'd by the Holy Church they mean the Church of Româ— with these Titles Door of Heaven Cause of our Joy Refuge of Sinners Mother of Mercy Our Life and Our Hope These are glorious Titles indeed and seem a little too big to fit'â— meer Creature but they think to excuse them by saying they do not reckon her thus in her own Nature but through a particular manner of being Partner with her Son namely by her Merits and Intercessions by which she obtains for us the divine Gifts and Graces Insomuch that among the apparent Tokens that a Man is chosen to Everlasting Salvation this is to be reckon'd a considerable one namely a sincere Honour active Devotion and Love to Mary and so the matter is well mended There are many mighty Privileges attend the devout wearing of this Scapulary if we may believe these People As first a particular Assistance they shall have from it towards a happy Death An Assistance towards Deliverance out of Purgatory especially on every Saturday after their Death the which Day they say is particularly devoted to her This she her self made known to Pope John II. who says she appear'd to him dress'd like one of this Order and among other things as wise she said that she would stand by every Person who should devoutly wear this Holy Garment and enter themselves in this Brotherhood that they should be absolv'd from the third Part of their Sins upon the Day of their Entrance and that on every Saturday she would descend into Purgatory and so many of this Brotherhood as she should find there she would deliver and bring them to the Mount of Everlasting Life But they must to merit this read at appointed times such and such Prayers to the Virgin and those who cannot read must instead of it fast and abstain from Flesh on Wednesdays and Saturdays excepting when the Birth-day of her Son falls upon either of these days Another Privilege is Protection in Danger and particular Help against the Devil and Witchcraft And on this Occasion a multitude of swinging Stories of Miraculous Deliverances are told Among the Privileges attending the Scapulary must be reckon'd the Indulgences granted to this Brotherhood and also to all Believers who shall upon such and such days Visit the Chapels of this Order and these are many There are near Forty Holy-days in a Year dispersed through the several Months which the Brothers and Sisters of the Scapulary are to Celebrate in the Churches of these Carms and on which they are to enjoy several Indulgences And this 't is said they are to do to the greater Glory of God and our good Lady But indeed they are to do it to help to maintain these lazy Fellows by their Alms as their Offerings are call'd It is likewise to be reckon'd a mighty Privilege of this Brotherhood that every Brother and Sister shall partake in all the Merits of this Blessed Order This is the common Wheedle to draw Men into these Brotherhoods In order to their obtaining these Privileges these three things are requir'd 1. That the Holy Scapulary be receiv'd from some Superiour of the Order who has Authority to dispense it 2. That the Person 's Name who receives it be written in the Book of the Brotherhood 3. That he do wear this Scapulary Night and Day not in his Pocket nor as a Girdle about his Wast but about his Neck This is the outward and bodily wearing of this Garment but besides this there is a spiritual wearing of it also requir'd For as the Body has Life through the Soul so likewise the outward wearing of the Scapulary must become vital and profitable to the Soul through the pious and devout wearing of the same namely with the same Regard and Application of Mind to
present at some Mass This Image was honour'd with at least a dozen Wax Candles which were all this while burning before it and seem'd set to burn out at once It was honour'd too with many Offerings for many Hands Arms Legs Heads c. in Wax-work hung about it And one poor Creature had been so far transported in Superstition and Folly as to present a Heart here there was hanging at the Girdle of the Image a piece of Silver as broad as the Palm of a Man's Hand raised and shaped in the form of a Heart This is a folly frequently seen in the Roman Churches and signifies without doubt the devoting of a Heart to the Virgin which is Idolatry if ever there was such a thing in the World I find in Scripture it is the Direction of the Son of God under the Name of Wisdom My Son give me thy Heart and it is said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul c. But no where is it said we ought to dedicate our Hearts to the Virgin Mary or that we may do this And if Covetousness be call'd Idolatry as it is in Scripture because in that case a Man's Heart is set on Riches and he devotes himself as it were to Wealth it is no wrong to call this so which is a giving up the Heart to a meâ—e Creature We were waiting as I said to see the famous Relicks of the Three Kings they are shown I Three Kings think but once a day and that not half an hour at a time About nine a Clock in the Morning we catch'd the Opportunity They pretend to have here the Bodies of those Persons who were led by a Star to our Saviour at Bethlehem when he was newly born whom our Translation calls Wise Men of the East and the Papists Kings they make their Number to be three and have invented Names for them which are Gaspar Melchior and Balthasar some give them other Names and it appears from the Disputes about the matter that they are all invented It is said these Bodies were transported from Constantinople to Milan and from Milan to Colen The same Bodies are pretended to be somewhere else but that is a small matter If the whole Body of our Saviour from Head to Foot as it hung upon the Cross can be in a thousand places all of it at once 't is no great business for the Body of each of these Kings to be in two places at a time and that altho' they should be at the distance of many hundred Miles from one another But if they had had this Faculty when they were alive they might have gone abroad and staid at home at the same time they might have govern'd their Subjects in Arabia and have ador'd our Saviour at Bethlehem all under one they might have taken a long Journey and notwithstanding that have taken their Ease at the same time in their own Palaces They lie here in a little Chappel which is behind the great Altar and are seen in the Passage there There is within the little Chappel a Partition made with Iron-Bars and clos'd at the top this leaves but very little room for the Priests to go to the Altar of the three Kings behind it Within this Partition is a sort of Tomb which almost fills that so that two Persons can hardly go breast round it One Priest is at the Altar mumbling some Devotions to the three Kings while another is within that Partition with his Surplice on making the Show He opens two Lattices on the out-side of the Partition next the Isle and another Lattice at the Tomb it self and there stand two little Wax-Candles burning so as to cast a little light upon the Relicks One sees only what seems the Crowns of the Heads of three Men or the tops of three Skulls for the things look of the colour of Skulls No Persons was suffer'd to come within where the Priest was or to touch and feel what these things were But many People about us had the Superstition to give the Priests things to be touch'd by these sacred Noddles which he took and held to them with a pair of Silver Pincers We saw hanging up hereabout by a Form to kneel and pray at several of the Litanies of the three Kings as they are call'd And for the encouragement of saying these some days of Indulgence are granted to those that shall say them in any place but to those who will come and recite them here more days of Indulgence are granted accordingly there were several People a good while upon their Knees before the Show began who seem'd to be very busie a meriting these Indulgencies some of the Chanoines before they went into the Quire came and kneel'd down and said some Prayers here We saw several fine Churches with Altars rich and neatly adorn'd and tir'd our selves well with going about we perceiv'd they abound in Relicks every Church affecting to have something or other which is counted valuable of this kind I lamented that many of the Inscriptions which express this matter were in High-Dutch and so I could but seldom make any thing of them and to have found a Person at every Church that could and would give us an account of things in Latin would have taken up more time than we had to spend here Besides it is not at all material to know what Relicks they have but only this would have been worth taking notice of namely to observe what Veneration is to be paid to them and what the encouragement is that allures the People to it And we must content our selves with a Specimen only of this matter in what has been said of the three Kings and the Indulgence granted to those who shall come to their Tomb and in what I shall further relate concerning the Minorites here The Minorites have here a very large and Minorites fine Church as they are generally a good thriving Company of People At the East-end of the North Isle there is a Chappel and Altar dedicated to the Infants of Bethlehem who were kill'd when Herod sought to murder our Saviour The Piece of Painting over the high Altar represents that Tragical History Under that between it and the Table there lies along carv'd in Stone an Image of a Child as laid asleep Before the enclosure of this Chappel there is a Paper hung up in a Frame which in words of Latin intimates That in the Year 1300 and somewhat more the Body of one of the Infants at Bethlehem was sent Infant of Bethlehem from the Minorites at Venice to those at Colen and that it was confirm'd and approv'd for true by the Bishop of Colen And forty days Indulgence is granted to those who being so and so qualified shall visit this Chappel and honour here with their Offerings the holy Infant This is honestly spoke out and shows us for what it is that Relicks are pretended to and
Gardens can yield for the Service of a Family than this They have in the Seasons excellent good Flesh-Meats of all sorts The People are some of the most generous and sincere in their Dealings that one can easily meet with yet is this place so forsaken There are on the Ramparts several large Bastions planted with rows of tall Lime-trees which give a wholsome and pleasant Shade All the rest of the Ramparts are so planted round the City and in some parts they are so broad that they have two broad Walks run parallel upon them and both of them have on each side a Row of tall Trees which by mingling their Boughs at the top make a very pleasant Arbour which is strait and of a good length These Ramparts are rais'd so high that we have from them a good large Prospect over the adjoyning Countrey where one sees a very pleasant mixture of Corn-fields Villages Rows of Trees Gardens Meadows and Woods which lie in the Countrey about Indeed all the Countrey about looks like a Garden the Roads and waste Places are adorn'd with Rows of Trees and the near Husbandman dresses up his Corn-field just as if it were a Garden They make the Ridges very high and broad and form the Furrows at last when 't is plow'd and sown with a Spade so that the Ridges look like the Beds of a Garden The Compass of this City is reckon'd to be Extent about 4700 Paces and if the Plain which leads to the Cittadel be taken in with that also the whole Compass amounts to about 6000 Paces The Area of the whole City is about half of a Circle the Diameter of which is the River and the Wall the Circumference The largest Reach of it from side to side is along the River which is reckon'd to be beginning at the Slyck-Port on the North-side and ending at the Bridge which goes into the Cittadel on the South 1800 Paces It is reckon'd to have in it 220 Streets great and small some of them are very long and straight and broad the Mere is the broadest and is a very stately Street In the broadest part of it stands upon a large Pedestal a great Crucifix gilded all over to which one shall often see Devotions paid by those who pass by On the left side Burse of this is one of the Passages on to the Burse or Exchange which is near There are Four short Passages into it from other Streets which enter about the middle of the four sides of it the Area is almost square and seems as big as ours at London if not bigger It has a Piazza round it which is on the out-side supported with Marble Pillars these were curiously wrought but the Beauty of them is now much decay'd by Time and Weather The chief Trade of this City now seems to be in Lace the making of which employs some thousands of People In the time of its Prosperity was built at the Charge of the City their Magnificent Stadt-House which has a large and stately Town-house Front adorn'd with several Marble Pillars and Statues among which that of the Virgin Mary is Eminent and Conspicuous This Building shews it self upon a very spacious open place which they call The great Market near the Cathedral-Church There are several Canals which enter the City out of the River and rise and fall with the Tides the largest of these is towards the North-side of the City which is big enough to entertain a Hundred good Merchants Ships Near this stands a great Building call'd The Oosterling or Easterling-House it stands about a large Court round about it on the out-sides are several great Doors for the Entrances of Warehouses within the Court below are some Rooms for Habitation and above at the first Story there is an open Gallery which goes round the Court and lets in to the several large Lodging Rooms This House was built by Merchants of Denmark and the Hanse-Towns of Germany whose Factors dwelt here together and kept here their Stores of Goods and Effects This now begins to decay tho' there is a Family in it to look after it and the same Towns are still at the Charge to support it as if they were in hopes that a time might come to use it again as before The occasion of the great Alteration in this Decay City is said to be this In the beginning of the Reformation when many People were disturb'd for falling in with it in Germany and France and England they fled many of them hither thinking to live unobserv'd in such a great heap and concourse of People or to be quiet and safe by reason of the great Privileges which the City enjoy'd But these People recommended and spread their Opinions here and in the neighbouring places This was observ'd and would not be endur'd by the Government which was then under the Direction of a Prince very zealous for the Church of Rome Among other things done with a Design to prevent the spreading of the Reformation Philip King of Spain their Sovereign as Duke of Brabant publish'd an Edict about the Year 1565. importing That all Hereticks should be put to death without Remission That the Emperor's Edicts and the Council of Trent should be publish'd and observ'd and commanding that the utmost Assistance of the Civil Power should be given to the Inquistion This and other things which disgusted the Nobility of these Provinces were done by the Government and all Orders of this sort were rigorously executed by the Duke D' Alva which things put the whole Seventeen Provinces under the Spanish Dominion into a Commotion it came to a bloody Civil War and ended in the total Defection of the present United Provinces from Subjection to Spain In the times of these Troubles many Merchants went away with their Goods and Effects to places where they could be more safe and quiet many to be undisturb'd in their Religion went to Amsterdam and to London Queen Elizabeth being now come to the Throne and so the Fall of this City was a means of the Grandeur of those two It is said That an Account was taken in those times and it was found that at once within the space of a few days an hundred thousand Men had forsaken this and other Trading Cities of these Provinces with all that they could carry away with them to avoid the Rigours and Severities of the Government and the greater Hazards and Dangers of Losses and Mischief from the Confusion and License of the Civil Wars There is no publick Exercise or Profession of Religion permitted here but what is conform'd and subject to the Practice and Authority of the Church of Rome The Church of this Diocese is govern'd by Johannes Ferdinandus de Berghem who is the present Bishop of Antwerp and has his dwelling there He is a very grave and venerable Person exemplary in his Conversation and in great Reputation for his Charity and Zeal But in Conjunction with the Archbishop
done on particular Days fixed and known They bind themselves to such and such good Works as are specified in the Rules of the Fraternity for the Relief of the Souls in Purgatory such as Fasting at particular times going to Mass in publick or the performing some private Tasks of Devotion or the giving of some Charities to the Poor And all of the Fraternity promise themselves much Advantage from the Indulgences granted to it and much Comfort and Relief when they die by Virtue of the Prayers and good Works or voluntary Mortifications of all the whole Society We come now to the greatest of the Parochial Churches which is the Cathedral Church here 't is call'd the Vrouwen Kerk or Our Lady's Church because 't is dedicated to the Virgin Mary 'T is a magnificent large and curious Structure worth admiring both without and within and worth the staying a while about it to take notice of what is here observable The Foundations of this Church they say were laid in the Year 1124 it was formerly Collegiate only and entertain'd 24 Chanonries with a Dean But Philip the Second King of Spain out of a Design to preserve the Roman Religion in these Countries erected several new Bishopricks among them as what he thought most conducing to this purpose One of these fell to the Share of this City and the first Bishop is named Franciscus Sonnius who was fixed about the Year 1567. This Church has a great deal of curious carv'd Stone-work on the Outside which adorns the lofty Roof of it and is seen above the Houses that encompass it The Steeple is all Stone from the bottom to the top it is in height 400 Antwerp Feet from thence in a clear day may be distinctly seen Mechlin Louvain Brussels Ghent the Sea and the Islands of Zeeland with the naked Eye The whole Steeple has so much carving about it and is such curious Work that they say the Emperor Charles V. viewing it and considering that Time and Weather must needs deface the Beauty of it as is in some measure already done said It was worthy to be kept in a Case and to be shown only upon Holidays In this Steeple there is a Set of perhaps the most musical Chimes in the World to serve which there are of all Sorts in the Steeple 68 Bells The Church is very fine and rich within in excellent Pieces of Painting in Marble and Brass Pillars and the Altars on high Days are adorn'd with a great deal of Riches in Silver Lamps and Candlesticks and other Works of Silver These being intermix'd very artificially with Bundles of Flowers true in their Season and such are well counterfeited in Winter with Bay-trees also and tall lighted Wax-Tapers all together make the most beautiful Scenes in the World And when there is added to these a Consort of all sorts of excellent Musick as on some Holidays the Mass and all the other Offices of the Day are perform'd in Musick then they make the Church out-do the Play-house in that which is most pleasant there tho perhaps these things are not very proper to be mingled with Christian Worship which is design'd rather to refine and purifie the mind of Man and to elevate it to God and Divine Things than to please and charm the Sences with the Pomps and Pleasures of this World There are a great many Altars in this Church continually and to some of them are granted the obtaining the same Indulgences which are to be gain'd in St. Peter's Church at Rome by those who shall visit these Altars on such and such Holidays of the Year as are specified This is signified by some Prints hanging in Frames in the Church in Latin and in Low-Dutch Besides these upon some Occasions they erect new Altars for the time There are belonging to this Church several Fraternities Confraternities which take the Charge and Care upon them to furnish and adorn particular Chapels in it and to maintain the Performance of Divine Offices in them Some of these it may not be amiss to take notice of here One is call'd the Fraternity of the Circumcision which consists of 24 Principal Citizens some Religious and some Secular They maintain the Chapel of the Circumcision where they pretend to keep and to show upon particular occasions the Prepuce or Foreskin which was cut from our Saviour when he was circumcis'd They say it was sent hither by Duke Godfrey of Bulloine from Jerusalem after that City had been recover'd from the Hands of the Mahometans and he was voted K. of it in the Year 1101. Another Fraternity is call'd the Brotherhood of the Chappel of the Virgin Mary which consists of almost an hundred Brothers some Citizens some Foreigners This Chappel is a large Enclosure on the East end of the North Isle It has a very high Enclosure I think of Marble and at the lower end a Gallery for Musick supported by Marble Pillars This Brotherhood maintain here besides daily Masses and other Offices ordinary and extraordinary a Sett of Musick which sings every day the Hymn Salve Regina which I suppose to be this that follows Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae Vita Dulcedo spes nostra salve Ad te clamamus exules Filii Evae Ad te spiramus gementes flentes in hac lacrymarum valle Eja ergo Advocata nostra illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte Et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui nobis post hoc exilium ostende O Clemens O Pia O Dulcis Virgo Maria V. Ora pro nobis sancta Dei Genetrix R. Vt digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi Another is the Fraternity of the Holy Sacrament who have a Chapel enclos'd at the East end of the South Isle of the Church The Partition here is as I remember all of Marble This Altar I have observ'd on great days set off with a great deal of Riches and Finery and these maintain here a Mass and Vespers with Musick daily To this Church also belong the 27 Colledges as they are call'd of Tradesmen in this City who have each of them a Chapel or an Altar at least at which they maintain a Mass upon all Festivals of the Year but upon the Feasts of the Saints whom they reckon the Patrons of their Trade they cause to be sung a Solemn Mass with a Consort of Musick There is in this Church at the top of the Lantern a piece of Painting which is very much admir'd it represents a Heaven as I remember The Master that drew it is one Mees who was lately living in the Town and perhaps is still there Here are to be seen several of the noble Pieces of the famous Rubens's drawing As one comes in at the South Door of the Church there is a Piece of his at the first Altar on the right hand The Altar-piece represents our Saviour a-taking down from the Cross There are Folding-doors put up to open and show or to shut and cover
he who has said Mine Honour will I not give to another will not reckon there is any paid to him when that which is due only to him is communicated to a Creature And we may observe how undistinctly at least they speak to the People and how ill they must needs teach them when they speak so in this that they mention at last the most Glorious Deity without any Epithet of Honour but the Virgin is call'd most Holy Certainly if their Prayers for the extirpation of Heresies which are always excited on these occasions had any effect they would procure the removal of these gross Idolatries from the Christian Church In the entrace of the Office for the Mass of this Day they say Let us all rejoyce in the Lord and solemnly celebrate this Day in Honour of the Blessed Mary For the Assumption of whom the Angels rejoyce and glorifie the Son of God Mr. de Meaux produces a Collect for the Day which runs thus O Lord let us receive a Salutary Assistance from the Solemnity of this Day whereon the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God underwent a Temporal Death but could not be held down by the Chains of that Death c. On the day of this Festival and so through the whole Octave one shall see at this Church a number of Puppets dress'd up to represent her and hung by Wyres in a strait Line one above another up to the top of the losty Church and the highest of them are the least to make the distance appear the greater but they are all dress'd exactly alike Thus are the People taught her Assumption but while they are thus taught by Images and Pictures we cannot chuse but think that it would be much better for them if they had more of the Scriptures and less of these This is one of the many Instances of Devotion in the Roman Church which at least are groundless and without any Foundation or Warrant in the Word of God But if that which is done without Faith as the Apostle says be Sin and that which has no Foundation or Warrant from the Word of God must be done by consequence without Faith then 't is necessary that these Devotions instead of being acceptable with God must be sinful and an Abomination to him But there is yet a further Guilt in this matter and that is That this with several Honours and Devotions paid to the Virgin Mary are design'd and tend to parallel her first with our blessed Saviour and then perhaps afterwards they will advance her above him as in some things some of them seem to do already for these Evil Men and Seducers grow worse and worse Therefore as the Christian Church has observ'd a Day and still does so to celebrate our Saviour's miraculous Conception the Church of Rome keeps a Day to celebrate hers which the Bishop of Meaux expresly calls a miraculous Conception too As the Christian Church celebrates the Nativity of our Lord so the Roman Church celebrates on a particular Festival that of the Virgin As the Christian Church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple as the First-born of his Mother and a Male so the Roman Church celebrates the Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Temple having as the Bishop of Meaux says receiv'd it by a pious Tradition come from the East That the blessed Mary was consecrated to God from her Infancy and presented to him in the Temple This Story was very ignorantly invented at first For the Jewish Law ordain'd indeed that the Males should be presented to God which were the First-born of their Mothers but not the Females This is very evident in the Scripture and the Jesuit Menochius states the Law so in his Learned Book De Republica Hebraica They commemorate her Sufferings as well as those of our Saviour and frequently show her to the People as having a Sword sticking in her Breast as she stands by the Cross of our Saviour and sometimes they express their Reliance on her Sufferings for the Satisfaction of their Guilt as they do of those of our Saviour To conclude as the Church celebrates the Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord into Heaven so does the Church of Rome that of the blessed Virgin whom by a parallel Title they usually call Our Lady If all should be here produced which is practised in the Veneration of the Virgin Mary by the Church of Rome and is allow'd and encourag'd by the publick Authority of the same and taught by their Preachers and Writers without Censure yea with the express Approbation of the Censurers I doubt not but it would appear to any just and impartial Person to be no hard and unjust Appellation if one should call the People of that Communion rather Marians than Christians Antwerp is abundantly furnish'd with those call'd Religious Houses of several sorts both for Men and Women for these Renouncers of the World commonly flock to those places chiefly where there is most Wealth stirring and where 't is most pleasant living The chief Orders of Mâ—n here and whose Chappels are the finest and most frequented are the Minor Brothers a Species of the Franciscans and the Carmelites who are call'd The Brothers of our Lady the Norbertines and the Jesuits The things which recommend the Orders to the People and make them run more after one than another are commonly these The Opinion which the People have of the Holiness of some Saints of such an Order whose Altars and Chappels they visit to partake of their Merits and Intercessions and the Indulgences granted to be obtain'd in the Churches of that Order together with the Festivals which they particularly celebrate We must add to these also the Fraternities which belong to them and sometimes an Image they have in their Chappels is famous for the Miracles pretended to be wrought there tho' perhaps they have hardly any Witnesses to these but the Monks that keep them and some hired Vouchers The Minor Brothers have a good House and Minorites a large Church here and a great Reputation among the People they go bare-legg'd but have Sandals on their Feet they have several Processions in a Year wherein they appear a great number and have a great Company of men marching with their Torches before the Host as if they wanted Light as I think they do and were groping at Noon-day as the Blind grope in Darkness They carry the Host then in very rich Circumstances with some large Silver Incense-pots before it under a rich Canopy in a large and costly Remonstrancer and the Priest that carries it does not fail to have a great deal of Gold and Silver upon his Back To these People are tied the Fraternity of the Cord of St. Francis which enjoys great Spiritual Privileges of the Pope's granting They have a great Festival founded upon a ridiculous Story which they call The Feast of Portiuncula That is a time of enjoying those Indulgences which were granted upon the
Intercession of the Virgin Mary by the express Command of Jesus Christ as is pretended to be obtain'd first in a little Chappel which St. Francis used which he call'd Portiuncula and after a time as it is now those Indulgences were to be had in all the Chappels of these good Men. They look very jolly by Virtue of these things and one may believe do not fail since they can afford it to indulge themselves I think it may not be amiss to detain the Reader here a little while with a more particular Account of these two profitable Privileges belonging to this Order which like the Goods of a Tradesman's Shop bring People to their Churches and Wealth to their Houses the rather because by these things as a Specimen it will appear by what base Tricks and palpable Cheats the Religious Orders as they are call'd in the Church of Rome are maintain'd and several large Families of idle useless supernumerary Priests live upon the Sweat and Labour of the meaner people and grow rich by draining away gradually from the greater their Wealth and Possessions I shall first give an Account of the Feast of Portiuncula as I have it from themselves In a short Relation of the Original and most Plenary Ingulgences of our Lady of the Angels nam'd Portiuncula granted the holy Francis by Christ himself which is yearly to be obtain'd in the Churches of the Minor Brothers on the second of August It is as follows At the distance of about a Mile from Assise in Italy where the holy Francis was born there stood an old ruinous little Chappel belonging to a certain Abbey of St Benedict to this place the holy Francis after his Conversion bore a particular Devotion and begun to repair the same after the best manner that he could and to take it for his ordinary Habitation chusing the same for the first Settlement and beginning of his Seraphick Order and call'd it Our Lady of the Angels for that he had often in that place heard the wonderful sweet Hymns of the Angels of God and had himself there oftentimes enjoy'd their Conversation He nam'd also this Chappel Our Lady of Portiuncula whether it were from a Village of that Name near which this Chappel might be built or for that he held this place for his little Portion in Latin Portiuncula which God Almighty had allotted him for his Order Altho' the Foundation at first was very small yet it is through the particular Dispensation of God greatly encreas'd and become exceedingly renown'd through all Christendom It was also held in such Estimation by St. Francis that no man was permitted to come in there but his Brothers only and of the same none might there dwell with him but such as excell'd in good and exemplary living This now was well enough thought on in a Story so silly as this will appear because under this pretence they can put upon the World what Lyes they please concerning St. Francis's Miracles and miraculous Entertainments here as it is the common Character of their feign'd Miracles by which they pretend to confirm and recommend their Fopperies and Superstitions and Idolatries that they are always done in a Corner and hid from the World there are none of them that ever appear'd in publick or in any great Concourse of People or to any impartial Witnesses But to go on with my Tale It came to pass they say in the Year 1221. about the Month of October as the holy Francis was in his Cell very zealously and heartily praying to God for Sinners an Angel appear'd to him who said That he must go immediately into the Church because that our Saviour and his most Holy Mother with an innumerable Multitude of Angels were waiting for him It was really very condescendingly done for this great Company to come first and wait for him or rather most impudently was the Story thus devis'd but this Honour which they give St. Francis is little to what the Alcoran of the Minorites ascribes to him I mean the great Book I have seen of the Conformities of St. Francis with Jesus Christ Upon this St. Francis went into the Church and saw there the Lord Christ on whose Right-hand stood his Blessed Mother encompass'd with an innumerable Company of Angels Whereupon he fell flat on his Face to the Earth and continued there his devout Prayers to the Lord and his Mother Was this an Exercise of Devotion in St. Francis to pray to the Virgin together with Christ or done only with the Bishop of Meaux's Spirit of Charity But the Lord Jesus said to him Francis you and your Brothers precious Men are extreamly solicitous for the Salvation of Men seek therefore of me for the Salvation of the People for the Comfort of Souls and for advancing the Honour of my Name all that which you desire and it shall undoubtedly be granted you St. Francis lay stretch'd out before the Face of God altogether transported in Spirit but being come a little to himself and being strengthned in the inner Man he took Courage and said O most Holy Father I a poor Sinner pray and intreat most humbly that your Divine Majesty will be pleased to grant Mankind this Favour That all those who shall come to this Church may be favour'd and indulg'd with a full Forgiveness of all their Sins which they have confess'd to the Priest I also pray you most Holy Mother Advocatress of the Generations of Men that your most gracious Majesty will be pleased to help me in my Request The most saving Queen of Heaven being mov'd by the Prayer of her Servant Francis begun immediately to entreat her Son saying Most Holy Almighty God I humbly entreat your Godhead that your Majesty will be pleased to hear and favour your and my Servant Francis Hereupon said the Lord to him Francis the thing you seek is truly very great but you are worthy of more than that I consent to your Prayer but I desire you would go to my Stadtholder and from him in my Name seek this Indulgence and thereupon did the Lord and his Company leave the Church and vanish The Brothers who were Twelve in number which is doubtless one of the Conformities of St. Francis with Jesus Christ and who dwelt with St. Francis in this place and were all of them in their Cells saw a mighty Glory in the Church and around it multitudes of Angels they heard also very distinctly all that passed but through Fear and Astonishment durst not venture into the Church nor indeed stir from their Cells The day following St. Francis with one of his Brothers travell'd to Perusia where the Pope Honorius the Third held his Court and being admitted to him he humbly said Most holy Father I have not long since repair'd a Church to the Honour of the holy Mother of God whereupon I intreat that your Holiness would be pleas'd to grant that a plenary and free Indulgence should therein be obtain'd without Offerings The
I doubt those Prayers he makes in that case will find but little Favour or Acceptance But this is the constant way of the Church of Rome to put their Tasks of Devotion among their Penances and Mortifications We may observe here also that the People are taught to depend upon the Angel for their Interest in the Merits of Jesus Christ and the Acceptance even of their good Works and also to be kept from mortal Sin Thus are the greatest Blessings in this way of Worship disir'd and expected to be obtain'd not only by but also from these Blessed Spirits which is not a Reliance certainly upon their Intercession alone but even upon themselves for the good things we desire which is an Honour due to God alone To proceed 'T is said That on every Tuesday which is the day particularly consecrated to these glorious Spirits from the Morning he girt himself with a Girdle which was made very uneasie to him with sharp Points of Iron turn'd towards his Body and in the Evening he ended his day with a bloody Discipline But be it known that altho' the Superstitions and extravagant Rites of Religion which the Devil has at any time taught the World have always had a Tincture of Cruelty and unreasonable Severity and have betray'd therein the Malice of that wicked Spirit yet this is not the Character of true Religion which is gentle and kind and useful in all its Injunctions And accordingly the kind Angels who are endow'd abundantly with that disposition cannot be supposed to be delighted or to take it as done at all to their Honour that Men should hurt or torment themselves Further 't is said and propos'd as a Pattern to others for their Imitation That this Person fasted in Honour of the Angels at least twice in a Yeat we must understand this does not mean that he fasted but twice in a Year but it is intended to signifie that he kept at least two Fasts in a year in Honour of the Angels and which he design'd to honour them by To wit on the last day of February and on the last day of September because the holy Church in many places celebrates the Festival of the Guardian-Angels on the first day of March and on the first of October And this he did we must know to dispose himself by these Abstinences to receive those Showers of Graces which they pour down particularly on this day This sure is to make the Angels Dispensers of these good Things and to teach the People to expect and desire them from them About the time of these two Feasts he went to visit the Prisons and Hospitals to comfort and assist the Sick and Imprison'd there with his Alms. And this also is done in Honour and to the Glory of the Angels And thus they usually put the Exercises of Charity and the giving of Alms which are some of the greatest Pleasures that can possibly be to a good and well-dispos'd Mind among the Works of Mortification and Sufferance 'T is a fine Story they tell of St. Gregory who came to be Pope to encourage this giving of Alms in Honour of the Angels He say they having given a Dinner to 12 poor People he saw one of them who became very beautiful and glorious as an Angel and said to him Gregory you thought with your self that you gave your Alms to a poor Man but you have given them to an Angel and God has sent me to be constantly from henceforth near you and to guard you to the last Period of your Life For a Recompence further of your Liberality you shall be Head and Universal Pastour of the Church and all that which you ask of God you shall obtain by my means Thus is there a Pattern framed to teach People by in what things they must honour their Guardian-Angel by Sufferance They go yet further and in the same method teach and direct how they are to be honour'd by their Prayers to them It is said therefore of this unknown Person as follows As soon as he was risen and while he was upon his Knees having done what hasbeen said before he implor'd the Succour of his Angel in these following words which all Believers say they ought to know and to recite every Morning Angele Dei qui Custos es mei Me tibi commissum pietate superna Hodie illumina custodi rege guberna Here they call the Angel their Keeper tho' indeed 't is acknowledg'd he is so by the Divine Commission But they also pray to him directly to illuminate keep govern and guide them Again before he began any Business he made the same Prayer to his Guardian Angel Moreover as often as he heard the Clock strike he recommended his Soul to him against the point of Death saying Angele Dei qui Custos es mei Adjura me nunc in hora mortis O Angel Who art commission'd to keep me assist me now and in the hour of my Death At the end of his Mental by which they mean ex tempore Prayer which he made in the Morning He besought the good Angel to beg for him of God a firmness in his Resolutions and to thank him for all the Light and Knowledge which he had communicated to him and to obtain what he should ask for his Friends and fellow Associates Before he began his Study he begg'd the Illuminations of his Coelestial Pedagogue and he offer'd to him his Labours for the Glory of his Master and for the Salvation of his Soul He never fail'd to assist or be present every day at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass And it was at this time that he first recited the Office of the Guardian Angels and after that their Chaplet or Rosary which he did in this manner Upon the Cross which hung at his string of Beads he said the Te Deum Laudamus Upon the great Beads he said the Gloria Patri to thank God for the Favour he had done him in giving him an Angel And upon the little Beads he recited the Prayer aforesaid Angele Dei c. This then was said in the Place of the Ave Mary's and truly I believe it might be done with as much Profit with leave of the good Fathers the Dominicans At the time of the elevation of the Sacred Hostie he recommended his Soul and that of all his fellow Associates into the Hands of Jesus for the Hour of his and their Death He communicated every Month and at least once to the Honour of his Dear Guide and after this Communion he renew'd the Protestations of Fidelity to his Guardian Angel which St. Charles Borromaeus did from time to time make to his He also every Month visited the Chappel dedicated to the Angel 'T is added this may be done on the first Tuesday of every Month and the People are bid to remember that Tuesday is the day particularly destin'd for the Honouring of the Blessed Spirits by the Church and that there is a
Roman Church in the which are dead all the Saints that have ever been to this time and out of which there is no Salvation Inspire me with these Sentiments at the Pâ—â—nt of my Death and do the same for all my Associates I protest again O my Dear Angel That under your Guard and Protection I would depart this Life with a mighty confidence in your Succours and with a plain and entire hope in the Mercy of my God Combat in that moment the Enemies of my Salvation Receive my Soul at its going out of the Body Render Jesus favourable to me after Death I protest likewise my Blessed Angel That I demand moreover from the bottom of my Heart to partake of the Merits of the Blood of my Saviour I detest all the Sins I have committed by Works Thoughts or Words I pardon all mine Enemies I would die with the Cross fastned to my Heart to signifie that I found my Hopes upon the Merits of him who has stain'd it with his Blood I protest also O most faithful Friend who will not abandon me in this my last Passage that through the desire which I have to go to Heaven I am ready to suffer all that which the Justice of my God shall think fit to inflict See I am ready to quit my Parents my Friends and my Body to be eaten with Worms and one day to rise again See I am ready to suffer the greatest Evil the most grievous Maladies even the Pains of Purgatory that I may satisfie for the Enormities of my Sins I protest lastly O my most Dear and most vigilant Guide That I constitute you the Executor of the last Will of my Soul Say to Jesus at that Moment that which perhaps I shall not be able to say That I believe all that which the Church believes That I detest all my Sins because they displease him That I cast my self upon his Love That I hope in his Mercy That I die willingly because he is so pleas'd That I recommend my poor Soul and the Souls of all my fellow Associates into his Hands That I love him more than all Creatures And that I would love him to all Eternity Amen See here some Lines of the Character of a Modern Roman Saint One might search the Scripture long enough before one could find several of these But while Rome makes such Saints I doubt they are canonized too soon Yet at a venture this Man is become a Saint in much esteem in the Church of Rome and is honour'd with Altars Chappels Festivals Litanies Alms Communions and in a word with every thing that can be done by Man to the Honour of Almighty God These Protestarâ—ons the People are exhorted to renew and to make for themselves when ever they Communicate and are encourag'd thereupon to hope they shall die the Death of the Righteous An Indulgence of Forty days is granted to every one that enters himself in this Brotherhood on the day of entering the same An Indulgence of Forty days is granted to every one that shall recite these Protestations as often as he does recite them The same mighty Favour is granted to those that shall recite the Office of the Holy Angels which is too long to be inserted here or the Chaplet which has been mention'd before or the Litany of the Holy Angels for every day whereon they say it In time perhaps the Society may grow richer in this sort of Wealth It is time for us now to take leave of them The Great Church of the City was formerly St. Gudule dedicated to St. Michael but it seems the property of it is alter'd and the Angel has been forc'd for some years to give the Honour and the Place to the Saint for it is now called the Church of St. Gudule When Count Lambert and the Bishop of Tournay says Story translated the Body of St. Gudule from another Church in this City to this of St. Michael they enlarged this Church considerably at a great Charge and endowed it with a good Revenue and consecrated it anew dedicating it to this Saint who was as they say a Princess descended of the Family of Charlemaigne In this Church is a Chappel to the holy Sacrament which at the time we went in had the greatest number of People The Altar was very richly adorn'd There was standing over it a tall Portal which seem'd to be Silver under which the Sacrament is wont to be set when 't is produc'd only to be seen and ador'd but it was not then there Besides this several other things about the Altar seem'd to be Silver Six large Silver Lamps hung up before the Altar and two very stately Chrystal Candlesticks with many Silver Sockets round them for Candles these last were a late Present made by the Electour of Bavaria to this Chappel Here is kept in this Church in a little Golden Chest and is shown only upon a particular Holiday once a Year the Miraculous Sacrament Miraculous Sacrament as they call it which is such a Wafer as the Papists use in celebrating the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to which the following Story belongs In the Year 1369. as some of the Historians of this Countrey put it one Jonathan a Jew with an ill Design bought of a Certain Curate of St. Catharine's Church a Box with three consecrated Wafers in it He being afterwards kill'd by some Persons his Enemies his Wife gave the Box to their Son named Abraham with the Hosties in it He upon a Good-friday took an Hostie out of the Box and in contempt of our Saviour went about to stab and cut it with his Knife when at every Wound he made in it there issued Blood The Woman his Mother admiring the Miracle immediately became a Christian And having discover'd the matter to the Messires Peter and John Valvius the former Curate of St. Gudule the latter of St. Nicholas the Wickedness of the Jew was publish'd so that Wencesleus then Duke of Brabant and Johanna his Wife having diligently examin'd the matter caused Abraham and other Jews that had joyn'd with him in the Impiety to be burnt alive before the Church of St. Catharine The Examinations about this matter and the whole Process are said to be kept in the Chamber of Accounts of Brabant The Duke and Dutchess in a solemn Procession attended this wounded Hostie to the Church of St. Gudule and reposited it there and a Holiday was appointed to commemorate the Miracle and a solemn Procession in which it should be carried about and be shown to the People This Day is kept in â—â—ly and we have at this present being the 24th day the fresh News at the Hague that a mighty Confluence of People came to Brussels to be present at this Solemnity insomuch that the City had scarce room enough to hold them It is said the Archbishop of Mechlin perform'd the Service attended by four Abbots that he carried the miraculous Hostie in the Procession and that
there were 8000 Wax Torches and Flambeaus carried before it I doubt not but some mighty Indulgence was the Lure that brought so many People together and perhaps it was a new one granted in consideration of the late Sufferings of the City for these Occasions bring Money both to Priests and People At the place where this Hostie is kept in this Church there hangs up a Table on which are written these Verses following which relate the matter in short Quisquis ades summi quem tangit cura Tonantis Dum proper as coeptum siste viator iter Hic tibi viva caro aeterni Sapientia Patris Christus adest vivus panis una salus Invida Judaeûm quam dum laniare laborat Impietas meritis ignibus ecce ruit Quare age divinos bic funde Viator honores Funde Deo dignas supplice mente preces If this Story were true it might be reckon'd a miraculous Confirmation of the Truth of Christian Religion but it does not all conclude for the Absurdity of Transubstantiation tho' 't is very likely it was at first but a Juggle contriv'd for a pretended Proof of that as it is to this day reputed a mighty one I will allow it to be the best they have In this Church as I remember I saw an Altar with an Image of the Virgin over it which has an Inscription belonging to it that calls her Maria pacis On the Front of the great House before-mention'd call'd the Bakers there is somewhat relating to this matter One sees there two Inscriptions in great Letters which run cross the whole Front the one of which is A Peste Fame Bello libera nos Maria Pacis The other is Hic Votum fecit Elizabetha pro Pace publica I suppose this Elizabeth to have been Isabella-Clara-Eugenia Daughter of Philip the second King of Spain who married her in the Year 1598. to Albert the Sixth Arch-Duke of Austria whom he made Governour of these Countries This Inscription speaks fully out what they mean by their Application to the Saints and downright asks of the Virgin Mary that she would deliver them from the Plague Famine and War It speaks too their Opinion of Images while the Prayer is made as their Phrase is to that particular Virgin Mary and the People in common Talk will say One Virgin Mary has done a great many Miracles but another has done nothing at all There are a great many Convents of Friars and Nuns in this City for these people commonly chuse the most populous and pleasant places to retire from the World and mortifie themselves in many of them were beaten down by the Bombs out of the French King 's ardent Zeal to promote the Roman Religion The Dominicans had a large Church here the Dominicans Walls and Cover of which are up and they were saying Mass at two or three sorry Altars in it to be doing for something doing something coming A large Division of this Church which is almost half of it was before and is design'd again for the Chappel of the Rosary The Rosary is a Set of Prayers to the Virgin which if you will believe them she her self order'd and assisted St. Dominick to recommend to the World a thing that has done mighty matters but chiefly has well provided for this Order and fatned them up as Hogs for the Slaughter For as the Institution of this blessed The Rosary From of Devotion is deriv'd from this Order so they have all the Profits of it The Chappels of the Rosary belong to them and the Brotherhood of the Rosary are their People and are joyn'd to them and all the mighty Priviledges and Indulgences granted to the Rosary are dispensed by these Monks and by Virtue of these matters there is no sort of the pretended religious Orders who look more jolly and fat and shine with their own Grease more than these Butcherly Fellows This method of Devotion has drawn in such multitudes of People of the Roman Communion and makes so great and considerable a part of the Worship and Devotion of that Church that one should give a very imperfect Account of the State of Religion in the Roman Church without somewhat a distinct Account of the Devotion of the Rosary I shall therefore produce some of the most observable Particulars which I have met with relating to this matter wherein we shall see a great deal of dull and tedious trifling under the Name and Pretence of Devotion a deal of impious Idolatry in the Worship of the Virgin if ever there was or can be such a thing as Idolatry in the Worship of a Creature and we shall see the main business of Worship turn'd into Applications to the blessed Virgin and in a word the Christian Religion turn'd Marian. What the Rosary is The Rosary or Garland of Roses is a Set of Prayers to the Virgin Mary intermixed with the Lord's Prayer These both one and other are number'd by the Beads which one shall so often see in the Hands of the People in Popish Countries especially when they go to Church The String of Beads is tied together at the ends and has commonly fifty small and five greater Beads in the round and there are besides about ten◠I think of the small Beads with one great one upon a little strait String with a Cross which hangs to the other On the smal Beads they say so many Ave Mary's as these Prayers to the Virgin are commonly call'd because they begin with the Words of the Angel's Salutation of her when he came to tell her she should be honour'd with bearing the Messias To which Salutation they have added moreover that of Elizabeth and a Conclusion in the Form of a Supplication to the B. Virgin The whole Prayer runs thus Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee blessed art thou above all Women and blessed is the Fruit of thy Womb Jesus Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us poor Sinners now and in the Hour of our Death This Prayer is repeated ten times and then comes the Lord's Prayer which is repeated as often as the great Beads come The whole Rosary or Garland of Prayers consists of this String of Beads three times repeated which comes to fifteen times ten Ave Maries and fifteen Pater Nosters When and upon what occasion the Rosary was instituted This method of Devotion so erroneously partial to the Virgin whom they pray to ten times in it for one Prayer to Almighty God has no other Foundation but a Story as impudent as silly and evidently devised to derive it from the Blessed Virgin her self Indeed this does but help to fill up the Parallel between Rome Heathen and Popish and if Numa Pompilius might pretend to derive his Rules of Religion from a Goddess why might not the holy Dominick derive his from such an one too Thus then as they say this great and divine Institution as brought into the World When the holy Dominick had
Man the blessed Alanus de Rupe a Dominican had a Revelation of them from the Virgin Mary her self who to confirm the truth of these things in his Book Entituled The Reviv'd Work says All these things hath the most B. Virgin Mary the Mother of God related to a certain Religious Person meaning himself good Man but out of modesty concealing his Name assuring him that they were most evidently and sensibly true The which Religious Person she chose to be her Bridegroom giving him a Wedding Ring some say a Rosary or string of Beads but which soever it was she had very curiously wove it up of her own Hair This methinks were a precious Relick if in being but I do not find that they any where pretend to have it among them which yet they might as justly pretend to as to many other things of that sort Some Directions about Reading the Rosary The People are exhorted to take care that they do this not only with the Mouth but also with the Heart and with serious attention to which purpose they are directed to begin their Tasks of Devotion with this Preface to the Virgin Fill my Mouth with the Grace of your sweetness O Mary and enlighten my Understanding Oh thou who art full of Grace Stir up my Tongue and Lips with chearfulness of Heart to sing your Praises Vouchsafe that I your humble Servant may with Pleasure say Ave c. A pretty good beginning and we shall find the rest agreeable They tell the People that 't is good and profitable to read the Rosary with Meditations on the 15 Mysteries by which they mean the principal parts of the History of our Saviour to which they have added some Fictions concerning the Virgin to make up the Number When they do thus then to every ten Ave Mary's and a Pater Noster there comes a Meditation and this is attended with an Address either to the Virgin Mary alone or to Jesus Christ and the B. Virgin ane she is for the most part the Principal Person applied to some of these for a Specimen I shall here produce Upon the Resurrection of Christ the Prayer begins to Jesus and then is soon turn'd to the Virgin in these words Also I beg of you O the Glory of Jerusalem the Joy of Israel Mother and Matd Mary Awaken me from the Grave of Ill Customs in the which I have lain buried and obtain for me the Spirit of Divine Grace c. Upon the Assumption of the Virgin into Heaven they have this Prayer to be join'd with the Rosary I beseech you Oh most H. Virgin Mary who in Soul and Body are gloriously advanced into Heaven Qbottomless pit of all Grace my most sweet and glorious Lady I pray you through the unspeakable Comfort which you have felt in the hour of your Death that you will not for sake me at the end of my Life but stand by my Soul as a sure Defender as a sweet Refuge and a gracious Mother that I being encompass'd with your overflowing Merits may fear no Snares or Temptations of the Enemy but that I may be found worthy to be introduced with Joy and presented in the presence of your Blessed Son with whom you Reign for ever and ever Upon the Crowning of Mary in the Heavens which they commonly set the adorable Trinity a doing in their impious Pictures and Images they have this Prayer I beseech you Oh most excellent Queen of Heaven who by your singular Beauty do adorn and make glad the whole City of God! I intreat you by the Love of your Bridegroom that you will make us poor Exiles in this vale of Tears Partakers of the abundant Bliss which you enjoy in your Native Country above Arise Oh Advocatress Turn towards us your merciful Eyes and after that this our banishment is over shew â—s the blessed Fruit of your Body Jesus Give Ear to us Oh Gratious Hear us Oh kind Give us what we ask Oh sweet Virgin Mary Upon the Visitation of Elizabeth by the Virgin this Prayer following is directed to be used in the reciting of the Rosary Oh Glorious and always Blessed Maid Mary I present you these Salutations meant of the Ave Mary's to the Honour and Remembrance of that great Joy which fill'd your Virgin Heart when after your Conceiving in your Virgin Body you went into the Hill-Country of Judea and did there visit and salute your Cousin Elizabeth By this your Joy and Rejoycing I beseech you to account me worthy that you come to my Soul and to visit that with your gracious Presence And grant me the favour that I may faithfully serve you all the days of my Life The form of Blessing the Beads of a Rosary This string of Beads are consecrated before they are to be used as a Rosary and for that purpose they make use of this following Prayer Almighty and most merciful God who through the immense Love wherewith thou hast loved us wast willing that thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ should descend from Heaven upon the Earth and according to the Angels Message should take flesh in the most Holy Womb of the most Blessed Virgin Mary our Lady and should undergo the Cross and Death and on the Third Day gloriously rise again from the Dead that thou mightest rescue us from the Power of the Devil We beseech thy immense Clemency to bless ✚ and san ✚ ctifie here two Crosses are made over the Beads these signs of the Rosary dedicated by thy faithful Church to the Honour and Praise of the same Parent of thy Son and infuse into them such a Vertue of the Holy Spirit that whoever carries any of these about him and reverently retains them in his House and does according to the Rules of the Brotherhood devoutly pray to thee upon them contemplating at the same time the Divine Mysteries he may abound in saving and persevering Devotion and be a Partaker of all the Graces Privileges and Indulgences which have been granted to the said Society by the Holy Apostolick See and may be deliver'd from every Enemy visible and invisible always and every where in this Life and in the Life to come and may deserve to be presented to thee full of good Works by the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother of God her self by the same our Lord Jesus Christ c. This Prayer being said the Beads are to be sprinkled with Holy Water The Brotherhood of the Holy Rosary The Honour of Instituting this is also given The Brotherhood of the H. Rosary to Dominick who is said to have done it at the Revelation and upon the Charge of the most H. Virgin Mary She willing hereby to multiply her Graces and Favours to the World Commanded her beloved Bridegroom St. Dominick to found this Brotherhood which she order'd should be call'd The Brotherhood of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the most Holy Virgin Mary From hence it is the peculiar Privilege of the Dominicans to have Authority
to establish any where these Brotherhoods And for this Reason they say this Fraternity is united with so strong a Bond to this Order that they cannot in any wise be separated the one from the other Neither can any Chappel of the Rosary be erected by any other Person excepting the General of this Order or those who shall be thereto deputed by him And if any should presume to do this it would be to very little purpose for their Chappel should be destitute of all the Indulgences which are granted to this Order or Brotherhood And every of the Fathers Provincial have this leave and powder from the General That they may erect a Brotherhood each one in his own Province And these Fathers may erect these Brotherhoods in what City Town or Village they please in the Churches Chappels or Oratories of the Dominicans and also in the Churches of the Secular Clergy But it must be understood that these Chappels shall be serv'd only by Dominicans or perhaps some other Priests who at least are of the Brotherhood of the Rosary And this is a bold Invasion upon the Rights of the Secular Clergy but this was a thing made very light of in former days though now the Secular Clergy begin to lift up their Heads and get from under the Oppression of these useless Drones Indeed they are directed to ask leave of the Bishop where they do this that this Brotherhood may be the more acceptable and may bear the more Fruit but 't is said the Bishop may not refuse nor hinder them from doing this Only the Fathers the Dominicans too have the Authority of admiting any of the Believers into this Brotherhood The manner of entring this Society and some Rules of it Those that enter themselves in this Association or Brotherhood are said to put themselves into the number of the Servants of the Holy Maid Mary and are directed in doing it to make a firm Resolution in this following form I N. N. Acknowledge and Confess that I do with all my Heart put my self under the defence of the most H. Maid Mary the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and Queen of the Holy Rosary whom in the best manner that I can out of a sincere Love and Affection of Heart I chuse for my principal Patroness firmly resolving that I will through her help and that of Almighty God diligently perform these things following 1. When my appointed hour is come I will immediately if it be possible either in the Church or elsewhere as I can best do it either on my bended Knees or as Opportunity and Convenience will allow begin to read the Rosary of 15 Tens and at the same time Meditate upon the 15 Mysteries of the Life and Death of our good Lord Jesus Christ 2. I shall offer the first part of the Rosary that is the first 50 Aves to God for the Union of Christian Princes the Extirpation of Heresie and the Conversion of Sinners The 2d part I shall offer up to God for the present Necessities of my Country and for the Necessities of all those who are in their last Extremities The 3d. part I shall offer up for the spreading and advancement of the Glory and Honour of the most Holy Maid and Mother of God Mary and for the releasing of the poor Souls in Purgatory Then I will add to this the Litany of our good Lady on the behalf of all those who have given themselves up to this Exercise There are some few further Resolutions mention'd concerning the care that the Person will take to have these matters perform'd for him when he is lawfully hindred which I need not insert Dominick at first order'd that all the Brothers and Sisters should read a whole Psalter of Mary that is 15 times 10 Ave Mary's with the due Pater Nosters every day This was something a troublesom Task and so after times have mitigated it And now this Task must be performed once a Week to the Glory of God and of the Holy Maid they say And it needs not now be read all at once or kneeling in the Church at any particular time but 't is enough that it be finish'd by the end of the Week If any Brother be desirous to be a Partaker in the devout Laud and Salve Regina which every day immediately after Compline is sung in the Churches of the Dominicans with a solemn Procession he must be present at the Laud and Procession or else read 7 Ave Mary's in what Place soever he is for himself and for the other Brothers Forasmuch as the Holy Widow Anna has brought forth this honourable Fruit the holy Maid Mary therefore that we may be in some measure thankful the Founder of this Brotherhood has wish'd and desir'd that the Brothers and Sisters would to the Honour of these three namely the holy Mother Anna her Daughter Mary and Christ the Son of God and of Man read on every Tuesday three Pater Nosters and three Ave's For the Souls of the Brothers departed after the four principal Feasts of our good Lady which are the Purification the Annunciation the Assumption and Birth four yearly Solemnities shall be held at the Altar of the Rosary at which Solemnities all the Brothers and Sisters ought to be present and to which they are invited by great Indulgences where they must however drop their Offerings as well as their Beads or else there is no Indulgence for them Moreover 't is said there are especially three Feast-days which all of this Society ought to solemnize which are the Feast of our good Lady's Annunciation on the 25th of March the Feast of the Rosary on the first Sunday in Octber the Feast of the H. Dominick on the 4th of August and this must be done in the Chappels belonging to this Order The H. Mother of God Mary her self has will'd that the Feast-day of the H. Dominick should be celebrated with particular Devotion and she has reveal'd this her self to the B. Alanus de Rupe and has order'd that the Brothers should acknowledge St. Dominick for the second Patron of this Brotherhood because he first establish'd preach'd and promoted it but they must acknowledge the most H. Maid Mary for the principal Patroness An Admonition to All Men to enter themselves in the Brotherhood of the H. Rosary I think fit to produce this because the Reader will hereby understand from themselves of what Extent and Esteem this Brotherhood is in the Church of Rome and what are the Baits that catch Fools into this sort of Snares The Admonition was thus It were very fitting that among good Christians not to say among the Lovers of Mary there should not any one person be found who is not enter'd into the renown'd Society of the holy Rosary or who will not suffer himself to be perswaded to do this as soon as may be as well for the Abundant Indulgences therein to be enjoy'd as also for the following Reasons 1. Because the H.
it because this House has been Honour'd with the Presence of our King who several times lodg'd here during the late War Through all this Journey to Maestricht we often saw the miserable Effects of War A Country of a rich and Arable Soil fit to bear Corn but much of it untill'd Many Houses ruin'd and others made uninhabitable And it seem'd to me that the Country is much exhausted of its People It may be supposed that during the War many were forced into the Armies on one side and the other and in them destroy'd and many of the People might be fled into other Countries for the safety of their Lives and be still begging or working there for their lively-hood This Country is generally open Champion Country and but too Commodious for the marching of Armies as the poor Inhabitants have had reason to think About the middle of this Days Journey we came to Thienen or Tilmont which is a little Thienen City scituate upon the River Gheet This Câ—ty to go round it by the Wall is they say about a Mile in compass The Wall seem'd at present but in a ruinous condition we also saw many Ruines within and many Houses almost so The River runs through this City they say under 12 Bridges There are 7 distinct Markets that is Market-places for several things according to the manner of this Country and the City stands in a rich fruitful Country which is able to afford it all things necessary to Humane Life It has been formerly a City of Great Trade and was the Head City of one of the Quarters of Brabant but that dignity has been long transferr'd from hence to Hertogen-bosch and now this City is within that Quarter which acknowledges Louvain for Head of it There are two Churches observable in it which are Stately and Magnificent buildings the only remaining signs perhaps of its former Grandure One is dedicated to the Virgin Mary which stands upon a very wide open place It is not fine within for without doubt the City is but poor There had been a Procession on that day or perhaps on Whitsunday wherein had been carried the Image of the Virgin Mary and that of a Bishop whom I suppose to be St. Germain These Images stood in the Church on the things by which they carry them on mens shoulders They were but little Images but dress'd very fine their upper Garments were both the same of Scarlet-Sattin with many and large flowers of Gold wove in with it By their standing still in the Church I concluded they were to be carried again on some other day of the Octave which is that they sometimes do I went also into the Church of St. Germain who is said to have been Bishop of Paris Here is a Quire wherein they were singing Vespers it seem'd very naked and mean within At some of the Altars in the other part of the Church the Ornament set before them was good fresh Silk with large and frequent Gold Flowers upon it We staid here but an Hour went through the City passing by the end of one Street we saw it wide and the Houses in a pretty good condition but those in our way were all very miserable When we were gone a little way out of Thienen Our Lady of the Stone we saw a Chappel built of Brick with the Rubbish and Ruines of some other building about it This Chappel has an Image of the Virgin Mary call'd Notredame de Pierre or Our Lady of the Stone which is in great Veneration and Esteem with the People of this Country our Honest foreman rode by it with his Hat in his lap for a good way together As we were passing our Company all concurr'd in giving us this following account of this Image It was at first found ready shaped and form'd in a Rock but I asked and they could not tell me when this was But when found first it was not above a span long but it has grown ever since and does grow still for it seems it is not yet got to the full bigness of an ordinary Woman tho' as they represented it she was grown a very great Girl They told us she grows almost an Inch in height every Year and then they did well not to say when she was first found for at that rate of growing if she had been long there the little Chappel would not have held her To this Image People come for relief against the Stone or Gravel and in time of Peace this Chappel is much frequented especially upon particular Days at which times I suppose some Indulgences are the Lure to draw People to it They told us that on Easter Monday last the Country now being quiet there were reckon'd 7000 People who came to pay their Devotions here This silly Story was told us with a great deal of gravity and seriousness and we to encourage them to give us such accounts of things as we pass'd receiv'd it with as much gravity and seeming admiration Upon which a good Man in the Company who came from Berg St. Winoc and was going to the â—aths of Aix told us They have at Bullen an Image of the Virgin Mary which came thither in a Ship alone The same Man when the rest of the Company were telling that it was good to Pray at this Image against the Stone said Yes yes she is the Mother she cannot fail intimating that which 't is without doubt the People generally imagine that she as a Mother may still pretend to have some Authority and Regard with our Saviour Indeed they must needs be betray'd into this Opinion by the extravagant Prerogatives which are given to the Virgin Mary in the Devotions to her which the Priests teach them and by seeing our Saviour for the most part represented as a Child in her Arms As if he were still in a condition of subjection to Her who is now possest of all power in Heaven and Earth and is Head over all things But by the esteem of this Image it is easie to judge whether the Church of Rome reckons there is any Vertue in Images or not and whether or no the Papists put any trust in them Can it be said they believe there is no vertue in this Image when they pretend it Cures the Stone And do they put no trust in it who come an hundred Mile perhaps to this place in hopes to be Cur'd here of this Distemper And can we find any Instances of Veneration paid by the Heathens to their Images beyond what is practised and taught in the Church of Rome The Arch-Bishop of Mechlin in his Pastoral Letter directs That the Images of the Virgin Mary especially those that are famous for Miracles should be frequented that they be carried about after the manner of our Ancestours says he in publick Processions that they be illustrated with lighted Flambeaus and honour'd with stated Eauds Litanies and Prayers A direction which would far better have become a Heathen
Priest than a Christian Bishop After about two hours Travel more we came Leeuwe to another little City call'd Leeuwe We went to this for a good way upon an old broken pitch'd Cause-way The ground about this City is flat and low At a distance the Meadows seem very wet and soft which is the reason of this made way but as we came nearer the City the wet seem'd to encrease and about the City there seems to be a perfect Morass or Bog There were some out-works set here and there upon some dry spots in it We found the Gates ruin'd the Walls in a very ruinous condition and many heaps of Rubbish about in the Town within It is now whatever it may have been formerly a very wretch'd place This City is within the Quarter of Louvain but just upon the Borders of it for soon after we were gone from this place we entred upon the Dominions of the Prince of Leige There was a Spanish Garison now in the Town who had deckt their Guard house with Boughs and hung their Colours out at the Windows We found also the Streets strow'd with fresh Greens which things were the signs of a Procession that had been there this Day A good big Bell was calling People to Church and they were hastening to catch I suppose the Benediction at Compline We did not alight nor stop here When we were out of the City we past by a pretty large Lake which was on our left hand at a little distance from us and lies very near the Walls of the City on that side Near this City at the distance of about two Hours was fought the famous Battle of Landen in the Year 1693 in which Luxemburg the French General in his last Campaign won the Field and lost his Army he might indeed pretend some right to it when it was strow'd with the Dead Bodies of his best and boldest Troops who were chiefly his Switzers And he had reason to be very pertinacious in the Case tho' he expos'd his men to a Prodigious slaughter sor the double number which he had to that of the Confederates would have doubled his shame at least if he had suffer'd himself to be beat off He therefore push'd on his own men to be kill'd as long as the Ammunition of the Confederates lasted and then those he had left kept the Field About an Hour after we left Leeuwe we came St. Tryden to St. Truyden which was to be our resting place for this night This was they say in ancient times the chief City of those Gauls whom Julius Caesar calls Centrones and of whom he has much to say This perhaps may be the occasion of the corrupted name which some in late times have given to this City calling it St. Tron The name of St. Truyden it has from the Monastery of St. Trudo which is here It is a Monastery of the Benedictines This City with a Territory about it almost to the Gates of Leeuwe is subject to the Prince of Leige But half the City is the revenue of the Abbot of this Monastery and when the Magistrates of the City are chosen this Abbot chuses an equal number with the Prince We came late to Town and all Churches were shut the doors of this Monastery were just then shutting so we could see nothing within Indeed the mean appearance of the outside of all things here made us the less curious or desirous to see the Inside of any Places One Church there was whicâ— had its Steeple down to the ground a great deal of rubbish lay about it A Wall was set up to close the West end but that seem'd in danger of falling too yet the Windows of the Church were whole and I suppose it is used Almost all the Houses we saw here lookt old and ruinous We lodg'd in a House that seem'd to have a good deal of room but it was very ill accommodated Our Chamber had 4 pittiful Beds in it and all of them were possess'd We willingly left this wretched place betimes Borchloen the next Morning and took our way for Maestricht through the Cities of Borchloen and Tongeren both within the Principallity of Leige Borchloen commonly call'd Lootz has some Jurisdiction over the neighbouring Villages in a little compass And these are known to have belong'd to it up as high as to the time of Charlemaigne and before that It was formerly with those Villages call'd the County of Drostein from the Lords of that name to whom the whole belong'd It appear'd now a miserable poor and ruinous place and to have nothing worth observing We past through it without stopping We went on to Tongeren and there staid an hour or two to refresh our selves This City is Tongeren miserable old and small now but was worthy if we could have staid to have been well view'd and consider'd for the old ruines that are about it We observ'd several pelces of great Stone Walls which evidently enough show'd that they had belong'd to something more Magnificent than the sorry buildings that now depend upon them Having a little time after Dinner I went out and observ'd a great deal of this in going to the Church which I would have seen but it was shut There is now a Wall about the City but ruinous as well as the Gates of it and of but little compass It lies upon a little River call'd the Jecker which comes down from Borchworm having had its rise not far above that and from Tongeren it runs down to Maestricht where it enters the Maese This City has its name as Munster says tho' some give it a much higher Original from a People of Germany call'd Tungri who were the first of them that pass'd the Rhine They pass'd it seems the Maese too and possessing a vast Country here about built here their Chief or Head City Many Cities in Brabant either built by this People or Conquer'd by them were subject to this It has been the Seat of a Race of Kings who had a great extent of Dominion Those Princes call'd the Pepins from whom descended the famous Charlemagin deriv'd themselves from the Race of these Kings It is very probable that this Dominion extended it self over great part of Brabant the County of Namur and even to Cologne The Memorials of which are thought to be several Towns scatter'd about in this Tract of Land whose names resemble that of Tongeren As Tongerheim near Colen Tongerloo a Town far from hence in Brabant near Herentals And Tongrin in the Province of Namur It is not to be doubted but Pliny in his Natural History speaks of the Spaa Water which he puts within the Dominion of this City and which lies in the Province of Leige between the Maese and the Rhine Guicciardinâ— tells us there is to be seen at Tongeren as what I suppose was remaining in his time tho' we heard nothing of it an Ancient Heathen Temple 't is but little says he and
this or greater with that which Men or Maid-Servants bear to the Livery of their Master or Lady To which end the Brothers and Sisters shall very profitably observe these Five Exercises following 1. When they rise in the Morning as also when at Night they go to sleep they shall kiss the Scapulary and making a Cross with it shall bless themselves saying May the Holy Maid Mary and her sweet little Child so they represent our Saviour for the most part still bless us Or at least they should looking upon the Scapulary offer up to God the Works of the Day under the Guidance and Government of this Holy Patroness 2. In all Occasions of Danger both of Soul and Body and in all Temptations they must in Heart turn themselves to the most H. Mother of God imploring her Assistance 3. They must endeavour to avoid all that is contrary to Modesty as very displeasing to the Queen of Virgins and Mother of the King of Virgins 4. Often in the Day as they begin any Work they should Offer it up to God and recommend it to the most Holy Maid as a good Governess and must perform and bring it to Perfection to her Honour 5. They must be careful to merit and obtain the Indulgences granted to the Brotherhood of this Holy Garment that especially was not to be omitted because for these they must go to the Churches of these good Fathers and there drop their Offerings I shall conclude the Account of this matter with certain Elogiums of the Scapulary deliver'd by a Zealous Carm in a Sermon preach'd within the Diocess of Arras on the 21st of July 1697. The 20th day of this Month is with them the Feast-day of their Holy Father as they call him the Prophet Elias who first wore this Garment and instituted this Order and so this was within the Octave of that Festival The Propositions are these following 1. The Blessed Simon Stock has receiv'd the Scapulary as a certain mark of his Predestination and of that of the Religious of his Order and of those others too who in process of time shall receive and wear it 2. The History of the Blessed Simon Stock is in a degree of certainty which approaches that of the Faith and it cannot be doubted of without being guilty of a sort of Infidelity into which all wise and pious People ought to be afraid of falling 3. Among all the Practices of Devotion found out to Honour the Holy Virgin that of the Scapulary is the most certain mark of Predestination and the most assured sign of Salvation 4. The Children and Brothers of the Scapulary ought to say to the Holy Virgin Be it unto me according to thy Word with the same Submission to her which she her self paid to to the Promises of God which were made to her by the Angel 5. If the Holy Virgin should permit that the Children and Brothers of the Scapulary should be Eternally Miserable their Loss would afford Triumphs to the Enemies of the Honour of her Name and would furnish Pretences for their Blasphemies 6. The Church has been willing that the Believers should understand that they are to expect no less Favours from the Blessed Virgin than from the Merits of Jesus Christ 7. A Brother of the Scapulary who shall obstinately set himself to go on in Wickedness to his Death may die in Impenitence but he cannot die in the Scapulary And if the Holy Virgin cannot withdraw him from his Disorders and Sins she will find means to deprive him of his Scapulary and will rather take it from him her self than suffer that he should die a Reprobate in it These are very pretty things and but what is commonly said in Commendation of the Scapulary by these Fathers whose Interest it is to recommend it But these things however seem'd at least to displease the Bishop of Arras and he has taken upon him the Boldness to Censure and Condemn them But his Condemnation looks a little forc'd and hardly in earnest while he speaks of the same Matters very near with the same Extravagance He says We cannot too much exhort the People to Devotion to the Holy Virgin That this is a great Source of Blessings and Graces for those who have a true and sincere one He says too that the Brotherhood of the Scapulary ought to be regarded as a Christian Bond and a Holy Association of several Persons to Honour the Holy Virgin by wearing a certain Habit by which they testifie their willingness to Dedicate and Consecrate themselves to her Service And if this be done in Truth and Fidelity one may expect by the Succour and Assistance of the Mother of Mercy not only particular Favours during this Life and at Death but also that the Pains which our Sins have deserv'd shall be diminish'd and our Eternal Happiness be advanced by the Merit of the Indulgences which the Church has granted to this Brotherhood for all those to partake of them who shall be found in the Condition which she requires for the gaining them It behov'd the Bishop to speak thus tenderlyâ— for this Folly and Superstition has been own'd and authoriz'd and is encourag'd by the See of Rome But all this now is admirable Divinity and they must needs deserve to be call'd Hereticks who do not believe and teach such Stuff as this yea and as Hereticks they ought to be persecuted to the Death against all the Obligation of Oaths Promises Covenants and even Humanity it self But Lord how long This time when we were at the Chapel of these Carms at Aix being the Eve of that great Day wherein they pretend the Scapulary was given to Simon Stock the Devotions upon the Occasion were according to Custome then begun A great Concourse of People throng'd the little Church We came there just at the beginning of a Procession It march'd down â—he South Isle of the Church and crossing the West end went out at the bottom at a North Door and then turn'd round in a Passage that went round the Church and came into the great Street at the West end again fetch'd a little compass in that and went to the opposite side of it and from thence cross'd again and came in at the great Western Door A Company of Queasils led the Van of this Procession all of them with their Veils over their Heads tho' the Weather was good and it was not for fear of Rain but out of Reverence to the Virgin In the head of them Four of their Company carry'd upon their Shoulders a little Image of the Virgin Mary very richly cloath'd with a Robe of Cloth of Silver and a Crown on her Head The Crown was Silver and her Robe flourish'd over with an Embroidery of Gold The Queasils sung as they went along they were follow'd by a great Company of other Women who went Two and Two in great Order After these march'd about Forty of the Carmes in their Habits and they were all singing too Then
some Villages and manur'd Grounds intermingled with the Woods At length we came on the other side where we could see Colen The Descent on this side was more gradual than our Ascent on the other the fall of the Ground being not so steep and sudden Towards the bottom of the Hills we turn'd out of the Road to some neighbouring Villages to find a better way cross the Valley which we did and had some Pleasure in this part of our Journey This Valley is I believe Four or Five Miles broad in the Place where we enter'd upon it and was in all our way plow'd and sown and open We went between some of the richest finest Crops of Wheat and Rye that I had I believe ever seen in my Life The Soil is a good Mould but perhaps a little of the driest whence this wet Season made the best of it Within a Mile of Colen we came into our miserable Road again and found it such as we had Reason to wish we could have gone still besides it I suppose the extream Badness of these Ways to be together with the ill Weather from their being much frequented with heavy Carriages which pass from Colen up into the Country with several sorts of Goods and I believe Aix la Chappelle is furnish'd besides other Places with many things from hence especially in the time of Year when those Baths are resorted to We saw in this part of our Journey some part of Three several Processions in the Villages we pass'd through for this was a great Day of Processions with the Romish Church as will be observ'd in the following Section COLEN We came to this City about Eleven a Clock I write the Name as we commonly speak it in England The Low Dutch call it Ceulen the People of the Country Coln the French Cologne The Latines have always call'd it Colonia Ubiorum and Colonia Agrippina which Names they give it with relation to the Beginnings of it These are briefly commemorated by Inscriptions in Latin over a large Portico at the Front and Entrance of their Senate-House I shall somewhat more largely relate what is said of the Original of this City Original as follows The Ubians a People of Germany on the other side of the Rhine who dwelt along the opposite Bank of it from Mentz down to this Place were grievously infested with the Incursions of some neighbouring People who were too strong for them The Inscription here calls them the Suevi who were thus troublesome Some call them the Chatti or Catti or Chassi They were seated beyond the Country of the Ubians from the Rhine and all along on their Borders The Ubians vexed and almost oppress'd by this People sought the Alliance of Julius Caesar and his Assistance against these their Enemies But whether they were assisted by the Romans or not they grew by this Disturbance a weary of their Country and in the time of Augustus Caesar were upon their Desire brought over the Rhine to this side under the Conduct of M. Vispanius Agrippa Consul The Chatti immediately fell into and took Possession of the Country which they left T is thought the Ubians pass'd the Rhine about this Place and that this was about Twenty or Twenty Five Years before our Saviour's Birth When they were come over some say they built this City for the Head of their Nation Others will have it that there was a City here before the Ubians came over and do carry up the Original of it into Obscurity as all that affect Antiquity do This Nation extended themselves on this side over the greatest part of the Dutchy of Juliers reaching to to the Banks of the River Roer forementioned and also over the greatest part of the Bishoprick of Colen After these things Julia Agrippina the Grand-Daughter of that Agrippa and the Mother of Nero having been born at Colen and being desirous to show the Power which she had by virtue of her second Marriage which was with Claudius the Emperor caused the Compass of the City to be enlarged and towards the Year of our Lord 48 C. Antistius and M. Suillius being Consuls she sent hither a Colony of Veterans to settle here Clouis the Great join'd this City and Nation to the Dominion of the Franks under which it was from thenceforth during the first Race of their Kings Under those of the second Race it became a part of their Dominion to whom Germany in the Division of the Franks Empire was allotted In the Year 88â— while Charles the Fat was on the other side of the Alpes Godefride and Sigifride the Kings of the Normans took and burnt it The Clergy and People of the Town sav'd themselves by timely flight from the Cruelty of these Barbarians who had that Year ruin'd Fifteen or Twenty of the best Cities of the Gallia Belgica The Emperor Otho the Great under whom it was restor'd and repair'd subjected it to its Prelates about the Year 950. Afterwards other Emperors restor'd it to its ancient Freedom Frederick I. gave it great Privileges and from that time it considerably encreas'd But it has chiefly grown to what it is and flourish'd from the Thirteenth Century when about the Year 1260 it enter'd into the League of the Hanse-Towns These were Hanse Towns call'd Hanse-Towns from a German Word which signifies a League or Confederacy Many Cities in several Parts of Europe came into this League It was a Confederacy among them made for the regulating of their mutual Trade At present there are none left in this Number which are considerable but Lubeck Hamburg Breme Rostock Dantzick and Colen It is call'd a Free and Imperial City is govern'd Government by a Senate which has great Resemblance with the old Senate of Rome They administer Civil Justice and exercise all Acts of Authority But in Criminal Cases they can indeed form the Process and try a Malefactor but they cannot condemn or pardon this being reserv'd to the Archbishop But he is bound not to come into this City but upon Occasions which absolutely require his Presence and then he may stay here no longer than till that Affair is at an end and he must come hither but with such a determinate Number of Guards Yet they take an Oath of Fidelity to the Archbishop but on the other side that Oath expresses a Condition which is If he does maincain all their Privileges and he solemnly and expressly promises to do so The Oath which they are said to take to the Archbishop is this We the free Burgesses of Colen for this Day and for ever do promise to A. B. Archbishop of Colen to be faithful and favourable to him so long as he shall maintain us in our Rights and Honours and our ancient Privileges we our Wives our Children and our City of Colen so Help us God and his Saints The Archbishop obliges himself to the City by a Writing in Form and Tenor following We A. B. by the Grace of God
the Anger of the Gods And when the Priests made their Supplications through the Streets they carried the Image of Jupiter and in several Places they set up this Image in a Place prepar'd for it Which thing says he is still done in France on the Day of the Holy Sacrament Rel. Vet. Rom. p. 222 So far has the Church of Rome herein departed from the Primitive Christian Church that they have restor'd some of those Pomps and Vanities of the Wicked World which those Christians oblig'd all their Converts upon their receiving Baptism to renounce After Vespers in the Afternoon a Jesuite Jesuites preach'd in the great Church call'd the Dome He had a vast Congregation of all sorts of People and laid about very vigorously with his Hands and his Tongue for about Three quarters of an Hour He preach'd cover'd as the Popish Clergy and the French Protestants do The former as Fathers dictating to their Children the latter as Embassadors from God to the People which by this significant Ceremony and a very Popish one they represent they think indeed of their coming from God but not of coming with him or that they deliver his Message in his Sight and Presence 'T is indeed that to which corrupted Nature is very liable and prone to honour it self even rather than the Great God and 't is no wonder if it affects and chuses to put on the Authority of representing him rather than the Humility of reverencing him or if the former makes them forget and neglect the latter even in a Case where they might be join'd together The Jesuite when ever he mention'd the Holy Sacrament the Subject of his Discourse pull'd off his Cap. We could understand but some Words of his Discourse because he preach'd in High Dutch When he had done great part of his Congregation and we among the rest went down from this Church to the Jesuites Chappel they to finish the Devotion of this great Day and we to see it done A multitude of People were gather'd thither many Coaches stood about the Door and we were crowded in going in before they begun We got into one of the Galleries where we could see all that was done without complying The whole Service was perform'd in Musick but it begun and ended with a general singing of the whole Congregation which I had not seen before among the Romanists And that which made this the more charming was this The Jesuites had planted all their Scholars which were a great Number in the Allies of the Three Isles of the Church there they kneel'd in Rows from one end to the other of the Church which is a large one They were taught to sing and perhaps had some to lead them They sung very exactly in time with the Organ and other Musick and made altogether a very pleasant Harmony The fine harmonious Singing of the whole Congregations of the Lutherans who abound in Germany and spend much of the time of Publick Worship in singing altogether before and after Sermon their Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs has made the Jesuites betake themselves to this most pleasant Custom whereas ordinarily in the Church of Rome the Quire or the Organ Gallery alone make the Musick and all the Congregation must only silently hear it At the beginning of this Service call'd Compline on Hâ—lidays they commonly give the Benediction of the Holy Sacrament and Benediction of the Holy Sacrament do the same again at the Conclusion This we conveniently saw here in the following manner The Priest in a grave solemn Pace brings the Hostie upon the Stage with lighted Tapers and little Bells ringing carried before him he sets himself in the middle of the Stage with his Face towards the People holding his Remonstranter with the Hostie in it before him towards the People and moves it and himself successively somewhat towards each side of the Church while he stands and does this all the Congregation are upon their Knees and all were here singing At length he gravely sets it upon the Altar makes his scrape to it and then comes down to the Steps and there kneels with his Face towards it during the Service in which he has nothing to do when 't is perform'd in Musick but only to say a Prayer or two during which the Musick ceases but with a curious Flourish of all the sorts of Musick together it sounds the Amen While the Service was performing we could observe the Church The Priest who officiated was cover'd with a very rich Cope on which one could see nothing but Gold and Silver Had we been near enough perhaps we might have seen store of Pearls set in the embroidery which sometimes poor Men the Priests of the Church of Rome are wont to have The Remonstranter was a very large one and the Work of it very Curious it was I suppose of Silver gilt with Gold The Ornament before the Altar was Cloth of Silver but with a broad and embroidery of Gold laid upon it in the form of three or four great Arches or Portals under every Arch was wrought an Image of some Saint and behind him there was a Prospect of Landschape This Altar was set off with a great deal of Riches had many Silver Candlesticks with tall Wax Tapers lighted in them and many other things for Ornament of Silver or gilded and counterfeiting Silver and Gold and all these things were very artificially intermix'd as is usual with bundles of Flowers The Architecture of Marble above the Altar is in three Stories as it were every one somewhat less from the lowermost they include three Pictures one above another which have on each side of them Pillars and Angels and some Images of Saints much of the carv'd Work was gilded with Gold It look'd all together extremely beautiful and reaches to the top of the Church which is of a good Height The lowest piece of Painting and the largest is a representation of our blessed Saviour's Ascension the Figures in it are very curiously drawn The History of the second I could not understand The uppermost Picture was but too plainly and evidently their common impious representation of the adorable Trinity At the top of all to crown the business is in the Stone-work a Marble Image of the Virgin Mary sitting with a Crown on her Head and a Child in her Lap. We were entertain'd here with an excellent Consort of Musick well compos'd and excellently perform'd for almost an hour then the Priest at the Altar got up from his Knees which I believe by this time did some Penance and gravely took down his Wafer and while the Boys and Congregation were all singing he concluded the Show as he had begun it In the Street by the entrance of their Chappel there hung up in very large Frames many Copies of Verses which they had made their Scholars make in praise of the Holy Sacrament one Frame contain'd those in Latin another those in Greek on the other side
Coats was almost hid with the broad Silver Lace laid upon it The Cloathing of the Kettle-Drums as I remember is Cloth of Silver a deep Fringe of Gold and Silver went round the Drum at the top and a lesser one round about the edge of the Cloathing I never saw any thing of the kind so fine as these all were And this is a particular Affectation of this Prince The reigning Religion here is the Popish Popish Religion here and the Papists are in Possession of the publick Churches We went into some of their Churches and saw nothing in them very fine nor any thing peculiar or worth taking notice of In the Yard belonging to the great Church stand Three Crucfixes with Bodies on them as big as the Life to represent the Crucifixion of our Saviour between Two Thieves There is a large Penthouse over them By the side of another Church we saw the same Representation To these many People in passing by paid a profound Respect but without a distinct Interpretation of these Books the People must be liable to pay the same Respect to those which represent the Thieves as to that which is design'd for our Saviour so that in these Books there are certainly some things as dangerous and as liable to betray People into damnable Error and mortal Sin as are pretended to be in Scripture If that be then an Argument for taking the Scripture out of the Peoples Handâ— it is an Argument for taking their extravagant Pictures and Images out of their Sight Or if any Preference may be allow'd of the Ordinance of Jesus Christ himself before that of his Pretended Vicar the Scriptures should be given to the People and this sort of Books taken away because Christ has given the Holy Scripture for their Instruction and only the Pretended Vicar has instituted these When we came to the City after we were enter'd within the new Ditch we saw several of those little Oratories or Chappels mention'd before standing about in the Fields in each of which is an Altar and Image and for the most part of the Virgin Mary Among the Papists in these Parts the Controversie is now hotly pursued about the Immaculate Conception Immaculate Conception of the Bâ—essed Virgin of the Virgin Mary the head Managers of which are the Franciscanâ— and the Do minicans This has been a long Controversie in the Church of Rome and is likely to continue for both Sides pretend to Miracles Visions and Revelations to confirm their Opinion yea both Sides have drawn the Blessed Virgin to testifie for them and so against her self Besides the infallible Guide of the Church cannot tell what to do in this Case and Bishop Meaux says The Church has not yet defin'd whether the Virgin was born in Original Sin or not The contending Parties are indeed so hot upon their Opinion that they would either of 'em be apt to despise the Pope's Authority if he should venture to decide The Pope's Authority is for a Scare-crow set up against the Protestants but upon Occasion the Papists can make little account of it themselves as Scare-crows are never wont to fright them that set them up Bishop Meaux says 'T is neither Heresie nor mortal Sin not to believe the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin and yet he says 't is Pious to believe it But if this be Pious surely the contrary must be impious If any Proposition be true the direct and full Contradiction to it must needs be false and if any Opinion be pious another which fully contradicts it must deserve a contrary Character and consequently be accounted impious Such poor Shifts is tâ—is shuffling Expounder of the Church of Rome put to that he may render its Doctrines and Practices plausible There are in this City Two Congregations of the Reformed Religion the one Calvinist the other Protestant or Lutheran We spent Lutherans here the Morning of the lord's-Lord's-Day in the Protestant Congregation They have not a very large Church but it was well fill'd It stands a little inward from the Street I think they call their People together by a Bell. The Place is Oblong with the Altar or Communion-Table at the East end and a good Gallery over the Entrance at the West end Above that is a little Gallery set up for a small Organ that they might lose no Room by it The Church was very neat but not fine There were but Three distinct Pictures in it and all very free from Popery or Superstition On the South Wall hung a Picture of Moses holding the Two Tables of Stone on which there was only a Scrawl to represent the Writing of the Ten Commandments The Communion-Table was large and very high It stood against the Wall upon a flat of Boards raised a little Step above the Stone Floor of the Church and which goes out at a good distance from the Table Over this Communion-Table or Altar is a good Picture which represents our Blessed Saviour in his Agony in the Garden with an Angel come to encourage him There are Three of the Apostles asleep not far from him and at a distance the tops of the Torches of those who are coming to apprehend him appear from behind a Hill The History is well represented Behind the Picture of our Saviour are black Clouds well drawn and amidst them appears a bright round thing which looks almost as if they design'd to represent the Sun veil'd with these Clouds but it being a Night Piece it must be understood as it is intended to represent the Wafer which they give and receive in celebrating the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper for they administer the Bread in that Form Over this great Piece of Painting is another lesser one which represents our Saviour with a Glory about him as rising from the dead and treading upon a Dragon to signifie that he had now overcome Death and him that had the Power of Death as the Scripture speaks that is the Devil This is a fit Representation of our Saviour but it is an impudent Blasphemy to attribute this to the Virgin Mary as the Papists do in Pictures and Images of her with which I have often seen a Snake or Dragon put under her Feet as dead The Pillars on each side of these Pictures were wreath'd their Chappiters handsomely carv'd all the Work is very neat and decent but the matter is not Marble but Wood painted in Imitation of Marble some of black and some of white Marble streak'd and it is very well done The Altar or Communion-Table was cover'd with a large Velvet Cloth which reach'd to the Ground of a deep blew Colour Before the Worship began I had time to see what Books lay at the Reading Desk and at the Desks of the People The Reader had before him a great Folio Bible in High Dutch and another Book in Folio which had for its General Title Spiritual Songs I look'd into it and observ'd there the Book of Psalms and other of the
The Truth is those good Men the Jesuites are every where zealous to extirpate the Reformation And while the Bishops and secular Clergy of the Roman Church unless it be a few who are link'd to them apply themselves to the more humane and gentle Methods of perswading and endeavouring to convert as they call it by softening representing and expounding the Doctrines and Practices of their Church These like true Politicks of the World endeavour and contrive nothing else but to oppress and destroy us Their Business indeed is not to gain our Souls but our Goods and Possessions And to kill and take Possession is their Means and their End A glaring Proof of this they have to shew particularly in the large Territories as we may call them which they have long possess'd of ruin'd Protestants in Bohemia Where ever they can manage a Power that is able to do Mischief they have procur'd the Exercise of the most Barbarous and Inhumane Cruelties against us that ever were This France and Hungary of late Times have wofully felt where Streams of Innocent Blood are crying aloud for the Vengeance of Heaven upon them and their Executioners And England was lately design'd to have been a horrid Scene of the same Tragick Barbarities but Heaven be prais'd they were for the present disappointed by the timely Removal of the Tools which they had form'd and prepar'd for the Enterprize The same People told me they came from a Place call'd Medman within this Dutchy Mâ—â—man and within a few Leagues of Dusseldorp There they said they had lately celebrated the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper which they do four times in a Year At which times People come from several Parts thither for this purpose and make up a Congregation of 1700 Communicants They poor People are perhaps excusable from their Circumstanstances for the not using that Ordinance more frequently But certainly where the Magistrate is of their Perswasion and they might celebrate it as often as they will it is a thing without excuse to put it off only to four times in a Year These People themselves told me that the most of the Protestant Congregations even in those Parts do celebrate this Sacrament every Lord's Day I cannot chuse but think therefore that the Church of England is reform'd according to the Model of the best reform'd Churches beyond the Seas which has provided and perhaps order'd that this Sacrament be celebrated every Lord's Day But the Rule and Precept of Holy Scripture together and in conjunction with the Practice and Example of those very Persons by whom the Spirit of God transmitted the Rule to the World is certainly rather to be observ'd than the Orders of any later Church and our Rule in the case is certainly most agreeable with Holy Scriptures I most heartily wish our People would more generally than they do fall in with so Just and Pious and Edifying an Order We ought indeed to relinquish and purge out more entirely from amongst us this Relick of Popery for it was the Papists who first introduc'd and betray'd the People into the seldom Receiving of this Sacrament notwithstanding that they now reproach us with it They have taught the World instead of receiving to reverence it mightily first and then by degrees to adore it Certainly 't is an Error and a great one to have such an Awe and Reverence for the Sacrament it self as to have none at all for the Ordinance or Institution of it which requires it to be receiv'd And it is doubtless a wrong and superstitious Fear to be afraid of receiving it unworthily and not be afraid of neglecting and omitting to receive it as often as we might have Opportunity to do so Our Road from Dusseldorp was not on the Bank of the Rhine but out of the Sight of it We pass'd through a rich Corn Country and our Ways were tolerably good When we came within about two Hours of Duysberg Wood of Duysberg which was to be about the middle of this Day 's Journey we entred a vast Wood or Forest It was very pleasant to us and look'd almost every where like a Grove there being very little under-wood within our Sight and it was generally dry and firm under us It is full of stately tall Trees the most of them Beech or Oak and they very fair and flourishing There was on it a good Coat of Green which afforded Pasture for Sheep and we saw in our way three or four very large Flocks of Sheep of a good size they look'd in a very good Condition and were each Flock attended with two or three Shepherds and so many stout Dogs and besides they kept near together This Wood is said to have a great many wild Beasts in it of several sorts and to have besides many Hundreds of Horses that run wild in it who chuse a hungry Liberty especially in Winter rather than a fat and well fed Servitude There were Juniper Bushes scatter'd about every where through this Wood in great abundance We were about an Hour and half in passing through it at a good rate of travelling and found it thick set with Trees all the way and when we came on the other side of it where we look'd upon Duysburg we observ'd that it surrounded the City at the distance of two or three Miles and went both ways beyond our Sight though we could see it a great way We had left the Dutchy of Mons and were entred the Dutchy of Cleve some little time Dutchy of Cleve before we parted with this Wood so we were also now within the Dominion of the Elector of Brandenburg and within his Dominion we continu'd and in this Dutchy of Cleve too till we came within the Dominions of the States-General of the United Provinces for we pass'd through the greatest part of the Length of the Dutchy of Cleve This Dutchy of Cleve is a Country of Germany included within the Circle of Westphalia It is situate partly on both sides of the Rhine It has on the East Borders of it the Dutchy of Berg or Mons the County of Marck and part of the Dutchy of Westphalia On the West it borders partly upon Barbant and partly upon the Dutchy of Gelderland On the South it has next it the Bishoprick of Colen and the Territory of Aix la Chappelle On the North 't is bounded with Over-Issel and the Province of Zutphen The Extent of it is reckon'd to be about Fifteen Leagues in length and Four or Five in breadth It is pretty much cover'd with Woods and Hills by virtue of which it is stor'd with a prodigious Quantity of Wild Game But on the Banks of the Rhine on both sides for a good breadth it is for the most part a plain and rich Country well peopled and manur'd and some of the Hills themselves bear good Corn. This Dutchy now belongs to the Electour of Brandenburg How long it has done so and how it came to pass has been said