Pau. What lopping produceth in the Vines that persecution effecteth in the Church saith Saint Persecution Justin The blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church in Triphon saith Tertullian in his Apologetick cap. ult and Saint Cyprian both said it sealed the truth of it with his blood King James also is said to have often repeated these Saint Cyprians words sanguis martyrum semen ecclesia and upon reflection of the truth of them to have often expressed his mislike of shedding Priests blood The blood of Tiburtius and Valerianus of Faustinus and Jovita of Saint Clement Saint Thecla and Saint Katherine shed for the Faith of Christ drew a far greater number than they were to believe in him did not the death of Saint Lucia the Roman widdow double in Geminianus and others converted what the Church was robbed of by her death Was not the number of Faithfull B lievers as much augmented in the conversion of Adauctus as it was diminished by the death of happy Felix And did not the Curch gaine by loosing Saint Januarius almost five thousand For so many were converted at his martyrdome Read the Martyrs sufferings those who love to read rare things and they will be convinced of what even the Apostata Julian was convinced that the sequell of persecuting Christians is the multiplication of Christians Consider a second effect of suffering for such a cause and that is the great glory which doth acrew both to God and to the sufferers thereby God cannot regale man more in this mortal life than to make him a Martyr and man cannot perform a greater point of service for God than by suffering as becomes a Martyr for no man bath greater charity than such an one In Martyrdome God compleateth man with the greatest of his favours and in the same man complieth with God in the superlative degree of his indeavours O strange and most perfect circle of perfect love Persecution betwixt God and man in martyrdom out of the Ocean of infinite love flows this felicity into man by a strange participation and from it runs back into the same abysse by a pure intention O strange reciprocation and unheard of communication betwixt God man in martyrdome O martyrdome a felicity which none conceives but he who receives it a secret which no man knows but from God who tels it a word which none understands but from him who gives it and a favour which none can deserve but let all desire it Pardon me said one I know what 's good for me fire crosse beasts breaking of my bones disjoynting of my limbs brusing of my body and all the torments that the Devill can inflict come upon me so be that I may enjoy Christ O myrrour of martyrdome blessed Bishop Ignatius if to us thy words seem so sweet how sweet were thy thoughts when thou uttered these words when thou suffered what thou longed for when thou enjoyed the reward of what thou suffered Answer thou O my soul at least guesse what a case that enamoured bea rt was in then think ruminate meditate with desire humility sorrow and purpose to be often that in affection which thou cannot till God please be in effect The third Point Ponder first that all who are out of the true Church are incapable whilest they remain so of this great purchase of martyrdome for without Catholick and true faith it is impossible to please God and without pleasing God as little possible to be a martyr Now those who are not members of Christs true Church cannot have true faith whilest they remain so Hence infer that though Sectaries suffer upon score of Religion as some of severall Sects have yet none of them are martvrs for as amongst severall Sects of believers there can be but one true Church so amongst several sorts of sufferers there 's one only of them can be true martyrs the reason of this is contained in these words of Saint Austin Non poena sed causa facit martyrem not the punishment which a man suffers but the cause for which be suffereth makes a Martyr Let him suffer torments and death never so willingly and that upon account of Religion yet he can be no martyr unlesse his Religion be the true one Occidi potest coronari non potest sayes that holy Father Infer secondly that he who will deny the Primitive Martyrs to have been of the same Religion with the Roman Catholicks which now are must positively prove in what and when the Roman Church which was once the true Church even by the Confession of all Sectaries did fall from being the true Church This fall this change this transition is inconceptible and yet Sectaries are obliged to prove it or else return to that Church again Ponder secondly that in case it were supposed that Sectaries might be capable of being truly Martyrs yet no one sect no nor all sects together out of all which Fox makes his Martyrs could make up a Martyrologe comparable to what is in the Church of Rome Gather out of the precedent points first that the mark of Martyrdome is only to be found in the Roman church and consequently that it is the true church Secondly that the martyrs of the Primitive Church and those Roman Catholicks that suffered under King Henry the eighth Queen Elizabeth and her successors were all of one Church all Roman Catholicks all true Martyrs for Sectaries could never yet prove any innovation in matters of faith or false doctrine introduced by the Church of Rome add to the former those martyrs all Catholick Priests and in number 21 who have suffered in England since the year 1640 till this present year 1654 inclusive Hail King of Martyrs Christ the meritory and exemplar cause of all true martyrdome we magnifie thee in these thy martyrs noble Champions and pious Prodigals of their blood for thee Please if it be thy blessed pleasure that in this thy cause my unworthy self with many more may have some share of these sweet sufferings and if not dye for thee at least dye for not dying for thee The seventeenth Meditation Of Prophesies and promises and the figures of the old law fulfilled in the true Church The first Point COnsider first that not only the the Prophets of the old law but Christ himself also foretold many things of great concernment which were to be verisied and fulfilled in his Church or by it in these prophesies also many large promises of ample privilegies and prerogatives made in reference to the same Church were included which were afterwards accomplished And Saint Paul often in his Epistles intimateth that the Jewish Synagogue with its sacrificies and ceremonies was a Symbol or Figure of Christs church and its proprieties So that no sect amongst Christians can or indeed doth deny these truths in affirming of which the scriptures are so clear and copious Consider secondly that the fulfilling of these prophesies is to be brought against Turks Jews Pagans
is to hazard the winning or losing heaven Heaven is the Wager Resolution shoots the Arrow the true Church is the white let deliberation take right aym and earnestly beg the direction of the Almighty who hath also bent his how and prepared it by saying Lord demonstrate unto me thy wayes and teach me thy paths send forth thy light and thy truth that they may lead me unto thy holy mountain and into the Tabernacles of thy Church Amen The Second Meditation Of Divine Faith The first Point Consider first what Faith is both in respect of the habit and the act Habitual Faith is a supernatural vertue infused by God into the soule of man by which his understanding is illuminated inabled and inclined to believe stedfastly all those things to be true which God hath revealed to his Church It differs much from other intellectuall habits as from Science which relyes on the evidence of the thing Faith on Authority to wit of God From opinion doubtfulnesse suspicion which do not satissie the understanding Faith convinceth it from civil or humane faith which is subject to error but Theologicall and divine Faith is that cui non potest subesse falsum no falshood dare insinuate it self into the company of Divine Faith Actuall Faith is no other thing but the exercise or act proceeding from the habit of Faith it is a firm assent of the understanding believing such particulars revealed by God to wit that one and the self same nature and essence of God is in three distinct persons that Christ is both God and man and yet not two but only one thing that there is heaven that there is hell and the like to be true so that the material things believed are the objects of those acts Consider secondly The insallible certainty which an act of divine faith hath in it the certainty of it hangs upon these two cardinal attributes of divine wisdome and goodnesse by the former of which we are warranted that God cannot by ignorance be deceived by the second we are secured that he will not deceive by revealing that for a truth which is false since both these perfections are in him infinite This infinite authority therefore of God revealing being the motive or formal object of an act of faith for therefore we believe such a thing to be true because God hath revealed it makes these acts most true Gather hence what an admirable benefit the gift of divine Faith is and not the habit onely but the acts also are such since to the producing of every one of them is required a congruous cogitation and a pious affection of the will besides the application of mans endeavour both which are favours from Almighty God Purpose a frequent exercise of producing acts of Faith about those holy misteries which God hath revealed to his Church thou that art a member of it The second Point Consider now the necessity of this virtue of Divine Faith first from the Testimonies of holy Scripture without faith faith Saint Paul it is impossible to please God He that shall be found at his death devoid of this virtue shall not onely not please God a misery great enough but shall moreover inevitably incur the greatest of all miseries eternal damnation He that will not believe shall be condemned fearfull words but spoken by Christ himself heavy news for such as die not Catholicks but told by truth it self Hence resolve that as the means to please God is to begin by true Faith so the means to get true Faith is by becoming a Member of the true Church Consider also that as the eye is the light of the body and the understanding the natural eye and light of the Soule so Divine Faith is the supernatural light of the understanding Nisi credideritis non intelligetis what say you Socinians to this Oracle of divine Truth unlesse you believe what The mysteries of the Kingdom of God and amongst the rest the possibility and actuall gift of infallible Faith How With Divine Faith What will follow Non intelliget is you shall have no understanding of those arcana or sacred secrets into which Faith dives true it is that humane faith and natural reason drawn from the consideration of those things which are marks of the true Church are previous conditions prerequisite to divine Faith whose acts are rational and it an intellectual habit but this is not to make natural reason the formal object or basis and ultimate resolution of maters of faith Mans intellect hath but a small sphere of activity in Order to a perception of divine things but so sarre forth as it is elevated by Divine Faith As for us who hope we are true believers let not us content our selves with humane Faith but petition Gods divine Majesty for that Faith which is his heavenly gift Lord adauge nobis fidem increase in us Faith true faith infallible Faith divine Faith make us strong in faith that by it we may know thee and whom thou sent Jesus Christ Gather out of this point one reason amongst others why many Sectaries are so bad Paraphrastes and expounders of Scripture and why they hold such Paradoxes and improbable opinions in these main matters of Faith To wit because they want divine and Theological fith so true that truth is unlesse ye will believe ye shall not understand The third Point Consider now what is to be believed and how we are to proceed in the exercise of the virtue of faith this will be facilitated by understanding the precepts of Faith which are two the one Affirmative the other Negative The Affirmative Precept obligeth every one to believe actually and expresly some particular points of Faith and the rest implicitly or in general that is all whatsoever the holy Catholike Church believes yet so in general that every one is bound to be in a readinesse and disposition to embrace and assent to the other particulars when and accordingly as they shall be sufficiently propounded by the true Church Now for a better information of what particulars are expresly to be believed Note that of these materiall objects or points of Faith some are so essentially requisite to salvation that a pure non-knowledgement or not believing them expresly and in particular is destructive of salvation these are called necessary necessitate medii such are these two which Saint Paul mentions in these words but without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is to wit that there is a God and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Here it is expresly set down that there is no coming to God no enjoying him without believing that there is a God and that he is a rewarder and these two are to be believed by all even Ethnicks and Infidels But those to whom the Evangelicall law hath been sufficiently propounded must believe besides these two Christ and the blessed Trinity
Independent or the like being about to die is desired to declare himself in point of Religion he will not say thus I die a Catholick for the spectatours and auditours would immediately conclude that he dyed a Papist but he would declare himself thus I die a Protestant Presbyterian or the like or I die a member of the Church of England which is in effect to say he dies a Protestant and thus the titular Archbishop of Canterburie Mr. Laud and some other great Personages that died the same death before and after him declared themselves at that instant which was both most unseasonable for dissembling and at which period a man should be serious if ever and yet these great Persons to hold an argument whilest they were in discourse upon who had the best claim to the honourable title of Catholick would undoubtedly have stood for it themselves The fourth Point Out of these former points make these ensuing reflections first that the name Catholick is and hath been alwayes esteemed by venerable antiquity a mark of the true Church yea even Sectaries alwayes esteemed it so upon that account would somtimes challenge it thereby to Patronize and vent their new fashioned Religions the sooner 2. That those who desire to be accounted Catholicks by all Sects and sorts of people yea and which is better by God himself must joyn with those whom they call Roman Catholicks in the same Belief Communion and obedience to the spiritual Prelates 3. That the denominations of Catholick Papist or Roman Catholick are in substance all one thing and as it were termini convertibiles or synonima Now to the â—nd a man may be saved since it is not sufficient to bear onely the extrinsecall appellation of a Catholick but he must lead a life conformable to that name and Religion therefore Grant good Lord a large contribution of thy grace both to all aliens from thy Church that they may become members of it and to those also who are adopted into that honourable family already that they may speake by a good life what they professe in their belief Amen The fourteenth Meditation Of the Gift of Prophecy The first Point FOr a perfect information and understanding of this truth that the priviledge of prophesying is a mark of Christs Church Consider first the infallible testimony of Gods word Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy and your young men shall see visions Joel 2. Behold Gods promise by his Prophet and that this was made to the Church of Christ witnesse the Prince of the Apostles Saint Peter who cites these very words of Joel Acts 2. to prove what 's here intended Nor is Saint Paul inferiour to Saint Peter in the proof of this point for in his induction of the graces given to the Church Gratis he ranks the gift of Prophesie amongst the rest so that no doubt can be made of this truth Consider secondly the excellency of this endowment and how sufficiently able it is to notifie unto us which is the true Church Prophets are called videntes by reason of that kind of intuitive knowledge which they have of future things not as at a distance onely but as actually present they need no such window in mans breasts as that momus wished for thereby to see into mens hearts they anticipate what the succession of time brings to others and the celestiall secrets which others have from the second or third hand they have them immediately from the divine Wisdom and certainly the knowledge of future things contingent is not attainable either by the nature or art of man it can only be had from God and who have it may deservedly be held for great correspondents with him and this truth is expressed to the full in these words following Declare the things that are to come and we shall know that ye are Gods Isa 41. Now if these by this gift of Prophesie become as it were Gods or men of God certainly that must be the Church of God which is highly endowed with the same gift The second point Consider now how eminent the Roman Church hath been at all times in this point and to say nothing of the predictions of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus mentioned by Saint Basil in his book of the Holy Ghost cap. 29. Of Saint Anthony recounted by Saint Athanasius the Writer of his Life of the Abbot John of whom Saint Austin in in his Book of the City of God makes honourable mention cap. 26. And to passe with silence the Saints of the Primitive Church famous in this kinde we will come to those times and persons which Protestants themselves acknowledge for papistical the argument will be the stronger by this supposition Saint Benedict the spiritual Father of many thousand Monks amongst his other strange Prophesies foretold Totilas King of the Goths that he should enter the City of Rome then crosse the Seas homeward and that he should depart this life after the period of nine years should be expired all these things Saint Gregory sayes he knew to have been effected Lib. 2. dial c. 25. Saint Cuthbert foretold the totall rout of Egfrid King of the Northumbers his Army by the Picts and the Kings death amongst the rest in the field and this the year before it hapened and the next year upon the approach of the time and a disaster prenunciated he went on purpose to Carlile to comfort the Queen Egfrids wife and to be with her against that fatall day there in spirit he saw the whole tragedy as it was acted a far off in the Country of the Picts and related the same to the Queen the same Saint foretold his own Election to be Bishop with the time when and other circumstances he foretold his own departure out of this life to the holy Ermit Herebert who earnestly requesting the Saint that he would negotiate with the divine Majesty for his passage together with his presently the Saint replyed that his petition was granted and indeed one and the same day carried them both out of this mortal life together He foretold but with the qualifying particle perhaps out of his humility that after his death men should have recourse to his body as to an asylum it proved so and that for the space of eight hundred and forty years These predictions with many more Venerable Bede recounts in a particular Book extant in his Tomes of S. Cuthberts life King Edward the Confessor whilest he was hearing Mass upon Whitsunday saw the King of Denmark fall into the Sea as he was going out of a Long-boat into the Admiral and drown by which accident that his intended invasion of England with that Navy was spoiled Saint Hugh Bishop of Lincolne whilst he was yet Prior of the Charterhouse Monks at Witham next under God delivered King Henry the second out of a dangerous Tempest at Sea for that King in that great danger had most earnestly wished for the assistance of Saint Hugh
revenging hand of God and most miserable ends some of them were selfe murderers others were massacred by those very men or their affociats whom they had raised up to the highest step of honour in the Court or Militia and others were destroyed by horrible diseases judged even in the opinion of their own Pagan physitians more then naturall After their times and when Rome was free and intirely Catholick two reniarkable Examples of punishment inslicted upon two armies which attempted to make Rome Constantinople the subject of their barbarous cruelry happened Radagaisus King of the Goths marched with an Army of two hundred thousand men armed no lesse with malicious intentions against Religion then with other weapons towards Rome and faced the City with those formidable forces the Romans to prevent this sudden storming their City armed themselves with what speed they could but considing chiefly in that which S. Paul cal's the Armor of God and with their small number went out to fight that mighty Army behold what happened on a sudden that vast army was struck by the divine power with such an amazment and stupidity and so disabled from fighting that the Romans falling upon it totally routed and destroyed it together with that King who with his sons was slain amongst the rest and of the Romans not so much as any one man kiled or wounded this is related and counted for a miraculous punishment by S. Austine himselfe who was living at the same time and not twenty years after Roylas with a puissant army of Scythians Anno 425. coming with the same intention to Constantinople as he made his approach towards the City then filled with fears and frights as may well be imagined behold fire and thunderbolts at Gods command fell upon that huge Army totally destroyed it lo two famous Examples of Gods heavy hand upon the enemies of the Caltolick religion Consider secondly what punishments befell some of those Emperors and Princes who after that they had been or were Christians became injurious to the same Religion Julian for his apostasie from the true Church and his malicious persecuting the same at length fighting against the Persians received a morall wound with a lance from what hand it came no man about him could tell but himselfe acknowledged that it were a stroak from heaven by his casting handfuls of his own blood furiously into the ayre and saying to our Saviour Vicisti Galilee thou hast overcome O Galilean after which the earth opening swallowed up his body as S. Gregory Nazianzen writes in an oration of Saint Athanasius Valens the Arian Emperour persecuting the same Religion was many wayes punished by Almighty God and at last he was burnt alive by the Goths The Emperour Anastasius who both opposed the Church of Rome favoured the Eutychian heresie was slain with a Thunder bolt Leo Iconomachus the Emperour caused the people of Constantinople to take all the pictures and images out of the Churches and burn them in the market-place Presently after which fact the plague invaded that City and destroyed in a short time three hundred thousand persons This happened about the year 719. in the time of Pope Gregory the second The Emperour Zeno an Eutichian heretick Rome was by Anastasius who succeeded him buried alive Justinean the Emperour after so many laudable facts of his at length be gun the heresie of the Aphthartodocites affirming out of an in discreet Zeal of our Saviours honour that his flesh was incorruptible before his passion But whilest he was about making an Act for the receiving of this opinion all the Empire over he was carried out of the world by sudden death Heraclius the Emperour after the great favour he had received of God in that miraculous Victory against the Persians at length fell into the heresie of the Monotholites and dyed most miserably Belizarius that great warrier them which the world had no greater then was degraded and devested of all his honorable offices which he had had under his Emperour Justinian both his eyes were pulled out of his head and he sunk down into so low a condition as to sit a blind beggar with these words still in his mouth Give a bodwel to Bellizarius Whence this great change from Justinians jealousie that he affected his Empire as some say But Belizarius himselfe with many more attributed that punnishment to the injury he had done the Vicar of Christ Pope Silverius whom he unjustly sent into banishment by the Empresse Theodora's instigation Theodorick the Arian King a mongst the other mischiefs he had done the Church of Rome killed Pope John the first with a cruel imprisonment at length a holy Saint in a vision saw that King led betwixt that Pope and Simmachus a noble Patrician whom the same Theodorick had unjustly killed towards the fiery pits of mount Etna and thrown headlong into one of them This is related by Saint Gregory who saies that upon examination it was found that the King dyed at that very time which the holy mans vision specified and by consequence argued the verity of it Hunnericus an other Arian King and a great persecuter of the Roman Church was eaten up alive by vermin After these astonishing examples of Pagan and Christian Princes punnished for opposing the Church of Rome and persecuting the same Consider thirdly what became of some of the Arch hereticks Arius going to ease himselfe voided out his bowels together with his excrements and so dyed Manicheus was fleed alive by the King of Persia Montanus Theodotus and their Women which pretended to have the gift of prophesie all hanged themselves And Nestorius his impious tongue which had denied that the blessed Virgin Mary was Mother of God was eaten away by Vermin after he himselfe had been condemned by the Ephesine Counsel and the blessed Virgin declared Theotocos to wit the mother of God And this example me thinks and the authority of that general Counsel might move these later sectaries to bear more respect than they doe to that blessed Virgin Mary The third Point Though the looking upon these examples with a juditious and considerate eye would sufficiently convince any man that the heavy hand of God hangs alwaies over the heads of the opposers and enimies of the Roman Church which I suppose may without presumption be now called as it only is the Catholick Church as onely having the true marks of Christs Church yet the nearer wee deduce this argument down to wards these our dayes the greater influence it will have upon many Consider therefore First what befel the protoparents of all these later sects Luther the Ring-leader of all the succeeding sectaries after aplentiful and merry-supper in which he had exhilarated all his company with his discourse the drift of which was ordinarily to make the Pope and papists ridiculous and odious he went safe and sound to bed but was ceazed upon