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A34972 I. Question: Why are you a Catholic? The answer follows. II. Question: But why are you a Protestant? An answer attempted (in vain) / written by the Reverend Father S.C. Monk of the Holy Order of St. Benedict ... Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.; Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674. Why are you a Catholic? 1686 (1686) Wing C6900; ESTC R1035 63,222 76

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of the Churches Decision is as followeth I profess that in the Mass is offered to God a true proper and propitiatory Sacrifice for the Living and the dead By which Sacrifice that bloody Sacrifice performed once on the Cross is represented and the memory of it remains till the end of the world the saving vertue thereof is also applyed for the remission of those sins which are dayly commited by us All Catholics receive this Decision as it lyes As for School-men they according to their custom raise a world of unnecessary Disputes which are no where so multiplyed as on this incomprehensible Mystery of the Holy Eucharist But as many of their Questions seem no way necessary so no Catholics are obliged to their Decisions §. 75. Protestants set themselves against this Sacrifice upon a meer mistake of the Term which they will needs affirm to imply an Immolation and thereupon argue that the Roman Church manifestly contradicts the Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrews who affirms that Christ hath now once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself And that he was once offered to bear the sins of many and thence concludes the absolute Perfection of that one Sacrifice of Christ once offered which did not need be repeated as the Legal Sacrifices did But this pretended Contradiction will quickly vanish if we consider that though the Sacrifices made by Christ did accomplish all sorts of Sacrifices and Oblations in the Law yet the forementioned Divine Authour in a special manner compares it to that great Anniversary Sacrifice of general Propitiation in which after the killing of the beast the High Priest alone and only once every year carryed the Blood into the Holy of Holies and there sprinkled it before God In like manner did our Saviour after his bloody Sacrifice on the Cross ascending into Heaven by his own blood entered into the most Holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us Now these two Acts of Priesthood are by his commission in a sort repeated by his Servants whom he hath ordained Priests in his Church and who according to Saint Augustine's expression are propriissime Sacerdotes in a most proper Sence Sacrificing Priests For answerably to the Acts of Immolation their Sacrifice on the Altar is only Representative and Commemorative and expressed by Seperating the Body from the Blood Yet so that it is not barely a Sign of Christs death for that alone would not be sufficient to entitle it a Sacrifice but it also contains the Victim whose death is represented And again with regard to Christs offering and presenting to his Father his crucified Body in the most Holy place or Highest Heaven his Priests truly and properly present and Offer to Almighty God the same Body and Blood really present on the Holy Altar as a Propitiation for the Living and the Dead Which Propitiation is not at all injurious to that Propitiation and Eternal Redemption purchased for us by our Saviour since it receives all its virtue from his bloody Sacrifice being instituted for an Application of the said Redemption For thus also in an inferiour degree the same Propitiation is applyed to us by other Sacraments as Baptism Pennance and Absolution and Extream Unction yea also by the Word preached c. And thus much even the French Calvinists do acknowledge in their Cene as hath been shewed Now I desire you to judge what prejudice can come by the various applications of Christs Merits Prot. There seems to me now no such great difficulty in admitting a Relative Sacrifice and a proper Oblation Therefore you need not enlarge this Point any further 7. Of Communion under One Species §. 76. Cath. The last Subject of Protestants quarrels against the Church with relation to the Holy Eucharist is her Ordaining to the Laity Communion under one Species only Now it is acknowledged that as our Saviour instituted this Sacrament in both Species so for many ages together it was in public Communions received accordingly I say in Public Communions for in other private occasions as in Sickness at Sea and generally among the devout Inhabitants of Desarts it was otherwise yet these receiving in One Species only did not esteem themselves deprived of any vertue pertaining to the integrity of the Sacrament And the reason is because they generally believed as the Church has now declared that it is most true that as much is contained in each Species as under both for whole and entire Christ does exist under the Species of Bread and under every particle of that Species in like manner whole Christ does exist under the Species of Wine and under its parts when separated Upon this ground the Church without intending the least prejudice to her Children has thought fit for avoiding many inconveniences and irreverencies which did frequently occur by the negligence and confusion of such vast multitudes of Communicants receiving the Blood also that all excepting the Priest who celebrated should content themselves in Public Communions as from the beginning Christians did in Private with our Lords Body only under the Species of Bread which is not obnoxious to the like inconveniencies considering that hereby they should not be loosers of any part of the Blessing §. 77. This regards the Holy Eucharist considered as a Sacrament But as it is a Sacrifice both the Species are necessary to the constitution of it it being ordained to represent the Death of Christ by shedding his Blood Which representation is made by Consecreating and offering both the Body and Blood separatly Matters standing thus it concerns you much to consider whether this be a just cause of your Speration from the Catholic Church in which you might have been partaker truly and really of the precious Body of Christ whereas in Congregations divided from her you instead of the Body and Blood of our Saviour must content your self with a morsel of meer bread and a sup of wine Prot. I will by Gods assistance think seriously on this In the mean time you may proceed to the following Points 8. Of Sacramental Confession Pennance and Satisfaction §. 78. Cath. The next Catholic Doctrine severely censured by you as an invention of the Clergys ambition is the Obligation imposed by the Catholic Church on her subjects to Confess their Mortal sins and to submit to satisfactions for them according to this Canon Whosoever shall deny Sacramental Confession to have been instituted by Divine Law or to be necesary to Salvation or shall affirm that the manner of Confession secretly to the Priest alone which the Catholic Church from the beginning hath allways and still doth observe is disagreeing from the institution and command of Christ and that it is a humane invention Let him be Anathema This Duty of Confession of sins seems by this Canon referred to that Commission and Privilege given by our Saviour to his Apostles and their Successours Whose soever sins ye remit they are
Temple These therefore so many and so great bonds keep a believer firm in the Catholic Church although by reason of his natural dulness and perhaps his sins he does not manifestly see and penetrate the depth of Divine Truths But among you Heretics who have none of these advantages to invite or hold me nothing is heard to sound but a vain promise of true Doctrine c. Firmissime tene et nullatenus dubites Hold most firmly and doubt not at all that every Heretic or Schismatic baptised in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost if before he Dies he be not joyned and incorporated into the Catholic Church he can by no means be saved though he should give never so many Alms yea though he should shed his Blood for the Name of Christ For neither Baptism nor liberal distributing of Alms nor the undergoing death for the Name of Christ can profit any one to Salvation as long as Heretical or Schismatical lewdness perseveres in him which leadeth to eternal death §. 3. Of the Catholic Churches Authority Of interpreting Scripture Saint Augustine informs us that a certain acquaintance of his derided the Disciples of Catholic Faith by which men were commanded to believe the Church not being taught by demonstrative Reasons what was true To satisfie this Friend he wrote his Book De Utilitate credendi Ecclesiae in which he writes thus It is fitly instituted by the Majesty of Catholic Discipline that those who come to Religion should before all other things be perswaded to believe the Church But you will say were it not better that Reason should be employed to move me which without any temerity I might follow withersoever it leads me Perhaps it might be so But since to come to the knowledge of God by Reason is a matter of so great importance and difficulty do you think that generally all men are capable of searching into the Reasons by which mens minds may be brought to a knowledg of Divine Mysteries Or are the greatest number of men such or but a few I suppose you will answer But a few If so do you think that the knowledg of Religion is to be denyed to all the rest who have not so piercing a Judgment It is a miserable thing to be deceived by Authority but it is much more miserable not to be moved by it If Gods Providence does not preside over human affairs there will be no cause why we should trouble our selves about Religion We ought not therefore to despair that some Authority is constituted by God by which those who walk doubtfully may be raised up to God Puto si quis Sapiens extitisset I conceive that if there were extant a wise man to whom our Lord had given his Testimony viz. that he should be directed by him and if that man were consulted by us concerning this controversie we should not at all doubt to do whatsoever he enjoyned us least we should be adjudged to oppose our selves not so much to that man himself as to our Lord Jesus Christ by whose Testimony he is recommended Now such Testimony doth our Lord afford to his Church Haeretici qui cum in unitate Heretics who though they be not in Catholic Unity and Communion yet Glory in the title of Christians are compelled to oppose Orthodox Believers and they have the boldness to attempt the seducing unskilful Christians by force of disputing and Reasoning whereas our Lord came with a peculiar Medicine against this when he enjoyned not reasoning but Believing to all people But Heretics are forced to take the way of arguing by reason because they see themselves in a most abject Condition if their Authority be compared with Catholic Authority Therefore they endeavour to prevail by a pretence and promise of Reason against the most unshaken Authority of the firmly established Church This is the uniform and as it were regular temerity of all Heretics But the most clement Emperor of our Faith has fortified with the Citadel of Authority his Church both by numerous Congregations of People and Nations and the Chairs of his Apostles He also by a few piously learned and truly Spiritual men has armed his Church with most copious provisions of invincible Reason But the more secure and rational Discipline is That those who are ignorant or infirm should be received within the Castle of Faith depending on Authority that they may be defended by those who can combate with the weapons of most powerful Reason Noc nos ipsi tale aliquid auderemus asserere Neither durst we affirm any such thing viz. that Hereties ought not to be rebaptized if we were not strengthned by the unanimous Authority of the universal Church To which Authority no doubt Cyprian who held the contrary would have submitted if in his time the truth of this question had been established by the examination and decision of a Plenary Council Proinde quamvis hujus rei certe de Scripturis Canonicis non proferatur exemplum Although no express example can be brought out of Canonical Scriptures touching this Point of rebaptization yet the truth of the same Scriptures in this matter is held by us when we do that which has pleased the Universal Church which the Authority of Scripture themselves does commend That since the Holy Scripture cannot deceive us he whosoever is in fear of being deceived by the obscurity of this question may consult the same Church about it which Church the holy Scripture doth without all ambiguity demonstrate Aliud est cum Authoritati credimus It is one thing when we believe submitting to Authority and another when we yield to reason To believe Authority is a way very compendious and without labour Et si nulla ratione indagetur Whatsoever is from Ancient times preached by our Orthodox Faith and believed through the whole Church though by no search of reason it can be found out and though by no speech it can be clearly expressed yet notwithstanding it is to be acknowledged most true Haeretici sunt sibi arbitri Religionis Heretics are to themselves judges of Religion Whereas the proper work of Religion is the Duty of Obedience to Authority Non ad Scripturas provocandum est We must not disputing with Heretics appeal to Scripture Neither is the debate to be constituted in things in which either no victory at all will follow or an uncertain one or little better than uncertain For though the success of examining Scriptures should not be such that each party should have no advantage over the other yet due order requires that that should be first proposed about which at present we are to dispute viz. to which of the parties the preaching of Faith belongs who have right to the Scriptures from whom and by whom and when and to whom that Discipline has been delivered by which men are made Christians For where the Truth both of Christian