loose their sensible feare of God when they offende him yet naturally they haue still the same feare of him and he allwais the same power ouer them And if any man come to that hardnes of hart as to haue noe feeling of the diuine power when he sinneth it is by long continuance and custome of sinne that he looseth that actuall feeling and feare of God yet naturally and radically he allwais hath it and can loose it noe more then birds and beasts can euer leaue to haue a natural feare of man Tertullian and Seneca haue obserued that atheists when they fall into any great misery Ter. Apoll. Senec. l. 1. deâ—rn and especially when they come to dy of all men are most deiected to thinke of the iustice of God and the punishments that abide them and are more vexed in conscience then any detesting then their former wickednes and the pleasures of their life for which they denyed God And Zeno the Philosopher was soe well satisfyed with this experience that he vsed to say that to him it a was a better proofe of the diuine power to heare the atheist who blinded with sensuality had denyed God to confesse him againe when he was freed from that passionate desire then it was to heare it prooued by the best arguments of Philosophy This may be deduced out of S. Pauls argument to the Philosophers of Athens when preaching to them he said God is not farre from euery one of vs. Act. 17. For in him we liue and moue and be That is that we haue within vs a feeling of God that gaue vs the perfections which we could not haue of ourselues and that we haue noe such feeling of stocks or stones of which their idols were made as not hauing power by nature to giue being life and motion And this natural feeling and feare of God as it pleased him to imprint it in our harts soe he hath a care to preserue it in vs and hath therfor shewed sometimes his exemplat iudgments vpon men of such atheistical spirits as haue striuen to pull downe sanctity of life and to destroy vertue Cantip. l. 2. apum a. 48. Cantipratensis relateth of one Simon a libertin of Paris that railing against Christ for teaching holinesse of life he fell downe to the ground giuing a great roare like a beast his eyes rowling after a gastly manner and making a terrible noyse with his tongue but could not vtter a word but Alis Alis which was the name of his concubine And it is reported of Machiauel that prophane Politician that when he dyed being strucken with despaire he vttered certaine words wnworthy to be rehearsed If then by nature we haue a feeling of God and for that feeling we naturally feare and abhorre to offende him and if wisemen haue obserued in atheists that when calamitys befall them and especially at their deaths they are glad to retract their errour and repenting for it to humble themselues to God or els to dy after a most miserable and horrible manner how great then and enormous is their wickednesse and how desperatly senslesse is he of his owne good who for that delight which is common to other sinners will surmount them all in a higher degree of malice and by a singular prophanenesse put himselfe vpon the racke of his owne conscience soe greeuous that for feare of worse torments he shall be forced either to confesse that which before he denyed or els which is worse to dy a miserable death and perhaps in that desperate manner as to be made an example to the world of the diuine iustice Let vs now shew in a word or two how NATVRALL REASON DOTH demonstrate the power of God FAith is the first foundation of religion and the first foundation of faith is to beleeue that there is a God who will reward those that worship him He that will come vnto God must first beleeue that he is and is a rewarder of those that seeke him Heb 11. Sayth S. Paul and therfor the first thinge which the Apostles would propose to be professed in the Creede was I beleeue in God and the last thinge which they would conclude it with was life euerlasting a necessary beginning to bring vs to that happy end The first words of the Creede being then the foundation of faith and he hauing giuen vs natural reason as a guide to the higher light of faith it was necessary that this first article and foundation of faith should be â—ithin the limits of natural reason soe farre as that discerning by nature that there was a superiour of nature we might haue recourse vnto him as to our superiour and receiue from his authority the articles of faith which he will haue vs to beleeue with subordination to that gouernment which he hath instituted in the Church And that we might see this first verity the Apostle sayth that God left not himselfe without testimony being beneficiall from heauen giuing raines and fâ—â—tefull seasons Act. 14. filling our harts with fâ—ode and gladnes He hath indeede left as many testimonys of himselfe as there are creatures of his making the least of which is sufficient to prooue him as the cause from whence they proceede and the power of which they depende But the more eminent creatures of God declare his perfections after a more eminent manner and they alltogether manifest his power soe that we are forced to confesle it to be infinite and that he is incomprehensible in goodnes and without number of greatnes because he eminently must conteine in himselfe the perfections of all that are and of all that are possible and those are without end and therefor he is infinitly greater then any limited reason can comprehende But let vs see the testimonys which God hath left of himselfe I will now dilate my speech a litle vpon the creatures of God that we may see and honour him in them Truely if we will consider the admirable composition which we see in this world and will hearken to the harmony which it maketh we cannot but come in minde of the maker of it and admire and blesse him Reg. 3.10 And as the queene of Saba when she saw the great works which Salomon had done and the excellent fine order of his house and seruants admiring at it was soe rauished with astonishment that she had noe longer spirit with admiring him soe the soule of man may well be rauished with admiration to consider the power and wisdome of that workeman who hath builded the heauens as a house but much more admirable and in a higher nature of workmanship then Salomons was and with a household of seruants in better order then Salomon could deuise for his We shall see conteined in this house a number of creatures astonishing vs with strange and vnspeakeable varietys some with being onely some with life some with sense and some with reason euery one it is propper kind and in its
thee downe instantly into hell and what it is to want the mediation of Christ of our B. Lady thy good Angell thy patrone and of all the Saints and the suffrages of the Church thou wouldst not remaine one moment in that state It is a humane thinge saith S. Gregory to erre but diabolical to perseuer in it If we fall into sinne we doe but like men if we rize againe we doe as the Saints haue done but if we perseuer in sinne we are like the deuil who must remaine in sinne for euer OF EXTREME-VNCTION THIS Sacrament hath for its propper effect to giue grace and strength against temptations at our death For the hopes of our enemy being then at the last he striueth all he can against vs. Apoc. 12. The deuill is descended to you hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a litle time Said the heauenly voice which S. Iohn heard Some he tempteth to presumption others to dispaire some by too much loue to their freinds and family some thinke of nothing but the riches which they leaue some by too much desire of life that they will not apprehende nor prepare themselues for death and generally as we draw neerer to our ends we grow more subiect to extremitys of passions all which the deuill knoweth how to make vse of to our hurt But his commune temptation is to terrify sinners with greeuous feare and affrightments at their sinnes past Sap. 4. They shall come fearefull in cogitation of their sinnes and their iniquitys on the contrary shall conuince them Saith holy wisdome Neither shall their naturall courage and strength then auaile them any thinge though neuer soe bold and bragging in time of health Great Saints haue shewed much feare at their death S. Hilarion whose perfection S. vita Hilar. Hierome describing saith that great concourse of bishops priests Clergymen and monks sought to him the temptation of christian matrons followed him multitudes of the common people potentates and iudges came to receiue holy bread and oile of him and yet his minde continued fixed on solitude yet for all this when he came to dy he was oppressed with such a feare and horrour of death that to encourage his soule he said Goe forth what dost thou feare goe forth my soule what dost thou doubt of thou hast serued Christ now almost seuenty yeares and dost thou feare death If Saints at their death haue bene thus terrifyed what may they expect who haue committed many sinnes and perhaps but lately repented for them and perhaps but sleightly and haue but few good works then for their comfort Therefor our Sauiour hath prouided this Sacrament as an armour for vs against that time S. Iames Iam. 5. is any man sicke among you let him bring in the priests of the Church and let them pray ouer him anoiling him with oile in the name of our Lord. And the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and our Lord shall lift him vp and if he be in sinnes they shall be remitted him By which words we haue the practise of the Catholike Church well prooued and Etreme Vnction declared to be a Sacrament that is an outward signe that sanctifyeth vs. There is an outward signe in the external rite of anoiling and in the forme of words signifyed by prayer And that this outward signe causeth grace vnto sanctification the words following doe declare in that sinnes are remitted which can not be but by grace being receiued And it followeth hence that Christ instituted it For the Apostles had not the power of instituting such signes neither could S. Iames haue promised remission of sinnes by it if Christ had not instituted it Luth. Praef. ad nou Test and giuen it that power It is true Luther reiects this Epistle of S. Iames denying it to be canonical and calling it an Epistle of straw but the authority of the whole Church hath declared it for canonical And if the whole Church be not sufficient for Luther we will put Caluin into the ballance against him an authour at least of equall grauity with him Caluin l. 3. Instit. c. 17. and Caluin holdeth it for canonical S. Bernard in vita Malach. relateth of S. Malachy that he assisting with a sicke woman and not thinking her to be in such danger as to require the Sacrament of Extreme-Vnction departed from her without ministring it but she dying in his absence he returned againe full of sorrow and pittying that she should want the benefit of it he fell to his prayers restored her to life againe And then saith S. Bern he anoiled her knowing that by this Sacrament sinnes are remitted and that the prayer of faith saueth the sicke The holy oile is then applyed as a spiritual salue to the senses because by occasion of our senses we committe sinne But beside the spiritual remedy which our soules gaine by it it hath also a corporal effect of giuing health to the body as the Apostle declareth the sicke being saued and alleuiated by it By reason of which effect this Sacrament is not giuen in danger of death by warre or otherwise but onely by sicknes OF THE SACRAMENT of Orders THE Sacrament of Orders is that which Priests Deacons Subdeacons and others receiue when they are ordained by which they receiue spiritual power for the gouernment of the Church Tim. 1.4 That it is a Sacrament it appeareth by the words of S. Paul to Timothy Neglect not the grace which is giuen thee by prophecy with imposition of the hands of the priesthood By this it hath all which is conteined in the nature of a Sacrament the imposition of hands and the words that are said which are there signifyed by Prophecy being an external signe Amb. in Tim. by which grace in giuen Vpon which words S. Ambrose saith that Timothy by the imposition of the hands of priesthood was designed to the worke ard receiued authority that he durst offer sacrifice to God in our Lords steede The same power is expressed by the words of the bishop when heordaineth priests saying Receiue thou authority to offer for the liuing and the dead in the name of our Lord. To offer there is to offer sacrifice as S. Ambrose also expresseth it and to offer sacrifice is the most propper office of priests priest and sacrifice going allwais together soe that there can be noe priest but he must haue power to offer sacrifice The propper and peculiar effect of this Sacrament is to giue grace to exercize worthily Ecclesiastical functions Which power and grace as it is in the Church of Christ is most high and eminent aboue all dignitys For what can be compared to the dignity of christian priests Both in respect of their power of Orders by which they consecrate the most blesed host and also in respect of their power of iurisdiction by which they remitte sinnes Neither of which is within the Angels power And therefor priesthood is not obtained in
to intice him but all was in vaine he told him that his mother had vsed to exhort him to martyrdome and that he would be with her The king asked him what it was to be à martyr The child answered marke this answere that to be à martyr was to suffer death for Iesus Christ and to liue for euer after The king asked him who Christ was He told him that he might see Christ in the Church meaning as à child the pictures and Crucifixes of Christ which were then to be seene in Catholike Churches and looking downe and getting à sight of his mother as she was tyed to the stake he cryed out let mee goe let mee goe to my mother and when the king hindered him he told him he thought he was à Iew and bate him by the thigh to gette away from him at which the king in a fury pushed him away commanding one of his senators to take him to bring vp in the Iewish sect But as he was carried away he gotte from him and running into the fireto his mother he had his desire which was to dy à martyr This child if he were not capable of much of the christian doctrine at that age yet his good mother had à care to ingraft in him at least such à zeale and soe much knowledge of the faith of Christ that it was admirable to heare à child of siue yeares old to giue such an answer to the question of martyrdome in which he publikely professed the faith of Iesus Christ and the assurance of eternall life by suffering death for it Our children are as this was then an innocent by baptisme But our parents are not as the mother of this child soe careful to instruct their children and therefor are there soe many weake and feeble Catholikes amongst vs because we want instruction in our youth and we want it soe much that many who are past children know not the cheife principles of the christian faith nor thinke that they haue any obligation to learne them which is the ground and cause of all their ignorance The first thing therefor and most necessary for euery christian to know is the obligation which he hath to learne the christian doctrine Tell mee then Question What obligation haue christians to learne the christian doctrine Answer Euery christian is bound vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the christian faith This is an obligation vnder à mortal sinne that is to say à deadly sinne à sinne by which our soules incurre death as great an obligation as can be The reason is because all that are come to the vse of reason are bounde not onely to an habitual faith such as children haue but also to an actual faith that is to produce acts of faith and actual faith supposeth some knowledge of what is to be beleeued and therefor euery one must haue some knowledge of those thinges which he is to beleeue Children before they come to the vse of reason haue onely the habit of faith which is giuen them in baptisme and this is sufficient to saue them that can haue noe more but when they come to the vse of reason then they come to the vse of their faith and are bounde to conuert themselues to à supernatural end by producing acts of faith and of the loue of God which they can not doe except they know something of him and therefor S. Ep. 119. Augustin sayth that knowledge is the engine by which the building of charity is raised vp to endure for euer Euery tradesman must know the trade which he professeth or els he cannot expect to haue by right the wages due to his trade The trade which we professe is the true worship of God in the christian faith we are therefor boūd to know what belōgeth to that profession otherwise we cānot expact the reward of good christians We deserue not indeede the honour of that name if we know not what is professed by it Eccl. 5. Be stedfast in the way of our Lord and in the truth of thy vnderstanding and in knowledge Saith holy Ecclesiasticus Cor. 1.14 and the Apostle saith that if any man know not he shall not be knowne Now to say in particular how much of the christian doctrine euery one is bounde to know and which are these cheife points of obligation to be learned can not be done in general termes to all alike for this obligation is to be measured according to the difference of capacitys and other circumstances which are to be considered in seueral callings of persons ◠Tho see ◠q. 1. art 5. S. Thomas and the common opinion of authors holdeth it absolutely necessary to saluation in euery one to haue an explicite faith that is expresly to beleeue the mysterys of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation and the twelue articles of the Creede and that it is à mortal sinne to be ignorant in the substance of those mysterys I should thinke it a very grosse ignorance in any Catholike not to know all these points to wit the mystery of the blessed Trinity in one God and three persons the mystery of the Incarnation in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true man that redeemed vs shall iudge vs and giue glory to the good What the Catholike Church is that the Sacraments of the Catholike Church giue grace to sanctify vs what it is that he receiueth in the Eucharist what he cometh to confession for what the Masse is whatmortal sinne is and that the Praecepts of the Church oblige vnder à mortal sinne This is as litle as can well be expected of all christians And this is conteined in the Summe of the christian doctrine which I haue deliuered to be gotten without booke the vnderstanding of which is sufficient to discharge the obligation which euery one hath to learne the christian doctrine I doe not say that it is absolutely necessary for euery one to vnderstande it all much lesse to gette it all without booke But I say that it is absolutly necessary for saluation to vnderstande the cheife points of it and that to be sure it were good to vnderstande it all and to gette it all without booke But it shall suffice for the present for all to know that they are bounde vnder à mortal sinne to know the head points and principal parts of the christian doctrine Let all then remember this obligatiō and those that haue bene negligent in performing it let them confesse their negligence and learne better hereafter For if any man know not he shall not be knowne Cor. 1.14 THE SECOND DISCOVRSE OF FAITH I INTENDE now to say something of faith in general à subiect necessary to be spoken of but it is hard to speake well and cleerely that which is necessary and sufficient to be spoken of it Prou. 25. Thou hast found honey eate that which sufficeth thee least perhaps being filled thou vomit it vp
called priests Angels saying The lipps of the priest shall keepe knowledge and from his mouth thou shalt require the law Mal. 2. because he is the angell of our Lord of hosts The angels are the treasurers of the diuine mysterys who open them in their messages to mankind as God will haue them to be imparted vnto vs soe priests haue the keeping of the diuine mysterys and must deliuer them to the people as they neede them and therefor the people must aske of them and adhaere to the doctrine of the Church when it is deliuered by them Yet the mystery of the blessed Trinity is a mystery which is kept euen from the knowledge of priests although angels witnes S. Augustine who was a priest and one of the cheife of the Angelical Hierarchy of Priests B. Trin. for he was a bishop yet he relateth of himselfe how that being on a time walking on the sea shore studying vpon the mystery of the blessed Trinity he saw a child who hauing made a litle pitte in the sand was lauing with a spoone the water of the sea into Aug. ad volus that litle pitte S. Augustine earnestly obseruing him asked him what he meant did he thinke to empty the maine ocean into that litle pitte yes replyed the child as soone will I bring the ocean into this compasse as thou with thy vnderstanding shalt comprehende the mystery of the blessed Trinity By which he vnderstoode that it was a messenger of God sent vnto him to humble him and to let him know that the mystery of the blessed Trinity is aboue humane vnderstanding We see by reason that God the Creatour of all thinges must needs be aboue all thinges incomprehensible infinite in power wisdome and goodnes and therefor for men to thinke to comprehende God is to contradict the first principle of reason and aboue Lucifers pride to thinke to be equall with him It is enough for vs to thinke that God is God that is to say the supreme and infinite perfection which putts bounds and limits to the perfections of all other thinges who as he hath sette a terme of time to our liues soe hath he also limited our vnderstandings and we can noe more by our owne power exceede those limits then we can by our owne power escape death Great is our Lord great is his strength Psa 146. and of his Wisdome there is noe number If we will build vpon a sure ground let vs cleaue to that rocke which Christ hath left and say as our Creede teacheth vs I beleeue the holy Catholik Church In the law of Moyses the mystery of the blessed Trinity was beleeued as authors commonly shew by diuerse places in the old Testament although the Prophets haue deliuered it for the most part in obscure termes to the Israëlits least they who liued amongst idolatrous nations and were of themselues prone to idolaâ—ry should take occasion by the Trinity of Persons to beleeue in many Gods But idolatry being to be soe much subuerted by the faith of Christ and buâ— litle or noe danger of it amongst christians the mystery of the blessed Trinity is deliuered to vâ— planely and more expresly in the new Testament our Lord and Sauiour at his last departure from his Disciples commanding the expresse profession of it to be made in baptisme when we are made christians Mat. 28. Going therefor teach ye all nationâ— baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Io. 1.5 and againe There be three that giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost And these three be one Genebrard sheweth by diuerse places out of the auncient â—hilosophers that the Gentils by their familiarity and commerce with the Iewes came to heare and to write of the B Trinity But the moderne Iewes which now are earnestly oppose it being fallen in this point as they are also in the mystery of the Incarnation from the true faith which their forefathers professed That which we beleeue of this mystery is to acknowledge an vnity of Godhead essence and nature in the Trinity of Perfons God the Father is the same God as God the Sonne God the Sonne is the same God as God the Holy Ghost and they are not three Gods but one onely God The Person of the Father is not the person of the Sonne nor is the Person of the Sonne the Person of the Holy Ghost but they are three really destinct and different Persons This we intende to professe when we say in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost We also paofesse in the signe of the Cros the mystery of the Incarnation in that we make a Cros to remember and acknowledge the loue of God with which he soe loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne to become man Ioan. 3. and to redeeme vs on the Cros. God had created man in a happy state in Paradise as it were in the way to heauen enuironed on all sides with vnspeakeable pleasures and in that pleasant way was conducting him to the heauenly glory But man sinning lost the fauour of God was debarred of that blessed state which he should haue obtained and being then out of the state of grace he could sinne still more and more buâ— he could doe noe good worke sufficient to satisfy for his sinnes and to be restored againe to the diuine grace by it God of his iustice requireth satisfaction but noe man not creature being able and of sufficient worth to make it and the diuine nature not being subiect to make sarisfaction in in it selfe it was the goodnes of God to vnite our weakenes to his power and our nature to his diuine nature in the incarnation of his sonne that the nature of man being vnited to his diuine person might by that person be soe dignifyed that it could make worthy satisfaction for the sinnes of all men that should apply vnto themselues the merits of his passion This is the mystery which was reuealed vnto Abraham and the holy Patriarks which many kings and Prophets desired to see and which filled the hart of Abraham soe full of comfort that he laughed for ioy to heare and thinke of it By this the seed of the Patriarks was multiplyed like the starres of heauen and like the dust of the earth which is not to be numbred and all kindreds were blessed in it to wit as Christ came of their seede by the merits of whose passion heauen is replenished with saints more glorious than the starres and the Catholike Church of all faithfull christians haue sprung from him dilâ—â—ed to the west and to the East and to the North and to the south not to be numbred all whosoeuer are saued being saued by Christ our Sauiour We can neuer sufficiently acknowledge the loue of God in this mystery by it man was soe exalted as to become the diuine Spouse by
shall see him by natural discourse ALL ANGELS AND ALL nations of men giue testimony of God SOe great is the subordination which euery vnderstanding hath to the supreme wisdome and soe great is the inclination which all reasonable creatures haue to confesse and to acknowledge the supreme reason which ordered theirs that all nations of men that euer were and the whole nature of Angels haue consented allwais vnto it and conspired against atheists to choke atheisme as the monster of nature and as the common enemy of the world And euen as bees ioyne together to driue waspes out of their hiues as the destroyers of their nature and as all kingdomes rize vp in defence of their kings parents and fortunes against murderers robbers and theeues to exterminate them from the face of the earth soe haue all nations at all times combined together against atheists to mainteine the diuine power and to acknowledge God as their supreme king and parent and to defende him as their owne liues honours and fortunes which by reason they see cannot be mainteined without order and cannot be ordered but by the power of God In soe much that all nations of men and the most peruersed and obstinate of the Angels haue allwais acknowledged his diuine power If the writings of our auncestors shall haue any place with vs as by reason they must except we will liue life beasts without any correspondence of times we haue that the prowdest of the rebellious spirits as he kept allwais his natural reason soe did he allwais keepe his natural knowledge and acknowledgment of God and neuer sinned soe as to deny his diuine power or to thinke to be equall with him for that he knew could neuer be and euen then when he sinned he implyed as much in words calling God The most high as hauing all inferiour to him he sinned in desiring of a higher glory then God had ordained for him and repining at it he drew others to be his complices and to desire the same and to repine with him and for this he was cast downe with them into hell This if we will giue but humane credit to the best antiquity we must soe vnderstande as that Lucifer refuted atheisme euen then when he sinned and that God by that first sinne would shew himselfe to the world And as amongst Angels soe amongst men the prowdest of all men and most prophane were certainely those who would be worshipped for Gods euen whilst they liued yet these men neuer fell directly into atheisme but rather euen in that hight of pride they implyed an acknowledgment of the diuine power for they hauing gotten the superiority ouer others to preserue it the better and to begette in their people a greater reuerence vnto them assumed to themselues high titles and because the title of God is the highest of all titles they would be called soe and that it might not seeme vaine in word and name onely without substance they would be thought to haue somethinge more then humane in them and required of their inferiors some worship more then the ordinary which was giuen to men and soe it seemeth that Aman would haue had Mardochaeus to haue worshipped him Yet in this they acknowledged a diuine power and euen then they worshipped their false Gods as also Aman euen then acknowledged a higher power then his owne in the king whom he worshipped vpon earth The greatest libertines that euer were in the doctrine which they taught was Epicure and his followers yet neither he nor they euer came to that prophanenesse as directly to deny God but onely indirectly and by consequence as all wicked men doe in their works and those that teach false doctrines of God doe in words He and his company persuaded themselues that after this life there was noe further felicity for men but he denyed not but that some higher power ordained this present felicity of life which we enioy Verbo Athaus They professed sayeth Prateolus that there was a diuine power but they pretended that as God troubled not himselfe about vs soe he would not haue vs to trouble ourselues about worshipping of him but to follow the pleasures of this world which he had made for vs Cicero sayth of this libertine that his doctrine was to perswade men to follow their pleasures in all thinges and to trouble themselues with nothing Tuscul l. 3. nor euer to thinke of death or of any change or losse of those pleasures but to thinke that they should enioy them all or the greatest part of their liues without paine or sorrow or feare of offending the Gods By which it is manifest that these men were not atheists but that they acknowledged a diuine power all though they would not trouble themselues to worship it which gaue occasion to the rest of Philosophers to call them atheists and to set vpon them with arguments as such because atheisme was the consequence of their absurdity although they professed it not That which they professed was the hight of libertinisme in the pursuite of pleasures but it was inferiour to atheisme which taketh away the first principle of reason and of all effects Amongst all the false doctrines which at seuerall times haue sprung vp in the world and haue bene entertained by some nations or peoples for their owne ends and ease there neuer was any any nation or people that in their highest prosperity or lowest aduersity for any ends whatsoeuer but still they acknowledged a diuinity In the first beginning of idolatry when the world was distracted into soe many errors that euery countrey city and family might set vp priuate and particular idols to themselues as they liked we doe not reade of any that would deny God and professe atheisme They persecuted those of the true religion who retained the worship of one eternal and omnipotent God and would not follow their new idolatry and worship of many Gods but still they acknowledged some diuine power And if you descende from that first separation of men from the diuine worship you shall not finde that in all the time past any one nation prouince or citty in all the world did euer resolue to professe atheisme or did but allow or countenance it Some few priuate men there haue bene whom auncient authors haue branded with this infamy as Diagoras Protagoras and Theodorus Yet these men if they fell to atheisme which also may be doubted could neuer get any footing in the world but were presently detested for their singular prophanesse Yet I doe not deny but that there haue bene some atheists in the world as there is noe wickednesse but some haue committed it That which I say is that as by natural reason we must hate vice and by nature abhorre to murder ourselues soe doe we by nature abhorre the sinne of atheisme and that all nations haue punished it as they doe other vices which are against nature It is noe maruaile that some men haue runne willfully
into this sinne as they haue done into murder and euen to murder themselues which notwithstanding by nature they abhorre and can expect noe pleasure but vtmost paine in it It is indeede a meruaile and most admirable that atheisme giuing soe great liberty to all sinne there haue bene in the world soe few that haue fallen into it and by this it is manifest that God fights particularly against it and hath giuen by nature to reasonable creatures to defende his power and goodnesse And perhaps neither those aboue mentioned were guilty of this sinne First for that it is not likely that those men were soe much peruerted in their mindes and wills as Epicure was in the desire of liberty who notwithstanding as you haue seene came short of atheisme Secondly I finde by chance in S. Iohn Chrysostome where he putteth them by name and Socrates together for defending of the same doctrine and mainteining of this proposition Ignoro ' Deos I know not Gods meaning I know not many Gods in the plurall number Chrysosâ—o 4. in primam ad Cor. l. 14. but one onely God and he sayeth that they vltimum subierunt periculum that is either lost their liues or were in danger of their liues for defending of that proposition Now it is well knowne that Socrates lost his life for defending of that proposition in the sense aboue mentioned of one onely God and for this they might well be then in danger of their liues Atheisme then is a sinne which cannot be incurred but by a generall contradiction to the whole world and by a violent forcing of nature and conscience to admitte of all sinnes and which hath in it selfe the malice of all sinnes as allowing of all wickednesse whatsoeuer How great then are the punishments of this greeuous sinne soe much abhorred by the world and conteining after a sort the guilt of all sinnes Socrates dranke poyson forced vnto it by Infidels for defending of one God yet this was neuer a singularity in the world and euen then was professed by the whole nation of the Iewes famous in the world what shall the atheist deserue for professing of that which all nations of the world haue euer abhorred and for contradicting of that which all nations haue euer professed and was before men professed by Angels and euen by Lucifer the worst of deuils the atheist in this goeth beyond Lucifer and as for the hight of his prophanenesse he deserueth in a higher nature the damnation of his soule then Lucifer deserued hell because he denyeth the first principle of nature and all nations hauing by instinct of nature some religion he will haue none De leg Cicero There is noe nation soe barbarous but although it know not what God it should haue yet it knoweth it should haue a God Now if the atheist shall set himselfe to exclaime against all nations and shall say that they haue all done this for some temporal respect it shall auaile him noe more then if some hainous malefactour or very vicious man should exclaime against his superiors and against all nations for punishing of him and for hindering the mischeifs which he would otherwise perpetrate And by this saying atheists condemne themselues the same natural reason that condemneth sinne and vice condemning them in the opinion of all nations as more destroying of nature and order then any vicious men whatsoeuer And therefor as it were a vaine thinge in publike malefactors and should auaile them nothing to condemne the lawes of nations that condemne them soe were it in atheists to exclaime against all nations and should auaile them nothing when all the world shall condemne them before God OF THE NATVRALL AND experimentall feeling which we haue of God MEn vse rather to disswade from vices then to disprooue them because nature of it selfe without discourse of arguments at the first apprehension abhorreth vice and therefor there needes noe disproofe of it The same may be said of atheisme that as naturally we loue vertue and hate vice for the beauty and goodnes which appeareth in the one and for the deformity and euill which we perceiue in the other soe the diuine beauty and goodnes draweth vs to it and by nature we are conuerted to God and auersed from atheisme euen at the first apprehension as the greatest of all euills and our consciences tell vs that after the very salfe same manner that we feele ourselues auersed from vice soe doe we also finde ourselues from atheisme but onely that we behold atheisme as more deformed and monstruous then any vice is And as we loue and cannot but loue vertue soe we cannot but loue God in himselfe and naturally we loue those whom we see to loue and serue him Because we cannot but see and feele the goodnes of God towards vs and his power ouer vs working in vs and disposing of vs and dispensing vnto vs such perfections as he would giue and not we would choose and laying vpon vs such imperfections of greifs sicknes soares Passions of minde as he would and that which to nature is most terrible to wit death By all which we see a supernaturall power-aboue our nature which ordained these thinges And that power as by nature we see and feele it soe also by nature wefeare it naturally abhorring sinne by which we displease him It is true great sinners haue many times sensibly but litle of this feare left and may perhaps come to that hardnes of hart as to haue noe feeling at all of the feare of God when they sinne according to the holy Prouerbe The impious when he shall come into the depth of sinnes contemneth Prou. 18. But this prooueth not but that by nature he feareth God it prooueth indeede the great mercy of God to suffer those vessels of wrath to continue soe long without their due punishment that they feare him not and the great inclination which our corrupted nature hath to corrupt still more and more and to fall deeper and deeper into sinne and sheweth how good a thinge it is after any sinne presently to repent for it and as soone as we can to vse those meanes which we haue in the Catholike Church for the cleering of our consciences againe least that by continuance in one sinne we fall into another and harden our harts by litle and litle to all sinnes Although I say such men when they sinne haue noe sensible feeling of God or feare of his iustice yet by nature they haue that feare when they feele it noâ— Hawks by long custome to their keepers loose the feeling of that natural feare which they haue of them and will sport with them and bite at them without any feare at all yet naturally they haue allwais the same feare of them and their keepers permitting this haue still the same power ouer them which they had before Soe many sinners by much sinning and long continuance in sinne may perhaps I say perhaps for perhaps they cannot quite
goodnes hath prepared for vs. But we will speake a word or two OF THE VNITY OF GOD. IN the first article of the Crede we professe two thinges One God to wit that we beleeue in almighty God and secondly that we beleeue in one God the maker of heauen and earth for we doe not say makers but the maker to signify vnity By the first atheisme and by the second paganisme is reiected And the first being allready soe fully declared it will not be needfull to insist much vpon the second point it being a verity which the wisest of pagane Philosophers haue by reason discouered who haue confessed one supreme and first cause of all effects And therefor S. Augustine reporteth of Seneca the Philosopher Aug de ciu Decl 60.10 that speaking of idols he vsed to say that of custome they were adored but not of verity Heare the words of S. Paul disputing with the learnedest pagans of the world the Philosophers of Athens vpon this point Act. 17. The God that made the world and all thinges that are in it he being Lord of heauen and earth dwelleth not in temples made with hand needing any thinge where as himselfe giueth life vnto all and breathing and all things If God made the world and all things that are in it he must then haue all within his power all must depende and stande neede of him and he himselfe must stande neede of nothing He is not then a granen idoll that stoode neede of men to carue it nor any liuing creature as the dragon of Babilon that stoode neede of some to serue it with foode neither is he the Sunne or moone that stoode neede of some power to giue it the limited perfections which it hath as all other creatures God needes noe other God for then he were not the first beginning of all perfections including all perfections within himselfe This is sufficient by natural reason of this verity That which we beleeue in the Catholike faith is in one God the maker of heauen and earth that is of all creatures heauenly and earthly and the consetuer of them a spirituall substance infinite in power infinite in wisdome infinite in goodnes infinite in duration immense in infinite places possible and in all perfections infinite This we see by reason and beleeue by faith Deut. 6. Heare Israël the Lord our God is one Lord which words beside their diuine authority haue the highest degree of humane credit as the most auncient and authenticall writings by consent of the greatest part of the world Esa 44. Eph. 4. I am the first and I the last and beside mee there is noe God One Lord one faith one baptisme Men of more eminent dignity and authority as Priests Men called Gods Prophets Iudges c. are sometimes in holy scriptures called Gods in respect of their preeminency and authority ouer others by which they represent the diuine power THE SECOND ARTICLE And in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord. Quest Who is Christ Answ Christ is the sonne of God incarnated true God and true man our Redeemer Iudge and Glorifyer ALL this we say in the Creede when we professe our beleefe in lesus Christ the onely sonne of God borne of the Virgin Mary Crucifyed for our Redemption that he shall come to iudge vs all and that there is life euerlasting to wit to those that are iust through the merits of Iesus Christ Thus this answere is contained in the Creede In the which we hauing first professed our faith in God as he created vs we professe him now in another mistery to wit as he was incarnated to redeeme vs a mystery which we can neuer acknowledge with sufficient gratitude For the vnderstanding of which we may reflect vpon our former condition and the misery out of which we are freed by it Man was in paradise in a happy state of spirituall and corporall delights his soule was in grace and fauour with God and his body had then the gift of immortality that without dying it should enioy those pleasures for a time and afterwards the glory of heauen for euer He was warned onely of one thinge and that was to forbeare one fruit of Paradise which God to keepe him in obedience and due subiection had forbidden him to eate of Gen. 2. Of euery tree of Paradise eate thou but of the tree of knowledge of good and euill eate thou not For in what day soeuer thou shalt eate of it thou shalt dy the death To wit the death of body and soule Man forbore not but eate of that forbidden tree and as soone as he eate of it his soule died instantly and his body from that time beganne to dy But the death of our soules being indeede our true and greatest misery God was moued with pitty towards them and of his infinit mercy he decreed to reuiue them againe to his diuine grace and fauour For this he sent his onely sonne to be incarnated that is to take the flesh and nature of man vpon him that in that nature he might make satisfaction for the first sinne which man had committed and for the sinnes of all men occasioned by it And satisfaction being made by him the wrath of God might then cease against vs and we becomming his beloued children and freinds might serue him worthily and obtaine the blisse of heauen which before we had lost All the Persons of the Blessed Trinity the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost concurred equally to the effecting of this mystery as hauing all one and the same vndiuided power but the worke was effected in the Sonne onely the second Person who was incarnated Authors commonly declare this by the similitude of two helping another to put on a garment They all three concurre to the vesting of one of them and one of them onely is vested with the garment The garment in this mystery is the nature of man with which the Sonne of God onely was vested but the Father and Holy Ghost both concurred with him to the putting on of that garment And the Sonne of God being soe vested that in Christ our nature was really vnited to him we say truely that Christ our Sauiour is true man as consisting of two destinct natures diuine and humane According to his diuine nature he proceeded eternally from God the Father according to his humane nature he proceeded in time from the blessed Virgin his mother and according to that nature he made satisfaction sufficient in it selfe for the sinnes of all men that euer were or shall be and therefor we call him out Sauiour and Redeemer because all whosoeuer haue bene or can be saued are saued by the merits of his Passion He is our Iudge and in the latter day shall iudge vs. He is our Glorifyer for that by his merits our good works become meritorious and purchasing of glory He is called Iesus that is to say Sauiour not onely because he is our Sauiour
repeate in honour of it as by the signe of the Cros the masse the Creede the Haile Mary and the like in which it is still commemorated that we behold in them the fullfilling of that great vision which Moyses had Exo. 3. when our Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middes of a bush and the bush was on fire and was not burnt By which the Conception of Christ was fignifyed to be of the blessed Virgin without detriment of her Virginity and that he was to be borne without paine to her And this vision as it signifyed the Sonne of God vested with our nature was soe high and glorious that Moyses was commanded to bare his feete for the holinesse of the very ground on which it appeared Iob. 16. He at whose beck the pillars of heauen tremble and dread is inuolued in the myserys of our nature to draw vs to vertue and to saue vs by his merits THE FOVRTH ARTICLE SVffered vnder Pontius Pilate was Crucifyed dead and buried The Apostles hauing professed Christ in the glory of his diuinity as the onely Sonne of God and in the mystery of his conception and ioy of his birth set him now before our eyes in his passion and death That sacred body which was conceiued by the Holy Ghost and was vnited to the diuine word in the wombe of a Virgin we behold it now in the hands of cruell executioners who haue free power to torment and to kill it see now that body nailed vpon a Cros and soe exposed to the scorne of the world That face of life whose beauty the Angells desire to behold is left pale and dead without comlinesse and beauty The horrible paine which Christ suffered in his Passion is not to be apprehended by vs but was without doubt soe great in it selfe that the apprehension of it in him had bene sufficient to haue bereaued him of life if he had not supported nature by supernaturall meanes as he did in that agony which he suffered in the garden by the apprehension onely of his future Passion Mat. 26. when he said my soule is sorrowfull euen vnto death For his body as it was conceiued and framed onely of the Virgins blood was of a more tender complexion and more sensible of paine then others are and soe he had a more liuely apprehension greater horrour and more repugnance from the torments of his Passion which he foresaw and according to the inferiour part of his soule he desired and prayed to be freed from although they were woluntary to him For the vnderstanding of which we are to vnderstande two powers in the soule of man commonly called the Superiour and Inferiour part or portion of the soule The superiour power is in respect of its higher operations of reason and will which it hath equall with the Angels The inferiour part or portion of the soule is the inseriour powerwhich it hath as it is sensitiue causing vs to feele by our senses as inferiour creatures doe According to the superiour of the soule the Passion of Christ was nothing sorrowfull to him as not being contrary to his reason and will but it was most voluntary nay ioyfull to him he went as a gyant to runne that race and was straightened vntill he had perfected the baptisme of his Passion According to the inferiour power of the soule as it is sensible he could not but feele paine and his senses did abhorre the torments of his Passion for otherwise they had bene noe torments vnto him and as the complexion and constitution of his body was more perfect soe was he more sensible of paine and therefore the very apprehension of his Passion had a more violent effect in him then the paines of death is euer read to haue had in any other causing a sweat of blood to runne downe to the earth from him This would he suffer before his Passion to shew that his sorrows were aboue all sorrows and most horrible to him Yet he would preserue his life vntill he had suffered those thinges and fullfilled that which the scriptures had foretold of him For two reasons the Apostles would specify that Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate First for the more particular and exact relation of his Passion to shew that the Prophecys were fullfilled that had signifyed the time about which it should be And secondly for the performance of his owne words to shew the accomplishing of that which himselfe had foretold when speaking of his Passion he said Mat 20. they shall deliuer him to the Gentils to be mocked and scourged and crucifyed Which was fullfilled when the Iewes apprehending him deliuered him to Pilate and his souldiers who were Gentils and scourged and crucifyed him For the cheife of the Iewes seeing that they could not resist the doctrine which he preached nor the power of his miracles caused him to be apprehended and to be sent as a malefactour to Pontius Pilate who was then the Romane President of Iury Crucifyed and who by the instigation of the Iewes adiudged him as they desired to the death of the Cros which was held in that place the most disgracefull kind of death that malefactours could suffer and was soe much abhorred by the law that we reade in deuteronomy he is accursed of God that hangeth on a tree Deut. 21. Yet this the most reprochfull of all deaths was Christ contented to vndergoe for vs and that in a most ignominious manner betwixt two the eues We haue in the scriptures many mysterious types and honorable figures by which God would foreshew the death of his sonne Innocent Abel murthered by his brother was a figure of Iesus Christ killed by the Iewes Gen. 4. Gen. 22. The Sacrifice which Abraham was commanded to offer in his onely sonne was a type of Christ offered for vs on the Cros. Exo. 12. The vnspotted lambe which the Israëlits were commanded to offer when they came out of Aegypt represented also our Sauiour offered for our redemption of whom the Prophet saith Hier. 11. and I as a mild lambe that is carried to a victime The brazen serpent which God commanded to be erected that the people beholding it might be cured from the stings of the fiery serpents was as it were the shaddow of Christ nailed on the Cros. For as those that were wounded by serpents were cured by that and as of vipers and scorpions a medicine is made against their poyson and stings soe the malice of sinne committed by man was cured by man againe in Iesus Christ contrary to him By a man death sayth the Apostle and by a man the resurrection of the dead Cor. 1.15 And as the brazen serpent was in shew a serpent but had noe sting nor poyson to hurt but vertue to cure the stings of other serpents soe Christ in the similitude of the slesh of sinne had noe sinne Rom. 8. but tooke away the sinnes of the world and therefor
the faithfull dispersed ouer the world Which is in substance the same that is here answered for euery one that hath the true faith and is in vnion with the head and Pastors of the Church by obeying them is a member of the true Châ—â—ch and all these put together make the whole Church But because Schismatiks although they beleeue in all points yet are out of the Church as diuiding themselues from it by disobedience to the head and Pastors theirof therefor to be a member of the Church we require vnion with the rest of the members vnder one head to wit the Pope who is for the time the successor of S. Peter the Vicar of Christ and the Head of the Church Now for the explication of this article In the first place the Church is said to be holy Holy It is holy in diuerse respects First in respect of the eminent holines of Iesus Christ the cheife head of it Secondly for the holy gouernment which Christ instituted and allwais conserueth in it Thirdly it is holy in respect of the holy sacrifice which it hath of his most sacred body and in respect of the holy Sacraments and obseruances that are in it Fourthly in respect of the Vicarhead Pastors and people whose holinesse it includeth Christ ascending into heauen made S. Peter the head of all the Apostles and of the whole Church to remaine as Vicar to himselfe vpon earth commending particularly to him the charge of his sheepe that is of all faithfull christians that are in the Church as in his sheepfold This charge was performed by him whilst he liued and after his death by men of great holines who succeeded him ioyning their blood vnto his as it were in a continuall streame of martyrdome for almost three hundred yeares after the Ascension of Christ After them those who haue succeeded in that chaire and office haue bene for the most part men of great holinesse as they haue great meanes to be and as it is fitting they should be in that holy office The Church is also holy in many other inferiour Pastors and people of all sorts and callings of Martyrs Confessors and Virgins who haue illustrated it with their holy liues and haue rendred it a deere and amiable spouse to Christ Lastly the Church is holy as being by its authority the ground of all holines there being none at all but in it For there can be noe holinesse in this world if not grounded vpon true faith Heb. 11. without which it is impossible to please God And being there can be noe faith that can please God but in the Catholike Church all holinesse that is amongst men is in the holy Catholike Church The Church is called by the Apostles Catholike Catholike which is as much as to say vniuersal to destinguish the true Church of Christ from all false Churches of christians which they saw might rize vp in following times and did euen then beginne to rize in their times None of which can be said to be Catholike or vniuersal but priuate and particular Churches which beginne by opposing of the Catholike and vniuersal Church then extant when those new sects beginne First the Church is vniuersal in doctrine for that it teacheth all ouer the same doctrine and yeeldeth obedience to the same gouernment vnder one head and soe the Church of Rome is Catholike and the Church of Protestants is not Catholike for that protestants agree in name onely and nor in doctrine and also because some of them acknowledging a head vpon earth as the English Protestants did and some of them acknowledging noe head vpon earth they haue not all obedience to the same authority which obedience must necessarily be had to be the same Church and to be the true Catholike Church For the Apostles made this article to keepe vs allwais in the odedience of the true Church and that those might be knowne to haue the true faith of Christ who retaining the doctrine which is professed by the whole Church which then is and obeying the authority of it submitte in all controuersys to that which it teacheth and say with the Apostles I beleeue the Catholike Church and therefor two Churches that obey two different authoritys can not both of them be vniuersal and Catholike Secondly the true Church is vniuersall in times for that it must be at all times and neuer soe vanished out of the world that there should neede any to restore it againe for God doth not soe vnequally destribute his graces as to leaue the the world at any time without meanes of saluation which cannot be without a true and lawfull Church Besides the Apostles Creede is to be said at all times and soe we are allwais to say I beleeue the Catholike Church which we could not allwais say if at some time there were noe true Catholike Church in the world Thirdly the Church is vniuersal in place for if S. Paul could with truth apply those words of the psalme their sounde hath gone forth vnto all the earth Ps 18. and vnto the ends of the â—ound world the words of them to the Church of Christ in the Apostles times when it was nothing soe much dilated as now God be thanked it is we may now with good reason call it Catholike in respect of all places when the sounde of the Apostles doctrine is soe much enlarged that there is hardly any place of the world whither the Catholike Church doth not send her subiects to preach Out of this vniuersality of the Church it followeth One that there is but one true Church in which saluation may be had for vniuersality importeth vnity and if there be vnity in the Church and that this vnity be necessarily required and included in the word Catholike or vniuersal which signifye hâ— many agreeing in the same thinge then two Churches which are not vnited in the same Communion and obedience to the same authority can not both of them haue meanes of saluation for if they could both haue meanes of saluatioÌ„ and yet might lawfully disobey each others authority then we should not be bounde to obey it nor could it lawfully require obedience to it which is contrary to the words of Christ binding vs to the obedience of the Church and contrary to this article and to all reason and gouernment S. Augustine There is nothing which a christian ought soe much to feare as to be separated from the body of Christ Aug. tract 27. which is for certaine the one Catholike Church For if he be separated from the body of Christ he is not a member of him If he be not a member of him he is not nourished with his spirit By which it is plane in the doctrine of this saint that it can not be a true Church which is separated from the true Church and by consequence two Churches which separate from each other can not both be true Therefor let those take head that hearken
Church And speaking of the validity of baptisme done by haeretiks which validity S. Cyprian and some others of that time denyed he hath these words Neither durst we affirme any such thinge to wit as that the baptisme of haeretiks is valid were we not well grounded vpon the most vniforme authority of the whole Church vnto which vndoubtedly S. Cyprian would haue yeelded if in his time the truth of this question had bene cleered and by a General Councell established Greg in registro l. 1. c. 24. S. Gregory that he esteemed of the foure Generall Councells of Nyce Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon as of the foure ghospels of Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn Blessed Theodosius before S. Gregorys time went vp into the pulpit as Metaphrastes declareth in his life and pronounced publikly Let him be accursed that esteemeth not the foure holy Councels equal with the foure ghospells An edict was setforth by the Emperour Valentinian and Martian his collegue in which the decrees of the Councel of Chalcedon are commanded to be obserued in these words Let now all prophane strife be laid aside for verily he is impious and sacrilegious that after the sentences of soe many Priests shall thinke that there remaineth any thinge by his opinion to be handled Another decree is extant of the Emperour Martian to the people of Constantinople in which he sayth We haue forbidden all to dispute of religion for one or two can not finde out those secrets especially when soe many venerable Priests with extreme labour and much prayer could not discouer the truth but by the diuine authority It is indeede a most vaine thinge to dispute of the truth of those thinges which a Generall Councell hath declared to be true because all such thinges haue bene already sufficiently disputed by the best authority of the world That therefor which by a General Councell is established as of faith remaineth allwais firme and certaine in its truth for God is not changed nor can his words euer be but true and the words of a General Councell are the words of God Christ and the Holy Ghost teaching them all truth Mat. 28. Io. 14 16. That which by some former Councell hath bene but obuiously and sleightly handled as being then out of question may be more illustrated by a following Councell and such orders and constitutions as are agreeable to some times may be repealed as not conuenient for other times and soe S. Augustine saith that the former are sometimes amended by the following but noe General Councell signed vnto by the head and Pastors of the Church can euer be declared for false nor any thinge which is declared by such a Councell Some conuenticles of haeretiks as that of the Arians at Ariminum and of Nestorians at Ephesus haue bene declared for false because they were not general of the whole world nor called and ratifyed by the bishop of Rome as all General Councels vsed and ought to be But those which were true Councels and were truely authorized by him were neuer questioned afterwards nor any thinge in them But although a General Councell includeth the authority of the whole Church yet it is not necessary that euery member of the Church be present at it it is sufficient that the voice and assent of euery member of the Church be with the Pastors of the Church for as it is not required that euery member of a kingdome be personally present at the Councell table of the king but onely the king and Peeres of the realme who haue authority ouer all and as the superiors onely and magistrates of the Commune Wealth which are present in consultation make lawes for the good of all and all are bounde to obey them as the lawes of that nation and commune wealth which they defende with their liues and are guilty of death if they breake them because they proceede from the general and lawfull authority soe the head of the Church and pastors that are in Communion with him being placed by Christ and the Holy Ghost to gouerne the Church haue lawfull authority to determine for all and all are bounde to obey their decrees for that they are the decrees of all and that assembly is the whole Church in authority Thus an assembly of the cheife of the â—raëlits is called in holy scripture all Israël Reg. 3. â— and as I haue shewed the holy fathers haue called General Councels assemblys of the whole Church and of the whole world Neither is it necessary that all the bishops of the Church be personally present at them For that is morally impossible and very inconuenient some being necessary to remaine for the performing of Episcopal functions All the Apostles were not present with S. Peter at the Councell of Hierusalem but onely those which could be spared from their places which all at once can not be General Councels consist onely of bishops Neither can Councels enely of bishops or euer did any other but bishops take place by their owne authority in them And therfor S. Leo in his Epistles and S. Augustin commonly call them Councels of bishops In the acts of the Councell of Chalcedon these words are some times repeated Synodus Episcoporum est non Clericorum Superfluos mitte foras The Councell is of bishops not of Clerks Those that are supersluous let them be put forth The Abbot Auxentius being inuited to the Councell answered It is not for Monks to teach others but to be taught This is due onely to the dignity of bishops As for temporal Princes as such they neuer had any spiritual iurisdiction in the Church of Christ for that was giuen to Peter and the Apostles The Emperour Theodosius writing to the Councell of Ephesus sayeth It is not lawfull for mee that am noe bishop to intermedle in Ecclesiastical affaires The Emperour Valentinian being sollicited by some bishops to cause a Councell to be called for the deciding of certaine questions then in controuersy answered It is not for mee that am but in the ranke of the people to medle with those thinges Let the Priests to whom they belong agree among themselues to meete where they like These Emperours spoke like wise men and good Christians Cor. 1.7 Euery one in the vocation that he was called in it â—et him abide saith the Apostle Bishops are called to gouerne in spiritual temporal Princes in temporal thinges and they must not goe forth of their propper callings Bishops made not themselues bishops God gaue that authority to them and whosoeuer haue it must haue it of God I will giue Pastors saith God by his Prophet and they shall feede you with knowledge and doctrine Hier. 3. And S. Heb 5. Par. 2.26 Paul speaking of priesthood sayth neither doth any man take the honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as Aaron Ozias king of Iuda resisting the Priests and comming boldly to the altare to vsurpe without calling their authority and office
it as not to be done is most insolent madnes Epist 118. To question that which the whole Church obserueth or curiously to dispute of it is full of danger and presumption but soe as to disallow of it and to condemne it is absolute madnes and the propper madnes of heresy Now as you haue seene the power of granting indulgences to be deriued from Christ soe you shall see the practise of it to haue bene in the primitiue Church Although then they were neither soe commune nor solemne as now a dayes First because in those times of persecution christians could not soe frequently meete together Secondly because the graces and gifts of the Apostles and their successors were then greater and aequiualent to the benefit of indulgences Thirdly the feruour and deuotion of those christians was also greater the blood of Christ being yet warme and as S. Hierome saith boyling in them That they neither stoode soe much neede of indulgences nor were their punishments often remitted Yet S. Paul exercized this power when in the person of Christ he gaue indulgence or pardon as he termeth it to the sinfull Corinthian least he should haue bene swallowed vp with sorrow at the greatnes of his punishment Cor. 2.2 And whom you haue pardoned any thinge I also For my selfe also that which I pardoned if I pardoned any thinge for you in the person of Christ Thus S. Paul pardoned him and not onely in the sight of the Church but also in the sight of God for otherwise this pardon had been to his hurt and he had not pardoned in the person of Christ who hurteth not by his pardons Tertullian lib. ad martyres c. 1. and S. Cyprian l. 3. c. 15. ser de laps affirme that it was then the custome of bishops at the intreaty of those who were designed to martyrdome to grant pardons to offenders from the penaltys of the Church That which S. Paul and these bishops did was the very same which the Catholike Church now doth in giuing of indulgences for they are nothing els but the releasing of punishments in the sight of God Diuerse examples and canons of the Church for this are to be seene in authors which for breuity I omitte Indulgences vpon a iust cause and for a good end may sometimes be granted without the enioyning of any penalty As those were which primitiuely were granted at the intercession of martyrs and those which are now granted to some at their deaths for some great deserts and good seruice allready done to the Church But ordinarily some pious worke is praescribed and soe a greater punishment is changed into a lesse That which is required to be done ought to be performed with much deuotion and to gaine the indulgence it must be done in state of grace and therfor Confession and Contrition are for the most part expresly required in euery indulgence Indulgences which are granted to the soules in purgatory are applyed vnto them onely by way of suffrage that is by a pious offering of ours to pay their debt and not by applying any power or iurisdiction of the Church ouer them For the pastors of the Church haue power and iurisdiction ouer the militant Church onely ouer which they can visibly exercize their power of gouernment By indulgences we are not to vnderstande that soe many yeares or dayes of purgatory are remitted but that soe much punishment is pardoned as soe many yeares or dayes pennance should haue satisfyed for according to the pennances of the primitiue Church A plenary indulgence is a full and totall pardon of all punishment in the sight of God A Quarentine is as much as to say an indulgence corresponding to the pennance of forty dayes which aunciently was a time of prayer fasting and other austeritys in those times often vsed and was called Quadragena a Quarentin and when it was with bread and water onely it was called Carentia an abstaining from meates A Iubily is a more solemne kind of indulgence It is is an hedrew word signifying ioy or reioycing The Israëlits euery fiftith yeare had a Iubily yeare which was soe solemne that they absteined from tillage in it Lands that were sold returned to their owner slaues were enfranchized banished men restored debtors set at liberty All but in figure of the spirituall ioy and liberty which we obtaine in Christ And therefor we haue now a yeare of iubily which at first was kept euery hundreth yeare then euery fiftith now euery twenty fift The faithfull being piously inuited to Rome a place allwais frequented for indulgences and where Saints haue soe much desired to liue that S. Catherine of Siena vsed to say I treade vpon the blood of martyrs at Rome There doth the holy Vicar of Christ himselfe entertaine his people wash their feete make exhortations to them and spareth nothing to promote the loue and seruice of God in them Thus much as to the declaration of satisfaction which is the third part of the Sacrament of pennance Hauing Confessed our sinnes and receiued our pennance and absolution from the priest we must remember well the aduises which were giuen vs and purpose to keepe them and performe our pennance presently least we should forgette it or any part of it It is a signe of loue and reuerence to God when we goe willingly and readily to pay that which we owe him I haue now but one word more to say of this Sacrament and that is to exhort all to frequent it and to coniure him vehemently that is fallen into any greater sinne presently to seeke out a priest and to gette his conscience cleered by Confession and if he hath not then the opportunity of a priest to fly instantly to an act of Contrition and to make it with all the feruour and humility that possibly he can and in the meane time to slippe noe occasion of Confession Truely I thinke I may say that amongst soe many good remedys as spiritual men haue praescribed for particular sinnes it is the best and most general against all sinnes whatsoeuer to repent presently by a good Confession of them For as great wounds are easily cured when they are brought presently into the surgeons hands and by differring and not applying remedy in time they become vncurable and without remedy soe the longer we differre our Confession the harder we make our Conuersion and if we stay long in sinne we harden our harts still more and more vntill we come in the end to the vtter contempt of God and of our owne soules And therefor I exhort all from this very instant to purpose with themselues that if they chance at any time through frailty to fall into some great sinne they will seeke presently to Confession after it O thou that fearest not to be in mortal sinne if thou didst but vnderstande the heinous condition in which thou art that thou standest then face to face at defyance with God who with one word of his will can strike
deceiue soe much as one learned priest but onely some carnal and simple women As priests are aboue Angels in dignity soe it is fitting that they should imitate their purity and Angels neither marry nor are married Nay it is fitting that they should be as the Catholike Church hath ordained them to be aboue Angels in this that Angels are chast by nature onely but priests are chast by the grace of this Sacrament and by vow which is better It was the auncient custome of the Church as now it is for the Clergy to weare their crownes shauen S. Denis who liued in the Apostles times maketh mention of it Eccl. Hierar c. 6. S. Beda deriueth the first vse of it from S. Peter it representeth the crowne of thornes of our sauiour It denoteth the dignity of priests as kings Of whom the words of S. Peter 1.1 L. 5. hist Aug. c 2â— may cheesly be vnderstoode saying you are an elect generation a kingly priesthood It signifyeth also that priests are to reiect all vaine superfluitys of this world and to betake themselues to the spiritual lot and part which they haue chosen OF MATRIMONY MATRIMONY is declared by the Councel of Florence to be a true and propper Sacrament Sess vitim one of the number of the seauen Sacraments of the law of Christ instituted by him to giue grace And therefore amongst christians it is absolutly indissoluble which as a contract of nature onely it is not It hath for its propper effect to remedy the vnlawfull concupiscences of the flesh and to giue grace to man and woman to liue together in mutual loue and coniugal chastity and to bring vp their children in the seruice of God It is called by S. Eph. 15. Paul a great Sacrament to wit in the mystery which it representeth of the marriage of Christ with his Church to which for euer he hath espoused himselfe and as a good husband allwais loueth it teacheth it defendeth it prouideth for it and remaineth for euer the head of it By this similitude we haue the duety of marriage wel deciphered and man and wife by it are taught how to behaue themselues to each other Christ loueth his Church with an infinite loue the Church also loueth him with a continuall and neuer interrupted loue Christ suffered for his Church giuing euen his life to gaine her an immaculate Spouse The Church also suffereth for him in the blood of her children that in her victorys of martyrdome she may well say to him as Sephora did to Moyses Exod 4. a bloody spouse thou art to mee when she saw the blood of her children circumcised by him Christ as a good husband beareth with many imperfections and sinnes that are committed in the Church and vpbraideth her not but pittyeth her and furthereth the amendment of them by faire meanes and good words calling her his freind his beloued his faire one and the Church as a good wife confesseth her falts and asketh pardon for them submitting herselfe more humble then Sara calling him her Lord her master her sauiour Finally Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father allwais ready to mediate for his Church in heauen and hath prouided to remaine also with her in the B. Sacrament allwais vpon earth and the Church reciprocally laboreth for him giuing Sacraments offering sacrifice exhorting commanding reprehending and punishing of her people to make them honour him Thus ought man and wife to liue together in continuall loue and to beare patiently and contentedly together the tribulations of marriage not vpbraiding one another with their falts but with wise and milde termes to procure the amendment of them and to concurre together in all things both to their spiritual and temporal good Of this vnion loue and goodnes of married folkes dependeth very much the good of all mankind and therfor it is often and earnestly commended in the Scriptures In the first marriage of man and woman in Paradise God to to shew the loue which he would haue betwixt man and wife would frame the wife of a true and reall part of her husbands body and not of his hands fingars or toes not soe intimate to him but of a ribbe of his side neere to his â—art And when Adam awakened out of his sleepe and first saw her he was presently enamoured with a holy loue of her as his lawfull wife and euen then presently he beganne to giue documents to married folkes saying Gen. 2. For this man shall leaue his father and mother and shall cleaue to his Wife anâ— they shall be two in one fles This Adam spoke to his posterity whom in the spirit of prophecy he foresaw and would forwarne of mutual loue that as man and wife are but one in flesh Soe they might be in minde and will according together to take a part in all things And therefor Adam called her his fellow companion as participating with him in a happy and good company all dissension and diuision betwixt them being contrary to the Sacrament and in it selfe most greeuous eueÌ„ as the diuiding of liuing flesh which bleedeth and smarteth on both sides or as the cutting of the whole body into two which can not be but with excessiue torment and certaine death Soe the diuision and dissention betwixt man and wife is allwais painefull on both sides and if it be in a matter of moment or with scandall it is death and damnation to their soules The best therefor is to reflect well vpon the inconueniences of marriage before hand and to preuent them Yong folke many times deceiue themselues who setting their mindes too earnestly vpon marriage imagin great happines and nothing but content in it But this content lasteth but a while with them For as soone as they feele the tribulations of that state they beginne to loath it and by litle and litle to thinke them vntollerable and to wish themselues vnmarried againe And this is soe commune that as the saying is one priest hat could vnmarry would haue worke enough for many priests These resemble litle children that cry after their mothers they will not be quiet till they haue their desire and within a while they beginne to be weary and cry to be backe againe Marriages that are made without due consideration and especially with out being well commended to God haue many times the like issue and these are often obserued to be of those who marry very yong who indeede seldome apprehende rightly that which they vndertake But what remedy When they are once married there is then none but in true vertue and a good coÌ„science they must setle themselues and be contented with the sower and the sweet taking one with the other as it shall please God to sende them and when any Cros happeneth with a constant and heroical minde to beare it for Gods sake and to accustome themselues to some good words in those occasions as Gods will be done or the like expecting patiently
in vs is persited He that loueth God loueth all those whom God loueth and soe he loueth his neighbour because God loueth him and will haue him to loue him Euery man is by nature our neighbour and because our father and mother haue most propinquity of nature with vs therefor the Commandements of the second table that concerne our neighbour beginne with the loue of our father and mother that all others might be vnderstoode by them who are our neerest neighbors In the first place our superiours spiritual and temporal are vnderstoode by parents Heb. 13. Of the first the Apostle saith Obey your Prelates and be subiect to them For they watch as being to render account of your soules Of the second S. Peter Be subiect to euery humane creature for God Pet. 1.2 whâ—ther it be to the king as excelling or to rulers as sent by him c. for soe is the will of God Here we are to speake both of the duety of children and of parents For as children owe a duety to their parents soe parents owe their duety to God as his children Children are to loue honour and obey their parents and to releeue them in their needes and parents are to instruct and correct their children and to prouide for their mainteinance Children must loue and reuerence their parents in their harts and must speake well of them and loue to heare them well spoken of and performe submissiuely all those filiall respects which children vse to their parents They must obserue them and learne at their good example They must obey them willingly and haue their consent in those thinges that concerne their course of life knowing that it is a mortal sinne in things lawfull and of moment to disobey them But if they should commande somethinge which were vnlawfull then we must hate our father and mother that we may be worthy of Christ and answere with S. Act. 5. Peter God must be obeyed rather then men Dutifull children shall haue a duble reward a long life in this world and an euerlasting life in the next Piety is profitable saith the Apostle to all things hauing promise of the life that now is and of that to come Tim. 1.4 And this reward consisteth not onely in the longnesse but in the happinesse of their present life that they shall liue prosperously and in felicity For in Deuteronomy where the Commandements are repeated more at large Deut. 5. it is honour thy father and mother c. that thou wast liue a long time c. and it may be well with thee They are to releeue their parents in all but most of all in their spirituall necessitys to see that they want noe necessary helpe for their soules As for the duety of parents to God they are to loue their children not for themselues but for Gods sake they are to instruct them or to see that they be instructed in their prayers christian doctrine and good life in which there is a great negligence in some parents The loue of parents to their children ought I say to be for Gods sake and not as some who are soe immoderate and vnwise in the loue of them that indeede they make fooles of them for want of instruction and dew correcting of their falts These haue not the right spirit of parents and their father which is in heauen will not omitt to punish this falt in them Will you see a pittifull example of this Reg. 1.4 Heli was a very good man but that he is noted of too much indulgence to his children and therefor both he and they were examplarly punished of God with suddaine death Israel being worsted in batle by the Philistaeans sent for the arke of our Lord into the campe amongst them and receiued it with such showtes and acclamations of ioy that the earth rang with the sounde of their cry and their enemys were terrifyed to heare it Great then were the hopes of Israel and their expectation of another day The day of batle was come and Heli not being able to be present himselfe at the fight for that he was almost a hundred yeares old caused a stoole to be sett ouer against the way and satt him downe on it to expect the newse of their good successe A messenger com's fast enough with ill newse and letteth him know that Israel was put to flight a great ruine was made of the people his two sonnes were slaine and that which was worst of all the arke of God was taken by the enemy With all which the old mans hart was soe surcharged that his strength beganne to faile his spirits to faint and by litle and litle quite forsaking him he fell backwards ouer and broke his necke A pittifull spectacle to behold the most venerable personage of all Israel the high Priest and Prince of that people to ly in that posture dead with sorrow And this imputed byauthors to noe other sinne in him but to too much indulgence towards his children This is a loue which beside the hurt which childreÌ„ receiue by it hindereth much the loue of God in parents diuerting their mindes from him and as it were turning him out of possession who ought to possesse the centre of our harts It is as hame for christians to haue noe better loue then that of nature which is commune to dumbe beasts The loue which parents ought to haue of their children ought to be gracious and orderly for the loue and honour of God and of such loue they may haue as much as they can but to preferre the loue of kindred before God is disorderly and vnworthy of a christian The man of the ghospell Luc. 9. whom Christ called to follow him excused himselfe for that he had his father to bury but this was not a good excuse natural loue being to yeeld and to obey God Christ knew what he had to doe and if he had not called him he had done a good worke in burying of his father but Christ calling him he ought to haue forsaken all and to haue followed him and therefor he said let the dead bury their dead but goe thou setforth the kingdome of God Those that preferre the loue of any thinge before God are spiritually dead as S. Tim. 1.5 Paul saith the that is in deliciousnesse liuing is dead But thou if thou regardest the life of thy soule follow mee and loue mee aboue thy kindred and all things Yet parents must take heed on the other side that they be not soe seuere in correcting of their children falts as to dull and disharten them Fathers saith S. Col 3. Paul prouoke not your children to indignation that they become not discouraged Let parents obserue this rule that they neuer seeme to correct their childre in anger but allwais for the desire of their good and let their children allwais see this desire in them For such reprehensions and corrections as they perceiue to proceede onely out of
passion worke but litle to their amendment Parents must also prouide for their children with a moderate care and not as some doe who vnder pretence of proulding for them neuer thinke themselues rich enough These ought to consider that their children are the children of God and he will prouide for them if they serue him and the best foundation of riches and of a long and prosperous race is to bring vp their children in the knowledge and feare of him for if God build with them their houses will stande Many poore children who haue bene left without parents haue prospered better with the blessing of God then others haue done with large reuenewes left them Finally parents must be most of all carefull that they giue noe ill example to their children this being that vpon which the good or euill of the whole world very much dependeth euen as the goodnes of the branches dependeth of the roote and bole of the tree Otherwise occasion is giuen for children to learne their parents vices and to teach them to their children againe and soe vice goeth from generation to generation by the ill example of parents and as the links of a chaine are drawne by one another and fall one after another soe fathers draw their children downe into sinne after them that for many generations they come in the end to meete all in hell I et parents and children often reade the booke of Toby they haue there an example of a good father and of a good sonne and God blessing them both THE FIFT COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not kill By which we see that this as all other places of scripture hath its propper sense For as S. Aug. de ciu c. 20. sayth we are not forbidden here to kill meate for our sustenance nor to kill men in our owne defence as in a iust warre or for execution of iustice vpon malefactors Because nature allowing and requiring these things God doth not disallow of them Some also by particular inspiration of God haue lawfully killed as Moyses who although he were the mildest man in the world yet when he saw an infidel heathen beating one of the people of God moued with a holy zeale he killed him and buried him in the sand This was lawfull as being by diuine inspiration in signe of future mysterys Exod. 32. Soe when he saw the people committing of idolatry he ioyned vnto him those that were of our Lord the Leuites and sent them to kill the idolatrous people and they returning with the slaughter of about three thousand men he commended them saying you haue consecrated your hands this day to our Lord that blessing may begiuen to you Phinees also moued with the like zeale Nu. 5. killed the two fornicators in their wicked act and auerted the wrath of God by it God the authour of the Commandements dispensed then in the keeping of them and soe they were not formally broken That which is forbidden here is to kill vpon priuate authority and not onely to kill Anger but also all actions of anger by which the peaceable conuersation of men is disturbed Mat. 5. You haue heard saith Christ how it was said of old thou shalt not kill and who soe killeth shall be in danger of iudgement but I say to you that whosoeuer is angry with his brother shall be in danger of iudgment and whosoeuer shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of Councell And whosoeuer shall say thou foole shall be guilty of the hell of fire By which we are taught the right vnderstanding of this Commandement to be not onely to prohibite killing but also to be inwardly angry or to make outward shewes or to giue words of anger Of all the sinnes which are committed by men none are soe horrible to nature as the sinnes of blood Is 8. and to shew how great a sinne it is to kill Christ would call the deuill a mankiller from the beginning because the malice and euill of murder could not be better expressed then by putting it and the deuill together and making him the authour of it Cain was the first mankiller amongst men who inticeing his brother into the fields roze vp against him and killed him And presently he was strucke with such a horrour at his crime that he despaired of mercy and like a desperate reprobate went hanging downe his head thinking that euery one that saw him would kill him and cried Gen. 4. Loe now thou dost cast mee out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face I shall be hid and I shall be a vagabonde and fugitiue vpon earth euery one therefor that findeth mee shall kill mee And God to increase this horrour of murder in vs both in the law of nature and of Moyses prohibited the eating of blood Lou. 17. Nay they were not soe much as to let blood to ly open vpon the ground but to couer it And euen dumbe beasts that could not sinne were to loose their liues if they killed any man All this was that men should abhorre the sinne of murder and not be ouer bloody then when the true worship of God was mainteined rather by force and by shedding of their enemys blood then propagated by patience as now it is in the faith of Christ Here enter those ignominious single combats of which the Councell of Trent hath these words That the detestable vse of Duells contriued by the deuill to a bloody death of the body and destruction of the soule may be quite banished out of the Christian world In which yong men who vnderstande not what belongeth to wisdome and true glory meete in the field to wound teare and kill one another like madd doggs And after their miserable deaths they become infamous to posterity purt out of the Communion of Saints both of the militant and triumphant Church of God and depriued of christian buriall to ly like doggs in the fields That the words of the Apocal. 22. are fully verifyed in them Without are doggs sorcerers and murderers There is a booke here newly published called LA DESTRVCTION DE DVEL in which is shewed how contrary to reason and true christian honour Dâ—â—els are and in which is declared how that the Marshals of France and diuerse Gentlemen of quality haue protested against them and promised that they will neuer regard any challenge nor fight a duell vpon any occasion of iniury whatsoeuer An heroicall and christian like minde guided by vertue and discretion will make iniurys honorable through patience which is the most propper vertue and honour of christians Christ was borne patient liued a patient life and at his death his patience was most eminently great more then we can vnderstande He founded his Church first in his owne sufferings and then in those of his Apostles after him and after them he enlarged it by the patience of many martyrs and soe he still continueth and preserueth it And therefor christians
brought before the councell of the Iewes and accused by false witnesses ceased not still to do good for euill but made a discourse to them to shew that Christ was expected by the holy Patriarkes to come to redeeme them and therefore exhorted them to beleeue in him And when they were euen cut in their harts and gnashed with their teeth against him and were stoning him to death he fell downe vpon his knees and prayed for them crying with a lowd voyce Act. 7. Lord lay not this sinne vnto them It was a fine example that which S. Gregory relateth of Libertinus a Monke Gregor dial c. 1. who hauing receiued a great blow on the face by his Superiour suddenly striking with a boord at him he went away quietly into his cell without shewing the least signe of impatience and comming the next day to the Abbot that had strucken him to aske leaue to goe abroade the Abbot suspected that he would forsake the Monastery but perceiving his occasions to be reall and iust and obseruing his bruised face which with a meruelous tranquillity of minde hee endured he fell downe vpon his knees and asked pardon And the other againe fell prostrate to his Superiour confessing his autority ouer him We haue in good authors the examples euen of wild beasts who haue rendered themselues seruiceable to the Saints of God and followed them for their mildnes How generous and Christianlike is this spirit of patience in bearing and pardoning of iniurys when the minde setleth it selfe for the loue of God and inwardly contented with that satisfaction one pittyeth to see his enemy in passion euen as one that were in a calme and safe harbour would pitty to see another on the raging sea in shippwrack and either by some discreet word laboureth to pacify him or giueth him leaue to pacify himselfe Ps 86. The mild shall inherit the land and shall be delighted in the multitude of peace But to see some of an implaceable minde bearing grudges in their harts and neuer making and en of their malice what spirit shall we call this vnworthy of the name of a Christian and it is a dissembling spirit with which many are deceiued who thinke themselues free from it Presently vpon euery occasion they are thinking how to be reuenged of their neighbour and when they can neither spare him with a good word nor a good looke they will tell you that they are in charity with him and meane him noe hurt A peruersed and childish saying If others should behaue themselues in like manner to them they would easily see the shame of it but in themselues they see it not nor consider not the hurt which they occasion by their ill exāple and behauiour Which if all should imitate there would be noe freindship nor true charity in the world If neither the loue of God nor any godnes of nature will moue these to amēde Let them feare some exēplar punishment by the words of the holy Ghost Eccle. 28. who saith He that will be reuenged shall finde reuenge of our Lord and hauing spent all that chapter in speaking against that sinne he draweth to an end in these words Blessed is he that is couered from a wicked tongue that hath not passed into the anger therof For the yoke of it is a yoke of iron and the band of it is a band of brasse The death of it is a most wicked death and hell is more profitable then it To aske with more earnestnes the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and to receiue our petition it is necessary to stirre our selues vp to a great compunction of hart and vehement detestation of sinne as the greatest of all euills that can befall vs. First it is the cause and origen of all euills as it depisueth vs of God an infinite good Secondly by sinne we are made slaues to the deuill the hardest master and most cruell tyrant of the world and of the spouses and temples of God his horrid and vgly mates accursed of God and giuen to the sorrows of an eternall destruction know you not that you are the temple of God Cor. 1.3 saith the Apostle but if any violate the temple of God God will destroy him Thirdly by sinne we are at continuall warre and vnquietnes with in ourselues For as long as we haue any sense of reason although we be out of the state of grace we must be sensible of sinne which is contrary to reason And therefor Abigail wisely disswaded Dauid from taking reuenge of Nabal saying this shall not be an occasion of sobbing to thee Reg. 1.25 and a scruple of hart And Dauid complaining of the sinnes of his former life saith that as arrowes they stacke fast in him Ps 37. and that his bones had noe peace at the face of his sinnes There is noe paine nor torment in the world to compare with a guilty conscience the vengeance of God purseing vs as our shaddows and affrighting vs with feare of punishment when we haue sinned And therefor the Holy Ghost in the scriptures compareth sinners to sicke lame sore and diseased persons Tribulation and anguish vpon euery soule that worketh euill Rom. 2. but glory and honour and peace to euery one that worketh good Saith the Apostle This is sinne and these are breisly and in general the euills of it Which if we will consider as we ought we shall desire aboue all things in the world and with as much earnestnes cry vnto God to be freed from any mortal sinne as we would to be freed from some grecuous torment Know thou and see saith Hieremy that is an euill and a bitter thinge for thee to haue left the Lord thy God Hier. 2. And those that will not see this nor vnderstande the euill of sinne to seeke the forgiunes of it are said in the scriptures to haue a hart of stone and of Adamant And such is the goodnes and mercy of God vnto sinners that he neuer denyeth the forgiuenes of sinnes to those that truely seeke for it King Dauid washed his couch with teares S. Peter went out and wept bitterly after his sinne S. Mary Magdalene shed many teares vpon the feete of Christ Let vs imitate them THE SIXT PETITION AND lead vs not into temptation Hauing in the former petition prayed for the forgiuenes of our sinnes we pray now not to be led into temptation For when our sinnes are forgiuen vs then we are in more danger of temptation because we are then the freinds of God and the professed enemys of the deuill and therefor he striueth more against vs. Tobias a holy man was tempted euen to the feare of death by the vehemency of paine which in his eyes he suffered And the Angell when he cured him told him Tob. 12. because thou wast acceptable to God it was necessary that temptation should prooue thee Iob a iust and perfect man was strucken in his goods in his children and
Word it may be said to be infinite in grace The fullnes of his grace was also eminent aboue all in that grace was giuen to him as to the head source and fountaine which was to serue vs all with grace of his fullnes saith S. Iohn all we haue receiued noe grace being euer giuen to any but as flowing from the merits of his passion Next vnto Christ the B. Virgin had the greatest fullnes of grace For grace is giuen vnto creatures with proportion and in order to the offices and dignitys to which God designeth them and soe the B. Virgin had a greater proportion of grace then any Angell or Saint had for that she was designed to a higher office and dignity then any Angell or Saint was Her grace was to be such as might render her worthy to be the woman whom God would choose aboue all women to take flesh of to nourish him in her wombe to bring him forth to the world to haue the charge of his infancy and education and to haue him subiect vnto her as the Euangelist declareth him to haue bene For all which a great measure and proportion of grace was necessary that as her charge and dignity was eminent aboue all soe might her grace be suetable vnto it In the third place is the fullnes of grace which the Angels and Saints had to the fullfilling of those works to which God had ordained them And soe S. Steuan had fullnes of grace in order to the well performing of a Deacons office to confounde the Iewes and to be the first martyr and encourager of others to suffer martyrdome for Christ by his example and soe to enter into glory Soe that Christ according to his humanity was most eminent in grace goodly of beauty aboue the sonnes of men Ps 44. in that his humane nature was vnited to the diuine word and was the fountaine of grace to vs. Our Blessed Lady was next to him in that she had the highest office and greatest charge in relation to the mystery of the Incarnation The Angells and Saints were in a lower degree then she yet they also had fullnes of grace in their measures and in proportion to their offices They all haue fullnes of grace but in seuerall kindes and in a different nature The Angels and Saints in the lowest place our B. Lady aboue them and Christ in a higher nature transcending both them and her And our B. Lady had not onely a higher nature of grace then the Angels and Saints had but she had also a greater capacity in her soule which God created as a more ample and capable vessell conteining a greater measure of grace then they could conteine although full also in their measure and capacity and therefore she is compared to that huge vessell called the Sea Reg. 3.7 which Salomon caused to be made for the Temple which conteined ten thousand gallous according to Authors and vnto the maine Ocean Chrysol ser 146. Albert. sup missus Bonau in spec virg cap. 2. But it is to be obserued that our blessed Sauiour being not onely creature according to his humanity but also the Creatour of the world according to his diuine nature hee is not to be numbered in the number of creatures and therfore the Saints and holy Fathers commonly say that our B. Lady in grace and glory surpasseth all creatures not numbring Christ and so wee say properly that she is aboue all pure creatures that is to say onely creatures But that wee may not seeme to exaggerate towards her prayses more then due and to say any thing without good grounds you shall see as much and more then we haue said to be grounded vpon the solidity of many bundreds of yeares standing euer from the times of the primitiue Church of Christ for the first six hundred yeares when the very enemys of the Catholike Church that now are confesse the Christian Faith to haue bene most pure from errour and the Church most flourishing the holy and learned men of those times haue setforth her prayses after the same manner and in the very same termes which wee now vse and haue prayed vnto her calling her Mistres Lady Queen Mother of God and the like titles to honour her and to increase the denotion of people vnto her First in the first age Saint Iames the Apostle in in his Lyturgy which he made for the Church service would not omitt to make a commemoration of her But beginning the words of the Haile Mary as the Angell did he repeateth them and calleth her most holy vndefiled blessed aboue all our Queene Lady Mother of God Saint Ignatius liued in the same age was disciple to Saint Iohn Euangelist and died a glorious Martyr in the next age after hedeclareth how greatly she was honored euen then when she liued that multitudes of people came to visit her when they were cōuerted to Christianity Great is the concourse of people saith he that goeth to see the Queene of Heauen Ign. ep 1. and to heare her and againe hee calleth her the Mistres of the Christian Faith Saint Denis first Philosopher of Athens and then the disciple of S. Paul in his booke de diuinis nominibus cap 33. relateth how that himselfe after his conuersion went to see her for that she was left to be the comfort and ioy of Christians after the Ascension of Christ and in his Epistle to Timothe hee describeth the manner of her departure out of this life how that all the Apostles except S Thomas being brought together miraculously from the severall parts of the world to be present at her death with deuout Canticles they celebrated her funerals for three dayes the Angels ioyning their heauenly melody with them and that Saint Thomas comming the third day and desiring to see her sacred corps her tombe was opened that he might see her at least after her death but he saw her not for that she was not there to be seene A great sweetnes issued out of the Sepulcher and the linnens in which she was wrapped were left in it but her sacred body was not there Thus Saint Denis and he concludeth this narration saying That it could not bee thought but that as God would preserue her Virginal body free from corruption in the Conception of her Sonne soe he would preserue it from corruption after her death and Assume it to the glory of Heauen before the generall glorification of other bodys at the day of iudgment Saint Iohn Damascen relateth this history out of S. Denis De dorm deip whom he citeth as an eye witnesse of it and sayeth that her tombe and linnens that were left in it were transferred in the time of the Emperour Marcion with great solemnity from Hierusalem to Constantinople Saint Augustine doth not onely approoue of the corporall Assumption of our blessed Lady into Heaven but also prooueth it as most congruous to the dignity of the Mother of God Aug. de Assump
freinds This I should not doubt to prooue if neede were by whole armys of men and douils defeated by her But I will alleadge noe more but the two examples of her two notorious enemys Nestorius and Constantinus Copronymus Nestorius was her professed enemy for as he conceited a humane person in Christ as man soe by consequence he robbed his Mother of her supreme title of the Mother of God He would haue her to be called Christotoca or Christipara the Mother of Christ but not Thâ—otoca or Deipara the Mother of God S. Cyril Patriarke of Alexandria vndertooke cheifly against him and spared noe labour to reduce him from his errors often writing vnto him and giuing him seueral meetings to conuince him in presence but all proouing in vaine a General Councell was conuened at Ephesus in which Cyril praesided in place of S. Celestine then Pope Thither came Nestorius with his followers and there he was put to such a publike shame that with six onely complices he went out of the Concell refusing to submitte to it and soe his opinions became haeretical and accursed And although when he saw Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople who had some what fauoured his cause to forsake him afterwards for the disastrous ends of many of his followers he would then seeme to repent yet he had too much haeretical pride to goe thorough with his repentance and to submitte although to the whole world but continuing still in his obstinate minde he suffered condigne punishment euen in this world wandeâ—ing from place to place as a vagabond and desperate Cain and in the end was swallowed vp by the earth aliue It being also recorded of him that his blasphemous tongue was eaten out with wormes before his death Pratcol verb. Nestorius The second example is of Constantin the fift Emperour of that name soe contemptible to posterity that he hath purchased the fowle Surname of Copronymus for that he defiled the font in baptisme He was a very euill man a prophanour of holy things euen to the breaking of Crosses and Crucifixes and a publike scoffer especially at the B. Virgins merits in derision of whom he vsed to hold vp a purse full of money and to aske his souldiers what it was worth and when they had told him what they thought he put forth the money and held vp the empty purse asking them what it was worth then and when they answered that it was worth nothing noe more said he was Mary when Christ was out of her But God punished his blasphemys with many and greeuous punishments First as one sinne is punished with another soe he punished him by most horrible sinnes and by a most enormious course of life which he permitted him to fall into euen to the denying of his christendome and to set vp altars vnto Venus whose nightly solemnitys he kept and killed children to sacrifice vnto her But in the end his pleasures forsooke him and the punishments of God came as a deluge vpon him afflicting him by grecuous paines of feauers goutes and soe horrible a leprosy that in a rage of torment he died crying out I am burnt with euerlasting fire Prateol verb. Constantinus Pray for vs blessed Mother of God NOW AND IN THE HOWER OF OVR DEATH ALTHOVGH the enemy of God be allwais laboring against vs going about as a Lyon to deuoure our soules yet he striueth most against the hower of our deaths waiting then as a serpent at our heeles that is to say at the hinder end of our liues to supplant vs knowing that his time is then but short Apoc. 12. The deuill is descended to you saith the voice from heauen hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a litle time And therefor amongst many other helpes which we haue then in the Catholike Church we implore the assistance of the Mother of God especially against that hower The death of S. Steuanking of Hungary is worthy of memory in which it was a more honorable spectacle both in the sight of God and man to see his Peeres rounde about him to weepe teares of deuotion when he commended them and his kingdome to our B. Ladys protection then the sweetest hower that euer they enioyed of his wordly maiesty He fell sicke against the feast of her Assumption and made his prayer that he might dy on that day on which the death and Assumption of the Mother of God is celebrated by the Church The day being come the Sacraments and holy rites were administred to him and in the presence of his Prelates and Peeres hauing made a speech in which he tendred his crowne into her hands he departed this life leaâ—ing them with their eyes and faces bathed in teares It hath often bene a comfort to mee to thinke of the happy passage of a yong Gentleman with whom I assisted at his death Who being at the last assalted with a strong and violent agony he constantly called vpon our B. Lady with a lowde and earnest voice often repeating Blessed Mother of God be my Aduocate Blessed Mother of God be my Aduocate And presently casting his eyes towards the bedfeete he seemed there to receiue comfort and putting on a sweet and pleasant aspect with a smiling contenance he departing this world as though some had called him out of prison I say noe more but that which S. Hierome expresly saith and that is that our B Lady helpeth and is present with those that dy That she helped him Hier. ad Eusto I make noe question of it for his earnest prayer but both at that time and euer since I haue thought that she was also visibly then present with him I haue now performed what I promised in honour of the B. Virgin You haue heard her saluted full of grace and you haue seene how this salutation was new and reserued onely for her You haue seene her become the Mother of God and the sonne of God declared to haue bene subiect to her you haue heard her extolled by Prophets in the house of Zachary whilst she liued and what hath bene written of her after her death you haue heard the fathers of the primitiue Church one by one singing her prayses and the whole Catholike Church in a full quire answering after them to desire her prayers you haue seene by some examples how beneficial her prayers are to her freinds and the iudgments of God vpon her enemys Let vs honour her whom God hath soe honored and let vs dedicate our selues from this very instant to her protection all our life time and at the hower of our death Amen THE NINTH DISCOVRSE OF THE ROSARY I Intende now to declare to you the mysterys of the Rosary or Beades which as it is a deuotion so much frequented by all sorts of Catholiks not onely vnlearned but also euen by the most learned and holiest of the Catholike Church soe it is fitting that all should vnderstande it and know how solid and pious it is But fist we will say
him in the Syndon and laid him in a moument that was hewed out of a rocke And rolled a stone to the doore of the monument The Palls or linnens signify the Syndon the Chalice the monument in which he was laid the Patene the stone that was rolled to the doore And therefor there must be at least two palls or linnen cloths vpon the altare to signify the wrapping of Christ and for the same signification the Corporall or vpper Pall vsed aunciently to be ioyned to the vndermore and comming from vnder the Chalice to turne ouer it againe Cruifix c wax Candles but now for more conuenience it is diuided into the corporall vnder the Chalice and the Pall aboue it A Crucifixe or Cros is set vpon the altare in remembrance of Christs Passion Wax candles are lighted to signify him who is the true light illuminating all men They are of wax in token of his purity who was a Virgin of a Virgin Mother All things being prepared then Masse beginneth The Masse may be diuided into three parts The first is from the beginning to the Offertory The diuision of the Masse which is as it were a preparation and introduction to the cheife parts of Masse The second and principall part is from the Offertory to the Postcommunion The third is from the Post communion to the end which is a thanksgiuing for the mysterys celebrated The whole Masse is in relation to the cheife passages of the life and death of Christ From the beginning to Gloria in excelsis the time before his comming is represented and the great desire which the holy Patriarks and Prophets had of him before he came From Gloria in excelsis to the Ghospell his comming is celebrated and his life vntill his preaching From the Ghospell to the Offertory his preaching is denoted From the Offertory to the Postcommunion the cheife passages which haue relation to his persecution Passion and death are signifyed From the Post-communion to the end his Resurrection is commemorated and the time vntill his Ascension all being concluded with thankes giuing to God First the Priest commeth downe before the altare and doing reuerence to it The beginning of the Masse as to a holy thinge and if the blessed Sacrament be there kneeling downe to it he beginneth with the signe of the Cros saying In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost to professe his faith in the blessed Trinity and in the Incarnation and to implore grace to the worthy celebrating of those holy mysterys which he is then going about to wit to offer Sacrifice to all mighty God to offer the same Sacrifice which Christ himselfe offered to handle his very naturall body to represent himselfe offered then as at his death for and in the name of all the Church the whole blessed Trinity with quires of Angells being present as spectators of what he doth Hauing armed himselfe with the signe of the Cros and with these considerations he sayth the Antiphone and Psalme Introibo ad altare Dei c. Introibo Psal 42. which Antiphone as all others are as it were deuout vndersongs said before and after the Psalme in relation to it Consiteor Then he saith the Consiteor acknowledging humbly in the sight of God and of the whole caelestiall court and of the people there present his sinnes by thought word and worke desiring the blessed Virgin Mary the Angels and Saints and people that are present to pray for him Then the Clerke who representeth the people prayeth for him saying Misereatur tui c. And hauing by deuout versicles and answeres mutually commended each other to God in their prayers he goeth vp praying in priuate for the remission of his sinnes and that he may worthily ascende vnto the altare The altare as I haue said signifyeth the Cros on which Christ was offered The kisse of the Altare it signifyeth also the Church compacted of many liuing stones and in both respects the Priest often kisseth it to shew how willingly Christ accepted of his Cros for vs and how much he loueth the Catholike Church The right hand of the altare where the booke is first laid signifyeth the Iewes to whom he goeth first because they had the faith of Christ first preached to them The left side of the altare signifyeth the Gentils who at the comming of Christ were in the darknesse of infidelity and he kisseth the altare in the midst to signify the reconciling of both Iewes and Gentils in the Faith of Christ by whom the way of saluation is laid open vnto all Then he goeth to the booke and readeth the Introit The Introit which is taken out of King Dauids Psalmes or of some of the Prophets hauing relation to the solemnity of that Masse and signifyeth the great ioy which the Patriarkes and Prophets had in the foreseeing of Christ to excite vs to more reuerence attention and deuotion to his life and death then represented Then he goeth into the midst of the Altare The Kyrie eleison◠and saith the Kyrie eleysons which are first said thrice in honour of the Father then Christe eleyson thrice in honour of the Sonne then Kyrie eleyson thrice in honour of the holy Ghost The often repeating of them signifyeth the manifold sighes and earnest desire of the holy Fathers and of all the iust soules that where in Limbus whose seionrning was prolonged that they could not haue the perfect and complete ioyes of Heauen vntill the comming of Christ who was to open Heauen gates for them And therefor they prayed earnestly and continually for it Psal 39. as the holy King signifieth saying Expecting I expected our Lord and he hath attended to mee c. Thou art my helpe Psal 112. and my protection my God be not slack And in another place Esa 16. Vnto thee I haue lifted vp mine eyes from whence helpe shall come to mee And the Prophet Esay Send forth ô Lord the Lambe the Dominatour of the earth The Priest hauing prepared himselfe to celebrate the mysterys of Christs life and death Gloria in excelsis Deo and represented the state of the world before his comming and the desires and prayers of the iust for it now declareth the grant of their desires celebrating his comming with a lowde and ioyfull voyce pronouncing Gloria in excelsis Deo c. Glory in the Highest Luc. 2. which are the words with which the Angels praysed God at the comming of Christ singing in his birth Glory in the Highest to God and in earth peace to men of good will An Angell was then sent to say to the Sheepheards Behold I euangelize to you great ioy that shall be to all people because this day is borne to you a Sauiour which is Christ our Lord in the city of Dauid A Starre was sent to illuminate the three Kings vnto Bethleem Simon was sent to wellcome Christ into the
hands he blessed them and was carried into heauen Luc. 24. And it is most likely that he then blessed them with the signe of the Crosse for now that the mystery of the Crosse was accomplished it was a most conuenient forme of blessing Ezech. 9. and was vsed also by the Apostles in their benedictions as Saint Denis hath recorded who liued with them and it shall be set as a marke of Gods blessing in the foreheads of his elect in latter times Lastly Saint Iohns Ghospell is said as the Planest and highest expression of the mystery of the Incarnation Thus much for the ceremonys commonly vsed in the Church Christ was the first that said Masse To wit at the last supper when he consecrated and offered his sacred body as our continuall Sacrifice instituting the same manner of consecration and offering to be vsed afterwards by the Apostles They said the very same Masse that is to say offered the very same Sacrifice which he then offered adding the Pater Noster and other holy prayers and rites of reuerence to it which are not of the substance and essence of the Masse but were left to the Church to be ordeined and practised according to conuenient circumstances and are therfore to be obserued diligently and minded at Masse as the memorials of holy mysterys Saint Iames Bishop of Hierusalem commonly called the brother of our Lord said Masse adding many things of deuotion to it so did Saint Peter say Masse at Rome Saint Mathew in Aethiopia Saint Barnaby at Milan adding also more prayers and holy ceremonys to it and other holy Saints as Saint Basil Saint Ambrose Saint Iohn Chrysostome composed certaine deuout formes of prayer and rites which were vsed at Masse with approbatiō of the Church and now the Church of God saith the same Masse which Christ and they said with such prayers rites and ceremonys as you haue seene declared in which the mystery of the Incarnation and the whole life and death of Christ is deuoutly and decently represented We ought therefore with great reuerence Meditations vpon the Masse and deuotion to be present at Masse and to attend diligently and to meditate vpon those mysterys as though wee were as wee are indeede in the presence of Christ himselfe and that we saw him visibly in all those passages which are then celebrated that we may be astonished with admiration and burne with the loue of him who did and suffered those things for vs. Vntill the Gloria in excelsis we will imagine that we saw the Saints who were before Christ reioycing in the hopes of him and that we heard their cryes and prayers for his comming At the Gloria in excelsis we will awaken our selues with the Angels voyces to a higher ioy imagining that we heard the Angell tell the newse of his birth to the Sheepheards and the multitude of the celestiall army singing those words with the Priest and we will offer our selues then to Christ to be his seruants all the dayes of our life Vntill the Ghospell we will thinke that we were following him and our blessed Lady behauing our selues as his seruants ravished with the sanctity of his conuersation At the Ghospell and Creede we will imagine that we heard him preach and saw the power of God drawing the harts of others to him At the Praeface that we were at his glorious entrance into Hierusalem and we will sing with his disciples and with the people Blessed is he that commeth in the name of our Lord. Hosanna in the Highest Before the eleuation we will consider his praying in the Garden sweating that violent and strange sweat of blood and water for vs and how he was presently apprehended and carryed to his Passion what bitter reproches and stinging blowes they gaue him what shame and paine they deuised to putt him to more then can he imagined At the cōsecration and eleuation we will thinke that we were present at his death heard the cry which he gaue and saw him hang downe his head and dy and that we heard the toppe of the temple and rooks about Hierusalem to rent in pieces and perceiued the earthquake and the rising of dead bodys a formidable darknes then couering all things and we may thinke how greeuous our sins were that were the cause of all this After the consecration we will make acts of the loue of God and purposes to serue him and to mende our life and some greater falts in particular And we will prepare our selues to receiue the blessed Sacrament if not corporally at least spiritually by an ardent desire of it At the Postcommunion we will giue thanks with the Priest and calling to minde the resurrection of Christ wee will rise with alacrity to a better life At the ite Missa est and the Priests benediction we will imagine our selues present at Christs Ascension and hauing with his disciples receiued his blessing that we saw him ascende in glory to giue vs a scantling and litle sight of our future happinesse to animate vs with that sight to the exercize of vertues to suffer for Christ and to contemne the pleasures and glory of this world It is an auncient custome of the Catholike Church aboue a thousand and foure hundred yeares standing Holy Water to hallow water mixt with salt Which is commonly done on Sundayes before Masse to sanctify holy things to expell the power of our ghostly enemy and to purge from venial sinnes as euery good worke doth which increaseth the diuine grace in vs. The declaration of the Church is sufficient for the lawfullnes of it Yet as I haue said of ceremonys man being a corporall creature must honour God according to his nature and vse corporall creatures in his diuine worship and although God regardeth most the inward worship of our harts and the acts of our mindes he will haue vs notwithstanding to vse corporall things to our sanctification Ia. 5. as the water in Baptisme and the oyle in Extreme Vnction which according to saint Iames is vsed to the remission of sinnes and he hath commanded diuerse corporall things vnto supernaturall ends and effects Exod. 12. as the blood of a Lambe to be sprinkled on the doore posts of the Israelits Nu. 19. to saue them from the destroying plague as the ashes of a red cow mixt with water to be sprinkled for the purging of legall vncleannesse Tob. 8. as yong Toby was commanded to vse the liuer of a fish to expell the deuill as Elisaeus vsed salt with waters Reg. 4.2 to giue them spiritually sweetnesse and fruitfullnesse by all which wee see that corporall things may be vsed for spirituall effects And if any obiect that God can commande those things but the Church can not I answere first that it is true God onely appointeth the Sacraments which we are to vse But the Church can ordaine holy ceremonys rites and deuout obseruations which are noe Sacraments God inspireth the Church in
for it as may be done for any absurdity whatsoeuer but the commune sense and the first apprehension of all men conceiueth it most naturall to sorrow with the sorrowfull and abhorreth the contrary as a disdaine and affront and Christ will disdaine those that disdaine him and despise those that despise his Church Baronius relateth of Saint Elphegus Bishop of Winchester how that exhorting of the people to obserue Lent a certaine man derided him but the Bishop foretold that he should dy that night and so it happened Lent then is obserued in imitation of our Lords fast in honour of his Passion and as a preparation for Easter The Sundayes in Lent are not of the number of the forty dayes fast although we keepe abstinence on them also that the forty dayes may continue in some kind of fasting all together and not be quite broken by eating of flesh within that time Ember dayes Ember dayes were fasted as a preparation for holy Orders which at those times vsed to be giuen Saint Hierome writing to Marcella sayeth that the Ember dayes as well as lent were instituted by the Apostles Act. 13. And it may be gathered out of their acts where it is said that fasting and praying they imposed hands that is gaue orders and from this of the Apostles came the practise of the Church of fasting Ember dayes for the more worthy receiuing of holy Orders Leo ser 7 as saint Leo declareth who therefore calleth it an Apostolicall tradition They are obserued in the beginning of the fower quarters of the yeare of Spring Summer Autumne and Winter to offer vp to God as it were the first fruits of all times the orders of the Church being then receiued Rogations dayes Rogation dayes are fasted for the fruits of the earth Procession is made that the whole Church both Clergy and Laity may be represented as present to acknowledge the goodnesse of God and his prouidence ouer vs and to pray for the continuance of it towards vs. Vigils Vigils are fasted inhonour of the day following that it being a holy day dedicated to prayer fasting and prayer may goe both togother for the greater honour of God They are called Vigils which is to say watchings because aunciently the faithfull vsed to watch all that night attending in the Church to the Ecclesiasticall office but many inconueniences in processe of time appearing in those watchings they were layed aside Fridays fast or abstinence Fryday according to custome of places is in honour of our blessed Sauiours Passion The feast and solemnity of Saint Marke was first instituted by occasion of a great pestilence S. Marke which reigned so violently in Italy and especially about Rome that people suddainly fell downe dead as they sneized or yawned And from thence saith Durandus came the custome of saying God blesse you to those that sneize as being then in danger of death Saint Pelagius who was then Pope instituted the solemnity of Saint Marke against it and himselfe died of it as he was going in the Procession Saint Gregory who succeeded him commanded it to be kept all ouer and therefore it is called the great Letany that is to say a greater supplication for Letany is as much as to say a supplication or petitioning of God and so the abstinence Procession and the whole solemnity may be vnderstoode as a supplication thus instituted The solemnity of Rogation dayes is called the lesser Letany because they were first begunne more priuatly and by a lesser authority to wit of the Bishop of Vienna Thus Durand Saturdays abstinence is kept in honour of our blessed Lady in remembrance of that Saturday Saturday on which the sacred body of our Lord remained in the Sepulcher for the Faith of Christ was then preserued especially by her the Apostles at that time wauering in the beleefe of his Resurrection This as all other Praecepts of the Church obligeth according to the intention of the Church commanding it How we are to fast For he that maketh lawes is to interprete his meaning in them who as he could giue them power to oblige so is he to determine the circumstances of their obligation Hence it followeth first that sicke folkes children and youths before they come to a sufficient setled growth aged and decayed persons poore people that must eate often as not hauing sufficient at once for an intire maile and those that labour much in body or minde are not bounde to fasting Because the Praecepts of the Church are to bee vnderstoode vnto edification and not vnto destruction that is to say they are intended to raise the honour of God by increasing of peoples deuotion but they should pull it downe and lessen it if they obliged with any notable hurt And therefore fasting and all such corporall afflictions are to be vsed with discretion and moderation and oblige not vnto our hurt or notable damage Saint Paul was a great lover of such afflictions and no doubt but he was glad to see his disciple Timothy to follow him in them yet when he saw that it was with excesse and to the impairing of his health Tim. 1.5 he aduised him saying Drinke not yet water but vse a litle wine for thy stomake and thy often infirmitys Secondly it followeth that our fast is broken with meate only and not with drinke which the Church might also haue forbidden but did not and therefore it is lawfull to drinke betwixt mailes either wine beere water or any thing which is vsed as drinke Milke betwixt mailes breaketh the fast because it is rather meate then drinke and therefore we commonly call it as the Scripture also doth te cate milke The Praecept of fasting includeth two things Two things in fasting to wit to abstaine from vnlawfull meates and to eate but one maile of lawfull meates The first bindeth all that are subiect to the Prâ—cepts of the Church that is all that are capable of reason The second obligeth only those that are of perfect strength and sufficient ability and not such as are mentioned aboue who may eate more mailes then one so that they absteine from meates prohibited It is a custome in some places to eate bread and drinke on fasting dayes in the morning which in seruants and others that are not bound to fast is allowable and very good because their fasting is a voluntary obsequy in them who not being able nor bound to oblerue strictly the fast of the Church it is to be vnderstoode that of deuotion they will absteine from a compleate breakfast and content them selues with onely bread and drinke but in those that are bound to fast I know not how to allow of it It proceedeth also as I suppose out of ignorance in some that they eate aples and fruit out of maile time on fasting dayes I tell thâ—se once againe that they may drinke on fasting dayes our of maile time and take some thing to quench their thirst because
Aegypt we cannot but pitty to see them loaden with huge burdens toiling in mire and dirt and performing euery day a wearisome and almost impossible taske of bricks being forced vnto it by the cruell Aegyptians without any helpe or ease at all onely that straw was prouided to their hands and this also in the end was taken from them that they must both spate men to goe vp and downe Aegypt to seeke straw and must performe their taske too or els they must be scourged They complaine to Pharao Exod. 5. straw is not giuen vs and bricks are commanded vs behold we thy scruants are beaten with whippes but what remedy all that they gotte of him was You are idle goe and work straw shall not be given you there shall not a whit be deminished of the bricks for euery day This waâ— their remedy Poore slaues they must worke and be beaten But this was nothing to compare with the deuills slauery Pharao although cruell yet he was a man the deuill is a deuill of a higher nature of cruelty and malice which by our nature is not rightly conceiued yet we haue in the Scriptures all kinds of miserys and torments threatned to make vs conceiue more lively of it that as those who are made slaues by the Turks are put vnto base and slauish offices of carrying heauy loades grinding in mills and the like and when their masters will they must he called to be beaten without remedy or muttering a word so would the holy Ghost describe the state of sinners Come downe sit in the dust Esa 47. ô virgin daughter of Babylon sitt on in the ground Take a mill and grinde meale I will take vengeance and no man shall resist mee Sitt holding thy peace and enter into darknesse ô daughter of the Chaldees O Christians thinke of these words before you sinne and thinke that it is God himself that speaketh them to you Imagine that you heard him threaten and thinke that this is not onely an imagination of your owne or exaggeration of ours but the reall words of God in the Scriptures We amplify nothing we speake noe allegorys but suâ—h as God himselfe hath spoken to terrify men from sinne Heauy burthens and rods of iron are threatned to the deuils slaues and more then so without comparison Esa 28. when it is said We haue strucken a league with death and with hell we haue made a couenant There is no more can be said of miserys then death and hell Death the greatest of temporall and hell an eternall horrour By death we loose all the pleasures of this world and by hell we loose the pleasures of Heauen and beginne an euerlassing punishment of ragious paine that looke whatsoeuer we could haue wished for in Heauen we should haue had it and whatsoeuer we detest and abhorre that shall be forced vpon vs in hell and we shall neuer be pittyed nor freed from it Time shall beginne and end in this world and beginne and end againe as long as any time shall last and after that their eternity is still in which they are setled in that cursed state of continuall roaring rage and strugling with paine which shall neuer cease nor deminish that as euery thing is setled in its owne nature and kind Angels to be Angels men to be men and Lyons to be Lyons and cannot change into another kind so the damned soules are setled in that kind of being and state of torments without hopes of any change from it or easement for euer And besides the eternity of these torments the intension and vehemency of them is such that all the paine which we can imagine is but as a fly biteing as it were to compare with it We reade in the liues of the fathers of a certaine holy man who being tempted to sinne by an impudent woman burnt his fingars one after another In vit pat l. 3. §. 107. bidding her to try how she could endure the fire of hell and dying that night the holy man by his prayers teuiued her to life againe hist angl l. 3. c. 19. in which she liued a more chast and happy life Saint Bede relateth of Saint Furseus that hauing seene one time in a vision the torments of hell that sight was so terrtible allafterwards to him that euen in the midst of wintour allthough he wore but one single garment he would droppe downe with sweat when he thought of it How great then may we imagine the paine it selfe to be when the thought of it onely was of such force with him to shew this God although his mercys be soe great and much commended in the Scriptures yet neuertheles he is said to be in a fury against the damned soules and therefore King Dauid Prayed Lord rebuke mee not in thy fury Psal 6. That is with the paines of hell for as a man in his fury putteth all his strength against those whom he is angry at soe God seemeth as it were to exhaust all his power and strength against those whom he condemneth to hell And as a master though neuer so mercifull yet when noe warning nor correction will mende his seruant he is incensed with iust fury and forgetting his mercy he thrusteth him out of doores for euer and deliuereth him to the tormenters as the vngracious seruants of the Ghospell was Mat. 18. so God although in himselfe he be infinitly pittyfull yet when it commeth to the paines of hell he is iustly inceÌ„sed against the damned soules and deliuereth them without any pitty at all to the deuills to be tormented Behold saith the Prophet the name of our Lord commeth from farre Es 30. his burning fury heauy to beare his lipps are filled with indignation and his tongue as a deuouring fire his spirit as a torrent ouerflowing euen to the midst of the necke He shall dash to peeces in whirle winde and in hailestone Tophet is prepared since yesterday that is to say hell was prepared of God in the day of his eternity before all dayes of time prepared of the king deepe and wide the nourishments their of fire and much wood The breath of our Lord as a torrent of brimstone kindling it Thus was the Prophet inspired to describe God in a fury against the damned which next to the losse which they suffer of God himselfe is the greatest of all euills Thirdly by sinne we incurre many temporall afflictions in this world which although they be neither in duration of time nor in intentions and violence of paine to compare with those of the soule which are spirituall and eternal yet in reason it should be a great motiue especially to wordly men who seeke after temporal felicitys to fly sinne which is the losse and hinderance of them A man committeth some great sinne and within a while he is strucken with sicknesse greifes or hurts by which he remaineth wounded lame and miscrable perhaps for many weekes and months and perhaps for all
continuing in sinne without repentance they fell still into more and more sinnes vntill at last their consciences were as it were seared vp and heardened against God and euen as it were quite dead As one in an apoplexy or strucken with some violent passion becometh pale voide of sense and suddenly dyeth that if you take him vp and turne him from side to side or call vpon him all is in vaine he is dead and gone and his body is then noe better then the body of a dead dogge or swine so great sinners hauing hardoned themselues against God they heare not his callings nor feele his inspirations but are quite senslesse and voide of spirituall life liuing onely as beasts that had no soule to be saued This I say againe is the depth and centour of all euâ—â—â—s when a man will resolue to continue still in sinne and laboreth against himselfe to blotte out the remorse and auersion from it which he hath by nature that so he may sinne without feare Prou. 18. and with contempt of God The impious when he commeth to the depth of sinns contemneth saith the holy Prouerbe This is indeede as deepe as a sinner can goe in this world for it is to bring a hell vpon earth and for men to become litle deuils something lesse then deuils in that they are not so obfirmed in sinne as the deuills are that are setled in an eternall duration of malice and paine which sinners in this world can not be but are in state of repentance but they come as neere as man can come to a diabolicall obstinacy resoluing with themselues to sinne against the Holy Ghost by finall impenitency These then in summe are the euills of sin To separate vs from God and from all coelestiall comfort to put vs into the deuils power and into the state of the damned in hell to bring miserys and aduersitys euen in this life and those not onely vpon the sinners themselues but also vpon their kinred and freinds after them to yeeld but a false short and base pleasure and then affrightments of conscience and sorrows and finally to harden our harts to the vtter contempt of God and of our owne soules Now what can the sinner answer to all this why will he for the base pleasure of sinne forsake God and incurre all these euills Against presumption he presumeth perhaps vpon the diuine mercy and saith that in the end God will pardon him but this is a most vaine presumption as though one should resolue vpon a wicked course of life to perpetrate all the mischeifes that he could deuise presuming of mercy that in the end the King would pardon him It were to destroy all orders and to make God the cause of disordering the whole world if men might doe what they would in hopes of pardon It is true the mercy of God is aboue all his works and more then his iustice in this that he sheweth it more pardoning often before he once condemne but his iustice also shall be fullfilled His mercys are commended to make vs to seeke for pardon but not to bring vs into presumption How many examples haue we of the terrible iudgments of God against sinne First vpon all mankind for the sinne of one Secondly vpon all but eight persons drowned in the deluge Thirdly vpon Kingdomes as the astonishing plagues that came vpon Aegypt and the swallowing vp of their King and his whole army in the sea Fourthly vpon citys as Sodome and Gomorra Fifthly vpon particular houses and familys as Dathan And Abyron who with their wines and familys were suddenly deuoured vp by the earth And vpon particular persons without number What an example was that in Ananias who for dissembling and lying to S. Peter and the Apostles was presently strucke dead and his wife comming in a litle after and mainteining her husbands ly Behold saith S. Act. 5. Peter there feete that haue buried thy husband at the doore and they shall beare thee forth Forth with she fell before his feete and gaue vp the ghost And sometimes for that which to vs would seeme noe great sinne What great offence should we thinke it to haue bene in Lotts wife to looke backe to see Sodome and Gomorra on fire yet presently it cost her her life What an example of the iustice of God was that vpon Moyses soe holy a man and of all men that euer were the speciall figure of Christ our Redeemer yet for an offence soe small that authors hardly destinguish in what it consisted he was depriued of that which aboue all thinges in this world he had most reason to desire to wit to see the Land of promise in the possession of the Israelites and the true worship of God flourishing in it euen as good Catholikes commonly desire to see the conuersion of England to the Catholike faith and God truely worshipped in it but that as his zeale was greater then ours soe was the desire which he had of that greater then ours is of this yet he neuer obtained it but euen then when it seemed to be soe neere that he had brought the people vnto the borders of the Land and as it were to the very last steppe into it they were drawne backe againe and he must neuer haue the happinesse to see them in it When saith S. Basil I behold Moyses soe great a man that it was said vnto him Thou hast found grace before mee Bas proe in lib. eth to 2. Exod. 33. and thy selfe I haue knowne by name yet because he said can we out of this rocke bring you forth water it was presently denounced against him that he should not bring the Israelites into the Land of promise And when I see him soe often praying and still praying in vaine and when I consider that all those great works which he did could not auaile to procure his pardon for soe short a word Then I beginne to thinke of that rigid seuerity of God of which the Apostle speaketh and how true the words of S. Peter are that if the iust man shall scarce be saued where shall the impious and wicked appeare Now who shall dare to presume vpon Gods mercy But he saith that he intendeth to repent presently after sin That is a good intention indeede and God forbidde but he should haue that intention But how doth he know that he shall performe it seeing that he can not assure himselfe of a moment of life after sinne to repent in How many chances is this life of ours subiect vnto slender and easily broken as a spiders webbe how many dy suddenly and if they be in sinne without repentance some by suddaine diseases some murthered some drowned some killed accidentally by chances which we heare of euery day And how many especially in England haue desired at their deaths the assistance of a Priest and could not obtaine it All these hazards doth the sinner vndergoe and one greater then them all to wit
it It is the doctrine of Catholike Diuines that all the euills of this world noe not the eternall torments of all the damned spirits put together is aequall to the euill of one mortall sinne I will rather be sent into hell Mach. 2.6 saith Elcazarus when they perswaded him to dissemble against his conscience For although at this present time I be deliuered from the punishments of men yet neither aliue nor dead shall I escape the hand of the almighty Greg. hâ— 34. in Euang Victorinus whilst he liued in the wildernes being drawne into the sinne of fornication by a wicked delusion of the deuill was soe vexed in conscience afterwards that fastening his hands into a peece of clouen wood he liued three yeares with onely raw herbes and water After that he wrought miracles became a bishop and at last a glorious martyr The Magdalen moued to repentance came presently into the Pharisys house Luc. 7. and was not ashamed to weepe in publike soe many teares that she washed the feete of Christ with them S. Peter after his sinne went out presently and wept bitterly And soe great was his sorrow euer after that he is recorded by S. Clement who liued with him Clem. in recognit to haue carried allwais in his hand a litle linnen napkin to dry his face from teares But the example of our Sauiour weeping for the sinnes of others should moue vs more then these who wept for their owne sinnes Christ as he came downe Mount Oliuet hauing before his eyes a full view of the city of Hierusalem was strucken with such an apprehension of the sinnes of that people that beginning to speake he was interrupted with teares and could not goe on for weeping And he wept also for Lazarus long dead and putrifyed that was to signify the sinner dead and putrifyed in long continued sinnes that we might see how much he loued our soules and how he lamenteth at their spirituall death Mat. 16. What doth it profit a man if he gaine the whole world and susteine the dammage of his soule My soule is all the world to mee and when I come to dy I shall finde it soe Grant vs O Lord that we may saue our soules the whole world beside we will loose it willingly And this is the effect of mortall sinne that he that committeth but one and dyeth in it is as sure to suffer shippwracke of his soule and to be damned into hell as though he were guilty of all the mortall sinnes in the world Ia. 5. according to that of S Iames whosoeuer but offendeth in one is made guilty of all To wit soe farre as to the guilt and punishment of hell I haue bene desired by some to giue them some such destinction betwixt Mortall and Veniall sinne as that they might allwais know by it when the sinne which they committe is mortall But this is vnpossible for that the circumstances are infinite which may aggrauate or lessen the malice of sinne soe that litle sinnes may become great and great sinnes litle ones and sometimes noe sinnes at all Besides God will not haue vs to know for certaine whether we be in state of grace or noe according to that of Ecclesiastes Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of loue or hatred and Iob allthough I shall be simple Eccl. 9. Iob. 9. the same shall my soule be ignorant of Yet thus much may be said for their satisfaction that sinnes against any of the tenne Commandements or against any of the Praecepts of the Church when they come to a notable degree of malice or deformity or if they be intended thought or doubted to be soe they are Mortall Veniall is as much as to say easily pardonable and soe a Veniall sinne is a sinne which easily obtaineth pardon A litle sinne which diminisheth the feruour of diuine grace in vs but taketh not the grace of God from vs soe as to put vs in state of damnation It maketh vs to grow colder and colder in deuotion and disposeth by litle and litle to some mortall sinne and then by that we loose quite the diuine grace and are in state of damnation Soe that Mortall sinne is quite opposite and incompatible with the diuine grace Veniall sinne is compatible and may stande with it Authors commonly declare this by the similitude of a traueler going out of his way He may either goe a quite contrary way or he may goe wrong yet not quite contrary to the right way By Mortall sinne we goe the quite contrary way from heauen to wit to hell by Veniall sinne we goe not to hell yet we goe wrong and out of the way to heauen S. Augustine compareth Veniall sinnes to scabbs that deforme and disfigure the body but kill it not soe Veniall sinne deformeth and deminisheth the beauty of our soules but leaueth them still with spirituall life And declaring some Veniall sinnes in particular he saith that it is a Veniall sinne to laugh immoderately Aug. l. de Nat gra c 38. to iest too much to desire somethinge intemperately to plucke fruit ouer greedily and the like Finally whatsoeuer we thinke that we doe not well in we may accuse ourselues of it as at least of a Veniall sinne That all sinnes are not damnable to hell but that there are some such lesser sinnes which we call Veniall it is manifest by diuerse places of the holy Scriptures Prou. 24. Seauen times shall the iust fall and shall rise againe but the impious shall fall into euill Where we see that a man may fall into some sinnes and yet be iust He that contemneth small thinges shall fall by litle and litle Eccl. 19. By which we see that one may sinne by small things and by litle and litle before that he fall from the diuine grace Ia 3. S. Iames saith that in many things we offende all And he cannot be thought to speake of mortall sinnes S. Iohn hauing declared that by the blood of Christ we are clensed from sinne adde h presently Io. 1.1 If we shall say that we haue noe sinne we seduce ourselues and the truth is not in vs. By which it appeareth that we may be soe purged from sinne as to be in state of grace by the merits of Christs Passion and yet to haue some sinnes This is also most congruous to reason and agreeable with the diuine goodnes and mercy For if it be an vnreasonable seuerity for Kings and Common wealths to punish euery litle falt with the sentence of death farre must it be from the mercy of God to punish euery litle excesse or defect euery litle anger neglect distraction in our prayers and the like with the eternall death of hell Mortall sinnes are neuer taken away but by the Sacraments in deede or in desire Veniall sinnes are blotted out by euery good worke which we doe For as euery Venial sinne deminisheth the feruour of the loue of God in vs and