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
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
soe obscured and thy sacred and life giuing face to become pale and void of life as a roote from a thirsty ground that there is noe beauty nor comlinesse in it It was by vs that thou camest into this plight thou didst beare our sinnes and they put thee to paine and disfigured thee Thinke now O Christians of that which you beleeve and confider who he was and what he suffered for you Iesus Christ the onely sonne of God suffereth for man the master for the seruant the Creatour for his creature he that made Angels and men heauen and earth he of whom and by whom and in whom are all thinges he bore our infirmitys our sorrowes he carryed Rom. 11. and became as a lepar strucken of God and humbled Esa 53. He was wounded for our iniquitys and with the waile of his stripe we are healed our sinnes drew blood of his sacred body and crucifyed and killed him Heauen stoode astonished the sunne was ecclypsed a terrible darknesse was spred ouer the earth the earth was shaken graues opened and the bodys of the dead roze vp to life againe at this mystery and shall it make noe impression in vs Behold ô Christians Christ expired on the Cros and say often with your selues who is this that is Crucifyed and dead who is this that is crucifyed and dead It is the onely sonne of God whom the Angles adore the latchet of whose shoe S. Iohn Baptist was not worthy to loose Thinke then againe what he was crucifyed for It was to take away our sinnes and to blesse vs with euerlasting glory O blessed Lord O God our Sauiour how great was thy loue to vs and thy hatred to sinne that could cause the miracle of thy incarnation and death for our redemption I reioyce in thy merits by which I am redeemed and being now at liberty I dedicate my selfe for euer to thy seruice Keepe thou my soule and let it neuer forsake thee The benefit which we haue by the death of Christ was praefigured vnto vs in the law of Moyses where guilty persons that had sled to the cittys of sanctuary were set at liberty and went home pardoned at the death of the high Priest Our high Priest was Iesus Christ heauen is our blessed home sinne banished vs from thence but thither we returne againe by the death of Christ Heb. 10. hauing considence saith the Apostle in the entring of the holys in the blood of Christ Let vs serue him as we ought and then indeede we may haue confidence in him THE FIFTH ARTICLE HE descended into hell the third day he arose againe from death The Apostles hauing in the former article professed the Passion and death of Christ declare now his victory and triumph ouer it That which by this article is proposed to be beleeued is that the soule of Christ departing in death from his body descended truely into hell For as long as his body remained in the sepulcher his soule was separated from it and all that while was descended into hell Some haeretiks haue wickedly denyed this article of Christ his descension into hell ignorantly vnderstanding by hell his sepulcher Not considering that his descending into the sepulcher was professed before in the former article and therefor there needed not another article to repeate it ouer againe and to say that he descended into the sepulcher Neither is it a propper manner of speech in that sense for the body of our Lord was then dead and descended not but was laid by others in the sepulcher This therefor can not be vnderstoode of his body descending into the sepulcher but of his soule descending into hell Aunciently by hell some place in general was vnderstoode where the soules of men resided after death and it was not onely taken for the place of the damned but also for the residence of the iust As when the holy Patriaâ—ke Iacob mourning for the death of his sonne Ioseph said Gen. 37. I will descende vnto my sonne into hell and when the Apostle saith Phil. 2. In the name of Iesus euery knee bow of the caelestials terrestrials and insernals For hell in Latine is as much as to say a place inferiour vnto vs or below vs which is therefor in the earth For the vnderstanding of which we may destinguish fower places in the earth the receptacles of soules departed Fower kinds of hell First there is the lowest hell of euerlasting damnation which is the furthest place from heauen as most suetable to those whose liues and actions were furthest of and most opposite to God and therefor in respect of punishment it is the deepest hell Secondly the next aboue that in paine is Purgatory Thirdly aboue purgatory is the place where the soules of those are detained who dy onely in original sinne Fourthly aboue that there was a place for the soules of the iust that dyed before Christ not hauing the guilt of any sinne or satisfaction to make for it For it was not conuenient that any should enter into heauen before Christ who purchased it for all and therefor those soules remained in an inferiour place vntill the death of Christ and then he descending to them freed them from that place This was some times called the bosome of Abraham because Abraham was the father of the elect and comprized as it were in him all the iust as Christ came of his seede who was the head of all the iust Thither therefor did our blessed Sauiour descende to blesse and to free those holy soules And perhaps he would also shew himselfe to the soules of purgatory for their comfort as also to the damned soules for their terrour and rebuke Christ was buryed on the fryday on which he suffered For the death of the Cros was held in that ignominy that the law commanded those that were Crucifyed to be taken from the Cros on the same day After his buriall he remained in the sepulcher all that day and all Saturday and part of Sunday vntill about breake of day all which time his soule was descended into hell Then he released the iust out of that place in which they were detained and brought them with him to the sepulcher where vniting his soule and body together againe the third day he arose from the dead not as those who haue bene reuiued by the power of others to a second life and to dy a second death but by his owne power he aroze againe to dy noe more For the diuine nature being allwais present with his body and soule as vnited with them in the vnity of person he had power to raise himselfe and by his owne power he tooke life againe and aroze glorious and therefor he said of himselfe Io. 10. I yeeld my life c. I yeeld it of my selfe and I haue power to yeeld it and I haue power to take it againe We reade of diuerse who haue bene raised from death to life both before and since the
against the deuils power Sixtly the corporal life of man as he is ordained to the society of other men requireth a superiour authority to be in some for the gouerning of others and soe an orderly gouernment is necessary for vs in the Church of God and for this we haue the Sacrament of orders in which power is giuen to some in spiritual things Seauenthly for the continuance and conseruation of humane nature a continuall succession and propagation of mankind is necessary in the world and for this the spiritual life of man requireth that it be done by a Sacrament for the orderly propagation of men and the increase of soules to the worship of God This is by the Sacrament of Matrimony which as it is a duety of nature is onely for corporal generation but as it is a Sacrament it giueth grace for the increase of soules in the diuine worship The number of the Sacraments shall appeare furthermore out of the scriptures in that which I haue to say of euery Sacrament in particular The same is declared by diuerse Councels And although the fathers haue had noe occasion in their writings to name them alltogether yet they haue made mention of them all as occasion serued Neither is it necessary that we should assigne the time when euery Sacrament in particular was instituted of Christ We know the times of the institution of some of them and we know that for forcy dayes betwixt his resurrection and his Ascension he frequently appeared vnto his Apostles and taught them many things which they were to obserue in the Church which are not mentioned in the scriptures and we know that the Sacraments of the Church must be of Christs teaching and ordaining We haue for the number of the Sacraments the same authority that we haue for any of the scriptures to wit the authority of the Church which although it declare not the time when the scriptures were written yet it assureth vs of all their verity and soe it doth of the number of the Sacraments ad Casulan S. Augustine giueth vs this rule that for those thinges which are generally receiued by the Church if their beginnings be not knowne they are to be taken for Apostolical traditions but such is the number of seauen Sacraments therefor they are of Apostolical tradition Thus much of the Sacraments in general let vs now come to their particular declarations OF BAPTISME OF THE NECESSITY OF baptisme BAptisme is commonly called the doore of the Sacraments because it is the entrance to the rest necessary to be had before them For vntill we be christened we are not christians and vntill we be made christians we can not receiue the Sacraments of the people of Christ Baptisme is our first spiritual generation and before generation we haue noe operation because we are not soe before baptisme we haue noe spiritual being in grace and therefor it is to be supposed before the rest of the Sacraments be receiued the words of S. Iohn being then verifyed he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God Io. 1. For as we are borne the children of Adam and of wrath in our corporal births soe in baptisme we are borne the sonnes of God by grace through the merits of Iesus Christ As necessary then as generation is to the corporal being of all men soe necessary is baptisme to the being of all soules in the diuine grace and fauour and as necessary as birth is to the perfection of man in this world soe necessary is baptisme to come to the perfect state of glory Vnles a man be borne againe of water and the spirit he can not enter into the kingdome of God Iâ— 3. By which words it appeareth that Baptisme is a Sacrament that is to say an outward rite or signe that causeth grace in vs. Baptisme a Sacrament We haue a rite and outward signe in the water and we haue the effect of grace in that the kingdome of heauen is obtained by it Heretiks that would confounde all things in the Church of God haue gone about to take away our christendome from vs affirming quite contrary to the words of Christ that a man not borne of water may enter into the kindome of heauen pretending that children are sanctifyed by their parents faith and therefor will not baptize them But this as I haue said is directly contrary to the words alleadged and in it selfe most absurde in that it maketh the kingdome of heauen to come to children not by grace but by inheritance from faithfull parents and supernaturall glory to be obtained by natural and corporal meanes Children are not absolutly holy in that they come of holy parents good parents are indeede a meanes to thee sanctification of their children by procuring for them that which God hath ordained for their sanctification but the goodnes of the parent can not merit grace for the child nor sanctify him This must be done by applying the merits of Christs passion to children in some Sacrament And soe the children of the Iewes in the law of Moyses were saued by the faith of their parents in this sense that they hauing the true faith applyed vnto their children those meanes of sanctification which God then ordained for them but neither in the law of Moyses nor of nature were children euer sanctifyed by onely being borne of good parents but somethinge was allwais done to them as Circumcision or some other outward signe for their sanctification which although it were farre inferiour to our baptisme yet it was necessarily required there being noe proportion betwixt kinred in blood and the diuine grace and glory S. Augustin Doe not beleeue Aug. l. 3. de anima eâ—â—s origineâ— 9. doe not say that children before baptisme can haue their original sinne forgiuen them if thou wilt be a Catholike OF THE EFFECT OF BAPTISME THE propper and particular effect of Baptisme is to make him that receiueth it to become a member of the body of Christ as being admitted into his Church by it and to dispose and prepare him for the rest of the Sacraments after it The general effect of Baptisme which it hath commune with all the Sacraments is to giue grace to the sanctification of soules and this it doth after soe full and plentifull a manner that it remitteth all sinne whatsoeuer original and actual great and litle and forgiueth all punishment due to it in the next world Rom. 6. We are buried saith the Apostle together with him by Baptisme vnto death That is to the death and destruction of sinne and of all punishment after it We haue a figure of this in Naaman the leptose Prince of Syria who washing himselfe in the waters of Iordan Reg. 4 5. as the Prophet had praescribed to him he came forth soe cleane and perfectly cured that the Holy Ghost saith his flesh was restored as the flesh of a litle child Ezechiel prophecyed of this saying I will powre out
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
his life time another sinneth and is punished with the death of wife or children another receiueth some affront and pineth away with greefe and malice that he can not reuenge himselfe another hath his house burned or robbed another hath his croppe wasted and destroyed Another hath diseases and losses in his cattell and a thousand kindes of temporall punishments are iustly inflicted vpon men for their sinnes and come not by chance as some would perswade themselues For God seeeth the malice of all our actions and because he will not publish them vntill the day of iudgment he punisheth them with such afflictions as are commune to all to bring vs to repentance This doctrine is prooued by that which Christ said to the man whom he cured of eight and thirty yeares infirmity Io. 5. Behold thou art made whole sinne noe more least some worse thinge chance to thee In which we see two things First that sinne is punished with temporal afflictions as corporall infirmitys and secondly that if they mende not with those but sinne againe they may expect some worse thinge euen temporally And what is that a suddaine and miserable death For we are neuer soe much in danger of our liues as when we are in mortal sinne Because the deuill hauing then the possession of our soules bringeth vs as much as he can vpon perils of death to secure his possession And therefor Balaam that wicked Prophet counsailed King Balac to draw the Israelits into sinne that he might more easily oue come Ortg. ho. 20. in 25. nu and kill them as though he had said saith Origen This is a people which sighteth not by their owne strength but by the fauour of their God make them to offende him and the victory is thine owne and for this thou shalt endeauour to ouerthrow their chastity Fight not with them by force of armes bring not men to assalt and resist them Bring women to tempt them to sinne sinne will dull their weapons weaken their strength and â—ill them A company of Madianite women are brought for that purpose they draw the Israelits to fornicate with them and after that to adore their idols then God forsaketh them and they are ouerthrowne in their sinne Thus doth Origen describe that passage And in an other place he hath these words Orig. in c. 31. nu The Israelits when they came against Madian were numbred six hundred thousands of sighting men yet all these when thâ—y were in sinne were ouercome by the Madianites and the Madianites againe who had ouercome six hundred thousands of Israelites when they were in sinne were ouercome themselues by twelue thousand of them when they were free from sinne It was to this purpose all that which Achior said to Holofernes who leading an army with intention to subduâ— the whole world and passing without resistance through many peoples to the borders of Israel where as others at his approching had presently sent messengers to yeeld to him he seeeth the Israelits to make preparations of warre and to fortify places against him and calling his captaines together to informe himselfe of the nature and strength of that people Achior captaine of the Ammonites declared vnto him the beginning and progresse of the Israelits what strange victorys they had gotten by the helpe of God and how easily they had bene defeated when they were in sinne And although he counsailed not as Balaam did to draw them into sinne yet he aduised him at least to informe himselfe well whether they were in sinne or noe before he assalted them Iudith 5. Now therefor my Lord search if there be any iniquity of theires in the sight of their God and let vs goe vp to them because their God will deliuer them to thee but if there be noe offence of this people before their God we can not resist them because God will defende them And it cost Holofernes his life and the ouerthrow of his whole army because he would not follow his counsaile For the Israelits crying humbly to God and pleasing him he fought himselfe soe for them that Holofernes was killed and his huge army put to flight by one woman onely To what purpose now shall the Potentates of this world build vpon humane pollicys and strength to raise great Monarchys to themselues and their children when all their power is soe easily confounded They giue themselues to sinne and to neglect of their charge and then God who supported them letteth them fall and they being dashed to peeces he raiseth another to stande as long as it pleaseth him Esni 14. I will destroy the name of Babylon and the remaines and buâ—de and progeny Anâ— I will make it the possession of the hedge â—â—gg And I will sweepe it with a beesome wearing it saith the Lord of hosts Vpon which place S. Hierome hath these words Hiero. in c. 14. Esa Babylon was by the description of authors a citty builded on a plane fâ—wers quare in forme and had from corner to corner sixteene miles soe that in compasse it conteined threescore and fower miles The tower or Capitol theirof is said to haue bene fower miles in hight And for the marble temples golden statuas and streetes shining with gold and pretious stone it is almost incredible that which is recorded of it All this I say to shew the wrath of God against sinne For now we see the ruines onely left and those become the possession of the hedgehogg the words of the Prophet being truely fullfilled I will sweepe it with a beesome wearing it It is the goodnes of God to ight against his enemys and to defende his freinds and it is the malice of sinne to destroy those that committe it and of the deuill to seeks the death and destruction of those that serue him Prosperity Victory and glory are the rewards of vertue aduersity and death are the stipends of sinne And this is soe certaine and general in it selfe that the holy Church saith noe aduersity shall hurt where noe iniquity reigneth The fourth euill of sinne is that it bringeth miserys not onely vpon the sinners themselues but also vpon their kinred and freinds It happeneth sometimes that a man hauing committed some greeuous sinne resteth himselfe with out punishment liuing in prosperity perhaps all his life time and after his death when he is in hell then his children or allyance are strucken with temporal punishments and become miserable in their bodys or goods which prosper not with them through his sinne Thus many are punished here in their bodys with temporall afflictions directly for the sinnes of others and indirectly also in their soules for that they follow their euill footstepps and committe sinne by their example I am the Lord thy God mighty ielous Exod. 20. visiting the iniquity of fathers vpon the children vpon the third and fourth generation of those that hate mee C ham seeing the nakednesse of his father Noe when he was a sleepe derided
thy saluation and what he requireth to be done by thee He standeth at the doore of thy hart and desiring to enter he knocketh enlightening thy vnderstanding and inspiring thy will to open to him that is to consent to the good worke to the which he moueth thee and if thou wilt open it he entreth with his sanctifying grace and blesseth thee But he doth not enter whether thou wilt or noe he craueth entrance and giueth thee power to open vnto him and if thou wilt not open thy hart and haue blessing blame none but thy selfe Say Peccaui I haue sinned Soe did Dauid Manasses Iob and all true repenters euer say and neuer said Peccasti thou hast sinned to God but if thou makest God the authour of thy sinne and not thy owne freewill thou blamest him and sayest Peccasti thou hast sinned to him Which were noe humility in thy selfe nor repentance at all noe man repenting but for his owne sinnes There remaineth now to speake OF THE SEVERALL KINDES OF SINNE Quest How many kindes of sinne are there Ans There are two kindes of sinne Originall sinne and Actuall sinne Quest What is the difference betwixt Original and Actuall sinne Ans Original sinne is that Which we are borne in Actuall sinne is that which we committe THE first diuision of sinne may be into Original and Actuall And although Originall sinne were Actuall as it was acted and committed by Adam and were Mortall in that it brought death both to him and vs yet for more cleerenes we will destinguish first Original and Actuall and then Mortall and Veniall sinne Original sinne is that which we contract from Adam our Origen and which we committe not ourselues but bring into the world with vs. Adam was placed in paradise his soule endowed with Originall iustice and in his body he was immortall He had the commande of all earthly creatures enioying freely the pleasures of them and without dying should haue bene transferred after a time to the pleasures of heauen These gifts were giuen to him and his posterity and they successiuely had obtained them if they had not sinned but he sinning we are depriued of that originall iustice and other gifts and the wart and priuation of them is called Originall sinne in vs. We haue noe wrong done vs in this that we are borne depriued of our fathers gifts because they were giuen to him and his posterity onely vpon condition that they sinned not As though a King of his owne freewill should bestow some place of honour and benefit vpon a subiect for himselfe and his posterity to enioy after him vpon condition that they allwais kept themselues obedient and loyall to him but if he or any of them should be found guilty of treason then they should loose that place and benefit Now he or some of them breaking the condition by disobeying the King they are iustly depriued of that place Soe the gifts and graces which God gaue to Adam for himselfe and for vs were noe way due but of the goodnes and liberality of God and granted conditionally if we remained loyall to him we committing treason are iustly depriued of those gifts which he had and are borne without them The reason of this is because the father and children in this case are as it were all one man and haue as it were all one will and as that which is done by one onely part of man to wit by his will is attributed to the whole man and punished in all the rest of his parts soe the sinne which was committed by Adam is iustly punished in all men because all men were his children and as it were one man in him A spend thrift father wasteth his estate not onely from himselfe but also from his children because they are supposed and are indeede in riches one body and one minde with him and can blame none but him who consumed those riches which they should haue had Soe all men in Adam were one man his will was the will of all he consumed the riches which we should haue had and we are iustly depriued of them Actuall sinne is that which we committe Actuall sinne and is therefor called Actuall because we act it ourselues and bring it not originally into the world with vs. And soe the sinne which Adam committed and which is original in vs was Actuall in him because he acted it and had it not by infection from another as we haue from him Quest How many kindes of Actuall sinne are there Ans There are two kindes of Actuall sinne Mortall sinne and Veniall sinne Quest What is the difference betwixt Mortall and veniall sinne Ans Mortall sinne quite depriueth vs of Gods grace Veniall sinne onely lesseneth and diminisheth the feruour of the loue of God in vs. MORTALL sinne is as much as to say Deadly sinne It is a mortall and deadly wound bringing death to our soules in that it taketh quite away the diuine grace from them which is their spirituall life Rom. 6. The stipends of sinne saith the Apostle are death That is the reward of mortall sinne This is the sinne which is allwais vnderstoode when we read or name sinne in generall and speake of the malice of it A monster soe deformed that if we could see the deformity of it we should thinke truly that all the torments of this world were rather to be suffered then one mortall sinne to be committed It diuideth vs from God it putteth vs into the deuils power it bringeth eternall punishments and temporall to the ruine of Kingdomes cittys and many noble familys it causeth feares and terrors of conscience and leaueth our soules hatefull and most horrible in the sight of God We can not expresse nor conceiue with sufficient horrour the state of our soules when they are in mortall sinne Our bodys when they are dead become pale cold and ghastly but much more our soules in deadly sinne We behold with horrour the body of one that had killed drowned or hanged himselfe and it is not a horrour to kill our owne soules If any of this company should now suddainely fall downe and dy before vs we should all be terrifyed and affrighted at it then how should we feare to fall into mortall sinne by which we are instantly killed and dead Ber. ad Eug. l 4. c. 6. Esa 57. An asse falleth and there is allwais some to helpe her vp againe A soule perisheth and none regardeth it Saith S. Bernard soe the Prophet the iust perisheth and there is none that considereth in his hart If our head our breast or any other part paine vs we complane and cry O my head my breast c. And we wounde our soules vnto death and neuer thinke nor say O my soule How greatly haue the Saints of God detested mortall sinne how greatly haue they bewailed it in themselues and in others what pennance haue they vndergone to satisfy for it what paines haue they taken to draw others out of
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
signe of the Cros vpon her brest and that soe she should be cured She did soe and was restored to perfect health This happened in S. Augustines time in the city in which he liued and himselfe hauing had the examining of it caused it to be published We haue then S. Paul and those that liued in the Apostles times honoring the Cros as we now doe and we may see by the writings of their successors the Saints of the primitiue Church the power and vertue of the signe of the Cros and what deuotion was then borne to it He whom all this is not sufficient to moue but shall still oppose this blessed signe sheweth an intollerable obstinacy in himselfe and that he needeth rather some meanes to mollify his hart and to moue his will then any arguments to conuince his vnderstanding and therefor let him haue recourse vnto God by prayer as I shewed in the last title of the former discourse that he will enlighten and inspire him to the truth for he may deceiue himselfe but God can not deceiue him I haue now noe more to say of the signe of the Cros. You haue seene first how it is to be made Secondly what mysterys are conteined in it to wit the mysterys of the B. Trinity and of the Incarnation Thirdly what reuerence we ought to beare vnto it Let vs confesse the greatnes of God in the mystery of the blessed Trinity and feare him let vs acknowledge his loue in the mystery of the Incarnation and loue him and let vs honour that holy signe by which those mysterys are signifyed The Cros is the sword of Christ the glory of christians the terrour of deuils our armes and armour against all dangers both of body and soule It is saith S. Augustine the chaire in which our master satte to teach vs. Aug. tract 119. in lo. to 3 1. ad Tim. 3. He taught vs from thence a lesson of all vertues of perfect charity towards God and our neighbour of humility patience meekenesse fortitude pouerty and of perfect resignation with the will of God in all things If thou feelest thy selfe cold in the loue of God negligent in frequenting the Sacraments in comming to masse c. and hast but litle feeling of goodnes nor care of Gods seruice in thee behold Christ vpon the Cros heare him how he calleth vpon thee to see him paining vnto death for the loue of thy soule If thou art offended at thy enemy and dost not forgiue him behold thy master on thee Cros and heare him not onely forgiuing but excusing and praying for his enemys If thou feelest in thy selfe a desire of praise worldly glory and preferment behold the sonne of God in his passion become the abiect of men that a notorius condemned theefe was preferred before him If by sicknesse soares and other like afflitions thou art moued to impatience see him in his Passion how he gius his blessed head his face his hands his feete and his whole body as a lambe to his enemys to be bounde to be beaten to be nailed stabbed cut and wounded as they would themselues See the blood running out of his crowned head by drop after drop where the thornes pierced it and out of his hands and feete and wounded side not by drops but by a continuall course vntill they were left dry What did he say to those that tormented him and in his torments vpbraided him with false crimes all that time he answered not a word in his owne behalfe but with silence went on stoode still or layed downe as they would haue him that carried him from place to place and from one paine to another he neuer opening his mouth to desire any ease or to intreate for any thing to teach thee meekenesse He defended innocency against the power of kings priests and presidents to teach thee fortitude in Gods cause He became naked to teach thee pouerty He tooke the cuppe of his Passion willingly from the Angell and drunke it vp to the bottome more then ne needed for the health of mankind because it was for the honour of God and his diuine will that he should doe soe Learne thou to resigne thy will to the will of God and to be contented in all occasions as he shall dispose of thee Finally there is neither writing nor preaching nor any words whatsoeuer that imprinteth soe much the loue of God in our harts nor moueth soe efficaciously to all vertues noe not the holy scriptures themselues nor any remedy soe good against all kind of sinnes as the meditation of Christs Passion which is read vnto vs in the signe of the Cros. L. 6. in Ep. ad Rom. Origen asking by what meanes we shall performe the Apostles words that sinne reigne not in vs Rom. 6. answereth where the death of Christ is carried there sinne can not reigne for saith he the Cros of Christ hath such power that if we beare it before our eyes and keepe it in our mindes noe concupiscence noe lust noe anger noe enuy can ouercome vs He â—5 in Mâ—t. to 2. the whole army of sinne is put to slight S. Chrysostome let them attende that are ashamed of the Cros of Christs Passion For if the Prince of the Apostles S. Peter were called Satan when he had not learned the mystery of the Cros Mat. 16. because he said Lord be it farre from thee this shall not be vnto thee how shall they be pardoned that dare to deny the Cros now when it is preached all ouer let none be ashamed of these signes of our saluation but let vs carry the Cros of Christ about vs as a ioyfull crowne for all things that are conducing to saluation are accomplished in it When we are regenerated the Cros is present when we are fedd with the most sacred soode when we are placed in the order of consecrating all ouer and at all times that signe of victory is vsed Wherefor let vs haue that signe in our houses in our windowes on our foreheades and in our mindes with much deuotion It is the signe of our saluation of our vniuersall liberty of the mildnesse and humility of our Lord. When therefor thou signest thy selfe with the signe of the Cros thinke of the mystery of the Cros and extinguish the fire of wrath and other Passions in thee When thou signest thy selfe with the signe of the Cros arme thy face with confidence and thy minde with the thoughts of freedome For Paul exhorting to true freedome calleth vs to the memory of the Cros saying you are bought with a great price Cor. 1.6 This was the price of the Cros. We must not onely make it with our singars on the body but with consideÌ„ce on our soules and if soe thou make it none of the wicked deuills will dare to encounter thee when he seceth the speere of his mortall wound For if we are affraid to behold the place where condemned persons are executed what dost thou
to vse their owne wills and to fullfill their desires vpon them by what torments they would rather then to forsake the faith of Iesus Christ and thousands of thousands of faithfull christians gathered together in the Catholike Church are now ready with them in the same manner to professe it But we will honour Christ and comfort good christians by declaring the testimonys which God hath giuen of him We haue of Christ two kindes of diuine testimonys First by diuine scriptures and secondly by his miraculous works We will heare first what the scriptures testify of him When the mystery of the Incarnation was fullfilled and Christ came into the world there were then in all the world but two onely religions or diuine worships professed to wit the religion of the Iewes who worshipped one eternall and omnipotent God and the religion of the Gentils or Pagans adoring many Gods And the worship of one God being in the first article setled for true and the worship of many Gods reiected by the Apostles for false it followeth that the people of the Iewes were then the people of God whom he had chosen to be truely honored amongst Secondly it followeth that the Iewes hauing then the true faith and diuine worship whatsoeuer they then beleeued was true and that they then beleeuing in Christ as to come he was then indeede to come and whatsoeuer they beleeued of him then as future the same we are to beleeue of him as past and whatsoeuer the scriptures receiued by them which are the old Testament haue declared of him that is allwais to be beleeued as of diuine authority and as spoken by the word of God who dictated those scriptures for the gouernment of the world in the true worship of him Now the holy scriptures of the old testament deliuer soe planely the comming of a Messias or which is all one a Christ to redeeme the world that all whosoeuer receiue those scriptures doe still confesse it For it is the maine butte and prime scope of the old Testament to shew that Christ was promised from the beginning to the Patriarks and reuealed from time to time to the Prophets that the world might expect him then to come as it is the butte and scope of the new Testament to declare him to the world to be allready come And as the new Testament describeth all ouer the ioy of the faithfull in enioying him soe did the old testament comfort the faithfull then with the expectation and hopes of him First his comming was signifyed euen at first in paradise in terrour to the serpent who had caused our sinne when our Lord threatening him with an enemy that should come against him said I will put enmitys betâ—ixt thee and the woman Gen. 3. and thy seede and the seede of her she shall bruize thy head in peeces and thou shalt ly in waite of her heele Christ was by this mysteriously denoted God then declaring that the enmity of mankind with the serpent was to be especially betwixt him and the seede of a woman by which it is signifyed that Christ the Redeemer of the world and the serpents greatest enemy should be particularly the seede of a woman and is not there said to be of the seede of a man because he was to be conceiued and borne of a Virgin mother without the helpe of man And this was the prerogatiue of the Sauiour of the world that the sinne of mankind being first occasioned by a woman he that was to be the death and destruction of sinne should be by the power of God of womans seede onely without man The same was deliuered by reuelation to the Patriarks and Prophets afterwards and they did not onely declare it to posterity but also described the manner of the accomplishment of it Esa 9. A litle child is borne to vs and a sonne is giuen to vs and principality is made vpon his shoulder and his name shall be called Meruelous Counseller God Strong Father of the world to come The Prince of peace And in another place the same Prophet describeth the circumstances of his comming among the Iewes Arize be illuminated Hierusalem Esa 60. because thy light is come c. vpon thee shall our Lord arize and his glory shall be seene vpon thee And the Gentils shall walke in thy light and kings in the brightnesse of thy rizing Lift vp thine eyes round about and see all these are gathered together to thee Thy sonnes shall come from a farre and thy daughters shall rize from the side Then shalt thou see and abounde and thy hart shall meruaile and shall be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be conuerted to thee the strength of Gentils shall come to thee Here it is foretold that the Messias should come amongst the Iewes vnder the dominion and commande of Hierusalem the comming of kings to acknowledge his power and the conuersion of the Gentiles who by multitudes farre and neere should receiue the light of his doctrine and obey him our Lord. But I neede not stande to alledge scriptures for the comming of the Messias for it is inferred by that which I haue said allready that the Iewes who had then the true worship of God beleued it and it shall appeare by many places of the scriptures which I shall afterwards alledge Neither is there any difference betwixt that which the people of God beleeued of him by those scriptures before his comming and that which the faithfull now beleeue of him since his comming but onely in the diuersity of times they being before and we after him they beleeuing in him as to come and expecting of him we hauing receiued the ioy of his comming They were not then called Christians although they beleeued in Christ because they were but one nation and people of the Israëlits consisting of diuerse tribes and tooke their denomination of Ieâ—â—es from the â—ribe of Iuda which was the cheife tribe and of which it was foretold that the Messias should come But after his comming when the true faith and diuine worship was not confined to one onely nation but was enlarged vnto other nations and made common to all then all truâ— beleeuers beganne to be called by the Apostles Christians Act. 11. as by a name which abstracted from all nations to those who beleeued in Iesus Christ the true Messias and Redeemer of the wâ—rld Soe thâ—â— all true beleeuers haue allwâ—is beleeued in Christ as the Israëlits or People of the Iewes did immediatly before his comming and as now we doe But when Iesus Christ our Sauiour came into the world and preached his heauenly doctrine amongst the sewes a People wholy drowned in sinne and giuen to pride and desires of this world he abstaining from their euill wayes rebuking their vices and exhorting them to vertue and contempt of the world without giuing any hopes of temporall riches and glory but onely of spirituall blessings and such felicitys as were to be
he first beganne to conceale although he had Confessed them he must Confesse them all ouer againe with those which he concealed for although they were Confessed they were not forgiuen The deuill noe doubt but laboureth all he can to hinder the fruit of this Sacrament by which he looseth soe many soules and because he preuaileth sometimes with such as I haue mentioned I will speake a word or two for their good that they may abhorre this sinne First I tell them that this Sacrament is the onely remedy which God hath ordained for actual sinne Our soules were first lost by original sinne and by Baptisme they were saued from that shipwrack but falling after Baptisme into actual sinne there is noe hopes to be saued but by duely receiuing the Sacrament of pennance Hiero. ep 8. ad Domerriad Amb. ad virg laps c. 8. and therfor Saints and spiritual men commonly call it the second planke of saluation in the shipwracke of our soules Tell mee then O faintharted Catholike that art affraide to Confesse thy sinnes if that thou wert floating on the waues of the sea vpon a good and sure planke wouldst thou be ouercome with feare to forsake it why then art thou ouercome with feare to conceale thy sinnes in that pittifull state of damnation seeing that by concealing them thou dost let goe the planke in which is all thy hope and without which thou sinkest downe and art sure to perish Thou hast suffered shipwracke by mortal sinne wilt thou let goe thy sauing planke and perish in the waues Thou art wounded mortally and art sicke vnto death if thou discouer not thy wounds thou dyest with out remedy wilt thou languish vnto death and willfully refuse all helpe Thou hast a physitian that can cure thee and that as priuatly as thou canst desire and with as litle shame to thee but thou must either tell thy disease and shew thy wounds or dy Thus doe the holy fathers declare the necessity of intire Confessions Further if thou dissemblest with the priest thou dissemblest with God and adding sinne vnto sinne thou woundest thy soule with a new and deeper wound and with a sinne which is most opposite to grace and to the forgiuenesse of any sinne and that very sinne which now thou wilt not Confesse priuatly thou shalt be forced to Confesse it one day in the sight and hearing of all the world when the deuill shall accuse thee publikely saying I gotte him to committe such a sinne and to conceale it in Confession I accuse him of the sinne and of a sacrilegious Confession And Christ will then be ashamed of thee before his Angels that wert ashamed of him before thy ghostly father and thou shalt be condemned as guilty of both sinnes and shalt goe amongst the damned This is all that thou shalt gett by thy shame for in this world thou didst gett nothing at all Other sinnes when they are committed bring either some profit or pleasure with them but this hath neither profit nor pleasure in it but euen then when thou committest it thou hast an inward horurour and paine to thinke of the losse which theÌ„ tho susteinest and of the comfort of a good ConfessioÌ„ and how greeuously thou woundest thy soule with a new and more greeuous wounde If thou didst see thy vtter enemy laid pittifully wounded in danger of death and the surgeon dressing him and binding vp his wounds couldest thou finde in thy hart to come to him and tearing of his plaster to wounde him againe with a new and worse wounde Such an enemy thou art vnto thy selfe when being at Confession vnder the hands of the priest thou hidest any mortal sinne Thou abusest the onely remedy of thy soule and being wouÌ„ded and then in cure thou tearest of the plaster and woundest thy selfe againe with a new and more greeuous mortal sinne and such an one as in it selfe is contrary to all remedy It was very remarkable to this purpose that which happened not long since in a citty of Spaine A notorious malefactour being sentenced to dy was put into the place of retirement which they haue in the prison for condemned persons to prepare themselues in for their death And comming to Confession he beganne to be troubled and could not goe on but made strange gestures and shewes of affrightment when he would haue Confessed some sinnes The Priest who was my very charitable good freind and who told mee himselfe all that I am now relating perceiuing it and asking the cause of it with much difficulty at last he answered and told him planely that the deuill was there and threatened him that he durst not Confesse At which the priest roze vp and with the signe the Cros vanquished him But the deuill who vseth not to yeeld at the first repulse returned againe and at the Confessing of some sinnes troubled him as before and the priest againe vanquished him And thus returning seueral times he putte the poore man into such an amaze and feare that he durst not Confesse but made an end concealing some of his sinnes The priest gaue sentence of absolution but it was in vaine and of noe value as a iudge misinformed the party remaining guilty of all his former sinnes and of one more and that perhaps greater then any which he had to Confesse That night the deuill appeared vnto him all in flames threatening him â—ot to Confesse such and such sinnes which he had concealed and with all he commanded him to throw away that which he had about his necke which was a litle Cros and image of our blessed lady which the priest sent to a brother of his owne liuing then aboue a thousand miles from him who wore them and after some yeares shewed them to mee In what a terrour may we imagine that man then to haue bene and fearfull perplexity to obey or to disobey the deuils commande he thought them then to be his onely armes and saw that if he threw them away he disarmed himselfe and on the otherside he feared his threatning if he obeyed not But he chose for better to disobey him and it was a happy disobedience for his prowde enemy confounded with it vanished away presently with out hurting him The man expected vntill morning longing to see the priests returne whom as soone as he saw he ranne presently to him and glasping him in his armes he besought him to heare his Confession againe and then he made a better Confession declaring intirely the sinnes which he had concealed and the sacrilege which he had committed in concealing them And relating all that had passed with him he desired at his death the priest to tell it vnto others that they might learne by him to make good Confessions Who related it accordingly in his sermon to all that were present at the malefactors execution This happened in a place of Spaine which I know very well and there can be noe question of the truth of it Those who in Confession conceale
pleasure which we tooke in it The first euill of the losse of God is repaired by our conuersion to him in confession by which we are restored to his fauour againe But the punishment of our senses is not allwais quite taken away but as our auersion from God and conuersion to the creature for sensible pleasure was more earnest and intense then our conuersion is to God againe soe it is fitting that some sensible paine should remaine to be susteined These are the grounds of the Catholike doctrine of Satisfaction and of Purgatory of both which we wil say somethinge here as in their propper place If I said noe more in proofe of this doctrine but onely that the Bishop of Rome and Pastors of his communion deliuered it I had in reason said enough For he being the head of the Church as the true and lawfull successour in S. Peters primacy as I haue shewed him to be he and the Pastors of his communion haue the lawfull authority of the whole Church and are the whole Catholike Church in authority and being that we must alwais say I beleeue the Catholike Church we must allwais beleeue and obey the succession of that authority But I will say somethinge in particular of them That which the Catholike Church teacheth of Satisfaction is that although the conuersion of a sinner to God may be soe intense and perfect sometimes that he may obtaine a full remission of all punishment and be as it were new borne to God in baptisme yet this doth not allwais happen Our conuersion to God is not allwais soe intense and perfect but that there may and commonly doth remaine some punishment to be suffered after it This we shew first by holy Scriptures When the children of Israel sinned by murmuring against God and their Pastors Moyset praying obtained the remission of their sinne But yet saith God all the men that haue seene my Maicsty Nu. 14. c. And haue tempted mee c. they shall not see the land for the which I sware to their fathers Here their sinne was forgiuen them yet it was punished afterwards those that had sinned neuer entring into the land of promise Nu. 20. Moyses and Aaron sinned at the waters of contradiction and when their sinne was forgiuen there remained a penalty to be endured by them and they endured it not bringing the people into the holy land Dauid had sinned by murder and adultery and Nathan being sent to reprooue him and bring him to repentance Reg. 2.12 he repented and deserued to heare from the Prophet our Lord hath taken away thy sinne thou shalt not dy But his sinne being taken away it was not withstanding punished with the death of his sonne the Prophet declaring the sonne which is borne to thee dying shall dy And for all king Dauids earnest praying fasting and lying on the ground he could not obtaine the life of the child By all which we see that punishment of sinne may remaine to be suffered when the sinne is forgiuen It Was therfor the custome of the Catholike Church aunciently as now it is to impose penaltys vpon sinners at their repentance as by auncient Canons doth appeare Ep 3. 14. can 38. S. Basil ep 3. 14. can 38. He that hath committed adultery shall not communicate in the Sacraments for fifteene yeares S. Augustine Let vs seeke confession with a pure hart and performe the pennance which is giuen by priests It is against reason that he that commeth to confession with many mortal sinnes should thinke to haue noe more puishment then he that hath but one onely if they be disposed with equal deuotion Yet they were both alike if they had noe more punihment but onely to confesse and that then all sinne and punishment were taken away Sinne therfor and punishment are onely soe farre correlatiues that punishment allwais supposeth sinne to haue bene but doth not require that there be then actually sinne Neither is it worth any thinge that which haeretiks obiect against this That Christ satysfyed for vs therefor we neede not to satisfy for our selues noe more then it is to say Christ did good works for vs therefor wee neede nor to doe good works for our selues Our good works derogate not from the good works of Christ nor our Satisfaction from his Satisfactions our good works haue their value from his and soe hath our satisfaction but neither of them is hindered by him Thus much for Satisfaction and for the enioyning of pennance after the remiffion of sinnes As for Purgatory it followeth hence that those who dy with their sinnes forgiuen them but haue not that intense sorrow and perfect repentance which is necessary for the remission of all punishment due to their sinnes must haue their punishment in some place in the next world where they must be purged from that guilt of punishment as also of their lesser sinnes before that they can enter into heauen Aërius was one of the first that denyed Purgatory and that which he gott for it was to be recorded as an haeretike euer from the times of the primitiue Church and to haue his doctrine in thelist of those whom S. Epiphanius haer 75. And S. Augustine haer 83. haue branded with the marke of haeresy Luther at first although he denyed indulgences yet was soe resolute in the mainteining of Purgatory that in his disputation with Eckius he would needs make publike profession of it saying I firmely beleeue and dare boldly say I know there is a Purgatory whatsoeuer haeretiks raile against it Disp lips But hauing once fallen from the Catholike Church he was constant to nothing but vnconstancy and came in the end to deny Purgatory also But the Catholike Church hath allwais acknowledged that there is a place for the soules of those to be purged in who dy in venial sinne or haue not made full satisfaction for their mortal which place therfor may aptly be called Purgatory That there is such a place it appeareth in all those sentences of Scriptures where prayer for the dead is commended Teh 4. For those who are in heauen or in hell are not to be prayed for Set thy bread and thy wine saith holy Toby vpon the burial of a iust man Not as the Gentils vainely did to delight the dead with corporal viands but to be giuen to the poore to pray for them Hence saith S. Chrysostome who liued aboue twelue hundred yeares since came the custome of calling together the poore to receiue almes to pray for the dead Thus did Iudas Machabaeus make a gathering and sent a great summe of syluar to be bestowed in sacrifice for the dead Where vpon the Scriptures make this inference Mach. 2.12 It is therfor a holy and healthfull cogitation to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from sinnes And if any deny these Scriptures to be canonical because the Iewes deny them S. L. 18. de ciu Det. Augustine will
Susanna without the act to fall into your hands then to sinne in the sight of God Intending to loose her life and then crying out against the vicious old men that tempted her God heard her cry affrighted them saued her from sinne and from death afterwards by a miracle Iudith adorned with beauty youth and riches kept her chastity in widdowhood and was therefor chozen of God to be the instrument of the peoples safety killing Holofernes with her owne hands and putting his mighty army to flight Soe that the Holy Ghost hath left this commendation of her Iud. 3. Thy hart was strengthened because thou hast loued chastity and after thy husband thou hast not knowne another therefor the hand of our Lord hath strengthened thee and therefor shalt thou be blessed for euer S. Cecily seeing that she could not auoide marriage Sur. to 6. said vnto her husband on the day that they were married Valerianus I haue now a secret to tell thee I am in the custody of an Angell who hath charge of my virginity take heed therefor that thou attempt nothing against mee by which thou maist incurre the diuine wrath and he desiring to be certifyed of the truth was made worthy to see the Angell that kept her and was confirmed in the faith of Christ by it and became a martyr To relate the examples of chastity in the Saints and the punishments of carnall sinnes on the contrary were neuer to make an end Murderers and fornicators saith God from his throne their part shall be in the poole burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death The rootes of carnality are sloth and gluttony especially drunkennesse And the remedys against it are corporal austeritys moderate paines taking Apoe 21. and especially reading of good books and studying Loue literal studyes saith S. Hierome and shou shalt not loue the vices of the flesh But in time of actuall temptation the best is presently to fly the occasion and to keepe out of it as long as the temptation lasteth and if it continue still I thinke it the best not to stande repeating of many acts and purposes contrary to it but hauing once for euer detested it in our harts to sleight it and to thinke that we will be contented with such thoughts and will haue them willingly as long as it shall please God without repining and then to diuert ourselues by some good imployment and if we be by ourselues alone or at our prayers to stande streight vp on our feete and to keepe our selues quietly in that posture keeping our harts firmely Iob. 31. and earnestly fixed vpon the loue of God I haue made a couenant with mine eyes that I would not soe much as thinke of a virgin saith holy Iob. Women must be carefull to giue noe occasion as some doe who haue but litle scruple of it As for their attyre it is well when it is with decency and according to their ranke That which the Apostle aduiseth them not to adorne themselues in plated haire or gold or pretious stones or gorgeous apparell Tim. 1.2 is to be vnderstoode when they are vsed without order and with excesse or to an euill end THE SEAVENTH COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not steale There are three kindes of temporal goods possessed by vs Life Honour and riches and these three kindes of goods are defended by three Commandements Thou shalt not kill thou shalt not committe adultery thou shalt not steale In the first life in the second honour and in the third our riches are defended from enemys All kind of vnlawfull taking away of our neighbours riches is forbidden in this Commandement whether it be by theeuery which is a surreptitious and priuate taking away or by robbery that is by violence and force or by sacrilege which is when sacred things are taken which is the greatest sinne against this Commandement as redounding more neerely and immediately to God By the sinne of stealing the vertue of iustice which giueth euery man his owne is violated and the grounds of all order and of humane conuersation is taken away to wit that euery one may haue and enioy his owne And therefor the Apostle saith that theeues shall not possesse the kingdome of God Cor. 1.6 Besides many euils are secondarily caused by it hatred enmitys suspicions rash iudgments quarrels and murders and sometimes the innocent are condemned for the guilty and loose their liues good name and all their temporall goods of this world for another mansinne Besides all this there is another burden which lyeth heauy vpon theeues to wit the obligation which they haue of restitution because it is not onely vnlawfull to take but also to keepe our neighbors goods from him or to hinder his right Ep. 54. ad Maccd or iust profit S Augustine the sinne is not forgiuen if restitution be not made That is if it be not made in due time And this restitution being many times hard and sometimes vnpossible to be made and allwais against their wills they hardly resolue to amende and seldome come to true repentance except they come to the gallowes which is a great mercy of God towards some This obligation of restoring was perhaps that which the Prophet would signify in theeues when he said Abac. 2. woe to him that multiplyeth things not his owne how long also doth he aggrauate against himselfe thicke clay as one that is fallen into a deepe pudle or quagmire sinketh still deeper and deeper and draweth more and more clay and mire vnto him that in the end he is choked and drowned in it soe theeues the more they steale the more restitution they draw to themselues to be made that in the end they are dishartened to thinke of it and soe goe on and dy in their sinne This Commandement is many wayes broken for not onely those that steale themselues but also all those that participate with them or harbour or countenance them sinne against it It is also broken by those that vse any deceit in words or deedes or any fraudulent meanes in buying and selling as not to sell good wares or not to giue good weight or good measure A deceitfull ballance is abomination before God Prou. 11. and an equall weight is his will saith the holy prouerbe Tradesmen also and those that being hyred neglect their worke and performe not a sufficient dayes worke offende against this Commandement as taking that which they haue not duely deserued Those also are guilty of this sinne that by sleights and lyes wrest rewards from others and those that receiue stipends for offices which they duely performe not There are also many kinds of robbery It is an abhominable robbery that which is done by the rich against the poore by vniust extorsions forced exactions or hindering any way by their awefullnes and power that they dare not aske or can not gette their owne of them Must the poore man that hath wrought hard all day goe
committed THE NINTH COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not desire thy neighbours wife Exod. 20. In the booke of Exodus where the substance onely of the ten Commandements is giuen in briefe Deut. 5. the two last commandements are put together thus Thou shalt not couet the house of thy neighbour neither shalt thou desire his wife nor seruant nor handmaid nor oxe nor asse nor any thinge that is his But in the booke of Deuteronomy where they are deliuered more destinctly and at large they are plane lyer destinguished in these words Mat 5. Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife nor house nor feild nor man seruant nor woman seruant nor oxe nor asse nor all things that are his Where we see the concupiscence of the flesh first forbidden and then the concupiscence of our neighbours goods and soe the Catholike Church commonly vnderstandeth the desire of our neighbours wife to bee forbidden in the ninth and the desire of his goods to be prohibited in the tenth Commandement soe that as the act of adultery and the act of theft are forbidden in two destinct commandements to wir in the sixt and the seauenth as being two destinct kindes of sinne in act soe the desire and consent vnto adultery and the desire and consent vnto theeuery are forbidden also by two distinct Commandements as being two seueral kindes of sinnes and hauing noe more connexion in desire then adultery and theeuery haue in act This Commandement therefore correspondeth to the sixt and forbiddeth that in desire which it did in act and giueth to understand that not onely euill deeds and words but also euill desires are vnlawfull It was an errour amongst the Iewes to thinke that the desire or consent vnto sinne was noe sinne soe that it were not performed in worke but this errour is confuted by these two last Commandements and by the words of our Sauiour it was said of old Mat. 5. thou shalt not committee adultery But I say vnto you who soeuer shall see a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart This is the difference betwixt diuine and humane Lawes that the diuine Law can binde our interiour thoughts and humane lawes can binde onely our exteriour actions Because men not seeing the intention can not iudge of it but God who seeth our thoughts can binde our intentions because he can iudge of them and can conuince vs and condemne vs for them euen by our owne conscience Man seeth those things whith appeare Reg. 1.16 but our Lord beholdeth the hart And soe he can forbidde as here he doth the desire and inward consent vnto adultery The sinnes of the minde are commonly called the sinnes of concupiscence and it is necessary to declare what concupiscence is Concupiscence is the naturall inclination and appetite which we haue of pleasant and delightsome things And this concupiscence in itselfe is noe sinne but is indifferent vnto good or euill and is actually good when it prosecuteth good and lawfull deligts and is actually euill when it desireth euil and vnlawfull delights Ps 118. It was a good concupiscence in King Dauid when he sang Concupiuit anima mea desiderare iustificationes tuas omni tempore My soule hath coueted to desire thy iustifications at all time It was an euill concupiscence in him and against this commandement when he coueted another mans wife It is a good concupiscence to desire good to our neighbour it is an euill concupiscence and against the next commandement to desire his goods from him Our concupiscence in it selfe and by nature is good but it is made euill by desiring euill delights Saint Gregory hath obserued certaine degrees or as it were steps in the sinnes of the minde First their is Suggestion Secondly Delectation and thirdly Consent Suggestion is when the sinne is suggested and proposed to the minde and this is no sinne as being caused by the natural species and phancys only before the operation of the will Delectation is the delight which followeth of those suggestions which if it be onely natural and vnwillingly it is noe sinne but if it be any way voluntary as caused of purpose or not sufficiently resisted then there is some sinne in it because there is some kind of consent Finally sinne is compleated in the will and consent Euery one saith S. Iames is tempted of his owne concupiscence abstracted and allured Afterwards concupiscence when it hath conceiued bringethforth sinne But sinne when it is consummated generateth death That is weare tempted by our owne appetite and when we giue way to our appetite tempting vs to that which is vnlawfull we bringforth sinne and by sinne we incurre eternall death By this Commandement forbidding the desire of adultery all vnlawfull desires of the flesh are vnderstood The remedys against them are as in the sixt Commandement against adultery to vse corporal austerity moderate paines reading of good bookes and to flye the occasion of such sinnes and in time of temptation to make presently an act of detestation of them and then to diuert ourselues by some other imployment and if for all this the temptation still continue to be content to haue it as long as it shall please God THE TENTH COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not couet thy neighbours goods By this Commandement we are forbidden the desire of vnlawfull profit and although by house which is in the words of this Commandement at large all kinde of temporall riches be vnderstood sometimes in the Scriptures Exo. 1. and all kind of wordly prosperity as where it is said that God built the midwiues of Aegypt houses That is prospered them with worldly blessings yet he would here specify some particular goods of our neighbour the more to auert vs from coueting any of them And because all the sinnes of the minde proceede from the desire either of vnlawfull pleasure or of vnlawfull profit therefore they may all be vnderstood as forbidden by one of these two Commandements in the first of which the desire of vnlawfull pleasure in the second the desire of vnlawfull profit is prohibited and therefor there needed no commandement corresponding to the fift to forbid the desire of killing because it is included in one of those two Commandments Coueteousnes of goods is that which is forbidden here Tim. 1.6 which the Apostle calleth the roote of all euills And in this it may be esteemed the basest of all sinnes that riches are the basest of temporal felicitys yet it is a meruaile to see how wretchedly some are affected to this sinne who haue soe set their hearts on riches that they would liue as it seemeth of the very thought of them and neuer vse them they passe many a hungry day and want many things which they might haue because they will be couetous and haue riches they know not what for but still the more they haue the more they would haue their auarice increasing like the thirst of one in a dropsy
that the more they drinke the more their disease increaseth and their desire of drinke These ought to consider that riches are the creatures of God ordained for vse and if they be not vsed they are abused and the order is peruerted which God ordained in the creation of them Some sinne by excesse in the contrary that they will not thinke nor prouide how to liue but spend as long as they haue any thing and then they passe on a slothfull and carelesse life choosing rather as the common saying is hungar with ease then plenty with paines taking These must consider that God hath prouided sufficiently for them and if they will needs contemne the prouidence of God and spend all then they must vse their limmes to liue by and that euery man must liue of his owne care and labour in his calling The rich haue a more carefull and lesse painefull life the poorer as they haue lesse care so they haue more paines to take And if they be able they must worke and not thinke any more idly and loosely to depende of others then others thinke to depend of them These sinne by too much neglect of riches as they are good the couetous sin by too much loue of that which is base in riches The remedy of couetousnes is to stirre vp in our selues an ardent loue of God that we loue him in our riches and them not for themselues but for his sake and to doe sometimes some deeds of charity for this end that we may keep our harts allways free from the loue of riches and open to the loue of God and of our neighbour O that rich men would remember those words which King Dauid sang â—s 61. If riches abound set not your hart vpon them They might desire riches haue riches and keepe them if they would but keep their harts of them and vse them as God hath ordained them to be vsed Dauid performed himselfe that which in this he commended to others who although he were guilty of some other sinnes yet he is not noted at any time to haue set his hart on riches when they abounded with him as a king in plenty of all things He was a very charitable man gaue much to the building of a temple to God by which it appeareth that he sett his hart on almesdeeds and doeing works of charity and not vpon riches and if all rich men would doe soe they might be happy and blessed in their riches You haue now the ten Commandements declared the Commandements not of any king or superiour vpon earth but of God the maker of heauen and earth and who gaue these Commandements after such a terrible manner to the Israelits that as you haue heard they were allmost killed with feare at the receiuing of them because they were a hard harted people and as stubborne and peruersed children were to be gouerned with the sight of the rodde But we that liue in the law of Christ which is the law of clemency and grace and in which we haue such an example of the loue of God in the mystery of the incarnation and passion of the sonne of God we ought to be drawne by loue to obey him who intreating and exhorting to keepe his Commandements demandeth If you loue mee keepe my Commandements Io. 14. And a litle after he that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loueth mee We professe ourselues to be christians that is as the disciples seruants souldiers and spouses of Iesus Christ to loue him and we follow obey sight for and adulterate with the deuill his professed enemy O Christian is this thy loue is this to be a Christian the beloued disciple of Iesus Christ saith He that saith he abideth in Christ ought as he walked himselfe also to walke Io. 1.2 You would thinke it a horrible thinge to see a christian to deny his christendome and to become a Turke or Pagan and yet in deedes we deny it when we breake the Commandements of God which then we promised faithfully to keepe Tit. 1. They Confesse that they know God but in their works they deny saith S. Paul This is to be a christian in name onely and not indeede as the traitour or rebell to the king hath the name of his subiect but is not subiect to him and thus S. Iohn Euangelist was inspired to declare Io. 1.1 He that saith he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him If therefor you will be constant to the faith of Christ and beare truely the name of a christian be good christians keepe the Commandements of God let not the pleasure of any thinge draw you from him giue him the first place in your harts care not for the fauour of any soe as to loose the diuine fauour contemne riches forsake all vnlawfull desires beare afflictions losses iniurys imprisonment or any paine what soeuer rather then to committee any mortall sinne powre forth this life which here you enioy to please God the supreme goodnes better then life How many martyrs haue giuen their liues not onely in defence of faith but of the Commandements of God to fly sinne Dun 13. It is better for mee sâ—ith chast Susanna without the act to fall into your hands then to sinne in the sight of our Lord. Math. 1.2 Allthough all nations obey king Antiochus I and my sonnes and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers said the holy Priest Matathias when the kings officers vrged him against the lawes of God Death suffered for the loue of God maketh a martyr and soe S. Iohn Baptist was a martyr because he suffered for the good works which he did and soe S. Peter was a martyr in minde when for the loue of Christ he said with thee I am ready to goe both into prison and vnto death Luc. 22. And shall we for a moment of delight that endeth be it be begunne breake the Commandements of God loose his fauour and be banished from him for euer Let vs resist temptations couragiously and with zeale of Gods honour say from our harts all though all should obey the world the flesh or the deuill I will obey the law of God I will liue and dy in his seruice Lord my God for euer will I Confesse to thee Psal 29. THE SEAVENTH DISCOVRSE OF THE PATER NOSTER Quest Say the Pater Noster Answ Our Father which art in Heauen Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Giue vs this day our daily bread And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them their trespasses against vs. And lead vs not into temptation But deliuer vs from euill Amen THIS is that blessed and most perfect prayer which Christ himselfe made and gaue to his disciples to teach them how to pray It is necessary then that the disciples of Christ vnderstand it and learn to
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
they are as due to them as wages are to workemen And we may speake by experience to them that know not the truth that our labour is without comparison greater then the labour of day tale workmen I haue no more to say of the Praecepts of the Church You haue seene first the authority of the Church to be diuine and her Praecepts to oblige vnder amortall sin Secondly you haue in particular the declaration of them Let vs keep them with deuotion and zeale of the honour of the Church that coÌ„mandeth them She is the immaculate spouse and glorious Bride of God She is our mother and neuer was there any mother so disirous of her childreÌ„s good nor so efficaciously procuring their true prefermeÌ„t as the Catholik Church doth ours The mother of the Zebedoes was sollicitous for her sonnes with Christ asking to haue them neere him in his Kingdome but she knew not what she asked The Catholike Church asketh nothing for her children but that which God will haue her to aske and which he inspireth her how to procure and which they if they will obey her are sure to obtaine and that is the highest honour and greatest felicity of all honours and felicitys to be made indeede the courtiers and fauorits of Christ in his euerlasting Kingdome Let vs then obey her Eccli 3. As he that gathereth treasure soe he that honoreth his mother And then a little after he is cursed of God that doth exasperate his mother How much then ought we to honour the whole Catholike Church and with what reuerence to receiue her Precepts THE TVVELFTH DISCOVRSE OF SINNE I Haue now a most hidous and fearefull monster to set before your eyes I meane to describe vnto you the euill of sinne which is indeede the most hideous monster of the world so deformed that neither men nor Angels can comprehende the deformity of it none but God can rightly vnderstande it and he vnderstanding it is moued with infinite detestation and auersion from it as from that which is most opposite of all things to his goodnesse and most hurtfull to his creatures I would stire vp in your hearts a vehement abhorring and vtter renouncing of sinne This is all the fruite saith the Prophet that sinne be taken away Esa 27. and this is all the fruit which I desire and labour for in you and which you ought to labour for in your selues to haue your sinnes taken away fot this we preach catechise and exhort that we may detest all sinne and fly it as the most dreadfull monster in the world We may conceiue somethinge of the power and malice of sinne by the vision which Saint Iohn had in the twelfth of the Apocalipse Apoc. 12. First he saw a very glorious woman soe glorious that she was clothed with the Sunne and had the Moone vnder her feete and vpon her head a crowne of twelue starres Then there appeared another signe in the Heauens a great dragon with seauen heads and tenne hornes and seauen diademes on his head And this dragon was soe strong and powerfull that he drew downe from Heauen the third part of the starres and cast them to the earth and assalting the glorious woman for all her glory he put her to flight and although she had giuen her the wings of an Eagle to fly into the desert yet the dragon sending forth of his mouth a flood of waters ouertooke her with them and had swallowed her vp if she had not gotten helpe By this dragon we may vnderstande something of the power and malice of sinne Sinne is the enemy of all glory it ascended into the Heauens and threw downe from thence the celestiall Angels and made them who were as the starres of Heauen in naturall beauty to wander now vpon the earth and vnder it full of shame and paine The Church farre more glorious in the sanctity of soules then the Sunne is in corporall brightnesse and which may well be signifyed by the glorious woman iâ— sometimes so persecuted by the sinnes of Infidels and euill Catholiks that although the true worship of God be neuer quite banished out of the world yet in some places it is so obscured that the Church in those places is driuen into corners as it were into the desert Sinne is that monster which brought the flood of all humane miserys and a reall flood of waters vpon the Church in the deluge and had quite swallowed her vp if God had not miraculously saued her Sinne hath brought plagues vpon houses citys and Kingdomes and taged in the end so violently destroying of soules that the Sonne of God was incarnated to destroy it It made the Sunne to be eclipsed with a horrible darkenesse the roofe of the Temple of Hierusalem and the rocks there abouts to be rent in peeces the ground to tremble graues to open and dead bodys to rise againe at the destruction of it It made our Saviour to weepe vpon Hierusalem and it made HierusaleÌ„ within a while to be as a stinking graue that swelled vp to an incredible hight with the multitude of dead carcases which were in it It made thousands of that people to languish away with famine and hundreds of thousands to come into their enemys hands and to become subiect to their slauery and torments Sinne hath brought haeresys into the Church of Christ and by them cruell blood â—hed amongst ChristiaÌ„s It is the cause of all dissentions and all the euills that euer were were caused by sinne It maketh the prowde to be contemned the enuious to be enuyed the contentious to be killed the couetous to be full of perplexity the luxurious to dispaire and all sinners to detest that in the end which once they loved and to be full of horrour when they come to dy Wise and holy men haue liued hard and austere liues to keepe themselues cleare from sinne and haue chosen to submitte themselues rather to the cruellest deaths that sinners could devise to inflict then to be sinners with them These are the effects of sinne what monster could euer doe the like if those tall and strong men that terrifyed the Israelites were called monsters for their extraordinary strength and tallnesse why may not we call sinne a monster which hath such power Num. 13. and if excesse or defects or disorders of members make monsters How monstruous is sinne that is the originall cause of all the excesses defects and disorders that euer were it peruerteth the order of all our actions it corrupteth our nature and euen as poyson put into wine intoxicateth it quite and changeth it all into poyson so sinne corrupteth all that is good in our soules and all our good workes being poysoned with one mortall sinne goe downe with it into hell What reason then haue we to abhorre and to fly from sinne If we looked behinde vs and saw a Lyon Beere or terrible Serpent pursueing vs at our heeles our harts would faint presently our whole bodys would
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
that suppose he hath time of repentance granted whether he shall make good vse of it or nee and if he repent for that time whether he shall not fall againe into the same sinne for one sinne disposeth to another and if it be forgiuen the first time we are not sure of pardon the second or third time which we committe it One sinne damned all mankind to death and to loose the glory of God for euer The deuill told Eue that she should not dy if she sinned but it was a delusion of the deuill and soe it prooued God had said in what day soeuer thou shalt eate thou shalt dyâ— and eating she sinned Gen. 2. and died It is a delusion of the deuill to take from vs the feare of death after sinne and for any man to thinke that he shall not dy before he repent he being then subiect euery moment to death S. Hom. 22. in 2. ad Cor. c. 10. Iohn Chrysostome they say to themselues God hath granted the benefit of repentance to some euen in their last old age What thou saith he shalt thou also haue it perhaps I shall saith the sinner O why dost thou say perhaps I shall Say rather perhaps I shall not and then what will become of mee I shall be damned Thinke that it is thy soule which thou dost deliberate on If thou wert to goe to the warres wouldest thou say I will not dispose of my affaires first perhaps I shall returne againe many haue done soe Or if thou wert thinking to marty wouldst thou say I will marry a poore woman perhaps I shall grow rich many haue done soe Or if thou wert to build a house wouldst thou lay rotten foundations and say perhaps my house will stande why wilt thou then vpon rotten and vncertaine grounds build the saluation of thy soule all these are vncertaintys and soe is thy life and thy repentance Death commeth as a thelfe and we know not at what hower the theife will come The rich man was glorying in his riches and presently he heard a voice from God saying Luc. 12. this night they require thy soule of thee Absalom was domineering with a glorious army of rebells and presently his army is lost and himselfe riding away is hung by the haire in a tree and there commeth loab with three lances and sticketh them all in his hart Our liues are as the turne of a dy subiect to many vncertaintys and soe is our repentance If we are truly wise we will take the safest way and that is to fly sinne and to be allwais prepared for death He that were to passe through a dangerous wildernes in which many had bene killed would he not choose the safest way that he could The way of vertue is a safe way the way of sinne is full of danger thousands haue perished in it and none can perish but in it some indeede haue turned backe and forsaken that way againe but that is a hazard Fly grom drunkennesse Amb. exhort ad poenit saith S. Ambrose from concupiscence and from euill talke Man ought not onely after his sinne to refraine these thinges but also when he is sound and in good health because he knoweth not whether he shall repent and Confesse his sinne to God and to the Priest There are two thinges either he shall repent or he shall not Which of them shall come to passe I know not but that which I counsaile is to leaue the vncertaine and to choose the certaine All that can be said is that he may repent but this is vnâ—â—rtaine Certaine it is that if he hath sinned he hath deserued hell and that if he repent not he shall be damned Let not the sinner then flatter himselfe with presumption of the diuine mercy and of repentance It is a flattery of the deuill to delude and to draw him into hell Consider sinne as it is in it selfe and the euills that of themselues follow it Behold it as a monster that commeth to kill thee and to deliuer thee into the deuils power Thinke the most horrible spectacle that thou canst deuise to thinke and know that thy soule in sinne is more horrible and deformed then it Our soules saith S. Chrysostome in possession of the deuill is in worse state then our bodys possessed by him For although sinners saith he foame not at the mouth roare not with their voices nor writh their heades and eyes as possessed persons doe yet they are much more deformed inwardly and in the sight of God And in another place declaring how all things are confounded by sinne He affirmeth that it maketh men in some respects worse then deuills for the deuills saith he hurt not those of their owne kind but men by sinne care not what hurt they doe to one another and of malice will kill euen their neerest freinds and kindred Thus much of the malice of sinne Now OF THE AVTHOVR OF SINNE SVCH being the malice of sinne as is declared soe contrary to reason and to the goodnes of God it cannot stande with his diuine goodnes to impute the malice of it to him and to make not him the authour of it Some things there are soe manifest in themselues that euen at the first apprehension without disputing we assent vnto them and although strong and difficult arguments may seeme sometimes to arize against them as they may against all veritys whatsoeuer yet they are allwais to be granted and to be kept as firme and vndenyable principles Now if there be any thinge manifest in it selfe and to be kept as a firme and certaine principle it is that God is infinit in goodnes infinitly hating sinne and therefor can not be the authour of the euill which it conteines but it must proceede from some cause which is quite opposite to the goodnes of God And although some arguments might be obiected against this yet it is an extreme boldnes and prophanenesse in any man to question the truth of it but euen as all Philosophers agree to the Axiome that the whole is greater then any of its parts although arguments are often obiected against it soe ought we allwais to agree and much more firmely to ground ourselues vpon this verity that all goodnes is of God and that the euill which we doe is of ourselues according to that of the Prophet Perdition is thine O Israel Ose 13. onely in mee thy helpe But heretiks contemning all authority and denying the principles which the whole Catholike world receiueth to follow their owne fancys and conceits make the mysterys of faith to be more vncertaine then the principles of Philosophy They would be ashamed to be brought to deny that which all Philosophers had setled and are ashamed to deny that which Christ and the Holy Ghost and all the Doctors of the Catholike Church haue taught and established in faith but one arch haeretike will coÌ„tradict them all and gette followers to mainteine his singularity against them Thus
himselfe signifying his death on the Cros Io. 3. said as Moyses exalted the serpent in the desert soe must the sonne of man be exalted Christ suffered voluntarily of his owne free-will Christ suffered voluntarily and could if it had peased him haue escaped all or any part of his Passion and death This he often shewed in his life time Sometimes when they would haue killed him he became presently inuisible to their sight and walked through the midst of them without being seene Sometimes he preuented them absenting himselfe seeing their inward thoughts and harts to be bent against him Sometimes he shewed that he had power ouer their mindes mouing them as he would and asswaging the malice which was in them vntill the hower of his suffering came and when his hower was come he came forth amongst his enemys and euen then he moued multitudes of people to follow and to glorify him but a few dayes after when they came to apprehende him he would then be taken and would not defende himselfe or be defended by others He would with a word of his mouth strike them downe to the ground to shew that he had them in his power and could haue freed himselfe but he would let them rize againe and would goe away prisoner with them to fullfill the will of his father by suffering and dying for vs. Christ suffered for the redemption of all and redeemed all that is by his Passion he purchased meanes for the saluation of all These meanes are the Sacraments of the Catholike Church Those that are baptized and receiue worthily the rest of the Sacraments as they are necessary for them are saued by the merits of Christ in them Those that are not baptized or receiue not the Sacraments as they are necessary for them perish not through any defect in the Passion of Christ by which they had sufficient meanes to be saued but through their owne sinne because they will not apply those meanes to themselues which Christ by his Passion procured for their saluation The least paine of our Sauiours Passion or the least action which he did in his life time had bene sufficient to haue redeemed the whole world and a thousand worlds if it had bene offered to that end by him as the full price of our redemption because it proceeded from the diuine Person which was of infinite dignity but it was not intended soe by him He ouervalued the purchase of our soules and by a superabundant grace would giue more then he needed when he gaue his life for them and would haue nothing to stande for the price of our redemption without his death This he would doe to testify his loue towards vs and to giue vs an example of many vertues Quest What doe we gett by Christ redeeming vs Answ We gett the forgiunesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works by the merits of Christs Passion applyed vnto vs in the Catholike Church The Sacraments of the Catholike Church haue their vertue and effect by the Passion of Christ Those that worthily receiue them are sanctifyed and haue the remission of their sinnes and being then in the state of grace the good works which in that state are done by them are acceptable to God and haue proportion to supernatural glory The Sacraments therefor hauing by the merits of Christs Passion power and vertue to sanctify vs we haue by his merits the forgiunesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works Man had committed sinne in paradise and all mankind was infected with that sinne and our nature being once tainted it corrupted still more and more and we fall in our life times into many actuall sinnes All the good works which we could doe were of noe value nor could we by any meanes make satisfaction for any sinne either originall or actuall because there is noe condignity in person and works betwixt vs and God that was offended The Sonne of God was therefor incarnated in Christ that the diuine nature vniting to it selfe the nature of man might soe dignify it by that vnion in him that he could make satisfaction for our sinnes and obtaine for vs the remission of them and that our good works being then done in the state of grace might become acceptable to God and proportionable to glory which of themselues they could not be We could haue sinned still more and more heaping sinne vpon sinne and increasing our damnation but we could haue done nothing in that state by which we could rise from any sinne Soe that the remission of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works to the obtaining of euerlasting glory is to be attributed to the merits and power of Christs Passion which is actually applyed vnto vs by the Sacraments of the Catholike Church The Apostles would particularly professe in the Creede the Passion of Christ and that he dyed to confounde those haeretiks that should deny his death as some haue done These are sufficiently refuted by this article and by all the Euangelists affirming that he gaue vp the ghost That is is to say that his ghost spirit or soule which is all one departed and was separated from his body death being nohting els but the departure or separation of the soule from the body For this reason also the Apostles would declare that Christ was buried to confirme his being dead But although he would haue his body to be buried as the bodys of other men yet he would preserue it from corruption in the earth because it was most decent that that sacred body which was soe miraculously framed by the Holy Ghost without corrupting the Virginity of his mother should after death be free from all corruption according to that which the holy king had prophecyed thou shalt not giue thy holy one to see corruption Ps 15. To conceiue somethinge of the greatnesse of this mystery we may consider who it was that suffered these thinges that it was one whose person infinitly surpassed in power wisdome beauty riches and all kind of dignity and goodnesse the most renowned Prince that euer was in the world And if it be a horrible thinge to thinke of the murthering of any man and much more of some great and gracious Prince and a cruell spectacle to behold it what feeling ought christiins to haue of the Passion of Christ when they consider it But it is but a weake comparison to compare Christ to any earthly Prince Io. 1. S. Iohn saith that he was the Word which was with God and that this Word was God O almighty God what then shall we say or thinke of this mystery thy power and maiesty seemeth here to be lessened thy wisdome is dispised thy goodnes questioned brought to tryall and condemned O blessed Sauiour whom S. Paul describeth to be he whom God hath made the heire of all Heb. 1. the brightnesse of his glory and the figure of his substance how comes thy brightnesse to be