our consciences from sinne and then to prepare ourselues with humility reuerence confidence and with charity towards our neighbour and with much feruour and attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we aske of him all the time of prayer This feruerous attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we pray for is that which I would gladly commende to you that you place your selues before God at your prayers as in presence of the most soueraigne maiesty with great reuerence to him and to desire earnestly all the time of prayer that which then you are praying for not too earnestly desiring the thinge it selfe but for the loue of God to please him in it Let euery one saith S. Basil know for certaine that he is then in the presence of God In reg breu q. 201. and if he would thinke it an vnciuill and vnworthy thinge to be yawning and as it were halfe a sleepe when he speaketh to a Prince and a heinous wickednesse to be treating in the meane time with some about betraying him how much more shall we beware of these things in prayer to cast of all drowsinesse to take heed of irreuerence and to put away euill thoughts if we beleeue that we speake to God who is present at our prayers Remember then that you are speaking to God and desire earnestly that which you aske of him and if you perceiue yourselues to fall into distractions call backe your mindes to God againe and stirre vp in your harts a new and feruerous desire of that which you pray for and if distractions trouble you still be not vexed nor dismayed with them but detesting them againe in your hart make an act of resignation to the will of God that you are contented to haue distractions as long as it shall please him For by this manner of sleighting them the best resistance is made and how soeuer you shall be sure to merit by your prayer the perfection of which consisteth not in not hauing but in not yeelding to distractions Powre forth your prayer with deuotion in the sight of God and with a desire to honour him in that which you aske and he will honour himselfe in it and rewarde you THE EIGHT DISCOVRSE OF THE AVE MARIA SAint Bernard Woe is mee for I am a man of polluted lipes Hom. 3. super missus est I would I had from the Altare aboue not a cole but a whole globe of fire to burne the inueterated rust away from my mouth that I might worthily declare the gracious speeches of the Angell to the Virgin Thus did this great seruant ōf our Blessed Lady prepare himselfe to speake of the Haile Mary the subiect of which I am now to speake As he hath said so may I say and as he often exhorteth so will I doe that is to haue recourse to her for helpe Glorious Mother of God High Queene of Heauen and Empresse of the world behold my soule lyeth prostrate at thy feet crauing thy helpe before I beginne to prayse thee I desire in this to honour and serue thee and to bring others to be thy seruants but I know for certaine that of my felfe I cannot performe this desire and therefore I come to thee to haue thy intercession for diuine grace See thou that I want not light to setforth thy prayses and that those that heare mee may conceiue with profit that which I speake and something more of thee then can be spoken They shall heare thee saluted by an Angell and by such a salutation as was neuer knowne to proceede from Angels mouth they shall see how thou art full of grace they shall see thee become the Mother of God and the Sonne of God as thy natural sonne become subiect to thee they shall heare thee in they life time praised by Prophets and by the Euangelist after thy death and after the Euangelist they shall heare the Fathers of the primitiue Church one by one descanting vpon thy prayses and the whole Catholike Church as it were in a full quire crying to thee for thy prayers they shall see how beneficiall thy prayers are to thy seruants and they shall see by some examples the seuere punishments of God vpon thine enemys Procure thou that they may be moued to honour thee and that the deuotion of vs all may increase towards thee For this we salute thee saying Haile Mary c. Quest Say the Haile Mary Answ Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe IESVS Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of our death Amen THE whole Aue Maria consisteth of words spoken by the Angell and by S. Elizabeth and of words added by the Church The words of the Angell are Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women Saint Elizabeth said blessed is the fruit of thy wombe and the Church addeth that which followeth Of all which we will speake in order HAILE FVLL OF GRACE THE infinite wisdome and goodnes of God hauing from all eternity decreed the redemption of mankind by the death of his Sonne that hee should assume humane nature and be borne of a Virgin to dy for vs and the blessed Virgin Mary being chosen amongst thousands and amongst thousands of thousands and infinit of infinites which God could haue created to be the woman of which he would bee borne and she being now growne vp to womans state and perfected with such graces as were necessary for that dignity the plenitude of time was then come in which this mystery was to bee accomplished And as all the works of God are with order and holines so that this worke might be more orderly and holy a messenger was prepared from Heauen vnto her to require her consent that this mystery so much for the honour of God and good of mankind might be brought to passe in her and words were inspired him how to speake her How He entring to her presence saluteth her first with these words Haile full of grace A blessed salutation and such an one as amongst the seuerall manners of saluting which Angels haue sometimes vsed to holy men the like to this was neuer heard It was a salutation which God had reserued for this mystery and for her onely that was to be his mother Soe Origen Saint Ambrose and S. Bede At first she was amazed at it for not being vsed to heare her owne prayses nor desiring to heare them she was astonished at the Angells words fearing and admiring at them Blessed Virgin what dost thou feare Saint Bede She feared because she admired at this new forme of blessing which before is read of in no◠place nor any where founde This salutation was reserued for Mary for by her onely this grace was deserued which by none but her was euer obtained S. Act. 2. Peter indeede and those
And in another place Slacke not to be conuerted to our Lord and differre not from day to day Eccl. 5. For his wrath shall come suddainly and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee Let bold praesumptuous men remember these words and learne to feare God Deere Reader whosoeuer thou art as thou hast a soule which must last for euer apply this booke to the good of thy soule so as shall most concerne it for a happy eternity I excuse noe falts my goodwill shall mende all God can and I hope will honour himselfe euen in my falts Combine thou with mee that we may honour him for euer and euer Amen I submitte all that is conteined in this booke and all whatsoeuer I shall saâ—â—r thinke as long as I liue to the authority of the Holy Catholike Church A SVMME OF THE CHRISTIAN Doctrine expounded in the follovving Discourses QVAESTION What obligation haue Christians to learnâ— the Christian Doctrine Answer Euery Christian is bounde vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the Christian faith 7. Q. What is faith A. Faith is a supernaturall light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhare to the Doctrine of the Church 11. Q. Make the Signe of the Cros. A. In the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Gâ—ost Amen 49. Q. What is the Signe of the Cros A. The Signe of the Crâ—â— is a profession of the Christian faith 51. Q. How is the Signe of the Cros a profession of the Christian faith 51 A. Because in the Signe of the Cros we professe the mystery of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnaâ—iâ—n which are the two cheife mysterys of the Châ—stian faith 51 Q. What is the B. Trinity A. The B. Trinity is God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost One and the same God in three distinct Persons 51 Q. What meane you by the mystery of the Incarnation A. We meane that the Sonne of God was incarnated that is became man to redeeme vs. 52 Q. Say the Creede A. I beleeue in God the Father Allmighty Maker of heauen and earth And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord Who was conceiued by the Holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucifyed dead and buried He desâ—enâ—ed into hell the third day he arose againe from death He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father allmighty From thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead I beleeue in the Holy Ghost The holy Catholike Curch the Communion of Saints The forgiuenesse of sinnes The Resurrection of the flesh Life euerlasting Amen 76. Q Who is Christ A. Christ is the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true Man Our Redeemer Iudge and Glorifyer 109. Q. What doe we gett by Christ redeeming vs A. We gett the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works by the merits of Christs passion applyed vnto vs in the Catholike Church 156. Q. What is the Chatholike Church A. The Catholike Church is the Congregation of all faithfull people and Pastors vnited together as a body with its head 176. Q. Giue mee a difference betwixt the true and all false Churches A. The true Church keepeth allwais in vnion and obedience to its Head and Pastors all false Churches beginne in dissentions and disobedience to the Head and Pastors of the Church 214. Q. Say the seauen Sacraments A. Baptisme Confirmation Eucharist Pennance Extreme Vnction Holy Orders Matrimony 281. Q What is a Sacrament A. A Sacrament is an outward signe which causeth grace in vs. 266. Q. What is Grace A Grace is a supernaturall gift which maketh vs gratefull and acceptable to God 268. Q. What is the Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist A. The Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord vnder the signes of bread and wine 298. Q. It shere any bread or wine in the Eucharist A. Noe it seems but soe The bread and wine are conuerted at the words of consecration into the true body and blood of our Lord. 305. Q. What is the Sacrament of Pennance A. The Sacrament of Pennance is that by which we receiue the forgiuenesse of sinnes in Confession 322. Q. Say the tenn Commandements A. Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee Thou shalt not take the name of God in vaine Remember thou keepe holy the Sabaoth day Honour thy Father and Mother Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour Thou shalt not desire thy neighbors wife Thou shalt not couet thy neighbors goods 378 Q. Say the Pater Noster A. Our Father which art in heauen Hallowed bâ— 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 449. Q. Say the Haile Mary A. Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among woemen Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Iesus Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of of our death Amen 509. Q. What is the Masse A. The Masse is the continuall Sacrifice of the Law of Christ in which his true body and blood is offered vnder the signes of bread and wine 576. Q. Say the fiue cheife Precepts of the church A. To fast fasting dayes To keepe holy dayes To confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue at least once a yeare To receiue the Eucharist at Easter time To pay tithes 640. Q. How doe the Precepts of the church oblige A. The Praecepts of the church oblige vnder a Mortal sinne 641. Q. What is sinne A. Sinne is that by which we depart from the diuine Law and are separated from God 673. Q. Ho many kindes of sinne are there A. There are two kindes of sinne Original and Actual sinne 715. Q. What is the difference betwixt Original and Actuall sinne A. Original sinne is that which we are borne in Actuall sinne is that which â—e committe 615. Q. How many kinds of sinne doe we committe A. We committee two kindes of sinnes Mortal sinne and venial sinne 717 Q. What is the difference betwixt Mortal and venial sinne A. Mortal sinne quite depriueth vs of Gods grace venial sinne onely lesseneth and deminisheth the feruour of the loue of God in vs. 717. THE FIRST DISCOVRSE Of the education and instruction of children and of the obligation which all haue to learne the christian doctrine I INTENDE now to speake of two thinges First vnto all those who haue charge ouer children and especially to parents to commende vnto them the care which they ought to haue of their good education and instruction Secondly to declare vnto all the
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
loose their sensible feare of God when they offende him yet naturally they haue still the same feare of him and he allwais the same power ouer them And if any man come to that hardnes of hart as to haue noe feeling of the diuine power when he sinneth it is by long continuance and custome of sinne that he looseth that actuall feeling and feare of God yet naturally and radically he allwais hath it and can loose it noe more then birds and beasts can euer leaue to haue a natural feare of man Tertullian and Seneca haue obserued that atheists when they fall into any great misery Ter. Apoll. Senec. l. 1. deâ—rn and especially when they come to dy of all men are most deiected to thinke of the iustice of God and the punishments that abide them and are more vexed in conscience then any detesting then their former wickednes and the pleasures of their life for which they denyed God And Zeno the Philosopher was soe well satisfyed with this experience that he vsed to say that to him it a was a better proofe of the diuine power to heare the atheist who blinded with sensuality had denyed God to confesse him againe when he was freed from that passionate desire then it was to heare it prooued by the best arguments of Philosophy This may be deduced out of S. Pauls argument to the Philosophers of Athens when preaching to them he said God is not farre from euery one of vs. Act. 17. For in him we liue and moue and be That is that we haue within vs a feeling of God that gaue vs the perfections which we could not haue of ourselues and that we haue noe such feeling of stocks or stones of which their idols were made as not hauing power by nature to giue being life and motion And this natural feeling and feare of God as it pleased him to imprint it in our harts soe he hath a care to preserue it in vs and hath therfor shewed sometimes his exemplat iudgments vpon men of such atheistical spirits as haue striuen to pull downe sanctity of life and to destroy vertue Cantip. l. 2. apum a. 48. Cantipratensis relateth of one Simon a libertin of Paris that railing against Christ for teaching holinesse of life he fell downe to the ground giuing a great roare like a beast his eyes rowling after a gastly manner and making a terrible noyse with his tongue but could not vtter a word but Alis Alis which was the name of his concubine And it is reported of Machiauel that prophane Politician that when he dyed being strucken with despaire he vttered certaine words wnworthy to be rehearsed If then by nature we haue a feeling of God and for that feeling we naturally feare and abhorre to offende him and if wisemen haue obserued in atheists that when calamitys befall them and especially at their deaths they are glad to retract their errour and repenting for it to humble themselues to God or els to dy after a most miserable and horrible manner how great then and enormous is their wickednesse and how desperatly senslesse is he of his owne good who for that delight which is common to other sinners will surmount them all in a higher degree of malice and by a singular prophanenesse put himselfe vpon the racke of his owne conscience soe greeuous that for feare of worse torments he shall be forced either to confesse that which before he denyed or els which is worse to dy a miserable death and perhaps in that desperate manner as to be made an example to the world of the diuine iustice Let vs now shew in a word or two how NATVRALL REASON DOTH demonstrate the power of God FAith is the first foundation of religion and the first foundation of faith is to beleeue that there is a God who will reward those that worship him He that will come vnto God must first beleeue that he is and is a rewarder of those that seeke him Heb 11. Sayth S. Paul and therfor the first thinge which the Apostles would propose to be professed in the Creede was I beleeue in God and the last thinge which they would conclude it with was life euerlasting a necessary beginning to bring vs to that happy end The first words of the Creede being then the foundation of faith and he hauing giuen vs natural reason as a guide to the higher light of faith it was necessary that this first article and foundation of faith should be â—ithin the limits of natural reason soe farre as that discerning by nature that there was a superiour of nature we might haue recourse vnto him as to our superiour and receiue from his authority the articles of faith which he will haue vs to beleeue with subordination to that gouernment which he hath instituted in the Church And that we might see this first verity the Apostle sayth that God left not himselfe without testimony being beneficiall from heauen giuing raines and fâ—â—tefull seasons Act. 14. filling our harts with fâ—ode and gladnes He hath indeede left as many testimonys of himselfe as there are creatures of his making the least of which is sufficient to prooue him as the cause from whence they proceede and the power of which they depende But the more eminent creatures of God declare his perfections after a more eminent manner and they alltogether manifest his power soe that we are forced to confesle it to be infinite and that he is incomprehensible in goodnes and without number of greatnes because he eminently must conteine in himselfe the perfections of all that are and of all that are possible and those are without end and therefor he is infinitly greater then any limited reason can comprehende But let vs see the testimonys which God hath left of himselfe I will now dilate my speech a litle vpon the creatures of God that we may see and honour him in them Truely if we will consider the admirable composition which we see in this world and will hearken to the harmony which it maketh we cannot but come in minde of the maker of it and admire and blesse him Reg. 3.10 And as the queene of Saba when she saw the great works which Salomon had done and the excellent fine order of his house and seruants admiring at it was soe rauished with astonishment that she had noe longer spirit with admiring him soe the soule of man may well be rauished with admiration to consider the power and wisdome of that workeman who hath builded the heauens as a house but much more admirable and in a higher nature of workmanship then Salomons was and with a household of seruants in better order then Salomon could deuise for his We shall see conteined in this house a number of creatures astonishing vs with strange and vnspeakeable varietys some with being onely some with life some with sense and some with reason euery one it is propper kind and in its
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
encourage them If we will haue these gifts and will ascende with Christ we must forsake sinne that hindereth vs of him Ser. 2. de Ascen Our sinnes saith S. Augustine as netts intangle us and as chaines ty vs downe to the earth that we cannot ascende and therfor as the psalmist hath said let vs breake their fetters Let vs leaue of our pride our couetousnesse our carnal sinnes that being cured from them we may ascende with our physitian Thus S. Augustine and I will adde thus much to him that as euery one is inclined to some particular sinnes or sinne by which as by a greater chaine and maine roote he sticketh fast in the earth and is hindred from ascending to Christ soe ought we to labour more earnestly to roote out that sinne out of our harts which is more particular and propper to vs and which we are most guilty of that we may sing with ioy vnto God thou hast broken my bondes I will sacrifice to thee the hast of praise Ps 115. Let vs keepe in our mindes the Ascension of Christ and haue considence in him who sitteth at the right hand of God allwais ready to pray for vs. Io. 1.2 We haue saith S. Iohn anaduocate with the Father Iesus Christ If Christ after his resurrection had assumed to himselfe the glory of this world and liued as a Prince vpon earth hauing the whole world for his dominion as subiect to him he would haue had followers enough we should all haue flocked vnto his court but that would haue bene of curiosity in many and of an vnperfect loue such as the Apostles sometimes bore to him when he was visibly with them but how much more ought we to desire to be with him in heauen and to aspire vnto that blessed court he would ascende thither that we might follow him thither for this is all that he desireth Faâ—hâ—r whom thou hast giuen mee Io. 17. I will that where I am they also be with mee Christ is indeede our beloued spouse and the onely treasure of a christians soule we ought to loue him aboue all and to seeke in all thinges to please him and to remaine with him and therefor he would ascende into heauen to draw vs after him and that our harts might be where our treasure is and our conuersation in heauen Let then euery one now resolue to leaue of all sinne and beginne to set forward in his Ascension with Christ and let vs thinke that being now in our iourney to heauen wards euery day and euery hower we are drawing neerer and neerer to him THE SEAVENTH ARTICLE FRom thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead Christ hath many honorable and worthy titles He is our Sauiour or Redeemer he is our Aduocates and he is our Iudge In the former articles the Apostles haue deliuered his two first titles now they propose him as our Iudge Cor. 2.5 We must all be manifested before the iudgement seate of Christ saith S. Paul that euery one may receiue the propper thinges of the body according as he hath done either good or euill There are two iudgements in which Christ sitteth as iudge ouer vs. First there is the priuate and particular iudgment of euery one at his death Secondly there is a general day of iudgment for all Our soules departing in death from our bodys are presently set before the iudgment seate of Christ who as iudge shall call them to an account of all whatsoeuer they haue thought said or done and weighing all with an exact and iust ballance he shall giue sentence iustly according to our works Besides this God would for many reasons ordaine one solemne day for the general iudgement of all First for the greater honour of Christ our iudge that as he was publikely in the sight of the world condemned by the wicked soe he might publikly and in the sight of the world shew his power and innocency and condemne them Secondly for the greater honour of the iust Thirdly for the greater confusion of the deuils and of the damned soules God then making a publike manifestation of his loue of goodnes and of the hatred which he beareth to sinne with infinite liberality rewarding the one and with extreme and vtmost seuerity punishing the other Fourthly being that we see posterity for the most part to imitate their praedecessors and to follow the wayes which they haue trodden out to them and this imitation of good or euill praedecessors to last sometimes for many yeares and ages and may last we know not how long it is conuenient that there should be in the end one general day of iudgment in which it might appeare how much euery one hath contributed to the good or euill of others after them euen to the end of the world Lastly that the body and soule which haue accompanied together in this life and both of them concurred iointly in their works may meete and be vnited againe and remaine together in pleasure or in paine for euer Christ shall performe this office of iudge euen as he is man For as kings delegate their authority to those whom they make iudges to iudge and to giue sentence in person of the king soe would God honour the humanity of Christ giuing him authority as iudge in his place according to S. Iohn Io. 5. He hath giuen him power to doe iudgment also because he is the sonne of man S. Peter preaching in Cornelius his house the mysterys of the life and death of Christ after that he had spoken of his Passion and resurrection he draweth to an end in these words Act. 10. He commanded vs to preach to the people and to testify that it is he that of God was appointed iudge of the liuing and of the dead It is then Iesus Christ that shall call vpon the blessed and from his glorious iudgment feate shall say to them Come ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the woâ—ld And it is he who from a terrible tribunal shall pronounce to the wicked Mat. 25. Get ye away from mee you cursed into fire euerlasting which was prepared for the denill and his Angels In this sentence of the damned there is a double punishment included The one is the great losse which they incurre and for euer must susteine of the sight of God and fruition of him in glory the other is of an vnspeakeable ragious paine which besides their losse they must for euer endure The first is intimated by gett ye away from mee The second by that which followeth of euerlasting fire Which two punishments of losse and paine ioyned with eternity cause in the damned an vtter desperation and rage and those also eternall Euen as slaues when they are condemned to the gallyes or to grind in mills or the like slauerys all their life time are setled and established in that state of misery as
none mainteined in schisme their owne Churches which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ except they were as all false Churches are of a succession inuisible The Waldenses beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Waldo an ignorant lay man in the city of Lyons aboue eleauen hundred yeares after that the faith of Christ had flourished in the world who disobeying the authority of Alexander 3. Pope and of the fathers of a General Councell held at Rome beganne a new Church against all saying we must obey God rather then men And Iohn Hus was proceeded against as an haeretike for mainteining with obstinacy his doctrine The Church of the Lutherans beganne in the disobedience of Martin Luther a Fryar of the holy order of S. Augustine about fifteene hundred yeares after the first establishing of the Church of Christ who disobeying the authority of the head and pastors of the Church that then were to wit of Pope Leo and the pastors of his Communion broke his vowes of pouerty chastity and obedience and hauing gotten some to follow him he beganne with them a new Church which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ nor from any Church except it were a succession inuisible The Zinglians beganne in the disobedience of Vlricus Zuinglius a Canon of Constance who seeing the people of Germany soe greedily to swallow downe the liberty of Luthers doctrine and noueltys disobeying the authority of Pope Clement and of the pastors of his Communion would beginne also a new Church contrary both to the Church of Rome and of Luther denying the reall presence of the body of our Lord in the holy Eucharist The Church of the Caluinists beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Caluin Priest of Noyon who following the example of Luther and Zuinglius brokeforth after them out of the sheepefold of Christ and disobeying the authority of Paulus 3. then Bishop of Rome and of the pastors of his Communion beganne a new Church according to his owne words separating themselues from the whole world Resp ad versip The Church of England which is the newest of them all beganne in the disobedience of king Henry the eight who hauing first obtained of Pope Leo the glorious title of Defendour of the faith for his good seruice done to the Church of God especially in oppugning of Luthers heresy became afterwards soe blinded with carnality that desiring of Pope Clement a diuorcement from his lawfull wife and not obtaining it he denyed his authority forbadde in his dominions all commerce with the court of Rome and caused himselfe to be proclaimed The supreme head of the English Church vpon earth putting to death Bishop Fisher Sr Thomas Moore and others for denying his supremacy By all which it appeareth that the words of S. Iohn may well be applyed to all these sects when to discouer the false Churches of schismatiks and heretiks which he speaketh of by the name of Antichrist he giueth them this marke They went out from vs. Io. 1.2 Soe may we say of all the sects of schismes and haeretiks that are in the world they beganne at some time in disobedience to the Romane Church the beginners of them were once Romane Catholiks but they were the chaffe of the Catholike Church which being puffed vp with pride and obstinacy went out from vs and beganne new Churches which were not then at all in the world You haue seene now the supreme authority of the Bishop of Rome to haue bene first acknowledged and obeyed by the primitiue Church and consequently all other Churches of christians whatsoeuer without naming of any haue at some time goneforth of that Church and begunne in disobedience to that Bishop and to the pastors of his Communion and you haue seene also in particular the cheife and most notable and one may say all other Churches for that the rest of the petty sects haue begunne indisobedience to some of these and goneforth of them you haue seene I say in particular the rest of the Churches that now are to haue begunne in disobedience to that authority which was first obeyed by the primitiue Church of Christ and was then obeyed in the world and euen by themselues vntill they tooke vpon them to disobey it Wherefor I conclude with this that the true Church is that which continueth allwais obedient to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion and they are all false Churches that haue begunne in disobedience to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion but there is none but the bishop of Rome that can with any reason pretende to be the true head of the Church nor any pastors that can pretende to be in Communion with the true head of the Church but those that are in Communion with him therefore that is the true Church which hath continued all wais in obedience to the Bishop of Rome and his pastors and they are all false Churches that haue begunne at any time and continue still in disobedience to him and them There remaineth now onely to see what they can say for themselues and to shew the vanity of their pretences First if they deny that the Romane Bishop had supreme authority in the primitiue Church it is to confound as I haue said the knowledge of all thinges past I haue shewed that the holy fathers of those times haue interpreted the scriptures for the Bishop of Rome his supremacy and I haue shewed by their plane sentences and expresse words that the Romane Church hath obtained from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches that holy seate being the hinge and head of all Churches that in all controuersys we ought to haue recourse vnto it that the Bishop of Rome is the highest Priest and Bishop of bishops that all schismes and heresys haue sprung from the disobedience to that chaire that they are Schismatiks and Praeuaricators that set vp another chaire contrary to it that they belong to Antichrist that are not of that Communion I haue shewed also that the Bishop of Rome his supremacy was acknowledged by Generall Councels that his legates praesided in them that he protected the good and corrected the â—ad both of the Clergy and of the Laity of other Dioceses euen the cheife persons of the world as vnder his charge and that there is noe other bishop that by any title can iustly pretende to haue had that authority in the primitiue times And therfor it is most senselesse to deny his supremacy which the world hath soe long confessed And if they shall still oppose it Sap. 5. the round world shall fight with him against the senslesse who are soe bold as to hazard their soules against the whole world and against soe many worlds as I haue shewed gathered together in General Councels who haue submitted to the Bishop of Rome as to their supreme pastour They will grant then perhaps that the Bishop of
must prooue it by extraordinary fignes and miracles such as are propper to God onely and proportionable to that kind of commission Soe did Moyses prooue by miracles that he was sent of God soe did Christ prooue his authority by miracles But if they haue neither miracles to prooue extraordinary nor succession of lawfull pastors for ordinary commission but vpon their owne bare word onely will draw men from obedience to their lawfull pastors we must take them for such as Core Dathan and Abiron were who disobeying their pastors and hauing noe commission from God to shew for it they and their followers sunke downe visibly into hell Now for miracles to iustify their disobedience to the Church they neither haue nor can possibly haue for that God will not approoue of any such disobedience but hauing ordained the gouernment of the Church to be by S. Peter as supreme head and by 〈◊〉 Apostles as pastors vnder him and Christ â—auing promised to be with them all dayes to the consummation of the world we must at all times looke vnto the successors of S. Peter and his pastors as to the lawfull authority of the Church of Christ and allwais obey them and we must take those for false Churches that disobey their authority And therfor S. Cyprian solidly rebuketh Nouatus the â—aeretike for separating himselfe from the Communion of Cornelius then Bishop of Rome and concludeth that the Church of Christ being but one and not conteining both those that are with in and those that are out of it those onely saith he are in the Church Cyp. l. 4. op c. who are in the COmmunion of Cornelius successour to Fabianus But that they may not thinke to excuse their disobedience by any pretences I stoppe all pretences whatsoeuer and preuent all answeres that can possibly be deuised by that which followeth They can not deny but there haue bene and are false Churches of christians in the world but there neuer was nor now is any false Church of christians but it might haue if it would the same pretences and haue the same ground for them that any of these haue they being commune to all disobedient and obstinate persons that will stande out against the Church therefor all which any of them can pretende for themselues are but vaine pretences and if euer there were any false Church of christians in the world they are all false Churches As for the first S. Paul saith that there must be heresys Cor. 1.11 Which being held by a Communion of many there is then a false Church He that readeth D Prateolus of the beginnings of heresys and seeeth the absurditys which they haue obstinatly mainteined will easily grant that there haue bene false Churches of Christians in the world He shall finde some against the whole B. Trinity some against one of the Persons some against another some against the diuinity some against the humanity of Iesus Christ some against the blessed Virgin some against the Angels some against the Saints one saith that Christ is the sunne which we see to shine another saith that himselfe is Christ another maketh himselfe to be the Holy Ghost some will haue all to marry some will haue none to marry some soe affected to sobriety that they held wine vnlawfull to be drunke euen to the consecrating of water insteede of it some are running naked others are foming quaking and changing gastly countenances as a signe and point of perfection another cryeth downe learning and will haue noe triall of the truth but by force of armes commanding for that purpose his disciples at his death to make a drumme of his skinne All which I mention in relation to the Apostles words and to my first proposition that there haue bene false Churches in the world and withall to obserue what absurde errors men would runne into if there were not at all times an authority of visible pastors guided by the Holy Ghost to gouerne the Church and all were bounde to be gouerned by them Now if any of these were a false Church it was for their obstinacy in those errors and for their disobedience to those pastors which the primitiue Church acknowledged to haue by succession from S. Peter the supreme authority and to the pastors of their Communion as hauing at all times the lawfull authority of the whole Church And these were as I haue shewed the Bishops of Rome and the pastors that were in Communion with them none els hauing any pretence vnto that succession Then for the second proposition I aske any one of those sects that are now out of the Catholike Romane Church what pretence can they haue which is not common to all the rest and which all the false Churches that are or euer were and which they confesse to be false Churches might not if they would haue alleadged for themselues as well as they to excuse there disobedience If they pretende errors in the doctrine of their pastors or if they alleadge priuate spirit or if they pretende authority from the true Church but inuisible or if they say that they were thrusten out of the Church against their wills or if they pretende immediat commission from God to disobey all authority vpon earth in religion who doth not see that all these are but vaine pretences common to all that will vse them and which if they were to be allowed of a gappe were opened for all turbulent and disobedient persons to runne out of the Church vnder some of these pretences at any time when they would themselues Neither is there any thinge which any of them can pretende but that which all the rest may as well take for pretence and all the false Churches that euer were whom they confesse to be false Churches may as well pretende as they And if this be not soe I desire and challenge any wise and learned man of whatsoeuer sect out of the Romane Church to study and to thinke with himselfe of any lawfull pretence and excuse for their disobedience to the Romane Church and then to take some other which he holdeth to be a false Church and conferring them together to propose to his owne conscience whether that pretence agree not as well to the other as to his owne And if he can deuise none which is propper to his owne Church more then to false Churches then I warne and charge him to returne againe to the obedience of that authority which the primitiue Church first obeyed and which the Romane Church hath allwais obeyed and which his Church and all others haue at some time goneforth of and disobeyed and this was as I haue shewed the authority of the bishop of Rome and his pastors All those Churches that are now extant out of the Romane Church went first out of it by disobedience to the head and pastors of the Romane Church and as for Protestants they confesse that they went forth and separated themselues from it Aug. l. 2. cont Crescon c.
33. l. 3. c. 43.44 l 2. cont Gauden c. 3 l. de vntco bap â—â—s c 15. ep 48. L. 2. cont Petâ—lâ— c. 19. as may be seene in The Authour of the Protestant Religion l. 2. c. 11. They must therefor shew some iust cause why they went forth and separated themselues For as S. Augustine alluding to the holy Prouerbe c. 30. often obiecteth against the Donatists The euill child calleth himselfe iust but he can not excuse his going forth And in another place You must come and giue an account of your separation But none of them haue a iuster cause nor can giue a better account of their separation then those whom they confesse to be false Churches therefor they are all false Churches I haue now sufficiently performed one thinge which I promised in the title of this booke The verity of the Roma â—e Cathelike faith is demonstrated by industion from aâ—l other religions to wit to demonstrate by induction from all the religions that are in the world the verity of the Romane Catholike faith As for the atheist he ought indeede to be excluded from all speech of religion for that he hath none yet his prophanesse is disprooued in the first article of the Creede in which the Apostles laid the foundation of religion saying I beleeue in God The Pagans religion is disprooued in the same article in that he beleeueth not in one God the maker of heauen and eaâ—th The Iewish and Turkish sects are disprooued in the second article for that they beleeue not in Iesus Christ the onely Sonne of God All sects of Christians that are out of the Romane Church are disprooued in that they haue broken this ninth article of the Creede I beleeue the Cathâ—like Church disobeying its authority in the lawfull head and pastors of it Let them harken to the words of the Holy Ghost Deut 17. If thou perceiue that the iudgment with thee be hard and doubtfull c. Thou shalt come to the Priests of the Leuitical stocke and to the iudge that shall be at that time and thou shalt doe whatsoeuer they that are presidents of the place which our Lord shall choose shall say and teach thee according to his law and thou shalt follow their sentence neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand But he that shall be prowde refusing to obey the commandement of the priest which at that time ministreth to our Lord thy God and the decree of the iudge that man shall dy Here now I cry to all those christians that are out of the Romane Church Graecians Arians c. and to all the seueral Churches of Protestants and especially to you my very deere Countreymen for whose soules I haue long hazarded my corporall life You haue contemned this great authority or rather a greater then it was You haue refused to obey the commandement of the priest and priests not of the Leuitical stocke but of the institution of Christ to wit the Successour of S. Peter and his pastors that is to say the Bishop of Rome and his pastors who gouerned the primitiue Church of Christ and were then actually gouerning it when your Churches beganne These you know you haue disobeyed and stande still disobedient vnto General Councels haue declared against you all and especially against the seueral sects of Protestants the Councell of Trent consisting of two hundred and fifty fiue fathers besides the most eminent doctors of the Catholike Church All Romane Catholiks obey this Councell in all points of faith and you disobey it Disobedience to the Leuitical priest and priests by the law of Moyses was punished with death and your disobedience I am sorry with all my hart but I haue noe scruple to speake it shall without doubt if you repent not be punished with eternal death Therefor I coniure you by the sweet merites of Iesus Christ in whom you beleeue and whom you expect to be your iudge to reflect ypon your soules and vpon true religion Call to minde how your Churches beganne and how schismes and heresys beginne and if you finde as you shall easily finde that you haue begunne after the very same manner as they in disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church and to all but your owne wills your beginners were as Core Nu. 16. Dathan and Abiron that beganne diuisions in the Church of God their followers that liued with them were as the followers of the former whom God destroyed also with them and you rising vp to mainteine their disobedience when they are dead and gone are like to those who after their deaths rose vp to iustify their cause and were therefor by the iudgment of God consumed with fire Forsake their company desert that vnlawfull cause and returne againe into the sheepfold of Christ if you desire to be saued THE TENTH ARTICLE FOrgiuenesse of sinnes None can rightly consider these words as made by the Apostles to be an article of the Creede but he must needs conceiue some greater mystery to be conteined in them them onely to professe that God can or doth forgiue sinnes Neither can he in reason vnderstande any other thinge then that there is power of forgiuing sinnes in that Church which they had newly professed This was indeede a gift and priueledge worthy to be mentioned in the publike Creede Christ after his resurrection before he ascended into heauen appeared to his Apostles and breathing vpon them said Io. 20. Receiue ye the Holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen and whose you shall retaine they are retained This was a mystery which the Church of God had great reason to remember and often to inculcate vnto her people and therefor the Apostles hauing professed their beleefe in the Catholike Church in the next place would commemorate this gift and power which the Catholike Church hath of the forgiuenesse of sinnes that with gratitude we might remember it and make good vse of it It is a greater worke saith S. Aug. tract 52. Augustine to make an euill man good then to make the world of nothing Yet it is giuen vnto man to doe this great worke It is giuen I say vnto man for it is not of his owne power but of the gift of God God onely of his owne natural power can forgiue sinnes Esa 43. I am he that taketh cleane away thine iniquitys but he can if he will giue that power vnto men The Apostles had that power by the gift of God as they had of him to worke many miracles which were as hard and vnpossible to nature as to forgiue sinnes Iudges of themselues haue not power to iudge but when the king maketh them iudges and giueth them power then they haue power and may exercize it and the exercize of it is good and valid because the king who gaue them that power setteth them in his owne place giueth them to represent his owne person and ratifyeth the
long from confession and haue their soules ouergrowne with much filth of sinne must take more time for it that through negligence they omitte nothing which is necessary to be confessed Those also that come oftener to confession and haue onely venial sinnes to confesse ought to be carefull in the examining of their consciences the better to dispose themselues for confession and to preuent euill customes and also the better to discerne the greeuousnes of some which see me perhaps but litle sinnes to them but are indeede greater then they seeme to be For this it wil helpe much that we gett a custome of examining our consciences euery night before we goe to bedde calling to minde the sinnes which we haue commited that day and noting them downe in our memory as it were in a table booke against we goe to confession The first thinge which we are to doe in this nightly examen is to giue thanks vnto God for the benefits of that day Secondly to desire grace and light of him to see our falts Thirdly to examine ourselues what we haue offended in Lastly to make a breife act of Contrition that is of sorrow for our sinnes and purpose to amende them for the loue of God as I shall shew within a leafe or two Besides this we ought allwais to haue an eye ouer our owne behauiour and when we haue offended God any way presently to thinke with ourselues this was a sinne I will remember it when I goe to Confession The examine before Confession may be made by thought word and deed and whether the sinnes which he committed by thought he did not also committe them by word and if he committed them by word whether he did not also in deede As for example BY THOVGHT if he offended inwardly by anger in his hart whether he did not also vtter some angry words and whether he proceeded not to some actions to hurt his neighbour or something that belonged to him And if he haue let him Confesse it I Confesse I was angry at my neighbour and proceeded to such and such words and did such and such things against him or intended to doe them And soe in other sinnes as in carnal sinnes if he sinned by thought if he proceeded to vnchast words and if to vnchast actions for it is a greater sinne to sinne by word then by thought onely and by worke then by word onely In the examining of his thoughts he may thinke whether he haue giuen way to any irreuerent thoughts against God or his Saints or to any dreams or superstitious thoughts If he hath thought euill of others iudged rashly borne hatred and ill will to any bene sorry at their wellfare or reioyced at their euill desired their death or some hurt or losse to them Thoughts of pride and vaine glory in our actions desire of praise honors and preferments too much application to worldly riches vnchast thoughts BY WORD If he hath bene negligent in prayer if he hath sworne and if it were vpon an vntruth if he hath cursed his neighbour or any other creature and whether it were with a desire of that euill towards them or rashly onely without any such desire if he hath made any vnlawfull vow if he hath murmured at his superiors if he hath dispraised and detracted from any if he hath not reprehended those vnder his charge if he hath told vntruths wittingly if he hath mocked or scoffed at any councelled any to sinne or hindered the good which they intended if he hath spoken vnchast words or sung vnchast songs BY DEEDES If he hath vsed any superstitious actions or omitted to doe any thinge for some superstitious cause and conceit if he hath wrought vpon holy dayes or permitted others vnder his charge to worke or if he hath omitted himselfe or hindered others to heare masse on holy dayes if he hath not obeyed his parents or superiors and if it were in any matter of moment to tell what and how it was if he hath broken his fast if he hath strucken beaten or willfully hurt any body or their goods if he hath taken any thinge from any body publikely or priuately and to thinke of what value it was or hath trespassed his neighbour any way if he hath vsed deceit in buying or selling as tradesmen in their weights and commoditys which they sell if being hyred by daytale he worke not sufficient for the wages which he taketh if he hath vsed vnchast looks books or actions too much curiosity in dressing and adorning if he hath exceeded in too much eating drinking or sleeping if he hath offended in gaming spending his meanes or more time in it then was sufficient for recreation vsed sleights and cousenage in it Thus we may examine ourselues by thought word and deed remembring especially the occasions which he is imployed in and the course of life and calling which he professeth what sinnes he committeth in it and the circumstances in which they were committed whether there were not somethinge which might aggrauate the sinne It is an errour in some that if they get their wonted number of prayers said they thinke themselues wel prepared to confession and come with litle or noe examining of conscience at all These must vnderstande that prayer is not the propper preparation for confession and that it is not a time then to say many prayers but to stirre vp in themselues a true repentance for their sinnes by remembring them sorrowing for them and purposing to amende them This is then necessary but prayers are not necessarily required And therefor we must be sure to examine well our consciences before confession that we come not of custome without deuotion and due preparation to it And when we haue done all that belongeth to the Sacramâ—nt then we may take time to pray Hauing examined thy conscience and witnessed against it the sinnes which thou knowest stirre vp in thy selfe a vehement sorrow for them and be indeede in thy hart confounded to thinke that thou hast sinned againe and againe without amending those things which thou hast soe often repented for By which thou mast thinke that there is but litle feruour of deuotion in thee and that thou hast great reason to feare that thou art of the number of the lukewarme an therefor in great danger Inflame in thy selfe an ardent loue of God be sorry that thou hast soe litle feeling of sorrow and purpose firmly that now at last thou wilt beginne to amende and wilt fly the occasions by which thou art tempted begging of God that he wil see this amendment in thee and giue thee efficacious grace for the performing of it Endeauour then to make a perfect act of contrition which is very necessary for all to vnderstande and to learne A perfect act of contrition is a perfect act of loue that for the loue of God we are sorry to haue offended him and not for the shame of sinne feare of punishment or losse of reward which
passion worke but litle to their amendment Parents must also prouide for their children with a moderate care and not as some doe who vnder pretence of proulding for them neuer thinke themselues rich enough These ought to consider that their children are the children of God and he will prouide for them if they serue him and the best foundation of riches and of a long and prosperous race is to bring vp their children in the knowledge and feare of him for if God build with them their houses will stande Many poore children who haue bene left without parents haue prospered better with the blessing of God then others haue done with large reuenewes left them Finally parents must be most of all carefull that they giue noe ill example to their children this being that vpon which the good or euill of the whole world very much dependeth euen as the goodnes of the branches dependeth of the roote and bole of the tree Otherwise occasion is giuen for children to learne their parents vices and to teach them to their children againe and soe vice goeth from generation to generation by the ill example of parents and as the links of a chaine are drawne by one another and fall one after another soe fathers draw their children downe into sinne after them that for many generations they come in the end to meete all in hell I et parents and children often reade the booke of Toby they haue there an example of a good father and of a good sonne and God blessing them both THE FIFT COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not kill By which we see that this as all other places of scripture hath its propper sense For as S. Aug. de ciu c. 20. sayth we are not forbidden here to kill meate for our sustenance nor to kill men in our owne defence as in a iust warre or for execution of iustice vpon malefactors Because nature allowing and requiring these things God doth not disallow of them Some also by particular inspiration of God haue lawfully killed as Moyses who although he were the mildest man in the world yet when he saw an infidel heathen beating one of the people of God moued with a holy zeale he killed him and buried him in the sand This was lawfull as being by diuine inspiration in signe of future mysterys Exod. 32. Soe when he saw the people committing of idolatry he ioyned vnto him those that were of our Lord the Leuites and sent them to kill the idolatrous people and they returning with the slaughter of about three thousand men he commended them saying you haue consecrated your hands this day to our Lord that blessing may begiuen to you Phinees also moued with the like zeale Nu. 5. killed the two fornicators in their wicked act and auerted the wrath of God by it God the authour of the Commandements dispensed then in the keeping of them and soe they were not formally broken That which is forbidden here is to kill vpon priuate authority and not onely to kill Anger but also all actions of anger by which the peaceable conuersation of men is disturbed Mat. 5. You haue heard saith Christ how it was said of old thou shalt not kill and who soe killeth shall be in danger of iudgement but I say to you that whosoeuer is angry with his brother shall be in danger of iudgment and whosoeuer shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of Councell And whosoeuer shall say thou foole shall be guilty of the hell of fire By which we are taught the right vnderstanding of this Commandement to be not onely to prohibite killing but also to be inwardly angry or to make outward shewes or to giue words of anger Of all the sinnes which are committed by men none are soe horrible to nature as the sinnes of blood Is 8. and to shew how great a sinne it is to kill Christ would call the deuill a mankiller from the beginning because the malice and euill of murder could not be better expressed then by putting it and the deuill together and making him the authour of it Cain was the first mankiller amongst men who inticeing his brother into the fields roze vp against him and killed him And presently he was strucke with such a horrour at his crime that he despaired of mercy and like a desperate reprobate went hanging downe his head thinking that euery one that saw him would kill him and cried Gen. 4. Loe now thou dost cast mee out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face I shall be hid and I shall be a vagabonde and fugitiue vpon earth euery one therefor that findeth mee shall kill mee And God to increase this horrour of murder in vs both in the law of nature and of Moyses prohibited the eating of blood Lou. 17. Nay they were not soe much as to let blood to ly open vpon the ground but to couer it And euen dumbe beasts that could not sinne were to loose their liues if they killed any man All this was that men should abhorre the sinne of murder and not be ouer bloody then when the true worship of God was mainteined rather by force and by shedding of their enemys blood then propagated by patience as now it is in the faith of Christ Here enter those ignominious single combats of which the Councell of Trent hath these words That the detestable vse of Duells contriued by the deuill to a bloody death of the body and destruction of the soule may be quite banished out of the Christian world In which yong men who vnderstande not what belongeth to wisdome and true glory meete in the field to wound teare and kill one another like madd doggs And after their miserable deaths they become infamous to posterity purt out of the Communion of Saints both of the militant and triumphant Church of God and depriued of christian buriall to ly like doggs in the fields That the words of the Apocal. 22. are fully verifyed in them Without are doggs sorcerers and murderers There is a booke here newly published called LA DESTRVCTION DE DVEL in which is shewed how contrary to reason and true christian honour Dâ—â—els are and in which is declared how that the Marshals of France and diuerse Gentlemen of quality haue protested against them and promised that they will neuer regard any challenge nor fight a duell vpon any occasion of iniury whatsoeuer An heroicall and christian like minde guided by vertue and discretion will make iniurys honorable through patience which is the most propper vertue and honour of christians Christ was borne patient liued a patient life and at his death his patience was most eminently great more then we can vnderstande He founded his Church first in his owne sufferings and then in those of his Apostles after him and after them he enlarged it by the patience of many martyrs and soe he still continueth and preserueth it And therefor christians
bread of God or if you thinke that he onely can prosper you and reward you euen with temporal blessings why doe you serue any other but him for them Serue God and be constant to his seruice according to the rules of the Catholike Church â—nd you can want nothing that is good for you Holy Toby was constant to the seruice of God and euen in time of great persecution he had enough both for himselfe and for others and although he lost much and gaue much away for Gods sake yet God allwais increased his store It ought to be a comfort to vs to heare king Dauid in his old age sing I haue bene yong Ps 36. for I am old and I haue not seene the iust forsaken nor his seede seeking bread This day We are taught here to aske but for one day and soe from day to day that we may haue confidence in God and not set our mindes too much vpon riches and of prouiding without end as some doe who neuer know when they haue enough Esa 5. Woe to you that ioyne house to house and lay field to field euen to the end of the place shall you alone dwell in the midst of the earth Their couetousnes is with out limit as though all had bene made for them and theirs Better were it for them to thinke how to liue in an orderly and discreete way and to bring vp their children in the feare and seruice of God with an indifferent competency Some authors vnderstande here by bread the blessed Sacrament of Eucharist which appeareth as bread and is indeede the bread of Angels in that it conteineth him who feedeth the Angels with the ioy of his presence Hence S. Ambrose taketh occasion to commende the often receiuing of the blessed Sacrament saying if it be our daily bread why shall we be a yeare before we receiue it THE FIFT PETITION AND forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them their trespasses against vs. Amongst the infinite testimonys of the loue of God towards vs There is none greater then the passion of Christ by which the maine fountaine of his mercy was opened to cleanse us from sinne that we might hope and aske confidently that our trespasses might be forgiuen And as the Councell of Trent hath declared there is none in this world soe free from sinne Ia. 3. but that he may say this petition Saint Iames speaketh in general in many things we offende all Eccl. 7. And the wise man was inspired to say There is not a iust man in the earth that doth good and sinneth not We all then haue reason to pray for this and as there is not any euill in the world so great as sinne so there is nothing which we haue more reason to pray for then the forgiuenesse of sinnes Esa 7. The iniquity of the house of Iacob shall be forgiuen and this is all the fruit that his sinne be taken away It is indeede all the fruit that a sinner can desire to haue his sins taken away and it is fruit enough for so he hath the cheife thing which he can wish for in this world to wit grace by which he hath right vnto heauen Yet as great as this fruit is of the forgiuenes of our sinnes we are not taught so much as to aske it but with this condition that we will forgiue to our neighbour his trespasses against vs. Christ was a most perfect master of all vertues and nothing was there necessary or good for vs to learne but he hath taught it most perfectly both by word and by worke yet of all the lessons which he hath giuen there is nothing so much inculcated by him as charity and meekenes to others First in his owne person he hath giuen vs such an example that we cannot comprehende the dignity of it The very Sonne of God to suffer words and blowes and in the end death it selfe by his wicked and cursed seruants that he might change their curse into blessings what shall we say or thinke of this He could with one twinkle of his eye haue destroyed his enemys and freed himselfe but he would let them goe on in persecuting of him vnto death and then pray for them He was scoffed at and held his peace he was accused and answered not for himselfe he was strucken and bore it patiently hee was crucifyed and prayed for those that crucifyed him his whole life and death was a continuall patterne of this vertue and for his words his paraboles and preachings they were allways commending it tending continually to the loue of God by the loue of our neighbour And S. Iohn his beloued disciple that slept in his bosome was so filled with the same spirit of his master that in his first Epistle declaring how great a connexion there is betwixt the loue of God and the loue of our neighbour he proceedeth to these earnest termes Io. 1.4 If any man shall say that I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyer And it is recorded of this holy Apostle that at his death these were his last words litle children loue one another And when he had repeated this Sentence often ouer to his disciples they desiring him to speake something els to them he reprooued them for it telling them that it was a saying worthy of their master It is to be obserued here that where as other vertues are asked onely in generall hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdome come c. this is asked in particular that we be forgiuen as we forgiue Now what Christian is there that can professe himselfe a disciple of Christ and yet stande at defyance against his neighbour how can he say this soueraigne prayer euery day and let his hart fester so long against any man that the sunne set before he pacify himselfe If we read in the law of Moyses of some examples in which the Saints of God haue taken revenge of their enemys as when Elias commanded fire to come downe from Heauen to consume the two Captaines of King Ochosias and their souldiers it was by particular inspiration and in zeale of iustice that Kings might learne reuerence to the seruants of God Besides Christ was not then come who was to mollify the hardnesse of that law by more mildnesse in the law of grace and therefore he said you haue heard that it was said of old Mat. 5. Thou shalt loue thy neighbour and hate thy enemy But I say to you loue your enemys doe good to them that hate you For if you loue them that loue you what reward shall you haue doe not also the Publicans this and if you salute you brethren onely doe not also the heathens this be you perfect therefore as also your heauenly Father is perfect We haue the examples of Martyrs Confessors and of all sorts of Saints who in the law of Christ haue come to this perfection as to loue those that hated them S. Steuen being appreheÌ„ded
Gen. 39. Ioseph the Patriarke was assalted by a wicked woman tempting him to lust but by the helpe of God he ouercame the temptation Holy and chast Susanna was grieuously tempted falsely accused and brought euen to the vtmost danger of death but God vndertooke her cause and defended her It was a glorious victory that which Iob gott ouer the world the flesh and the deuill and as gloriously rewarded of God that gaue it Let vs pray to God and serue him and he will giue grace against temptations For this is the way to arme ourselues with prayer and vigilancy against them and to keepeallwais in our harts a vehement detestation of all mortall sinne in general and when any particular temptation beginneth in vs to resist it presently at first by making a contrary act to it and then without delay to fly the occasion of that kind of sinne Thus we shall gett victory and the glorious crowne which to the victorious is promised For the resisting of particular temptations see the Commandements THE SEAVENTH PETITION BVT deliuer vs from euill Here we repeate all which we prayed for in the former petitions redoubling our prayer againe for them for he that prayeth to be freed from euill prayeth to be freed from all that is opposite to the honour of God to the obtaining of his kingdome to the performance of his will and from any thinge that is contrary to the other petitions And we aske further more the remission of the punishment due to our sinnes and also to be freed from those corporal euils which euery hower we are subiect vnto I said at first that the Pater Noster was a perfect patterne and forme of prayer which our blessed Sauiour made for our instruction Let vs then obserue dilligently the methode of it First we are taught in it to desire aboue all things the honour of God and to direct all our prayers to that end that the name of God which is infinitly holy in it selfe may be hallowed also externally by vs. And hauing asked that the name of God be hallowed and also all things that are positiuely good for vs then we aske to be freed from that which is hurtfull and especially to be freed from sinne as the most hurtfull of all things and for the future that we fall not againe by temptation and lastly to be freed from all euills in general and in particular which God knoweth to be euill for vs and to be pardoned of the punishment for our sinnes And it is to be obserued that Christ would not onely teach vs to pray for ourselues but for all others that soe we might keepe ourselues in charity with all We say not my father giue mee forgiue mee lead mee not c. but our father giue vs forgiue vs lead vs not c. And we are taught also to forgiue our enemys and to pray for them In fine the art and mastership of this prayer is more then man can expresse or vnderstande much lesse can it be perfectly imitated by any prayer which we can make nor that the Angels can deuise Yet it was not the intention of Christ to binde vs to say noe other prayer but it for both he and the Apostles are read to haue said other prayers neither that we should allwais pray for all that is conteined in it but that we should allwais pray for all or for somethinge that is in it or conformable to it and with that order that the honour of God be first sought for in all our prayers and that all things be prayed for in order to it When therefor we pray for any temporal thinge we ought first to desire the honour of God and our owne spirituall good by it before that we aske for the thinge it selfe and we are to resigne our wills to the will of God and first seeke to be freed from our sinnes before that we pray to be freed from any other euill and not presently when any thinge troubleth vs to pray onely for our owne ease and content as some doe who if their head or their breast or backe ake or are in any affliction or danger they complaine presently where it paineth them and without any more adoe pray to be freed from it but this is not according to our patterne of prayer in which we are taught first to pray for the honour of God and our owne spiritual good saying at least in our hatts hallowed be thy name thy kingdome come c in the first place of our prayer and allwais to be pleased with that which pleaseth God not too earnestly desiring to be freed from temporal euills assuring ourselues that if we haue not our prayer we haue that which is better for vs such afflictions being many times sent of God as a speciall meanes of our saluation We must follow Christ our master It is not sitting saith S Bernard ser 5. de omnibus sanctis that the members should be pampered vnder a thorny hâ—ad The holy king sang these words for his comfort Ps 118. Princes haue persecuted mee without cause and my hart hath bene affraide of thy words I will reioyce at thy words as he that findeth many spoiles Let vs not therefor greiue at our afflictions nor seeke too earnestly to be freed from them but let vs goe willingly with the will of God and follow Christ in them Some adde to the Pater Noster for thine is the kingdome power and glory But Catholiks vse not to say those words because they are not in the scriptures but were added to the Pater Noster as Glory be to the father c. Was added to the end of the psalmes And the Pater Noster being the prayer which Christ left as a lesson for vs to learne to pray by we keepe it intirely by it selfe without adding any thinge to it Amen is an hebrew word much frequented by our Sauiour It is as much as to say verily Amen indeede certainely c. It is sometimes vsed in the beginning and sometimes in the end of a speech to confirme the verity and certainty of it But in this place we vnderstande it not as in the end of other prayers as it were to repeate and vrge them with more earnestnes but as an answere to shew that by the vertue and efficacy of this prayer our desire is acceptable and we are dismissed with the grant of our petition And therefor in the holy sacrifice of masse at the end of the Pater Noster the Clerke answereth not Amen as at the end of other prayers but leaueth it for the priest to say that he as the interpretour of God may denounce vnto the people that their prayer is granted And for this reason S. Hierome might well say that Amen is the seale of our Lords prayer to declare that God doth as it were set his hand to it You haue learned now how to pray and how to prepare your selues vnto prayer First we are to free
that in this respect as she was the Mother of God she should be endowed with it This is expresly auouched by S. Anselme It was decent saith he that she should shine with such purity L. de Conceptu virg li. c. 15. that vnder heauen a greater could not be deuised Other Saints say in substance the same when in glory and sanctity they preferre her before all creatures because they thought that such sanctity was most suetable and congruous to her dignity as she was such a Mother and that the more that they honored her the more they honored God incarnated in her and of her There is noe doubt saith Saint Hierome but whatsoeuer is worthily attributed to the Mother of God Hier. ep ad Paul Eusto to 9. Bern. ser 4. super missus est that appertaineth to the prayses of her sonne And S. Bernard Whatsoeuer is spoken of the Mothers praises that belongeth to her sonne Therefor in attributing of Sanctity to her and in honoring her we honour him and the more sanctity that we attribute to her and the more that we honour her the more we honour him It were a saying dishonorable to Christ to impute any heinous sinne vnto his Mother with whom S. Augustine will haue noe mention of sinne to be made and as it were a dishonour to him to make her that bore him and had the education of him to be a sinner soe is it most for his honour to haue her a Saint and aboue all Saints We haue then out of the scriptures that Christ honored her that she tooke it as an honour to herselfe and that S. Elizabeth and the woman of the ghospell honored her as she was the Mother of such a sonne and we haue also that it was most decent and becomming her dignity that her blessed soule should be adorned with the highest grace and sanctity that euer any pure creature had I conclude this point with a lesser yet good authority it is of Sibylla Tiburtina praising the B. Virgin for her maternity O nimium foelix caeli dignissima Mater Quae tantam sacro lactabat ab vbere prolem O very happy and most worthy Mother of heauen Whose sacred brests gaue sucke to such a sonne Where you see her honored and pronounced happy for her corporal propinquity with Christ Let now all christians that loue Christ loue her whom he loued and honour her whom he honored If he be a good sonne he would make his Mother to be worthy of honour and if we be good seruants we will honour the Mother of our master And soe we honour her as his Mother not that it was the Physical or Moral cause of her sanctity for that was the diuine grace and her owne merits by cooperating with it but that her being the Mother of such a sonne was in it selfe honorable When we say the Mother of God we meane that she was the true Mother of him who was true God which all good christians beleeue and none but such as Nestorian haeretiks will deny for as we say truely that S. Elizabeth was the Mother of a Prophet but not as he was a Prophet but according to the nature which he receiued of her soe we say truely that our B. Lady was the Mother of God though not as he was God but according to his humane nature which proceeded from her PRAY FOR VS SINNERS AS for the power and acceptance of our B. Ladys prayers it is farre greater then we can expresse What if I should say that it pleaseth God better that we goe to her to pray for vs then that we come immediatly to himselfe Certainly we may say that it pleaseth him better that we bring his prime fauorite to wit his Mother to pray for vs then that we come by ourselues onely without her to him and that he delighteth more and granteth rather at her prayers then at ours which is but a small prayse to her I will say more and that is that I thinke without doubt there is noe deuotion whatsoeuer that God hath approoued of by soe many miracles as the deuotion to our B. Lady and that those that are truely deuoted to her neede not much feare to fall from the Catholike Church nor continuing in that deuotion to haue an euill death But my words onely are of litle value you shall heare what the Saints and learned writers of the Church haue said of her intercession Benau in speculo Mariae c. 8. First S. Bonauenture prooueth out of S. Augustine that she is more carefull and sollicitous for her clients then any of the Saints and whether her power be equall with her care you shall heare what others say Germanus Constantinopolitanus a very auncient authour speaketh this sentence to her There is none saved but by thee O most holy Virgin Germ. in zona there is none deliuered from euils but by thee O most pure there is noe gift granted but by thee O most chast there is none that hath the fauour to be pittyed but by thee O most honourable Marke I pray you how generall these words are that noe good is obtained nor euill preuented but by her meanes S. Anselme in the booke which he wrote of her prayses praying to her sayeth that God hath soe exalted her that he hath made all things possible to her and that she can aske nothing but it is granted But S. Peter Damian goeth further to say the same by a very high expression of eloquence Ser. de Nat. Mar. She goeth vp saith he to the golden altare of reconciliation not to aske but to commande not as a handmaid but as a mistres Here an haeretike would catch at his words and thinke that he had somethinge to take hold of but he should be deceiued for this is onely a kind of Rhetorike which the Saints would vse to setforth the liberality of God at the prayers of his seruants which is such as though his benignity nignity bounde him to obey their desires And it is a kind of Rhetorike which the Holy Ghost hath taught them and hath warranted by his owne example himselfe vsing it Iosue the captaine of the people of God hauing put his enemys to flight and wanting day to pursue them made his prayer and commanded the sunne and moone to stand still vntill he had taken reuenge of them Where vpon holy scripture saith the sunne and moone stoode still our Lord obeying the voice of a man Ios 10. As though holy Iosue by prayer had had God at obedience S. Bernard was allwais mellifluous yet neuer soe much as when he had occasion to speake of our B. Lady Ber. ser in vigilia Nat. Dom. Ber. ser de Assump He shall close vp the quire of the fathers with these few words in which he saith that God will grant nothing but it must passe through Marys hands And in another place he commendeth her soe affectionatly for mercy towards her clients that for
not onely see him but tooke him ioyfully into his armes Luc. 2. and then blessed God singing like the swanne before his death Now thou doest dismisse thy seruant ô Lord according to thy word in peace Because mine eyes haue seene thy saluation The fift ten is said in honour of Christ disputing in the Temple His parents hauing bene at Hierusalem to solemnise the feast of the Paschâ— returning home againe and thinking him to haue bene in the company that returned with them they came a dayes iourney and sought him amoÌ„gst their kinsfolkes but not finding him they returned to Hierusalem to seeke him there and after three dayes they found him sitting in the midst of the Doctours astonishing all with his wisedome and answeres These are the fiue ioyfull mysterys The fiue sorrowfull are these First the Praying of Christ in the Garden when the very apprehension of his future Passion was so vehement that he burst forth into a sweat of blood to thinke of it The second is his whipping at the pillar The third is his crowning with thornes The fourth is the carrying of his Crosse when after that they had weakened him with many torments they led him or rather trailed him about the streets of Hierusalem with his heauy Crosse on his shoulders vntil he was soe spout that they who of pitty would not ease him of it in the end of cruelty tooke it from him to prolong his life vntill they had crucifyed him The fift it his crucifying and death All which passages were in themselues most dolorous and next vnto Christ were most greeuous to our blessed Lady who if she were not corporally present at them so as to see euery one of them yet without doubt she was spiritually present at them all and saw by reuelation all which he suffered according to the prophecy of Simeon that a sword should pierce her soule Luc. 3. to wit the sword of sorrow which passed through her sonne In honour of these fiue sorrowfull mysterys we say other sine tenns The fiue glorious are first the Resurrection when Christ rose triumphing ouer death on Easter Sunday the Angell appearing to comfort the deuour women and to the terrour of the souldiers that watched at the monument The second is his Ascension at which the Apostles were rauished to behold his glory The third is the Comming of the holy Ghost on Whit Sunday with terrible and astonishing glory to strengthen the disciples of Christ in the faith of his Ghospell The fourth is the glorious Assumption of our Bâ— Lady whose soule departing from her body in death was presently glorifyed and the third day according to auncient Authors returning to her body to glorify it they were both together assumpted into Heauen for if it bee probably thought of those bodys which arose from the dead in the Resurrection of Christ that they ascended with him glorious into Heauen we can not thinke with reason that the sacred body of which our Lord tooke flesh should corrupt in the earth and remaine soe vntill the day of iudgement vnglorifyed The sift is her glorious Coronation in the Celestiall Court And although these two last mysterys of the Assumption and of the Coronation of our blessed Lady may seeme to some to be the same yet there is a great difference betwixt them her Assumption intending onely her state of glory in generall to wit that she was assumed body and soule into Heaven and her Coronation importing her particular state of glory as she is crowned the Queene of Heauen aboue all Angels and Saints These are in breife the fifteene mysterys of the Rosary The siue ioyfull are the Annunciation The Visitation The Natiuity The Purification of our Lady and the Presentation of Christ The Finding of him disputing in the Temple The siue sorrowfull are The Praying in the Garden The Whipping at the pillar The Crowning with thornes The carrying of the Crosse The Crucifying and death of Christ The fiue glorious are his Resurrection his Ascension The Comming of the holy Ghost The Assumption and Coronation of our blessed Lady When we haue not time or leasure to say all the fifteene tenns in honour of the fifteene mysterys wee may say siue in honour of any fiue of them either of the fiue ioyfull or of the fiue dolotous or of the fiue glorious as we will allwais concluding with the Apostles Creede in profession of our faith It is true all doe not vnderstande that these mysterys are thus conteined in the Rosary nor allways remember them when they say their Beades but the Church of God vnderstoode and remembred them in the approouing and allowing of that deuotion It is not necessary that euery one vnderstande all the mysterys that are conteined in his prayers but he shall please God if he conforme his intention to the intention of the Church in them Luc. 3. although he vnderstande them not Who can vnderstande saith Saint Augustine all the ceremonys of the Church yet we please God in obseruing them because we conforme our intentions to the intention of the Church which was directed by the holy Ghost to ordaine them It were indeed very good that all vnderstoode the mysterys of the Rosary and therefore we expounde them And it were very good that all remembred them when they say their Beades and therefore before euery ten I vse to mention in particular the mystery of that ten as for example before the first Patâ—r Noster Isay Blessed Mother of God by thy Annunciation pray for mee Before the second I say Blessed Mother of God by thy Visitation pray for mee and so forth of the rest whether I say the whole Rosary or onely fiue tenns of it by which meanes one shall attende better to the deuotion which he is performing and performe more expresly that which the Church intendeth by it which is to set holy obiects before our eyes and to propose to our consideration the mysterys of our faith The intention therefore of the Catholike Church by the Rosary is to keepe the ignorant especially those that can not reade imployed in this deuout exercise and to propose vnto all the remembrance and consideration of holy things From whence proceedeth that coldnesse loosnes and auersion from good works and holy exercises which is in many but from the want of consideration of pious things Hier. 12. with desolation is all the land made desolate saith Hieremy because there is none that considereth in the hart Good obiects proposed are the seede of good thoughts and bring forth good purposes and good works The feede must first be sowne in the senses that by the vnderstanding and will the fruit of good works may be produced and therefor as holy Iacob placed rodds of diuerse colours before his ewes that they might conceiue and bringforth lambes of diuerse colours like them soe the Pastors of the Catholike Church set before their people holy obiects that by beholding them they may conceiue good
words and signifying it also in action consecrating vnder two destinct formes to represent the separation of his Body and Blood in his Passion This although it be a commemoratiue and representatiue sacrifice representing and cōmemorating hisbeing offered on the Cros yet that bindereth not but it is a true Sacrifice as that was and of the very same thing after a different manner offered For if the figuratiue sacrifices of the law of Moyses were true sacrifices which represented this not as yet come but when it was to come after many hundreds of yeares how much more may that of the last supper be a true sacrifice which represented it as immediatly to bee offered and how much more may ours be a true sacrifice which representeth it as all ready offered Those were representations of a true sacrifice yet themselues also true sacrifices therefore it is not contrary to the nature of a sacrifice to be the representation of a sacrifice But they say that the sacrifices before Christ were true and reall creatures representing a future sacrifice different from them but we say that we offer vp the same thing that is represented in it how can it be the same and yet a representation of it Yes we offer vp the same Body that was offered on the Crosse and represent the same body offered in a different manner The same thing in a different state and condition may represent it selfe as it was before or shall be bereafter in another manner and state If a champion that had ouercome his enemy should represent afterwards the manner of his encounter then he should represent himselfe in a different state and that which represented should be the same as the thing which it did represent If Dauid for his greater glory had in his owne person exhibited to the people his victory ouer the Philisthaean Gyant then he had bene both a representation of Dauid and true Dauid representing the victory which himselfe had gotten so the Body of our Lord as it is offered at Masse representeth it selfe as it was offered on the Crosse and is the same in a different manner and state on the Crosse it was after a cruell and bloody manner as fighting on the Altare it is after an vnbloody manner as in peace after the victory Thus also the same sacred Body of our Lord in his glorious Transfiguration represented it selfe as it was to be in the state of glory afterwards Soe that the same thing may represent it selfe and the Masse may be a representatiue and commemoratiue sacrifice of that of the Cros and yet offer the same thing that was then offered Nay by how much more vnion that which representeth hath to that which it doth represent the more liuely and naturall is the representation of it as it were a more liuely and naturall representation of Dauids victory represented by himselfe then by another because it had more connexion and relation to the former action The being therefore a commemoratiue and representatiue sacrifice doth not hinder the Masse for being a true sacrifice of the same thing which is represented in it It representeth the oblation of the Crosse and in all places wheresoeuer Masse is said there the death of our Redeemer is commemorated and the same thing is offered all ouer and the very same that was offered on the Crosse The words of S. Chrysostome shall declare this point of the Christian doctrine What doe we saith he doe not we offer euery day we doe offer indeede Hom. in 7. ad hob and that in commemoration of his death And this is but one host and not many because he was but once offered and this Sacrifice is an example of that We offer still the same thing not to day one Lambe and to morrow another but allways the very same Because it is offered in many places are there therefore many Christs No! but the same Christ Here he is intirely and there intirely the same body This is enough in confirmation of the Catholike verity and we will dispute no more of it but blesse God for it Attende then ô Christian and consider the diuine loue to thee and how much thou art honoured in this mistery Thou by thy sinnes hadst lost the fauour of God and wert condemned for euer to be banished from him he to redeeme thee out of that state sent his onely sonne to suffer doath for thee who hauing giuen his life to restore thee to the state of grace would not leaue thee so but would remaine allwais with thee and be offered euery day for thee to keepe thee in that happy state With what loue and reuerence then ought we to be present at Masse Hauing said thus much of the Masse as it is a Sacrifice Let vs now come to THE PARTS AND CHREMONYS OF MASSE BEFORE that I speake of the parts and ceremonys of the Masse in particular I will say something of the nature of ceremonys in generall The vse of ceremonys in the seruice of God is grounded vpon the condition of our nature for man being a corporall creature must honour God according to his nature after a corporall manner Angels onely by intellectuall and and spirituall acts honour God because they are onely Spirits but men being both spirituall and corporall both spiritually and corporally according to there nature must honour him spiritually with inward acts of minde and corporally with outward actions of the body and therefore we pray not onely by spirituall and mentall prayer as the Angels doe but also with vocall words and vse ceremonys to signify outwardly our inward reuerence to the mysterys which are signifyed by them So that ceremonys are in vertue and effect words being altogether as proper signes and indeede more naturall to expresse our affections then words are The Sonne of God hauing assumed the nature of man by humane actions glorifyed his Father not onely spiritually with his minde but also corporally with his body by words and ceremonys when he prayed sometimes lifting vp his hands sometimes his eyes sometimes kneeling and prostrating himselfe and he iustifyed the like ceremonys in his disciples as when in that glorious solemnity in which they and the Hebrew children conducted him solemnly into Hierusalem they vsed both words and ceremonys to expresse their affection and ioy in him They cryed out Luc. 19. Mat. 21. Blessed is he that commeth King in the Name of our Lord Peace in Heauen and glory on the High And they carried boughs and spred their garments for him to treade vpon and when the Pharisys desired him to rebuke them they were rebuked themselues for desiring it The Magdalene comming to be cleansed at the fountaine of life spoke not with words but by many ceremonys her earnest repentance weeping washing and wipeing our Saviours feete kissing his sacred Body and annointing his head and when the Pharisy murmured at it Christ iustifyed those actions in her and gaue him to vnderstande that if he also had done
our wonted Haile Mary c. The deuotion of the Rosary or Beades confisteth most of the Haile Mary a prayer which we ought to esteeme of for many reasons Wee may say that next vnto the Pater Noster it is the best of all prayers First for the dignity of those that made it Christ made the Pater Noster and the Angell Gabriel Saint Elizabeth and the Church made the Haile Mary and all other prayers are made or allowed of onely by the Church so that the Haile Mary is in the midle place below the Pater Noster and aboue all other prayers Secondly it is very much to be esteemed of for our blessed Ladys sake who is the most worthy and noble personage of all creatures and as the Pater Noster is the cheife and proper prayer of all which we say immediatly to God so the Haile Mary is the cheife and most proper prayer of our blessed Lady Thirdly it is most eminently to be esteemed of for the mystery which is chiefly concerned in it to wit the mystery of the Incarnation which is the chiefe mystery of the Christian faith and this we professe in the words of the Angell comming from Heauen with the newse of it to declare to the blessed Virgin that then presently it was to be accomplished in her and saluting her saying Haile full of grace our Lord is wrth thee blessed art thou among woman c. These words in our Beades wee often repeate and wee haue good reason often to repeate them to remember that mystery to celebrate that blessed hower of the Sonne of God his Incarnation Saint Athanasius called them words of praise to our blessed Lady and saith that the quires of Heauen are incessantly singing that which he calleth a most glorious and ample Hymne In euang deip and therefore we will often repeate it with the Angels S. Hierome reporteth of the Iewes that euery day in their Synagogues they curse the Christians Hier. in c. 5. Esa Wee curse not them but pray for their conuersion but if wee curse them not we ought at least to blesse God for our selues and often to remember our owne happinesse thankfully acknowledging the mystetys of the Chrystian faith A Iew would by glad to see the memory of Christ rooted out of the world but this he shall neuer see Good Christians will allwais reuerence him keeping those solemnitys and practising those ceremonys and prayers that put vs in minde of his goodnesse And therefore we often say the Haile Mary in remembrance of the benefits which we haue by him and to honour her that bore him and to craue her prayers Saint Dominike was the first that deuised the Rosary as it is now vsed A man of that sanctity of life that Protestants themselues acknowledge him for a holy Saint He was a Priest of the Catholike Church and as such he thought himselfe indebted both to the wise and unwise To discharge this debt he deuised the deuotion of the Rosary which although it were chiefly intended for the good of the ignorant that can not reade yet it may be vsed also by the learned as now we see it is by the greatest Doctors of the Catholike Church of deuotion to our blessed Lady Those that can read haue their bookes to pray in and those that cannot reade haue their Beades as books to imploy themselues in in which they may read the cheife mysterys of the life and death of Christ and our B. Lady The Rosary was made by S. Dominike as a holy Psalter in imitation of that which King Dauid made For as it was the deuotion of that holy King to compose a Psater of deuout Psalmes and those in number a hundred and fifty if they were all of King Dauids composing so it was the deuotion of S. Dominike to deuise a Psalter of a hundred and fifty Psalmes in imitation of that And that this Psalter might be more practised by all he made it not of new and different Psalmes which few would haue gotten without booke but of so many Haile Marys which all either haue or should haue without booke and which are to be repeated after such a manner as might easily be learned of all And as the musicall instrument which Dauid vsed in the singing of his Psalmes was an instrument of ten strings in relation to the ten Commandements so would Saint Dominike diuide his Psalter of Aue Marys into tennes destinguished by a Pater Noster to be said in the beginning of eyery ten so that there being in all fifteene tenns fifteene cheife mysterys of the life and death of Christ and of our B. Lady might be celebrated The fifteene mysterys corresponding to the fifteene tenns of the Rosary are distinguished into fiue ioyfull fiue sorrowfull and fiue glorious Tho siue ioyfull are The Annunciation The Visitation The Natiuity The Purification of our B. Lady or Presentation of Christ and the Finding of him in the Temple disputing with the Doctors The first ten is said in honour of the Annunciation which was when the Angell Gabriell delivered to our blessed Lady that ioyfull message announcing vnto her that she should conceiue in her wombe the Sonne of the most High The second ten is said in honour of the Visitation which was when the blessed Virgin hauing vnderstoode by the Angell that her cosen Saint Elizabeth had conceiued a sonne in her old age to wit Saint Iohn Baptist she made a visit vnto her to comfort her helpe her and to be as a handmaid to serue her the seruant of God And arriuing at her house and saluting her Saint Iohn Baptist leaped in his mothers wombe Saint Elizabeth prophecyed and our blessed Lady pronounced a Canticle of ioy in remembrance of which we offer vp the second ten The third ten is said in honour of the Natiuity of Christ which was a mystery full of ioy first vnto our blessed Lady as more neerely concerning her in the first sight of her sonne and also to all men according to the Angels speech Luc. 2. Behold I Euangelize to you great ioy which shall be to all people because this day is borne to you a Sauiour And a multitude of the Heauenly army was suddenly with the Angell saying Glory in to the highest God and in earth peace to men of good will The fourth ten is said in remembrance of the Purification of our blessed Lady and of the Presentation of Christ which were both solemnized together For the law commanded that the woman who had conceiued of the seede of man after her deliuery should come to the Temple to be purifyed and should present her first begotten to be sanctifyed to our Lord which lawes although Christ and our blessed Lady were not subiect vnto them yet of humility they would obey them Behold now a ioyfull mystery when holy old Simeon who had receiued of our Lord that he should not see death vntill he had seene Christ expecting his comming to the Temple did