come he that shall say this may feigne what he will and sheweth planely thathe seeketh but todelude the diuine scriptures and regardeth but litle the good of his soule which he will hazard by such vaine fictions which neither he nor any other knoweth of obstinatly inuented against the light of his owne scriptures and against the ghospell of Iesus Christ planely fullfilling them in the sight and to the notice of the whole world But this siction of some Iewes was forbidden and suppressed presently by the rest Many other testimonys haue the scriptures giuen of our Sauiour Iesus Christ First they often declare that Christ the Messias and Redeemer of the world should come of the tribe of Iuda and of the house of Dauid Dan. 7. which is soe certainely verifyed in our blessed Sauiour that his enemys as yet could neuer question it Esa 7. They declare that he should be borne of a Virgin that he should come forth of Bethleem Mich 5. that kings should present him with gifts Ps 71. that a messenger should goe before him to prepare his wayes the voice of one crying in the desert prepare the way of our Lord that he should cure blinde deafe Mal. 2. â—sa 4. â—sa 35. dumbe and lame that he should come meeke poore and more particularly riding on an asse Zach. 9. Ps 40. Zach. 11. That he should be despised by his owne seruant and that his price should be thirty peeces of syluar Esa 35. Esa 53. that he should be reputed amongst the wicked that he should become the most abiect of men a man of sorrows that he should be carried as a lambe to the slaughter Ps 21. without opening of his mouth Ps 68. that his garments should be diuided by lott that gall and vinagre should be giuen him to drinke These and many more thinges would God haue to be foretold in the diuine scriptures of Christ the Messias to come All which agree soe planely to our Sauiour Iesus Christ that they neede noe application He that would see what the Sybills haue prophecyed and what other authors of the Gentiles haue written of him may reede the Spiritual Directory Broughtons Ecclesiastical History or the Holy Court but I haue shewed it allready by a better testimony of the diuine word and will therefore omitte those inferiour authoritys Now we will declare the faith of Christ by his works and shew by them that his words were true when he said Io. 5. the very works which I doe giue testimony of mee First the manner of calling his Apostles in the beginning of his ghospell and miracles and their stâ—ange readinesse in following and obeying of him shew that the power of God was planely with him and that he had power ouer their harts They knew him not when he called of them and some of them before then had neuer seene him He was to the eye a poore man that had nothing to giue them nor any meanes of preferment for them nor yet what with all to maintaine them and neuerthelesse he onely calling of them without any delay or demurrâ— at all or without obiecting or questioning of any thinge they left all they had and presently followed him He shewed in this his power ouer them and that he had the harts of men in his hands to draw them vnto him He was of that sanctity of life that his enemys haue confessed and admired it He was full of charity to all and of humility patience mildnesse and other vertues soâ— meeke and truely louing to his enemys that in the midst of all those great ignominys false accusations greeuous and vnspeakeable paines which they put him vnto he vttered not the least word of disdaine against them but euen then in his hart he waspittying of them and fell to his prayers praying earnestly to his Father for them and cordially excused them in what he could Nor did he offer to resist or let others to doe it for him allthough he shewed planely that by many meanes he could haue defended himselfe With these and the like vertues he planted first his ghospell He confirmed it also with many miracles which he wrought giuing health to the sicke sight to the blinde hearing to the deafe speech to the dumbe and restoring the dead to life againe And he confirmed the miracles of his life by his glorious resurrection when he was dead Who euer heard the like to this Christ confirmed his doctrine with a most eminent sanctity of life he confirmed againe the verity of his doctrine and fanctity of life by as plane miracles as any can be and to confirme all this he promised that within three dayes after his death he would raise himselfe againe to life and he performed it All this our blessed Sauiour did to draw vs to him and especially to the lewes to bring them to receiue his doctrine and to beleeue in him or els that they might be vnexcusable if they beleeued not We reade of diuerse wicked men who by false delusions haue gone about to prooue their errors but the holiest of men that euer were neuer shewed the like sanctity nor wrought such miracles as our Sauiour wrought nor concluded them with their resurrection from the dead This would the Sonne of God particularly reserue to himselfe to confirme that ghospell which he was to preach and to make manifest his diuine and soueraigne power that he was the authour of life and death Mahomet indeede had many wayes by false impostures to delude his souldiers but being once dead his power was at an end In his life time he shewed himselfe an Anti Christ to Christ prowdly extolling himselfe aboue the Sonne of God and promised to his followers that he would rize againe from the dead but as I say he being once dead his power was at an end and his promise vanished away with him His promise was to rize againe to the world eight hundred yeares after his death and although he tooke soe long a space for it yet now that space is runne and eight hundred yeares being past long since Mahomet is still as dead as he was and we haue noe newse of his rising againe The whole world was witnesse of our Sauiour Christ his death thousands of people saw what he suffered and beheld his death vpon the Cros and the third day after he roze againe to life and made his enemys the witnesses of his resurrection But we will insist a litle longer vpon this point of our blessed Sauiours resurrection for it is a most material and maine ground of the Apostles in their preaching for the foundation of the christian faith and conuersion of Insidels as may be seene all ouer in their acts and Epistles S. Act. 13. Paul preaching Christ to the Synagogues when he had shewed his descent according to the diuine promise from the Patriarks he concludeth all with the testimony of his resurrection and repeateth it ouer againe Vrging
before it remaining still there according to them Neither are those similitudes alleadged to any purpose by the fathers vnles we vnderstande a change of the former into a new substance as there was in them The Iuy bush before it be hung vp is noe signe of wine and when it is hung vp it becommeth a signe but there is nothing aboue nature in that conuersion because there is a change onely in the signification which then it hath but not in a new substance or nature But the holy fathers acknowledge some thinge supernaturall in this conuersion and compare it with conuersions of substances which were miraculous therefor there is here a transubstantiation or conuersion in the substance Otherwise there were noe parity in their comparisons nor connexion in their speech WITH WHAT DEVOTION we ought to receiue the Eucharist BY that which hath bene said of this Sacrament we may vnderstande somethinge of the deuotion which is due to it and thinke that soe great a miracle which God worketh continually in his Church to shew his loue to vs and to enrich our soules obligeth vs to a high and eminent degree of gratitude to him and that all the deuotion that we can possibly stirre vp in our selues is too litle for it The Apostle admonisheth vs to try and to proue ourselues before we come to this mystery least insteede of life and happinesse which we should obtaine by worthily receiuing it we incurre iudgment and death by an vnworthy communion in mortal sinne O how damnable is the malice of that man that commeth with such a sinne to this communion to vnite goodnes to malice purity to impurity Christ to his filthy soule Thou stoppest thy nose at noysome carrions and lothsome stenches yet thou wilt force thy sauiour into thy stinking brest which is most horrible and lothsome to him vntill thou hast prooued and purged it What punishment maist thou expect The arke of our Lord was but a weake figure of Christ yet entring into the cittys of the Philistiims the enemys of God they were punised with greeuous plagues and being set in their tâ—mple it strucke downe their Dagon and broke it in peeces for onely standing beside it then how darest thou that art in mortal sinne come soe boldly vnto Christ as to take him in to thee Reg. 1.5 The Philistiims vsed outwardly great reuerence to the arke carrying it from city to city and setting it in their temple beside their God yet touching it as idolatours with impure hands Reg. 1.5 they were punished with such sores and diseases that as the holy Ghost saith the howling of euery city went vp into heauen And when it came from amongst them and stoode in the confines of Bethsames although the Bethsamits beheld it with ioy and receiued it with Holocausts and victimes yet seauenty men of the people and fifty thousand of the common people were strucken of our Lord for beholding it that lamenting they cryed out Reg. 1.17 Who can staÌ„de in the sight of this holy Lord God Oza was punished an Israelite also and seruant of God fortouching it suddenly and as he thought vpon necessity to hold it vp from falling yet because hedid it not with sufficient wariues it cost him his life being presently strucke dead in the place And darest thou come soe boldly not to touch the Arke but to receiue the B. Sacrament in mortal sinne how knowest thou that God wil spare thee more then he did them thy irreuerence being infinitly greater then theirs was Thou art baptised in the blood of this Sacrament and when thou prophanest it thou abusest as much as euer thou canst that sacred blood Thou apprehendest and imprisonest thy sauiour within thee with the Iewes thou persecutest his honour and life And this being a christian to Christ thy master and who must one day be thy iudge If thou wert guilty of some heinous crime and shouldst entertaine in thy house him who were shortly to call thee to his tribunall and to iudge thee wouldest thou not seeke to please him in his entertainment doe soe then to Christ giue him entertainment as he desireth that he may proue afterwards a fauourable iudge to thee This sacrament is the miracle of miracles the memorial of the maruelous things by which God would shew his loue to vs Zach. 2. and to abuse him in it is to touch him in the aple of his eye and to wound him at the hart For euery thinge as it is higher in perfection soe the contempt of it is of a higher malice and this being the most perfect of all the Sacraments infinite in perfection the irreuerence done to it is of the highest and of infinite malice And therfore it deserueth greater punishments S. Paul threatening iudgment to those that receiue vnworthily as not discerning the body of our Lord. Therfor saith he are there among you many weake Cor. 1.11 and feeble and many sleepe that is to say many are sicke and by But if the diseases and deaths of those dayes proceeded from thence that the B. Sacrament was not receiued with sufficient reuerence what shall we thinke of these deadly times in which now we liue but that they haue proceeded from the same cause the B. Sacrament hauing bene of later yeares soe extremely prophaned The beginners of these heresâ—s who soe often consecrate the sacred host and sacrilegiously receiued it brought into the christian world these floods of bloodshed which still continue to the massacre of many thousands of christians all ready past and now without doubt it is a greater cause of deaths and miserys to vs then it was in S. Pauls dayes to christians Consider therfor when thou goest to receiue what it is that then thou receiuest and prepare in thy selfe loue and reuerence towards it It is Christ thy redeemer thy Iudge and thy omninipotent God If thou receiuest him in mortal sinne thou damnest thy soule by a sinne aboue mortal sinnes which are of frailty it being of malice without either profit or pleasure to thy selfe but onely for the deuils pleasure that tempted thee to that sacrilege Humble thy selfe vnto God and prepare thy selfe with a cleane conscience to receiue into thee that soueraigne guest which the Angels of heauen desire to behold and with trembling reuerence adore his glory dispose thou thy selfe with Angelical reuerence and purity to receiue him The first thinge which thou must doe is to make a good and intire confession of rhy sinnes as I shall â—hew in the next Sacrament and not onely to cleanse they soule from mortal but as much as thou canst also from venial sinnes After confession giue not thy selfe to vnnecessary imployements or conuersation which may coole and hinder thy deuotion but keepe thy selfe more retired in thy minde praying vntill masse beginne and if it beginne not presently thou maist reade in some treatise of the B. Sacrament if thou hast it or walke quietly vntill masse At massetime attende deuoutly
any other religion nor doubt of their owne as long as they adhaere vnto it but must sticke fast to that pillar and sure ground of truth and beleeue that the spirit of God and assistance of Christ is allwais with the Church and that obeying it they obey the holy Ghost and Christ They by these grounds can not as you see pray to God to inspire them to the true faith but must pray to God that they may allwais continue in the spirit of obedience to the Church as hitherto they haue done And soe this point hath onely soe farre relation to Catholiks as that they may gather by it that as hitherto God hath giuen them his holy light and spirit to reiect all priuate inuentions both of their owne and of others to obey the autority of the whole Church and to adhaere to it soe they ought still to doe and to pray to God that they may allwais doe soe and neuer forsake it But all those who haue goneforth of the Church and followed the priuate inuentions of some particular men as all others but Romane Catholikes haue done beginning new Churches which then were not teaching That it behoueth Protestants and those that are out of the Catholike Church to if examin the state of their owne Church nor gouerning of people in any place but were prohibited by the auncient Church as soone as they beganne and would haue bene prohibited sooner if they had begunne sooner with their new doctrines to oppose it all these and those that follow them of necessity mainteining that the true Church had then failed and that there was then noe true Church in the world which they might submitte vnto but that God sent them to reforme the Church and to restore it to its truth againe as Protestants say that when Luther beganne to oppose the Romane Catholike Church the true faith was perished wholy extinct destroyed not one iot of the ghospel had bene knowne but by his labour and study and the like sayings which may be seene in the booke called THE AVTHOVR OF THE PROTESTANT RELIGION l. â— c. 1. and commonly in authors This they saying as they needes must by consequence to their new reformation they ought in all reason if they will haue any care of their soules to be continually feareful and in doubt concerning their faith and being that the true Church may and did as they say faile and was quite decayed out of the world they ought to pray to God to enlighten them to see whether it be not decayed againe as then they say it was and stande not neede of a new reformation as then they say it did and if it doe that he will bring them to the true faith Or els if they will be out of doubt and free from feares they must beleeue as we doe that the Church could not stande neede of any reformation at all in doctrines of faith and soe to betake themselues againe to the obedience of it and to rest secure and contented with the Apostles Creede I beleeue the Catholike Church without troubling themselues about reforming it But being that they can neuer be certaine in their faith as long as they hold it lawfull to change their religion by reforming of errors in the Church they ought to haue often recourse vnto God to know when they should change their religion and to what religion they should change And this by Gods grace I will now shew them how they shall haue recourse to God for This question therefor I adde here for Cods sake and for those that are out of the Catholike Church that being as I haue shewed in the former title saying their prayers they obtaine not the diuine grace because they pray amisse they may know how to pray And because I conceiue it the most necessary of all points and that on which the conuersion of those that are in a false religion cheifly dependeth that they haue true recourse vnto God and also because it was commended to mee by a very graue and experienced person to procure of such that they will commende the state of their soules to God whose grace worketh much more efficaciously in them then our words can doe and because it is a meanes which none by reason can except against therefor I would adde this whole title for their satisfaction and final good that seeking rightly to God they may obtaine the pretious iewel of true faith in obedience to the true Catholike Church necessary to saluation But that the Protestant or any such reader may receiue that benefit by â—his which I wish him and may haue some feeling of that which we are now treating of I desire him first to take into serious consideration the state of his soule and of religion and that he goe not coldly about this busines which of all thinges in the world concerneth him most and is as important vnto him as his entrance into that happy and blessed state were he shall enioy the glorious sight of God or his entrance into hell where he shall neuer see the diuine face but most irefull and full of rage against him to the extreme horrour of his soule and to thinke truely that in this I aske nothing but that which is both according to his owne grounds and also reasonable in it selfe For his predecessors hauing forsaken the common religion of christians which was then vniuersally professed by that which had the name of the Catholike Church for a religion which had then noe name nor being in any place of the world he may with great reason feare himselfe and with much more reason forsake his new religion for some other that was then extant and especially to that which both is now and was then the most famous of all christendome But that which I now aske of him is not to change but onely to haue recourse to God and to pray vnto him that if his Church doe erre as he sayth that it may and once did that by his diuine light and inspiration he will bring him into the true Church He that were trauailing in a vast wildernes vncertaine of his way and saw the darke night comming on and heard the wild beasts sallying out of their dennes roaring and seeking for their pray in what feare and anguish of minde would he be what would he giue for a guide that could sett him into à safe way free from dangers much more fearefull is the condition of euery man that is out of the Catholike Church this world is the wildernes in which he wandereth heauen is his home obedience to the Catholike Church is the onely way to it death is the night that draweth on and the infernal spirits as wild beasts surrounde him Poore soule thou confessest thy selfe to be in an vncertaine Church which may lead thee to hell and why dost thou not tremble for feare and cry vnto God betake thy selfe vnto him call vpon him beseech him earnestly to guide thee and
thinke will the deuill doe to see the sword with which Christ disarmed him and cut of his head be not thou then ashamed of soe great a good least Christ be ashamed of thee when he commeth in his maiesty Thou shalt see then this signe borne before Christ as bright as the sunne The Cros shall goe before him and shall speake with a lowde voice for him to shew that there was nothing wanting on his part This signe both now and of old doth open the doores that are shutt is hath extinguished poyson it hath tamed wild beasts it hath cured the mortall stings of serpents The Cros hath conuerted the world it hath put away feare and brought the truth it hath turned earth into heauen men into Angells death into sleepe it hath brought all our enemys downe to the ground If a gentill shall say to thee adore not him that was Crucifyed be not affraid with a cleere voyce and countenance to say I adore him and will adore him for euer And if he shall lauhg at thee weepe thou with many teares to see his madnes Giue thankes vnto our Lord by whom we haue these things which none without the diuine grace can say We wiâ—h a lowde and cleere voyce and with speciall confidence will cry out The Cros is our glory our freedome our crowne the head and fountaine of our happines I would I could say with S. Paul the world is Crucifyed to mee and I to the world But my Passions hinder mee that I can not say soe Whâ—efore I admonish you and much more my selfe that we be Crucifyed to the world that we haue nothing to doe with he earth but that our wh le mindes be inslaâ—â—â— with the desire of heauenly glory Thus S Iohn Chrysostome and there remaineth nothing for mee to adde to his words words worthy of his holy zeale and eloquence I would I had an Angells voice to sing them as they deserue I would repeato that saying ouer and ouer againe Th Cros is our glory our freedome our crâ—wne the head and fountaine of our happinesse Make it not onely with the fingars on the body but with confidence on the soule and make it as a profession of this faith as an incitement vnto all vertues as an armour against all temptations as a defence against all dangers as a comfort in all afflictions It is the beginning of our awaking of our sleeping of our prayers of our studies of our preaching of our Catechizing of our eating of our drinking of our walking of our riding of our working and of our leauing of from worke all our actions shall beginne and end with this blessed signe and words In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen THE FOVRTH DISCOVRSE OF THE CREEDE OF THE AVTHORITY AND VSE of the Creede I INTENDE now to declare the Creede vnto you in which not onely the cheife mysterys of the christian faith but all whatsoeuer the christian doctrine teacheth in some sort is conteined But first we will haue recourse vnto God and craue his assistance by our blessed Ladys intercession Haile Mary c. Before we declare the articles of the Creede in particular we will say somethinge of the authority and vse of the whole Creede to shew how authentical and pious it is Although the Creede be not deliuered in any part of the scriptures yet it is of equall authority with them to vs neither they nor it being receiued by vs but for the testimony of the Church which both of them haue and which in all thinges we are bounde to beleeue the same autority of the Catholike Church which hath deliuered the scriptures to vs deliuering also the Creede to be beleeued in the same manner by diuine faith the one by writing the other by word of mouth from time to time both of which traditions being in themselues by humane meanes onely a like fallible and by the power of God a like infallible S Pauls writings are receiued by vs as the word of God and he himselfe hath said of his preaching although not written that it was to be receiued not as the word of man but as the word of God Thes 1.2 And againe he planely commandeth them to receiue the like traditions which are deliuered by word of mouth as well as those that are written saying Breth en stande and hold the traditions which you haue learned whether it be by word or by our Epistle Thes 2.2 These are as plane words as S. Paul could speake or write to let vs vnderstande that the words of the Church are to be receiued as the writings which it deliuereth and the holy fathers by these words vnderstande the same autority to be for all the mysterys of faith and for the lawfullnes of all the ceremonys generally practised and allowed of by the Church although not mentioned expresly in the scriptures as is for the scriptures themselues L. 3. c. 3. S. Irenaeus biddeth vs in all questions of controuersy to haue recourse vnto the Apostolicall traditions and to try them by the Apostolicall succession of bishops and in particular by the chayre of Rome and saith that there are many nations of barbarous people simple for their learning but most wise in the constancy of their faith who neuer had the scriptures S. Clement the disciple of S. Peter and the adiutor of S. Paul speaking of the Creede saith that the Apostles before that they separated themselues into seueral countreys to preach the ghospell conferred together and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost made the Creede as a rule to direct them and others in the faith which they were to preach and therfor saith he it is called the Symbole which is a Greeke word signifying a collection or a conference for that it was made by the general assembly and conference of the Apostles S. Ambrose hath these words Ep. 81. The Apostles like a company of skillfull workmen conserring together made the Symbole as a kea to locke vp the Diabolical darknes and to let in the light of Christ and we must deliuer this kea to ourbrethren that the Disciples of Peter may vse it to locke the gates of hell and open the gates of heauen to themselues S. Augustine speaketh thus of it Serm 80. de temp The Apostles haue deliuered a sure rule of faith comprehended according to the Apostolicall number in twelue sentences They called it a Symbole by which Catholike vnion might be conserued and haeretical pranity conuinced It is a Symbole breife in words but large in mysterys for whatsoeuer is praefigured in the Patriarks whatsoeuer is declared in the scriptures anâ— whatsoeuer is foretold by the Prophets either of God the Father of God the Sonne or of the Holy Ghost or of the receiuing of the Sacraments or of the death and resurrection of our Lord is conteined and breifly confessed in it Let therefor euery one learne that Apostolical faith when
shall see him by natural discourse ALL ANGELS AND ALL nations of men giue testimony of God SOe great is the subordination which euery vnderstanding hath to the supreme wisdome and soe great is the inclination which all reasonable creatures haue to confesse and to acknowledge the supreme reason which ordered theirs that all nations of men that euer were and the whole nature of Angels haue consented allwais vnto it and conspired against atheists to choke atheisme as the monster of nature and as the common enemy of the world And euen as bees ioyne together to driue waspes out of their hiues as the destroyers of their nature and as all kingdomes rize vp in defence of their kings parents and fortunes against murderers robbers and theeues to exterminate them from the face of the earth soe haue all nations at all times combined together against atheists to mainteine the diuine power and to acknowledge God as their supreme king and parent and to defende him as their owne liues honours and fortunes which by reason they see cannot be mainteined without order and cannot be ordered but by the power of God In soe much that all nations of men and the most peruersed and obstinate of the Angels haue allwais acknowledged his diuine power If the writings of our auncestors shall haue any place with vs as by reason they must except we will liue life beasts without any correspondence of times we haue that the prowdest of the rebellious spirits as he kept allwais his natural reason soe did he allwais keepe his natural knowledge and acknowledgment of God and neuer sinned soe as to deny his diuine power or to thinke to be equall with him for that he knew could neuer be and euen then when he sinned he implyed as much in words calling God The most high as hauing all inferiour to him he sinned in desiring of a higher glory then God had ordained for him and repining at it he drew others to be his complices and to desire the same and to repine with him and for this he was cast downe with them into hell This if we will giue but humane credit to the best antiquity we must soe vnderstande as that Lucifer refuted atheisme euen then when he sinned and that God by that first sinne would shew himselfe to the world And as amongst Angels soe amongst men the prowdest of all men and most prophane were certainely those who would be worshipped for Gods euen whilst they liued yet these men neuer fell directly into atheisme but rather euen in that hight of pride they implyed an acknowledgment of the diuine power for they hauing gotten the superiority ouer others to preserue it the better and to begette in their people a greater reuerence vnto them assumed to themselues high titles and because the title of God is the highest of all titles they would be called soe and that it might not seeme vaine in word and name onely without substance they would be thought to haue somethinge more then humane in them and required of their inferiors some worship more then the ordinary which was giuen to men and soe it seemeth that Aman would haue had Mardochaeus to haue worshipped him Yet in this they acknowledged a diuine power and euen then they worshipped their false Gods as also Aman euen then acknowledged a higher power then his owne in the king whom he worshipped vpon earth The greatest libertines that euer were in the doctrine which they taught was Epicure and his followers yet neither he nor they euer came to that prophanenesse as directly to deny God but onely indirectly and by consequence as all wicked men doe in their works and those that teach false doctrines of God doe in words He and his company persuaded themselues that after this life there was noe further felicity for men but he denyed not but that some higher power ordained this present felicity of life which we enioy Verbo Athaus They professed sayeth Prateolus that there was a diuine power but they pretended that as God troubled not himselfe about vs soe he would not haue vs to trouble ourselues about worshipping of him but to follow the pleasures of this world which he had made for vs Cicero sayth of this libertine that his doctrine was to perswade men to follow their pleasures in all thinges and to trouble themselues with nothing Tuscul l. 3. nor euer to thinke of death or of any change or losse of those pleasures but to thinke that they should enioy them all or the greatest part of their liues without paine or sorrow or feare of offending the Gods By which it is manifest that these men were not atheists but that they acknowledged a diuine power all though they would not trouble themselues to worship it which gaue occasion to the rest of Philosophers to call them atheists and to set vpon them with arguments as such because atheisme was the consequence of their absurdity although they professed it not That which they professed was the hight of libertinisme in the pursuite of pleasures but it was inferiour to atheisme which taketh away the first principle of reason and of all effects Amongst all the false doctrines which at seuerall times haue sprung vp in the world and haue bene entertained by some nations or peoples for their owne ends and ease there neuer was any any nation or people that in their highest prosperity or lowest aduersity for any ends whatsoeuer but still they acknowledged a diuinity In the first beginning of idolatry when the world was distracted into soe many errors that euery countrey city and family might set vp priuate and particular idols to themselues as they liked we doe not reade of any that would deny God and professe atheisme They persecuted those of the true religion who retained the worship of one eternal and omnipotent God and would not follow their new idolatry and worship of many Gods but still they acknowledged some diuine power And if you descende from that first separation of men from the diuine worship you shall not finde that in all the time past any one nation prouince or citty in all the world did euer resolue to professe atheisme or did but allow or countenance it Some few priuate men there haue bene whom auncient authors haue branded with this infamy as Diagoras Protagoras and Theodorus Yet these men if they fell to atheisme which also may be doubted could neuer get any footing in the world but were presently detested for their singular prophanesse Yet I doe not deny but that there haue bene some atheists in the world as there is noe wickednesse but some haue committed it That which I say is that as by natural reason we must hate vice and by nature abhorre to murder ourselues soe doe we by nature abhorre the sinne of atheisme and that all nations haue punished it as they doe other vices which are against nature It is noe maruaile that some men haue runne willfully
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
expected in the world to come they despised him and easily finding out wayes to delude their scriptures and hardening their harts against his powerfull miracles by which he prooued himselfe to be the Sonne of God and the Sauiour of the world they made it a blasphemy in him to say soe and sought in priuate to haue killed him but that not preuailing for that the scriptures had otherwise foretold his death they publikely apprehended him and deliuered him to the Gentils accusing him and procuring sentence of death to passe against him and to be openly executed in the sight of the world and soe the scriptures were fullfilled in that which they had foretold of him and which he also had foretold of himselfe And although they knew also of his resurrection againe and that testifyed euen by their owne witnesses yet they continued obstinate in malice against him and contradicting the doctrine which he taught haue euer since for these sixteene hundred of yeares in vaine expected and still expect another Christ to come to redeeme them Here we haue two thinges to declare First that Christ the Messias foretold and promised by the scriptures was to be true God and secondly that Iesus Christ our Sauiour was indeede the true Messias whom the scriptures foretold and promised And although the mirâ—â—es which our blessed Sauiour wrought were sufficient to prooue this doctrine to be true he declaring himselfe both to be the Sonne of God and the promised Messias yet I will breifly alledge some places of scriptures to shew that the promised Messias was to be true God Say to the faint harted Esa 35. take courage and feare not saith the Prophet Esay behold your God shall bring reuenge of retribution God himselfe will come and will saue you Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the eares of the deafe shall be open Then shall the lame leape as a hart and the tongue of the dumbe shall be opened Here the Prophet sayth planely that God himselfe should come to saue vs and foretelleth the miracles which were to be wrought at his comming and by which he was to prooue himselfe as Iesus Christ our Sauiour did The Prophet Hieremy hath declared this most conuincingly against the enemys of Christ Behold the dayes come saith our Lord Hier. 23. and I willraise vp to Dauid a iust branch and he shall reigne a king c. And this is the name that they shall call him THE LORD OVR IVST ONE Here the very Iewes confesse that the Prophet speaketh of the Messias who was to come of Dauids race as of the most eminent man by which the tribe of Iuda of which Christ was to be borne was aduanced to regall dignity and of which many kings after Dauid did succeede And by these words he is manifestly declared to be true God for where the Prophet saith that he should be called our Lord the iust one the hebrew text hath the word terragrammaton by which God named himselfe to Moyses and which is vnderstood by all as the most proper name of God neuer vsed to signify any other but the true eternall and omnipotent God And the people of the Iewes haue that word in such reuerence that as vnutterable they will not name it nor reade it in the scriptures but read Adonai insteede of it which the Septuagint interpreters expound Lord. The Prophet Michaeas declareth in particular his proper procession by which he proceedeâ—h eternally as the Sonne of God from his eternall Father Miâ—h 5. And thou Bethleem Eprata art a liue one in the thousands of Iuda out of thee shall come forth vnto mee he that shall be the dominatour in Israel and his comming forth from the beginning from the dayes of eternity Where we haue two processions in the Messias the one eternall as he was the Sonne of God proceeding from the Father the other temporall as he proceeded man of the Virgin Mâ—â—y and was borne in Bethleem called Ephrata to destinguish it from another Bethleem in the tribe of Zahulon Thus would God ordaine that the holy scriptures of the old Testament should foreshew and declare the diuinity of Christ which the Apostles professe in this article Now we shew how that Iesus Christ our Sauiour was the true Messias of whom the scriptures foretold and whose diuinity they declared Christ prooâ—ed by scriptures It was necessary that holy scripture should soe farre declare the circumstances of the Messias his comming as that the world might haue sufficient signes and tokens to know him by when he came and that the Iewes amongst whom he was to come receiuing those scriptures might by the same scriptures receiue him or be vnexcusable if they receiued him not and therefor our Sauiour admonished them saying search the scriptures Io. 5. For you thinke in them to haue life euerlasting and the same are â—â—ey that gine testimony of mee The testimonys of the scriptures by which they testify the circumstances of the Messias his comming to agree to our Sauiour Iesus Christ are soe many that I once thought to haue mentioned none of them but onely to haue shewed the diuine testimony of his doctrine by the miracles which he wrought yet I will take somethinge out of authors for this also and especially out of Lyra commented vpon by Burgensis and note by the way that this Burgensis had bene himselfe a learned Iew borne of the tribe of Leui and brought vp in the study of that sect but discouering the many sleights and impostures which are vsed by them after a long conflict with himselfe resolued in the end to become a christian and accordingly with his whole family he receiued in baptisme the faith of Christ After some yeares he was made bishop of Burgos in Spaine and became an eminent prelate in the Church of God and wrote his commentarys vpon Lyra in which he hath well testifyed his zeale of the Catholike faith First by the circumstances which the scriptures deliuer as tokens of Christ the Messias it appeareth that he is allready come The Prophet Esay speaking of the land of Iury which was to bring him forth Esa 66. sayth that before she traueled she brought forth before her time came to be deliuered she brought forth a man child In all that Chapter he speaketh of the Messias his comming and according to the Chaldaike traslation those words are to be vnderstoode of his comming before the destruction of Hierusalem when the land of Iury felt as it were the pangues of a woman in child birth in that desolation and deluge of sorrowes which then came vpon hâ—r and it is as much as to say that the land of Iury should bring forth the Messias after a strange manner not after the ordinary course of women who haue ioy after their deliuery but on the contrary the paines of deliuery after her bringing forth of him and soe it happened with them in the comming of Christ for after his
Apostle As in Adam all dy soe in Christ all shall be made aliue Neither doe his words to the Thessalonians make against this Thes 1.4 where he saith The dead that are in Christ shall rize againe first Then we that liue that are left with all shall be taken vp with them in the clouds to meete Christ For those that be liuing on the earth when Christ shall come to iudgment shall dy and rize againe to receiue their sentence And of this there can be noe doubt if we consider the cause of the resurrection which is generall to all Cor. 2.5 that euery one may receiue the propper things of the body according as he hath done either good or euill All men being constituted of body and either seruing or not seruing God by it must rize againe that they may receiue in their bodys according to the works which they did in them S. De ciu Dâ—â— l. 22. c. 19. Augustin hath declared with what beauty and ornaments the bodys of the iust shall rize againe free from the deformitys and imperfections which before they had They shall haue noe defects of litlenes weaknes crookednes c. There shall be noe excesse in bignesse the fatt and corpulent shall deminish of their bulke and those that want of their natural pitch shall come to their perfect syze and stature There shall be then noe tendernesse of infants noe feeblenes of old age noe sicknes lamenesse or infirmity in any part They shall rize all full of ioy and content neither as yong nor as old but in a midle perfect age The haire and other ornaments of the body neither too much nor too litle all indecency being changed into comlines and decency that the body and soule may both together praise their creatour as well in corporall as in spirituall glory THE TWELFTH ARTICLE LIfe euerlasting Because life is the most pretious of all things to vs all the happinesse which we enioy in this world being enioyed by life and lost by death therfor the euerlasting felicity of heauen is called euerlasting life and the losse of it may very well be termed an euerlasting death the eternall separation of our soules from God being infinitly more miserable to them then their separation from their miserable bodys and therfor as dying creatures carne and anhele for life soe ought we to earne and anhele after that blessed life Some times that happy state is called the kingdome of God the house of God paradise the holy city thus in the scriptures and all to enamour vs with it The cheife felicity of the blessed which is called their Essentiall blesse consisteth in the cleere vision that is to say the perfect knowledge which they haue of God that they know him with full content as one doth his freind when he is present with him Cor 1.13 Io. 17. and beholdeth him face to face We see now by a glasse in a darke sort But then face to face saith the Apostle and Christ saith This is life euerlasting that they know thee the onely true God The glory of the Saints is giuen to them according to the measure of their grace for as they dy in a higher state of grace soe shall they receiue a higher reward of glory the scriptures frequently declaring that the reward is to be giuen according to our works Cor 1.3 Euery one saith the Apostle shall receiue his reward according to his labour Luth in Natiuit Maria Virgni By which we may see how false that inference of Luther was Christs iustice is imputed vnto euery one alike therefor euery one is as holy as our blessed lady For Christs iustice is imputed vnto euery one in that degree in which euery one applyeth it to himselfe and vnto all the saints alike soe farre as to obtaine glory S. Aug tract 67. in Io. but not in the same degree S. Augustine shall answere him The penny indeede is giuen vnto euery one alike but the many mansions signify the diuerse dignitys of merits in that one eternall life And presently after he citeth the Apostle Cor. 1.15 where speaking of the resurrection of the body he saith one glory of the sunne another glory of the moone and another of the starres for starre differeth from starre in glory Soe saith he is the resurrection of the dead the Saints as starres haue different mansions Greg. mor. l. 1. c. vltime and different claritys in the kingdome of heauen S. Gregory confirmeth S. Augustins words as it were repeating the very same ouer againe Because the elect of God haue different works in this life in the next without doubt there shall be a difference of dignitys and therefor in my fathers house there be many mansions Now to speake of the greatnes of this glory I know not how to beginne for it is neither in the tongue of man to speake nor in his hart to thinke the liberality of God in rewarding of his friends The Saints are then vnited in perfect friendshipp with him and are receiued into his innermost tabernacles where they shall neuer feare to loose his grace nor their place of glory And by that neere and intimate vnion with God the diuine power wisdome and goodnes appeareth soe resplendently in them that euen as iron when it is redd hott seemeth to be all fire by the fire which it conteineth soe the saints by that bright glory and sublime light by which God dwelleth in them and ioyneth himselfe to them seeme to haue put on the very nature of God It ought to be a great comfort in the way of vertue and an encouragement to vndergoe labors for Gods sake to thinke of the reward which we shall haue in the end Dauid a yong man comming into king Sauls campe to visit his brethren that were souldiers in it saw the huge army of their enemys ouer against them and a mighty gyant standing in the midst of both formidably armed challenging all Israël to a single duell with him and although he saw all the Israëlits to fly from his face forvery feare yet hearing by chance of a great reward which was promised to any that should kill him to wit that he should haue the Kings daughter to wife and other things He hearkened after it and when he had informed himselfe well and vnderstoode that such was indeede the kings promise his spirits were raised with the hopes of reward and his hart was on fire to be in hand with the gyant and allthough he knew neither how to weare armour nor manage armes but without either sword or speare or any defence for himselfe was to venture his life with an old tryed souldier he feared nothing but went downe vnto him as though it had bene to beate a dogge and seeing his enemy to approch he ranne towards him threw a stone onely in his face and closing presently with him with his owne sword he cut of his head Soe in our spirituall combats
against the deuils power Sixtly the corporal life of man as he is ordained to the society of other men requireth a superiour authority to be in some for the gouerning of others and soe an orderly gouernment is necessary for vs in the Church of God and for this we haue the Sacrament of orders in which power is giuen to some in spiritual things Seauenthly for the continuance and conseruation of humane nature a continuall succession and propagation of mankind is necessary in the world and for this the spiritual life of man requireth that it be done by a Sacrament for the orderly propagation of men and the increase of soules to the worship of God This is by the Sacrament of Matrimony which as it is a duety of nature is onely for corporal generation but as it is a Sacrament it giueth grace for the increase of soules in the diuine worship The number of the Sacraments shall appeare furthermore out of the scriptures in that which I haue to say of euery Sacrament in particular The same is declared by diuerse Councels And although the fathers haue had noe occasion in their writings to name them alltogether yet they haue made mention of them all as occasion serued Neither is it necessary that we should assigne the time when euery Sacrament in particular was instituted of Christ We know the times of the institution of some of them and we know that for forcy dayes betwixt his resurrection and his Ascension he frequently appeared vnto his Apostles and taught them many things which they were to obserue in the Church which are not mentioned in the scriptures and we know that the Sacraments of the Church must be of Christs teaching and ordaining We haue for the number of the Sacraments the same authority that we haue for any of the scriptures to wit the authority of the Church which although it declare not the time when the scriptures were written yet it assureth vs of all their verity and soe it doth of the number of the Sacraments ad Casulan S. Augustine giueth vs this rule that for those thinges which are generally receiued by the Church if their beginnings be not knowne they are to be taken for Apostolical traditions but such is the number of seauen Sacraments therefor they are of Apostolical tradition Thus much of the Sacraments in general let vs now come to their particular declarations OF BAPTISME OF THE NECESSITY OF baptisme BAptisme is commonly called the doore of the Sacraments because it is the entrance to the rest necessary to be had before them For vntill we be christened we are not christians and vntill we be made christians we can not receiue the Sacraments of the people of Christ Baptisme is our first spiritual generation and before generation we haue noe operation because we are not soe before baptisme we haue noe spiritual being in grace and therefor it is to be supposed before the rest of the Sacraments be receiued the words of S. Iohn being then verifyed he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God Io. 1. For as we are borne the children of Adam and of wrath in our corporal births soe in baptisme we are borne the sonnes of God by grace through the merits of Iesus Christ As necessary then as generation is to the corporal being of all men soe necessary is baptisme to the being of all soules in the diuine grace and fauour and as necessary as birth is to the perfection of man in this world soe necessary is baptisme to come to the perfect state of glory Vnles a man be borne againe of water and the spirit he can not enter into the kingdome of God Iâ— 3. By which words it appeareth that Baptisme is a Sacrament that is to say an outward rite or signe that causeth grace in vs. Baptisme a Sacrament We haue a rite and outward signe in the water and we haue the effect of grace in that the kingdome of heauen is obtained by it Heretiks that would confounde all things in the Church of God haue gone about to take away our christendome from vs affirming quite contrary to the words of Christ that a man not borne of water may enter into the kindome of heauen pretending that children are sanctifyed by their parents faith and therefor will not baptize them But this as I haue said is directly contrary to the words alleadged and in it selfe most absurde in that it maketh the kingdome of heauen to come to children not by grace but by inheritance from faithfull parents and supernaturall glory to be obtained by natural and corporal meanes Children are not absolutly holy in that they come of holy parents good parents are indeede a meanes to thee sanctification of their children by procuring for them that which God hath ordained for their sanctification but the goodnes of the parent can not merit grace for the child nor sanctify him This must be done by applying the merits of Christs passion to children in some Sacrament And soe the children of the Iewes in the law of Moyses were saued by the faith of their parents in this sense that they hauing the true faith applyed vnto their children those meanes of sanctification which God then ordained for them but neither in the law of Moyses nor of nature were children euer sanctifyed by onely being borne of good parents but somethinge was allwais done to them as Circumcision or some other outward signe for their sanctification which although it were farre inferiour to our baptisme yet it was necessarily required there being noe proportion betwixt kinred in blood and the diuine grace and glory S. Augustin Doe not beleeue Aug. l. 3. de anima eâ—â—s origineâ— 9. doe not say that children before baptisme can haue their original sinne forgiuen them if thou wilt be a Catholike OF THE EFFECT OF BAPTISME THE propper and particular effect of Baptisme is to make him that receiueth it to become a member of the body of Christ as being admitted into his Church by it and to dispose and prepare him for the rest of the Sacraments after it The general effect of Baptisme which it hath commune with all the Sacraments is to giue grace to the sanctification of soules and this it doth after soe full and plentifull a manner that it remitteth all sinne whatsoeuer original and actual great and litle and forgiueth all punishment due to it in the next world Rom. 6. We are buried saith the Apostle together with him by Baptisme vnto death That is to the death and destruction of sinne and of all punishment after it We haue a figure of this in Naaman the leptose Prince of Syria who washing himselfe in the waters of Iordan Reg. 4 5. as the Prophet had praescribed to him he came forth soe cleane and perfectly cured that the Holy Ghost saith his flesh was restored as the flesh of a litle child Ezechiel prophecyed of this saying I will powre out
eminently blessed aboue the rest of the Sacraments and infinitly blessed in that it conteineth the authour of all blesse These are the words of S. Denis the disciple of S. Eccl hier c. 3. Paul concerning it for it is saith he according to our renewmed master the Consummation of the Sacraments Neither is it almost lawfull for any of the priestly functions to be exercized but this diuine and high Sacrament of Eucharist must be performed It is the highest indeede and most diuine of all the Sacraments because the rest conteining onely the vertue and power of Christ this truely and really conteineth Christ himselfe And therefor the Apostles called it the Eucharist that is to say a high and blessed grace or gift By it the Church of Christ is placed in a midle ranke of honour aboue the synagogue of the Iewes and vnder the cittizens of heauen we being but a litle lesse exalted then they The Synagogue of the Iewes in the law of Moyses had Christ in sigure onely we in the Eucharist haue him as really as the cittizens of heauen but they haue him in glory In the Eucharist all Christ is conteined for although by vertue of the words This is my body c. his body onely be really present in it yet because all his perfections are allwais accompanying his sacred body and wheresoeuer it is there is all Christ hence it followeth that both his body and soule and all the perfections of his diuine and humane nature and all whatsoeuer is in Christ is really in the Eucharist in company of his body If his body were without his soule then it were dead Rom 6. as it was in the sepulcher but Christ rising againe from the dead now dieth noe more Saith the Apostle Christ therfor being now not dead wheresoeuer his body is there his soule is all ouer vnited to it There is then his intire humane nature of body and soule and being that his diuine and humane nature are allwais vnited together there is also the diuine word and nature of God All Christ is intirely in the host and all Christ is intirely in the chalice although vnder different signes and species And Christ is not onely all in all the host and chalice but all Christ is in euery part of them soe that he that receiueth onely the host receiueth as much as he that receiueth both host and chalice and he that receiueth the chalice onely receiueth as much as both chalice and host and the least particle of either of them is as much as all The reason of this supposing the truth of Christs words may easily be vnderstoode for that he did not determine any particular quantity to be consecrated which if he had done then a lesser quantity had not bene consecrated but leauing the quantity indifferent and the least part of it being consecrated as well as the whole it is the perfect Eucharist and perfect Christ as well as the whole Christ being shortly to depart this world would leaue vnto vs a great testimony ef his loue and although his passion and death were sufficient to testify it yet besides them he would bestow a gift token and pledge vpon vs which might allwais remaine with vs as a memorial of him He called therfor his disciples to supper and being there all together he made his wil and last testament amongst them bequething vnto them the most pretious gift that was in his hands to giue and in his blessed hands were all thinges It was his owne pretious body which then he bequeathed and gaue to them and with it all the perfections of his diuine and humane nature and he gaue it not in promise onely and for the future but he deliuered it then to them for themselues and for all good christiaÌ„s for euer And that noe haeretike might misconstrue his will and defraude the world of this pretious Isgacy he declared his minde soe planely and in such termes as could not wel be misinterpreted telling them that it was the very body which Was to be deliuered and that blood which was to be shedd Gâ—r 1.11 For the Apostle sayth that whilst they were at supper Iesus tooke bread and blessed and brake and he gaue to his disciples and said take ye and eate THIS IS MY BODY which shall be deliuered for you and taking the chalice he gaue thanks and gaue to them saying drinke ye all of this For this is my blood of the new testament which shall be shed for many vnto remission of sinnes Commanding them to doe the same in commemoration of him If then his true body and blood was deliuered and shedd it was his true body and blood which then he gaue to them And although as there is noe absurdity soe great but haeretiks wil finde out how to mainteine it the Manichees haue conceited that an apparent body onely and not the true body of Christ was deliuered on the Cros for vs yet now that I heare of there are noe such haeretiks in the world All christians then beleeuing that his true body was deliuered on the Cros why shall not all as wel beleeue that his true body is conteined in the Eucharist seeing that we haue the same authority for it After this the Apostles vndertooke to consecrate the Eucharist and honored it as the very true body and blood of our lord Cor. 1.11 Mat. 26. S. Paul whosoeuer shall eate this bread or drinke the chalice of our Lord vnworthily he shall be guilty of the body and blood of our Lord. and that he eateth and drinketh iudgment to him selfe not discerning the body of our Lord. Thus did the Apostles receiue the Eucharist from Christ and honored it as his true body And the primitiue Church that receiued it from them gaue it the same honour as they did and as the Romane Church now doth That the Rom. Church doth now giue it that honour it is well knowne and that the primitiue Church honored it as much it shall appeare by the sentences of those fathers and first by the honorable names which they giue it Hier. Eccl. c. 3. Ignat. ad Ephes Iustin Apoll Cyp. de lapsis S. Denis termeth it hostia saluta ris the sauing host S. Ignatius calleth it medicamentum immortalitatis antidotum non moriendi the medicine of immortality the antidote against death Iustinus Caro sanguis incarnati Iesu the flesh and blood of Iesus incarnated Cyprian de laps Sanctum Domini gratia salutaris sacrificium perpes holecaustum permanens the holy one of our Lord the sauing grace the continual sacâ—ifice an offering allwais remaining Concilium Nicaen Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world S. Cyr mystag 4. Cyril hath these words of it Vnder the shew of bread the body is giuen to thee and the blood is giuen vnder the shew of wine Doe not consider it as naked bread and wine For it
proceedeth from the loue of concupiscence which is in vs by which we regard our owne interest And therefor such shame or feare is not sufficient for an â—act of true contrition which includeth the the loue of God aboue all things This is an act of contrition I loue thee ô God aboue all things in the world and for thy owne sake I am sorry to haue offended thee And this act if it be truely conceiued and made in our harts is the most gratefull act to God that we can possibly make for by it we offer vp our selues all our actions and all creatures to God as his owne and as it were one sacrifice due to him And soe a purpose of amending and of confessing our sinnes and of keeping all the commandements of God is included in this act and it is soe perfect and pleasing to him that he that should haue it and should dy before he could come to confession should haue his mortal sinnes forgiuen him and be saued by vertue of it For if Martyrs haue all their sinnes forgiuen them by Martyrdome because they loue God more then their liues and more then the whole world soe shall he that hath a Martyrs charity and is in the preparation of his minde a Martyr in that he loueth God more then his owne life and aboue all thinges in the world and feareth more to offende him then he doth the paines of death or torments of hell Therefor it is good for all to make such acts of inward contrition especially before confession and to accustome themselues often to make such acts that in all dangers when they haue not the opportunity of a priest for confession thy may fly vnto an act of contrition as to a sanctuary which in time of neede shall saue them He that hath not soe perfect a loue of God as true contrition requireth must haue at least attrition for his sinnes which is a more imperfect loue mixed with feare of punishment of losse of reward or the like which being ioyned to confession is perfected by it and becommeth contrition in effect giuing grace and forgiuenesse of sinnes For it can not be thought but that the Sacrament being added to an act of attrition more perfection must be added to it and that is to giue grace For as the Councell of Trent hath declared the Sacrament of pennance is the Sacrament of the dead because it reuiueth to the state of grace those who were in the state of sinne which they could not be with true contrition The third thinge which the poenitent must haue before confession is a firme purpose of amendement which purpose although it be included in an act of contrition yet it is good to make it alwais expresly by it selfe because we know not when we haue true contrition And it is good allwais to make a purpose to amende and to fly the occasions of that sinne in particular which we offende most in Neither is this purpose euer to be omitted because it is often broken for if we should runne on still in sinne and neuer purpose to amende we should neuer amende and if for all the good purposes which we make we still fall into sinne what would become of vs if we made not those purposes and contrary acts to it The purposes which we make and the detestations of sinne are a great meanes to hinder it and a most soueraigne remedy it is against all sinne and especially against euill customes presently to make a contrary act in detestation of them and to gett to confession as soone as we can OF CONFESSION HAVING prepared our selues with due examine of conscience sorrow for our sinnes and purpose of amendment the next part of this Sacrament is confession We come then to the priest and with reuerence to the Sacrament we kneele downe at his feete full of sorrow and confusion We may thinke then of the Magdalene how she came to the feete of Christ confessing her sinnes not in particular for that she needed not to him who knew them allready and saw the secrets of her hart yet she confessed them in general if not by word of mouth yet by many expressions of sorrow for them and of much loue of God Luc. 7. And therfor she deserued to heare thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Thinke thou I say of her example and prepare the like sorrow and loue in thy selfe when thou comest to cleare thy conscience in confession The poenitent kneeling downe saith Benedicite that is to desire the blessing of God and of the priest for the worthy performing of that action The priest then prayeth for him then he saith I confesse mee to almighty God to the blessed Virgin Mary to S. Michael the Archangell to S. Iohn Baptist to S. Peter and to S. Paul and to all the Saints in heauen that I haue offended by thought word and worke through my fait through my falt through my most greeuous falt The meaning of which is to prostrate himselfe before God and the whole court of heauen and before the priest as the Vicar of God vpon earth to acknowledge and confesse his falts Then he beginneth to declare in particular what he hath offended in For the rightly performing of which he may vnderstande three conditions to be principally necessary for a good confession to wit that it be intire cleare and obedient For the first condition of integrity it is necessary that we confesse all the mortal sinnes which we know ourselues to be guilty of expressing euery one of them in particular the number and the circumstances aggrauating them Venial sinnes are not absolutly necessary to be confessed because they are not quite opposite to the effect of the Sacrament but may stande with grace yet of deuotion we confesse them for many reasons aboue mentioned Children and some very wicked persons breake sometimes this condition of integrity and either because they vnderstande not or consider not the worke which they haue in hand they conceale sometimes their sinnes from the priest but this is indeede either very childish or very impious and sheweth that they haue not a true apprehension of the dignity of a Sacrament nor of the state of their soules who onely receiue good or euill by that which they then doe it importing nothing to any other whether they confesse well or ill Let these therefor vnderstande and consider that this is the profanation of a Sacrament a heinous mortall sinne not as other mortall sinnes of frailty but of malice against the first commandement directly opposite to diuine worship He that hideth his wicked deedes saith the holy Prouerbe shall not be directed Prou. 28. but he that shall forsake them shall obtaine mercy He bringeth vpon himselfe not one but many euills First not confessing any mortall sinne he committeth a new mortal sinne and that of a higher nature Secondly the sinnes which he doth Confesse are not forgiuen Thirdly all the sinnes which he hath committed euer since
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
that the more they drinke the more their disease increaseth and their desire of drinke These ought to consider that riches are the creatures of God ordained for vse and if they be not vsed they are abused and the order is peruerted which God ordained in the creation of them Some sinne by excesse in the contrary that they will not thinke nor prouide how to liue but spend as long as they haue any thing and then they passe on a slothfull and carelesse life choosing rather as the common saying is hungar with ease then plenty with paines taking These must consider that God hath prouided sufficiently for them and if they will needs contemne the prouidence of God and spend all then they must vse their limmes to liue by and that euery man must liue of his owne care and labour in his calling The rich haue a more carefull and lesse painefull life the poorer as they haue lesse care so they haue more paines to take And if they be able they must worke and not thinke any more idly and loosely to depende of others then others thinke to depend of them These sinne by too much neglect of riches as they are good the couetous sin by too much loue of that which is base in riches The remedy of couetousnes is to stirre vp in our selues an ardent loue of God that we loue him in our riches and them not for themselues but for his sake and to doe sometimes some deeds of charity for this end that we may keep our harts allways free from the loue of riches and open to the loue of God and of our neighbour O that rich men would remember those words which King Dauid sang â—s 61. If riches abound set not your hart vpon them They might desire riches haue riches and keepe them if they would but keep their harts of them and vse them as God hath ordained them to be vsed Dauid performed himselfe that which in this he commended to others who although he were guilty of some other sinnes yet he is not noted at any time to haue set his hart on riches when they abounded with him as a king in plenty of all things He was a very charitable man gaue much to the building of a temple to God by which it appeareth that he sett his hart on almesdeeds and doeing works of charity and not vpon riches and if all rich men would doe soe they might be happy and blessed in their riches You haue now the ten Commandements declared the Commandements not of any king or superiour vpon earth but of God the maker of heauen and earth and who gaue these Commandements after such a terrible manner to the Israelits that as you haue heard they were allmost killed with feare at the receiuing of them because they were a hard harted people and as stubborne and peruersed children were to be gouerned with the sight of the rodde But we that liue in the law of Christ which is the law of clemency and grace and in which we haue such an example of the loue of God in the mystery of the incarnation and passion of the sonne of God we ought to be drawne by loue to obey him who intreating and exhorting to keepe his Commandements demandeth If you loue mee keepe my Commandements Io. 14. And a litle after he that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loueth mee We professe ourselues to be christians that is as the disciples seruants souldiers and spouses of Iesus Christ to loue him and we follow obey sight for and adulterate with the deuill his professed enemy O Christian is this thy loue is this to be a Christian the beloued disciple of Iesus Christ saith He that saith he abideth in Christ ought as he walked himselfe also to walke Io. 1.2 You would thinke it a horrible thinge to see a christian to deny his christendome and to become a Turke or Pagan and yet in deedes we deny it when we breake the Commandements of God which then we promised faithfully to keepe Tit. 1. They Confesse that they know God but in their works they deny saith S. Paul This is to be a christian in name onely and not indeede as the traitour or rebell to the king hath the name of his subiect but is not subiect to him and thus S. Iohn Euangelist was inspired to declare Io. 1.1 He that saith he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him If therefor you will be constant to the faith of Christ and beare truely the name of a christian be good christians keepe the Commandements of God let not the pleasure of any thinge draw you from him giue him the first place in your harts care not for the fauour of any soe as to loose the diuine fauour contemne riches forsake all vnlawfull desires beare afflictions losses iniurys imprisonment or any paine what soeuer rather then to committee any mortall sinne powre forth this life which here you enioy to please God the supreme goodnes better then life How many martyrs haue giuen their liues not onely in defence of faith but of the Commandements of God to fly sinne Dun 13. It is better for mee sâ—ith chast Susanna without the act to fall into your hands then to sinne in the sight of our Lord. Math. 1.2 Allthough all nations obey king Antiochus I and my sonnes and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers said the holy Priest Matathias when the kings officers vrged him against the lawes of God Death suffered for the loue of God maketh a martyr and soe S. Iohn Baptist was a martyr because he suffered for the good works which he did and soe S. Peter was a martyr in minde when for the loue of Christ he said with thee I am ready to goe both into prison and vnto death Luc. 22. And shall we for a moment of delight that endeth be it be begunne breake the Commandements of God loose his fauour and be banished from him for euer Let vs resist temptations couragiously and with zeale of Gods honour say from our harts all though all should obey the world the flesh or the deuill I will obey the law of God I will liue and dy in his seruice Lord my God for euer will I Confesse to thee Psal 29. THE SEAVENTH DISCOVRSE OF THE PATER NOSTER Quest Say the Pater Noster Answ Our Father which art in Heauen Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Giue vs this day our daily bread And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them their trespasses against vs. And lead vs not into temptation But deliuer vs from euill Amen THIS is that blessed and most perfect prayer which Christ himselfe made and gaue to his disciples to teach them how to pray It is necessary then that the disciples of Christ vnderstand it and learn to
God because God sheweth himselfe there in glory as a King reigning in the mindes and hearts of his Saints who are in perfect loue and subiection to him And supposing here that which we prayed for before to wit that it be for the honour of God we may be vnderstoode to pray that our soules may be freed out of the prison of our bodys Phil. 1. and come soone to that happy state as the Apostle desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ The Kingdome of Heauen is the first thing Mat. 6. which we ought to aske for our selues Seeke first the Kingdome of God and the iustice of him and all these things shall be giuen you besides Christ said this to his disciples after that he had delinered the Pater noster to them in which he taught them first to aske the honour of God and then those things which were good for themselues and amongst all those things in the first place the kingdom of heaven Tract 102. This is saith saint Augustin that full and perfect ioy which we ought to pray for and which oll our prayers ought to aime at as the only true ioy Here the Romane Catechisme admonisheth Pastors to excite their people to the loue of that Kingdome by the sentences of holy Scriptures which are indeede frequent enough for it But in order to this it ought to be sufficient that Christ hath said in few words Aske and you shall receiue that your ioy may be full For what ioy should we desire but that which is full ioy and fullnesse of ioy is not to be had but in heauen Euery thing aspireth to that in which its cheife and full ioy consisteth Sensible things to that which pleaseth the senses liuing things to the conseruation of life and those things which haue onely being and noe life delight in that which is according to their nature and seeke to it because there is the fulnes of their ioy And shall the soule of man which is reasonable aboue all these things forsake that which is its cheife and full ioy All corporall things tende with violence thither where their cheife ioyes are and rest not contented vntill they enioy them The Sunne Moone and Planets reioyce in their courses the Starres in their stations and keepe themselues in them because there is the fullnes of their ioy The creatures of the earth are some aboue the earth some within it and some part within and part without it as trees and herbes and will not liue otherwise because there is the summe of their delight The fishes of the Seas and fresh waters seeke allways to be there and striue by violence to that place Light thinigs tende vpwards and heauy things to the centre of the earth because there they haue the fulnesses of their ioy The fulnesses of our ioy is noe where but in Heauen and why doe not we then seeke to it and abhorre all that hindereth vs of it We liue in this world as it is were out of our element in a place most lothsome to our soules a deadly prison condemned to dy continually and in danger of eternall death Rom. 7. What ioy can we take in this condition Vnhappy that I am saith the Apostle who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death The Kingdome of God is diuersely vnderstoode First it is general ouer all the world as he gouerneth and prouideth for his subiects which are the multitude of all creatures Secondly it is more particularly ouer the Catholike Church as the people of a Kingdome gathered together to worship him as their true King Thirdly more particularly yet his Kingdome is with the iust in whose harts he reigneth by grace of whom Christ the Kingdome of God is with you Luc. 17. Lastly his Kingdome is most especially ouer the blessed to whom at the day of iudgement he shall say Mat. 25. Come the blessed of my Father possesse you the Kingdome prepared for you Here we aske that we and all people may soe liue in the Communion of the Catholike Church by Faith and good works that in the end we may obtaine the glory of Heauen For this Kingdome is not otherwise obtained but by such faith as S. Gal. 5. Paul requireth which worketh by charity as by those who haue giuen meate drinke and cloths for Gods sake and they shall be excluded that come with the profession onely of Catholiks saying Mat. 7. Lord Lord open vnto vs but bring not with them the light of good workes Not euery one that sayeth Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heauen but he that doth the will of my Father of which point Saint Augustine wrote a booke de fide operibus in which he sheweth that the Epistles of S. Paul were misconstrued by some of those times as though he required not good works after baptisme cap. 14. but that faith alone did iustify And therefore saith he the other Epistles of Peter Iames and Iude were written to auouch vehemently that fait without good works profiteth nothing THE THIRD PETITION THY will be done in Earth as it is in Heauen Man hath not a greater enemy then his owne will when it is not gouerned by the will of God All good things which we haue come by the goodnesse of the diuine will and all euills that befall vs come through the malice of our owne wills The ignorance of our vnderstandings neuer hurteth our soules but when it is voluntary and all our sinnes proceede from thence that either we will not doe what we know is to be done or will not know what we are to doe Esa 5. Hence is that curse of the Prophet Woe vnty you that call euill good and good euill putting darknesses light and light darknesse putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter This curse commeth by the euill of our wills because we will follow our owne blindnes and not the will of God which ought to be our rule and guide in all things The malice of men beganne presently to be much vpon earth and the cogitations of their hart were soe bent vpon vpon euill that a deluge of waters was sent to destroy them This euill was in their harts that is to say in their wills because they followed not the will of God which is sweet and lightsome but their owne wills which are darke and bitter in effect and so haue all the euils of the world come Therefore we are topray and to labour with ourselues for conformity with the will of God Besides we not knowing what is best for vs aske that some times which is hurtfull as sicke folkes in a feauer desire that which hurteth them and as children who would take poison for treacle if they had there owne wills and therefore sicke folkes and children haue keepers whose wills they must follow and be directed by We are as children in our wills and vnderstandings both deficient by sinne God is our
Word it may be said to be infinite in grace The fullnes of his grace was also eminent aboue all in that grace was giuen to him as to the head source and fountaine which was to serue vs all with grace of his fullnes saith S. Iohn all we haue receiued noe grace being euer giuen to any but as flowing from the merits of his passion Next vnto Christ the B. Virgin had the greatest fullnes of grace For grace is giuen vnto creatures with proportion and in order to the offices and dignitys to which God designeth them and soe the B. Virgin had a greater proportion of grace then any Angell or Saint had for that she was designed to a higher office and dignity then any Angell or Saint was Her grace was to be such as might render her worthy to be the woman whom God would choose aboue all women to take flesh of to nourish him in her wombe to bring him forth to the world to haue the charge of his infancy and education and to haue him subiect vnto her as the Euangelist declareth him to haue bene For all which a great measure and proportion of grace was necessary that as her charge and dignity was eminent aboue all soe might her grace be suetable vnto it In the third place is the fullnes of grace which the Angels and Saints had to the fullfilling of those works to which God had ordained them And soe S. Steuan had fullnes of grace in order to the well performing of a Deacons office to confounde the Iewes and to be the first martyr and encourager of others to suffer martyrdome for Christ by his example and soe to enter into glory Soe that Christ according to his humanity was most eminent in grace goodly of beauty aboue the sonnes of men Ps 44. in that his humane nature was vnited to the diuine word and was the fountaine of grace to vs. Our Blessed Lady was next to him in that she had the highest office and greatest charge in relation to the mystery of the Incarnation The Angells and Saints were in a lower degree then she yet they also had fullnes of grace in their measures and in proportion to their offices They all haue fullnes of grace but in seuerall kindes and in a different nature The Angels and Saints in the lowest place our B. Lady aboue them and Christ in a higher nature transcending both them and her And our B. Lady had not onely a higher nature of grace then the Angels and Saints had but she had also a greater capacity in her soule which God created as a more ample and capable vessell conteining a greater measure of grace then they could conteine although full also in their measure and capacity and therefore she is compared to that huge vessell called the Sea Reg. 3.7 which Salomon caused to be made for the Temple which conteined ten thousand gallous according to Authors and vnto the maine Ocean Chrysol ser 146. Albert. sup missus Bonau in spec virg cap. 2. But it is to be obserued that our blessed Sauiour being not onely creature according to his humanity but also the Creatour of the world according to his diuine nature hee is not to be numbered in the number of creatures and therfore the Saints and holy Fathers commonly say that our B. Lady in grace and glory surpasseth all creatures not numbring Christ and so wee say properly that she is aboue all pure creatures that is to say onely creatures But that wee may not seeme to exaggerate towards her prayses more then due and to say any thing without good grounds you shall see as much and more then we haue said to be grounded vpon the solidity of many bundreds of yeares standing euer from the times of the primitiue Church of Christ for the first six hundred yeares when the very enemys of the Catholike Church that now are confesse the Christian Faith to haue bene most pure from errour and the Church most flourishing the holy and learned men of those times haue setforth her prayses after the same manner and in the very same termes which wee now vse and haue prayed vnto her calling her Mistres Lady Queen Mother of God and the like titles to honour her and to increase the denotion of people vnto her First in the first age Saint Iames the Apostle in in his Lyturgy which he made for the Church service would not omitt to make a commemoration of her But beginning the words of the Haile Mary as the Angell did he repeateth them and calleth her most holy vndefiled blessed aboue all our Queene Lady Mother of God Saint Ignatius liued in the same age was disciple to Saint Iohn Euangelist and died a glorious Martyr in the next age after hedeclareth how greatly she was honored euen then when she liued that multitudes of people came to visit her when they were cōuerted to Christianity Great is the concourse of people saith he that goeth to see the Queene of Heauen Ign. ep 1. and to heare her and againe hee calleth her the Mistres of the Christian Faith Saint Denis first Philosopher of Athens and then the disciple of S. Paul in his booke de diuinis nominibus cap 33. relateth how that himselfe after his conuersion went to see her for that she was left to be the comfort and ioy of Christians after the Ascension of Christ and in his Epistle to Timothe hee describeth the manner of her departure out of this life how that all the Apostles except S Thomas being brought together miraculously from the severall parts of the world to be present at her death with deuout Canticles they celebrated her funerals for three dayes the Angels ioyning their heauenly melody with them and that Saint Thomas comming the third day and desiring to see her sacred corps her tombe was opened that he might see her at least after her death but he saw her not for that she was not there to be seene A great sweetnes issued out of the Sepulcher and the linnens in which she was wrapped were left in it but her sacred body was not there Thus Saint Denis and he concludeth this narration saying That it could not bee thought but that as God would preserue her Virginal body free from corruption in the Conception of her Sonne soe he would preserue it from corruption after her death and Assume it to the glory of Heauen before the generall glorification of other bodys at the day of iudgment Saint Iohn Damascen relateth this history out of S. Denis De dorm deip whom he citeth as an eye witnesse of it and sayeth that her tombe and linnens that were left in it were transferred in the time of the Emperour Marcion with great solemnity from Hierusalem to Constantinople Saint Augustine doth not onely approoue of the corporall Assumption of our blessed Lady into Heaven but also prooueth it as most congruous to the dignity of the Mother of God Aug. de Assump
freinds This I should not doubt to prooue if neede were by whole armys of men and douils defeated by her But I will alleadge noe more but the two examples of her two notorious enemys Nestorius and Constantinus Copronymus Nestorius was her professed enemy for as he conceited a humane person in Christ as man soe by consequence he robbed his Mother of her supreme title of the Mother of God He would haue her to be called Christotoca or Christipara the Mother of Christ but not Thâ—otoca or Deipara the Mother of God S. Cyril Patriarke of Alexandria vndertooke cheifly against him and spared noe labour to reduce him from his errors often writing vnto him and giuing him seueral meetings to conuince him in presence but all proouing in vaine a General Councell was conuened at Ephesus in which Cyril praesided in place of S. Celestine then Pope Thither came Nestorius with his followers and there he was put to such a publike shame that with six onely complices he went out of the Concell refusing to submitte to it and soe his opinions became haeretical and accursed And although when he saw Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople who had some what fauoured his cause to forsake him afterwards for the disastrous ends of many of his followers he would then seeme to repent yet he had too much haeretical pride to goe thorough with his repentance and to submitte although to the whole world but continuing still in his obstinate minde he suffered condigne punishment euen in this world wandeâ—ing from place to place as a vagabond and desperate Cain and in the end was swallowed vp by the earth aliue It being also recorded of him that his blasphemous tongue was eaten out with wormes before his death Pratcol verb. Nestorius The second example is of Constantin the fift Emperour of that name soe contemptible to posterity that he hath purchased the fowle Surname of Copronymus for that he defiled the font in baptisme He was a very euill man a prophanour of holy things euen to the breaking of Crosses and Crucifixes and a publike scoffer especially at the B. Virgins merits in derision of whom he vsed to hold vp a purse full of money and to aske his souldiers what it was worth and when they had told him what they thought he put forth the money and held vp the empty purse asking them what it was worth then and when they answered that it was worth nothing noe more said he was Mary when Christ was out of her But God punished his blasphemys with many and greeuous punishments First as one sinne is punished with another soe he punished him by most horrible sinnes and by a most enormious course of life which he permitted him to fall into euen to the denying of his christendome and to set vp altars vnto Venus whose nightly solemnitys he kept and killed children to sacrifice vnto her But in the end his pleasures forsooke him and the punishments of God came as a deluge vpon him afflicting him by grecuous paines of feauers goutes and soe horrible a leprosy that in a rage of torment he died crying out I am burnt with euerlasting fire Prateol verb. Constantinus Pray for vs blessed Mother of God NOW AND IN THE HOWER OF OVR DEATH ALTHOVGH the enemy of God be allwais laboring against vs going about as a Lyon to deuoure our soules yet he striueth most against the hower of our deaths waiting then as a serpent at our heeles that is to say at the hinder end of our liues to supplant vs knowing that his time is then but short Apoc. 12. The deuill is descended to you saith the voice from heauen hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a litle time And therefor amongst many other helpes which we haue then in the Catholike Church we implore the assistance of the Mother of God especially against that hower The death of S. Steuanking of Hungary is worthy of memory in which it was a more honorable spectacle both in the sight of God and man to see his Peeres rounde about him to weepe teares of deuotion when he commended them and his kingdome to our B. Ladys protection then the sweetest hower that euer they enioyed of his wordly maiesty He fell sicke against the feast of her Assumption and made his prayer that he might dy on that day on which the death and Assumption of the Mother of God is celebrated by the Church The day being come the Sacraments and holy rites were administred to him and in the presence of his Prelates and Peeres hauing made a speech in which he tendred his crowne into her hands he departed this life leaâ—ing them with their eyes and faces bathed in teares It hath often bene a comfort to mee to thinke of the happy passage of a yong Gentleman with whom I assisted at his death Who being at the last assalted with a strong and violent agony he constantly called vpon our B. Lady with a lowde and earnest voice often repeating Blessed Mother of God be my Aduocate Blessed Mother of God be my Aduocate And presently casting his eyes towards the bedfeete he seemed there to receiue comfort and putting on a sweet and pleasant aspect with a smiling contenance he departing this world as though some had called him out of prison I say noe more but that which S. Hierome expresly saith and that is that our B Lady helpeth and is present with those that dy That she helped him Hier. ad Eusto I make noe question of it for his earnest prayer but both at that time and euer since I haue thought that she was also visibly then present with him I haue now performed what I promised in honour of the B. Virgin You haue heard her saluted full of grace and you haue seene how this salutation was new and reserued onely for her You haue seene her become the Mother of God and the sonne of God declared to haue bene subiect to her you haue heard her extolled by Prophets in the house of Zachary whilst she liued and what hath bene written of her after her death you haue heard the fathers of the primitiue Church one by one singing her prayses and the whole Catholike Church in a full quire answering after them to desire her prayers you haue seene by some examples how beneficial her prayers are to her freinds and the iudgments of God vpon her enemys Let vs honour her whom God hath soe honored and let vs dedicate our selues from this very instant to her protection all our life time and at the hower of our death Amen THE NINTH DISCOVRSE OF THE ROSARY I Intende now to declare to you the mysterys of the Rosary or Beades which as it is a deuotion so much frequented by all sorts of Catholiks not onely vnlearned but also euen by the most learned and holiest of the Catholike Church soe it is fitting that all should vnderstande it and know how solid and pious it is But fist we will say
Phil. 2. how much more shall they bow vnto himselfe In like manner the Chalice is consecrated and eleuated that all may adore our Sauiour in it And after the consecration that the Priest hath touched the sacred host he openeth not his singars to touch any other thinge vntill after the consummation that he purifyeth them The sonnes of Caath who were also clergy men of the tribe of Leui and were to carry the arke altare and vessell theirof at the remouing of the campe were not to touch them least they dy Nu. 4. With what reuerence then ought we to touch our sacred host insinitly more perfect then any thinge which they had The reuerence which God commanded them was but in figure to commande more to vs. The consecration is the cheife part of Masse and conteineth indeede the essence of the whole Masse for the death of Christ being then represented the host is offered and consummated also representatiuely and soe it hath euen then the nature of a perfect representatiue or commemoratiue Sacrifice and is a true Sacrifice as I haue shewed After consecration he maketh a commemoration for the dead Memento frr the dead Lib. de cura pro mortuis Which is an institution of the Church highly commended by S. Augustine as most profitable for the soules of many poore people who not hauing meanes to gett themselues prayed for nor freinds to procure prayers to be said in particular for them are not onely partakers of all the suffrages of the Church but also of charity prayed for in euery Masse The Pater Noster is said to professe that all our petitions are asked hoped for Pater Noster and obtained through the merits of Christs Passion who commanded his Apostles Mat. 2. aske and it shall be giuen you It is not meete saith S. Gregory that at Masse when soe many deuout prayers are said which holy men haue made the Pater Noster should be omitted which Christ himselfe made as the best of all prayers The sacred host is diuided to signify the separation of the body and soule of our Sauiour at his death A particle of it is put into the chalice to signify their meeting and revnion againe at his Resurrection For although both the body and soule of our Lord be really conteined in the Chalice as well as in the host yet because the forme of wine representeth the blood of our Sauiour therefor it may more properly signify his soule the Philosopher affirming Agnus Dei. that the blood is the seate of the soule Then Agnus Dei is said that is lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy on vs. To remember the patience and mildnes of Christ who went as a lambe to the slaughter without resisting or opening of his mouth but permitted himselfe to be bounde by his enemys and if they would to naile him to the Cros and in the end as a lambe bowing his head he gaue vp the ghost Io. 19. Esa 16. Io. 1. Apoc. 5. Pax. And therefor in the Scriptures he is often called a lambe and S. Iohn Baptist seeing him comming towards him said behold the lambe of God Behold him that taketh away the sinnes of the world The Priest kisseth the Pax and then the people kisse it to commende charity peace and concord to Christians as the Disciples of Christ I know not what other kisse the Apostle could meane when he admonished the Corinthians Cor. 2.13 salute one another in the holy kisse but to mutuall charity by some such holy kisse as this which was then vsed in the Catholike Church Then the Priest prepareth himselfe with deuour prayers to receiue the Communion Domine non sum dignus and humbling himselfe with profound reuerence before the sacred host he sayeth Domine non sum dignus c. Lord I am not worthy c. Professing himselfe vnworthy to eate of that Sacrifice in which our Lord and Sauiour is receiued as the humble Centurion who requiring of Christ that he would cure his seruant when he answered that he would come and cure him he thought it too great an honour for him to receiue Christ into his house and said Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter vnder my roofe Mat. 8. but onely say the word and my boy shall be healed Soe the Priest going to receiue Christ in the B. Sacrament sayeth Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter vnder my roose but onely say the word and my soule shall be healed Which words may be said by the people also when they are going to receiue that diuine guest And they are commended also by S. Iohn Chrysostome in his Masse as propper for that time After Communion the Chalice being purifyed and all things decently composed about the altare the booke is turned to the right side againe Post-communion to shew that in the end of the world after Antichrists persecution the ghospell of Christ shall be receiued by the Iewes Then followeth the Post-communion which is the third part of the Masse and conteineth a deuout thanksgiuing to God for the mysterys that are celebrated and representeth the time after the death of Christ of his resurrection vntill his Ascension Then the Priest commeth into the midst of the altare and kisseth it is as it were in congratulation of both Iewes and Gentils receiuing the faith of Christ and turning againe to the booke he concludeth the last prayers which being ended he turneth to the people and dismisseth them saying Ite missa est The word Missa which signifyeth the Masse is an hebrew word signifying a voluntary oblation Deut. 16. as Deut. 16. thou shalt celebrate the festiuall day c. A voluntary oblation of thy hand which thou thalt offer Wherefor voluntary oblation the hebrew word is Missah Hence may the Latine word Missa be probably deriued rather then from Mitto to send which hath but litle connexion with the Masse as it is a Sacrifice And therefor it is most likely that the word Misia the Masse was brought first by S. Peter and the other Apostles to the Latines and that thâ—y receiued the vse of it from them Ite missa est is 〈◊〉 towards the people because it is spoken to them â—â—nedicamus Domino is said towards the Altare because it is a praysing of God as also Requiescant in pace is said towards the Altare as a prayer to him The people answere Deo gratias as giuing thankes or Amen as ioyning prayer with the Priest Lastly with profound humility and reuerence he boweth downe before the Altare to God beseeching him that he will accept of his seruice and the Sacrifice which he hath offered Then turning to the people he blesseth them with the signe of the Cros by which we are put in minde of the blessing which Christ gaue to his Disciples at his departure from them who according to the Euangelist lifting vp his
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
himselfe signifying his death on the Cros Io. 3. said as Moyses exalted the serpent in the desert soe must the sonne of man be exalted Christ suffered voluntarily of his owne free-will Christ suffered voluntarily and could if it had peased him haue escaped all or any part of his Passion and death This he often shewed in his life time Sometimes when they would haue killed him he became presently inuisible to their sight and walked through the midst of them without being seene Sometimes he preuented them absenting himselfe seeing their inward thoughts and harts to be bent against him Sometimes he shewed that he had power ouer their mindes mouing them as he would and asswaging the malice which was in them vntill the hower of his suffering came and when his hower was come he came forth amongst his enemys and euen then he moued multitudes of people to follow and to glorify him but a few dayes after when they came to apprehende him he would then be taken and would not defende himselfe or be defended by others He would with a word of his mouth strike them downe to the ground to shew that he had them in his power and could haue freed himselfe but he would let them rize againe and would goe away prisoner with them to fullfill the will of his father by suffering and dying for vs. Christ suffered for the redemption of all and redeemed all that is by his Passion he purchased meanes for the saluation of all These meanes are the Sacraments of the Catholike Church Those that are baptized and receiue worthily the rest of the Sacraments as they are necessary for them are saued by the merits of Christ in them Those that are not baptized or receiue not the Sacraments as they are necessary for them perish not through any defect in the Passion of Christ by which they had sufficient meanes to be saued but through their owne sinne because they will not apply those meanes to themselues which Christ by his Passion procured for their saluation The least paine of our Sauiours Passion or the least action which he did in his life time had bene sufficient to haue redeemed the whole world and a thousand worlds if it had bene offered to that end by him as the full price of our redemption because it proceeded from the diuine Person which was of infinite dignity but it was not intended soe by him He ouervalued the purchase of our soules and by a superabundant grace would giue more then he needed when he gaue his life for them and would haue nothing to stande for the price of our redemption without his death This he would doe to testify his loue towards vs and to giue vs an example of many vertues Quest What doe we gett by Christ redeeming vs Answ We gett the forgiunesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works by the merits of Christs Passion applyed vnto vs in the Catholike Church The Sacraments of the Catholike Church haue their vertue and effect by the Passion of Christ Those that worthily receiue them are sanctifyed and haue the remission of their sinnes and being then in the state of grace the good works which in that state are done by them are acceptable to God and haue proportion to supernatural glory The Sacraments therefor hauing by the merits of Christs Passion power and vertue to sanctify vs we haue by his merits the forgiunesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works Man had committed sinne in paradise and all mankind was infected with that sinne and our nature being once tainted it corrupted still more and more and we fall in our life times into many actuall sinnes All the good works which we could doe were of noe value nor could we by any meanes make satisfaction for any sinne either originall or actuall because there is noe condignity in person and works betwixt vs and God that was offended The Sonne of God was therefor incarnated in Christ that the diuine nature vniting to it selfe the nature of man might soe dignify it by that vnion in him that he could make satisfaction for our sinnes and obtaine for vs the remission of them and that our good works being then done in the state of grace might become acceptable to God and proportionable to glory which of themselues they could not be We could haue sinned still more and more heaping sinne vpon sinne and increasing our damnation but we could haue done nothing in that state by which we could rise from any sinne Soe that the remission of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works to the obtaining of euerlasting glory is to be attributed to the merits and power of Christs Passion which is actually applyed vnto vs by the Sacraments of the Catholike Church The Apostles would particularly professe in the Creede the Passion of Christ and that he dyed to confounde those haeretiks that should deny his death as some haue done These are sufficiently refuted by this article and by all the Euangelists affirming that he gaue vp the ghost That is is to say that his ghost spirit or soule which is all one departed and was separated from his body death being nohting els but the departure or separation of the soule from the body For this reason also the Apostles would declare that Christ was buried to confirme his being dead But although he would haue his body to be buried as the bodys of other men yet he would preserue it from corruption in the earth because it was most decent that that sacred body which was soe miraculously framed by the Holy Ghost without corrupting the Virginity of his mother should after death be free from all corruption according to that which the holy king had prophecyed thou shalt not giue thy holy one to see corruption Ps 15. To conceiue somethinge of the greatnesse of this mystery we may consider who it was that suffered these thinges that it was one whose person infinitly surpassed in power wisdome beauty riches and all kind of dignity and goodnesse the most renowned Prince that euer was in the world And if it be a horrible thinge to thinke of the murthering of any man and much more of some great and gracious Prince and a cruell spectacle to behold it what feeling ought christiins to haue of the Passion of Christ when they consider it But it is but a weake comparison to compare Christ to any earthly Prince Io. 1. S. Iohn saith that he was the Word which was with God and that this Word was God O almighty God what then shall we say or thinke of this mystery thy power and maiesty seemeth here to be lessened thy wisdome is dispised thy goodnes questioned brought to tryall and condemned O blessed Sauiour whom S. Paul describeth to be he whom God hath made the heire of all Heb. 1. the brightnesse of his glory and the figure of his substance how comes thy brightnesse to be