that deserves it from us But seeing that the holy Fathers declare all Nations acknowledg and nature it self does teach that the honor or dishonor don to an Image is referr'd to the Prototype or thing represented and is don by the Image to it We do not with the Iconoclast Hereticks break them trample them under feet and deface them as prophane or scoff at them as Idolls But on the contrary we reserve them lodg them decently make good uses of them and in occasion we kiss them we put off our hats and bow or kneell before them for to adore IESUS-CHRIST and honor his Saints by them And surely all this practise is some part of Christian duty since neither common sence reason nor religion will permit us to do less in this behalf to our Saviour and his friends in heaven then that which others do to honor and to shew their love to men on earth 9. Is it not then very strange that some will hold that to honor IESUS-CHRIST by his image is forbidden And is not this as unreasonable as that is strange to conclude from a fasly supposed prohibition that the worship is therefore terminated upon the image and is Idolatrous We have shewn that it is not forbidden by the Law to honor CHRIST by his image but to honor the image it self for CHRIST or instead of CHRIST And now we add that in case it were indeed forbidden yet it would not be Idolatry it would be stil the worship of the true God it would terminate upon Him as well as the offerings of the blind and lame which God had forbidden and yet complains that the jewes by them polluted Him It would terminate upon him as well as blasphemy Malac. 1. and other crimes which He forbids It would be then disobedience or some other sin But not Idolatry by which one gives Gods honor to a creature 10. oh your ignorant people at least do adore images themselves they pray to them and demand succour from them as from God and therefore it is better that the use of them should be abolished than that it should be the occasion of Idolatry It is very hard to judg that any are so ignorant since they cannot learn the first Article of the Creed nor the first of the Commandements but they must know that images are not Gods nor to be adored and since they must be as senseless as the images themselves that will pray to them or demand help of them But suppose there happen some abuse this must be very rare and easily removed and therefore is to be amended by instruction not by the abolishing of the adundant good use of images They go on to make us Transgressours of this commandement and Idolaters They say that we honour the Saints with divine worship and do them Soveraign homage that we do not only implore their inâ—ercession but pray the Saints to give us the things which we desire that we build Temples erect Altars and offer Sacrifice to them for we name the Church of S. Steeven the Altar of S. Peter the Mass of our B. Lady 11. These are great mistakes for we believe that God alone iâ— the Authour and the Giver of all good things this is our publick Doctrine set forth in the Councel of Trent inculcated to the faithfull in Catechismes and put often into the publick prayers SS 25. de Invoc Sanctorum of the Chruch Lord who art the Authour and Giver of all good things God from whom all good things com God the Giver of all good things When we say then sometimes to the Virgin help the miserable strengthen the weak comforr those that mourne and use these and the like expressions after S. Austin himself our sense and meaning is no other but to desire her to obtain for us of Aug. ser 18. de Sanct. in med God the blessings which we desire and which we believe that He alone can give 12. Nor is there a less mistake in the other part of the objection For we build no Churches erect not Altars nor offer Sacrifice to Saints For as S. Denys says the Temple is for the altar the Altar is for the Priest the Priest is for Sacrifice and Sacrifice is for God only And when we name the Church of S. Steeven the Altar of S. Peter or the Mass of our Lady We understand that the Church is dedicated the Alter consecrated and the Mass offered ro God in thanksgiving for the favours He hath don to the Virgin to S. Peter or to S. Steeven as when we name the Mass of the dead of marriage of peace of Travellers It is becaus we offer the sacrifice to God to demand of him rest of soules benediction of Mariage peace between Princes and a good journey for Travellers See what the Councel of Trent who knew best the faith and practise of the Church does say of it Though that the Church celebrates sometimes Masses in the honor and memory of Saints she ss 22. 3. teaches nevertheless that it is not to them that she offers sacrifice but to God alone who hath crowned them whence it is that the Priest says not S. Peter S. Paul I offer to you this Sactifice but to God to whom he gives thanks for their Victories imploring their intercession And so S. Austin teaches answering Faustus the Manichean Heretick who made the same objection against the Catholicks S. Aug. lib. 20. cont Faust of his time Some perhaps will say they cannot understand how we can offer Sacrifice to the honor of a Saint and not sacrifice to the Saint for whose honor it is offered 13. Know then that honor is but a signe a testimony or protestation of some excellency and that thanks given to God by words or Sacrifice for the gifts or graces bestowed on such persons is a testimony or protestation of such excellencie in those persons and therefore for their honor though both words and Sacrifice be directed to God and not to them If Protestants should keep a solemn day of thanksgiving to God for the wit and zeal their Doctor hath shewn against Popery this would be much to his honor though the thankes be given to God and not to him 14. Let us learn then by the unfortunate failings of others not to blaspheme that which we understand not Let us not fear Idolatry or fals worship following the general practise of that Church which alone does labour to extirpate Paganisme to ruine Idolls and Idolatry and to put in vogue this commandement But Let us beware to make other Idolls in our selves and to our selves which are harder to be extirpated and as pernicious to Salvation as those of Pagans For if we prefer our judgment before that of the Catholick Church we make an Idoll of our fancy or opinion and adore it If we affect a Creature disordinately against the commandement of God we erect an Idoll in our heart and adore it If we are intemperate subject
receive Baptisme The Councell of Trent assures us that penance hath been in all times necessary to obtain pardon of sins And this is so certen that Divines conclude that a Martyr a man that goes to suffer death for the Faith of IESUS CHRIST if he remember that he is in mortal sin is oblig'd to make a formal and express Act of penance and that in defect of it his Martyrdom will avail him nothing With more reason this formal act of penance is absolutely necessary to receive absolution For the councills declare that the Acts of the Penitent are the matter of this Sacrament without which the Sacrament subsists not and is null and amongst these acts the first the principal and most essential is repentance And hence it coms that 't is a great Sin and Sacriledg to confess without sorrow though you have but venial sins it would be much better if you have no other to say our Lords prayer and to communicate without confession than to confess without repentance 3. Now since it is not so easy to have in your heart true sorrow and regret for daily defects and a sincere and effective purpose to amend these venial sins take this counsell worthy to be put in practise if you have but these lesser sins add to the end of your confession some great sin of your past life for which you have more sorrow and repentance in this case the absolution will fall upon that sin not upon the venial sins of which you have no sorrow or true purpose of amendment 4. Secondly the Councell of Trent does teach us that this imperfect sorrow which is called Attrition ought to be supernatural it must be a gift of God and a motion of rhe holy Ghost And in the first Canon of the sixt session they pronounce Anathema against all that shal dare say a man without the prevening inspira ration of the holy Ghost can believe hope love and repent as be ought to receive the grace of justification 5. This Doctrine condemnes the practise of those Who use great diligence in examining their conscience but little or none in procuring covenient sorrow That is good and necessary but This is the more important if you fail in that a little a good confessor may supply by asking and examining you but if you have not this none can give it you it belongs to God only to bestow it on you and you ought to employ time care affection and fervour to obtaine it 6. In the third place the Council declares that supernatural Attrition ss 14. c. 4. leaves us in the state of sin if it be not actually followed by the absolution of a Priest If you are surprized by the Article of death in the state of mortal sin having Attrition only it avails you nothing to use all diligence to have one if in effect he coms not and absolves you dying you are lost doubt not of it for 't is on Article of Faith You will say God never obliges to a thing impossible shal I be damn'd for want of absolution since it was not my fault having used all possible means to have it I answer you shal not be damn'd for any sin you commit in that you are depriv'd of absolution but you shal be for the precedent sin of which you cannot have a remedy but by perfect Contrition or by Attrition with absolution And this is not only the doctrine of the Councel of Trent and present Church it was the beliefe of the primitive Christians as may be seen in the 180. Epistle of S Augustin 7. But to receive this necessary Absolution and cure from your spiritual Physician you must open your infirmity to him when you have lanced your heart with sharp Contrition or Attrition you must make all the corruption of mortal sins issue out of it by an entire Confession 8. Some say 'T is not necessary to confess all to a Sinner 't is impossible to declare this sin but I will have true repentance of it give alms and do great penances and God will pardon me Deceive not your selves God will not be a lyar to be mercifull S. Iohn 22. to you He sayd to Priests whose sins you shal remit are remitted And whose you shal retaine are retained The sins which you know you have committed and declare not to a Priest are not remitted by him and if he remits them not they are retained and God will never pardon them This hath ever been the sense of the Vniversal Church She always vnderstood that in those words of JESUS CHRIST which containe the institution of this Sacrament was instituted also and commanded an entire confession of mortal sins as the Councell of Trent declared Wherefore S. Austin preaching to sinners sayd flatter not your selves ss 14. c. 5 S. Aug. hom 49. ex 50. Say not I confess in my heart I confess to God this is not enough for so in vain the Son of God would have sayd to Priests All that you shal vnbind on earth shal be unbound in heaven And in effect who would go to Priests if by confessing to God alone they could obtain remission And again Be thou sorrowfull before Confession Confess let all the matter and putrefaction run out in Confession now exult and rejoyce that which remaines will easily be heald 9. By this we may understand why so many confess and so few are amended why so many receive this Sacrament and so few profit by it One great reason is that many make not a true perfect and entire Confession This defect hinders the operation of so great a Caus and makes the Sacrament invalid or unprofitable It happens either through negligence ignorance or shame 8. First through negligence They examin and Confess only the actions which they have don and not those which they ought to do and have not don they confess the sins of their persone and not those of their condition sins which they committed and not those which others committed by their occasion 9. Secondly through Ignorance For they must not think to be excused saying I have not confest such sins becaus I thought not to do ill if you omit any sin through gross ignocance or through culpable blindness God says to you in the scripture If you know not you shal not be known Becaus thou hast 1. Cor. 14. 38. Osee 4. 6. repelled knowledg I will repell thee If this ignorance or blindness be in you becaus you pray not God enough to enlighten you and make you know what displeases him or becaus you have thrust your self into an office of which you are uncapable or becaus you hear not sermons nor read good books which may instruct you nor desire that any one should tell you your faults you are not excused in the sight of God for not confessing them 10. Thirdly through shame which makes us to conceal voluntarily some sin most perniciously and criminally This want of integrity is pernicious since
the Wise-man says He that hides Prov. 28. 13. his sin cannot be corrected nor directed in the way of Salvation How can a Physician cure an infirmity hidden and unknown and how can the infirme be directed in the way of health when he hath not yet begun the way For the beginning of a good life is a confession of the evill says S. Austin It is likewise most criminal for 't is not only in its self a great crime but makes you to commit many other Sacriledges afterward in Confessions Sacriledges in communions and sins upon sins which will cast you into despair and into the mouth of hell But if you submit to the humiliation and shame which you have merited and confess entirely you rejoyce the the Angells and your Confessours with them you please the Son of God who desires nothing more than to pardon those who being penitent confess perfectly their sins 11. Let us com to Satisfaction which is the third part of penance and necessary to satisfy the justice of God and to compleat the cure of our souls For true penance is not that which the Calvinists do say perfect penance is not only that which many Catholicks do think Calvinists say that to do penance is to leave sinning and to amend ones life This is necessary but it suffices not many Catholicks thinke to do penance is to be sorrowfull for sins to confess them to a Priest receive absolution and to say a few prayers All this is necessary but 't is not enough To do entire and perfect Penance which appeases God averts his anger regains his favours and delivers us from the dreadfull effects of sin we must satisfy the justice of God by humble and fervent prayers by austerities and painfull works according to the multitude enormity and diversity of our offences For as often as the holy scripture speaks of penance it makes mention of works which afflict the flesh mortify sensuality and which are contrary to self love In Ioel Convert your selves to me in fasting and in weeping and in Ioel. 2. 12. Matt. 11. 2. Cor. 7. 11. S. Aug. lib. 50. hom hom ult C. ult mourning In S. Matthew If in Tyre and Sydon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you they had don penance in haire-cloth and in ashes long ago And S. Paul says The sorrow which is according to God workes in us reveng by which we punish sin in our own selves Wherefore S. Austin tells us That 't is not enough to change the evill life into a better and to depart from past sins if we do not satisfy God by the regrets of penance by humble groanes by fasts and by Alms. 12. The primitive Christians were so firmly perswaded of this Verity that to avoyd the Vengeance of God and to satisfy his Iustice they willingly submitted to publick Penance in which they endured so many humiliations mortifications and confusions that it would seem incredible were it not attested by so great authority that we may not doubt of it 13. I know well that those rigorous observances are not now in use nevertheless they shew what was the sentiment of those great Saints who were the Disciples of the Apostles or the Disciples of their Disciples who had the spirit of God who read the Scriptures day and night who propagated the Church and watered it with their sweat and bood Those observances make known that 't is not so easy to appease God and to obtain full pardon as we imagin and that we we must employ ordinarily more than one hour one day or week to regaine his ancient favours and what we lost by sin 14. And to know that the present Church retaines the Spirit of the primitive read the Councill of Trent and you will see the Fathers Ss. 24 de Refor c. 8. order publick penance to be imposed for publick crimes if the Bishops dispence not with it And in the 14th ss chap. 8. they declare to Priests if through timerousness or too much condescendence and humane respects they give little penance for great crimes they make themselves partakers of the sins of others See if we are not in great danger and if we have not great reason to fear that we shal fall into the dreadfull hands of God What quarrells what drunkennesses what scandals are committed daily And what great penances are imposed for so many so great and enormous Crimes 15. But behold a doctrine of great Consolation which the Council of Trent does teach us 'T is that we may Satisfy the divine justice not only by the penances which the Confessor imposes Ss. 14. C. 9 not only by the prayers fasts alms austerities and mortifications which we assume voluntarily of our selves but moreover by all the humiliations and aflictions that befall us if we receive them as we ought When then God vouchsafes to send you Crosses and afflictions receive them not only with patience and resignation but with ioy and thankfullness kiss the hand that chastises you and adore the Justice that punishes you in this world to spare you in the other Say with the Prophet Micheas Iram Domini portabo quoniam peccavi ei I will suffer the anger of God Micheas C. 7. 9. I will endure willingly this affliction I will pardon them that afflict me for the love of God and for penance for my sins since I have been So rash as to offend Him 16. Let us conclude this Discourâ— with the words of the beloved Disciple Haec Scribo vobis ut non peccetis Be very carefull that you offend not God 't is the greatest evill that can befall you as often as you consent to a mortal sin you put your self in danger of damnation for you may die in this state without absolution You imagin that in this occasion you are secure of your salvation provided that you have time to say my God I aske you pardon you deceive your self for if you cannot have a Priest you must necessarily have perfect contrition and this is most hard and rare And if you have a Priest it helps you nothing without Attrition and you cannot have Attrition of your self 't is necessary that God do give it you by his powerfull grace and He owes you not this grace you have demerited it by your sin He hath not promised it to you and hath refused it to many But if by humane frailty you have sinned and averted your self from God beg instantly and humbly his grace through the merits of JESUS CHRIST to returne to Him by a true Conversion Returne by true sorrow for having offended a most adorable most amiable and most dreadfull Majesty Returne by an humble sincere and entire confession Returne by a satisfaction of Prayers Fasts and Alms you will be delivered from a most dangerous malady from a most infamous servitude from the sentence of eternal death You will recover sanctifying grace the gifts of the holy Ghost the merits of your
of CHRIST is Catholick that is to say Vniversall or generall and the Apostles by putting this word oblige us to follow that Church whose Faith and Religion is receiv'd and publickly profest the longest Time by the most Persons and in most Places and so the Faith of the Roman Church hath been 16. Read but the Annales of Baronius or of Gualterus or The longuest Time the works of Bellarmin or Coccius and You will see that ever-since the Apostles the Church hath had from age to age the same Articles of Faith which the Roman Church teaches at this present Reformers confess that during the first four hundred years the Roman was the true Church if this Present were new they ought to shew who was the first Authour of this novellty what was the new doctrin that was taught in what time and in what place fâ—om what Church the Roman did seperate when she embraced this new doctrin and who were they that opposed this novellty These things are noted in every little alteration of Religion and one cannot shew them in the great pretended changes of the Faith of the Roman Church 17 All those that have been converted to the Faith of CHRIST By the most persons and have embraced Christian Religion have always taken the Roman and were converted by Romanists Other Religions convert not infidells and have never extended the Empire of IESUS in any Province of the Earth 18. We must put out our Eyes and burn all Histories not In most Places to see that the Roman Church only hath been extended in all the places where IESUS CHRIST is or hath been adored and that no other Congregation of Christians has ever had publick exercise of Religion throughout the world But we may read in S. Ireneus Tertullian S. Cyprian and S. Athanasius that in their times the Catholick Church was already in all the inhabited Earth and this in accomplishment of what David had often foretold saying that the Reigne and Empire of JESUS CHRIST that is to say CHRISTS Church should be extended throughout all the earth I wil give thee Gentills for thy inheritance and thy possession the ends of the Earth He Psal 2. Psal 71. shal rule from sea to sea and from the river even to the end of the round world 19. Follow then the Faith of the Romane and Catholick Church since these Notes evidently agree to Her and to no other church Heb. 11. 6. and since with out true and entire Faith t is impossible to please God 20 Have and hold inviolable Vnity with this Church since all Faith without this Vnity will not save You There is but one Vniversall Church out of which nobody is saved sayd the great Council of Lateran consisting of a 1215. Fathers And S. Paul Gallatians 5. 20 himself does teach expressly that not Sects only but also Dissentions Divisions or Seperations shal not possess the kingdom of God Wherefore S. Cyprian in the book of Vnity says Whosoever seperats from the true Church is excluded from the promises of the Church and who hath abandoned the Church of CHRIST shal never com to receive the recompences of CHRIST He is a stranger he is prophane he is an enemie of God for He connot have God for his Father who hath not the Church for his Mother S. Chrysostom testifys that separation from the In Ep. ad Ephes. 4. p. 822. de papt cont Don. lib. 1. c. 8. lib. 2. c. 6. Church or dividing of it is no less sin then falling into heresy nay S. Austin holds that it is greater then that of infidelity and Idolatry and for proof of what he says he alleadges the example of Core Dathan and Abiron and other Schismaticks of the ancient Testament who were sent living into hell and punished more rigorously than Idolaters who doubts says he that this was committed more criminally which was revenged more severely But he says things yet more terrible for he assures us that all they that are not in the true Church though they live extraordinarily well tho they give great alms and also shed their Ep. 152. and. lib. 4. de Bap. blood for the love of IESUS CHRIST if they die out of the Church nothing will profit them but shal be damn'd eternally All those that were out of the Arke of Noah which was a figure of the Church perished by the deluge Only they that laboured in the vineyard reciv'd the recompence of the pennie that is eternal life Members that remain not united to the body cannot have life Branches cut of from the tree cannot bring-forth fruit IESUS CHRIST is the Saviour of his Body which is the Church He is the Espouse of the Church and cannot have or acknowledg other children then those of his Spouse 21. Let us then resolve to live and die in the bosome of the Catholick or Roman Church There we may avoid damnation there we shal be assisted to obtain Salvation For there is Communion af Saints that is communication of good works and of prayers There then every one may help his neighbor the Living may succour also the Dead in Purgatory and the Saints in Heaven can help by their merits and their prayers sinners upon Earth Amen DISCOURS XIII OF THE TENTH ARTICLE The Forgiveness of Sins 1. HE that should know well the monstrous nature and malice of Sin the ingratitude impudence and insolence of the sinner the infinite Greatnes Sanctity and Majesty of him against whom it is committed and should also know what the Scripture expressly tells us that a God is thereby irritated exasperated put into anger and fury against the sinner such an one I say could not by any light of reason hope for pardon it would seem to him impossible that sins committed against God should be remitted and he would need the light of Faith to believe that a sinner may obtain remission of them Who would ever think that a God who hath need of none who had not respect to the celestial Principalities and who spared not so great a number of noble Spirits but condemn'd them all without exception to eternal flames would shew favour to worms of the earth to so ungratefull and base creatures after they have so many and so many times offended Him multiplying sins upon sins and reiterating the same sins Here then we have need of Faith and therefore the Apostles make us to believe that God will pardon sins and since they except none that He will remit all sorts of them how ever great and enormous they may be by the Sacrament of Baptisme and after by Absolution as often as we shal do true penance for them 2. Here we meet with an error and one of the most great and most pernicious of some Reformers They say that it belongs not to a sinner to absolve others from their sins and that it is an injury to the Son of God to ask pardon of our sins of any other On this