a Crosse representeth vnto vs the Passion and consequently the Incarnation of the Sonne of God the passing from the left shoulder to the right and not from the right to the left signifyeth that by the Passion of our Sauiour we are transferred from sinne vnto grace from transitorie things vnto eternall from death to life S To what purpose is this signe of the Crosse made M First it is made to shew that wee are Christians to wit souldiers of our chiefe Emperour Christ because this signe is as it were an ensigne or liuerie which distinguisheth the soldiers of Christ from all the enemies of the Holie Church to wit Gentils Iewes Turkes Heretiks besides this signe is made to call for Gods helpe in all our works because with this signe the most holie Trinitie is called to help by meanes of the passion of our Sauiour and therefore good Christians vse to make this signe when they arise from bed wheÌ„ they goe to sleepe and in the beginning of all other things which they haue to do finally this signe is made to arme vs against all temptations of the Deuill because the Diuel is a fraid of this signe and flyeth from it as malefactors doe when they see the signe of the officers of Iustice and often-times by meanes of this signe of the holie Crosse a man escapeth many dangers aswell spirituall as temporal when he maketh it with faith and trust of Gods mercy and of the merits of Christ our Sauiour CHAP. 3. The declaration of the Creede S NOwe comming to the first part of this doctrine I desire to learne the Creede M The Creede contayneth twelue parts which are called Articles and they are twelue according to the number of the twelue Apostles who composed the same and are these 1 I Beleeue in God the Father almightie Creator of heauen and earth 2 And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord. 3 Who was conceiued by the holie Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary 4 Suffered vnder Pontious Pilate was crucifyed dead and buried descended into Hell 5 The third day he rose again from death 6 Ascended into heauen siâ—â—eth at the right hand of God the Father almightie 7 From thence hee shall come to judge the quicke and the dead 8 I beleeue in the Holie Ghost 9 The holie Catholike Church the Communion of Saints 10 Remission of sinnes 11 Resurrection of the flesh 12 Life euerlasting Amen S May it please you declare to mee the first article word by word What signifyeth I beleeue M It signifyeth I hold for certaine and for most true all that is contayned in these twelue articles and the reason is this because the same God hath taught the holy Apostles these sentences and the holy Apostles the Church and the Church doth teach them vs and because it is impossible that God should saye that which is false I therefore beleeue these things more certainely then those I see with mine eyes and feele with my hands S What meaneth In God M It meaneth that we ought to beleeue firmely that there is a God albeit we do not see him with corporal eies this God is one only therefore it is said in God and not in Gods And you must not imagine that god is like to any corporal thing how great or faire so euer it be but you must thinke that God is a spiritual thing which euer was foreuer shal be hath made the whole filleth the whole gouerneth the whole knoweth seeth euery thing finally what thing soeuer is represented vnto our eies or vnto our imagination you must say that this which now is represeÌ„ted vnto me is not god because God is a thinge infinitelie better S Wherefore is it said that God is a Father M Because he is truly the Father of his onlie begotten Son of whom we shal speake in the second article and also because he is the Father of al good men not by nature but by adoption and finally because he is the father of al creatures not by nature or by adoption but by creation as we shal say hereafter in this same article S Wherefore is he called Almighty M Because it is a proper title of God and albeit God hath manie proper titles as eternal infinite vnmeasurable and others yet in this place the most fit is that he is omnipotent because it may not seeme hard vnto vs to beleeue that hee hath made heauen and earth of nothing as in the words following is added For that vnto him who can do al that he wil thereby is omnipotent nothing can be hard And if you should say vnto me God can not dye nor sinne and therefore it semeth not that he can do al things I would answere you that to dye or to sinne is not power but impotencie as when it is said of a most valiant soldier that hee can ouercome al and that he cannot be ouercome of anie it doth not preindicate his force to say that he cannot be ouercome because that he can be ouercome is not streÌ„gth but weaknes S What is signified by Creator M It signifieth that God hath made al thinges of nothing and he alone can bring them againe vnto nothing The Angels Men and also Diuels can make and vnmake some things but they can not make them otherwise then of some kinde of matter which was before neither can they vnmake theÌ„ but by changing them into some other thing as a Maison cannot make a house of nothing but he must haue stones lyme and wood neither can he destroy it in bringing it to nothing but into stones dust wood and such like so that God only is called is a creator because he only hath no need of any matter to make all things S Why is he called creator of heaueÌ„ and earth hath not God also made the ayre the water stones trees men and all other things M By heauen and earth is also vnderstood all that is in heauen and earth as he that saith a man hath a bodie a soule meaneth also that he hath al things belonging to a bodie as veines bloud bones sinewes and the rest all things belonging vnto a soule as vnderstanding will memorie internal and external senses and the rest so that by heauen is vnderstood the ayre where birds vse to be all things aboue where the clouds the stars are wherevpon it is said the birds of heaueÌ„ the clouds of heauen the stars of heauen finally the Angels By the earth is vnderstood al that is compassed by the aire as the waters of the sea of the riuers which are in the lower partes of the earth also al liue creatures plants stones mettals and all other things which are found in the earth or in the sea it is therefore said that God is creator of heauen earth because these two are the principall parts of the world the one aboue in the which the Angels remaine and the other
wil not haue faith as Iewes Turkes Heritikes or because they wil not receiue the Sacraments as those that wil not be baptised or wil not confesse their sinnes or wil not do such penance as they can for their sins nor resolue to liue conformably to the law of God S I would haue some example to vnderstand this M Take the example of one which should take great paines and with sweate and labours should gaine so much money as were sufficient to pay al the debts of this citie and should put the same in a bank to the end it should be geuen vnto al such as should bring a warant from him this man surely had satisfied for al somuch as lieth in him yet manie might remaine stil in debt for that they would not either for pride or for slouth or for some other cause demand his warant and carie it to the bank to receiue the money S What signifieth He descended into hel and what doth hel signifie in this place M Hel is the lowest deepest place in this world to wit the midle of the earth And the Scripture in manie places putteth heauen as opposite vnto hel as the highest place vnto the lowest But in this depth of the earth there are foure as it were great caues one for the damned which is the deepest of al and so it is agreable that the proud Diuels and the men which imitate them be in the lowest place and furthest from heauen that can be In the second caue which is something higher are those soules which suffer the paines of Purgatorie In the third which is yet higher are the soules of those children that die with out Baptisme who do not suffer torments of fire but onely the perpetuall priuation of eternall felicity In the fourth which is the highest remained the soules of the Patriarchs Prophets and other Holie men that dyed before the comming of Christ for albeit those holy soules had not any thing to be purged yet they could not enter into glory before Christ by his death had opened the gate of eternall life therefore they remained in that higher place called the place of holy Fathers otherwise Abrahams bosome where they suffered no paines at all but enjoyed a sweete repose expecting the comming of our Lord with great joy And so we read in the Gospel that the soule of that poore beggar Lazarus was carried by an Angell to rest in the bosome of Abraham where hee was seene by the rich glutton who burning in flames of hell cast vp his eyes and saw Lazarus in a farre higher place remayning in great joy and consolation enjoying the fruits of his former patience S Into which of these foure partes of Hell did Christ descend after his death M There is no doubt but hee descended into the place of holy Fathers and suddainely made them blessed after led thē with him in to the kingdome of heauē He made himselfe also seene vnto all the other parts of hell terrifying the Diuels as a victorious Triumpher threatning the damned as a supreame Iudge comforting the soules in Purgatorie as their Aduocate and deliuerer So that Christ descended into Hell as a King vseth sometimes to repaire into prisons to visite prisoners and to shew fauour to whom it pleaseth him S If Christ was dead his body did lye in the sepulchre then he did not whollie descend into hell but onely the soule of Christ and how is it then said that Christ descended into hell M Death had force to separate the soule of Christ from his body but it could not separate either the soule or the bodie from the Diuine person of the same Christ And therefore we beleeue that the Diuine person of Christ remained with his bodie in the sepulcre that the same person descēded with his soule into hel Of the fift Article S HOw is it true that our Lord rose from death the third day seeing that from Friday in the euening when he was buried vnto the night before Sunday when hee rose there wanteth of two whole daies M We doe not say that Christ rose after three whole daies but the third daye which is most true For he was buried on Friday which is the first day though not a whole day and so hee remained in the Sepulchre all Saterday and a part of Sundaie which is the third day For the natural day beginning the night before at the setting of the Sunne the first houre after the Sunne-setting is the first of the day following S. For what cause did not Christ rise streight after his death but would expect the third day M Because he would shew that he was truely dead he would remaine there in the graue so long as sufficed to prooue this truth Moreouer I would haue you considder that like as Christ liued amongst men thirtie three or thirty foure yeares so hee would stay amongst the dead at least thirtie three or thirtie foure houres For so many they are if you put together one houre of Friday for hee was buried an houre before Sunne-setting twentie foure houres of the Saturday and eight or nine houres of Sunday For he rose after midnight towards the beginning of the morning S Why is it said of Christ that hee rose and of other dead as of Lazarus and the Widdowes sonne that they were raysed from death M The reason is because Christ being the Son of God rose of himself to wit by vertue of his God-head he reunited his soule to his bodie so began to liue againe But other dead men can not returne to life by their owne power And therefore it is said they were raised by others As we al at the day of Iudgment shal be raised by Christ S Is there anie other difference betwixt the Resurrection of Christ of others which returned to life before him M There is this difference that the others rose mortal therefore they died againe but Christ rose immortal neither can he euer die anie more Of the sixt Article S Now let vs come vnto the sixt article which is of the Ascension I desire to know how long our Sauiour remained vpon earth after his Resurrection and for what cause M He remained fourtie dayes as you may consider by numbring the dayes betwixt the feasts of his Resurection and Ascension And the reason of his so long stay was because he would with manie diuers apparitions establish the Mysterie of his most true Resurrection For that the same seemeth as it were the most hard And he that beleeueth it hath no difficultie to beleeue the rest For he that riseth was certainly dead before And he that was dead was first borne And so he that beleueth the Resurrection of Christ findeth no labour in beleeuing his death and natiuitie And likewise for so much as the earth is not a conuenient place for glorious bodies but heauen therefore he that beleueth the Resurrection of our Sauiour can
rise or others like them M There is no doubt but the same bodies shall rise because otherwise it should not be a true resurrection if the same should not rise which is fallen and that same returne to liue which is dead And againe the resurrection is to the end that the bodie be partaker of the reward or punishment as it hath ben partaker of good workes or the sinnes there must be the same bodie because an other bodie should not merit either punishment or reward S How is it possible that bodie should return to liue which hath bin burned and the ashes scattered with the winde and cast into riuers M Yes for God can doe that which seemeth to vs impossible And there fore it is said in the beginning of the Creede that God is omnipotent And if you consider that God hath made the heauen and the earth of nothing it will not seeme hard vnto you to beleeue that he can bring againe to the former state that which is turned into ashes S I would know whether men shall returne to be men wemen to bee wemen or rather all to one maner M It is necessarie to beleeue that the men shall be men the wemen shall be wemen because otherwise they should not be the same bodies that they were before and as I haue already told you they are to be the same albeit in the life to come there shal not be any more bringing forth of children nor husbands nor wiues yet there shall be diuersitie of men and wemen to the ende that euerie one enjoy the reward of their proper vertues which they haue exercised in their owne sexe and as it shall be a goodly sight to behold the glorie of Martyrs of Confessors so shall it be to behold the glorie of the virgins and aboue all the Mother of our Lord. S I pray you tell me in what age stature we shal rise seeing that some doe die children some young-men others old M Al shal rise in that stature and in that state which they had or were to haue at the age of thirty three years in the which our Lorde rose So that the children shal rise so great as they should haue bene if they had arriued vnto thirtie three yeares and the olde men shall rise in that flowre of age which they had when they were thirtie and three yeares olde And if any in this life haue bene Blinde Crooked a Dwarfe or had anie other deformitie hee shall ryse whole sonnde and with all perfection Because the workes of GOD are perfecte And so in the resurrection which shal be his proper worke he wil correct the errors and defectes of nature Of the twelft article S VVHat signifieth Life euerlasting which is the last article M It signifieth a complete felicitie of the soule and of the bodie And this is the chiefe good and last end which wee gaine by being in the Church S Tel me I beseech you in particular what goodnes shal there be in life euerlasting M I wil teach you this mysterie by a similitude of the thinges in this world You know that here in earth we desier a bodie that is sound comelie nimble and strong a soule that is wise prudent and learned touching the vnderstanding ful of al vertues touching the wil besides these we desire exterior goods to wit riches honors powre and pleasures Euen so is eternal life the bodie for health shal haue immortalitie with impasibilitie that is to say that nothing can harme it for beautie it shal haue clearnes to wit it shal shine as the sun for nimblenes it shal haue agilitie that in one moment it shal be able to moue from one side of the worlde to the other and from the earth to heauen without anie labour for strength it shal haue such force that without eating drinking sleeping or other rest it shal be able to serue the spirit in al things that shal be necessarie neither shal it haue feare of anie thing Touching the soule the vnderstanding shal be ful of knowledge for it shall behold the cause of al things which is God The wil shal be ful of so much goodnes and charitie that it can not commit anie venial sinne The riches shal be to want nothing hauing all things in God Their honour to be the children of God equall to Angels for they shall be kings and spirituall Priests for euer their power agreeable for together with God they shall bee Lordes of the whole world be able to do all that they shall haue will to doe for that they shall alwaies be conformable to the will of God which nothing can resist Finally their delight shal be vnspeakeable because all their powers aswel of the soule as of the body shal be joyned vnto their proper objects Whereof will arise a full contentment a most perfect peace neuer proued before a perpetuall gladnes joy and exultation S If euery one shall haue all these things euery one shal be cōtented in one maner then shall not one be more blessed in heauē then an other M Yes assuredly For he who hath merited more in this life shall haue greater reward shal be more happie yet for al that there shal be no enuie nor any discontentment because each one shal be filled according to their capacitie those which haue merited more shal be more capable so shall haue more glorie As for example If a Father hauing manie children one greater then another according to their age should make to euery one of them a garment of cloth of gold proportionable vnto euery ones stature there is no doubt but that the greatest should haue the bigest garment of greatest valew yet euery one would remaine cōtented neither would hee that were lesse desire the garment of him that were greater because it would no be so fit for him S What is the cause of this beatitude of heauē is called life euerlasting shal not the damned liue for euer in hel M Life properly is saide to bee in other those things which mooue of themselues Whereupon in a certain maner the water of a fountaine is called Liue-water because it mooueth and water of Pooles is called dead because it standeth still So the blessed in heauē are said to haue eternal life for that they can worke all that they wil with all their inwarde and outwarde powers without any impediment And they doe alwaies worke and exercise themselues as they most desire But the damned in hell notwithstanding they liue for they shall neuer bee consumed yet they are said to haue eternall death because they are still tyed vnto the fire and torments and are enforced euer to suffer that which they would not neither can they do anie thing that they would So that the blessed in heauen enjoy all good without any mixture of euil and the damned in hell do suffer all euill not being able to fulfil any of their