desires S What meaneth Amen which is put to the end of the Creede M It meaneth so is the trueth to wit all that which hath been said is true and certaine CHAP. IIII. The declaration of our Lords prayer S I haue learned through the grace of God that I am to beleeue I desire that you now teach me what I am to hope for desire what meanes I may haue to obtaine it M Al that you demaund is conteyned in our Lords prayer which wee call the Pater noster For in this praier is declared what thing is to be desired of whom we are to demand it and the selfe-same prayer is the meanes to obtaine it S Which is our Lords prayer M It is this Our father which art in heauen c. S For what cause do you prefer the Pater noster before all other praiers M First because it is the most excellent of all being made by Christ himselfe who is the supreame wisdome Secondly because this praier is shortest and so is easie to be learned and kept in memorie with al ful of substance conteyning all that we ought to demand of God thirdly because it is most profitable and effectual being made by him who is both our Iudge our Aduocate therefore knoweth better then any other how we ought to demaunde that we may obtaine Fourthlie it is the most necessarie of all others in regard that all Christians are bound to know it to repeate it euery day and therefore it is called the dailie praier that is to say prayer to be said euery day S Declare then I pray you those wordes Our Father which art in heauen M These few words are as it were a litle preface or a preparation to the praier For in saying that God is our Father we take corage confidèce to pray vnto him in saying hee is in heauē we remember our selues that we ought to go vnto him with great feare humilitie seeing he is notan earthly father but an heauēly again saying he is a Father wee consider that he is willing to pleasure vs in that wee demaund in saying hee is in heauen as Lord master of the world we vnderstande that he can do so much as he wil. Finally in saying he is a Father we remember that we are children of God heires of heauen in saying he is in heauen considering that we are on earth we remēber that we haue not the possession of our inheritance but that wee are pilgrims and trauellers in a land of our enemies and therefore stand in great neede of his helpe S Declare if you please vnto mee all the words in particular M The worde Father albeit it belongeth to God as he is Father of all things by creation yet in this prayer it is vnderstood of God as hee is the Father of good Christians by adoption It is true also that sinners may say vnto God Our father who desire to be conuerted to him to become his childrē And only those cannot truly saye the Pater noster who neither are nor desire to be the children of God not thinking at all of amending themselues S Wherefore is it said Our Father and not my Father M It is said Our Father to the end wee may vnderstand that we are all brethren and as brethren ought to loue and be vnited together being the children of one the same Father It is also said Our Father to teach vs that a cōmon praier is better then a priuate and more profitable also vnto him that doth pray for that whiles each one saith Our Father euerie one prayeth for al and al pray for euerie one S Wherefore is it said Which are in heauen is not God in al places M God is said to dwel in heauen not for that he is not in al places but because heauen is the most noble part of the world and in it doth appeare the greatnes powre and wisdome of God Finally in it God vouchsafeth to be seene face to face of the Angels and blessed men It may be also said that God is in heauen because he dwelleth in a perticuler manner in the Angels in holie mē who are spiritual heauens S Let vs now come vnto the first petition what meaneth Hallowed be thy name M Name in this place signifieth same and renoume as when we say that one hath a great name because he is knowne of manie Or that he hath a good name or an euil name because he hath a good fame or an euil fame being knowne of manie and commended for good or discommended for bad Wherefore to sanctifie the name of God is nothing els then to publish through the world the knowledge of God to conserue it pure and holie in the hartes and mouthes of men as in it selfe it is And because there are in the world manie infidels who know not God and manie euil Christians that blaspheme curse him therefore those that are the children of God and haue zeale of the honour of their father do praie with great desire that his name may be sanctified that is that it be through the whole world knowen adored cōfessed praised blessed as is conueniēt S Seing wee desire that God bee knowen and praised of men were it not better to demand it of men thē of God M Man is not able of him self neither to knowe nor to praise God therfore we demand of God that he wil worke with his grace in that maner that the Infidels and other sinners may be conuerred being conuered beginne to know praise his holie name S Wherefore is the prayer begune with demanding that the name of God be sanctified M We are bound to loue God aboue al things more then our selues therefore our first most frequent desire ought to be of the glorie of God and for this cause were we created and endued with reason to the end we may know and praise God wherein also doth consist our chifest good as we shal say here after S Declare vnto me now the second petition Thy kingdome come M In this petition in fit place we demand our owne saluation after that in the first we demanded the glorie of God S What is to be vnderstood by the kingdome of God M The kingdome of God may be vnderstood three maner of waies for we finde a kingdome of nature a kingdom of grace and a kingdome of glorie The kingdome of nature is that where with God gouerneth al the creatures as absolute Lord of al things For albeit peruerse men do euil and obserue not the law of God yet God doth raigne ouer thē for that when it pleaseth him he hindereth their disignmentes And though he permit them sometimes to haue their desires afterwardes hee punisheth them seuerely and there is none that can resist his wil nor that can do otherwise then he ordaineth or permitteth The kingdome of grace is that wherewith God gouerneth
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
easely beleeue his going vp into heauen S I would know the cause wherefore it is said that Christ went vp into heauen and of his most holie Mother it is said that she was assumpted or taken vp into heauen not that she ascended or went vp M The reason is easie For that Christ being God and man went vp into heauen by his owne powre as he also rose by his owne powre But his Mother who is a meere creature though most worthie amongst all others was raysed from death and assumpted vnto the kingdome of heauen not by her owne power but by the power of God S What meaneth He sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almightie M You must not imagine that the Father is on the left-hande of the Sonne nor that the Father is in middest hauing his Sonne on the right-hand and the Holie-Ghost on the left corporally For as well the Father as the Sonne according to his God-head and the Holie Ghost are euery where Neither can it be properly said that one is on the right-hand of an other but to bee at the right hand in this article signifieth to be in equal height glorie and maiestie because when one is side by side of an other one is not higher nor lower then the other And to vnderstand this maner of speach the holie Scripture in the Psalme 109. which beginneth Dixit Dominus Domino meo c. doth once saye that the Sonne doeth sitte at the right hand of the Father and an other time saith that the Father is at the right hand of the Sonne instructing vs that they are in deed in equal height as we haue said So that Christ when he went vp into heauen ascended aboue all the Quyars and orders of the Angels of the blessed soules which he caried with him ariued vnto the high throne of God and there stayed not going aboue his Father neither remayning vnder him but resting as we may say side by his father as equal with him in glory greatnes S Seeing Christ is God and man I would know if he sit at the right hand of the Father as he is God onlie or as he is also man M Christ as he is God is equal to the Father as he is man he is lesse then the Father yet for so much as Christ God and man are not two Christes nor two persons but one Christ onelie and one person onlie therefore it is saide that Christ God and man sitteth at the right hand of the Father And so the humanitie of our Lord to wit his flesh and soule â—re in the throne of God on the right hand of God the father Not by their proper worthines but because they are vnited to the person of the true and natural Son of God S I would haue some similitude to vnderstande this M Take the similitude of a kings robe wheÌ„ the king being vested with his purple robe sitteth in his royal throne al the Princes of his kingdome sit below him the kings robe is in a more eminent place then the Nobles them selues are because it is in the selfe same throne with the King And this is done not because the robe is of equal dignitie with the king but because it is ioyned to the King as his proper garment So the flesh and the soule of Christ do sitte aboue al the Cherubims and Seraphims in the same seat with God not by the dignitie of their owne nature but because they are vnited vnto God not onely as the garment is vnto the king but in much nearer sorte to wit by personal vnion As hath bene said Of the seuenth Article S FRom thence he shal come to iudge the quicke the dead When shall this comming of our Lord be M It shal be at the end of the world For you are to vnderstand that this world is to haue an end and to bee destroied with an inundation of fire which wil burne all thinges vpon the earth And there shal be no more dayes nor nights nor Mariages nor marchandise or anie of these things which you now see So that in the last day of this world which no man can know how neere it is nor how long hence Christ wil come downe from heauen to make the general Iudgment And these words From thence he shal come do forewarne vs not to beleeue anie that shal cal him selfe Christ or that would deceiue vs as Antichrist wil endeuour to do towards the end of the world For that the true Christ wil not come forth of anie desert or obscure place but wil come from the highest heauen with so much glorie and maiestie as no man can doubt whether it be he or no. Like as when the Sun riseth it commeth with so much light as no man can doubt whether lt be the Sun or no. S Wherefore do we say that he shal iudge the quicke and the dead shall not al men be dead at that time and all then rise againe M By the quick and the dead may be vnderstood the good which liue with the spirituall life of grace and the bad which are spiritually dead by sin But it is true also that Christ will come to iudge the quicke and the dead corporally because at that day many shal be dead and manie shall be found aliue Who though they be liuing in that last daye and some also shall bee young or children yet all shall die in an instant and suddenly rise againe thereby to pay the debt of death S I haue heard many times that whosoeuer dyeth in mortall sinne goeth presently vnto hell and whosoeuer dyeth in the grace of God goeth presently to Purgatorie or to heauen how then are all to be judged the sentence being already giueÌ„ M At the death of euery one the particular judgement is giuen of that soule which departed from the bodie but after at the last day there shall be an vniuersall judgement of the whole world And this for manny causes First for Gods honour because manie nowe seeing bad-men in prosperitie and good-men afflicted imagine that God doeth not gouerne the world well But at that time it shall be cleerly seen how God hath seene noted all things and how with great justice he hath giuen vnto the bad some temporall prosperitie in recompence of some good works of theirs of smal momeÌ„t intending afterwards to giue them eternall paine for their mortall sins And contrariwise vnto the good he hath geuen temporal affliction for punishmeÌ„t of some veniall sinnes or to geue them occasion to make them do penance intending afterwards to reward them with an infinite treasure of glorie for their good workes Secondly for the glorie of Christ because he being vniustly condemned and by manie not knowne nor honored as he ought to be it is reason there should be a day when al the world shal know him honour him either by force or for loue as their true king Lord of al.