(d) De homine qui est viva Dei similitudo imago nec aliqua institutione in cultum Dei dedicata docent Alexander Waldensis Cajetan cum posse esse adorationis materiam sicut de imagine picta dixerunt hoc est in illo per illum ita Deum adorari posse ut ipse etiam homo eodem motu signo submissionis colatur sicut imago cum exemplari atque idem de Angelo dicere debent ibid. disp 1. c. 1. n. 4. cap. 3. n. 17. since every man is the living Image of God This is not only the doctrine of Vasquez but of Alensis of Waldensis and of Cardinal Cajetane only in the practice of this there must be caution for Albertus Magnus and Aquinas say there is danger least a man being of more excellency than an Image divine worship should be given him not for Gods sake but his own dignity (e) Ubi periculum non esset non negarent adorari posse sicut imaginem pictam ibid. but where this danger is not they would not deny but any man may be so worshipped even with divine worship So that if Paul and Barnabas with the Lycaonians Act. 14. had but proceeded with the caution of these Doctors and taken care that those people should so worship them only for Gods sake they might lawfully have admitted the worship offered them though they not learned in this kind of Doctrine chose rather to be stoned than so honoured It is lawful to worship not only rational Creatures (f) Quaevis etiam alia res mundi sive inanima irrationalis sive rationalis ex natura rei secluso periculo rite cum Deo sicut imago ipsius adorari potest Hanc opinionem tradit Cajetan 2. 2. q. 103. art 3. ad dub 4. id docuit Leontius ibid. c. 2. n. 5. but any thing else in the whole world whether living or liveless Any beast or creeping thing may be worshipped as the Image of God which they hold is to be honoured with divine worship So that not only the Planets Stars the Queen and the Host of Heaven may be thus adored for which the Lord condemns Israel and Judah as Idolaters but the vilest Creature that lives on Earth a Fly or a Frogg or a Serpent or a Toad may be thus worshipped Yea meaner Creatures than any that have life any inanimate thing whatsoever though it be but a wisp of Straw that is our Authors own instance whereas sayes he (g) Frustra igitur Wiclesistae objiciebant Christianis imagines colentibus ipsos quoque modulum straminis adorare posse idem enim Leontius de modulo straminis quod de quacunque re mundi libenter fateretur tantum abest ut absurdum judicari debeat ibid. n. 10. the Wickliffites object that Christians who worship Images may as well worship a wisp of Straw modulum straminis the same Leontius upon whose Authority he grounds all would as freely grant this of a bit of Straw as he does it of every thing else in the World so far is it from being counted absurd yea they may worship not only vile but sordid things (h) In brutis animantibus rebus sordidis Deo exhibere notam submissionis primo aspectu indecens apparet id tamen non obest quo minus suapte natura in qualibet re mundi Deum ipsum adorare liceat imo sanctos homines seu Angelos si eos cum rehus illis cogitatione nostra possimus conjungere ibid. n. 11. and not only God but Angels and Saints in them quaevis alia res mundi any thing what-ever in the World whether liveless unreasonable or rational may rightly have divine worship with God And this is not only the judgment of their famous Vasquez but of Cardinal Cajetan and in consequence of them all for those great witts well discerned that the adoration of other things approved and practised by the Romanists could never be defended without extending their principles to such a Latitude Thus it is manifest that whatsoever the Apostate Israelites adored or the Egyptians worshipped or the Laplanders do worship or the grossest and the most ridiculous Idolaters in the World ever made an Idol all that with much more and worse may lawfully be worshipped by Popish principles there never was any Idolatry so absurd or horrid in the World but may have Patronage or excuse by this doctrine And now Heaven and Earth being furnished with their Idols one would think they need go no further but be satisfied without seeking Hell for any yet there is an inquiry which reaches that too 'T is a question amongst them if (i) An sit peccatum adorare radium luminis vel speciem Crucifixi sub qua Daemon delitescit ibid. disp 1. c. 5. n. 30. vid Bonacin Tom. 2. disp 3. q. 1. punct 4. n. 5. the Devil should appear in a beam of light or the form of a Crucifix whether that apparition may be worshipped Antisiodorensis Alexander Aquinas Marsilius Adrian and others will not allow it should be worshipped unless conditionally and with a condition express'd but Vasques is for adoration hereof absolutely (k) Quare nec conditionem expresse addere oportet ut recte legitime adoratio fiat multo minus ea exprimenda est quando Eucharistiam adoramus ut optime tradunt Alexand. S. Thom. Bonaventura qui cum dicant necessariam esse expressam conditionem quando adoratur Christus in specie Crucifixi ubi Daemon delitescit affirmant tamen eam non esse necessariam ut adoretur in hostia consecrata Idem sensiâ— Gabriel Quinimo ut Cajetan Hosselanus Claudius Sajnctes docent male faceret qui adderet conditionem ut securus adoraret ibid. n. 34. no condition express'd and he has those who are otherwise minded at a great advantage because they conclude for worship absolutely in a parallel case for they will have a consecrated Host to be worshipped without condition though the Devil were in it or lurked under it and if they think he would be worshipped in the former without the interposal of a condition he will be worshipped in the later where they will have no condition to exclude it I conclude this with what (l) Hominem posse mereri per fidem erroneam etsi contingat ut adoret Diabolum Resett Humphed de vita Juel p. 120. Holcott determines a man may merit by a mistaken belief although it so fall out that he worship the Devil These decisions were necessary to justifie their devout persons who have met with such adventures A great part of Popery is grounded upon Visions and Apparitions these were much affected and admired by their reputed holy Men and Women too who were admired and adored for them Satan in the darkness wherein this mystery did best thrive had the advantage to put store of Cheats upon them Many Monks and Heremites says a Lapide were deceived by him Particularly
as certain as they would have a decree of the Council of Trent accounted that though sinners neglect the great Duties and Acts of Christians and live in any wickedness opposite to the rule of Christ yet the Church hath a device to save them and by it they may be sure to escape Hell without true Repentance What is this but to declare that the most damnable neglects and practices shall never damn them though they never repent thereof the Church hath a trick to secure them notwithstanding What is this but to proclaim that the Lawes of God and the rules of the Gospel are unnecessary impositions without the observance whereof Salvation may be had The knowledge of Christ explicite faith in him actual love of him which comprize all the rest as they teach are not necessary as means Salvation may be had without them and as for a necessity hereof by vertue of any Precept that is not considerable but in reference to the danger of not observing the precept and there 's no danger in this though the neglect hereof were in their account a mortal sin no more than in Venials or no sins at all if it will not damn those who never truly repent of it So that plainly by excusing sinners from Repentance they make all sins safe and all duties needless and give men assurance that they may live and dye impenitently in the neglect of all even the most important duties and in the practice of any the worst wickedness and yet be saved There never was any Heresie broached in the World more monstrous and pernicious than this which the Council of Trent hath brought forth it hath all the damnable wickedness both as to judgment and practice that ever was or can be on Earth in the bowels of it It promotes the Birth the Growth the continuance thereof for it promiseth safety to impenitency therein yea Salvation too by a knack of a very easie use and new invention It hath in it the venome of all damning opinions practices and neglects for that which makes them all deadly is impenitency not would they without this be finally and unavoydably destructive But this would have impenitency it self swallowed CHAP. VI. Their Doctrine leaves no necessity of Holiness of life and the exercise of Christian Vertues Sect. 1. HOliness of life is needless by the Popish Doctrine though the Lord hath made this every way necessary both as a duty which he indispensably requires and as a means without which he ordinarily will save no man it is declared necessary both wayes at once Heb. 12. 14. The Papists indeed boast much of it and seem sometimes to lay great stress on it as if they would have it to be a character of the true Church concluding theirs is the only true Church because there is no Holiness to be found in the World but amongst them only Thus they pretend it to be of greatest consequence but this is but to serve another turn the design is not for Holiness of life for their Doctors count that more than needs And really they are extream good Husbands here and make a little Holiness go a great way for it is enough to denominate the Universal Church holy if there be but one holy person in it so Costerus (a) Tametsi ejus plurima membra sint emortua impia non amittit tamen Sancti nomen quamdiu vel unus pietatem ex animo colens retinet sanctitatem Enchirid. l. 3. c. 8. Possibile est quod tota fides remaneret in uno solo verum esset dicere quod fides non deficit in ecclesia Abbas in Sylvest v. Concil n. 3. How many soever of its Members be dead and impious so long as there is any one man that retains Holiness the Church must be called holy And then to make this one man holy one act of vertue is enough and that a very slender one too for saith Bannes (b) Quilibet actus charitatis quantumlibet remissus sufficit ad implendum omnia praecepta in 2. 2ae q. 44. a 5. Any one act of Charity how weak soever it be is enough to fulfil all the commandements of God Now he is doubtless a holy man who fulfils all those Commandements Further this one act he need but do once and that not all his life he may defer it till he dye if he have no mind to trouble himself with it in any part of his life before as we have already shewed Yea and he may be excused from it when he is a dying too as well as whilest he lives if he can but get a Priest to absolve him and (c) Vid. above 40 Doctors for this in Jo. Sanc. disp 44. n. 34. Sacramenta Baptismi absolutionis posse conferri etiam ijs qui in periculo vitae sunt licet ipsi vi morbi oppressi non habeant usum rationis aut sensuum modo constét eos antea desiderasse ejusmodi Sacramenta Bellarm. de effect Sacrament l. 2. c. 8. p. 121. Actus charitatis semper requiritur ad justificationem seclusis tamen Sacramentis Sacramenta autem in non ponente obicem eundem habent effectum quem haberet charitas contritio sine Sacramento Canus Relect de paen t. pars 3. p. 844. Thus though an act of charity or repentance be requisite alwayes where the Sacraments cannot be had yet the Sacraments in him that gives no obstruction as he does not who has neither the use of sense or reason have the same effect that love to God or Repentance would have without the Sacrament i. e. the Sacrament will justifie and save them who have no act of love to God or true Repentance the Priest must absolve him if the dying man give but any sign which may be interpreted a desire of it And their Sacrament he must have and be absolved absolutely when speechless and senseless if any can but witness that he desired Confession Antonin 3. part tit 10. c. 2. Sylvest v confess 3. n. 16. Paludan dist 21. q. 2. a. 2. Concl. 2. Yea if he did not desire it nor ever give any sign of Repentance he may be conditionally absolved Rituale Pauli 5. And though he have lived wickedly without restraint all his days if at last gasp he be attrite and have but though it never appear the vertue of Judas â—only hoping better i. e. presuming more than he did by vertue of such absolution he will be as certainly saved as other good Catholicks though the other unfortunate wretch for want of a Priest as vertuous as himself to absolve and give him hope was unhappily damned See here a most compendious way to be holy who can imagine any other but that such principles as these make holiness of life extreamly needful But more particularly we may discover how necessary they judge it by what they determine concerning the necessity of exercising Christian vertues and the forsaking of sin There is no need of
Juram c. 6. n. 1. Non sufficit habitualis affectus seu dispositio ad peccandum sed requiritur actualis affectus seu dispositie ut peccatum reipsa contrahatur Bonacina de peccat disp 2. q. 3. p. 5. n. 3. alij communiter the Law of God is not concerned in any habits as it commands not those that are good so it forbids not those that are vicious and no reason to mortifie that which is not condemned by the Law However they retain the word but little else we meet with in them about this great concern of a Christian and a very odd object they find for it instead of that which the Scripture assignes it is the natural body that is to be afflicted and macerated not the body of sin and so they are not concerned to get the work of the Devil destroyed it is the work of God that must be mortified They may be excused if they make not this so much as a Counsel But they say the meceration of the body is in order to the bridling of concupisence It seems as Innocent as it is it may need a curb yet they take care to leave it loose enough for those severities which should hamper it they say are not commanded (x) Afflictio corporis non est in praecepto de just jur l. 7. q. 5. art 2. Mortificationis operibus sedulo esse addictos consilium in Jo. sanc disp 1. n. 1. Afflicting of the body is under no precept saith Soto and Sylvester having told us out of Aquinas that a Vow is properly of a work of Supererogation acceptable to God he adds the (y) Sum. v. Votum 1. n. 4. maceration of the body as such for the bridling of Concupiscence falls under Vowes And so how unruly soever the flesh is they may choose whether they will use the bridle or no. Yea if the Priest should be so rigid as to enjoyn severities of this tendency the Sinner needs not submit to them Nor will they have us more engaged against the world than against the flesh all the evils of the world are by the Apostle reduced to three heads 1 Ioh. 2. 16. but the Oracle of their Schools tells us that to relinquish these three wholly (z) Haec autem tria totaliter derelinquere secundum quod possibile est pertinet ad consilia Evangelica Aquinas 1. 2. q. 108 art 4. Corp. as far as we can belongs to Evangelical Counsels Soto herein follows him and tells us (a) Temporalium tria sunt genera scil concupiscentia carnis concupiscentia oculorum superbia vitae animos vero ab illis prorsus evellere non est cunctis immo neque multisin hoe saeculo possibile Quare sub consilio Christusid cuique reliquit ut qui capere posset caperet Ibid. l. 2. q. 9. art 3. p. 67. vid. Jo. Sanc. disp 7. n. 10. Huc emim viz. ad votum religionis attinet Paulinum illud verbum ad Gal. 6. mihi absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini c. per quem mihi mundus crucisixus est ego mando Ibid. l. 7. q. 5. art 1. p. 242 that Christ left this unto every one under Counsel So to be crucified to the world and to get the world crucified to us Gal. 6. is matter of advice with him nor are we obliged thereto in reference to those things (b) Non possunt non multa alendae charitati creare pericula Ibid or Lusts which very much endanger our souls Self-denyal also hath the same measures from them Bellarmine by those words of Christ to the young man Matth. 19. 21. Follow me understands self-denyal explaining it by Matth. 16. If any man will come after me let him deny himself it is nothing else saith he (*) Abnegare se nihil est aliud quam valedicere suo judicio suis affectibus accommedare se alterius judicio voluntati but to renounce ones own judgment and affections and to accommodate himself to the judgment and will of other this the young man should have done but it was not his duty it was only a Counsel of perfection as he and all of them conclude to subject himself thus to the will and judgment of Christ He distinguisheth indeed and will have submission to the will and judgment of Christ in things necessary to salvation to be a common duty enjoyned Matth. 16. and Luk. 9. But such a subjection of our wills and judgments to Christ in things not of themselves necessary to salvation to be only a Counsel (c) Solis ijs consulituâ— qui volunt esse perfecti de qua agitur Matth. 19. Luc. 18. de Monach. l. 2. c. 9. p. 1151. it is advice for those alone that would be perfect This is bad enough for thus it will not be a duty to subject our selves to Christ in most things or to deny our selves in any thing which is not in their sense a deadly evil But Soto than whom there was no Divine more considerable in the Council of Trent advanceth farther and concludes that self-denyal not only which is required Matth. 19. Luk. 18. But that also commanded Luk. 9. Matth. 16. which the Cardinal understood to be a subjecting of our wills and judgments to Christ in things necessary to salvation is but a Counsel and tells us (d) Luc. 9 Idem est se hominem ipsum abnegare quod propriam libertatem alterius arbitrio voti nexu subdere Ibid. p. 248. Abnegare seipsum est propriam voluntatem per quam homo est bomo abnegare quod revera nisi obligatario votâ— alteri eam sic tradas ut in tua non supersit facultate eandem rersus tibi usurpare fieri non potest Ibid. art 4. p. 24â— for a man to deny himself is by Vow to give up his liberty to anothers will and so Christ no where enjoynes other self-denyal than what their Perfectionists voluntarily oblige themselves unto by Vow and the main duty of Christians is confined to Cloysters that self-resignation wherewith Christ should be honoured being transferred to an Abbot There is one thing more remains which Christ requires of those who will be his Disciples that is Christians and but one where he gives us the sum of all and that is suffering for him It would be strange if when they have eased themselves of the rest they should leave their Catholicks obliged to this The device of Evangelical Counsels had not been so useful a tool though it freed them from the rest of Christs Yoke if it would not have served to cast off the heaviest part of it but hereby they can cast off Sufferings greater or less Martyrdom they reserve for those who receive the truth in Love for themselves it is only a Counsel (e) Est autem solum in Consilio quando ex eo nihil amplius quam Dei gloria vel fidei exaltatio consequitur secundum mentem ejusdem Doctoris Navar. c. 12.