heaven ever did as those who are skilled in antiquity know Yea Christ himself was pleased to sett forth some more mysticall cures which he did with such ceremonies as you would scoff at thē if our Church in farr more mysticall actions had made use of them So Mark 7. v. 32. in the Cure of a deaf and dumb man First he took him from the multitude a part Secondly he putt his fingars into his eares Thirdly spitting he touched his tongue Fourthly he looked up to heaven Fiftly he groaned Sixtly he used a word deserving speciall interpretation saying Epheta that is be opened So allso Iohn 8. v. 6. In pardoning the adulteresse he twice bowing himself wrot in the earth God knows what And in the nynth Ch. curing a man blind from his nativity v. 6. He spitt on the ground and made a claye of his spittle then he spread the clay upon his eyes Lastly he sayd unto him goe wash in the Poole Siloe which is interpreted sent Thus teaching his Church to use Ceremonies in such mysterious actions as are ordeined to cure our spirituall deafnes spirituall dumbnes spirituall blindnes So we shall see it to be Scripture that sprinkling of water must be used in Baptisme Imposition of hands in Confirmation and Ordination anoynting with oyle in Extreme-vnction Before our Lord gave the Eucharist to his Disciples he Mark 14. made choyse of a roome very spacious and adorned He first washed his disciples feete then setting down he tooke bread gave thanks blessed it brake it c. When he gave his disciples power to absolve and to administer the Sacrament of Confession Io. 20.22 He first sayd to them As my father sent me so I send you when he had sayd this he breathed upon them and he sayd to them Receive the Holy Ghost whose sins yo shall forgive are forgiven c. When the Pastors of our Church use the insufflation or Breathing upon any for the lyke mysticall signification you cry a lowd superstition superstition an apish mimicall action c. 7. There is allso one very great commoditie in the Churches perscribing such and such particular ceremonies in such and such actions that hence it ensues that all her priests performe all these sacred Rites in administring Sacraments offering sacrifice c. after just one and the self-same manner all the world over which is a most comely and orderly thing and could not have happened had not such and such peculiar Rites been prescribed to all 8. But now if after that we have proved Ceremonies to be reasonable you aske why the Church did prescribe just these particular Ceremonies and no other First I answer that eyther these particular Ceremonies are more proper and seemly and as it were more connaturall to such an actiō or secondly they are fittest for some mysticall signification Lastly I say that our unsatisfied adversaryes would have asked the self same question of any other particular ceremonies if the Church had peculiarly appointed them Even as some men will curiously be asking Why did God make the world just at such a particular time and not sooner or later For as S. Augustin wittily answers Had God made choise of any other time to make the world you would still have been asking the very selfsame wyse question Why just now and not sooner or later Even so you would as wisely haue been saying Why just such a Ceremonie and not as well such or such an one Lett this suffice for the Iustification of our Ceremonies THE TENTH POINT Of Baptisme which is the first Sacrament 1. I Will first shew Baptisme to be a Holy signe or ceremony signifying and causing grace in those who duly receave it Ezech. 36.25 And I will power uppon you cleane water and you shall be cleansed from all your contaminations Behold an outward powring of water cleansing inwardly from all contaminations The Baptisme of S. Iohn was an outward powring of water with a solemne profession of doing pennance towards the cleansing of the soul but no grace was given by it to cleanse the soul So Matth. 3.11 sayth S. Iohn Baptist I have Baptized you with water but he Christ shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost His baptisme shall give this soul-cleansing grace Again Act. 2.38 Be every one of you baptized for Remission of your sins and you shall receave the Holy Ghost Again Act. 22.16 Rise up ad be baptized and wash away thy sinns Nothing can cleanse from contamination give Remission of sins wash away sins but that which gives grace Again Gala. 3.27 As many of you as are baptized in Christ have put on Christ Hence Baptisme is called Tit. 3.5 The washing of Regeneration and by it man is borne of the spirit Whence Io. 3.5 Vnlesse a man be borne again of water and the Holy Ghost he can not enter into the Kingdome of God That is to say Baptisme so breeds our spirituall birth in God as our carnall birth causeth our life into the world 2. Wherefore evē the Childrē of the Iust need baptisme For Rom. 5.12 Vnto all men death did passe in whom all sinned Whence David Ps 51.5 And in sin did my mother conceave me And therefore unlesse such an one be born againe of water and the Holy Ghost he shall not enter into the Kingdome of God For of every one it is sayd Eph. 2.3 We were by nature Children of wrath as allso the rest THE ELEVENTH POINT Of Confirmation 1. COnfirmation is approved such a Sacrament Act. 8. v. 14. And when the Apostles that were in Ierusalem had heard that Samaria had receaved the word of God they sent unto them Peter and Iohn wo when they were come prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost For he was not come upon any of them but they were only baptized in the name of our Lord Iesus Then did they impose theyr hands upon them behold the outward signe and they received the Holy Ghost Behold the inward grace given to those who though they had been baptized yet they had not received this particular strength and Confirmation of speciall grace which the coming of the Holy Ghost in this Sacrament did bring unto them It is allso most agreable to Scripture that this Sacrament be given not by inferiour Priests but by Bishops Whence Bede excellently noteth that it was not Philip the Apostle who is here sayd to have converted Samaria but Philip one of the seaven Decons And so though he could baptize them yet he could not give thē this Sacrament and therefore the Apostles sent Peter and Iohn to Samaria Not to baptize them again but to confirme them And though here be no mention of oyle yet it followeth not that no oyle is to be used in this Sacrament For so in the Scripture there is no mention of water in that very Text which mentions the institution of Baptisme as Matthew the last Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Sonne and Holy
the soule do not still survive expecting to be reunited to the body S. Paul can speak here of no other baptisme which can profit the dead but the baptisme of pennance for so S. Marke and so S. Luke speaks And certain it is that S. Paul takes his argument from that which with profit to the dead can be performed for them Otherwise when he presseth so hotty those words To what end are they baptized for them one might easily answer to no end True then it is that to a very good end we undertake this painfull Baptisme of Pennance for the dead so taking upon us part of theyr fiery Baptisme in Purgatory This is the language of Holy Fathers expounding Scripture as Bellarmin sheweth l. 1. de Purgatorio cap. 4. out of S. Hierome S. Basil and Bede all expounding those words He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire Matth. 3. That is say they with the Holy Ghost shall he baptize in this world and with fire in the world to come To the same effect he cites S. Gregory Naz. calling Purgatory fire the last Baptisme 17. The second text is 1. Io. 5.16 If any man see his Brother to sin a sin not to death let him aske and life shall be given for them that sin not to death There is a sin to death committed by irrepentent sinners I do not say that he shall pray for it And so we never pray for those whom we know to dy unrepentant This is the true sense of this place and hence it is clear that there be sins to death and sins not to death The meaning is not that there be sins mortall and sins veniall neither according to our interpreters or according to yours who deny all veniall sins As for us we all hold prayer lawfully and fruitfully made for any sin whatsoever during the life of the sinner Wherefore a sin to death is to leave faith working by Charity even to death As S. Austin sayth de Correp gra c. 12. Whence it followeth contrariwise that a sin not to death is that which a man commiteth but doth not persever in it untill he be dead S. Iohn therefore encourageth us with confidence to pray for any whom we do not know to be departed in deadly sin unrepented For it is evident that S. Iohn speaks here of praying for the dead First because before the death of any sinner we may pray for pardon of his sins whatsoever they be and our prayer may be heard But S. Iohn speaks of a sinner now placed in such a state that prayer for him will not be available Therefore he speaks of praying for sinners who are dead And of those some are dead in theyr sins without repentance For these he bids us not pray Others of them are dead after they duly repented theyr sins and for these he encourageth us to pray I prove this secondly because he speaks of theyr prayer who know theyr brother to sin not to death that is to have given signes of true repentance For any such let him aske and life of glory shall be given him sinning not to death Now if this principle of praying for the dead be true it cannot but be true that there is a Purgatory seeing that prayer brings no relief to any that are either in heaven or Hell 18. To these three principles we may yet add severall Texts to the same effect as Apocal. 21. v. 27. There shall in no wise enter into it heaven any thing that defileth Many dy polluted with multitudes of veniall sins unrepented This pollution must be purged before they enter heaven Many allso dye before they have fully satisfied for all pain due to theyr mortall sins forgiven them This full satisfaction must be made before they enter heaven But where In that prison of which it is sayd Matth. 5. v. 27. Amen I say unto you thou shalt not go out from thence untill thou payest the last farthing Vpon which place S. Hierome This is that which he sayth thou shalt not go out of prison untill thou shalt pay even to thy litle sins And so S. Cyprian Now that after the paying of the last farthing there is going out and forgivenesse in the world to come Christ himself doth teach Matth. 12. v. 32. saying It shall not be forgiven the neither in this world nor in the world to come For it is non sense to say I will neither marry in this world nor in the world to come because in that world there is no marrying the like non sense would be in Christs words if there were no forgivenesse in the next world I conclude with S. Paul 1. Cor. 3. v. 15. If any mans work shall be burnt as wood hay and stubble will do by which lesser sins are signified he shall suffer losse But he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire Which S. Ambrose Serm. 20. in Psalm 118. expounds thus Wheras S. Paul sayth yet so as by fire he sheweth indeed that he shall be saved but yet shall suffer the punishment of fire that being purged by fire he may be saved and not tormented for ever as infidels are by everlasting fire 19. All these proofes we have out of Scripture though they be so little noted by our adversaries who dayly read Scripture Yet they are to know that if they will do what the pretend they should by clear Scripture before they deny Purgatory shew us manifestly that there is no Purgatory For theyr prime pretence of just separation from us is that they were inforced thereunto for such errours as they can manifestly by only Scripture demonstrate to be damnable Let them shew this of Purgatory and we have done THE XXVI POINT Of Indulgences 1. TO understand this point well which is misunderstood by a world of people note first what we proved in the former point that full often after that God hath pardoned the guilt of sinne he doth not pardon the guilt of all that paine to which the sinner according to Iustice is still lyable for the sin forgiven Note secondly that we are most grossly belyed by our adversaries who say that our doctrine is that the Pope can forgive us our sins by graunting Indulgences unto us whereas no Catholicke Doctor can ever be shewed to have taught this doctrine We all unanimously teach that the Pope by no Indulgence can forgive any one single mortall or veniall sin For our Faith tells us that those sins are onely forgiven us by true contrition or due sorrow in the Sacrament of Confession joyned allwayes with a sincere purpose of offending no more That which is forgiven by an Indulgence is not the guilt of any sin either mortall or veniall but it is only the pardoning of part or of all that paine which yet according to Gods Iustice we stand lyable to pay for the sins already forgiven Neither doth any Catholicke Doctor teach that the Pope can forgive any sinner this paine at
you harden your harts as Aegypt and Pharao did harden theyr hart And so David cryeth to us all Harden not your harts Psal 94 8. And Ezech. 18.31 Cast away from you all your transgressions and make you a new heart and new spirit for why will you dye ô house of Israël for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth sayth the Lord God Wherefore turne your selves and live ye 3. Behold how God himselfe declares that by the grace he offers us we may make our selves a new heart a new spirit turne our selves and live God speaks cleerly in Deut. 11.26 Behold I sett forth in your sight this day benediction and malediction benediction if you obey the Commandements of our Lord malediction if you obey not but revolt from the way which now I shew you Again Deut. 30.15 See I have sett before the this day life and good and contrariwyse death and evill And v. 19. I call for record this day heaven and earth I have sett before you life and death blessing and cursing Choosing therefore life See here the choise left to our freewill So Iosue 24.15 Chuse this day whom you will serve 2. Samuel 24.12 Choice is given the of three things Chuse one one of them which thou wilt And Philem. v. 14. Without thy minde I would do nothing that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity but willingly And 1. Cor. 7.37 He that standeth stedfast in his hart having no necessity but hath power over his owne will doth well 4. Behold we have power over our owne will to do that which is lesse perfect or that which is more perfect For as it there sayd he who giveth in marriage doth well he that giveth not doth better And wee have power over our owne will to do either Yea Gods grace so enables our power that Io. 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God By this his power we clense our hands purify our harts clense our whole selves wee Matth. 12.33 make the tree and fruit good And as it is sayd Io. 3.3 Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe Hitherto of free will in doing good 5. How frees will comes to lead us to all our evill S. Iames tells us c. 1. v. 14. Every one is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed hitherto no sinne but then when I pray note this then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sinne Then sinne and only then is hatched when free will yealds her selfe to concupiscence so as to consent to what is suggested Ye did not heare ye did choose that wherin I delighted not Isa 65.12 The Texts allso in the following point confirme free will THE XXXII POINT How this free will is still helped with sufficient Grace 1. IF God gave vs not allwayes that grace which is of sufficiēt force to excite us to the effectuall performance of all the good which we are bound to do or to the avoyding of all the evill which we are bound to avoyd our free will could neither do the one nor avoid the other All the former Texts then which so cleerly prove that wee by Gods helpe can if wee will do what wee are bound to do and can avoyd what wee are bound to avoyd do consequently prove that God allwayes gives such Grace to both effects as wants nothing of perfect sufficiency to produce them but our free consent Hence S. Paul thus exhorts us 2. Cor. 6 1. We then as workers togeather with him beseech you allso that you receive not the grace of God in vaine Excellently the Rhemists upon this Text. It lyeth in mans power and free will to frustrate or to follow this motion of God as this Text plainly proveth which really is the very selfesame that the Councill of Trent sayth Sess 6. c. 5. That by Gods exciting and helping grace we are disposed to cōvert our selves by freely assenting and cooperating to the same grace so that God touching the hart of mā by the illumination of the H. Ghost mā is neither void of all action he receiving that inspiration for he receives it so as having in his power to cast it away Neither can he without the grace of God move himselfe And therfore it followeth in the fourth Canon If any one shall say that the free will of man moved and excited by God doth cooperate nothing att all by giving her consent to God exciting and calling by which he may dispose himselfe to the grace of Iustification and that he cannot dissent if he will let him be Anathema Lett those harken to this who harken so much to the Iansenists And let us go on to speake of this sufficient grace which in the next point wee will shew more fully to be offered to all Of this grace Isaias 5.4 What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it For Prov. 1.24 I called you and you refused And that you may not say he only called and did not stretch forth his hand to helpe you to come the next words are I stretched forth my hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my cousel And Isa 65.12 When I called ye did not answer when I spake ye did not heare and did choose that wherin I delighted not Though they did choose thus against Gods call yet this his call was so sufficient to have moved them that God tels Ezechiel c. 3. v. 6. that if he had sent him with so strong and powerfull preaching to barbarous and unknowen people They surely would have heard thee But the house of Israël will not heart thee for all the house of Israël are impudent and hard harted They will not be moved by those calls which would move others And because they answered like Protestants c. 33.10 If our transgressions and our sinns be upon us and we pine in them how should we then live God commands the Catholicke doctrine to be thus delivered Say unto them As I live sayth the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live Turne ye turne ye from your wicked wayes and why will you dye ô house of Israël Note how still he sayth he excites them sufficiently otherwise vainly had he sayd why will you dye ô house of Israël For they might reply we cannot but dye because thou givest us not the grace to live 2. And as God sayd of Ezechiels preaching that it was sufficient to have converted Barbarians though the Iewes would not be moved by it So Matth. 11. v. 20. of Christ it is sayd He began to upbraid the Citties wherein were done the most of his miracles for that they had not done pennance Wo be to the Corozain wo he to the Bethsaida for if in Tyre and Sidon had bene wrought the miracles that were wrought in thee they had