to vse their owne wills and to fullfill their desires vpon them by what torments they would rather then to forsake the faith of Iesus Christ and thousands of thousands of faithfull christians gathered together in the Catholike Church are now ready with them in the same manner to professe it But we will honour Christ and comfort good christians by declaring the testimonys which God hath giuen of him We haue of Christ two kindes of diuine testimonys First by diuine scriptures and secondly by his miraculous works We will heare first what the scriptures testify of him When the mystery of the Incarnation was fullfilled and Christ came into the world there were then in all the world but two onely religions or diuine worships professed to wit the religion of the Iewes who worshipped one eternall and omnipotent God and the religion of the Gentils or Pagans adoring many Gods And the worship of one God being in the first article setled for true and the worship of many Gods reiected by the Apostles for false it followeth that the people of the Iewes were then the people of God whom he had chosen to be truely honored amongst Secondly it followeth that the Iewes hauing then the true faith and diuine worship whatsoeuer they then beleeued was true and that they then beleeuing in Christ as to come he was then indeede to come and whatsoeuer they beleeued of him then as future the same we are to beleeue of him as past and whatsoeuer the scriptures receiued by them which are the old Testament haue declared of him that is allwais to be beleeued as of diuine authority and as spoken by the word of God who dictated those scriptures for the gouernment of the world in the true worship of him Now the holy scriptures of the old testament deliuer soe planely the comming of a Messias or which is all one a Christ to redeeme the world that all whosoeuer receiue those scriptures doe still confesse it For it is the maine butte and prime scope of the old Testament to shew that Christ was promised from the beginning to the Patriarks and reuealed from time to time to the Prophets that the world might expect him then to come as it is the butte and scope of the new Testament to declare him to the world to be allready come And as the new Testament describeth all ouer the ioy of the faithfull in enioying him soe did the old testament comfort the faithfull then with the expectation and hopes of him First his comming was signifyed euen at first in paradise in terrour to the serpent who had caused our sinne when our Lord threatening him with an enemy that should come against him said I will put enmitys betâ—ixt thee and the woman Gen. 3. and thy seede and the seede of her she shall bruize thy head in peeces and thou shalt ly in waite of her heele Christ was by this mysteriously denoted God then declaring that the enmity of mankind with the serpent was to be especially betwixt him and the seede of a woman by which it is signifyed that Christ the Redeemer of the world and the serpents greatest enemy should be particularly the seede of a woman and is not there said to be of the seede of a man because he was to be conceiued and borne of a Virgin mother without the helpe of man And this was the prerogatiue of the Sauiour of the world that the sinne of mankind being first occasioned by a woman he that was to be the death and destruction of sinne should be by the power of God of womans seede onely without man The same was deliuered by reuelation to the Patriarks and Prophets afterwards and they did not onely declare it to posterity but also described the manner of the accomplishment of it Esa 9. A litle child is borne to vs and a sonne is giuen to vs and principality is made vpon his shoulder and his name shall be called Meruelous Counseller God Strong Father of the world to come The Prince of peace And in another place the same Prophet describeth the circumstances of his comming among the Iewes Arize be illuminated Hierusalem Esa 60. because thy light is come c. vpon thee shall our Lord arize and his glory shall be seene vpon thee And the Gentils shall walke in thy light and kings in the brightnesse of thy rizing Lift vp thine eyes round about and see all these are gathered together to thee Thy sonnes shall come from a farre and thy daughters shall rize from the side Then shalt thou see and abounde and thy hart shall meruaile and shall be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be conuerted to thee the strength of Gentils shall come to thee Here it is foretold that the Messias should come amongst the Iewes vnder the dominion and commande of Hierusalem the comming of kings to acknowledge his power and the conuersion of the Gentiles who by multitudes farre and neere should receiue the light of his doctrine and obey him our Lord. But I neede not stande to alledge scriptures for the comming of the Messias for it is inferred by that which I haue said allready that the Iewes who had then the true worship of God beleued it and it shall appeare by many places of the scriptures which I shall afterwards alledge Neither is there any difference betwixt that which the people of God beleeued of him by those scriptures before his comming and that which the faithfull now beleeue of him since his comming but onely in the diuersity of times they being before and we after him they beleeuing in him as to come and expecting of him we hauing receiued the ioy of his comming They were not then called Christians although they beleeued in Christ because they were but one nation and people of the Israëlits consisting of diuerse tribes and tooke their denomination of Ieâ—â—es from the â—ribe of Iuda which was the cheife tribe and of which it was foretold that the Messias should come But after his comming when the true faith and diuine worship was not confined to one onely nation but was enlarged vnto other nations and made common to all then all truâ— beleeuers beganne to be called by the Apostles Christians Act. 11. as by a name which abstracted from all nations to those who beleeued in Iesus Christ the true Messias and Redeemer of the wâ—rld Soe thâ—â— all true beleeuers haue allwâ—is beleeued in Christ as the Israëlits or People of the Iewes did immediatly before his comming and as now we doe But when Iesus Christ our Sauiour came into the world and preached his heauenly doctrine amongst the sewes a People wholy drowned in sinne and giuen to pride and desires of this world he abstaining from their euill wayes rebuking their vices and exhorting them to vertue and contempt of the world without giuing any hopes of temporall riches and glory but onely of spirituall blessings and such felicitys as were to be
pleasure which we tooke in it The first euill of the losse of God is repaired by our conuersion to him in confession by which we are restored to his fauour againe But the punishment of our senses is not allwais quite taken away but as our auersion from God and conuersion to the creature for sensible pleasure was more earnest and intense then our conuersion is to God againe soe it is fitting that some sensible paine should remaine to be susteined These are the grounds of the Catholike doctrine of Satisfaction and of Purgatory of both which we wil say somethinge here as in their propper place If I said noe more in proofe of this doctrine but onely that the Bishop of Rome and Pastors of his communion deliuered it I had in reason said enough For he being the head of the Church as the true and lawfull successour in S. Peters primacy as I haue shewed him to be he and the Pastors of his communion haue the lawfull authority of the whole Church and are the whole Catholike Church in authority and being that we must alwais say I beleeue the Catholike Church we must allwais beleeue and obey the succession of that authority But I will say somethinge in particular of them That which the Catholike Church teacheth of Satisfaction is that although the conuersion of a sinner to God may be soe intense and perfect sometimes that he may obtaine a full remission of all punishment and be as it were new borne to God in baptisme yet this doth not allwais happen Our conuersion to God is not allwais soe intense and perfect but that there may and commonly doth remaine some punishment to be suffered after it This we shew first by holy Scriptures When the children of Israel sinned by murmuring against God and their Pastors Moyset praying obtained the remission of their sinne But yet saith God all the men that haue seene my Maicsty Nu. 14. c. And haue tempted mee c. they shall not see the land for the which I sware to their fathers Here their sinne was forgiuen them yet it was punished afterwards those that had sinned neuer entring into the land of promise Nu. 20. Moyses and Aaron sinned at the waters of contradiction and when their sinne was forgiuen there remained a penalty to be endured by them and they endured it not bringing the people into the holy land Dauid had sinned by murder and adultery and Nathan being sent to reprooue him and bring him to repentance Reg. 2.12 he repented and deserued to heare from the Prophet our Lord hath taken away thy sinne thou shalt not dy But his sinne being taken away it was not withstanding punished with the death of his sonne the Prophet declaring the sonne which is borne to thee dying shall dy And for all king Dauids earnest praying fasting and lying on the ground he could not obtaine the life of the child By all which we see that punishment of sinne may remaine to be suffered when the sinne is forgiuen It Was therfor the custome of the Catholike Church aunciently as now it is to impose penaltys vpon sinners at their repentance as by auncient Canons doth appeare Ep 3. 14. can 38. S. Basil ep 3. 14. can 38. He that hath committed adultery shall not communicate in the Sacraments for fifteene yeares S. Augustine Let vs seeke confession with a pure hart and performe the pennance which is giuen by priests It is against reason that he that commeth to confession with many mortal sinnes should thinke to haue noe more puishment then he that hath but one onely if they be disposed with equal deuotion Yet they were both alike if they had noe more punihment but onely to confesse and that then all sinne and punishment were taken away Sinne therfor and punishment are onely soe farre correlatiues that punishment allwais supposeth sinne to haue bene but doth not require that there be then actually sinne Neither is it worth any thinge that which haeretiks obiect against this That Christ satysfyed for vs therefor we neede not to satisfy for our selues noe more then it is to say Christ did good works for vs therefor wee neede nor to doe good works for our selues Our good works derogate not from the good works of Christ nor our Satisfaction from his Satisfactions our good works haue their value from his and soe hath our satisfaction but neither of them is hindered by him Thus much for Satisfaction and for the enioyning of pennance after the remiffion of sinnes As for Purgatory it followeth hence that those who dy with their sinnes forgiuen them but haue not that intense sorrow and perfect repentance which is necessary for the remission of all punishment due to their sinnes must haue their punishment in some place in the next world where they must be purged from that guilt of punishment as also of their lesser sinnes before that they can enter into heauen Aërius was one of the first that denyed Purgatory and that which he gott for it was to be recorded as an haeretike euer from the times of the primitiue Church and to haue his doctrine in thelist of those whom S. Epiphanius haer 75. And S. Augustine haer 83. haue branded with the marke of haeresy Luther at first although he denyed indulgences yet was soe resolute in the mainteining of Purgatory that in his disputation with Eckius he would needs make publike profession of it saying I firmely beleeue and dare boldly say I know there is a Purgatory whatsoeuer haeretiks raile against it Disp lips But hauing once fallen from the Catholike Church he was constant to nothing but vnconstancy and came in the end to deny Purgatory also But the Catholike Church hath allwais acknowledged that there is a place for the soules of those to be purged in who dy in venial sinne or haue not made full satisfaction for their mortal which place therfor may aptly be called Purgatory That there is such a place it appeareth in all those sentences of Scriptures where prayer for the dead is commended Teh 4. For those who are in heauen or in hell are not to be prayed for Set thy bread and thy wine saith holy Toby vpon the burial of a iust man Not as the Gentils vainely did to delight the dead with corporal viands but to be giuen to the poore to pray for them Hence saith S. Chrysostome who liued aboue twelue hundred yeares since came the custome of calling together the poore to receiue almes to pray for the dead Thus did Iudas Machabaeus make a gathering and sent a great summe of syluar to be bestowed in sacrifice for the dead Where vpon the Scriptures make this inference Mach. 2.12 It is therfor a holy and healthfull cogitation to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from sinnes And if any deny these Scriptures to be canonical because the Iewes deny them S. L. 18. de ciu Det. Augustine will
that the more they drinke the more their disease increaseth and their desire of drinke These ought to consider that riches are the creatures of God ordained for vse and if they be not vsed they are abused and the order is peruerted which God ordained in the creation of them Some sinne by excesse in the contrary that they will not thinke nor prouide how to liue but spend as long as they haue any thing and then they passe on a slothfull and carelesse life choosing rather as the common saying is hungar with ease then plenty with paines taking These must consider that God hath prouided sufficiently for them and if they will needs contemne the prouidence of God and spend all then they must vse their limmes to liue by and that euery man must liue of his owne care and labour in his calling The rich haue a more carefull and lesse painefull life the poorer as they haue lesse care so they haue more paines to take And if they be able they must worke and not thinke any more idly and loosely to depende of others then others thinke to depend of them These sinne by too much neglect of riches as they are good the couetous sin by too much loue of that which is base in riches The remedy of couetousnes is to stirre vp in our selues an ardent loue of God that we loue him in our riches and them not for themselues but for his sake and to doe sometimes some deeds of charity for this end that we may keep our harts allways free from the loue of riches and open to the loue of God and of our neighbour O that rich men would remember those words which King Dauid sang â—s 61. If riches abound set not your hart vpon them They might desire riches haue riches and keepe them if they would but keep their harts of them and vse them as God hath ordained them to be vsed Dauid performed himselfe that which in this he commended to others who although he were guilty of some other sinnes yet he is not noted at any time to haue set his hart on riches when they abounded with him as a king in plenty of all things He was a very charitable man gaue much to the building of a temple to God by which it appeareth that he sett his hart on almesdeeds and doeing works of charity and not vpon riches and if all rich men would doe soe they might be happy and blessed in their riches You haue now the ten Commandements declared the Commandements not of any king or superiour vpon earth but of God the maker of heauen and earth and who gaue these Commandements after such a terrible manner to the Israelits that as you haue heard they were allmost killed with feare at the receiuing of them because they were a hard harted people and as stubborne and peruersed children were to be gouerned with the sight of the rodde But we that liue in the law of Christ which is the law of clemency and grace and in which we haue such an example of the loue of God in the mystery of the incarnation and passion of the sonne of God we ought to be drawne by loue to obey him who intreating and exhorting to keepe his Commandements demandeth If you loue mee keepe my Commandements Io. 14. And a litle after he that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loueth mee We professe ourselues to be christians that is as the disciples seruants souldiers and spouses of Iesus Christ to loue him and we follow obey sight for and adulterate with the deuill his professed enemy O Christian is this thy loue is this to be a Christian the beloued disciple of Iesus Christ saith He that saith he abideth in Christ ought as he walked himselfe also to walke Io. 1.2 You would thinke it a horrible thinge to see a christian to deny his christendome and to become a Turke or Pagan and yet in deedes we deny it when we breake the Commandements of God which then we promised faithfully to keepe Tit. 1. They Confesse that they know God but in their works they deny saith S. Paul This is to be a christian in name onely and not indeede as the traitour or rebell to the king hath the name of his subiect but is not subiect to him and thus S. Iohn Euangelist was inspired to declare Io. 1.1 He that saith he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him If therefor you will be constant to the faith of Christ and beare truely the name of a christian be good christians keepe the Commandements of God let not the pleasure of any thinge draw you from him giue him the first place in your harts care not for the fauour of any soe as to loose the diuine fauour contemne riches forsake all vnlawfull desires beare afflictions losses iniurys imprisonment or any paine what soeuer rather then to committee any mortall sinne powre forth this life which here you enioy to please God the supreme goodnes better then life How many martyrs haue giuen their liues not onely in defence of faith but of the Commandements of God to fly sinne Dun 13. It is better for mee sâ—ith chast Susanna without the act to fall into your hands then to sinne in the sight of our Lord. Math. 1.2 Allthough all nations obey king Antiochus I and my sonnes and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers said the holy Priest Matathias when the kings officers vrged him against the lawes of God Death suffered for the loue of God maketh a martyr and soe S. Iohn Baptist was a martyr because he suffered for the good works which he did and soe S. Peter was a martyr in minde when for the loue of Christ he said with thee I am ready to goe both into prison and vnto death Luc. 22. And shall we for a moment of delight that endeth be it be begunne breake the Commandements of God loose his fauour and be banished from him for euer Let vs resist temptations couragiously and with zeale of Gods honour say from our harts all though all should obey the world the flesh or the deuill I will obey the law of God I will liue and dy in his seruice Lord my God for euer will I Confesse to thee Psal 29. THE SEAVENTH DISCOVRSE OF THE PATER NOSTER Quest Say the Pater Noster Answ Our Father which art in Heauen Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Giue vs this day our daily bread And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them their trespasses against vs. And lead vs not into temptation But deliuer vs from euill Amen THIS is that blessed and most perfect prayer which Christ himselfe made and gaue to his disciples to teach them how to pray It is necessary then that the disciples of Christ vnderstand it and learn to
called priests Angels saying The lipps of the priest shall keepe knowledge and from his mouth thou shalt require the law Mal. 2. because he is the angell of our Lord of hosts The angels are the treasurers of the diuine mysterys who open them in their messages to mankind as God will haue them to be imparted vnto vs soe priests haue the keeping of the diuine mysterys and must deliuer them to the people as they neede them and therefor the people must aske of them and adhaere to the doctrine of the Church when it is deliuered by them Yet the mystery of the blessed Trinity is a mystery which is kept euen from the knowledge of priests although angels witnes S. Augustine who was a priest and one of the cheife of the Angelical Hierarchy of Priests B. Trin. for he was a bishop yet he relateth of himselfe how that being on a time walking on the sea shore studying vpon the mystery of the blessed Trinity he saw a child who hauing made a litle pitte in the sand was lauing with a spoone the water of the sea into Aug. ad volus that litle pitte S. Augustine earnestly obseruing him asked him what he meant did he thinke to empty the maine ocean into that litle pitte yes replyed the child as soone will I bring the ocean into this compasse as thou with thy vnderstanding shalt comprehende the mystery of the blessed Trinity By which he vnderstoode that it was a messenger of God sent vnto him to humble him and to let him know that the mystery of the blessed Trinity is aboue humane vnderstanding We see by reason that God the Creatour of all thinges must needs be aboue all thinges incomprehensible infinite in power wisdome and goodnes and therefor for men to thinke to comprehende God is to contradict the first principle of reason and aboue Lucifers pride to thinke to be equall with him It is enough for vs to thinke that God is God that is to say the supreme and infinite perfection which putts bounds and limits to the perfections of all other thinges who as he hath sette a terme of time to our liues soe hath he also limited our vnderstandings and we can noe more by our owne power exceede those limits then we can by our owne power escape death Great is our Lord great is his strength Psa 146. and of his Wisdome there is noe number If we will build vpon a sure ground let vs cleaue to that rocke which Christ hath left and say as our Creede teacheth vs I beleeue the holy Catholik Church In the law of Moyses the mystery of the blessed Trinity was beleeued as authors commonly shew by diuerse places in the old Testament although the Prophets haue deliuered it for the most part in obscure termes to the Israëlits least they who liued amongst idolatrous nations and were of themselues prone to idolaâ—ry should take occasion by the Trinity of Persons to beleeue in many Gods But idolatry being to be soe much subuerted by the faith of Christ and buâ— litle or noe danger of it amongst christians the mystery of the blessed Trinity is deliuered to vâ— planely and more expresly in the new Testament our Lord and Sauiour at his last departure from his Disciples commanding the expresse profession of it to be made in baptisme when we are made christians Mat. 28. Going therefor teach ye all nationâ— baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Io. 1.5 and againe There be three that giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost And these three be one Genebrard sheweth by diuerse places out of the auncient â—hilosophers that the Gentils by their familiarity and commerce with the Iewes came to heare and to write of the B Trinity But the moderne Iewes which now are earnestly oppose it being fallen in this point as they are also in the mystery of the Incarnation from the true faith which their forefathers professed That which we beleeue of this mystery is to acknowledge an vnity of Godhead essence and nature in the Trinity of Perfons God the Father is the same God as God the Sonne God the Sonne is the same God as God the Holy Ghost and they are not three Gods but one onely God The Person of the Father is not the person of the Sonne nor is the Person of the Sonne the Person of the Holy Ghost but they are three really destinct and different Persons This we intende to professe when we say in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost We also paofesse in the signe of the Cros the mystery of the Incarnation in that we make a Cros to remember and acknowledge the loue of God with which he soe loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne to become man Ioan. 3. and to redeeme vs on the Cros. God had created man in a happy state in Paradise as it were in the way to heauen enuironed on all sides with vnspeakeable pleasures and in that pleasant way was conducting him to the heauenly glory But man sinning lost the fauour of God was debarred of that blessed state which he should haue obtained and being then out of the state of grace he could sinne still more and more buâ— he could doe noe good worke sufficient to satisfy for his sinnes and to be restored againe to the diuine grace by it God of his iustice requireth satisfaction but noe man not creature being able and of sufficient worth to make it and the diuine nature not being subiect to make sarisfaction in in it selfe it was the goodnes of God to vnite our weakenes to his power and our nature to his diuine nature in the incarnation of his sonne that the nature of man being vnited to his diuine person might by that person be soe dignifyed that it could make worthy satisfaction for the sinnes of all men that should apply vnto themselues the merits of his passion This is the mystery which was reuealed vnto Abraham and the holy Patriarks which many kings and Prophets desired to see and which filled the hart of Abraham soe full of comfort that he laughed for ioy to heare and thinke of it By this the seed of the Patriarks was multiplyed like the starres of heauen and like the dust of the earth which is not to be numbred and all kindreds were blessed in it to wit as Christ came of their seede by the merits of whose passion heauen is replenished with saints more glorious than the starres and the Catholike Church of all faithfull christians haue sprung from him dilâ—â—ed to the west and to the East and to the North and to the south not to be numbred all whosoeuer are saued being saued by Christ our Sauiour We can neuer sufficiently acknowledge the loue of God in this mystery by it man was soe exalted as to become the diuine Spouse by
goodnes hath prepared for vs. But we will speake a word or two OF THE VNITY OF GOD. IN the first article of the Crede we professe two thinges One God to wit that we beleeue in almighty God and secondly that we beleeue in one God the maker of heauen and earth for we doe not say makers but the maker to signify vnity By the first atheisme and by the second paganisme is reiected And the first being allready soe fully declared it will not be needfull to insist much vpon the second point it being a verity which the wisest of pagane Philosophers haue by reason discouered who haue confessed one supreme and first cause of all effects And therefor S. Augustine reporteth of Seneca the Philosopher Aug de ciu Decl 60.10 that speaking of idols he vsed to say that of custome they were adored but not of verity Heare the words of S. Paul disputing with the learnedest pagans of the world the Philosophers of Athens vpon this point Act. 17. The God that made the world and all thinges that are in it he being Lord of heauen and earth dwelleth not in temples made with hand needing any thinge where as himselfe giueth life vnto all and breathing and all things If God made the world and all things that are in it he must then haue all within his power all must depende and stande neede of him and he himselfe must stande neede of nothing He is not then a granen idoll that stoode neede of men to carue it nor any liuing creature as the dragon of Babilon that stoode neede of some to serue it with foode neither is he the Sunne or moone that stoode neede of some power to giue it the limited perfections which it hath as all other creatures God needes noe other God for then he were not the first beginning of all perfections including all perfections within himselfe This is sufficient by natural reason of this verity That which we beleeue in the Catholike faith is in one God the maker of heauen and earth that is of all creatures heauenly and earthly and the consetuer of them a spirituall substance infinite in power infinite in wisdome infinite in goodnes infinite in duration immense in infinite places possible and in all perfections infinite This we see by reason and beleeue by faith Deut. 6. Heare Israël the Lord our God is one Lord which words beside their diuine authority haue the highest degree of humane credit as the most auncient and authenticall writings by consent of the greatest part of the world Esa 44. Eph. 4. I am the first and I the last and beside mee there is noe God One Lord one faith one baptisme Men of more eminent dignity and authority as Priests Men called Gods Prophets Iudges c. are sometimes in holy scriptures called Gods in respect of their preeminency and authority ouer others by which they represent the diuine power THE SECOND ARTICLE And in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord. Quest Who is Christ Answ Christ is the sonne of God incarnated true God and true man our Redeemer Iudge and Glorifyer ALL this we say in the Creede when we professe our beleefe in lesus Christ the onely sonne of God borne of the Virgin Mary Crucifyed for our Redemption that he shall come to iudge vs all and that there is life euerlasting to wit to those that are iust through the merits of Iesus Christ Thus this answere is contained in the Creede In the which we hauing first professed our faith in God as he created vs we professe him now in another mistery to wit as he was incarnated to redeeme vs a mystery which we can neuer acknowledge with sufficient gratitude For the vnderstanding of which we may reflect vpon our former condition and the misery out of which we are freed by it Man was in paradise in a happy state of spirituall and corporall delights his soule was in grace and fauour with God and his body had then the gift of immortality that without dying it should enioy those pleasures for a time and afterwards the glory of heauen for euer He was warned onely of one thinge and that was to forbeare one fruit of Paradise which God to keepe him in obedience and due subiection had forbidden him to eate of Gen. 2. Of euery tree of Paradise eate thou but of the tree of knowledge of good and euill eate thou not For in what day soeuer thou shalt eate of it thou shalt dy the death To wit the death of body and soule Man forbore not but eate of that forbidden tree and as soone as he eate of it his soule died instantly and his body from that time beganne to dy But the death of our soules being indeede our true and greatest misery God was moued with pitty towards them and of his infinit mercy he decreed to reuiue them againe to his diuine grace and fauour For this he sent his onely sonne to be incarnated that is to take the flesh and nature of man vpon him that in that nature he might make satisfaction for the first sinne which man had committed and for the sinnes of all men occasioned by it And satisfaction being made by him the wrath of God might then cease against vs and we becomming his beloued children and freinds might serue him worthily and obtaine the blisse of heauen which before we had lost All the Persons of the Blessed Trinity the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost concurred equally to the effecting of this mystery as hauing all one and the same vndiuided power but the worke was effected in the Sonne onely the second Person who was incarnated Authors commonly declare this by the similitude of two helping another to put on a garment They all three concurre to the vesting of one of them and one of them onely is vested with the garment The garment in this mystery is the nature of man with which the Sonne of God onely was vested but the Father and Holy Ghost both concurred with him to the putting on of that garment And the Sonne of God being soe vested that in Christ our nature was really vnited to him we say truely that Christ our Sauiour is true man as consisting of two destinct natures diuine and humane According to his diuine nature he proceeded eternally from God the Father according to his humane nature he proceeded in time from the blessed Virgin his mother and according to that nature he made satisfaction sufficient in it selfe for the sinnes of all men that euer were or shall be and therefor we call him out Sauiour and Redeemer because all whosoeuer haue bene or can be saued are saued by the merits of his Passion He is our Iudge and in the latter day shall iudge vs. He is our Glorifyer for that by his merits our good works become meritorious and purchasing of glory He is called Iesus that is to say Sauiour not onely because he is our Sauiour
indeede Iesus but also because it was his propper name imposed not by chance but by the will and expresse commandde of his father the Angell forespeaking it to the blessed Virgin when he said Behold thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe and sâ—alt beare a sonne Luc. 1. and thou shalt call his name Iesus He is called Christ to signify his dignity and speciall functions according to his humanity Christ. for Christ is as much as to say The Messias or Annointed and he was annoinsed in diuerse respects Priests and kings are annointed because they haue authority from God to represent his maiesty Prophets aunciently were annointed because they were the interpreters of God and dispensers of diuine mysterys as Priests and kings are also in their kind Christ had all these offices and according to his humane nature he was Prophet Priest and king after an eminent manner and therefor he was eminently and singularly annointed not by the hands of Prophets or Priests but spiritually by God himselfe Ps 44. Thou hast loued iustice and hast hated iniquity therefor God thy God hath annointed thee with the oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes God annointed Christ and Prophets Priests and kings are annointed as lesser Christs that haue power vnder him Christ shewed himselfe a Prophet actually prophecying many thinges and in particular the most remarkeable passages of his owne death and resurrection As priest he offered the most holy Sacrifice of his body at the last supper and afterwards againe he offered the same sacrifice of his body vpon the Cros. He also shewed himselfe to be a king and to haue regall power that could bring kings to adore him and that he could haue brought other kings and all the kings of the world as well as them to his feete if it had pleased him Besides the Catholike Church is his kingdome he is the head and king of it allwais with it vnto the consummation of the world His onely Sonne our Lord. The Apostles in the former article hauing professed the Father who is the first Person of the Blessed Trinity now they professe the second Person in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God S. Iohn testifying that which is here professed saith Io. 1.4 We haue scene and doe testify that the Father hath sent the Sonne the Sauiour of the world And then presently he addeth whosoeuer shall confesse that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God God abideth in him and he in God This all good christians doe testify and confesse and for that end the Apostles made this article that we might allwais professe it We will see here CHRISTIANITY DEMONSTRATED THat which we beleeue and professe in this article was allwais beleeued by all true beleeuers euer from the beginning of the world All the quires of Angels in their first creation foresaw that the Sonne of God was to be incarnated in lesus Christour Lord and the good Angels willingly submitting to him and beleeuing in him were saued by his pretious blood But Lucifer and the wicked Angels could not endure to see the nature of man exalted to that high dignity aboue Angels that our nature should be assumed of God and not theirs which he could but would not assume noe where doth he take Angels saith S. Heb. 2. Paul but the seede of Abraham he taketh This was the sinne of Lucifer that ennuying and repining at the glory of humane nature in Iesus Christ he drew others into the same sinne with him and for aspiring to be aboue him in glory he was cast downe into the depth of the lake and lost that glory which he might and should haue had and which the good Angels haue by submitting to the diuine ordination in it This was beleeued by our first parents in paradise and euer since as I shall presently shew Christ was promised to them and after them to the following patriarks and after the Patriarks to Prophets they deliuered that faith to posterity vntill his comming he when he came deliuered it to the Apostles they to the Church the Church by a continuall succession of Pastors hath deliuered it vntill our times as it doth now to vs saying I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his onâ—ly Sonne our Lord. In this faith all miracles haue bene wrought that euer were wrought in testimony of faith This was confessed by heauen earth seas by liuing trees and sensible beasts and not onely by holy men but euen by the powers of hell all the creatures of God obeying Christ at his comming This the Apostles saw and were commanded by him to speake it and when they were forbidden by his enemys Act. 4. they answered we can not but speake the thinges which we haue seene and heard and would loose their liues rather then they would cease from publikely professing it S. Paul who saw not the miraculous life of Christ with his Disciples nor heard his preaching but was afterwards called and enlightened by him became notwithstanding soe assured of this verity and by true charity soe vnited vnto him that he thought it was vnpossible for any torments to separate him from him Rom. 8. â—ho then shall separate vs from the charity of Christ tribulation or distresse or famine or nakednesse or danger or persecution or the sword as it is written for we are killed for thy sake all the day we are esteemed as sheepe of slaughter But in all these thinges we onercome because of him that hath loued vs. For I am sure that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalitys nor powers neither thinges present nor thinges to come neither might nor hight nor depth nor other creature shall be able to separate vs from the charity of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. S. Paul was rauished and enamoured with the beauty of Christs diuinity and was transformed as it were by loue into him confessing him to be the image of the visible Goâ— Colos 1. Heb. 1. The first borne of all creature by whom he made the worlds being the brightnes of his glory and the sigure of his substance Whom the Angels adore soe much more excellent then themselues as he hath inherited a more excellent name aboue them For to which of the Angels saith this holy Apostle did he say at any time Thou art my Sonne to day haue I begotten thee Colos 2. in whâ—m dwelleth all the fullnesse of the Godhead corporally All this did S. Paul say and professe of Christ It was then noe meruaile that with Gods grace he would defende him till death Thus did the Apostles professe of him and this profession they made good by many miracles which the enemys of christianity haue written of and confessed This the posterity of the Apostles haue allwais professed in former ages and haue stretched forth their hands and feete vpon racks and with cheerfull mindes haue yeelded their bodys into the hands of torturers
expected in the world to come they despised him and easily finding out wayes to delude their scriptures and hardening their harts against his powerfull miracles by which he prooued himselfe to be the Sonne of God and the Sauiour of the world they made it a blasphemy in him to say soe and sought in priuate to haue killed him but that not preuailing for that the scriptures had otherwise foretold his death they publikely apprehended him and deliuered him to the Gentils accusing him and procuring sentence of death to passe against him and to be openly executed in the sight of the world and soe the scriptures were fullfilled in that which they had foretold of him and which he also had foretold of himselfe And although they knew also of his resurrection againe and that testifyed euen by their owne witnesses yet they continued obstinate in malice against him and contradicting the doctrine which he taught haue euer since for these sixteene hundred of yeares in vaine expected and still expect another Christ to come to redeeme them Here we haue two thinges to declare First that Christ the Messias foretold and promised by the scriptures was to be true God and secondly that Iesus Christ our Sauiour was indeede the true Messias whom the scriptures foretold and promised And although the mirâ—â—es which our blessed Sauiour wrought were sufficient to prooue this doctrine to be true he declaring himselfe both to be the Sonne of God and the promised Messias yet I will breifly alledge some places of scriptures to shew that the promised Messias was to be true God Say to the faint harted Esa 35. take courage and feare not saith the Prophet Esay behold your God shall bring reuenge of retribution God himselfe will come and will saue you Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the eares of the deafe shall be open Then shall the lame leape as a hart and the tongue of the dumbe shall be opened Here the Prophet sayth planely that God himselfe should come to saue vs and foretelleth the miracles which were to be wrought at his comming and by which he was to prooue himselfe as Iesus Christ our Sauiour did The Prophet Hieremy hath declared this most conuincingly against the enemys of Christ Behold the dayes come saith our Lord Hier. 23. and I willraise vp to Dauid a iust branch and he shall reigne a king c. And this is the name that they shall call him THE LORD OVR IVST ONE Here the very Iewes confesse that the Prophet speaketh of the Messias who was to come of Dauids race as of the most eminent man by which the tribe of Iuda of which Christ was to be borne was aduanced to regall dignity and of which many kings after Dauid did succeede And by these words he is manifestly declared to be true God for where the Prophet saith that he should be called our Lord the iust one the hebrew text hath the word terragrammaton by which God named himselfe to Moyses and which is vnderstood by all as the most proper name of God neuer vsed to signify any other but the true eternall and omnipotent God And the people of the Iewes haue that word in such reuerence that as vnutterable they will not name it nor reade it in the scriptures but read Adonai insteede of it which the Septuagint interpreters expound Lord. The Prophet Michaeas declareth in particular his proper procession by which he proceedeâ—h eternally as the Sonne of God from his eternall Father Miâ—h 5. And thou Bethleem Eprata art a liue one in the thousands of Iuda out of thee shall come forth vnto mee he that shall be the dominatour in Israel and his comming forth from the beginning from the dayes of eternity Where we haue two processions in the Messias the one eternall as he was the Sonne of God proceeding from the Father the other temporall as he proceeded man of the Virgin Mâ—â—y and was borne in Bethleem called Ephrata to destinguish it from another Bethleem in the tribe of Zahulon Thus would God ordaine that the holy scriptures of the old Testament should foreshew and declare the diuinity of Christ which the Apostles professe in this article Now we shew how that Iesus Christ our Sauiour was the true Messias of whom the scriptures foretold and whose diuinity they declared Christ prooâ—ed by scriptures It was necessary that holy scripture should soe farre declare the circumstances of the Messias his comming as that the world might haue sufficient signes and tokens to know him by when he came and that the Iewes amongst whom he was to come receiuing those scriptures might by the same scriptures receiue him or be vnexcusable if they receiued him not and therefor our Sauiour admonished them saying search the scriptures Io. 5. For you thinke in them to haue life euerlasting and the same are â—â—ey that gine testimony of mee The testimonys of the scriptures by which they testify the circumstances of the Messias his comming to agree to our Sauiour Iesus Christ are soe many that I once thought to haue mentioned none of them but onely to haue shewed the diuine testimony of his doctrine by the miracles which he wrought yet I will take somethinge out of authors for this also and especially out of Lyra commented vpon by Burgensis and note by the way that this Burgensis had bene himselfe a learned Iew borne of the tribe of Leui and brought vp in the study of that sect but discouering the many sleights and impostures which are vsed by them after a long conflict with himselfe resolued in the end to become a christian and accordingly with his whole family he receiued in baptisme the faith of Christ After some yeares he was made bishop of Burgos in Spaine and became an eminent prelate in the Church of God and wrote his commentarys vpon Lyra in which he hath well testifyed his zeale of the Catholike faith First by the circumstances which the scriptures deliuer as tokens of Christ the Messias it appeareth that he is allready come The Prophet Esay speaking of the land of Iury which was to bring him forth Esa 66. sayth that before she traueled she brought forth before her time came to be deliuered she brought forth a man child In all that Chapter he speaketh of the Messias his comming and according to the Chaldaike traslation those words are to be vnderstoode of his comming before the destruction of Hierusalem when the land of Iury felt as it were the pangues of a woman in child birth in that desolation and deluge of sorrowes which then came vpon hâ—r and it is as much as to say that the land of Iury should bring forth the Messias after a strange manner not after the ordinary course of women who haue ioy after their deliuery but on the contrary the paines of deliuery after her bringing forth of him and soe it happened with them in the comming of Christ for after his
people not fearing the barbarousnesse of any but condemning all danger and labouring incessantly reiovced to suffer for him They mainteined the ghospell of Lesus Christ with such reasons force of spirit and miracles that being themselues vnlearned they confounded the learnedest of the world All were astonished at the hearing of them the fame of their preaching ringing in all places They confounded the Iewes silenced the oracles of the idols and with in a few yeares they filled the world with a numberlesse number of constant christians And this they did not by force of armes making of seditions or raising of partys to defende their cause or to increase their number but with humility and patience Thus did the faith of Christ beginne in the vertue and power of God and not as idolatry and Turcisme by the power and commande of the sword forcing of people to their obedience It beganne in litlenes pouerty humility and patience and increased as a grane of mustarde seede into a goodly tree hauing noe Princes or potentates of the earth to protect or to countenance it noe men of learning eloquence or humane pollicy to draw others vnto it but of such learning and eloquence as God infused into them God spoke in their mouths and with their hands and God soe speaking the prowde of the world came downe to their doctrine and became humble christians the rich of the world contemned riches the followers of vice beganne to loue vertue and a happy change was seene in the world by them They had to contest with Princes Iudges Priests Magistrates Philosophers artificers and all sorts of people who as their enemys mainteined their auncient rites and Priuileges against them Yet these poore and ignorant men kept still the christian faith on foote and maugre all the power which their enemys had the more they opposed it the more God increased it and the number of the faithfull was daily augmented that their enemys of all ranks and manner of callings in the end were contented to ioyne with them and to hazard their titles dignitys and profits and to forsake their owne wills and liues to obey Christ This was most miraculous euen as much as the miracles which they wrought and as planely testifyeth the power of God to haue brought these thinges to passe After the Apostles the same faith of Christ was still continued by others whom God raised as Apostles to succeede them and to whom he gaue the same spirit with sanctity of life and power of miracles to defende it And is at this day professed and defended by missions of Priests and religious men who goe as Apostles to preach the faith of Christ as I haue seene in Spaine euery yeare for the most part to be sent vnto the strange and rude people of the Indias for their conuersion and by soe many miracles make good that which they preach that it were a madnesse to question all those thinges which God hath wrought by them And euen here amongst vs vnworthy we see by continuall experiences the power which Christ promised to his Apostles of casting forth deuils Exorcismes to be practisedby christian Priests with good successe the powers of hell trēbling at the name of Christ are forced whether they will or noe to yeeld possession when they arecōmanded by it And to attribute this vnto art magicke by the cōmande of greater deuils ouer the lesse is that desperate refuge which the Iewes vsed against Christ himselfe Mat. 12. saying that in Beelzebub Prince of the deuils he did cast forth deuils and which was commonly obiected against the Apostles by their enemys and can not be true First for that the exorcismes of the Church are not done against the lesser deuils onely but with the greatest opposition hatred and despite that possible may be against the greatest and all the deuils of hell ouer whom there is none but God that hath supernaturall power Secondly the kingdome of the deuils is not soe diuided as that any of them should doe good or hinder euill except they be forced vnto it by the power of God yet by christian exorcists they are often forced to many thinges amongst Infidels to the destruction of infidelity and heresy and amongst christians of euill life to the hinderance and confusion of sinne which the deuills with all their power would mainteine Thirdly if we might attribute that which is done to the extirpation of infidelity heresy and confusion of sinne or for some good end to any other but the power of God we should neuer acknowledge nor could euer destinguish the power of God at any time to be exercized ouer the deuils although we saw them neuer soe much forced and neuer soe good effects to proceede of it but might attribute goodnes to the authour of euill And this was that manifest conuincing argument with which our Sauiour answered to the Pharisys when they made this very obiection against him If I in Beelzebub cast forth deuils Mat. 12. your children in whom doe they cast out We haue then for the comfort of christians christianity demonstrated by the holy scriptures of the old testament and the miracles of Christ and of the Apostles and of the continually succeeding and now being Church of Christ That which he taught and confirmed by miracles was that he was the Sonne of God the authour of life the promised Messias and Sauiour of the world This the Apostles preached after him and this we now preach in the Catholike Church Act. 4. and say with S. Peter neither is there any other name vnder heauen giuen to men where in we must be saued but in the euer blessed name of Iesus in him we blesse and honour God professing him in the Creede to be his onely Sonne our Lord. As the Sonne of God he is true God infinite in all perfections equall with the Father and the Holy Ghost and the very same in nature and essence with them according to which nature the Apostles in this article professe him our Lord. According to his humane nature he is also our Lord for that his humane nature being vnited to the diuine was exalted in dignity and made superiour vnto all creatures and had power aboue all men and Angels Mat. 28. All power saith he is giuen to mee in heauen and earth Christians that beleeue in Iesus Christ and carry in their name the name of him ought very much to honour themselues in it and to imitate him In baptisme they haue renounced the works of Satan to put on the armour and follow the warrfarre of Christians and then they receiued as also in the other Sacraments the souldiers garment of diuine grace their sinnes being forgiuen them by the merits of Christ Let vs then as his souldiers and seruants serue him and resist his enemys Let all the world open their eyes and harts to his diuine power and if they haue any feeling of God or desire to haue it and will consider the
works which he hath done and suffered noe doubt but they shall see and confesse that which his very enemys confessed who hauing seene the passages of his death went away Mat. 27. saying Indeede this was the Sonne of God Let them beleeue and professe this in the true Church of Christ and let neither life nor death nor the loue of any creature euer be able to separate them from it But there remaineth yet to shew which of all christian Churches is the true Church of Christ This by Gods grace I shall shew in the exposition of the ninth article where I shall destinguish the Catholike Church from all false Churches Now we will goe on to THE THIRD ARTICLE WHO was conceiued by the Holy Ghost The attributes of the B. Trinity borne of the Virgin Mary Although the mystery of the Incarnation be attributed here onely to the Holy Ghost as though Christ were conceiued by his onely power yet we are not to thinke that it was done by him onely without the Father and the Sonne For this is a rule without exception in the mystery of the blessed Trinity that all the externall works of God to wit those which he doth in respect of creatures are done indiuisibly by all the Persons of the B. Trinity because their power is all one indiuisible power in them and soe the Conception of our Sauiour was done by the same power of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost And to say here that Christ was conceiued by the Holy Ghost is the same as to say that his conception was by the power and speciall gift of God after a supernaturall and not after a natural manner It is here attributed particularly to the holy ghost by reason of the great loue and bounty of God which he shewed in it For although all the diuine perfections be equally commune to all the Persons of the B. Trinity yet some certaine titles or attributes there are which are vsed as propper and particular to them seuerally Soe we attribute power to God the Father because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him We attribute wisdome to the Sonne because he proceedeth from the Father by way of vnderstanding We attribute goodnesse loue bounty and the like to the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by the operation of the will which loueth nothing but that which either is good or at least is apprehended then as good And soe those works of God in which his power is most manifested are attributed to the Father those which declare most his wisdome are attributed to the Sonne and those which shew most his goodnes loue bounty and the like are attributed to the Holy Ghost Neither was it an inuention of men by these termes and attributes to destinguish the diuine Persons but it was an inuention of God himselfe The Apostles were inspired to attribute power particularly to the Father saying I beleeue in God the Father Almighty S. Iohn was inspired to attribute wisdome to the Sonne calling him the Word of God which was from the beginning And Christ himselfe attributed goodnes in particular to the Holy Ghost Luc. 11. saying your father from heauen will giue the Good Spirit to those that aske him Soe although all the diuine persons be equall in power wisdome goodnes and in all perfections the same according to S. Iohn These three be one and soe all of them concurre equally to the Conception of Christ yet here it is attributed particularly to the Holy Ghost because the loue of God is soe eminently manifested in it For the same reason we paint the Father as an auncient man because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him we paint the Sonne in humane nature an intellectuall creature because his procession is by way of vnderstanding we paint the Holy Ghost as a done because the done is a bird that sheweth most loue and loue as I haue said is the property of the Holy Ghost Neither can it be displeasing to God that we expresse him by these corporal shapes and species of visible things which are naturall and necessary for our vnderstandings And to shew this he would expresse himselfe soe appearing in those very shapes by which we expresse him He appeared vnto Daniel like an old man Dan. 7. I beheld saith he till the thrones were set and the auncient of dayes sate his vesture white as now and the haire of his head life cleane wooll The Second Person was not onely made into the similitude of men but appeared in the true nature of man in Iesus Christ our Sauiour Phil. 2. The Holy Ghost at the baptisme of Christ was seene as a done ouer him S. Iohn testifying I saw the Spirit descending as a done from heauen Io. 1. and he remained vpon him Thus would God represent himselfe to vs and we can not represent him better then as he hath represented himselfe Borne of the Virgin Mary By this article the Apostles professe the procession of Christ according to his humane nature For hauing in the first article professed the Father who is the first Person and in the second the Second Person in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne now they goe on to speake of him as man according to the nature which he assumed of the Virgin Mary his mother For where as other children proceede both of father and mother he by the operation of the Holy Ghost was conceiued of his mothers nature onely she remaining allwais a Virgin S. Ioseph as the husband of our blessed lady was taken for the father of Christ And when they heard him with that knowledge and wisdome disputing in the temple Mat. 13. admiring they said is not this the carpenters sonne noe he was the sonne of the blessed Virgin and assumed humane nature of her nature and of her Virginal body but of noe man And this was a mystery which God would reueale and foretell by his Prophet long before Esa 7. saying behold a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne For as soone as the Angel had deliuered his message to her and she had answered Behold the handmaid of our Lord Luc. 1. be it done to mee according to thy word consenting to the mystery propounded by him the sacred body of our Lord was of the Virgins body presently formed and his soule was infused into it and they being vnited to the diuine Person there was then in one person the vnion of two natures and Christ who was the eternall sonne of God was also the sonne of man as he proceeded of the Virgin Mary both natures in that admirable coniunction keeping their perfections that as S. Leo saith the glorification neither consuming the inferiour nor the assumption deminishing from the superiour This is a mystery incomprehensible by vs and therefor the omnipotency of God was propounded by the Angell to our blessed lady as to be considered
particularly in this worke Luc. 1. when he said the Holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most high shall ouer shaddow thee For as the loue and goodnes of God towards vs appeareth here most illustrious soe was it most congruous that his power should appeare aboue our vnderstandings most miraculous The conception of Christ surpassed all ordinary conceptions not onely in that he was conceiued of a Virgin mother but also in the circumstances of it For where as the space of some dayes is required for the framing of our bodys and to dispose them for our soules the sacred body and soule of our Lord were both vnited together in the first instant of his conception and the diuine nature vnto them by which his humanity was enriched with diuine gifts and was in eminency of dignity and sanctity aboue all all others being by adoption onely and Christ by nature the sonne of God This is not vnderstoode by vs but beleeued yet it was as easy to God that by his high power a Virgin should conceiue and bring forth without the concurse of man as it was for the rodd of Aaron to conceiue nourishing moysture and to putt forth budds leaues flowers Nu. 17. and almonds by the same power of God without the natural concourse of the earth And it is indeede as easy to God to make a Virgin to conceiue as the blessed Virgin did of her owne nature onely with out the helpe of man and to frame a body in an instant as our blessed Sauiours was as it was for him to make all other women to conceiue with the helpe of man and to frame the body by litle and litle with fitte dispositions for the soule which he could haue ordained otherwise but would not because he would haue the conception of Christ to be aboue all most pure and miraculous And as the conception of Christ was most misterious soe was it fitting that his birth also should be that she who had conceiued with the priuilege of her Virginity free from corruption should bring him forth in her deliuery free from paine and other myserys which other women are then subiect vnto And that as the ioy with which she conceiued him was not corporal but heauenly and spiritual soe that his birth should be also full of ioy and heauenly consolation to her For if God would send his Angell to the shepheards to comfort their harts and to fill them with ioy for the birth of our Sauiour how great may we thinke the ioy of the B. Virgin then to haue bene who was soe singularly chosen of God to be his mother We can not but with reuerence thinke of those consolations which she had in his birth He came from her sacred wombe as the beames of the sunne pierce through cleare crystal without hurting it and as the same sacred body of our Lord passed through the sepulcher in his resurrection without breaking it soe did he passe out of his mothers wombe without any violence done to her We ought very much to reioyce in the birth of Christ for the reason which the Angell gius because this day is borne to you a Sauiour What greater ioy can prisoners and condemned persons haue then in one that will saue them We haue then great reason to reioyce in that ioy which the Angell brought and to celebrate euery yeare that sacred day And yet soe great is the malice of heresy soe dishonorable to God and peruerting the mindes of men that some in this kingdome who call themselues christians dare venture to worke on Christmas day refusing to giue that honour which all christians haue soe long giuen to the birth day of Christ We reade in holy scriptures that kings in auncient times kept festiuall the yearely day of their birthes soe Pharao Gen. 40. Antiochus Mach. 2.6 and Herod Mat. 14. and can the birth day of any king with iustice be obserued and not the birth day of Christ the king and Sauiour of the world If some courtyer of Pharao had refused to keepe the feast of his birth day opposing the solemnity which the rest did obserue would not he with reason haue iudged it as an affront and punished it as a dishonour done to him How dare then any christian be soe bold and prophane as not to keepe the solemnity of Christs birth knowing that one day he shall iudge him for it It is true authors differ in assigning the day on which he was borne But what then shall we therefor keepe noe day at all in honour of it or shal any one shew himselfe soe singular and prowde as vpon his owne sense and authority to disobey the whole Church of Christ We know not for certaine the time in which the scriptures were written nor the authors that wrote them all shall we therefor reiect them as some haeretiks haue done and haue noe scriptures at all we know not iust the time in which the Sundays Sabaoth was first begunne to be kept shall any one therefor refuse to obserue it but if the Church could change the Sabaoth from the seuenth day on which God had instituted it to the eight day and could binde all soe to obserue it although it were not the day on which God rested from the creation of the world shall not the Church binde all to obserue a day which she determineth in honour of Christs birth although perhaps he was not borne iust on that day Luc. 2. we reioyce in that message which the Angell brought when he said behold I Euangelize to you great ioy which shall be to all the people for to day is borne to you a Sauiour It is fitting that the Church should institute a yearely solemnity of that ioyfull day and it is fitting that we should obey the Church The day which the Church instituteth is Christmas day and therefor we keepe it Besides this is most likely to be the true day of his birth which Aug. l. 1. de Trin. c. 5. according to S. Augustine was on the eight of the Calends of Ianuary Euer blessed and most solemne may that day be in which our Sauiour was borne in which the sonne of God first appeared in the nature of man in which our nature first appeared vnited to God and in which both natures being married together came forth of the Virgins wombe as out of their bride chamber the Angels reioycing and bidding ioy vnto men Luc. 2. Then it was when they were heard to sing Glory in the highest to God and in earth peace to men of good will Let vs with the Angels say those words and doe as we say in all our actions The mystery of the Incarnation often represented This the Catholike Church laboreth to doe in this mystery of the sonne of Gods incarnation representing it vnto her people and stirring them vp to a gratefull remembrance and thanksgiuing for it by many deuour prayers and caeremonys which they often
to the mysterys of it which thou must haue learned to vnderstande At communion time rise vp from thy place and come before the altare with profounde reuerence stirring vp in thy selfe many feruerous acts of the loue of God and detestation of sinne Say then from thy hart the words which S. Peter who with great faith and ardent affection receiued the words of Christ and professed them to be the words of life when some of his disciples went away for the hardnesse of this mystery Christ preaching to the people that he would giue them a more pretious bread then the Manna of their forefathers and that this bread was to be his owne flesh the Iewes beganne to murmure saying Io. 6. how can this man giue vs his flesh to eate he then confirmed his words againe in plane termes Saying Amen Amen I Say to you vnles you eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not haue life in you â—he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath life euerlasting and I will raise him vp in the last day Formy flesh is meate indeede and my blood is drinke indeede They seeing him thus to confirme what he had said before that he would giue them his owne flesh to eate and not vnderstanding how it could be many euen of his disciples said that it was a hard speech and went backe and walked not with him But Christ turning to the twelue and asking them what will you also depart Then S. Peter with a constant and ready faith answered for himselfe and for them Lord to whom shall we goe Thou hast the words of eternal life And we beleeue and haue knowne that thou art Christ the sonne of God This was an answere worthy of S. Peter and Christ had soe disposed of his speech as though of purpose he had intended to draw this answere from him It was for our instruction in this point that we might say as S. Peter said especially then when we are going to receiue Lord wither shall I goe but vnto thee I beleeue thy words for that they are thine thou hast the words of eternal life and looking towards the B. Sacrament I beleeue and know that thou art Christ the sonne of God L. 6. de Saccrd And thinke with what respect the Angells attende on thy communion S. Chrysostome saith that there is not doubt but the priest is guarded by Angels whilst he is in hand with the blessed Sacrament and that a venerable and graue person had informed him that himselfe had seene the Angels enuironing it bending their heads in homage as souldiers saith he doe to their captaine and courtiers to their king See then that thou remember the Angels reuerence And when the priest presenteth the sacred host to then and saith Domine non sum dignus c. Say thou with him Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter vnder my roofe but onely say the word and my soule shall be saued And repeate them thrice ouer with him The humble Centurion thought it too great an honour for him to haue Christ to come into his house to cure his seruant but he entreth into thy body to cure thy soule Thou hadst neede to be more humble and better disposed then he was although worthy to be commended of Christ When the priest de liuereth the blessed Sacrament to thee lift vp thy head that he may see what he doth and hold the towel vnder thy chinn to kepp any particle that might chance to fall open thy mouth decently and putting thy tongue to thy lips receiue that sacred host as a pledge of thy redeemers loue who as he came into this world and refused neither shame nor paine to make thee his freind soe whould he still humble himselfe in remaining with thee to keepe thee in his freindship As soone as thou hast receiued and washed thy mouth if neede be with some drinke gather together all the powers of thy soule to giue thanks vnto God doe homage to him with them and offer them to him to be imployed in his seruice all thy life time loue him with all thy hart and detest all that which is displeasing to him and neuer faile as often as thou receiuest to make a vehement detestation of that sinne which thou art most inclined vnto purposing and thinking how to amende it Vntill thou hast the benediction of the priest sitt still on thy knees burning with loue and reuerence to thy soueraigne Thenn rize vp and returning to thy place againe take thy booke and say the prayers of thanksgiuing and departing out of the Church or oratory haue a care for that day to keepe thy senses more retired and as it were at home with thy guest If some great personage or prince were come to thy house thou wouldst not stirre abrode as long as he stayed but wouldest with good reason stay at home and attende vpon his pleasure The king of kings infinitly more worthy then all the princes of the world put together commeth to thee in the Eucharist haue therefor a care to please him and let noe occasions draw thee away from him Frequent Communion Concerning the frequenting of the blessed Sacrament these are the words of S. Augustine Serm. 21. de verbis Domini To receiue the communion of the Eucharist euery day I neither commende nor discommende it but to communicate euery Sunday I would wish and exhort euery one soe to doe if his soule be without affection to sinne And he exhorteth all soe to order their liues Part. 1. â—h 20. that they may be worthy to receiue often B. Bishop Sales in his Introduction to a deuout life aduiseth euery one to receiue at least once a month That which may be gathered out of them both is in breife that some may receiue eueryday many may receiue euery weeke all may receiue euery month Those that receiue euery day had neede to be of great sanctity and aboue others in their good example and conuersation Those that receiue once a weeke must be free from affection euen to venial sinnes not that they neuer committe any but that they be not affected to any To receiue once a month requireth onely a cleare conscience that they prooue and purge themselues first by a Good confession of their mortal sinnes which if they doe they shall finde great benefit in often receiuing S. Ambrose when thy aduersary shall see thy lodging taken vp with the brightness of the heauently presence perceiuing all place for his temptations to be preuented by Christ he will depart and runne away S. Bonauenture of reuerence to the B. Sacrament abstained for some dayes from saying of masse L. 2. deprofec relig c. 27. and being present at the masse of another priest at communion time he felt a particle of the sacred host to come from the altare into his mouth By which he vnderstoode as himselfe saith relating this passage that it was
our prayers are hidden from them now in heauen and that God will let vs want their intercession for want of reuealing our prayers to them Noe we shall loose nothing by any ignotance of theirs They see God in glory and in that glorious sight they see all that is good for them to see therefor if they might pray and be desired by others to pray for them whilst they liued in this world there is nothing to hinder them for being prayed vnto in the next Hence it appeareth how absurde that question of Caluin was â—olu l. 4. insti nu â—4 when he asked how it came to passe that the Angels and Saints could heare soe farre as betwixt heauen and earth I giue you not his words because they are blasphemous and to irreuerent to be repeated but if Caluin will know how it com's to passe I tell him that it is by the light of glory which the Saints haue and if he say that they haue noe such glory he shall neuer haue it himselfe nor can in reason expect to haue it If they obiect the words of Ecclesiastes to shew that Saints might be prayed vnto in this life and not in the next Bâ—â—l 9. where it is said better is a dogg liuing then a Lyon dead It is true in respect of the operations of life which then the Lyon hath not and soe the Saints according to their bodys were better aliue then dead because their bodys liuing had the operations of life which dead they haue not but according to their soules which are spirits they are not onely as perfect but much perfecter and without comparison more actiue lightsome and vnderstanding being then not onely lightened of the burden of their bodys but also enlightened with the light of glory Saint Hierome answered this very obiection to Vigilantius the haeretike about twelue hundred yeares since in these words Lib. cont â—â—g If Apostles and marryrs liuing in their bodys could pray for others when they might be sollicitous for themselues how much more after their crownes victorys and triumphs Moyses but one man getteth pardon of God for six hundred thousand armed men Steuan the first martyr after the example of our Lord prayed for his persecutors and now when they are with Christ shall they haue lesse power Paul saith of himselfe that two hundred and seauenty soules were granted him in the shipp at his prayers and now that he is resolued and with Christ shall he haue his mouth shutte vp and shall he not open it for those who all ouer the world haue beleeued at his ghospell and shall Vigilantius a liuing dogge be better then Paula dead Lyon This of the Ecclesiastes were indeede to some purpose if J did beleeue that Paul were dead in spirit Thus did S. Hierome discourse as a Catholike on this point shewing that the Saints with much more reason shall be prayed vnto in heauen then on earth and that there is noe comparison in those words of Ecclesiastes betwixt the soule of man whilst he is liuing and whilst he is dead but onely betwixt a liuing and a dead body and he calleth Vigilantius a dogge for barking against the Saints in denying their intercession We pray therefor to God as to the supreme power to grant vs that which we want We pray to our blessed Lady the Angels and Saints not to grant vs our wants but to grant vs their intercession to obtaine them of God for vs. And in this the Catholike Church vseth an orderly destinction euen in words when we pray destinguishing betwixt the diuine maiesty as supreme and the Saints as his seruants We say not to God Lord pray for vs but Kyrie eleyson Lord haue mercy vpon vs. Nor to Christ as he is the sonne of God doe we say Christ pray for vs but Christe eleyson Christ haue mercy vpon vs. We doe not say to our B. Lady or to the Angels or Saints haue mercy vpon vs but holy Mary pray for vs all ye holy Saints of God make intërcession for vs. Soe giuing vnto God that which is his due to wit the supreme and all honour both in himselfe and in his seruants and we giue vnto the Saints inferiour honour as the beloued seruants of God and follow the Councell of the holy psalmist who beginning his last psalme was inspired to say prayse God in his Saints Ps 150. This I haue said in honour of God and of his blessed Saints and euery word that I haue said I giue it freely to their honour desiring their prayers We pray particularly to some Saints for some particular benefits because we see those benefits more frequently granted by hauing recourse vnto those Saints â—nd if any aske why God granteth those benefits rather at the intercession of those then of other Saints I answere with the Apostle who hath knowne the name of our Lord Rom. 11. or who hath bene his Counsellour And this is a sufficient answere to such questions of curiosity for so it might be asked why God would determine particular offices to such and such Angels Yet the reason may be giuen to honour the merits of those Saints in some circumstances of their liues or deaths which those benefits haue relation vnto Soe women that haue sore breasts obtaine helpe by the intercession of S. Agatha whose breasts were cut of for the faith of Christ S. Apollonia is called vpon for the tooth ake because her teeth were strucken out for the same cause S. Roch is inuoked against the pestilence because himselfe was infected with it S. Blase against paines of the throte because he cured a child that was like to dy of a bone in the throte And our blessed Lady with good reason is called vpon by women in trauaile because she is the ioy glory and comfort of all women who in her child bearing was exempted from those paines and it pleaseth God that those miracles he remembred by vs. If any aske why in some places more then others we pray for such and such benefits I answere that there may be many reasons why God would oblige especially the inhabitans of that place and honour it with miracles and if this be not sufficient satisfaction I aske of him why at the Probatica pond in Hierusalem miraculous cures were obtained rather then in others places and why onely one was cured at a time and no more and why the leprous Prince of Syria was sent to be washed in lordan rather then in other waters and to be washed seauen times rather then any other number If he giue mee a good reason for these the same will I giue him to his question if he referre mee to the diuine will and pleasure so will I referre him Hauing declared whom wee are to pray to we will speake OF SOME IMPEDIMENTS that hinder vs in the obtaining of our prayers THE first and greatest impediment that hindereth the obtaining of our prayers is the greatest of all euils
to 8. That saith he the sacred body of which Christ tooke flesh and vnited together the diuine and humane nature should be giuen to the wormes to eate I dare not say it nor can I thinke it Thus much out of saint Iames saint Denis and saint Ignatius for the first age In the second age liued S. Irenaeus and Tertullian both of them haue set forth her ample prayses comparing her by contrarys to Eue Iren. l. 5. Tertl l. de Incarnat Christi who was our mother that caused our fall hurt and losse of Heauen but the B. Virgin is our Mother by whom wee are raised cured and restored to heauen againe And in respect of the power which her prayers haue with God S. Irenaeus calleth her the Virgin Aduocate of Eue the Virgin In the third age liued Origen a man of such parts to 3. ho. 1. and so well deseruing in his former yeares that he had a chaire of publike lecture of diuinity in the Schooles of Alexandria when he was but eighteene yeares of age he speaking of Christ and his Mother hath these words His Mother mother immaculate mother incorrupted mother vntouched His mother whose mother the mother of the onely begotten Sonne of God O great Sacrament the same a virgin and the mother of our Lord and a little after of this onely begotten Sonne of God this is the mother the Virgin Mary The worthy of the worthy one the vndesiled of the holy one the freind of the only one Tertullian liued in this age although he seemeth to haue flourished most in the former Saint Athanasius also liued in this age but flourished most in the next where I goe to cite him In the fourth age S. Athanasius flourished who opposing himselfe against the Arian haeretiks for forty six yeares in which he was Bishop was the prime pillar of the Catholik Church in the easterne parts of the world In these words he soundeth the blessed Virgins prayses and prayeth to her It becometh vs to call thee the regenerating mother Mistres and Lady for that our King Lord and God sprang forth of thee Athan in euang deip The Archangell gathered the first fruits of thy prayses when he spoke that glorious hymne Haile full of grace c. So doth the first front of Thrones Cherubims and Seraphims salute thee and so doth the second Hierarchy of Dominations Vertues and Powers and so doth the third of Angels and we the terrestriall hierarchy admonished by them extoll thee with a lowd and cleere voyce saying Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee Pray for vs ô Lady ô Mistres ô Queene ô Mother of God In the same age liued S. Ephrem who calleth her Holier then the Seraphims with out comparison more glorious then the supernall hosts The hope of the Fathers the glory of the Prophets the prayse of the Apostles Virgin before her child bearing and after it In this age also liue Saint Hierome S Chrysostome Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine whom God raised as glorious lights to illustrate his Church in those blind and obstinate times of the Arian herely being at the hight And they haue said so much in deuotion to our blessed Lady that I know not where to beginne their Sentences You may read in S. Hier. ep de Nat. Mar. ad Crom. Heliod to 9. Hierome the miraculous manner of her Conception of S. Anne an aged and barren woman and how the name of MARY which in Hebrew is to say MISTRES or LADY was brought for her by an Angell from Heauen Who also foretold to Ioakim her father that she should bee blessedamong women and how she was consecrated to the seruice of God at three yeares old in the Temple and attended their being gouerned by priests Esa 11. and how that the Prophecy of Esay was litterally denoted in S. Ioseps rod which miraculously flouriâ—hed to assigne him as a worthy husband for her And in another place hee calleth her the life Epist ad Paul Enstoc rule and discipline of all and saith that as there is none Holy to compare with God so there is none perfect in comparison of her Saint Chrysostome Truely this Virgin is the miracle of the world Chry. in hypa dom She alone surpasseth in greatnes both Heauen and Earth For what is there holier then her not the Prophets not the Apostles not Martyrs not Patriarks not the Angels not the Thrones not the Dominations not the Cherubims not the Seraphims nor any other thing is there to bee founde greater or more excellent then her either amongst visible or inuisible creatures You may see in the second book which S. Ambrose wrote of Virgins and in S. Augustins sermons of her Natiuity and Assumption the deuotion which they bore to her In the next age beganne Nestorius his heresy the professed enemy of Christ and of our blessed Lady so farre as to deny vnto him one onely person of God and by consequence to robbe her of her prime title and honour of the Mother of God Many holy men beganne then to bestirre themselues for the honour of Christ Cyr. cont Nestor and his Mother but Saint Cyrill of Alexandria was his prime Antagonist and next vnder God the prime defendour of the Catholike cause who thus expresseth his deuotion to her Praise be to thee ô Holy Trinity to thee also be praise Holy Mother of God Thou art the pretious pearle of the world Thou art the candlestike of vnquenchable light Orat. de dorm deip the Crowne of virginity the Scepter of the Catholike Faith In the sixt age liued Andreas Hierosolymitanus Bishop of Crete who calleth our blessed Lady a saint holier then the Saints the most holy treasure of all sanctity Eusebius Emissenus liued in the same age who speaking of our B Lady was strucken with astonishmeÌ„t that he knew not what to thinke of the greatnes of her graces For saith he if she were full of grace before she conceiued what shall we thinke her to haue bene after it But what what then shall we thinke her to haue bene after so many yeares of continuall and such intimate conuersation with Christ she being his mother and he her master Thus you haue the deuotion of the auncient Fathers to our blessed Lady for the fist six hundred years of the Faith of Christ declaring a farre different spirit in them from those who wickedly blaspheme her or derogate from her praises or but any way sleight them as the moderne enemys of the Catholike Church commonly doe I might produce the Sentences of holy men in following ages vnto our dayes to shew the contiruance of that first and auncient denotion to her to haue bene at all times in the Catholik Church I might alleadge the words of S. Anselme Auth. Protest relig l. 1. c. 6. § 3. Saint Bernard Saint Bonauenture Saint Thomas of Aquine the denotion of S. Dominike S. Francis and of many other Saints some of whom
her and and to make them virgins and therefore those words of the Scriptures are well applyed vnto her by the Church I am exalted as a Cedar in Libanus Eccli 24. I as a vine haue fructifyed sweetnesse of odour Christ would bee botne of a Virgin for the honour of virginity and to condemne Iovinian and other licentious haeretiks that were to condemne it And therefore hee would obserue it himselfe and haue his mother to obserue it by vow Neither was her marriage opposite to this vow for as it was reuealed vnto her that without detriment of her virginity she should conceiue so without doubt her integrity in marriage which was lesse was also by diuine reuelation made knowne to her Christ would also be borne of a married woman for the honour of marriage and to refute the Encratites and such like phantasticall haeretiks that were to condemne it and also to cōserue her honour that she might not be suspected tohaue conceiued vnlawfully and as such to be subiect to the penalty of the law S. Ignat. Martyr and S. Iohn Damascen adde also a third reason to wit to conceale the manner of her conception from the deuill that he might not striue to hinder in any thing the more perfect working of that mystery which was fullfilled in her and therefore they seeme to thinke that God would binde and limit his vnderstanding so that seeing her to be married he should not attende to the manner of her conceiuing but that she conceiued as a married woman In briefe the summe of her prayses out of the Sentences of the Fathers alleadged is That she excelleth in dignity sanctity and glory all men and Angells euen the highest Seraphims that she is the miracle of the world that she is our Lady our Mistres our Queen the Mother of God the Treasure of Sanctity that she was vndefiled and vntouched with sinne that her life is the rule and discipline of ours that she was a perpetuall Virgin and the crowne of virginity that she is the Mistres and Scepter of the Catholike Faith and that she is our Aduocate These are the praises which you haue seene giuen aunciently by the holy Fathers to her and which all Catholickes will euer giue her Well might the Angell salute her full of grace whom God had filled with such graces With what reuerence may we thinke he comported himselfe to her he named her not at first hy her proper name as we doe when we say Haile Mary full of grace with more hopes and confidence to require her intercession which the Angell required not but afterwards seeing her troubled at his speech to comfort her he presently called her by her name saying Feare not Mary it being then nececessary to condescende to a more familiar manner of speaking then at first he would vse of due submission vnto her Out of all which we may gather what obligation we haue to be deuoted to our blessed Lady and how pleasing that deuotion is to God OVR LORD IS WITH THEE SVCH words are often read in the Scriptures to haue bene vsed by way of saluation So did the Angell salute Gedeon Iud. 6. saying Dominus tecum our Lord be with thee So said Booz to his reapers of corne Ruth 2. Our Lord be with you But in these places it is rather vnderstoode optatiuely wishing and praying that God might bee with them then as the Angell spoke to our blessed Lady indicatiuely declaring that God was then actually with her saying Our Lord is with thee and in the Greeke the article is here added to shew that God was after a singular manner with her to wit disposing and preparing her by a more eminent degree of grace presently to bee incarnated in her BLESSED ART THOV AMONG WOMEN THESE words were first spoken by the Angell and afterwards by S. Elizabeth who when the Mother of God came to visit her was inspired to repeate them ouer againe and to cry them out with a lowd voice as it were to proclaime her blessed in that house of Prophets where Christ our B. Lady S. Iohn Baptist saint Elizabeth and Zachary then were altogether reioicing in Christ and in her blessednesse all of them either Prophets or more then Prophets She is called blessed by contrarys to Eue who by her sinne prouoked our curse and our blessed Lady by her sanctity was the meanes of our blesse and therefore as it was threatned to the serpent Gen. 3. when he seduced Eue accursed art thou among all catle so an Angell was sent to the B. Virgin to say Blessed art thou among women and saint Elizabeth was inspired torepeate it ouer againe Shee was indeed that blessed Mother who by her Sonne bruised the serpents head and tooke away the curse of our first mother from vs. Apply here the words of the holy Ghost Eccl. 33. Against euill is good and against death is life so also against a iust man a sinner And so looke vpon all the workes of the highest two against two and one against one Against the euill of Eue is the good of Mary against death by Eue life by Mary against Eue a sinner wee haue Mary a iust woman without sinne Christ and Mary against the serpent and Eue Christ against the serpent and Mary against Eue and so two against two and one against one Eue brought sinne by yeelding to the serpent the blessed Virgin brought Christ to sight against him and to free vs. Euer blessedmay he be and blessed that woman by whom wee are all blessed Let now noe haeretike dare to blaspheme against her whom the Angell first saluted full of grace and then stiled blessed among women and whom S. Elizabeth also declared and proclaimed blessed Who dare calumniate her whom God hath soe honored We detest the rotten breasts and stinking mouths of those who shall dare to detract from any of the Saints of God and much more from the blessed among women The Angell hauing deliuered his embassage to her expected her answere the which she gaue in these humble words Behold the handmaid of our Lord be it done to mee according to thy word Where she consenteth to the will of God giuing her virginal body for his Sonne to be incarnated in Presently at these words a marriage was contracted betwixt the diuine and humane nature and they being instantly vnited together in the wombe of the B. Virgin THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH Let euery Christians knee bend at these words and doe homage in his hart to the Word Incarnated and let him honour the Virgin chosen of God to be the meanes of fullfilling that high mystery For the greater honour of which wee will declare sometihing of the circumstances of it Angell Gabriel First for the Angels name that brought the message he is called by the Euangelist Gabriel not that the Angels haue any proper names but that they are assumed or attributed to them in respect of some mystery to which those Angels
our wonted Haile Mary c. The deuotion of the Rosary or Beades confisteth most of the Haile Mary a prayer which we ought to esteeme of for many reasons Wee may say that next vnto the Pater Noster it is the best of all prayers First for the dignity of those that made it Christ made the Pater Noster and the Angell Gabriel Saint Elizabeth and the Church made the Haile Mary and all other prayers are made or allowed of onely by the Church so that the Haile Mary is in the midle place below the Pater Noster and aboue all other prayers Secondly it is very much to be esteemed of for our blessed Ladys sake who is the most worthy and noble personage of all creatures and as the Pater Noster is the cheife and proper prayer of all which we say immediatly to God so the Haile Mary is the cheife and most proper prayer of our blessed Lady Thirdly it is most eminently to be esteemed of for the mystery which is chiefly concerned in it to wit the mystery of the Incarnation which is the chiefe mystery of the Christian faith and this we professe in the words of the Angell comming from Heauen with the newse of it to declare to the blessed Virgin that then presently it was to be accomplished in her and saluting her saying Haile full of grace our Lord is wrth thee blessed art thou among woman c. These words in our Beades wee often repeate and wee haue good reason often to repeate them to remember that mystery to celebrate that blessed hower of the Sonne of God his Incarnation Saint Athanasius called them words of praise to our blessed Lady and saith that the quires of Heauen are incessantly singing that which he calleth a most glorious and ample Hymne In euang deip and therefore we will often repeate it with the Angels S. Hierome reporteth of the Iewes that euery day in their Synagogues they curse the Christians Hier. in c. 5. Esa Wee curse not them but pray for their conuersion but if wee curse them not we ought at least to blesse God for our selues and often to remember our owne happinesse thankfully acknowledging the mystetys of the Chrystian faith A Iew would by glad to see the memory of Christ rooted out of the world but this he shall neuer see Good Christians will allwais reuerence him keeping those solemnitys and practising those ceremonys and prayers that put vs in minde of his goodnesse And therefore we often say the Haile Mary in remembrance of the benefits which we haue by him and to honour her that bore him and to craue her prayers Saint Dominike was the first that deuised the Rosary as it is now vsed A man of that sanctity of life that Protestants themselues acknowledge him for a holy Saint He was a Priest of the Catholike Church and as such he thought himselfe indebted both to the wise and unwise To discharge this debt he deuised the deuotion of the Rosary which although it were chiefly intended for the good of the ignorant that can not reade yet it may be vsed also by the learned as now we see it is by the greatest Doctors of the Catholike Church of deuotion to our blessed Lady Those that can read haue their bookes to pray in and those that cannot reade haue their Beades as books to imploy themselues in in which they may read the cheife mysterys of the life and death of Christ and our B. Lady The Rosary was made by S. Dominike as a holy Psalter in imitation of that which King Dauid made For as it was the deuotion of that holy King to compose a Psater of deuout Psalmes and those in number a hundred and fifty if they were all of King Dauids composing so it was the deuotion of S. Dominike to deuise a Psalter of a hundred and fifty Psalmes in imitation of that And that this Psalter might be more practised by all he made it not of new and different Psalmes which few would haue gotten without booke but of so many Haile Marys which all either haue or should haue without booke and which are to be repeated after such a manner as might easily be learned of all And as the musicall instrument which Dauid vsed in the singing of his Psalmes was an instrument of ten strings in relation to the ten Commandements so would Saint Dominike diuide his Psalter of Aue Marys into tennes destinguished by a Pater Noster to be said in the beginning of eyery ten so that there being in all fifteene tenns fifteene cheife mysterys of the life and death of Christ and of our B. Lady might be celebrated The fifteene mysterys corresponding to the fifteene tenns of the Rosary are distinguished into fiue ioyfull fiue sorrowfull and fiue glorious Tho siue ioyfull are The Annunciation The Visitation The Natiuity The Purification of our B. Lady or Presentation of Christ and the Finding of him in the Temple disputing with the Doctors The first ten is said in honour of the Annunciation which was when the Angell Gabriell delivered to our blessed Lady that ioyfull message announcing vnto her that she should conceiue in her wombe the Sonne of the most High The second ten is said in honour of the Visitation which was when the blessed Virgin hauing vnderstoode by the Angell that her cosen Saint Elizabeth had conceiued a sonne in her old age to wit Saint Iohn Baptist she made a visit vnto her to comfort her helpe her and to be as a handmaid to serue her the seruant of God And arriuing at her house and saluting her Saint Iohn Baptist leaped in his mothers wombe Saint Elizabeth prophecyed and our blessed Lady pronounced a Canticle of ioy in remembrance of which we offer vp the second ten The third ten is said in honour of the Natiuity of Christ which was a mystery full of ioy first vnto our blessed Lady as more neerely concerning her in the first sight of her sonne and also to all men according to the Angels speech Luc. 2. Behold I Euangelize to you great ioy which shall be to all people because this day is borne to you a Sauiour And a multitude of the Heauenly army was suddenly with the Angell saying Glory in to the highest God and in earth peace to men of good will The fourth ten is said in remembrance of the Purification of our blessed Lady and of the Presentation of Christ which were both solemnized together For the law commanded that the woman who had conceiued of the seede of man after her deliuery should come to the Temple to be purifyed and should present her first begotten to be sanctifyed to our Lord which lawes although Christ and our blessed Lady were not subiect vnto them yet of humility they would obey them Behold now a ioyfull mystery when holy old Simeon who had receiued of our Lord that he should not see death vntill he had seene Christ expecting his comming to the Temple did
our Lord is a Sacrifice The Masse is a Sacrifice that is the action of Sacrifizing the body and blood of our Lord is a Sacrifice that is the thinge which is Sacrifized or offered at Masse The worship of Sacrifice hath bene esteemed at all times and by all religions soe necessary to be giuen to God that there neuer was any religion in the world according to Turseline before the Turks soe Barbarous but as they allwais worshipped some God soe they offered some kind of Sacrifice to him in soe much that Plutarch could say that it was easier to finde cittys without temples Plut. aâ— uers Color and coynes of moneys without inscriptions Then temples without altares To wit to Sacrifice vpon For the same natural reason that teacheth all people to defende themselues and to honour their superiors teacheth them also to worship God with some high and soueraigne worship aboue all propper onely to him And therefor it was a good expression of this authour to declare by the foresaid similitudes the nature and necessity of Sacrifice for as cittys are defended by walles and principalitys destinguished and acknowledged by the impressions of their coynes soe the worship of God is mainteined and his supreme principality destinguished and acknowledged by the worship of Sacrifice as due and propper onely to him L. 10. de Ciu. Dei Quis enim Sacrificandum censuit sayeth S. Augustine nisi ei quem Deum aut sciuit aut putauit aut finixit for who euer deemed that Sacrifice was to be offered to any but to him whom he either knew or thought or feigned to be God And therefor saith he the deuill hath labored soe much to haue Sacrifice offered by Infidels vnto him because it is the highest and properly diuine worship And therefor shall Antichrist striue soe much to take away the daily Sacrifice of Masse as Daniel figuratiuely Prophecyed in wicked Antiochus because it is the highest externall act of religion We offer vp to God the acts of our minde as spiritual Sacrifices and we offer vp also some corporall thinge to him to acknowledge him the authour both of our body and soule and of all spiritual and corporal thinges In the Law of nature Sacrifices were offered to God and in the Law of Moyses which was more perfect then that Sacrifices also were offered to him and shall he want his supreme worship in the Law of Christ which they did but praesigure as to be perfected by it Noe The shall haue a much more perfect Sacrifice and that is the sacred body and blood of our Lord offered euery day to him This is our Sacrifice the very same that was offered on the Cros the most noble and pretious of all corporal thinges and therefor most worthy to be the Sacrifice of that Law and Religion which the sonne of God in his owne person was to institute amongst vs. ALL TRVE SACRIFICES BEfore Christ were but Types and Emblemes of honour to setforth the dignity of our Sacrifice THE Sacrifices of the Law of Nature and of the Law of Moyses were good and holy Sacrifices yet as those Lawes did but signify the more perfect Law of Christ which was to come soe their Sacrifices which were the cheife things of those Lawes were but figures of ours Their Sacrifices of Beeues Calues Rammes Lambes Turtles and the like were killed and their blood was shed vpon the Altare to signify the Lambe of God whose blood was to be shed vpon the Altare of the Crosse There were in the Law of Moyses three kindes of Sacrifices the Holocaust the Placable host and the Peaceable host The Holocaust is as much as to say all burnt For it was not offered for any particular end or intention but onely to giue supreme honour to God and therefore it was all totally consumed in honour of him The Placable host was to appease the diuine wrath when by some sinne they had offended him and it was diuided part of it being consumed to God and part giuen to the Priest to signify that the remission of sinnes proceedeth cheifly from God as the principal cause and secondarily from Priests as the instruments and meanes by which his poweris applyed to vs. The Pacifique or Peaceable host was offered for the obtaining of some benefit which they desired or in thanks-giuing for some which they had obtained and it was diuided into three parts the one of which was consumed to God another was giuen to the Priest and another remained to the party that offered it to signify that all benefits proceede from God by the help of Priests and by our owne endeauours concurring with them All these Sacrifices were fullfilled in ours to wit in the sacred Body of Christ our Sauiour He was our Holocaust quite consumed in his death vpon the Crosse he was our Placable host that appeased the wrath of God against vs he our Peaceable host by whom we haue all benefits Their bloody Sacrifices more expresly signifyed his body as it is was offered on the Crosse and their vnbloody Sacrifices of first fruits corne flower bread and the like represented more particularly the same body as it is offered after an vnbloody manner vpon the holy Altare at Masse But the Planest figure of the Sacrifice of Masse was a Lambe with Bread and Wine offered euery day in the Law of Moyses to signify the Lambe of God offered vnder the signes of bread and wine as the daily and continuall Sacrifice of the Law of Christ then to come Our Sacrifice then is the substance of those shaddowes and the glorious mystery which they were to signify This S. Andrew the Apostle of Christ professed as the Priests of Achaia in his Martyrdome rehearse when being vrged by Aegeas to offer Sacrifice to Idols he had this answere ready for him I offer euery day vpon the Altare an immaculate Lambe whose flesh when all the people haue eaten the Lambe that was sacrifyzed remaineth whole and aliue Thus did he glory in our immaculate Lambe which euery day as a Priest he offered and which the people then vsed euery day to receiue And in these words he planely intimateth that the sacrifices of the Law of Nature and of Moyses and especially that of the daily Lambe were but sigures to dicipher shaddows to denote and emblemes of honour to setforth the dignity of ours that was then to come a Sacrifice like them but infinitly more perfect And those Sacrifices being shaddowes of ours then to come they were to vanish away and to be offered noe more when it once came because then they lost their nature which was to signify ours as future But the holy Sacrifice of Masse representing noe other future Sacrifice and being the most perfect of all Sacrifices can neuer be made voide by any nor shall euer haue an end vntill the end of the world But we will shew THAT THE SACRED BODY OF our Lord as it is offered at Masse is a true Sacrifice THE
and amongst other things they carry away his God hee followeth lamenting after them and when they asked him what ailed him My Gods saith he which I made you haue taken away and doe you say what aileth thee Thaul l. de vit pas Christi and yet the God which they tooke from him was not God but an Idol only which could not blesse and protect him Let vs thinke sometimes of the goodnesse of God which we loose by sinne and detest vehemently the euill and deformity of it which saith Thaulerus is soe great that if a man could rightly apprehende it he would presently fall downe dead with horrour Fr. Luis de Granada relateth out of Saint Iohn Climacus of a certaine Religious man who hauing fallen into a great sinne became soe penitent and afflicted at it that procuring of his Superiour to be cast into the prison of the Conuent within eight dayes with very greife he died Saint Thomas of Aquin admireth how that a sinner can laugh as long as he is in sinne Saint Luis King of France vsed to say that he would rather dy then committee sinne S. Edmunde that he would rather be throwne into a burning fornace Saint Anselme that he would rather suffer the paines of hell There was not any thing in the world which the Saints of God haue feared soe much nor indeede any other thing which they feared but sinne The Embassadours of Eudoxia seeing that by noe threates they could obtaine of Saint Iohn Chrysostome some things which the Empresse demanded obstinatly of him returned with this answere to her that Chrysostome was a man that feared none but God The Emperour Theodosius being excommunicated by S. Ambrose Ruffinus Praefect of the souldiery to comfort him told him that he would effect that Ambrose of his owne accorde should take of the excommunication no no replyed the Emperour I know that will not be Ambrose by no meanes will be brought to offend God These were wise and holy men they esteemed of God as the supreme good and they would loose their liues before they would loose him knowing that by sinne they were quite separated from him Esa 59. Your iniquitys haue diuided betwene you and your God saith the Prophet O that we could vnderstande how terrible this diuision is a branch is diuided from the tree and presently it dyeth our singar or hand is cut of from the body and not communicating with the hart it dyeth presently and corrupteth God is the hart and roote of our life and if we are cut of from him we dy and corrupt without remedy Thinke but that if thy hand arme or legge were to be cut of how greeuous would the very thought of it be to thee we cannot but abhorre to thinket hat a knife or saw or such like instrument should enter into this skinne of ours and diuide betwixt flesh and flesh and cut the sinewes and bone quite of and leaue it a deadhand or arme but farte more horrible ought we to conceiue our diuision from God in whom all goodnesse consists and to be separated from him on whom is grounded all true pleasure and the profitable vse of all our members How greenous is the parting of deere freinds We reade in the Scriptures of some who haue presently fallen downe dead at the losse of their freinds but much more grâ—euous ought it to be to vs to loose the sweet and comfortable freindship of God Hier. 2. Know thou and see that it is an euill and bitter thing for thee to leaue thy Lord thy God And then God forsaking vs our blessed Lady our good Angell the Saint our Patrone and all the Angells and Saints of God forsake vs with him that in all dangers we are left destitute of all heauenly comfort and haue none to helpe vs. For such is their freindship and vnion with God that they can love none but those whom he loyeth and cannot but hate those that hate him The Angells for the sinnes of Hierusalem forsooke it their voices being heard in the ayre Ioseph de bello Iuâ— l. 7. c. 18. as Iosephus recordeth to say let vs part from hence and presently such a desolation came vpon it as the like is neuer read of What then can they expect but desolation who forsake and are forsaken of God The second euill of sinne is that it bringeth vs into the deuils power and the paines of hell For God our B. Lady and all the Court of Heaven forsaking vs the deuils then take possession of our soules Euen as a Haire or Deere forsaking her shelter is pursued by the greedy hounds and hauing no refuge to fly vnto is seazed on and torne in peeces with their bloody mouths soe the soule when it forsaketh God is voide of all coÌ„fort and hauing no shelter to fly vnto is seazed on by the deuils and becommeth as it were all bloody in their hands Ps 70. They that watched my soule consulted together saying God hath forsaken him â—pursue and take him â—ecause there is none to deliuer Theâ—e are the deuils who hauing ouercome he sinner by temptation become then his masters and seaze vpon him as their captiue and slaue and according to the basenesse and cruelty of such masters so base and lamentable is the slauery of sinners in their power It was the desolate condition of a soule in this captiuity which God would haue vs to apprehende bosh by the captiuity of Hierusalem and by the words of the Prophet deploring it Tren 1. 2. How doth the city full of people sit solitaâ—y how is the Lady of Gentils become as a widdow The Princesse of Prouinces is made tributary weeping sâ—e hath wept in the night and her teares are on her checkes there is none to comforther of all her dâ—ere ones all her freinds haue despised her and are become her enemys and from the daughter of Syon all her beauty is devarted How hath our Lord in his fury couered the daughter of Sion with darknesse Thus would God inspire his Prophet figuratiuely to lament the stare of sinners Rom. 6. as in a pittifull slauery And Saint Paul saith An nescitis quoniam cui exhibetis vos seruos ad obediendum serui estis cius cui obeditis Know you not that to whom you exhibite your selues sâ—ruants to obey you are the seruants of him whom yâ—u obey And the word Seruus a seruant in Latine is as much as to say a bond slaue that is bought and sold The Apostle then to shew the miserable condition of sinnets would terme them bondslaues to wit of sinne and of the deuills Now what shall we say of that heauy bondage there is no greater misery to be endured in this life then for a man to fall into the slauery of a cruell and hard hatted master that can haue no pitty on him and what master is there soe cruell as the deuill When we reade of the slauery of the Israelits in