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
brought before the councell of the Iewes and accused by false witnesses ceased not still to do good for euill but made a discourse to them to shew that Christ was expected by the holy Patriarkes to come to redeeme them and therefore exhorted them to beleeue in him And when they were euen cut in their harts and gnashed with their teeth against him and were stoning him to death he fell downe vpon his knees and prayed for them crying with a lowd voyce Act. 7. Lord lay not this sinne vnto them It was a fine example that which S. Gregory relateth of Libertinus a Monke Gregor dial c. 1. who hauing receiued a great blow on the face by his Superiour suddenly striking with a boord at him he went away quietly into his cell without shewing the least signe of impatience and comming the next day to the Abbot that had strucken him to aske leaue to goe abroade the Abbot suspected that he would forsake the Monastery but perceiving his occasions to be reall and iust and obseruing his bruised face which with a meruelous tranquillity of minde hee endured he fell downe vpon his knees and asked pardon And the other againe fell prostrate to his Superiour confessing his autority ouer him We haue in good authors the examples euen of wild beasts who haue rendered themselues seruiceable to the Saints of God and followed them for their mildnes How generous and Christianlike is this spirit of patience in bearing and pardoning of iniurys when the minde setleth it selfe for the loue of God and inwardly contented with that satisfaction one pittyeth to see his enemy in passion euen as one that were in a calme and safe harbour would pitty to see another on the raging sea in shippwrack and either by some discreet word laboureth to pacify him or giueth him leaue to pacify himselfe Ps 86. The mild shall inherit the land and shall be delighted in the multitude of peace But to see some of an implaceable minde bearing grudges in their harts and neuer making and en of their malice what spirit shall we call this vnworthy of the name of a Christian and it is a dissembling spirit with which many are deceiued who thinke themselues free from it Presently vpon euery occasion they are thinking how to be reuenged of their neighbour and when they can neither spare him with a good word nor a good looke they will tell you that they are in charity with him and meane him noe hurt A peruersed and childish saying If others should behaue themselues in like manner to them they would easily see the shame of it but in themselues they see it not nor consider not the hurt which they occasion by their ill exāple and behauiour Which if all should imitate there would be noe freindship nor true charity in the world If neither the loue of God nor any godnes of nature will moue these to amēde Let them feare some exēplar punishment by the words of the holy Ghost Eccle. 28. who saith He that will be reuenged shall finde reuenge of our Lord and hauing spent all that chapter in speaking against that sinne he draweth to an end in these words Blessed is he that is couered from a wicked tongue that hath not passed into the anger therof For the yoke of it is a yoke of iron and the band of it is a band of brasse The death of it is a most wicked death and hell is more profitable then it To aske with more earnestnes the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and to receiue our petition it is necessary to stirre our selues vp to a great compunction of hart and vehement detestation of sinne as the greatest of all euills that can befall vs. First it is the cause and origen of all euills as it depisueth vs of God an infinite good Secondly by sinne we are made slaues to the deuill the hardest master and most cruell tyrant of the world and of the spouses and temples of God his horrid and vgly mates accursed of God and giuen to the sorrows of an eternall destruction know you not that you are the temple of God Cor. 1.3 saith the Apostle but if any violate the temple of God God will destroy him Thirdly by sinne we are at continuall warre and vnquietnes with in ourselues For as long as we haue any sense of reason although we be out of the state of grace we must be sensible of sinne which is contrary to reason And therefor Abigail wisely disswaded Dauid from taking reuenge of Nabal saying this shall not be an occasion of sobbing to thee Reg. 1.25 and a scruple of hart And Dauid complaining of the sinnes of his former life saith that as arrowes they stacke fast in him Ps 37. and that his bones had noe peace at the face of his sinnes There is noe paine nor torment in the world to compare with a guilty conscience the vengeance of God purseing vs as our shaddows and affrighting vs with feare of punishment when we haue sinned And therefor the Holy Ghost in the scriptures compareth sinners to sicke lame sore and diseased persons Tribulation and anguish vpon euery soule that worketh euill Rom. 2. but glory and honour and peace to euery one that worketh good Saith the Apostle This is sinne and these are breisly and in general the euills of it Which if we will consider as we ought we shall desire aboue all things in the world and with as much earnestnes cry vnto God to be freed from any mortal sinne as we would to be freed from some grecuous torment Know thou and see saith Hieremy that is an euill and a bitter thinge for thee to haue left the Lord thy God Hier. 2. And those that will not see this nor vnderstande the euill of sinne to seeke the forgiunes of it are said in the scriptures to haue a hart of stone and of Adamant And such is the goodnes and mercy of God vnto sinners that he neuer denyeth the forgiuenes of sinnes to those that truely seeke for it King Dauid washed his couch with teares S. Peter went out and wept bitterly after his sinne S. Mary Magdalene shed many teares vpon the feete of Christ Let vs imitate them THE SIXT PETITION AND lead vs not into temptation Hauing in the former petition prayed for the forgiuenes of our sinnes we pray now not to be led into temptation For when our sinnes are forgiuen vs then we are in more danger of temptation because we are then the freinds of God and the professed enemys of the deuill and therefor he striueth more against vs. Tobias a holy man was tempted euen to the feare of death by the vehemency of paine which in his eyes he suffered And the Angell when he cured him told him Tob. 12. because thou wast acceptable to God it was necessary that temptation should prooue thee Iob a iust and perfect man was strucken in his goods in his children and
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
And in another place Slacke not to be conuerted to our Lord and differre not from day to day Eccl. 5. For his wrath shall come suddainly and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee Let bold praesumptuous men remember these words and learne to feare God Deere Reader whosoeuer thou art as thou hast a soule which must last for euer apply this booke to the good of thy soule so as shall most concerne it for a happy eternity I excuse noe falts my goodwill shall mende all God can and I hope will honour himselfe euen in my falts Combine thou with mee that we may honour him for euer and euer Amen I submitte all that is conteined in this booke and all whatsoeuer I shall saâ—â—r thinke as long as I liue to the authority of the Holy Catholike Church A SVMME OF THE CHRISTIAN Doctrine expounded in the follovving Discourses QVAESTION What obligation haue Christians to learnâ— the Christian Doctrine Answer Euery Christian is bounde vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the Christian faith 7. Q. What is faith A. Faith is a supernaturall light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhare to the Doctrine of the Church 11. Q. Make the Signe of the Cros. A. In the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Gâ—ost Amen 49. Q. What is the Signe of the Cros A. The Signe of the Crâ—â— is a profession of the Christian faith 51. Q. How is the Signe of the Cros a profession of the Christian faith 51 A. Because in the Signe of the Cros we professe the mystery of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnaâ—iâ—n which are the two cheife mysterys of the Châ—stian faith 51 Q. What is the B. Trinity A. The B. Trinity is God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost One and the same God in three distinct Persons 51 Q. What meane you by the mystery of the Incarnation A. We meane that the Sonne of God was incarnated that is became man to redeeme vs. 52 Q. Say the Creede A. I beleeue in God the Father Allmighty Maker of heauen and earth And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord Who was conceiued by the Holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucifyed dead and buried He desâ—enâ—ed into hell the third day he arose againe from death He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father allmighty From thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead I beleeue in the Holy Ghost The holy Catholike Curch the Communion of Saints The forgiuenesse of sinnes The Resurrection of the flesh Life euerlasting Amen 76. Q Who is Christ A. Christ is the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true Man Our Redeemer Iudge and Glorifyer 109. Q. What doe we gett by Christ redeeming vs A. We gett the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works by the merits of Christs passion applyed vnto vs in the Catholike Church 156. Q. What is the Chatholike Church A. The Catholike Church is the Congregation of all faithfull people and Pastors vnited together as a body with its head 176. Q. Giue mee a difference betwixt the true and all false Churches A. The true Church keepeth allwais in vnion and obedience to its Head and Pastors all false Churches beginne in dissentions and disobedience to the Head and Pastors of the Church 214. Q. Say the seauen Sacraments A. Baptisme Confirmation Eucharist Pennance Extreme Vnction Holy Orders Matrimony 281. Q What is a Sacrament A. A Sacrament is an outward signe which causeth grace in vs. 266. Q. What is Grace A Grace is a supernaturall gift which maketh vs gratefull and acceptable to God 268. Q. What is the Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist A. The Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord vnder the signes of bread and wine 298. Q. It shere any bread or wine in the Eucharist A. Noe it seems but soe The bread and wine are conuerted at the words of consecration into the true body and blood of our Lord. 305. Q. What is the Sacrament of Pennance A. The Sacrament of Pennance is that by which we receiue the forgiuenesse of sinnes in Confession 322. Q. Say the tenn Commandements A. Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee Thou shalt not take the name of God in vaine Remember thou keepe holy the Sabaoth day Honour thy Father and Mother Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour Thou shalt not desire thy neighbors wife Thou shalt not couet thy neighbors goods 378 Q. Say the Pater Noster A. Our Father which art in heauen Hallowed bâ— 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 449. Q. Say the Haile Mary A. Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among woemen Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Iesus Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of of our death Amen 509. Q. What is the Masse A. The Masse is the continuall Sacrifice of the Law of Christ in which his true body and blood is offered vnder the signes of bread and wine 576. Q. Say the fiue cheife Precepts of the church A. To fast fasting dayes To keepe holy dayes To confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue at least once a yeare To receiue the Eucharist at Easter time To pay tithes 640. Q. How doe the Precepts of the church oblige A. The Praecepts of the church oblige vnder a Mortal sinne 641. Q. What is sinne A. Sinne is that by which we depart from the diuine Law and are separated from God 673. Q. Ho many kindes of sinne are there A. There are two kindes of sinne Original and Actual sinne 715. Q. What is the difference betwixt Original and Actuall sinne A. Original sinne is that which we are borne in Actuall sinne is that which â—e committe 615. Q. How many kinds of sinne doe we committe A. We committee two kindes of sinnes Mortal sinne and venial sinne 717 Q. What is the difference betwixt Mortal and venial sinne A. Mortal sinne quite depriueth vs of Gods grace venial sinne onely lesseneth and deminisheth the feruour of the loue of God in vs. 717. THE FIRST DISCOVRSE Of the education and instruction of children and of the obligation which all haue to learne the christian doctrine I INTENDE now to speake of two thinges First vnto all those who haue charge ouer children and especially to parents to commende vnto them the care which they ought to haue of their good education and instruction Secondly to declare vnto all the
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
it as by reason a most efficacious motiue and conuincing argument fully to satisfy their vnderstandings and to draw them to beleeue in him First Christ would soe notify the mystery of his resurrection in his life time as that his very enemys might stande in expectation afterwards to see the performance of it and that by it he might not onely encourage his disciples and reinforce them who as faint harted souldiers had forsaken him in his Passion but also that it might serue as a testimony to the world of the verity of his doctrine and that his sufferings were voluntarily vndergone and of his owne good will that soe the scandall of the Cros might be taken away and all seeing his power might beleeue in him And therefor he spoke of it and promised it first whilst he liued and would in his Passion be publikely accused of it vntill he had made it soe knowne that the Priests of the Iewes and Pharisees hearing ofit might labour all they could to hinder it and that all their labour might appeare to be in vaine When therefor they had gotten their malice fullfilled and according to their desire had procured his death they came together to Pilate and said Sir Mat. 27. we haue remembred that the seducer said yet liuing after three dayes I will rize againe Commande therfor the sepulcher to be kept vntill the third day least perhaps his disciples come and steale him away and say to the people he is rizen from the dead c. And Pilate said you haue a guard gâ—e guard him as you know And they departing made the sepulcher sure sealing vp the stone with watchmen Thus would Christ haue his resurrection to be taken notice of and to be opposed before it came to passe and would permitte his enemys to vse what meanes they could to preuent and hinder it or to conceale it But what is man to compare with God or who can hinder the diuine ordinance by these meanes the resurrection of Christ became better testifyed and was made more apparent afterwards when he made good his word and performed it On the third day early in the morning the deuout women being come to the monument Mat. 28. Behold there was made a great earth quake For an Angell of our Lord descended from heauen and comming rolled backe the stone and sate vpon it and his countenace was as lightening and his garment white as snowand for feare of him the watchmen were affrighted and became as dead And the Angell answering said to the women feare not you For I know that you seeke Iesus that was Crucifyed He is not here for he is rizen as he said Come and see the place where our Lord was laid All these thinges the watchmen were made witnesses of and testifyed them to the cheife Priests who consulting together gaue them a great summe of money to say that his disciples had come by night and had stolne him away when they were a sleepe and promised to them that if the President should come to heare of it they would perswade him and secure them Who notwithstanding would not be perswaded by them but taking the particular examination of it from the watchmen themselues informed Caesar of the truth of it and by his information and other motiues the Emperour was soe moued in affection towards Christ that he proposed in the senate for diuine honour to be giuen to him by the Romanes and being offended that he obtained it not he protected those that were deuoted vnto him and commanded vnder paine of death that none should hinder their deuotion But Christ would not leaue his resurrection with these onely although sufficient testimonys of the good women and euill watchmen but would appeare aliue vnto many more and remained forty dayes after it vpon earth that by many apparitions in which he often shewed himselfe he might giue sufficient proofe of it Mar. 16. We haue how that first he appeared to Mary Magdalene after that to two disciples going to Emaus after that to all the disciples together except Thomas who then was not with them after that to them all againe when Thomas was with them and permitted him to be incredulous of his resurrection and not to beleeue the rest of the Apostles affirming it that he might both see him and feele him to be rizen againe and should confesse him in those circumstances to be his Lord and his God Cor. 1.15 And S. Paul mentioneth to the Corinthians how that he appeared to more then fiue hundred brethren together Thus would our Sauiour take still more and more witnesses of his resurrection before that he would ascende into heauen Act. 1. sâ—ewing himselfe aliue after his Passion by many arguments For he was seene heard felt and did eate with the liuing And the mystery of his resurrection was soe manifest and certaine that all our Euangelists in their ghospels would record it without feare of either Iew or Gentil disproouing them in it and soe certaine that Iosephus the best historiographer of those times and who flouriâ—hed immediatly after them could not with his honour although a Iew question the truth of it or omitte to speake of it but hath recorded it for true amongst the publike and remarkeable thinges that then happened commonly knowne and vnquestioned and hath left in his history this worthy saying of Christ There was in these times Iesus a wise man if it be lawfull to call him a man Iosl 18. antiquit c. 6. for he was a worker of miraculous thinges and a teacher of those that desired the truth and adioyned vnto himselfe many both of the Iewes and Gentils This was Christ him did Pilate crucify at tâ—e accusation of the cheife of our nation But those that louâ—d him yet forsooke him not for â—e appeared againe vnto them the third day aliue Because the Prophets by the inspiration of God foretold these and other innumerable miracles of him In which words of this authour is conteined the summe of all that which I haue said of the miracles of Christ to wit that he confirmed his doctrine with miracles and his miraculous life by his resurrection from the dead the Prophets being inspired to foretell these thinges of him And as Christ himselfe first founded the ghospell of our beleefe in the fanctity of his owne life and miracles The Apostles preaching soe also would he haue the same faith to be propagated afterwards by the sanctity and miracles of his Apostles First their holines of life was admitable euen to their enemys They were contented with shame pouerty hungar cold heate imprisonment banishment whipps and all kind of disgraces and crueltys that they might honour Christ and enioy him And soe willingly did they suffer without euer repenting them of that which they had done for Christs sake that after persecution they still beganne againe to preach him carrying his ghospell from place to place and proclaiming it amongst all sorts of
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
de obitu fratris Pauls authority And S. Cyprian and S. Ambrose signify that it is all one to say the Romane faith and the Catholike faith All which they would neuer haue said if they had not thought the Romane chaire to haue had preeminence and authority aboue all and vnderstoode the words of S. Paul in that sense that the faith of the Romanes was renowmed in the supreme authority of that sea and therefor we may rightly alleadge those scriptures according to the auncient fathers interpretations for the supremacy of the bishop of Rome But we will produce their plane testimonys immediatly from the Apostles times Anacletus who liued with the Apostles hath these words Ep. 3. ad omnes Epis This holy and Apostolicall Romane Church not onely from the Apostles but euen from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe hath obtained the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches and ouer the whole flocke of the people of Christ he himselfe saying to S. Peter Mat. 16. Thou art Peter c. And they also themselues consented vnto it that he should be aboue all the rest of the Apostles and should be Cephas that is to say the head and beginning of the Apostle ship who deliuered the same forme to his successors and the rest of the Apostles to bishops to be held by them If any difficult causes arize amongst you referre them to this head that by the apostolicall iudgment they may be ended for such is the will of our Lord who hath soe determined as by the foresaid places is declared Therfor this Apostolical seate is constituted of none other but of our Lord himselfe to be the hinge and the head as is said before of all Churches That as the doore is guided by the hinges soe by the disposition of our Lord all Churches should be gouerned by this holy seate S. L. 3. c. 3. Irenaeus who liued in the next age after the Apostles reckoneth vp all the bishops of Rome vnto Eleutherius who then gouerned to shew the succession of that supreme authority from S. Peter and saith that in all cases of controuersy we should haue recourse vnto the Apostolical traditions and try them by the Church of Rome Tertullian L. depudicitia who liued in the same age with him calleth the bishop of Rome Pontificem Maximum Episcopum Episcoporum The highest Priest the Bishop of bishops S. Cyprian De vnitate Eccles who liued in the next age after them speaking of the beginning of heresys saith in substance all which I am saying to wit that all schismes and heresys haue begunne by disobedience to the head of the Church and particularly specifyeth to what head to wit to the successour of S. Peter that is for the time and saith that if we would seeke to that iudge all controuersys would soone be at an end And speaking of the bishops of Rome L. 4. ep 9. from hence saith he all heresys haue rizen and still arize because that bishop who is but one and presideth ouer the Whole Church is despised by the prowde presumption of certaine men and he whom God hath dignifyed is iudged by men as vnworthy of dignity In the next age liued S. Athanasius a glorious Confessour and for forty yeares and more in which he was bishop the prime pillar of the Catholike Church in the easterne parts against the Arian haeretiks Apud Theoâ—â—et â— 4. c. 3. He reckoneth vp the Churches of the seueral parts of the world and saith that they and the whole world consented to the Councell of Nyce in which the primacy of S. Syluester then bishop of Rome was acknowledged and declared And it is here to be obserued that the Arians who are the auncientest of all sects now extant out of the Catholike Church beganne but in these times when the Romane bishop had bene honored for about three hundred yeares as the Vicar of Christ vpon earth And the same saint together with the fathers of the Councell of Alexandria wrote vnto Felix 2. then bishop of Rome after this manner To the honorable holy father Felix Pope of the Apostolical seate of the city of Rome Athanasius and all the bishops of the Aegyptians Thebaians and Lybians by the grace of God assembled in the holy Councell of Alexandria We suggest vnto your holy Apostleship that you would vouchsafe to vs of your wounted care ouer vs c. Because most holy father our praedecessors and we haue receiued helpe of your Apostolical scate We implore that Apostolicall and according to the canons the cheife seate that we may haue helpe from thence from whence our auncestors haue had their doctrines orders and relcefe Vnto that we haue recourse as to our mother that we may be nourished at her breasts And as the mother own not forgett her child soe doe not you forgette vs committed to your charge For our enemys haue inuolued vs in noe small troubles apprehending and threatening vs with irons vnles we will yeeld to their errors Which without your knowledge we will not presume vpon the canons hauing decreed that in cases of moment nothing should be done without the Romane bishop Therfor God hath placed you and your praedecessors the bishops of Rome in the toppe of all that you might haue a care of all Churches hauing the iudgment of all bishops committed to you For we know that in the great Councell of Nyce of three hundred and eighteene bishops it was established by all that without the sentence of the Romane bishop noe Councell should be called nor any bishops condemned although these and many other necessary thinges be taken away from vs and burnt by turbulent haeretiks c. Likewise it was agreeably defined by the foresaid fathers that if any of the bishops shall haue in suspicion the Metropolitan Comprouinciales or Judges let him appeale to your holy seate of Rome to whom the power of binding and loosing was giuen by speciall priuilege by our Lord himselfe c. Thou art the deposer of prophane haeresys inuaders and infesters as the Head and Doctour and Prince of orthodoxe doctrine and vnspotted faith After S. Athanasius in the next age liued S. Optatus bishop of Mileuetum in Affricke who made a catalogue of all the Popes from S. Peter to Siricius who then gouerned and writing against the haeretike Parmention he telleth him that in setting vp a chaire contrary to the Chaire of Rome he could not pleade ignorance knowing that the first was giuen to S. Peter to be at Rome and particular chaires to the other Apostles L. 1. conc Parm. that he might be knowne for a schismatike and praeuaricatour that should set vp a chaire in opposition to it Amb. in 3. ad Tim. S. Ambrose speaking of Damasus then bishop of Rome saith that all the world being Gods yet the Church onely is hit house whose Rectour or Ruler at this time is Dumasus S. Hierome also liued in the time of this
none mainteined in schisme their owne Churches which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ except they were as all false Churches are of a succession inuisible The Waldenses beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Waldo an ignorant lay man in the city of Lyons aboue eleauen hundred yeares after that the faith of Christ had flourished in the world who disobeying the authority of Alexander 3. Pope and of the fathers of a General Councell held at Rome beganne a new Church against all saying we must obey God rather then men And Iohn Hus was proceeded against as an haeretike for mainteining with obstinacy his doctrine The Church of the Lutherans beganne in the disobedience of Martin Luther a Fryar of the holy order of S. Augustine about fifteene hundred yeares after the first establishing of the Church of Christ who disobeying the authority of the head and pastors of the Church that then were to wit of Pope Leo and the pastors of his Communion broke his vowes of pouerty chastity and obedience and hauing gotten some to follow him he beganne with them a new Church which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ nor from any Church except it were a succession inuisible The Zinglians beganne in the disobedience of Vlricus Zuinglius a Canon of Constance who seeing the people of Germany soe greedily to swallow downe the liberty of Luthers doctrine and noueltys disobeying the authority of Pope Clement and of the pastors of his Communion would beginne also a new Church contrary both to the Church of Rome and of Luther denying the reall presence of the body of our Lord in the holy Eucharist The Church of the Caluinists beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Caluin Priest of Noyon who following the example of Luther and Zuinglius brokeforth after them out of the sheepefold of Christ and disobeying the authority of Paulus 3. then Bishop of Rome and of the pastors of his Communion beganne a new Church according to his owne words separating themselues from the whole world Resp ad versip The Church of England which is the newest of them all beganne in the disobedience of king Henry the eight who hauing first obtained of Pope Leo the glorious title of Defendour of the faith for his good seruice done to the Church of God especially in oppugning of Luthers heresy became afterwards soe blinded with carnality that desiring of Pope Clement a diuorcement from his lawfull wife and not obtaining it he denyed his authority forbadde in his dominions all commerce with the court of Rome and caused himselfe to be proclaimed The supreme head of the English Church vpon earth putting to death Bishop Fisher Sr Thomas Moore and others for denying his supremacy By all which it appeareth that the words of S. Iohn may well be applyed to all these sects when to discouer the false Churches of schismatiks and heretiks which he speaketh of by the name of Antichrist he giueth them this marke They went out from vs. Io. 1.2 Soe may we say of all the sects of schismes and haeretiks that are in the world they beganne at some time in disobedience to the Romane Church the beginners of them were once Romane Catholiks but they were the chaffe of the Catholike Church which being puffed vp with pride and obstinacy went out from vs and beganne new Churches which were not then at all in the world You haue seene now the supreme authority of the Bishop of Rome to haue bene first acknowledged and obeyed by the primitiue Church and consequently all other Churches of christians whatsoeuer without naming of any haue at some time goneforth of that Church and begunne in disobedience to that Bishop and to the pastors of his Communion and you haue seene also in particular the cheife and most notable and one may say all other Churches for that the rest of the petty sects haue begunne indisobedience to some of these and goneforth of them you haue seene I say in particular the rest of the Churches that now are to haue begunne in disobedience to that authority which was first obeyed by the primitiue Church of Christ and was then obeyed in the world and euen by themselues vntill they tooke vpon them to disobey it Wherefor I conclude with this that the true Church is that which continueth allwais obedient to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion and they are all false Churches that haue begunne in disobedience to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion but there is none but the bishop of Rome that can with any reason pretende to be the true head of the Church nor any pastors that can pretende to be in Communion with the true head of the Church but those that are in Communion with him therefore that is the true Church which hath continued all wais in obedience to the Bishop of Rome and his pastors and they are all false Churches that haue begunne at any time and continue still in disobedience to him and them There remaineth now onely to see what they can say for themselues and to shew the vanity of their pretences First if they deny that the Romane Bishop had supreme authority in the primitiue Church it is to confound as I haue said the knowledge of all thinges past I haue shewed that the holy fathers of those times haue interpreted the scriptures for the Bishop of Rome his supremacy and I haue shewed by their plane sentences and expresse words that the Romane Church hath obtained from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches that holy seate being the hinge and head of all Churches that in all controuersys we ought to haue recourse vnto it that the Bishop of Rome is the highest Priest and Bishop of bishops that all schismes and heresys haue sprung from the disobedience to that chaire that they are Schismatiks and Praeuaricators that set vp another chaire contrary to it that they belong to Antichrist that are not of that Communion I haue shewed also that the Bishop of Rome his supremacy was acknowledged by Generall Councels that his legates praesided in them that he protected the good and corrected the â—ad both of the Clergy and of the Laity of other Dioceses euen the cheife persons of the world as vnder his charge and that there is noe other bishop that by any title can iustly pretende to haue had that authority in the primitiue times And therfor it is most senselesse to deny his supremacy which the world hath soe long confessed And if they shall still oppose it Sap. 5. the round world shall fight with him against the senslesse who are soe bold as to hazard their soules against the whole world and against soe many worlds as I haue shewed gathered together in General Councels who haue submitted to the Bishop of Rome as to their supreme pastour They will grant then perhaps that the Bishop of
the rewarde which we shall haue after victory ought to be a great encouragement vnto vs. We shall haue the grace of God which is the kings eldest daughter and by it euerlasting glory in the kingdome of heauen Remember then that thou art the souldier of God and in all temptations thinke that he then calleth thee forth to fight for him in his owne presence and before the host of his Angells and Saints and that in the sight of them all and in their hearing he had made the promise of thy reward and besides that he will soe helpe thee that thou art sure of victory if thou wilt Who in this case would not runne vnto the batle This is the case of euery one of vs. Apos 2. God hath promised to him that ouercommeth I will giue to eate of the tree of life to wit euerlasting and he giueth vnto euery one sufficient meanes to ouercome Is he not a coward in the sight of God and before the whole court of heauen that shall refuse to fight vpon these termes Thinke what this reward is an eternity of happines And when thou hast thought for a good space say to thy selfe I can not comprehende that eternall happinesse Ep. 205. ad Cyr Hicros Ps 83. In the Epistles which are commonly said to be S. Augustins he describeth a vision which himselfe had to his purpose and I will giue it you as neere as I can in the same words and stile I was saith he in my cell at Hippo resting and greedily thinking of the glory of the blessed and of the greatnes of their ioy and being compelled by the intreaty of my deere Seuerus once the disciple of venerable Martin bishop of Turon I desired to setforth a short treatise of this matter but hauing pen in my hand to write to most holy Hierome for his opinion in it when I had begunne the exordium of my salutation behold a suddaine light such as our times hath not seene nor can be spoken with our tongues entred into my cell and filled it with an vnspeakeable sweetnes of all odours Which when I saw I was soe astonished that the powers of my minde and body were quite taken from mee For J knew not then that the right hand of God had exalted his seruant Because at that very hower did S. Hierome depart this world And therefor because mine eyes had neuer seene the like brightnes nor euer had I felt such sweetnes I wondered and was quite rauished with it And being in this sort I heard a voyce comming forth of that light saying to mee Augustine what dost thou meane dost thou thinke to put the sea into a litle dish to hold all the earth in the compasse of thy hand to detaine the heauens from their naturall course shall thy eye see that which none could see shall thy eares heare more then the eares of any and those things which haue not entred into any hart dost thou thinke to conceiue them where is the end of that which is endles how wilt thou measure that which is immense The sea shall be put into a litle dish the earth shall become a handfull and the heauens shall sooner stay their course then thou shalt vnderstande the least part of that ioy and glory which the blessed enioy But that thou shouldst vnderstande that which I know now by experience not to vndertake impossible things Seeke not to vnderstande but labour to gett that glory which thou wouldest conceiue Thus S. Hierome would preuent his letter and satisfy him by experience in that which he desired to vnderstande to wit that the glory of the Saints is aboue humane vnderstanding It is enough for vs to thinke that it is a life in which God is enioyed for euer but here we can not comprehende what God is what euer is or what that life is in which God is enioyed and which they lead in heauen O the infinite goodnes of God! O eternity O sweet life in which that infinite good is eternally enioyed That which is good and the best in euery thinge that is conteined in God the summe and hight of perfection I say all in this word Perfection And this perfection thou shalt allwais desire Ps 23. and haue it allwais there as thou defirest in God How beloued are thy tabernacles O Lord of hosts my soule coueteth and fainteth vnto the courts of our Lord. My hart and my flesh haue reioyced towards the liuing God This is the end of the Creede and of true faith that we gaine euerlasting life This is the finall but infinite reward which Catholiks onely and none but good Catholiks come to receiue that our soules shall be placed in perfect spirituall pleasures and our bodys in corporall and shall still aime at that which is most perfect and enioy that perfection which they aime at to wit God in his glory THE FIFT DISCOVRSE OF THE SACRAMENTS I INTENDE to declare the Sacraments vnto you which as they are the most estimable iewels and pretious ornaments by which the merits of Christs Passion are applyed for the sanctification of our soules soe it is very necessary for all to be well instructed in them that those holy mysterys being receiued with due reuerence may blesse and effectually sanctify the receiuers of them Mat. 7. Giue not that which is holy to doggs neither cast you your pearles before swine Saith our blessed Sauiour That is that holy things are not to be giuen to the vnworthy and as S. Augustine hath noted especially the Sacraments which are vnderstoode by pearles as the most pretious of holy thinges That I may speake worthily of them and you receiue benefit by my speech we will say the Haile Mary for our Blessed Ladys intercession Haile Mary c. Quest What is a Sacrament Answ A Sacrament is an outward signe which causeth grace in vs. To be a Sacrament is to be an outward signe and to be an outward signe is to be somethinge that may be perceiued outwardly by the senses By the sense of seeing we perceiue in the Sacraments the thinge which is done as the ablution in baptisme and by the sense of hearing the words that are said and in that which is done and said consisteth the nature and essence of euery Sacrament as it is an outward signe to our senses S. Augustine The word is ioyned to the element and there is a Sacrament The Sacraments cause grace in vs Tract 80. in Io. because they are the meanes which Christ hath instituted to sanctify vs by and we can not be sanctifyed but by the diuine grace being caused in vs. OF THE EFFECTS OF THE Sacraments THE prime and propper effect of euery Sacrament is to cause grace for they are not onely signes to signify that God then giueth grace but they haue power giuen them of God to cause grace in the soules of those that worthily receiue them that as a Cherry tree produceth a cherry and a
is the body and blood of Christ according to the words of our Lord. and although thy sense doth suggest this faith doth confirme thee Iudge not by tast but beleeue by faith for most certaine without doubt Hil. l. 8. de Trin. that the body and blood is then giuen to thee S. Hilarius Of the verity of flesh and blood there is noe place of doubt left By the profession of our Lord himselfe and by our faith it is flesh and blood indeede Amb. l. 4. c. 4. Is nothis the truth let it be vntrue to them who deny Iesus Christ to be true God S. Ambrose This is bread before the sacramental words but the consecration being done of bread it is made the flesh of Christ S. Chrysostome Chrysos ho. 24. in cor 1. l. 3. de Sacerd ho. 2. ad pop Antioch We adore him on the altare as the sages did in the manger and againe O miracle he that sitteth with the father in heauen at the very same time is handled of men beneath Christ ascending to heauen both hath his flesh with him and left it beneath Elias left his cloke to his disciple Aug. inps 33. but the sonne of man ascending left his owne flesh S. Augustine vpon the 33. Psalme admiring how Dauid could carry himselfe in his owne hands concludeth that it is to be vnderstoode of Christ when at the last supper he tooke himselfe literally into his owne hands Thus did the fathers of the primitiue Church beleeue of the Eucharist acknowledging allwais the omnipotent power of God to be miraculous in it This beleefe continued in the world for a thousand yeares or there abouts before any haeretike opposed it and when it beganne to be opposed the Church in seueral general Councels declared the truth of it and condemned the contrary as heresy Conc. Lateran sub Innocen 5. Conc. Rom. ex Cocleo l. 1. hist Hussit Conc. Constantien sess 8. Conc. Trid. sess 13. cap. 1. can 1. Berengarius was the first that publikly denyed the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist who reiecting the commune and receiued doctrine of the Church denyed that to be the body of Christ which Christ affirmed to be his body interpreting his words as he liked himselfe contrary to all authority in an illiteral and vnpropper sense That which he gott for his paines was to haue his doctrine condemned in seueral Councels But at last being touched inwardly with remorse of conscience he recanted And although he fell into heresys againe yet he had soe much feeling of the auctority of the Church and of a General Councel as that he recanted againe and which is very rare in such men he remained repentant vnto his death and being then affrighted at the thought of his former errors he is recorded to haue confessed the horrour of his conscience saying for my repentance I hope for glory but because I haue seduced others I feare torments Zuinglius and Caluin haue lately renewed his doctrine againe but we haue for the Catholike faith the words of Christ in the Scriptures the scriptures interpreted by the holy fathers and their interpretations approued of by the authority of the whole Church in general Councels Now that the Eucharist is a Sacrament I doe not perceiue that any haeretike doth deny it who alloweth of Sacraments Io. 6. for those that hold but two or three Sacramēts haue the Eucharist for one of them And it appeareth to be an outward signe which causeth grace in vs in that Christ promised if anyman eate of this bread he shall liue for euer OF TRANSVBSTANTIATION Quaest Is there any bread or wine in the Eucharist ANS Noe it seemeth but soe The bread and wine are conuerted by the words of consecration in to the true body and blood of our Lord. AFTER that Berengarius had recanted his first errour in which he denyed the true and real presence of Christ in the Eucharist he fell into a second in which he affirmed that the substance of bread and wine still remaine after consecration soe that there was noe transubstantiation that is to say conuersion or change of one substance into another but this was also condemned as an heresy and he in the end abiured it We beleeue then that in the consecration the substance of bread and wine are destroyed and changed by the power of God into another substance The holy fathers haue allwais acknowledged this conuersion of substance to be in the Eucharist and haue applyed diuerse figures out of the old testament and other similitudes to declare the Catholike doctrine in this The rodd of Moyses was transubstantiated that is conuerted into the substance of a Serpent The waters of Aegypt were turned into blood Water at the feast of Cana was changed by our sauiour into very good wine Soe by the omnipotency of God the substance of bread and wine is conuerted into the body of our Lord. And these very similitudes are vsed by the fathers to this purpose Iren. l 3. cont haereses c. 2. Amb. l. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. lib. de his qui initiantur myst S. Irenaeus declareth it by the water turned into wine S. Ambrose by the rod of Moyses and the waters of Aegypt Moyses his rod saith he was turned into a serpent and from a serpent into a rod againe The riuers of Aegypt were running with water and their fountaines on a suddaine brokeforth with blood and at the prayers of the Prophet the blood is turned into water againe If humane blessing haue such power what shall we say of the diuine consecration where the words of our Lord and Sauiour doe operate If at the words of Elias fire descended from heauen shall not the words of Christ haue power to change the kinds of elements Thou hast read of the creation of the world he said and it was done And could the word of Christ create of nothing that which before was not and could he not change that which was into another thinge which was also What more could we haue desired S. Ambrose to say All things are possible and easy to God and nothing more easy then another to him Yet to our vnderstandings it is easier to conuert somethinge that is all ready into some other thinge that is also then to create some thinge of iust nothing What difficulty is there then that God who with a word of his power created heauen and earth and made all things of nothing should change the substances of bread and wine into the substance of his sacred body which he would leaue with vs It is a miracle which God would worke and the fathers of the Catholike Church haue allwaies acknowledged it soe and that there is here a change of natures but if there were onely a change in the signification as the Zuinglians and Caluinists say or onely in the real presence as the Lutherans say then there were noe miraculous change of that which were
thee downe instantly into hell and what it is to want the mediation of Christ of our B. Lady thy good Angell thy patrone and of all the Saints and the suffrages of the Church thou wouldst not remaine one moment in that state It is a humane thinge saith S. Gregory to erre but diabolical to perseuer in it If we fall into sinne we doe but like men if we rize againe we doe as the Saints haue done but if we perseuer in sinne we are like the deuil who must remaine in sinne for euer OF EXTREME-VNCTION THIS Sacrament hath for its propper effect to giue grace and strength against temptations at our death For the hopes of our enemy being then at the last he striueth all he can against vs. Apoc. 12. The deuill is descended to you hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a litle time Said the heauenly voice which S. Iohn heard Some he tempteth to presumption others to dispaire some by too much loue to their freinds and family some thinke of nothing but the riches which they leaue some by too much desire of life that they will not apprehende nor prepare themselues for death and generally as we draw neerer to our ends we grow more subiect to extremitys of passions all which the deuill knoweth how to make vse of to our hurt But his commune temptation is to terrify sinners with greeuous feare and affrightments at their sinnes past Sap. 4. They shall come fearefull in cogitation of their sinnes and their iniquitys on the contrary shall conuince them Saith holy wisdome Neither shall their naturall courage and strength then auaile them any thinge though neuer soe bold and bragging in time of health Great Saints haue shewed much feare at their death S. Hilarion whose perfection S. vita Hilar. Hierome describing saith that great concourse of bishops priests Clergymen and monks sought to him the temptation of christian matrons followed him multitudes of the common people potentates and iudges came to receiue holy bread and oile of him and yet his minde continued fixed on solitude yet for all this when he came to dy he was oppressed with such a feare and horrour of death that to encourage his soule he said Goe forth what dost thou feare goe forth my soule what dost thou doubt of thou hast serued Christ now almost seuenty yeares and dost thou feare death If Saints at their death haue bene thus terrifyed what may they expect who haue committed many sinnes and perhaps but lately repented for them and perhaps but sleightly and haue but few good works then for their comfort Therefor our Sauiour hath prouided this Sacrament as an armour for vs against that time S. Iames Iam. 5. is any man sicke among you let him bring in the priests of the Church and let them pray ouer him anoiling him with oile in the name of our Lord. And the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and our Lord shall lift him vp and if he be in sinnes they shall be remitted him By which words we haue the practise of the Catholike Church well prooued and Etreme Vnction declared to be a Sacrament that is an outward signe that sanctifyeth vs. There is an outward signe in the external rite of anoiling and in the forme of words signifyed by prayer And that this outward signe causeth grace vnto sanctification the words following doe declare in that sinnes are remitted which can not be but by grace being receiued And it followeth hence that Christ instituted it For the Apostles had not the power of instituting such signes neither could S. Iames haue promised remission of sinnes by it if Christ had not instituted it Luth. Praef. ad nou Test and giuen it that power It is true Luther reiects this Epistle of S. Iames denying it to be canonical and calling it an Epistle of straw but the authority of the whole Church hath declared it for canonical And if the whole Church be not sufficient for Luther we will put Caluin into the ballance against him an authour at least of equall grauity with him Caluin l. 3. Instit. c. 17. and Caluin holdeth it for canonical S. Bernard in vita Malach. relateth of S. Malachy that he assisting with a sicke woman and not thinking her to be in such danger as to require the Sacrament of Extreme-Vnction departed from her without ministring it but she dying in his absence he returned againe full of sorrow and pittying that she should want the benefit of it he fell to his prayers restored her to life againe And then saith S. Bern he anoiled her knowing that by this Sacrament sinnes are remitted and that the prayer of faith saueth the sicke The holy oile is then applyed as a spiritual salue to the senses because by occasion of our senses we committe sinne But beside the spiritual remedy which our soules gaine by it it hath also a corporal effect of giuing health to the body as the Apostle declareth the sicke being saued and alleuiated by it By reason of which effect this Sacrament is not giuen in danger of death by warre or otherwise but onely by sicknes OF THE SACRAMENT of Orders THE Sacrament of Orders is that which Priests Deacons Subdeacons and others receiue when they are ordained by which they receiue spiritual power for the gouernment of the Church Tim. 1.4 That it is a Sacrament it appeareth by the words of S. Paul to Timothy Neglect not the grace which is giuen thee by prophecy with imposition of the hands of the priesthood By this it hath all which is conteined in the nature of a Sacrament the imposition of hands and the words that are said which are there signifyed by Prophecy being an external signe Amb. in Tim. by which grace in giuen Vpon which words S. Ambrose saith that Timothy by the imposition of the hands of priesthood was designed to the worke ard receiued authority that he durst offer sacrifice to God in our Lords steede The same power is expressed by the words of the bishop when heordaineth priests saying Receiue thou authority to offer for the liuing and the dead in the name of our Lord. To offer there is to offer sacrifice as S. Ambrose also expresseth it and to offer sacrifice is the most propper office of priests priest and sacrifice going allwais together soe that there can be noe priest but he must haue power to offer sacrifice The propper and peculiar effect of this Sacrament is to giue grace to exercize worthily Ecclesiastical functions Which power and grace as it is in the Church of Christ is most high and eminent aboue all dignitys For what can be compared to the dignity of christian priests Both in respect of their power of Orders by which they consecrate the most blesed host and also in respect of their power of iurisdiction by which they remitte sinnes Neither of which is within the Angels power And therefor priesthood is not obtained in
deceiue soe much as one learned priest but onely some carnal and simple women As priests are aboue Angels in dignity soe it is fitting that they should imitate their purity and Angels neither marry nor are married Nay it is fitting that they should be as the Catholike Church hath ordained them to be aboue Angels in this that Angels are chast by nature onely but priests are chast by the grace of this Sacrament and by vow which is better It was the auncient custome of the Church as now it is for the Clergy to weare their crownes shauen S. Denis who liued in the Apostles times maketh mention of it Eccl. Hierar c. 6. S. Beda deriueth the first vse of it from S. Peter it representeth the crowne of thornes of our sauiour It denoteth the dignity of priests as kings Of whom the words of S. Peter 1.1 L. 5. hist Aug. c 2â— may cheesly be vnderstoode saying you are an elect generation a kingly priesthood It signifyeth also that priests are to reiect all vaine superfluitys of this world and to betake themselues to the spiritual lot and part which they haue chosen OF MATRIMONY MATRIMONY is declared by the Councel of Florence to be a true and propper Sacrament Sess vitim one of the number of the seauen Sacraments of the law of Christ instituted by him to giue grace And therefore amongst christians it is absolutly indissoluble which as a contract of nature onely it is not It hath for its propper effect to remedy the vnlawfull concupiscences of the flesh and to giue grace to man and woman to liue together in mutual loue and coniugal chastity and to bring vp their children in the seruice of God It is called by S. Eph. 15. Paul a great Sacrament to wit in the mystery which it representeth of the marriage of Christ with his Church to which for euer he hath espoused himselfe and as a good husband allwais loueth it teacheth it defendeth it prouideth for it and remaineth for euer the head of it By this similitude we haue the duety of marriage wel deciphered and man and wife by it are taught how to behaue themselues to each other Christ loueth his Church with an infinite loue the Church also loueth him with a continuall and neuer interrupted loue Christ suffered for his Church giuing euen his life to gaine her an immaculate Spouse The Church also suffereth for him in the blood of her children that in her victorys of martyrdome she may well say to him as Sephora did to Moyses Exod 4. a bloody spouse thou art to mee when she saw the blood of her children circumcised by him Christ as a good husband beareth with many imperfections and sinnes that are committed in the Church and vpbraideth her not but pittyeth her and furthereth the amendment of them by faire meanes and good words calling her his freind his beloued his faire one and the Church as a good wife confesseth her falts and asketh pardon for them submitting herselfe more humble then Sara calling him her Lord her master her sauiour Finally Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father allwais ready to mediate for his Church in heauen and hath prouided to remaine also with her in the B. Sacrament allwais vpon earth and the Church reciprocally laboreth for him giuing Sacraments offering sacrifice exhorting commanding reprehending and punishing of her people to make them honour him Thus ought man and wife to liue together in continuall loue and to beare patiently and contentedly together the tribulations of marriage not vpbraiding one another with their falts but with wise and milde termes to procure the amendment of them and to concurre together in all things both to their spiritual and temporal good Of this vnion loue and goodnes of married folkes dependeth very much the good of all mankind and therfor it is often and earnestly commended in the Scriptures In the first marriage of man and woman in Paradise God to to shew the loue which he would haue betwixt man and wife would frame the wife of a true and reall part of her husbands body and not of his hands fingars or toes not soe intimate to him but of a ribbe of his side neere to his â—art And when Adam awakened out of his sleepe and first saw her he was presently enamoured with a holy loue of her as his lawfull wife and euen then presently he beganne to giue documents to married folkes saying Gen. 2. For this man shall leaue his father and mother and shall cleaue to his Wife anâ— they shall be two in one fles This Adam spoke to his posterity whom in the spirit of prophecy he foresaw and would forwarne of mutual loue that as man and wife are but one in flesh Soe they might be in minde and will according together to take a part in all things And therefor Adam called her his fellow companion as participating with him in a happy and good company all dissension and diuision betwixt them being contrary to the Sacrament and in it selfe most greeuous eueÌ„ as the diuiding of liuing flesh which bleedeth and smarteth on both sides or as the cutting of the whole body into two which can not be but with excessiue torment and certaine death Soe the diuision and dissention betwixt man and wife is allwais painefull on both sides and if it be in a matter of moment or with scandall it is death and damnation to their soules The best therefor is to reflect well vpon the inconueniences of marriage before hand and to preuent them Yong folke many times deceiue themselues who setting their mindes too earnestly vpon marriage imagin great happines and nothing but content in it But this content lasteth but a while with them For as soone as they feele the tribulations of that state they beginne to loath it and by litle and litle to thinke them vntollerable and to wish themselues vnmarried againe And this is soe commune that as the saying is one priest hat could vnmarry would haue worke enough for many priests These resemble litle children that cry after their mothers they will not be quiet till they haue their desire and within a while they beginne to be weary and cry to be backe againe Marriages that are made without due consideration and especially with out being well commended to God haue many times the like issue and these are often obserued to be of those who marry very yong who indeede seldome apprehende rightly that which they vndertake But what remedy When they are once married there is then none but in true vertue and a good coÌ„science they must setle themselues and be contented with the sower and the sweet taking one with the other as it shall please God to sende them and when any Cros happeneth with a constant and heroical minde to beare it for Gods sake and to accustome themselues to some good words in those occasions as Gods will be done or the like expecting patiently
shalt not couet thy neighbors wife Thou shalt not couet thy neighbors goods THE Romane Catechisme hauing expounded the Creede and the Sacraments giueth in the next place the exposition of the Commandements In the Creede we haue the summe of what we are to beleeue in the Sacraments we are sanctifyed with diuine grace and in the Commandements we are taught how to be haue ourselues towards God and our neihhbour soe as to keepe that grace which we receiued in the Sacraments The commandements are the law of God and to say the law or the Commandements is the same thinge For the Commandements saith S. Augustine are the summe and abbreuiation of that which God hath commanded all being deduced from them as from the first principles of that law which by nature he had imposed vpon men We obserue them not because they were of the law of Moyses for that law was to vanish away as a shaddow when the light of Christ came into the world we obserue them because they are natural praecepts obliging all by an obligation of nature which we see by reason and feele by experience in ourselues Neither were the commandements deliuered to the Israelites soe much to let them know their obligation to them as to make them remember it And therefor they were deliuered with such dreadfull signes as I shall presently declare that they might reuerence them the more and feare to breake them It is the office of priests to instruct in the Commandements and to see that they be kept Gal. 6. If a man be praeoccupated in any falt you that are spiritual instruct such an one These are priests who haue the spirituall charge of soules and who must answere for the sinnes of the people committed to them They haue then good reason to instruct and to reprehende and if people wil haue priests to answere for them they must be contented to be reprehended by them and must heare and obey them in the Commandements of God otherwise they shall be condemned as disobedient to God himselfe Luc. 10. He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you Heh 10. despiseth mee Saith our sauiour and S. Paul saith Obey your Prelates and be subiect to them For they watch as being to render account for your soules The imperfections of priests are readily noted and euery word which they speake is put into the weighskales to be examined but their instructions and admonitions are not soe hearkened vnto they are more obserued in the breaking then in the keeping of the Commandements L. 2. de cons It is true S. Hierome saith that a trifeling word in the mouth of a priest is a sacrilege And S. Bernard calleth such a word a blasphemy in them Mal. 2. But God saith that they are his Angels when they deliuer the law The lipps of the priest shall keepe knowledge and the law they shall require from his mouth because he is the Angell of the Lord of hosts Their falts indeede become greater by the greatnes of their dignity yet for all their falts the law must be receiued of them and good Catholiks wil reuerence priests as Angels and will be glad of their admonishments as from heauen It is my part to instruct in the keeping of the Commandements and yours to harken and to learne to keepe them That we may both doe our parts we will pray to our B. Lady for her intercession Haile Mary c. OF THE AVTHOVR OF THE Commandements IT ought to be a great motiue to vs for the keeping of the Commandements to thinke who it is that commandeth them It was not any potentate of the earth though neuer soe great and powerfull neither was it any Angell from heauen that imposed them vpon vs. God is the authour of the Commandements God that made both men and Angels heauen and hell for the reward or punishment of those that keepe or breake them This consideration he would inculcate in the very first words in which the Commandements were deliuered Exod. 20. saying I am the Lord thy God It is our Lord our master our eternal and omnipotent God that commandeth vs these things Let vs feare him and keepe his Commandements Mal. 1. If I be the Lord where is my feare saith the Lord of hosts The Commandements were written by Angels in the two tables of stone and deliuered by the Angels to Moyses but they were not commanded by Angels God commanded them and with his owne fingar hath printed them in the harts of all men striking reuerence vnto them and a natural feare to breake them And the more to augment that feare and reuerence in vs he deliuered them after a most maiestical and dreadfull manner to the Israelits They were to prepare themselues for three dayes before to wash their garments and to absteine from their wiues that by that external and corporal purity their deuotions might increase and their reuerence to them The third day being come and the morning appearing behold saith the holy Scripture thunders beganne to be heard and lightenings to flash Exod. 19. and a very thicke clowde to couer the mount and the noyse of the trumpet sounded exceedingly Moyses brings the people towards the mountaine and such was the reuerence which God then required of them that they were to keepe of and vnder paine of death not soe much as to touch the mountaine on which they were deliuered He and Aaron onely were called vp and all the people when they saw the voyces and the flames the sounde of the trumpets and the mount smoking were soe terrifyed that languishing and euen like to dy they gott a great way of and were glad to cry out vnto Moyses Speake thou to vs let not our Lord speake least perhaps we dy All this maiesty would God shew to the Israelits that they might acknowledge his power in the Commandments and feare to breake them And it was not onely for that people that he would shew this terrour and maiesty but for all others after them that all might acknowledge his diuine power and that they keeping the Commandements might moue others by their example to keepe them Euâ—d 20. This is your wisdome and vnderstanding before peoples that hearing that is obeying all these praecepts may say behold a people full of wisdome and vnderstanding a great nation He that considereth rightly the maiesty of God commanding him and seeth himselfe besett on al sides that he can by noe meanes escape his power will thinke it indeede his onely wisdome to submitte vnto him and to obey him But some haue said that the Commandements of God are vnpossible to be kept and yet professe themselues to be christians This is a saying vnworthy of that name and we will shew on the contrary THAT THE COMMANDEMENâ—â— of God 〈…〉 CHRISTIANS in their christendome haue receiued grace for the keeping of the Commandements and that Christian that sayeth the Commandements are vnpossible to be kept
Act. 5. and she was cured In the acts of the Apostles we haue that people put their sick and lame folkes in the streets and high wayes with in the compasse euen of S. Act. 19. Conc. Nyc Peters shaddow that it might touch them as he passed by and cure them of their infirmitys Act. 3. 4. and that the napkins or hand kercheifs of S. Paul being laid vpon the sicke cured them The second Councel of Nyce alloweth of the worship of holy reliques The tombes of Saints were aunciently worshipped in the Catholike Church S. Aug. l 22. de Câ—â— D. â— c. â— Augustine relateth the miracles which were done at S. Steuans tombe S. Hierome cont Vigilant we honour the reliques of Martyrs that we may worship him whose Martyrs they are We honour the seruants that the honour of the seruants may redounde vnto the master who saith the that receiueth you receiueth mee And this is soe plane in the holy fathers that the Magdeburgians confesse their authority but condemne them for it which is sufficient to condemne themselues in the opinion of all wise men that they starting vp against their Superiors and against theauthority of the whole Church that was then when they beganne would resist the whole world then present and also stande at defyance with the auncient fathers By that which hath bene said of holy images and reliques the worship of Saints is also prooued lawfull for that we worship them not as God but as his seruants in relation to him who is their master That which is commanded in the first commandement is the true worhip of God to wit as it is in the Catholike Church and therefore atheisme and all false worship of infidelity and heresy is forbidden in it Necromancy and all kind of witchcraft superstitious obseruations and actions such as yong women doe to see him that must be their husband or to finde somethinge that is lost These if they be not excused by ignorance committe a mortal sinne against the first Commandement in that they implicitly acknowledge supernatural power to be in some other thinge beside God and soe they worship stranges gods THE SECOND COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not take the name of God in vaine By this Commandement we are not forbidden absolutly to sweare but to take the name of God in vaine To sweare may be lawfull nay sometimes worthy of praise but to take the name of God in vaine is allwais vaine and vnlawfull It is an act of diuine honour and worship to sweare in due circumstances for by such an oth we acknowledge the supreme goodnes Deut. 6. and first verity to be in God Thou shalt feare thy God and him onely shalt thou serue and by his name thou shalt sweare Ps 61. And king Dauid all shall be praysed that sweare by him Cor. 2.1 The Apostles sometimes confirmed their sayings by oth Apoc. 10. The Angels are also â—ead in the Scriptures to haue sworne as the Angell that appeared to S. Iohn sware by him that liueth for euer and euer Nay God himselfe Gen. 22. the Lord of Angels is read to haue sworne in diuerse places of the old testament our Lord called Abraham saying by my owne selfe I haue sworne Psal 109. And in the Psalmes our Lord sware and it wil not repent him Soe that there is noe doubt but it is lawfull to sweare if the conditions of a lawful oth be obserued As for the conditions of a lawfull oth authors commonly vnderstande them to be conteined in the words of Hieremy Hier. 4. Thou shalt sweare our Lord liueth in truth and in iudgment and in iustice The first condition is verity that it be true that which we call God to be the witnesse of The second is that it must be also with iudgement and not rashly and inconsideratly as some doe vpon euery friuolous occasion abusing the holy name and maiesty of God This is a very great irreuerence For if it be an irreuerence to a king or great personage to be called as witnesse of triuial and friuolous things of noe moment as of killing of flyes or picking of strawes much more is it against the diuine maiesty to be called rashly and indiscretly as a witnesse without necessity The third condition is iustice that it be iust and lawfull that which we promise and sweare to This condition was wanting in Herods oth who hauing sworne to the daughter of Herodias to grant her whatsoeuer she should aske and she asking the head of S. Iohn Baptist he was then either to breake his oth or to doe that which was worse to deliuer the life of a iust and innoceÌ„t man into the hands of a malicious and spitefull woman It was also wanting in those wicked Iewes who meeting together swore that they would neither eate nor drinke till they had killed S. Paul Act. 23. Such oths neuer binde for noe oth can make an vnlawfull thinge to be lawfull but the oth being past the worke is still as vnlawfull as before and if he performe it he committeth two mortal sinnes one in swearing and an other in performing an vnlawfull thinge Catholiks that liue in the dominions of infidels or haeretiks must be very wary of any oths which are tendered to them and consider well before they take them If the oth intrench any way vpon Religion as praeiudicial to the Catholike faith Act. 5. they must not take it for the whole world nor hearken to it but must answere resolutly as S. Peter did saying God must be obeyed rather then men If it seeme not much to concerne religion the best is to take aduize of the lawfull nesse of it and if an answere be required presently before that we can haue aduize we may commende it breifly to God and hauing first resolued with ourselues firmely that we will not offende our conscience we may consider of the grounds for the lawfullnesse of it an we must by all meanes iudge it lawfull before we take it If we thinke that it hath sufficient probability and that our doubt be but a timorous feare we may iudge it lawfull and then take it but if we finde not sufficient probability that we can iudge it lawfull but that we hang in suspense and doubt of the lawfullnes of it it is by noe meanes to be taken for he that doubteth of the lawfullnes of the oth and yet taketh it sinneth and is condemned by his owne conscience as doeing of that which he could not iudge to be lawfull but at least doubted to be vnlawfull That which is obserued in such oths is that there is but litle thanks afterwards to those that take them An. 464. Baronius recordeth of Hunnericus king of the Vandals that being himselfe an haeretike he sent an oth vnto his Catholike subiects in which they were to sweare that after his death they would admitte of his sonne Hildericus to be their king and that they should
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
our consciences from sinne and then to prepare ourselues with humility reuerence confidence and with charity towards our neighbour and with much feruour and attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we aske of him all the time of prayer This feruerous attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we pray for is that which I would gladly commende to you that you place your selues before God at your prayers as in presence of the most soueraigne maiesty with great reuerence to him and to desire earnestly all the time of prayer that which then you are praying for not too earnestly desiring the thinge it selfe but for the loue of God to please him in it Let euery one saith S. Basil know for certaine that he is then in the presence of God In reg breu q. 201. and if he would thinke it an vnciuill and vnworthy thinge to be yawning and as it were halfe a sleepe when he speaketh to a Prince and a heinous wickednesse to be treating in the meane time with some about betraying him how much more shall we beware of these things in prayer to cast of all drowsinesse to take heed of irreuerence and to put away euill thoughts if we beleeue that we speake to God who is present at our prayers Remember then that you are speaking to God and desire earnestly that which you aske of him and if you perceiue yourselues to fall into distractions call backe your mindes to God againe and stirre vp in your harts a new and feruerous desire of that which you pray for and if distractions trouble you still be not vexed nor dismayed with them but detesting them againe in your hart make an act of resignation to the will of God that you are contented to haue distractions as long as it shall please him For by this manner of sleighting them the best resistance is made and how soeuer you shall be sure to merit by your prayer the perfection of which consisteth not in not hauing but in not yeelding to distractions Powre forth your prayer with deuotion in the sight of God and with a desire to honour him in that which you aske and he will honour himselfe in it and rewarde you THE EIGHT DISCOVRSE OF THE AVE MARIA SAint Bernard Woe is mee for I am a man of polluted lipes Hom. 3. super missus est I would I had from the Altare aboue not a cole but a whole globe of fire to burne the inueterated rust away from my mouth that I might worthily declare the gracious speeches of the Angell to the Virgin Thus did this great seruant ōf our Blessed Lady prepare himselfe to speake of the Haile Mary the subiect of which I am now to speake As he hath said so may I say and as he often exhorteth so will I doe that is to haue recourse to her for helpe Glorious Mother of God High Queene of Heauen and Empresse of the world behold my soule lyeth prostrate at thy feet crauing thy helpe before I beginne to prayse thee I desire in this to honour and serue thee and to bring others to be thy seruants but I know for certaine that of my felfe I cannot performe this desire and therefore I come to thee to haue thy intercession for diuine grace See thou that I want not light to setforth thy prayses and that those that heare mee may conceiue with profit that which I speake and something more of thee then can be spoken They shall heare thee saluted by an Angell and by such a salutation as was neuer knowne to proceede from Angels mouth they shall see how thou art full of grace they shall see thee become the Mother of God and the Sonne of God as thy natural sonne become subiect to thee they shall heare thee in they life time praised by Prophets and by the Euangelist after thy death and after the Euangelist they shall heare the Fathers of the primitiue Church one by one descanting vpon thy prayses and the whole Catholike Church as it were in a full quire crying to thee for thy prayers they shall see how beneficiall thy prayers are to thy seruants and they shall see by some examples the seuere punishments of God vpon thine enemys Procure thou that they may be moued to honour thee and that the deuotion of vs all may increase towards thee For this we salute thee saying Haile Mary c. Quest Say the Haile Mary Answ Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe IESVS Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of our death Amen THE whole Aue Maria consisteth of words spoken by the Angell and by S. Elizabeth and of words added by the Church The words of the Angell are Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women Saint Elizabeth said blessed is the fruit of thy wombe and the Church addeth that which followeth Of all which we will speake in order HAILE FVLL OF GRACE THE infinite wisdome and goodnes of God hauing from all eternity decreed the redemption of mankind by the death of his Sonne that hee should assume humane nature and be borne of a Virgin to dy for vs and the blessed Virgin Mary being chosen amongst thousands and amongst thousands of thousands and infinit of infinites which God could haue created to be the woman of which he would bee borne and she being now growne vp to womans state and perfected with such graces as were necessary for that dignity the plenitude of time was then come in which this mystery was to bee accomplished And as all the works of God are with order and holines so that this worke might be more orderly and holy a messenger was prepared from Heauen vnto her to require her consent that this mystery so much for the honour of God and good of mankind might be brought to passe in her and words were inspired him how to speake her How He entring to her presence saluteth her first with these words Haile full of grace A blessed salutation and such an one as amongst the seuerall manners of saluting which Angels haue sometimes vsed to holy men the like to this was neuer heard It was a salutation which God had reserued for this mystery and for her onely that was to be his mother Soe Origen Saint Ambrose and S. Bede At first she was amazed at it for not being vsed to heare her owne prayses nor desiring to heare them she was astonished at the Angells words fearing and admiring at them Blessed Virgin what dost thou feare Saint Bede She feared because she admired at this new forme of blessing which before is read of in no◠place nor any where founde This salutation was reserued for Mary for by her onely this grace was deserued which by none but her was euer obtained S. Act. 2. Peter indeede and those
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
haue particular relation And so this Angell may well be called Gabiel which according to Authors is an much as to say God man or Man of God to signify the mystery which he came to reueale of Christ God and man Saint Bernard thinketh him to haue bene the highest of all the Angelicall quires For as it is probable that it was the cheife of the euill spirits that seduced Eue and caused our destruction so sayth he it was convenient that the cheife of the glorious Spirits should bring the message of our reparation But he is communely thought to be the cheife of the Archangels quire which is the second quire of the third Hierarchy who are the messengers of God designed vnto higher and more principall mysterys and haue higher illuminations for that purpose The manner of his appearance is described by S. Augustine to haue bene very glorious who bringeth in our blessed Lady speaking these words tom 10. seren 14. de Natal dom The Angell Gabriell came vnto mee with a bright countenance shining garments in his gate admirable in aspect terrible as bearing reuerence in his person to the mystery which he was to declare As for the place where the vision happened The house of Laureto it was in the citty of Nazareth in the dwelling house of Ioseph and our blessed Lady a place which God hath and doth still honour with soe many miracles that it may be called his Treasury vpon earth or Storehouse of miracles Beda de locis sanctis e. 16. Saint Bede saith that it was consecrated into a Church by the Apostles themselues And God to shew how much he esteemeth of the sanctity of it hath maruelously preserued it transporting it by his Angels from Palestine out of the power of insidels first into Illyrium and from thence into that place of Italy where now it remaineth called Lauretum where it is visited and honoured by thousands of pious Catholiks flocking vnto it and by the greatest Princes of Christendome who of deuotion to our blessed Lady haue gone or sent thither I doe not say that all the miracles that are written of the house of Loreto are to be beleeued as of faith yet it were vnreasonable to question them all I say first and that I am certaine of that all things are possible to God and soe all things that are written of it are at least possible to him I say secondly and that also I am sure of that as for the Translation of that house by Angels God hath actually done as much for his seruants and he that will deny this must also deny that Abacuc was carried by an Angell by the haire of his head out of Iury into Babylon Dau. 14. for Daniel the seruant of God his sake Thirdly I say that the miracles which are their done conuince more assuredly for the power of God in that place and for the verity of them then the Sunshine doth for any thing which wee see with our corporall eyes For he that seeth for example lame and crooked limmes or rotten and withered flesh to become streight sound intire and of perfect bignes or he that seeth in a possessed person the deuill visibly to change shapes or heareth him to speake seuerall tongues Exorcismes which the possessed person hath no skill of and is inwardly moued wish a pious motion of his hart to beleeue that which he seeth to be true is surer of it then he is of any thinge which he seeth onely by the sunshine and hath noe inward pious motion of minde to beleeue it Fourthly that which is recorded of the miracles of Laureto is neuer published but vpon good authority prudent grounds and sufficient witnesses warily and strictly examined and is done sometimes in the sight of multitudes to testify it and so in prudence cannot be denyed And to question or to deny all the miracles which are recorded of that place is more absurde then if one should question or deny all the whole records of any commonwealth or Kingdome which are deliuered with much lesse circumspection then the historys of Laureto are As for the time in which this vision appeared and in which the mystery of the Incarnation was fullfilled it was according to saint Luke in the sixt month after the Conception of S. Iohn Bapptist which being on the 25. of Septemb this must haue bene in March and to complete six months it must haue bene on the 25. of March as the Church celebrateth it As for the day some haue contemplated that it was vpon a Fryday that as Adam was created on a Friday and sinned on a Friday for he is thought to haue bene but seaven dayes in Paradise so Christ who was to be a second Adam to the destruction of sinne and to the reparation of our nature should be conceiued also on a Fryday As for the hower it is commonly thought to haue bene about midnight according to that of holy Wisedome Sap 18. When quiet silence conteined all things and the night was in the mid-way of her course thy omnipotent word sallying out of Heauen from the Royall seates c. So also the the figure correspondeth better to the thing praefigured the Angell at midnight killing the first borne of the Aegyptians Let vs goe on BLESSED IS THE FRVITE OF THY WOMBE THESE words were spoken by S. Elizabeth to our B. Lady after her Conception of Christ The blessed Virgin as she was full of grace so also she was full of charity and of charity was moued to vndertake a troublesome iourney vnto the hilly contrey of Iury with much feruour and speede to see S. Elizabeth her cosen whom she knew by the Angell to haue conceiued a sonne in her old age Luc 2. She went saith the Euangelist into the hilly countrey of Iuda and entred into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth And it came to passe that as soone as euer Elizabeth heard her voice the spirit of prophecy was giuen to S. Iohn who leaped in her wombe and by that leape gaue her to vnderstande the mystery which passed with our blessed Lady Thus doth Saint Iohn Chrysostome describe this passage Christ saith he therefore made his mother to salute S. Elizabeth that the word proceeding from the wombe in which our Lord dwelled might by the eares of Elizabeth descende vnto Iohn and there annoint him for a Prophet for presently as the words of her salutation came to her eares the child prophecyed not by word but by motion What would saint Iohn by that motion say It was as though hee had said Behold Mother Behold here the Mother of our Lord she that hath in her wombe the Saviour of the world full of grace and blessed among woman she is come to visit vs. She vnderstanding this and being replenished with the holy Ghost cryed out with a lowd voice to our blessed Lady saying Luc. 1. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe
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
thoughts and bringforth good works by them Such obiects are all the ceremonys of the Church the saying of the Rosary the signe of the Cros often repeated the Auâ— Mary bell and the like And those that would take away those holy obiects from before vs would take away a great meanes of the good liues of christians But because we haue made mention of the Aut Mary bell Of the Aue Mary bell we will make a litle digression to declare in a word or two the meaning of it The Aue Mary bell ringeth thrice euery day to put vs in minde of three holy mysterys In the morning in honour of Christs Resurrection which was in the morning time at noone in honour of his crucifying and death which was about noone time at night in honour of the Incarnation which is thought to haue bene fullfilled about midnight At the ringing of this bell all Catholikes where soeuer they be in their houses in the streets or fieldes say the Angelical Salutation as they know and the prayer after it in honour of those mysterys In which the Catholike Church sheweth the care which she hath ouer her people instituting this short but most profitable deuotion to call them thrice on the day to the seruice of God and to keepe their harts from time to time in a continuall tendernes towards him Thus much for the Aue Mary bell There are dinerse other wayes of saying the Rosary beside that which I haue declared Sometimes we say sixty tenns and three haile Marys that is sixty three haile Marys in honour of the sixty three yeares of our B. Ladys life S. L. 2. virg Ambrose faith that her life is a patterne of all vertues which if it be it is good to kepe it before our eyes at our prayers This deuotion is called a Rosary or the Beades It is called a Rosary because those prayers ascende as a sweet odour of roses to God as when S. Apoc. 8. Iohn saw the prayers of the faithfull to ascende as the odour of incense We call it the Beades meaning the instrument which we vse when we say those prayers and improperly we terme it the saying of our beades for the saying of our prayers on them or by them to remember them the better But if the number of those prayers be in it selfe lawfull the instrument which we vse but for memorys sake can not with reason be disallowed of Sozomen relateth of S. Paul the Ermite that he vsed euery day to say three hundred prayers and at the end of euery one to set downe a litle stone for his memory sake Soe we vse beades which signify in English any litle peeces of stone bone wood or other substance to remember our prayers by them And here it may be obserued that it is not likely that S. Paul said euery day three hundred seueral prayers but that he said some one prayer soe many times ouer for if they had bene different prayers they would haue destinguished themselues and he should not haue needed stones to destinguish them Nay if we consider it rightly we shall finde that the letting downe of a beade or stone at euery seuerall prayer would rather haue hindered and confounded his memory for soe he must both remember to set downe a stone to signify the number and must haue allwais the same prayer corresponding to that number and remember which prayer that was and therefor he would not haue vsed stones but to remember how often he had said the same prayer Hier. ep ad Fur. S. Hierome aduiseth his freind to select a certaine number of verses out of the scriptures and to say them as a daily taske offered vp to God Now if S. Hierome had aduised his freind to say those verses often ouer and to vse peeces of stone bone wood or the like as a memorial to remember them by what hurt had he done he had done that which the Catholike Church doth that is he had aduised to a pious exercise and to a good meanes to helpe their memory But the enemys of the Catholike Church haue some thing to obiect against the Rosary by which the solidity of it will appeare more First they say that the words of the Angell Haile full of grace c. And the words of S. Elizabeth are not prayers for they aske nothing therefor they are not to be vsed as prayers Here we haue that the words of the Rosary are Angelicall taken our of the holy Scriptures and we inferre therefor they are good to be vsed in our prayers The lepar said to Christ If thou wilt thou canst make mcâ— cleane Mat. 8. In which words he formally and expresly asked nothing Yet they were well vsed of him to procure health of Christ For although formally and expresly such words aske not yet vertually and effectually they are prayers that is they haue the vertue and effect of prayers with God who granteth our desires for the reuerence and humility which we shew by such words and soe the leprous man vertually and effectually asked by those words and obtained his desire Soe when Lazarus was sicke his sistars Martha and Mary sent vnto Christ saying onely Lord behold he whom thou louest is sicke Io. 11. in which words they did not formally and expresly desire Christ to come to heale him but vertually they did and by them they implyed as much as to say we beseech thee to heale him S. Augustine They did not say come and cure him Tract 49 in lo. it was enough to say he whom thou louest is sicke for of those whom thou louest thou deseâ—test none They well knew that Christ was not a desertour of his freinds and therefor they expresly asked not but onely told him the condition of his freind and this had the effect of prayer with him Soe the words of the haile Mary as they are termes of reuerence and humility to our B. Lady haue the effect of prayer although expresly they aske nothing Secondly they obiect the words of the Haile Mary are the words of the Angell as by office therefor he that vseth them taketh vpon him the Angells office It was indeede the Angells office in the sonne of God his Incarnation to say the words of the Rosary and to say Glory in the highest to God in his natiuity and in both sentences we reuerence those mysterys and giue glory to God by rehearsing them S. Athanasius reioyceth that all the quires of the coelestial Hierarchys are iucessantly singing that glorious and ample hymne to wit Haile full of grace and that we the terrestrial hierarchy of men repeate it although the Angel Gabriel was first appointed to say it S. Athanasius made a good argument but it was quite contrary to this This was his argument The words of the Haile Mary are holy and mysterious words spoken by an Angell to honour the B. Virgin therefor it is sitting that all Angels and men should incessantly
moderne enemys of the Catholike Church reiect the holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist at Masse soe that granting that which was offered on the Crosse they deny for euer after all Sacrifice to the Law of Christ They grant in this that which is true indeede that the Law of Christ was founded vpon the sacrifice of the Cros as offered for our redemption but denying any sacrifice to continue afterwards in that Law they deny the continuance of the supreme worship of God in it which nations haue euer vnderstoode by Sacrifice They doe in this as though some people should choose a king and should promise vnto him a glorious reigne amongst them and then should honour him with Royal and Soueraigne worship but for one day or one hower only soe they professe themselues Christians and promise a glorious Kingdome of God among them and then they giue him the supreme homage of Sacrifice but once onely to wit for that day and hower on which Christ suffered death It had bene the part of good Christians that being a Sacrifice was to be some corporall thing offered to God as his cheife and highest homage to haue bene thinking which of all corporall things in the world was most perfect and to haue thought it most worthy to be the continuall Sacrifice of the Law of Christ rather then to haue denyed a continuall Sacrifice at all to it This was the Sonne of God from all eternity thinking and contriuing to effect and he effected it when hee instituted his owne sacred Body to be conteined in the Eucharist and soe to continue vnto the consummation of the world with vs that we might allwais haue a most mysterious miraculous and glorious Sacrifice the most perfect of all corporall things worthy of his diuine Law to be daily offered in it And so he prouided a Sacrifice for his people more perfect then euer any people had before the most perfect which any can haue and which in some sense may be said to be infinitly perfect This had bene a thought worthy of a Christian and not to deny à Sacrifice in which the supreme worship of God consisteth to continue allwaies in the Faith of Christ and to ioyne with the Turks onely who haue a Law without a continuall Sacrifice But wee will shew by the Scriptures Church and Fathers that the Eucharisticall Sacrifice of Masse is a true Sacrifice The holy King and Prophet misteriously describeth it in these words Our Lord sware and it shall not repent him Ps 109. thou art a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech Who hath sworne our Lord God It must be true then that which is sworne What hath he sworne that Christ is a Priest For how long for euer offering by the hands of Priests What kind of Priest was Christ and his Priests to be they were to be of the order of Melchisedech What order was that what kind of Sacrifice did Melchisedech offer Read the 14. of Genesis and you shall finde that Melchisedechs Sacrifice was in bread and wine Soe that the Sacrifice of Christian Priests was to be according to it Let now the enemys of the Catholike Church shew any action of the life of Christ or any mystery in his Church if they can that accordeth with Melchisedechs Sacrifice except it were at his last supper that he then offered the Eucharist as a Sacrisice and left it as a Sacrifice to be offered afterwards at all times by his Priests in the Catholike Church Take away that Sacrifice and we haue none at all left according to Melchisedechs nor noe Priests according to his order The Eucharist therefore is the sacrifice which the Prophet was inspired to describe after this mysterious manner as to be according to the order of Melchisedech in the Priests that offered it a lib. 4. strom Clem. Alex. b ep 63. ad Cecil lib. 5. Saint Cyprian c demostr Euseb Caesat d CoÌ„ment in Ps 109 Basil e de Abra ham Patriarc l. 3. Saint Ambrose f in ps 109 Saint Chrysostome g ep ad Euagr. lib. 16. de Cin. Dei S. Herome h S. Augustine H. and others commonly cited by authours haue thus vnderstoode this place The Prophet Malachy speaking of the reiection of the Iewish Sacrifices and of the acceptable Sacrifice which the Gentils should offer in the Law of Christ hath thâ—se words I haue no will in you saith the Lord of hosts and gift I will not receiue of your hand Mal. 1. For from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe great is my Name amongst the Gentils and in euery place there is sacrifyzing and there is offered to my Name a cleane oblation It is not possible by this to conceiue but that the Law of Christ for the conservation of the diuine worship was to haue a Sacrifice to be offered all ouer and at all times in it He speaketh not there of any vnproper Sacrifice as of good workes c. but of a true and proper Sacrifice as those of the Iewes were to which he there compareth and perferreth it Neither doth he speake of the Sacrifice of the Cros for that was not offered in euery place but only on Mont Caluary The auncient holy Fathers haue commonly vrged the Iewes and other enemies of the Catholike Church with this place vnderstanding by it a daily Sacrifice to be offered all ouer in the Church of Christ So saint Iustinus a Dial. cum Triphon Martyr b lib. 4. cont haer 32.33.34 saint Irenaeus c l. 3. cont Marcion Tertullian saint d l. 1. c. 18. Cyprian e Aduers Iud. in Ps 95. saint Chrysostome f l. 8. c. 35. de ciu dei saint Augustine saint g 4. de orthoxa side c. 14. Iohn Damascene and others It appeareth also euen by the manner of instituting the Eucharist that it was to be offered as a Sacrifice for where as Cor. 1.11 we read This is my Body which shall be deliuered for you and Luc 22. This is the Chalice c. which shall be shed for you Saint Luke hath in the Latine text and all the Euangelists and saint Paul in the Greeke text haue which is giuen and which is shed in the present and to be giuen and shed can haue no other sense there but to be offered as a Sacrifice So that it was not onely for the future to be offered but euen then was offered as a Sacrifice and it was afterwards to be offered as then But that which is to be obserued as most manifestly conuincing against our Protestants of England is that we being commanded to doe it for a commemoration of him that is to say of his being offered on the Crosse at his death and he being then also according to our enemys offered as a Sacrifice what commemoration of that offering doe they make in the Eucharist who make it no Sacrifice nor offering at all Catholiks say that as the true
words and signifying it also in action consecrating vnder two destinct formes to represent the separation of his Body and Blood in his Passion This although it be a commemoratiue and representatiue sacrifice representing and cōmemorating hisbeing offered on the Cros yet that bindereth not but it is a true Sacrifice as that was and of the very same thing after a different manner offered For if the figuratiue sacrifices of the law of Moyses were true sacrifices which represented this not as yet come but when it was to come after many hundreds of yeares how much more may that of the last supper be a true sacrifice which represented it as immediatly to bee offered and how much more may ours be a true sacrifice which representeth it as all ready offered Those were representations of a true sacrifice yet themselues also true sacrifices therefore it is not contrary to the nature of a sacrifice to be the representation of a sacrifice But they say that the sacrifices before Christ were true and reall creatures representing a future sacrifice different from them but we say that we offer vp the same thing that is represented in it how can it be the same and yet a representation of it Yes we offer vp the same Body that was offered on the Crosse and represent the same body offered in a different manner The same thing in a different state and condition may represent it selfe as it was before or shall be bereafter in another manner and state If a champion that had ouercome his enemy should represent afterwards the manner of his encounter then he should represent himselfe in a different state and that which represented should be the same as the thing which it did represent If Dauid for his greater glory had in his owne person exhibited to the people his victory ouer the Philisthaean Gyant then he had bene both a representation of Dauid and true Dauid representing the victory which himselfe had gotten so the Body of our Lord as it is offered at Masse representeth it selfe as it was offered on the Crosse and is the same in a different manner and state on the Crosse it was after a cruell and bloody manner as fighting on the Altare it is after an vnbloody manner as in peace after the victory Thus also the same sacred Body of our Lord in his glorious Transfiguration represented it selfe as it was to be in the state of glory afterwards Soe that the same thing may represent it selfe and the Masse may be a representatiue and commemoratiue sacrifice of that of the Cros and yet offer the same thing that was then offered Nay by how much more vnion that which representeth hath to that which it doth represent the more liuely and naturall is the representation of it as it were a more liuely and naturall representation of Dauids victory represented by himselfe then by another because it had more connexion and relation to the former action The being therefore a commemoratiue and representatiue sacrifice doth not hinder the Masse for being a true sacrifice of the same thing which is represented in it It representeth the oblation of the Crosse and in all places wheresoeuer Masse is said there the death of our Redeemer is commemorated and the same thing is offered all ouer and the very same that was offered on the Crosse The words of S. Chrysostome shall declare this point of the Christian doctrine What doe we saith he doe not we offer euery day we doe offer indeede Hom. in 7. ad hob and that in commemoration of his death And this is but one host and not many because he was but once offered and this Sacrifice is an example of that We offer still the same thing not to day one Lambe and to morrow another but allways the very same Because it is offered in many places are there therefore many Christs No! but the same Christ Here he is intirely and there intirely the same body This is enough in confirmation of the Catholike verity and we will dispute no more of it but blesse God for it Attende then ô Christian and consider the diuine loue to thee and how much thou art honoured in this mistery Thou by thy sinnes hadst lost the fauour of God and wert condemned for euer to be banished from him he to redeeme thee out of that state sent his onely sonne to suffer doath for thee who hauing giuen his life to restore thee to the state of grace would not leaue thee so but would remaine allwais with thee and be offered euery day for thee to keepe thee in that happy state With what loue and reuerence then ought we to be present at Masse Hauing said thus much of the Masse as it is a Sacrifice Let vs now come to THE PARTS AND CHREMONYS OF MASSE BEFORE that I speake of the parts and ceremonys of the Masse in particular I will say something of the nature of ceremonys in generall The vse of ceremonys in the seruice of God is grounded vpon the condition of our nature for man being a corporall creature must honour God according to his nature after a corporall manner Angels onely by intellectuall and and spirituall acts honour God because they are onely Spirits but men being both spirituall and corporall both spiritually and corporally according to there nature must honour him spiritually with inward acts of minde and corporally with outward actions of the body and therefore we pray not onely by spirituall and mentall prayer as the Angels doe but also with vocall words and vse ceremonys to signify outwardly our inward reuerence to the mysterys which are signifyed by them So that ceremonys are in vertue and effect words being altogether as proper signes and indeede more naturall to expresse our affections then words are The Sonne of God hauing assumed the nature of man by humane actions glorifyed his Father not onely spiritually with his minde but also corporally with his body by words and ceremonys when he prayed sometimes lifting vp his hands sometimes his eyes sometimes kneeling and prostrating himselfe and he iustifyed the like ceremonys in his disciples as when in that glorious solemnity in which they and the Hebrew children conducted him solemnly into Hierusalem they vsed both words and ceremonys to expresse their affection and ioy in him They cryed out Luc. 19. Mat. 21. Blessed is he that commeth King in the Name of our Lord Peace in Heauen and glory on the High And they carried boughs and spred their garments for him to treade vpon and when the Pharisys desired him to rebuke them they were rebuked themselues for desiring it The Magdalene comming to be cleansed at the fountaine of life spoke not with words but by many ceremonys her earnest repentance weeping washing and wipeing our Saviours feete kissing his sacred Body and annointing his head and when the Pharisy murmured at it Christ iustifyed those actions in her and gaue him to vnderstande that if he also had done
Temple to receiue him in his armes and full of toy to blesse him Anne a Prophetesse was then also sent vnto the Temple to speake of him to all that expected the redemption of Israel and the Priest to represent this great ioy spreadeth his armes prayseth blesseth adoreth glorifyeth and giueth thanks to God for it Then he turneth about to the people Dominus vobiscum and he turneth to the right hand both for more decency and also because it is more mysterious the right hand in the Scriptures signifying power glory and dignity and the left hand on the contrary signifying imperfection weakenesse and ignobility Psal 117. The right hand of our Lord hath wrought strength saith the Psalmist the right hand of God hath exalied mee and the Apostle saith On the right hand and on the left by honour and dishonour At Orate fratres he turneth round about on the left hand to the Altare in token of his sinnes and imperfections for which he desireth the people to pray Then he saith Dominus vobiscum our Lord be with you Which is both a prayer that God will eleuate their spirits to him and a salutation inciting them to eleuate their spirits to God by a seruerous attention tothose misterys So the Angell saluted Gedeon Iud 6. Ruâ—h Our Lord be â—ith thee ô most valiant of men So Booz saluted his haruest men praying for them and inciting them to worke as we doe when we say God be with you or God speede your worke and therefor the Priest turneth often to the people with those words They answere cum spiritu tuo praying also for him that God may be with his Spirit Then he turneth to the Altare againe The Collect. and going to the booke he sayeth Oremus Let vs pray because he prayeth in the name of all and gathereth together the prayers of all all praying with him and therefore the prayer is called a Collect as the prayer of many to wit of the whole Church he lifteth vp his hands at prayer to signify the eleuation of the hart Exod. 16. It is likely that our Sauiour prayed so on Mount Oliuet for it was the custome of holy men so to pray Moyses prayed so lifting vp his hands whilest the Israelits fought and as long as he lifted vp his hands they preuailed Reg. 3.8 but his hands failing their enemys preuailed against them So also Salomon prayed lifting vp his hands and blessing the people with much deuotion And these two were the especiall figures of our Sauiour Moyses as the Redeemer of the Israelits and Salomon by his infused wisedome I will sayth the Apostle that men pray in ewery place lifting vp pure hands Tim. 1.2 he prayeth with his hands open as requiring of benefits At the end of the prayer he ioyneth them to shew the vnity of nature in the blessed Trinity to whom we pray as to one diuine power and also to signify the vnion of our harts and of the Catholik Church All prayers are concluded through our Lord Iesus-Christ because all benefits are granted through him Io. 16. who said If you aske the Father any thing in my name he will giue it you The people answere Amen Amen to ioyne prayer with the Priest as when Gabelus at the sight of yong Toby wept for ioy kissed him and prayed hartily for him all that were present answered Amen After the Collects the Epistle is read The Epistle which is taken out of the Apostles Epistles or of some of the Prophets and signifyeth the preaching and writings of the Prophets and of S. Iohn Baptist before the Ghospell of Christ and that by the Apostles labors we receiue the light of the Ghospel After the Epistle followeth the Gradual or Responsory Graduall which is a deuout Canticle corresponding to the Epistle as the last preparation or stepp to the Ghospell and therefore it is called the Gradual and signifyeth the preaching of Saint Iohn Baptist as the last stepp or degree of preparation to the Ghospell of Christ And because Saint Iohn preached pennance to the people saying Doe pennance for the kingdome of Heauen is at hand Therefore the Gradual which intimateth lamentation and mourning of pennance is not said in the dayes of Pentecost which is a time of ioy We are admonished by it that as by the Prophete from time to time succeeding one another and lastly by Saint Iohn Baptist the world was prepared for the comming of Christ so we may ascende from vertue to vettue and attaine to the perfection of good Christians Alleluya Alleluyn is added to signify that after the mourning of pennance commeth ioy and glory for Alleluya The tract is a word of reioycing as much as to say Praise our Lord. The Tract which is a graue and dolesull mourning is said in times of sorrow and austerity Ghospell Then the Ghospell is read the booke being turned to the left hand to signify the receiuing of the Ghospell by the Gentils who are denoted by the left side of the Altare as being in insidelity vntill the light of Christs Ghospell shined to them Act. 13. To you said S. Paul and S. Barnaby speaking â—o the Iewes it behoued vs first to speake the word of God but because you repell it and iudge yourselues vnworthy of eternall lise â—â—hold we turne to the Gentils and therefore the booke of the Ghospell is turned from the right hand which signifyeth the Iewes to the left which signifyeth the Gentils The people stande at the Ghospell as also at the Creede to signify the hearing of the Faith of Christ then preached When Verbum caro factum est or Homo factus est is said wee kneele downe in reuerence to the mystery of the Incarnation The signe of the Crosse is made vpon the Ghospel because the doctrine of our Redemption is conteined in it And the Priest signeth his forhead mouth and heart with that figâ—â— of our Redemption that his thoughts words and deeds may allwayes redounde to the honour of Christ crucifyed He kisseth the booke in the end as the booke of life and of all happinesse to vs. Then the people answere The Creede laus tibi Christe giuing prayse to Christ The Creede is said alowd to shew that we must not be affraid but boldly and cheerfully make profession of our Faith when neede requireth for if we be ashamed of Christ now he will be ashamed of vs afterwards and with shame we shall be damned The Creede being said the first part of Masse is ended then Ite missa est vsed to be sung to dismisse the Catechumeni who not being yet Christians by Baptisme where not to be present at the Christian Sacrifice but were to depart now that the cheife parts of Masse beganne and therefore this part of Masse vntill the Offertory was commonly called Missa Catcchumenorum The Masse of the Cathecumens At the Offertory beginneth the second part in
which the cheife and essentiall parts of Masse are conteined Oslertory The Offertory is a praise giuing to God after the preaching of the Ghospell thatas faith commeth by hearing and is receiued in the hart so prayse also may be giuen by the mouth It is a deuout and auncient custome to offer gifts at the Offortory by which the people concurring then with the Priest and consenting to that which he doth say as it were I beleeut and professe that which is here professed and I consent vnto and combine with the Priest to offer that which he offereth to God These offerings are iustifyed by our Sauiour himselfe Mat. 5. saying If thou offer thy gift at the Altare c. goe first and be reconciled to thy brother and then comming thou shalt offer thy gift And God expresly commanded in the law of Moyses Deut. 16. that when they came to the solemnitys of the Temple There shall not appeare before our Lord any empty but euery one shall offer according to that he hath according to the blessing of our Lord his God which he shall giue him Then the Host and the Chalice are prepared and offered The bread is then called an immaculate host not for that it is then an host but in respect of the future for that it is to be a most immaculate Host and perfect Sacrifice as the tree of Paradise was called the tree of the knowledge of good and cuill in respect of the future for that we were to haue the knowledge of euill by it This offering before consecration signifyeth the voluntary oblation by which Christ offered himselfe in minde before the oblation of the Crosse A little water is mixt to the wine Chrysost in Missa according to the custome of the auncient Church to signify the issuing out of blood and water from the side of Christ when one of the soldiers blindly but mysteriously opened it with a lance The Host and the Chalice being deuoutly prepared the Priest turneth about to the people and sayeth Orate fratres to desire their prayers Orare fratres that the host may be pleasing to God and profitable to them and to the whole Church and they pray accordingly Then the Priest prayeth in secret Secr. tâ— praycrs to represent the time of Christs retirement For the Priests of the Iewes and Pharisys seeing the force of his doctrine and miracles and that by no meanes they could preuaile against them procured an edict to be setforth to apprehende him and laid in wait to haue killed him But what are the councells of man to contest with God sometimes he disappeared out of their sight and past vnseene through the midst of them Ioan. 7. some time she rerired himselfe and kept out of their hands because his time was not yet come But the Feast of the Pasch drawing neere he returned from beyond the seas of Galily into Iury againe Prasaâ—ion for he chose for his Passion the Paschall time when greatest refort of all nations might he at Hierusalem as spectators and witnesses of his sufferings Then he preached publikly amongst them and with that applause of the people that for all the power and malice of his enemys they slocked neuerthelesse by multitudes vnto him and with great honour and acclamations of ioy conducted him solemnely into Hierusalem as the Church celebrateth in the office of Palme Sunday and is now celebrated at the Praefation and therefore the Priest spreadeth his hands intoken of ioy and inuiteth all the Angelicall quires to prayse God with him repeating the words which the people then cryed saying Mat. 21. Blessed is he that commeth in the name of our Lord. Hosanna in the Highest and the words of the Seraphims who cryed Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus Holy Holy Holy in the presence of God Esa 6. and he maketh the signe of the Crosse before him to shew how litle Christ regarsted the glory of this world that in all that prompe he had nothing before his eyes but the good of soules weeping then for the sinnes and desolation of that people This part of the Masse is called the Praefation or Praeface as an introduction to the Passion of Christ which is represented at the consecration His birth was celebrated at the Gloria in excelsis his life vntill he beganne to preach is signifyed in that which followeth vnto the ghospell his preaching in the ghospell and Creede the beginning of his persecution in the secret prayers his glorious entrance into Hieâ—tsalem in the Praeface his last supper and death is commemorated in the consecration After the Praeface followeth the Canon Canon that is to say the rule and order Which Christ the Apostles and their successors haue instituted for the deuout and worthy offering of this Sacrifice The Priest prayeth for his superiors spiritual and temporall and for his benefactors and freinds that are liuing and for whom or whatsoeuer he intendeth to pray professing all our hopes and confidence to be in this blessed Sacrifice he prayeth in secret to signify the dolorous time of Christs Passion he maketh then a commemoration of our B. Lady and of the Saints mentioning none but martyrs as witnesses of Christs Passion in their blood For although our B. Lady did not actually suffer death for Christ yet she was a Martyr in that she actually suffered the paines of death that is to say paines sufficient to haue depriued her of life according to the Prophecy of Simeon that a sword should pierce her soule The time of consecration drawing neere the Church prostrateth herselfe with all humility in prayer to God Consecration beseeching him that as there neuer was nor euer can be any thinge soe deere and pleasing to him as Iesus Christ his onely sonne and as the works which he did and ordinances which he ordained and as of all the ordinances which he left to the Church this is the cheife and summe of all in which he would bequeath his owne body to remaine for our continuall Sacrifice amongst vs soe he will vouchsafe to accept of that Sacrifice and the loue of him to be soe grounded in vs that in all temptations and aduersitys of this world we may cleaue to him and in the end be admitted into his blessed company in heauen He taketh then the host into his hands and blesseth it with the signe of the Cros. S. Augustine Ser. 181. de temp with the signe of the Cros we consecratethe body of our Lord and whatsoeuer is consecrated in the name of Christ is consecrated with this signe The host is then consecrated that manner of consecration being exactly obserued which Christ commanded at the last supper After consecration he kneeleth downe to the blessed Sacrament Eleuation and neuer toucheth it or vncouereth the Chalice without kneeling downe of reuerence to it for if the Apostle requireth that euery knee bow of the calestials terrestrials and insernals at the name of Iesus
Phil. 2. how much more shall they bow vnto himselfe In like manner the Chalice is consecrated and eleuated that all may adore our Sauiour in it And after the consecration that the Priest hath touched the sacred host he openeth not his singars to touch any other thinge vntill after the consummation that he purifyeth them The sonnes of Caath who were also clergy men of the tribe of Leui and were to carry the arke altare and vessell theirof at the remouing of the campe were not to touch them least they dy Nu. 4. With what reuerence then ought we to touch our sacred host insinitly more perfect then any thinge which they had The reuerence which God commanded them was but in figure to commande more to vs. The consecration is the cheife part of Masse and conteineth indeede the essence of the whole Masse for the death of Christ being then represented the host is offered and consummated also representatiuely and soe it hath euen then the nature of a perfect representatiue or commemoratiue Sacrifice and is a true Sacrifice as I haue shewed After consecration he maketh a commemoration for the dead Memento frr the dead Lib. de cura pro mortuis Which is an institution of the Church highly commended by S. Augustine as most profitable for the soules of many poore people who not hauing meanes to gett themselues prayed for nor freinds to procure prayers to be said in particular for them are not onely partakers of all the suffrages of the Church but also of charity prayed for in euery Masse The Pater Noster is said to professe that all our petitions are asked hoped for Pater Noster and obtained through the merits of Christs Passion who commanded his Apostles Mat. 2. aske and it shall be giuen you It is not meete saith S. Gregory that at Masse when soe many deuout prayers are said which holy men haue made the Pater Noster should be omitted which Christ himselfe made as the best of all prayers The sacred host is diuided to signify the separation of the body and soule of our Sauiour at his death A particle of it is put into the chalice to signify their meeting and revnion againe at his Resurrection For although both the body and soule of our Lord be really conteined in the Chalice as well as in the host yet because the forme of wine representeth the blood of our Sauiour therefor it may more properly signify his soule the Philosopher affirming Agnus Dei. that the blood is the seate of the soule Then Agnus Dei is said that is lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy on vs. To remember the patience and mildnes of Christ who went as a lambe to the slaughter without resisting or opening of his mouth but permitted himselfe to be bounde by his enemys and if they would to naile him to the Cros and in the end as a lambe bowing his head he gaue vp the ghost Io. 19. Esa 16. Io. 1. Apoc. 5. Pax. And therefor in the Scriptures he is often called a lambe and S. Iohn Baptist seeing him comming towards him said behold the lambe of God Behold him that taketh away the sinnes of the world The Priest kisseth the Pax and then the people kisse it to commende charity peace and concord to Christians as the Disciples of Christ I know not what other kisse the Apostle could meane when he admonished the Corinthians Cor. 2.13 salute one another in the holy kisse but to mutuall charity by some such holy kisse as this which was then vsed in the Catholike Church Then the Priest prepareth himselfe with deuour prayers to receiue the Communion Domine non sum dignus and humbling himselfe with profound reuerence before the sacred host he sayeth Domine non sum dignus c. Lord I am not worthy c. Professing himselfe vnworthy to eate of that Sacrifice in which our Lord and Sauiour is receiued as the humble Centurion who requiring of Christ that he would cure his seruant when he answered that he would come and cure him he thought it too great an honour for him to receiue Christ into his house and said Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter vnder my roofe Mat. 8. but onely say the word and my boy shall be healed Soe the Priest going to receiue Christ in the B. Sacrament sayeth Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter vnder my roose but onely say the word and my soule shall be healed Which words may be said by the people also when they are going to receiue that diuine guest And they are commended also by S. Iohn Chrysostome in his Masse as propper for that time After Communion the Chalice being purifyed and all things decently composed about the altare the booke is turned to the right side againe Post-communion to shew that in the end of the world after Antichrists persecution the ghospell of Christ shall be receiued by the Iewes Then followeth the Post-communion which is the third part of the Masse and conteineth a deuout thanksgiuing to God for the mysterys that are celebrated and representeth the time after the death of Christ of his resurrection vntill his Ascension Then the Priest commeth into the midst of the altare and kisseth it is as it were in congratulation of both Iewes and Gentils receiuing the faith of Christ and turning againe to the booke he concludeth the last prayers which being ended he turneth to the people and dismisseth them saying Ite missa est The word Missa which signifyeth the Masse is an hebrew word signifying a voluntary oblation Deut. 16. as Deut. 16. thou shalt celebrate the festiuall day c. A voluntary oblation of thy hand which thou thalt offer Wherefor voluntary oblation the hebrew word is Missah Hence may the Latine word Missa be probably deriued rather then from Mitto to send which hath but litle connexion with the Masse as it is a Sacrifice And therefor it is most likely that the word Misia the Masse was brought first by S. Peter and the other Apostles to the Latines and that thâ—y receiued the vse of it from them Ite missa est is 〈◊〉 towards the people because it is spoken to them â—â—nedicamus Domino is said towards the Altare because it is a praysing of God as also Requiescant in pace is said towards the Altare as a prayer to him The people answere Deo gratias as giuing thankes or Amen as ioyning prayer with the Priest Lastly with profound humility and reuerence he boweth downe before the Altare to God beseeching him that he will accept of his seruice and the Sacrifice which he hath offered Then turning to the people he blesseth them with the signe of the Cros by which we are put in minde of the blessing which Christ gaue to his Disciples at his departure from them who according to the Euangelist lifting vp his
eminently blessed aboue the rest of the Sacraments and infinitly blessed in that it conteineth the authour of all blesse These are the words of S. Denis the disciple of S. Eccl hier c. 3. Paul concerning it for it is saith he according to our renewmed master the Consummation of the Sacraments Neither is it almost lawfull for any of the priestly functions to be exercized but this diuine and high Sacrament of Eucharist must be performed It is the highest indeede and most diuine of all the Sacraments because the rest conteining onely the vertue and power of Christ this truely and really conteineth Christ himselfe And therefor the Apostles called it the Eucharist that is to say a high and blessed grace or gift By it the Church of Christ is placed in a midle ranke of honour aboue the synagogue of the Iewes and vnder the cittizens of heauen we being but a litle lesse exalted then they The Synagogue of the Iewes in the law of Moyses had Christ in sigure onely we in the Eucharist haue him as really as the cittizens of heauen but they haue him in glory In the Eucharist all Christ is conteined for although by vertue of the words This is my body c. his body onely be really present in it yet because all his perfections are allwais accompanying his sacred body and wheresoeuer it is there is all Christ hence it followeth that both his body and soule and all the perfections of his diuine and humane nature and all whatsoeuer is in Christ is really in the Eucharist in company of his body If his body were without his soule then it were dead Rom 6. as it was in the sepulcher but Christ rising againe from the dead now dieth noe more Saith the Apostle Christ therfor being now not dead wheresoeuer his body is there his soule is all ouer vnited to it There is then his intire humane nature of body and soule and being that his diuine and humane nature are allwais vnited together there is also the diuine word and nature of God All Christ is intirely in the host and all Christ is intirely in the chalice although vnder different signes and species And Christ is not onely all in all the host and chalice but all Christ is in euery part of them soe that he that receiueth onely the host receiueth as much as he that receiueth both host and chalice and he that receiueth the chalice onely receiueth as much as both chalice and host and the least particle of either of them is as much as all The reason of this supposing the truth of Christs words may easily be vnderstoode for that he did not determine any particular quantity to be consecrated which if he had done then a lesser quantity had not bene consecrated but leauing the quantity indifferent and the least part of it being consecrated as well as the whole it is the perfect Eucharist and perfect Christ as well as the whole Christ being shortly to depart this world would leaue vnto vs a great testimony ef his loue and although his passion and death were sufficient to testify it yet besides them he would bestow a gift token and pledge vpon vs which might allwais remaine with vs as a memorial of him He called therfor his disciples to supper and being there all together he made his wil and last testament amongst them bequething vnto them the most pretious gift that was in his hands to giue and in his blessed hands were all thinges It was his owne pretious body which then he bequeathed and gaue to them and with it all the perfections of his diuine and humane nature and he gaue it not in promise onely and for the future but he deliuered it then to them for themselues and for all good christiaÌ„s for euer And that noe haeretike might misconstrue his will and defraude the world of this pretious Isgacy he declared his minde soe planely and in such termes as could not wel be misinterpreted telling them that it was the very body which Was to be deliuered and that blood which was to be shedd Gâ—r 1.11 For the Apostle sayth that whilst they were at supper Iesus tooke bread and blessed and brake and he gaue to his disciples and said take ye and eate THIS IS MY BODY which shall be deliuered for you and taking the chalice he gaue thanks and gaue to them saying drinke ye all of this For this is my blood of the new testament which shall be shed for many vnto remission of sinnes Commanding them to doe the same in commemoration of him If then his true body and blood was deliuered and shedd it was his true body and blood which then he gaue to them And although as there is noe absurdity soe great but haeretiks wil finde out how to mainteine it the Manichees haue conceited that an apparent body onely and not the true body of Christ was deliuered on the Cros for vs yet now that I heare of there are noe such haeretiks in the world All christians then beleeuing that his true body was deliuered on the Cros why shall not all as wel beleeue that his true body is conteined in the Eucharist seeing that we haue the same authority for it After this the Apostles vndertooke to consecrate the Eucharist and honored it as the very true body and blood of our lord Cor. 1.11 Mat. 26. S. Paul whosoeuer shall eate this bread or drinke the chalice of our Lord vnworthily he shall be guilty of the body and blood of our Lord. and that he eateth and drinketh iudgment to him selfe not discerning the body of our Lord. Thus did the Apostles receiue the Eucharist from Christ and honored it as his true body And the primitiue Church that receiued it from them gaue it the same honour as they did and as the Romane Church now doth That the Rom. Church doth now giue it that honour it is well knowne and that the primitiue Church honored it as much it shall appeare by the sentences of those fathers and first by the honorable names which they giue it Hier. Eccl. c. 3. Ignat. ad Ephes Iustin Apoll Cyp. de lapsis S. Denis termeth it hostia saluta ris the sauing host S. Ignatius calleth it medicamentum immortalitatis antidotum non moriendi the medicine of immortality the antidote against death Iustinus Caro sanguis incarnati Iesu the flesh and blood of Iesus incarnated Cyprian de laps Sanctum Domini gratia salutaris sacrificium perpes holecaustum permanens the holy one of our Lord the sauing grace the continual sacâ—ifice an offering allwais remaining Concilium Nicaen Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world S. Cyr mystag 4. Cyril hath these words of it Vnder the shew of bread the body is giuen to thee and the blood is giuen vnder the shew of wine Doe not consider it as naked bread and wine For it