Functions of the Priestly Order XLVIII Five Degrees in the Priestly Order Which Order tho it be but One yet it has different Degrees of Dignity and Power The first is of those who are simply call'd Priests The first of Priests whose Functions have hitherto been declar'd The Second is of Bishops who are plac'd over of their several Bishoprics The second of Bishops to govern not only the other Ministers of the Church but the Faithful People also and with the utmost vigilance and care to take regard of their Salvation Wherefore in Sacred Scripture they are often call'd The Shepherds of the Sheep Whose Duty and Office Paul describes as we read in the Acts of the Apostles Act. 20.29 in that Sermon he made to the Ephesians And also a kind of Divine Rule of that Ministery of a Bishop has bin deliver'd by Peter the Prince of Apostles According to which 1 Pet. 5.2 if the Bishops would study to square their actions it cannot be doubted but that the Pastors will both be and be accounted good Now the same persons are call'd both Bishops and Pontifices or High Priests taking that name from the Ethnics who were us'd to call the chief of their Priests Pontifices or High Priests The Third Degree is of Archbishops The third of Archbishops who preside over many Bishops and these are also call'd Metropolitans because they are Prelates of those Cities which are accounted as it were the Mothers of that Province wherefore they have a higher place and larger Power than Bishops altho in their Ordination they differ in nothing from Bishops In the Fourth Degree are plac'd Patriarchs The Fourth of Patriarchs i. e. the First and Highest Fathers In old time besides the Supreme Bishop of Rome there were in the whole Church only Four Patriarchs nor yet were they all alike in Dignity For the Patriarch of Constantinople altho this Honor was last of all given to him yet for the Majesty of the Empire he obtain'd the higher place The next is the Patriarch of Alexandria whose Church Mark the Evangelist by order of the Prince of Apostles sounded The third is the Patriarch of Antioch where Peter first had his See The last is the Patriarch of Jerusalem which Church S. James the Brother of our Lord built Above all these the Catholic Church has always had a Veneration for the Roman Chief Bishop or Pope The Fifth of Supream Bishop or Pope whom in the Council of Ephesus Cyril Archbishop of Alexandria calls the Father and Patriarch of the whole World For since he sits in the Chair of Peter the Prince of Apostles wherein it is manifest that he sat to the end of his life she acknowledges in him the Supreme degree of Dignity and fulness of Jurisdiction not as given by any Synodical or Human Constitutions but of God Wherefore he being Father and Governor of all the Faithful and of the Bishops also and other Prelates with what Office or Power soever they be endu'd presides over the Universal Church as Peters Successor and the true and lawful Vicar of Christ our Lord. Of the Primacy of the Pope see Anatol. Epist 3. citat dist 22. c. sacro sancta Greg. lib. 7. Epist 64 65. Nicol. Pap. Epist ad Mediolanens citatur dist 22. c. omnes Vide etiam ead dist c. Constantin Conc. Chalced. in Epist ad Leonem From these things therefore the Pastors shall teach XLIX What is to be taught concerning Order both what are the principal Offices and Functions of Ecclesiastical Orders and Degrees and who is the Minister of this Sacrament For it is evident that this Administration belongs to a Bishop L. The Minister of this Sacrament is the Bishop which is easie to prove both from the Authority of the Sacred Scriptures and most certain Tradition the Testimony of the Fathers the Decrees of Councils and the Usage and Practice of Holy Church But tho it be permitted to some Abbots to administer the Lesser but not Sacred Orders yet there is no one doubts that this Office is properly the Bishop's to whom only of all the rest and besides him to no body else it is lawful to receive into the other Orders which are call'd the Greater and Sacred For only the Bishop and he alone ordains Subdeacons and Priests but the Bishops by the Tradition of the Apostles which has always bin preserv'd in the Church are consecrated by Three Bishops It now follows to explain LI. Get care to be us'd in receiving anâ— to Priesthood who are fit for this Sacrament and especially for the Priestly Order and what things are chiefly requir'd in them From hence it will not be hard to determin what ought to be observ'd in the giving of other Orders according to the Office and Dignity of each of them Now that there is very great caution to be us'd in this Sacrament is thus gather'd because the other Sacraments give Grace to the Sanctification and Use of them by whom they are receiv'd But those that are admitted into Sacred Order are therefore partakers of Heavenly Grace that by their Ministery they may help forward the Salvation of the Church and consequently of all Men. Whence we understand it comes to pass that upon certain appointed days only when according to the most antient practice of the Catholic Church solemn Fastings are appointed Ordinations are perform'd to wit that the Faithful People with Devout and Holy Prayers might beseech of God that the Ministers of such kind of sacred things might be render'd more fit to exercise so great a Power as they ought to do and to the profit of the Church First therefore integrity of Manners is very much commendable in him that is to be made a Priest LII Integrity of Life necessary in making a Priest not only because if being conscious to himself of any mortal sin he procure or but even suffer himself to be receiv'd into Sacred Order he intangles himself in a new and a most extream wickedness But also because he ought to shew himself a Light and a Guide of Vertue and Innocence to others For this cause what the Apostle commanded Titus and Timothy Tit. 1. 1 Tim. 3. is to be declar'd to the Pastors and also it is to be taught That the Deformities of the Body which in the Old-Law by the commandment of the Lord excluded any from the Ministery of the Altar in the Evangelical Law is specially to be apply'd to the deformity of Mind Wherefore we consider that that Holy Custom is preserv'd in the Church that they who are to be ordain'd endeavor diligently first to purge their Consciences by the Sacrament of Penance Furthermore LIII Knowledg also necessary to a Priest there is requir'd in a Priest not that knowledg only which belongs to the Use and Ministring of the Sacraments but he ought also to be so furnish'd with the knowledg of Sacred Scripture
this Answer that he was a Rock for though he might be a Rock yet he was not a Rock as Christ was for Christ was a Rock truly immoveable but Peter only by virtue of that Rock for God bestows his own dignities upon others Mark this He is a Priest and he makes Priests He is a Rock and he makes a Rock and what things are his he bestows on his Servants Lastly St. Ambrose St. Ambrose says If any one object that the Church is content with One Head and Husband Jesus Christ and needs no other the answer is ready For as we account Christ our Lord not only the Author but the Bestower also of all the Sacraments for He it is that Baptizes and absolves and yet he makes Men the outward Ministers of the Sacraments So he has plac'd over his Church which he governs inwardly with his Spirit a Man to be the Vicar and Minister of his Power For seeing the Visible Church wanted a Visible Head our Saviour accordingly appointed Peter the Head and Pastor of all the Faithful when in most ample expressions he commended to him the feeding of his Sheep that he would have him who succeeded to have plainly the same power of ruling and governing the whole Church Besides XVI The way to preserve Unity for time to come 1 Cor. 12.11 12. Eph. 4.34 there is One and the same Spirit says the Apostle to the Corinthians who bestows Grace on the Faithful even as the Soul does Life on the Members of the Body To preserve which Vnity when he exhorts the Ephesians he says Be earnest to preserve the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace For as the Body of Man is made up of many Members and all are nourish'd by one Soul which gives Seeing to the Eyes Hearing to the Ears and divers Faculties to the other Senses So the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church is made up of many Faithful People There is also One Hope Eph. 4.4 as the Apostle testifies in the same place to which we are call'd for we all hope for the same thing to wit Eternal Life and Happiness Lastly There is One Faith which all must hold and profess 1 Cor. 1.10 Let there be no Schisms among you says the Apostle And there is One Baptism which is a Sacrament of the Christian Faith Another property of the Church is XVII The Second That she be Holy 1 Pet. 2.9 First that she is Holy which thing we have learn'd from that place of the Prince of Apostles But ye are a chosen generation a Holy Nation But she is call'd Holy because she is consecrated and dedicated to God for so other things of this kind though they are corporeal are us'd to be call'd Holy when they are given and dedicated to divine worship Of which kind in the Old Law were the Vessels Vestments and Altars In which sense the First-born also who were dedicated to the Most High God were call'd Holy Nor should any one wonder Note that the Church is call'd Holy altho within her are contain'd many Sinners For the Faithful are call'd Holy because they are made the People of God and by receiving Baptism and Faith have consecrated themselves to Christ altho in many things they offend and perform not the things they have promis'd even as they who profess any Trade or Art tho they observe not the rules thereof are yet call'd Tradesmen Wherefore S. Paul calls the Corinthians Sanctifi'd and Holy 1 Cor. 1.2 amongst whom it is manifest there were some whom he sharply reproves as Carnal and charges with many other Crimes She is also to be call'd Holy Secondly because as the Body she is joyn'd with her Holy Head Christ the Lord who is the Fountain of all Holiness from whom are pour'd forth the anointings and riches of Divine Goodness Excellently does St. Austin interpret those words of the Prophet S. Aug. in Ps 85.8 Keep thou my soul because I am Holy He dares says he and the Body of Christ dares and that one Man crying out from the ends of the Earth with his Head and under his Head dares say I am Holy For she receiv'd the Grace of Holiness the Grace of Baptism and of Remission of sins And a little after If all Christians and all the Faithful being baptiz'd in Christ have put him on as the Apostle says Gal. 3.27 As many of you as have been baptiz'd have put on Christ if they are made Members of his Body and yet say that they are not Holy they do wrong to the very Head whose Members they are made Add to this Thirdly That the Church alone has the legitimate worship of Sacrifice and the saving use of the Sacraments by which as by the efficacious instruments of Divine Grace God works true Holiness in us So that whosoever are truly Holy cannot be out of this Church It is plain therefore that the Church is Holy and Holy indeed because she is the Body of Christ by whom she is sanctifi'd and wash'd in his Blood Concerning the Holiness of the Church see Justin Martyr in both his Apologies Tertul. in his Apologie August against Fulgen. c. 17. Greg. Moral b. 37. c. 7. The Third Property of the Church is The Third That she be Catholic S. Aug. Ser. 131. 181. de Tempore that she be stil'd Catholic to wit Vniversal which appellation is truly given her because as S. Austin testifies From the East to the West the Brightness of one Faith is spread abroad For the Church is not as in the Public Affairs of Men or in the Conventicles of Heretics bound to the limits of One Kingdom only or to One sort of Men But she embraces in the Bosom of her Charity all Men whether they be Barbarians or Scythians Servants or Free-men Male or Female Wherefore it is written Apoc. 5.6 10. Thou by thy blood hast redeem'd us O God out of every tribe and language and people and nation and hast made us a kingdom to our God And of the Church says David Ps 2. Ask of me and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession And I will remember Ps 86. Rahab and Babylon who shall know me and A man was born in her Besides all the Faithful which have ever been from Adam to this day or who shall be while the World endures and profess the true Faith belong to this very Church Eph. 2.20 which was built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets all which were constituted and founded upon that One Corner-stone Christ who made Both to be One who has proclaim'd Peace to them that are near and to them that are afar off And she is call'd Vniversal for this reason Because all that desire everlasting Salvation are bound to lay fast hold of and to embrace her no otherwise than they who went into
remission both of Sin and Punishment Trid. Sess 5. Can. 5. Aug. 12. de â—eccat Meâ—â— c. 28. when at our first profession of Faith we are cleans'd by Holy Baptism is so fully given us that nothing either of Sin whether contracted by Birth or Wilfully committed remains to be wip'd away or of Punishment to be endur'd But yet by the Grace of Baptism no one is wholly freed from the Infirmity of Nature But rather whereas every one ought to strive against the motions of Concupiscence which forbear not to provoke us to sin hardly can there be found any one who resists either so stoutly or guards his own safety so watchfully as to be able to shun all miscarriages Since therefore it was needful that in the Church there should be a power of Forgiving Sins IV. The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven deliver'd to the Church Matt. 16.19 and also by some other way than by the Sacrament of Baptism the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were committed to her Trust whereby sins might be forgiven to every penitent person altho he had sinn'd to the last day of his Life Of this matter we have most clear Testimonies in Holy Scripture Matt. 18.18 For in S. Matthew the Lord says thus to Peter I will give thee the Keys of Heaven and whatsoever Thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loos'd also in Heaven So also Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth shall be loos'd also in Heaven And then S. John testifies That the Lord when he breath'd upon the Apostles said Joh. 20.23 Receive ye the Holy Ghost whose Sins soever ye remit they are remitted to them and whose soever Sins ye retain they are retain'd Nor are we to think that this Power is restrained to some certain kinds of Sins For there is no Sin so heinous can be either committed or imagin'd for pardoning whereof the Holy Church has not a Power even as there is no one so vile and wicked to whom if he truly repent him of his Errors a certain hope of Pardon ought not to be offer'd But neither is this very Power so limited as that it may be us'd at some appointed Time only For at what hour soever a sinner will return to Health he is not to be rejected as our Savior has taught when to the Prince of Apostles asking him how oft we must pardon those that offend whether seven times he answered Matt. 18.11 Not to seven times only but even to seventy times seven But if we consider the Ministers of this Divine Power VI. This Power committed to the Bishops and Priests Trid. Sess 14. c. 6. Hieron Ep. 1 pâ—st med Amb de Can Abet c. 4. it will seem not so large For the Lord gave not the Power of this so Holy a Gift to All but only to the Bishops and Priests The same thing is to be believ'd as to the Way or Manner of exercising this Power For by the Sacraments only so that the Form of them be kept sins may be forgiven but otherwise there is no Power of absolving from sin given to the Church Whence it follows that as well the Priests as the Sacraments are as it were Instruments to the forgiveness of Sins by which Christ our Lord who is the very Author and giver of Salvation works in us Forgiveness of Sins and Righteousness But that the Faithful may with the deepest thankfulness lay hold of and embrace this heavenly Gift VII How great a Grace the Remission of Sins is which by the special Mercy of God is given to his Church Trid. Sess 6. c. 7. Sess 14. c. 1. and that they may come to the use and practice thereof with the more ardent study of Piety the Curat shall endeavour to evidence the dignity and largeness of this Grace and this may be seen chiefly from hence if he shall have well expounded of what efficacy it is that sins are forgiven and that unjust men are made just For it is manifest that this is done by the infinite and immense Power of God which we must needs believe to be the very same with that of raising up the Dead and creating of the World But if Aug Tract 72. in Joan. Aug. lib. 1. de pâ—ccat merit c. 23. lib. 50. Hom. 23. Amb. de Abel c. 4. as is confirm'd by that saying of S. Austin it be to be thought a harder work to make a wicked Man Good than to create Heaven and Earth out of nothing since that creation cannot be but by an Infinite Power it consequently follows That the Forgiveness of Sinners is much more to be attributed to an Infinite Power Wherefore we own that those sayings of the ancient Fathers are most true wherein they confess that Sins are pardon'd to Men by God only Nor is so wonderful a work to be referr'd to any other Author Isay 43. than to his supream Goodness and Power I am He says the Lord himself by the Prophet I am he that blot out your Iniquities For there seems to be the same Reason in the forgiving of Sins as ought to be observ'd in a Debt of Mony As therefore Mony which is owing cannot be forgiven by any but the Creditor so when we are bound to God only by reason of Sin for we dayly pray Forgive us our Debts it is manifest our Debts can be forgiven us by no body but by himself But this admirable and divine Gift VIII Christ first of all had the Power of forgiving Sins Matt. 9.6 Mar. 2.9 before God was made Man was never imparted to any created Nature Christ our Savior first of all as Man tho he was true God also received this Gift of his Heavenly Father That ye may know that the Son of Man has power on Earth to forgive Sins says he to the lame Man Rise take up thy Couch and go to thy own Home When therefore he was made Man that he might bestow this Forgiveness of Sins upon Men before he ascended up into Heaven there to sit forever at the right-hand of God he granted this Power to the Bishops and Priests in the Church Altho as before we said Christ forgives sins by his own Authority but all the rest only as his Ministers Wherefore if we ought to admire and receive those things chiefly which are done by an Infinite Power IX The Power of forgiving Sins the greatest of Christ's Gifts 1 Pet. 3.18 we may wel enough perceive that this Gift which by the bounty of Christ our Lord is given to his Church is the most precious Yea very Reason also will powerfully stir up the minds of the Faithful to contemplate the greatness of this benefit whereby God our most merciful Father has determin'd to blot out the Sins of the World For he was willing to expiate
were therefore created to honor God which the Faithful especially who have obtain'd the Grace of Baptism ought to do with all their Heart with all their Soul and with all their strength But those who will be initiated in the Sacrament of Order VIII The Intention of those to be Ordain'd ought to be higher than of others must needs propose This to themselves not only to seek the Glory of God in all things which thing is common to all but especicially to the Faithful but also that some being dedicated to any Ministry of the Church might serve him in holiness and righteousness For as in an Army all the Soldiers do indeed obey the command of the General But among them One is a Colonel and another a Captain and others have other Offices So altho all the Faithful ought to follow Piety and Innocence with all their study with which things God is most worshipp'd yet they who are initiated in the Sacrament of Order must perform some special Offices and Functions in the Church For they perform Sacred things both for themselves and for all the People IX Wherein those that are initiated Sacred Orders excel others and teach the Efficacy of the Divine Law and exhort and instruct the Faithful readily and chearfully to observe it and administer the Sacraments of Christ the Lord whereby all Grace is bestow'd and increas'd and to say all in a Word being separated from the rest of the people they exercise themselves in the far greatest and most excellent Ministry of all These things being explain'd X. Ecclesiastical Power double viz of Order and Jurisdiction the Curats shall come to the handling of those things which are proper to this Sacrament that the Faithful who desire to be receiv'd into Ecclesiastical Order may know to what kind of Office they are call'd and how great a Power is given of God to his Church and to the Ministers thereof Now this Power is double Of Order and of Jurisdiction The Power of Order is referr'd to the true Body of Christ the Lord in the Holy Eucharist But the whole Power of Jurisdiction is in the Mystic Body of Christ for to this Power belongs the Rule and Government of Christian people and to direct them to eternal and heavenly Bliss Now the Power of Order does contain not only the power of Consecrating the Eucharist XI To what things the Power of Order extends it self but fits and prepares the Souls of men to receive it and contains all those other things which may any way be referr'd to the Eucharist And hereof many testimonies may be brought out of Sacred Scripture XII This Power prov'd But those are very clear and weighty which we find in S. John and S. Matthew for the Lord said Joâ— 21.22 As the Father sent me even so send I you Receive ye the Holy Ghost whose sins ye remit they are remitted to them and whose sins ye retain they are retained And Verily I say to you whatsoever things ye shall hind on earth shall be bound in heaven Matth. 18.18 and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loos'd in heaven Which places being by the Pastors explain'd from the Doctrin and Authority of the Holy Fathers may bring very much Light to this Truth But this Power very much excels that XIII How great this Power of Order is which in the Law of Nature is given to other Men who took care of Sacred Matters Vide de Consecr dist 2. cap. Nihil in Sacrific Conc. Trid. Sess 22. c. 1. Iren. lib. 4. c. 34. Aug. lib. 19. de Civit. Dei cap. 23. For it must needs be that that Age XIV There were Priests by the Law of Nature which was before the Law was written had her Priesthood and her spiritual Power since it is sufficiently manifest that she had a Law For these Two are so closely join'd together as the Apostle testifies that the One being taken away it must needs be that the other must be taken away also Seeing therefore that by natural Instinct Men know that God is to be worshipp'd it consequently follow'd that in every Common-wealth some should be plac'd over the charge of Sacred Things and the Worship of God whose Power in some sort might be call'd Spiritual This Power the Israelites had XV. Christ's Priesthood higher than that of Moses Let the Priests mark which tho it were higher in Dignity than that wherewith the Priests were indu'd by the Law of Nature yet is it to be thought far below the Spiritual Power of the Gospel For this is Heavenly and excels even all the Power of Angels For it has its beginning not from the Mosaical Priesthood XVI This Power is deriv'd from Christ but from Christ the Lord who was a Priest not according to the Order of Aaron but of Melchizedech For he it is that being indu'd with the supream Power of Giving Grace and Forgiving sins has left this Power altho definite in Vertue and ty'd to the Sacraments to his Church Wherefore to exercise or perform this Matter XVII The Consecration of the Ministers of the Church call'd the Sacrament of Order certain Ministers are appointed and consecrated in a solemn religious manner which Consecration is call'd The Sacrament of Order or Sacred Ordination But it pleas'd the Holy Fathers to use This Word because it has a very large signification to shew the Dignity and Excellency of the Ministers of God For Order XVIII What Order is if we take the proper Force and Notion of it is the Disposition of Superior and Inferior things which are so suited among themselves as that One may be referr'd to another Whereas therefore in this Ministry there are many Degrees and divers Functions XIX Why this Sacrament call'd Order but all things distributed and plac'd in a certain Rule rightly and conveniently does the name of Order seem to be given to it But that Sacred Ordination is to be reckon'd among the other Sacraments of the Church XX. Order is a Sacrament Sess 23. de Ordine the Holy Synod of Trent has prov'd by that reason which has often bin repeated For whereas a Sacrament is a sign of a Sacred Thing but that which in this Consecration is outward signifies Grace and Power which is given to him that is consecrated it very plainly follows that Order is truly and properly to be call'd a Sacrament That Order is a Sacrament see Trid. Sess 23. de Ordine c. 1. 3. can 3 4.5 Conc. Florent in decret de Sacr. Aug. lib. 2. contra Epist Parmen c. 13. de bono conjug c. 24. lib. 1. de Bap. contra Donat. c. 1. Leo Epist 18. Greg. in c. 10. lib. 1. Reg. Wherefore the Bishop reaching forth a Chalice with Wine and Water XXI When and by whom this Power is conferr'd and a Paten with Bread to him that is to be Ordain'd a Priest saying
of his to stir up both in Abraham's Seed and in many other Men the expectation of a Saviour For when once the Jewish Commonwealth and Religion became Setled This began to grow more common and known to his people For there were many things which signifi'd and many Men which foretold What and how great good things that Saviour and our Redeemer Jesus Christ was to bring us And indeed the Prophets whose Minds were illuminated with Light from Heav'n foretold the people of the Birth of the Son of God Isa 7.15 8.3.9.6.11.1.53 throughout Jer. 23.5.30.9 Dan. 7 13.9.24 and the wonderful works which he shou'd perform when he shou'd be made Man his Doctrin Manners Kindred Practice Death Resurrection and other Mysteries of him and all this they taught so plainly as tho they had bin done before their Faces So that excepting the difference of time only we cou'd not discover any diversity between the Predictions of the Prophets and the preaching of the Apostles between the Faith of the old Patriarchs and our own But now we will speak of the several parts of the Article Iesus is his proper name VII What the name Jesus signifies and by whom it was given Luc. 1.31 who is God and Man and it signifies a Saviour and this name was given him not by chance nor by the judgment or will of Men but by the counsel and command of God For so the Angel told Mary his Mother Behold thou shalt cenceiv in thy Womb and bring forth a Son and shalt call his name Jesus and afterwards he not only commanded Joseph the Husband of the Virgin to call the Child by that name but also tells the reason why he was to be so call'd For he says Joseph thou Son of David Mat. 1.21 fear not to take to thee Mary thy Wife for that which is born in her is of the Holy Ghost And likewise her Son and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their Sins We read in Holy Scripture of many who were of this name As the son of Nun VIII The name Jesus suitable to Christ especially who succeeded Moses and led the people whom Moses deliver'd out of Egypt into the Land of Promise which was deny'd to Moses Josedech the son of a Priest was call'd by the same name But how much more truly ought we to believ That our Saviour ought to be call'd by this name who has brought light liberty and salvation not to one People or Nation only but to all Men of all ages oppress'd not with Famine or with Egyptian or Babylonian Bondage but sittng in the shadow of Death and miserably fetterd in Sin and the chains of the Devil and has purchas'd for them a Right and Inheritance in the Kindom of Heav'n and reconcil'd them to God the Father In them we see Christ our Lord shadow'd who heaps upon mankind those Blessings here mention'd Now all those names before spoken of which by divine appointment were to be given to the Son of God are all to be referr'd to this one name Jesus For whereas all the other in some measure had only touch'd the Salvation he was to give us this one conteins the whole weight and vertue of the compleat Salvation of Mankind And to the name of Iesus IX Why the name Christ added to the name Jesus this name of Christ is also added which signifies Anointed and is a name both of Honour and Office nor is it proper to one thing but common to more For our old Fathers were us'd to call Priests and Kings whom God had commanded to be anointed for the dignity of their Office Christs The Priests were they Reg 12 3.24.6 who in their daily Prayers recommended the people to God and offer'd Sacrifice to God for them Kings had the government of the people committed to them and to them chiefly belongs the power of the Laws to protect the Innocent and to correct the boldness of the Wicked Because therefore both of these Offices seem to relate to the Majesty of God in the Earth therefore those that were chosen to the Office of King or Priest were anointed with Oyl It was customary also to anoint the Prophets who as the Interpreters and Ambassadors of the immortal God open'd to us the Secrets of Heav'n and by wholesome Precepts and foretelling things to come warn'd Men to mend their manners But when Jesus Christ our Saviour came into the World X. Christ a Prophet King and Priest he undertook the Part and Office of all these three Persons Prophet Priest and King and for these causes he is call'd Christ and anointed for the discharge of those Offices not by the act of any mortal but by the influence and vertue of his Heav'nly Father not with earthly Oyntment but with spiritual Oyl when the fulness of the Holy Spirit and Grace and a more plentiful measure of all gifts was pour'd into his most Holy Soul than the Being or Nature of any other Creature was able to receiv and this the Prophet plainly shews when speaking to the Redeemer himself he said Ps 44.7 Thou hast lov'd Righteousness and hated Iniquity therefore God even thy God has anointed thee with the Oyl of Gladness above thy Fellows The same thing but much more plainly has the Prophet Isaiah shew'd in these Words Isay 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has sent me to preach to the meek Jesus Christ therefore was that great Prophet and Teacher XI How Christ a Prophet Priest and King who taught us the Will of God and by whose teaching the whole World has receiv'd the knowledg of our Heav'nly Father and this name does much more truly and excellently belong to him because all whatsoever that were honour'd with this name of Prophet were but his Disciples and for this cause chiefly were they sent That they shou'd prophesie of this Prophets coming to save all Men. The same Christ was a Priest not of the same Order as the Priests of the tribe of Levi under the old Law were but of that of which the Prophet David sings Ps 189 4â— Heb. 5.7 Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedech Which Argument the Apostle writing to the Hebrews handles excellently But we acknowledg Christ to be a King also not only as he is God but as he is Man and partakes of our Nature Luc. 1.33 Of whom the Angel testifies He shall reign for ever in Jacob and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Now this Kingdom of Christ is Spiritual and Eternal XII How and by whom Christs Kingdom is govern'd begun indeed on Earth but perfected in Heav'n And by his wonderful Providence performs the Office of King of his Church He governs it he defends it from the snares and violence of its enemies he gives it not only Holiness and Righteousness but also Power and Strength to
whom thou hast given me should be where I am And then This also Third as a very great benefit we have obtain'd that he has drawn up our love to Heav'n and inflam'd us with his Divine Spirit For most true is that saying Mat. 6.21 There our Heart is where our Treasure is And indeed if Christ our Lord were dwelling on the Earth all our thoughts wou'd be fix'd upon the face and acquaintance of the Man and we shou'd behold him only as Man who bestow'd so great benefits upon us and we shou'd affect him only with a kind of earthly Good Will But now being gone up into Heav'n he has render'd our Love Spiritual and makes us to love and reverence him as God whom we now consider as absent And this we understand partly by the Example of the Apostles Joh. 19.7 with whom while our Lord was present they seem'd to judge of him in a manner according to Human Sense And partly it is confirm'd by the testimony of our Lord himself when he says It is expedient for you that I go away For that imperfect Love wherewith they lov'd Jesus Christ when present with them was to be perfected by Divine Love and that by the coming of the Holy Ghost Wherefore he presently adds For if I go not away the Paraclet or Comforter will not come to you To this may be added Fourth that he has inlarg'd his House Eph. 4.22 i.e. his Church in the earth which was to be govern'd by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit and he left Peter the Prince of Apostles the chief Pastor and Prelate of the whole Church among Men and then he gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers and so sitting at the Right Hand of his Father he always bestows divers gifts upon divers persons for the Apostle testifies Eph. 5.7 That to every one of us is giv'n grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ But lastly Fifth The Faithful are to believe the same thing also concerning Christ's Ascension which we taught before concerning the mystery of his Death and Resurrection for tho we owe our Salvation and Redemption to the Passion of Christ who by his own Merit open'd to the Just an entrance to Heav'n yet his Ascension is not only propos'd to us as an example whereby we learn to look up on high and ascend up into Heav'n in Spirit but it has giv'n us Divine Power whereby we are enabl'd to do it ARTICLE VII FRom thence he shall come to judge the quick and the Dead There are three of excellent Offices and Functions which our Lord Jesus Christ has for the adorning and illustrating of his Church I. The Three Offices of Christ Of Redemption Patronage or Defence and Judgment But whereas from the former Articles it is manifest that he has redeem'd mankind by his Passion and Death and that he has undertak'n sorever to defend and patronize our cause by his Ascension into Heav'n it remains that in this Article we declare his Judgment The reason and force of which Article is this II. What we must believe concâ—â—â—nig the last judgment That in the last day Christ our Lord will judge all mankind For the Holy Scriptures testifie that there are Two comings of Christ The One when for our salvation he took flesh and was made Man in the Womb of the Virgin The Other when he shall come to judge all men at the end of the World This Coming of his in Holy Scripture is call'd The Day of the Lord whereof the Apostle speaks 1 Thes 5.2 The day of the Lord so comes as a Thief in the night Maâ— 24.20 and our Saviour himself Maâ— 23.32 But of that Day and Hour no man knows 1 Cor. 5.10 Concerning which last judgment the authority of the Apostle is sufficient We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ that every one may give an account of what he has done in the body whether good or evil For the Holy Scripture is full of testimonies which the Curat may find scatter'd up and down not only for proof of this matter but to lay before the eyes of the Faithful that as from the begining of the World that Day of the Lord wherein he put on Human Flesh was always much longed for of all because in that Mystery they had the hope of their deliverance plac'd So from thence forth after the Death of the Son of God and his Ascension into Heav'n we might most earnestly desire that Other Day of the Lord waiting for that bless'd Hope and the coming of the Glory of the great God But for the explication of this matter the Curat shall observe and teach that there are Two times wherein every one must needs come in presnce before the Lord and give an account of all his particular Thoughts Actions and Words and must abide the present Sentence of the Judge The First is when every one of us goes out of this life for immediately he is placed before the Judgment-seat of God and there is a most just examination made of all things whatsoever he ever did spake or thought and this is call'd The Private Judgment But The Other is when in one day and in one place All men shall stand together before the Seat of Judgment that in the sight and hearing of all men of all ages every one may know what is judg'd and decree'd concerning himse lf The very Pronouncing of which Sentence to Ungodly and Wicked men will not be the least part of their punishments and torments And on the other side the Godly and the Just will from thence receive no small Reward and Profit when it shall truly appear what kind of persons every one of them was in this life And this is call'd the General Judgment Concerning which it must needs be shew'd what the Cause is V. Why a General Judgment to come why besides the Private Judgment concerning every one in particular there will also be held another Judgment concerning all men in general For since First Cause even when men are dead they sometimes leave behind them some surviving persons to imitate them as Children to imitate Parents Dependents and Scholars who are lovers and favourers of their Examples Discourses Actions whereby it must needs come to pass that the rewards and punishments of the dead shall be increas'd and whereas this either Advantage or Calamity which belongs to so very many cannot have an end before the coming of the last day of the World It was but meet that there should be a perfect examination of this General Account of good and evil Words and Actions And this could not be done except at one General Judgment of all men And besides The Second forasmuch as the Fame of the Godly is often times unjustly wounded and the wicked commended as innocent the justice of God requir'd that the
the Church was signifi'd Mat. 13.17 Mat. 13.24 Luc. 3.17 Mat. 15.12 being compar'd to a City built upon a Mountain which may be seen every where for seeing that all must obey her it is necessary that she be known Nor does she contain the Good only but the Bad also as the Gospel in many Parables teaches as when it commemorates that the Kingdom of Heaven that is the Church Militant is like to a Draw-net let down into the Sea or to a Field in which Tares were over-sown or to a Treshing-flore in which is contain'd the Corn with the Chaff or to the Ten Virgins whereof some were Wise some Foolish Gen. 7. And long before also in Noah's Ark in which not only those living Creatures which were Clean but the Unclean also were shut up together we may behold the figure and similitude of this Church But tho Catholic Faith truly and constantly affirms that both the Good and Bad do belong to the Church yet from the same rules of Faith the Faithful ought to be taught that there is a far different reason and account of either part For as the Chaff upon the Threshing-flore is mingled with the Corn or as sometimes dead members remain joyn'd to the Body Eph. 4.4 so also are Wicked Men contain'd in the Church Whence it comes XII Who are shut out of the Church that there are but three sorts of men only sut out of her First Infidels and then Heretics and Schismatics and lastly Excommunicate persons The Ethnics because they never were in the Church nor ever knew her nor were made partakers of any Sacrament in the Christian Society and the Heretics and Schismatics because they have fallen off from the Church nor do they belong to the Church any more than Vagabonds or Renegadoes belong to an Army from which they ran away Yet it is not to be deny'd but that they are in the power of the Church as those who may be judg'd by her and condemn'd with an Anathema Lastly The Excommunicate persons also in that by the judgment of the Church they are turn'd out of her they belong not to her Communion till they repent But as concerning the rest even the Wicked and Ungodly persons it is not to be doubted but that they yet continue in the Church And this is diligently to be taught the Faithful that if it chance the life of the Prelates to be wicked yet the Faithful are to assure themselves that they are in the Church that therefore they lose nothing of the power And then the Parts of the Universal Church are us'd to be signifi'd by the name of the Church XIII Private Families Pastors and Sacred Places also call'd the Church 2 Cor. 1.1 1 Cor. 16.19 Col 4.16 1 Thes 1.1 Rom. 6.4 Mat. 18.17 as when the Apostle names the Church which is at Corinth Galatia Laodicea Thessalonica and he also calls the Private Families of the Faithful Churches For he commands the Church in the House of Priscilla and Aquila to be saluted And in another place Aquila and Priscilla says he salute you much in the Lord with his domestic Church Also writing to Philemon he uses the same word Sometimes also by the name Church are signifi'd the Prelates and Pastors thereof If he bear not thee says Christ tell it to the Church in which place are design'd the Rulers of the Church And the Place also where the people meet together either to the Sermon or for the sake of any other sacred matter is call'd the Church But especially in this Article the Church signifies the Multitude of Good and Bad together and not those only who govern but those also who ought to obey And then the Properties of this Church are to be open'd to the Faithful XIV The Properties of the Church whereby they may know how great a Benefit God bestows on them who happen to be born and brought up in her Her First Property therefore is describ'd in the Creed of the Fathers First That she be One Cant. 6.8 that she is One My Dove is One says he my Beautiful One is One. But now so great a multitude of Men as is scatter'd far and wide is call'd One for those reasons which are written by the Apostle to the Ephesians for he preaches that there is only One Faith One Lord One Baptism Eph. 4.4 and there is also One Ruler and Governor Invisible which is Christ Ephes 1.21 whom the Eternal Father has made Head over all his Church which is his Body But the Visible Governor is He XV. A Visible Head necessary for the Churches Unity who by Lawful Succession possesses the Chair of Peter the Prince of Apostles of whom this was the approv'd Sentence and Judgment of all the Fathers that this Visible Head was necessary both to settle and preserve the Unity of the Catholic Church Which thing St. Hierom well saw and wrote against Jovinian in these words There is One elected that a Head being constituted the occasion of Schism might be taken away And to Damasus Let Envy slack let the ambition of the Roman Pride be gone I speak to the Successor of the Fisher and the Disciple of the Cross following no Chief but Christ I am consociated to your Holiness i. e. in Communion of Peters Chair I know that the Church is built upon that Rock Whosoever shall have eaten the Lamb without This House is profane If any one be not in Noahs Ark he shall perish by the prevalence of the Flood Which also was long before prov'd by Irenaeus and Cyprian Iraeu lib. 3. contra Haeres c. 3. B. Cypr. de Simpl Prelat in principio fere who speaking of the Unity of the Church says The Lord says to Peter I O Peter say to thee that thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church He builds his Church upon One And tho after his Resurrection he gave part of this Power to all the Apostles and said As the Father sent me I also send you receive ye the Holy Ghost yet that he might manifest Vnity He by his own Authority dispos'd the Original of that same Vnity which was to begin in One c. And then Optatus of Milevis says Optatus initio lib. 2. ad Farmen It cannot be charg'd upon you as of ignorance seeing you know that in the City of Rome was first plac'd by Peter the Episcopal Chair in which Peter the Head of all the Apostles sate In which One the Vnity of the Church has been kept of all lest the other Apostles should challenge every one his own severally so that now he is a Schismatic and a Prevaricator who puts up another Chair in competition with this single one And afterwards St. Basil has left in writing thus Basil hom 29. quae est de poenit Peter is put in the Foundation for he said Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God and he receiv'd
the Ark to escape drowning in the Flood This is to be taught as a most certain rule whereby the true Church may be discern'd from the false And we may also know the true Church from its Original XVIII Another Rule yo know the True Church from the False which it has from the Grace reveal'd by the Apostles For her Doctrine is True not New not lately sprung up but long ago deliver'd by the Apostles and dispers'd through all the World and hence it is that none can doubt That the impious Doctrines of Heretics are far different from the Faith of the Church seeing they are against that Doctrine of the Church which has been preach'd from the Apostles to this day And therefore that all may understand which is the true Catholic Church the Fathers by Divine Inspiration have added this word APOSTOLIC Of the marks of the True Church see August contra Epist Fundamenti c. Tertul. lib. toto de Praescript For the Holy Ghost who presides in the Church governs it by no other than Apostolical Men. Which Spirit was first given to the Apostles and afterwards by the infinite goodness of God has always continu'd in the Church But as this One Church cannot err in the delivery of Faith and Discipline of manners XIX Why the Church is call'd Apâ—stolic Aug. contra Crescen lib. 1. c. 33. seeing she is govern'd by the Holy Ghost so it must needs be that all others which falsely claim to themselves that Name and being also led by the Spirit of the Devil are most dangerously out of the way both in Doctrine and Practice But because the Figures of the Old Testament have a great influence to stir up the minds of the Faithful to call to remembrance those excellent things XX. Two figures of the Church for which cause chiefly the Apostles us'd them The Curat may not pass over that part of Docrine also which is so profitable And amongst these The First Gen. 6. Noahs Ark has an excellent signification which for this reason only was made by Gods command that there might be left no room to doubt but that it signifies the Church Which God has so constituted That whosoever by Baptism enters therein may be safe from all danger of eternal Death But they who were out of it as it happen'd to them who were not receiv'd into the Ark were overwhelm'd with their own wickedness Another Figure is that great City Jerusalem The other under the Name whereof many times the Holy Scriptures understand the Holy Church to wit That in her alone it is lawful to offer Sacrifice Because also in the Church of God only and no where else the true Worship and the true Sacrifice which can any ways be pleasing to God may be found And now in the last place XXI The Church to be believ'd by Faith and bow concerning the Church it must be taught After what manner that we are to believe the Church belongs to the Articles of Faith For tho any one perceives by reason and sense That the Church i. e. that Company of Men is in the World which are dedicated and consecrated to Christ our Lord Nor does there seem any need of Faith to conceive this when neither Jews nor Turks do at all doubt of it Yet those Mysteries which as has already been declar'd in part and partly will be said further in he Sacrament of Orders are contain'd in the Holy Church of God that mind which is illuminated by Faith only and not convinc'd by any reasons can understand Seeing therefore that this Article no less than the rest quite surpasses the strength and reach of our understanding We very rightly confess That we come not to know the Church's Original Gifts and Dignity by Huaman Reason but behold them with the Eyes of Faith For neither were Men the Authors thereof XXII Who the Author of hte Church Ps 89.5 but the very Immortal God who has built it upon a most firm Rock as the Prohet witnesses The most High has sounded it For which reason it is call'd Gods Inheritance and the people of God And the Power it has is not of Man but given her by the gift of God Wherefore as by the mere Power of Nature we cannot attain to her so also by Faith only we understand That in the Church are the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and that to her is given Power to Forgive Sins to Excommunicate and to consecrate the true Body of Christ and then that the Citizens which belong to her Heb. 13.14 have not here a lasting City but seek one to come It is necessary therefore to believe XXIII We must believe the Church but not in the Church Aug Ser 1.31 de Temp. That there is One Holy and Catholic Church For so we believe the Three Persons of the Trinity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost as to place our Faith In them But now changeing the manner of speaking we profess to believe the Holy not In the Holy Church That by this different way of speaking God who is the Author of all things may be distinguish'd from the things which were created and to acknowledg that all those excellent benefits which are bestow'd on the Church were receiv'd of the Divine Goodness The Communion of Saints When S. John the Evangelist wrote to the Faithful XXIV This part of the Article to be diligently explain'd 1 Joh. 1.13 of the Divine Mysteries why he taught them therein he gives this Reason That you also says he might have Fellowship with us and our Fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ This Fellowship is plac'd in the Communion of Saints of which we are to speak in This Article And would to God in explaining hereof Aug. in Joan Trâ—act 32. the Teachers of the Church would imitate the diligence of Paul and the other Apostles For it is not only a kind of Interpretation of the former Article and a Doctrine full of profit and advantage but it also shews what the Use of those Mysteries is which are contain'd in the Creed For we are to search into and learn all those things for this end that we may be admitted into this so blessed and glorious a Fellowship of the Saints and being once admitted consequently to persevere Coloss 1.12 giving Thanks with Joy to God the Father who has made us worthy to partake of the Lot of the Saints in Light Firft therefore XXV Wherein is plac'd the Communion of Saints the Faithful are to be taught That This Article is as it were a kind of Explication of that which goes before concerning One Holy Catholic Church For the Unity of that Spirit by which she is govern'd causes that whatsoever the Church has is Common For the Fruit and Benefit of all the Sacraments belongs to all the Faithful by which Sacraments as by Sacred Bands they are coupl'd and joyn'd with Christ
and above all by Baptism by which as by the Door Aug. lib. 9. contr Faust. c. 11. we enter into the Church Now that by this Communion of Saints we ought to understand the Communion of Sacraments the Fathers signifie in this Creed by these words Damasc lib. 4. de Fide Orthodox c. 12. I confess one Baptism But after Baptism first follows the Eucharist and then the other Saraments For tho this name be suitable to all the other Sacraments since they joyn us to God and make us partakers of him whose Grace we receive yet it is more proper to the Eucharist which makes this Communion But there is another Communion in the Church to be consider'd For whatsoever things are piously and holily perfom'd by One these things belong to All and by Charity which seeks not her own they are made profitable to them This is well prov'd by the Testimony of S. Ambrose S. Ambros in Ps 118. Serm. 1 v. 69 who explaining that place of the Psalm I am a Partner of all them that seek thee says thus As we say that the Member is a Partaker of the whole Body so is he that is a Partner with them that fear God Wherefore Christ has taught us this Form of Prayer Matt. 6. to say Our Bread not mine and the rest after the same manner not taking care for our selves only but for the salvation and profit of all But now this Communication of good things is XXVI A singular Similitude in Holy Scripture often represented by a fit Similitude taken from the Members of the Body of Man for in the Body there are many Members But tho they are Many yet they make but One Body in which all the Members discharge each their own proper Office and not all the same Office 〈◊〉 12.15 Nor have they all the same Dignity to execute alike the useful and comely functions nor do they seek each its own profit but the commodity and conveniency of the whole Body And then they are all so fitly knit together among themselves that if one be griev'd the rest also by Consent and Nearness of Nature do grieve and on the contrary if one be well dispos'd all the rest rejoyce with it The same thing we may contemplate in the Church in which tho there be divers Members to wit various Nations of Jews and Gentiles Bond and Free Poor and Rich yet when by Baptism they are initiated they are made one Body with Christ whereof he is the Head Moreover in this Church is assign'd to every one his own Office Note for as there were plac'd in it some Apostles some Teachers but all for the public benefit so it is the Office of some to Rule and to Teach and of others to Obey and to be Subject But then they only reap the Benefit of those so many and so great Functions Note and good things thus appointed by God who lead a Christian Life in Charity and are just and dear to God But the dead Members XXVII What benefit of the Communion of Saints they are depriv'd of who are in mortal sin Aug. in Ps 70. Serm. 2. to wit those who are as it were bound in wickedness and estrang'd from the Grace of God are not depriv'd of this Good so as to cease to be Members of this Body but being dead they perceive not that spiritual Fruit and Advantage which just and pious Men have and yet seeing that they are in the Church they are assisted towards the recovery of that Grace and Life which they had lost by those who live spiritually and receive those benefits which there can be no doubt that they are void of who are altogether cut off from the Church Nor are those Gifts common only which render men just and dear to God XXVIII Grace fro Grace are common Gifts but there is also given Grace for Grace among which is reckon'd Knowledg Prophecy and the Gift of Tongues and Miracles and the rest of that sort which Gifts are also granted to the Wicked not for Private but Publick Advantage to the Edification of the Church For the Gift of Healing is given not for his sake who has the Gift but for the Sick Mans sake who is to be healed And indeed a Christian has nothing in possession which he ought not to reckon as common to himself and all others And therefore they ought to be ready and prepar'd to relieve the Miseries of the Needy for he that has such kind of Goods and sees his Brother in want 1 Joh. 3.17 and will not help him he is plainly convin'd to have none of the Love of God in him Which things seeing they are so it is manifest enough that those who are in this Holy Communion enjoy a kind of Happiness and can truly say Ps 83. Ps 33. O how lovely are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts my Soul longs and even faints for the Courts of the Lord and Blessed are they which dwell in thy House O Lord ARTICLE X. The Forgiveness of Sins There is no One I. The Belief of this Article necessary to Salvation who when he sees this Article Of the Forgiveness of Sins number'd among the other Articles of Faith can doubt not only that there is some Divine Mystery but also that there is something very necessary to the attaining Salvation contain'd in it For as was said before Without a certain belief of those things which in the Creed are propos'd to be believ'd there can be no entrance to any Body to Christian Piety But if that which of it self ought to be known of all Men seems fit to be confirm'd by some Testimony that surely will be sufficient which our Savior a little before his Ascension into Heaven witness'd concerning this matter when he open'd the Understanding of his Disciples that they might understand the Scriptures Luc. 24.46 It behov'd says he Christ to suffer and to rise again the third day from the dead and that in his name Penance and Remission of sins should be preach'd to all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Which words if the Curats consider II. The Curats Duty in explaining this Article they will easily perceive That there lies upon them a great Necessity and Charge from the Lord of diligently explaining this Article especially when the other things which belong to Religion are to be taught It is the Curats Duty therefore as to this Point to teach not only that Forgiveness of Sins may be had in the Catholic Church of which Esayah prophesi'd Isa 33.24 Aug. Hom. 49. c. 3. Iniquity shall be taken away from the people which dwell in her but also that in her there is a power of Forgiving Sins Which if the Priests use aright Let the confessors observe this and according to the Laws prescrib'd by Christ our Lord it must be believ'd That Sins are truly forgiven and pardon'd But this Pardon III. In Baptism there is
our Wickedness by the Blood of his only begotten Son so that he freely endur'd the Punishment which for our sins we had deserv'd and the Just was condemn'd for the Unjust the Innocent was put to a most bitter death for the Guilty Wherefore when we seriously consider with our selves 1 Pet. 1.18 19. That we were not redeem'd with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot or blemish we shall easily conclude that nothing could possibly come to us more advantagious than this power of forgiving sins which shews the unutterable of Providence of God and his exceeding Love towards us And from this consideration it must needs be X. Mortal Sin how great an Evil. that a mighty advantage redound to us For he that offends God by any mortal Sin whatsoever Merits he before had by the Death of Christ and his Cross he straightway loses all and the Gate of Paradice which before being shut our Savior by his Passion has open'd to all he has shut again against himself Which when we remember we cannot chuse but that the consideration of Mans Misery will extreamly grieve us But if we bend our mind to this admirable Power which God has given to his Church and being confirm'd in the Faith of this Article believe that this Power is offer'd to every one so that being assisted by Gods help he may be restor'd to his former state of dignity then are we forc'd with the highest joy and gladness to exult and give immortal Thanks to God And truly if those Medicines are us'd to seem welcome and pleasant which the skilful and careful Physitian prepares for us when we are sick how much more pleasant ought those remedies to be which the Wisdom of God has appointed for the cure of our Souls and consequently for the recovery of Life and especially when they carry with them not a weak doubtful Hope of Health as those Medicines do which are apply'd to the Body but when they bring most certain Health to those who desire to be heal'd The Faithful therefore are to be admonish'd XI The Benefit of Remission of Sin diligently to be us'd after they have known the dignity of so ample and so excellent a Gift that they study religiously to convert it to their own advantage For it can hardly be that he who makes no use of a thing that is profitable and necessary can be suppos'd not to despise it and specially seeing the Lord has deliver'd to his Church this Power of forgiving sins to this end that all might use this wholsome remedy For as no one without Baptism can be expiated or cleans'd so whosoever is minded to recover the Grace of Baptism which he lost by mortal sin must necessarily betake himself to that other kind of expiation to wit the Sacrament of Penance But here the Faithful are to be warn'd XII The Easiness of obtaining Pardon not to be abus'd Aug. in Joan. Tract 33. lib. 50. Hom. 41. Amb. lib. 2. de poenit c. 1.2 11. that hearing of so large a Power of Pardon and that it is not to be limited to any term of Time not to take encouragement either to sin the more readily or to repent the more slowly For since by the one they are manifestly discover'd to be injurious to and to affront this Divine Power they are unworthy that God should bestow any Mercy upon them and by the other it is much to be fear'd lest being overtaken by Death in vain they confess the Forgiveness of Sins which by their sloth and putting off they have deservedly lost ARTICLE XI THe Resurrection of the Body That this Article has a great influence to establish the truth of our Faith I. How necessary the Belief of this Article This does abundantly evidence that it is propos'd to the Belief of the Faithful not only by the Holy Scriptures but is confirm'd by many reasons also Which since we see it not done in the other Articles of the Creed we may perceive that the Hope of our Salvation is grounded herein as on a most foundation as the Apostle argues 1 Cor. 15.14 If there be no Resurrection of the dead then is not Christ risen again but if Chrst be not risen again then is Our Preaching vain and your Faith is vain In explaining hereof therfore the Curat shall take no less pains and care than the wickedness of many has labour'd to overthrow it For that great and excellent advantages redound to the use of the Faithful by the knowledge hereof will by and by be shew'd But first of all this is to be noted II. Why the Resurrection of Men call'd the Resurrection of the Flesh That in this Article the Resurrection of Men is call'd the Resurrection of the Flesh. And this is not done without good reason For the Apostles would teach what is necessarily to be suppos'd That the Soul is immortal Wherefore lest any one might think that the Soul dy's together with the Body and that Both were to be restor'd to life again seeing that by many places of Holy Scripture it is plainly manifest that the Soul is immortal for this reason in this Article there is mention made of the Resurrection of the Flesh only And tho frequently in Holy Scripture the word Flesh signifies the whole man as in Esaias Isay 40.8 All Flesh is grass and in S. John The word was made Flesh Yet in this place the word Flesh signifies the Body that we may understand that of the Two Parts Soul and Body of which Man is made the One only to wit the Body is corrupted and returns into the Dust of the Earth out of which it was made that the Sout remains uncorrupt But then whereas none can be restor'd to Life III. The Soul not said to rise again 2 Tim. 2.14 unless he had been first dead the Soul is not properly said to rise again And there is mention made of the Flesh to confute that Heresie which during the Apostles life was Hymenaeus and Philetus's who taught that when in Holy Scripture mention was made of the Resurrection it was not to be understood of a Resurrection of the Body but of the soul whereby we rise from the death of sin to an innocent life From these words therefore it is plain that this error is taken away and the true Resurrection of the Body is confirm'd But it is the Curates Part to illustrate and clear this Truth by Examples taken out of the Old and New Testaments IV. How the Resurrection of the Flesh is to be prov'd and out of all other Church Histories For some were restor'd to life by Elilijah and Elisha in the Old Testament others besides those which Christ our Lord rais'd from death by the Holy Apostles and many others 3 Reg. 17.19 4 Reg. 4.34 which Resurrection of many confirms the Doctrine of this Article
towards us by how much the more assistances or helps they shall understand God has furnish'd us with for our Salvation and Happiness The Sacraments of the Church then XVIII There are only Seven Sacraments Trid. S ss 7. câ—n â— de S cr in gen Con. Fl rent in Doc. ad Arm. as may be prov'd by Scripture and by the constant Tradition of the Fathers down to our times and by the Authority of Councils are Seven in number But why they are neither more nor fewer may be probably shew'd from those things which by a Similitude are transferr'd from the Natural to the Spiritual life For these Seven things seem necessary to a Man to live and to preserve his life and to be made profitable to the Common-wealth To wit A notable Simil tude D. Thom. 3. p q 63. art 1. that he be Born Grow and be Nourish'd If he fall into Sickness that he be recover'd that the weakness of strength be restor'd And then as to the Common-wealth that the Magistrates be not wanting on their part to rule him by their Authority and Government And lastly that by a lawful propagation of his Family he preserve both himself and mankind All which things seeing they answer well to that life which the Soul lives to God from hence it may easily be gather'd what the number of Sacraments is For the First is Baptism Baptism the Gate as it were of all the rest Confirmation whereby we are born again in Christ Then Confirmation by vertue whereof we grow bigger and stronger in the grace of God For as S. Austin testifies D. Aug. Ep. 105. Luc. 24.49 It was to the Apostles already baptiz'd that the Lord said Stay ye in the City till ye shall be endu'd with power from above Then the Eucharist The Eucharist wherewith as with the Food of Heaven our Spirit is nourish'd and sustain'd For of this our Savior speaks Joh. 6.55 when he says My Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed In the Fourth place follows Penance Penance by help whereof our lost Health is restor'd after we have bin wounded by Sin Then Extream Vnction Extream Unction Isa 5.14 by which the remains of sin are taken away and the powers of the Soul refresh'd for S. James writing of this Sacrament testifies thus Orders And if he be in sins they shall be forgiven him Then follows Orders by which the public ministration of the Sacraments is exercis'd in the Church and a power given to discharge or perform the Sacred Functions Lastly Matrimony is added Matrimony that by the lawful and holy Conjunction of the Man and the Woman Children may be begotten and religiously brought up to the Service of God and the Conservation of Mankind But This is specially to be observ'd XIX The necessity of all the S craments not alike That tho all the Sacraments contain in them a Divine and Admirable Vertue yet all have not a like and equal necessity or dignity or One and the same signification But there are Three of them which are more necessary than the rest Trid. 1. Sess 7 can 3.4 de Sacr. in en D. Tho. 3. p q. 65 â—r 4.7.3.5 tho not for the same reason For Baptism is necessary for every one without any exception at all as our Savior shews in these words Except a Man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And Penance is necessary to them only who after Baptism have intangl'd themselves with some mortal sin nor can they escape eternal Destruction unless they truly do Penance for the sin admitted And Orders is altogether necessary tho not to all the Faithful in particular yet to the whole Church in general But then if we consider the Dignity of the Sacraments XX. The Eucharist excels the other Sacraments in Dignity the Eucharist far excels all the rest in Sanctity in the number of Mysteries and in Magnitude All which things will be better understood when we shall come to handle in their proper place those things which belong to the particular Sacraments Dionys lib. de Eccles Hier. c. 3. We must next see Whence it is we receive these Holy and Divine Mysteries XXI Christ the Author of the Sacraments Amb. l. 4. de Sacr. c. 6. D. Tho. 3. p. 4.62 Trid. Ses 7. can 1. de Sacr. in gen l. de Eccles dog Cassian Col. 7.18 For there is no doubt but that the value of any excellent Gift is much increas'd by the worth and excellency of him from whom it came But that Question is not difficult For seeing it is God which justifies Men but the Sacraments are the wonderful Instruments of obtaining Righteousness it is plain that one and the same God in Christ must be acknowledg'd to be the Author both of Justification and of the Sacraments Besides the Sacraments have such a and Efficacy as to penetrate into the inmost Soul since therefore it is the Property of Gods Power alone to search into the Hearts and Souls of Men from This also it is easy to see That the Sacraments are instituted of God himself throw Christ even as we must firmly and constantly believe that they are inwardly dispens'd by him For S. John affirms that he receiv'd this Testimony from him when he says He that sent me to baptize in Water the same said to me Vpon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him that same is he that baptizes in the Holy Ghost But tho God be the Author and Dispenser of the Sacraments XXII Men only are Ministers of the Sacraments yet he would have them administred in the Church not by Angels but by Men For to the making the Sacraments there is no less need of the Office of Ministers than of Matter and Form as is confirm'd by the constant Tradition of the Holy Fathers And because these Ministers in that Holy Function carry or represent not their own XXIII The unworthiness of Ministers hinder not the efficacy of the Sacraments Trid Sess 7. de Sac. in gen ca. 11 12. Greg. Naz. in Orat. in S. Bap. Amb. de bis qui myst init c. 5. Chrysost hom 8. in 1 Cor. Aug. contra Donat. l. 1. c. 4. l. 2. cont lit Patil c. 47. 1 Cor. 3.6 A similitude S. Aug. Tract in Joan. Act. 19.5 but the person of Christ for this reason it is that whether they be Good or Bad so they use the Form and Matter which by Christs Institution the Catholic Church has always held and intend to do the same thing which the Church in the ministration does they truly make and confer the Sacraments So that nothing can hinder the Fruit of Grace unless those who receive them wilfully defraud themselves of so great a good and resist the Holy Spirit That this was always the constant and undeniable sense of the Church
call to mind how he has by solemn promise oblig'd himself to God when he was initiated in Baptism and will also consider with himself whether in his Life and Conversation he has behav'd himself in such a manner as the very Profession of Christianity obliges and undertakes That therefore what is to be taught III. What the Name Batism signifies Eight kinds of Baptism See Damass lib. 4. de fide Orthod 10 might be made the more intelligible it must be declar'd what the Nature and Substance of Baptism is after that the signification of the word Baptism shall have bin explain'd There is none who know not that Baptism is a Greek word which tho in Holy Scripture it signifies not only that Washing or Cleansing which is joyn'd with this Sacrament but even all other kinds of Washing yea and sometimes is extended to signifie Suffering also Yet among Church-Writers it signifies not every kind of Washing of the Body but that which is annext to the Sacrament and is not ministred without the prescrib'd Form of Words which signification the Apostles by the Institution of Christ frequently made use of Now the Holy Fathers made use of other names also to signifie the same thing For S. Austin testifies that it was call'd the Sacrament of Faith IV. By what other names the Sacrament of Baptism is call'd D. Aug. Epist 25. in sin Heb. 10.15 because they who receiv'd it made profession of the Faith or Belief of the whole Christian Religion Others call'd this Sacrament Illumination because the heart is illuminated by the Faith we profess in Baptism For thus says the Apostle Remember the former days wherein being illuminated ye underwent a great fight of sufferings to wit signifying when they were Baptiz'd Besides S. Chry. 10.5 Chrysostom in his Oration to those who were baptiz'd calls it both a Purgation whereby through Baptism we purge away the Old Leven that we may be a New Lump and a Burying and a Planting and Christ's Cross The reason of all which Names may be gather'd from the Epistle to the Romans And why S. Denys call'd it the Beginning of the most Holy Commandments S. Dionys de Eccl. Hier. c. 2. is evident seeing that this Sacrament is the Gate as it were through which we enter into the fellowship of Christian Life and from thenceforth begin to obey Gods commands and this will suffice briefly to be taught concerning the Name of Baptism Of the various Names of Baptism See Greg. Naz. Orat. in Sancta Lumina Clem. Alex. lib. 1. Paedag. c. 6. But as to the Definition of the Thing Tho there may many others be gather'd out of Sacred Writers V. The Definition of Baptism yet That seems more fit and suitable which we may learn from our Lords own words in S. John's Gospel and from the Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And the Apostle when he spake of the Church Ephes 5.26 Cleansing her in the Laver of Water in the Word For through Adam by nature we are born the Children of Wrath but by Baptism we are born again in Christ the Children of Grace For he gave power to men to become the Sons of God Joh. 1.13 even to them that believe in his Name who are not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the wiâ—l of man but of God But in what words soever the nature of Baptism chances to be explain'd VI. How the Sacrament of Baptism is made the people are to be taught That this Sacrament is made by Washing with which according to the institution of our Lord and Saviour must needs be us'd certain and solemn words as the Holy Fathers have always taught as is shew'd by the plain testimony of S. Austin The Word is added to the Element and so the Sacrament is made But the Faithful must be carefully taught An Error to be mark'd not to fall into that Error not to think as it is vulgarly us'd to be said that That Water which is kept in the Holy Font to make the Sacrament is the Sacrament For then only is it to be call'd the Sacrament of Baptism when in truth we use Water to wash any one adding those words which were instituted by our Lord. Of this see Chrysost hom 24. in Joan. Aug. l. 6. contra Donatist c. 25. Conc. Florent Trid. item August Tract 80. in Joan. Now because in the Beginning when we spake of Sacraments in general VII The Matter of Bap â—â—m is natural Water we said that every Sacrament consists of Matter and Form therefore what each of these is in the Sacrament of Baptism must be declar'd by the Pastors The Matter therefore or the Element of this Sacrament is any kind of natural Water whether of the Sea or the River or a Pond or a Well or a Fountain that is us'd to be call'd Water without any adjunct Joh 3.5 For our Savior has taught Except a man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God â— h. 2.26 and the Apostle says That the Church was cleans'd by the Laver of Water And we read in the Epistle of S. John 1 Joh. 5.8 There are Three which bear record in Earth The Spirit the Water and the Bloodâ— this may be prov'd also from other testimonies of Holy Scipture But that which S. John the Baptist said Maâ— 3. that the Lord was coming that would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with Fire this can by no means be understood of the Matter of Baptism but ought to be apply'd either to the inward working of the Holy Ghost or at least to the Miracle which appear'd on the day of Pentecost Act. 2.3 when the Holy Ghost came down from Heaven upon the Apostles in the likeness of Fire whereof in another place Christ our Lord foretold Act. 1.5 John indeed baptiz'd with Water but ye shall be baptiz'd with the Holy Ghost not many days hence But this we may observe from the Holy Scriptures to have bin signifi'd before-hand by the Lord VIII The Matter of Baptism figur'd in the Old Testament Gen. 6.5 2 Pet. 3.10 both in Figures and in the Oracles of the Prophets For the Flood whereby the World was cleans'd because the wickedness of man was great in the Earth and all the thoughts of his heart wholly set upon evil carri'd the Figure and Resemblance of This Water as the Prince of Apostles in his former Epistle shews And the Passage through the Red-Sea signifi'd this Water 1 Cor. 10.1 as S. Paul writing to the Corinthians expounds it 4 Reg 5.24 to omit the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian and the admirable virtue of the Pool of Bethsaiday Job 5.2 and many others of the like kind Wherein it plainly appears
that there is a Symbol of this Mistery And of Prophesies none can doubt but those Waters to which the Prophet Esay so freely invites all that thirst IX The Matter of Baptism foretold by the Prophets Isa 55.1 Ezâ—k 47.20 Zac. 13.1 and which Ezekiel in Spirit saw come forth out of the Temple and that Fountain which was open'd for the house of David and inhabitants of Jerusalem for the washing away of sin and of uncleanness which Zachary propheci'd of have relation to this saving Water of Baptism Now S. Hierom writing to Oceanus X. Why Water the Matter of Baptism D. Hieron Ep. 85. shews by many reasons how suitable it was to the nature of Baptism that Water should be made choice of to be the proper Matter thereof But as to this Point the Pastors may teach first of all that this Sacrament is very necessary to all without exception to the attaining Life Everlasting and therefore that the Matter of Water The Reasons The First The Second which can easily be bad any where and is no where wanting was most proper And then Water very excellently signifies the Effect of Baptism for as Water washes away spots and dirt so also it very well demonstrates the power and efficacy of Baptism The third by which the spots of sin are done away To which may be added That as Water is very fit to refresh the Body so by Baptism the Heat of our Lusts in a great measure is abated Of the Matter of Baptism see Conc. Florent Trid. Sess 7. can 2. de consecrat dist 4. Item D Thom. 3. p. q. 56. art 5. But this is to be noted XI Why Chrism to be us'd in Baptism Amb. l. 1. de Sacr. c. 2 Innocent l. 1. decretal tit 1 c. 3. That tho Simple Water that has no mixture in it be the proper Matter for this Sacrament to wit whensoever there happens a necessity of administring Baptism yet by Tradition from the Apostles it has always bin observ'd in the Catholic Church That Baptism is conferr'd with solemn Ceremonies and Holy Chrism added whereby it is manifest that the Effect of Baptism is the better declar'd And the people are to be taught that tho it may sometimes be doubt'd whether This or That be true Water such as the Perfection of the Sacrament requires yet this must be held as a certainty That the Sacrament of Baptism can never be made of any other Matter than of the liquor of Natural Water upon any account whatsoever Now after that One of the two Parts of which Baptism consists XII The Form of Baptism why diligently and frequently to be explain'd that is the Matter of it has bin expounded The Pastors shall take the same diligence and care to explain the Form of it which is the other part of this Sacrament and is very necessary But in the explanation of this Sacrament they must labor with so much the more care and diligence because the understanding of so Holy a Mystery does of it self not only exceedingly delight the Faithful which delight commonly arises from the understanding of all other Divine Matters but it is much to be sought after because of the daily use and necessity of it For seeing that it often happens as in its proper place will be said more fully that Baptism must be ministred by other people and very often times by Women For this Reason those things that belong to the Substance of this Sacrament ought to be known and well understood promiscuously of all the Faithful And therefore in plain and familiar words which all may easily understand the Pastors shall teach that this is the perfect and absolute Form of Baptism I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost For so our Lord and Savior appointed XIII The Form of Baptism instituted and explain'd when according to S. Matthew he commanded the Apostles Mat. 28.19 Go ye and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost By that word Baptizing the Catholic Church which is taught of God rightly understood that in the Form of this Sacrament the Action of the Minister is to be express'd which is done indeed when it is said I baptize thee And because besides the Ministers it is necessary to signifie both the person of him who is baptiz'd and the principal Cause which makes Baptism therefore the Pronoun Thee and the Distinct Names of the Divine Persons are added that so the absolute Form of the Sacrament might be concluded in the words even now mention'd Joh. 1.33 I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost For it is not the person of the Son only of whom S. John writes This is he that baptizes But all the Persons of the Holy Trinity work together at the Sacrament of Baptism But that it is said in the Name and not in the Names This plainly shews That there is but One Nature and Divinity in the Trinity For in this place the Name is not referr'd to the Persons but signifies that Divine Substance Vertue and Power which is One and the same in all the Three Persons See Aug. cont Donatist lib. 6. c. 25. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 66. Art 5. Now in this Form XIV The more Essential parts of the Form of Baptism which we have shew'd to be full and perfect it is to be observ'd that there are some things exceeding necessary which if they shou'd be omitted there can be no Sacrament and there are other things not so necessary but that if they should be omitted the Sacrament is made notwithstanding of which kind is the word Ego l. the vertue whereof is contain'd in the word Baptizo I Baptize Yea and in the Greek Churches changing the order of words they us'd to omit it because they thought it not fit to make any mention at all of the Minister Hence it is that they us'd this Form in Baptism Let this Servant of Christ be baptiz'd in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And yet it appears by the Sentence and Decree of the Council of Florence That this Sacrament was perfectly administred by them Since by those words is declar'd what belongs to the truth of Baptism to wit Washing or Cleansing which at that time is verily perform'd But if we may say that once there was a time XV. Why antiently the Apostles baptiz'd in Christ's name Act. 2.38 Act. 8.20 when the Apostles baptiz'd only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ We ought to be assur'd that they did this also by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost that in the Infancy of the Church their preaching in the Name of Jesus Christ might be the more remarkable and that his Divine and immense Power might be the more celebrat'd And then if
Savior Joh. 3.5 Except a Man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God have relation to the time after his Passion If therefore the Pastors diligently handle these matters there can be no doubt but that the Faithful will come to understand and with truly devout Souls will reverence the excellent dignity of this Sacrament and especially when they consider that those excellent and rich Gifts which when Christ was baptiz d were manifested by the signification of Miracles to be given and bestow'd by the secret influence of the Holy Ghost upon all those that are baptiz'd For as if our eyes were open'd as Elisha's servants were that we could but be able to behold those heavenly things 4 Reg. 6.17 there can no body be thought to be so void of common sense as not to be carried into the greatest Admiration of the mysteries of Baptism Why then should we not think it will be so when the Pastors shall have laid open the Riches of this Sacrament in such sort that tho the Faithful cannot behold them with their bodily Eyes yet with the Eye and sharpness of their Soul illuminated with the splendor of Faith they may be able to contemplate them And now it will seem to be not only profitable but necessary also to shew by whom this Sacrament is to be ministred XXII The Ministers of this Sacrament of three Ranks both that they to whom chiefly this Office is committed may labor to discharge it holily and devoutly and also that none stretching beyond their own limits might rashly seiz upon anothers possession or proudly enter upon anothers Office 1 Cor. 15. seeing the Apostle admonishes to keep a due Order in all things The Faithful therefore may be taught That there are three degrees of those who may minister Baptism And in the first place are to be reckon'd the Bishops and Priests to whom it is given by Right of their Office and not by any extraordinary dispensation or power to exercise this Function For to Them in the Apostles the Lord gave commandment Matt. 28.19 Isiâ— l. 2. de Offic. Eccles c. 4. saying Go ye and Baptize Tho the Bishops that they might not be forc'd to leave the more weighty charge of instructing the people are us'd to leave the Ministery of Baptism to the Priests And that the Priests have in themselves a Right to exercise this Function so that even in presence of the Bishop they may minister Baptism is manifest both by the practice of the Church and the Doctrin of the Fathers For since they are instituted to consecrate the Eucharist which is the Sacrament of Peace and Vnity it is but requisite that they should have power of administering all those things by which necessarily any one may be made partaker of that Peace and Vnity And if at any time the Fathers have said That the Power of Baptizing hath not bin permitted to the Priests but by leave of the Bishop it seems that it should be meant of that Baptism only which was accustom'd to be ministred with great and solemn Ceremony on some certain days of the year In the next rank of Ministers are the Deacons to whom The Deacons by concession Distinct 93. c. 13. Any other person in necessity without the consent of the Bishop or Priest it was not allow'd to minister this Sacrament as is witness'd by many Decrees of the Holy Fathers The lowest rank is of those who in a forcible necessity may baptize but without the use of the solemn Ceremonies of this sort are all persons yea even of the Lay-people whether Men or Women what Sect soever they profess for this power is permitted even to Jews Infidels and Heretics when necessity compels provided that in so doing they intend to do what the Catholic Church does in that kind of administration These things both many Decrees of the ancient Fathers and Councils have confirm'd and there is also an Anathema decreed by the Holy Council of Trent against those who presume to say That Baptism tho given by Heretics in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost with an intention of doing what the Church does is not true Baptism Trid. Sess 7. Can de consec dist 4. c. 24. Aug. l. 7. cont Donatist c. 53. Ibid. l. 3. c. 10. l. 2. cont Parmen Conc. Later c. 1. Conc. Florent in Decret Eugenii Wherein verily we may admire the exceeding Goodness and Wisdom of our Lord XXIII Why lawful for all to Baptize for seeing this Sacrament must necessarily be receiv'd of all as he appointed Water to be the Matter thereof than which nothing can be more common so also would he have no one excluded from the Administration thereof although as was said before it be not lawful for all to use the solemn Ceremonies not as tho the Rites or Ceremonies are of more Dignity but that they are of less necessity than the Sacrament Nor may the Faithful suppose that this Office is permitted promiscuously to all in such a manner as that it is not very fit to appoint some Order and Degree of Ministers For if Men be present a Woman ought not if a Clerk be present a a Layman ought not if a Priest be present a Clerk ought not to take upon himself the administration of Baptism Altho Midwives which have bin us'd to baptize are not to be disallow'd tho sometimes in the presence of a Man who is unskilful in performing this Sacrament which otherwise seems more properly to be the office of a Man they should perform it To these Ministers who as has bin already said The Antient use various Names and necessity of God-Fathers Tertul. lib de Baptis c. 18. de Coron milit c. 3. do administer Baptism may be added another sort of Ministers who by the most ancient practice of the Church have bin wont to be made use of at the sacred and saving celebration of Baptism These we now call God-Fathers and God-Mothers tho formerly they were commonly call'd by Sacred Writers Vndertakers Answerers Sureties Concerning the reason of whom because the Office belongs to all Lay-people in common the Pastors shall exactly teach that the Faithful may understand what things are most necessary for the right discharging thereof And first he must shew what the cause is why at Baptism besides those that Minister the Sacrament there are also requir'd God-Fathers and Vndertaters which indeed will appear to all to be exceedingly well done if they consider that Baptism is a Spiritual Regeneration or New-Birth 1 Pet. 2.2 by which we are born the Children of God for of this New-Birth speaks S. Peter Even as New-born Infants desire you the reasonable milk without hypocrisie As therefore when any one is born into the world he presently wants a Nurse and a Schoolmaster by whose assitance and labour he is educated and instructed in
no need to speak more in this place seeing any one may transfer hither matter enough pertinent to this point from what has bin spoken before when we treated of the Sacraments in general See Aug. lib. 6. contra Donatist c. 1. in Ep. Joan. Tract 5. Trident. Sess 7. But because from the Nature and Vertue of this Charater LV. Baptism not to be iterated and why it has bin defin'd by the Church that the Sacrament of Baptism is for no reason in the world to be iterated for this cause the Faithful should be admonish'd often and diligently by the Pastors that they suffer not themselves at any time to be led into error For this thing the Apostle has taught us Rom. 6.10 saying There is One Lord One Faith One Baptism And then when he exhorts the Romans that being dead with Christ by Baptism they beware that they lose not the life they had receiv'd from him when he says for in that Christ dy'd to sin be dy'd once he seems plainly to signifie This that as he cannot dye again so may not we dye again by Baptism Wherefore also Holy Church openly professes that she believes One Baptism Which that it is extreamly agreeable to the Nature and Reason of the thing is understood from hence that Baptism is a kind of Spiritual Regeneration or Birth As therefore by the power of Nature we are born and brought forth into the world Once only and as S. Austin says In Joan. Tract 11. The Birth of the Womb cannot be repeated So also is there only One Spiritual Birth nor is Baptism at any time ever to be repeated Of this matter see Trid. Sess 7. de Baptismo Can. 11. 12. item Concil Cartha Can. 1. Vien ut habetur in Clem. 1. lib. de Sum. Trinit D. August Tract 11. in Joan. Beda in cap. 3. Joan. Leo Magn. Ep. 37. 39. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 66. a 9. Nor let any one think that Baptism is iterated by the Church LVI Baptism not iterated when ministred with a Condition when she washes any one of whom it is uncertain whether he were before Baptiz'd using this Form of Words If thou art already Baptiz'd I Baptize thee not again but if thou art not yet Baptiz'd I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost For so Baptism is not to be said to be wickedly iterated but to be administer'd holily with the Adjunct In which case notwithstanding there are some things diligently to be heeded of the Pastors LVII How cautiously Baptism is to be administred with a Condition wherein almost daily offence is committed not without great wrong to this Sacrament For there are not wanting some that think that no sin can be admitted if altho without differencing they Baptize with this Adjunct Wherefore if an Infant be brought to them they think they ought to make no question whether it were Baptiz'd before and forthwith they proceed to give it Baptism but tho they are confident that that Sacrament had bin administer'd at home yet they doubt not to repeat with the Adjunct this Holy Washing in the Church Lib. 1. decretal tit de Baptism de quidam together with the Solemn Ceremony which yet without Sacriledge they cannot do and so bring upon themselves that blot which Sacred Writers call Irregularity For by authority of Pope Alexander That form of Baptism is permitted to them only of whom after diligent enquiry it remains doubtful whether they rightly receiv'd Baptism but otherwise it is never lawful to administer Baptism again no not even with the Adjunct Of the Irregularity here mention'd See Apostat rett Baptis c. Ex Literarum Consecr dist 4. cap. Eos qui l. 3. decretal de Baptismo ejus effectu c. de quibus But besides the other things which we obtain by Baptism LVIII The seventh Effect of Baptism The Opening of Heaven Beda in 3. c. Luc. Mat. 1.16 Mar. 2.10 3 â—a 3.21 This is as it were the Last whither all the rest seem to be referr'd to wit that it opens to every one of us the Gate of Heaven which before through sin was shut Now these things which by vertue of Baptism are wrought in us can in us perform plainly the same things which we read in the Gospel to have happn'd in the Baptism of our Savior For the Heavens were open'd and the Holy Ghost appear'd descending upon Christ our Lord in the likeness of a Dove Whereby is signifi'd to them that are baptiz'd that Divine Gifts are bestow'd on them and Heaven Gates open'd to them not indeed that so soon as they are Baptiz'd but at a more fit opportunity they may enter into that glory when being freed from all their miseries which in that blessed state can have no place for their mortal life they shall have Immortality And these truly are the Fruits of Baptism LIX Whence the inequality of Grace in Baptism which fruits as to the vertue of that Sacrament that they equally belong to all there can be no doubt But if we consider with what mind and affection every one comes to receive it it must needs be confess'd that one receives more and another less of this heavenly Grace and the other fruits of Baptism It remains now that we plainly and briefly explain LXX The Prayers Rites and Ceremonies of Baptism to be explain'd what is fit to be handl'd concerning the Prayers Rites and Ceremonies of this Sacrament For what the Apostle admonish'd concerning the gift of Tongues that it is unprofitable to speak what the Faithful understand not The same thing may be said concerning Rites and Ceremonies for they carry in them the Image and Signification of those things which are done in the Sacrament Now if the Faithful know not the meaning and vertue of those signs it will seem that the profit of those Ceremonies cannot be very great The Pastors therefore are to take pains to make the Faithful understand them and to assure themselves That tho they are not so exceeding necessary yet that they are to be much accounted of and had in great Honor. And this both the Authority of those that appointed them who without all dispute were he Holy Apostles and also the End for which they would have those Ceremonies us'd sufficiently teaches for so it is plain That the Sacrament is administer'd with the greater Devotion and Holiness and those excellent and transcendent Gifts which are contain'd therein are put before our Eyes as it were and Gods immense bounty the more impress'd upon the Souls of the Faithfulh Of these Rites see Dionys c. 2. de Eccl. Hier. Clem. Epist â— 3. Tertul lib. de Corona milit de Bapt. passim Origin hom 12 in num Cyp. Epist 70. item vide de consecr dist 4. But all the Ceremonies and Prayers which the Church uses in the administration of Baptism LXI The explication of
the Rock and Foundation of the Church and bore the highest constancy and greatness of a generous Soul was so terrifi'd at the voice of one poor silly Woman that he deny'd not once and again only but even a third time also that he was Jesus Christ's Disciple Yea and after the Resurrection for fear of the Jews they kept themselves close shut up in a House But then on the day of Pentecost they were all fill'd with so great a power of the Holy Ghost Act. 2. that while they freely and boldly planted the Gospel which was committed to them not only in the Region of the Jews but all over the World they thought nothing could be a greater happiness to them Act. 5. than to be counted worthy to suffer Disgrace Bonds Torments and crucifyings for the name of Christ Besides The Fourth Effect Confirmation has this vertue that it imprints a Character Whence it comes to pass that for no reason whatsoever is it to be iterated as was before observ'd in Baptism and will be more fully explain'd in the Sacrament of Order in its proper place If therefore these things be diligently and often explain'd by the Pastors it can hardly be but that the Faithful knowing the dignity and profitableness of this Sacrament will use their utmost endeavors to receive it holily and religiously That Confirmation is not to be iterated See Consec dist 5. c. dictum est cap. de hom D. Thom. 3. p. q. 72. art 5. It remains now that some of the Rites and Ceremonies XX. The Rites and Ceremonies of Confirmation explain'd which the Catholic Church uses in administrating this Sacrament be briefly consider'd The explication whereof how profitable it will be the Pastors will understand if they look back to those things which were said before when they are to treat of this Point Those therefore that are confirm'd Chrism and Unction are anointed in the Fore-head with Sacred Chrism For in this Sacrament the Holy Spirit pours himself into the Souls of the Faithful and increases Strength and Courage in them that in the Spiritual Combat they may fight manfully and resist their most deadly enemies Wherefore it is declar'd Why in the Fore-head That they are not to be terrifi'd from the free confession of the Name of Christ with any fear or bashfulness the tokens of which affections are us'd to appear most in the Fore-head Rhahan l. 1. de Instit cleric c. 30. habetur de consecr dist 5. c. novissimè Aug. in Psal 141. D. Thom. 3. p. 9.71 ar 9. Besides The Sign of the Cross that Note whereby a Christian is distinguish'd from others and as it were a Soldier by certain honorable Badges is distinguish'd from the rest is given him in the most observable part of his Body This also has bin solemnly and religiously observ'd in the Church of God Why at Whitsontide That at Whitsontide especially this Sacrament is administer'd because specially on that day the Apostles were confirm'd and strengthen'd by the Power of the Holy Ghost By the remembrance of which divine work the Faithful might be admonish'd what and how great mysteries were to be consider'd in that Sacred Unction And when he that is anointed and confirm'd The Stroak that he may be put in mind that he ought as a valiant Champion to be ready prepar'd to endure all adversities with an unconquer'd and resolute Soul for the name of Christ is lightly struck upon the Breast by the Bishop And lastly the Peace is given him The Peace that he may understand that he has the Fulness of heavenly Grace and that Peace which passes all sense or understanding And let this be the sum of those things which are to be taught of the Pastors concerning the Sacrament of Chrism and that not so much by naked Words and Arguments as with an ardent study and endeavor for true Piety that they may be seen to plant these things in the inmost Souls and Thoughts of the Faithful Of the SACRAMENT of the EVCHARIST AS there is none of all those Holy Mysteries I. The Dignity of the Eucharist often to be explain'd that it may not be us'd irreverently Dionys de Eccl. Hier. c. 6. de Conse◠dist c. 2. Nihi i◠1 Cor. 11.30 which our Lord and Savior has commended to us as the certain Instruments of Divine Grace that can be compar'd with the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist So also is there no greater Punishment to be fear'd from God for any sin whatsoever than if This thing which is full of all sanctity or rather which contains the Author and Fountain of Sanctity be not holily and religiously us'd by the Faithful And this the Apostle both plainly saw and has plainly warn'd us about it For when he had declar'd under how grievous a guilt they were bound who discern'd not the Lords Body he presently subjoyns Therefore are there many sick and weak among you and many sleep That therefore the Faithful may understand both that divine Honor is to be given to this heavenly Sacrament and may gather a plentiful increase of Grace and may avoid the most just indignation of God all these things are very diligently to be explain'd by the Pastors which seem proper the more to illustrate the Majesty thereof To which purpose there will be need II. The Institution of the Eucharist first to be explain'd that following S. Pauls method who professes that he deliver'd to the Corinthians what he had receiv'd of the Lord they first of all explain to the Faithful the Institution of this Sacrament For that the thing was thus done plainly appears from the Evangelist For III. Why when and how Christ instituted the Eucharist Joh. 13. When the Lord lov'd his own he lov'd them to the end of which Love that he might give them some divine and admirable pledge knowing that the hour was now come that he must go from this World to the Father and that he might at no time ever be wanting to those that are his he in his unsearchable wisdom perfected the thing which quite surpasses all the Order and Course of Nature For celebrating the Supper of the Paschal Lamb with his Discipes that the Figure might give place to the Truth and the Shadow to the Body Mat. 26.20 Mar. 14.22 Luc. 22.19 1 Cor. 11.24 He took Bread and giving Thanks to God he Bless'd it and Brake and Gave it to his Disciples and said Take and Eat This is my Body which shall be given for you This do in Commemoration of me In like manner he took also the Chalice after he had supp'd saying This Chalice is the New Testament in my Blood This do as oft as ye shall drink it in Commemoration of me Of the Institution of the Eucharist see Trid. Sess 13. c. 2. de Euch. Leo. Serm. 7. de Pas c. 3. Euseb Emiss hom 4. habetur in consec dist 2. 1.
stir up the minds of the Faithful to receive the Grace of this Sacrament with the greatest Devotion Now the Form is I absolve thee Which we may gather not only from these words Matt. 18 16. Whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound also in Heaven but we receive the same as deliver'd by the Apostles from the same Doctrin of Christ our Lord. And because the Sacraments do signifie that which they effect Those words I absolve thee shew that Remission of sins is wrought in the Administration of this Sacrament it is evident that This is the perfect Form of Penance For sins are as it were Bands wherewith the Soul is held bound and from which by the Sacrament of Penance it is discharg'd Note Which verily the Priest may pronounce no less truly concerning that Man also who by vertue of a most ardent Contrition yet so as that he has the Wish of Confession has obtain'd from God the Pardon of his sins There are added moreover many Prayers XX. Why Prayers added to the Form of Penance not as necessary to the Form but that those things may be remov'd which may hinder the Vertue and Efficacy of the Sacrament through his Fault to whom it is administer'd Wherefore let sinners give great thanks to God who has given so large a Power to the Priests in his Church For neither XXI The Priests of the New more excellent than those of the Old Law Lev. 13.9 as in old times and under the old Law declar'd only by the Priests Testimony that some one was freed from Leprosie is there now a Power in the Church given to Priests only to declare any person to be absolv'd from sin But they do as the Ministers of God truly absolve them the same thing which God himself does who is the Author and Father of Grace and Righteousness Now the Faithful shall diligently observe the Rites also XXII What must be observ'd in coming to Penance which are us'd at this Sacrament for so it will come to pass that they will have those things better in their mind which they get in this Sacrament That as Servants they are reconcil'd to their most merciful Lord or as Children rather to their most dear Father and they will also more easily understand what they ought to do who are willing for all ought to be willing to approve themselves grateful for and mindful of so great a Benefit for he that does Penance for his sins will cast himself down with an humble and dejected mind at the Feet of the Priest that behaving himself so humbly he may plainly acknowledg that the Roots of Pride are to be pluck'd up from whence all those sins he bewails spring and had their beginning But in the Priest who sits over him as his lawful Judg he venerates the Power and Person of Christ the Lord. For the Priest as in other Sacraments so in the ministring of the Sacrament of Penance discharges the Office of Christ And then the Penitent so reckons up his sins that he confesses himself worthy of the greatest and severest punishment and humbly begs pardon of his sins All which things have most sure Evidence and Testimony of their Antiquity from S. Dennys In Ep. ad Demoph vide Tertul. lib. de Poenit. c. 9. But nothing verily so much profits the Faithful XXIII What wholsome Fâ—ui s may be taken by Penance and nothing gives them a greater chearfulness to undergo Penance as for the Pastors often to explain how great profit we may gather thence for they will understand that it may truly be said of Penance That the Roots thereof ore bitter indeed but the Fruits are most sweet All the Vertue therefore of Penance lies herein The First that it restores us to the Grace of God and joins us with him in the greatest Friendship Con. Trid. Sess 14. can 3. c. 1. de Poenit. Now after this Reconciliation The Second and Third follows sometimes in devout Men who receive this Sacrament holily and religiously the greatest Peace and Tranquâ—lity of Conscience together with the sweetest spiritual Delight For there is no wickedness The Fourth how grievous and heinous soever which the Sacrament of Penance blots not out once and again and ost-times Of which matter the Lord by the Prophet says Ezek. 18 21 If the Wicked Man do Penance for all his sins which he has done and will keep my Precepts and do my Judgment and Justice he shall live and not dye I will not remember all his iniquities which he has done And S. John If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins And a little after If any man sin says he we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole World Note But whereas we read in Scripture that some have not obtain'd Mercy of the Lord altho they earnestly implor'd it This we understand to have bin so because they did not do Penance truly and from their Heart for their sins When therefore such Sentences occur XXIV How it is to be understood that some sins are unpardonable either in Holy Scripture or in the Writings of the Holy Fathers wherein they seem to affirm that some certain sins cannot be pardon'd We must interpret them so as that we understand the Procureing of Pardon to be very difficult For as some diseases are therefore said to be incurable because the Sick person is so affected that he loaths the vertue of the Medicine that should cure him So there is a kind of sin which is not remitted nor forgiven for this reason because it repels the proper Medicine of Salvation which is the Grace of God In this sense it is said by S. Austin Aug. l. 1. de Serm. Dom. in monte c. 42. 44. Retract li. c. 8 19. So great is the pollution of that sin when after the knowledg of God through the Grace of Christ any one opposes himself to the fellowship thereof and maliciously acts against that Grace that he cannot undergo the Humility of begging Pardon altho by his evil Conscience he be forc'd to acknowledg and declare his sin Vide Aug. Serm. 1. de verb. Dom. Epist 50. ad Bonif But to return to Penance XXV Without Penance there is no Remission of sins Luc. 13.3 This is so much the Property thereof to blot out sin that without Penance we can by no means get or so much as hope for Pardon of sin For it is written Except you have Penance ye shall all likewise perish which indeed was spoken by our Lord of grievous and deadly sin altho the Lesser sins also which are call'd Venial do need some kind of Penance For S. Austin says Since there is a kind of Penance which is daily done in the Church for Venial sins That
be spoken afterwards in its proper place The third is The third That the Penitent do firmly and certainly resolve with himself to amend his Life And this the Prophet has plainly taught us in these words If the wicked will do Penance for all his sins which he has committed and keep all my precepts and do judgment and justice he shall live he shall not die I will remember none of his iniquities which he has done Ezek. 18.21 And a little after When the wicked man will turn himself from his wickedness which he has done and will do judgment and justice he shall quicken his own soul And a little after Be ye converted says he and do Penance for all your iniquities and iniquity shall not be your Ruin Cast away from you all your Prevarications wherein you have prevaricated and make you a new heart The same thing also Christ our Lord prescrib'd to the Woman taken in Adultery Go thy way Joh. 8.11 says he and now sin no more And to the Lame man that was cur'd at the Pool of Bethesaida Behold Joh. 5.14 says he thou art made whole now sin no more But Nature it self also and Reason plainly shew XLI These prov'd by an Example that these Two things are chiefly necessary to Contrition to wit Grief for sin done and a Purpose and Caution not to do the like for the time to come For he that is desirous to be reconcil'd to a friend whom he has wrong'd must both be sorry that he has done him injury or contumely and must take diligent care for the time to come not to hurt his friendship in any respect For it is fit that a man obey that Law he is under whether it be Natural Divine or Human. Wherefore if a Penitent has taken any thing from another by Force or Fraud he must restore it and also satisfie with the recompence of some profit or service him whose credit or life he has any ways hurt either by Word or Deed For that saying is sufficiently approv'd of all which we read in S. Austin Ep. 54. The sin is not forgiven unless the thing taken away be restor'd Nor among the other things chiefly belonging to Contrition The fourth are you to take less diligent or necessary care that whatsoever Injury you have receiv'd from another you wholly forgive and pardon it For so our Lord and Savior admonishes and denounces Mat. 6.14 If ye forgive men their offences your heavenly Father will also forgive you your sins but if ye forgive not men neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your sins These are the things to be observ'd of the Faithful in Contrition the other things which may easily be gather'd by the Pastors belonging to this matter will indeed make Contrition to be more perfect and absolute in its kind but are not to be accounted so necessary as that without them the Reason of true and saving Penance cannot consist But because it ought not to be enough for the Pastors to teach those things which seem to belong to Salvation XLII The Fruits of Contrition unless also they labor with all care and industry that the Faithful may direct their Life and Actions after that very manner which is prescrib'd it will be very profitable very often to propose the Power and Profitableness of Contrition For whereas very many other works of Piety as Alms to the Poor Fastings Prayers and other Good and Holy Works of that kind are sometimes rejected of God certainly this Contrition can never be ungrateful or unacceptable to him Psal 50.19 For says the Prophet A contrite and an humble heart O God thou wilt not despise But as soon as ever we have conceiv'd This in our minds those words of the same Prophet in another place declare that Remission of Sins is given us of God Psal 3.15 I said I will confess against my self my injustice to the Lord and thou forgav'st the wickedness of my sin And hereof we may see a Figure in the ten Lepers Luc. 17.14 who being sent by our Savior to the Priests before they came to them they were freed from the Leprosie Where we may perceive that such is the Power of true Contrition whereof we have before spoken that by Benefit thereof we presently get Pardon of God for all our Offences It will very much avail to stir up the minds of the Faithful XLIII How the Faithful are to be induc'd to the Practice of Contrition if the Pastors will teach them some Methods whereby every one may exercise himself in Contrition They ought therefore to admonish that frequently examining their Consciences First all men would see whether or no they have observ'd those things which by God and by the Ecclesiastcal Laws are requir'd And if any one shall find himself to be guilty of any wickedness Secondly he presently accuse himself and humbly beg pardon of the Lord. Thirdly And desire time both to confess and to make satisfaction And first of all let him pray Fourthly that he may be assisted with the help of the Divine Grace that for the time to come he commit not the same sins which he earnestly does Penance for having committed Moreover the Pastors must take care XLIV The Hatred of sin how to be stirred up to stir up the Faithful to the greatest Hatred of Sin both because the Foulness and Baseness thereof is most extream and also because it brings upon us the most grievous Losses and Calamities For it estranges the Good will of God from us from whom we have receiv'd our greatest good things and might have expected and had far greater and exposes us to eternal Death and to be forever tormented with the most extream pains and sorrows Thus far of Contrition Now we come to Confession XLV Confession how profitable which is another Part of Penance But how much Care and Diligence the Pastors ought to use in explaining thereof they easily understand from hence because almost all devout persons have held that whatsoever Holiness Piety and Religion has to this time by the great benefit of God bin preserv'd in the Church is in a great measure to be ascrib'd to Confession That none may wonder that the Enemy of Mankind when he endeavor'd utterly to overthrow the Catholic Faith by the Servants and Vassals of his wickedness has labor'd with all his Power to oppose this Point which is as it were the Fortress of Christian Vertue First therefore XLVI How necessary the Institution of Confession is it must be taught that the Institution of Confession is very profitable to us and consequently very necessary For that we may grant that by Contrition sin is done away who knows not that it ought to be so vehement bitter and hot that the sharpness of Grief may equal and bear comparison with the Greatness of the Sin but because very few come to this Degree
it came so to pass also that Pardon of Sins should be deny'd but to a very few Wherefore it was needful that the most merciful Lord should â—rder the common Salvation of Mankind after an easier way which by his admirable Counsel he has done when he deliver'd to his Church the Keys of the Kindgom of Heaven For by the Doctrin of Catholic Faith XLVII Confession perfects Contrition All must believe and constantly affirm If any one be so affected in mind as to bewail his sins and also to sin no more for the future altho he be not affected with such a kind of sorrow as may be sufficient to get him Pardon Yet when he has rightly confess'd his sins to a Priest by Vertue of the Keys all his wickednesses and sins are remitted and forgiven him That worthily by the most Holy Men our Fathers was it celebrated That an Entrance into Heaven is open'd by the Keys of the Church Whereof it is not fit for any one to doubt since we read it decreed by the Council of Florence That the Effect of Penance is Absolution from Sins Amb. Serm. 1. de Quadrag citatur de Poenit. dist 1. c. ecce nunc August lib. 2. de adult conjug 59. Chrysost de sacerd lib. 3. in Decreto Eugenii IV. And we may further learn from hence XLVIII Confession a most sure way of amending manners how much advantage Confession brings because we find by experience that there is nothing so profitable for the amendment of manners to those whose custom of Life has bin corrupt as if they lay open to some Prudent and Faithful Friend who can help him with his pains and counsel all the secret Thoughts of his Heart his Actions and Words Wherefore according to the same Reason it must be thought very wholsom for those who are conscious of the guilt of Sin to open the Sicknesses and Wounds of their Souls to a Priest as to the Vicar of Christ our Lord who is under the most severe Law of perpetual silence For they presently find Remedies prepar'd for them D. Poenit. dist 6. c. Sacerdot which have such a heavenly Vertue of curing not only the present Sickness but also of disposing the Soul in such a manner that thenceforth it will not be easie for the future to fall into the like kind of Disease and Vice Nor is this advange of Confession to be pretermitted XLIX Confession exercises the Bad. which is very pertinent to the society and conjunction of Life For it is evident that if you take away Sacramental Confession from Christian Discipline all things will be full of hidden and horrid wickedness Which afterwards and many others also much more heinous Men deprav'd by the custom of Sin will not fear to commit openly For the modesty and shame of Confessing calls a Bridle as it were upon the desire and liberty of offending and restrains Dishonesty And now the advantages of Confession being laid open L. The Description of Sacramental Confession the Pastors must teach what the Nature and Vertue thereof is They therefore define it to be an Accusation of sins which belongs to a kind of Sacrament done to this End that by vertue of the Keys we may get Pardon And it is rightly call'd an Accusation LI. With what mind sins are to be declar'd in Confession because sins are not so to be commemorated as tho we boasted of our wickedness as they do who are glad when they have done mischief nor are they altogether to be told as if for divertisement or sport to some idle Hearers we were telling some matter that had bin done but they are so declar'd by a mind accusing it self as that we desire also to revenge them in our selves But we confess our sins to the End that we may get pardon LII We must confess to get Pardon Chrys 20. in Genes because this Judgment is far unlike those Courts which make inquisitions of Capital Causes where the Pain and Punishment of Confession is not made to be a Discharge of the Fault or a Pardon of the Offence In the same sense in a manner altho in other words the most holy Fathers seem'd to have defin'd Confession as when S. Austin says Aug. Serm. 4. de Verbis Domini Greg hom 40. in Evang Confession is that by which the Disease which lay hid is laid open by the Hope of Pardon And S. Gregory Confession is the Detestation of sins either of which because it is contain'd in the definition above mentioned may easily be referr'd to it And now LIII Confession instituted of Christ which is above all the Curats shall teach and without any doubtfulness deliver to Faithful that this Sacrament was instituted by Christ our Lord who did all things well and for the sake of our Salvation For after his Resurrection the Apostles being gather'd together into one place he breath'd upon them saying Joh. 20.22 Receive ye the Holy Ghost whose sins ye remit they are remitted to them and whose sins ye retain they are retained Vide Trid. Sess 14. de poenit c. 5. can 6. Aug. lib. hom 64. citatur de poenit dist 1. c. agite Orig. hom 1. in Ps 37. Chrysost de Sacerd. lib. 3. When therefore the Lord gave power to the Priests of Retaining and Remitting sins LIV. Confession to be made to the Priest it is plain that they were made Judges of the Matter And the Lord seem'd to signifie the same thing when he gave his Apostles that imployment to loose Lazarus Joh. 11. when he was rais'd from the Dead from those Bands wherewith he was bound For S. Austin explains that place thus Aug. de vera falsa poenit â—tia c 16. Serm. 8. de verb. Domini They says he the Priests can now profit more they can spare more those that confess to whom they forgive sin to wit the Lord by the Apostles deliver'd Lazarus whom he had rais'd from the Dead to his Disciples to be loos'd shewing that the Power of Loosing was now granted to his Church Whither also belongs that which he commanded those who on their journey were cleans'd of their Leprosie that they should shew themselves to the Priests and undergo their judgment Since therefore the Lord has given to the Priests a Power of Remitting and Retaining sins it is evident that they are appointed Judges of that Matter and because as the Holy Synod of Trent has wisely admonish'd Sess 14. c. 5. can 7. de Poenit. that a true judgment cannot be made concerning any thing and in appointing punishments of sins there can be no Measure of Justice held unless the Cause be truly known and searched into from hence it follows that by the Confession of Penitents all sins are severally to be laid open to the Priests That the Priests are Judges of sins S. Austin teaches lib. 20. de civit Dei c. 9. Hieron Epist 1.
ad Heliod Chrysost lib. 3. de Sacerd. Hom. 5. de verbis Isaiae Gregor Hom. 26. in Evang. Amb. lib. 2. de Cain c. 4. Trid. Sess 14. de Poenit. c. 5. Can. 7. The Pastors therefore shall teach these things which have bin decreed by the Holy Synod of Trent LV. The Confirmation of what was said before and always deliver'd by the Catholic Church For if we attentively read the most Holy Fathers we shall every where meet with most plain testimonies whereby it will be confirm'd that this Sacrament and the Law of Sacramental Confession which they call'd in Greek Exomologesis and Exagoreusis as receiv'd from the very Gospel was instituted by Christ our Lord. But if we desire Figures of the Old Testament also without doubt those various kinds of Sacrifices which were made by the Priests for the expiating of divers kinds of sins do seem to belong to the Confession of sins But because the Faithful are to be taught that Confession was instituted by our Lord and Savior LVI Ceremonies us'd at Confession It is fit that there should be also some Rites and solemn Ceremonies added by the Authority of the Church to admonish them which tho they belong not to the vertue of the Sacrament yet they put more plainly before mens Eyes the dignity thereof and dispose the Souls of them that Confess being already kindl'd with devotion the more easily to obtain the Grace of God For when with uncover'd Head cast down at the Priests feet with countenance down towards the Earth and hands stretch'd forth in a beseeching posture and giving other such like signs of Christian Humility which are not indeed necessary to the Reason or Vertue of the Sacrament we confess our sins from these things we may evidently understand both that there is a Heavenly Vertue in the Sacrament and also that the divine Mercy is to be sought and procur'd by us with the greatest study And now let no one think that Confession was indeed instituted of the Lord LVII The Necessity of Confession but yet so as tho he had not told us that the Use of it is necessary For let the Faithful be assur'd of this that he who is opprest by any Mortal Sin ought to be call'd back to Spiritual Life by the Sacrament of Confession Which thing indeed by a very fair Tradition from our Lord we see plainly signifi'd when he call'd the Power of administring this Sacrament the Key of the Kingdom of Heaven For as no one can go in to any place Mat. 16.19 without the help of him to whom are committed the Keys so we understand that no one is admitted into Heaven except the Doors are open'd them by the Priests to whose Trust the Lord has committed the Keys Otherwise there will plainly seem to be no Use at all of the Keys in the Church and in vain will he to whom the power of the Keys is given prohibit any one the entrance of Heaven if notwithstanding some other way to enter in there may be open'd Now this was excellently observ'd by S. Austin when he said Lib. 50. hom 49. Let no one say to himself I do Penance secretly before God God knows who pardons me what I do in my Heart Mat. 18. Is it therefore without reason said What ye loose on Earth shall be loos'd in Heaven Were the Keys therefore without cause given to the Church of God And to the same sense S. Ambrose in the Book he has left written concerning Penance where he would root up the Heresie of the Novatians Lib. 1. de Poenit. c. 12. who asserted that the Power of forgiving sins was reserv'd to the Lord alone And who says he reverence God more those that obey or those that resist his Commandments God has commanded us to obey his Ministers whom when we obey we give honor to God only But seeing it cannot be doubted LVIII At what Age we are bound to confess that the Law of Confession was made and establish'd by the Lord himself it remains that we see at what time of Age and Years men ought to obey it First therefore by the Canon of the Council of Lateran Lateran Concil c. 21. whose beginning is Omnis Vtriusque sexûs it is evident that no body is bound by the Law of Confession before that Age wherein he may have the Use of Reason Nor yet is that Age by any certain number of years defin'd But this seems to be held in general that Confession ought to be enjoyn'd to a Child from the time when he has the power of discerning betwixt Good and Evil and when his mind is capable of sorrow For when any one comes to that time of his Life when he can consider of his eternal Salvation then ought he to begin to confess his sins to a Priest when otherwise no one can hope for Salvation who is loaded with the Conscience of wickedness But at what time especially Confession ought to be made LIX At what time Confession must be made Holy Church has decreed in that Canon before mentioned For it commands all the Faithful to confess their sins at least once a year But if we consider what the Reason of our Salvation requires verily as often as the danger of Death hangs over us or that we set about any thing the doing whereof does not suit with a person polluted with sin as when we administer or receive the Sacraments so often Confession is not to be pretermitted And the same thing we ought strictly to observe when we fear or are likely to forget any sin we have done Neither can we confess sins which we remember not Neither can we get Pardon of God for those sins unless the Sacrament of Penance by Confession blot them out But because in Confession LX. Confession only to be intire many things are to be observ'd whereof some belong to the Nature of the Sacrament and others are not so necessary concerning these things it must be carefully treat'd For neither are there Books and Commentaries wanting from whence it is easie to fetch the Explication of these things But first of all let the Curats teach this that in Confession there must be care taken that it be intire and absolute For all Mortal sins must be reveal'd to a Priest LXI All Mortal sins altho hid must be confess'd For Venial Sins which do not pluck us away from the Grace of God altho rightly and profitably we confess them as the practice of devout men shews yet they may be pretermitted without Fault and may be expiated many other ways But deadly sins as was said before must be reckon'd up altho they were done never so secretly and undiscover'd and were of that sort which are forbid in the Two last Heads of the Decalogue For it often happens that they wound the Soul more than those which men are use to commit plainly and openly For so it has bin
rusty with the most filthy stains of sin And now we must speak concerning the Minister of this Sacrament And that he is a Priest LXXI An ordinary Priest the lawful Minister of Confession who has the Ordinary or Delegated Power of Absolving sufficiently appears from the Ecclesiastical Laws For he must have not only the Power of Order but of Jurisdiction also that discharges this Office A clear testimony of this Ministery we have from our Lords words in S. John Joh. 20.23 Whose sins ye remit they are remitted and whose sins ye retain they are retain'd And it is manifest that this was spoken not to all but to the Apostles only to whom the Priests succeeded in this Office And this is very consentaneous for whereas every kind of Grace which is given in this Sacrament is deriv'd to the Members from Christ the Head rightly ought they to administer this to Christ's mystic Body i. e. to the Faithful who only have power of consecrating his true Body especially seeing the Faithful by this Sacrament of Penance are made fit and well dispos'd for receiving the Sacred Eucharist But with how great Religion in old times Note in the Primitive Church the Right of the ordinary Priest was preserv'd is easily gather'd from the antient Decrees of the Fathers Whereby it is provided That no Bishop or Priest shall presume to act any thing in another's Diocess or Parish either by his authority who is over him or unless a great necessity seems to compel it And it was so decreed by the Apostle when he commanded Titus Tit. 1.5 That he should appoint Priests in every City to wit who might feed and educate the Faithful with the Heavenly Food of Doctrin and of the Sacraments Altho if there be imminent danger of Death LXXII At the Point of Death every Priest is the Minister of Confession and the proper Priest cannot be had that by this occasion none might perish the Council of Trent teaches That it has bin observ'd in the Church of God that it is lawful for any Priest not only to remit all kinds of sins to whose jurisdiction soever they belong but even to absolve them from the Bond of Excommunication also Sess 14. c. 6. de Peonit Now besides the Power of Order LXXIII The Qualities of the Minister of Confession and of Jurisdiction which are very necessary It is first Necessary that the Minister of this Sacrament be indu'd both with knowledg and Learning and Prudence For he bears the Person both of a Judg and of a Physician As to the First That he be Learn'd It is evident enough that it is not a common Knowledg which is necessary and which enables him to discover sins of the divers kinds of sins to judg which are weighty which are lighter according to the Rank and quality of the Person But as he is a Physician Prudent Ex Basilio in reg brâ—vib q. 229. he has need of the greatest prudence also For great care must be taken that those Remedies be apply'd to the sick person which seem to be proper to heal his Soul and to strengthen it for the future against the force of the Distemper Whence the Faithful may understand Of upright Life that every one ought to take extraordinary care to choose himself a Priest whose Integrity of Life Learning and prudent Judgment may commend him Who understands well of how grat weight and Moment the Office is wherein he is plac'd and what Punishment is suitable to every offence and who are to be absolv'd and who to be bound But because there is no one who does not earnestly desire LXXIV Most strictly forbid to reveal the sins of the Penitent that his Wickedness and Shame might be hid The Faithful are to be admonish'd that there is no reason to fear lest those things which they reveal in Confession shall ever be made known to any one by the Priest or lest he may at any time fall into danger thereby For the Sacred Laws will most severely revenge it upon those Priests who shall not have conceal'd with perpetual and religious silence all sins which any one shall have confess'd to them Wherefore in the great Council of Lateran we read thus Cap. 21. Let the Priest take special heed that neither by Word or Sign or by any other way he at any time betray the sinner And now the Order of the Matter requires LXXV The Negligence of sinners reprov'd since we have spoken of the Minister that some special Heads should be explain'd which are not a little suitable to the Use and Practice of Confession For a great part of the Faithful to whom commonly nothing seems more tedious than the passing away of those days which by Ecclesiastical Law are appointed for confession are so far from Christian Perfection that scarcely do they remember those sins which are to be reveal'd to the Priest nor yet do they diligently take care of those things which it is plain have a very great Power to reconcile the Divine Grace to them Wherefore since all endeavor must be us'd to further their Salvation The Priest shall carefully observe in the Penitent LXXVI It must be well observ'd whether the Penitent be contrite whether he have a true contrition for his sins and be stedfastly resolv'd for the time to come to leave them off And if they shall observe him to be so affected LXXVII When the Penitent is found contrite what he is to be exhorted to they shall earnestly admonish and exhort him that for so great and singular a benefit he give God his greatest thanks and never cease to seek of him the protection of his Heavenly Grace Wherewith being arm'd and secur'd he may easily resist and oppose his evil lusts He is also to be taught that he suffer no day to pass without meditating somewhat of the Mysteries of the Passion of our Lord and stir up and inflame himself to imitate him and to love him with the greatest Charity for by this Meditation he will obtain this that he will feel himself every day more and more safe from all the Temptations of the Devil For neither is there any other cause why we yield both our courage and our strength so soon and so easily to be overcome by the Enemy than that we labor not by the Meditation of heavenly things to conceive the Fire of divine Love whereby our Mind might be refresh'd and supported But if the Priest shall understand LXXVIII If he seem not to be contrite what is then to be done that he that is willing to confess does not so bewail his sins as that he may truly be said to be contrite he shall endeavor to affect him with an earnest desire of Contrition that thenceforth being inflam'd with the desire of this excellent Gift he may resolve with himself to beg and beseech it of the mercy of God But first of
Extream-Unction is to be receiv'd that nothing may hinder the Grace of this Sacrament and yet that nothing is more contrary to it than the Conscience of any mortal sin the perpetual Practice of the Church Catholic is to be observ'd That before Extream-Unction the Sacraments of Penance and of the Eucharist are to be administer'd And then let the Curats endeavor to perswade the Sick Person to yield the same Faith to the Priests anointing him as those of old times were us'd to give when they were to be heal'd by the Apostles But first of all XXIV The intention of him that desires Extream-Unction the Health or Salvation of the Soul is to be pray'd for and then the Recovery of the Body with this Adjunct if it may be for his Eternal Glory Nor ought the Faithful to doubt XXV This Sacrament to be receiv'd with very great Trust but that those Holy and Solemn Prayers are heard of God which the Priest not bearing his own but the Person of the Church and of our Lord Jesus Christ uses Who in one thing especially are to be exhorted That they will take care Holily and Religiously to administer this Sacrament of the Oyl of Health and Salvation when a sharper Fight seems to begin and the strength both of Soul and Body seems to decay And now who the Minister of Extream-Unction is XXVI A Priest the Minister of this Sacrament we have learn'd of the same Apostle who has publish'd the Law of our Lord For he says Let him call for the Elders By which name he means not those who are elder in Age as by the Synod of Trent has wisely bin expounded or those who have chief place among the People but the Priests who are rightly ordain'd by the Bishops by the Imposition of Hands Ja. 5.14 Sess 14. c. 3. To the Priest therefore the Administration of this Sacrament is committed Nor yet XXVII Of whom this Sacrament to be receiv'd according to the Decree of Holy Church is this power giv'n to every Priest but to the proper Pastor who has Jurisdiction or to some other to whom he has given the Power to discharge his Office But this is specially to be observ'd Note that the Priest in this Administration as it is in the other Sacraments also carries the Person of Christ and of the Holy Church his Spouse The Advantages also of this Sacrament are diligently to be explain'd XXVIII The Fruit of this Sacrament That if nothing els would draw the people to the use thereof they may be led by the very advantage of it seeing it is so order'd as that we may turn almost all things to our own profit The Pastors therefore shall teach The First that in this Sacrament Grace is given which forgives sins and specially the Lesser and as they are commonly call'd Venial For Deadly Sins are taken away by the Sacrament of Penance For neither was this primarily instituted for the Remission of Greater Sins but Baptism only and Penance effect This. There is another Advantage of Sacred Unction The Second that it frees the Soul from Sickness and Infirmity which it has contracted by Sin and from all the other Relics of Sin But that time is to be thought most seasonable for this Cure when we are afflicted with any grievous Sickness and our Life is in danger For it is natural to Man to fear nothing in the World so much as Death Now the Remembrance of former sins very much increases this Fear especially when the Conscience most sharply accuses For as it is written Sap. 4.21 The Fearful shall come into the Consideration of their Sins and their Iniquities shall stand up against them And then the Care and Thought grievously presses them that shortly after they must stand before the Tribunal of God from whom we must receive a most just Sentence according as we have deserv'd But it often happens that the Faithful being strick'n with this Fear feel themselves wonderfully puzzl'd But there is nothing conduces more to the Tranquility of Death The Third than to cast away sorrow and cheerfully to wait for the Lords coming and to be ready willingly to restore what he has intrusted us with whensoever he pleases to call for it from us That therefore the Minds of the Faithful be freed from this Trouble and that the Soul be fill'd with a pious and Holy Joy The Sacrament of Extream-Unction brings to pass Besides The Fourth from hence we get another which may well seem the greatest of all For tho the Enemy of Mankind never ceases as long as we live to endeavor our Ruin and Destruction yet that he might destroy us and if he could possibly bring it about that he might take from us all Hope of God's Mercy he never uses his utmost might and main more violently than when he perceives we draw towards our End Wherefore there is Strength and Weapons minister'd to the Faithful in this Sacrament wherewith they may break the Force and Violence of the Adversary and stoutly fight against him For the Soul of the Sick is eas'd and encourag'd with the Hope of Gods Goodness and being confirm'd therewith she lightly endures all Inconveniencies and more easily escapes the Wiles and Subtilties of the Devil endeavouring treacherously to insnare her Lastly The Fifth follows Health of Body also if it be good for him But if at such Time XXIX Why this Sacrament not so effectual as ir might be the Sick Recover not their Health this comes not by the Fault of the Sacrament but it must be believ'd to come to pass for this Reason because in a great part The Faith either of those who are anointed with Sacred Oyl or of those by whom it is administer'd is weak For the Evangelist testifies Mat. 13.38 That the Lord did not do many mighty works among his own Countrymen because of their Vnbelief Altho it may truly be said That Christian Religion by how much the deeper it has taken Root in the Souls of Men does stand in less need of the proof of such Miracles as these than formerly in the Infancy of the Church it seem'd to do But yet our Faith is here to be excited For XXX The Faith and Hope of the Sick to be incourag'd Howsoever by the Will and Counsel of God it shall happen to the Health of the Body yet the Faithful ought to be strengthen'd with an assur'd Hope that by vertue of the Sacred Oyl they shall get Spiritual Health and that it shall be that if it chance that they go out of this Life they shall have the benefit of that excellent Word Apoc. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead which dye in the Lord. Thus much has bin spoken briefly concerning the Sacrament of Extream Unction But if these Heads of Matters be more largely explain'd by the Pastors and with the diligence as becomes them it is not to be doubted but the
Take thou power of offering Sacrifice c. by which words the Church has always taught while the Matter is exhibited that the Power of Consecrating the Eucharist a Character being impress'd on the Soul is deliver'd to which is adjoin'd Grace rightly and lawfully to discharge that Office Which thing the Apostle declares in these words 2 Tim. 1.9 I admonish thee that thou stir up the Grace of God which is in thee by the Imposition of my hands for God has not given us the Spirit of Fear but of Power and of Love and of Sobriety And now to use the words of Sacred Synod since the Administration of so great a Priesthood is so Divine a thing that it might be exercis'd so much the more worthily and with so much the greater Veneration it was fit that in the most comely and orderly Disposition of the Church there should be many and divers Orders in the Church who by their Office might serve the Priesthood and those indeed who thus are distributed are now to be known by their being shav'd in the manner of Clerks and ascend thro the lesser to the greater Orders It shall therefore be taught that these Orders are seven in number XXII How many Orders of Ministers of the Church and what they are as has always bin taught in the Catholic Church the Names whereof are these Door-keeper Reader Exorcist Acolyt Sub-deacon Deacon Priest These Orders have bin remember'd by Dionys lib. Eccl. hier cap. 3. Cornel. Papa in Ep. ad Fab. Epist Antioch extat apud Euseb Hist Eccl. l. 6. c. 35. Conc. Carth. 4. Can. 4. sequ Ignat Ep. ad Antioch Now that this number of Ministers is rightly defin'd may be prov'd XXIII Why so many by reason of those Ministers which seem necessary to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to the consecrating and administring the Eucharist for which cause especially they were instituted Now of these there are some Greater XXIV Some Orders greater some lesser and which they are which are also call'd Sacred and there are Others Lesser The Greater or Sacred are the Orders of Priesthood of Deaconship and Sub-deaconship To the Lesser Orders are referr'd the Acolyts Exorcists Readers and Door-keepers of all which severally we will say a little that the Curats may have wherewith to instruct those chiefly whom they know are to be receiv'd into any Holy Order And we must begin at the First shaving XXV What the first shaving is which must be taught to be a kind of Preparation to Orders For as men are us'd to be prepar'd for Baptism by Exorcisms and for Matrimony by Betrothing So when by shaving the Hair of the Head they are dedicated to God there is an Entrance as it were open'd them to the Sacrament of Order For it is declar'd what kind of person he ought to be who desires to receive Ordination For the Name of Clerk XXVI Where the Name of Clerk is taken which is then first put upon him is taken from hence that he begins to have the Lords Lot and his Inheritance as those among the Hebrew people who were bound to the Divine Service to whom the Lord forbad any portion of Fields to be given in the Land of Promise Numb 18.20 when he said I am thy Part and Inheritance And tho this be common to all the Faithful yet in a special manner it must needs suit to them who have consecrated themselves to the Ministry of God Vide Hieron Epist 2. ad Nepot citatur 12. q. 1. c. Clericus And the Hair of their Head is cut in the fashion and likeness of a Crown XXVII Why the Hair of the Head cut in the shape of a Crown which they ought always to keep And as any one is afterwards plac'd in a higher Degree of Order so that Round Form is every way cut larger And this came indeed from the Tradition of the Apostles XXVIII From whence this Usage of cutting the Hair as the Church teaches since of this kind of cutting the Hair S. Dennys the Areopagite S. Austin S. Hierom the most antient and grave Fathers have taken notice Dionys de Eccles Hier. c. 6. part 2. Aug. Serm. 17. ad Fratres in Eremo Hier. in cap. 44. Ezek. vide Rhaban Maur. lib. de Institut Cleric Bed lib. hist 5. Angl. c. 22. Now they report XXIX Why Clerks appointed to bear the â—â—r â— of a Crown that the Prince of the Apostles first of all brought in this Custom for preserving the Remembrance of the Crown of Thorns which was put upon our Saviors Head that what wicked men intended for reproach and Torture the same the Apostles us'd for their Ornament and Glory The first Reas n. And they also signifi'd that the Ministers of the Church are to take care that in all things they carry the Resemblance and Figure of Christ our Lord. Altho some do assert The second Reaâ—on that by this Note is declar'd their Royal Dignity which seems suitable to those who are call'd into the Lot of the Lord. For that which the Apostle Peter attributed to the Faithful people Ye are a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood a Holy Nation we easily understand to belong to the Ministers of the Church in a kind of peculiar and more proper manner And there are not wanting some who think by this Circular or Round Figure The third Reason which of all others is most perfect is signified either the Profession of that more perfect life undertaken by Clerks or the Contempt of External things and the Freedom of the Soul from all human cares because the Hair of their Heads being a kind of superfluous Excrement of the Body is shorn of After the First shaving XXX The Order and Office of Door-keepers the first degree is us'd to be made to the Order of Door-keepers whose Office is to keep the Keys and Doors of the Church and to keep them from entring into it who are forbid He assisted also at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and took care that no one should come nearer to the Sacred Altar than was fit and answer'd the Priest doing Divine Service There were other Services also committed to him as may be perceiv'd by the Rites which are us'd at his Consecration For the Bishop taking the Keys off the Altar and delivering them to him says thus to him whom he makes a Door-keeper So behave thy self as thou wilt give an account to God for those things which are kept under these Keys Now that in the antient Church the Dignity of this Order was Great XXXI The Dignity of Door-keepers is understood from hence because to this time we observe it to be kept in the Church For the Office of Treasurer which was also the Keeper of the Sacristary which belong'd to the Door-keepers is even at this time accounted among the better Offices of the Church De Ostiario vide Trid. Sess 23. de
study and desire to God who is the chiefest Good And then we must desire those things that unite us most with God but those things that separate us from him or any way cause us to be disjoyn'd from him are utterly to be remov'd far from our studies and desires Hence we gather how all other things The Third which are call'd Good next after that chiefest and perfect Good are both to be wish'd and pray'd for of God our Father for those Goods that are outward and belong to the Body as Health Strength Beauty Riches Honors Glory which oftentimes afford matter and occasion to Sin for which cause it is that they are not at all devoutly and piously to be pray'd for that Petition shall be limited in these Bounds that we pray for the Conveniences of this Life for necessitie's sake which ground of Prayer is refer'd to God For tho we may in our Prayers ask those things which Jacob and Solomon pray'd for III. How bodily Goods are to be desir'd Gen. 28 20. Prov. 30.8 Jacob thus If he will give me Bread to eat and Clothes to put on the Lord shall be my God And Solomon thus Only give me necessary food Now since of Gods Liberality we are suppli'd with Food and Raiment It is but meet that we remember that Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Cor 7.30 Let them that buy be as tho they possess'd not and those that use this World as tho they us'd it not for the figure of this World passes away Again Psal 61.11 If Riches increase set not your heart upon them Whose fruit and use is only ours but yet so as that we communicate with others as we are taught by God himself If we have Ability IV. The true use of outward Goods if we abound with other outward Goods of the Body let us remember that they are therfore given us that we may serve God with more ease and lend our Neighbor all things of this kind And then for the Goods and Ornaments of the Understanding V. Under what condition Arts and Sciences to be pray'd for of which kind are Learning and Arts we may not pray for them but on this condition only if they will be profitable to us for God's Glory and our Salvation but that which is absolutely and without any adjunct or condition to be pray'd for wish'd and begg'd as we said before is the Glory of God and after that all things else that may joyn us to that most excellent Good as Faith the Fear of God and his Love of which we will speak more fully in the explication of the Petitions For whom we are to Pray NOw it being known what things are to be pray'd for I. There is no sort of Men which are not to be pray'd for the Faithful are to be taught for whom they are to pray Prayer contains Petition and Thanksgiving wherefore we will first speak concerning Petition We must therefore pray for all without any Exception either of Differences of Favour or of Religion For whether he be Enemy Stranger or Infidel he is our Neighbor whom because by God's Command we ought to love it follows that we ought to make Prayers also for them which is the Office of Love for thither tends that Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.1 I beseech you that Prayers be made for all Men. In which Prayer we are first to beg those things which concern the Welfare of the Soul Note and then that of the Body Now we ought to perform this Office first for the Pastors of our Souls II. First We must pray for the Pastors of our Souls Col. 4.3 whereof we admonish'd by the Apostle from his own Example for he writes to the Colossians to pray for him that God would open him a Door of Speech which also he do's to the Thessalonians And in the Acts of the Apostles we read Acts 12.5 That Prayer was made by the Church without ceasing for Peter Of which Duty also we are admonish'd by S. Basil in his Books de Moribus For says he we must pray for them that are over us in the Word of Truth Basil lib. Moral Reg. 56. c. 5. item Homil. in Isaiam In the second place Secondly For Princes we must pray for Princes according to the Sentence of the same Apostle For how great Public Good we enjoy by just and pious Princes there is no one ignorant God therefore is to be entreated that those that are above other Men may be such kind of Persons as they ought to be Vide Tertul. Apolog. 30. ad Scap. c. 2. There are Examples of Holy Men Thirdly For Pious Men. whereby we are admonish'd to pray for good and pious Men for they also stand in need of the Prayers of others Which is so order'd of God that they may not be puff'd up with Pride while they see that they want the Prayers of their Inferiors Besides Fourthly For Enemies Our Lord has commanded us to pray for our Persecuters and Slanderers Matth. 5.44 For Fifthly For Strangers from the Church it is well known from the Testimony of S. Austin that this Practice of making Supplications and Prayers for those that were without the Church was receiv'd from the Apostles That Faith might be given to Infidels that Idol-worshippers might be deliver'd from the Error of their Impiety that the Jews the Darkness of their Souls being dispell'd might receive the Light of Truth that Heretics returning to Soundness of Mind might be instructed in the Precepts of Catholic Doctrin that Schismatics being bound with the Band of true Charity might be joyn'd in Communion with our most Holy Mother the Church from whom they fell away Now how great a force hearty Prayers made for this kind of Men has appears by so many Examples of Men of all sorts which God daily carries being snatch'd out of the Power of Darkness into the Kingdom of the Son of his Love and of Vessels of Wrath he makes them Vessels of Mercy In which Case no one in his right Mind can doubt that the Intercession of Devout Men prevails very much Vide S. Aug Epist 107. ad Vitel. Cyprian de Orat. Domin Item Caelestinum Papam Epist 1. c. 11. And Prayers for the Dead Sixthly For the Dead that they may be delivered from the Fire of Purgatory did flow from the Doctrin of the Apostles concerning which enough was said when we spake of the Sacrifice of the Mass Dionys cap. lib. de Eccles Hierarch c. 6 7. Clem. Pap. Epist 1. lib. Constit Apost Tert. de Coron Milit. in Exhort ad Castit in lib. de Monog Cypr. Epist 66. But those that are said to sin unto Death Seventhly For Sinners Intercessions and Prayers profit them but little yet it is the part of Christian Charity both to pray for them and even with Tears to wrestle for them if by any means they can render
253 There is no Measure set to the Hatred of Sin 253 The proper Grief of Contrition to be apply'd to every Mortal Sin 254 What things are necessary to true Contrition ibid. A Motive to stir up Contrition 256 257 The Fruit of Contrition ibid. The various Names of Contrition 251 Creation 24 c. What God created he preserves 27 28 What a New Creature in Christ is Pag. 336 337 The Cross of Christ how precious it is 525 The Crowns prepar'd of God for them that overcome 542 543 The Curse wherewith Man was condemn'd after Adam's Sin 510 511 D ON the Lord's Day what the Faithful ought to do and from what they ought to abstain 373 The Commandment for keeping Holy-days 369 c. Why the Observation of Holy-days appointed 370 Other Holy-days besides the Sabboth among the Jews 376 Why other Holy-days besides the Lord's-day appointed by the Church ibid. The most celebrated Days in the Church ibid. In what Works Christians ought to exercise themselves on Holy-days 377 Debts what they are which we pray to be forgiven 525 Why those Debts call'd Ours 526 The Precepts of the Decalogue 332 The Decalogue the Sum of all Laws ibid. The Ten Commandments of the Decalogue depend upon Two of Charity 333 With how great Majesty the Law of the Decalogue was given Pag. 335 To believe that God is the Author of the Decalogue is of very great use for the observing of the Law ibid. The Cause of Christ's Descent into Hell 59 Detraction or Defamation see the Eighth Commandment 426 The Devil's Malice against Men. 534 The Devil counterfeiting an Angel of Light persuades Men to seek those things as good which are not so 504 VVhy the Devil call'd the Prince and Ruler of the VVorld of Darkness 534 VVho they are that the Devil opposes not 535 VVhy the Devil is specially call'd the Evil one 548 VVe ascribe to the Devil as the Author and Persuader of it all the Evil we suffer from our Neighbor 549 The proper Office of the Devil 537 VVith what intent the Devil tempts Men. ibid. VVhy the Devil call'd the Tempter ibid. VVhat Means the Devil uses to tempt ibid. E TO love Enemies the most excellent Office of Charity 400 401 VVho love their Enemies are the Children of God Pag. 528 VVe must not be angry at our Enemies but at the Devil 549 VVe must forgive our Enemies if we would be forgiven 527 VVe must love our Enemies 528 VVhat they ought to beg of God who forgive not their Enemies 529 Visible Enemies of what sort they are 533 The Enemies of Mankind use all their Arts against us ibid. They that abstain long from the Eucharist suffer exceeding great loss 228 The Institution of the Eucharist 194 The Dignity and Excellency of the Eucharist ibid. The Sacrament of the Eucharist call'd by many Nanes 185 VVhy the Eucharist call'd a Communion ibid. Not lawful after Meat and Drink to receive the Eucharist 196 The Eucharist truly a Sacrament and One of the Seven ibid. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist we adore the Body and Blood of Christ 197 VVhat things properly have the Nature of a Sacrament in the Eucharist ibid. The Difference between the Eucharist and other Sacraments Pag. 197 The Consecration of the Matter makes the Sacrament of the Eucharist perfect ibid. The Eucharist is only One Sacrament and no more 198 The Sacrament of the Eucharist signifies Three things ibid. The Matter of the Sacrament of the Eucharist double ibid. VVhy a little VVater is mingled with the VVine 201 What the Bread and Wine signifie in the Sacrament of the Eucharist 202 The Form of the Sacrament of the Eucharist 203 The Form of Consecration of the Wine and the Declaration thereof 204 In the Sacrament of the Eucharist Three things very admirable 208 In the Eucharist the true Body and Blood of Christ are contain'd ibid. The Sacrament of the Eucharist not only a Sign of Christ's Body 209 The Fruit of the Eucharist 212 In the Sacrament of the Eucharist whole Christ is contain'd ibid. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist what things are by Concomitancy 213 Why in the Sacrament of the Eucharist are made two several Consecrations 214 In every Particle of both kinds of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is contain'd whole Christ Pag. 214 The Substance of Bread and Wine in the Sacrament of the Eucharist do not remain after Consecration ibid. Why after Consecration the Sacrament of the Eucharist is call'd Bread and VVine 216 The admirable Conversion in the Sacrament of the Eucharist is call'd Transubstantiation 217 The Sacrament of the Eucharist not curiously to be pry'd into ibid. After what manner Christ is in the Sacrament of the Eucharist 218 The Resemblance of Bread and Wine remain in the Sacrament of the Eucharist without any Subject matter ibid. Why Christ appointed the Sacrament of the Eucharist to be administred under the Species of Bread and Wine 219 The Eucharist is the Fountain of all Graces 220 How the Eucharist gives Grace 221 The first Grace not given to Man unless he have first receiv'd the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least in desire 221 222 The Eucharist is the End of all the Sacraments ibid. Manna a Figure of the Eucharist Pag. 222 The Advantages of the Eucharist 223 Three Ways of Receiving the Eucharist 224 They deprive themselves of very great Good that being prepar'd to receive Christ's Body Sacramentally receive it only Spiritually ibid. None may receive the Eucharist before Sacramental Confession if a Priest may be had and if they be conscious of Mortal Sin 226 The Sacrament of the Eucharist ought to be receiv'd Fasting 227 Who are Married ought to abstain from their VVives certain Days before they come to the Communion ibid. The Communion of the Eucharist often to be iterated 227 228 The Soul is daily to be fed with the Sacrament of the Eucharist 228 In old times the Faithful did daily receive the Eucharist ibid. They are excepted from the Communion of the Eucharist who by reason of Age have not the use of Reason 229 VVhy the Eucharist denied to Infants 230 The Eucharist not to be given Mad-men ibid. Lay-people may not receive the Eucharist in both Kinds Pag. 231 VVhy the Church prohibited the Custom of Communicating under both Species ibid. The Power of Consecrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist given to the Priests only 232 VVho is not Consecrated ought not to touch the Sacred Vessels ibid. The Eucharist is a Sacrifice 233 The Eucharist is a Sacrifice most acceptable to God ibid. The Eucharist instituted of Christ for two Causes ibid. The Eucharist as it is a Sacrifice has the Vertue not only of Meriting but also of Satisfying 234 VVhen the Sacrifice of the Eucharist was instituted ibid. The Figures and Prophecies of the Eucharist 235 The Sacrament of the Eucharist an inexpressible Pledge of Charity 517 VVhy the Sacrament of the Eucharist call'd Our Bread 518 VVhy the Sacrament of the
the first Person of the Trinity call'd Father Ibid. What belongs to the Divine Persons ought not to be curiously search'd into Ibid. Christian Philosophy differs from the wisdom of the World 16 What the Philosophers thought of God Ibid. The Pope of Rome is the Head of the Catholic Church 92 The Supreme Dignity and Jurisdiction of the Pope of Divine Right Ibid. The Pope is the Supreme Governour of the Universal Church the Successor of St. Peter and Christ's true and lawful Vicar Ibid. God is first to be pray'd to and then the Saints 464 The best way of praying 457 For whom we must pray 461 The Saints are to be pray'd to and after what manner we beg them to take pity on us 464 The manner of Prayer 469 We must pray in Spirit and Truth Ibid. Infidels cannot pray in Spirit and Truth 470 We must pray in Christ's name 471 By praying to God we honour him 452 The Divine Majesty approaches to him that prays 551 They that pray converse with God Ibid. The benefits and advantages of such as pray 452 Many degrees of Prayer and Thanksgiving 455 c. The manner of vocal Prayer 469 What sinners God hears and helps when they pray 558 Prayer to God necessary 450 Christ pray'd all night 470 The power that Prayer has with God 471 The profitableness and advantage of Prayer 452 c. Prayer is an argument of Religion Ibid. By Prayer we acknowledge our subjection to God Ibid. Prayer is the Key of Heaven Ibid. The Vertue and Advantage of Prayer Ibid. Of what parts Prayer consists 455 The two principal parts of Prayer 456 The Prayer of such as have not yet receiv'd the light of Faith 458 The Prayer of such as God hears not 459 Prayers for the wicked have great influence 462 Prayers for the Dead in Purgatory flow'd from the Apostles Ibid. Prayers for such as are in mortal sin not very efficacious Ibid. What he ought to think that pronounces the Lord's Prayer before the Images of the Saints 465 Prayer must be humble Ibid. The preparation of Prayer Ibid. What sins they must avoid that would have their Prayers heard of God 466 Contempt of God's Laws makes our Prayers execrable Ibid. Prayer admits of no doubting 467 Mental Prayer excludes not vocal 469 Mental Prayer is more excellent Ibid. The proper advantage and necessity of vocal Prayer Ibid. Private and public Prayer 470 The Exposition of the Lord's Prayer 472 The Preface of the Lord's Prayer Prayer made for another profits himself 481 Prayer is a weapon against the Devil 541 The order to be observed in Prayer 545 The preposterous order us'd by some in their Prayers 544 The Preaching of God's word never to be intermitted In the Preface The authority of the Preachers of God's word Ibid. Preparation to Prayer wherein it consists 465 Preparation before the Communion what it ought to be and how necessary 225 226 Preparation to the Communion requires us to come fasting 227 The Priest alone has the power of consecrating the Eucharist 232 VVhen Christ instituted Prists 235 Priests are to conceal in perpetual silence the sins reveal'd to them in Confession 268 Priests call'd Gods and Angels 293 The Priests of the New Testament more excellent than all others 293 297 The Priests Power very great 294 VVhat they ought to propose to themselves that are to be initiated into Holy Orders Ibid. Mercenary Priests 294 295 Priests entring in by the door of the Church 295 VVhen the Power is given to the Priest by the Bishop Pag. 298 The Ceremonies used in Ordaining Priests and other Clerks 298 c. The Order of Priesthood tho it be burdensom yet it has divers degrees of Dignity and Power 308 VVhat is requir'd in him that is to be made Priest 311 VVhat knowledge is required in a Priest Ibid. Two duties of a Priest Ibid. The Nobility and Excellency of a Priest 236 The charge of a Priest to be lay'd upon none rashly 310 VVho are said to be call'd to the Priesthood 294 The Power of the Priesthood double 296 The Power of the Priesthood of the Law of the Gospel far more excellent than that of the written Law or Law of Nature 297 The Power of the Priesthood of the Gospel has its Original from Christ Ibid. That Priesthood two-fold 306 The Office of the Priesthood 307 The duty of Prosecutors and Advocates 434 God's Providence towards Men. 490 c. Purgatory 57 R REdemption the great benefits we receive thereby 54 Remedies against evil desires Pag. 447 The remedies of a sick soul are Penance and the Eucharist 289 Remission of sins to be had in the Church 102 With how great thankfulness the benefit of remission of sins is to be receiv'd 103 Christ has given the power of remitting sins in the Church to the Bishops and Priests Ibid. Our sins remitted by Christ's blood 105 None can obtain remission of sins without Penance 526 Restitution necessary to a Penitent 419 Who are to be compell'd to make restitution 419 420 The Resurrection of Christ and the glorious Mystery of it 62 c. Christ rose again by his own power 61 By the benefit of the Resurrection Christ is become the first fruits of all Ibid. That Christ rose again the third day how to be understood 62 The mystery of Christ's Resurrection very necessary 63 The end of Christ's Resurrection 64 What examples Christ's Resurrection proposes to us 65 The signs of spiritual Resurrection Ibid. Our Faith establish'd by the belief of the Resurrection of the dead 107. Why the Resurrection of man is called the Resurrection of the Flesh 107 The Resurrection of the Flesh proved by Examples and Testimonies 108 The different condition of them that shall rise again 111 Before the Resurrection all then alive shall die without exception Ibid. Our Bodies shall rise again immortal 114. The powers of those that rise again Ibid c. What fruits we gather by the Article of the Resurrection 116 Robbery and its kinds 417 Robbery a greater sin than Theft 414 Robbery and the various kinds of Rapine 417 S THe celebration of the Sabbath why so often commanded in holy Scripture 369 What Sabbath signifies 373 What the signification of Sabbath is ibid. Why the Sabbath consecrated to God 375 The Sabbath was a sign Ibid. The Sabbath in Heaven Ibid. Why the Sabbath transferr'd to the Lord's day 376 After what manner the Sabbath is to be observ'd 377 The name Sacrament how taken 127 What a Sacrament is 128 Justice and Salvation attain'd by the Sacraments 128 St. Austin's definition of a Sacrament Ibid. Sacraments referr'd to those things they signifie 129 c. Sacraments are signs appointed of God 130 A sacred thing and the Grace of God 131 A Sacrament signifies and works Holiness Ibid. Sacraments signifie divers things 132 The Sacraments of the Law of the Gospel why instituted 133 Every Sacrament consists of two things Matter and Form 135 Among all signs words have