vs make the signe of the Cros. Ans In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen Allwais when you make the signe of the Cros say the words leasurely and destinctly and make a plane and destinct Cros not hudling it ouer hastily without deuotion but doe it soe that you may shew yourselues to honour the mysterys which are contained in it As for the placing of the words some say and of the Holy Ghost vpon the left shoulder and leaue nothing but Amen for the right others say Holy vpon the left shoulder and Ghost vpon the right and say Amen after that the whole Cros is made and because I haue bene often asked concerning this I would seeke into authors for their satisfaction Mich. Bauld Manual carem p. 3. c 3. but of a long time I could not meete with any that soe muâ—h as mentioneth how the words are to be applyed vntill at last I founde in a very learned and exact master of caeremonys where he expresseth that In the Name of the Father is to be said at the forehead Aâ—d of the Sonne vnder the breast and of the Holy vpon the left shoulder and Ghost vpon the right and Amen to be said after that the whole Cros is made Which manner I should rather approoue of First for his autority Secondly because otherwise if all those words And of the Holy Ghost were to be applyed to the left shoulder the Persons of the B Trinity should not make a complete and perfect Cros but onely three corners of it which is not fitting nor suetable to the perfection of that mystery Thirdly The Holy Ghost passing from one shoulder to the other betwixt the Father and the Sonne participating of both doth in some sort adumbrate the manner of his procession by that mutuall loue which is betwixt the Father and the Sonne Finally howsoeuer the words be applyed the same mysterys are intended by them and the substance of their signification is more to be regarded then the manner of their representation We will therefor declare in substance VVHAT IS SIGNIFYED BY the signe of the Cros. Quest What is the signe of the Cros Answ The signe of the Cros is a profession of the christian faith The signe of the Cros is sometimes called by authors a short Creede because it breifly compriseth the cheife mysterys of the Creede The Creede is an abbreuiation of the cheife points of the christian faith and the signe of the Cros is an abbreuiation of the Creede professing more breifly the mysterys which are principally conteined in it Quest How is the signe of the Cros a profession of the christian faith Answ Because in the signe of the Cros we professe the mystery of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation which are the two cheife mysterys of the christian faith Quest What is the blessed trinity Answ The blessed Trinity is God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost one and the same God in three different Persons Quest What meane you by the mystery of the Incarnation Answ We meane that the Sonne of God was incarnated that is became man to redeeme vs. We professe in the words the mystery of the blessed Trinity when we say In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost We say In the name and not in the names to shew the vnity of nature in the Persons of the blessed Trinity all which agree in the name and nature of one eternal and omnipotent God euery one hauing the same essence and nature the very same power wisdome and goodnes all and infinite perfections being included in all and euery one of them and yet we name three to wit the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost to shew the Trinity of Persons really destinct and different from one another This we intende to professe in the words Then in the action we professe the mystery of the Incarnation in that we make a Cros to shew that we beleeue in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated redeeming vs by giuing his life on the Cros for vs and these are the cheife mysterys and propper onely to the christian faith for that none but christians beleeue them Soe that the signe of the Cros may well be called a profession of the christian faith for by professing of that which is conteined in it the people of Christ are destinguished from all other professions of people which are in the world and therefor the holy fathers of the primitiue Church commende very much the vse of it as you shall presently see and we haue great reason to esteeme of it as the most propper and particular glory of christians signifying those blessed mysterys which we must allwais defende against the enemys of Christ If then you are christians honour Christ in his Cros and neuer be ashamed of that blessed signe It is the glory of Christ and of all christians Frequent it therefor with much reuerence and if any one aske you why you doe soe tell him that you professe your selfe a christian by it and that you will neuer be ashamed of that profession Remember then that in the words of the Cros we professe the mystery of the B. Trinity and in the action of making a Cros we intende to professe the mystery of the Incarnation and of our Redemption in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated who redeemed vs on the Cros. Now we will explicate that which is necessary of these mysterys The mystery of the blessed Tilnity is one of those in which our faith is most of all exercized and by which euery one may see his owne weakenes and the neede which he hath of supernatural light and grace from God to eleuate his vnderstanding and to excite his will to acts of diuine faith For it is a mystery which surpasseth the natural vnderstanding both of men and angels and which teacheth vs by experience not to search into the mysterys of faith but that we are to rely in them vpon a surer ground then our owne vnderstandings are S. Paul writing to the Romanes warneth them not to be too wise Rom. 12. but to be wise vnto sobriety Those that would be satisfyed in any points haue the priests their Pastors to goe vnto for satisfaction for the words of S. Peter concerne them most when he admonisheth Be ye ready alâ—waâ—s to satisfy euery one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you Pet. 1.3 Priests must be able to satisfy others Priests must enable themselues to giue satisfaction to the people in all those thinges which they are bounde to know and if they be defectiue in this which is but a small knowledge God will reiect them from him as vnworthy of priesthood Ose 4. Because thou hast repelled knowledge I will repell thee that thou doe not the function of priesthood vnto mee The Prophet Malachy spoke very propperly to this when he
he comes to yeares of vnderstanding which he professed in baptisme by the months of those that then carried him And in another place he saith that christians should vse it as à looking glasse morning and night to examine themselues in their faith by it L 1 dosymb 1. By all which it doth appeare first that the Creede is of diuine autority as made by the Apostles and deliuered by word of mouth from them to posterity as the written word of the new Testament was from hand to hand to be beleeued with diuine faith Secondly out of S Ambrose and S. Augustine that it being a kea and a looking glasse which the Apostles made for vs we ought with great reuerence to keepe it and to vse it as such often frequenting it to locke vp the infernal darknes from vs and to open the diuine light vnto our soules and to examine ourselues in faith by it as by a looking glasse that soe we may allwais keepe constant to the Catholike Church Quest Say the Creede Answ I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord. Who was conceiued by the Holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was Crucifyed dead and buried He descended into hell the third day he arose againe from death He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty From thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead I beleeue in the Holy Ghost The holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints The forgiuenesse of sinnes The Resurrection of the flesh Life euerlasting Amen THE FIRST ARTICLE I Beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth In this article the Apostles professe their beleefe in the first person of the blessed Trinity in the following articles they professe the second person and the third But we are not here to vnderstande that God the Father without the Sonne and the Holy Ghost made the world for euery external worke which God doth is done by all the Persons of the blessed Trinity the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost hauing all the same vndiuided power all equally concurring to the making of the world and of euery thinge that is conteined in it The Father is named first and the creation of the world is here particularly attributed to him because he is the first Person from whom the Sonne and the Holy Ghost eternally proceede God is rightly termed a father to signify his power loue and care ouer vs. God a father For as fathers beginne the generation that commeth of them and gouerne their children and prouide for them soe is God the beginner of this world he gouerneth it with his power and by his prouidence conserueth it Deut. 32. Is not he thy father that hath possessed thee and made and created thee By heauen and earth are vnderstoode all creatures heauenly and earthly that is both spirituall and corporal creatures And in this the power of God is expressed by his external works soe as is sufficient to destinguish him as the supreme power and to putt vs in minde of our duety to him and dependance of him as giuing vs our being and still conseruing vs in the being which we haue and which all creatures should presently and in an instant loose if he should withdraw his diuine helpe from them and there would be noe creatures at all but as there was once nothing but God God is the most perfect of all thinges and therefor a spirit all ouer by his power and his power is himselfe He is not conteined in any place now noe more then he was before the creation of the world He was all wais the same power the same goodnes and those infinite He euer had a decree to create the world and that eternall decree he performed in time making the Angels onely spirits men both spiritual in their soules and corporall in their bodys and other creatures as we see onely corporall He made heauen a place of glory for the good and hell a place of punishment for the wicked He desireth the saluation of all and giueth sufficient meanes of saluation to all that being the end for which he made vs. In this article we doe not say I beleeue in Gods makers c. but I beleeue in God the maker c. In which we haue two thinges professed Atheâ—sts First the essence and existence of God against prophane and wicked atheists and secondly against Pagans the being of one onely God This is here but breisly professed for the Apostles made the Creede but onely as an abbreuiated profession and rule of faith to ground and guide vs in the articles which we were to beleeue they prooued them in their preaching as neede required yet that there is a God as in the Creede they suppose it soe also they might doe in their preaching and needed not to prooue it to Iewes or Gentils who were then onely in the world and were neuer likely to deny it But now in these times of soe many heresys I doe not see that any point of faith whatsoeuer is more necessary to be prooued For heresy as it is a corruption of the true faith soe it corrupteth and destroyeth by litle and litle the very hart and roote of all faith and as it annulleth the authority of the Church it taketh away the foundation of all certainty and openeth a gappe to euery mans errors to say what he listeth and for shamelesse atheisme to enter in by it For make it once lawfull to disobey the Church which is the onely authority of God externally vpon earth as all archhaeretiks doe who beginne their new doctrines with obedience to noe Church then extant in all the world and then it followeth that euery man without controle may beleeue and teach what he will himselfe for there is noe authority vpon earth to controle him and soe he may as well teach atheisme as heresy Secondly those that are of God are ordained saith the Apostle that is to say they are with order Rom. 13. and he requireth there that we be subiect to higher powers not onely of necessity but for conscience sake now order importeth subiection and subordination of inferiors to superiour powers if then you take away this subiection and subordination of inferiors to superiours as haeretiks doe by disobeying the Church you take away all order in religion and by consequence you take away God and bring in atheisme and a worse disorder then is in hell How hateful then is heresy to God which is opposite to all religion and how dangerous is atheisme In Collar Patrum and necessary to be preuented in haeretical times Cassianus relateth an example of this in which he sheweth by experience that heresy leadeth into atheisme He sayth that there was a certaine religious man who beginning first of indiscretion to make comparisons betwixt the Saints and
goodnes hath prepared for vs. But we will speake a word or two OF THE VNITY OF GOD. IN the first article of the Crede we professe two thinges One God to wit that we beleeue in almighty God and secondly that we beleeue in one God the maker of heauen and earth for we doe not say makers but the maker to signify vnity By the first atheisme and by the second paganisme is reiected And the first being allready soe fully declared it will not be needfull to insist much vpon the second point it being a verity which the wisest of pagane Philosophers haue by reason discouered who haue confessed one supreme and first cause of all effects And therefor S. Augustine reporteth of Seneca the Philosopher Aug de ciu Decl 60.10 that speaking of idols he vsed to say that of custome they were adored but not of verity Heare the words of S. Paul disputing with the learnedest pagans of the world the Philosophers of Athens vpon this point Act. 17. The God that made the world and all thinges that are in it he being Lord of heauen and earth dwelleth not in temples made with hand needing any thinge where as himselfe giueth life vnto all and breathing and all things If God made the world and all things that are in it he must then haue all within his power all must depende and stande neede of him and he himselfe must stande neede of nothing He is not then a granen idoll that stoode neede of men to carue it nor any liuing creature as the dragon of Babilon that stoode neede of some to serue it with foode neither is he the Sunne or moone that stoode neede of some power to giue it the limited perfections which it hath as all other creatures God needes noe other God for then he were not the first beginning of all perfections including all perfections within himselfe This is sufficient by natural reason of this verity That which we beleeue in the Catholike faith is in one God the maker of heauen and earth that is of all creatures heauenly and earthly and the consetuer of them a spirituall substance infinite in power infinite in wisdome infinite in goodnes infinite in duration immense in infinite places possible and in all perfections infinite This we see by reason and beleeue by faith Deut. 6. Heare Israël the Lord our God is one Lord which words beside their diuine authority haue the highest degree of humane credit as the most auncient and authenticall writings by consent of the greatest part of the world Esa 44. Eph. 4. I am the first and I the last and beside mee there is noe God One Lord one faith one baptisme Men of more eminent dignity and authority as Priests Men called Gods Prophets Iudges c. are sometimes in holy scriptures called Gods in respect of their preeminency and authority ouer others by which they represent the diuine power THE SECOND ARTICLE And in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord. Quest Who is Christ Answ Christ is the sonne of God incarnated true God and true man our Redeemer Iudge and Glorifyer ALL this we say in the Creede when we professe our beleefe in lesus Christ the onely sonne of God borne of the Virgin Mary Crucifyed for our Redemption that he shall come to iudge vs all and that there is life euerlasting to wit to those that are iust through the merits of Iesus Christ Thus this answere is contained in the Creede In the which we hauing first professed our faith in God as he created vs we professe him now in another mistery to wit as he was incarnated to redeeme vs a mystery which we can neuer acknowledge with sufficient gratitude For the vnderstanding of which we may reflect vpon our former condition and the misery out of which we are freed by it Man was in paradise in a happy state of spirituall and corporall delights his soule was in grace and fauour with God and his body had then the gift of immortality that without dying it should enioy those pleasures for a time and afterwards the glory of heauen for euer He was warned onely of one thinge and that was to forbeare one fruit of Paradise which God to keepe him in obedience and due subiection had forbidden him to eate of Gen. 2. Of euery tree of Paradise eate thou but of the tree of knowledge of good and euill eate thou not For in what day soeuer thou shalt eate of it thou shalt dy the death To wit the death of body and soule Man forbore not but eate of that forbidden tree and as soone as he eate of it his soule died instantly and his body from that time beganne to dy But the death of our soules being indeede our true and greatest misery God was moued with pitty towards them and of his infinit mercy he decreed to reuiue them againe to his diuine grace and fauour For this he sent his onely sonne to be incarnated that is to take the flesh and nature of man vpon him that in that nature he might make satisfaction for the first sinne which man had committed and for the sinnes of all men occasioned by it And satisfaction being made by him the wrath of God might then cease against vs and we becomming his beloued children and freinds might serue him worthily and obtaine the blisse of heauen which before we had lost All the Persons of the Blessed Trinity the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost concurred equally to the effecting of this mystery as hauing all one and the same vndiuided power but the worke was effected in the Sonne onely the second Person who was incarnated Authors commonly declare this by the similitude of two helping another to put on a garment They all three concurre to the vesting of one of them and one of them onely is vested with the garment The garment in this mystery is the nature of man with which the Sonne of God onely was vested but the Father and Holy Ghost both concurred with him to the putting on of that garment And the Sonne of God being soe vested that in Christ our nature was really vnited to him we say truely that Christ our Sauiour is true man as consisting of two destinct natures diuine and humane According to his diuine nature he proceeded eternally from God the Father according to his humane nature he proceeded in time from the blessed Virgin his mother and according to that nature he made satisfaction sufficient in it selfe for the sinnes of all men that euer were or shall be and therefor we call him out Sauiour and Redeemer because all whosoeuer haue bene or can be saued are saued by the merits of his Passion He is our Iudge and in the latter day shall iudge vs. He is our Glorifyer for that by his merits our good works become meritorious and purchasing of glory He is called Iesus that is to say Sauiour not onely because he is our Sauiour
works which he hath done and suffered noe doubt but they shall see and confesse that which his very enemys confessed who hauing seene the passages of his death went away Mat. 27. saying Indeede this was the Sonne of God Let them beleeue and professe this in the true Church of Christ and let neither life nor death nor the loue of any creature euer be able to separate them from it But there remaineth yet to shew which of all christian Churches is the true Church of Christ This by Gods grace I shall shew in the exposition of the ninth article where I shall destinguish the Catholike Church from all false Churches Now we will goe on to THE THIRD ARTICLE WHO was conceiued by the Holy Ghost The attributes of the B. Trinity borne of the Virgin Mary Although the mystery of the Incarnation be attributed here onely to the Holy Ghost as though Christ were conceiued by his onely power yet we are not to thinke that it was done by him onely without the Father and the Sonne For this is a rule without exception in the mystery of the blessed Trinity that all the externall works of God to wit those which he doth in respect of creatures are done indiuisibly by all the Persons of the B. Trinity because their power is all one indiuisible power in them and soe the Conception of our Sauiour was done by the same power of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost And to say here that Christ was conceiued by the Holy Ghost is the same as to say that his conception was by the power and speciall gift of God after a supernaturall and not after a natural manner It is here attributed particularly to the holy ghost by reason of the great loue and bounty of God which he shewed in it For although all the diuine perfections be equally commune to all the Persons of the B. Trinity yet some certaine titles or attributes there are which are vsed as propper and particular to them seuerally Soe we attribute power to God the Father because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him We attribute wisdome to the Sonne because he proceedeth from the Father by way of vnderstanding We attribute goodnesse loue bounty and the like to the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by the operation of the will which loueth nothing but that which either is good or at least is apprehended then as good And soe those works of God in which his power is most manifested are attributed to the Father those which declare most his wisdome are attributed to the Sonne and those which shew most his goodnes loue bounty and the like are attributed to the Holy Ghost Neither was it an inuention of men by these termes and attributes to destinguish the diuine Persons but it was an inuention of God himselfe The Apostles were inspired to attribute power particularly to the Father saying I beleeue in God the Father Almighty S. Iohn was inspired to attribute wisdome to the Sonne calling him the Word of God which was from the beginning And Christ himselfe attributed goodnes in particular to the Holy Ghost Luc. 11. saying your father from heauen will giue the Good Spirit to those that aske him Soe although all the diuine persons be equall in power wisdome goodnes and in all perfections the same according to S. Iohn These three be one and soe all of them concurre equally to the Conception of Christ yet here it is attributed particularly to the Holy Ghost because the loue of God is soe eminently manifested in it For the same reason we paint the Father as an auncient man because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him we paint the Sonne in humane nature an intellectuall creature because his procession is by way of vnderstanding we paint the Holy Ghost as a done because the done is a bird that sheweth most loue and loue as I haue said is the property of the Holy Ghost Neither can it be displeasing to God that we expresse him by these corporal shapes and species of visible things which are naturall and necessary for our vnderstandings And to shew this he would expresse himselfe soe appearing in those very shapes by which we expresse him He appeared vnto Daniel like an old man Dan. 7. I beheld saith he till the thrones were set and the auncient of dayes sate his vesture white as now and the haire of his head life cleane wooll The Second Person was not onely made into the similitude of men but appeared in the true nature of man in Iesus Christ our Sauiour Phil. 2. The Holy Ghost at the baptisme of Christ was seene as a done ouer him S. Iohn testifying I saw the Spirit descending as a done from heauen Io. 1. and he remained vpon him Thus would God represent himselfe to vs and we can not represent him better then as he hath represented himselfe Borne of the Virgin Mary By this article the Apostles professe the procession of Christ according to his humane nature For hauing in the first article professed the Father who is the first Person and in the second the Second Person in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne now they goe on to speake of him as man according to the nature which he assumed of the Virgin Mary his mother For where as other children proceede both of father and mother he by the operation of the Holy Ghost was conceiued of his mothers nature onely she remaining allwais a Virgin S. Ioseph as the husband of our blessed lady was taken for the father of Christ And when they heard him with that knowledge and wisdome disputing in the temple Mat. 13. admiring they said is not this the carpenters sonne noe he was the sonne of the blessed Virgin and assumed humane nature of her nature and of her Virginal body but of noe man And this was a mystery which God would reueale and foretell by his Prophet long before Esa 7. saying behold a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne For as soone as the Angel had deliuered his message to her and she had answered Behold the handmaid of our Lord Luc. 1. be it done to mee according to thy word consenting to the mystery propounded by him the sacred body of our Lord was of the Virgins body presently formed and his soule was infused into it and they being vnited to the diuine Person there was then in one person the vnion of two natures and Christ who was the eternall sonne of God was also the sonne of man as he proceeded of the Virgin Mary both natures in that admirable coniunction keeping their perfections that as S. Leo saith the glorification neither consuming the inferiour nor the assumption deminishing from the superiour This is a mystery incomprehensible by vs and therefor the omnipotency of God was propounded by the Angell to our blessed lady as to be considered
Plumtree a plumme soe the Sacraments of Christ produce grace as their propper fruit in the soules of the worthy receiuers of them God vsing them as instruments to our sanctification This is the difference betwixt the Sacraments which were before Christ both in the law of nature and of Moyses and the Sacraments which now we haue in the law of grace that the Sacraments which were before the comming af Christ could not giue grace to saluation but onely fignifyed the grace which was to be giuen by our Sacraments because they signifyed him onely who as then was to come and had not purchased grace by his passion as yet suffered and soe they onely signifyed that grace which he was to purchase and which was to be giuen by the Sacraments of Christ by the merits of whose passion God then gaue grace to those that receiued the former Sacraments but the Sacraments themselues as they were of those lawes and times had not that power and therfor the Apostle calleth them weake and poore elements that is in comparison of the vertue and efficacy of our Sacraments Gal. 4. which as they are the Sacraments of the law of Christ haue this preeminence aboue them that they can cause grace in vs. Quest What is grace Answ Grace is a supernatural gift which maketh vs gratfull and acceptable to God Grace is a certaine supernatural quality which God infuseth into our soules by which they are sanctifyed and soe adorned and beautifyed in his sight that he cannot but loue those that haue it and can loue none that haue it not It is as though a king should bestow some gift vpon euery one of his freinds in token of friendship which gift should soe endeere them vnto him that they were sure of his fauour as long as they kept it and to loose his fauour if they lost it soe that this token should both destinguish them from his enemys and also cause them to be his friends Such a gift is the grace of the Sacraments it formally causeth vs to be the freinds of God and destinguisheth vs from his enemys All the gifts of God may be called graces in a large sense as they are gifts which of meere grace and beneuolence he bestoweth on his creatures and soe the gift of tongues of prophecy of miraculous cures and the like are commonly called graces but they are not the grace of the Sacraments which maketh vs gratfull to God For although those gifts or graces for the most part be giuen to the good yet sometimes they are giuen to euill men as the gift of prophecy was giuen to Balaam an idolatour and to Caiphas euen then to prophecy when he was sitting in iudgment against Christ but none but the iust haue Sacramental grace because it sanctifyeth all those that haue it Secondly the good motions and holy inspirations by which God moueth vs to good works are called grace but they are not the grace of the Sacraments which sanctifyeth vs they being often and for the most part God knows reiected by many that answere not to them Thirdly the general concourse of God by which he preserueth all creatures in their being and concurreth with them in their works is called grace as when we say by the grace of God I will doe this or that that is to say with the diuine helpe and concurrence And in fine all the good which we haue may be called grace as it proceedeth of the gracious goodnes of God towards vs. But the grace which is caused by the Sacraments sanctifyeth our soules and maketh them gratfull to God which the others doe not This effect which the Sacraments haue of causing grace in vs although it be supernatural to them as they are onely corporal signes yet vnto God that giueth them that power it is natural and as easy is it to him to giue to his creatures power of sanctifying and of giuing grace as it is to giue them power to any other miraculous effects all which although they be in some sort supernaturall yet by the will of God they are made subiect to natural and secondary causes And God to shew this power and dignity of out Sacraments would haue all that solemnity in the baptisme of Christ that the heauens should open and the whole B. Trinity should sensibly appeare The Father in the voice saying this is my belooued sonne in whom I am well pleased The Sonne in humane nature submitting himselfe to be baptized Mar. 3. and the Holy Ghost in the likenes of a doue It was also for the greater reuerence of our Sacraments that great solemnity with which the Confirmation of the Apostles was celebrated on Whitsunday when the Holy Ghost came with astonishing glory and great signes to confirme them God honouring the rest of the Sacraments by these two first to shew the power which they all haue OF THE NECESSITY OF Sacraments GOD hauing ordained man for a glorious future life by duely worshipping him in this and directing him in his worship not by leauing euery man to himselfe independant of all authority and subiect to none but by subiecting him to the obedience of a continual Church and of spiritual pastors in spirituall thinges it was necessary that he should ordaine some external and corporal meanes of sanctification in the Church that all might vnite and combine together in the true worship of God by them which by onely internal and spiritual acts could not be because we vnderstande not but by outward words and signes S. L. 19. cont Faust c. 11. Augustine Men can not agree in the profession of any religion either true or false except they be vnited by some visibles signes or Sacraments Because as long as we liue in this life our soules in their operations depending of our bodys can conceiue nothing but by outward species receiued in our senses Rom. 1. The inuisible things of God are vnderstoode by those thinges that are made And therfor the manner of our sanctification and of receiuing grace which is spirituall and inuisible must be by corporal and visible Sacraments that the Church may combine together in the worship of God by them To be admitted then into the Church some visible signe was necessary and for this is Baptisme for by it we are made members of the Church of Christ After that the other Sacraments are necessary for the ordering and gouerning vs in the progresse of our spiritual life which is then begunne In breife corporal Sacraments were necessary to admitte vs into the Church and then for the Church to gouerne vs by them VVho instituted the Sacraments And being that they giue grace for our sanctification it followeth that they must be of diuine institution none but God being able to giue them that power because none but he had that power to giue them and to determine and appoint them as the meanes of our sanctification and therefor the Sacraments could not be instituted by the Apostles
indeede Iesus but also because it was his propper name imposed not by chance but by the will and expresse commandde of his father the Angell forespeaking it to the blessed Virgin when he said Behold thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe and sâ—alt beare a sonne Luc. 1. and thou shalt call his name Iesus He is called Christ to signify his dignity and speciall functions according to his humanity Christ. for Christ is as much as to say The Messias or Annointed and he was annoinsed in diuerse respects Priests and kings are annointed because they haue authority from God to represent his maiesty Prophets aunciently were annointed because they were the interpreters of God and dispensers of diuine mysterys as Priests and kings are also in their kind Christ had all these offices and according to his humane nature he was Prophet Priest and king after an eminent manner and therefor he was eminently and singularly annointed not by the hands of Prophets or Priests but spiritually by God himselfe Ps 44. Thou hast loued iustice and hast hated iniquity therefor God thy God hath annointed thee with the oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes God annointed Christ and Prophets Priests and kings are annointed as lesser Christs that haue power vnder him Christ shewed himselfe a Prophet actually prophecying many thinges and in particular the most remarkeable passages of his owne death and resurrection As priest he offered the most holy Sacrifice of his body at the last supper and afterwards againe he offered the same sacrifice of his body vpon the Cros. He also shewed himselfe to be a king and to haue regall power that could bring kings to adore him and that he could haue brought other kings and all the kings of the world as well as them to his feete if it had pleased him Besides the Catholike Church is his kingdome he is the head and king of it allwais with it vnto the consummation of the world His onely Sonne our Lord. The Apostles in the former article hauing professed the Father who is the first Person of the Blessed Trinity now they professe the second Person in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God S. Iohn testifying that which is here professed saith Io. 1.4 We haue scene and doe testify that the Father hath sent the Sonne the Sauiour of the world And then presently he addeth whosoeuer shall confesse that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God God abideth in him and he in God This all good christians doe testify and confesse and for that end the Apostles made this article that we might allwais professe it We will see here CHRISTIANITY DEMONSTRATED THat which we beleeue and professe in this article was allwais beleeued by all true beleeuers euer from the beginning of the world All the quires of Angels in their first creation foresaw that the Sonne of God was to be incarnated in lesus Christour Lord and the good Angels willingly submitting to him and beleeuing in him were saued by his pretious blood But Lucifer and the wicked Angels could not endure to see the nature of man exalted to that high dignity aboue Angels that our nature should be assumed of God and not theirs which he could but would not assume noe where doth he take Angels saith S. Heb. 2. Paul but the seede of Abraham he taketh This was the sinne of Lucifer that ennuying and repining at the glory of humane nature in Iesus Christ he drew others into the same sinne with him and for aspiring to be aboue him in glory he was cast downe into the depth of the lake and lost that glory which he might and should haue had and which the good Angels haue by submitting to the diuine ordination in it This was beleeued by our first parents in paradise and euer since as I shall presently shew Christ was promised to them and after them to the following patriarks and after the Patriarks to Prophets they deliuered that faith to posterity vntill his comming he when he came deliuered it to the Apostles they to the Church the Church by a continuall succession of Pastors hath deliuered it vntill our times as it doth now to vs saying I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his onâ—ly Sonne our Lord. In this faith all miracles haue bene wrought that euer were wrought in testimony of faith This was confessed by heauen earth seas by liuing trees and sensible beasts and not onely by holy men but euen by the powers of hell all the creatures of God obeying Christ at his comming This the Apostles saw and were commanded by him to speake it and when they were forbidden by his enemys Act. 4. they answered we can not but speake the thinges which we haue seene and heard and would loose their liues rather then they would cease from publikely professing it S. Paul who saw not the miraculous life of Christ with his Disciples nor heard his preaching but was afterwards called and enlightened by him became notwithstanding soe assured of this verity and by true charity soe vnited vnto him that he thought it was vnpossible for any torments to separate him from him Rom. 8. â—ho then shall separate vs from the charity of Christ tribulation or distresse or famine or nakednesse or danger or persecution or the sword as it is written for we are killed for thy sake all the day we are esteemed as sheepe of slaughter But in all these thinges we onercome because of him that hath loued vs. For I am sure that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalitys nor powers neither thinges present nor thinges to come neither might nor hight nor depth nor other creature shall be able to separate vs from the charity of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. S. Paul was rauished and enamoured with the beauty of Christs diuinity and was transformed as it were by loue into him confessing him to be the image of the visible Goâ— Colos 1. Heb. 1. The first borne of all creature by whom he made the worlds being the brightnes of his glory and the sigure of his substance Whom the Angels adore soe much more excellent then themselues as he hath inherited a more excellent name aboue them For to which of the Angels saith this holy Apostle did he say at any time Thou art my Sonne to day haue I begotten thee Colos 2. in whâ—m dwelleth all the fullnesse of the Godhead corporally All this did S. Paul say and professe of Christ It was then noe meruaile that with Gods grace he would defende him till death Thus did the Apostles professe of him and this profession they made good by many miracles which the enemys of christianity haue written of and confessed This the posterity of the Apostles haue allwais professed in former ages and haue stretched forth their hands and feete vpon racks and with cheerfull mindes haue yeelded their bodys into the hands of torturers
come he that shall say this may feigne what he will and sheweth planely thathe seeketh but todelude the diuine scriptures and regardeth but litle the good of his soule which he will hazard by such vaine fictions which neither he nor any other knoweth of obstinatly inuented against the light of his owne scriptures and against the ghospell of Iesus Christ planely fullfilling them in the sight and to the notice of the whole world But this siction of some Iewes was forbidden and suppressed presently by the rest Many other testimonys haue the scriptures giuen of our Sauiour Iesus Christ First they often declare that Christ the Messias and Redeemer of the world should come of the tribe of Iuda and of the house of Dauid Dan. 7. which is soe certainely verifyed in our blessed Sauiour that his enemys as yet could neuer question it Esa 7. They declare that he should be borne of a Virgin that he should come forth of Bethleem Mich 5. that kings should present him with gifts Ps 71. that a messenger should goe before him to prepare his wayes the voice of one crying in the desert prepare the way of our Lord that he should cure blinde deafe Mal. 2. â—sa 4. â—sa 35. dumbe and lame that he should come meeke poore and more particularly riding on an asse Zach. 9. Ps 40. Zach. 11. That he should be despised by his owne seruant and that his price should be thirty peeces of syluar Esa 35. Esa 53. that he should be reputed amongst the wicked that he should become the most abiect of men a man of sorrows that he should be carried as a lambe to the slaughter Ps 21. without opening of his mouth Ps 68. that his garments should be diuided by lott that gall and vinagre should be giuen him to drinke These and many more thinges would God haue to be foretold in the diuine scriptures of Christ the Messias to come All which agree soe planely to our Sauiour Iesus Christ that they neede noe application He that would see what the Sybills haue prophecyed and what other authors of the Gentiles haue written of him may reede the Spiritual Directory Broughtons Ecclesiastical History or the Holy Court but I haue shewed it allready by a better testimony of the diuine word and will therefore omitte those inferiour authoritys Now we will declare the faith of Christ by his works and shew by them that his words were true when he said Io. 5. the very works which I doe giue testimony of mee First the manner of calling his Apostles in the beginning of his ghospell and miracles and their stâ—ange readinesse in following and obeying of him shew that the power of God was planely with him and that he had power ouer their harts They knew him not when he called of them and some of them before then had neuer seene him He was to the eye a poore man that had nothing to giue them nor any meanes of preferment for them nor yet what with all to maintaine them and neuerthelesse he onely calling of them without any delay or demurrâ— at all or without obiecting or questioning of any thinge they left all they had and presently followed him He shewed in this his power ouer them and that he had the harts of men in his hands to draw them vnto him He was of that sanctity of life that his enemys haue confessed and admired it He was full of charity to all and of humility patience mildnesse and other vertues soâ— meeke and truely louing to his enemys that in the midst of all those great ignominys false accusations greeuous and vnspeakeable paines which they put him vnto he vttered not the least word of disdaine against them but euen then in his hart he waspittying of them and fell to his prayers praying earnestly to his Father for them and cordially excused them in what he could Nor did he offer to resist or let others to doe it for him allthough he shewed planely that by many meanes he could haue defended himselfe With these and the like vertues he planted first his ghospell He confirmed it also with many miracles which he wrought giuing health to the sicke sight to the blinde hearing to the deafe speech to the dumbe and restoring the dead to life againe And he confirmed the miracles of his life by his glorious resurrection when he was dead Who euer heard the like to this Christ confirmed his doctrine with a most eminent sanctity of life he confirmed againe the verity of his doctrine and fanctity of life by as plane miracles as any can be and to confirme all this he promised that within three dayes after his death he would raise himselfe againe to life and he performed it All this our blessed Sauiour did to draw vs to him and especially to the lewes to bring them to receiue his doctrine and to beleeue in him or els that they might be vnexcusable if they beleeued not We reade of diuerse wicked men who by false delusions haue gone about to prooue their errors but the holiest of men that euer were neuer shewed the like sanctity nor wrought such miracles as our Sauiour wrought nor concluded them with their resurrection from the dead This would the Sonne of God particularly reserue to himselfe to confirme that ghospell which he was to preach and to make manifest his diuine and soueraigne power that he was the authour of life and death Mahomet indeede had many wayes by false impostures to delude his souldiers but being once dead his power was at an end In his life time he shewed himselfe an Anti Christ to Christ prowdly extolling himselfe aboue the Sonne of God and promised to his followers that he would rize againe from the dead but as I say he being once dead his power was at an end and his promise vanished away with him His promise was to rize againe to the world eight hundred yeares after his death and although he tooke soe long a space for it yet now that space is runne and eight hundred yeares being past long since Mahomet is still as dead as he was and we haue noe newse of his rising againe The whole world was witnesse of our Sauiour Christ his death thousands of people saw what he suffered and beheld his death vpon the Cros and the third day after he roze againe to life and made his enemys the witnesses of his resurrection But we will insist a litle longer vpon this point of our blessed Sauiours resurrection for it is a most material and maine ground of the Apostles in their preaching for the foundation of the christian faith and conuersion of Insidels as may be seene all ouer in their acts and Epistles S. Act. 13. Paul preaching Christ to the Synagogues when he had shewed his descent according to the diuine promise from the Patriarks he concludeth all with the testimony of his resurrection and repeateth it ouer againe Vrging
particularly in this worke Luc. 1. when he said the Holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most high shall ouer shaddow thee For as the loue and goodnes of God towards vs appeareth here most illustrious soe was it most congruous that his power should appeare aboue our vnderstandings most miraculous The conception of Christ surpassed all ordinary conceptions not onely in that he was conceiued of a Virgin mother but also in the circumstances of it For where as the space of some dayes is required for the framing of our bodys and to dispose them for our soules the sacred body and soule of our Lord were both vnited together in the first instant of his conception and the diuine nature vnto them by which his humanity was enriched with diuine gifts and was in eminency of dignity and sanctity aboue all all others being by adoption onely and Christ by nature the sonne of God This is not vnderstoode by vs but beleeued yet it was as easy to God that by his high power a Virgin should conceiue and bring forth without the concurse of man as it was for the rodd of Aaron to conceiue nourishing moysture and to putt forth budds leaues flowers Nu. 17. and almonds by the same power of God without the natural concourse of the earth And it is indeede as easy to God to make a Virgin to conceiue as the blessed Virgin did of her owne nature onely with out the helpe of man and to frame a body in an instant as our blessed Sauiours was as it was for him to make all other women to conceiue with the helpe of man and to frame the body by litle and litle with fitte dispositions for the soule which he could haue ordained otherwise but would not because he would haue the conception of Christ to be aboue all most pure and miraculous And as the conception of Christ was most misterious soe was it fitting that his birth also should be that she who had conceiued with the priuilege of her Virginity free from corruption should bring him forth in her deliuery free from paine and other myserys which other women are then subiect vnto And that as the ioy with which she conceiued him was not corporal but heauenly and spiritual soe that his birth should be also full of ioy and heauenly consolation to her For if God would send his Angell to the shepheards to comfort their harts and to fill them with ioy for the birth of our Sauiour how great may we thinke the ioy of the B. Virgin then to haue bene who was soe singularly chosen of God to be his mother We can not but with reuerence thinke of those consolations which she had in his birth He came from her sacred wombe as the beames of the sunne pierce through cleare crystal without hurting it and as the same sacred body of our Lord passed through the sepulcher in his resurrection without breaking it soe did he passe out of his mothers wombe without any violence done to her We ought very much to reioyce in the birth of Christ for the reason which the Angell gius because this day is borne to you a Sauiour What greater ioy can prisoners and condemned persons haue then in one that will saue them We haue then great reason to reioyce in that ioy which the Angell brought and to celebrate euery yeare that sacred day And yet soe great is the malice of heresy soe dishonorable to God and peruerting the mindes of men that some in this kingdome who call themselues christians dare venture to worke on Christmas day refusing to giue that honour which all christians haue soe long giuen to the birth day of Christ We reade in holy scriptures that kings in auncient times kept festiuall the yearely day of their birthes soe Pharao Gen. 40. Antiochus Mach. 2.6 and Herod Mat. 14. and can the birth day of any king with iustice be obserued and not the birth day of Christ the king and Sauiour of the world If some courtyer of Pharao had refused to keepe the feast of his birth day opposing the solemnity which the rest did obserue would not he with reason haue iudged it as an affront and punished it as a dishonour done to him How dare then any christian be soe bold and prophane as not to keepe the solemnity of Christs birth knowing that one day he shall iudge him for it It is true authors differ in assigning the day on which he was borne But what then shall we therefor keepe noe day at all in honour of it or shal any one shew himselfe soe singular and prowde as vpon his owne sense and authority to disobey the whole Church of Christ We know not for certaine the time in which the scriptures were written nor the authors that wrote them all shall we therefor reiect them as some haeretiks haue done and haue noe scriptures at all we know not iust the time in which the Sundays Sabaoth was first begunne to be kept shall any one therefor refuse to obserue it but if the Church could change the Sabaoth from the seuenth day on which God had instituted it to the eight day and could binde all soe to obserue it although it were not the day on which God rested from the creation of the world shall not the Church binde all to obserue a day which she determineth in honour of Christs birth although perhaps he was not borne iust on that day Luc. 2. we reioyce in that message which the Angell brought when he said behold I Euangelize to you great ioy which shall be to all the people for to day is borne to you a Sauiour It is fitting that the Church should institute a yearely solemnity of that ioyfull day and it is fitting that we should obey the Church The day which the Church instituteth is Christmas day and therefor we keepe it Besides this is most likely to be the true day of his birth which Aug. l. 1. de Trin. c. 5. according to S. Augustine was on the eight of the Calends of Ianuary Euer blessed and most solemne may that day be in which our Sauiour was borne in which the sonne of God first appeared in the nature of man in which our nature first appeared vnited to God and in which both natures being married together came forth of the Virgins wombe as out of their bride chamber the Angels reioycing and bidding ioy vnto men Luc. 2. Then it was when they were heard to sing Glory in the highest to God and in earth peace to men of good will Let vs with the Angels say those words and doe as we say in all our actions The mystery of the Incarnation often represented This the Catholike Church laboreth to doe in this mystery of the sonne of Gods incarnation representing it vnto her people and stirring them vp to a gratefull remembrance and thanksgiuing for it by many deuour prayers and caeremonys which they often
repeate in honour of it as by the signe of the Cros the masse the Creede the Haile Mary and the like in which it is still commemorated that we behold in them the fullfilling of that great vision which Moyses had Exo. 3. when our Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middes of a bush and the bush was on fire and was not burnt By which the Conception of Christ was fignifyed to be of the blessed Virgin without detriment of her Virginity and that he was to be borne without paine to her And this vision as it signifyed the Sonne of God vested with our nature was soe high and glorious that Moyses was commanded to bare his feete for the holinesse of the very ground on which it appeared Iob. 16. He at whose beck the pillars of heauen tremble and dread is inuolued in the myserys of our nature to draw vs to vertue and to saue vs by his merits THE FOVRTH ARTICLE SVffered vnder Pontius Pilate was Crucifyed dead and buried The Apostles hauing professed Christ in the glory of his diuinity as the onely Sonne of God and in the mystery of his conception and ioy of his birth set him now before our eyes in his passion and death That sacred body which was conceiued by the Holy Ghost and was vnited to the diuine word in the wombe of a Virgin we behold it now in the hands of cruell executioners who haue free power to torment and to kill it see now that body nailed vpon a Cros and soe exposed to the scorne of the world That face of life whose beauty the Angells desire to behold is left pale and dead without comlinesse and beauty The horrible paine which Christ suffered in his Passion is not to be apprehended by vs but was without doubt soe great in it selfe that the apprehension of it in him had bene sufficient to haue bereaued him of life if he had not supported nature by supernaturall meanes as he did in that agony which he suffered in the garden by the apprehension onely of his future Passion Mat. 26. when he said my soule is sorrowfull euen vnto death For his body as it was conceiued and framed onely of the Virgins blood was of a more tender complexion and more sensible of paine then others are and soe he had a more liuely apprehension greater horrour and more repugnance from the torments of his Passion which he foresaw and according to the inferiour part of his soule he desired and prayed to be freed from although they were woluntary to him For the vnderstanding of which we are to vnderstande two powers in the soule of man commonly called the Superiour and Inferiour part or portion of the soule The superiour power is in respect of its higher operations of reason and will which it hath equall with the Angels The inferiour part or portion of the soule is the inseriour powerwhich it hath as it is sensitiue causing vs to feele by our senses as inferiour creatures doe According to the superiour of the soule the Passion of Christ was nothing sorrowfull to him as not being contrary to his reason and will but it was most voluntary nay ioyfull to him he went as a gyant to runne that race and was straightened vntill he had perfected the baptisme of his Passion According to the inferiour power of the soule as it is sensible he could not but feele paine and his senses did abhorre the torments of his Passion for otherwise they had bene noe torments vnto him and as the complexion and constitution of his body was more perfect soe was he more sensible of paine and therefore the very apprehension of his Passion had a more violent effect in him then the paines of death is euer read to haue had in any other causing a sweat of blood to runne downe to the earth from him This would he suffer before his Passion to shew that his sorrows were aboue all sorrows and most horrible to him Yet he would preserue his life vntill he had suffered those thinges and fullfilled that which the scriptures had foretold of him For two reasons the Apostles would specify that Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate First for the more particular and exact relation of his Passion to shew that the Prophecys were fullfilled that had signifyed the time about which it should be And secondly for the performance of his owne words to shew the accomplishing of that which himselfe had foretold when speaking of his Passion he said Mat 20. they shall deliuer him to the Gentils to be mocked and scourged and crucifyed Which was fullfilled when the Iewes apprehending him deliuered him to Pilate and his souldiers who were Gentils and scourged and crucifyed him For the cheife of the Iewes seeing that they could not resist the doctrine which he preached nor the power of his miracles caused him to be apprehended and to be sent as a malefactour to Pontius Pilate who was then the Romane President of Iury Crucifyed and who by the instigation of the Iewes adiudged him as they desired to the death of the Cros which was held in that place the most disgracefull kind of death that malefactours could suffer and was soe much abhorred by the law that we reade in deuteronomy he is accursed of God that hangeth on a tree Deut. 21. Yet this the most reprochfull of all deaths was Christ contented to vndergoe for vs and that in a most ignominious manner betwixt two the eues We haue in the scriptures many mysterious types and honorable figures by which God would foreshew the death of his sonne Innocent Abel murthered by his brother was a figure of Iesus Christ killed by the Iewes Gen. 4. Gen. 22. The Sacrifice which Abraham was commanded to offer in his onely sonne was a type of Christ offered for vs on the Cros. Exo. 12. The vnspotted lambe which the Israëlits were commanded to offer when they came out of Aegypt represented also our Sauiour offered for our redemption of whom the Prophet saith Hier. 11. and I as a mild lambe that is carried to a victime The brazen serpent which God commanded to be erected that the people beholding it might be cured from the stings of the fiery serpents was as it were the shaddow of Christ nailed on the Cros. For as those that were wounded by serpents were cured by that and as of vipers and scorpions a medicine is made against their poyson and stings soe the malice of sinne committed by man was cured by man againe in Iesus Christ contrary to him By a man death sayth the Apostle and by a man the resurrection of the dead Cor. 1.15 And as the brazen serpent was in shew a serpent but had noe sting nor poyson to hurt but vertue to cure the stings of other serpents soe Christ in the similitude of the slesh of sinne had noe sinne Rom. 8. but tooke away the sinnes of the world and therefor
himselfe signifying his death on the Cros Io. 3. said as Moyses exalted the serpent in the desert soe must the sonne of man be exalted Christ suffered voluntarily of his owne free-will Christ suffered voluntarily and could if it had peased him haue escaped all or any part of his Passion and death This he often shewed in his life time Sometimes when they would haue killed him he became presently inuisible to their sight and walked through the midst of them without being seene Sometimes he preuented them absenting himselfe seeing their inward thoughts and harts to be bent against him Sometimes he shewed that he had power ouer their mindes mouing them as he would and asswaging the malice which was in them vntill the hower of his suffering came and when his hower was come he came forth amongst his enemys and euen then he moued multitudes of people to follow and to glorify him but a few dayes after when they came to apprehende him he would then be taken and would not defende himselfe or be defended by others He would with a word of his mouth strike them downe to the ground to shew that he had them in his power and could haue freed himselfe but he would let them rize againe and would goe away prisoner with them to fullfill the will of his father by suffering and dying for vs. Christ suffered for the redemption of all and redeemed all that is by his Passion he purchased meanes for the saluation of all These meanes are the Sacraments of the Catholike Church Those that are baptized and receiue worthily the rest of the Sacraments as they are necessary for them are saued by the merits of Christ in them Those that are not baptized or receiue not the Sacraments as they are necessary for them perish not through any defect in the Passion of Christ by which they had sufficient meanes to be saued but through their owne sinne because they will not apply those meanes to themselues which Christ by his Passion procured for their saluation The least paine of our Sauiours Passion or the least action which he did in his life time had bene sufficient to haue redeemed the whole world and a thousand worlds if it had bene offered to that end by him as the full price of our redemption because it proceeded from the diuine Person which was of infinite dignity but it was not intended soe by him He ouervalued the purchase of our soules and by a superabundant grace would giue more then he needed when he gaue his life for them and would haue nothing to stande for the price of our redemption without his death This he would doe to testify his loue towards vs and to giue vs an example of many vertues Quest What doe we gett by Christ redeeming vs Answ We gett the forgiunesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works by the merits of Christs Passion applyed vnto vs in the Catholike Church The Sacraments of the Catholike Church haue their vertue and effect by the Passion of Christ Those that worthily receiue them are sanctifyed and haue the remission of their sinnes and being then in the state of grace the good works which in that state are done by them are acceptable to God and haue proportion to supernatural glory The Sacraments therefor hauing by the merits of Christs Passion power and vertue to sanctify vs we haue by his merits the forgiunesse of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works Man had committed sinne in paradise and all mankind was infected with that sinne and our nature being once tainted it corrupted still more and more and we fall in our life times into many actuall sinnes All the good works which we could doe were of noe value nor could we by any meanes make satisfaction for any sinne either originall or actuall because there is noe condignity in person and works betwixt vs and God that was offended The Sonne of God was therefor incarnated in Christ that the diuine nature vniting to it selfe the nature of man might soe dignify it by that vnion in him that he could make satisfaction for our sinnes and obtaine for vs the remission of them and that our good works being then done in the state of grace might become acceptable to God and proportionable to glory which of themselues they could not be We could haue sinned still more and more heaping sinne vpon sinne and increasing our damnation but we could haue done nothing in that state by which we could rise from any sinne Soe that the remission of our sinnes and the acceptance of our good works to the obtaining of euerlasting glory is to be attributed to the merits and power of Christs Passion which is actually applyed vnto vs by the Sacraments of the Catholike Church The Apostles would particularly professe in the Creede the Passion of Christ and that he dyed to confounde those haeretiks that should deny his death as some haue done These are sufficiently refuted by this article and by all the Euangelists affirming that he gaue vp the ghost That is is to say that his ghost spirit or soule which is all one departed and was separated from his body death being nohting els but the departure or separation of the soule from the body For this reason also the Apostles would declare that Christ was buried to confirme his being dead But although he would haue his body to be buried as the bodys of other men yet he would preserue it from corruption in the earth because it was most decent that that sacred body which was soe miraculously framed by the Holy Ghost without corrupting the Virginity of his mother should after death be free from all corruption according to that which the holy king had prophecyed thou shalt not giue thy holy one to see corruption Ps 15. To conceiue somethinge of the greatnesse of this mystery we may consider who it was that suffered these thinges that it was one whose person infinitly surpassed in power wisdome beauty riches and all kind of dignity and goodnesse the most renowned Prince that euer was in the world And if it be a horrible thinge to thinke of the murthering of any man and much more of some great and gracious Prince and a cruell spectacle to behold it what feeling ought christiins to haue of the Passion of Christ when they consider it But it is but a weake comparison to compare Christ to any earthly Prince Io. 1. S. Iohn saith that he was the Word which was with God and that this Word was God O almighty God what then shall we say or thinke of this mystery thy power and maiesty seemeth here to be lessened thy wisdome is dispised thy goodnes questioned brought to tryall and condemned O blessed Sauiour whom S. Paul describeth to be he whom God hath made the heire of all Heb. 1. the brightnesse of his glory and the figure of his substance how comes thy brightnesse to be
Apostles but in respect of some mystery to wit as he was to be the prime foundation of the Church amongst them Then the keyes of the kingdome of heauen were particularly promised to him hauing first called him a rocke and promised to build his Church vpon that rocke Which can not be vnderstoode of Christ for Christ spoke not then to himselfe but to Simon besides the Church was then all ready builded vpon Christ but here he speaketh for the future and promiseth that it should be builded vpon Simon whom he called Peter and said thou art a rocke and vpon this rocke I will build my Church and therefor he must not be vnderstoode then to say that he would build it vpon another rocke and not vpon that For although the Church were builded cheefly vpon Christ yet then he spoke of Simon and therefor it must be builded vpon him also to whom he then also said I will giue to thee By all which it is manifest to any that hath not the spirit of contradiction and wrangling about any thinge that Christ did not say here that he would build his Church vpon himselfe but vpon Simon whom therefor he called a rocke And vnto this all the holy fathers agree that he founded his Church vpon S. Peter although they grant also that which is true to wit that the Church was founded vpon Christ and also vpon Peters Confession as a meanes and preparation for the building of it upon his person That which Christ here promised he afterwards performed when before his Ascension he spoke to Peter and gaue vnto him the care of his flocke asking him first Io. 21. Simon of Iâ—hn louest thou mee more then these and Peter answered yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Then he bad him feede his lambes And againe he asked him Simon of Iohn louest thou mee and Peter answered againe Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Christ not contented with all this asked him againe the third time louest thou mee and Peter answering Lord thou knowest all thinges thou knowest that I loue thee Then he badde him feede his sheepe Now what could all this signify that Christ should soe often aske of Peter if he loued him and if he loued him more then the rest and that Peter should againe and againe professe his loue to him and that he should haue the care of Christs lambes and sheepe but that as Peter had professed before the rest his faith in him when he promised the supreme authority to him soe he should professe his loue especially aboue the rest when he gaue him that authority And this authority being ouer the lambes and sheepe it is general ouer all the whole flocke great and litle pastors and people all being conteined in the denomination of lambes and sheepe Eusebius Emissenus Ser. de net Io. Enang he first committed his lambes and then his sheepe to him because he made him not onely a pastour but the pastour of pastors He is therefor the pastour of all for beside lambes and sheepe there is nothing in the Church And S. Bernard If thou louest mee Peter seede my sheepe What sheepe the people of this or that city Ber. l. 2. de consid ad Eugen. c. 8. countrey or kingdome to whom is it not plane that he assigned in particular none but all Tâ—ere is nothing excepted where noe destinction is made S. Gregory It is plane to all those that reade the ghâ—spell that from our Lords mouth the charge of the whole Church was deliuered to Peter Prince of the Apostles Greg l. 4. Ep. 76. It is indeede soe plane in the ghospell that for all the senses which most places of the scriptures admitte and in which the holy fathers haue diuersely vnderstoode them yet as Maldonat hath obserued vpon this place of S Iohn 21. there was neuer any father either of the Latine or Greeke Church that vnderstoode this place contrary to that sense yet Luther and Caluin are soe bold as not onely to question it but also to contradict it and to stande in this contradiction against them all and against the whole Church S. Denis calleth S. Peter the supreme glory and most auncient tuteur and safeguard of dinines De din. nem c 3. And hauing bene present when he and S. Paul were martyred at Rome he writeth to Timothee who was his fellow disciple to S. Paul the manner how they saluted one another before martyrdome ad Tim. When saith he the two pillars of the world were separated Paul said to Peter Peace be with thee foundation of Churches shepheard of the ewes and lambes of Christ Peter said to Paul Goe in peace preacher of the good mediatour and captaine of the health of the iust Thus did S. Paul salute S. Peter with that which was his prime and propper title of the shepheard of Christs flocke The holy fathers also speake in such termes of S. Peter and giue him such titles as planely expresse an eminency of power and authority ouer the rest of the Apostles Hyp. deconsamma mundâ— Tert. prascrip c. 22. Cyp. ep 40. aliâ—s lib. 1. ep â— Pet. Alex ser de poenit Amb. in c. 2. ad Gal. Opt l 2. cont Donat. Cyr. Catech. 2. 1. 17. Greg N.Z. or 7 â—piph haer 51. Chrysosâ—ora 5. in Iudaos Damesus ep 2. Hiero. in psal 13. Hyppolitus Peter the Prince of the Apostles Tertul. The Rocke of the Church Cyprian One God one Christ one Church one chaire founded vpon Peter by our Lords voice Pet. Alex. Peter the Prince of tâ—e Apostles S. Ambrose To Peter alone the grace of the primateship amongst the Apostles was giuen S. Optatus In the citty of Rome the Episcâ—pal chaire was first giuen to Peter in which Peter the head of all the Apostles satte S. Cyril Hieros calleth him the Prince of the Apostles S. Greg. Naz. The safety of the Church S. Epiphan The captaine of the disciples S. Chrysos The Prince of the Apostles S. Damasus The onely Prince of the Apostles S. Hierome Peter the head of the Church S. August Who knoweth not most blessed Peter to be the Prince of the Apostles The primacy amongst the Apostles by speciall grace is praeeminent in Peter S. Leo Peter alone is chosen of all the world to be set ouer the vocation of all nations Aug. tract 56. in lo. l. 2. dâ— bap cont Donat. c. 1. Lee ser 3. de anniuers Assumpt and all the Apostles and all the fathers of the Church Neither doth the supremacy of Christ ouer the Church hinder the supremacy of S Peter in spiritual affaires any more then his supremacy in temporal power hindereth the supreme authority of temporal Princes in temporal affaires Christ of himselfe was the head of all authority both spiritual and temporall but after his ascension into heauen he being visibly absent from vs as he left kings with supreme authority in the temporal gouernment of their kingdomes soe
de obitu fratris Pauls authority And S. Cyprian and S. Ambrose signify that it is all one to say the Romane faith and the Catholike faith All which they would neuer haue said if they had not thought the Romane chaire to haue had preeminence and authority aboue all and vnderstoode the words of S. Paul in that sense that the faith of the Romanes was renowmed in the supreme authority of that sea and therefor we may rightly alleadge those scriptures according to the auncient fathers interpretations for the supremacy of the bishop of Rome But we will produce their plane testimonys immediatly from the Apostles times Anacletus who liued with the Apostles hath these words Ep. 3. ad omnes Epis This holy and Apostolicall Romane Church not onely from the Apostles but euen from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe hath obtained the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches and ouer the whole flocke of the people of Christ he himselfe saying to S. Peter Mat. 16. Thou art Peter c. And they also themselues consented vnto it that he should be aboue all the rest of the Apostles and should be Cephas that is to say the head and beginning of the Apostle ship who deliuered the same forme to his successors and the rest of the Apostles to bishops to be held by them If any difficult causes arize amongst you referre them to this head that by the apostolicall iudgment they may be ended for such is the will of our Lord who hath soe determined as by the foresaid places is declared Therfor this Apostolical seate is constituted of none other but of our Lord himselfe to be the hinge and the head as is said before of all Churches That as the doore is guided by the hinges soe by the disposition of our Lord all Churches should be gouerned by this holy seate S. L. 3. c. 3. Irenaeus who liued in the next age after the Apostles reckoneth vp all the bishops of Rome vnto Eleutherius who then gouerned to shew the succession of that supreme authority from S. Peter and saith that in all cases of controuersy we should haue recourse vnto the Apostolical traditions and try them by the Church of Rome Tertullian L. depudicitia who liued in the same age with him calleth the bishop of Rome Pontificem Maximum Episcopum Episcoporum The highest Priest the Bishop of bishops S. Cyprian De vnitate Eccles who liued in the next age after them speaking of the beginning of heresys saith in substance all which I am saying to wit that all schismes and heresys haue begunne by disobedience to the head of the Church and particularly specifyeth to what head to wit to the successour of S. Peter that is for the time and saith that if we would seeke to that iudge all controuersys would soone be at an end And speaking of the bishops of Rome L. 4. ep 9. from hence saith he all heresys haue rizen and still arize because that bishop who is but one and presideth ouer the Whole Church is despised by the prowde presumption of certaine men and he whom God hath dignifyed is iudged by men as vnworthy of dignity In the next age liued S. Athanasius a glorious Confessour and for forty yeares and more in which he was bishop the prime pillar of the Catholike Church in the easterne parts against the Arian haeretiks Apud Theoâ—â—et â— 4. c. 3. He reckoneth vp the Churches of the seueral parts of the world and saith that they and the whole world consented to the Councell of Nyce in which the primacy of S. Syluester then bishop of Rome was acknowledged and declared And it is here to be obserued that the Arians who are the auncientest of all sects now extant out of the Catholike Church beganne but in these times when the Romane bishop had bene honored for about three hundred yeares as the Vicar of Christ vpon earth And the same saint together with the fathers of the Councell of Alexandria wrote vnto Felix 2. then bishop of Rome after this manner To the honorable holy father Felix Pope of the Apostolical seate of the city of Rome Athanasius and all the bishops of the Aegyptians Thebaians and Lybians by the grace of God assembled in the holy Councell of Alexandria We suggest vnto your holy Apostleship that you would vouchsafe to vs of your wounted care ouer vs c. Because most holy father our praedecessors and we haue receiued helpe of your Apostolical scate We implore that Apostolicall and according to the canons the cheife seate that we may haue helpe from thence from whence our auncestors haue had their doctrines orders and relcefe Vnto that we haue recourse as to our mother that we may be nourished at her breasts And as the mother own not forgett her child soe doe not you forgette vs committed to your charge For our enemys haue inuolued vs in noe small troubles apprehending and threatening vs with irons vnles we will yeeld to their errors Which without your knowledge we will not presume vpon the canons hauing decreed that in cases of moment nothing should be done without the Romane bishop Therfor God hath placed you and your praedecessors the bishops of Rome in the toppe of all that you might haue a care of all Churches hauing the iudgment of all bishops committed to you For we know that in the great Councell of Nyce of three hundred and eighteene bishops it was established by all that without the sentence of the Romane bishop noe Councell should be called nor any bishops condemned although these and many other necessary thinges be taken away from vs and burnt by turbulent haeretiks c. Likewise it was agreeably defined by the foresaid fathers that if any of the bishops shall haue in suspicion the Metropolitan Comprouinciales or Judges let him appeale to your holy seate of Rome to whom the power of binding and loosing was giuen by speciall priuilege by our Lord himselfe c. Thou art the deposer of prophane haeresys inuaders and infesters as the Head and Doctour and Prince of orthodoxe doctrine and vnspotted faith After S. Athanasius in the next age liued S. Optatus bishop of Mileuetum in Affricke who made a catalogue of all the Popes from S. Peter to Siricius who then gouerned and writing against the haeretike Parmention he telleth him that in setting vp a chaire contrary to the Chaire of Rome he could not pleade ignorance knowing that the first was giuen to S. Peter to be at Rome and particular chaires to the other Apostles L. 1. conc Parm. that he might be knowne for a schismatike and praeuaricatour that should set vp a chaire in opposition to it Amb. in 3. ad Tim. S. Ambrose speaking of Damasus then bishop of Rome saith that all the world being Gods yet the Church onely is hit house whose Rectour or Ruler at this time is Dumasus S. Hierome also liued in the time of this
none mainteined in schisme their owne Churches which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ except they were as all false Churches are of a succession inuisible The Waldenses beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Waldo an ignorant lay man in the city of Lyons aboue eleauen hundred yeares after that the faith of Christ had flourished in the world who disobeying the authority of Alexander 3. Pope and of the fathers of a General Councell held at Rome beganne a new Church against all saying we must obey God rather then men And Iohn Hus was proceeded against as an haeretike for mainteining with obstinacy his doctrine The Church of the Lutherans beganne in the disobedience of Martin Luther a Fryar of the holy order of S. Augustine about fifteene hundred yeares after the first establishing of the Church of Christ who disobeying the authority of the head and pastors of the Church that then were to wit of Pope Leo and the pastors of his Communion broke his vowes of pouerty chastity and obedience and hauing gotten some to follow him he beganne with them a new Church which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ nor from any Church except it were a succession inuisible The Zinglians beganne in the disobedience of Vlricus Zuinglius a Canon of Constance who seeing the people of Germany soe greedily to swallow downe the liberty of Luthers doctrine and noueltys disobeying the authority of Pope Clement and of the pastors of his Communion would beginne also a new Church contrary both to the Church of Rome and of Luther denying the reall presence of the body of our Lord in the holy Eucharist The Church of the Caluinists beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Caluin Priest of Noyon who following the example of Luther and Zuinglius brokeforth after them out of the sheepefold of Christ and disobeying the authority of Paulus 3. then Bishop of Rome and of the pastors of his Communion beganne a new Church according to his owne words separating themselues from the whole world Resp ad versip The Church of England which is the newest of them all beganne in the disobedience of king Henry the eight who hauing first obtained of Pope Leo the glorious title of Defendour of the faith for his good seruice done to the Church of God especially in oppugning of Luthers heresy became afterwards soe blinded with carnality that desiring of Pope Clement a diuorcement from his lawfull wife and not obtaining it he denyed his authority forbadde in his dominions all commerce with the court of Rome and caused himselfe to be proclaimed The supreme head of the English Church vpon earth putting to death Bishop Fisher Sr Thomas Moore and others for denying his supremacy By all which it appeareth that the words of S. Iohn may well be applyed to all these sects when to discouer the false Churches of schismatiks and heretiks which he speaketh of by the name of Antichrist he giueth them this marke They went out from vs. Io. 1.2 Soe may we say of all the sects of schismes and haeretiks that are in the world they beganne at some time in disobedience to the Romane Church the beginners of them were once Romane Catholiks but they were the chaffe of the Catholike Church which being puffed vp with pride and obstinacy went out from vs and beganne new Churches which were not then at all in the world You haue seene now the supreme authority of the Bishop of Rome to haue bene first acknowledged and obeyed by the primitiue Church and consequently all other Churches of christians whatsoeuer without naming of any haue at some time goneforth of that Church and begunne in disobedience to that Bishop and to the pastors of his Communion and you haue seene also in particular the cheife and most notable and one may say all other Churches for that the rest of the petty sects haue begunne indisobedience to some of these and goneforth of them you haue seene I say in particular the rest of the Churches that now are to haue begunne in disobedience to that authority which was first obeyed by the primitiue Church of Christ and was then obeyed in the world and euen by themselues vntill they tooke vpon them to disobey it Wherefor I conclude with this that the true Church is that which continueth allwais obedient to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion and they are all false Churches that haue begunne in disobedience to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion but there is none but the bishop of Rome that can with any reason pretende to be the true head of the Church nor any pastors that can pretende to be in Communion with the true head of the Church but those that are in Communion with him therefore that is the true Church which hath continued all wais in obedience to the Bishop of Rome and his pastors and they are all false Churches that haue begunne at any time and continue still in disobedience to him and them There remaineth now onely to see what they can say for themselues and to shew the vanity of their pretences First if they deny that the Romane Bishop had supreme authority in the primitiue Church it is to confound as I haue said the knowledge of all thinges past I haue shewed that the holy fathers of those times haue interpreted the scriptures for the Bishop of Rome his supremacy and I haue shewed by their plane sentences and expresse words that the Romane Church hath obtained from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches that holy seate being the hinge and head of all Churches that in all controuersys we ought to haue recourse vnto it that the Bishop of Rome is the highest Priest and Bishop of bishops that all schismes and heresys haue sprung from the disobedience to that chaire that they are Schismatiks and Praeuaricators that set vp another chaire contrary to it that they belong to Antichrist that are not of that Communion I haue shewed also that the Bishop of Rome his supremacy was acknowledged by Generall Councels that his legates praesided in them that he protected the good and corrected the â—ad both of the Clergy and of the Laity of other Dioceses euen the cheife persons of the world as vnder his charge and that there is noe other bishop that by any title can iustly pretende to haue had that authority in the primitiue times And therfor it is most senselesse to deny his supremacy which the world hath soe long confessed And if they shall still oppose it Sap. 5. the round world shall fight with him against the senslesse who are soe bold as to hazard their soules against the whole world and against soe many worlds as I haue shewed gathered together in General Councels who haue submitted to the Bishop of Rome as to their supreme pastour They will grant then perhaps that the Bishop of
in the Church and the auncient and true doctrine was better vnderstoode that it was not of obligation for all to receiue vnder both kindes For as the Councell of Trent hath obserued when Christ said vnles you eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not haue life in you Io. 6. He added also he that eateth this bread shall liue for euer By which he declared that the benefit of the Eucharist is receiued as much in the host onely as in both the host and the chalice euerlasting life being promised to those that eate that sacred bread OF THE EFFECTS OF THE Eucharist THE effect of the Eucharist is to giue grace by which we become the adopted children of God nourished and fedd as it were at his owne table our soules hauing satiety in him and obtaining by it the fullnes of his glory That where as according to S. Tract 26. in Io. Augustine by other meate and drinke we seeke to be satiated there is noe true satiety but in this by which we gaine heauen And it is especially gained by this Sacrament both by reason of the more special vnion which we baue with Christ in it and also for that the gift of perseuerance is especially here obtained as by a strong and nourishing bread It remitteth sinne and preserueth from future sinne according to the disposition of the receiuer according to which also it blotteth out the punishment due to it It hath for its propper effect to feede and to strengthen the soule to keepe it in spiritual health and vigour And because for the most part it is receiued with more feruour and sweetnes of deuotion and outwardly in the similitude of bread therfor it is compared to the Manna of the Israëlits which is thought by some to haue had the sweetnes of all tasts S. L. 8. ep 62. Ambrose We haue the Manna euery day rayning downe vpon vs that body which came from the virgin and S. Iohn Chrysostome therefor calleth it the fountaine of paradise from whence sensible riuers flow Ho. 45 to 1. The Saints of God haue bene soe transported with spiritual consolations in the receiuing of the Eucharist that good and authentical writers haue recorded of some who haue liued for diuerse months and of others who for some yeares together haue bene susteined without any other foode S. Katherine of Siena was singularly deuoted to the blessed Sacrament She receiued it euery day except her Confessour commanded the contrary whom she obeyed in all things and noe doubt but that for a long time she was susteined onely by it In her life it is said that as children earne vnto their mothers brests soe did she to the blessed Sacrament and that it often happening that she being in an extasy all the time of masse vntill Communion and then comming to her selfe would say O my Lord although I were dead I should reuiue againe to enioy thee THE SACRAMENT OF Pennance Quest What is the Sacrament of Pennance Answ Pennance is a Sacrament by which we haue the forgiunesse of sinnes in Confession FIRST we will shew that this is a Sacrament in the forgiuenesse of sinnes and then we will declare the parts of it and benefits which are receiued by it Although Luther for the most part denyeth this to be a Sacrament and laboureth with other Protestants to robb the world of the benefit of it yet l. de capt bab he saith that it is a Sacrament There he saith truely for it is soe indeede and hath all that is included euen in the Protestants definition of a Sacrament Apol. Confess art 13. which is to be an outward signe instituted of Christ by which grace is promised And this it shall appeare to be Amongst the many apparitions which Christ made betwixt his Resurrection and Ascension to his disciples S. Iohn hath recorded that once he came and stood in the midst of them and said Peace be to you Io. 20. And when he had said this he shewed them his hands and side and said againe Peace be to you As my father hath sent mee I also doe send you And he breathed vpon them and said Receiue ye the Holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen them and whose you shall retaine they are retained This is all which the Euangelist mentioneth to haue passed in that solemne apparition which must therfor include some great mystery Hence it appeareth that this is a Sacrament for where forgiunes of sinnes is promised there grace is promised And this forgiuing and retaining of sinnes being giuen to the Apostles and their successors to be practised by them who vnderstande not the inward of mens minds and consciences the poenitent must declare his sinnes to them that they may know what and how to forgiue or to retaine them And soe there is all that is included in the nature of a Sacrament to wit an outward signe both in the poenitent confessing and in the Priest absoluing and that outward signe instituted of Christ to giue grace vnto sanctification By which the Catholike doctrine is made manifest that power is giuen to the Church to forgiue sinnes For is it likely that Christ would appeare in all those circumstances and mysterious caeremonys giuing them the Holy Ghost for nothing but onely to let them know that God can and doth forgiue sinnes The Apostles esteemed soe highly of this grace that they made the forgiuenesse of sinnes an article of the Creede to wit by the power of the Catholike Church which they had professed in the article before Is it likely that they meant to make it an article of the Creede that God can and doth forgiue sinnes After that they vnderstoode that themselues had power to forgiue sinnes they being sent as Christ was sent and the Holy Ghost being giuen soe particularly then to them and therfor they feared not to practise the forgiuing of sinnes Priests of themselues haue not power to forgiue sinnes for noe man of himselfe hath that power They haue it of God as the vicars and substitutes of him who gaue it them God giu's power to priests as kings doe to iudges Iudges represent the person of the king and Priests represent the diuine maiesty Iudges must be informed and soe must priests iudges giue sentence and their sentences are ratifyed by the king God giueth authority to priests and their sentēces are ratifyed by him he that contemneth the authority of the iudge contemneth the authority of the king and he that contemneth the priests authority contemneth the diuine maiesty Christ hauing made them his iudges and set them in his owne place with power to binde and to loose promising that what they did vpon earth should be ratifyed in heauen That Christ did truely giue this power to the Church his words are as plane as words vse to be and that plane words might not be misconstrued he deliuered them in such circumstances as might binde them as
it were to that sense First he told them that he sent them as his father had sent him who forgaue sinnes Then he breathed vpon them and badd them receiue the Holy Ghost what for it must needs be for some great worke and eminent power Then he told them what it was for to wit to forgiue sinnes Is not this as plane as can be Besides we destroy all connexion and sense in the words of Christ if we will haue him to say whose sinnes you shall forgiue when they could forgiue none at all He that shall call this power of forgiuing sinnes power onely to declare that God then forgiueth the poenitent his sinnes and shall say that priests doe not forgiue but onely declare that God then forgiueth shall say nothing to the purpose For although it be true that priests doe not forgiue sinnes by their owne natural power but doe declare that God then forgiueth with them yet they doe properly forgiue and as properly as iudges doe who hauing commission from the king to punish or to pardon are properly said to pardon that crime which the king pardoneth by them Soe priests pardon and forgiue sinnes by commission and power from God And he that calleth it power to forgiue calleth it as Christ did and he that will call it onely power to declare miscalleth it and sheweth in himselfe a contentious and contradicting minde in reiecting of those termes which Christ and his Church doth vse To say that God can not giue that power to men for that it were to deuest himselfe of his owne power is disprooued in fact for that Christ euen according to his humanity had and exercized that power and when the Iewes murmured at him for it as haeretiks doe against priests he prooued it by a miracle as is declared in the tenth article of the Creede Besides what is there that God can not doe or what impossibility is there in the giuing of that power to men It is a supernatural power noe harder to be giuen then supernatural power is for the working of miracles as for casting out of deuils who by nature are farre superiour to vs yet that power was giuen to the Apostles and they practized it as their successors also doe to good effect And for God to giue the power of forgiuing sinnes to men is not to deuest himselfe of it but it is rather to vest himselfe with mercy and iustice as becommeth him mercy in accepting of soe small a worke iustice in requiring that worke of vs. We will see what the fathers of the primitiue Church haue said of this power and that in their times Confession was practised for the remission of sinnes Dion ep 8. ad Deâ—ophi S Denis the disciple of S. Paul declareth that it was then the order of discipline for sinners to come prostrate to priests for the forgiuenes of sinnes Tert l. do â—anit Tertullian hath much of prostrating to the priest in Confession saying that when they come to his feete they touch Christ and beseech Christ And that it is a happy and profitable shame and to animate all to good and cleere Confessions he saith if thou dost repugne from Confession thinke that thou hast hell in thy hart and thou driuest it out by Confession Imagine the greatnes of that punishment and feare not that which doth remedy it S. Cyprian de laps Brethren I intreate euery one to Confesse his sinnes in this world whilst his Confession and remission which is by priests is acceptable Paulinus in vita Ambrosij that S. Ambrose by shedding teares in the Confession of his poenitents drew teares from them also S. Augustine Ho. 49. ex 50. homilijs Let noe man say I doe pennance priuatly with God who knoweth my sinnes for then in vaine as it said whose sinnes you forgiue c. were then the keyes giuen in vaine to the Church of God we frustrate the ghospell and the words of Christ and promise to our selues that which he denyeth L. 2. de vifie infir c. 4. And in another place There are some that thinke it sufficient to Confesse tâ—eir sinnes to God For they will not or are ashamed to shew themselues to the priests whom God hath appointed to discerne of leprosy â—eu 13. 14. deceiue not thy selfe be not ashamed to Confesse to the Vicar of Christ For his iudgment also thou must vndergoe And he biddeth vs a litle after to consider ourselues then as hauing the Angell of God before vs and with confidence and reuerence to lay open to him the state of our conscience and all our secret sinnes with the circumstances that aggrauate them and declaring in particular some circumstances necessary to be confessed he saith it is better to be ashamed here before one iudge then at the day of iudgment to be repulsed in the sight of all the world Thus much for the institution of this Sacrament and the practise of the primitiue Church The essential parts of it consist in somethinge which is done by the poenitent and somethinge by the priest That which is required of the poenitent is Contrition Confession and Satisfaction which are the matter of the SacrameÌ„t as the acts of him that seeketh to be reconeiled to God For as recoÌ„ciliation vnto human freindship requireth those three things in the offender to wit sorrow for his falt acknowledgment of it and satisfaction for it soe doth also our reconcilement with God That which is required on the priests part is to giue absolution as the forme of the Sacrament God vsing humane meanes when he pardoneth by men This Sacrament doth not allwais take away all punishment due to the sinnes which were forgiuen For our soules hauing bene purged before and made the temples of God in baptisme and we hauing polluted them againe with new sinnes we can not in reason expect to haue all due punishment to be taken away by this as we had by baptisme God was espoused to vs in the holy font and when after it we fell into sinne we basely adulterated and broke our fidelity with him it is well that he will receiue vs to his fauour againe we must not thinke to haue as much in this Sacrament as we had at first in baptisme according to the deuotion and disposition which we haue soe is our punishment more or lesse forgiuen He that loueth much shall haue much for giuen him Now let vs see how to dispose ourselues for it Three things as I haue said are required on the poenitents part Contrition Confession and Satisfaction First OF CONTRITION BY Contrition we may vnderstande all that which the poenitent is to doe before Confession as a preparation to it He is to examine his conscience to be sorty for his sinnes and to purpose to amende them and if any of these three things be wanting the Sacrament is not onely without fruit but a mortal sinne is committed As for examen of conscience those that haue abstained
and cheerfully a change when he shall send it and God will send a good change if they expect his time But the remedy of remedys and the prime remedy for all inconueniences should haue bene to haue foreseene and preuented them before marriage by considering well whether they were called of God or noe to that state of life And this I will tell them how they shall examine it First let them resolue that in this busines which concerneth them for all their life after they will doe nothing rashly but will take time to consider of it and to commende it well to God and hauing had the Councell of their ghostly father and his prayers and confessed and communicated for that end let them then take a time to consider of it First let them offer themselues vpon their knees to God firmely purposing to serue him all their life time in whatsoeuer state he shall call them to Hauing made that firme purpose let them then pray to him to enlighten them and to our B. Lady their good Angell and their particular patrone to assist them in that worke that they may know and follow the will of God in it Then they may examine their natural inclinations and complexion and other circumstances how they sute with this or that state And it will not be amisse to thinke that if they were then at the hower of their death what they would wish to haue chosen Hauing weighed well all things that which with most peace and quietnes offereth it selfe as best for them that they may resolue vpon and follow it as the calling of God and can haue noâ— iust cause to repent it afterwards Finally I commende againe much loue to married folkes but it must be a spiritual and supernatural loue such as Bishops Sales in his Introduction to a deuout life commendeth to them such as is betwixt Christ and the Church Introd par 3. c. 37. for Gods sake Beasts and birdes loue their mates with a natural loue onely Heathens loue their wiues and husbands with a natural and rational loue but Christians being contracted by a Sacrament must haue a higher loue to wit sacramental and gracious for the loue of God because it is his will otherwise it is but beastly or at most a humane loue such as heathens haue and will not last in them Those that are to marry must declare in three things First whether they haue made any vow inconsistent with marriage Secondly whether they be not allready contracted with some other Thirdly whether their marriage be with their parents consent for they ought to haue at least their interpretatiue consent as yong Toby had when by the Angels directions he was married without the knowledge of his parents but not without their probable good liking of it And as children in this owe a duety to their parents soe it is fitting that parents should haue some respect to the affection and liking of their children and not to force them to marriages which they can not affect for as marriages without consent of parents soe forced marriages haue seldome good successe The Romane Catechisme aduiseth here to warne the married that vpon festiual dayes and in times of pennance they absteine from the acts of matrimony This is to be vnderstoode by way of Councell not of obligation Yet it is a Councell to be noted and followed as rendring matrimony more honourable betwixt them when it is vsed in due circumstances I haue said now all that I haue to say of the Sacraments You haue seene in generall of them all that they haue their power and effect through the merits of Christ as issuing out of his blessed side vpon the Cros and as the onely meanes of our sanctification With what deuotion then ought we to come to them Thinke with thy selfe when thou goest to receiue any of the seauen Sacraments that thou carriest then thy soule vnto Iesus Christ to be washed in his blood and although it were neuer soe sicke lame or wounded yet if thou commest worthily to any Sacrament he will turne vnto it take it into his hands and cure it Nay if the damned soules could possibly receiue any Sacrament worthily they should be freed out of hell by it because the merits of Christs Passion are infallibly applyed by any Sacrament worthily receiued And in this consisteth the horrour of the damned that they are not in state nor euer shall be worthy to receiue the Sacraments of the Catholike Church And this is our happines in this life that allthough our sinnes be neuer soe great yet as long as we haue time to receiue the Sacraments or onely to desire them for the loue of God we may be freed from sinne and sanctifyed by them But without them at least in desire we cannot be freed from mortall sinne For although by contrition sinnes may be forgiuen yet that contrition includeth desire of the Sacraments Besides that contrition is hard to be obtained For the sinner wounded by sinne and vnder the feete of his enemy held downe by his power and by his owne euill inclinations is easily kept in subiection and hardly rizeth to that perfect loue of God which contrition requireth and therefor we haue the Sacraments to helpe our weakenesse in that case that if they haue but the feare of damnation and the loue of glory and will apply a Sacrament to that feare and loue it conteineth the vertue of Christs passion and will soe cherish and strengthen them that allthough they were dead it would reuiue them to life And therefor our blessed Sauiour breathing vpon his disciples said receiue ye the holy ghost to shew the power of the Sacraments in forgiuing of sinnes And at the reuiuing of Lazarus he weeped groned in spirit troubled himselfe prayed for him and called vpon him with a lowd voice to shew the horrible state of men in mortall sinne signifyed by Lazarus that was dead and that soe we might esteeme more of the Sacraments by which they are not onely reuiued againe but soe highly honored as to become his beloued spouses euen as though some poore handmaid were taken out of slauery and brought to the kings pallace to be made his wife If thou dost remember these things when thou goest to the Sacraments that thou goest then to be clensed with the blood of Christ and to be made the spouse of God thou wilt detest thy sinnes with thy whole hart and prepare thy selfe with much loue and deuotion to thy heauenly spouse And we must neuer come to the Sacraments vntill we haue this preparation in our selues THE SIXT DISCOVRSE OF THE COMMANDEMENTS Question Say the tenne Commandements Answ Exod. 20. Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine Remember thou sanctify the Sabaoth day Honour thy father and thy mother Thou shalt not committe adultery Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not beare false witnes against thy neihhbour Thou
keeper we must be ruled by him and pray for obedience to his holy will that we may follow it and then all will be well with vs. In earth as it is in Heauen We pray not here that we may doe the will of God vpon earth with that perfection with which it is done in Heauen for that is vnpossible but that as the Saints of God performe his will according to the perfection of their state so that we may performe it according to the perfection of our present state and that as the Saints in Heauen haue a most perfect conformity with the will of God so that wee may imitate them euery one in the vocation in which he is called following the diuine pleasure in all things and saying willingly with holy Iob As it hath pleased our Lord so is it done Iob. 1. The name of God be blessed THE FOVRTH PETITION GIVE vs this day our daily bread This and the petitions that follow are to be referred to those that goe before to wit that the name of God be hallowed that we may gaine his blessed kingdome For all whatsoeuer we prayfor is to be ordained to the honour of God and to the gaining of that kingdome L. 2. deserm Dem. We pray saith S. Augustine not for temporall things as our true goods but as our necessarys because they are in themselues imperfect and therefor not absolutly good nor to be prayed for but as they are referred to the honour of God and haue a partial and participated goodnes from him Whether you eate or drinke Cor. 1.10 or doe any other thinge doe all thinges to the glory of God Saith the Apostle to the Corinthians And the same Apostle desired the Romans to pray for him that he might escape the hands of his enemys and that his seruice might be acceptable Where he referreth the escaping of his enemys to the glory and seruice of God Yet we may see by this petition that it is lawfull to pray for temporal things for although God of his owne goodnes doth prouide sufficiently for vs yet soe as that he will haue vs to aske and pray for that which we stande neede of Soe the Patriarke Iacob prayed and made a vow of some particular deuotions to be done for the obtaining then of a prosperous â—ourney Saying if God shall be with mee Câ—n. 28. and shall keepe mee in the way by the which I walke and shall giue mee bread to eate and rayment to put on and I shall be returned prosperously to my fathers house the Lord shall be my God and this stone which I haue erected for a title shall be called the house of God and of all thinges that thou shalt giue to mee I will offer tithes to thee All this did this holy man doe that God might blesse him and supply his wants in that voyage By bread all corporal necessarys are here vnderstood For foode being the most necessary of all corporal thinges and bread-being the most necessary of all foodes it may properly signify all temporall necessarys and therefor in the holy scriptures bread is taken generally for any kind of meate as in the place aboue cited where lacob prayed for bread and rayment and Luc. 14. where it is said that Christ entred into the house of a certaine Prince of the Pharisys to eate bread Luc. 14. That is to say to eate meate in general for it was a feast which the Pharisee then made for his freinds Here we may conceiue somethinge of the great losse which we haue incurred by sinne Man whilst he was in paradise and in state of grace was well prouided for of all corporal thinges the tree of life supplying him soe that he could feare noe want But falling into sinne he fell into feare and shame and beganne to want meate and cloths and many other things and was glad to take paines and to worke hard to get that which he stoode neede of and for all his paines taking is still in feare of want and therefor we are taught here to humble ourselues to God and to pray to him to blesse our labors and to giue fruit to them which otherwise are vaine and fruitlesse and to shew this he sendeth sometimes excesse of heates colds thunders droughts inundations and the like by which he deminisheth our allowance and taketh as much as he will from vs. What a folly then is it in rich and worldly men for the loue of riches or for any worldly respect to forsake God and to sinne against him If God should blast their corne burne their grasse send diseases to their goods fire to their houses or some greeuous lamenesse or deformity to their persons what would they doe then Iob was rich enough and had honour enough as a prince Yet he came to loose all and to be in great want and such misery as to ly vpon a dunghill and to scrape away the putrefaction from his body with shells and such things as he founde beside him This would God permitte in him to shew that all our felicitys are in his hands and that their is none rich and prosperous but by him And because he tooke all patiently and remained still the seruant of God he was blessed againe with temporal prosperity double to that which before he enioyed Antiochus was a king farre greater then Iob yet lesse then God who for his pride and cruelty destroyed his armys and brought him to that misery that as holy Scripture saith he that seemed to himselfe to rule euen ouer the wanes of the sea and to wey the heights of mountaines in a ballance Mach. 2.9 now being humbled to the ground was carried in a portatiue seate testifying the manifest power of God in himselfe soe that out of the body of the impious man wormes crawled abundantly and his liue flesh fell of for paines with his smell also and stinke the army was annoyed Now what better was this man for all his worldly greatnes when God would thus punish him he was made an example to others of the power of God and because he made not good vse of his afflictions as Iob did but remained still in his wickednes he was neuer restored to prosperity againe but died miserably It is therefor a vaine thinge to forsake God for temporall prosperity seeing that all blessings proceede from him and cannot be had but by him And yet that which is most absurde of all these very men that goe to the deuill for riches and for a pleasant life come to God to aske bread of him in their prayers They serue the world and the deuill and aske their liuelyhood of God Is not this absurde Seruants aske their wages of the masters whom they serue as souldiers doe of their captaines and generals Was their euer any souldier that went to the general of the enemys campe to aske pay or prouision If then worldlings you will serue the world why doe you aske your
are acknowledged for holy men and Saints euen by Protestant authors These great seruants of God were most singularly deuoted to his blessed Mother many wayes Some of them instituted particular deuotions to her and inuiting all to those deuotions haue spared noe labour to increase her honour and the number of her seruants But this needes not for that I haue shewed it to haue bene the deuotion of the Catholike Church in those times in which her enemys confesse and must needes confesse the true faith of Christ to haue flourished if euer it flourished That which the Catholike Church still laboureth for is to preserue in her people the same deuotion which was then giuen to her And therefor she consecrateth Churches erecteth altares instituteth holy dayes and omitteth nothing to setforth her worthy prayses and the power of her intercession which afterwards I shall shew The English Protestant Church is not yet soe auncient but that I haue knowne diuerse who haue remembred the like deuotion to haue bene in this kingdome to her when the Catholike religion flourished in it English men were then blessedly and singularly aboue other nations deuoted to her reioycing in her patronage and ioyfull solemnitys But now that ioy is turned into hatred and contempt and her cheife solemnitys are blotted out and prophaned by them and yet absurdly and without consequence they will seeme to honour the Saints commaÌ„ding their holydayes to be kept Is it not an absurde and malicious proceeding in them to her to commande the holydayes of the Saints and Angels as lawfull and fitting and to take away the cheife holy dayes of our B. Lady yet this the English protestant Church hath done as may be seene in their commune prayer booke where the Feasts of the Apostles and of other Saints and of the Angels are commanded by their Church and not the Natiuity and Assumption of our B. Lady which were allwais held her cheife solemnitys As for her Annunciation and Purification they may obserue them in honour of the Conception and Presentation of Christ and cunningly seeme as though they would honour her but this cunning is worth nothing to those that vnderstande her Natiuity and Assumption to be her cheife and most propper feasts and soe auncient that S. Hierome and S. Augustine haue left sermons which they made of them and which they taking away keepe noe day at all as propper to her It is the nature of malice to hate all that which is worthy of loue and of enuious persons to hate that which their enemys loue though neuer soe good This is the very true cause why the beginners of this English religion would take away her two cheife holydayes They see the Catholike Church to aduance her honour and to be 〈◊〉 â—ularly deuoted to her and therefor of malice and enuy to the Church they labour what they can to pull downe her honour and to disgrace her What iniury had the most blessed of women and their particular patronesse done to them in what had she deserued this at their hands but that they would oppose the Catholike Church S. Hierome speaking of the feast of the Assumption saith If we be commanded to honour God in his Saints how much more in this solemnity Ep. ad Paul Eustoch to 9. I would all Englishmen had knowne these words and remembred them when the beginners of their new religion tooke away that festiuall day they would not perhaps haue permitted this disgrace to haue bene put vpon their patronesse in whom their nation had soe long bene honored as to let them take away her Assumption which according to S. Hierome and to reason is much more to be honored then the Assumptions of other Saints which they keepe But let vs goe on in honoring of her We will now gather together out of the sentences of the holy fathers alleadged a posy as it were of our B. Ladys prayses taking onely the summe of them in breife First for her sanctity they affirme her to haue excelled all creatures there being nothing in heauen and earth to compare with her all but God inferiour to her As for sinne it is certaine that she neuer committed the least Venial sinne in soe much that S. Augustine will haue noe mention of sinne to be made in her Aug. l. de nat gra c. 8. Sess 6. c. 23. and the Councell of Trent doth sufficiently declare it She had the grace of all vertues faith hope charit 〈◊〉 humility patience chastity meeknes fortitude c. in an eminent degree aboue all She was a perpetual Virgin Con. Ephes Chalced. Syn. 6. c. 2. Mariae Virginitas ante partum in partu post partum intemerabilis Marys Virginity before her child bearing in her child bearing and after her child bearing vnuiolated She did not onely obserue perpetual Virginity but she obserued it by vow According to S. Augustin l. 4. de Sancta Virginitate and S. Gregory Naz. orat in Sanctam Natiuitatem and it is inferred out of her answere to the Angell when she said how shall this be done because I know not man Luc. 2. That is to say I can not lawfully know man as the hebrew children said to Nabuchodonosor we worship not thy Gods that is we must not and cannot lawfully worship them Dan. 3. But the B. Virgin might lawfully haue knowne man if she had not made a vow to the contrary Neither is there otherwise any congruity in her answere Dr Kellison is of opinion that she was the first that euer vowed perpetual Virginity In 3. part for saith he although Chastity were held in great esteeme both amongst the Iewes and Gentils before the comming of Christ yet they vowed it not for euer but onely for a certaine time S. Ambrose confirmeth it when he calleth her the standart bearer of virginity Amb. to 2. de inst Virg. c. 5. Bed in Luc. 1. as going before all in the perpetuall vow of it But S. Bede saith more planely that she was the first that emancipated herselfe to that vertue which must be vnderstoode by perpetual vow for there were diuerse before her that vowed it for a time Soe that we may number this amongst our B. Ladys prayses that she was the first foundres of the perpetual vow of Virginity and soe she is the particular patronesse of Priests and religious persons that follow her in that vow She had more ouer a gift of God to make those to be Virgins that conuersed with her and soe saith S. Hierome that she made S. Ioseph to be a Virgin and S. Ambros that she made S. Iohn Baptist to be a virgin by her virginal conuersation that as it is written of the Cedar tree and of the flowers of vines Amb. de Instit virg c. 7. that they driue away all venemous beasts from about them so the blessed Virgin had the vertue to expell all vnchast desires and carnall inclinations from those that came about
hands he blessed them and was carried into heauen Luc. 24. And it is most likely that he then blessed them with the signe of the Crosse for now that the mystery of the Crosse was accomplished it was a most conuenient forme of blessing Ezech. 9. and was vsed also by the Apostles in their benedictions as Saint Denis hath recorded who liued with them and it shall be set as a marke of Gods blessing in the foreheads of his elect in latter times Lastly Saint Iohns Ghospell is said as the Planest and highest expression of the mystery of the Incarnation Thus much for the ceremonys commonly vsed in the Church Christ was the first that said Masse To wit at the last supper when he consecrated and offered his sacred body as our continuall Sacrifice instituting the same manner of consecration and offering to be vsed afterwards by the Apostles They said the very same Masse that is to say offered the very same Sacrifice which he then offered adding the Pater Noster and other holy prayers and rites of reuerence to it which are not of the substance and essence of the Masse but were left to the Church to be ordeined and practised according to conuenient circumstances and are therfore to be obserued diligently and minded at Masse as the memorials of holy mysterys Saint Iames Bishop of Hierusalem commonly called the brother of our Lord said Masse adding many things of deuotion to it so did Saint Peter say Masse at Rome Saint Mathew in Aethiopia Saint Barnaby at Milan adding also more prayers and holy ceremonys to it and other holy Saints as Saint Basil Saint Ambrose Saint Iohn Chrysostome composed certaine deuout formes of prayer and rites which were vsed at Masse with approbatiō of the Church and now the Church of God saith the same Masse which Christ and they said with such prayers rites and ceremonys as you haue seene declared in which the mystery of the Incarnation and the whole life and death of Christ is deuoutly and decently represented We ought therefore with great reuerence Meditations vpon the Masse and deuotion to be present at Masse and to attend diligently and to meditate vpon those mysterys as though wee were as wee are indeede in the presence of Christ himselfe and that we saw him visibly in all those passages which are then celebrated that we may be astonished with admiration and burne with the loue of him who did and suffered those things for vs. Vntill the Gloria in excelsis we will imagine that we saw the Saints who were before Christ reioycing in the hopes of him and that we heard their cryes and prayers for his comming At the Gloria in excelsis we will awaken our selues with the Angels voyces to a higher ioy imagining that we heard the Angell tell the newse of his birth to the Sheepheards and the multitude of the celestiall army singing those words with the Priest and we will offer our selues then to Christ to be his seruants all the dayes of our life Vntill the Ghospell we will thinke that we were following him and our blessed Lady behauing our selues as his seruants ravished with the sanctity of his conuersation At the Ghospell and Creede we will imagine that we heard him preach and saw the power of God drawing the harts of others to him At the Praeface that we were at his glorious entrance into Hierusalem and we will sing with his disciples and with the people Blessed is he that commeth in the name of our Lord. Hosanna in the Highest Before the eleuation we will consider his praying in the Garden sweating that violent and strange sweat of blood and water for vs and how he was presently apprehended and carryed to his Passion what bitter reproches and stinging blowes they gaue him what shame and paine they deuised to putt him to more then can he imagined At the cōsecration and eleuation we will thinke that we were present at his death heard the cry which he gaue and saw him hang downe his head and dy and that we heard the toppe of the temple and rooks about Hierusalem to rent in pieces and perceiued the earthquake and the rising of dead bodys a formidable darknes then couering all things and we may thinke how greeuous our sins were that were the cause of all this After the consecration we will make acts of the loue of God and purposes to serue him and to mende our life and some greater falts in particular And we will prepare our selues to receiue the blessed Sacrament if not corporally at least spiritually by an ardent desire of it At the Postcommunion we will giue thanks with the Priest and calling to minde the resurrection of Christ wee will rise with alacrity to a better life At the ite Missa est and the Priests benediction we will imagine our selues present at Christs Ascension and hauing with his disciples receiued his blessing that we saw him ascende in glory to giue vs a scantling and litle sight of our future happinesse to animate vs with that sight to the exercize of vertues to suffer for Christ and to contemne the pleasures and glory of this world It is an auncient custome of the Catholike Church aboue a thousand and foure hundred yeares standing Holy Water to hallow water mixt with salt Which is commonly done on Sundayes before Masse to sanctify holy things to expell the power of our ghostly enemy and to purge from venial sinnes as euery good worke doth which increaseth the diuine grace in vs. The declaration of the Church is sufficient for the lawfullnes of it Yet as I haue said of ceremonys man being a corporall creature must honour God according to his nature and vse corporall creatures in his diuine worship and although God regardeth most the inward worship of our harts and the acts of our mindes he will haue vs notwithstanding to vse corporall things to our sanctification Ia. 5. as the water in Baptisme and the oyle in Extreme Vnction which according to saint Iames is vsed to the remission of sinnes and he hath commanded diuerse corporall things vnto supernaturall ends and effects Exod. 12. as the blood of a Lambe to be sprinkled on the doore posts of the Israelits Nu. 19. to saue them from the destroying plague as the ashes of a red cow mixt with water to be sprinkled for the purging of legall vncleannesse Tob. 8. as yong Toby was commanded to vse the liuer of a fish to expell the deuill as Elisaeus vsed salt with waters Reg. 4.2 to giue them spiritually sweetnesse and fruitfullnesse by all which wee see that corporall things may be vsed for spirituall effects And if any obiect that God can commande those things but the Church can not I answere first that it is true God onely appointeth the Sacraments which we are to vse But the Church can ordaine holy ceremonys rites and deuout obseruations which are noe Sacraments God inspireth the Church in
the vse of this as he did vnto them the vse of the former and so they are both of God see disc 4. art 9. disc 11. of the authority of the Church The Church vseth such like obseruations and rites not as Sacraments to restore vs to the diuine grace when we haue lost it but as holy actions to advance vs further in the diuine grace which wee haue and consequently to remitte lesser sinnes which are compatible with grace sanctifying vs more in the sight of God Holy bread or disposing vs to more sanctity Soe the Catechumens in the primitiue Church that receiued not the blessed Sacrament receiued the holy bread of which Saint Augustine That which the Catechumens receiue although it be not the body of Christ yet it is a holy thing and holier then other meates which we eate Theodorit who liued about 1300. yeares since Theod. cap. 21. relateth a passage admirable to this purpose Marcellus Bishop of Apamaea hauing in that citty a temple of Iupiter much offensiue to the honour of God vsed all meanes possible to demolish it but the structure of it was soâ— strong and firmely compacted with stone and iron that two Captaines who passed that way with their souldiers about two thousand in number could not all dissolue it At last a simple and ignorant man promiseth to effect what he desired if that he will but allow him the assistance of two onely which being granted they vndermined the pillars and applying timber and fewell to the foundation of them sett fire on it But there appeared a blacke and terrible fiend that put out the fire as fast as they enkindled it Then Marcellus hallowing water with the signe of the Crosse and throwing it into the fire it made it to burne and flame as though oyle had bene throwne into it One would thinke it strange that water should increase the flame of fire but it is not strange that holy water should suppresse the deuills power Thus much by the way of holy water Now let vs see WHY THE MASSE IS SAID in Latine THE Masse is said in Latine for diuerse reasons First for that the Church is Catholike that is to say vniuersall not of one nation but of all and therefore it is most conuenient that she should prayse God and haue her seruice in a language which is most generall and vniuersally vnderstoode and esteemed of by all nations and this is the Latine tongue An English Catholike may go into Italy France Spaine or into any place of the Catholike world euen into the furthest Indys and as he is vnited in the same faith and doctrine and obeyeth the same authority of the Church with them Gen. 11. so he shall see the very selfe same seruice of God and heare the very same words which he heareth in his owne countrey and vnderstande them if he vnderstandeth the Latine tongue This is the comfort of Catholiks that they are the people of one tongue and one speech not onely in faith and doctrine but also in manner of vtterance as neere as can be Neither was it euer the practise of the Church to haue her seruice in the vulgar languages of euery nation In the easterne parts of the world Masse was aunciently said in Greeke because the Greeke tongue was most vniuersally vnderstoode and esteemed of in those parts although the common sort of people in all those places generally vnderstoode it not In the Westerne parts of the world it was said in Latine as Saint Augustine sayeth that the Scriptures were vsed in Affrica in Latine Bed 1. hist Ang. cap. 1. and Saint Bede saith that there being in England in S. Augustines time fower seuerall languages by his preaching and saying seruice in the Latine tongue it came commune to them all For this reason the Masse is said all ouer in Latine except perhaps in some places of Greece or where the Latine tongue is but litle studied Secondly a higher and more esteemed language giueth more maiesty and reuerence to the misterys of God then a vulgar tongue and therfore the holy Ghost speaking by the Scriptures would vse a most high and maiesticall manner of speech for the most part aboue vulgar capacitys and the Catholike Church speaking in the person of the holy Ghost it is meete that she should vse his manner of speech Thirdly if the Church seruice were to be said in euery vulgar tongue it would be subiect to continuall misconstructions abused by the prowd and contentious who being for the most part of the ignorant sort as regarding more the shew of knowledge then the substance and good vse of it would pretende to vnderstande all things and contend without end As now we see in England where euery old wife to use S. Hieromes words presumeth to teach that which she neuer learned and thinketh that she hath braines enough to looke downe into that great depth of the Scriptures which the Doctours of the Church haue so much admired and which S. Augustine was so affraid to looke into Confess l. 12. c. 14. that he cryed out O wonderfull profoundnesse of thy words wondefull profâ—undnesse my God wonderfull profoundnesse it maketh a man quake to looke into it Handy craft men and silly women amongst the Protestants of Eagland haue none of this feare they can vnderstande and interprete the holy Scriptures they can correct their common prayer and controling their Ministers when they list they will steppe vp into the pulpit before them The Protestants Miuisters may now see and I know where some of them haue confessed the originall cause of this confusion amongst them to haue bene the vnlimitated reading of the Scriptures and the hauing of their common seruice in the vulgar tongue and that it was an errour in their predecessors to put such kniues into childrens hands that could not vse them The Catholike Church as a carefull mother her selfe carueth for her children instructing them in that which is necessary for them not trusting them to their owne caruings and misconstructions S. Dion eccl hier cap. 1. Basil de Spirit S. cap. 27. Denis and S. Basil therefore declare that the sacred mysterys in their times were kept of purpose from the vulgar Fourthly if the Church Lyturgy were to be said in euery vulgar tongue few Priests could exercise their functions out of their countreys An Italian Priest could not say Masse in Spaine nor a Spaniard in Italy And this is the reason why so few Protestant Ministers euer trauaile out of their countreys Although it be thither where their owne Religion as they prerende is professed for their seruice being in a different language which that people vnderstandeth not they must either be silent abroade or stay at home If they will say seruice Where as Catholike Priests may serue God after the same manner in all places and all people may serue God by them Fiftly if the publike seruice of the Church were said in euery vulgar tongue
continuing in sinne without repentance they fell still into more and more sinnes vntill at last their consciences were as it were seared vp and heardened against God and euen as it were quite dead As one in an apoplexy or strucken with some violent passion becometh pale voide of sense and suddenly dyeth that if you take him vp and turne him from side to side or call vpon him all is in vaine he is dead and gone and his body is then noe better then the body of a dead dogge or swine so great sinners hauing hardoned themselues against God they heare not his callings nor feele his inspirations but are quite senslesse and voide of spirituall life liuing onely as beasts that had no soule to be saued This I say againe is the depth and centour of all euâ—â—â—s when a man will resolue to continue still in sinne and laboreth against himselfe to blotte out the remorse and auersion from it which he hath by nature that so he may sinne without feare Prou. 18. and with contempt of God The impious when he commeth to the depth of sinns contemneth saith the holy Prouerbe This is indeede as deepe as a sinner can goe in this world for it is to bring a hell vpon earth and for men to become litle deuils something lesse then deuils in that they are not so obfirmed in sinne as the deuills are that are setled in an eternall duration of malice and paine which sinners in this world can not be but are in state of repentance but they come as neere as man can come to a diabolicall obstinacy resoluing with themselues to sinne against the Holy Ghost by finall impenitency These then in summe are the euills of sin To separate vs from God and from all coelestiall comfort to put vs into the deuils power and into the state of the damned in hell to bring miserys and aduersitys euen in this life and those not onely vpon the sinners themselues but also vpon their kinred and freinds after them to yeeld but a false short and base pleasure and then affrightments of conscience and sorrows and finally to harden our harts to the vtter contempt of God and of our owne soules Now what can the sinner answer to all this why will he for the base pleasure of sinne forsake God and incurre all these euills Against presumption he presumeth perhaps vpon the diuine mercy and saith that in the end God will pardon him but this is a most vaine presumption as though one should resolue vpon a wicked course of life to perpetrate all the mischeifes that he could deuise presuming of mercy that in the end the King would pardon him It were to destroy all orders and to make God the cause of disordering the whole world if men might doe what they would in hopes of pardon It is true the mercy of God is aboue all his works and more then his iustice in this that he sheweth it more pardoning often before he once condemne but his iustice also shall be fullfilled His mercys are commended to make vs to seeke for pardon but not to bring vs into presumption How many examples haue we of the terrible iudgments of God against sinne First vpon all mankind for the sinne of one Secondly vpon all but eight persons drowned in the deluge Thirdly vpon Kingdomes as the astonishing plagues that came vpon Aegypt and the swallowing vp of their King and his whole army in the sea Fourthly vpon citys as Sodome and Gomorra Fifthly vpon particular houses and familys as Dathan And Abyron who with their wines and familys were suddenly deuoured vp by the earth And vpon particular persons without number What an example was that in Ananias who for dissembling and lying to S. Peter and the Apostles was presently strucke dead and his wife comming in a litle after and mainteining her husbands ly Behold saith S. Act. 5. Peter there feete that haue buried thy husband at the doore and they shall beare thee forth Forth with she fell before his feete and gaue vp the ghost And sometimes for that which to vs would seeme noe great sinne What great offence should we thinke it to haue bene in Lotts wife to looke backe to see Sodome and Gomorra on fire yet presently it cost her her life What an example of the iustice of God was that vpon Moyses soe holy a man and of all men that euer were the speciall figure of Christ our Redeemer yet for an offence soe small that authors hardly destinguish in what it consisted he was depriued of that which aboue all thinges in this world he had most reason to desire to wit to see the Land of promise in the possession of the Israelites and the true worship of God flourishing in it euen as good Catholikes commonly desire to see the conuersion of England to the Catholike faith and God truely worshipped in it but that as his zeale was greater then ours soe was the desire which he had of that greater then ours is of this yet he neuer obtained it but euen then when it seemed to be soe neere that he had brought the people vnto the borders of the Land and as it were to the very last steppe into it they were drawne backe againe and he must neuer haue the happinesse to see them in it When saith S. Basil I behold Moyses soe great a man that it was said vnto him Thou hast found grace before mee Bas proe in lib. eth to 2. Exod. 33. and thy selfe I haue knowne by name yet because he said can we out of this rocke bring you forth water it was presently denounced against him that he should not bring the Israelites into the Land of promise And when I see him soe often praying and still praying in vaine and when I consider that all those great works which he did could not auaile to procure his pardon for soe short a word Then I beginne to thinke of that rigid seuerity of God of which the Apostle speaketh and how true the words of S. Peter are that if the iust man shall scarce be saued where shall the impious and wicked appeare Now who shall dare to presume vpon Gods mercy But he saith that he intendeth to repent presently after sin That is a good intention indeede and God forbidde but he should haue that intention But how doth he know that he shall performe it seeing that he can not assure himselfe of a moment of life after sinne to repent in How many chances is this life of ours subiect vnto slender and easily broken as a spiders webbe how many dy suddenly and if they be in sinne without repentance some by suddaine diseases some murthered some drowned some killed accidentally by chances which we heare of euery day And how many especially in England haue desired at their deaths the assistance of a Priest and could not obtaine it All these hazards doth the sinner vndergoe and one greater then them all to wit
is Catholike 178. It is One 180. The honorable titles of the Church 181. The Church Triumphant and Militant 181. The gouernment of the Church 195. S. Peter was the head of the Church by the institution of Christ 196. c. The true Catholike Church is destinguished from all false Churches 214. The beginning of all false Churches 215.235 The Church proposeth pious obiects to our mindes to moue vs to pious considerations 564. The Church must decide all controuersys in religion 184.641.711 Commandements The ten Commandements oblige by the Law of nature 379. God the authour of the ten Commandements 381. Priests must see that the Commandements be kept 379. The Commandements possible to be kept 383. How the Commandements are to be diuided 387 Communion of Saints 182. Of deuout Communion 308. Vnder one kind 316. Communion at Easter time 664 Concupiscence 441. Degrees of Concupiscence 442. Confession 253.322 662. of intire confessions 337. Cleerenes in confession 344. Confession once a yeare and in diuerse circumstances is of obligation 662. The benefits of confession 663 Confirmation 296. The ceremonys of Confirmation 297. The effect of Confirmation 297 Conscience Sinnes against Conscience 674. Remorse and terrour of Conscience 695. Examine of Conscience 329. c. Continuance in sinne 359. 696 Contrition 329 Couetousnes 443. Remedys against Couetousnes 445. Councells Generall Councells 205. Generall Councells consist of bishops 209 Counsaile Good to aske Counsaile 674 Creede The authority of the Apostles Creede 76 Cros. The signe of the Cros. 49. How the signe of the Cros is to be made 4â— What is signifyed in the signe of the Cros. 51. The Cros is to be honored and worshipped by Christians 60. The power and vertue of the Cros. 63 Crownes shauen 368 Curiosity in points of faith is dangerous and groundlesse 10.16.17.18 c. Customes of the Church 64â— D DEtraction 434. Remedys against Detraction 439 Deuill The deuill is bounde in the Law of Christ 498 Distractions in prayer 473.506 Doctrine Obligation to learne the christian Doctrine 7 Duell 417 E. EAst Altares towards the East 603 Education of children 1 Ember dayes 654 Eucharist 298. 664. The Eucharist excelleth all the Sacraments 299. What is conteined in the Eucharist â—00 c The Eucharist a Sacrament 305. The effects of the Eucharist 321 Examine of conscience 329 Exorcismes 139.293.364.534 Extreme-Vnction 360. Extreme-Vnction a Sacrament 361. The effect of Extreme-Vnction 361. F FAith is supernaturall and therefor not to be sought into by naturall reason 12.13 c. 19. Faith accordeth with reason 21. Faith is allwais with obedience to the Church 25. How the true faith in the obedience to the true Church is to be prayed for 34. c. Faith alone iustifyeth not 482 Fasting commended in the Scriptures 646. Fasting includeth two things 657. Fasting dayes are to be obserued according to the intention of the Church 656 Father vide Parents God a Father 77.477 Font consecrated 291 Freewill 673.708 Frydayes fast 655 G GHost The Holy Ghost 56.142.173 Glory The state of glory 259. 480.481 God a Father 77.477 Plenty to the seruants of God 487. Angells and men giue testimony of God 84. Naturall feeling of God 91. Naturall reason doth demonstrate the supreme power of God 96. Creatures sometimes called Gods in the Scriptures 108. God in all places but especially in heauen 479. God not the authour of sinne 704. God the supreme and principall we the inferiour and instrumentall causes of our owne good 710. God a spirituall substance infinite in perfection 105.108.675 God fathers 3.292 Gouernment of the Church 195 Grace What Grace is 268 H HEauen Vide Glory Hell 160.682 c. Head The Head of the Church 196.215 c. Noe Secular Prince as such is the head of the Church of Christ 234 Haile Mary c. 508. The Haile Mary next vnto the Pater Noster is the best of all prayers 555 Hardnes of hart by much sinning 696. c. Heresy leadeth to atheisme 79.80.81 c. Heresy is a peruersednes and obstinacy of minde by which one will mainteine some doctrine contrary to the whole Church 216. c. Heretiks make the grounds of diuine faith to be as vncertaine as the grounds of Philosophy 705 Holydayes 404.659 Holy bread 656.625 Holy Ghost 56.142.173 Holy water 624 Honour The Honour of God first to be sought and prayed for 479.503 The honour of this world is vaine and vncertaine lost by sinne 687.690 I IESVS 111 Ignorance inuincible 674 Images to be worshipped 389. c. Immortality of the soule and the Resurrection of the body vnderstoode sometimes as the same thinge 257 Incarnation 57.142.532.556 The mystery of the Incarnation often commemorated in the Catholike Church 150 Iniurys to be pardoned 420.490 c. Inuocation of Saints 460. c. Iudaisme and Turcisme reiected 112.113 c. 250 Iudgment 169 K KIngdome of heauen 480. vid. Glory The Kingdome of God diuersly vnderstoode 482. Knowledge Too much desire of knowledge 10.53 Knowledge of the christian doctrine necessary to be had by all 7 L LAdy The Angelicall Salutation of our blessed Lady 509. c Our blessed â—ady was full of grace 510.515 The promises made vnto the Patriarks of Christs coming of their seede were fullfilled in our blessed Lady 513. The auncient fathers of the Catholike Church sing the praises of out blessed Lady 517. Protestants dishonour our blessed Lady 524. The Assumption of our blessed Lady 518. The summe of our blessed Ladys prayses out of the fathers 529. Our blessed Lady blessed among woemen 530.531 Our blessed Lady the Mother of God and to be honoured as such 538. c. It was meete and conuenient that our blessed Lady should excell all creatures in sanctity 541. The power of our blessed Lady in fauour of her freinds 544. c. and against her enemys 548. Our blessed Lady present at our deaths 553 Latine tongue vsed in the Church seruice 627 Lent 651 Luxury vid. Carnal M MArke S. Marks solemnity 655 Mary vid. Lady Masse 575. The Masse is the Christian Sacrifice 576. c. 582. The Sacrifice of Masse continueth for euer 584. Masse a commemoratiue sacrifice yet a true sacrifice 594. The caeremonys of the Masse 598. The diuision of the Masse 604. Meditations vpon the Masse 622. The authour of the Masse 621. Masse in Latine 626. The fruits and benefits of the Masse 633. And those not onely spirituall but also temporall 637. A commendable deuotion to heare Masse euery day 638. All are bound to heare Masse on holydayes 660 Matter the Matter and forme of the Sacraments and intention of him that administreth them 27â— Matrimony a Sacrament 369. The loue and duety of married folkes 369. c. The tribulations of marriage must be considered before hand 373. c. Those that marry must declare concerning three things 374 The vse of matrimony not conuenient at all times 375. Marriage forbidden to be celebrated in some times 640. Merits The Merits of Christ must be applyed