as men vse ordinarily to do for this kinde of position is a token of wearinesse but in heauen there is no wearinesse and therefore no bodie sitteth there but all shall stand vp right as it is generally conceaued which is the naturall position of man yet our Sauiour is sayd to sit because by this manner of speach is expressed the perfect repose which he enioyeth and shall enioy for all eternity in heauen 34. Why is he sayd to sit at the right hand of his Father He is not sayd to sit so as that we should imagine the Father to be at the left hand of his Sonne or in the middle betwixt the Sonne the Holy Ghost for seeing that these three persons are one only Diuine essence which is essentially in all places it is impossible that one person should be in one place and another in another place but euery one is euery where Wherefore he is sayd to sit at the right hand of his Father thereby to signifie that as man he excells all creatures whatsoeuer in glory maiesty and power and also to signifie that he is equall to his Father in Maiesty and glory which equality though it be principally to be vnderstood as he is God for as man he is without comparison inferiour to his Father yet the same honour from vs is to be giuen to Christ man which is due to him as God by reason of the vnion his humanity hath with his diuine person for seeing that adoration is directed to the person who is adored if one should adore him as man with one kinde of worship and as God with another he would diuide Christ and suppose him to be two persons ARTICLE VII 35. DEclare the seuenth Article From thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead I belieue that this our blessed Redeemer Iesus Christ in the end of the world after the raigne of Antichrist shall come from heauen with most great power and glory to iudge all men both liuing and dead giuing to euery one the reward or punishment which he hath deserued saying to the iust come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world and to the wicked Depart from me yee cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuell and his Angells 36. Shall Christ iudge vs as man or as God He shall iugde vs both as man and as God for it is reasonable that he should iudge as man to reward those who deserued it through the merits of his owne humanity and likewise to giue sentence against those who haue neglected to make vse of his sacred death for their owne saluation He shall iudge vs also as God and not only he but also all the blessed Trinity although it be particularly attributed to the second person because it is an act of wisedome the acts whereof are attributed to the sonne because they depend of the vnderstanding 37. When shall he iudge those that are dead There are two iudgements the one particular which is when euery man dyeth the other generall which will be when all men shall take their bodies againe for then the body and the soule being vnited they shall receiue ioyntly the iudgement which they did ioyntly deserue and they shall receiue it with shame or glory before the whole world and all together to the end that as soone as the sentence is giuen the earth opening it selse may swallow vp all the wicked at once and the heauens receiue all the blessed ARTICLE VIII 38. DEclare the eight Article I belieue in the holy Ghost I belieue in the holy Ghost who is the third person of the blessed Trinity and proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne and is in all and euery thing equall to the Father and to the Sonne that is he is God eternall infinite omnipotēt creatour and lord of all thinges as much as the Father and the Sonne 39. Why is the holy Ghost represented ordinaryly in the forme of a doue and sometimes also in the forme of fiery tongues and of a cloude The reason of it is because he hath appeared vnder these formes to make vs by these visible thinges apprehēd the effects which he worketh in vs as by a doue innocency by fire charity by a cloude a plenitude of glory wherewith we shall be enuironed in heauen 40. Were these creatures vnited to the holy Ghost as the nature of man is vnited to the sonne of God No for they were meere figures made by the hands of Angells or by God to represent vnto vs the effects of the holy Ghost which being represented these signes remained no more but did vanish presently away ARTICLE IX 41. DEclare the ninth Article The holy Catholike Church Communion of Saints I belieue also that there is a Church that is to say a societie of reasonable creatures vnited to God by supernaturall gifts Which church hath two principall members whereof one is called the church triumphant which conteineth all the blessed in heauen the other is called the church militant which consisteth of mortall men who fight perpetually with the flesh the world and the diuell which church is a visible congregation of all faithfull Christians that are baptized and vnited here vpon earth into one common body I belieue also that each member of this congregation doth partake of the assistance of all the rest and likewise of the assistance of the church triumphant 42. Why is this Church called holy and catholike It is holy because it hath the head which is Christ holy and also for that it hath many holy members besides the faith law and Sacraments are all holy and lastly because the holy Ghost doth neuer forsake it but doth allwayes informe it with sanctitie and glorify it with miracles And it is called Catholike that is vniuersall both for time and place It is also called such because all the faithfull in what part soeuer of the world they be must be vnited to it to be saued 43. Why did the Apostles sett downe in the Creed these two conditions of holinesse and vniuersality Because they are two infallible markes of the true Church to which vnity is also added as a third marke seeing that the Apostles call it the Church in the singular number and not Churches 44. What signifyeth the Communion of Saints It signifyeth that all the holy members of the church are so vnited to one another by the same faith and by brotherly vnion that as in a mans body all the members are partakers of the good or euill of each member thereof so do they partake of the goods and sufferings of one another according to the charity which euery one hath himselfe and according as it shall please the holy Ghost to distribute them who doth deuide the spirituall goods of the church as well as his graces as he pleaseth himselfe Besides all the goods of the church are common the sacraments are instituted for all euery one
hath my Commandements and obserueth them he it is that loueth me sayth our Blessed Sauiour himselfe whereas he who sayth that he loueth God and doth not doe what he commandeth is an Hypocrite and a deceiuer as his Disciple assureth vs. 2. Tell me the reason of this Because loue maketh the hearts of those that loue one an other conformable in so much that they haue the same affections and the same will he then who loueth God truly willeth all that which God willeth and doth not goe against his commands 3. How manie be the Commandements of God They be ten to wit these I am the Lord thy God who haue brought thee out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage 1. Thou shalt not haue any other God but me before my face Thou shalt not make to thy selfe an Idoll nor an ingrauened image nor any figure to adore them 2. Thou shalt not take the name of God in vaine 3. Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabaoth day 4. Honour thy Father and mother that thy life may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall giue thee 5. Thou shalt not kill 6. Thou shalt not commit adulterie 7. Thou shalt not steale 8. Thou shalt not beare false witnesse 9. Thou shalt not desire thy neighbours wife 10. Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours goods 4. What do these ten Commandements containe All that which we must doe or forbeare to doe to loue God and our neighbour The first table in which were written the three first Commandements containeth that which we owe to God The second table in which were written the other seuen containeth that which we owe to our neighbour Now charitie doth consist in giuing to God and our neighbour their due for to do this for God his sake is to loue him so that the keeping of the Commandements is an assured marke of Charitie 5. But what do you say to those Sectaries who teach it to be impossible for vs to keepe Gods holy commandements First they contradict our Blessed Sauiour who most plainly sayeth that his yoke is sweet and his burden light and S. Iohn who telleth vs that Gods Commandements are not heauie Secondly they make hime most cruell by obliging vs vnder the paine of eternall damnation to do that which is impossible for vs to performe And finally they denie a most manifest experience euen in manie thousands of Gods blessed Saints who assisted by the grace of God haue obserued his Commandements without committing any mortall sinne after their first conuersion 6. What is meant by those first words I am the Lord thy God who haue brought thee out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage By these words which serue but as a Preface to the Commandements we are giuen to vnderstand that God can giue vs a law which we are bound to obserue he being our Soueraine Master and Lord who hauing first made vs of nothing did also redeeme vs from the thraldome of the Diuell and finally by innumerable benefits hath obliged vs in gratitude to loue him aboue all and to obserue his holy law 7. What do we owe to God We owe to God all that which a seruant oweth to his master which are three thinges The first is fidelitie which consisteth in not giuing away to anie other that which belongeth to his master and also in forbearing to keepe intelligence with his enemies and this is contained in the first Commandement The second is reuerence which consisteth in forbearing to speake iniuriously of him and in speaking worthily of him when occasion is offered and this is contained in the second The third is actuall seruice and this is contained in the third Commandement COMMANDEMENT I. 8 EXplicate the first Commandement Thou shalt not haue any other Gods before me We are commanded by it to acknowledge one only God and not to giue the honour and adoration either inward or outward which we owe to him to anie creature or to the image of any creature 9. Must we not then honour the Saints and the images of God and his Saints Yes but we must not honour them as Gods as some Pagans did who gaue diuine honour to images as to Gods and so made Idols of them 10. What is the diuine honour which we render to God It is a worship which Diuines call Latria because it is the soueraine worship of all and it consists in this that it is an act whereby we testifie that God is our absolute and soueraine Lord from whose goodnesse and power we haue both our being and conseruation Now this honour cannot be giuen without Idolatrie to anie but to him yet it doth not hinder but that we may giue an inferirour kinde of honour to Saints to Reliques to Images and to the Crosse which may appeare euidently by this example If a king should forbid vs to giue to any bodie the honour which is due to his owne person no man willimagine that he doth forbid vs to render to his Magistrates vnited to his person in seuerall offices vnder him some other kinde of honour inferiour to that which is due to himselfe but euery bodie will perceiue that he forbids vs only to acknowledge his Magistrates for our Soueraine Lord and king And the same is in our case for the Catholike Church will not haue vs to acknowledge the Saints for our soueraine Lords or to honour them vpon that consideration but teacheth expressely the contrary that such honour is due only to God yet it declareth that we may honour them as persons vnited by loue to our Soueraine Master and cherished by him 11. Is the worship which we render to Saints only a ciuill worship No it is a holy and religious worship and it is called holy because it is rendred to Saints in regard that they are holy and blessed in heauen and it is called religious because it is cōmanded by the Christian religion and also because it is vsed for a religious end and finally because it is an act of that vertue which Diuines properly call Religion for Saints are honoured with relation to God by whom they are glorifyed with eternall blisse And well may this honour be called religious when S. Augustine auoweth that the honour which we render to our Parents may be called such 12. How must we worship the reliques of Saints We must worship them also with a religious worship as representing to vs the vertues and good workes which were done by the Saints themselues in doing whereof these reliques were instruments for the bodie is the instrument whereby our soule doth performe all our outward actions Wherefore we do reuerence in reliques the sanctitie zeale and purety of those to whom they did belong 13. May we also giue reuerence and worship to Images Yes but we must not worship them as Gods as the Pagans did for that is forbidden in this commandement Neither must we worship the images that is the wood
the stone the metall the painting c. for themselues but for their sakes who are represented by the images for the Persons themselues are honoured worshiped and prayed to in their images Wherefore S. Ambrose speaking of honouring images sayeth that he who crowneth the image of the Emperour doth honour him whose image he hath crowned And so Iacob did adore Ioseph in honouring the top of his rod or scepter for he made no account of the rod itselfe but only in consideration of him who held it No more doth the Church beare anie reuerence to iamges but meerly in consideration of them whom they represent and to denie them reuerence in this respect is a meere barbarousnesse and want of common sense 14. What kinde of worship is due to Images Certainly since that we worship the Saints in their Images by calling to minde their holines and that they are vnited in blisse to God the worship done to the image must needs be religious for iamges being vsed for a religious end they are belonging to God and holy and consequently to be vsed with respect for that reason since that no man can denie but that nature teacheth vs that all holy thinges ought to be vsed so And therefore it is a shortnesse of discourse in men to denie that vnto pictures which of they grant vnto other thinges 15. Must we also worship the Crosse Yes and in a more particular manner then other representatiue images and thinges because it was the instrument of our redemption and it calleth to our memorie the death and passion of our Sauiour In fine in all these points we do follow the custome of our fathers and the practise of the ancient Church and therefore all those who disallow them are condemned by the Church 16. What then are we commanded to doe by the first Commandement We are commanded to worship God by acknowledging him in our hearts to be our Supreme Lord and Master and to apprehend him as an incomprehensible essence not like to any thing fancyed by man 17. What are we forbidden to doe by this Commandement We are forbidden to giue this worship which is due to God to anie creature or to apprehend him like anie thing fancyed by vs. 18. What sinnes are reduced to this Commandement All those which are committed against Fayth Hope and Charitie for God is worshiped in our hearts by these three vertues and so in the first place the true religion is established and all false ones reiected by this Commandement 19. Who are those that offend against Faith First he offendeth against faith who doth not belieue at least implicitely by act or habitude firmely without doubting of their truth all that which the Catholike Church teacheth as matter of faith Now he belieueth implicitely by act who sayeth actually within himselfe I belieue whatsoeuer the Church teacheth as necessary to be belieued and he belieueth implicitely by habitude who hauing once made firmely the former act doth not afterwards recall it for by vertue of that act he is presumed still to be readie by Gods grace to make the like act whensoeuer he shall be obliged to it vpon anie occasion He also offendeth against faith who although he belieue implicitely all that the Church telleth vs yet is ignorant of that which he is bound to know explicitetly as that there is but one God that this God is iust good and perfect and in fine all the principall points which are contained in the Creede Those likewise offend against faith who belieue in generall and also in particular what they ought but yet doe dissemble their religion and forbeare to professe it when they are obliged either through feare or for other respects Those also who giue eare to Heretikes or reade hereticall bookes with danger to be peruerted or assist at the publike prayers of Heretikes All Magicians Coniurers and Witches who giue themselues to the Diuell or belieue in their hearts that diuells deserue anie honour from them offend against fayth All those likewise who vse the meanes of Coniurers to inuoke the Diuell for what end soeuer although it be to vndoe againe the mischieuous inchantments which they had made before yea though they doe not inuoke the Diuell yet if they desire to be assisted by their superstitious and magicall inuentions offend mortally All those offend against faith who vse certaine superstitions or put any confidence in them as some doe in hearbs gathered vpon the day of our Sauiours Ascension or on S. Iohn Baptists day others in a certain number of candles or the like In fine whensoeuer any thing hath not a vertue for that end for which it is vsed either by its owne naturall qualities or by some supernaturall force conferred vpon it through God his promise as Sacraments and such other remedies haue which the Church prescribeth it is to be esteemed superstitious and to make vse of such remedies either to cure diseases or to finde thinges that are lost is a mortall sinne 20. Who are those that offend against worshiping God by hope All those who dispaire of their saluation All those who presume so much in Gods mercie that they abādon themselues to all sorts of sinnes thinking that God will pardon them though they doe what wickednesse soeuer Those who through want of courage in miserie doe detest and hate their owne liues and being which God hath giuen them Those who being oppressed with calamities doe thinke that God hath abandoned them Those who hope so much in God that being sick or in other miseries they neglect humane meanes to relieue themselues thinking that God will cure them without their owne industrie 21. Who be those that offend against worshiping God by charitie All those who haue a distast against God because they doe not receiue what they desire Those who loue creatures more then him who is the creatour of them Those who are ashamed publickly to professe deuotion and loue towards God Those who mocke or disesteeme such persons as doe their dutie towards God calling them scrupulous persons Bigots or the like Those who despise the blessed who are vnited with God and mocke at their reliques at the Crosse at holy places miracles and other holy thinges it being euident that those doe not giue to God what charitie obligeth them vnto who doe not loue and reuerence that which hath a particular relation to God as holy thinges haue Lastly the sinne of pride is particularly reduced to this commandement for by pride we assume that to our selues which is due to God Now to conclud this first commandement you must note that this precept of charity is the summe of all the cōmandements for all are comprehended in this by which we are commanded to loue God with all our hart with all our strength and with all our soule in fine to loue him without measure or limits 22. How is it possible to accomplish this commandement which hath no measure nor limits It is true that this
which may draw your minde to distractions and therefore it ought to be the first thing you do after you are risen Secondly shortly to remember that all other businesses of the world or studies whatsoeuer be bables and thinges not concerning you in respect of this and that it is the maine helpe to do you good in this life and the next For the rest I remit you to seeke it in treatises of purpose made of this subiect amongst others I recommend vnto you one made by Antonius Molina a Carthusian whose printed meditations also are very good for beginners to practise themselues in 5. In what is vocall praier better then mentall praier and mentall praier better then it Vocall praier hath two excellences aboue mentall the first is that ordinarily the praier is made by some who haue more skill then we haue and therefore is more perfect for the most part then one of our mentall praiers Secōdly it keepeth from distractions much because our eyes and when we say them without bookes our memories hold our vnderstanding to the matter better then when we haue no such determination But likewise on the other side it hath two disaduantages one that it doth not so well fill our soules being nether so much laboured as what we make our selues nor so naturally proportioned to vs as what we do our selues Secondly the affections conceiued by vocall praier do not moue vs to action so strōgly as those which proceed from meditation But that which giueth weight both to the one and other sort of praying is attention so that two Aue Maries sayd with thinking of what you say is better then two paire of beades tumbled ouer with your minde vpon an other businesse LESSON XXXIV Of praying to Saints 1. MAy we not pray also to God by the mediation of others to grant vs his diuine assistance Yes and especially by the Saints and Angells for the praiers of the blessed in heauen are afficacious with allmighty God and by praying to them we get them to pray for vs. 2. Is it lawfull then to pray to Saints Yes but we must not do it in the same manner as we vse to pray to God for we pray to God as to our soueraine Lord that he will haue mercy vpon vs and giue vs his grace but the Saints can nether forgiue vs our sinnes nor conferre grace vpon vs and to demād it of them were to wrong our creator and to attribute that homage to a creature which is due to God alone but our praier to them is that they will pray to God for vs as being most neerely vnited to his diuine Maiesty by charity and eternall blisse Which kinde of praier hath alwayes been practised in the Church for if we may desire men here vpon earth to pray for vs much more may we desire the Saints in heauen to do it who being confirmed in charity cannot be lesse willing to assist vs and being more perfectly vnited to God cannot choose but haue as much power to obtaine from him what they demand in our behalfe nether can they be ignorant of our miseries or of their owne fauour with allmighty God 3. May we pray to Saints in the same manner as to our blessed Sauiour No for first our blessed Sauiour is God as well as man secondly he only is the immediate intercessour betwixt God and vs who hath power and authority of himselfe to intercede for vs whereas the Saints do intercede only by the force of his intercession Thirdly he is the only vniuersall mediatour betwixt God and vs for he only redeemed vs and so he only hath power to obtaine what he pleaseth for all the world by vertue of his owne infinite dignity and proper merit whereas the Saints can obtaine nothing but only through his merites Fourthly he is the only person vpon whose consideration all graces are granted Yet all these prerogatiues do not hinder but that we may pray to the Saints in an inferiour way and that they also may pray for vs without doing any wrōg to our blessed Sauiours soueraine mediation Which is euident by the like example in Princes here vpon earth for a king may loue one of his Fauorits so much as that he may resolue not to grāt any grace but through his consideration yet this doth not hinder but that one may employ other persons towards this Fauorite to obtaine of the king the graces which they desire and also that one may demand a thing from the king himselfe vnder the fauour and protection of his Fauorite In the same manner although allmighty God doth not grant any grace but by the merits of Iesus Christ yet this doth not hinder but that the Saints may demand the same for vs through themerits of Iesus Christ since we doe the like dayly for one another and also that we may desire them to intercede for vs to Iesus Christ himselfe 4. How can the Saints heare our praiers You must not thinke that they heare with eares that is that they haue this sensible passion which we call hearing But by hearing in this question is vnderstood knowing and there can be no doubt but that the Saints may know all thinges that concerne them since that they know God in whom all thinges are contained and who is the doer of all thinges that are done Besides the Scripture assureth vs that Angells know what men doe here vpon earth and the same Scripture telleth vs also that the Saints in heauen are like Angells 5. What obligation haue we to pray to Angells and Saints To answer your questiō you must know that Angells and Saints are in perfect blisse and happinesse whether we pray to them or no from whence you will perceiue that all seruice and honour done to Saints by vs redoundeth rather to our owne profit then to theirs And therefore although honour in it selfe be due vnto them yet they are then best honoured when we ourselues do profit by it and grow better by honouring them for this is euen to them an increase of an accidentall kinde of glory From-whence it followeth that the keeping of holy dayes building churches and setting vp altars to God in memorie of Saints is to be moderated according to the vtility which redoundeth to the Church by it and in proportion the praiers or what sort of deuotions soeuer are vsed in priuate to their honours are to be gouerned by the same principle Now the vtility redounding to the Church is first that whereas humane nature is easily weary of being carried aboue it selfe by praier and other spirituall exercises the wearinesse of deuotion is in part holpen by this holy variety Secondly the memory of God his goodnesse and benefits towards mankinde is made familiar vnto vs by making often commemoration of his Saints vpon whō he bestowed his graces most plentifully and who were many times the instruments he vsed to conferre many singular benefits vpon his whole Church Againe whereas mens humours and
states of life be so diuerse it happeneth out that euery man may haue examples in their owne kinde to be affected vnto and many times this maketh a greater profit by such an affinity to their owne condition then by a great deake of preaching or good counsel And so you may see what obligation there is to honour Saints and to pray vnto them towit when the Church for the cōmon good of her children presseth it then that is to be done whatsoeuer she commandeth and it is a sinne to omit it But in other occasions and at other times euery particular man as farre as he findeth need or helpe by this variety in his priuate deuotion so farre he doth very well to follow it especially if he findeth that it stirreth vp a failing deuotion in him for the end of this as of all all other pious exercices must be God himselfe and the better performing of our duty towards him 6. What thinke you of the vse of pictures and hanging of lampes before them in honour of the blessed Virgin and other Saints First as for pictures if we belieue nature and experience the vse of them in generall is very profitable and in some sort necessary in the Church of God for the instruction and spirituall profit of the faithfull First for memories sake for as often as we see pictures so often do we remember the thing painted and whether we haue need of often remēbring heauen and heauenly thinges let euen our cold and euill life beare testimony Secondly when a man saith his praiers before a picture of our Sauiour or of any Saint by addressing himselfe vnto it he maketh thereby a great apprehension of the Saint as if he himselfe were present vnto whom he praieth and by cōsequēce praieth with a greater respect and attention Thirdly it serueth for an addresse of the praier and especially if he vse any corporall gestures withall for as the ancient Christians were vsed to turne themselues to the East and the Iewes towards the Temple when they would adore God the East and Temple seruing for a determination of their action so much more when I bow or do any other reuerence or pray before a picture it is a determination of my praier or respect vnto God or vnto that Saint whose picture it is Lastly it is a helpe to him that praieth for pictures beare with them an expression oftentimes which would cost many words and workes of our memory As he who looketh on a crucifixe if he desire to represent to himselfe and fixe in his heart the wounds and passion of our blessed Sauiour he may finde a great facility and quickenesse to do it by hauing the picture before his eyes As for hanging lampes before pictures of Saints it is to represent their glory in heauen or the burning charity with which they were endued here on earth and so these and such like expressions are apt to breed a greater apprehension in men which is a meanes to make them pray the better and consequently obteine more at God his hands and therefore are allowed and recommended in the Catholike Church 7. How are we to pray to Saints By honouring them here vpon earth and by obseruing their feastes according to the order of the Church and also by reading their liues by saying such praiers to them as are approued by our Pastours and chiefely of all by imitating the vertues which they did particularly excell in 8. Are we to pray to all the Saints alike No for we ought to haue a particular deuotiō to our blessed Lady aboue all the rest because she is the Mother of God and most neare vnto him of any creature And amongst the other blessed we ought chiefely to pray to our Angell Gardien seeing that it hath euer been the constant faith of Christians that euery one hath an Angell for his gouernour for our Sauiour hath told vs that the Angells of the little ones see the face of his heauenly Father And next we are to pray to such particular Saints as we our selues make choise of to be our Patrons 9. What praier is ordinarily vsed to our blessed Lady The Aue Maria. LESSION XXXV Of the Aue Maria. 1. SAy the Aue Maria Haile Marie full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst all women and blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Iesus Holy Marie Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the houre of our death Amen 2. Who made this prayer The holy Catholike Church borrowing the words wherewith the Angel and Saint Elizabeth did salute the blessed Virgin The first words Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst all women were spoken by the Angel Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe were spoken by Saint Elizabeth The Church hath added the other words which make the second part of the praier or rather the holy Ghost hath made the whole praier by whom all three the Angell Saint Elizabeth and the Church haue been inspired 3. Declare the first sentence of this praier Haile Marie full of grace our Lord is with thee The first word vsed by the Angell is a salutation which importeth all happinesse which one can desire for in Latin it is Aue which cometh from aueo which signifieth to desire or wish for and there is vnderstood some nowne as salutem pacem gaudium c. but none is expressed in particular because he who vseth this word wisheth to him whom he saluteth all kinde of happinesse that he himselfe will ioyne to the word and can imagine or desire Which expression was most proper from the Angel to the blessed Virgin since that the cause of his coming to her was to bring her the newes from whence all happinesse was to come both to her selfe and to the whole world The second word Marie doth signifie her person and her dignitie Her Person because it was her owne proper name giuen vnto her by the inspiration of tho holy Ghost as we may piously belieue her dignitie because it signifieth in Hebrew Mistresse or Ladie and who can be more truly Mistresse and Ladie of all thīges then she who is Mother to the Creatour of all thinges It signifieth also the sea starre and she is truly a starre that conducts all those who take her for their guide through the sea of the world into a secure hauen By the next word the Angel doth shew that she was replenished with grace and worthily is her soule declared full of graces because she had the priuiledge as it is piously belieued and taught by the Church neuer to be infected with originall sinne and most certainly neuer to commit any the least veniall actuall sinne Full of Grace because her life was a true mirrour of chastity humilitie meekenesse obedience patience faith hope charity and in fine of all vertues By those other words our Lord is with thee the Angel doth aduertise the blessed virgin of the mystery which was