the obtaining of benefits of them but the mother of God the Angels and Saints are the freinds and fauorits of God therefor their intercession may with prudence be desired for the obtaining of benefits of him If they obiect that to pray to the Saints is iniurious to God for that he is the giuer of all benefies of himselfe infinitly liberal and that it deregareth from his power and goodnes to aske of any but of him and that it is to make the Saints Gods to pray to them to interceede for vs and that the liberality of God is such that he needeth noe intercessors all this is to noe purpose It is not iniurious to God to honour his seruants for his sake and to desire his fauorits to stande our freinds with him but it is rather iniurious to God to thinke that he will not allow of his fauorits intercession We pray not vnto Saints as to the supreme power and authour of gifts and therefor we make them noâ— Gods but we pray to them to obtaine gifts of God for vs and by this we vertually acknowledge and confesse the supreme power and liberality to be in God and that all power is subordinate to him and all gifts proceede from him And allthough the liberality of God be such that he needs noe intercessors noe more then he needeth any honour or praise from vs yet our vnworthinesse is such that our prayers stande neede of intercessors and the diuine liberality is such as to heare the prayers of his best freinds and not to hinder them for praying to him Neither is there any thinge of this obiection but it hath the same force against the aduocatship of Christ and of the faithfull that are liuing which not withstanding our enemys allow of as nothing iniurious to God or derogating from his liberality They obiect the words of the Apostle there is one God Tim. 1.2 one also mediatour of God and men man Christ Iesus And S. Iohn sayth if any man shall sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust Io. 1.2 and he is the propitiation of our sinnes Christ therefor being our mediatour and our aduocate we are not say they to vse the mediation and aduocatship of any other First this argument is turned backe vpon themselues If Christ be our mediatour and aduocate it is not then iniurious to God nor derogating from his liberality to make vse of a mediatour and aduocate as they said before that it was The words therefor alleadged make nothing against the Catholike doctrine nor are here applyed to good purpose nor in their true sense for the Apostles speake there of the mediation of Christ by way of redemption and soe Christ is our onely mediatour and aduocate because he onely in the propitiation of his passion redeemed vs and the Angels and Saints redeemed vs not By him the Angels are good Angels and by him the Saints are Saints and by his powerfull redemption he obtained that the Angels and Saints might pray and be heard praying for vs. This is the honour which Catholiks giue to the mediation of Christ and which Protestants deny to him Againe not onely by way of redemption but also by way of intercession Christ is our prime mediatour and intercessour by whom Angels and Saints interceede for vs. He interceedeth in his owne name and vertue they interceede in his name and vertue he the cheife they inferiour intercessors vnder him And this is well expressed by S. Bernard of our blessed Lady ser qui incipit signum magnum apparuit post ser 5. de assump Opus est mediatore ad mediatorem Christum nec alter nobis vtilior quam Maria. We stande neede of a mediatour to Christ our mediatour and none more profitable then Mary to vs. And the same is also orderly expressed by the Catholike Church in the end of our prayers asking through the merits of Christ out Lord. S. Tract 1. in Io. Augustine hath these words in declaration of the place of S. Iohn aboue mentioned answering this very obiection of theirs But some will say doe not the Saints then pray for vs doe not bishops prelates and pastors pray for the people Yes marke the scriptures and you shall finde that the Apostles prayed for the people and againe desired the people to pray for them and sâ—e the head prayeth for all and the members for one another This is the doctrine of the Catholike Church Christ is our onely aduocate by way of intercession our B. Lady the Angels and Saints are inferiour aduocates vnder him the faithfull that are liuing are inferiour aduocates vnder them praying for one another and desiring the prayers of one another and soe the Church is a body well vnited the head helping the inferiour members and they all concurring to helpe one another by their prayers Hence the Catholike doctrine is further confirmed It can not be denyed but that we may lawfully begge the prayers of one another therefor with more reason we may begge the intercession of the Saints For the first S. Paul often desired the prayers of the faithfull to the Romans that you helpe mee in your prayers Rom. 15. And in the same place he prayeth for them and he desireth the Thessalonians brethren pray for vs. Thes 1.5 2.3 And againe in the second brethren pray for vs. and to the Hebrews pray for vs. And S. Iames pray for one another that you may be saued Ia. 5. The second followeth planely for there is nothing which they haue obiected or can obiect against the inuocation of Saints but it hath the same force against desiring the prayers of the liuing for if it be iniurious to God or to the mediation of Christ to desite the mediation of the Saints in heauen much more must it be to desire the intercession of sinners vpon earth But they say that the Saints in heauen heare vs not nor know when we desire their prayers but this is not truely said of them Christ saith that the Angels reioyce at the conue Luc 15. sion of a sinner but how can they reioyce at it if they know it not Saints whilst they liued on earth vnderstoode the secrets of mens harts and haue knowne things that haue passed at farre distance from them and haue foreseene many thinges euen before they came to passe and shall they be lesse knowing when they are in glory Samuel told Saul what was in his hart Reg. 1. â— and promised to tell him all things that were in his hart and it was noe meruaile for God had reuealed them vnto him Elizeus saw in absence that which passed betwixt his seruant and the Prince of Syria and at his returne he rebuked him for the gifts which he had receiued and thought to haue concealed from him If liuing in this world they knew these things by the reuelation of God when it was necessary that they should know them shall we thinke that
the lawes of God Lastly we pray for all people euen our enemys the conuersion of Infidels Iewes Turks and haeretiks to the Catholike faith And we pray not onely for the liuing but also for the dead of which I haue spoken in the Sacrament of Pennance as a deuotion both charitable to them and profitable to ourselues It is a deed of charity to pray for them because they can not pray for themselues and it is profitable to vs because beside the reward of our owne good worke we shall be sure to haue their intercession both now in purgatory and afterwards when they come to heauen For they are not like the cupbearer of Pharao who prosperous things succeeding to him forgotte his friend of whom in prison he had receiued comfort Now let vs see TO WHOM WE ARE TO PRAY WE pray to God as to the supreme power and first authour of all benefits acknowledging all goodnes to proceede from him And therefor prayer in the Apocalypse is assimilated vnto incense and is called a sacrifice because it respecteth God as the source and first authour of goodnes We pray also to our blessed Lady and to the Angels and Saints as the freinds of God for their prayers and intercession to him But an haeretike will presently obiect that if prayer be a kind of sacrifice how doe we pray to the Saints all sacrifice being to be offered to God Our prayers indeede may be called and are a kind of sacrifice because we either expresly confesse the supreme power of God or implicitly acknowledge it by all prayers The prayers which we make immediatly to God are a kind of Sacrifice because by them immediatly and directly we acknowledge his supreme and diuine power The prayers which we make by the mediation of the Saints are also sacrifices in their kind because mediatly and indirectly they acknowledge the same in that finally they tende vnto God by the Saints praying to him as we desire The prayers which we make to Saints are a kind of sacrifice as they tende vnto God as they tēde vnto the Saints they are not sacrifices because they acknowledge not the supreme and diuine power to be in them It was an auncient heresy in the primitiue Church to deny the inuocation of Saints mainteined by vigilantius and other haeretiks Hier. cont vigil and of purpose refuted by S. Hierome and others of the holy fathers but time which is the abolisher of all heresys had abolished this and the Catholike Church which suruiued all times had suruiued this heresy and buried it in the obliuion of men vntill some vnruly spirits of these later yeares who would be ruled by noe Church in the world raked vp this heresy out of the dirt and set it on foote againe But you shall see the inuocation of Saints breifly made good by scriptures Councels the authority of the auncient Church and by reason Turne to the 48. Chapter of Genesis and you shall finde there the Patriarke Iacob blessing the children of Ioseph and inuoking the Angels and Saints vpon them in these words Gen. 48. The Angell that deliuereth mee from all euills blesse these childrën and be my name called vpon them the names also of my fathers Abraham and Isaac Here this holy Patriarke after that he had twice called vpon God then inuoked his Angell and the Saints Abraham and Isaac who as yet were not in perfect glory And if they onely departing as holy men in the fauour of God might be prayed vnto before that they had the perfect glory of heauen with much more reason the Saints of God may now be prayed vnto when they are in that perfect state And he that shall vnderstande the Angell whom he there called on to be any other then his owne Angell guardian shall contradict the common interpretation of the fathers who prooue by this place that we haue euery one an Angell Guardian deputed to defende vs and shall shew but litle reuerence to the holy scriptures which he dareth to delude with such vaine glosses of his owne head But to be breife I will say noe more but that S. Paul prayed to the liuing for their prayers therefor with more reason we may pray to the Saints for their prayers when they are in glory But of this afterwards The second Councell of Nyce which is receiued by our enemys declareth expresly for the inuocation of Saints The fathers of the Councell of Chalcedon cryed out to blessed Flauianus martyr act 11. Flauianus that is dead is yet liuing a martyr let him pray for vs. The practise of the primitiue Church ought to be sufficient for this The auncient lyturgys of the Church seruice the Romane which S. Peter made that of Hierusalem which S. Iames made that of the Aethiopians which S. Mathew made that of Milan which S. Barnaby and S. Ambrose made and that which S. Iohn Chrysostome made all of them making a deuout commemoration of our blessed Lady and imploring her intercession As for the sentences of these and other holy fathers they are as plane as my words now are for the inuocation of Saints and they haue as earnestly defended it as we now doe S. Athanasius ser de Deipara Speaking of our B. Lady saieth all the quires of Angels are incessantly singing that glorious hymne Aue gratia plena Dominus tecum c. And we the terrestrial hierarchy of men salute thee saying Haile full of grace pray for vs O Lady O Mistres O Queene O Mother of God What more could any Catholike haue said or desired of S. Athanasius then to heare him praise our blessed Lady and pray to her in the very same termes which himselfe now vseth in the Catholike Church Ser. 1. de S. Steph. S. Augustine if Steuan were heard when he prayed for those that stoned him how much more shall he be heard when he prayeth for those that pray deuoutly to him If S. Athanasius and S. Augustine should appeare now to the world to decide this controuersy and should say noe more but these words ouer againe who would not thinke that the controuersy were ended and sentence giuen for the inuocation of Saints but their testimonys will not satisfy our obstinate enemys who confesse that the auncient fathers teach inuocation of Saints but accuse them of errour for it O haeretical pride shall one single man disobey all the Churches that are then in the world and stand also at defyance with the holy and auncient fathers and shall any man shew that contempt of his owne soule as to follow Luther who came but in the last age or Caluin who came after him rather then the whole world that then was when they came and also rather then those learned Saints whom the christian world hath held in reuerence for these many hundreds of yeares Finally this is also manifest by natural reason which dictateth that the intercession of the freinds and fauorits of Princes may with prudence be desired for
our prayers are hidden from them now in heauen and that God will let vs want their intercession for want of reuealing our prayers to them Noe we shall loose nothing by any ignotance of theirs They see God in glory and in that glorious sight they see all that is good for them to see therefor if they might pray and be desired by others to pray for them whilst they liued in this world there is nothing to hinder them for being prayed vnto in the next Hence it appeareth how absurde that question of Caluin was â—olu l. 4. insti nu â—4 when he asked how it came to passe that the Angels and Saints could heare soe farre as betwixt heauen and earth I giue you not his words because they are blasphemous and to irreuerent to be repeated but if Caluin will know how it com's to passe I tell him that it is by the light of glory which the Saints haue and if he say that they haue noe such glory he shall neuer haue it himselfe nor can in reason expect to haue it If they obiect the words of Ecclesiastes to shew that Saints might be prayed vnto in this life and not in the next Bâ—â—l 9. where it is said better is a dogg liuing then a Lyon dead It is true in respect of the operations of life which then the Lyon hath not and soe the Saints according to their bodys were better aliue then dead because their bodys liuing had the operations of life which dead they haue not but according to their soules which are spirits they are not onely as perfect but much perfecter and without comparison more actiue lightsome and vnderstanding being then not onely lightened of the burden of their bodys but also enlightened with the light of glory Saint Hierome answered this very obiection to Vigilantius the haeretike about twelue hundred yeares since in these words Lib. cont â—â—g If Apostles and marryrs liuing in their bodys could pray for others when they might be sollicitous for themselues how much more after their crownes victorys and triumphs Moyses but one man getteth pardon of God for six hundred thousand armed men Steuan the first martyr after the example of our Lord prayed for his persecutors and now when they are with Christ shall they haue lesse power Paul saith of himselfe that two hundred and seauenty soules were granted him in the shipp at his prayers and now that he is resolued and with Christ shall he haue his mouth shutte vp and shall he not open it for those who all ouer the world haue beleeued at his ghospell and shall Vigilantius a liuing dogge be better then Paula dead Lyon This of the Ecclesiastes were indeede to some purpose if J did beleeue that Paul were dead in spirit Thus did S. Hierome discourse as a Catholike on this point shewing that the Saints with much more reason shall be prayed vnto in heauen then on earth and that there is noe comparison in those words of Ecclesiastes betwixt the soule of man whilst he is liuing and whilst he is dead but onely betwixt a liuing and a dead body and he calleth Vigilantius a dogge for barking against the Saints in denying their intercession We pray therefor to God as to the supreme power to grant vs that which we want We pray to our blessed Lady the Angels and Saints not to grant vs our wants but to grant vs their intercession to obtaine them of God for vs. And in this the Catholike Church vseth an orderly destinction euen in words when we pray destinguishing betwixt the diuine maiesty as supreme and the Saints as his seruants We say not to God Lord pray for vs but Kyrie eleyson Lord haue mercy vpon vs. Nor to Christ as he is the sonne of God doe we say Christ pray for vs but Christe eleyson Christ haue mercy vpon vs. We doe not say to our B. Lady or to the Angels or Saints haue mercy vpon vs but holy Mary pray for vs all ye holy Saints of God make intërcession for vs. Soe giuing vnto God that which is his due to wit the supreme and all honour both in himselfe and in his seruants and we giue vnto the Saints inferiour honour as the beloued seruants of God and follow the Councell of the holy psalmist who beginning his last psalme was inspired to say prayse God in his Saints Ps 150. This I haue said in honour of God and of his blessed Saints and euery word that I haue said I giue it freely to their honour desiring their prayers We pray particularly to some Saints for some particular benefits because we see those benefits more frequently granted by hauing recourse vnto those Saints â—nd if any aske why God granteth those benefits rather at the intercession of those then of other Saints I answere with the Apostle who hath knowne the name of our Lord Rom. 11. or who hath bene his Counsellour And this is a sufficient answere to such questions of curiosity for so it might be asked why God would determine particular offices to such and such Angels Yet the reason may be giuen to honour the merits of those Saints in some circumstances of their liues or deaths which those benefits haue relation vnto Soe women that haue sore breasts obtaine helpe by the intercession of S. Agatha whose breasts were cut of for the faith of Christ S. Apollonia is called vpon for the tooth ake because her teeth were strucken out for the same cause S. Roch is inuoked against the pestilence because himselfe was infected with it S. Blase against paines of the throte because he cured a child that was like to dy of a bone in the throte And our blessed Lady with good reason is called vpon by women in trauaile because she is the ioy glory and comfort of all women who in her child bearing was exempted from those paines and it pleaseth God that those miracles he remembred by vs. If any aske why in some places more then others we pray for such and such benefits I answere that there may be many reasons why God would oblige especially the inhabitans of that place and honour it with miracles and if this be not sufficient satisfaction I aske of him why at the Probatica pond in Hierusalem miraculous cures were obtained rather then in others places and why onely one was cured at a time and no more and why the leprous Prince of Syria was sent to be washed in lordan rather then in other waters and to be washed seauen times rather then any other number If he giue mee a good reason for these the same will I giue him to his question if he referre mee to the diuine will and pleasure so will I referre him Hauing declared whom wee are to pray to we will speake OF SOME IMPEDIMENTS that hinder vs in the obtaining of our prayers THE first and greatest impediment that hindereth the obtaining of our prayers is the greatest of all euils
our consciences from sinne and then to prepare ourselues with humility reuerence confidence and with charity towards our neighbour and with much feruour and attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we aske of him all the time of prayer This feruerous attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we pray for is that which I would gladly commende to you that you place your selues before God at your prayers as in presence of the most soueraigne maiesty with great reuerence to him and to desire earnestly all the time of prayer that which then you are praying for not too earnestly desiring the thinge it selfe but for the loue of God to please him in it Let euery one saith S. Basil know for certaine that he is then in the presence of God In reg breu q. 201. and if he would thinke it an vnciuill and vnworthy thinge to be yawning and as it were halfe a sleepe when he speaketh to a Prince and a heinous wickednesse to be treating in the meane time with some about betraying him how much more shall we beware of these things in prayer to cast of all drowsinesse to take heed of irreuerence and to put away euill thoughts if we beleeue that we speake to God who is present at our prayers Remember then that you are speaking to God and desire earnestly that which you aske of him and if you perceiue yourselues to fall into distractions call backe your mindes to God againe and stirre vp in your harts a new and feruerous desire of that which you pray for and if distractions trouble you still be not vexed nor dismayed with them but detesting them againe in your hart make an act of resignation to the will of God that you are contented to haue distractions as long as it shall please him For by this manner of sleighting them the best resistance is made and how soeuer you shall be sure to merit by your prayer the perfection of which consisteth not in not hauing but in not yeelding to distractions Powre forth your prayer with deuotion in the sight of God and with a desire to honour him in that which you aske and he will honour himselfe in it and rewarde you THE EIGHT DISCOVRSE OF THE AVE MARIA SAint Bernard Woe is mee for I am a man of polluted lipes Hom. 3. super missus est I would I had from the Altare aboue not a cole but a whole globe of fire to burne the inueterated rust away from my mouth that I might worthily declare the gracious speeches of the Angell to the Virgin Thus did this great seruant ōf our Blessed Lady prepare himselfe to speake of the Haile Mary the subiect of which I am now to speake As he hath said so may I say and as he often exhorteth so will I doe that is to haue recourse to her for helpe Glorious Mother of God High Queene of Heauen and Empresse of the world behold my soule lyeth prostrate at thy feet crauing thy helpe before I beginne to prayse thee I desire in this to honour and serue thee and to bring others to be thy seruants but I know for certaine that of my felfe I cannot performe this desire and therefore I come to thee to haue thy intercession for diuine grace See thou that I want not light to setforth thy prayses and that those that heare mee may conceiue with profit that which I speake and something more of thee then can be spoken They shall heare thee saluted by an Angell and by such a salutation as was neuer knowne to proceede from Angels mouth they shall see how thou art full of grace they shall see thee become the Mother of God and the Sonne of God as thy natural sonne become subiect to thee they shall heare thee in they life time praised by Prophets and by the Euangelist after thy death and after the Euangelist they shall heare the Fathers of the primitiue Church one by one descanting vpon thy prayses and the whole Catholike Church as it were in a full quire crying to thee for thy prayers they shall see how beneficiall thy prayers are to thy seruants and they shall see by some examples the seuere punishments of God vpon thine enemys Procure thou that they may be moued to honour thee and that the deuotion of vs all may increase towards thee For this we salute thee saying Haile Mary c. Quest Say the Haile Mary Answ Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe IESVS Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of our death Amen THE whole Aue Maria consisteth of words spoken by the Angell and by S. Elizabeth and of words added by the Church The words of the Angell are Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women Saint Elizabeth said blessed is the fruit of thy wombe and the Church addeth that which followeth Of all which we will speake in order HAILE FVLL OF GRACE THE infinite wisdome and goodnes of God hauing from all eternity decreed the redemption of mankind by the death of his Sonne that hee should assume humane nature and be borne of a Virgin to dy for vs and the blessed Virgin Mary being chosen amongst thousands and amongst thousands of thousands and infinit of infinites which God could haue created to be the woman of which he would bee borne and she being now growne vp to womans state and perfected with such graces as were necessary for that dignity the plenitude of time was then come in which this mystery was to bee accomplished And as all the works of God are with order and holines so that this worke might be more orderly and holy a messenger was prepared from Heauen vnto her to require her consent that this mystery so much for the honour of God and good of mankind might be brought to passe in her and words were inspired him how to speake her How He entring to her presence saluteth her first with these words Haile full of grace A blessed salutation and such an one as amongst the seuerall manners of saluting which Angels haue sometimes vsed to holy men the like to this was neuer heard It was a salutation which God had reserued for this mystery and for her onely that was to be his mother Soe Origen Saint Ambrose and S. Bede At first she was amazed at it for not being vsed to heare her owne prayses nor desiring to heare them she was astonished at the Angells words fearing and admiring at them Blessed Virgin what dost thou feare Saint Bede She feared because she admired at this new forme of blessing which before is read of in no◠place nor any where founde This salutation was reserued for Mary for by her onely this grace was deserued which by none but her was euer obtained S. Act. 2. Peter indeede and those
that in this respect as she was the Mother of God she should be endowed with it This is expresly auouched by S. Anselme It was decent saith he that she should shine with such purity L. de Conceptu virg li. c. 15. that vnder heauen a greater could not be deuised Other Saints say in substance the same when in glory and sanctity they preferre her before all creatures because they thought that such sanctity was most suetable and congruous to her dignity as she was such a Mother and that the more that they honored her the more they honored God incarnated in her and of her There is noe doubt saith Saint Hierome but whatsoeuer is worthily attributed to the Mother of God Hier. ep ad Paul Eusto to 9. Bern. ser 4. super missus est that appertaineth to the prayses of her sonne And S. Bernard Whatsoeuer is spoken of the Mothers praises that belongeth to her sonne Therefor in attributing of Sanctity to her and in honoring her we honour him and the more sanctity that we attribute to her and the more that we honour her the more we honour him It were a saying dishonorable to Christ to impute any heinous sinne vnto his Mother with whom S. Augustine will haue noe mention of sinne to be made and as it were a dishonour to him to make her that bore him and had the education of him to be a sinner soe is it most for his honour to haue her a Saint and aboue all Saints We haue then out of the scriptures that Christ honored her that she tooke it as an honour to herselfe and that S. Elizabeth and the woman of the ghospell honored her as she was the Mother of such a sonne and we haue also that it was most decent and becomming her dignity that her blessed soule should be adorned with the highest grace and sanctity that euer any pure creature had I conclude this point with a lesser yet good authority it is of Sibylla Tiburtina praising the B. Virgin for her maternity O nimium foelix caeli dignissima Mater Quae tantam sacro lactabat ab vbere prolem O very happy and most worthy Mother of heauen Whose sacred brests gaue sucke to such a sonne Where you see her honored and pronounced happy for her corporal propinquity with Christ Let now all christians that loue Christ loue her whom he loued and honour her whom he honored If he be a good sonne he would make his Mother to be worthy of honour and if we be good seruants we will honour the Mother of our master And soe we honour her as his Mother not that it was the Physical or Moral cause of her sanctity for that was the diuine grace and her owne merits by cooperating with it but that her being the Mother of such a sonne was in it selfe honorable When we say the Mother of God we meane that she was the true Mother of him who was true God which all good christians beleeue and none but such as Nestorian haeretiks will deny for as we say truely that S. Elizabeth was the Mother of a Prophet but not as he was a Prophet but according to the nature which he receiued of her soe we say truely that our B. Lady was the Mother of God though not as he was God but according to his humane nature which proceeded from her PRAY FOR VS SINNERS AS for the power and acceptance of our B. Ladys prayers it is farre greater then we can expresse What if I should say that it pleaseth God better that we goe to her to pray for vs then that we come immediatly to himselfe Certainly we may say that it pleaseth him better that we bring his prime fauorite to wit his Mother to pray for vs then that we come by ourselues onely without her to him and that he delighteth more and granteth rather at her prayers then at ours which is but a small prayse to her I will say more and that is that I thinke without doubt there is noe deuotion whatsoeuer that God hath approoued of by soe many miracles as the deuotion to our B. Lady and that those that are truely deuoted to her neede not much feare to fall from the Catholike Church nor continuing in that deuotion to haue an euill death But my words onely are of litle value you shall heare what the Saints and learned writers of the Church haue said of her intercession Benau in speculo Mariae c. 8. First S. Bonauenture prooueth out of S. Augustine that she is more carefull and sollicitous for her clients then any of the Saints and whether her power be equall with her care you shall heare what others say Germanus Constantinopolitanus a very auncient authour speaketh this sentence to her There is none saved but by thee O most holy Virgin Germ. in zona there is none deliuered from euils but by thee O most pure there is noe gift granted but by thee O most chast there is none that hath the fauour to be pittyed but by thee O most honourable Marke I pray you how generall these words are that noe good is obtained nor euill preuented but by her meanes S. Anselme in the booke which he wrote of her prayses praying to her sayeth that God hath soe exalted her that he hath made all things possible to her and that she can aske nothing but it is granted But S. Peter Damian goeth further to say the same by a very high expression of eloquence Ser. de Nat. Mar. She goeth vp saith he to the golden altare of reconciliation not to aske but to commande not as a handmaid but as a mistres Here an haeretike would catch at his words and thinke that he had somethinge to take hold of but he should be deceiued for this is onely a kind of Rhetorike which the Saints would vse to setforth the liberality of God at the prayers of his seruants which is such as though his benignity nignity bounde him to obey their desires And it is a kind of Rhetorike which the Holy Ghost hath taught them and hath warranted by his owne example himselfe vsing it Iosue the captaine of the people of God hauing put his enemys to flight and wanting day to pursue them made his prayer and commanded the sunne and moone to stand still vntill he had taken reuenge of them Where vpon holy scripture saith the sunne and moone stoode still our Lord obeying the voice of a man Ios 10. As though holy Iosue by prayer had had God at obedience S. Bernard was allwais mellifluous yet neuer soe much as when he had occasion to speake of our B. Lady Ber. ser in vigilia Nat. Dom. Ber. ser de Assump He shall close vp the quire of the fathers with these few words in which he saith that God will grant nothing but it must passe through Marys hands And in another place he commendeth her soe affectionatly for mercy towards her clients that for
worship of Sacrifice hath allwais bene vnderstoode as the cheife and highest worship of God but the true Church of Christ must haue at all times the cheife and highest worship of God therefor the true Church of Christ must haue at all times the worship of Sacrifice Neither can there any good answere be made to this argument For if they say that Christ as he was once offered on the Cros is the Christian Sacrifice sufficient for vs and therefor we neede none after it it is not a good answere nor satisfyeth any more then if one should say Christ worshipped God for vs therefor we neede not to worship God after him or Christ fasted prayed and suffered for vs therefor we neede not to fast or to pray or to doe any good works but onely to beleeue in him and we shall be saued and soe we should banish the worship of God and all good works out of the world and set vp a sole and onely iustifying faith as they doe grounding themselues vpon such vaine and friuolous inferences of their owne braine which they will mainteine against all the authority of the whole world Christ saued vs by the Sacrifice of the Cros that is by the merits of that Sacrifice he procured meanes for our saluation and these meanes are faith and good works and the best of all works and most honorable to God is the offering of a Sacrifice And as Christs worship and good works doe not hinder and cuacuate ours noe more did his Sacrifice hinder and cuacuate all Sacrifice for euer after but he would institute a sacrifice for his people that by it they might apply the merits of his sacrifice to themselues and that it might be the most worthy of all sacrifices he ordained it to be in his owne sacred body mysteriously yet really offered in the Eucharist Which as it was the most perfect of all corporall things was indeed the most conuenient sacrifice for the Law of Christ yet if we did not offer that body as then truely and really present with vs but offered it in our harts onely as it was present on the Crosse and as it is now in Heauen it were not the offering of some present corporall thing as all people haue euer vnderstoode a sacrifice to be Hence it appeareth how vainly they obiect the wordsof the Apostle calling Christour High Priest Heb. 7.9.10 who by one oblation hath consummated for euer those that are sanctifyed Therefore say they all other oblation is needlesse and derogateth from that of Christ as though it were not sufficient To which it is answered that the words of the Apostle are most holy and true Christ is our high Priest and our onely high Priest for the highest of all others Priests is but the Vicar of Christ our Highest Priest He consummated by way of redemption the sanctification of all those that are sanctifyed and by one onely oblation he saued all that are saued in that by it onely he redeemed vs. What then Therefore there needdeth no more sacrifice for our redemption It is true Therefore all other sacrifice for our redemption derogateth from that It is also true And this is all that the Apostle sayeth Where is now their argument Therefor there needeth noe continuall sacrifice to conserue the worship of God and to giue supreme and due homage to him It is false and no better consequence then as I said before Christ worshipped God for vs therefor we neede not to worship him The cheife worship of God is by sacrifice and this worship was giuen him by Christ for vs is it now good consequence Therefor we neede not to giue that cheife worship to God Christ offered sacrifice for our redemption but to receiue the benefit of it we must doe our parts and that is as I haue said to receiue the Sacraments offer sacrifice and doe other works which he hath ordained to be done by vs in the Catholike Church for the honour of God and the sanctifying of our soules and therefor saint Iohn attributeth our sanctification to our selues Io. 1.3 Euery one that hath this hope saith he sanctifyeth himselfe that is by cooperating with God Cor. 1.3 and the Passion of Christ and therefore saint Paul saith we are Gods coadiutors for that we concurre with him to the good works which we doe and so by offering of sacrifice we concurre with Christs sacrifice and oblation consummating ours by being once offered for our redemption by which he giueth vertue to all our good works And this is all that the Apostle would say as is manifest both by the circumstances of his speech and also by his words for he spoke then to those of the Circumcision that they should not looke backe to the sacrifices of their former law for that they being but shaddowes of that of our redemption and figures to praefigure it as then future and which is now fullfilled to continue them after the Passion of Christ was as much as to say that our redemption was not fullfilled and that Christ by one oblation had not perfectly redeemed vs but that he were to suffer againe or els they were false figures in signifying that as future which were past and therefor in the Epistle he saith that if Christ had not offered one host for sinnes he ought to haue suffered often Hebr. 9. The Apostle therefore speaketh of the iewish sacrifices that they were not to be continued for that the sacrifice of our redemption which they signifyed as future was but one and that allready offered And those that alleadge his words against a continuall sacrifice abuse their heares and the word of God But they say that the Eucharist is but a commemoration of the sacrifice of the Crosse representing it therefore noe true sacrifice and much lesse the same that was then offered It is necessary therefore to declare how THE MASSE IS A COMMEMOratiue or representatiue sacrifice yet a true Sacrifice of the same Body that was offered on the Crosse CHRIST at the last supper tooke bread into his hands and gaue to his disciples saying Cor. 1.11 This is my body which shall be deliuered for you This doe ye for the commemoration of mes In like manner also the Chalice saying This Chalice is the now Testament in my Blood This doe ye as often as you shall drinke for the commemoration of mee And saint Luke hath Luc. â— 2 This is my Bâ—dy which is giuen for you doe this for a commemoration of mee And this is the Chalice the neâ— Testament in my Blood which shall be shed for you By which we beleeue that Christ then offered his true body in sacrifice vnder the formes of bread and wine and commanded his Apostles to doe the same They did so and the Catholike Church hath done so euer since in commemoration of his Passion which he then commemorated both in the consecration of the bread and of the wine expresly mentioning it in