Sacrifice of Mass in memory honour of S George * Council of Trent sess 22. chap. 3. we offer not the Sacrifice to him but to God alone who crown'd him with immortal Glory offering our humble Thanks to God both for his Victory his Eternal Triumph By our Thanksgiving we direct the Sacrifice no more to this great Saint than to your Sacred MAJESTIES for in the selfâ—ame Sacrifice we offer our most hearty thanks to the same God for the inestimable Blessing of your Sacred MAJESTIES Coronation upon Earth the Annual Solemnity of which returns this Day with that of S. George's Coronation in Heaven We joyn our Thanks with his He joyns his Prayers with ours If it be such an Honour to this great glorious Saint that we poor Sinners bear him Company attend wait upon him to the Throne of Grace to offer up our Thanks with his Consider well and tell me whether or no it be not a great Honour to us miserable Sinners that this great glorious Saint appears before us introduces us presents us to our God his offers up his Prayer his Petition his Address with ours Can you imagine a more honourable Testimony of our Excellency than that the Blessed Saints in Heaven notwithstanding all their glorious advantages above poor Sinners nevertheless esteem so much set so great a value on God's Image in us as to offer up their humble Supplications for us and to interpose with such profound Humility betwixt our angry God us as if in Heaven they so highly prised us as to solemnise Humiliation-Days in favour of us This I confess appears to me enough to counterballance all our Holy-Day-Thanksgivings upon Earth But I have yet more weight to put into the Scale which will not fail to bear it down If it be such an Honour to the Saints above that Sinners here below keep Holy Days to celebrate their Victories with marks of joy thanks surely we must allow that 't is no little Honour to repentant Sinners that the Angels and Saints in Heaven celebrate with jubilation and thanksgiving all the Victories of Grace by which we overcome our Enemies on Earth I do not say They keep our Holy Days because all such expressions transferr'd from Earth to Heaven loose their sense and we are always at a loss for words when ever we pretend to talk of things so far above us But yet I am inclin'd to think that all those Days in which a Sinner is converted are Thanksgiving-Days in Heaven * Luke 15.7 10. There is Ioy in Heaven There is Joy in presence of the Angels Saints of God over one Sinner that repenteth Consider this and you will easily conclude that we receive great honour whilst we give it and that we are ungratefull if we think we give too much In the third last place if the Honour we allow to Saints be of the self-same kind with what we do to one another We cannot then be reasonably scandaliz'd at the excess we cannot surely be so vain as to imagine that a Saint in Heaven is not as deserving as a Sinner upon Earth We dayly pray to one another as we pray to them The Honour is no more Divine when we desire the Prayers of a Saint than when we beg the Prayers of a Sinner We injure Christ no more when we demand their intercession there than when we ask the intercession of our Neighbours here The Mediatourship of Christ is still the same whether the Prayers of our Friends be interpos'd on this side or on t'other side of Heaven I cannot but reflect whilst I am talking thus it may perhaps appear a little strange that I employ my time to shew how little honour we allow our Saint when many people are in expectation of a Panegyrick to persuade them that they cannot honour him too much But 't is enough for me if I have done him justice I am sure our Saint desires no more than he deserves And I have said enough to prove that he deserves as much as we allow him By our desiring of his intercession we do him no more honour than we do to one another By our Thanksgiving for his Happyness we only are so gratefull as to honour God in him who honours God in us By our Consideration of his Merit we conceive as humble an Idea of him as our Saint dos of himself and are in that respect as innocent as he O! what a Joy it is to a dejected Sinner that S. George himself was once a Man infirm frail as well as we that the Difference which now we so admire betwixt him our selves is not in any Excellency he can boast of but a pure effect of God's great Mercy to him T is true here what S Bernard saies upon the like occasion This Man was once like us fram'd of the same clay cast in the same mould and subject to the same infirmities of Flesh Blood We have reason to rejoyce to be asham'd rejoyce that He is gone before us be asham'd that though we may we will not follow his Example Which is an Obligation incumbent upon All particularly those of his Profession as I shall shew you in the second part of my Discourse SECOND PART As Nothing is more difficult than for a man to be a Souldier and a Saint So there is Nothing which our God appears more zealously concern'd for than the Reputation of so great a Work Nothing of which He is more jealous than least the admiring World whose eyes are dazled with the splendour of Heroick Actions may rob Him of the Honour assume it to themselves He will not allow the Branch 'to glory in the Fruit it bears because it cannot bear fruit of it self Divide it from the Vine it withers without Fruit Men gather it make fire burn it But though the Branch be fruitless when t is separated from the Root Yet nevertheless as long as it remains united to the Vine it flourishes fructifies * Iohn 15.5 He who abides in me brings forth much Fruit * 1. Iohn ch 5. v. 4. This is the Victory says the Apostle by which we overcome the World Our Faith I mean Our Faith in this our Saviour's Doctrine that though without Him We are able to do nothing Yet with his help we may be able to do all things * Iohn 15.7 If you abide in me if you place all your trust your hope confidence in me ask what you will it shall be done A Diffidence in our own strength A loving Confidence in God is so agreable it charmes him so He in a manner lends us his Omnipotence and by his Grace enables us to conquer all things S. Paul of all men living had the least opinion of his own sufficiency He confess'd he had not of himself the power to think so much as one good thought And yet he doubted not but he
Visitor shall go with a modest train of men horses dispatching the Visitation as soon as may be and shall not receive any money or present whatsoever it be or in what manner soever it be offered but frugal moderate Diet ... * ibid. n. 4. That the Bishops shall be bound to preach in person or having a lawfull impediment by others And in case the Parish-Priest be hindred that he cannot preach in his own Church he shall at his charge maintain another to do it deputed by the Bishops ... That the Bishop shall admonish every one that where it may conveniently be done he ought to go to his own Parish to hear the Sermon and that None either Secular or Regular even in the Churches of their own Order shall preach against the Bishop's will * p. 734. n. 10 That where Visitation or Correction of manners is in question no exemption or appeal though to the Apostolick See shall any way hinder or suspend the execution of that which is decreed or adjudged * p. 735. n. 17. That no Ecclesiastical person though a Cardinal shall have more than one Benefice which not being able to maintain him another simple Benefice may be added so that they do not both require Residence which shall be understood of all Benefices of what title or quality soever though Commended And he that hath now more Benefices than one shall be bound to leave all but one within six months or if not they shall be all void * p. 753. n. 3. The Reading of the General Reformation did follow which after an Exhortation to Bishops for exemplary life commandeth not only that they be content with modesty frugality of houshold-stuff table but also that in the rest of their way of living in their whole house nothing may appear but what bears the character of simplicity zeal contempt of Vanities And absolutely doth forbid them to enrich their friends or kindred with the revenues of the Church but if poor to allot them their distribution as to the rest of the poor What has been said of Bishops it Decreeth to be observed by all beneficed Eccleasticks either Secular or Regular and also by the Cardinals Here I have cited only eight points a very inconsiderable part of the whole Reformation which contains above a hundred forty chapters But for a man of your skill a pattern is enough to judge of the whole piece And besides all these Decrees there are also others of Doctrine forbidding condemning several abuses which are worth your taking notice of 1. Concerning Purgatory * p. 751. The Synod teaches no more than that there is a Purgatory that the Souls detain'd in it are assisted by the suffrages of the faithfull the Sacrifice of the Mass Therefore it doth command Bishops to teach sound doctrine in this matter such as is deliver'd by the Holy Fathers Sacred Councils and cause it to be preached without handling subtil questions before the ignorant people nor suffering uncertain unlikely things to be published Prohibiting curiosities superstition unhonest gain 2. Concerning Masses * p. 537. A Decree was read concerning abuses to be corrected in the celebration of Masses And contain'd in substance that the Bishops ought to forbid all things brought in by Avarice Irreverence or Superstition 3. * p. 751. In matter of Saints it doth command Bishops all others who have the charge of teaching to instruct the people concerning the intercession invocation of them according to the ancient doctrine of the Church consent of Fathers decrees of Councils teaching that the Saints do pray for men that it is profitable to invocate them to have recourse to their prayers assistance to obtain benefits from God through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord who is our onely Saviour Redeemer Concerning Images that those of Christ the Saints ought to have due honour given them but that there is no divinity or virtue in them ... Afterwards it addeth that desiring to take away the abuses occasions of pernicious errors it doth Ordain 〈◊〉 that all Superstition in invocation of Saints in worship of Reliques in use of Images be taken away 4. Concerning Indulgences * p. 757. The Synod doth only anathematize those that shall say they are unprofitable that the Church hath not power to grant them It doth command that all those offices of Pardon-mongers be abolished And for the other abuses which have taken their rise from superstition ignorance irreverence or any other way Whereas they cannot conveniently be forbidden in particular by reason of the manifold corruptions of provinces places where they are committed it doth command the Bishops that every one shall collect all those of his own Church to propose them in the Provincial Synod * p. 733. n. 2. which shall be call'd by the Metropolitan or the most ancient Suffragan within one year at the most after the end of this Synod and afterwards every three years at least Tell me now your opinion concerning these matters All these points are they light and lightly handled Are they all nothing to the purpose Suppose the Vineyard had been a little neglected the Vines wanted pruning Will nothing else serve your turn but reducing them to their beginning cutting them up by the Roots I had almost quite forgot to tell you that in the end of the General Reformation the Council has taken particular care that no Dispensing power may obstruct the force benefit of the Decrees Be it known to all men says the Council * p. 756. n. 18. that the Canons shall be observed exactly indistinctly by all shall not be dispensed but for an urgent and just cause heard with great maturity without cost by whosoere they are to whom it appertains Otherwise the Dispensation shall be judg'd Surreptitious If the Cause be not only just but urgent if the justice and urgency be well known before the grant of it if nothing be given to any whosoever for it Such a Dispensation is unquestionably blameless And now I desire to know How was it possible for the Council to provide more effectually for the punctual observance of all these three conditions than by declaring that otherwise the Dispensation is shall be surreptitious of no effect XXXI In the end of the Council there was great joy in Rome for having cheated the world and advanced their interest where they fear'd to have their wings clipp'd A. Here I know not how you 'l be able to make the two ends of Soave's History meet In his first book he talks much at this rate and in his last he largely contradicts it He tells us in the end how the Pope and Cardinals deliberated upon the matter whether or no the Decrees of Reformation were to be confirmed And says that * p. 759. the Court understanding that the Pope was resolved
danger of so grosse Idolatry My first design in this Discourse is to maintain the Honour which redounds upon S. George from Solemnity we celebrate My second is to shew the obligation incumbent upon all particularly those of his Profession to follow his Example That I may have success in both I shall endeavour to obtain the assistance of my Saviour addressing my humble prayers to Him without whom we are able to do Nothing FIRST PART From a deep Sense of this important Truth which is the first foundation of Christian Humility the Catholick Church has ever been persuaded that it is her Duty to appoint the Festivals of Saints for these two reasons 1. to offer up our humble Thanks to God for all the signal instances of his great Power Mercy all the Favours He so graciously bestow'd upon his Saints who could do nothing of themselves 2. to offer up our humble Prayers to God that since we also are not able to do any thing without him He may please to help us with proportionable Graces such as may enable us to follow their Example Humble Thanksgiving Humble Prayer are the Duties of this Day-In the performance of the first we raise our thoughts to Heaven and contemplating this great Saint before the Throne of God where he acknowledges renders Thanks for all the miracles of Grace which rais'd him to so high a Station of Glory there we fall devoutly down upon our knees with admiration of God's great Mercy Thanksgiving for the powerfull assistance which appear'd so signally in him who of himself was able to do Nothing In the second we look down upon our selves and conscious of our Frailty we begin to Pray with all Humility that since his Goodness has been heretofore so great He may continue it to us And at the same time this great Saint remembering the danger he has escap'd compassionates the danger we are in humbly Prays that since the same Redeemer died for him and us the selfsame helps which carried on the work of his Salvation may be employd in ours Having thus fairly stated divided the whole Duty of the Day I shall proceed to justifie the Honour which from hence redounds upon the Saint whose Feast we celebrate I need not tell you that if any Saint deserve a Festival in honour of his memory S. George may very well expect it from us more than any other Nation All Christendom has been ambitious of his Patronage and almost every Part been at a holy strife with one another which should honour him most In Portugal they look upon him as the Souldier's Patron In Germany we find a Military Order dedicated to him In Italy we have seen the great decay of the Italian Souldiery recover'd by S. George's Regiment In Asia the Georgians which way soever they employ their forces carry with them a fair Banner with the Picture of S. George upon it In the Armenian Churches they religiously observe his Feast Among the Greeks they keep the same Solemnity And they who travel in those parts can hardly find two Churches in a Town whereof one is not dedicated to S George Thus have all Countries studied to outvie each other in the Honour of this Saint But as the Genius of this Nation sutes more than any with his proper Character We bid the fairest for his Patronage What Saint more proper to be Patron of a Warlike Nation than a Warlike Saint A Nation whose Valour has been always envied admir'd by all the World what could could they want to make them Saints as well as Souldiers but the Patronage great Example of S. George a Souldier a Saint But yet I know not how it comes to passe there are a certain sort of people in the World so superstitiously over-jealous of God's Honour so scrupulous in misinterpreting their Duty to Him that they dare not upon any terms allow the least proportion of Honour to a Saint for fear of giving God too little the Saint too much I do not pretend to enter now into the Lists of Disputation but only to present you some few obvious reflections relating to the main Dispute which may contribute something towards the removal of these groundless fears scandalous misapprehensions In the first place If we think as humbly and as meanly of the Saint as he dos of himself We cannot therefore be accounted guilty of Idolatry The Saint is then no more our Idol than he is his own You cannot imagine that the Saints in Heaven idolize themselves If therefore we esteem the Saints no more than they esteem themselves There is no danger upon this account of honouring them too much The Saints in Heaven are more humble now than ever T is true They see God face to face They see in him all they desire to see But yet this Knowledge dos not puff them up with Pride because they see in Him that He is All they are Nothing They only believ'd it upon Earth but now they plainly see it S. Paul is now persuaded more than ever that * Gel. 6.3 if a man think himself to be Something when he is Nothing he deceives himself All the Aposiles plainly see the Evidence of what our Saviour once taught them without me you are able to do nothing S George himself is now convinc'd more sensibly than ever of the Prophet's Doctrine * Ierem. 9.23 Let not the Mighty man glory in his Might Let not the daring Hero glory in his Courage Let him rather humble himself so much the more in presence of his God who made him Great They All annihilate themselves in presence of their God * Iob. 26.11 The Pillars of Heaven tremble in his sight They tremble not so much with fear as with an awfull profound Humility They * Apos 4.10 cast down their Crowns before the Throne All at once acknowledge they are Nothing of themselves Pause here one moment reflect how little the greatest Saints esteem themselves Reflect again We value them no more than this And then you will ingenuously confess We do not value them too much In the second place if by our Festival Thanksgiving to their God ours We only honour them as they honour us that is to say as Branches of the selfsame Vine without which they as well as we are able to do nothing Then I suppose we may conclude We do not honour them above their merit And if we well examine the Design of these Solemnities if we consider nothing on the one side but the Honour which accrews to them because we bear them company in giving Thanks and on the other side the Honour which redounds upon us by their gracious return of the like Kindness their espousing of our Cause their joyning of their interest with ours We shall find that barely by our Festival Thanksgiving-Days we only honour them as we are honour'd by them Although we celebrate this Day the