of deputation which were drawn vp agreed vpon at the Synode of Vitré in the year 1617. to be obserued by the Prouinces when they were to send deputies to the Nationall Synode is yet more positiue it runns in these termes We promise before God to submit to all that shall be concluded and resolved in your holy Assembly and to obey execute it with all our power being perswaded as we are that God will preside in it and conduct you by his holy Spirit into all truth and equity by the rule of his Word Here the point is not the receauâ—ng of the resolution of a Synode after hauing discern'd that it hath ordain'd according to the Scripture but here is a submission made unto it euen before the assembling of it and this is done by reason they are perswaded that the holy spirit will preside in it If this perswasion be grounded vpon a humane presumption can one in conscience promise before God to submitt to all which shall be resolued and concluded and to obey execute it to the utmost of ones power And if this perswasion be grounded vpon an assured beleef of that assistance the holy Ghost affordeth the Church in her Finall ordinances the Catholiques themselues require no more of them Thus the proceedings of our Aduersariers doe manifest that they concurr with vs in the necessity of a Supreme Authority without which there can neuer be a Finall decision of any doubt in Religion and although when they cast of the yoke of Obedience they denied that the faithfull were obliged to resigne their iudgment vp to that of the Church yet the necessity of settling some order among themselues hath forced them in processe of time to acknowledg what their first engagement had moued them to contradict Nay they haue gone much farther in the National Synode held at Sainte Foy in the year 1578. There was some ouerture made of a reconcilement with the Lutherans by means of a forme of profession of Faith general and common to all the Churches which was proposed to be concerted and drawn vp The Churches of this Kingdome were inuited to depute vnto an Assembly to be held for that purpose virtuous persons approued and authorised by all the forenamed Churches with an ample Procuration TO TREAT AGREE VPON AND DECIDE ALL POINTS OF DOCTRINE and other matters concerning the vnion Vpon this proposition the resolution of the Synode of Sainte Foy was agreed vpon in these termes The National Synode of this Kingdome after having giuen God thanks for such an ouerture and commended the care and diligence as well as the good counsels of the fore-mentioned persons conuoked APPROVING THE REMEDIES THEY HAVE SVGGESTED viz principally that of framing a new Confession of Faith and giuing power to some certaine persons to compose it hath ordained that in case the copie of that aboue-named Confession of Faith shall be sent time enough it shall be examined in euery Prouinciall Synode or after some other manner according to the conueniency of each Prouince and in the mean time hath deputed four Ministers the best experienced in affairs of that nature to whome expresse order hath bin giuen to render themselves vpon the places and at the day with letters and ample Procurations of all the Ministers and ancient Deputies of the Prouinces of this Kingdome together with those of the Viscount of Turene to doe all things aboue mentioned and euen in case that MEANS COVLD NOT BE FOVND TO EXAMINE THE SAYD CONFESSION BY ALL THE PROVINCES it is referr'd to their prudence and sound iudgment to agree and CONCLVDE all the points which shall be brought into deliberation as well FOR THE DOCTRINE as for any other matter concerning the benefit vnion and quiet of all the Churches This in fine is the result of that feigned tendernesse of Conscience in the Ministers of the Pretended-Reformed Religion How often haue they reproached to us as a weakenesse that Submission we professe to the iudgment and Decrees of the Church which is say they but a company of men subiect to Error and yet they being assembled themselues in a Body at a Nationall Synode which represented all the Pretended-Reformed Churches of France haue nor scrupuled to leaue their Faith to the Arbitration of four persons with so Absolute a Resignation of their Iudgments that they transferr'd vpon them a full power to change the very Confession it self which they propose euen to this day to all Christian people as a Confession of Faith which containeth nothing but the pure Word of God and for which in presenting it to our Kings they haue said that an infinite number of people were ready to shed their blood I leaue the prudent Reader to make his reflections vpon the Decree of this Synode and will conclude in few words my explication of the perswasions tenents of the Catholique Church The sonne of God hauing bin pleased that his Church should remaine one and be solidly built vpon this Vnity hath instituted founded the Primacy of S t Peter to maintaine and cement it whereupoÌ„we acknowledgethe same Primacy in the Successors of the Prince of the Apostles vnto whome vpon that title we owe that Submission Obedience which the holy Councells Fathers haue taught and inioyn'd the faithfull As for those points which are so vsually disputed in the Schooles although the Ministers doe coÌ„tinually alledge them to asperse and render that Authority odious it is to little purpose to mention them in this discourse since they are not points of Catholique Faith It is sufficient here to confesse a Head established by God which will freely be accorded by all such as affect Vnion Concord of Christian Fraternity Ecclesiasticall Vnanimity And certaine it is that if the Founders of the Pretended Reformation had loued Vnity in the Church they would neuer haue abolished Episcopall Gouernement which we finde established by IESVS-CHRIST himself and which we see impower'd authorised euen in the dayes of the Apostles nor would they haue despised the Authority of S. Peter's seate which hath so solid a foundation in the Ghospel and so euident a continuation in Ecclesiasticall Tradition they would rather haue zealously maintain'd Episcopall Iurisdiction which setleth preserueth Vnion in particular Churches and the Primacy of S. Peter's Chaire which is the common center of all Catholique VnioÌ„ This is the exposition of the Catholique Doctrine wherein to tye my self to what is most important in it I haue declined some questions which the Pretended-Reformers themselues doe not account a legitimate motiue for a Breach or Separation and I may hope that those of their Communion who shall examine fairely with Christian equity all the parts and consequences of this Treatise will by the reading thereof be better disposed to accept and acquiescevnto those proofs vpoÌ„ which the Faith of the Church is established and will at least auowe that many of our Controuersies may be decided by a
vtility of Prayer to Saints aduiseth vs to pray in the same spirit of charity and according to that order of fraternall society which moues vs to request the succors of our bretheren liuing vpon the earth and the Catechisme of the Councel of Trent concludeth of this doctrine that if the quality of Mediator which the holy Scripture attributeth to CHRIST IESVS did receiue any preiudice by the intercession of Saints who reigne with God almighty that it would haue the same diminution by the offices and mediations of the faithfull who are liuing with us This Catechisme informeth vs clearly of the extreame difference between the manner of our imploring the succour of God that of our solliciting the contributions of the Saints for thus it says We pray to God either to giue vs good things or to deliuer vs from ill but by reason the Saints are more acceptable to him then we our selfs we request of them their protection sue to them they would obteyn for vs these things we stand in need of And hence it is that we vse two kinds of prayer very different since when we address to God the proper style is HAVE PITTY ON VS BEPLEASED TO HARKEN TO VS but we account it sufficient when we recurr to Saints to beseech them to PRAY FOR VS Whereby we must vnderstand that in what termes soeuer the prayers we offer to Saints are styled the intention of the Church of the Supplicants reduceth them alwayes vnto this forme as the same Catechisme confirmeth in the processe of that discourse But it will not be amisse to consider the words themselfs of the Councel which intending to prescribe to the Bishops in what manner they should speake of the inuocacation of Saints obligeth them to teach that the Saints who reigne with CHRIST IESVS offer to God their prayers for men that it is good and vsefull to inuoke them by way of supplication and to haue recourse to their succours assistances to obtayne of God his benefits through his Sonne our Lord CHRIST IESVS who alone is our Sauiour Redeemer And in order to this declaration the Councel condemneth those who teach a contrary doctrine whereby it is euident that to inuoke the Saints according to the intent of this Councel is to resort to their prayers for the obteyning the blessings and benefits of God by CHRIST IESVS And in truth what we obteyne by the interuention of Saints we acquire only by CHRIST IESVS and in his name since the Saintsthemselfs intercede but by CHRIST IESVS and obteyne their graunts but in his name This is the Faith of the Catholique Church wh ch the Councel of Trent hath cleerly explained in few words after which euidence we cannot conceaue how it can be obiected that we depart remoue our selfs from CHRIST IESVS when we supplicate his members which are also ours his children who are our brothers and his Saints who are our first fruits to ioyne their prayers to ours offering them both to our common Master in the name of our common Mediator The same Councel explaines cleerly in few words the meaning of the Church when it offers to God the holy sacrifice to honor the memory of the Saints That honor we render them in the act of Sacrifice consists in mentioning their names as of the faithfull seruants of God in the prayers we addresse to him thankes-giuings and prayses for the victories they haue obteyned and in humbly mouing his condescending in our fauor by their Intercessions S. Augustin hath declared 1200 years past that none ought to conceiue the Sacrifice as offered to the holy Martyrs although by the custome in practise euen in those tymes vniuersally by the Church the Sacrifice was offered vpon their holy bodies vnto their memories that is to be vnderstood before the places wherein their pretious Reliques were conserued and the same father sayth further that commemoration was made of the Martyrs at the holy table at the celebration of the Sacrifice not intending to pray for them as we doe for other dead but rather in order to their praying for vs. I alledge the perswasion of this holy Bishop by reason the Councel of Trent vseth almost the same words to instruct the faithfull that the Church offers not the Sacrifice vnto the Saints but to God alone who hath crown'd them and that the Priest doth not adresse himself to S. Peter or S. Paul saying I OFFER VNTO YOV THIS SACRIFICE but praysing God for their victories he implores their assistance to the end that they whose Commemoration we celebrate vpon Earth may be moued to pray for vs in Heauen This is the manner wherein we honour the Saints to obteyne graces and benefits from God by their Mediation and the cheifest of those fauors we hope to procure is that of being inabled for their imitation to which we are excited by contemplation of their admirable precedents and by the honour we pay in the presence of God to their blessed memories Whosoeuer shall rightly consider the doctrine we haue proposed will be forced to auowe that as we substract from God none of the perfections peculiar to his infinite essence so we doe not ascribe to Creatures any of those properties or operations the which can not sort but with God alone which doth so absolutely distinguish us from Idolaters that we can not conceiue vpon what ground they lay that imputation And when the Pretended Reformers obiect that in our addressing our prayer to Saints and in honouring them as if they were present all ouer the earth we attribute to them a kind of Immensity or at least the knowledge of the secret of harts which appears reserued singly to God by so many testimonies of the Scripture in this obiection they doe not apprehend our doctrine right for in fine abstracting from the ground we may haue to attribute to the Saints some certain degree of knowledge of such occurrencies as passe amongst vs or euen of our secret thoughts it is euident that it is no eleuation of the creature transcending its condition to affirme that it hath some notion of things by the light which God infuseth by his communication The example of the Prophets attests this clearly God hauing vouchsafed to discouer to them future euents although they seeme to be reserued much more specially to the Omniscience of God But besides this neuer any Catholique conceiued that the Saints by themselues did discerne our wants nor euen the desires for which we addresse particular prayers The Church is content to teach concurrently with all Antiquity that such prayers are very beneficiall to those who practise them whether the Saints apprehend them by the ministery commerce of Angels which according to the profession of the Church know what passeth amongst vs as being appointed by God's order as ministring spirits to concurre in the worke of our Saluation or be it that God himself acquainteth them with our
celebrating the Memory and applying the Virtue of that Oblation Whereby the same Church professeth that all the merit of the Redemption of mankind is annexed to the Death of the son̄e of God certainly by all that hath bin already said it ought to haue bin vnderstood that when we say to God in the celebration of the divine Mysteries We offer you this holy host we doe not pretend by this oblation to make or present to God a new payement of the price of our Saluation but to employ towards him the merits of IESVS CHRIST there present and the infinite price he hath at once pay'd for our Redemption vpon the Crosse. The Professors of the Pretended-Reformed Religion doe not beleeue that they offend CHRIST IESVS in offring him to God as present by their Faith as in case they did beleeue he were truly and Really present what repugnance could they haue to offer him as being Effectually present So that to argue ingenuously the dispute in faire dealing ought to be reduced singly to his being Present This supposed all the false images and conceptions the Pretended-Reformers frame to themselues about the Sacrifice we offer ought to be effaced they should in iustice acknowledge fairely that the Catholiques pretend not to frame for themselues a new Propitiation to appease God againe as if he were not sufficiently reconciled by the Sacrifice of the Crosse or in order to make some new supplement to the price of our Saluation as if it were imperfect All these imaginations haue no admission into our Doctrine by reason that all this is intended by way of Intercession and Application in that manner I come from deliuering explaining After this cleer explication those great obiections drawn out of the Epistle to the Hebrews which our Aduersaries seeke to enforce so much against vs will appear weake vnreasonable that it is in vaine they strayne themselues to proue by the meaning of the Apostle that we nullify the Sacrifice of the Crosse but as the most certain proof that can be had that two Doctrines are not opposite to one an other is to discouer in the expounding them that no proposition of the one is Contradictory to the proposalls of the other I conceaue my self inuited in this occasion to expose in short the Doctrine of the Epistle to the Hebrews The Apostle designed in this Epistle the teaching vs that a sinner could not escape from death other wayes then by subrogating in his place one that should dy for him that while men did supply in their stead but the Bloodshed of Beasts their Sacrifices had no other operation but the making a publick profession that they had deserued to dy and that by reason the divine Iustice could not be satisfied with so disproportionate an exchange those Bloody Victimes were euery day offer'd and repeated which was a certain proofe of the insufficiency of that exchange and subrogation but that since CHRIST IESVS had bin pleased to dy for sinners God being fully satisfyed by the voluntary substitution of so worthy a person could no more require the price of our ransome from whence the Apostle concludes that we ought not only to cease from offring any other Victime after CHRIST IESVS but that CHRIST himself was to be offer'd vp to death but one single time Let the Reader then who is sollicitous of his Saluation and is a freind to truth recolect seriously what we haue deliuered of the manner wherein CHRIST IESVS offereth himself to God for vs in the Eucharist and I am confident he will not find in it any propositions contrary to those of the Apostle which I come from delivering or any that infirme his proofes so the most can be vrged against vs is his Silence But such as will consider the wise distributions God maketh of his secrets in the many and seuerall bookes of his Scripture would not surely restraine vs to receaue from the single Epistle to the Hebrews all our instruction concerning a matter which did not necessarily relate to the subiect of that Epistle since the Apostle intendeth in it to explaine the perfection of the Sacrifice of the Crosse and not the different meanes God hath giuen vs to apply it vnto our selues And to preuent all Equiuocall sense if we take the word offer as it is vnderstood in this Epistle in that sense which implyeth the Actual death of the Victime we confesse aloud that IESVS-CHRIST is no longer offer'd so neither in the Eucharist nor any where else But as this same word hath a larger signification in other places of Scripture where it is often said that one Offereth to God what one presenteth before him the Church which doth not frame her language her doctrine by the single Epistle to the Hebrews but by the whole body of the Scriptures doth not scruple to affirme that CHRIST JESVS offereth himself to God in all places where he appeareth for our sakes before him and consequently that he offereth himself vp in the Eucharist according to the expression of the holy Fathers of the Church Now to conceaue that this man̄er wherein CHRIST IESVS presenteth himself to God can at all detract from the Sacrifice of the Crosse is what can not possibly be inferr'd vnlesse one will ouerthrow the whole Scripture and especially that Epistle which they seeke so much to straine against vs. For by the same reason we ought to conclude that when CHRIST IESVS vowed himself to God entring into the world to substitute himself instead of those Victimes which were not pleasing to him that he iniured the action by which he deuow'd himself vpō the Crosse and so when he continueth to appeare for vs before God he detracteth from the Oblation in which he appeared once by the Immolation of himself and that not ceasing to intercede for vs he accuseth that Intercession of Insufficiency which he made at his Death with so many teares and so great cryes Would not all these inferences be ridiculous We must therefore vnderstand that CHRIST IESVS who did offer vp himself once to become the humble Victime of the Diuine iustice doth continue still offering himself for vs that the infinite perfection of the Sacrifice of the Crosse consisteth in this that whatsoeuer preceded it as well as what follows it are intirely relating vnto it that as what preceded was its Preparation so what doth follow is its Consummation and Application that true it is the payment of the price of our ransome is not reiterated by reason it was fully discharged the first time but what Applieth that Redemption is incessantly continued repeated and in fine we must know to distinguish those acts which are reiterated as being imperfect from such as are perpetuated as being perfect necessary We coniure the followers of the Pretended-Reformed Religion to make some little reflection vpon what I haue said concerning the Eucharist The doctrine of the Reall Presence hath bin
preuent all scandal They haue concluded by this regulation that both kindes were not essentiall to the Communion by the institution of CHRIST for otherwise they would haue bin bound absolutely to refuse the Sacrament to such as were not able to receaue it compleat and not to giue it them in a manner contrary to that CHRIST JESVS had commanded and in that case their disability would haue sufficiently excused them But our Aduersaries haue conceaued that such a rigour would be excessiue if they did not allow at least one of the Species to such as were not capable to receaue the other and since this condescendence hath no ground in the Scripture they must needs confesse with vs that the words whereby CHRIST IESVS hath proposed to vs the two Species are liable to some interpretation and that the right vnderstanding of them ought to be declared by the Authority of the Church But it might seeme that this Article of their Discipline which is of the Synode of Poytiers held 1560 had bin reformed by the Synode of Vertueil assembled in the year 1567 where it is said that the company is not of opinion the Bread should be giuen to those who would not receaue the Cupp These two Synodes neuerthelesse are not at all opposite to one another that of Vertueil speaketh of those who Will not receaue the Cupp and that of Poytiers of such as Can not take it And indeed notwithstanding the Synode of Vertueil that Article remaineth in their Discipline nay more hath bin approued by a Synode later then that of Vertueil namely by the Synode of Rochelle in 1571 where the Article was renewed and putt into that state which it now remaineth in But supposing the Synodes of the Pretended-Reformers had differr'd varied in their opinions that would serue only to manifest that the matter in question is not a point of Faith but of that kind which the Church may order dispose of according to their own principles There remaineth now nothing but to expose what the Catholiques hold touching the Word of God concerning the Authority of the Church CHRIST IESVS hauing lay'd the foundation of his Church vpon the Preaching of his Disciples the Vnwritten Word was the first guide rule of Christianity when the writings of the New Testament were adioyned to them the former Word did not for all that loose its Authority which causeth vs to accept with the same veneration all that was taught by the Apostles be it by writing or by word of mouth according to what S. Paul himself hath expresly inioyned And the certain proofe that a Doctrine comes from the Apostles is its being accepted and embraced by all Christian Churches whilst its beginning can not be pointed mark'd out We can not choose but receaue all that is establish'd in this manner with the submission due to the Diuine Authority and we are confident that such persons of the Pretended-Reformed Religion as are not very obstinate haue the same perswasion in the bottome of their harts it being impossible to beleeue that a Doctrine setled and receaued from the beginning of the Church can flow from any other spring then that of the Apostles Wherefore our Adversaries ought not to wonder that we being zealously carefull to inherit all that our Fathers haue left vs doe conserue the Deposite of Tradition as well as that of the Scriptures The Church being ordained by God to be the Depositary of the Scripture of Tradition we receaue from her hands the Canonicall Scriptures and we beleeue whateuer our Aduersaries say that it is principally the Church's Authority that determineth vs to reuerence as Diuine writt the song of Salomon which hath so few sensible markes of Propheticall inspiration and likewise the Epistle of S. Iames which Luther reiected and that of S. Iude which might be suspected by reason of some Apocriphall bookes cited in it in fine there can be no motiue but that Authority to perswade the receauing the whole body of the holy Scriptures which Christians accept as Diuine euen before the reading hath wrougt any feeling of the Spirit of God in those bookes Being then inseparably bound as we are to the Authority of the Church by meanes of the Scriptures which we receaue from her hand we are taught also by her Tradition and by the help of Tradition the true sense of the Scriptures So that the Church professeth to say nothing meerly of her self and likewise that she inventeth nothing new in her Doctrine that she doth but follow and declare the Diuine Reuelation by the interiour direction of the holy spirit which is giuen her for her Teacher That the holy Ghost expresseth himself by the Church the dispute raised about the Ceremonies of the Law euen in the time of the Apostles doth euidence and their Acts haue directed all succeeding ages by the manner that first contest was decided by what Authority all following differences are to be determined so that whensoeuer any dispute happens to deuide the faithfull the Church will interpose her Authority and the Pastours assembled will say after the Apostles It hath seemed good to the Holy Spirit and vs. And when the Church hath pronounced and determined her children will be taught not to examine a new the Articles resolued vpon but that they are bound to accept with all submission the Church's Decisions And in this methode we follow S. Paul and Silas who deliuered to the faithfull the first iudgment of the Apostles and were so farr from allowing a new discussion of what had bin decided as they trauell'd through the townes teaching to obserue the ordinances of the Apostles In this manner the children of God acquiesce in the iudgment of the Church beleeuing that by her mouth they hear the Oracle of the Holy Ghost and it is vpon the ground of this perswasion that after hauing profess'd in the Creed I beleeue in the Holy Ghost we ioine next to it The Holy Catholique Church by which protestation we oblige our selues to acknowledge an Infallible and Perpetuall Verity in the Catholique Church since the same Church which we beleeue perseuering throughout all ages would cease to be a Church if it left to teach the Truth reuealed by God so that such as apprehend least she should abuse her power by introducing Falsities haue little Faith in him by whose hand she is held and conducted And if our Aduersaries would consider discusse these matters in a fairer and more humane manner they would be forced to auowe that the Catholique Church is so farre from affecting to render herself Mistresse of her Faith as her Aduersaries charge her that quite contrary she hath laboured with all her power to binde her self and to exclude all means of In̄ouation since she doth not only submitt to the holy Scriptures but to banish for euer all Arbitrary interpretatiōs which would make the conceipts of men passe for Scripture declareth herself obliged