word doth not allow vs any doubt of it Our Aduersaries did well discerne that simple figures and bare signes of the Body and Blood would not satisfy Christians vsed accustomed to the Grace and Goodnesse of a God who giues himself so Really to vs. So that vpon this ground they seeke to decline the being taxed with their denying a Substantiall and Reall participation of IESVS-CHRIST in the Communion They affirme with vs that he makes vs partakers of his proper Substance They say that he feedeth vs with the Substance of his Body and his Blood and conceauing that his shewing vs by some signe that we did partake of his Sacrifice would not be sufficient they declare expressely that the Body of our Sauiour which is giuen vs in the Communion doth ascertaine vs of it These words are so important as we will presently examine them Now then we see the Body and Blood of CHRIST present in our Mysteries by the grant of the Caluinists for what is communicated according to the proper Substance of it must needs be Really present True it is that they explaine this Communication saying it is effected by the Spirit and by Faith but it is also certain that they will haue it to be Reall and because it is not possible to render this intelligible that a Body communicated to vs only in Spirit by Faith should be imparted to vs Really and in its proper Substance they haue not bin able to remain fix'd in both parts of a Doctrine of such a Contradiction and so they haue bin forced to grant two things which the Catholique Church teacheth The first is that CHRIST IESVS is giuen vs in the Eucharist in such a manner as doth not sute either with Baptisme or Preaching the Gospel but is peculiarly proper to this Mysterie We shall discerne presently the consequence of this principle but lett vs first consider how it is allowed granted by the Pretended-Reformers And in this point I will not alledge the testimony of any particular Authour but the very words of the Catechisme in that place where it explicateh what relateth to the Lord's-Supper It pronounceth in expresse termes not only that CHRIST IESVS is giuen vs Really and truly in the Sacrament and in his own Substance but being asked the question what aduantage we haue by the communication in the Supper aboue that in Baptisme or Preaching they answer although he be truly communicated to vs by Baptisme and by the Gospel yet in them it is but Partly and not Entirely From whence it followes that in the Lord's-Supper they teach he is not giuen vs Partly but Compleatly There is an extreame difference between receauing in Part and receauing Plenarily So that if we partake of JESVS-CHRIST in all other com̄unications of him but in Part and that in the Lord's Supper singly we receaue him Entirely it followeth euen by the Confession of our Aduersaries that we must seeke in the Communion a participation special and peculiar to this mystery which can not appertaine to Baptisme or Preaching and at the same time it followes also that this partaking is not annexed vnto Faith since our Faith spreading extending it self through all the acts of Christianity doth exist and operate in the Preaching of the word and in Baptisme as well as the Lord's-Supper And indeed it is to be obserued that notwithstanding all the earnestnesse the Pretending-Reformers haue expressed to render Baptisme and Preaching equal to the Eucharist vpon this account that CHRIST JESVS is truly com̄unicated to vs by them they neuer durst venture to assert in their Catechismes that CHRIST was giuen vs in his proper Substance either in Baptisme or in Preaching of the Gospel as they haue affirm'd it of the Eucharist So that they haue bin conuinced they could not decline the ascribing to the Lord's Supper such a manner of possessing CHRIST as is peculiar to this Sacrament and that our Faith which is common to all the actions of a Christian could not be that distinct singular manner Now this singular manner of possessing CHRIST IESVS in the Eucharist must needs be Reall since it giueth to the beleeuer the very Substance of the Body and Blood of our Sauiour which is not done by Faith and this is what the Catholique Church holds teacheth The second point granted by the Pretending Reformers is drawn from the Article following immediately what I haue allready cited out of their Catechisme which is this that the Body of our Sauiour in regard it was once offer'd in Sacrifice to reconcile vs vnto God is now giuen vs to assure vs that we partake of that reconciliation If these words haue any meaning in them if they are not an empty sound only a meere vaine amusement they must needs suggest to our vnderstanding that CHRIST JESVS doth not giue vs a simple signe or symbole but his proper Body to assure vs that we partake of his Sacrifice and the Reconciliation of Mankind If then the receauing of the Body of our Sauiour assureth vs of our participation of the fruite of his Death it followes of necessity that this partaking of the fruite must be a distinct thing from the receauing of his Body because the one is the pledge and security for the other from which supposal aduancing further I say that if our Aduersaries are forced to distinguish in the Lord's-Supper the partaking of the Body of our Sauiour from the hauing part in the fruite and grace of his Sacrifice they ought likewise to distinguish the participation of that Diuine Body from all that participation thereof which is conferr'd Spiritually and by Faith for this last partaking namely by Faith will neuer afford them two distinct actions by one of which they receaue the Body of our Sauiour and by the other the fruite of his Sacrifice no body being able to conceaue what difference there is between partaking by Faith of the Body of our Sauiour partaking by Faith of the fruite of his Death They must therefore yeald that besides the Communion by which we partake Spiritually of the Body of our Sauiour and of his spirit coniointly in the receauing the fruite of his Death there is yet an other Reall Comunion of the Body of the same Sauiour which is a secure pledge to vs that the other namely the benefit of his death is assured to vs if we doe not frustrate the effects of so great a grace by our own opposite dispositions This consequence is necessarily included in the principles to which they agree nor can they euer be able to explicate this verity in any solide way vnlesse they returne to the sense of the Catholique Church Who can choose but admire in this point the power of Truth All that is consequent to the principles granted by our Aduersaries is cleerly vnderstood in the sense of the Church euen the least instructed Catholiques easily conceaue that in the Eucharist there is a Com̄uniō
resembled to the two great pillars of brasse call'd Booz and Iachin supporting the gates of the Temple of Salomon wherefore these two points are sett at their full length solidly founded and fairely polished by a cleer smoothing and explication of the seeming hardenes of those proposalls which were taken as a hard saying coming euen out of CHRIST'S own mouth but if rightly vnderstood following this Author 's faire exposition they will be acknowleged as our Sauiour himself attested of them Verba quae ego locutus sum vobis Spiritus vita sunt The words that I haue spoke vnto you they are Spirit and they are life And can there be imagined a greater Blessing next to the Beatifical Vision then the Reall Participation of the Body and Blood of our Divine Sauiour IESVS-CHRIST Me thinks that which would haue bin the wish of all zealous Christians if it had not bin the free guift and gratification of God is this Reall Partaking euen in this life of this blessed cōmunication by which we may glory with S. Peter that by this precious promise we are made partakers of the Diuine Nature And surely I haue not seen any worke vpon this designe wherein these two corner-stones of the Catholique Church haue a more solid foundation or that affords a more easy comprehension of these two sublime mysteries By this motiue I haue bin perswaded to passe into my Country this forrein commodity which like a delicate wine of the same place may loose somewhat of the natural Spirit quicknes by the transport yet I may presume that it retaineth all these healthfull and cordiall qualities it had in the natiue production And hauing heretofore presented my Country in their seuerall seasons Spring-Flowers and other Summer-Fruits as the Parfumes of Poesy and the Reflection of Morality now in this winter of my age I transport to my nation this Riper and more wholesome fruit the feeding whereon contrary to the effect denounced against the forbidden fruite may produce life euerlasting Vpon which hope I may summon my Country in that call of our Lord IESVS commanded to be written by S. Iohn He that hath eares to heare let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches for that with greife I say it the reproach of the Prophet Esay may be so truly applied to our Nation Behold you kindle a fire and compasse your selues about with sparkes and walke in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that you haue kindled The strange diuersity of Sects and Severall professions of Religion doth too euidently appropriate this reproach of the Prophet wherefor the rest of my life shall be assigned to sollicite God for the blessing of the Primitiue Christians vpon our so deuided Country to be Cor Vnum and Via Vna One Hart One Way This Vnity was the most feruent prayer we find that our Sauiour euer made to his Father for his Church left vpon earth that they may be One as we are One. In order to some contribution to this Blessed Vnion I haue made this present to my Country and with great sense of Hart for whose Good Happinesse the Syncerity of my zeale is such that I perswade my self I may expresse it in S. Paul's offer for his Conuerts Ego autem libentissimè impendam Superimpendar ipse pro animabus vestris I most gladly will bestow and will my selfe moreouer be bestow'd for your soules And now giue me leaue to closevp this address to my Country in the words of our Lord IESVS which S. Iohn hear'd directed to the Bishop of Ephesus Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and doe thy first workes For which blessed resipiscence shall be zealously offer'd all the days of my life the best of all the Religious offices and priuate deuotions of DEARE COVNTREYMEN Your most humbly deuoted seruant W A. MONTAGV Permis d' imprimer fait ce 12. Auril 1672. DE LA REYNIE AN EXPOSITION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE CATHOLIQVE CHVRCH VPON THE POINTS OF Controversie AFTER more then a whole Age's contestation with those of the Pretended-Reformed Religion the matters vpon which they have grounded their breach may be conceiued sufficiently explayned and their minds disposed to a right vnderstanding of the Catholique Churche's Perswasions so that it seemes we can doe nothing better then propose them sincerely and distinguish them from those which have bin wrongfully imputed for in effect I haue observed in diuers occurrencyes that the auersion those persons expresse for the most part of our Doctrines is deriued from the false ideas that they haue figured of our tenents and most commonly drawn from certain expressions which offend them so much as resting at first sight vpon them they neuer passe forward to the enquiry of the grounds of the matter Whereupon I haue conceiued nothing could be more vsefull then to explaine to them what the Church hath defined in the Councel of Trent touching those points which remoue them the most from our Communion I will not therefore stay vpon what they commonly obiect to our priuate Doctors or vpon those matters which are neither inioyned nor vniuersally accepted since all parties agree and Mr Daille him'self that it is vnreasonable to impute the perswasions of particular persons vnto a whole body and he goes further confessing that one ought not to make a separation but vpon Articles Authentically established and whereof all sorts of persons are obliged vnto the Beleefe obseruation I will not therefore fix vpon any but the decrees of the Councel of Trent since it is there the Church speakes Decisiuely of the matters in question and what I shall offer to facilitate the right vnderstanding of those Decisions is approued by the same Church and shall appear manifestly conformable to the Doctrine of that holy Councel This explication of Doctrine will produce two good effects the first that diuers disputes will entierly vanish by reason they will be discerned as grounded meerly vpō wrong explications of our Beleefe the second the disputes remaining will not appear euen according to the principles of the Pretended-Reformers so capitall as they at first sight haue sought to qualify them and that euen by their owne principles they contein nothing that offendeth the grounds of Faith And to begin with these Fundamētall articles of Christian Faith the Pretended-Reformes must needs confess that they are beleeued and professed in the Catholique Church If they state them in the beleefe of adoring one single God Father Sonne and Holy Ghost and the confiding in God only by his sonne incarnate crucified and raysed from the dead for us they are conuinced by their own conscience that we protest the same Doctrine and if they will add the other Articles contayned in the Apostles Creed they doubt as little of our professing them intierly without exception and doe not question our hauing a pure and right vnderstanding of them Mons
desires by a speciall reuelation or be it that God reueileth to them that secret in his diuine essence wherein all truths are comprehended so that the Church vpon these different manners hath not determined by which of them God is pleased to make this communication to his Saints But by what means soeuer this knowledge is imparted it is very certain that it is farr from ascribing to the creature any of the diuine perfections as the Idolaters did since it doth not permit our attributing euen to the greatest Saints any degree of excellence which is not deriued from God nor acceptablenesse in his eyes but as deriued from their virtues nor any virtue but what is the free guift of Grace nor any information of humane passages but such as God is pleased to communicate nor any capacity to assist vs but only by their prayers nor in fine any felicity but by a perfect submission and conformity to the diuine pleasure It is therefore most certain that vpon penetration into our interior sentiments directed to the Saints it will be euident that we doe not raise them aboue the condition of Creatures and from this ground one ought to be possess'd of the true nature of that honour and reuerence which is intended by our exterior demonstrations the apparent religious offices being appointed to testify the interior sentiments of our minds But by reason that the honour which the Church offers to Saints appeareth most notoriously before their Images and their holy Reliques it is requisite to explaine the Churches syncere doctrine in this Religious Act. In point of Images the Councel of Trent forbids expressely to beleeue any Diuinity or power in them for which we ought to reuerence them or to sue for any fauor or to place any confidence in them and ordains that all the honour should relate to the Originalls they represent All these words of the Councel are so many characters which serue to distinguish vs from Idolaters since we are so farr from beleeuing with them any Diuinity residing in the Images as we attribute no virtue to them but this of exciting in vs the remembrance of their originalls Vpon this it is that the honour we render to Images is grounded for example can one deny that the figure of IESVS-CHRIST crucified when we behold it doth not excite a more liuely remembrance of him who loued vs so as to deliuer himself vp to death for vs As long as the present Image possessing our eyes entertains so pretious a notion in our minds we are moued to expresse by some exterior markes the feruor and extent of our gratitude and we declare by our humiliation before the Image how profound our submission is respectiue to the Original Wherefore speaking strictly according to the style of the Church when we render any honour to the Image of an Apostle or Martyr our ayme is not so much to honour the Image as the Apostle or Martyr in presence of the Image To this purpose the Roman Pontificall declareth and the Councell of Trent expresseth the same intent when it saith that the honour we render to Images is so referr'd to the Originalls that by the means of the Images we kisse and before which we kneele we adore CHRIST IESVS and honour those Saints which they represent to vs. In fine we cleerly discerne in what Spirit the Church honoureth Images by the honour it renders the holy Crosse or the booke of the Gospel All the world sees cleerly that before the Crosse the Church adoreth him who did beare our sinn's vpon that wood and that when her children bow their heads before the bookes of the Gospel when they stand vp in respect at theyr passing by them and kisse them reuerently all this honour terminateth in the Eternall Verity which is exposed to vs by that Instrument There must then be very little equity in calling Idolatry that Religious sentiment which moueth vs to vncouer and bow our heads before the Images of the Crosse in reflection vpon him who was crucyfi'd for our sakes and one must be starke blinde not to discerne the extreame difference between those who confided in Idols vpon this opinion that some Diuinity or some virtue was at is were fastned vnto them and them who professe as we doe that they intend not to make any vse of Images but simply to raise their spirit vp to heaven with the intent of honouring CHRIST IESVS or his Saints and in them God himself who is the author of all grace and Sanctification Vnder the same notion the honour we pay to Reliques is to be apprehended following the stepps of the primitiue Ages and if our Aduersaries did reflect that we consider the bodies of Saints as hauing bin victimes to God either by Martyrdome or Pennance they would not conceiue that the honour we render them vpon this motiue can depart or remoue vs from that we owe to God himself And we may say in generall that if they would comprehend in what manner the affection we beare to some one body extendeth without deuiding it self to his children to his freinds and successiuely by degrees to all that represents that person to all that remains of him or any thing that receiueth the memory of him if they did comprehend that our honouring makes such a progress since in effect our honouring is nothing else but loue mixt with feare and respect in fine if they did comprehend that all the exterior worship of the Catholique Church riseth and springeth in God himself and that it reuerts thither they would neuer suspect that those Religious acts which God alone doth animate could provoke his iealousy They would perceiue the quite contrary and find that if God as iealous as he is of the loue of men doth not account that we deuide between him and the Creature when we loue our Neighbour for his sake the same God as iealous as he is of the duties of his seruants doth not conceiue them to share or part the worship which they owe to him alone when from the motiue of the dutys they owe him they honour those who haue bin honoured by himself Yet true it is that as the sensible markes of reuerence are not all of absolute necessity the Church without any alteration in the Doctrine may haue extended more or lesse those exterior practises suting to the diuersity of times places and other occurrencies not intending that her children should be seruilly subiected to visible matters but only that they might be excited and as it were aduertised by their means to apply themselfs to God to offer him in spirit and truth that reasonable and due seruice he expecteth from his creatures It may easily be discerned by this Doctrine with how much truth I have asserted that a great part of our Controversies would vanish by an only right vnderstanding of termes if these were discussed with Charity and if our Aduersaries did consider calmely the precedent explications
which comprehend the expresse Doctrine of the Councel of Trent they would forbeare to obiect to vs that we injure the Mediation of CHRIST IESVS and that we inuoke Saints adore Images in a manner peculiar to God himself It is granted by reason that in some sense Inuocation Adoration and the name of Mediator are competent only to God and CHRIST JESVS that it is easy by a perverse vse of those termes to traduce our Doctrine and render it odious but if they are ingenuously receiued in that sense we haue exhibited these obiections loose all their force and if there remayne in the minds of the Pretended Reformers any lesse important difficultyes naturall equity and syncerity will oblige them to auowe themselues satisfy'd in the principall exceptions Besides this there is nothing more vniust then to charge the Church with the stating of all piety in this devotion to Saints since as we haue already euinced the Councel of Trent iudgeth it sufficient to informe and teach Catholiques that this practise is Good Vsefull without advancing it further so that the Churches intent is to condemn such as reiect this practise either by Contempt or Misconstruction and the Church is obliged to condemn them by reason that she ought not to indure the condemning of salutary and usefull practises nor that a Doctrine which all Antiquity hath authorised should be reiected by the Nouellists Doctors The matter of iustification will manifest yet a greater light how many difficulties may be avoyded by a syncere exposition of our opinions Those who are never so little acquainted with the history of the Pretended Reformation can not be ignorant that those who were the first Authors of it did propose this Article to all the world as the principall and as it were the most essentiall ground of their separation so that this seemes the most necessary point to be rightly understood First we beleeve that our sinns are forgiuen freely by the divine mercy for JESVS-CHRIST'S sake these are the expresse termes of the Councel of Trent which addeth further that we are said to be iustified freely because none of those things which precede our iustification either our faith or our works can merit this grace And by reason the holy scripture explains to us the remission of our sinns expressing it some times by saying that God couers them and others that he takes them quite away and effaceth them by the grace of the holy Ghost which renders vs new creatures we conceiue that we are to combine all these expressions to forme a compleate Idea or notion of the iustification of a sinner we doe therefore beleeue that our sinns are not only couered but intirely effaced by the blood of CHRIST IESVS and by the grace by which we are regenerated and this perswasion is so farr from detracting from that image we ought to frame of the merit of that blood as quite contrary it indeareth and eleuateth the value of it for by this meanes the righteousnes of Christ is not simply imputed but actually imparted to the faithfull by the operation of the holy Ghost in so much as they are not only imputed but euen rendered righteous by the grace of Christ. If our righteousnes were only in the sight of man it would not be the operation of the holy Ghost it must then be iustice euen before God since it is God himself who produceth it in vs by an effusion of his charity vpon our harts It is notwithstanding but too true that the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and we all offend in many things Wherefore albeit our righteousnes be a true one by the infusion of Charity yet is it no perfect one by reason of the combat between it our concupiscence so that the sighing and sorrowing of a soule repenting her sinns performes the most necessary duty of Christian righteousnes which obligeth vs to confesse with S. Augustin that our righteousnes in this life consists rather in the remission of our sinns then in the perfection of our virtues Wherefore as to the point of Merit imputed to our workes the Catholique Church teacheth that Eternall life ought to be proposed to the children of God both as a Grace mercifully promised by the meanes of our Sauior IESVS CHRIST and as a Reward which is faithfully rendred to their good workes and to their deserts in virtue of that promise these are the expresse termes of the Councel of Trent but least the pride of humane nature should be flattered by the opinion of a persuming Merit the same Councel determineth that all the worth and value of Christian good workes is deriued from that sanctifying grace which is freely conferr'd vpon vs in the name of CHRIST JESVS and that is an effect of the continuall influence of that diuine head vpon his depending members True it is indeed that the exhortations the promises the menaces and reproaches of the Gospel doe declare sufficiently that we are to worke our saluation by the motion actings of our own wills concurring with the Grace of God which assists vs but it is a fixt principle that free will can performe nothing in order to Eternall beatitude but by the same degrees it is moued and eleuated by the holy Ghost Whereupon the Church knowing that it is the holy spirit which worketh in vs by his Grace all the good we doe she ought to rest perswaded that the good workes of the faithfull are very acceptable to God of great estimation in his sight and she doth rightfully vse the terme of Merit concurrently with all Christian Antiquity cheefly to signify the value dignity of our workes which we performe by the motion of his Grace But by reason all their sanctity is deriued from God who workes them in vs the same Church hath receiued from the Councel of Trent as the Doctrine of the Catholique Faith this saying of S. August that God crowns his own Gifts when he crowns the Merits of his seruants We intreate all such as loue truth peace to be pleased to read the whole context of the Councel of Trent's words that they once be disabused and deliuered from those wrong impressions which are suggested to them of our Docctrine Notwithstanding we discerne cleerly say the fathers of that Councel that the holy scriptures esteeme so much Good woorks that IESVS-CHRIST himself promiseth that a cupp of cold water giuen a poor body shall not want its reward and that the Apostle declareth that a moment of light payne suffered in this world shall produce an Eternall weight of glory yet God forbid that a Christian should trust glory in himself and not in our Lord whose goodness towards Man is so aboundant that he allowes his own Guifts to them to be accounted their Merits This Doctrine is spread through the whole Councel which teacheth in an other session that we who are not sufficient to doe
whereby he is pleased to carry on our deliuerance in that order his wisedome hath designed for our happinesse and for a more euident manifestation of his own Iustice and Mercy And for the like reason we ought not to maruaile if he who hath giuen vs so easy a deliuery by Baptisme becomes more seuere to vs after we haue violated our holy promises made vpon that remission and it is not only iust but euen beneficial to vs that God forgiving vs the sin and remitting the Eternal punishment we haue incurr'd should impose some temporal penalty to reteyn vs within our dutyes least we being deliuered too soone from the bonds of his iustice we should abandon our selues vnto a temerarious confidence abusing the facility of his Indulgence It is therefore in order to our discharging that obligation that we are subiected to some workes of Pennance which we are bound to perfome in the spirit of humility repentance and the necessity of these satisfactory workes was the motiue that induced the primitiue Church to impose vpon Penitents those pennances called Canonical So that when the Church inflicteth vpon sinners paynfull laborious iniunctions and they vndergoe them with humility that act we call Satisfaction and when either in regard of the zeale and feruor of the Penitent or other good workes performed which the Church hath prescribed she releaseth some part of the Pennance which was owing this remission is call'd Indulgence The Councel of Trent proposeth no more to our Faith then this in point of Indulgences that the power of granting them hath bin giuen the Church by CHRIST IESVS and that the vse of them is very beneficial whereunto the Councel addeth that the grant of them ought to be dispensed with caution least the Ecclesiasticall discipline should be weakned and eneruated by an excessiue facility which aduice declareth that the manner of disposing of Indulgences appertaineth to Church-discipline Such as depart out of this world in Grace Charity but yet owing those sufferances which the Diuine Justice hath reserued discharge them in the next life and this perswasion hath obliged all the Christian Antiquity to offer prayers almes and sacrifices for the faithfull departed in the peace and communion of the Church with an assured faith that such sufferers may be eased by these applications this is what the Councel of Trent proposeth to be beleeued concerning the soules deteyned in Purgatory without determining the special manner of their paines or declaring any thing vpon many the like debates vpon which the holy Councel aduiseth a great referuednes blaming such as expose what is not only vncertain but may be vnfound This is the holy and the harmelesse Doctrine of the Catholique Church in point of Satisfactions from the mis-construction whereof so many wrongfull imputations have bin cast vpon her and if after this explanation the Pretended-Reformers doe obiect to vs the detracting from the satisfaction made by IESVS-CHRIST they must needs haue forgot what we haue professed to them that our Saviour hath pay'd the entire price of our Redemption and that there is nothing wanting in the value since it is in it self infinite and that the reservation of those payns we have asserted proceeds not from any disproportion in this payment but from a certain order Christ hath designed to restraine vs by iust apprehensiōs and healthfull discipline And in cafe they should yet obiect to vs the beleefe that we are sufficient of our selues to satisfy for some part of the paine due to our sinns we may reply with great assurance that the contrary is manifested by those maximes we haue established since they proclaime cleerly that our whole Saluation is but a worke of Grace Mercy that what we act by the Grace of God is no lesse to be ascribed to him then what he effecteth singly by his absolute pleasure and in fine whatsoeuer we present him belongs no lesse to him then what he freely bestows vpon vs to which we must adioyne in conformity to the whole ancient Church this profession that what we terme Satisfaction is but in effect an application of the infinite Satisfaction pay'd by CHRIST IESVS This same consideration ought to appease those who seeme offended when we affirme that fraternal charity and the Communion of Saints is so acceptable to God that he doth often receaue euen the Satisfactions we offer one for another It seemes these Pretending Reformers doe not conceaue how intirely whatsoeuer we are belongs to God nor how much all those regards which his goodnes produceth in fauour of the faithful who are members of CHRIST IESVS are necessarily relating to that Divine head But surely such as haue read and considered that God himself inspired into his servants the zeale of afflicting themselues by fastings and other mortifications not only for their own sinns but for those also of the whole land where they liued wil not wonder if we affirme that God being moved by the pleasure he takes to gratify those he vouchsafeth to call his friends doth mercifully accept the humble Sacrifice of their voluntary mortifications for an abatement of those punishments he had designed for his criminal poeple which declareth that being satisfyed by one part he will be softned sweetned to the other honouring by this means his sonne CHRIST IESVS in the communion of his members and in the holy society of his mystical body The order of our Doctrine requireth that we expose in the next place that of the Sacraments by which the merits of our Sauiour CHRIST are apply'd vnto vs. And since the disputes we haue in relation to them excepting that of the Eucharist or Communion are not persued with much heate we will in the first place cleare in few words the principal difficulties which are obiected concerning the other Sacraments reserving that of the Blessed Sacrament for the last as the most important The Sacraments of the new Alliance are not simply holy signes which doe but signify the Grace of CHRIST nor only seales which confirme it but also instuments of the holy spirit which serve to apply it vnto vs and which confer Grace by the virtue of the words pronounced and the exteriour action apply'd vnto vs in case we interpose no impediment by our own indisposition When God annexeth so great a Grace vnto exteriour signes which in their own nature hold no proportion with so admirable effects he signifieth to vs cleerly that besides what we can confer to it by our interiour contribution there is required a special intervention of the holy spirit to effect our sanctification and a singular application of our Sauiour's merits which are imparted to vs by the Sacraments So that this Doctrine can not be reiected without iniuring the Merits of CHRIST JESVS and detracting from the efficacy of the diuine power in our Regeneration We acknowledg seauen signes or sacred ceremonies established by CHRIST JESVS as the ordinary meanes instruments of sanctification and