touched the Altar of Jupiter with unclean that is unwashed hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illotis manibus libans Jovis attigit aram Quo pater hune ussit flagrantis fluminis igne Apud Natal Comit. Mythol lib. 1. cap. 14. Justin Martyr speaking of the Gentiles saith They sprinkle themselves with water when they go into their Temples and then offer sacrifices unto their gods Apol. 2. And Belethus tells us That they built their Temples near unto Fountains that they might always have water in readiness by which they fancied themselves purified and therefore they called those Fountains Delubra a diluendo Explicat Divin Offic. cap. 110 And that they had certain men standing at the doors of their Temples whose Office it was to sprinkle persons as they entred in is clear from this Story of Valentinian When the Tyrant Julian went into the Temple of Fortune the Priests stood at the door that they might sprinkle with water those that entred in by which according to their opinion they were expiated Valentinian going before the Emperor when he saw the water upon his Cloak smote the person that sprinkled it and said That he was not purged but polluted by it Theodoret. Histor Eccles lib. 3. cap. 15. Sozomen relates the same story and adds That 't was a custom among the Heathen to besprinkle persons with Lustral water when they entred into their Temples Histor Eccles lib. 6. cap. 6. Thus do our Romanists sprinkle themselves with Holy-water when they go into their Churches to hear Mass Hence 't is that as the Heathen had a Vessel wide at the top and narrow at the bottom so their Writers describe it placed at the doors of their Temples and fill'd with lustral or purgative Water so have our Romanists the like which Vessel saith Durantus must be made of Marble or solid Stone at their Church-doors which is filled every Lords Day with Holy-Water that the people may sprinkle themselves therewith as they go into the Church 2. This lustral Water was mixed with Salt and consecrated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Puro verò purgate domum sulphure Primùm postea verò sale mixtam uti lex est Florido ramo aspergere decet aquam Theocritus in parvo Hercule 'T was the custom to cast Salt into the Water and a Branch of Laurel or Olive saith Natalis Comes Mythol lib. 1. cap. 14. The Heathen as Athenaeus informs us had a peculiar form in making this lustral Water They dipped therein a Fire-brand taken from the Altar on which they offered their Sacrifices lib. 9. Thus Holy Water is mixed with Salt and consecrated with certain Prayers and Ceremonies of which I will give the Reader a brief acount out of their Ritual The Priest being apparell'd according to his degree First exorciseth the Salt with these words I exorcise thee O Creature of Salt by the living †God by the true †God by the holy †God by God who commanded thee to be cast into the Water by the Prophet Eliseus to heal the barrenness of it that thou become exorcised Salt for the salvation of Believers and be thou health both of soul and body to all that receive thee and let all phantasie and wickedness or diabolical craftiness depart and fly away from the place where thou art sprinkled and let every unclean spirit be adjur'd by him who shall come to judg both the quick and the dead and the world by Fire Amen And then follows this Prayer Almighty Everlasting God we humbly implore thine immense Clemency that thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless †and sancti †fy with thy piety this Creature of Salt which thou hast given for the use of Mankind that it may be health both of mind and body to all that receive it and that every thing toucbed or sprinkled with it may be delivered from all uncleanness and suggestions of spiritual wickedness Through our Lord c. Then he proceeds to exorcize the Water with these words I exorcize thee O Creature of Water in the Name of God †the Father Almighty and in the Name of Jesu †Christ his Son our Lord and in the power of the Holy †Ghost that thou become exorcized Water to drive away all power of the Enemy And then he saith this Prayer O God who for the salvation of Mankind hast made the greatest Sacraments in the substance of water Be thou propitiously present to our prayers and pour upon this Element prepared with many purifications the virtue of thy Benedic †tion that this Creature serving thy Mysteries may through thy grace be effectual to drive away the Devil and all diseases that all things in the houses or places of the faithful which shall be sprinkled therewith they may be freed from all uncleanness and whatever is hurtful let no evil spirit lodg there no pestilential breath let all the wiles of the secret Enemy depart and if there be any thing hurtful to the quiet and safety of the Inhabitants let it depart upon the sprinkling of this water c. After this he puts Salt into the water in the form of a Cross saying Let this commixtion of salt and water be as aforesaid In the Name of the Fa †ther and of the Son ✚ and of the Holy †Ghost Amen And then follows another Prayer not much unlike the former Ritual Roman de Exorcismo Aquae Benedictae p. 209. I cannot here pass over the Mysteries which their great Mythologist hath observed in this Consecration By Water we are to understand the people and confession and by Salt the word of God and contrition The mixture of Salt and Water denotes the separation of sin and the beginning of vertue and good works But why is the Salt blessed before the Water He answers By Salt is understood the bitterness of Repentance and by Water Baptism therefore because Contrition of heart ought to precede Absolution and Repentance Baptism therefore Salt is blessed before Water Ration Divin Officior lib. 4. c. 4. num 8 9. Garantus Thesaur Sacror Rituum Pars 4. Tit. 19. 3. The Heathen attributed extraordinary Virtues to their Lustral water especially a power to purge away sin as Incest Theft Murther c. to cure diseases preserve chastity c. For the first see Virgil Aeneid lib. 2. Tu genitor cape sacra manu patriosque penates Me bello e tanto digressum caede recenti Attractare nefas donec me flumine vivo Abluero And Ovid speaks to the same purpose but more fully Fast. lib. 2. Omne nefas omnemque mali purgamina causam Credebant nostri tollere posse senes Graecia principium moris dedit illa nocentes Impia lustratos ponere facta putat And a little after deriding this ridiculous though generally received Opinion he saith Ah nimium faciles qui tristia crimina caedis Flumineâ tolli posse putatis aquâ And for the other Virtues
cap. 7. Date vulnera lymphis Abluam Virgil Aeneid lib. 4. Per calidos latices ahena undantia flammis Expediunt corpusque lavant frigentis ungunt Aeneid lib. 6. And Homer speaking of the dead Body of Achilles saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deposuimus in lectis purgantes corpus pulchrum Aquaque calida unguento Odyss 24. And their Writers tell us that they had certain persons whose Office 't was to anoint the dead these they called Pollinctores quasi pollutorum unctores Thus do Papists besprinkle the dead with Holy-water Let a little Cross be set upon the breast of the dead person or if that be wanting let his hands be laid after the manner of a Cross and let the body be sometimes sprinkled with holy-water Ritu Rom. p. 171. And immediately before the Corps is carried forth to be buried the Priest sprinkles it with holy-water Idem p. 177. And the like is done after 't is brought into the Church Idem p. 182. The bodies of the dead saith Durand are perfum'd and sprinkled with holy-water to drive away unclean Spirits And a little after he tells us That the body ought to be washed except 't was lately anointed to signifie that if the Soul be cleansed from guilt by confession and contrition both viz. Soul and Body may obtain eternal glory at the day of Judgment and that they truly dye in the Lord and are blessed who carry no spot hence but are thorowly purged by penance in this life Ration Divin Offic. lib. 7. cap. 35. num 29 36. And Polydor Virgil informs us That sometimes the dead bodies especially of Noble-men are anointed which Ceremony saith he with the other of washing is derived from the old Pagans De Invent. Rer. lib. 6. cap. 9. Durantus de Ritib Eccles lib. 1. cap. 23. n. 13. 2. The Heathen buried their dead in such Gowns and Garments as were proper to their Places and Offices The Grecians had their Mantle call'd Pallium and the Romans their Gown call'd Toga and by these different Garments the one was so certainly distinguished from the other that this word Togatus was often used to signifie a Roman and Palliatus a Grecian Now these Roman Gowns were of several kinds there was Toga pura candida praetexta paludamentum picta trabea The Toga pura was worn by young men about the sixteenth year of their age The Toga candida was worn by those who sued for a place of Office and hence they were called Candidati The Toga praetexta was worn by the chief Magistrates The Paludamentum was proper to the Lord General or the chief Captains The Toga picta was worn by Emperors in their Triumphs And the Trabea was worn by the Augures And that the Romans were burnt or buried in these Gowns proper to their Degrees and Offices is most clear from all their Writers We have several testimonies collected by Kirchman De Funerib Roman lib. 1. cap. 10. And the like is done by our Romanists A Priest or Clergy-man of any Order ought to be cloathed with his common and ordinary Vestments even to his long Garment or Gown inclusively and above that with a Sacred Vestment Sacerdotal or Clerical as his Order doth require A Priest is to have above his Gown an Albe Girdle Stole c. Ritual Roman p. 173. Durand Rational lib. 7. cap. 35. n. 41. 3. When the Heathen carried their dead to be buried they had their certain stations or pauses in the way Rosin Antiq. Roman lib. 5. p. 624. And this Ceremony is observed by our Romanists 'T is the custom saith Durand in some places to make a three-fold pause in the way 1. To signifie that while he liv'd he exercised himself especially in three things viz. in the love of God charity to his neighbours and custody of himself that he might be worthily presented to the Lord and with other Saints enjoy a perpetual Rest or that he liv'd and dy'd in the faith of the holy Trinity 2. To denote that our Lord Jesus Christ continued three days in the bowels of the earth 3. Three pauses are made in the way that by three courses of singing there may be a threefold Absolution from sins committed three ways viz. in thought word and work Ration lib. 7. cap. 35. num 37. 4. The Heathen sung their dead to their graves or places of burial Alex. ab Alex. Genial Dier lib. 3. cap. 7. And Macrobius affirms That this custom was according to the Institutions of several Nations and grounded upon this reason Because they believ'd that Souls after death return'd to the original of Musical sweetness that is Heaven and therefore in this life every Soul is taken with Musical sounds c. In Somn. Scipion. lib. 2. cap. 3. Other reasons are assign'd by Kirchman and several Authorities urged for this custom De Funreib Roman lib. 2. cap. 4. And thus do Papists Certain Hymns are appointed to be sung by course or turns from the House to the Church Rituale Roman p. 177. Belethus Explicat divin Officior cap. 161. And when they are come into the Church the Quire begins Help O ye Saints of God and come O ye Angels and receive his Soul and present it before the most high c. Rituale p. 178. 5. The Heathen carried burning Candles and Torches before their dead Alexander ab Alex. in Genial dier lib. 3. cap. 7. Et de more vetusto Funereas rapuere faces lucet via longo Ordine flammarum latè discriminat agros Virgil Aeneid lib. 11. And Martial speaks to the same purpose Lib. 8. Epigr. 43. Effert uxores Fabius Christilla maritos Funereamque toris quassatque uterque facem The Testimonies of Servius Persius Tacitus Plutarch Ovid Isidorus Do fully confirm this Custom which are amassed togegether by the learned Kirchman De Funerib Roman lib. 2. cap. 3. Thus our Romanists carry Candles and Torches before their dead Rituale Roman p. 172. And if the person be poor the Priests are enjoin'd to provide Candles at their own charge p. 173. This Ceremony is deriv'd by Polydor Virgil from the Heathen Vnde haud dubie ortum est ut apud nos illud idem in cujusvis funere servetur Hence 't is that we observe the same Custom in every Funeral De Inventor Rerum lib. 6. cap. 10. 6. The Heathen sprinkled their Sepulchers with lustral Water perfum'd them with Incense and cast Flowers into them The first is clear from the Confession of Baronius Annal. in ann 44. p. 382. The second is confirm'd by the Testimony of Lucan who discoursing of the Funeral of Pompeius saith Non pretiosa petit cumulato thure sepulchra Pompeius Fortuna tuus non pignus ad astra Vt ferat è membris Eoos fumus odores Apud Kirchman de Funerib Roman lib. 3. cap. 5. And for the last this learned Author hath collected many Testimonies out of their own Writers lib. 4. cap. 3. And thus do
after every Canticle to denote that our joy was turned into sorrow because the true Sun was set Others put them out at three times in remembrance of Christs three days burial In some Churches the Candles are put out with a Wax hand * O the wit of man which signifies the hand of Judas which was as it were of Wax that is flexible to evil by which Christ our King and true Light was betrayed and as much as in him lay extinguished The Candle in the midst is not put out but kept burning in a Chest or Corner that afterwards it may be brought forth and enlighten the Church And this Candle signifies 1. The Faith which remained only in the Virgin Mary by whom all the Elect are taught and illuminated 2. It signifies Christ who though he seemed according to his flesh extinguished yet according to his Divinity which was hid from them he lived and afterwards rising with most glorious light manifested himself to his Disciples 3. The bringing forth of the Candle which seemed to be put out notes the illumination of Faith in the Apostles and others in whom it was then almost extinct 4. It denoteth Faith after Infidelity 5. It signifies that the fire of the holy Spirit which seems extinguished in Believers shines forth again in them 6. The renewing of the Light signifieth the renovation of the New Testament 7. The Lights are put out successively one after another and one is as it were put out because covered and afterwards brought forth to note That the perverse dressers of the Vineyard and wicked men have slain the Messengers of the Father viz. the Prophets and at last his Heir whose burial is signified by the covering of the Light and resurrection by the bringing of it forth And the Candle last put out according to some is greater than the rest and signifies Christ who was Lord of the Prophets and according to others where the Candle is equal with the rest it also signifieth Christ who was reputed one of the Prophets and the last extinguished because after him there was no Prophet And lastly The Candle it self is put out at the Evangelical Canticle because Christ was slain preaching the Gospel Ration Divin Officior lib. 6. cap. 72. Our Romanists have bestowed many glorious Titles upon several of their great Doctors as Angelical Seraphical Illuminate Irrefragable Profound Certainly this Doctor if the first Discoverer of these strange Mysteries hath deserved them all CHAP. XVIII Worshipping towards the East THE Heathen worshipped towards the East For this many Testimonies might be produced out of their own Writers Surgit aetherei spectans orientia Solis Lumina ritè cavis undam de flumine palmis Sustulit tales effundit ad aethera voces Virgil. Aeneid lib. 8. Illi ad surgentem conversi lumina Solem Dant fruges manibus salsas Idem lib. 12. And herein saith Servius they observed the ancient Custom which was to look towards the East when they prayed And Ovid speaks to the same purpose Fastor lib. 4. His Dea placanda est haec tu conversus adortus Dic quater It was the general practice as Alexander ab Alexandro testifieth to worship the gods towards the East In Genial Dierum lib. 4. cap. 17. Hence their Temples were built East and West as Vitruvius Plutarch and others have affirmed Nay they thought no lustration was lawful except that which was done by those that turned to the East saith Cratinus in Chirone apud Natal Comit. Mythol lib. 1. cap. 14. Thus do our Romanists worship towards the East and for this their famous Bellarmin urgeth several arguments As 1. Because Paradise was seated in the East Gen. 2. Therefore we pray towards the East because we profess our selves Pilgrims and long for our Country out of which we were ejected by sin 2. Because the Heavens begin to move from the East hence 't is that that part of the world is most excellent And therefore when we pray we turn our corporal face to the most excellent Body that we may be admonished to turn our spiritual face to the most excellent Spirit which is God 3. Because Christ whom we invocate is the Light of the World and therefore to signifie that we are illuminated by Christ the Sun of Righteousness as they are by the Corporeal Sun who look towards the East we use this Ceremony 4. Because our Lord was crucified on the Cross towards the West therefore we pray towards the East that we may look him in the face These most convincing Arguments are urged by Bellarmin and many other Roman Doctors for this Custom But their Polydor Virgil ingenuously confesseth that it was derived from the Gentiles De Inventor Rerum lib. 5. cap. 9. And Pope Leo 3. acknowledgeth that this practice savours of a Pagan spirit and ought not to be tolerated among Christians From such Institutions this impiety hath proceeded that the Sun when it riseth in the mornning is adored from high places by simple people which also some Christians do and they think so religiously that before they come to the Church of Blessed Peter the Apostle having passed the Steps to the High Altar they Though Basil made worshipping towards the East an ancient Tradition Lib. de Spir. Sanct. Yet their infallible Leo cancell'd it as an Heathenish Addition not fit to be entertain'd in Christian Religion turn their bodies to the rising Sun and bow in honour of that glorious Body which being done partly through ignorance and partly from a spirit of Paganism we are greatly troubled because though some perhaps rather worship the Creator of Light than Light it self which is a Creature yet we must abstain from the very appearance of such Veneration which when one that hath renounc'd Gentilism observeth in us will he not retain this part of his old Religion as probable which he sees common both to Christians and Gentiles Serm. 7. de Nativit And Pineda affirms that in this Pope's time the custom of building Churches and worshipping towards the East was not observed In Job cap. 31. ver 26. CHAP. XIX HOLY WATER THE Heathen besprinkled themselves with lustral or purgative Water when they went to sacrifice and perform their Devotions Spargit ipse suos lauro rorante capillos Incipit solita fundere voce preces Ablue praeteriti perjuria temporis inquit Ablue praeterita persida verba fide Ovid. Fastor lib. 5. Ter se convertit ter sumptis flumine crinem Irrogavit aquis ternis hiatibus ora Solvit Ovid. Metam Lib. 7. And their hands especially were to be washed as Homer informs us Iliad lib. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non decet illotis manibus libare superno Vina Jovi pudor hoc prohibet fecisse cruoure Turpatum me caede virum deis fundere vota And Timarchidas in libro de Coronis tells us That Asterius was smitten with a Thunder-bolt because he