be decided by their owne reasons but who shall be the iudge betwixt them it must not be the determination of any particular man for that is as subiect to errour as they are and besides this question being concerning the spirit of God it cannot be decided by any authority lesse then diuine least otherwise the true spirit were reiected for false as possibly it might be by any inferiour authority Shall it be decided by force of armes That is soe absurde that it needeth noe refuting although perhaps Ioannes de Zischa was of that opinion for what absurdity will not an haeretike mainteine How then shall they be tryed bring them to the Church and see whether they will heare it But they will not be soe tryed How then there is now noe other way left to try them by They must then goe without any tryal at all to say what they list and soe they shall both prooue false spirits as being contrary to S. Iohn that sendeth vs to try our spirits and as being contrary to the scriptures which commande vs to heare the Church Maâ—t 8. Therefor the spirit of God is allwais with obedience to the Church and the final resolution of faith is reduced to the word of God speaking to our harts and interpreted by the Church For there is noe way to try spirits and to declare certainely who are rightly inspired but by the authority of God speaking by it and by submitting our selues to the obedience of it Luâ— 10. as to the voice of God He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee Saith Christ to the Pastors of the Church who haue the authority of the whole Church Mat. 18. And in another place If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican Aug. tract 109. in Io S. Augustine the word of faith and the word of the Apostles to beleeue God and to beleeue the Church is the very same thinge Secondly the true faith hath bene often prooued and false doctrines confuted by miracles and these miracles haue planely conuinced for the obedience to that Church whose faith was soe confirmed Elias prooued by miracles the true faith of the Israëlits and confounded the Idolatrous Gentils Soe did Christ and his Apostles by many miracles prooue the christian faith against both Iewes and Gentils And these miracles obliged all whom inuincible ignorance excused not vnto the obedience of the Church of Christ and shewed planely that the spirit of God was to the obedience of that Church but noe miracle was euer wrought to shew that men should obey noe Church but that they might liue after their owne liking and beleeue what they would without obedience to any authority vpon earth Neither can there be any miracles wrought for any such manner of liuing for miracles being done in confirmation of the true faith oblige others to imbrace that faith which is soe confirmed by miracles and soe men come to an vnity of faith and make a Church that is to say a people vnited together in faith and religion But if men might for all those miracles which they see still follow their owne priuate spirits and not vnite themselues in obedience to that company whose faith is soe confirmed by miracles but might disobey it in matters of faith then they might disobey the authority of God and miracles were to noe purpose Therefor the very being of true miracles in confirmation of faith prooueth the being of a Church to which our spirits must allwais obey Moreouer if euery man were to be guided by his owne priuate spirit without obeying any Church there should be noe neede at all of miracles for the spirit is an inward and miracles are an outward testimony of the truth of any thinge to draw others vnto it but if all were to follow the inward testimony of their owne spirit without submitting vnto any external power then were they not to regard the outward testimony nor to be drawne by it And indeede to say that euery one is to follow his owne priuate spirit without being bounde to the obedience of any external power is as much as to say that euery one hath the true spirit of God and then what neede were there of miracles All which is contrary to the words of Christ and of the Apostles and contrary to the examples of the scriptures and to reason and experience by which we see soe many spirits of errors and of sinne in prowde and euill men Miracles may be and haue bene wrought to prooue the true faith but such miracles prooue that the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church therefor the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church Thirdly God hath ordained an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship and all order includeth subordination of inferiours to superiour powers and leaueth vs not to ourselues alone subiect to noe authority in points of religion and the same natural reason that bringeth vs to rely vpon the diuine autority in matters of faith telleth vs also that it is a more reasonable way for God to inspire vs to the obedience of the Church and to guide it with his sure and infallible assistance then to guide euery man by himselfe and his owne priuate spirit without being subiect to any autority or acknowledging of any superiour for this were to take away all order and to bring such a confusion into the world by making euery man his owne iudge as would by consequence destroy the world which without order can not subsist For if there were not allwais vpon earth some power authorized of God to prooue and approoue of the spirits of men what errors would be broched and what villanys committed and mainteined by wicked men vnder pretence of diuine inspiration God inspireth men to an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship therefor the diuine light and inspiration of faith in allwais to the obedience of the Church Soe that we may well say that faith is a supernatural light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhaere to the doctrine of the Church God giueth vs supernatural light to enlighten our vnderstandings and by his holy inspiration moueth our wills to submitte ourselues and to beleeue in all thinges according to the doctrine of the Church we cooperating with that light and inspiration of God submitte ourselues to the obedience of the true Church and then we haue actually true faith And whosoeuer he be that pretendeth himselfe to haue the spirit of God yet will not submitte himselfe to any Church but beginneth a new religion contrary to all the Churches then in the world or will mainteine a religion which soe beganne certainely that man hath not the true faith nor is the spirit of God in him But he sayth that he hath prayed to God for his spirit and Christ hath said that our father will giue the good spirit to those that
works which he hath done and suffered noe doubt but they shall see and confesse that which his very enemys confessed who hauing seene the passages of his death went away Mat. 27. saying Indeede this was the Sonne of God Let them beleeue and professe this in the true Church of Christ and let neither life nor death nor the loue of any creature euer be able to separate them from it But there remaineth yet to shew which of all christian Churches is the true Church of Christ This by Gods grace I shall shew in the exposition of the ninth article where I shall destinguish the Catholike Church from all false Churches Now we will goe on to THE THIRD ARTICLE WHO was conceiued by the Holy Ghost The attributes of the B. Trinity borne of the Virgin Mary Although the mystery of the Incarnation be attributed here onely to the Holy Ghost as though Christ were conceiued by his onely power yet we are not to thinke that it was done by him onely without the Father and the Sonne For this is a rule without exception in the mystery of the blessed Trinity that all the externall works of God to wit those which he doth in respect of creatures are done indiuisibly by all the Persons of the B. Trinity because their power is all one indiuisible power in them and soe the Conception of our Sauiour was done by the same power of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost And to say here that Christ was conceiued by the Holy Ghost is the same as to say that his conception was by the power and speciall gift of God after a supernaturall and not after a natural manner It is here attributed particularly to the holy ghost by reason of the great loue and bounty of God which he shewed in it For although all the diuine perfections be equally commune to all the Persons of the B. Trinity yet some certaine titles or attributes there are which are vsed as propper and particular to them seuerally Soe we attribute power to God the Father because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him We attribute wisdome to the Sonne because he proceedeth from the Father by way of vnderstanding We attribute goodnesse loue bounty and the like to the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by the operation of the will which loueth nothing but that which either is good or at least is apprehended then as good And soe those works of God in which his power is most manifested are attributed to the Father those which declare most his wisdome are attributed to the Sonne and those which shew most his goodnes loue bounty and the like are attributed to the Holy Ghost Neither was it an inuention of men by these termes and attributes to destinguish the diuine Persons but it was an inuention of God himselfe The Apostles were inspired to attribute power particularly to the Father saying I beleeue in God the Father Almighty S. Iohn was inspired to attribute wisdome to the Sonne calling him the Word of God which was from the beginning And Christ himselfe attributed goodnes in particular to the Holy Ghost Luc. 11. saying your father from heauen will giue the Good Spirit to those that aske him Soe although all the diuine persons be equall in power wisdome goodnes and in all perfections the same according to S. Iohn These three be one and soe all of them concurre equally to the Conception of Christ yet here it is attributed particularly to the Holy Ghost because the loue of God is soe eminently manifested in it For the same reason we paint the Father as an auncient man because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him we paint the Sonne in humane nature an intellectuall creature because his procession is by way of vnderstanding we paint the Holy Ghost as a done because the done is a bird that sheweth most loue and loue as I haue said is the property of the Holy Ghost Neither can it be displeasing to God that we expresse him by these corporal shapes and species of visible things which are naturall and necessary for our vnderstandings And to shew this he would expresse himselfe soe appearing in those very shapes by which we expresse him He appeared vnto Daniel like an old man Dan. 7. I beheld saith he till the thrones were set and the auncient of dayes sate his vesture white as now and the haire of his head life cleane wooll The Second Person was not onely made into the similitude of men but appeared in the true nature of man in Iesus Christ our Sauiour Phil. 2. The Holy Ghost at the baptisme of Christ was seene as a done ouer him S. Iohn testifying I saw the Spirit descending as a done from heauen Io. 1. and he remained vpon him Thus would God represent himselfe to vs and we can not represent him better then as he hath represented himselfe Borne of the Virgin Mary By this article the Apostles professe the procession of Christ according to his humane nature For hauing in the first article professed the Father who is the first Person and in the second the Second Person in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne now they goe on to speake of him as man according to the nature which he assumed of the Virgin Mary his mother For where as other children proceede both of father and mother he by the operation of the Holy Ghost was conceiued of his mothers nature onely she remaining allwais a Virgin S. Ioseph as the husband of our blessed lady was taken for the father of Christ And when they heard him with that knowledge and wisdome disputing in the temple Mat. 13. admiring they said is not this the carpenters sonne noe he was the sonne of the blessed Virgin and assumed humane nature of her nature and of her Virginal body but of noe man And this was a mystery which God would reueale and foretell by his Prophet long before Esa 7. saying behold a Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne For as soone as the Angel had deliuered his message to her and she had answered Behold the handmaid of our Lord Luc. 1. be it done to mee according to thy word consenting to the mystery propounded by him the sacred body of our Lord was of the Virgins body presently formed and his soule was infused into it and they being vnited to the diuine Person there was then in one person the vnion of two natures and Christ who was the eternall sonne of God was also the sonne of man as he proceeded of the Virgin Mary both natures in that admirable coniunction keeping their perfections that as S. Leo saith the glorification neither consuming the inferiour nor the assumption deminishing from the superiour This is a mystery incomprehensible by vs and therefor the omnipotency of God was propounded by the Angell to our blessed lady as to be considered
people not fearing the barbarousnesse of any but condemning all danger and labouring incessantly reiovced to suffer for him They mainteined the ghospell of Lesus Christ with such reasons force of spirit and miracles that being themselues vnlearned they confounded the learnedest of the world All were astonished at the hearing of them the fame of their preaching ringing in all places They confounded the Iewes silenced the oracles of the idols and with in a few yeares they filled the world with a numberlesse number of constant christians And this they did not by force of armes making of seditions or raising of partys to defende their cause or to increase their number but with humility and patience Thus did the faith of Christ beginne in the vertue and power of God and not as idolatry and Turcisme by the power and commande of the sword forcing of people to their obedience It beganne in litlenes pouerty humility and patience and increased as a grane of mustarde seede into a goodly tree hauing noe Princes or potentates of the earth to protect or to countenance it noe men of learning eloquence or humane pollicy to draw others vnto it but of such learning and eloquence as God infused into them God spoke in their mouths and with their hands and God soe speaking the prowde of the world came downe to their doctrine and became humble christians the rich of the world contemned riches the followers of vice beganne to loue vertue and a happy change was seene in the world by them They had to contest with Princes Iudges Priests Magistrates Philosophers artificers and all sorts of people who as their enemys mainteined their auncient rites and Priuileges against them Yet these poore and ignorant men kept still the christian faith on foote and maugre all the power which their enemys had the more they opposed it the more God increased it and the number of the faithfull was daily augmented that their enemys of all ranks and manner of callings in the end were contented to ioyne with them and to hazard their titles dignitys and profits and to forsake their owne wills and liues to obey Christ This was most miraculous euen as much as the miracles which they wrought and as planely testifyeth the power of God to haue brought these thinges to passe After the Apostles the same faith of Christ was still continued by others whom God raised as Apostles to succeede them and to whom he gaue the same spirit with sanctity of life and power of miracles to defende it And is at this day professed and defended by missions of Priests and religious men who goe as Apostles to preach the faith of Christ as I haue seene in Spaine euery yeare for the most part to be sent vnto the strange and rude people of the Indias for their conuersion and by soe many miracles make good that which they preach that it were a madnesse to question all those thinges which God hath wrought by them And euen here amongst vs vnworthy we see by continuall experiences the power which Christ promised to his Apostles of casting forth deuils Exorcismes to be practisedby christian Priests with good successe the powers of hell trēbling at the name of Christ are forced whether they will or noe to yeeld possession when they arecōmanded by it And to attribute this vnto art magicke by the cōmande of greater deuils ouer the lesse is that desperate refuge which the Iewes vsed against Christ himselfe Mat. 12. saying that in Beelzebub Prince of the deuils he did cast forth deuils and which was commonly obiected against the Apostles by their enemys and can not be true First for that the exorcismes of the Church are not done against the lesser deuils onely but with the greatest opposition hatred and despite that possible may be against the greatest and all the deuils of hell ouer whom there is none but God that hath supernaturall power Secondly the kingdome of the deuils is not soe diuided as that any of them should doe good or hinder euill except they be forced vnto it by the power of God yet by christian exorcists they are often forced to many thinges amongst Infidels to the destruction of infidelity and heresy and amongst christians of euill life to the hinderance and confusion of sinne which the deuills with all their power would mainteine Thirdly if we might attribute that which is done to the extirpation of infidelity heresy and confusion of sinne or for some good end to any other but the power of God we should neuer acknowledge nor could euer destinguish the power of God at any time to be exercized ouer the deuils although we saw them neuer soe much forced and neuer soe good effects to proceede of it but might attribute goodnes to the authour of euill And this was that manifest conuincing argument with which our Sauiour answered to the Pharisys when they made this very obiection against him If I in Beelzebub cast forth deuils Mat. 12. your children in whom doe they cast out We haue then for the comfort of christians christianity demonstrated by the holy scriptures of the old testament and the miracles of Christ and of the Apostles and of the continually succeeding and now being Church of Christ That which he taught and confirmed by miracles was that he was the Sonne of God the authour of life the promised Messias and Sauiour of the world This the Apostles preached after him and this we now preach in the Catholike Church Act. 4. and say with S. Peter neither is there any other name vnder heauen giuen to men where in we must be saued but in the euer blessed name of Iesus in him we blesse and honour God professing him in the Creede to be his onely Sonne our Lord. As the Sonne of God he is true God infinite in all perfections equall with the Father and the Holy Ghost and the very same in nature and essence with them according to which nature the Apostles in this article professe him our Lord. According to his humane nature he is also our Lord for that his humane nature being vnited to the diuine was exalted in dignity and made superiour vnto all creatures and had power aboue all men and Angels Mat. 28. All power saith he is giuen to mee in heauen and earth Christians that beleeue in Iesus Christ and carry in their name the name of him ought very much to honour themselues in it and to imitate him In baptisme they haue renounced the works of Satan to put on the armour and follow the warrfarre of Christians and then they receiued as also in the other Sacraments the souldiers garment of diuine grace their sinnes being forgiuen them by the merits of Christ Let vs then as his souldiers and seruants serue him and resist his enemys Let all the world open their eyes and harts to his diuine power and if they haue any feeling of God or desire to haue it and will consider the
long as they liue soe the damned are setled in that state of desperation rage and horrible torment to endure it and to endure it still and can neuer change or alter from it In all thy works remember thy latter ends Eccli 7. and thou wilt not sinne for euer This is the last thinge which the Apostles would mention of Christ in the Creede and which ought to leaue a great feare and vehement horrour in the mindes of the wicked to whom he shall come as to his enemys that can expect noe fauour from him And therfor this day is called the day of our Lord. Because Christ shall come as a terrible Lord to them and shall call them to a strict account for the neglect of their seruice to him and they hauing receiued good thinges in this life but wickedly imployed them haue then euill to receiue but the iust who haue serued God duely and haue not sought after the pleasures and goods of this world but haue then good thinges to receiue haue reason to reioyce and to be comforted at the thought of this day and therefor at the departure of Christ in his Ascension from the Apostles the Angels were sent to comfort them with the remembrace of his second comming saying Ye men of Galilee why doe you stande looking into heauen Act. 1. this Iesus which is assumpted from you into heauen shall soe come as you haue seene him going into heauen He commeth as a spouse full of ioy to the iust and blesseth them with euerlasting blessings because they haue prouided the light of good works Let vs doe soe and we shall be admitted into his ioyfull nuptials and receiue blessings of him Thus you vnderstande what is meant by the quicke and the dead to wit the state of the good and of the euill the one of them liuing spiritually with the life of grace the other being dead in sinne But perhaps it may be vnderstoode also of corporal life with which some shall be then liuing on earth when Christ shall come and shall be iudged with those that were dead before that day And who knoweth but he himselfe may liue to see the terrible appearence of Christ comming to iudge him and that presently dying he shall rize againe to receiue the sentence of his iudgment for Christ himselfe hath said that of that day or hower noe man knoweth Mar. 13. neither the Angels in heauen How much then ought we to feare and preuent it and not to remaine one day noe nor one hower in mortall sinne THE EIGHT ARTICLE I Beleeue in the Holy Ghost Hitherto the Apostles in all the former articles haue deliuered those thinges which concerne the first and second person of the B. Trinity the Father and the Sonne now they professe the third Person in the Holy Ghost S. Act. 19. Paul comming to Ephesus found certaine disciples soe ignorant that asking them if they had receiued the Holy Ghost they answered that they had not soe much as heard that there was a Holy Ghost This had bene indeede a very great ignorance in them if they had bene Christians which they were not and the mystery of the blessed Trinity was to be but obscurely deliuered to the Iewes as I haue shewed in another place treating of it They were the Disciples of S. Iohn Baptist baptized by his baptisme which could not giue the Holy Ghost and were not as yet baptized with christian baptisme in which the Holy Ghost is giuen and therfor it was a lesse ignorance in them But for any of vs not to know what the Holy Ghost is were an extreame ignorance And therefor we will first declare who the Holy Ghost is and why he is soe called The Holy Ghost is the third Person of the B. Trinity and is as much as to say The holy spirit And although the Father and the Sonne and the holy Angels are holy spirits yet they are not The Holy Ghost of whom we are speaking When therefor we say the Holy Ghost we meane the diuine Person of the Holy Ghost as when Christ commanded baptisme in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost The first Person of the blessed Trinity is called The Father because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost proceede from him The second Person is called The Sonne because he proceedeth as sonne from the Father The third Person is called the Holy Ghost or holy spirit because he proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by way of mutuall inspiration The Holy Ghost is true God omnipotent eternall and infinite in all perfections the very same in essence and nature with the Father and the Sonne And therefor S. Peter threatening Ananias for his deceit and ly which he had told said Ananias why hath Satan tempted thy hart Act. 5. that thou shouldst ly to the Holy Ghost tâ—ou hast lyed to God And therefor in the words of baptisme he is commanded to be named as the same in Godhead with the Father and the Sonne and S. Iohn saith There be three which giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word Io. 1.5 and the Holy Ghost And these three be one Three in destinction of Persons one in the vnity of nature and essence And because the Holy Ghost proceedeth both from the Father and the Sonne therefor he is sometimes said in the Scriptures to be the spirit of the Father and sometimes the spirit of the Sonne THE NINTH ARTICLE THe holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints The Apostles hauing professed their beleefe in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord borne and crucifyed in the nature of man and their beleefe in the Holy Ghost they had giuen vs in breife the mysterys of the B. Trinity and of the Incarnation The next thinge which they minded was to make an article of beleeuing the Catholike Church Which article was noe lesse necessary then any of the former nay in this it was the most necessary of all that by beleeuing the Church we come to haue the truth of the former and to vnderstande rightly all the articles of the christian faith And therefor as S. Augustine hath obserued the Prophets haue spoken planelyer of the Church then they haue done of Christ himselfe Aug. in Is 30. because the authority of the Church is the rule and guide by which we are to be directed in all thinges which we beleeue of him and all true beleeuers are kept in the vnity of true faith and that faith which was founded by him continueth allwais inuiolated by continuall obedience to the Church This then being the end and intention of this article let vs now come to the declaration of it Quest What is the Catholike Church Answ The Catholike Church is the congregation of all faithfull Pastors and people vnited together as a body with its head S. Augustine defineth the Church to be the congregation of all
deceiue soe much as one learned priest but onely some carnal and simple women As priests are aboue Angels in dignity soe it is fitting that they should imitate their purity and Angels neither marry nor are married Nay it is fitting that they should be as the Catholike Church hath ordained them to be aboue Angels in this that Angels are chast by nature onely but priests are chast by the grace of this Sacrament and by vow which is better It was the auncient custome of the Church as now it is for the Clergy to weare their crownes shauen S. Denis who liued in the Apostles times maketh mention of it Eccl. Hierar c. 6. S. Beda deriueth the first vse of it from S. Peter it representeth the crowne of thornes of our sauiour It denoteth the dignity of priests as kings Of whom the words of S. Peter 1.1 L. 5. hist Aug. c 2â— may cheesly be vnderstoode saying you are an elect generation a kingly priesthood It signifyeth also that priests are to reiect all vaine superfluitys of this world and to betake themselues to the spiritual lot and part which they haue chosen OF MATRIMONY MATRIMONY is declared by the Councel of Florence to be a true and propper Sacrament Sess vitim one of the number of the seauen Sacraments of the law of Christ instituted by him to giue grace And therefore amongst christians it is absolutly indissoluble which as a contract of nature onely it is not It hath for its propper effect to remedy the vnlawfull concupiscences of the flesh and to giue grace to man and woman to liue together in mutual loue and coniugal chastity and to bring vp their children in the seruice of God It is called by S. Eph. 15. Paul a great Sacrament to wit in the mystery which it representeth of the marriage of Christ with his Church to which for euer he hath espoused himselfe and as a good husband allwais loueth it teacheth it defendeth it prouideth for it and remaineth for euer the head of it By this similitude we haue the duety of marriage wel deciphered and man and wife by it are taught how to behaue themselues to each other Christ loueth his Church with an infinite loue the Church also loueth him with a continuall and neuer interrupted loue Christ suffered for his Church giuing euen his life to gaine her an immaculate Spouse The Church also suffereth for him in the blood of her children that in her victorys of martyrdome she may well say to him as Sephora did to Moyses Exod 4. a bloody spouse thou art to mee when she saw the blood of her children circumcised by him Christ as a good husband beareth with many imperfections and sinnes that are committed in the Church and vpbraideth her not but pittyeth her and furthereth the amendment of them by faire meanes and good words calling her his freind his beloued his faire one and the Church as a good wife confesseth her falts and asketh pardon for them submitting herselfe more humble then Sara calling him her Lord her master her sauiour Finally Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father allwais ready to mediate for his Church in heauen and hath prouided to remaine also with her in the B. Sacrament allwais vpon earth and the Church reciprocally laboreth for him giuing Sacraments offering sacrifice exhorting commanding reprehending and punishing of her people to make them honour him Thus ought man and wife to liue together in continuall loue and to beare patiently and contentedly together the tribulations of marriage not vpbraiding one another with their falts but with wise and milde termes to procure the amendment of them and to concurre together in all things both to their spiritual and temporal good Of this vnion loue and goodnes of married folkes dependeth very much the good of all mankind and therfor it is often and earnestly commended in the Scriptures In the first marriage of man and woman in Paradise God to to shew the loue which he would haue betwixt man and wife would frame the wife of a true and reall part of her husbands body and not of his hands fingars or toes not soe intimate to him but of a ribbe of his side neere to his â—art And when Adam awakened out of his sleepe and first saw her he was presently enamoured with a holy loue of her as his lawfull wife and euen then presently he beganne to giue documents to married folkes saying Gen. 2. For this man shall leaue his father and mother and shall cleaue to his Wife anâ— they shall be two in one fles This Adam spoke to his posterity whom in the spirit of prophecy he foresaw and would forwarne of mutual loue that as man and wife are but one in flesh Soe they might be in minde and will according together to take a part in all things And therefor Adam called her his fellow companion as participating with him in a happy and good company all dissension and diuision betwixt them being contrary to the Sacrament and in it selfe most greeuous eueÌ„ as the diuiding of liuing flesh which bleedeth and smarteth on both sides or as the cutting of the whole body into two which can not be but with excessiue torment and certaine death Soe the diuision and dissention betwixt man and wife is allwais painefull on both sides and if it be in a matter of moment or with scandall it is death and damnation to their soules The best therefor is to reflect well vpon the inconueniences of marriage before hand and to preuent them Yong folke many times deceiue themselues who setting their mindes too earnestly vpon marriage imagin great happines and nothing but content in it But this content lasteth but a while with them For as soone as they feele the tribulations of that state they beginne to loath it and by litle and litle to thinke them vntollerable and to wish themselues vnmarried againe And this is soe commune that as the saying is one priest hat could vnmarry would haue worke enough for many priests These resemble litle children that cry after their mothers they will not be quiet till they haue their desire and within a while they beginne to be weary and cry to be backe againe Marriages that are made without due consideration and especially with out being well commended to God haue many times the like issue and these are often obserued to be of those who marry very yong who indeede seldome apprehende rightly that which they vndertake But what remedy When they are once married there is then none but in true vertue and a good coÌ„science they must setle themselues and be contented with the sower and the sweet taking one with the other as it shall please God to sende them and when any Cros happeneth with a constant and heroical minde to beare it for Gods sake and to accustome themselues to some good words in those occasions as Gods will be done or the like expecting patiently
the lawes of God Lastly we pray for all people euen our enemys the conuersion of Infidels Iewes Turks and haeretiks to the Catholike faith And we pray not onely for the liuing but also for the dead of which I haue spoken in the Sacrament of Pennance as a deuotion both charitable to them and profitable to ourselues It is a deed of charity to pray for them because they can not pray for themselues and it is profitable to vs because beside the reward of our owne good worke we shall be sure to haue their intercession both now in purgatory and afterwards when they come to heauen For they are not like the cupbearer of Pharao who prosperous things succeeding to him forgotte his friend of whom in prison he had receiued comfort Now let vs see TO WHOM WE ARE TO PRAY WE pray to God as to the supreme power and first authour of all benefits acknowledging all goodnes to proceede from him And therefor prayer in the Apocalypse is assimilated vnto incense and is called a sacrifice because it respecteth God as the source and first authour of goodnes We pray also to our blessed Lady and to the Angels and Saints as the freinds of God for their prayers and intercession to him But an haeretike will presently obiect that if prayer be a kind of sacrifice how doe we pray to the Saints all sacrifice being to be offered to God Our prayers indeede may be called and are a kind of sacrifice because we either expresly confesse the supreme power of God or implicitly acknowledge it by all prayers The prayers which we make immediatly to God are a kind of Sacrifice because by them immediatly and directly we acknowledge his supreme and diuine power The prayers which we make by the mediation of the Saints are also sacrifices in their kind because mediatly and indirectly they acknowledge the same in that finally they tende vnto God by the Saints praying to him as we desire The prayers which we make to Saints are a kind of sacrifice as they tende vnto God as they tēde vnto the Saints they are not sacrifices because they acknowledge not the supreme and diuine power to be in them It was an auncient heresy in the primitiue Church to deny the inuocation of Saints mainteined by vigilantius and other haeretiks Hier. cont vigil and of purpose refuted by S. Hierome and others of the holy fathers but time which is the abolisher of all heresys had abolished this and the Catholike Church which suruiued all times had suruiued this heresy and buried it in the obliuion of men vntill some vnruly spirits of these later yeares who would be ruled by noe Church in the world raked vp this heresy out of the dirt and set it on foote againe But you shall see the inuocation of Saints breifly made good by scriptures Councels the authority of the auncient Church and by reason Turne to the 48. Chapter of Genesis and you shall finde there the Patriarke Iacob blessing the children of Ioseph and inuoking the Angels and Saints vpon them in these words Gen. 48. The Angell that deliuereth mee from all euills blesse these childrën and be my name called vpon them the names also of my fathers Abraham and Isaac Here this holy Patriarke after that he had twice called vpon God then inuoked his Angell and the Saints Abraham and Isaac who as yet were not in perfect glory And if they onely departing as holy men in the fauour of God might be prayed vnto before that they had the perfect glory of heauen with much more reason the Saints of God may now be prayed vnto when they are in that perfect state And he that shall vnderstande the Angell whom he there called on to be any other then his owne Angell guardian shall contradict the common interpretation of the fathers who prooue by this place that we haue euery one an Angell Guardian deputed to defende vs and shall shew but litle reuerence to the holy scriptures which he dareth to delude with such vaine glosses of his owne head But to be breife I will say noe more but that S. Paul prayed to the liuing for their prayers therefor with more reason we may pray to the Saints for their prayers when they are in glory But of this afterwards The second Councell of Nyce which is receiued by our enemys declareth expresly for the inuocation of Saints The fathers of the Councell of Chalcedon cryed out to blessed Flauianus martyr act 11. Flauianus that is dead is yet liuing a martyr let him pray for vs. The practise of the primitiue Church ought to be sufficient for this The auncient lyturgys of the Church seruice the Romane which S. Peter made that of Hierusalem which S. Iames made that of the Aethiopians which S. Mathew made that of Milan which S. Barnaby and S. Ambrose made and that which S. Iohn Chrysostome made all of them making a deuout commemoration of our blessed Lady and imploring her intercession As for the sentences of these and other holy fathers they are as plane as my words now are for the inuocation of Saints and they haue as earnestly defended it as we now doe S. Athanasius ser de Deipara Speaking of our B. Lady saieth all the quires of Angels are incessantly singing that glorious hymne Aue gratia plena Dominus tecum c. And we the terrestrial hierarchy of men salute thee saying Haile full of grace pray for vs O Lady O Mistres O Queene O Mother of God What more could any Catholike haue said or desired of S. Athanasius then to heare him praise our blessed Lady and pray to her in the very same termes which himselfe now vseth in the Catholike Church Ser. 1. de S. Steph. S. Augustine if Steuan were heard when he prayed for those that stoned him how much more shall he be heard when he prayeth for those that pray deuoutly to him If S. Athanasius and S. Augustine should appeare now to the world to decide this controuersy and should say noe more but these words ouer againe who would not thinke that the controuersy were ended and sentence giuen for the inuocation of Saints but their testimonys will not satisfy our obstinate enemys who confesse that the auncient fathers teach inuocation of Saints but accuse them of errour for it O haeretical pride shall one single man disobey all the Churches that are then in the world and stand also at defyance with the holy and auncient fathers and shall any man shew that contempt of his owne soule as to follow Luther who came but in the last age or Caluin who came after him rather then the whole world that then was when they came and also rather then those learned Saints whom the christian world hath held in reuerence for these many hundreds of yeares Finally this is also manifest by natural reason which dictateth that the intercession of the freinds and fauorits of Princes may with prudence be desired for
to wit sinne and therefore before prayer we ought to haue cleered our conscience as I haue said that our prayer may be of more force with God And some sinnes there are which hinder more then others these are especially those which are more opposit to charity towards our neighbour as hatred and rancour of hart and hardhartednes against the poore How can that man pray to God to be forgiuen by him when he beareth in his minde a grudge against his neighbour and will not forgiue him he keepeth in his hart an iniury as he conceiueth yet he wâ—ll haue God to forgette the iniurys which he a base worme committeth against him O spitefull hart thou contradictest in thy minde that which thou sayest in words as though thou wouldest dissemble with God Thou pretendest with thy mouth and kneelest downe as if thou would honour him and in thy hart thou art meditating a mischeife to his seruant When you shall stretch forth your hads I will turne aâ—ay mine eyes from you Isa 1. and when you shall multiply prayer I will not heare for your hands are full of blood saith God by his Prophet If a wicked murderer that had killed the seruant of some Prince should runne to his master and should hold vp his haÌ„ds smoking with his seruaÌ„ts warme blood were he likely to obtaine pardon no certainly he should rather moue him to more horrour against him and for his bold presumption to send him away presently to be hanged vp in chaines Thus malicious spirits and reuengefull harts come to their prayers and hold vp their hands bloody with desire of reuenge against their neighbour It was directly to this purpose that which S. Tim. 1.2 Paul wrote I will that men pray in euery place lifting vp pure hands without anger Our blessed and most mild Sauiour hath giuen vs many lessons for this and amongst the rest when he said Mat. 5. If thou offer thy gift at the altar and their thou remember that thy brother hath ought against thee leaue their thy offering before the altare and goe first to be reconciled to thy brother and then comming thou shalt offer thy gift When therefore we goe to our prayers if we finde our selues not well setled in charity with our neighbour let vs first in our harts be freinds with him and if neede be goe presently and reconcile ourselues to him and then our prayers shall be as a sweet incense both to God and to our owne consciences Hardnes of hart towards the poore is another sinne Almes deeds which hindereth much the obtaining of our prayers How can we thinke to haue God liberall to vs when we deny to the poore man that which he asketh for God sake Prou. 21. He that stoppeth his eare at the cry of the poore himselfe also shall cry and shall not be heard saith the holy Prouerbe Let vs giue with a good will for Gods sake and then we may aske freely of him Luc. 6.5 Giue saith Christ and there shall be giuen to you Good measure and pressed downe and shaken together and running ouer shall they giue into your bosome For with the same measure that you doe mete it shall be measured to you againe When therefore wee haue any thing of moment to aske of God let vs giue some almes first for God sake And those that haue not much to giue let them giue a little willingly The second impediment in the obtaining of our prayers may bee our vndue and vnworthy manner of praying that we pray not with due reuerence and attention For this we may consider diuerse sorts of attention in prayer First there is attention to the words that we misse none of them Secondly attention to the sense of the words that we vnderstand them as we pray Both which attentions are good but there is a third much better then they and that is attention to the presence of God and to the thing which we pray for That we prostrate ourselues with reuerence and humility before him and desire earnestly that which we aske of him This attention may be had by of those that vnderstande not the words of their prayers and therefor they are not to be reprcheÌ„ded that say their Pater noster and other prayers in Latine although they vnderstande them not For it is not the vnderstanding but the aflection which God regardeth most in prayer Ignorant men presenting their petitions to the King bring many words in them which themselues vnderstande not and sometimes the whole petition in a language which they haue no skill of yet they obtaine their desire and if the King saw the inward of their harts as God doth and the great reuerence which they beare vnto him and their feruours and earnest desire of obtaining he would without doubt he much moued by it to grant their petition It was to this purpose that which Christ said to the Samaritan woman Io. 4. The houre commeth and now it is when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and verity For the Father seeketh such to adore him That is to say in the law of grace which commeth and now is the true adorers shall worship God spiritually more then in the law of Moyses which consisted rather of corporal sanctifications and outward ceremonies then of spirituall grace which is giuen in the faith of Christ Our prayers then that are sanctifyed by the law of Christ ought to be with much feruour of spirit more cordiall then verball and the more cordiall that they are the more suetable they are to that law Therefor to praye well and efficaciously wee ought to pray with great reuerence and attention to the presence of God and to the thing which we pray for desiring it with much earnestnes all the time that we pray Thirdly the inconuenience of the thing which we pray for is oftentimes a hinderance to the obtaining of it because we see not the contingencys and circumstances of future things we aske sometimes we know not what that which is both inconuenient in it selfe and may be hurtfull to vs. As when lames and Iohn came vnto Christ Marc. 10. saying Master we will that what thing soeuer we shall aske thou doe it to vs and then they asked to sit one on his right hand and the other on his left in his Kingdome But he told them you wott not what you aske So the same Apostles seeing Christ hindered to enter into a city of Samaria tooke such a disdaine against those that hindered him that they were presently about bringing of fire from heauen to consume them Luc. 9. but Christ rebuked them saying you know not of what spirit you are They asked that which was inconuenient And Peter asked that which was hurtfull when being enamoured with the glory of Christs transfiguration he desired to stay in that manner with him for euer Here he knew not what he said Marc. 9. and when Christ was
to 8. That saith he the sacred body of which Christ tooke flesh and vnited together the diuine and humane nature should be giuen to the wormes to eate I dare not say it nor can I thinke it Thus much out of saint Iames saint Denis and saint Ignatius for the first age In the second age liued S. Irenaeus and Tertullian both of them haue set forth her ample prayses comparing her by contrarys to Eue Iren. l. 5. Tertl l. de Incarnat Christi who was our mother that caused our fall hurt and losse of Heauen but the B. Virgin is our Mother by whom wee are raised cured and restored to heauen againe And in respect of the power which her prayers haue with God S. Irenaeus calleth her the Virgin Aduocate of Eue the Virgin In the third age liued Origen a man of such parts to 3. ho. 1. and so well deseruing in his former yeares that he had a chaire of publike lecture of diuinity in the Schooles of Alexandria when he was but eighteene yeares of age he speaking of Christ and his Mother hath these words His Mother mother immaculate mother incorrupted mother vntouched His mother whose mother the mother of the onely begotten Sonne of God O great Sacrament the same a virgin and the mother of our Lord and a little after of this onely begotten Sonne of God this is the mother the Virgin Mary The worthy of the worthy one the vndesiled of the holy one the freind of the only one Tertullian liued in this age although he seemeth to haue flourished most in the former Saint Athanasius also liued in this age but flourished most in the next where I goe to cite him In the fourth age S. Athanasius flourished who opposing himselfe against the Arian haeretiks for forty six yeares in which he was Bishop was the prime pillar of the Catholik Church in the easterne parts of the world In these words he soundeth the blessed Virgins prayses and prayeth to her It becometh vs to call thee the regenerating mother Mistres and Lady for that our King Lord and God sprang forth of thee Athan in euang deip The Archangell gathered the first fruits of thy prayses when he spoke that glorious hymne Haile full of grace c. So doth the first front of Thrones Cherubims and Seraphims salute thee and so doth the second Hierarchy of Dominations Vertues and Powers and so doth the third of Angels and we the terrestriall hierarchy admonished by them extoll thee with a lowd and cleere voyce saying Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee Pray for vs ô Lady ô Mistres ô Queene ô Mother of God In the same age liued S. Ephrem who calleth her Holier then the Seraphims with out comparison more glorious then the supernall hosts The hope of the Fathers the glory of the Prophets the prayse of the Apostles Virgin before her child bearing and after it In this age also liue Saint Hierome S Chrysostome Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine whom God raised as glorious lights to illustrate his Church in those blind and obstinate times of the Arian herely being at the hight And they haue said so much in deuotion to our blessed Lady that I know not where to beginne their Sentences You may read in S. Hier. ep de Nat. Mar. ad Crom. Heliod to 9. Hierome the miraculous manner of her Conception of S. Anne an aged and barren woman and how the name of MARY which in Hebrew is to say MISTRES or LADY was brought for her by an Angell from Heauen Who also foretold to Ioakim her father that she should bee blessedamong women and how she was consecrated to the seruice of God at three yeares old in the Temple and attended their being gouerned by priests Esa 11. and how that the Prophecy of Esay was litterally denoted in S. Ioseps rod which miraculously flouriâ—hed to assigne him as a worthy husband for her And in another place hee calleth her the life Epist ad Paul Enstoc rule and discipline of all and saith that as there is none Holy to compare with God so there is none perfect in comparison of her Saint Chrysostome Truely this Virgin is the miracle of the world Chry. in hypa dom She alone surpasseth in greatnes both Heauen and Earth For what is there holier then her not the Prophets not the Apostles not Martyrs not Patriarks not the Angels not the Thrones not the Dominations not the Cherubims not the Seraphims nor any other thing is there to bee founde greater or more excellent then her either amongst visible or inuisible creatures You may see in the second book which S. Ambrose wrote of Virgins and in S. Augustins sermons of her Natiuity and Assumption the deuotion which they bore to her In the next age beganne Nestorius his heresy the professed enemy of Christ and of our blessed Lady so farre as to deny vnto him one onely person of God and by consequence to robbe her of her prime title and honour of the Mother of God Many holy men beganne then to bestirre themselues for the honour of Christ Cyr. cont Nestor and his Mother but Saint Cyrill of Alexandria was his prime Antagonist and next vnder God the prime defendour of the Catholike cause who thus expresseth his deuotion to her Praise be to thee ô Holy Trinity to thee also be praise Holy Mother of God Thou art the pretious pearle of the world Thou art the candlestike of vnquenchable light Orat. de dorm deip the Crowne of virginity the Scepter of the Catholike Faith In the sixt age liued Andreas Hierosolymitanus Bishop of Crete who calleth our blessed Lady a saint holier then the Saints the most holy treasure of all sanctity Eusebius Emissenus liued in the same age who speaking of our B Lady was strucken with astonishmeÌ„t that he knew not what to thinke of the greatnes of her graces For saith he if she were full of grace before she conceiued what shall we thinke her to haue bene after it But what what then shall we thinke her to haue bene after so many yeares of continuall and such intimate conuersation with Christ she being his mother and he her master Thus you haue the deuotion of the auncient Fathers to our blessed Lady for the fist six hundred years of the Faith of Christ declaring a farre different spirit in them from those who wickedly blaspheme her or derogate from her praises or but any way sleight them as the moderne enemys of the Catholike Church commonly doe I might produce the Sentences of holy men in following ages vnto our dayes to shew the contiruance of that first and auncient denotion to her to haue bene at all times in the Catholik Church I might alleadge the words of S. Anselme Auth. Protest relig l. 1. c. 6. § 3. Saint Bernard Saint Bonauenture Saint Thomas of Aquine the denotion of S. Dominike S. Francis and of many other Saints some of whom
it It is the doctrine of Catholike Diuines that all the euills of this world noe not the eternall torments of all the damned spirits put together is aequall to the euill of one mortall sinne I will rather be sent into hell Mach. 2.6 saith Elcazarus when they perswaded him to dissemble against his conscience For although at this present time I be deliuered from the punishments of men yet neither aliue nor dead shall I escape the hand of the almighty Greg. hâ— 34. in Euang Victorinus whilst he liued in the wildernes being drawne into the sinne of fornication by a wicked delusion of the deuill was soe vexed in conscience afterwards that fastening his hands into a peece of clouen wood he liued three yeares with onely raw herbes and water After that he wrought miracles became a bishop and at last a glorious martyr The Magdalen moued to repentance came presently into the Pharisys house Luc. 7. and was not ashamed to weepe in publike soe many teares that she washed the feete of Christ with them S. Peter after his sinne went out presently and wept bitterly And soe great was his sorrow euer after that he is recorded by S. Clement who liued with him Clem. in recognit to haue carried allwais in his hand a litle linnen napkin to dry his face from teares But the example of our Sauiour weeping for the sinnes of others should moue vs more then these who wept for their owne sinnes Christ as he came downe Mount Oliuet hauing before his eyes a full view of the city of Hierusalem was strucken with such an apprehension of the sinnes of that people that beginning to speake he was interrupted with teares and could not goe on for weeping And he wept also for Lazarus long dead and putrifyed that was to signify the sinner dead and putrifyed in long continued sinnes that we might see how much he loued our soules and how he lamenteth at their spirituall death Mat. 16. What doth it profit a man if he gaine the whole world and susteine the dammage of his soule My soule is all the world to mee and when I come to dy I shall finde it soe Grant vs O Lord that we may saue our soules the whole world beside we will loose it willingly And this is the effect of mortall sinne that he that committeth but one and dyeth in it is as sure to suffer shippwracke of his soule and to be damned into hell as though he were guilty of all the mortall sinnes in the world Ia. 5. according to that of S Iames whosoeuer but offendeth in one is made guilty of all To wit soe farre as to the guilt and punishment of hell I haue bene desired by some to giue them some such destinction betwixt Mortall and Veniall sinne as that they might allwais know by it when the sinne which they committe is mortall But this is vnpossible for that the circumstances are infinite which may aggrauate or lessen the malice of sinne soe that litle sinnes may become great and great sinnes litle ones and sometimes noe sinnes at all Besides God will not haue vs to know for certaine whether we be in state of grace or noe according to that of Ecclesiastes Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of loue or hatred and Iob allthough I shall be simple Eccl. 9. Iob. 9. the same shall my soule be ignorant of Yet thus much may be said for their satisfaction that sinnes against any of the tenne Commandements or against any of the Praecepts of the Church when they come to a notable degree of malice or deformity or if they be intended thought or doubted to be soe they are Mortall Veniall is as much as to say easily pardonable and soe a Veniall sinne is a sinne which easily obtaineth pardon A litle sinne which diminisheth the feruour of diuine grace in vs but taketh not the grace of God from vs soe as to put vs in state of damnation It maketh vs to grow colder and colder in deuotion and disposeth by litle and litle to some mortall sinne and then by that we loose quite the diuine grace and are in state of damnation Soe that Mortall sinne is quite opposite and incompatible with the diuine grace Veniall sinne is compatible and may stande with it Authors commonly declare this by the similitude of a traueler going out of his way He may either goe a quite contrary way or he may goe wrong yet not quite contrary to the right way By Mortall sinne we goe the quite contrary way from heauen to wit to hell by Veniall sinne we goe not to hell yet we goe wrong and out of the way to heauen S. Augustine compareth Veniall sinnes to scabbs that deforme and disfigure the body but kill it not soe Veniall sinne deformeth and deminisheth the beauty of our soules but leaueth them still with spirituall life And declaring some Veniall sinnes in particular he saith that it is a Veniall sinne to laugh immoderately Aug. l. de Nat gra c 38. to iest too much to desire somethinge intemperately to plucke fruit ouer greedily and the like Finally whatsoeuer we thinke that we doe not well in we may accuse ourselues of it as at least of a Veniall sinne That all sinnes are not damnable to hell but that there are some such lesser sinnes which we call Veniall it is manifest by diuerse places of the holy Scriptures Prou. 24. Seauen times shall the iust fall and shall rise againe but the impious shall fall into euill Where we see that a man may fall into some sinnes and yet be iust He that contemneth small thinges shall fall by litle and litle Eccl. 19. By which we see that one may sinne by small things and by litle and litle before that he fall from the diuine grace Ia 3. S. Iames saith that in many things we offende all And he cannot be thought to speake of mortall sinnes S. Iohn hauing declared that by the blood of Christ we are clensed from sinne adde h presently Io. 1.1 If we shall say that we haue noe sinne we seduce ourselues and the truth is not in vs. By which it appeareth that we may be soe purged from sinne as to be in state of grace by the merits of Christs Passion and yet to haue some sinnes This is also most congruous to reason and agreeable with the diuine goodnes and mercy For if it be an vnreasonable seuerity for Kings and Common wealths to punish euery litle falt with the sentence of death farre must it be from the mercy of God to punish euery litle excesse or defect euery litle anger neglect distraction in our prayers and the like with the eternall death of hell Mortall sinnes are neuer taken away but by the Sacraments in deede or in desire Veniall sinnes are blotted out by euery good worke which we doe For as euery Venial sinne deminisheth the feruour of the loue of God in vs and