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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19433	The interiour occupation of the soule Treating of the important businesse of our saluation with God, and his saints, by way of prayer. Composed in French for the exercise of that court, by the R. Father, Pater Cotton of the Societie of Iesus, and translated into English by C.A. for the benefit of all our nation. Whereunto is prefixed a preface by the translator, in defence of the prayers of this booke, to the saints in heauen.; Interioure occupation d'une âme devote. English	Coton, Pierre, 1564-1626.; Anderton, Christopher, attributed name.; Apsley, Charles, attributed name.; C. A., fl. 1619.	1618 (1618)	STC 5860; ESTC S108849	75,781	318

and infinite Author of all thinges Secondly for a petition made vnto those whom we acknowledge to be indued with that excellencie which is only foūd in the friends of God that are in heauen and lastly for a request made vnto any other with that respect which we acknowledge to bee due vnto those that haue the meanes to helpe vs. In the first second sense this word is vsed when we are said to pray or to make our prayer vnto another in the last sense when wee pray our friends or our betters to doe this or y● for vs For although we pray them yet wee are not properly said to pray or to make our prayer vnto them By Prayer to Saincts therefore we vnderstand a request made vnto them not with that worship which is due vnto God as the Author of all things but with that honour and reuerence with is due to the Saints of God aboue all other Creatures And in this sense the Protestants thēselues will graunt That if it be lawfull to make any request vnto them it ought to be done with that reuerence which is conuenient by consequence that in this sense it is not only lawfull to pray them if it be lawfull at all but also to pray vnto them Lastly to the end that no exception be taken against the proofes that follow as not sufficiently deliuered according to my promise out of Scripture thou must consider that two māner of wayes a thing may be proued out of Scripture First by the expresse wordes thereof in which manner we proue many thinges against the Protestants As for example That man is iustified by workes and not Iam. 2. 24 Iohn 20 22. 23. Math. 26● 27. by Faith alone That Priests receiue the Holy Ghost to forgiue sinnes That the Blessed Sacrament is the body blood of Christ 1 Cor. 11● 14. and the like But in this māner the Protestants cannot directly proue any one point of their Religion against vs. Therfore no reason that in all points they should exact this kinde of proofe at our hands Secondly a thing may bee prooued by Scripture as following by necessary consequence out of scripture which kind of proofe and no other the Protestants though failing therein no lesse then in the former pretend to be the very ground of their Faith in those points wherein they differ from vs And after this manner I intend to make it euident that prayer to Saints may bee lawfully vsed according to the Scriptures THE FIRST ARGVMENT Therefore may be taken out of those Scriptures which recommend vnto vs the Authority of the Church For in them wee learne That our Sauiour himselfe hath sent his holy spirit to Iohn 16. 13. teach her all truth and to remaine with her for euer In Io. 14. 16 which respect she is not onely termed by Saint Paul The Piller Tim. 3. 17 and foundation of truth but also our Sauiour himselfe saith expresly of her That hee who will Math. 18● 17. not heare her● or which is all one hee that will not beleeue her ought to bee esteemed no● better then a● Eathnick From whence therefore I conclude Augustin Lib. cont Crescon cap. 33. and affirme with Saint Augustine That wee doe nothing but according to Scripture in doing that which the whole Church approoueth whome the Scriptures Augustin Epist 118 cap. 2. themselues commend vnto vs. To which purpose also hee spared not to write That to dispute whether any thing bee lawfull which the whole Church frequenteth throughout the world is most insolent madnesse In fine there are many pointes of Faith with though they be not expresly written the Protestants belieue practise with vs and among other thinges which I haue noted before The lawfull neglect of the Iewes Sabaoth no where abrogated and the necessary obseruation of Sunday no where commaunded in holy writ which therefore can no otherwise be proued out of Scripture but onely by the authoritie of the Church which the Scripture commaundeth to be beleeued This beeing supposed to make it appeare that the Church of Christ and the Pastors therof not onely allowed this Doctrine of prayer to Saints but also practised the same I alledge the Epistle of the Bishops of Europe to Leo the Emperour in the fourth age after Christ which Epistle is ioyned to the Councell of Chalcedon where they say thus Wee put the most holy Proterius in the rancke and Quyre of the holy Martyrs and wee demaund by his intercession That God would be pleased to bee mercifull and propitious vnto vs. And in the Councell it selfe which is one of the foure Coūcels that the Protestants pretend to reuerence with Saint Gregory no lesse then the foure Gospels the Fathers assembled speake thus Flauianus liueth Chalcedō Acts 11. after death as beeing a Maister let him pray for vs. Likewise in the sixt generall Councell the Fathers say God alone the Creator being Adored let the Christian Synod 6. ●ap 7 man call vpon his Saints that they would bee pleased to make intercession for him vnto his diuine Maiestie Whereunto I will onely adde another like authoritie of the seauenth generall Councell speaking as followeth Let vs doe all thinges with Synod 7. ●ct 6 feare demaunding the intercession of the incontaminate Mother of God as also of the Angels and of all the Saints Thus these generall Councels in the person of the whole Catholike Church Let vs hear now some other expresse testimonies of the auncient Fathers in the first ages after Christ St. Bazill in his Oration vpon the Bazill orat in 40 Martyrs 40 Martyrs Hee that is pressed with any difficultie let him fly vnto them Hee againe that reioyceth let him call vpon them the one that he may be deliuered from euill the other that he may perseuer in good St. Cyrill when wee Cyril catechesi ● Mistago●gica offer this sacrifice wee make mention of them that haue slept before vs especially of the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs That God by their orisons would receiue our prayers St. Ambrose wee must pray vnto Angels who Ambr. 1 de vidui● are giuen vs for our guard wee must pray vnto Martyrs whose patronage wee seeme to challenge by the pawne of their Bodyes they are our Gouernours they are the Ouerseers of our liues and actions Wee are not ashamed to make them the intercessors of our infirmitie because themselues haue knowne th' infirmitie of their Bodyes euen in their victories Thus these holy Fathers Of the practise of this Doctrine and of the perticuler prayers made by the Fathers themselues in all ages to the Saints of Heauen that shall suffice which I haue cyted already out of their speeches to our B. Lady both because to shew this exactly were sufficient to make a large volume as also because no Protestant that is not altogether ignorant or extreamly impudent can deny it In fine therfore the Doctrin of the Fathers in

Iudgement from eternall Damnation and lastly making me heyre of the inaccessible glory of God thy Son Which I beseech thee againe and againe most holy Lady and Mother of God that I may obtaine by thy intercession and fauour through the grace and mercy and humanitie of thy onely begotten Soone our Lord and God and Sauiour Iesus Christ Likewise the most renowned and vncontroled Doctor of the Church St. Augustine in his 2. Sermon of the Annunciation after many other wordes in praise and prayer to her concludeth as followeth O Blessed S. Augus● S●●m 1 8 de sanct● Mary who is able to rep●r thee the right of praise and thankesgiuing which is due vnto thee who by thy singuler assent didst releeue the world when it was lost what prayses can the fragil●tie of mankinde giue the which onely by thy meanes found the beginning of recouerie Receiue therefore our thankesgiuing though small as it is though vnequall to thy great merites and when thou hast receiued our desires by thy prayer excuse our faultes Receiue our prayers into thy sanctuary of thy excudition and returne vnto vs the Antidote of reconciliation By thee let that bee excusable which wee importune and let that bee impitrable which wee aske with a fatihfull minde Receiue that wee offer render that wee aske excuse that wee feare for thou art the Hope of all sinners By thee wee ●pes vni●a silicet ●ne qua ●on confide to haue pardon for our demerites and in thee most Blessed is the expectation of our rewards Holy Mary succour the miserable help those that are weake minded cherish those that weepe pray for the people Mediate for the Clergie make intercession for the deuout sex of Women let all feele thy assistance whosoeuer doe celebrate thy remembrance Thus these holy Fathers who as our last Author saith That which they learned they taught that Aug. lib ● cont Iulianum ●um which they receiued from their fathers the same they deliuered to their children Now therefore my friend if these speeches of the holy Fathers to our blessed Lady be lawfull certainly there is no prayer of this book as made to Saints vnlawful for if they be not lawful as prayers they bee lawfull as Apostrophes And if thy stomack rise not against these wordes of the Fathers no reason it should detest the like speeches of ours And if these may faynedly be vsed to exite affection the others also may be likewise practised to inflame our deuotion Wherfore if thou canst frame thy conscience to beleeue that all these prayers and the like are nothing else but fayned speches this will be one way according to the doctrine of thine owne masters not onely to serue thy selfe but also to satisfie others that shall obiecte the reading of this Booke or the practise thereof vnto thee But if according to truth and reason thou be so perswaded that neither wee nor the holy Fathers either doe or may vse such figmatiue or fayned prayers it will import thee to followe the other way and to beleeue with vs that they are really spoken vnto the Saints not as vnto walles and woods but as vnto those that verily heare vs and are able to help vs. And therefore because I do not thinke thou wilt easily cōdemne the holy Fathers of Idolatry wherein no ignorance can excuse their damnation but rather will desire some further satisfaction in this point according to the Scripture with thy Masters would seeme to make the onely ground of their Religiō That I may the better content thee I will set thee down here in this Preface such euident proofes out of Scripture for prayer to Saintes ●● may be sufficient not onely to quiet thy own minde but also to conuince the most learned Protestant that hereafter shall attempt to speake against it But before I begin I desire to informe thee of 4. short perticulers wherof the two first are such as may suffice of themselues alone to resolue this question The first is that many principall Protestants haue agreed with vs in this point For the opinion of Luther in his owne words was this that followeth Luther in purgatione quorūdam articulorum Of intercession of Saints I thinke and iudge with the whole Christian Church that the Saints are to bee honoured by vs and also to be inuocated With whom doe agree a acts mon pag 462. Bilnay and b acts and mon pag 1312. Latimer canonized Martyrs of the Protestant Calender Wherefore this being the beleefe not only of their first Apostle but also of their latter Martyrs I cannot imagine how it may stand with the reputation of a zealous Protestant either to condemn vs or to mislike vs for it The second perticuler which I would haue thee well to consider is this That the principall ground whereon the Protestants doe especially build their deniall or rather their detestation of this Doctrine is most vaine and friuolous contending Inuocation of Saints to be altogether vnlawfull because it is no where expresly commaunded or approued in holy Scripture For I wold but aske a Protestant where he readeth Hunting or Hawking to be expresly commanded or cōmended in the Word of God which vnlesse he loue Hawkes and Dogs better then Saints or Angels were enough to make him see the impertinencie of this position In a word I will demaund where he findeth either this Assertion it self which they make the ground of their beleife to bee expresly deliuered or to giue instance in some other particulers where he can shew me The eating of Blood and strangled meat the celebration of Christmas and of the Feastes of the Apostles the vse of Surplisse Cappe and Typpet in the seruice of Christ Or in fine The abrogation of the Iewes Saboth which is Saturday to be expresly either inioyned or approoued in holy writ Which not being able to performe he not onely condemneth himselfe in the continuall practise of all these particulers if hee stand to his owne ground but also maketh the Ground it selfe to ouerthrow it selfe as being no where expresly taught in holy Scripture Wherfore though no laudable example of prayer to Saints departed could be found in the written Word yet this is no sufficient cause to cōdemne it From whence also it foloweth That vnlesse y● Protestants can shew which they will neuer be able to doe that prayer to Saints is euidently forbidden either by the word of God or light of nature or lawe of the Church They can neuer be defended or excused from great impietie and damnable scisme in deuiding them selues not only from the Catholicke brethren but also from the Saints themselues by this occasion Thirdly therefore to come nerer the question in hand that we dispute not of wordes but of the matter it selfe now in controuersie betwene thee and me Thou must vnderstand that the worde Prayer is somtimes taken for a request made vnto him whom we honour as the first omnipotent cause

37. T 〈…〉 Bon●uenture in the Bonauēt life of Saint Francis And finally to the life of Saint Barnar● Life of S. Bernard wherein there is receiued a most wonderfull Miracle wrought by Saint Barnard him selfe who in confirmacion of this verie point of prayer to Saints which he preached against the heretickes of his time that spake against it Blessed certaine bread which the people offred with the Signe of the Crosse and said In this you shall knowe that those thinges are true which we haue Preached If all your sicke hauing tasted of this Bread shall be restored to their former health And when the Bishop there had said If they re●●iue it with a good faith they shal be healed Saint Barnard added I doe not say so but assuredly whosoeuer they be tha● taste it shall be healed to the end they may knowe that we are true Messengers sent from God Whervpon a huge multitude of sicke folkes hauing tasted that Bread recouered that this worde was diuulged ouer all the Prouince To conclude in all the places likewise before alleaged those venerable and renowned Authors haue related so many Miracles in this poynt of prayers to Saintes as if any Protestant would take the paines either to read them or to heare them recited they would be more then sufficient to conuince him For he that should deride or contemne the iudgements of those famous Saints were verye prophane And how can he think himselfe a good Christian that will giue no credit or beliefe to the chiefe Pastors and Doctors of the Church of Christ whome shall we belieue if we belieue not them Were not this to take away all faith and together therewith all Morall beliefe out of the worde And this shall suffice me Curteous Reader to haue collected for the most part out of other Catholicke Authors for thy satisfaction in this point of praier to Saints drawne by good consequence out of the Text it selfe of holy scripture which the Protestants on the other side haue neither heretofore nor euer will be able to aunswer hereafter and much lesse to produce any solide Argument out of Scripture for the proofe of the contrarie without the which notwithstanding though we alleaged no proofe at all it were more then absurde to condemne any generall custome or practise of Church or Common wealth as hath bene noted in the beginning Wherefore gentle freind now at the length to conclude this whole discourse if thou rest satisfied therwith I shall think my labour well bestowed but neither will I think it lost if I may gaine so much of thee as not fearing to venture thy Soule with the auncient Fathers vppon a truth so testified not onely by the worde of God in Scripture but also with the very hand of God in Signes and Miracles aswell at this present time as in all former ages thou wilt bee content to make some tryall of the power abilitie of the Saints to help thee by recommending thy selfe seriously to their intercession for thee desiring them to beseech Almightie God that thou maist obtaine sufficient light to discerne his euery sauing truth and effectuall grace to imbrace it And in perticuler to recommend thy poore Soule to the prayers of the Mother of God our Blessed Ladye who as Saint Barnard saith is the neck vnder Christ our head whereby all Grace descendeth vnto euery member of his mystcall Bodie For I doubt not thou shalt finde that true comfort and Reall satisfaction in the excercises thereof with such a touch of Gods finger as well better perswade thy hart then any other Pen can maister thy vnderstanding vntill it please his diuine Maiestie to subiect it fully to the rule of faith and to place it firmly on the Rocke which is the piller and foundation of truth And so remitting thee to the Prayers them selues of this Booke I desire to be pertaker of their good effects c. rest Thine in Iesus Christ C. A. THE Interiour occupation of the SOVLE Treating of the important businesse of our saluation with God his saints by way of Prayer Title 1. Adoration 1. I Adore thee O great GOD with all the creatures which are in Heauen and on earth prostrated cast downe euen to the center of my nothing before the T●rone of thy soueraigne Maiestie 2. My affection is farre too litle to acknowledge thy high Deitie and therefore I present vnto thee the hearts of Angels and men the naturall property of the elements the growth of plants the sense of beasts the motion of whatsoeuer is in nature and the very being of all thinges Adoring with the dependance which they haue of thy diuinitie that which thou art in them and honouring that which they are in thee 3. If I had the affection of all those men women which haue presented vnto thee sacrifices of diuine worship and soueraigne adoration as well in the law of nature as in the written Euangelicall law I should melt in thy presence but seing that all things subsist before thee I beseech thee that thou wilt accept my most humble and profound adoration as comprising them all and being comprised in them 4. Aboue all I offer present the interiour actions of the humanitie of Iesus Christ thy sonne euen from the first instant of the creation thereof to the very last period of his life and those also which he continually exerciseth in heauen 5. I present also vnto thee the internall acts of that most happie Virgin his mother of the Cherubins Seraphins and of all those holy spirits which opposed themselues against the reuolt of the Apostate Angels and whatsoeuer else hath proceeded at any time from those soules which haue bene most pleasing vnto thee frō the beginning of the world Beseeching thee to number me amongst them to ioyne my holocaust with theirs and to receiue it as a sweet smelling sacrifice 6. The most part of corporall creatures doe not acknowledge the being they haue receiued from thee nor the Obligation which they haue to thee for the same many abuse that being which thou hast bestowed vpon them as Infidels heretiques reprobates and all the accursed diuels I offer thee them O my God and prostrate them as much as is in my power at the feete of thy Maiestie adoring thee as often as they offend and blaspheme thee and I doe homage vnto thee with the actions and the very naturall being with the which they sinne and which they abuse 7. Great is the honour that hitherto hath beene ●oone to the great personages of the earth and is still continued euery day Incense hath bin offred vp to Idols Idolatrie is cōmitted to corporall beautie O the God of my soule I lay holde of all those thoughts wordes prophane actions passions and as farre as my minde can stretch I seperate from them all deformitie to make a present and sacrifice of that being they haue of which thou art the Author 8. I aske thee also