of the singular advantages of Holy Communion and Effectually be made Partakers of those Graces which God is ready to bestow by means of this Blessed Sacrament As for the Second Part it is to be perused and Practized for this effect it will be very proper to peruse it often and with Attention but particularly upon the Eve and day of Communion PART I. Of the Doctrin that is to say of the Truths which it Imports us to know concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist A Christian Communicant that he may receive worthily if as yet he know them not distinctly ought to be well instructed in three things of which two are generall the third is particular to this Sacrament First he must be instructed in Faith in Generall without which it is impossible to attain to the knowledge of this great Mystery of the Eucharist He must understand perfectly well what God hath reveal'd concerning this Virtue which is the Basis and ground-work of Salvation As Saint Paul saith Heb. 11.1 The Substance of the things to be hoped for Secondly He must have a true Notion of the Principal Mysteries of Faith in Particular as of the Blessed Trinity the Incarnation the Redemption the Catholick Chuch for except he believe these Truths it is impossible ever to come either to the knowledg or belief of that of the Holy Eucharist Thirdly He must be throughly informed in what concerns this Sacrament in particular viz. in the principal truths which appertain unto it as the real presence of the Son of God in the Cousecrated Host The change of the substance of the Bread and Wine into that of his Body and Blood The great wonders which meet in this Mystery The effects which it produces in the Soul of the worthy receiver The dispositions with which it ought to be received Following this order I shall divide this First Part into three Chapters whereof the First shall treat of Faith the Second of the Principal Mysteries of our Faith the Third of what concerns this Sacrament in particular And we shall divide the Chapters into Articles or Questions as necessity shall require CHAP. I. Of Faith. FOR your greater ease we shall treat of this Subject by way of Question and Answers immediately subjoyn'd Question I. What is it we are obliged to know concerning Faith in general SEven things viz. What Faith is who is the Author of it what its action its object its motive its rule and what the conditions it requires that it may be perfect Quest II. What is Faith IT is a gift of God or a light from above by which man being illuminated doth firmly believe all those things which God hath revealed and proposed to his Church to be believed whether written or unwritten In this definition is comprised all whatsoever as is abovesaid we are obliged to know concerning Faith. And first it teacheth us that Faith is a Supernatural light proceeding not from us but from God and which makes us assent to those truths the belief whereof is necessary for Salvation It teacheth us also who is the Author of Faith what its action the rest as we shall see by the Replies to the following Questions Quest III. Who is the Author of Faith I Answer God alone Faith is a gift of God saith the Apostle Ephes 2.8 and there is none but he can give it He bestows it upon us by enlightning our understanding in a supernatural way and inclining the will to follow by her consent the light which is proposed unto her The will indeed concurrs and doth well in accepting and agreeing with the truth which is proposed unto her but it is God alone who is the first and principal cause wherefore it is very necessary that we beg and require it at his hands Quest IV. What is the Action Object and Motive of Faith TO believe that is to hold a truth for certain and assured without the least doubt thereof is the proper act of Faith. The object that is the things which we are oblig'd to believe are all the truths which God hath revealed and which are therefore proposed that we may assent unto them The motive or reason why we ought to believe is the divine revelation For one believes a truth because God who neither can deceive us nor be deceived in what he reveals unto us hath revealed it And this revelation for this reason is always infallible Quest V. By what ways hath God revealed the Truth unto us BY two By the Holy Scripture and by Tradition These are the two ways whereby God hath been pleased to manifest his holy truths and both of them are equally infallible because both are equall the one written the other the unwritten word of God. Quest VI. Which is the Rule of Faith WE call that the Rule of Faith whereby we discern the revelations which come from those which do not come from God for it is certain that there are some false revelations and which the Devil the Author of Lies proposes by his Ministers and therefore that we may not be be deceived we have a certain rule This rule is the judgment or the interpretation of the Holy Church to which God hath given that Power and promised the assistance of his Holy Spirit that it also may never be deceived The Proofs are manifest in the Scripture Behold Mat. 28.20 saith he I am with you even untill the end of the World. He also said Mat. 16.18 Vpon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it And the Apostle saith afterwards 1. Tim. 3.15 that the Church is the House of God and that it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth The Son of God commands us to hearken to it even as to himself Luc. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me And he saith Mat. 18.17 he who will not hear the Church let him be accounted as a heathen or Publican Without this Rule we can have no Faith because without it we can neither be assured of the Divine Revelation nor of the true Scriptures nor of their true Sense wherefore Hereticks who refuse to follow the Judgment of the Church have neither Faith not even any certainty of any thing they believe They say indeed that they follow the Scripture but they deceive themselves For first How do they know that there is such a thing as Scripture but by the Testimony of the Catholick Church which assures us of it and hath conserved it from time to time even untill their times Did not St. Augustin contra Epist fundam c. 5. say and with good reason that he would not believe the Gospel except he were moved unto it by the authority of the Catholick Church and that if we believe the Church when it tells us that we must believe the Gospel why should we not believe it when it forbids us to believe Manicheus or Hereticks Secondly It is not enough to
follow the Scripture except also they follow and be assured of the true Sense of Scripture for as St. Augustin in tract 18. in Jo. saith Heresy springs from no other source but from good Scripture ill understood and boldly maintained And St. Hilary l. 2. ad Constant August saith excellently well That there is no Heretick but maintains his Blasphemies by the Scripture If they fay that the Holy Ghost inspires them with the true Sense of the Scriptures and the right understanding of the Mysteries therein contained The Answer is impertinent for there was never any Heretick who had not this same Plea. Secondly If it be so why are there so many different Sentiments amongst them and that in Points of Faith Can the Holy Ghost be contrary to or contradict himself Is it possible that he should inspire both truth and falshood 3ly who is it that doth not perceive that this answer were it good would authorize as many religions as there are men for every one will easily say that he hath the Holy Ghost Lastly why do they desire that others should believe them whilst they affirm that they have the H. Ghost having nothing besides there own assertion to justify what they say since they themselves refuse to believe the Church which requires their assent by so just a title as is the promise made her by the Son of God of the continuall assistance of his H. Spirit even to the end of the world We must then conclude and hold for a certain truth that it is neither our private judgment nor our interiour perswasion however we may believe it comes from the Holy Ghost which is capable to serve us as a rule in points of Faith or can make us see which is a true and which a false revelation but it is the sole Testimony of the Catholick Church and the judgment which she forms of the divine truths which is and ought to be the rule of our belief For whilst we submit our selves to her judgment we cannot fall As we cannot but mistake and err when tho' never so little we depart from the doctrine of the Church We find in the Church four conditions required for the rule of saith To be a rule it must at one and the same time be One Certain Manifest and Visible The Church is One for as there can be but one Faith so there can be no more then one true Church as it is said in the Nicene Creed Et unam Sanctam Catholicam Apostolicam Ecclesiam The judgment of the Church is Certain in points of faith since she can never fail being as the Apostle saith the Pillar and ground of truth It is Manifest because clearly proposed and by word of mouth explained upon occasion of any Emergent difficulty in matters of faith The Church for this reason was Established by the Son of God his will is that we have recourse unto her in these occasions according as it was also practiced in the Old Testament where it is said Mal. 2.7 that the lips of the Priest do conserve knowledge and one must seek the Law from his mouth And the Apostle assures us that the same method is to be observed in the New Testament when he saith Ephes 4.11 that the Son of God hath established some Apostles some Pastours and other some Doctors for the administration of his word for the building up of the body of Jesus Christ that is his Church That we may not be like Children wavering in uncertainty and carried away with every wind of Doctrine And for this reason also St. Augustin affirms that in all difficulties which occurr concerning any questions or matters of Faith we must make our addresses to the Church If any one saith he cont Crescon fear to be deceived in the obscurity of this question let him consult the Church Si quis falli metuit hujus obscuritate questionis Ecclesiam de illâ consulat Lastly the Church is Visible as consisting of Pastours who have succeeded one another ever since the Apostles even unto this present time and as in all ages one might so at this very time one may easily address himself unto them to be instructed in all what concerns our faith This is the City whereof the Son of God speaks Mat. 5.14 which is built upon a Mountain to which all the World may have access as it was foretold by Isaias Chap. 2.3 Come and ascend to the mountain of our Lord to the House of the God of Jacob. It will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths for the Law will come forth of Sion and the word of our Lord from Jerusalem It was to this City that St. Augustin de Vnitat Eecles c. 14. sent the Donatists when he said to them you have the City whereof he himself who built it said that it was a City built upon a Mountain and could not be hidden I have staid and dilated my self on set purpose upon this Subject of the Rule of Faith because it is of great concern in this affair and upon which all the rest as far as concerns us depends it is a Principle and Fundamental Maxim in matters of Faith That we must hearken to and obey the Church we must receive the Divine Revelations from her alone and the Interpretation she gives of the Holy Scripture and Tradition which are the two ways by which as is abovesaid God hath been pleased to convey his Divine Truths the Mysteries of our Holy Faith unto us Quest VII What Qualities or Conditions ought our Faith to have IT follows from what we have already said that Faith to be perfect must have three qualities or Conditions it must be Humble Vniversal and Firm or fixed and steddy Humble that is in matters of Faith we are to submit our selves to the judgment of the Church and not to be wedded to our proper sense nor to our interiour persuasion nor to the judgment of any particular Person as we have shew'd above Thus God ordained it in the Old Testament Deut. 17.8 where he commanded that in the difficulties which should occurr concerning the performance of the Law every one should have recourse to the Priests follow exactly their decision and that under pain of Death in case one should be refractory or disobedient And in the New Testament he hath decreed that he who will not hear the Church shall be accounted as an Infidel Vniversal that is it ought to comprehend and believe generally all the truths which are proposed by the Church to be believed without excepting any and the reason is evident because the Church which proposeth them by reason of the assistance of the Holy Ghost which is promised her without restriction is equally infallible in all her Judgments and can be no more deceived in the least then in the greatest Mystery of our Faith and as St. Augustin contra Epist fundam speaking of the Books of the Sacred Scripture saith excellently well If
I believe the Gospel I must also necessarily believe the Acts of the Apostles because the same Authority of the Catholick Church obliges to believe them both We may say the same of all the other truths which are proposed by the Church for if we believe one we ought also to believe the others because it is the same Authority and the same Church which proposes and gives us assurance of them both And the same St. Augustin l. 16. cont Faust c. 3. speaking of Hereticks and those who would give credit to nothing but their own will. You says he who in the Gospell believe what you please and what you like not reject You rather give credit to your selves then to the Gospell because when led by your private Spirit you approve what pleaseth and disapprove what displeases you in Scripture you do not at all submit your selves to the authority of holy writ there to find out your faith but rather you subject the Scripture to your selves to judge of it according to your will. In fine Faith ought to be firm that is fixed steddy and free from any at least voluntary doubt And this also for the same reason the infallible authority of the Church which proposes unto us the divine truths the objects of our Faith and cannot be deceived in what she proposes to us So that there is no more reason to doubt of any one truth then of all the rest And there is not a better way to dispell with ease the doubts which arise against any one article of our faith then to reflect upon the others which one believes with all the certainty imaginable which yet are no otherwise grounded then upon the same authority of the Church for if we do not doubt of those neither ought we to question these In all the doubts which may occur concerning any point or points of faith whether they arise from our own imaginations or spring from occasion of Heresy new doctrins or scandall given in the Church we ought to have recourse to this authority as to a secure refuge A refuge where we shall find the divine Protection against the contradiction of evill tongues as the Psalmist hath it and after him St. Augustin in those excellent words which he delivers upon that passage of Psa 30. exposi 2. Serm. 3. Preteges eos in tabernaculo tuo a condictione linguarum If you find tongues which contratradict you heresies raised up against you and divisions which oppose you have recourse to the Tabernacle of God adhere and stick fast to the Catholick Church do not depart from this rule of Truth and you shall be protected and guarded from the contradiction of tongues in the Tabernacle of God. Behold not only a wholsome but also a necessary advice which ought to be practised upon occasion of any doubts in faith and especially in the beginning of any heresy And had the hereticks of our time follow'd this good councell they would never so unfortunately have continued obstinate in their errour or drawn others into the same ruin as they have done CHAP. II. Of the things we are obliged to believe WE shall reduce them to four heads 1. The Divinity or what we are obliged to believe of God. 2. The Incarnation or the Humanity of the Son of God which shall comprehend what we are to be believe of Jesus Christ 3. The Church 4. The Sacraments These four things are all contained in the Apostles Creed ARTICLE I. What are we oblig'd to believe of God FOur things The First I believe in God that God is that is that there is one only true God who is an uncreated Being Eternall Independent Infinite in perfections in Knowledge in Power in Wisdom in Goodness in Justice and in all other things Secondly The Father Almighty and in his only Son I believe in the Holy Ghost that in God there are three Persons The Father the Son and the Holy Ghost That all these three are but one true God having the self same divine Essence the self same Wisdom the self same Goodness the self same Power and so of the other divine perfections That the Son the Eternal Word proceeds from the understanding of the Father by a perfect Knowledge which the Father conceives of himself by which he expresses his Image in the Son. And the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son by a Mutuall love which they bear one another That these Processions do not cause any inequality or dependence or priority amongst the Divine Persons who are all Equall and Eternall as being all but one only true God One in Nature and three in Persons Thirdly Creator of Heaven and Earth That God is the authour and creator of all things that he hath made both Heaven and Earth and all the creatures therein whether visible or invisible of nothing by his only word That he conserves them by his power and governs them by his wisdom Fourthly Life Everlasting That as he is the beginning and first cause so also he is the end of all things and particularly of Men and Angels whom he created to adore and serve him and for whom he hath prepared eternall happiness which will consist in this that the blessed shall see him perfectly and enjoy him as he is in himself and this enjoyment shall endure for all eternity it shall never no never end ARTICLE II. What are we obliged to believe of Jesus Christ FOR the greater facility and distinctions sake we shall divide this Article into Questions Quest I. What is Jesus Christ And in Jesus Christ his only Son. HE is the Son of God the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity who was Incarnate that is made Man for us men and for our Salvation But Quest II. Why was he made Man TO redeem man from the Sentence of everlasting death which we had all incurred by disobedience of the first man and to give full satisfaction to the Divine Justice as well for that first or Original Sin as for all the rest which have been committed ever since by other men Quest III. This Incarnation in what doth it consist Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary IT consists in the strict and personal union of the Eternall word with human nature that is with a mortall body and an immortall Soul such as we have from which union there results a compound whom we call Jesus Christ true God and at the same time true man. Whence it plainly follows that in Jesus Christ there are two Natures and one only Person viz. the one divine the other humane nature both united in one the same Person of the Son of God or the eternal word whereas on the contrary in the divinity there is but one Nature three Persons By this Union the Divinity was neither changed into the Humanity nor the Humanity into the Divinity of our Lord for that is impossible But both natures enjoying either of them their own perfections
152. Chap. 3. Excellent Reasons out of the Council of Trent to shew why God remitting the Sin by Penance obliges the penitent Sinner to a Temporal punishment Pag. 156. Chap. 4. Wherein Satisfaction consists and whether it be essential to the Sacrament of Penance Pag. 159. Chap. 5. Of the Conditions which Satisfaction ought to have on behalf of the Ghostly Father Pag. 161. Chap. 6. Of the Conditions of Satisfaction in respect of the Penitent Pag. 167. Chap. 7. Of the Works which may be enjoined for Penance Pag. 172. Chap. 8. That the Penitent who truly desires to work his Salvation ought not to content himself with the Penance enjoined him in the Sacrament but he ought to perform others and how Pag. 175. Chap. 9. Of Sacramental Absolution what it is wherein it consists and what are its effects Pag. 178. Chap. 10. Of the dispositions necessary to receive Absolution and of the cases wherein it ought to be denied or deferr'd Pag. 179. Chap. 11. Of the Choice of a Confessor Pag. 182. PART V. OF the Preservation of Grace after Confession against relapse into Sin. Pag. 187. Chap. 1. Of the importance of this Subject Ibid. Chap. 2. How the relapse into Sin is a very great Evil. Pag. 190. Chap. 3. Of three great indignities which occur in the Sin of relapse the Ingratitude the Perfidiousness and the Contempt of God. Pag. 192. Chap. 4. That those who relapse frequently into their Sins have reason to dread their Salvation Pag. 196. Chap. 5. A further Confirmation of this truth from other proofs and first from the uncertainty of their Confessions who relapse frequently into their Sins Pag. 201. Chap. 6. An excellent Advertisement of St Gregory concerning the false Repentance of those who relapse into their former Sins Pag. 205. Chap. 7. That by relapsing into Sin we lose great part of the fruit of our precedent good Confessions Pag. 207. Chap. 8. That by frequent relapse into Sin one always falls into a worse condition then before Pag. 209. Chap. 9. That frequent relapse into Sin leads to final Impenitence and to an Evil death or to dye in mortal Sin. Pag. 212. Chap. 10. Of the remedies against relapse into Sin. Pag. 216. Chap. 11. Of the means which Penitents ought to observe to avoid any relapse into Sin. Pag. 224. A Table of Sins or an Examen of Conscience upon the Commandments of Gods Law and of the Church and upon the Seven Deadly Sins Pag. 229. The Examen upon the first Commandment Pag. 230. The Sins against Faith. Ibid. The Sins against Hope Pag. 234. The Sins against Charity Pag. 236. The Sins against the Virtue of Religion Pag. 238. The Sins against the care we ought to have of our Salvation Pag. 241. The Examen upon the Second Commandment Pag. 244. The Examen upon the Third Commandment Pag. 247. The Examen upon the Fourth Commandment Pag. 249. The Examen upon the Fifth Commandment Pag. 254. The Examen upon the Sixth Commandment Pag. 255. The Examen upon the Seventh Commandment Pag. 259. The Examen upon the Eighth Commandment Pag. 261. The Examen upon the 9. 10. Commandment Pag. 264. The Examen upon the precepts of the Church Pag. 265. The Examen concerning the Seven Deadly Sins Pag. 266. Of the Sin of Pride Ibid. Of Covetousness Luxury and Sloth Pag. 270. Of Gluttony Ibid. Of Envy Pag. 271. Of the Sin of Anger Pag. 272. The Examen of the Sins which one commits by another Pag. 274. The Examen of the Sins of Students Pag. 279. A TABLE of the Parts and Chapters contained in the Instruction concerning the Holy Communion THe Preface Pag. 281. Of the necessity of this Instruction and the order observed therein ibid. The Division of the Treatise Pag. 282. The First Part. Pag. 283. Of the Doctrine that is to say of the Truths it imports us to know concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist ibid. Chap. 1. Of Faith. Pag. 284. Quest 1. What is it that we are obliged to know concerning Faith in general Pag. 285. Qu. 2. What is Faith ibid. Qu. 3. Who is the Author of Faith ibid. Qu. 4. What is the Action Object and Motive of Faith Pag. 286. Qu. 5. By what ways it hath pleas'd God to convey these Truths unto us ibid. Qu. 6. What is the Rule of Faith Pag. 287. Qu. 7. What Qualities or Conditions ought our Faith to have Pag. 291. Chap. 2. Of the things we are obliged to believe Pag. 294. Art. 1. What are we obliged to believe of God Pag. 295. Art. 2. What are we obliged to believe of Jesus Christ Pag. 296. Qu. 1. What is Jesus Christ ibid. Qu. 2. Why was he made man Pag. 297. Qu. 3. In what doth the Incarnation consist ibid. Qu. 4. How was this Divine Vnion accomplish'd Pag. 298. Qu. 5. What is it that the Son of God hath done for our Redemption Pag. 299. Art. 3. What are we obliged to believe concerning the Church Pag. 300. Art. 4. What are we obliged to believe concerning the Sacraments Pag. 303. Chap. 3. Of the Holy Eucharist Pag. 306. Art. 1. Of the real prefence of the Son of God in the Eucharist and of what we are to believe concerning this Sacrament Pag. 307. Art. 2. Of the Wonders which occur in this Saerament Pag. 309. Art. 3. Of the Effects of the Holy Eucharist Pag. 311. Art. 4. Of the Dispositions required to Communicate well and as we ought Pag. 314. Art. 5. Of an unworthy Communion Pag. 316. Of the Damages which follow from an unworthy Communion Pag. 320. Art. 6. Of the end we ought to propose to our selves in the Holy Communion Pag. 322. PART II. OF the Practice of Communion or what we must do to Communicate well and as we ought Pag. 325. Chap. 1. Of Faith in as much as it serves for Communion Pag. 326. Art. 1. How necessary it is and in what manner Ib. Art. 2. That to Communicate well it is not sufficient to have Faith but we must practice the acts thereof and how profitable they are in Communion Pag. 327. Art. 3. The Practice of the acts of Faith for Communion Pag. 331. An Act of Faith upon the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament Pag. 332. Vpon the wonders which occur in the Blessed Sacrament Pag. 333. Vpon the effects which the Holy Eucharist is capable to produce in the Soul. Pag. 335. Chap. 2. Of Hope the second disposition for Communion Pag. 339. Art. 1. What is Hope ibid. Art. 2. Of the good which we expect by Hope Pag. 341. Art. 3. That it is necessary to distinguish well betwixt True and False Good and Bad Hope Pag. 344. Art. 4. Of the great Blessings which Hope derives upon us Pag. 347. Art. 5. That the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist is of great use to fortify and augment Hope the Virtue in us Pag. 351. Art. 6. That the Practice of Hope is a good and great disposition to the Holy Communion
end reade that which hereafter we shall say of it The reading also of good Books is a most powerfull means to conserve and keep us in the straight path of virtue We treated of this in the Instruction of Youth 2d Part. Chap. 16. which I exhort you to read once more upon this occasion All these are general remedies and common to all sort of Sins There are others more particular against each Sin considered in its kind which it would be too long to declare in this place as also it would be useless since we have treated of them elsewhere as for example the remedies against idleness in the 3d. Part. Chap. 7 and against impurity in the 8th and 9th Chap. and in all the 4th Part. Where we have treated of Christian virtues and the means to resist contrary vices A Table of SINS Or An Examen of Conscience upon the Commandments of God's Law and of the Church and upon the Seven Deadly Sins Sin being a transgression against the law of God it follows that to understand well in what one hath sinn'd he must know first what it is that God Commands what that he forbids and to examin his Conscience rightly it is necessary he run over the Commandments of God as they stand in order and see whether and how many ways he hath transgress'd them for we offend God diverse ways This is the reason why I shall digest here the ten Commandments of Gods Law with all the sins that may be committed against each one of them that thence you may take what may concern you And for the greater facility I have for my diversion drawn up into Latin verse the several obligations which each Commandment imports with the transgressions opposed against them I offer them to those who understand and like them others may benefit themselves by the following explication The EXAMEN upon the First Commandment I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods before me Exod. 20. THis Commandment includes the obligations of many virtues viz. of Faith of Hope of Charity of Religion and of the care of our Salvation It obligeth us to believe in God to hope in him to love him above all things give him the worship and honour due to him and to seek after the Salvation of our Soul which he hath created to his own image and likeness to enjoy him for all eternity All these things are comprized in these three verses Credere prima homines sperare amare Deumque Condigno cultu venerari orare Animaeque Aeternam curare jubent mandata salutem Opposite to these are first the Sins against Faith whereof some totally destroy it others offend against it in a high degree I st a fidem sanctam laedunt perimuntque nefanda 1. Ignorare fidem 2. dubiis aperire vagantem Incertumque animum 3. graviter qui his fixus adhaeret Ille fidem violat 4. gravius qui mente superba Eligit ipse sibi quod credat vel neget 5. inde Omnia blasphemo qui pernegat impius ore Sancta nil credens nisi quod tangitque videtque 6. Qui favet his vel facta probat 7. consortia quaerit 8. Dicta librosque legens avido bibit ore venena 9. Alta Dei nimio scrutans temerarius ausu Quae penetrare nefas homini mysteria 10. ridens Sacratos ritus 11. divinaque verba retorquens Ad pravos sensus miscens sacra profanis 12. Quique futurorum vult nosce recondita servat Quae Deus ipse sibi vel facta obscura requirit Artibus illicitis observans somnia vel quae Caeca superstitio Cacodaemonis arte maligna Reperit ut noceat prosit ve aut clausa recludat 1. The first sin against Faith is that of Ignorance when one is ignorant of what he is obliged to know To be ignorant of the four principall Mysteries without the express belief whereof we cannot be saved viz. the Unity of one God the Trinity of Persons the Incarnation of the Second Person for the Redemption of mankind and life everlasting To be ignorant of the Apostles Creed or not to know the sense and meaning of it as far as ones capacity and the means he hath to be instructed will permit To be ignorant of the Sacraments and particularly of those which one either hath or ought to receive Not to know the Comandments of God and the Church All these ignorances ordinarily speaking are mortal Sins wherefore one ought carefully to examin himself and reflect well whether he hath sought the means to be instructed as Catechisms Sermons reading and the like 2. The Second Sin against Faith is a doubt of the truth of any of the points of Faith. It happens sometimes against our will and then it is either none or at least not a Mortall Sin but perhaps some venial negligence But if it be voluntary it is a Mortall Sin and this in two cases 1st When one either seeks it or willingly gives some occasion of it as by reading ill Books by discoursing too freely concerning matters of faith by examining them with too much curiosity by giving himself too much liberty to judg of them according to humane reason 2ly This doubt is voluntary when one willingly detains himself in it and gives his consent unto it 3. The Third is the Sin of Error that is when from a doubt one proceeds to affirm and positively believe something contrary to the receiv'd Doctrine of the Church altho' it be but in one single article and such a belief is always a mortal Sin and if one maintain it obstinately without submitting himself to the Church it is Heresy whereof we are going about to speak 4. The Fourth Sin is Heresy That is an error in any point of faith maintain'd with obstinacy wherein one follows his own judgment in opposition to that of the Church and chooseth in points of Religion the things which he is willing to believe or to deny whence it is called Heresy that is to say a choice 5. The Fifth is Impiety which is different from heresy in this that Heresy will believe some truths but not all But Impiety denys all and believes nothing You ought Theotime to examin your self very strictly whether you have fallen into any of these Sins and if you have perform yet some more strict and severer Penance But above all communicate your thoughts with some learned and Pious person who may restore you to your self and put you in the right way 6. The sixth Sin against Faith is to favour Hereticks or Impious men as in supporting and approving what they do 7. The Seventh is to be pleased with their Company and discourse to continue therein with danger of embracing their opinions 8. The Eighth is to read their Books whether with pleasure or danger 9. The Ninth is the Sin of Curiosity to examin the Misteries of Faith or the Secrets of divine Providence by pure humane reason which leads ordinarily
Damasus Epi. 57. that he was resolved never to depart from him but inseparably to unite himself unto him as to one who held the Chair of St. Peter upon which says he I know that the Church is built Adding that the Church thus built is the only house where it is lawfull to Eat the Paschal Lamb the Ark of Noah out of which during the Flood none were saved he that doth not gather with the Pope scattereth that is he who is not united to Jesus Christ doth associate himself with Anti-Christ Fifthly we are also obliged to believe that this true Church is Infallible in her judgments in matters of Faith and Doctrine concerning manners whether she be or be not assembled in the persons of her Pastours and Head viz. the Pope and Bishops she holds universally one and the same Doctrine This is also an Article of Faith grounded upon the word of the Son of God who hath promised that the gates of Hell shall never prevail against her his Church from whence it follows that she never either fell or ever shall fall into the least error in points of faith she being as the Apostle affirms the Pillar and ground of truth But we have already prov'd this truth above in the first Article Now from all what we have said both in the first Article and in the present question it follows that we must conclude and hold this for a certain and infallible truth that all saithfull Christians whosoever desire to be assured in points of faith and sound Doctrine concerning Manners and to avoid error in a matter of so great concern must of necessity adhere and stick close solely inseperably to the Holy Catholick Apostolick and Roman Church and hear and follow her Judgment and Doctrine in all things ARTICLE IV. What are we obliged to believe concerning the Sacraments I Believe the Remission of Sins We are obliged to believe what the Church hath always taught concerning the Sacraments viz. First that they are the means instituted by God thereby either to confer his Grace upon us or to augment what we have already received or to restore what we had lost as it is expressed in the Councill of Trent Sess 7. Proaem Secondly that a Sacrament may be rightly defined in this manner a Visible signe of invisible grace instituted by God for our sanctification 3. That this Visible sign consists and is as it were composed of two parts viz. the sensible thing which is applyed in the Sacrament as water in Baptism and the words which are pronounced as in the same Beptism these words I baptize thee c. according to that received doctrine delivered by St. Augustin Accedit verbum ad Elementum fit Sacramentum By the joyning of the words with the Element or Material thing the Sacrament becomes compleat One of these two parts is called the matter the other the form of the Sacrament 4. That the Sacrament being applyed by a lawfull Minister either gives or augments Sanctifying Grace in the Soul of the worthy receiver 5. That there are Seven Sacraments viz. Baptism Confirmation Eucharist Penance Extreme Unction Order Matrimony Baptism makes us the Children of Jesus Christ Washing us from the Stains of Original sin and enlivening our Soul with the Life of Grace whence St. Paul calls Baptism Tit. 3.5 the laver of regeneration and the renovation of the Holy Ghost Confirmation strengthens us and conserves and confirms us in the faith we received in Baptism The Holy Eucharist is the nourishment of the Soul for as by Meat and Drink our decayed Spirits are revived so by the use of the Blessed Sacrament those damages which Charity dayly suffers from humane frailty are repaired Penance restores us to the Grace of God which we had lost by sin Extreme Unction gives us strength at the hour of death that we may be the better able to fight against our Ghostly Enemy in that last Moment upon which Eternily depends it is a remedy against Spirituall weakness contracted by our former Sins Order consecrates the Ministers of Christ and gives them power to conferr the Sacraments Matrimony sanctifies the contract betwixt man and woman and gives them grace to comply with the obligations which they draw upon themselves by that indissoluble Bond instituted by God for the propagation of Mankind and raised to the dignity of a Sacrament by our Saviour Christ Altho' all or every one of the Sacraments do cause sanctifying grace yet they do not every one produce it in the same manner for there are two viz. Baptism and Penance instituted for the remission of Sins which conferr it upon those whom they find void of grace from whence it is that they are called the Sacraments of the dead that is to say of those who are dead in the sight of God in the state of Mortal Sin whom they raise up from that death to the life of grace whereas all the rest are called the Sacraments of the living in as much as they encrease the grace they find precedently in the Soul and to receive any one of these worthily it is necessary that we be in the state of grace The Soul by each Sacrament is not only sanctified by habitual but also endowed with actual grace that is with a vigour and strength towards the compassing of those particular effects for which it was first instituted and ordained Moreover there are three which imprint a character in the Soul Baptism Confirmation and Order this Character is a Spiritual Mark or Seal which God makes in his Soul who receives any of these three Sacraments which impression because it can never be rased out none of these three Sacraments can be reiterated or received the second time by the same Person without a Sacrilege CHAP. III. Of the Holy Eucharist ALL what we have said hitherto whether of Faith in general or in particular of the Divinity it self of the Incarnation of the Son of God of the Holy Church and of the Sacraments serve only as so many steps or dispositions to the belief of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and to render the understanding of this adorable Mystery more easy to us which therefore we shall here endeavour to explain as brief and short as possibly we may I shall reduce all whatsoever we are obliged to know concerning it into four heads 1. The real prefence of the Son of God in the Sacrament 2. The Wonders inseparably annext unto it 3. The effects which it is capable to produce 4. The dispositions necessary to receive it ARTICLE I. Of the real presence of the Son of God in the Holy Eucharist and of what we are to believe concerning this Sacrament WE are obliged to believe that it is a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ wherein he gives us really and truly his Body and Blood under the species or exteriour appearance of Bread and Wine for our Spiritual nourishment and refection There is not any one particle of this general
sincerity of Intention both which are necessary to Communicate worthily as we have already said there remains a third disposition that we may Communicate with more Fruit and get a larger portion of his grace and it is actual Devotion which we ought to have when we Communicate There are almost infinite ways to practice this devotion which several Books teach in several manners But I am persuaded there is none more profitable and at the same time more solid then that which is reduced to the practice of the three Theological Virtues Faith Hope Charity These three comprehend the practice of all other Christian Virtues And as it is necessary that our Souls be possessors of them to be in a condition to Communicate worthily and as we ought that is in the State of Grace One cannot better receive Jesus Christ nor afford him a more gratefull entertainment then if when he actually Communicates he practice the acts of these three great and Divine Virtues as we shall shew in the three following Chapters CHAP. I. Of Faith inasmuch as it serves for Communion ARTICLE I. How necessary it is and in what manner WE have already declar'd in the first part that Faith is a gift of God by which we believe the truth which he hath revealed unto us And this makes us to remark a distinction which we must observe as well in this virtue as in the other two viz. betwixt Faith as it is a Virtue and the same as it is an Action The Virtue of faith is that interiour light which is given us by God that we may know and believe the truth The Action or act is the actuall credit or belief which we give to the truth revealed when we say I believe this truth The One and the Other are necessary for Communion whosoever is not endowed with faith as it is a Virtue is an unworthy Communicant and he that approaches to the Communion without an Act of faith shall not receive the fruits thereof The greatest difficulty we find in this place is not in having the Virtue of faith for all those who are baptized have received this in Baptisme and they conserve it still except they have lost it either by misbelief or any willfull doubt In which case it must be repaired by believing and doing penance But as to what concerns the acts of faith they require an application of the mind and heart to practice them as we ought that is to say with necessary knowledge and the constancy which is fit Whereof we are about to treat ARTICLE II. That to Communicate well it is not sufficient to have Faith but we must practice the Acts thereof and how profitable they are in Communion WHosoever then is without Faith is an unworthy Communicant since without faith it is impossible to please God as the Apostle affirms Heb. 11.6 and he that doth not please God cannot be worthy to receive It is also necessary to have faith not only of all the misteries of our Religion but we must have it in particular of this here and it is required that we have made acts of faith which we have never revoked nor changed But I say moreover that to receive the benefit of Communion we must practice the Acts of this Faith before at the time and after Communion and that the chiefest fruit of this grand and important action depends upon the punctuall performance of the acts of these three virtues of Faith of Hope and of Charity The reason is very obvious for it is certain that the Sacraments work their effects proportionably to the measure of the disposition of the receiver and that they give a far greater plenty of graces to those who are interiourly better disposed and render themselves more worthy of them Now this perfecter preparation of the heart is made by the acts of Christian virtues particularly by those of Faith Hope Charity which are the first in dignity and contain all the rest That which St. Cyprian Epist ad Don. affirms of the Sacrament of Baptism is verified in all the others but more especially in that of the Holy Eucharist That we draw from thence more grace according to the greatness and capacity of the Faith we bring with us to receive One needs no more then ardently to desire it and open his heart to God and give him room to fill it Quantum illic fidei capacis afferimus tantum gratiae inundantis haurimus nostrum tantum sitiat pectus pateat Where it is to be observed that this Holy Father in these excellent words points at the three Virtues we have already spoke of He saith that with this strong Faith it is necessary that we desire the grace of God and open our hearts to receive it Now we desire by Hope and we open our hearts by Charity and the love of God. Moreover let us add as the proper and peculiar reason in the Sacrament of the Eucharist that it is a Celestial Banquet wherein we receive the nourishment of our Souls Now who is there but he knows that Meat except it be eaten with a good appetite and with a stomach well disposed to digest the food by its natural heat and change it into its own substance doth little good This is yet more certain in Spiritual nutriment which requires not either less action or co-operation and concurrence of our Soul on our side to benefit it as we ought And without question we need not seek for any other causes of the small advantage we draw from our Communions altho' otherwise we receive in the State of Grace then the coldness and indevotion with which we perform this duty which stops the hands of Jesus Christ and hinders him from imparting his favours to those who receive him with so much indifference and so unconcerned If this reason were not sufficiently efficacious I should add also without leaving the comparison of a Feast that we ought indeed to come cloath'd with the Nuptial Garment that is with Sanctifying Grace to this Sacred Banquet of Holy Communion but this ought not to satisfie or be enough for those who desire to Communicate with the advantage they are capable to receive from thence for to let this suffice would be as if a man being invited to a Feast by a Person of Quality should content himself to go thither well cloath'd and in his best Apparel but when he comes should refuse to discourse with him or speak one word What should we say of such an action as this Had we not just cause to judge that this Person had but little regard or esteem for him whose invited Guest he was and that he contemned or at least slighted his friendship and the particular favours which he might receive at his hands and yet this is what you your self are guilty of Theotime in respect of Jesus Christ when you Communicate unconcerned carelesly with tepidity and indevotion Remember I beseech you that it is not enough to
please our Lord to receive him in this manner and that you loose innumerable favours by this your so signally cold reception of him Consider how ill this corresponds with that pressing and ardent love with which he invites you to this Feast and with that earnest desire he hath to receive you there saying to you now what formerly he did to his Disciples Luc. 22.15 I have most earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you Thus when he invites a Soul unto him he doth not only require that she appear in his presence but he expects that she should make him to hear and understand her voice Come says he Cant. 2.14 my dear and well beloved Soul shew me thy face let me hear thy voice for thy voice is sweet and charming as thy countenance is beautifull and comely By the face he gives us to understand the beauty of the Soul which consists in Sanctifying grace and the Ornaments of the Virtues and by the Voice he points at the acts of these same Virtues which make a confort and harmony most pleasing and agreeable in the sight of God. ARTICLE III. The practice of the Act of Faith for the Communion LEt us now come to the practice of these excellent Virtues and see how they must be employed in the Holy Communion To perform them right we must be well instructed and fully convinced of the truths of this divine Mystery which we have explain'd above Amongst these verities there are three upon which one may practice with much benefit the acts of Faith viz. 1. The real presence of the Son of the God in the Eucharist 2. The Wonders which God works in this Holy Mystery 3. The effects which he produceth in his Soul who worthily receives Exercise your Faith upon these three points when you communicate but see that they be acts of a stedfast and fervent faith and for the easier performance of them ponder and detain your self upon the two first before Communion and entertain your thoughts upon the third which are the effects after Communion in the following manner An Act of Faith upon the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament MY Saviour Jesus Christ I firmly believe and from the bottom of my heart I hold that thou art truly present in the Sacred Host I believe that it contains thy Body and thy precious Blood accompany'd with thy Soul and thy Divinity I believe that by vertue of the words of Consecration and in the moment they are pronounced the Bread is changed into thy Body and the Wine into thy Blood. I believe this truth upon the assurance of thy holy words and upon the authority of thy holy Church which thus teaches me to believe I believe it firmly and freely without any hesitation renouncing with all my heart all doubts which may ever come into my mind concerning this Subject Mar. 9.23 Credo Domine adjuva incredulitatem meam Yes my God I believe it assist my incredulity by thy grace and augment in my heart thy faith Luc. 17.5 Domine adauge nobis fidem believing thus I adore thee in this blessed Sacrament from the bottom of my Soul I acknowledge thee for my Lord and for my God as St. Thomas did Jo. 20.28 Dominus meus Deus meus Vpon the Wonders which occur in the Blessed Sacrament MY Lord and my God I acknowledge all the mighty things which thou hast wrought in this Holy Mystery grant me I beseech thee grace to understand them for they far exceed the capacity of my Soul. Psal 105.2 Quis loquitur potentias Domini auditas fafiet omnes laudes ejus Who is he O my God who can recount thy wonders and duly proclaim thy praises I know by faith and I acknowledge that thou art really in the Sacred Host without departing from Heaven where thou art seated on the right hand of thy Eternal Father That thou art in innumerable places in the same instant and in as many as there are Consecrated Hosts That the substance of Bread and Wine is changed into that of thy body and thy blood That of Bread and Wine there remains only the accidents which subsist without their substance which supported them before and that now thou dost miraculously conserve them as before That thy Body is in that Host without taking up any place and that it is whole in the whole Host and whole in every part thereof That it is as whole and entire under the least part as under the greatest Host That when the Host is broken thy body is not divided but that it remains entire in each part of the Consecrated Host That when the Host is consummated thy Body is not consumed but only ceases to be where it was before That the good and bad equally receive thee as to the reality but unequally only as to the effect the one finding life therein the other death O my Saviour I acknowledge all these great truths I firmly believe all these wonders I adore thy power which hath wrought them I praise thy infinite goodness that was pleased to prepare them for me and I say from the bottom of my heart with David Psal 9. Confitebor tibi Domini in toto Corde meo Narrabo omnia mirabilia tua Latabor exultabo in te psallam nomini tuo altissime My God I will praise thee with my whole Heart and I will recount all thy admirable works I will rejoyce in thee and I will bless thy holy name I acknowledg that thou hast really fullfilled in this mystery the Prophecy of David Psa 110.4 wherein he said that as an especiall effect of thy mercy thou hast made an abridgment and memoriall of thy wonders in bestowing food upon those who fear thee In this faith and with this acknowledgment I make bold to approach at present to this adorable banquet where thou bestowest upon me this divine food of thy Body and Blood that thou mayst fill me with thy self and thy divine Spirit O Jesus grant that I may approach unto thee with the sense of the respect and humility which is due to thy infinite Majesty who am I O my God that thou shouldst work such great wonders for my sake vouchsafe at least that I be not unworthy of them and that at present I may receive thee with a pure heart with a clear conscience and with a sincere and true faith Pardon me my Sins which have rendered me most unworthy to approach unto thee I detest them from the bottom of my heart because O my God they are displeasing to thee I here renounce them for the future and I promise to be faithfull to thee Proceed then my soul raise thy self up to go and receive thy God and to receive at his hands all the favours which he hath prepared for thee in this divine Sacrament Convertere anima mea Psa 114.7 in requiem tuam quia Dominus bene fecit tibi Vpon the Effects which the Holy Eucharist is capable to