Assertion or Tenet of our Faith which doth not require to be well and distinctly understood and for this reason I shall explain every one of them in order as they lie First then we believe that it is a Sacrament that is a visible sign of invisible grace instituted by God for our sanctification Secondly we believe that this Sacrament contains really Jesus Christ all whole and entire that is his Body and Blood his Soul and Divinity Thirdly that under the Species in the Sacrament there remains nothing of the substance but only the appearance of Bread and Wine both substances being truly changed into the Body and Blood of the Son of God so that what we see of Bread and Wine as bigness figure colour smell taste c. are only the accidents and the outward and sensible appearance of Bread and Wine Fourthly that it is He God by his Almighty Power who works this wonderfull change by vertue of the words of Consecration This is my Body this is my Blood in that very moment in which the Priest in the Person of Jesus Christ makes an end of the pronunciation of them Fifthly That in vertue of these Divine words the Body of the Son of God becomes really present under the species of Bread not by it self or all alone but together with his Blood his Soul and Divinity and his Blood also under the species of Wine not singly by it self but accompanied with his Body his Soul and his Divinity with this difference that the Body becomes present there under the species of Bread precisely and directly by the vertue and signification of the words and the rest that is to say the Blood Soul and Divinity are there by concomitance only and by a necessary consequence because the Son of God being alive and the Divinity always inseparably united to his Humanity wheresoever his Body is there also is his Blood his Soul and his Divinity The same is to be said of his Blood which becomes present under the species of Wine directly by the signification of the words and his Body his Soul and his Divinity are also there by a necessary sequel and concomitance Sixthly That Jesus Christ continues whole and entire under the species of Bread and Wine in a Spiritual manner that is without his Quantity and natural extension after the manner of a Spirit that is whole in the whole Host and whole in every part of the Host so that he is there invisible indivisible and impassible And therefore when the Host is divided the Son of God is not divided nor broken but he continues entire in each small particle of the Host as he was before the division in the whole and he who receives any tho' the least part of the Host receives Jesus Christ whole and entire as much as if he had received the whole ARTICLE II. Of the Wonders which occurr in this Sacrament MAny and almost innumerable are the Wonders and Miracles which God works by his Almighty Power in this great Mystery whereof seven are more remarkable The First is that the Son of God in that very moment the words are pronounced becomes really present in the Eucharist and without departing from Heaven where he still remains his Body becomes truly present in the Sacred Host where before the Consecration it never was The Second which follows from the First is that the Body of the Son of God is at one and the same time truly in many places and in as many as there are Consecrated Hosts The Third is this admirable change of the substance of Bread and Wine into the substance of the Body and Blood of the Son of God so that at the moment of Consecration the Bread is no more Bread and the Wine is no more Wine Before Consecration saith St. Ambrose l. 4. de Sacram c. 4. the Bread is Bread after Consecration of Bread it becomes the Body of Christ The Fourth Miracle is that the accidents of Bread and Wine after the Consecration subsist separate from their proper substance which 'till then sustained them God by his Omnipotence preserving them thus in being The Fifth is that the Body of the Son of God is all whole entire and perfect in the Host yet without taking up any place as other Bodies do but after a Spiritual manner so that it is whole and totally entire in the whole Host and also whole and totally entire in each part of every Host after the manner of Spiritual things as for example the Soul which is all whole and entire in the whole and all whole and entire in every part of the Body from whence it follows of necessity that the body of the Son of God is as entire under the least as under the greatest part of the Host and he who receives but one part of the Host receives as much as he who receives the whole The Sixth which follows from the former that tho' the Host be divided or broken into many Parts the Body of the Son of God is neither divided nor broken because being Indivisible he continues in each part as he was before The Seventh is when the Host is consummated the Body of the Son of God is not consummated nor corrupted that altogether divine Body being incapable of any alteration what happens to it in that moment is only this it leaves or ceaseth to be in the Sacrament when the accidents of Bread or Wine are Corrupted and cease to be any longer the Accidents of Bread and Wine All these and innumerable other wonders with which this Sacrament abounds and which it is impossible to relate much more to comprehend oblige us to look upon it as an Abridgment of all the wonderfull effects of the Almighty Power according to that of David Psalm 110.4 where so long before by a Prophetick Spirit he foretold that God as a speciall token of his Mercy had made an abridgment of his Marvells in giving Meat to them that fear him and to behold it as the most endearing pledge which our Redeemer as the Council of Trent hath it Sess 13. c. 2. being ready to depart from this World to his Father summing up as we may say all the riches of his divine love to men most liberally bestowed upon us ARTICLE III. Of the Effects of the Holy Eucharist FRom what hath been said it is easy to judge of the great effects this Sacrament is capable and ordain'd to produce in the Soul of every receiver For as God hath wrought all these so immense and so incomprehensible wonders for our sakes it must needs be that they were design'd to work in us most powerfull effects of his Grace The Son of God by his infinite wisdom hath comprised them all in one word saying Jo. 6.56 that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he who eateth his body and drinks his blood remains in him and he Jesus interchangeably remains in him who eats him From these divine
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
those that commit it But it happens by a strange misfortune that it is but too common amongst Penitents and particularly amongst simple and young people by reason they know not how grievous a sin it is and the dreadfull consequences it draws after it This is the reason why I treat of it in this place First then Theotime you must know and hold as most certain that to conceal willingly in Confession any Mortal Sin or what you believe is a Mortal Sin is also a Mortal Sin The reason is taken from the Command of our Saviour who as the Council of Trent above-cited says giving to the Apostles and their Successors the power to remit or retain sins hath also obliged the Faithfull to Confess all the sins which after a sufficient Examen they remember Thus to conceal a Mortal Sin in Confession is a formal disobedience to the Law of Jesus Christ in a matter of the highest concern Secondly this Sin is a formal and positive untruth in a matter of the highest consequence viz. The justification and eternal Salvation of the Soul an untruth not told to Man but to God whose place the Priest holds in Confession Now to tell a lye to God is a strange Crime Remember the rigorous punishment which God by S. Peter laid upon Ananias and Saphira his wife for having told an untruth in a thing of less importance where they denied only part of the price of some goods they sold which they concealed You have not said the Apostle lyed to men but to God. Act. 5.4 And at these words they fell down dead at his feet Thirdly this Sin is not only a disobedience to the Law of God and a base lye but also a sin of Sacrilege and that one of the greatest magnitude Sacrilege is one of the heinousest sins one can commit for it is an abuse and a prophanation of a consecrated and holy thing that is to say of a thing dedicated to God and which partakes of his sanctity And as amongst holy things there are some more holy then others so amongst Sacrileges there are some greater and more enormous then others according to the proportion of the thing that is prophan'd Now the abuse and prophanation of the Sacrament of Penance by him who conceals a Mortal Sin is not only an abuse of a holy thing but of a thing most holy Because the Sacraments are not only exteriourly holy like Churches Altars and holy Vessels which are holy because they are Consecrated to holy uses but they contain holiness in themselves because they cause and bestow it upon men If then it be a horrible Sacrilege to prophane a Church overthrow an Altar abuse a Chalice judge what we ought to say of the abuse and prophanation of a Sacrament and what a horrour we ought to have of such a Sacrilege Fourthly consider the evil you do in abusing this Sacrament in particular for this Sacrament is instituted to appease and pacify our Lord and to reconcile us unto him Now in making a false Confession you provoke God to anger by those very means which he hath appointed to appease him you make him your enemy at the same time that you go to make your atonement with him and you change the Sacrament which is a Judgment or Sentence of Absolution into a Judgment or Sentence of Condemnation O how miserable are you are you not in dread of that Curse of the Prophet Woe be to you saith he that turn judgement into wormwood Amos. 5.7 Fifthly consider the great injury you do to the adorable Blood of the Son of God for by this Sacrament the merits of that blood are applied to us for the remission of our Sins and when the Priest pronounces the Sacred words of Absolution he pours upon us that pretious blood which washes us as St. John saith 1. Jo. 1.7 from the spots and stains which we had contracted by all our sins But when you are so void of grace as to make a false Confession and having made it to permit the Priest to give you Absolution you frustrate the effect of the blood of the Son of God which falling upon a Criminal and unworthy Subject as you then are is more prophaned contemned and violated then when the Jews shed it upon the Earth and unworthily trampled it under their feet Be afraid here of that menace of the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews 10.28 where he saith He that despiseth Moyses his Law dieth without mercy of how much more severe punishment think ye shall he deserve who treadeth under foot the Son of God and esteemeth the blood of the Testament wherewith he was sanctified as an unholy thing and doth affront the Spirit of grace Ponder well upon these three injuries for all these you do by a false Confession Sixthly consider how little reason you have to commit so great evils in thus concealing your sins in Confession this cannot proceed but either out of fear or shame which are the two inseparable Companions of Sin as Tertullian saith in Apologet. Omne malum aut timore aut pudore natura suffudit As for fear what is it that you can apprehend in this occasion If you fear to be defamed consider that you discover your sins but to one man alone and so this cannot defame you but besides he is obliged to secrecy by all both Divine and Humane Laws and he cannot violate that secret but he makes himself worthy of death both before God and Man. So that there is no danger of your honour Are you afraid to be reprehended by your Ghostly Father this is what sometimes hinders simple people who yet in reality are not simple but blind and stupid to commit so dreadfull a sin for fear of so small an evil and to be more apprehensive of the reprehension of a Ghostly Father who doth not do it but meerly out of Charity and for your good then you are afraid of the offence of God and to be reprehended and condemned by him to be scoffed at by the Divels and lost for evermore Has not he lost his wit who makes such a choice The same is to be said of those who conceal their sins for fear of a great Penance which is yet a more unsupportable stupidity and blindness yet this happens sometimes and chiefly amongst young and ignorant people Let us now come to speak of shame which is the second reason why the Penitent conceals his sins in Confession as vain as the former And first I agree and acknowledge that Sin deserves we should be ashamed of it and that he is not truly penitent that hath not this shame and that he justly merits that reproch which God gave to a Sinner Hierem. 33. Thou hast the forehead of a dishonest woman thou wilt not blush for thy crimes But I maintain that shame ought not to hinder any one from discovering all their sins in Confession that which with-holds us from such a declaration is not shame
were strictly united in the person of the Son of God. So that continuing what he was that is God he became what he was not viz. Man as St. Leo Sermone de Nativ Dom. expresses himself Manens quod erat assumpserat quod non erat Quest IV. How was this Divine Vnion accomplished WHen the fulness of time was come that God had decreed to send his Son for the redemption of Mankind he dismis'd from Heaven an Angell Messenger to the Blessed Virgin whom above all others he had chosen and in whom he had ordain'd this adorable mystery should be perform'd to declare unto her it was his will that she should be the temporall Mother of the Son of God. She had no sooner yielded and concurr'd with her consent to the accomplishing of the will of God thus manifested unto her but the Almighty power frames in her Virginal womb an humane body out of her purest blood creating in the same instant a rationall Soul to animate and inform it and in that same moment the Word who from all eternity terminates the Divinity began in time to terminate the Humanity of our Lord Uniting in his Person the two divine humane Natures And thus was fulfill'd that divine truth recorded by St. John Verbum caro factum est The word was made Flesh The Blessed Virgin having thus conceived the Son of God by the speciall work of the Holy Ghost at the end of nine months she brings him forth into the world nourishes maintains and breeds him up as other mothers use to do their Children and the Son of God lived with her thus unknown to the world untill the age of thirty years thenceforward only he began to manifest himself and to commence the work of our redemption for which he came Quest V. What is it that the Son of God hath done for our Redemption HE did four principall things first he preached publickly his Gospell during the space of three years and some months confirming the truth of his Doctrine his Mission and his Divinity by an infinite number of miracles Secondly he Suffer'd under Pontius Pilate a most bitter Passion and death upon the Cross upon which he offer'd himself a Sacrifice in satisfaction to the divine Justice for the Sins of all mankind and recompensation for the infinite injury which thereby was done to the divine Majesty Goodness and by this means to open the gates of Everlasting life for man to enter which till that time were shut against both Adam and all his Posterity Having performed this duty the third day he rose again from the dead and after that by frequent apparitions he had proved the truth of his Resurrection for the space of forty days he Ascended glorious and triumphant into Heaven from whence at the end of the World he shall come to judge both the quick and the dead all men according to their merits who for that end shall be raised from death to life and appear before him never more to die but receive either an Eternal Reward for their good or everlasting Punishment for their evil works Thirdly he establish'd and confirm'd his Church consisting of almost innumerable men Pastors and their Flock who should believe in him and continue in an uninterrupted Succession to the end of the world which Church Act. 20.28 he purchased with his blood Fourthly he instituted the Sacraments as the means to convey unto us the merits of his Passion and as so many pretious Vessels wherein is preserved the price of that adorable blood which he hath so abundantly shed for us to the end it might be applied unto us according as the necessity of our Salvation should require And for as much as these two last heads require a larger Explication we shall treat of them here in two distinct Articles ARTICLE III. What are we oblig'd to believe concerning the Church I Believe the Holy Catholique Church the Communion of Saints We must first believe that it is the Mysticall Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head or a Congregation of the Faithfull holding the same Doctrin or Faith which he taught using the same Sacraments which he instituted living under the conduct of the Apostles and succeeding Pastours and acknowledging the same visible Head the Vicar of Jesus Christ the Chief Bishop and true Successor of St. Peter Secondly that there is but one Church as there is but one God one Faith one Baptism as St. Paul Ephes 4.4 saith unum corpus unus Spiritus unus Dominus una Fides unum Baptisma unus Deus Pater omnium He that doth not conserve this Vnion saith St. Cyprian de unitat Eccles how can he believe that he hath Faith he who opposes and resists the Church who abandons the Chair of St. Peter upon which the Church is built how can he hope that he is in the Church since the blessed Apostle teacheth this same thing and shewing the sacred tye of Vnity affirming that there is but one body that is the Church as there is but one Spirit who governs it Thirdly that this is that only Church which acknowledgeth the Pope for her visible head whom Jesus Christ hath appointed to govern her and to be the source and Center of her Unity here on Earth which made St. Cyprian say ibid. that Heresies and Schisms spring from hence that some will not acknowledge in the Church one whom Jesus Christ constituted head over the rest in those words which he spoke to St. Peter Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church and I will give to thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and in another place feed my Sheep Vpon one man continues St. Cyprian Ibid. he builds his Church and gives him charge to feed his Flock And although he bestow'd an equal authority upon the Apostles as far as concerns the remission of Sins Yet that the Vnity of the Church might more clearly appear he hath ordain'd one Chair and it was his will that the Vnity take its Original and beginning from one man and a little after he saith that the Primacy was given to St. Peter to shew that the Church of Christ and the Chair was one St. Hierome L. 1. in Jovinian says the same thing viz. That St. Peter was preferred before the other Apostles to be the head of the Church to the end that the head being one all occasion of division in the Church might be removed Fourthly we are obliged to believe that there is no Salvation for any one out of this one true Church It is an Article of Faith which hath been held constantly in the Church this having always been an unquestion'd and current Maxim that he who will not have the Church for his Mother shall not have God for his Father Which was the reason why St. Hierome finding himself in the East where there was some division upon this Subject the names of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity writ to Pope
words it follows that the flesh of the Son of God as a Divine nourishment works in the Soul of the worthy receiver the same effects Spiritually which the best Corporal nourishment produceth corporally in the body of those who take it Now the effects of corporal nourishment are four or five 1. It conserves life 2. It makes one grow or encrease 3. It fortifies us 4. It preserves us against distempers Infine it gives us strength to be able to labour and to comply with all our respective duties By these we may judge of the effects of the Holy Eucharist The first is to conserve Grace which is the life of the Soul and therefore it is called the Bread of Life the Bread which gives Life unto the World. The Second is to augment the same grace and encrease the Christian Virtues Faith Hope and Charity This effect however it be common to all the Sacraments yet it is more peculiar to this as being more particularly instituted for the nourishment of the Soul and to make us increase and proceed from Virtue to Virtue till we come to the house of God. The third is to strengthen us against sin and the temptations which incline that way hence the Councill of Trent affirm'd Sess 13. c. 2. that this Sacrament is a preservative against Mortal and a remedy against Venial Sin. The fourth effect is that it heals the distempers that is the passions and disorderly affections of the Soul. It weakens concupiscence or gives new strength to overcome it It diminishes Choler Envy Pride and other Vices as St. Bernard Serm. de Coena Domini excellently well observes If any one says he does not find so frequent or so violent motions of Anger Envy Impurity or of other like passions let him give thanks to the body and blood of our Lord for it is the vertue of the Sacrament which produces in him these effects and let him rejoyce that the worst of Vlcers begin to heal Lastly the Holy Eucharist gives perseverance in the grace of God and in the way of Salvation in the midst of the various imminent dangers which we encounter in this Life and particularly when we draw near death whence it was given sometimes to Martyrs when they were ready to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ and the Church always takes care to Communicate the sick when they are in danger of Death that so they may be Strengthened in that dangerous passage and happily arrive at the haven of Salvation by means of this divine nourishment then called the Viaticum which is as much as to say the Provision for that voiage All these admirable effects evidently prove the greatness and excellence of this divine Sacrament and ought effectually to move us frequently to approach unto it and not neglect so many and so signal favours as God there presents unto us Yet we are to take notice that it doth not produce these Effects except in such persons as are rightly disposed to receive it as it deserves Of these dispositions we will now discourse ARTICLE IV. Of the dispositions required to Communicate well and as we ought WE shall inferr the dispositions from the same principle from which we gathered the effects viz. from the nature of the nourishment and Spiritual food we receive in the Holy Euchrist and as it produces the same effects in the Soul that food doth into the Body so also it requives proportionable dispositions in the Soul that nourishment doth to be beneficial to the Body Now Corporall nourishment we know requires three dispositions Life Health Action for a dead body is uncapable to be nourished an infirm Stomack can never make a good digestion nor is it possible to convert the food into our substance except that health be accompanied with our action which is the reason that the body to be nourished requires to be alive to be sound and well and to have an action of its own Thus the Eucharist that Celestiall food requires three dispositions in the Soul and without them it doth no good but harm The first is Sanctifying Grace which is the life of the Soul as mortall Sin is the death incompatible with it depriving us of this Supernatural life of the Soul Without this life the Soul not only receives no benefit from Communion but suffers also much detriment from this holy Table inofmuch as she becomes guilty of a new mortall Sin a Sacriledge which she commits by inviting the Authour of Life into the habitation of Death the author of Light into the place of Darkness and Jesus Christ into the company of the Devil This made St. Paul 1 Cor. 21.28 advertise all Communicants to examen themselves well when they approach to this holy table because saith the Apostle he who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself The Second disposition is the interiour Health of the Soul which requires 1st that she be free from any affection to veniall Sin. 2ly that she be not actually moved either with Passions or Affections which may hinder her in her application and address to Jesus Christ And altho' these defects do not render the Communicant absolutely unworthy or the Communion Sacrilegious yet they cause very ill effects and considerably diminish the fruits which otherwise it would produce They hinder the Soul from digesting this sacred food by good thoughts and holy affections And as nutriment which lies indigested upon the Stomack begets crudities and causes Sickness in the body so this divine sustenance by means of these indispositions becomes prejudicial to the Soul. Thereby we contract tepidity and coldness in devotion Charity and other Virtues are considerably diminish'd our good actions weak and feeble our selves by degrees insensible of all good things which conduce to Piety And thus by degrees at last we are often brought into mortall Sin. The Third disposition is Action that is actual devotion To receive the fruits of this Sacrament it is not sufficient that we be not indisposed or that we do not put any obstacle to its effects it is necessary also that in this so religious an action wherein we receive the Holy of Holys and the Author of Holiness it self we concur with dispositions of our own which consist in the practice of Christian Virtues Of which we shall speak below in the Second Part of this Instruction ARTICLE V. Of an Vnworthy Communion AN ancient Lawgiver being ask'd why he had made no Laws against Paricides made answer because he esteemed that crime impossible that there could not be found Children so degenerate and unnaturall as to attempt the life of their own Parents I would to God we could say the same with truth in the point of Instruction concerning unworthy Communion or that we could truly say that it is not necessary to advertise Christians to avoid that so horrid Sacriledge because it is impossible for a man professing himself a Christian ever to be guilty of so enormous a crime against